Effect of Seawater Stress on Physiological and Biochemical Responses of Five Jerusalem Artichoke Ecotypes

Three treatments consisting of 0%,15%,and 30%seawater were investigated to analyse the ecotypic variabilities among five populations of Jerusalem artichoke(Helianthus tuberosus)regarding their responses to seawater stress under a hydroponic culture system.Analyses were done 2,4,and 6 days after treatments.The 15%and 30%seawater treatments reduced the growth rates of roots and shoots of H.tuberosus populations.The activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase,and catalase majored in the leaves were stimulated under the seawater stress.The electrolyte leakage and malondialdehyde contents of the leaves were also stimulated owing to seawater stress.The contents of proline and soluble- sugars in the leaves increased significantly with increasing seawater concentrations.The concentrations of Na+,K+,and Cl-in the aerial parts and roots increased with an increase in the seawater concentration throughout the experimental period.There were ecotypic differences among the five populations of H.tuberosus as evidenced by the analyses of the above items in both aerial parts and roots under seawater treatment.The magnitude of the ecotypic variance components indicated that a substantial proportion of the total variation for these physiological and biochemical responses were owing to ecotype,indicating the possibility of improvement through hybridization and selection.

Effect of NO_3^--N Enrichment on Seawater Stress Tolerance of Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus)

A hydroponic experiment with six treatments, i.e., 0% seawater （control）, 10% seawater, 25% seawater, 0% seawater ＋ N （7.5 mmol L-1 NaNO3）, 10% seawater ＋ N （7.5 mmol L-1 NaO3）, and 25% seawater ＋ N （7.5 mmol L-1 NaNO3）, was carried out to study the effect of nitrogen addition on the growth and physiological and biochemical characteristics of Jerusalem artichoke （Helianthus tuberosus） seedlings under seawater stress. The 10% seawater stress treatment had the least effect on plant growth while at 25% seawater growth was significantly inhibited. The malondialdehyde content and electrolyte leakage in leaves under 10% seawater were similar to those of the control, but significantly higher under the 25% seawater stress. The activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase and catalase in the leaves increased concomitantly with increasing seawater concentration and time. Proline and soluble-sugars in the leaves and Na^＋, K^＋, and Cl- contents in shoots and roots increased significantly with the concentration of seawater increasing. Nitrogen addition resulted in increasing fresh and dry weights of shoots and roots compared with seawater treatment without N. Nitrogen supplementation also significantly enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes in leaves. Addition of N to seawater enhanced the contents of proline and soluble-sugars in the leaves and K^＋ and total-N in the aerial parts and roots of H. tuberosus, but it resulted in declined concentrations of Na^＋ and Cl- in the aerial parts and roots. Nitrogen addition ameliorated the toxicity of seawater by improving the antioxidative enzymes, accumulating of proiine and soluble-sugars, and altering the distribution of inorganic ions in H. tuberosus.

Effects of small peptides, probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics on growth performance, digestive enzymes, and oxidative stress in orange-spotted grouper, Epinephelus coioides, juveniles reared in artificial seawater

Aquaculture production efficiency may increase by using feed additives. This study investigated the effects of different dietary additives [w/w: 2% small peptides, 0.01% probiotics( Bacillus licheniformis) and 0.2% prebiotics(inulin)] on growth performance, digestive enzyme activities, and oxidative stress in juvenile Epinephelus coioides reared in artificial seawater of two salt concentrations(13.5 vs. 28.5). Weight gain rate was significantly higher in fish fed the diet supplemented with small peptides, B. licheniformis, inulin, or synbiotics than that in fish fed the basal diet; the greatest weight gain rate was found in fish fed the small peptide treatment [56.0% higher than basal diet]. Higher feed efficiency was detected in fish fed the diet supplemented with small peptides than that of fish in the other dietary treatments. Total protease activity in the stomach and intestines was highest in fish fed the small peptide-treated diet, whereas lipase activity was highest in those fed synbiotics(combination of Bacillus licheniformis and inulin) than that in fish fed the other treatments. Antioxidant enzyme(total superoxide dismutase and catalase) activities and hepatic malondialdehyde content were higher in fish receiving the dietary supplements and maintained in artificial seawater containing 13.5 salinity compared with those in the control(28.5). Hepatic catalase activity in grouper fed the diets with small peptides or synbiotics decreased significantly compared with that in control fish. Overall, the three types of additives improved growth rate of juvenile grouper and digestive enzymes activities to varying degrees but did not effectively improve antioxidant capacity under low-salinity stress conditions.

Response of Two Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus)Cultivars Differing in Tolerance to Salt Treatment

To explore genetic variability for two Jerusalem artichoke cultivated with 75% seawater irrigation for six years） and N7 （Helianthus tuberosus） cultivars, N1 （the sixth-generation （a general variety）, a experiment was conducted to study the changes in physiological attributes under different concentrations （0%, 10% and 25% of seawater concentration in greenhouse and 0%, 30% and 50% of seawater concentration in the field） of seawater salinity stress. In the greenhouse experiment, decreases of dry growth rate, but increases of dry matter percentage and membrane injury occurred in both the genotypes at 10% and 25% seawater treatments, although lesser cell membrane damage was observed in N1 than N7. N1 accumulated greater contents of Na^＋, Cl^-, soluble sugar and proline in leaves compared with NT. In the field experiment, the yields of shoot, root and tuber, and the contents of total-sugar and inulin in tubers of N1 were higher than those of N7. Lesser degree of salt injury in N1 indicated that the relatively salt-tolerant cultivar had higher K^＋/Na^＋ ratio, lower Na^＋/Ca^2＋ ratio, and the salt-induced enhancement of osmotic adjustment.

Alkaloid Accumulation in Catharanthus roseus Increases with Addition of Seawater Salts to the Nutrient Solution

A sand culture experiment was conducted to determine the effects of different seawater (5% and 10%) treatments on plant growth,inorganic ions,indole alkaloid concentrations and yields of Catharanthus roseus,in an effort to increase the alkaloid yield by artificial cultivation.The total fresh and dry weights and tissue K + concentrations decreased,but Na + concentrations increased in the plant roots,stems and leaves of C.roseus under seawater stress as compared to the control.The concentrations and yields of vindoline,catharanthine,vinblastine and vincristine increased under seawater stress.The concentrations and yields of these alkaloids were higher in 5% seawater-treated plants than those in the 10% seawater-treated plants.Considering the industrial production,5% seawater treatments could reduce the cost of producing alkaloid.In the control plants,the highest alkaloid concentrations reached a peak at 100 days after planting,suggesting that plant harvest must be optimized in terms of growth duration.