How Effective Is Cervical Ripening Using the Controlled-Release Dinoprostone Vaginal Delivery System for Primiparas with Unruptured Membranes?

Background: Labor induction has a low success rate, especially in primiparas with unruptured membranes. Previous studies focused on pregnant women with unruptured membranes, but none specifically targeted primiparas. Aims: To compare the effectiveness of a controlled-release dinoprostone vaginal delivery system for cervical dilatation (PROPESS) with that of mechanical dilation for labor induction in primiparous women with unruptured membranes. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 90 primiparas with unruptured membranes (41 and 49 in the PROPESS and mechanical dilation groups, respectively). The primary outcome was the cesarean section (CS) rate. The secondary outcomes were the prevalence of vaginal delivery within 12 or 24 h after the initial insertion, oxytocin usage rate, chorioamnionitis, additional use of mechanical dilation in the PROPESS group, and neonatal outcomes. Results: The CS rate was significantly lower in the PROPESS group than in the mechanical dilation group (p = 0.02). A total of 13 patients (31.7%) delivered within 24 h with PROPESS alone, indicating a significantly higher rate of delivery within 24 h in the PROPESS group (p = 0.02). Fewer patients required additional oxytocin in the PROPESS group than in the mechanical dilation group (p = 0.001). However, 14 (34%) patients in the PROPESS group required additional mechanical cervical dilation, resulting in a longer time to delivery than mechanical dilation. Conclusions: PROPESS significantly reduced CS rates and increased delivery rates 24 h after the initial insertion in primiparas with unruptured membranes compared to mechanical dilatation. However, failure to respond to PROPESS resulted in an overall longer delivery time than that of the conventional mechanical dilation group;therefore, identifying predictors of response to PROPESS is necessary.

Impacts of Defoliation on Morphological Characteristics and Non-Structural Carbohydrates of Populus talassica × Populus euphratica Seedlings

Leaves are important‘source’organs that synthesize organic matter,providing carbon sources for plant growth.Here,we used Populus talassica×Populus euphratica,the dominant species in ecological and timber forests,to simulate carbon limitation through artificial 25%,50%,and 75%defoliation treatments and explore the effects on root,stem,and leaf morphology,biomass accumulation,and carbon allocation strategies.At the 60th d after treat-ment,under 25%defoliation treatment,the plant height,specific leaf weight,root surface area and volume,and concentrations of non-structural carbohydrates in stem and root were significantly increased by 9.13%,20.00%,16.60%,31.95%,5.12%,and 9.34%,respectively,relative to the control.There was no significant change in the growth indicators under 50%defoliation treatment,but the concentrations of non-structural carbohydrates in the leaf and stem significantly decreased,showing mostly a negative correlation between them.The opposite was observed in the root.Under 75%defoliation treatment,the plant height,ground diameter,leaf number,single leaf area,root,stem,and total biomass were significantly reduced by 14.15%,10.24%,14.86%,11.31%,11.56%,21.87%,and 16.82%,respectively,relative to the control.The concentrations of non-structural carbohydrates in various organs were significantly reduced,particularly in the consumption of the starch concentrations in the stem and root.These results indicated that carbon allocation strategies can be adjusted to increase the con-centration of non-structural carbohydrates in root and meet plant growth needs under 25%and 50%defoliation.However,75%defoliation significantly limited the distribution of non-structural carbohydrates to roots and stems,reduced carbon storage,and thus inhibited plant growth.Defoliation-induced carbon limitation altered the carbon allocation pattern of P.talassica×P.euphratica,and the relationship between carbon reserves in roots and tree growth recovery after defoliation was greater.This study provides a theoretical basis for the comprehen-sive management of P.talassica×P.euphratica plantations,as well as a reference for the study of plantation car-bon allocation strategies in the desert and semi-desert regions of Xinjiang under carbon-limitation conditions.

Occurrence Regularity and Control Research of Apple Early Defoliation Disease in West Sichuan Plateau

[ Objective ] The research aimed to discuss the occurrence regularity of apple early defoliation disease and control effects of fungicides in west Sichuan plateau. [ Method ] Apple early defoliation disease in west Sichuan plateau was systematically investigated during 2009 and 2011, and the control effects of different fungicides during different spraying periods were studied. [ Result] The species of pathogen mainly was Marssonina ma/i （ P. Henn）, accounting for 32.5%, Phyl-losticta Pirina Sa accounted for 29.9%, and Alternaria mali Roberts accounted for 25.7%. The field fluctuation regularity was as follows ： the disease generally be- gan in the mid-May and ended in early and middle October with only one damage peak during the whole year, the fluctuation had positive correlation with rainfall （ R2 =0.891 8 ＊ ＊ ）. Control test showed that 40% flusilazole had the best control effect （86.5%）, which was best to apply after anthesis. [ Conclusion ] The paper provided theoretical basis for the effective control against apple early defoliation disease.

Compensatory Growth Responses to Defoliation of Peony under Different Intensity and Frequency Conditions

[Objective] It aimed to find an optimum condition for compensatory growth of peony.[Method] The different defoliation intensies and frequencies of penoy were implemented to observe accumulated aboveground biomass, regenerated bud number,stem-leaf ratio and the chlorophyll concentration change in residual leaves.[Result] When the defoliation frequency was conducted every 20 d once and defoliaton intensity was from 40%-60%,the accumulated biomass was biggest, when the defoliation frequency was conducted every 10 d once and defoliation intensity was from 60%-80% the regenerated bud number was maximum.The stem-leaf ratio of mild and moderate defoliation intensities(20%-60%) was significantly lower than that of control group.When the defoliation frequency was conducted every 20 d once and defoliation intensity was from 40%-60%,the chlorophyll concentration in residual leaves was obviously higher than that of control group.[Conclusion] The proper defoliation intensity(60%) and lower defoliation frequency(defoliation was conducted every 20 d once) were most favorable to the growth and regenerated of peony which was the compensatory growth.

Effects of Acetylsalicylic Acid (ASA) and Ethylene Treatments onRipening and Softening of Postharvest Kiwifruit

Kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa (A. Chev.) C. F. Liang et A. R. Ferguson cv. Bruno) was used toinvestigate the effects of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA, 1.0 mmol/L, pH 3.5) and ethylene (100 mL/L) treat-ments on changes at endogenous salicylic acid (SA) levels and other senescence-related factors duringfruit ripening and softening at 20 ℃. The level of endogenous SA in ripening fruits declined and a closerelationship was observed between the change at endogenous SA level and the rate of fruit ripening andsoftening. ASA treatment elevated SA level in the fruit, slowed down the increases in lipoxygenase (LOX)and allene oxide synthase (AOS) activities, decreased the O22-. production in the preclimacteric phase andthe early phase of ethylene climacteric rise, maintained the stability of cell membrane, inhibited ethylenebiosynthesis, postponed the onset of the ethylene climacteric, and delayed the process of fruit ripeningand softening. On the contrary, application of ethylene to ripening kiwifruit resulted at a lower SA level, anaccelerated increases in the activities of LOX and AOS and the rate of O22-. production, an elevated relativeelectric conductivity and an advanced onset of ethylene climacteric, and a quicker fruit ripening andsoftening. It is suggested that the effects of ASA on ripening kiwifruit can be attributed to its ability toscavenge O22-. and/or to maintain stability of cell membrane.

微冻对蚕豆籽粒保鲜效果及成熟衰老的影响

探究微冻技术对新鲜蚕豆籽粒的保鲜效果。通过测定蚕豆籽粒的冰点,确定3个微冻温度,以冷藏(4℃)为对照组,分析不同微冻温度(-2、-3、-4℃)贮藏对蚕豆籽粒感官品质、叶绿素含量、色差值等品质指标的影响,再通过多酚氧化酶(polyphenol oxidase,PPO)、过氧化物酶(peroxidase,POD)、苯丙氨酸解氨酶(phenylalamine ammonia lyase,PAL)活性、总酚含量、可溶性蛋白含量及细胞组织结构等研究微冻贮藏对蚕豆籽粒成熟衰老的影响。结果表明,4℃冷藏条件下蚕豆籽粒保鲜期为7 d,3个微冻温度贮藏均能显著提高样品的感官品质,其中-3℃使蚕豆籽粒保鲜期达35 d,能显著减缓叶绿素含量的降低和质量损失率、色差值的升高,能较好地维持蚕豆籽粒的硬度,采用主成分分析也得出-3℃为最佳微冻温度。-3℃微冻贮藏能减缓PPO、PAL活性升高,维持较高的POD活性,延缓蚕豆籽粒中淀粉和可溶性蛋白的生成、总酚的积累及变化速率,还能维持细胞组织结构、形态的相对稳定,减缓蚕豆籽粒的成熟衰老。

基于Ostwald ripening自组装工艺的银纳米颗粒活性衬底的高稳定性

利用Ostwald ripening自组装工艺对拉曼增强衬底进行处理,得到粒径和密度不同的银纳米颗粒拉曼增强衬底。用龙胆紫生物大分子作为探针,对其表面增强拉曼散射(SERS)和表面增强荧光(SEF)进行研究发现,拉曼和荧光光谱强度存在着相似的变化趋势,且随着自组装工艺时间的递增,强度的变化趋于稳定。研究结果表明:Ostwald ripening自组装工艺可以优化SERS和SEF增强效果及其稳定性,故其可为研制具有长期稳定性、低成本的基于SERS和SEF效应生物化学传感器件提供研究基础。

Effects of planting patterns on yield, quality, and defoliation in machine-harvested cotton

The aim of this study was to elucidate the effects of different machine-harvested cotton-planting patterns on defoliation,yield,and fiber quality in cotton and to provide support for improving the quality of machine-harvested cotton.In the 2015 and 2016 growing seasons,the Xinluzao 45(XLZ45)and Xinluzao 62(XLZ62)cultivars,which are primarily cultivated in northern Xinjiang,were used as study materials.Conventional wide-narrow row(WNR),wide and ultra-narrow row(UNR),wide-row spacing with high density(HWR),and wide-row spacing with low density(LWR)planting patterns were used to assess the effects of planting patterns on defoliation,yield,and fiber quality.Compared with WNR,the seed cotton yields were significantly decreased by 2.06–5.48%for UNR and by 2.50–6.99%for LWR,respectively.The main cause of reduced yield was a reduction in bolls per unit area.The variation in HWR yield was–1.07–1.07%with reduced bolls per unit area and increased boll weight,thus demonstrating stable production.In terms of fiber quality indicators,the planting patterns only showed significant effects on the micronaire value,with wide-row spacing patterns showing an increase in the micronaire values.The defoliation and boll-opening results showed that the number of leaves and dried leaves in HWR was the lowest among the four planting patterns.Prior to the application of defoliating agent and before machine-harvesting,the numbers of leaves per individual plant in HWR were decreased by 14.45 and 25.00%on average,respectively,compared with WNR,while the number of leaves per unit area was decreased by 27.44 and 36.21%on average,respectively.The rates of boll-opening and defoliation in HWR were the highest.Specifically,the boll-opening rate before defoliation and machine-harvesting in HWR was 44.54 and 5.94%higher on average than in WNR,while the defoliation rate prior to machine-harvesting was 3.45%higher on average than in WNR.The numbers of ineffective defoliated leaves and leaf trash in HWR were the lowest,decreased by 33.40 and 32.43%,respectively,compared with WNR.In conclusion,the HWR planting pattern is associated with a high and stable yield,does not affect fiber quality,promotes early maturation,and can effectively decrease the amount of leaf trash in machine-picked seed cotton,and thus its use is able to improve the quality of machine-harvested cotton.

FTIR Analysis of Protein Secondary Structure in Cheddar Cheese during Ripening

Proteolysis is one of the most important biochemical reactions during cheese ripening.Studies on the secondary structure of proteins during ripening would be helpful for characterizing protein changes for assessing cheese quality.Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR),with self-deconvolution,second derivative analysis and band curve-fitting,was used to characterize the secondary structure of proteins in Cheddar cheese during ripening.The spectra of the amide I region showed great similarity,while the relative contents of the secondary structures underwent a series of changes.As ripening progressed,the α-helix content decreased and the β-sheet content increased.This structural shift was attributed to the strengthening of hydrogen bonds that resulted from hydrolysis of caseins.In summary,FTIR could provide the basis for rapid characterization of cheese that is undergoing ripening.

Inoculation with Pseudomonas spp. Containing ACC-Deaminase Partially Eliminates the Effects of Drought Stress on Growth,Yield,and Ripening of Pea (Pisum sativum L.)

Two preselected plant growth promoting rhizobacteria(PGPR) containing 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate(ACC) -deaminase(EC 4.1.99.4) were used to investigate their potential to ameliorate the effects of drought stress on growth,yield,and ripening of pea(Pisum sativum L.) . Inoculated and uninoculated(control) seeds of pea cultivar 2000 were sown in pots(four seeds pot-1) and placed in a wire house. The plants were exposed to drought stress at different stages of growth(vegetative,flowering,and pod formation) by skipping the respective irrigation. Results revealed that inoculation of peas with PGPR containing ACC-deaminase significantly decreased the "drought stress imposed effects" on the growth and yield of peas. Exposure of plants to drought stress at vegetative growth stage significantly decreased shoot growth by 41% in the case of uninoculated plants,whereas,by only 18% in the case of inoculated plants compared to nonstressed uninoculated control. Grain yield was decreased when plants were exposed to drought stress at the flowering and pod formation stage,but inoculation resulted in better grain yield(up to 62% and 40% higher,respectively) than the respective uninoculated nonstressed control. Ripening of pods was also delayed in plants inoculated with PGPR,which may imply decreased endogenous ethylene production in inoculated plants. This premise is further supported by the observation that inoculation with PGPR reduced the intensity of classical "triple" response in etiolated pea seedlings,caused by externally applied ACC. It is very probable that the drought stress induced inhibitory effects of ethylene could be partially or completely eliminated by inoculation with PGPR containing ACC-deaminase.

Changes of Reactive Oxygen Species and Related Enzymes in Mitochondria Respiratory Metabolism During the Ripening of Peach Fruit

The fruits of peach cultivar Yuhua 3 were used as materials to investigate the changes of active oxygen and related enzymes in mitochondria respiratory metabolism during ripening of peach fruit, involving their influence on the proceeding of peach fruit senescence. The results showed that the large decrease in firmness occurred between maturity II and IV. The decrease in firmness coincided with an increase in respiratory intensity. Obvious peaks of respiratory intensity lagging to the rapid change of fruit firmness could be shown during peach ripening. Reactive oxygen species （ROS） had a cumulative process and positively correlated with respiratory intensity. During peach ripening, the content of Ca^2＋ increased, the activities of succinic dehydrogenase （SDH）, cytochrome C oxidase （CCO）, H＋-ATPase, and Ca^2＋-ATPase decreased varying in different degree at the later step of ripening. These suggested a close relationship existed between ROS metabolism and mitochondrial respiration, namely, both ROS metabolism and mitochondrial respiration probably played important roles in ripening and senescing of peach fruit.

Improving remote sensing-based net primary production estimation in the grazed land with defoliation formulation model

Remote sensing(RS) technologies provide robust techniques for quantifying net primary productivity(NPP) which is a key component of ecosystem production management. Applying RS, the confounding effects of carbon consumed by livestock grazing were neglected by previous studies, which created uncertainties and underestimation of NPP for the grazed lands. The grasslands in Xinjiang were selected as a case study to improve the RS based NPP estimation. A defoliation formulation model(DFM) based on RS is developed to evaluate the extent of underestimated NPP between 1982 and 2011. The estimates were then used to examine the spatiotemporal patterns of the calculated NPP. Results show that average annual underestimated NPP was 55.74 gC·m^(-2)yr^(-1) over the time period understudied, accounting for 29.06% of the total NPP for the Xinjiang grasslands. The spatial distribution of underestimated NPP is related to both grazing intensity and time. Data for the Xinjiang grasslands show that the average annual NPP was 179.41 gC·m^(-2)yr^(-1), the annual NPP with an increasing trend was observed at a rate of 1.04 gC·m^(-2)yr^(-1) between 1982 and 2011. The spatial distribution of NPP reveals distinct variations from high to low encompassing the geolocations of the Tianshan Mountains, northern and southern Xinjiang Province and corresponding with mid-mountain meadow, typical grassland, desert grassland, alpine meadow, and saline meadow grassland types. This study contributes to improving RS-based NPP estimations for grazed land and provides a more accurate data to support the scientific management of fragile grassland ecosystems in Xinjiang.

Changes of Activities in NAD Kinase and NADP PhosphataseDuring Ripening and Senescence of Tomatoand Strawberry Fruits

Activities of NAD kinase(NADK)and NADP phosphatase and relationship between the two enzymes and temperature, respiration, ethylene production and trifluoperazine(TFP) were studied during ripening and senescence of strawberry and tomato fruits after harvest at 4℃ and 20℃. The activity of NAD kinase in strawberry decreased slowly during first four days, then increased gradually. The NADP phosphatase activity increased at the second day, decreased the next day,then increased again. In tomato fruit, the activities of NAD kinase and NADP phosphatase increased at the second day, decreased with the ripening and senescence of the fruit. The change trend of NAD kinase and respiration in the two fruits were similar, the same were NADP phosphatase and ethylene production. TFP enhanced the activity of NAD kinase and had little effect on NADP phosphatase. Low temperature(4℃) activated the NAD kinase and reduced the activity of NADP phosphatase. These results indicated that the NAD kinase and NADP phosphatase were related to the ripening and senescence of strawberry and tomato fruits. The activation of NAD kinase probably postponed the ripening and senescence of the fruits.

Overexpression of the Watermelon Ethylene Response Factor ClERF069 in Transgenic Tomato Resulted in Delayed Fruit Ripening

Watermelon fruit undergoes distinct development stages with dramatic changes during fruit ripening.To date,the molecular mechanics of watermelon ripening remain unclear.Genetic and transcriptome evidences suggested that the ethylene response factor(ERF)gene ClERF069 may be an important candidate factor affecting watermelon fruit ripening.To dissect the roles of ClERF069 in fruit ripening,structure and phylogenetic analysis were performed using the amplified full-length sequence.Normal-ripening watermelon 97103,non-ripening watermelon PI296341-FR and the RIL population were used to analyze ClERF069 expression dynamics and the correlation with fruit ripening indexs.The results indicated that ClERF069 belongs to ERF family group VI and show high homology(83%identity)to melon ERF069-like protein.ClERF069 expression in watermelon flesh was negatively correlated with fruit lycopene content and sugar content during fruit ripening progress.Further transgenic evidences indicated that overexpression of 35S:ClERF069 in tomato noticeably delayed the ripening process up to 5.2 days.Lycopene,β-carotenoid accumulation patterns were altered and ethylene production patterns in transgenic fruits was significantly delayed during fruit ripening.Taken together,watermelon ethylene response factor ClERF069 was concluded to be a negative regulator of fruit ripening.

Diversity and redundancy of the ripening regulatory networks revealed by the fruitENCODE and the new CRISPR/Cas9 CNR and NOR mutants

Tomato is considered as the genetic model for climacteric fruits,in which three major players control the fruit ripening process:ethylene,ripening transcription factors,and DNA methylation.The fruitENCODE project has now shown that there are multiple transcriptional circuits regulating fruit ripening in different species,and H3K27me3,instead of DNA methylation,plays a conserved role in restricting these ripening pathways.In addition,the function of the core tomato ripening transcription factors is now being questioned.We have employed CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing to mutate the SBP-CNR and NAC-NOR transcription factors,both of which are considered as master regulators in the current tomato ripening model.These plants only displayed delayed or partial non-ripening phenotypes,distinct from the original mutant plants,which categorically failed to ripen,suggesting that they might be gain-of-function mutants.Besides increased DNA methylation genome-wide,the original mutants also have hyper-H3K27me3 in ripening gene loci such as ACS2,RIN,and TDR4.It is most likely that multiple genetic and epigenetic factors have contributed to their strong non-ripening phenotypes.Hence,we propose that the field should move beyond these linear and twodimensional models and embrace the fact that important biological processes such as ripening are often regulated by highly redundant network with inputs from multiple levels.

ERF4 affects fruit ripening by acting as a JAZ interactor between ethylene and jasmonic acid hormone signaling pathways

The regulation of apple(Malus domestica)fruit texture during ripening is complex and a fundamental determinant of its commercial quality.In climacteric fruit,ripening-related processes are regulated by ethylene(ET),and jasmonate(JA)is also involved in the ethylene biosynthesis pathway,mainly through the transcription factor MYC2.However,the molecular genetic mechanism for fruit ripening processes between the JA and ET signaling pathways still needs to be elucidated.In order to explore how JA regulates apple fruit ripening through ERF4,we used’Gala’and’Ralls Janet’fruit at different developmental stages as experimental materials to determine the fruit firmness and related gene expression analysis.Meanwhile,we carried out different hormone treatments on’Gala’fruit at ripening stage.Here,we show that ERF4 is a core JA signaling hub protein JASMONATE ZIM-DOMAIN(JAZ)interactor that affects ethylene signaling pathways.During fruit development,ERF4 represses the expression of ACS1 and ACO1 by interacting with JAZ,as well as with the JA-activated transcription factor MYC2.Ripening is promoted in JAZ-suppressed apples.Thus,ERF4 acts as a molecular link between ethylene and JA hormone signals,and the natural variation of the ERF4Ethylene-responsive binding factor-associated amphiphilic repression(EAR)motif decreases repression of ethylene biosynthesis genes.

Transcriptomics and metabolomics analyses provide insights into postharvest ripening and senescence of tomato fruit under low temperature

Tomato is one of the most important vegetable crops in the world and is a model plant used to study the ripening of climacteric fleshy fruit.During the ripening process of tomato fruit,flavor and aroma metabolites,color,texture and plant hormones undergo significant changes.However,low temperatures delayed the ripening process of tomato fruit,inhibiting flavor compounds and ethylene production.Metabolomics and transcriptomics analyses of tomato fruit stored under low temperature(LT,5°C)and room temperature(RT,25°C)were carried out to investigate the effects of storage temperature on the physiological changes in tomato fruit after harvest.The results of transcriptomics changes revealed that the differentially expressed genes(DEGs)involved in tomato fruit ripening,including several kinds of transcription factors(TFs)(TCP,WRKY,MYB and bZIP),enzymes involved in cell wall metabolism[beta-galactosidase(β-GAL),pectinesterase(PE)and pectate lyase(PL),cellulose and cellulose synthase(CESA)],enzymes associated with fruit flavor and aroma[acetyltransferase(AT),malic enzyme(ME),lipoxygenase(LOX),aldehyde dehydrogenase(ALDH),alcohol dehydrogenase(ADH)and hexokinase(HK)],genes associated with heat stress protein 70 and genes involved in the production of plant hormones such as Ethylene responsive factor 1(ERF1),Auxin/indoleacetic acids protein(AUX/IAA),gibberellin regulated protein.Based on the above results,we constructed a regulatory network model of the effects of different temperatures during the fruit ripening process.According to the analysis of the metabolomics results,it was found that the contents of many metabolites in tomato fruit were greatly affected by storage temperature,including,organic acids(L-tartaric acid,a-hydroxyisobutyric acid and 4-acetamidobutyric acid),sugars(melezitose,beta-Dlactose,D-sedoheptulose 7-phosphate,2-deoxyribose 1-phosphate and raffinose)and phenols(coniferin,curcumin and feruloylputrescine).This study revealed the effects of storage temperature on postharvest tomato fruit and provided a basis for further understanding of the molecular biology and biochemistry of fruit ripening.

Characterization of aroma compounds of Pu-erh ripen tea using solvent assisted flavor evaporation coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-olfactometry

Pu-erh ripen tea becomes popular worldwide owing to its unique taste and aroma.In the present study,volatile compounds from Pu-erh ripen tea were extracted using a solvent assisted flavor evaporation(SAFE)and analyzed with a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS)and a gas chromatography olfactometry(GC-O).Results demonstrated that 58 major volatile compounds and 24 aroma active substances of Pu-erh ripen tea were identified by GC-MS and GC-O analysis.Among volatile compounds identified,methoxyphenyl compounds were considered as the dominate compounds in the aroma of Pu-erh ripen tea.Further investigation showed that 6 methoxybenzenes were responsible for the aging aroma in Pu-erh ripen tea;α-ionone,3,4-dimethoxytoluene,1,3-dimethoxybenzene,etc.were responsible for the wood-like aroma.Linalool,α-terpineol,α-ionone,β-ionone,and benzeneacetaldehyde were responsible for the floral odor.Compared the odor detection threshold(ODT)among the 8 methoxyphenyl compounds in water,1,2,3-trimethoxybenzene showed the highest ODT,followed by 3,4-dimethoxyphenol.1,3-dimethoxybenzene(105μg/L)and 1,2,3-trimethoxy-5-methylbenzene(100μg/L)were present at relatively low odor threshold values.The result indicated that methoxyphenyl compounds play a vital role in the unique flavor of Pu-erh ripen tea.

Growth responses of Picea mongolica seedlings to defoliation rate

Picea mongolica W. D. Xu. is an endemic species in China. The spruce forest is only found in semi-arid habitat in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China. Based on the simulative defoliation experiment, it was proved that Picea mongolica seedlings had the compensatory and overcompensatory effects under the certain defoliation rate. The results of variance analysis on growth indexes showed that in PM Ⅰ(natural regeneration seedlings under Picea mongolica forest), the differences of H 1(height in June 23) and H 2(height in September 3) were extremely significant, and the difference of D(diameter at the breast height) were not significant. In PM Ⅱ(artificial regeneration seedlings under Betula platyphylla Suk. forest), the difference of H 1 was significant, the difference of H 2 was not significant, and the difference of D was extremely significant. The regression equations were established and the compensatory and overcompensatory points were obtained. In PM Ⅰ, the compensatory points of H 1, H 2, and D were 0.7628, 0.7436, 0.5725, and the overcompensatory points were 0.6056, 0.5802 and 0.2909 respectively. In PM Ⅱ, the compensatory points of H 1, H 2, and D are 0.5012, 0.3421, 0.2488, and the overcompensatory points are 0.4137, 0.2633 and 0.0747 respectively. These results suggested that the induction of compensatory growth mechanisms in spruce seedlings required a threshold level of defoliation, and the insects in Picea mongolica forest could be controlled in a certain degree.

Genome-wide identification of microRNAs involved in the regulation of fruit ripening and climacteric stages in melon(Cucumis melo)

Fruit ripening is influenced by multiple plant hormones and the regulation of genes.However,studies on posttranscriptional regulators(e.g.,miRNAs)of fruit growth and ripening are limited.We used miRNA sequencing and degradome methods to identify miRNAs and their target genes in melon(Cucumis melo cv.Hetao melon).A total of 61 conserved miRNAs and 36 novel miRNAs were identified from fruit growth,ripening,climacteric,and postclimacteric developmental stage samples,of which 32 conserved miRNAs were differentially expressed between developmental stage samples.Sixty-two target genes of 43 conserved miRNAs and 1 novel miRNA were identified from degradome sequencing.To further investigate miRNA influencing fruit ripening,transgenic melon plants overexpressing pre-cmemiR393(cme-miR393-OE)were generated and characterized.The results showed that fruit ripening was delayed in cme-miR393-OE transgenic lines compared to nontransgenic fruits.The target of cme-miR393 was also identified,and the expression of CmAFB2 was repressed in transgenic plants.These results provide evidence that miRNA regulates melon fruit ripening and provide potential targets to improve the horticultural traits of melon fruit.