Anticancer Activities of Plant Secondary Metabolites:Rice Callus Suspension Culture as a New Paradigm

Plant natural products including alkaloids,polyphenols,terpenoids and flavonoids have been reported to exert anticancer activity by targeting various metabolic pathways.The biological pathways regulated by plant products can serve as novel drug targets.Plant natural compounds or their derivatives used for cancer treatment and some novel plant-based compounds which are used in clinical trials were discussed.Callus suspension culture with secondary metabolites can provide a continuous source of plant pharmaceuticals without time and space limitations.Previous research has shown that rice callus suspension culture can kill>95%cancer cells with no significant effect on the growth of normal cells.The role of candidate genes and metabolites which are likely to be involved in the process and their potential to serve as anticancer and anti-inflammatory agents were discussed.Large scale production of plant callus suspension culture and its constituents can be achieved using elicitors which enhance specific secondary metabolites combined with bioprocess technology.

The effects of fermentation and adsorption using lactic acid bacteria culture broth on the feed quality of rice straw

To improve the nutritional value and the palatability of air-dried rice straw, culture broth of the lactic acid bacteria community SFC-2 was used to examine the effects of two different treatments, fermentation and adsorption. Air-dried and chopped rice straw was treated with either fermentation for 30 d after adding 1.5 L nutrient solution（50 m L inocula L–1, 1.2×1012 CFU m L–1 inocula） kg–1 straw dry matter, or spraying a large amount of culture broth（1.5 L kg–1 straw dry matter, 1.5×1011 CFU m L–1 culture broth） on the straw and allowing it to adsorb for 30 min. The feed quality and aerobic stability of the resulting forage were examined. Both treatments improved the feed quality of rice straw, and adsorption was better than fermentation for preserving nutrients and improving digestibility, as evidenced by higher dry matter（DM） and crude protein（CP） concentrations, lower neutral detergent fiber（NDF）, acid detergent fiber（ADF） and NH3-N concentrations, as well as higher lactic acid production and in vitro digestibility of DM（IVDMD）. The aerobic stability of the adsorbed straw and the fermented straw was 392 and 480 h, respectively. After being exposed to air, chemical components and microbial community of the fermented straw were more stable than the adsorbed straw.

Effects of light-emitting diodes on tissue culture plantlets and seedlings of rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Light-emitting diodes(L EDs)are a new light source with low energy consumption and high photoelectric conversion efficiency,and they can satisfy the energy-saving needs of plant culture systems.However,the effects of LED light sources on rice tissue culture and rice seedling cultivation are poorly understood.This study aimed to evaluate the effects of LEDs on the growth of tissue culture plantlets and seedlings of the rice(Oryza sativa L.)cultivar Nipponbare.The best light source for rice tissue culture was different from that for rice seedling cultivation.Blue(B)LED light was the most appropriate light for rice tissue culture.Under a B LED light,the time required for callus proliferation,differentiation and regeneration was the shortest,and the frequency of plantlet ititin,dfferetiation and regeneration was the highest.Ablue:red(B:R)=1:1LED light facilitated the growth of rice seedlings and produced the highest chlorophyll and carotenoid contents and photosynthetic rates in the rice seedlings.Abundant photosynthetic products were more effectively generated in the rice seedlings under the B:R=1:1 LED and R LED lights than under the B LED light.B LED light is the most appropriate light for rice tissue culture plantlets and can be used as an alternative light source for rice tissue culture,and B:R=1:1 LED light facilitated the cultivation of robust rice seedlings and can be used as the primary light source for rice factory seedling cultivation.

Sustainable Development of Wannian Rice Cultivation Culture System

Based on the research on the relevant background and significance of the sustainable development of agricultural cultural heritage,taking Wannian rice cultivation culture system as an example and its natural environment,traditional agricultural production activities,unique cultural patterns,socio-economic development and protection,and protection and development approach as the basis for evaluation,an evaluation index system for the sustainable development of Wannian rice cultivation culture system was constructed.Each index was quantified and standardized,and their weight was determined through the analytic hierarchy process to obtain the comprehensive evaluation value of the sustainable development of Wannian rice cultivation culture system.The evaluation value was analyzed to propose the main issues in the sustainable development of Wannian rice cultivation culture.

Anther culture of Transgenic rice plants

Anther culture is widely used in rice improve-ment and genome research.It is useful forgene transformation to stabilize foreign gene(s)and estimate the integrated copy number.We used two transgenic plants JB-3 andJB-4 as donors for anther culture.Their originwas a japonica cultivar Jingyin 119,whose im-mature embryos were transformed by particlebombardment with plasmid pCB1(a cecropin B

Effect of agar concentration in media on green plantlet regeneration frequency in rice anther culture

We studied the effect of agar concentration inmedia on callus induction rate and green plant-let regeneration frequency in rice.Materialswere Fgeneration of indica/indica or indica/japonica,which were 96E76(Hei’e/Zhaiye- qing 8),96E80[(IR 24/Guanglu＇ai 4//Zhongnan’ai)/Yifengzao],96E86(Zhong- munong 9/Zhaiyeqing 8).The induction mediaused was M8+2mg/L 2,4-D,and agar con-centrations were 0.6％,0.8％,and 1.0％,respectively.Regeneration media was MS+2mg/L KT+0.5mg/L IAA+0.5mg/LNAA,and agar concentrations were 0.6％ and1.0％.Results indicated that the calli induc-

The Program of Fish Culture in rice fields has been developed in Zhejiang Province

1996 is the first year for realizing the object of fish culture in 66,600 ha of rice field in Zhejiang Province. The provincial government has appropriated $ 24,000 per ha for starting capital. Starting from this year, counties with the tradition of fish culture in rice fields as Youngjia and Qingtian have put stress on popularizing the new technique of fish culture in ditches and puddles to raise the yield for per unit area. In areas of Central Zhejiang and North Zhejiang with hilly land and plain area with double—season rice, people have changed traditional fish varieties into special and excellent fish varieties.

An efficient culture procedure for micro-propagation of rice regeneration plants

In this paper,we describe briefly an efficientculture procedure for micro-propagation of riceregeneration plants.The procedure consists ofthe following steps: 1.Preparation of materials Calli wereinduced from mature seeds of an indica rice lineG67 by culturing the husked and disinfectedseeds on agar medium,consisting of Nbasalelements,3％ sucrose,1000mg/L proline,and 32mg/L 2,4-D.After one month＇s in- duction culture and 3 wk subculture,compactand nodular calli were picked out and trans- ferred into liquid medium for suspension cul-tures.The liquid medium contained the same

Production of Ergot Alkaloids by the Japanese Isolate Claviceps purpurea var. agropyri on Rice Medium

Ergot alkaloids (EAs) are secondary metabolites produced by ergot fungi (e.g., Claviceps purpurea), which are parasites of Gramineae grasses. EAs and their analogs are used to treat migraine, postpartum uterine bleeding, and Parkinson's syndrome. Recent studies have reported additional new bioactive activities of EAs and their analogs, making them essential compounds for drug development, drug repositioning, and clinical applications. EAs are produced industrially by field cultivation of ergot or liquid fermentation in the mycelial phase, but there are few published studies of the production of EAs by cereal culture and thus this approach is poorly understood. This study searched for Claviceps strains that produce EAs cultured artificially in the mycelial phase, then the selected strains were cultured on cereal media (white rice, brown rice, and rye) to examine their ability to produce EAs on each medium. C. purpurea var. agropyri produced the Clavine-type EAs pyroclavine (1), festuclavine (2), and agroclavine (3) in the mycelial phase. When cultured with white rice, brown rice, or rye, C. purpurea var. agropyri produced 1 - 3 on all cereal media. The total amount of 1 - 3 in each cereal medium (150 g of cereal per Roux flask) was 2220.5 ± 564.1 μg for white rice, 920.0 ± 463.6 μg for brown rice, and 595.4 ± 52.1 μg for rye. The white rice medium supported the highest production of 1 - 3, with the total amount of EAs (150 g of white rice per Roux flask) being about 34 times higher than that in the T25 liquid medium (190 mL per 1 L Erlenmeyer flask) (equivalent amount per flask).

Conference on deliberating the high-yielding cultural technique of rice

The new high-yielding cultural technique of rice was constituted by the high percentage of ear-bearing til-ler,high filled-grain number,high economic index and stable high-yielding panicle number,abbreviatedas"Three Highs and One Stable"(THOS).It has been deliberated and summarized by Zhejiang Academy

Agricultural Roots in Intergenerational Transfers in China

Economists have been interested in the motivations of intergenerational transfers, for different motivations affect the effectiveness of anti-poverty public transfers. However, one＇s motivation is largely shaped by culture and social conventions. This paper sheds light on the influence of rice cultivation in intergenerational transfers in China. This is also the first time that economists consider cultural factors in the study of intergenerational transfers. Cultivating rice requires elaborate irrigation systems and large amounts of labor input so that rice farmers have to cooperate extensively with their neighbors, which has gradually shaped people＇s value to be more inter-dependent. Based on micro-level data from CHARLS and sub-national rice data from China, our empirical results show strong evidence that individuals from rice regions are more likely to provide economic support for their parents. A one-percentage point increase in the share of rice in the total grain planting area will raise transfer incidence by 0.2-0.4 percentage points, and rice region residents transfer on average 300-400 yuan more in 2011 and about 1,000 yuan more in 2013 to their parents than those from wheat regions. Meanwhile they are more inclined to rely on their adult children for elderly support. Urban citizens are less affected. Using instrumental variable estimation, we are able to prove the effect is causal. With future continued deepening of population aging in China, relying on children for old age support may become more and more unrealistic, the government needs to coordinate the relationship between public transfer and private transfer to ensure the quality of life for the elderly.

Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems(GIAHS)of China:the challenge of complexity in research

The challenge of researching Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems(GIAHS)as complex systems forms the subject matter of this study.Complex adaptive systems are those that combine natural ecological processes with human interactions to produce a mutually supportive agro-ecological system.In China,these highly varied systems have the added dimension of long historical time,in that they have evolved over many centuries and thus add a historical dimension to the natural and human dimensions of complexity.In preparing research on GIAHS,it is clear that seeing GIAHS sites as whole systems is an essential starting and ending point.Examining the adaptive capacity of a GIAHS with its multiple scales and complex interdependencies is a major challenge for researchers accustomed to specialized disciplinary thinking.A GIAHS represents a mature agro-ecological system with human agency as a central component that has been honed over many centuries,and has already adapted to many perturbations and changes.The beauty of the GIAHS is in the integration of custom,knowledge,and practice,and it should be studied for its"wholeness"as well as for its resilience and capacity for"self organization."The agro-ecological approach opens the possibility of researching a system as a whole and of taking its complexity seriously.This study reviews the essential features of the GIAHS as a complex adaptive system where uncertainty is normal and surprise is welcome and,in a case study of Qingtian rice–fish culture system,focuses on new perturbations,namely loss of young people and the introduction of tourism.