Identification of UGT85A glycosyltransferases associated with volatile conjugation in grapevine(Vitis vinifera × Vitis labrusca)

Glycosylated volatiles are considered as hidden aroma precursors that affect fruit flavor and are involved in plant defense response. Several uridine-diphosphate(UDP)-glycosyltransferase(UGT) members related to the glycosylation of volatiles have been identified from grapevine berries. Although grapevine leaves produced much higher levels of glycosylated volatiles than berries, UGTs responsible for the production of glycosylated volatiles in leaves have not yet been identified. Here, eight novel UGT genes were cloned, among these four members that belong to UGT85A family(named UGT85A24, UGT85A25, UGT85A26, and UGT85A27) were localized in the cytoplasm and their recombinant proteins showed activity toward volatiles detected in grapevine, with geraniol as the preferred substrate in vitro. Two UGT genes with 98.1% homology differ in R/S-linalool selection. The UGT85A26-catalyzed substrate showed enrichment in S-linalool, whereas UGT85A27 showed a strong preference for R-linalool. UGT85A24 and UGT85A25 were expressed mainly in berries, and UGT85A26 and UGT85A27 were expressed predominantly in grapevine mature leaves and correlated with the highest content of glycosylated volatiles in the mature leaves. Methyl jasmonate(MeJA) induced the expression of UGT85A26 and UGT85A27 as well as the production of linalyl-β-glucoside, citronellyl-β-glucoside and phenethyl-β-glucoside. Transient overexpression of UGT85A26 and UGT85A27 in tobacco leaves led to the accumulation of linalyl-β-glucoside and an increase in citronellyl-β-glucoside in vivo. These results indicate that the expression of UGT85A26 and UGT85A27 is a major regulator affecting the content of glycosylated volatiles in grapevine.

Phytochemical Contents and Antioxidant Properties of Ganoderma lucidum Polysaccharides in Relation to Growth Stage and Culture Substrate

[Objectives]To determine physicochemical characteristics and antioxidant activity of Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides(GLP)in different growth stages and culture media.[Methods]Five polysaccharides(GLP1,GLP2,GLP3,GLPW and GLPB)were extracted and purified from the fruiting body of G.lucidum at three growth stages and culture substrates(wood culture and bag culture).The chemical components and antioxidant activity of the five polysaccharides were determined.[Results]GLP1 contained the highest content of neutral sugar(87.65%)and GLP3 had the highest uronic acid content.All the samples mainly comprised glucose,galactose,mannose,xylose and arabose with different ratios.Moreover,their antioxidant activities were investigated on the basis of DPPH radical,ABTS radical,SOD-like activity,and antihaemolytic activity.Results indicated in all three growth stages GLP2 had the greatest antioxidant properties.In addition,the antioxidant activity of GLPW was significantly higher than that of GLPB.[Conclusions]Overall,by comparison,G.lucidum in growth stage two may have potential health benefits,and wood culture may be a superior choice of artificial cultivation due to their abundance of active polysaccharides.

DNA methylation mediated by RdDM pathway and demethylation affects furanone accumulation through regulation of QUINONE OXIDOREDUCTASE in strawberry

Recently,increasing evidence suggests that DNA methylation plays a crucial role in fruit ripening.However,the role of DNA methylation in regulating specific traits,such as flavor,remains unclear.Here,we report a role of DNA methylation in affecting furanone biosynthesis in strawberry.Strawberry quinone oxidoreductase(FaQR)is a key enzyme in furanone biosynthesis.There are four FaQR homologs in strawberry cultivar‘Yuexin’,and one of them,FaQR3,contributes∼50%of FaQR transcripts,indicating a major role of FaQR3 in furanone biosynthesis.Through characterization of levels of DNA methylation and FaQR3 transcript and furanone contents during fruit ripening and after the application of DNA methylation inhibitor,we found that the DNA methylation level of the FaQR3 promoter was negatively correlated with FaQR3 expression and furanone accumulation,suggesting that DNA methylation may be involved in furanone biosynthesis through adjusting FaQR3 expression,and responded to different temperatures consistently.In addition,transient expression of a gene in the RNA-directed DNA methylation(RdDM)pathway,FaAGO4,and enrichment analysis of the 24-nucleotide siRNAs suggested that DNA methylation in the FaQR3 promoter is mediated by the RdDM pathway.Transient RNA interference(RNAi)of FaDML indicated that the demethylation pathway may be involved in regulating furanone accumulation.These findings provide new insights into the role of DNA methylation and demethylation in affecting flavor quality in strawberry during fruit ripening.

Comprehensive analysis of the full-length transcripts and alternative splicing involved in clubroot resistance in Chinese cabbage

Chinese cabbage is an economically important Brassica vegetable worldwide, and clubroot, which is caused by the soilborne protist plant pathogen Plasmodiophora brassicae is regarded as a destructive disease to Brassica crops. Previous studies on the gene transcripts related to Chinese cabbage resistance to clubroot mainly employed RNA-seq technology,although it cannot provide accurate transcript assembly and structural information. In this study, PacBio RS II SMRT sequencing was used to generate full-length transcriptomes of mixed roots at 0, 2, 5, 8, 13, and 22 days after P. brassicae infection in the clubroot-resistant line DH40R. Overall, 39 376 high-quality isoforms and 26 270 open reading frames(ORFs) were identified from the SMRT sequencing data. Additionally, 426 annotated long noncoding RNAs(lncRNAs),56 transcription factor(TF) families, 1 883 genes with poly(A) sites and 1 691 alternative splicing(AS) events were identified. Furthermore, 1 201 of the genes had at least one AS event in DH40R. A comparison with RNA-seq data revealed six differentially expressed AS genes(one for disease resistance and five for defensive response) that are potentially involved in P. brassicae resistance. The results of this study provide valuable resources for basic research on clubroot resistance in Chinese cabbage.

Evaluation of the early defoliation trait and identification of resistance genes through a comprehensive transcriptome analysis in pears

Early defoliation,which usually occurs during summer in pear trees,is gradually becoming a major problem that poses a serious threat to the pear industry in southern China.However,there is no system for evaluating the responses of different cultivars to early defoliation,and our knowledge of the potential molecular regulation of the genes underlying this phenomenon is still limited.In this study,we conducted field investigations of 155 pear accessions to assess their resistance or susceptibility to early defoliation.A total of 126 accessions were found to be susceptible to early defoliation,and only 29 accessions were resistant.Among them,19 resistant accessions belong to the sand pear species(Pyrus pyrifolia).To identify the resistance genes related to early defoliation,the healthy and diseased samples of two sand pear accessions,namely,the resistant early defoliation accession‘Whasan’and the susceptible early defoliation accession‘Cuiguan’,were used to perform RNA sequencing.Compared with‘Cuiguan’,a total of 444 genes were uniquely differentially expressed in‘Whasan’.Combined with GO and KEGG enrichment analyses,we found that early defoliation was closely related to the stress response.Furthermore,a weighted gene co-expression network analysis revealed a high correlation of WRKY and ethylene responsive factor(ERF)transcription factors with early defoliation resistance.This study provides useful resistant germplasm resources and new insights into potentially essential genes that respond to early defoliation in pears,which may facilitate a better understanding of the resistance mechanism and molecular breeding of resistant pear cultivars.

Profiling and geographical distribution of seed oil content of sunflower in Ukraine

The sunflower has the potential to be a highly competitive crop owing to its diversity market and the valuable oil it produces.Nevertheless,the amount of sunflower seed oil-a key factor for the crushing industry-is affected by genotype and environment,which sometimes is difficult to predict.The paper analyzes the theoretical principles of sunflower growth in Ukraine,highlights the current trends in the sowing of this crop,the influence of climatic factors of the environment on the prospects of the oilseed sunflower yield.The results of the research are presented for 3 years(2014-2016),during the authors conducted a grain quality observatory at the regional level,taking into account the climatic conditions of sunflower growth in different natural zones of Ukraine(from 45
to 51
north latitude and from 22
to 37
east longitude).Additionally,the research includes the coefficient of significance of the deviation from long-term climatic indicators,which makes it possible to forecast sunflower yield in the future.The analyzed data was obtained from the commercial fields with a minimum area of 40 ha in all Ukrainian regions except Crimea peninsula,Donetsk and Luhansk regions.The results obtained in research show the great diversity of oil content index as per both latitude and longitude meaning.If we consider the entire country,this survey shows that the seed oil content can change dramatically from year to year:e.g.47.5%in one year versus 45.7%in another year.Regionally,these changes have a completely different dynamic with a gradual decrease in seed oil content in the southern part of the country.The main goal of the research was to identify the best sunflower growing areas in Ukraine according to the oil content index.

CsABF3-activated CsSUT1 pathway is implicated in pre-harvest water deficit inducing sucrose accumulation in citrus fruit

Pre-harvest water deficit(PHWD)plays an important role in sugar accumulation of citrus fruit.However,the mechanism is not known well.Here,it was confirmed that PHWD promoted sucrose accumulation of citrus fruit,but had limited effect on fructose,glucose and total acid.A sucrose transporter,Cs SUT1,which localizes to the plasma membrane,was demonstrated to function in sucrose transport induced by PHWD.Compared to wild-type,Cs SUT1 overexpression in citrus calli stimulated sucrose,fructose and glucose accumulation,while its silencing in juice sacs reduced sucrose accumulation.Increased sugar accumulation in transgenic lines enhanced plant drought tolerance,and resulted in decreased electrolyte leakage,malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide contents,as well as increased superoxide dismutase activity and proline contents.An abscisic acid(ABA)-responsive transcription factor,Cs ABF3,was found with a same expression pattern with Cs SUT1 under PHWD.Yeast one-hybrid,electrophoretic mobility shift assay and dual-luciferase assays all revealed that Cs ABF3 directly bound with the Cs SUT1 promoter by ABA responsive elements.When Cs ABF3 was overexpressed in citrus calli,the sucrose,fructose and glucose concentration increased correspondingly.Further,transgenic studies demonstrated that Cs ABF3 could affect sucrose accumulation by regulating Cs SUT1.Overall,this study revealed a regulation of Cs ABF3 promoting Cs SUT1 expression and sucrose accumulation in response to PHWD.Our results provide a detail insight into the quality formation of citrus fruit.

Molecular Cloning and Expression of Polyphenoloxidase Genes from the Mushroom, Agaricus bisporus

The polyphenoloxidase（PPO） is the key enzyme considered to be responsible for mushroom browning.By using homology cloning and rapid amplification of cDNA ends（RACE）,two new PPO genes and the corresponding cDNA were identified from the fruit bodies of Agaricus bisporus（AbPPO3 and AbPPO4,GenBank accession nos.GU936494 and GU936493,respectively）.The genomic DNA sequences of AbPPO3 and AbPPO4 are 2 080 and 2 189 bp in length,respectively,encoding putative polypeptides of approximately 66 and 68 kDa.The deduced amino acid sequences show characteristic features of two copper-binding domains conserved in the type III copper proteins including fungal polyphenol oxidases.Sequence comparisons indicate that AbPPO3 and AbPPO4 present 55.3% similarity to each other（48% identity）.We also obtained more than 1.5-kb long sequences upstream of the start codon of the AbPPO3 and AbPPO4 and recognized them as their respective putative promoters.Analyses of the two PPO promoter regions show that they contain abundant cis-acting elements which are probably responsible for anaerobic induction,light,wound,stress,and auxin response.Semi-quantitative RT-PCR results indicate that AbPPO3 and AbPPO4 were highly expressed in the mature fruit bodies and up-regulated after 2-d storage of mushroom.These results suggest that AbPPO3 and AbPPO4 may play roles in A.bisporus browning and pigmentation during development and postharvest storage and the elements in promoters may act as regulatory elements for the inducible expression of AbPPO3 and AbPPO4.The successful cloning and expression analysis of AbPPO3 and AbPPO4 warrant a further investigation on the structure and function of A.bisporus PPO which points to the possible targets for genetic manipulation.

Overexpression of a Broccoli Defensin Gene BoDFN Enhances Downy Mildew Resistance

Plant defensins are small, basic cysteine-rich peptides that play important roles in disease resistance. A gene, designated BoDFN, was isolated from Brassica oleracea var. italica. Gene sequence has been submitted to NCBI with an accession no. of HQ436486. Complete coding sequence of BoDFN is 243 bp in length encoding 80 amino acids. Sequence comparison results showed that BoDFN shared high homology with those of crucifer plants and there were only few DNA base differences. RT-PCR results indicated an increase of gene expression in Hyaloperonospora parasitica infected leaves and revealed a significant increase at 24 and 36 h of treatment. A recombinant plasmid, named pBI121-BoDFN, was constructed and introduced into Agrobacterium tumefacien LBA4404. PCR screening for 65 regenerated plantlets, 17 positive plantlets were obtained, PCR screening results revealed that 17 out of 65 regenerated plantlets were positive. Disease resistant identification results indicated that all positive plants showed an increase in resistance to H. parasitica.

The involvement of PybZIPa in light-induced anthocyanin accumulation via the activation of PyUFGT through binding to tandem G-boxes in its promoter

To gain insight into how anthocyanin biosynthesis is controlled by light in fruit,transcriptome and metabolome analyses were performed in the Chinese sand pear cultivar“Mantianhong”(Pyrus pyrifolia)after bagging and bag removal.We investigated transcriptional and metabolic changes and gene-metabolite correlation networks.Correlation tests of anthocyanin content and transcriptional changes revealed that 1,530 transcripts were strongly correlated with 15 anthocyanin derivatives(R2>0.9,P-value<0.05),with the top 130 transcripts categorized as being associated with flavonoid metabolism,transcriptional regulation,and light signaling.The connection network revealed a new photosensitive transcription factor,PybZIPa,that might play an important role during light-induced anthocyanin accumulation.The overexpression of PybZIPa promoted anthocyanin accumulation in pear and strawberry fruit as well as tobacco leaves.Dual luciferase and Y1H assays further verified that PybZIPa directly activated the expression of PyUFGT by binding to tandem G-box motifs in the promoter,which was key to differential anthocyanin accumulation in debagged pear skin,and the number of G-box motifs affected the transcriptional activation of PyUFGT by PybZIPa.The results indicate that the light-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis regulatory mechanism in pear differs from that described in previous reports suggesting that a bZIP family member co-regulates anthocyanin biosynthesis with other transcription factors in apple and Arabidopsis.It was found that,in response to light,PybZIPa promoted anthocyanin biosynthesis by regulating important transcription factors(PyMYB114,PyMYB10,and PyBBX22)as well as structural genes(PyUFGT)via binding to G-boxes within promoters.This activation was amplified by the self-binding of PybZIPa to activate its own promoter.Overall,we demonstrate the utility of a multiomics integrative approach for discovering new functional genes and pathways underlying light-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis.

Spatial-temporal Evolution Pattern of Agricultural Productivity in Northwestern Sichuan Plateau

Currently, the agricultural growth in developed countries mainly relies on the improvement of productivity, which is also the target for China. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to describe the spatial-temporal evolution pattern of agricultural productivity, to reveal changes in total factor productivity in 2ooo-2olo, and analyze the impact of these changes in northwestern Sichuan plateau, China. Using data envelopment analysis （DEA） and the Malmquist Index, an in-depth study was conducted on agricultural productivity and changes in total factor productivity of 31 counties in northwestern Sichuan plateau. Results indicated that： （1） geographically, counties with optimal efficiency were mainly located in the north of northwestern Sichuan plateau and those with the lowest efficiency, in the south; （2） relative to pure technical efficiency, scale efficiency was the dominant factor in determining agricultural productivity; （3） the redundancy rate of input factors in zolo was slightly lower than that in zooo, thereby indicating an improved utilization of input factors to a certain extent and a great potential for further improving such utilization; （4） during the 2ooo-2olo period, the agricultural total factor productivity had an average annual growth rate of 8.3%, but the growth rates in various regions differed widely; （5） technical progress was the dominant factor promoting the improvement of total factor oroductivitv inagriculture. The disparities in spatial distribution may be due to the differences of natural conditions, former level agricultural productivity between counties. The findings are valuable for the government to make sustainable development policies for agriculture and improving agricultural development in northwestern Sichuan plateau.

Enzyme activities and gene expression of starch metabolism provide insights into grape berry development

Grapes are categorized as a non-climacteric type of fruit which its ripening is not associated to important rises in respiration and ethylene synthesis.The starch metabolism shares a certain role in the carbohydrate metabolic pathways during grape berry development,and is regarded as an important transient pool in the pathway of sugar accumulation.However,the comprehensive role of starch and its contribution to the quality and flavor of grape berry have not been explored thoroughly.In this study,the expression levels of genes enzyme activities and carbohydrate concentrations related to starch metabolism,were analyzed to understand the molecular mechanism of starch accumulation during grape berry development.The results indicated that starch granules in grape berry were located at the chloroplast in the sub-epidermal tissues,acting as the temporary reserves of photosynthetic products to meet the needs for berry development,and relatively high starch contents could be detected at véraison stage.Moreover,both ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase(EC 2.7.7.27)and sucrose phosphate synthase(EC 2.3.1.14)involved in starch synthesis displayed elevated gene expression and enzymes activities in the sub-epidermal tissue,whileα-andβ-amylases involved in its degradation were highly transcribed and active in the central flesh,explaining the absence of starch in this last tissue.Change in the gene expression and activities of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase,β-amylase and sucrose phosphate synthase revealed that they were regulated by the circadian rhythms in the fruitlets compared with those in the leaves.Both the morphological,enzymological and transcriptional data in this study provide advanced understandings on the function of starch during berry development and ripening that are so important for berry quality.This study will further facilitate our understanding of the sugar metabolism in grape berry as well as in other plant species.

The Quality of Sour Cherry Maidens Fertilized with Various Biopreparations in an Organic Nursery

The study was conducted in an organic nursery of sour cherry cultivars ＂Debreceni Botermo＂ and ＂Sabina＂ in the years 2010 and 2011. Cherry trees grafted on Mahaleb （Prunus mahaleb L.） seedlings were grown at a spacing of 25 crn × 1.0 m. In the nursery, an assessment was carried out of the effect of various biopreparations on such growth characteristics as the thickness and height of the maidens, the formation of lateral shoots and the total increase in their length. The control trees were not treated at all, but fertilized with an NPK fertilizer only （second control）. To stimulate growth, use was made of granular manure, mycorrhizal fungi in the form of the preparation Micosat, humic preparations or so-called vermicomposts （Humus UP, Humus Active）, extracts of marine algae （BF Quality） and of terrestrial plants （BF Arnin）, a product derived from yeast （Vinassa） and Tytanit. The specific biological effects of the preparations used in the sour cherry nursery for each morphological feature are presented in this paper in graphical form. A beneficial effect on the increase in the number of lateral shoots and the increase in their length was produced by the use of such products as： Micosat, Humus UP, Humus Active ＋ Aktywit PM and Vinassa. The most effective in this respect was BF Amin.

Identifying candidate genes involved in trichome formation on carrot stems by transcriptome profiling and resequencing

Trichomes are specialized structures developed from epidermal cells and can protect plants against biotic and abiotic stresses.Trichomes cover carrots during the generative phase.However,the morphology of the carrot trichomes and candidate genes controlling the formation of trichomes are still unclear.This study found that carrot trichomes were nonglandular and unbranched hairs distributed on the stem,leaf,petiole,pedicel,and seed of carrot.Resequencing analysis of a trichome mutant with sparse and short trichomes(sst)and a wild type(wt)with long and dense trichomes on carrot stems was conducted.A total of 15396 genes containing nonsynonymous mutations in sst were obtained,including 42 trichomerelated genes.We also analyzed the transcriptome of the trichomes on secondary branches when these secondary branches were 10 cm long between wt and sst and obtained 6576 differentially expressed genes(DEGs),including 24 trichome-related genes.qRT-PCR validation exhibited three significantly up-regulated DEGs,20 significantly downregulated,and one with no difference.We considered both the resequencing and transcriptome sequencing analyses and found that 12 trichome-related genes that were grouped into five transcription factor families containing nonsynonymous mutations and significantly down-regulated in sst.Therefore,these genes are potentially promising candidate genes whose nonsynonymous mutations and down-regulation may result in scarce and short trichomes mutation on carrot stems in sst.

Transcript and Sequence Analysis of S-RNases in Self-Compatible Tetraploid Chinese Cherry (Prunus pseudocerasus L.)

Chinese cherry （Prunus pseudocerasus L.） is an allotetraploid species and exhibits natural self-compatibility.However,the full-length cDNA sequences,functional analysis and the transcripts of S-RNase alleles in Chinese cherry cultivars are not known.In the two cultivars Taixiaohongying and Laiyang Short Cherry with S1S2S3S4 genotypes,two S-RNases were transcribed in Northern blotting,and the two full-length cDNAs of S-RNase were cloned and analyzed.As the result,the transcribed S-RNases were S1-RNase and S2-RNase.The two complete cDNA sequences of S1-RNase and S2-RNase were registered as EU073938 and EU073939,respectively,and had characteristic structure of rosaceous S-RNases based on their sequences indicating that they had normal function for S-RNase in the style.The S3-RNase and S4-RNase were not transcribed in the style and were nonfunctional for S-RNase,so S3m and S4m could be used to represent the nonfunctional S3-RNase and S4-RNase.The phylogenetic analysis implied that the S-RNases of Prunus,including Chinese cherry,had lower intra-specific similarity and diverged earlier than the divergence of species in Prunus.

Proteome and transcriptome profile analysis reveals regulatory and stress-responsive networks in the russet fruit skin of sand pear

The epidermal tissues of the cuticular membrane(CM)and periderm membrane(PM)confer first-line protection from environmental stresses in terrestrial plants.Although PM protection is essentially ubiquitous in plants,the protective mechanism,the function of many transcription factors and enzymes,and the genetic control of metabolic signaling pathways are poorly understood.Different microphenotypes and cellular components in russet(PM-covered)and green(CM-covered)fruit skins of pear were revealed by scanning and transmission electron microscopy.The two types of fruit skins showed distinct phytohormone accumulation,and different transcriptomic and proteomic profiles.The enriched pathways were detected by differentially expressed genes and proteins from the two omics analyses.A detailed analysis of the suberin biosynthesis pathways identified the regulatory signaling network,highlighting the general mechanisms required for periderm formation in russet fruit skin.The regulation of aquaporins at the protein level should play an important role in the specialized functions of russet fruit skin and PM-covered plant tissues.

<i>In Vitro</i>Mass Scale Propagation of Wild <i>Cymbidium lowianum</i>with a Rare and Endangered Plant

The wild Cymbidium lowianum, a national-level rare and endangered species of Orchid, is an excellent garden plant with ornamental flowers with striking, deep red lips in a V-shaped formation. The objective of this study was to establish a micropropagation protocol system via immature seeds of wild Cymbidium lowianum, evaluate the Murashige and Skoog (MS), half-strength Murashige and Skoog (1/2 MS) medium, 6-benzylaminopurine (BA), a-napthaleneacetic acid (NAA), organic additions activated charcoal (AC) and banana pulp (BP) effects on the different morphogenesis (seed germination, multiple shoot and rooting) in vitro. The optimal combination for the germination of seed was 1.0 mg·L-1 BA with 0.5 mg·L-1 NAA in 1/2 MS, and addition 0.3%AC, which resulted in 95% seed germination in 90 days. The best formulation for multiple shoot was 1/2 MS medium containing 2.5 mg·L-1 BA, 0.5 mg·L-1 NAA and addition 8% BP in which produced 19.8 shoots per protocorm in 60 days. Multiple shoots were cut and rooted in 1/2 MS supplemented with 1.5 mg·L-1 NAA,0.1 mg·L-1 BA and 0.3% AC, roots initiated 20 days after culture, the rooting percentages reached to 100%, in which 4.7 per shoot produced roots in 60 days. The survival rate of plantlet was up to 92% in moss after 30 days. This finding reveals that it is possible to obtain in vitro culture of Cymbidium lowianum using immature seeds in asymbiotic culture.

Effects of Different Organic Residues on Rice Yield and Soil Quality

Calcaric regosols are a valuable land resource, distributed widely across western China. Soil quality has deteriorated considerably in recent years owing to the blind pursuit of economic benefits. A 2-year field experiment was carried out to evaluate the effects of using spent mushroom compost, leguminous plant (Vicia sepium L.) compost, and a combination of the two (at a 1:1 and 2:1 ratio), on rice yield and soil quality in a suburb of China. Vicia sepium L. composted with spent mushroom compost at a 1:1 ratio produced the highest grain and stover yield, grain and stover phosphorus concentration, and phosphorus uptake of rice; they were 56.5%, 93.2%, 89.3%, 198.6% and 22.2% greater than control soil, respectively. The 2:1 ratio (Vicia sepium L.: spent mushroom compost) produced the highest grain N concentration, stover N concentration, and N uptake; they were 31.6%, 31.4%, and 40.7% higher than control, respectively. Soil physical, chemical, and environmental properties were improved with the application of Vicia sepium L. composted with spent mushroom compost at a 2:1 ratio. In particular, soil water-stable aggregates, organic carbon, particulate organic carbon, total nitrogen, available potassium, and cation exchange capacity increased, whereas bulk density, pH, and phytoavailable heavy metals decreased. This organic treatment is beneficial to improve soil quality indicators, and contribute to soil restoration.

Comparison of the Quality Characteristics of 4 Albinos Tea

The made tea quality and chemical characteristics of 4 albinos cultivars were investigated. It shows that constitutes of micro-elements, contents of polyphenols and total amino acids in 4 samples are much different due to the biological diversity. The DPPH free radicals scavenging ability of the 4 albinos tea is also different. The free radicals scavenging rate has a significant positive correlation to the content of total polyphenols, total catechins, as well as C, CG, GCG, EGCG, but there is no positive relationship to the content of Zn, Se.