Molecular mechanisms and hormonal regulation underpinning morphological dormancy: a case study using Apium graveolens (Apiaceae)

Underdeveloped (small) embryos embedded in abundant endosperm tissue, and thus having morphological dormancy (MD) or morphophysiological dormancy (MPD), are considered to be the ancestral state in seed dormancy evolution. This trait is retained in the Apiaceae family, which provides excellent model systems for investigating the underpinning mechanisms. We investigated Apium graveolens (celery) MD by combined innovative imaging and embryo growth assays with the quantification of hormone metabolism, as well as the analysis of hormone and cell-wall related gene expression. The integrated experimental results demonstrated that embryo growth occurred inside imbibed celery fruits in association with endosperm degradation, and that a critical embryo size was required for radicle emergence. The regulation of these processes depends on gene expression leading to gibberellin and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production by the embryo and on crosstalk between the fruit compartments. ABA degradation associated with distinct spatiotemporal patterns in ABA sensitivity control embryo growth, endosperm breakdown and radicle emergence. This complex interaction between gibberellins, IAA and ABA metabolism, and changes in the tissue-specific sensitivities to these hormones is distinct from non-MD seeds. We conclude that the embryo growth to reach the critical size and the associated endosperm breakdown inside MD fruits constitute a unique germination programme.

Complete Mitochondrial Genome Sequence and Identification of a Candidate Gene Responsible for Cytoplasmic Male Sterility in Celery (Apium graveolens L.)

Celery (Apium graveolens L.) is an important leafy vegetable worldwide. The development of F₁ hybrids in celery is highly dependent on cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) because emasculation is difficult. In this study, we first report a celery CMS, which was found in a high-generation inbred line population of the Chinese celery “tanzhixiangqin”. Comparative analysis, following sequencing and assembly of the complete mitochondrial genome sequences for this celery CMS line and its maintainer line, revealed that there are 21 unique regions in the celery CMS line and these unique regions contain 15 ORFs. Among these ORFs, only orf768a is a chimeric gene, consisting of 1497 bp sequences of the cox1 gene and 810 bp unidentified sequences located in the unique region, and the predicted protein product of orf768a possesses 11 transmembrane domains. In summary, the results of this study indicate that orf768a is likely to be a strong candidate gene for CMS induction in celery. In addition, orf768a can be a co-segregate marker, which can be used to screen CMS in celery.

Identification of plant leaf phosphorus content at different growth stages based on hyperspectral reflectance

BACKGROUND

Modern agriculture strives to sustainably manage fertilizer for both economic and environmental reasons. The monitoring of any nutritional (phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium) deficiency in growing plants is a challenge for precision farming technology. A study was carried out on three species of popular crops, celery (Apium graveolens L., cv. Neon), sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L., cv. Tapir) and strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duchesne, cv. Honeoye), fertilized with four different doses of phosphorus (P) to deliver data for non-invasive detection of P content.

RESULTS

Data obtained via biochemical analysis of the chlorophyll and carotenoid contents in plant material showed that the strongest effect of P availability for plants was in the diverse total chlorophyll content in sugar beet and celery compared to that in strawberry, in which P affects a variety of carotenoid contents in leaves. The measurements performed using hyperspectral imaging, obtained in several different stages of plant development, were applied in a supervised classification experiment. A machine learning algorithm (Backpropagation Neural Network, Random Forest, Naive Bayes and Support Vector Machine) was developed to classify plants from four variants of P fertilization. The lowest prediction accuracy was obtained for the earliest measured stage of plant development. Statistical analyses showed correlations between leaf biochemical constituents, phosphorus fertilization and the mass of the leaf/roots of the plants.

CONCLUSIONS

Obtained results demonstrate that hyperspectral imaging combined with artificial intelligence methods has potential for non-invasive detection of non-homogenous phosphorus fertilization on crop levels.

Substitution of manure for chemical fertilizer affects soil microbial community diversity, structure and function in greenhouse vegetable production systems

Soil microbial communities and enzyme activities together affect various ecosystem functions of soils. Fertilization, an important agricultural management practice, is known to modify soil microbial characteristics; however, inconsistent results have been reported. The aim of this research was to make a comparative study of the effects of different nitrogen (N) fertilizer rates and types (organic and inorganic) on soil physicochemical properties, enzyme activities and microbial attributes in a greenhouse vegetable production (GVP) system of Tianjin, China. Results showed that manure substitution of chemical fertilizer, especially at a higher substitution rate, improved soil physicochemical properties (higher soil organic C (SOC) and nutrient (available N and P) contents; lower bulk densities), promoted microbial growth (higher total phospholipid fatty acids and microbial biomass C contents) and activity (higher soil hydrolase activities). Manure application induced a higher fungi/bacteria ratio due to a lower response in bacterial than fungal growth. Also, manure application greatly increased bacterial stress indices, as well as microbial communities and functional diversity. The principal component analysis showed that the impact of manure on microbial communities and enzyme activities were more significant than those of chemical fertilizer. Furthermore, redundancy analysis indicated that SOC and total N strongly influenced the microbial composition, while SOC and ammonium-N strongly influenced the microbial activity. In conclusion, manure substitution of inorganic fertilizer, especially at a higher substitution rate, was more efficient for improving soil quality and biological functions.

Bioavailability of cadmium to celery (Apium graveolens L.) grown in acidic and Cd-contaminated greenhouse soil as affected by the application of hydroxyapatite with different particle sizes

Cadmium contamination in greenhouse vegetable fields greatly limited the sustainable production especially of leafy vegetables. Hydroxyapatite (HAP), as a common soil amendment, has been widely used in the remediation of Cd-contaminated soils, while its remediation efficiency greatly depends on its particle sizes. In this study, a rhizobag pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of HAP (<60 nm, <12 μm and <80 μm) on bioavailability of Cd to celery grown in acidic and slightly Cd-contaminated greenhouse soil. The results suggested that HAP with the largest particle size (<80 μm) had the best effectiveness in reducing Cd uptake especially by the edible part of celery. Specifically, the increase in HAP (<80 μm) addition from 0.5% to 3% prominently reduced Cd concentrations in celery shoot by 19.6%-76.8% as compared with the untreated group. Also, adding HAP (<80 μm) especially at 3% significantly decreased translocation factor (TF) of Cd from celery root to shoot by 30.6% and reduced bioconcentration factor (BCF) of Cd from rhizosphere soil to celery shoot by 76.4%. These were predominantly associated with the significantly increased soil pH and the subsequently decreased soil CaCl₂-Cd concentration after adding HAP (<80 μm). Overall, although rhizosphere soil pH was the key factor in controlling Cd uptake by edible celery and regulating BCF and TF of Cd, insignificant root-induced acidification had limited effect on the immobilization efficiency of Cd by HAP (<80 μm). In conclusion, HAP (<80 μm) has good potential for the remediation of Cd-contaminated greenhouse soils.

Changes in the orientations of cellulose microfibrils during the development of collenchyma cell walls of celery (Apium graveolens L.)

During development, cellulose microfibrils in collenchyma walls become increasingly longitudinal, as determined by small-angle X-ray scattering, despite the walls maintaining a fine structure indicative of a crossed-polylamellate structure. Collenchyma cells have thickened primary cell walls and provide mechanical support during plant growth. During their development, these cells elongate and their walls thicken considerably. We used microscopy and synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering to study changes in the orientations of cellulose microfibrils that occur during development in the walls of collenchyma cells present in peripheral strands in celery (Apium graveolens) petioles. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the walls consisted of many lamellae (polylamellate), with lamellae containing longitudinally oriented cellulose microfibrils alternating with microfibrils oriented at higher angles. The lamellae containing longitudinally oriented microfibrils predominated at later stages of development. Nevertheless, transmission electron microscopy of specially stained, oblique sections provided evidence that the cellulose microfibrils were ordered throughout development as crossed-polylamellate structures. These results are consistent with our synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering results that showed the cellulose microfibrils become oriented increasingly longitudinally during development. Some passive reorientation of cellulose microfibrils may occur during development, but extensive reorientation throughout the wall would destroy ordered structures. Atomic force microscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy were used to determine the orientations of newly deposited cellulose microfibrils. These were found to vary widely among different cells, which could be consistent with the formation of crossed-polylamellate structures. These newly deposited cellulose microfibrils are deposited in a layer of pectic polysaccharides that lies immediately outside the plasma membrane. Overall, our results show that during development of collenchyma walls, the cellulose microfibrils become increasingly longitudinal in orientation, yet organized, crossed-polylamellate structures are maintained.

Impact of fertiliser, water table, and warming on celery yield and CO2 and CH4 emissions from fenland agricultural peat

Peatlands are globally important areas for carbon preservation; although covering only 3% of global land area, they store 30% of total soil carbon. Lowland peat soils can also be very productive for agriculture, but their cultivation requires drainage as most crops are intolerant of root-zone anoxia. This leads to the creation of oxic conditions in which organic matter becomes vulnerable to mineralisation. Given the demand for high quality agricultural land, 40% of the UK's peatlands have been drained for agricultural use. In this study we present the outcomes of a controlled environment experiment conducted on agricultural fen peat to examine possible trade-offs between celery growth (an economically important crop on the agricultural peatlands of eastern England) and emissions of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄)) at different temperatures (ambient and ambient +5 °C), water table levels (-30 cm, and -50 cm below the surface), and fertiliser use. Raising the water table from -50 cm to -30 cm depressed yields of celery, and at the same time decreased the entire ecosystem CO₂ loss by 31%. A 5 °C temperature increase enhanced ecosystem emissions of CO₂ by 25% and increased celery dry shoot weight by 23% while not affecting the shoot fresh weight. Fertiliser addition increased both celery yields and soil respiration by 22%. Methane emissions were generally very low and not significantly different from zero. Our results suggest that increasing the water table can lower emissions of greenhouse gases and reduce the rate of peat wastage, but reduces the productivity of celery. If possible, the water table should be raised to -30 cm before and after cultivation, and only decreased during the growing season, as this would reduce the overall greenhouse gas emissions and peat loss, potentially not affecting the production of vegetable crops.

Elevated gibberellin enhances lignin accumulation in celery (Apium graveolens L.) leaves

Gibberellin (GA) is a phytohormone of a biguanide compound that plays an important role throughout the life cycle of a plant. Lignin, a phenylalanine-derived aromatic polymer, can enhance the water transport function and structural resistance of cell walls. This function is also the core on biology of higher terrestrial plants. An appropriate lignin level is important to the quality of leafy vegetables, such as celery. The relationship between gibberellin levels and the occurrence of lignification has not been reported in celery. In this study, the leaf blades and petioles of celery cultivars 'Liuhe Huangxinqin' and 'Jinnan Shiqin' were used as materials, and different concentrations of exogenous gibberellin were applied to analyze the growth and lignin distribution of leaf blades and petioles. It was found that gibberellin treatment could influence the lignin content in celery leaves. Autofluorescence analysis under ultraviolet (UV) excitation showed that gibberellin treatment caused lignification of celery leaf tissue. The expression profiles of 12 genes related to lignin synthesis changed with the increase of gibberellin concentration. Our results showed that gibberellin played a significant role in the accumulation of lignin in the development of celery leaves. This provides a basis for further study on the regulation of lignin metabolism in plants and exerts a vital part in the application of plant growth regulators to production.

Elevated gibberellin enhances lignin accumulation in celery (Apium graveolens L.) leaves

Gibberellin (GA) is a phytohormone of a biguanide compound that plays an important role throughout the life cycle of a plant. Lignin, a phenylalanine-derived aromatic polymer, can enhance the water transport function and structural resistance of cell walls. This function is also the core on biology of higher terrestrial plants. An appropriate lignin level is important to the quality of leafy vegetables, such as celery. The relationship between gibberellin levels and the occurrence of lignification has not been reported in celery. In this study, the leaf blades and petioles of celery cultivars 'Liuhe Huangxinqin' and 'Jinnan Shiqin' were used as materials, and different concentrations of exogenous gibberellin were applied to analyze the growth and lignin distribution of leaf blades and petioles. It was found that gibberellin treatment could influence the lignin content in celery leaves. Autofluorescence analysis under ultraviolet (UV) excitation showed that gibberellin treatment caused lignification of celery leaf tissue. The expression profiles of 12 genes related to lignin synthesis changed with the increase of gibberellin concentration. Our results showed that gibberellin played a significant role in the accumulation of lignin in the development of celery leaves. This provides a basis for further study on the regulation of lignin metabolism in plants and exerts a vital part in the application of plant growth regulators to production.

Developmental changes in collenchyma cell-wall polysaccharides in celery (Apium graveolens L.) petioles

BACKGROUND

Collenchyma cells occur widely in eudicotyledons and provide mechanical support for growing organs. At maturity, the cells are elongated and have thick, non-lignified walls, which in celery contain cellulose and pectic polysaccharides, together with xyloglucans and heteroxylans and heteromannans. A previous study suggested that at least some of the collenchyma cell wall in celery is laid down after expansion has stopped and is thus secondary. In the present study, we re-examined this. We used chemical analysis and immunomicroscopy to determine changes in the polysaccharide compositions of these walls during development. Additionally, solid-state NMR spectroscopy was used to examine changes in polysaccharide mobilities during development.

RESULTS

We showed the collenchyma walls are deposited only during cell expansion, i.e. they are primary walls. During cell-wall development, analytical and immunomicroscopy studies showed that within the pectic polysaccharides there were no overall changes in the proportions of homogalacturonans, but there was a decrease in their methyl esterification. There was also a decrease in the proportions of the (1 → 5)-α-L-arabinan and (1 → 4)-β-D-galactan side chains of rhamnogalacturonan I. The proportions of cellulose increased, and to a lesser extent those of xyloglucans and heteroxylans. Immunomicroscopy showed the homogalacturonans occurred throughout the walls and were most abundant in the middle lamellae and middle lamella junctions. Although the (1 → 4)-β-D-galactans occurred only in the rest of the walls, some of the (1 → 5)-α-L-arabinans also occurred in the middle lamellae and middle lamella junctions. During development, the location of the xyloglucans changed, being confined to the middle lamellae and middle lamella junctions early on, but later occurred throughout the walls. The location of the heteroxylans also changed, occurring mostly in the outer walls in young cells, but were more widely distributed in mature cells. Solid-state NMR spectroscopy showed that particularly cellulose, but also homogalacturonans, decreased in mobility during development.

CONCLUSIONS

Our studies showed that celery collenchyma cell walls are primary and that during their development the polysaccharides undergo dynamic changes. Changes in the mobilities of cellulose and homogalacturonans were consistent with the cell walls becoming stiffer as expansion ceases.

Polysaccharide compositions of collenchyma cell walls from celery (Apium graveolens L.) petioles

BACKGROUND

Collenchyma serves as a mechanical support tissue for many herbaceous plants. Previous work based on solid-state NMR and immunomicroscopy suggested collenchyma cell walls (CWs) may have similar polysaccharide compositions to those commonly found in eudicotyledon parenchyma walls, but no detailed chemical analysis was available. In this study, compositions and structures of cell wall polysaccharides of peripheral collenchyma from celery petioles were investigated.

RESULTS

This is the first detailed investigation of the cell wall composition of collenchyma from any plant. Celery petioles were found to elongate throughout their length during early growth, but as they matured elongation was increasingly confined to the upper region, until elongation ceased. Mature, fully elongated, petioles were divided into three equal segments, upper, middle and lower, and peripheral collenchyma strands isolated from each. Cell walls (CWs) were prepared from the strands, which also yielded a HEPES buffer soluble fraction. The CWs were sequentially extracted with CDTA, Na₂CO₃, 1 M KOH and 4 M KOH. Monosaccharide compositions of the CWs showed that pectin was the most abundant polysaccharide [with homogalacturonan (HG) more abundant than rhamnogalacturonan I (RG-I) and rhamnogalacturonan II (RG-II)], followed by cellulose, and other polysaccharides, mainly xyloglucans, with smaller amounts of heteroxylans and heteromannans. CWs from different segments had similar compositions, but those from the upper segments had slightly more pectin than those from the lower two segments. Further, the pectin in the CWs of the upper segment had a higher degree of methyl esterification than the other segments. In addition to the anticipated water-soluble pectins, the HEPES-soluble fractions surprisingly contained large amounts of heteroxylans. The CDTA and Na₂CO₃ fractions were rich in HG and RG-I, the 1 M KOH fraction had abundant heteroxylans, the 4 M KOH fraction was rich in xyloglucan and heteromannans, and cellulose was predominant in the final residue. The structures of the xyloglucans, heteroxylans and heteromannans were deduced from the linkage analysis and were similar to those present in most eudicotyledon parenchyma CWs. Cross polarization with magic angle spinning (CP/MAS) NMR spectroscopy showed no apparent difference in the rigid and semi-rigid polysaccharides in the CWs of the three segments. Single-pulse excitation with magic-angle spinning (SPE/MAS) NMR spectroscopy, which detects highly mobile polysaccharides, showed the presence of arabinan, the detailed structure of which varied among the cell walls from the three segments.

CONCLUSIONS

Celery collenchyma CWs have similar polysaccharide compositions to most eudicotyledon parenchyma CWs. However, celery collenchyma CWs have much higher XG content than celery parenchyma CWs. The degree of methyl esterification of pectin and the structures of the arabinan side chains of RG-I show some variation in the collenchyma CWs from the different segments. Unexpectedly, the HEPES-soluble fraction contained a large amount of heteroxylans.

Transcriptional profiling of genes involved in ascorbic acid biosynthesis, recycling, and degradation during three leaf developmental stages in celery

Ascorbic acid (AsA) is an important nutrient in the human body and performs various healthy functions. With considerable medicinal properties, celery (Apium graveolens L.) could be a good source of AsA for human health. However, the biosynthetic, recycling, and degradation pathways of AsA in celery have yet to be characterized. To study the metabolic pathways involved in AsA, the genes involved in AsA biosynthesis, recycling, and degradation were isolated from celery, and their expression profiles and AsA levels were analyzed in the leaf blades and petioles of two celery varieties at three different growth stages. AsA levels were higher in 'Ventura' compared with 'Liuhehuangxinqin' in both tissues possibly because of different transcription levels of genes, such as L-galactose dehydrogenase (GalDH), L-galactono-1,4-lactone dehydrogenase (GalLDH), and glutathione reductase (GR). Results revealed that the D-mannose/L-galactose pathway may be the predominant pathway in celery, and the D-galacturonic acid pathway appeared to contribute largely to AsA accumulation in petioles than in leaf blades in 'Liuhehuangxinqin.' AsA contents are regulated by complex regulatory mechanisms and vary at different growth stages, tissues, and varieties in celery. The results provide novel insights into AsA metabolic pathways in leaf during celery growth and development.

Effect of passivator on Cu form transformation in pig manure aerobic composting and application in soil

A sequential extraction approach was used to evaluate the effects of various combinations of passivators (sepiolite, phosphate rock, and coal fly ash) on the concentration and speciation of Cu in swine manure aerobic compost along with soil to which the compost had been applied. The results indicate that the various passivators altered the bound forms of Cu in pig manure and soil; the concentrations of exchangeable and Fe-Mn-bound Cu decreased, whereas the residual Cu concentration increased, indicating that Cu transformed to low-availability forms after the passivator treatments. The concentrations of the carbonate-bound and organic-bound Cu varied widely. Among all treatments, the treatment of the control + straw + sepiolite + coal fly ash (2.5 %) + phosphate rock (5.0 %) resulted in the most efficient passivation of Cu; the percentage of residual Cu reached 3.91-21.14 %, obviously surpassing the percentage for the control without passivation. The treatment of the control + straw + sepiolite + phosphate rock (2.5 %) resulted in the lowest residual Cu fraction (0.85 %) among passivator treatments. These results show that the addition of suitable combinations of passivators to the composting process reduced the availability of Cu and the risk of Cu pollution during the application of composted pig manure to soil. Passivation also decreased the Cu content of Apium graveolens.

[Effects of intercropping Sedum plumbizincicola and Apium graceolens on the soil chemical and microbiological properties under the contamination of zinc and cadmium from sewage sludge application]

Taking the vegetable soil with zinc- and cadmium contamination from a long-term sewage sludge application as the object, a pot experiment was conducted to study the remediation effect of Sedum plumbizincicola and Apium graceolens under continuous monoculture and intercropping. With the remediation time increased, both S. plumbizincicola and A. graceolens under monoculture grew poorly, but S. plumbizincicola under intercropping grew well. Under intercropping, the soil organic matter, total N, extractable N, and total P contents decreased significantly while the soil extractable K content had a significant increase, the counts of soil bacteria and fungi increased by 7.9 and 18.4 times and 3.7 and 4.3 times, respectively, but the soil urease and catalase activities remained unchanged, as compared with those under A. graceolens and S. plumbizincicola monoculture. The BIOLOG ECO micro-plates also showed that the carbon sources utilization level and the functional diversity index of soil microbial communities were higher under intercropping than under monoculture, and the concentrations of soil zinc and cadmium under intercropping decreased by 5.8% and 50.0%, respectively, with the decrements being significantly higher than those under monoculture. It was suggested that soil microbial effect could be one of the important factors affecting plant growth.

De novo assembly, gene annotation and marker development using Illumina paired-end transcriptome sequences in celery (Apium graveolens L.)

Background

Celery is an increasing popular vegetable species, but limited transcriptome and genomic data hinder the research to it. In addition, a lack of celery molecular markers limits the process of molecular genetic breeding. High-throughput transcriptome sequencing is an efficient method to generate a large transcriptome sequence dataset for gene discovery, molecular marker development and marker-assisted selection breeding.

Principal Findings

Celery transcriptomes from four tissues were sequenced using Illumina paired-end sequencing technology. De novo assembling was performed to generate a collection of 42,280 unigenes (average length of 502.6 bp) that represent the first transcriptome of the species. 78.43% and 48.93% of the unigenes had significant similarity with proteins in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) non-redundant protein database (Nr) and Swiss-Prot database respectively, and 10,473 (24.77%) unigenes were assigned to Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COG). 21,126 (49.97%) unigenes harboring Interpro domains were annotated, in which 15,409 (36.45%) were assigned to Gene Ontology(GO) categories. Additionally, 7,478 unigenes were mapped onto 228 pathways using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes Pathway database (KEGG). Large numbers of simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were indentified, and then the rate of successful amplication and polymorphism were investigated among 31 celery accessions.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates the feasibility of generating a large scale of sequence information by Illumina paired-end sequencing and efficient assembling. Our results provide a valuable resource for celery research. The developed molecular markers are the foundation of further genetic linkage analysis and gene localization, and they will be essential to accelerate the process of breeding.

Furanocoumarins in celeriac from different farming systems: a 3-year study

BACKGROUND

The aim of this 3-year study was to investigate the effect of different celeriac cultivation strategies on the content of naturally occurring toxicants furanocoumarins, represented by psoralen, bergapten, xanthotoxin and isopimpinellin. The products from organic farming in which anaerobically fermented pig slurry was used were compared against those obtained from other treatment systems: mineral, combined and non-fertilised.

RESULTS

The average levels of furanocoumarins for all 3 years (determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry) in varieties Albin and Kompakt were 2.6 mg kg⁻¹ and 10.2 mg kg⁻¹, respectively. In all crop years higher levels were found in variety Kompakt. By using linear discriminant analysis it was possible to separate the whole data set according to variety from 85.7%, in individual crop years the recognition ability was more than 90%. According to the crop year, it was possible to separate tested samples from 70.8%, for individual variety the separation was 100%.

CONCLUSIONS

The method of fertilisation did not have a significant effect on the levels of plant secondary metabolites, furanocoumarins. The climatic conditions, in particular the growing periods and the celeriac variety, had an important role in the occurrence of furanocoumarins.

Metabolism of sulphonated anthraquinones in rhubarb, maize and celery: the role of cytochromes P450 and peroxidases

Sulphonated anthraquinones are precursors of many synthetic dyes and pigments, recalcitrant to biodegradation, and thus contaminating many industrial effluents and rivers. In the development of a phytotreatment to remove sulphonated aromatic compounds, rhubarb (Rheum rhaponticum), a plant producing natural anthraquinones, as well as maize (Zea mays) and celery (Apium graveolens), plants not producing anthraquinones, were tested for their ability to metabolise these xenobiotics. Plants were cultivated under hydroponic conditions, with or without sulphonated anthraquinones, and were harvested at different times. Either microsomal or cytosolic fractions were prepared. The monooxygenase activity of cytochromes P450 towards several sulphonated anthraquinones was tested using a new method based on the fluorimetric detection of oxygen consumed during cytochromes P450-catalysed reactions. The activity of cytosolic peroxidases was measured by spectrophotometry, using guaiacol as a substrate. Results indicated that the activity of cytochromes P450 and peroxidases significantly increased in rhubarb plants cultivated in the presence of sulphonated anthraquinones. A higher activity of cytochromes P450 was also detected in maize and celery exposed to the pollutants. In these two plants, a peroxidase activity was also detected, but without a clear difference between the control plants and the plants exposed to the organic contaminants. This research demonstrated the existence in rhubarb, maize and celery of biochemical mechanisms involved in the metabolism and detoxification of sulphonated anthraquinones. Taken together, results confirmed that rhubarb might be the most appropriate plant for the phytotreatment of these organic pollutants.

[Effects of DMPP-compound fertilizer on greenhouse celery growth and nutritional quality]

A field study with greenhouse celery (Apium graveolens L. ) showed that compared with basal application of ordinary compound fertilizer, one-time basal application of DMPP-compound fertilizer ( ENTEC , 12-12-17) at the rates of 67. 5 kg N x hm(-2) and 54. 0 kg N x hm(-2) increased the yield by 5. 78% and 10. 14% , respectively. The application of ENTEC also improved the nutritional quality of edible parts, e. g. , the Vc, amino acid, soluble sugar, N and P contents increased, while nitrate content decreased. Compared with basal plus side dressing applications, appropriately reducing the application rate and times of ENTEChad more beneficial effects on celery yield and quality, and reduced the production costs. ENTEC could suppress the transformation of soil NH4+ -N to NO3 - -N effectively, and thus, its application could retain soil residual N more in NH4+ -N than in NO3- -N form after celery harvested, resulting in a reduction of nitrate leaching.

[Effects of metolachlor on biological activities in celery rhizophere and non-rhizosphere soil]

The study with rhizobag showed that in celery rhizophere and non-rhizosphere soil, metolachlor had a certain inhibitory effect on catalase activity, but stimulated dehydrogenase activity. Generally, the enzyme activities in rhizosphere soil were higher than those in non-rhizosphere soil. After 45 days of metolachlor treatment, the numbers of bacteria and fungi in rhizosphere soil were higher than those in non-rhizosphere soil, and the R/S was 1.76 to approximately 2. 51. The numbers of actinomycetes were relatively stable, and the rhizosphere effect was not significant. The degradation rate of metolachlor in rhizosphere and nonrhizosphere soil was 0. 0217 and 0.0176, and the corresponding half-live was 31.9 and 39.4 days, respectively. The degradation of metolachlor was enhanced greatly in rhizosphere soil.