Publications by authors named "Ruan Cheng-Jiang"

Sea buckthorn ( Hippophae L.) is an economically important shrub or small tree distributed in Eurasia. Most of its well-recognized medicinal and nutraceutical products are derived from its berry oil, which is rich in monounsaturated omega-7 (C16:1) fatty acid and polyunsaturated omega-6 (C18:2) and omega-3 (C18:3) fatty acids.

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Salt marshes constitute major sinks for heavy metal accumulation but the precise impact of salinity on heavy metal toxicity for halophyte plant species remains largely unknown. Young seedlings of Kosteletzkya virginica were exposed during 3 weeks in nutrient solution to Cd 5 µM in the presence or absence of 50 mM NaCl. Cadmium (Cd) reduced growth and shoot water content and had major detrimental effect on maximum quantum efficiency (F(v) /F(m) ), effective quantum yield of photosystem II (Y(II)) and electron transport rates (ETRs).

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Sea buckthorn is a berry crop with multiple uses. The berries are highly appreciated for their unique taste but are also very rich in bioactive compounds with powerful nutritional and medicinal values. In addition, the plants grow well under adverse conditions, and are often used to fight soil erosion.

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Global warming is one of the most serious challenges facing us today. It may be linked to the increase in atmospheric CO2 and other greenhouse gases (GHGs), leading to a rise in sea level, notable shifts in ecosystems, and in the frequency and intensity of wild fires. There is a strong interest in stabilizing the atmospheric concentration of CO2 and other GHGs by decreasing carbon emission and/or increasing carbon sequestration.

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Breeders have long been interested in understanding the biological function and mechanism of xero-halophytes and their ability for growth in drought-stricken and salinized environments. However, the mechanisms in response to stress have been difficult to unravel because their defenses require regulatory changes to the activation of multiple genes and pathways. Metabolomics is becoming a key tool in comprehensively understanding the cellular response to abiotic stress and represents an important addition to the tools currently employed in genomics-assisted selection for plant improvement.

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Sea buckthorn (Hippophae L.) is a woody, outcrossing dioecious pioneer plant, being widely planted as a new berry crop with rich nutritional and medicinal compounds. This long-juvenile and long-lived woody plant can be more difficult to cultivate than other crop plants.

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In the past 20 years, the major effort in plant breeding has changed from quantitative to molecular genetics with emphasis on quantitative trait loci (QTL) identification and marker assisted selection (MAS). However, results have been modest. This has been due to several factors including absence of tight linkage QTL, non-availability of mapping populations, and substantial time needed to develop such populations.

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Mucilage is thought to play a role in salinity tolerance in certain halophytic species by regulating water ascent and ion transport. The localization and composition of mucilage in the halophyte Kosteletzkya virginica was therefore investigated. Plants were grown in a hydroponic system in the presence or absence of 100mM NaCl and regularly harvested for growth parameter assessment and mucilage analysis with the gas liquid chromatography method.

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Heavy metal pollution of soil is a significant environmental problem with a negative potential impact on human health and agriculture. Rhizosphere, as an important interface of soil and plants, plays a significant role in phytoremediation of contaminated soil by heavy metals, in which, microbial populations are known to affect heavy metal mobility and availability to the plant through release of chelating agents, acidification, phosphate solubilization and redox changes, and therefore, have potential to enhance phytoremediation processes. Phytoremediation strategies with appropriate heavy metal-adapted rhizobacteria or mycorrhizas have received more and more attention.

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