To explore the suitable fertilizing pattern for Saposhnikovia divaricata in the genuine producing area, a field trial was carried out to investigate the changes in the yield and quality of medicinal materials and soil in different fertilization patterns, such as organic fertilizer substitution(organic fertilizer+NPK fertilizer) and chemical fertilizer reduction(organic fertilizer+NPK fertilizer decrement and organic fertilizer+NPK fertilizer decrement+soil conditioner). The comprehensive analysis of all treatments was based on the medicine quality evaluation data set and soil quality evaluation data set, respectively, by CRITIC weight method. The results showed that(1) the yield of S. divaricate increased by 4.93%-12.67% under the organic fertilizer substitution mode, and the yield increased by 44.43% under the treatment of chemical fertilizer reduction YHT15, which was higher than that of the organic fertilizer substitution mode.(2) The quality of S. divaricate under the two fertilization modes was superior to the standard in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, and the application of biochar was helpful to improve the quality of S. divaricate quality, with an increase of 82.83%-181.54%. CRITIC method analysis showed that fertilization treatments with high comprehensive scores were YHT15, YH30, and YH15.(3) Soil quality under the two fertilization modes was higher than that under the control. The fertilization treatments with higher comprehensive scores of soil quality were YHT15, YHT30, and YHT. The fertilization mode of adding biochar as soil conditioner, applying an appropriate amount of organic fertilizer, and reducing part of chemical fertilizer is the appropriate way to develop ecological plantation of S. divaricata in the Baicheng area in the western Jilin province. The specific fertilization mode is as follows. The basic fertilizer was 361 kg·hm~(-2) superphosphate+110 kg·hm~(-2) potassium sulfate+82 kg·hm~(-2) organic fertilizer+10 000 kg·hm~(-2) rice husk biochar, and urea was applied as top fertilizer three times, 29, 29, and 20 kg·hm~(-2), respectively.
Agriculture ; Fertilizers/analysis* ; Soil ; Apiaceae ; Nitrogen/analysis*

The study is aimed through field experiments to study the effect of combined application of organic and chemical fertilizers on the growth and quality of Salvia miltiorrhiza, provide ideas for reducing fertilization while increasing the efficiency as well as improving the quality of produces. The experiment included 6 treatments viz., no fertilization(CK), full application of chemical fertilizer(F), 25% orga-nic fertilizer with 75% chemical fertilizer(M25), 50% organic fertilizer with 50% chemical fertilizer(M50), 75% organic fertilizer with 25% chemical fertilizer(M75), and fully apply organic fertilizer(M100). The results showed that:(1)from the perspective of yield and economic benefits, M75 was the best and M100 second;(2)for effective components, the combined application of organic and chemical fertilizers increased the content of main water-soluble components and the total content of effective components, among which M25 and M50 were better.
Agriculture ; Fertilizers/analysis* ; Nitrogen ; Salvia miltiorrhiza ; Soil

OBJECTIVETo preliminarily study the effect of fertilizer methods on the yield and quality of Fritillaria ussuriensis.

METHODThrough the investigation of the available nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium in soil fertility of F. ussuriensis planting field as well as the measurement of total nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium contents in bulbus of F. ussuriensis, the balanced fertilization plan for cultivation of F. ussuriensis was made.

RESULTThe optimal fertilizing amount was 13.0 kg x m(-2) pig dung, or 5.5 kg x m(-2) deer dung and 6.5 kg x m(-2) pig dung, or 11.0 kg x m(-2) deer dung.

CONCLUSIONEffective fertilizing may increase significantly the yield and quality of F. ussuriensis.

Agriculture ; methods ; Biomass ; Fertilizers ; analysis ; Fritillaria ; growth & development ; Soil ; analysis

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of Chrysanthemum morifolium based on functional diversity in soil microbial community with different cropping system and fertilization and offer scientific basis for the establishment of the reasonable planting patterns.

METHODCombined yield and quality of Ch. morifolium, 8 treatments of different cropping system and fertilization on functional diversity in soil microbial community of Ch. morifolium were investigated by the Biolog.

RESULTThe AWCD of Ch. morifolium paddy-dryland rotation was higher than that of the continuous cropping, the AWCD of organic fertilizer and compound NPK > single organic fertilizer > single compound NPK > no fertilizer. The principal component analysis about Ch. morifolium soil microbial carbon source use showed that the contribution rate of principal component 1 was 45.5% and principal component 2 was 12.1%, which could explain most information about the variation. Different cropping system of Ch. morfolium differentiated in principal component 1 axis, different fertilization differentiated in principal component 2 axis. The yield of Ch. morifolium and volatile oil content paddy-dryland rotation was significantly higher than that of continuous cropping.

CONCLUSIONThe Ch. morifolium should be cultivated with organic fertilizer and compound NPK by paddy-dryland rotation patters.

Biota ; Chrysanthemum ; metabolism ; microbiology ; Fertilizers ; Oils, Volatile ; analysis ; Soil Microbiology

Potential growth of two widely-grown hybrid rice varieties in the Jinhua district of Zhejiang Province, Shanyou63 for mid-rice and Xieyou46 for late rice, was simulated using a crop growth model of WOFOST. Parameters of the rice growth in WOFOST were calibrated through field experiments from 1999 to 2002 in Jinhua. The potential yield simulated with WOFOST was about 12 t/ha for Shanyou63 and 10 t/ha for Xieyou46, which are in good agreement with the highest recorded yield obtained in this area. Under farmers practice, current yield is about 7.5 t/ha for Shanyou63 and 6.5 t/ha for Xieyou46. There is a gap between the actual rice yield and the potential yield for these two hybrid rice varieties grown in this area. The attainable target yields were set to 70% to 75% of their potential yields for the two varieties. A recently developed software "Nutrient Decision Support System (NuDSS)" for irrigated rice was used to optimize nutrient management for these two rice varieties. According to NuDSS, the optimal fertilizer N requirement for the target yields was about 150 kg/ha for Shanyou63 and about 120 kg/ha for Xieyou46, which were only about 70% of the fertilizer N application under current farmers' practice. Comparing with farmers' practice, there is great potential to increase actual rice yields and to reduce fertilizer N use rates by improving rice crop management practice in Jinhua.
Agriculture ; China ; Fertilizers ; Oryza ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Soil ; analysis

Nitrogen fertilizer has been the long-lasting crucial component in cultivation of Chinese materia medica(CMM) and crops for its profound effects on enhancing the productivity. In consideration of its role in better production, intensive and excessive application of N fertilizer is often found in CMM cultivation. Therefore, firstly, this review summarized various concentrations of N application with regards to different CMM and districts from the literatures published in the last two decades. The recommended concentration of nitrogen application of forty seven CMM species were covered in this review. We found that the optimum rates of nitrogen fertili-zer for different medicinal plants species were varied in the range between 0-1 035.55 kg·hm~(-2). Most of the optimum rates of nitrogen fertilizer for CMM in published researches fell between 100-199 kg·hm~(-2). The optimum rate of nitrogen fertilizer is not only related to amount of nitrogen required for different medicinal plants but also to soil fertilities of different fields. In addition, we outlined the diffe-rent effects of proper and excessive nitrogen deposition on yield of CMM. Proper nitrogen deposition benefits the yield of CMM, howe-ver, excessive nitrogen use accounts for a decrease in CMM yield. We elucidated that nutritional content, water use efficiencies, and photosynthesis capacity were major influencing factors. Researches showed that proper nitrogen fertilizer could promote the water use efficiencies of plants and boost photosynthesis. Consequently, the yield of CMM can be enhanced after nitrogen deposition. However, negative effects of nitrogen fertilizer were also found on plant including producing toxic substances to the soil and causing severe pest damages. Lastly we analyzed the impact of N fertilizer application on secondary metabolites which accounts for a large part of active pharmaceutical ingredients of CMM. It usually caused an increase in nitrogen-containing secondary metabolites content and a decrease in non-nitrogen-containing secondary metabolites content respectively. The potential underlying mechanisms are the different synthetic pathways of these metabolites and the plant nutritional status. Synthesis of non-nitrogen-containing secondary metabolites like phenols can be inhibited after nitrogen application because of the competition of the same precursor substances between metabolites synthesis and plant growth. To sum up, impacts and mechanisms of nitrogen fertilizer on yield and quality enhancement of CMM were discussed in this review. Negative effects of excessive nitrogen application on CMM should be paid special attention in CMM cultivation and prescription fertilization based on the field soil quality is strongly recommended. Overall, this review aims to provides insights on improving the proper application of N fertilizer in the cultivation of CMM.
Agriculture ; China ; Fertilizers ; Materia Medica ; Nitrogen/analysis* ; Soil

Three types of new high-efficiency phosphate fertilizers were made when pillared clays at certain proportions were added into ground phosphate rock. Chemical analyses showed that their soluble phosphorus content decreased more than that of superphosphate. Pot experiment showed that, under equal weights, the new fertilizers increased their efficiency by a large margin over that of superphosphate. Researches on their structures by means of XRD, IR and EPR spectrum revealed that their crystal structures changed considerably, improving their activity and preventing the fixation of available phosphorus in the soil, and consequently, greatly improved the bioavailability and became the main cause of the increase of biomass.
Aluminum Silicates ; analysis ; chemistry ; Fertilizers ; analysis ; Molecular Conformation ; Phosphates ; analysis ; chemistry ; Soil ; analysis

OBJECTIVEIn order to provide a scientific fertilizer application for the standardized cultivation, the effects of phosphate (P) fertilizer on the active ingredients and antioxidant activities of Chrysanthemum morifolium were studied.

METHODPot experiment was adopted to study the effects of P supply on the yield and the content of flavonoids, chlorogenic acid, soluble sugar, soluble amino acids and crude protein of C. morifolium flower. And effects of P supply on the hydroxyl radical scavenging activity, superoxide anion radical scavenging activity, and 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl hydrate (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity of flower were researched too.

RESULTThe yield of C. morifolium dry flower increased 129. 94% when P fertilizer was applied. Appropriate application of P fertilizer could also significantly improve the content and accumulation of total flavonoids, chlorogenic acid and soluble sugar in C. morifolium. Thus, the inhibition rates of hydroxyl radical, superoxide anion radical and DPPH free radical of C. morifolium was increased. When the level of P supply exceeded 0.20 g P2O5 per plant, P had also negative influence on the yield and the content of active ingredients and the scavenging activity of hydroxyl radical, superoxide anion radical and DPPH free radical of C. morifolium. Furthermore, there were significant positive correlations between the content of total flavonoids and chlorogenic acid and the inhibition rate of hydroxyl radical, superoxide anion radical and DPPH free radical, respectively.

CONCLUSIONAppropriate application of P fertilizer could be beneficial to the increase the active components and antioxidant activity of C. morifolium. And recommended level of P fertilizer is 0.26-0.28 g x kg(-1).

Antioxidants ; analysis ; metabolism ; Chrysanthemum ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Fertilizers ; analysis ; Phosphates ; metabolism ; Plant Extracts ; analysis ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of nitrogen forms on nitrogen metabolism and main chemical composition of Pinellia ternate.

METHODThrough the soilless cultivation experiment and based at the same nitrogen level and different NH4(+) -N/NO3(-) -N ratios, nitrate reductase (NR) activity, glutamine synthetase (GS) activity, the content of nitrate nitrogen and ammonium nitrogen in different parts of P. ternate were determined. The contents of total alkaloid, free total organic acids and guanosine in the tuber were determined. The yield of bulbil and tuber was calculated.

RESULTThe test results showed that, with the NH4(+) -N/NO3(-) -N ratio increasing, the activity of nitrate reductase decreased, the content of nitrate nitrogen in the leaves, petioles and tuber increasing initially, then decreased, and the content of nitrate nitrogen in the root decreased. Meanwhile, with the NH4(+) -N/NO3(-) -N ratio increasing, the activity of glutamine synthetase in the leaves, petioles and root increased, the activity of glutamine synthetase in the tuber increasing initially, then decreased. The contents of ammonium nitrogen in the leaves, tuber and root increased initially, then decreased, and the contents of ammonium nitrogen in the petioles increased with the NH4(+)(-N/NO3(-)-N ratio increasing. The yield of bulbil and tuber were the highest at the NH4(+)-N/NO3(-) -N ratio of 75: 25. The content of total alkaloid and guanosine in the tuber were the highest at the NH4(+)-N/NO3(-) -N ratio of 0: 100, and the contents were 0.245% and 0.0197% respectively. With the NH4(+)-N/NO3(-) -N ratio of 50: 50, the content of free total organic acids was the highest, it reached 0.7%, however, the content of free total organic acids was the lowest at the NH4(+) -N/NO3(-) -N ratio of 0: 100.

CONCLUSIONNitrogen fertilization significant influences the nitrogen metabolism, the yield and main chemical composition of P. ternate.

Fertilizers ; analysis ; Nitrates ; analysis ; Nitrogen ; metabolism ; Pinellia ; chemistry ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds ; analysis

OBJECTIVEThe effect of the different fertilizing levels on yields and main active components of Pinellia ternata from Sichuan was studied under the cultivated condition, in order to provide theoretical basis for the standardized cultivation.

METHODUsing one of the wild populations of P. ternate from Sichuan as tested material, the experiment was performed with orthogonal designing methods L25 (5(3)). During growth and development period, agronomic traits such as number of sprouting, inflorescence and bulblets were counted. After harvesting, main chemical compositions, growth and proliferation rates were determined.

RESULTIn different fertilizing levels, the P. ternata from Sichuan showed the same growth rhythm, though there were significant difference (P < 0.05) among the average emergence rate,whereas extremely significant difference (P < 0.01) were detected among the average ratio of bolting, the average bulbils, individual growth rate, individual proliferation rate, beta-sitosterol and alkaloid content under different fertilizing levels. Nitrogenous fertilizer that affected the content of alkaloids and beta-sitosterol were extremely significant (P < 0.01), whereas phosphate and potassium fertilizer had no significant effect. The effect of fertilizer factor and inter effects on beta-sitosterol showed no significant effect, but have influence on other indexes.

CONCLUSIONThe optimum fertilizer composition was 315 kg x hm(-2) of nitrogen, 225 kg x hm(-2) of P2O5 and 270 kg x hm(-2) of K2O.

Alkaloids ; analysis ; Fertilizers ; Nitrogen Compounds ; analysis ; Phosphates ; analysis ; Phosphorus Compounds ; analysis ; Pinellia ; chemistry ; growth & development ; Potassium Compounds ; analysis ; Sitosterols ; analysis