Eleven compounds were isolated and purified from Sorghum vulgare root extract, through column chromatography over silica gel, MCI gel, and preparative HPLC. Their structures were established by MS, 1 D NMR and 2 D NMR data as sorgholide A(1), β-sitosterol(2), stigmastero(3), daucosterol(4), 4-methoxycinnamic acid(5), taxiphyllin(6), chlorogenic acid(7), p-hydroxybenzaldehyde(8), succini acid(9), trans-p-hydroxycinnamic acid(10), obtusalin(11). Compounds 4,5 and 9-11 were reported from this species for the first time, and compound 1 is the first 24 ring dimeric double lactonol glycoside formed by reverse polymerization of p-hydroxyphenylacetate glucoside, named sorgholide A.
Cardiac Glycosides ; Glucosides ; Glycosides ; Phenols ; Sorghum

Four arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) inocula collected from three arable sites in Korea were used to determine plant growth, mycorrhizal root colonization rate and spore production in three different host plant species; Sorghum bicolor, Allium fistulosum, Tagetes patula. Growth of plant treated with AMF differed from those without AMF. Different AMF inocula showed significantly different root colonization rates and spore production of AMF on the wild plants, A. fistulosum and T. patula, but did not on the cultivated plant, S. bicolor. Results suggested that indigenous mycorrhizal fungal community would be important factors in mycorrhizal symbiosis, and play important roles in the plant succession.
Allium ; Colon* ; Korea ; Mycorrhizae* ; Plants* ; Soil* ; Sorghum ; Spores ; Symbiosis ; Tagetes

The effect of temperature on a very high gravity ethanol fermentation using no cook process was investigated. We found that a gradient temperature control strategy could improve the fermentation efficiency significantly, With the assistance of a new raw starch hydrolyzing enzyme and a gradient temperature control strategy, the ethanol concentration could reach up to 20% (V/V) within 90 h using commercially available dry yeast, when sorghum was used as the raw material and the dry substrate concentration was controlled at 35%.
Enzymes ; metabolism ; Ethanol ; analysis ; metabolism ; Fermentation ; Hydrolysis ; Seeds ; metabolism ; Sorghum ; metabolism ; Temperature ; Yeasts ; metabolism

A new species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Glomeromycota), Acaulospora koreana, was isolated from forest soils in South Korea. This novel fungus was collected from the rhizosphere of Lindera obtusiloba and Styrax obassia in forest and propagated with Sorghum bicolor in pot. Morphological characteristics of spores of A. koreana are rarely distinguished from Acaulospora mellea, which is reported as one of the most abundant mycorrhizal species in Korea. However, molecular evidence of rDNA sequence using improved primers for glomeromycotan fungal identification strongly supported that A. koreana is different from A. mellea but also any other species belonging to the genus Acaulospora. This is the first novel glomeromycatan fungus introduced in South Korea, but it suggests that there is a high possibility for discovering new arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi considering the abundance of plant species and advanced phylogenetic analysis technique.
DNA, Ribosomal ; Forests ; Fungi* ; Glomeromycota ; Korea* ; Lindera ; Plants ; Rhizosphere ; Soil ; Sorghum ; Spores ; Styrax

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are well-known for their ability to improve plant growth and help plants withstand abiotic stress conditions. Unlike other fungi and bacteria, AMF cannot be stored, as they are obligate biotrophs. Long-term preservation of AMF spores is challenging and may lead to the loss of viability and efficiency. This study aimed to understand the effect of prolonged subculture of AMF species on the growth and glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) from red pepper (Capsicum annuum L.). AMF spores were mass-produced using different techniques and subcultured in pots with sorghum sudangrass as the host plant for 3 years. Experimental soil samples were collected from natural grassland. Five different AMF inocula were used in triplicate as treatments. After 70 days of growth, red pepper plants were harvested and plant dry weight, plant nutrient content, mycorrhizal colonization, AMF spore count, and soil glomalin content were determined. AMF-treated plants displayed higher dry weight than controls, with only fruit dry weight being significantly different. Similarly, significant differences in phosphorous and potassium contents of the above-ground plant parts were observed between mycorrhizal and control treatments. In addition, soil GRSP content was significantly higher in plants inoculated with Rhizophagus sp. and Gigaspora margarita. The increased plant growth and GRSP content suggest that AMF can be maintained for 3 years without losing their efficiency if subcultured regularly with different symbiotic host plants.
Bacteria ; Capsicum* ; Colon ; Colony Count, Microbial ; Fruit ; Fungi* ; Grassland ; Plants* ; Potassium ; Soil* ; Sorghum ; Spores

Arbuscular mycorrhizas (AM) have mutualistic symbiosis with plants and thus efforts have been placed on application of these symbiotic relationships to agricultural and environmental fields. In this study, AM fungi were collected from 25 sites growing with 16 host plant species in Korea and cultured with Sorghum bicolor in greenhouse condition. AM fungal spores were extracted and identified using both morphological and molecular methods. Using morphological characters, total 15 morpho-speices were identified. DNA was extracted from single spore of AM fungi and a partial region on 18S rDNA was amplified using nested PCR with AM fungal specific primers AML1/AML2. A total of 36 18S rDNA sequences were analyzed for phylogenetic analysis and 15 groups of AM fungi were identified using both morphological and molecular data of spores. Among the species, 4 species, Archaeospora leptoticha, Scutellospora castanea, S. cerradensis, S. weresubiae were described for the first time in Korea and two species in Glomus and a species in Gigaspora were not identified. Morphological and molecular identification of AM fungal spores in this study would help identify AM fungal community colonizing roots.
Colon ; DNA ; DNA, Ribosomal ; Fungi ; Korea* ; Mycorrhizae ; Plants ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sorghum ; Spores ; Spores, Fungal* ; Symbiosis

We investigated the effects on various crops of inoculation with species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in soils from different sources and selected AMF species suitable for domestic environment-friendly farming. Effects on plants varied with the AMF species used. In carrot, Scutellospora heterogama, Acaulospora longula, and Funneliformis mosseae had a positive effect on growth of the host, whereas AMF had only weak effects on the growth of red pepper and leek. AMF inoculation had positive effects on the growth of carrot and sorghum. The results of this study indicate the nature of the relationship between soil, plants, and AMF; this study therefore has important implications for the future use of AMF in environment-friendly agriculture.
Agriculture ; Capsicum ; Daucus carota ; Fungi* ; Onions ; Organic Agriculture ; Plants* ; Soil* ; Sorghum

To investigate the growth response of various crop species to mycorrhizal inoculation, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi were applied to Glycine max, Vigna angularis, Senna tora, Hordeum vulgare var. hexastichon. Zea mays, Sorghum bicolor, Allium tuberosum, Solanum melongena, and Capsicum annuum. The biomass of the inoculated crops was measured every two weeks for the 12-week growth period. By measuring biomass, we calculated the mycorrhizal responsiveness of the nine crop species. Among the nine crop species, four species showed a significant response to mycorrhizal inoculation. The shoot biomasses of V. angularis, C. annuum, A. tuberosum, and S. tora significantly increased with mycorrhizal inoculation.
Biomass ; Capsicum ; Chive ; Fungi ; Hordeum ; Solanum melongena ; Sorghum ; Soybeans ; Zea mays

In order to explore the feasibility of planting sweet sorghum in sugarcane growing area to prolong milling duration for bioethanol production, 15 varieties were sown monthly from March to September in Liuzhou of Central Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Yields of fresh stem, grain and leave were documented. The results showed that all varieties grew well when sown from March to August, but could not get mature when sown after late September. The high fresh stem yields were observed for the varieties Sart and PT3-S, 79.28 t/hm2 and 78.58 t/hm2 for single growing season, and 157.95 t/hm2 and 155.25 t/hm2 for two growing seasons. Ripening began from the end of June to late December, making the feed stock available for ethanol production from July to the end of December, even January next year.
Agriculture ; methods ; China ; Ethanol ; metabolism ; Feasibility Studies ; Plant Stems ; metabolism ; Saccharum ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Seasons ; Sorghum ; growth & development ; metabolism

A robust strain of the species Saccharomyces cerevisiae CGMCC1949 was screened and identified, and advanced solid state fermentation (ASSF) technology for fuel ethanol production from sweet sorghum stalks was thus developed. The fermentation time was shortened to less than 30 h, and ethanol yield was 92% of its theoretical maximum. And in the meantime, the cost-effective storage was established for sweet sorghum stalks, with less than 5% sugar loss after 200 days of storage, making the plant operation could extend up to 200 days without feedstock shortage. With the fermentation kinetics and heat-mass transfer models, modeling of the ASSF process was investigated, and the rotating drum bioreactor was designed. Furthermore, the ASSF technology was successfully applied in the pilot plant in which the rotating drum bioreactor was scaled up to 127 m3, and ethanol yield of 91% was achieved. At the end, techno-economic analysis (TEA) conducted by ASPEN indicated that ethanol production from sweet sorghum stalks by the ASSF is economically competitive.
Bioreactors ; microbiology ; Ethanol ; metabolism ; Fermentation ; Industrial Microbiology ; methods ; Models, Theoretical ; Plant Stems ; metabolism ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae ; metabolism ; Sorghum ; metabolism