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Pruning improves seedling development and bioactive secondary metabolite accumulation in the leaves of Ginkgo biloba

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Pruning could significantly promote branch formation, root development, and leaf growth, especially, improve flavonol glycoside and terpene lactones accumulation in leaves of ginkgo seedlings.

Abstract

Ginkgo biloba, an economically important tree species, is used as a medicinal plant due to the various secondary metabolites in its leaves. Pruning is the process of cutting branches to facilitate vegetative or reproductive growth. However, little is known about the effects of pruning on active compound accumulation in medicinal plants. Here, we found that after pruning 2-year-old ginkgo seedlings, branch number, ground diameter, and root size increased significantly; in particular, leaf size and crack number increased dramatically. Importantly, after pruning, fresh and dry leaf weights increased. Meanwhile, the total flavonoid, flavonol glycoside, and isorhamnetin contents of the leaves increased significantly, by about 24%, 20%, and 22%, respectively, and the contents of terpene lactones in leaves and roots increased by 8% and 28%, respectively. Through quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis, we detected upregulation of flavonoid synthesis-associated genes, including chalcone synthase (CHS), flavonoid 3′-hydroxylase (F3'H), flavonol synthase (FLS), flavanone 3-hydroxylase (F3H) and anthocyanin synthase (ANS), and the terpene lactone synthesis-related genes acetyl-CoA C-acetyltransferase (AACT) in leaves after pruning. These results indicate that pruning promotes leaf growth and bioactive compound accumulation in ginkgo seedlings.

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Funding

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31971686); Central financial projects of forestry sci-tech promotion (SU[2020]TG05); Forestry Sci-tech Innovation and Promotion Project of Jiangsu Province (LYKJ[2021]35); the Six Talent Peaks Project in Jiangsu Province (No. NY-090).

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Author notes

  1. Meng Cao and Quan Gan contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China

    Meng Cao, Quan Gan, Yuan Xu, Jin Kai Lu, Lei Zhong, Sian Liu & Li Wang

  2. Dadunzi Ginkgo Biotechnology Limited Company, Pizhou, 221342, China

    Mingxian Wang

Authors
  1. Meng Cao
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  2. Quan Gan
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  3. Yuan Xu
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  4. Jin Kai Lu
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  5. Lei Zhong
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  6. Mingxian Wang
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  7. Sian Liu
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  8. Li Wang
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Li Wang.

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The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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All the plant materials used in this study were provided by ginkgo leaf-harvesting farm in Sihu Town, Pizhou City, Jiangsu Province. The field experiments were conducted under local legislation and permissions.

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Communicated by Mónica Meijón.

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Cao, M., Gan, Q., Xu, Y. et al. Pruning improves seedling development and bioactive secondary metabolite accumulation in the leaves of Ginkgo biloba. Trees 36, 953–966 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-021-02260-2

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