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Influence of Potassium Supply and Harvest Time on Selected Growth, Physiology, and Quality Factors of Ephedra sinica Stapf.

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Abstract

The present study aims to investigate the influences of potassium (K) supply and harvest time on selected growth, physiology and quality factors of Ephedra sinica Stapf (ESS). A field plot experiment was conducted under 10 levels of K supply (K1–K10, 0–538.3 kg ha−1). ESS was sampled randomly with uniform distribution locations of each plot on August 27 (H1), September 15 (H2), October 6 (H3), and October 27 (H4) in 2018. The late-harvested ESS had low SPAD value, peroxidase activity, cell membrane permeability, and high 10 cm stem weight, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase activity, free proline, ephedrine, total alkaloids, or flavonoids contents. The fertilizer dose of 59.8–239.3 kg ha−1 (K2-K5) increased the 10 cm stem weight, stem or root fresh and dry weights, the SPAD value, free proline content, peroxidase activity, reduced the root activity. The ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, total alkaloids, and flavonoids contents increased with the increase of K supply before K7 (358.9 kg ha−1). The harvest time influenced the increase of these quality factors resulting from one unit of K application. The harvested E. sinica in H3 increased the ephedrine content 85.97%, pseudoephedrine 21.53%, total alkaloids 38.02%, and total flavonoids 66.43%, compared with their average values of H1. The dose of 239.3 kg ha−1 (K5) reduced the ephedrine content 14.99%, pseudoephedrine 8.07%, total alkaloids 16.4%, and total flavonoids 28.71%, compared with K7, however increased the stem fresh and dry weight 163.21% and 125.70%, respectively. The late-harvested ESS had high contents of quality factors and good quality. The K dose of 239.3 kg ha−1 was appropriate for cultivated ESS high yield and quality accumulation.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81760687), College Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program Project (NXCX2018152), and Scientific Research Project of Ningxia Medical University of China (XY2017022).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Pharmacy, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, 750004, China

    Anli Liu, Siqi Li, Jiayue Liu, Fuying Mao, Linfei Li, Nana Cen, Xueyan Fu & Yunsheng Zhao

  2. Ningxia Research Center of Modern Hui Medicine Engineering and Technology, Yinchuan, 750004, China

    Fuying Mao, Linfei Li, Nana Cen & Xueyan Fu

  3. Key Laboratory of Hui Ethnic Medicine Modernization Ministry of Education, Yinchuan, 750004, China

    Fuying Mao & Yunsheng Zhao

  4. School of Pharmacy, Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, Shijiazhuang, 050200, China

    Yunsheng Zhao

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  1. Anli Liu
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Liu, A., Li, S., Liu, J. et al. Influence of Potassium Supply and Harvest Time on Selected Growth, Physiology, and Quality Factors of Ephedra sinica Stapf.. J Soil Sci Plant Nutr 21, 860–872 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-020-00406-8

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