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Journal of Zhejiang University-SCIENCE B (Biomedicine & Biotechnology)  2016, Vol. 17 Issue (11): 892-904    DOI: 10.1631/jzus.B1600231
Articles     
Low humic acids promote in vitro lily bulblet enlargement by enhancing roots growth and carbohydrate metabolism
Yun Wu, Yi-ping Xia, Jia-ping Zhang, Fang Du, Lin Zhang, Yi-di Ma, Hong Zhou
Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; College of Horticulture, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030800, China
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Abstract  Bulblet development is a problem in global lily bulb production and carbohydrate metabolism is a crucial factor. Micropropagation acts as an efficient substitute for faster propagation and can provide a controllable condition to explore bulb growth. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of humic acid (HA) on bulblet swelling and the carbohydrate metabolic pathway in Lilium Oriental Hybrids ‘Sorbonne’ under in vitro conditions. HA greatly promoted bulblet growth at 0.2, 2.0, and 20.0 mg/L, and pronounced increases in bulblet sucrose, total soluble sugar, and starch content were observed for higher HA concentrations (≥2.0 mg/L) within 45 d after transplanting (DAT). The activities of three major starch synthetic enzymes (including adenosine 5\'-diphosphate glucose pyrophosphorylase, granule-bound starch synthase, and soluble starch synthase) were enhanced dramatically after HA application especially low concentration HA (LHA), indicating a quick response of starch metabolism. However, higher doses of HA also caused excessive aboveground biomass accumulation and inhibited root growth. Accordingly, an earlier carbon starvation emerged by observing evident starch degradation. Relative bulblet weight gradually decreased with increased HA doses and thereby broke the balance between the source and sink. A low HA concentration at 0.2 mg/L performed best in both root and bulblet growth. The number of roots and root length peaked at 14.5 and 5.75 cm, respectively. The fresh bulblet weight and diameter reached 468 mg (2.9 times that under the control treatment) and 11.68 mm, respectively. Further, sucrose/starch utilization and conversion were accelerated and carbon famine was delayed as a result with an average relative bulblet weight of 80.09%. To our knowledge, this is the first HA application and mechanism research into starch metabolism in both in vitro and in vivo condition in bulbous crops.

Key wordsBulblet development      Humic acid      Starch metabolism      Source-sink conversion      Lilium Oriental Hybrids ‘Sorbonne’     
Received: 16 May 2016      Published: 03 November 2016
CLC:  S682.2+9  
Cite this article:

Yun Wu, Yi-ping Xia, Jia-ping Zhang, Fang Du, Lin Zhang, Yi-di Ma, Hong Zhou. Low humic acids promote in vitro lily bulblet enlargement by enhancing roots growth and carbohydrate metabolism. Journal of Zhejiang University-SCIENCE B (Biomedicine & Biotechnology), 2016, 17(11): 892-904.

URL:

http://www.zjujournals.com/xueshu/zjus-b/10.1631/jzus.B1600231     OR     http://www.zjujournals.com/xueshu/zjus-b/Y2016/V17/I11/892

[1] Ri-ru Zheng, Yun Wu, Yi-ping Xia. Chlorocholine chloride and paclobutrazol treatments promote carbohydrate accumulation in bulbs of Lilium Oriental hybrids ‘Sorbonne’[J]. Journal of Zhejiang University-SCIENCE B (Biomedicine & Biotechnology), 2012, 13(2): 136-144.