Abstract
Paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera) is one of multifunctional species in agroforestry systems as well as one of traditional forages in many countries of Asia. Fully expanded tender leaves of B. papyrifera wildly growing under two traffic densities (a high traffic loads bearing more than 1000 vehicles per hour, HT; and a relatively clear section with almost no traffic loads, NT) were collected for carbohydrates, amino acids and phytohormones analysis. Leaves exposed to traffic pollutants were revealed to have significant lower amounts of carbohydrates and total amino acids than those growing at relatively clear environment. The levels of abscisic acid in the leaves significantly increased, while gib-berellin acid, indoleaetic acid, and zeatin riboside in the leaves significantly decreased, with the traffic densities. The results indicated that the contents of carbohydrates, amino acids and phytohormones in the leaves of B. papyrifera could be adversely affected by traffic pollution. Variations of the leaf biochemistries of B. papyrifera exposed to traffic pollutants implied that B. papyrifera could physiologically regulate itself to adapt or resist traffic stress.
Highlights
Rapid development of livestock is bringing huge demands for forages globally
Total soluble sugars in leaves of B. papyrifera exposed to traffic pollutants decreased by approx 50% (P < 0.01) relative to those growing under relatively clear environment (NT)
Considering leaf soluble sugars and starch together, the Total nonstructural carbohydrates (TNC) content decreased by c. 46% (P < 0.01) in leaves at HT, despite starch contents were not significantly different between the sites
Summary
Rapid development of livestock is bringing huge demands for forages globally. During the last few years, public concerns regarding food safety have intensively increased as a consequence of the increasing prevalence of some fatal diseases (e.g. Salmonella enteritidis in meat products and Escherichia coli 0157: H7 in beef) endangering human health. Development of high quality plant forages has been prompted to avoid infectious agents into the animal feedstuffs and to strengthen the bio-security of humans (Martínez et al, 2005). Paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera) is a fast growing tree or shrub of the Moraceae family This species commonlynaturally grows in various environments in Asia and Pacific countries (Malik & Husain, 2007) with large biomass and rapid propagation by shoot regeneration either from root or stem cuttings or seeding. It usually takes only 12 - 18 months to reach the harvest size of 3 - 4 m height (http://www.agroforestry.net/tti/Broussonetia-papermulb.pdf). B. papyrifera was widely used as multifunctional species in agroforestry ecosystems, e.g. manufacturing high-quality papers, cloths, and ropes (Liao et al, 2006), treating diseases as one of traditional Chinese medicines (Lee et al, 2001)
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