Pistacia Chinensis Research Articles

SCAR marker for sex identification of Pistacia chinensis Bunge (Anacardiaceae)

Pistacia chinensis Bunge is a dioecious plant that originated in China, and its sex cannot be identified at the early stage of cultivation by only its appearance. Recent studies show that the seed of P. chinensis is an ideal feedstock for biofuel production. To guide the cultivation of this energy plant scientifically, a new method is urgently needed to identify the sex of P. chinensis seedlings. In this paper, from 21 random-amplified polymorphic DNA primers and 20 inter-simple sequence repeat primers, 2 sex-specific primers (S1 and S281) were identified that can amplify female-specific fragments of 473 and 1242 bp, respectively. However, only 1 fragment (FS281) was converted successfully into a sequence-characterized amplified region marker using S281-1 and S281-2 primers. When the annealing temperature was 64°C, a 636-bp specific sequence appeared in all female specimens but was absent in all the male samples tested. This study will offer some clues to sex selection in P. chinensis plantations.

Factors influencing the fruit crops and seed fates ofPistacia chinensis: the results of structural equation modeling

Seed production and quality are important factors influencing population regeneration in many seed plants. We used structural equation modeling to investigate how plant and fruit traits interact with each other to influence the fruit crops and seed fates of Pistacia chinensis. From May to September 2009, we sampled 45 fruiting female trees and measured plant traits (height, DBH and crown area), fruit traits (infructescence size, fruit size) and the fruit crop of each sampled tree in Jiyuan City of Henan Province, Central China. The fruit crops of P. chinensis were positively correlated with tree height, crown area and infructescence size but not significantly correlated with DBH or fruit size. The fruit crop of an individual tree had no negative direct effect on the infestation of seeds by wasps (Eurytoma plotnikovi). Such a direct effect would be predicted by the predator satiation hypothesis. Tree height and fruit size had a positive direct effect on the seed predation rate, but a significant negative correlation was found between the seed predation rate and the rate of seedlessness. Our results indicate that seedless fruits may serve as a defensive mechanism against insect seed predators. In addition, both seedless and insect-infested fruits had a negative direct effect on seed survival, and DBH, infructescence size and fruit crop had a positive indirect effect on seed survival. However, tree height and fruit size had negative indirect effects on seed survival. In conclusion, we have shown 第 2期 郭洪岭等: 应用结构方程模型解析影响黄连木果实产量和种子命运的因素 175 that both plant and fruit traits can strongly influence fruit crops and insect seed predation and subsequently determine the seed quality and population regeneration of P. chinensis.

Two new species of Spadicoides and Gangliostilbe from southern China

Two new species, Spadicoides bacilliformis and Gangliostilbe yunnanensis on dead branches of Aphanamixis polystachya and Pistacia chinensis, respectively, from tropical and subtropical forests in southern China, are described and illustrated. Spadicoides bacilliformis is distinguished by polytretic conidiogenous cells and bacilliform, 3-euseptate, concolorous conidia. Gangliostilbe yunnanensis is characterized by synnematous conidiophores with monoblastic conidiogenous cells producing obovoid to ellipsoidal, 6- or 7-distoseptate conidia. Keys to Spadicoides and Gangliostilbe species are provided.

An analysis of the geographic distribution of energy crops and their potential for bioenergy production

China possesses substantial biomass resources, and the cultivation of energy plants on marginal land and the advancement of bioenergy may prove beneficial in easing fossil-fuel energy demands and promoting sustainable development of the economy and the environment. Taking into account the availability of marginal land and the distribution of environments suitable for the cultivation of energy crops, this study provides estimates of the potential bioenergy production for each of five species (Pistacia chinensis, Jatropha curcas, Manihot esculenta, Vernicia fordii and Helianthus tuberosus) and a geographic analysis of bioenergy enterprises in China. The results support the following conclusions: (1) the geographic distributions of potential bioenergy output of various energy crops have significant differences; (2) the central regions of China between Yunnan and Heilongjiang are suitable for the development of large- and medium-sized enterprises, whereas the area spanning northern Xinjiang, central Inner Mongolia, northern Yunnan, central Sichuan, eastern Guangdong and Hunan may support small-scale bioenergy enterprises; (3) the potential for development of bioenergy enterprises in China is enormous, the total number of bioenergy enterprises that are sustainable in China is 1788 (of which 490 are small-scale, 629 are medium-scale and 669 are large-scale operations); (4) the provinces with the greatest potential for the development of large-scale enterprises are Yunnan, Guizhou, Shaanxi, Hubei and Heilongjiang.

Proteomic Identification of Differentially Expressed Proteins between Male and Female Plants in Pistacia chinensis

Pistacia chinensis is a strict dioecious plant with male and female flowers in individuals. In China, P. chinensis is widely planted for biodiesel oil due to high oil content in seeds. In practice it requires to grow more female plants for biodiesel production. At present, there are still no reliable methods for sex determination during the long juvenile stage of this species. In order to develop protein molecular markers for sex determination in P. chinensis, proteomic approach was used to identify differentially expressed proteins between male and female plants. Vegetative organs (leaf and stem) rather than reproductive organs/tissues were used for protein extraction so as to develop protein markers which can be used in siblings before flowering. Protein was extracted using a phenol-based protocol. By using two-dimensional electrophoresis, a total of 10 protein spots were found to be differentially expressed in leaf and stem between both sexes, of which 7 were successfully identified by mass spectrometry and matched to 6 functional proteins such as NB-ARC domain containing protein, light harvesting chlorophyll a/b binding protein, asorbate peroxidase (APX), eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A2, temperature-induced lipocalin (TIL) and phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK). The sex-related difference displayed in a tissue-specific way, especially in stem. PGK existed in high abundance in stem phloem in the female, but was almost not detected in the male; APX and two TIL species were highly abundant in the stem of male plants, while their abundance was much lower in female plants. Moreover, these abundance differences were further confirmed in individual plants. Hence, it is assumed that APX, PGK and TIL might be promising candidates to serve as protein molecular markers for sex determination in P. chinensis. Our results form the basis for a further understanding of the biochemical mechanisms of sex determination in P. chinensis.

Two new Ellisembia species from Hainan and Yunnan, China

Ellisembia heritierae sp. nov. on Heritiera littoralis and E. pistaciae sp. nov. on Pistacia chinensis are described and illustrated from specimens collected in tropical forests in Hainan and Yunnan Provinces, China. They are compared with closely related taxa.

Determination of Fatty Acid Methyl Esters in Biodiesel Produced from <i>Pistacia Chinensis</i> Oil by GC

An accurate determination method of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) in biodiesel produced from pistacia chinensis oil by gas chromatography (GC) was developed, with methyl tridecanoate used as an internal standard. The results show that the standard calibration curves for the FAMEs have good linearity over the concentration range, the linearity correlation coefficients (R2) are more than 0.99 for all the components. The average recoveries are from 95.26% to 99.66%. The method has good precision with the RSD ranging from 1.03% to 3.40%.

Analysis on Plantation Potential for <i>Pistacia chinensis</i> as an Energy Plant in Sichuan Province of China Based on GIS

This article evaluated the plantation potential of Pistacia chinensis in Sichuan Province of China based on the spatial analyst technology of Geographic Information System and Analytic Hierarchy Process. The evaluation results show that the high suitable, suitable, moderate suitable and no suitable areas for the plantation of P. chinensis are 28×104hm2, 160×104hm2, 177×104hm2 and 690×104hm2 respectively. The high suitable areas of shrub land, open forest land and unutilized land for its plantation are 9×104hm2, 16×104hm2 and 3×104hm2 respectively. The high suitable regions distribute in fifteen prefecture-level cities. Yibin City has the biggest high suitable area with 4.92×104hm2. Dazhou City has the biggest suitable area of 23.47×104hm2. Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture aren’t suitable for its plantation basically. The evaluation results can provide scientific basis for the planting plan of P. chinensis to a certain extent.

The Influence of Injection Timing on Emissions Characteristics of a DI Diesel Engine Fuelled with Pistacia Chinensis Bunge Seed Biodiesel

The effect of various fuel injection advance angles on the emissions of an electronically controlled, high pressure, common rail, turbocharged GW4D20 diesel engine fuelled with different pistacia chinensis bunge seed biodiesel/diesel blends has been experimentally investigated. The results indicate that brake specific fuel consumption reduces with the increasing of fuel injection advance angle, and the BSFC of blends is higher than diesel. At 25% load, CO and THC are significantly reduced compared with higher load. The CO emission increases with the increment of fuel injection advance angle. At 75% load, the CO of B10 is lowest, B20 highest. At the same speed, NOx increases with increment of fuel injection advance angle for diesel and biodiesel blends dramatically. However, NOx of blends and diesel are deteriorated at high load, but there are no obvious differences among them.

Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) as a Substrate Component Effects Growth of Three Tree Species

Sustainable and local alternative substrates are being explored for nursery crop production due to concern over pine bark (PB) supplies and costs. This study evaluated a tree species which is weedy in the Great Plains region of the United States, eastern redcedar, processed through a hammer mill equipped with a 19 mm (3/4 in) screen size to create six substrates consisting of 0, 5, 10, 20, 40, and 80% eastern redcedar chips (ERC) and 20% sand; the remaining volume was composed of PB. Each of these substrates were then used to grow baldcypress (Taxodium distichum), Chinese pistache (Pistacia chinensis), and silver maple (Acer saccharinum) under two fertilizer rates: either a 4.5 kg·m−3 (7.5 lbs·yd−3) low fertilizer rate or a 8.9 kg·m−3 (15 lbs·yd−3) high fertilizer rate. Substrates composed of 40 and 80% ERC had reduced container capacity, resulting in less growth of all three species. Plants responded similarly to both fertilizer rates suggesting that the limiting factor to plant growth is substrate physical properties. Plants grown in 5–20% ERC were of comparable size and quality to those grown in the control substrate. Therefore, ERC can be recommended as a PB substrate supplement, but not as a full replacement at this time.

Effect of Injection Timing on Combustion Characteristics of a DI Diesel Engine Fuelled with <i>Pistacia chinensis</i> Bunge Seed Biodiesel

In this study, the effect of injection timing on combustion characteristics of a direct injection, electronically controlled, high pressure, common rail, turbocharged and intercooled engine fuelled with different pistacia chinensis bunge seed biodiesel/diesel blends has been experimentally investigated. The results indicated that brake specific fuel consumption reduces with the increasing of fuel injection advance angle and enhances with the increasing of biodiesel content in the blends. The peak of cylinder pressure and maximum combustion temperature increase evidently with the increment of fuel injection advance angle. However, the combustion of biodiesel blends starts earlier than diesel at the same fuel injection advance angle. At both conditions, the combustion duration and the peak of heat release rate are insensitive to the changing of injection timing.

Deacidification of Pistacia chinensis Oil as a Promising Non-Edible Feedstock for Biodiesel Production in China

Pistacia chinensis seed oil is proposed as a promising non-edible feedstock for biodiesel production. Different extraction methods were tested and compared to obtain crude oil from the seed of Pistacia chinensis, along with various deacidification measures of refined oil. The biodiesel was produced through catalysis of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and potassium hydroxide (KOH). The results showed that the acid value of Pistacia chinensis oil was successfully reduced to 0.23 mg KOH/g when it was extracted using ethanol. Consequently, the biodiesel product gave a high yield beyond 96.0%. The transesterification catalysed by KOH was also more complete. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to monitor the transesterification reaction. Analyses by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography with a flame ionisation detector (GC-FID) certified that the Pistacia chinensis biodiesel mainly consisted of C18 fatty acid methyl esters (81.07%) with a high percentage of methyl oleate. Furthermore, the measured fuel properties of the biodiesel met the required standards for fuel use. In conclusion, the Pistacia chinensis biodiesel is a qualified and feasible substitute for fossil diesel.

Evaluating the Marginal Land Resources Suitable for Developing Pistacia chinensis-Based Biodiesel in China

Bio-energy from energy plants is expected to play an increasing role in the future energy system, with benefits in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving energy security. Pistacia chinensis is believed to be one of the most promising non-food input for biodiesel production. This study focused on the marginal land availability for developing Pistacia chinensis-based bioenergy in China. The spatial distribution, quality and total amount of marginal land resources suitable for cultivating Pistacia chinensis were identified with multiple datasets (natural habitat, remote sensing-derived land use, meteorological and soil data) and geoinformatic techniques. The results indicate that the area of marginal land exploitable for Pistacia chinensis plantations in China is 19.90 million hectares, which may produce approximately 56.85 million tons of biodiesel each year. The spatial variation of both marginal land resources and biodiesel potential are also presented. The results can be useful for national and regional bio-energy planning.

Life history and host range of the leaf blotcher Eucosmophora schinusivora: a candidate for biological control of Schinus terebinthifolius in the USA

The host range of Eucosmophora schinusivora Davis and Wheeler (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) was studied to assess its suitability as a biological control agent of Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi (Anacardiaceae), a serious environmental and agricultural weed in the USA and elsewhere in the world. The life history of this insect species and its host range were determined in the laboratory with adult no-choice oviposition and larval development tests. This species has five instars, the first three are sap-feeding miners and the last two are tissue feeding. Total development time was 31.7 days. To examine specificity of this species, 10 plant species in Anacardiaceae were selected based on taxonomic relatedness to S. terebinthifolius, economic importance, and availability. In the laboratory, except for Anacardium occidentale and Cotinus obovatus, all of the tested species were accepted for oviposition with a marked preference for the weed S. terebinthifolius, Schinus molle, Rhus copallinum, Rhus sandwicensis and Pistacia chinensis. Complete development, from egg to adult, was achieved only on S. terebinthifolius, S. molle, R. copallinum, P. chinensis and Metopium toxiferum. In conclusion, E. schinusivora will not be considered for the biological control of S. terebinthifolius in the continental USA. However, the utilisation of this species in other infested areas such as Hawai'i and Australia should be considered.

A new Corynesporella species and two first records from China

A new species, Corynesporella obclavata, is described and illustrated from dead branches of Pistacia chinensis collected from tropical forests in Yunnan Province, China. A synopsis of Corynesporella species is provided. Stephembruneria elegans and Diplococcium pulneyense are recorded for the first time from China.

Pistacia chinensisInhibits NO Production and Upregulates HO-1 Induction via PI-3K/Akt Pathway in LPS Stimulated Macrophage Cells

Pistacia chinensis has been used for various purposes in China including as an understock for grafting Pistacia vera. However, little attention was given to its health promoting effects. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effect of Pistacia chinensis methanolic extract (PCME) containing resorcinol class of phenolic lipids on pro-inflammatory mediators and heme oxygenase-1(HO-1) in lipopolysaccharide stimulated RAW264.7 cells. While PCME (2.5-10 μg/ml) inhibited mRNA expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and interleukin (IL)-6, it up-regulated HO-1 expression. Likewise, PCME inhibited iNOS protein expression, but not COX-2, and reduced nitric oxide (NO) release. Moreover, Phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal Kinase (JNK) was attenuated dose-dependently in PCME pre-treated RAW264.7 cells. In addition, PCME up-regulated HO-1 protein expression was diminished by pre-treatment of PI-3K inhibitor. Furthermore, nuclear factor erythroid 2 related factor 2 (Nrf2) repressor was attenuated time-dependently during PCME treatment. Taken together, our study showed (for the first time) that PCME inhibited NO production and up-regulated HO-1 induction via PI-3K/Akt pathway, suggesting the role of Pistacia chinensis as potential sources of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant natural compounds.

Pistacia chinensisMethanolic Extract Attenuated MAPK and Akt Phosphorylations in ADP Stimulated Rat PlateletsIn Vitro

Pistacia chinensis (Chinese pistache) is a widely grown plant in southern China where the galls extract is a common practice in folk medicine. However, extracts from this plant have never been attempted for their cardiovascular protective effects in experimental setting. Here therefore we aimed to investigate the antiplatelet activity of Pistacia chinensis methanolic extract (PCME) in ADP stimulated rat platelets in vitro. PCME (2.5–20 μg/mL) inhibited ADP-induced platelet aggregation. While PCME diminished [Ca2+]i, ATP, and TXA2 release in ADP-activated platelets, it enhanced cAMP production in resting platelets. Likewise, PCME inhibited fibrinogen binding to αIIbβ3 and downregulated JNK, ERK, and Akt phosphorylations. Thus, PCME contains potential antiplatelet compounds that could be deployed for their therapeutic values in cardiovascular pathology.

A Potential Bioenergy Tree: Pistacia chinensis Bunge

Pistacia chinensis Bunge is one of ideal species for producing biodiesel. The tree has several outstanding characters: drought resistance, tolerance to cold climate, poor, acid or alkaline soils and widely distributed in China. These characters make P. chinensis as a prospective energy plant of second generation to substitute fossil fuels, solve energy crisis and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, its basic agronomic properties, biological characters and the taxonomic classification of the species are less known. In this paper, we described its distribution, basic morphology and biological characteristics, multiple uses and problems for large scale cultivation.

Does Landscape Fragmentation Influence Sex Ratio of Dioecious Plants? A Case Study of Pistacia chinensis in the Thousand-Island Lake Region of China

The Thousand-Island Lake region in Zhejiang Province, China is a highly fragmented landscape with a clear point-in-time of fragmentation as a result of flooding to form the reservoir. Islands in the artificial lake were surveyed to examine how population sex ratio of a dioecious plant specie Pistacia chinensis B. was affected by landscape fragmentation. A natural population on the mainland near the lake was also surveyed for comparison. Population size, sex ratio and diameter at breast height (DBH) of individuals were measured over 2 years. More than 1,500 individuals, distributed in 31 populations, were studied. Soil nitrogen in the different populations was measured to identify the relationship between sex ratio and micro-environmental conditions. In accordance with the results of many other reports on biased sex ratio in relation to environmental gradient, we found that poor soil nitrogen areas fostered male-biased populations. In addition, the degree of sex ratio bias increased with decreasing population size and population connectivity. The biased sex ratios were only found in younger individuals (less than 50 years old) in small populations, while a stable 1∶1 sex ratio was found in the large population on the mainland. We concluded that the effects of landscape fragmentation on the dioecious population sex ratio were mainly achieved in relation to changing soil nitrogen conditions in patches and pollen limitation within and among populations. Large populations could maintain a more suitable environment in terms of nutrient conditions and pollen flow, subsequently maintaining a stable sex ratio in dioecious plant populations. Both micro-environmental factors and spatial structure should be considered in fragmented landscape for the conservation of dioecious plant species.

Enzymatic production of biodiesel from Pistacia chinensis bge seed oil using immobilized lipase

Biodiesel fuel from renewable non-edible woody plant oils has recently attracted more attention due to its environmental benefits and the reduced costs of raw materials. This study investigated the enzymatic transesterification of Pistacia chinensis bge seed oil (PCO) with methanol. The recombinant Rhizopus oryzae lipases (ROL) immobilized on macroporous resin and anion exchange resin, named as MI-ROL and AI-ROL, respectively, were used as biocatalysts. The transesterification reaction catalyzed by the immobilized lipase was investigated in a solvent-free system. The highest biodiesel yields of 92% and 94% were achieved under the optimum conditions (enzyme dosage 25IUAI-ROL/g PCO or 7IUMI-ROL/g PCO, methanol to oil molar ratio 5:1, water content 20% by weight of oil, temperature 37°C, and reaction time 60h). There was no obvious loss in the yield of biodiesel after being consecutively used for five cycles in the transesterification reactions using AI-ROL, while the yield of biodiesel remained above 60% after the MI-ROL was repeatedly used for four cycles.