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A hydroponic experiment has been conducted for desalination of saline water by culturing Ipomoea aquatica, Alternanthera philoxeroides and Ludwigia adscendens at 0-7 dS m−1 salinity level. Water samples were collected at 15-day interval, and the plants were harvested after 45 days. They were separated into root, stem and leaf. EC value decreased in water with increasing time for all halophytes. Root and leaf contain higher amounts of sodium as compared with those of stem. The highest accumulation of sodium was found in the root of A. philoxeroides (145.63 g kg−1); however, I. aquatic has high phytodesalination capacity (130 kg Na+ ha−1) due to high productivity than A. philoxeroides (105 kg Na+ ha−1) and L. adscendens (80 kg Na+ ha−1). Bio-concentration factors (56.10-80.29) and translocation factor values (˃ 1) indicated that these halophytes were good sodium accumulator. Sodium adsorption ration values lied between 16.8-18 at 3 dS m−1 and 20-25.5 at 5 and 7 dS m−1 showed that these halophytes improved the water quality for irrigation. Anatomical variation from microscopic cellular images illustrated that spongy mesophyll cells along with sub-stomatal cells in leaf and xylem vessels along with vacuolar sequestration might be responsible for Na accumulation in the stem of these halophytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Obviously improved the reference genome for water spinach. • Greatly increase the BUSCO complete rate of the protein-coding genes. • Corrected a WGT event that occurred in water spinach, not the previously reported WGD. • Corrected 6 pseudo-chromosomes that with some incorrectly clustered, ordered, or orientated contigs in previous study. Water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica Forssk.) is an important green leafy vegetable in Asia, with high content of dietary fiber, minerals, and vitamins. The genome sequence of water spinach cv. HNUWS001 was published in 2021 with PacBio and Illumina sequences. However, this assembly showed low contig continuity and low BUSCO complete rate for the genes. Here, we reported a high-quality chromosome-level reference genome for water spinach by integrating PacBio high-fidelity (HiFi) sequencing and Hi-C technology. The water spinach assembly was improved 492.2 Mb in size, with chromosome anchoring rate of 96.5%, contig N50 size of 23.5 Mb, and BUSCO complete rate of 99%. Telomeric repeat analysis indicates that 13 of the 15 pseudo-chromosomes have both-end telomeric repeats, including 4 gapless and telomere to telomere pseudo-chromosomes. We identified 36,014 protein-coding genes in the improved water spinach assembly, with BUSCO complete rate of 99.0%, and 88.5% of genes were functionally annotated. In addition, we identified 8,853 rRNA genes in our assembly, with 5S, 5.8S, 18S, and 28S rRNA genes were 5,235, 1,199, 1,227, and 1,192, respectively. Besides, evolution analysis based on the improved gene set suggested a whole genome triplication (WGT) event that occurred in water spinach, not the previously reported whole genome duplication (WGD) event. The improved genome assembly has a 14-fold increase in contig N50 size, a 15.5% increase in chromosome anchoring rate, and a 3.1% increase in BUSCO complete rate of the gene set, and corrected 6 pseudo-chromosomes that with some incorrectly clustered, ordered, or orientated contigs in previous study. The results of water spinach assembly and annotation provides a valuable resource for genetic studies and will facilitate future research aimed at improving agronomic traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metals accumulation from industrial wastewater even at low concentrations can cause long term cumulative health effects. To overcome this problem, phytoremediation is an alternative method to treat industrial wastewater. In this study, Ipomoea aquatica and Centella asiatica were used as phytoremediation plants for removing aluminum (Al) and iron (Fe) from industrial wastewater. The results showed that the regression value (R2) for all metal concentrations (mg/L) over treatment day is positive and similar to R2 = 1. This result indicated that the metal concentration exhibits a good relationship for reflecting the decrease in the metal concentration with the proportion of treatment day. It was found that I. aquatica accumulates higher Al and Fe contents than C. asiatica. The translocation factor of both plants was found to be greater than 1, implying that both plants can accumulate and extract heavy metals from industrial wastewater.

A plant's tolerance to heavy metals (HMs) and its detoxification mechanisms are associated with the subcellular distribution of HMs and their chemical forms. In this study, water spinach ( Ipomoea aquatica Forsk.) was grown in two soils contaminated with a single HM (cadmium, Cd) or combined HMs (Cd and nickel, Ni). Inoculation of arbuscular mycorrizal fungi (AMF) was conducted to increase the accumulation of phosphorus (P) in plants. One major exception was to decrease the migration and accumulation of HMs in edible parts by the formation of P-HM complexes. The effects of blanching and simulated digestion on bioaccessibility were also assessed. The experimental results showed that the water spinach species used in this study had a high capacity to accumulate HMs. AMF treatment improved water spinach growth and decreased the accumulation of Ni but not that of Cd. Soluble and inorganic Cd and Ni were the major subcellular fractions and chemical forms in water spinach; these two HMs also exhibited higher migration capacities in comparison to chromium (Cr). Relative to raw tissues, 45–84% of Cd, Cr, and Ni were leached after blanching. Approximately 32–55%, 16–50%, and 27–40% of Cd, Cr, and Ni, respectively, were bioaccessible and could be metabolized by in vitro digestive fluids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physiological integration of connected ramets of clonal plants can increase clonal performance when ramets grow in contrasting microenvironments within a habitat. In amphibious clonal species, integration of ramets in different habitats, terrestrial and aquatic, is possible. This may increase performance of amphibious clones, especially under eutrophic conditions. To test this, clonal fragments consisting of two ramets of the amphibious, perennial, climbing herb Ipomoea aquatica connected by a stem were placed such that the proximal ramet was rooted in a simulated riparian community of four other species, while the distal ramet extended into a simulated aquatic habitat with open water and sediment. The connection between ramets was either left intact or severed, and 0, 5, or 25 mg N L − 1 was added to the aquatic habitat to simulate different degrees of eutrophication. Without added N, fragments in which the original ramets were left connected accumulated two times more total mass than fragments in which the ramets were disconnected from one another. The positive effect of connection increased two-fold with increasing N. These results were consistent with the hypotheses that physiological integration between connected terrestrial and aquatic ramets can increase clonal performance in plants and that this effect can be greater when the aquatic ramet is richer in nutrients. Connection reduced root to shoot ratio in terrestrial ramets, but increased it in aquatic ones, suggesting that physiological integration induced a division of labor in which terrestrial ramets specialized for light acquisition and aquatic ramets specialized for acquisition of nutrients. This provides the first report of increase in clonal performance and induction of division of labor due to physiological integration between ramets in different habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human health may be at risk when consuming edible but metal-contaminated aquatic plants. This present study was conducted to evaluate the bioavailabilities of manganese (Mn) and cadmium (Cd) in metalscontaminated wild water spinach (WWS), Ipomoea aquatic Forssk. through in vitro human gastrointestinal digestions. Additionally, the health risks from consuming the plant were also assessed. Metals-contaminated hydroponic nutrient solutions were used to grow the plants under greenhouse conditions. The plants were harvested after seven days of metal exposure and their edible shoots (stems and leaves) underwent digestions simulated from the human gastrointestinal tract. A standard reference material (peach leaves, SRM 1547) was used to assess the precision and accuracy of the in vitro digestion studies. Results showed that the metal concentrations in plants increased when the treatment concentration increased; the metals concentrations were higher in the raw (RHS) samples than in the cooked (DHS and CHS) samples. The bioavailabilities of Mn and Cd were found to be higher in the intestinal extractions than in the gastric extractions. The health risk index (HRI) showed that the adults averagely aged 44 in Selangor, Malaysia was at risk if they consumed Mn-T1-contaminated cooked (CHS) WWS and Cd-contaminated raw (RHS) and cooked (CHS) WWS at T1 and T2 because their HRI values were more than 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction The plant species Ipomoea aquatica contains various bioactive constituents, e.g. phenols and flavonoids, which have several medical uses. All previous studies were executed in Asia; however, no reports are available from Africa, and the secondary metabolites of this plant species from Africa are still unknown. Objective The present study aims finding suitable conditions to identify the bioactive compounds from different fractions. Methodology Chromatographic fingerprint profiles of different fractions were developed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and then these conditions were transferred to thin-layer chromatography (TLC). Subsequently, the chemical structure of some bioactive compounds was elucidated using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time of flight-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS) and liquid chromatography-solid phase extraction-nuclear magnetic resonance (LC-SPE-NMR) spectroscopy. Results The HPLC fingerprints, developed on two coupled Chromolith RP-18e columns, using a gradient mobile phase (methanol/water/trifluoroacetic acid, 5:95:0.05, v/ v/ v), showed more peaks than the TLC profile. The TLC fingerprint allows the identification of the types of chemical constituents, e.g. flavonoids. Two flavonoids (nicotiflorin and ramnazin-3-O-rutinoside) and two phenolic compounds (dihydroxybenzoic acid pentoside and di-pentoside) were tentatively identified by QTOF-MS, while NMR confirmed the structure of rutin and nicotiflorin. Conclusion The HPLC and TLC results showed that HPLC fingerprints give more and better separated peaks, but TLC helped in determining the class of the active compounds in some fractions. Bioactive constituents were identified as well using MS and NMR analyses. Two flavonoids and two phenolic compounds were tentatively identified in this species for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors study two species of plant--water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) and water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica). These plants are commonly found in aquatic bodies such as lakes, ponds, and rivers. Both plants are grown in a plant growth chamber and introduced to various pH levels and concentrations of fluoride for 10-15 days. Defluoridation efficiency of Eichhornia crassipes and Ipomoea aquatica are 58.9 and 40.9%, respectively. The fluoride removal efficiency of Eichhornia crassipes is greater than that of Ipomoea aquatica. The pH results for both plants are varied. The removal efficiency for fluoride decreases for both plants under both increasing and decreasing the pH. The roots play a major role in the defluoridation process because they accumulate the major part of the total fluoride accumulated by plant. Fluoride removal capacity of the roots of Eichhornia crassipes is found to be 1,148.479 µg=gDW (dry weight of taken sample) whereas that of the roots of Ipomoea aquatica is 872.866 µgm=gDW. Because of exposure to fluoride, degradation in biomass substance is observed in both plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ipomoea aquatica (locally known as "kangkung") has previously been reported to have hypoglycemic activities on glucose level in diabetes patients. However, the effect of I. aquatica ethanolic extract on the metabolites in the body has remained unknown.Purpose: This study provides new insights on the changes of endogenous metabolites caused by I. aquatica ethanolic extract and improves the understanding on the therapeutic efficacy and mechanism of I. aquatica ethanolic extract.Methods: By using a combination of 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) with multivariate analysis (MVDA), the changes of metabolites due to I. aquatica ethanolic extract administration in obese diabetic-induced Sprague Dawley rats (OB+STZ+IA) were identified.Results: The results suggested 19 potential biomarkers with variable importance projections (VIP) above 0.5, which include creatine/creatinine, glucose, creatinine, citrate, carnitine, 2-oxoglutarate, succinate, hippurate, leucine, 1-methylnicotinamice (MNA), taurine, 3-hydroxybutyrate (3-HB), tryptophan, lysine, trigonelline, allantoin, formiate, acetoacetate (AcAc) and dimethylamine. From the changes in the metabolites, the affected pathways and aspects of metabolism were identified.Conclusion: I. aquatica ethanolic extract increases metabolite levels such as creatinine/creatine, carnitine, MNA, trigonelline, leucine, lysine, 3-HB and decreases metabolite levels, including glucose and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) intermediates. This implies capabilities of I. aquatica ethanolic extract promoting glycolysis, gut microbiota and nicotinate/nicotinamide metabolism, improving the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and reducing the β-oxidation rate. However, the administration of I. aquatica ethanolic extract has several drawbacks, such as unimproved changes in amino acid metabolism, especially in reducing branched chain amino acid (BCAA) synthesis pathways and lipid metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nutrient uptake by plants in nutrient-rich water in competitive conditions was investigated with two mixed culture combinations of Limnocharis flava/Pistia stratiotes and Limnocharis flava/Ipomoea aquatica by using various initial planting densities. Further, the biomass production and other growth-related parameters were measured to understand the dominant competitive behavior. The effects of interspecific competition on influencing nutrient uptake were substantial. In both experiments, the superior competitor produced a higher biomass regardless of the initial density, which was the dominant factor in determining the total nutrient uptake from water. Both aboveground competition and belowground competition appeared to be important in influencing competitive outcomes. Optimal removal of nutrients was produced by a treatment ratio of 5.31: 5.31 Limnocharis flava/Ipomoea aquatica plants/m, which gave the highest observed nutrient removal, of which approximately 52% of TN removal and 90% of TP removal were due to plant uptake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The remediation of polluted coastal rivers is a global challenge in the environmental field. The objective of this study was to investigate the remediation feasibility of a high-salinity river using water spinach (WS) and sticky rice (SR) in hydroponic floating-bed systems. In this study, the total nitrogen (TN) removal rates were 89.7, 92.3, 85.1, and 75.2% in the WS floating-bed system and 81.2 and 78.9% in the SR floating-bed system under different salinities (2-31 psu). Additionally, the total phosphorus (TP) removal rates were 94.4, 96.4, 93.5, and 75.2% in the WS floating-bed system and 75.7 and 80.0% in the SR floating-bed system under different salinities. The results indicate that WS and SR significantly contributed to the remediation of a polluted tidal river. Additionally, increased salinity suppressed the removal of ammonium and phosphate by WS and SR. The salt tolerance of WS was greater than that of SR, which indicated that WS was a more appropriate choice for treating river contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential transfer of microcystin-LR (MC-LR) to humans via crop plants irrigated with MC-contaminated water is causing serious concern. In this study, two Oryza sativa variants, a hybrid (BG358), a traditional (Suwandel) variety, and a leafy green vegetable crop, Ipomoea aquatica, were exposed under laboratory conditions to natural blooms of Microcystis aeruginosa sampled from a hypereutrophic lake contaminated with MC-LR (3,197.37 ± 1.04 µg/L). Field samples of O. sativa and I. aquatica were collected from farmlands that had been irrigated from a reservoir, containing MC-LR (180 µg/L). MC-LR was quantified by high performance liquid chromatography followed by photodiode-array detection (HPLC-PDA). From the laboratory study, we calculated the potential human health exposure from BG358, Suwandel and I. aquatica as 2.84 ± 0.01, 0.22 ± 0.01, and 0.06 ± 0.01 µg/kg of body weight/day, respectively, whereas the potential health exposures from BG358, Suwandel and I. aquatica collected from the field were 0.10 ± 0.01, 0.009 ± 0.005, and 0.03 ± 0.01 µg/kg of body weight/day, respectively. In certain instances, the results exceeded the World Health Organization’s (WHO) tolerable daily intake of MC-LR, posing a potential health risk to humans. Thus, our results emphasize the importance of continuous screening programs for cyanotoxins in edible plants in the future to prevent the consumption of contaminated crops.

Introduction: The efficacy of cisplatin (CPT) is dose dependent, but the risk of nephrotoxicity hinders the use of higher doses to maximize its antineoplastic effect. Ipomoea aquatica Forsk (IA) is a medicinal plant used in folklore for the treatment of many ailments. Objectives: This study assessed the protective effect of the ethanolic leaf extract of I. aquatica (EEIA) against a rat model of CPT-induced kidney damage. Materials and Methods: Fifty-four adult albino rats used for this study were randomized into 9 groups of 6 rats each. Rats were orally pretreated with 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg of EEIA daily for 7 days and were administered with 6 mg/kg of CPT intraperitoneally (ip) on the fifth and seventh day. On the eighth day, rats were sacrificed, blood was collected, and kidneys were excised. Plasma was extracted from blood and evaluated for renal function indices while kidneys were evaluated for oxidative stress markers and histology. Results: The effects of CPT on the body and kidney weights were not significant (P>0.05) when compared to control. However, CPT-induced kidney damage showed significant (P

Ipomoea aquaticaForsk is a green leafy vegetable that is a rich source of minerals, proteins, vitamins, amino acids, and secondary metabolites. Different types ofI. aquaticacultivars are grown for consumption but little is known about the metabolites variation. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy combined with multivariate data analysis was applied for metabolic profiling of threeI. aquaticacultivars including “broad leaf (K-25)”, “bamboo leaf (K-88)”, and “special pointed leaf (K-11)”. The orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) indicated a clear separation among cultivars. The relative levels of various compounds, such as amino acids, organic acids, sugars, and phenolic compounds were specific to each cultivar. The K-11 cultivar was different from the other cultivars due to a high phenolic content. The content of sugars and some amino acids was higher in K-88 and K-25 possessed a higher content of organic acids. Thein vitrostudy revealed that theI. aquaticacultivars exhibited potent antioxidant and α-glucosidase activities. The results of this study indicate that the K-11 cultivar was the most active due to the abundance of epicatechin, 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic, protocatechuic acid, and rutin. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The field experiment was conducted at the Instructional Farm, Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Pundibari, Cooch Behar, West Bengal to study the effect of boron and zinc application on growth, seed yield and its quality of water spinach (Ipomoea reptans Poir.). The study consisted of borax @ 0 (B0), 25 kg/ha through soil (B1) and 1.5 g/litre twice through foliar sprays at 15 days interval (B2) and ZnSO4 @ 0 (Zn0), 15 kg/ha through soil (Zn1) and 1.5 g/litre twice foliar sprays at 15 days interval (Zn2) and their nine treatment combinations (viz. B0 Zn0, B1 Zn0, B2 Zn0, B0Zn1, B1 Zn1, B2 Zn1, B0Zn2, B1 Zn2 and B2 Zn2. The results revealed that application of boron and zinc at all rates alone and as combinations markedly influenced all growth, seed yield and its quality parameters as compared with the control. Soil application of borax @ 25 kg/ha and ZnSO4 @ 15 kg/ha alone and as combination recorded maximum number of flowers/hill (282.6, 275.1 & 311.5), number of capsules/hill (238.2, 220.7 & 257.8), seed yield (1.22 t/ha, 1.21 t/ha & 1.32 t/ha), shelling percentage (67.14%, 67.06% & 68.76%), 1000 seed weight (38.05 g, 38.25 g & 41.16 g), germination percentage (86.6%, 86.3% & 90.0%), seedling vigour index (6.20, 6.26 & 6.63) and seedling growth rate (0.123, 0.123 and 0.127 g/plant/day), respectively over control. Maximum vine length, number of nodes per plant, average internode length and chlorophyll content of leaf were found in twice foliar sprays of borax @ 1.5 g/litre (B2) and twice foliar sprays of ZnSO4 @ 1.5 g/litre (Zn2) individually as well as their combination (B2Zn2). Considering the benefit : cost ratio (B: C ratio), combination of both soil application of borax @ 25 kg/ha and ZnSO4 @ 15 kg/ha (B1Zn1) was found most economical (2.60). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined the effects of three recirculation rates (50%, 200% and 400%) on water quality and biomass growth at low and high fish stocking densities (122 and 220 fish/m 3 ) in aquaponic systems. The system consisted of a Tilapia tank connected to a gravel filter and three hydroponic trenches in series with Ipomoea aquatica , Lactuca sativa and Canna glauca . The RRs influenced most water quality parameters with best water quality at the high RR. At the low RR of 50% mass mortality of fish occurred due to lack of oxygen. The fish growth and survival was excellent in the high RR of 400% at the low fish density of 122 fish/m 3 . The plant trenches were found to be effective in removing potential harmful concentrations of NH 4 -N and NO 2 -N from the recirculating water. For each kg of fish produced in this system approximately 1.0 m 3 water was needed. During a 25-day period about 1 kg of marketable fresh biomass of I. aquatica and 270 g dry weight aboveground biomass of C. glauca was produced. It is concluded that high recirculation rate of the water of 200–400% per day is needed to secure a good growth and a low FCR of Tilapia in aquaponic systems. High recirculation rates also secure a good water quality. The aquaponic system has a very low effluent discharge compared to traditional aquaculture techniques, and it recycles nutrients for plant growth. Hence, aquaponic system is a promising sustainable solution that can be applied on commercial fish pond scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytoremediation coupled with crop rotation (PCC) is a feasible strategy for remediation of contaminated soil without interrupting crop production. The objective of this study was to develop a PCC technology system for greenhouse fields co-contaminated with Cd and nitrate using hyperaccumulator Sedum alfredii. In this system, endophytic bacterium M002 inoculation, CO fertilization, and fermentation residue were continuously applied to improve the growth of S. alfredii, and low-accumulator Ipomoea aquatica and low-accumulator Brassica chinensis were rotated under reasonable water management. These comprehensive management practices were shown to increase S. alfredii biomass and Cd uptake and reduce Cd and nitrate concentration in I. aquatica and B. chinensis. This crop rotating system could remove 56.5% total Cd, 62.3% DTPA extractable Cd, and 65.4% nitrate, respectively, from the co-contaminated soil in 2 years of phytoremediation, and is an effective way of remediating moderately co-contaminated soil by Cd and nitrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of gross alpha and beta radioactivity measurement in water spinach samples from some districts in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam are presented in this paper. The measurements were performed using a low-background proportional counters LB4200 manufactured by Canberra Company, Inc. Mean concentrations of gross alpha and beta activity were found to be 1.50 ± 0.38 Bq kg −1 to 84.25 ± 8.67 Bq kg −1 . In order to keep the recommended dose level, a recommended maximum intake of water spinach was proposed to be 6 kg fresh per year. The total annual committed effective dose due to natural radionuclides in water spinach samples was then found in range from 0.07 mSv y −1 to 0.82 mSv y −1 . The dose from 26.32% of samples exceeds the exemption mean dose criterion of 0.3 mSv y −1 but complies with the upper dose principle of 1 mSv y −1 provided in UNSCEAR 2008 report. The estimated soil-to-plant transfer factors for gross alpha and beta for water spinach samples were also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is critical to identify effective buffer chemicals which are capable of regulating the pH of nutrient solution to a desirable level for best hydroponic production of crops. Greenhouse experiments were conducted to examine the pH dynamics of nutrient solutions amended with different inorganic acids during hydroponic production and the yield and nutritional quality of the resulting crops. A typical nutrient solution (pH 8.2) was adjusted to a pH of 5.6±0.2 with 1 M HNO3, 1 M H3PO4, 1 M H2SO4, and a 3:1:1 (v/v/v) mixture of all three acids, respectively. Water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica Forsk) was hydroponically grown for 25 d in the unadjusted control and the pH-adjusted nutrient solutions. The different treatments were monitored for pH changes of the nutrient solution, and measured for shoot yield and nutritional quality of the grown water spinach. It showed that the solution pH adjustments introduced additional anions but did not significantly increase the electrical conductivity (EC). The HNO3-H3PO4-H2SO4 mixture was able to achieve an optimal solution pH ranging from 5.5 to 6.5, while any of the acids only failed to maintain the solution pH within optimal range for 48 h after each adjustment. The shoot fresh weight, dry weight, and height of water spinach grown in the mixed acids-treated solution were the greatest among the five treatments. Relative to the control, the acid mixture treatment also increased the vitamin C, soluble sugar and crude protein contents in plants. Thus, the mixed 3:1:1 (v/v/v) HNO3-H3PO4-H2SO4 is recommended for regulating the pH of nutrient solution in hydroponic production of leafy greens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arsenic (As)-contaminated agricultural soils threaten crop yields and pose a human health risk. Augmentation of exogenous microorganisms exhibiting plant-growth promoting and As speciation changing shows potential to improve crop growth and change soil As availability. Trichoderma asperellum SM-12F1 exhibiting both traits was developed into chlamydospores to improve its persistence in contaminated soils. After inoculation, As availability and enzyme activity in two types of soils and the growth as well as As uptake of water spinach ( Ipomoea aquatic Forsk.) were investigated. The results indicated that inoculation significantly improved water spinach growth in both soils. Inoculating chlamydospores at 5% significantly increased As concentration (139%), bioconcentration factor (150%), and translocation factor (150%) in water spinach grown in Chenzhou (CZ) soils, while no significant change for these in Shimen (SM) soils. Inoculating chlamydospores at 5% caused a significant increase (16%) of available As content in CZ soils, while a significant decrease (13%) in SM soils. Inoculation significantly caused As methylation in both soils, while significant As reduction merely observed in CZ soils. The differential changes in available As contents in both soils were attributed to the soil pH, As fractionations and speciation characteristics. Furthermore, Inoculating chlamydospores at 5% significantly improved the activities of β-glucosidase (155%), chitinase (211%), and phosphatase (108%) in SM soils, while significant decreases in β-glucosidase (81%), phosphatase (54%), aminopeptidase (60%), and catalase (67%) in CZ soils. Bioaugmentation and As availability change were responsible for this result. These observations will be helpful for the application of fungal chlamydospores in the future bioremediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was designed to investigate the effect of Ipomoea aquatica extracted using water and methanol at various concentrations on the total phenolics, antioxidant capacity, and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities. Three I. aquatica cultivars were used in this study including the upland type with narrow leaves (K-11), low-land aquatic types with broader shaped leaves (K-25), and bamboo-shaped leaves (K-88). The results revealed that 70% methanol extract of K-11 showed higher total phenolic content and α-glucosidase inhibitory and antioxidant activities than the other two cultivars. The phytochemical constituents in the active extract K-11 were analyzed by means of liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection and electrospray tandem mass spectroscopy. Eighteen compounds were detected of which 13 were tentatively identified as quercetin-3- O-sophoroside, quercetin-3- O-glucoside, quercetin-3,7-di- O-glucoside, nomilinic acid glucoside, 4,5-di- O-caffeoylquinic acid, 3,5-di- O-caffeoylquinic acid, luteolin-7-glucoside and 3,4,5-tricaffeolquinic acid, fatty acid together with quercetin, and tricaffeoylquinic acid derivatives. Practical Applications Antioxidants protect the human body against infections and degenerative diseases by inhibiting and scavenging free radicals. The present study showed that all methanol extracts of I. aquatica are rich in polyphenols in which 70% methanol extract showed highest in vitro antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities. Knowledge about the antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities of I. aquatica will promote its usage as a functional food, and it can be utilized as an antioxidant sources in food industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite wide applications in industries, phenol pollution leads to many health effects, and one of the technologies used to clean up phenol pollution is phytoremediation. The aim of this research was to assess the remediation ability of Ipomoea aquatica Forssk., which is easy to handle and and has a fast growth rate. Plantlet was grown in water spiked with 0.05, 0.10, 0.20, 0.30 and 0.40 g/L phenol, followed by daily observation of the plantlets morphology and tracking of phenol concentration in the water and plantlet extracts via 4-aminoantipyrine (4-AAP) assay. Plantlet's roots in 0.10 g/L phenol (57.42 ± 1.41 mm) were significantly longer (p < 0.05) than those of the control plantlets (43.57 ± 3.87 mm) in contrast to other phenol concentrations which had stunted roots growth. I. aquatica Forssk. was able to survive with 0.30 g/L phenol despite exhibiting yellowing of leaves and increased sensitivity to scarring on the stems. The plantlets were able to completely remove the phenol from the water spiked with phenol at 0.05 g/L after 12 days of growth. However, the highest average rate of phenol removal was 0.021 g/L/day from water spiked with 0.30 g/L phenol. Phenol analysis on the plantlets' extracts revealed that I. aquatica Forssk. had degraded the absorbed phenol. This observation is of significant interest as it highlights the potential of I. aquatica Forssk. for use as a phytoremediator to clean up phenol contaminated water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In plants, microRNAs (miRNAs) play regulatory roles in response to various environmental stresses. In order to illustrate the regulation mechanisms of miRNAs involving the different Cd accumulation abilities between a low-shoot-Cd cultivar (QLQ) and a high-shoot-Cd cultivar (T308) of water spinach ( Ipomoea aquatic Forsk.), six sRNA libraries at 3 different time points were constructed. Only 5 miRNAs were exclusively regulated in QLQ, among them, miRNA395 was up-regulated, which was supposed to enhance the Cd retention and detoxification in root. Also, the alterations of miRNA5139, miRNA1511 and miRNA8155 contributed to the attenuation of Cd translocation into the shoot of QLQ. More differentially expressed miRNAs were observed in T308, indicating more complex response was adopted by T308 under Cd stress. miRNA397 exclusively regulated in T308 has enhanced the Cd influx of T308 under Cd treatments. Besides, the Cd translocation of T308 was strengthened due to the up-regulation of MATE efflux family, which was targeted by miRNA3627. Our results unraveled the effects of the cultivar-dependent expression of these specific miRNAs on the different Cd accumulation and translocation abilities of QLQ and T308. These findings provide a new perspective for the molecular assisted breeding of low-Cd cultivars for leaf-vegetables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the current study, water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica) has been tested for elimination of phenol and cyanide from mono and binary component aqueous solution in batch system. The plant was grown at six concentrations of phenol and cyanide in the ratio of (10:1), i.e., 100:10, 200:20, 300:30, 500:50, 700:70 and 1,000:100 in aqueous solution. The plant was found capable of eliminating up to 94.92% of phenol (300 mg/L) and 91.67% of cyanide (30 mg/L) during 13 d cultivation time. Removal of phenol was observed harmless at lower concentration upto 100-200 mg/L without any toxic effect; however, at 300-1,000 mg/L, plants have been indicated toxic effects. Moreover, Ipomoea aquatica indicated toxicity for all six concentration of cyanide. The effect of process parameters such as initial concentration of phenol and cyanide and pH was evaluated. In the Ipomoea aquatica plant, the biochemical parameters such as chlorophyll, protein and sugar content have been indicated a decreasing trend due to uptake of phenol and cyanide during cultivation. The calculated Km of the root length elongation was 11.26 mM and the Vmax was 7.24 µg phenol/g root/h. However, the calculated Km of the root length elongation for cyanide was 6.65 mM and the Vmax was 0.56 µg cyanide/g root/h. Toxicity to 100-1,000 mg/L of phenol and 10-100 mg/L of cyanide was measured by measuring the relative transpiration over 13 d. At 100 mg/L of phenol and 10 mg/L of cyanide, only a slight reduction in transpiration but no morphological changes were detected. In this study, phytoextraction/phytoaccumulation is found to be the mechanism of elimination since phenol and cyanide are accumulated into the root, stem and leaves of the plants. Pollutants are absorbed through the root of the plant by plasmalemma and become accumulated into the root cells and stem of a plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ipomoea aquatica , a tropical plant was used as a new substrate, and the digested sludge (DS) was used as inoculum for biohydrogen production. In order to inhibit the hydrogen consuming bacteria (HCB), the DS was subjected to thermal and acid pretreatment to identify the optimum method. The results showed that thermal pretreatment was better than acid pretreatment. To further investigate the best thermal pretreatment condition of DS, response surface methodology (RSM) was employed. Consecutively, thermal pretreatment at 90 °C for 60 min was identified as the optimum pretreatment condition for inoculum. Further, Ipomoea aquatica used as substrate was also optimized under conditions like freezing, boiling, and alkali pretreatment to attain high hydrogen yield (HY). Frozen and dried I. aquatica demonstrated the highest HY of 217.16 mL/g-VS, which was manifold higher than control and other treatment conditions. The energy consumed in the fermentation process was evaluated which was lesser than energy produced in the process. Furthermore, a practical process was proposed. To the best of our knowledge, it's the first time that I. aquatica was used as substrate to produce hydrogen through an attractive process that could not only benefit the environment by water purification but also contributes to clean energy production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]