Search Results (11)

The vibration of the belt drive system in fresh wolfberry sorting machines significantly impacts the sorting efficiency of wolfberries. To analyze the vibration changes induced by the belt drive, a simulation model was developed using multi-body dynamics software, Recur Dyn. The lateral vibration characteristics of the grading device’s belt were examined under varying initial tensions, speeds, and deflection angles. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to determine the relative influence of these factors on the belt’s vibration characteristics. The analysis indicated the order of influence, from greatest to least, as initial tension, deflection angle, and speed. Aiming to minimize the vibration amplitude at the belt’s midpoint, the optimal parameter combination was determined. The operating conditions yielding the minimum amplitude were found to be an initial tension of 520 N/mm, a drive speed of 60 rpm, and a belt deflection angle of 5°. Concurrently, a transverse vibration modal analysis was conducted to study the system’s natural frequencies and corresponding mode shapes, aiding in the identification of potential resonance issues. Finally, under optimal operating conditions, guided by the results of the belt simulation test, a 10 mm fillet was introduced at the edge of the pulley, effectively mitigating wear and vibration. Specifically, when the effective length of the transmission mechanism is set to 2200 mm and the total length of the fixed device is configured as 1600 mm, the amplitude attenuation rate achieves its peak value. This study demonstrates that the integration of theoretical analysis with simulation techniques provides a robust approach for optimizing the structural design of the grading device. Full article

(1) Background: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of organic fertilizer dose on soil nutrients, wolfberry fruit nutrient compositions, and fruit yields. (2) Methods: We conducted a two-year field trial in two typical fields with different fertility levels in the Qaidam area. Six treatments were applied to each field, including CK, M2 M4, M6, M8, and M10 (representing 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 kg organic fertilizer/plant, respectively) in the high-fertility field and CK, M3, M6, M9, M12, and M15 (representing 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 kg organic fertilizer/plant, respectively) in the low-fertility field. An ANOVA was used to determine the significant difference between treatments, and the LSD method was used for multiple comparisons of analysis of variance. (3) Results: In the high-fertility field, the application of organic fertilizer significantly affected the total nitrogen (N) content, mineral N storage, and soil organic matter content. The application of too much organic fertilizer significantly increased the soil’s EC value. In the low-fertility field, the effect of organic fertilizer application on soil nutrient enhancement differed significantly among soil layers but significantly increased the contents of total phenols, flavonoids, and amino acids in wolfberry fruit, and there was a significant trend of increasing wolfberry yield with increasing organic fertilizer application. (4) Conclusions: In the Qaidam area of the Tibetan Plateau, it is recommended to apply 2–4 kg commercial organic fertilizer/plant in the high-fertility wolfberry orchards while 9–12 kg in the low-fertility wolfberry orchards is recommended. Full article

Wolfberry (Lycium barbarum) is a vital economic tree species in northwest China, but root rot caused by Fusarium solani occurs frequently, which seriously endangers the quality and yield of wolfberry. In this study, potato glycoside alkaloids (PGAs), a plant-derived active substance, were used as materials to explore its inhibitory effect on F. solani. By analyzing the changes of reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, antioxidant capacity, and apoptosis, the role of PGAs-mediated oxidative stress in inducing apoptosis of F. solani was revealed. The findings suggest that PGAs treatment inhibited mycelium growth, reduced biomass and sporulation, and delayed spore germination in F. solani. The concentration for 50% of maximal effect (EC₅₀) was 1.85 mg/mL. PGAs treatment induced an increase in caspase-3 activity, disrupting the cell membrane of fungi. In addition, PGAs treatment activated NADH oxidase (NOX) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), promoted hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and superoxide anion (O₂⁻) accumulation, and decreased ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione reductase (GR), and dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR) activities as well as oxidized glutathione (GSSG), reduced glutathione (GSH), and electron donor NADPH content. In summary, PGAs has a strong inhibitory effect on F. solani, and its inhibitory effect may be related to the promotion of ROS accumulation by PGAs, causing the disorder of intracellular redox balance of fungi, the decrease of total antioxidant capacity, and finally the induction of apoptosis. This study provides a new insight into the antifungal mechanism of PGAs against F. solani. Full article

Wolfberry (Lycium barbarum L.) production in arid and semi-arid areas is drastically affected by the low utilization rate of soil and water resources and the irrational application of water and nitrogen fertilizers. Thus, this study explored a high-yielding, high-quality, and efficient irrigation and nitrogen regulation model to promote the production efficiency of wolfberry and rational utilization of water and land resources in arid and semi-arid areas. We compared and analyzed the effects of different soil water treatments (the upper and lower limits of soil water were estimated as the percentage of soil water content to field water capacity (θ_f), with the following irrigation regimen: adequate irrigation (W0, 75–85% θ_f), mild water deficit (W1, 65–75% θ_f), moderate water deficit (W2, 55–65% θ_f), and severe water deficit (W3, 45–55% θ_f)) and nitrogen levels (no nitrogen (N0, 0 kg·ha⁻¹), low nitrogen (N1, 150 kg·ha⁻¹), moderate nitrogen (N2, 300 kg·ha⁻¹), and high nitrogen (N3, 450 kg·ha⁻¹)) on the growth, physiology, and production of wolfberry. The results showed that water regulation, nitrogen application level, and their interaction significantly affected plant height and stem diameter growth amount (p < 0.05). Additionally, the relative chlorophyll content of wolfberry leaves first increased and then decreased with increasing nitrogen levels and water deficit. The average net photosynthetic rate (P_n), stomatal conductance (g_s), intercellular carbon dioxide concentration, and transpiration rate (T_r) reached the highest values in plants exposed to W0N2 (19.86 μmmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹), W1N1 (182.65 mmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹), W2N2 (218.86 μmol·mol⁻¹), and W0N2 (6.44 mmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹) treatments, respectively. P_n, g_s, and T_r were highly correlated with photosynthetically active radiation and water vapor pressure difference (goodness-of-fit: 0.366–0.828). Furthermore, water regulation and nitrogen levels exhibited significant effects on the yield and water- (WUE), and nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE) (p < 0.01), and their interactions exhibited significant effects on the yield, WUE, and nitrogen partial productivity of wolfberry plants (p < 0.05). Moreover, the contents of total sugar, polysaccharides, fats, amino acids, and proteins were the highest in W1N2, W1N2, W1N2, W2N3, and W0N2 treatments, respectively, which were increased by 3.32–16.93%, 7.49–54.72%, 6.5–45.89%, 11.12–86.16%, and 7.15–71.67%, respectively. Under different water regulations (except for the W3 condition) and nitrogen level treatments, the net income and input–output ratio of wolfberry were in the order W1 > W0 > W2 > W3 and N2 > N3 > N1 > N0. The TOPSIS method also revealed that the yield, quality, WUE, NUE, and economic benefits of wolfberry improved under the W1N2 treatment, suggesting that WIN2 might be the most suitable irrigation and nitrogen regulation model for wolfberry production in regions with scarce land and water resources such as the Gansu Province and areas with similar climate. Full article

The optimized cultivation process of wolfberry (Lycium barbarum L.) to maintain a consistently high and stable yield relies on the prolonged use of significant amounts of nitrogen fertilizers. However, this practice leads to increased production costs and various issues, such as soil pollution and compaction. To address these concerns, a three-year field trial was conducted involving different nitrogen application rates: N1 (20% nitrogen (N) reduction, 540 kg·hm⁻²), N2 (medium N, 675 kg·hm⁻²), and N3 (20% nitrogen increase, 810 kg·hm⁻²). The results showed that the inter-annual growth and development of wolfberry roots had two rapid growth peaks. In comparison with the N3 treatment, the root morphological characteristics index increased significantly under the N1 and N2 treatments. Among the different diameter classes, the most significant increase in fine root length, with an average diameter between 0.4 and 0.8 mm, occurred under the N1, N2, and N3 treatments, accounting for 50.6%, 50.92%, and 47.72% of the total annual growth of root length increments, respectively. Concerning the distribution of fine roots, the active layer depth extended under the N2 treatment suggesting that medium nitrogen application favored the longitudinal extension of fine roots. Leaf nitrogen content and the chlorophyll meter values (SPAD values) in the upper part of the plant, at the tip of shoots/branches, were the most sensitive indicators to changes in nitrogen application rates. These values increased significantly with higher nitrogen application amounts. Similarly, the contents of total sugar, betaine, and β-carotene increased with increasing nitrogen application rates, while the contents of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBPs) and total flavonoids decreased. Finally, based on a comprehensive principal component evaluation, the rankings for root growth and plant development under various nitrogen application treatments were as follows: N2 (1.891) > N1 (0.002) > N3 (−1.894). The results showed that both the aboveground and belowground growth and development of wolfberry plants were most optimized under the N2 treatment. These findings provide a foundational reference for constructing good root morphology of wolfberry through cultivation practices such as nitrogen fertilizer management. Full article

Due to the problems of relatively fragile stability, the quality of soil in the drip-irrigated agricultural ecosystem has high spatial heterogeneity and experiences significant degradation. We conducted a two-year field plot study (2021–2022) in a typical region of the arid zone with the “wolfberry” crop as the research object, with three irrigation and three nitrogen application levels, and the local conventional management as the control (CK). Soil quality under experimental conditioning was comprehensively evaluated based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), and regression analyses were carried out between the soil quality evaluation results and wolfberry yield. The results showed that short-term water and nitrogen regulation enhanced the soil nutrient content in the root zone of wolfberry to some extent, but it did not significantly affect soil carbon:soil nitrogen (C_soil:N_soil), soil carbon:soil phosphorus (C_soil:P_soil), and soil nitrogen:soil phosphorus (N_soil:P_soil). When the irrigation quota was increased from I₁ to I₂, the soil microbial biomass carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus (C_mic, N_mic, and P_mic) tended to increase with the increase in N application, but the microbial biomass carbon:nitrogen (C_mic:N_mic), microbial biomass carbon:phosphorus (C_mic:P_mic), and microbial biomass nitrogen:phosphorus (N_mic:P_mic) did not change significantly. The comprehensive evaluation of the principal components and TOPSIS showed that the combined soil nutrient–microbial biomass and its ecological stoichiometry characteristics were better under the coupled treatments of I₂, I₃, N₂, and N₃, and the overall soil quality under these treatment conditions was significantly better than that under the CK treatment. Under I₁ irrigation, nitrogen application significantly increased the yield of wolfberry, while under I₂ and I₃ irrigation, the wolfberry yield showed a parabolic trend with the increase in nitrogen application. The highest yield was recorded in the I₂N₂ treatment in the first and second years, with yields of 9967 kg hm⁻² and 10,604 kg hm⁻², respectively. The coefficient of determination (explained quantity) of the soil quality based on soil nutrient–microbial biomass and the characteristics of its ecological stoichiometry for wolfberry yield ranged from 0.295 to 0.573. These findings indicated a limited positive effect of these indicators of soil on wolfberry yield. The short-term water and nitrogen regulation partly influenced the soil and soil microbial biomass in agroecosystems, but the effect on elemental balance was not significant. Our findings might provide theoretical support for managing the health of agricultural ecosystems. Full article

The intercropping patterns of protected cultivations have been widely used to increase productivity and sustainability in modern agriculture. However, there have been few studies of wolfberry intercropping cultivated by clean tillage. We introduced 10 forages into wolfberry cultivation through land productivity and an interspecific competitiveness analysis, and we screened out the appropriate intercropping modes to provide a scientific basis for wolfberry green cultivation and pasture production. The results showed that the wolfberry–forage intercropping land equivalent ratio (LER) of greenhouse and field tests increased from 29% to 59% and from 62% to 170%, respectively, when compared with the monoculture weighted mean, showing significant yield advantages (p < 0.05), particularly in wolfberry–mangold, wolfberry–ryegrass, wolfberry–alfalfa, and wolfberry–clover. The aggressivity of interspecific competitiveness analysis showed that the forage introduction did not affect the dominant competitive position of wolfberry. In addition, wolfberry–forage intercropping could promote the monetary advantage index (MAI). Wolfberry–mangold, wolfberry–ryegrass, and wolfberry–alfalfa performed well, with MAI values of 827.63, 994.18, and 1918.57 for fruit and 2106.54, 1706.27, and 3103.13 for biomass, respectively. Finally, wolfberry–mangold, wolfberry–ryegrass, and wolfberry–alfalfa were screened out, which can form a new mode of wolfberry and forage production. Full article

The root restriction of protected cultivation has been widely used to increase productivity and sustainability in modern agriculture. However, there have been few studies of wolfberry (Lycium barbarum) root restriction, and it is cultivated mostly by clean tillage. In this study, we measured the growth of Lycium barbarum and the composition and diversity of the bacterial community and soil properties of L. barbarum under different cultivation methods with root restriction. The results showed that the X60 root-restriction treatment significantly increased the canopy size (east–west), leaf length, leaf width, the number and length of new branches, and the concentrations of chlorophyll and K in L. barbarum. The concentrations of N, P, and K in the root-restriction groups were all higher than those in CK. However, the ratio of N:P was greatest in the CK plants and least in X80, indicating that X80 had a relatively weak effect on the balance of N:P. In addition, root restriction improved fruit quality by increasing soil organic matter and organic carbon and also improved fertilization efficiency to promote plant growth. Moreover, high-throughput sequencing showed that the abundance of soil bacteria under root-restriction cultivation was significantly higher than that in CK. Furthermore, the total abundance of the top 10 bacterial genera was greatest in the X60 treatment. Redundancy analysis showed that total N, total P, total K, and total organic matter were the major soil factors that affected the bacterial community. A comprehensive comparison showed that root-restriction cultivation improved the growth of L. barbarum but reduced the abundance and diversity of the soil bacteria. The X60 treatment yielded the best results on plant growth. Our findings provide an empirical reference for root-restriction cultivation of L. barbarum of an appropriate width. Full article

The aim of this study was to establish a rapid detection method of rutin in food based on nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (N-CDs) as the fluorescent probe. N-CDs were prepared via a single-step hydrothermal process using citric acid as the carbon source and thiourea as the nitrogen source. The optical properties of N-CDs were characterized using an electron transmission microscope, X-ray diffractometer, Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer, and nanoparticle size potential analyzer. The UV/Vis absorption property and fluorescence intensity of N-CDs were also characterized using the respective spectroscopy techniques. On this basis, the optimal conditions for the detection of rutin by N-CDs fluorescent probes were also explored. The synthesized N-CDs were amorphous carbon structures with good water solubility and optical properties, and the quantum yield was 24.1%. In phosphate-buffered solution at pH = 7.0, Rutin had a strong fluorescence-quenching effect on N-CDs, and the method showed good linearity (R² = 0.9996) when the concentration of Rutin was in the range of 0.1–400 μg/mL, with a detection limit of 0.033 μg/mL. The spiked recoveries in black buckwheat tea and wolfberry were in the range of 93.98–104.92%, the relative standard deviations (RSD) were in the range of 0.35–4.11%. The proposed method is simple, rapid, and sensitive, and it can be used for the rapid determination of rutin in food. Full article

Heat stress has a strong and detrimental effect on plant growth and yield. Goji berry or wolfberry (Lycium barbarum L.) is a dual-purpose medicinal and food plant but an increase in high temperatures has caused a serious decline in wolfberry yield and quality. In this study, we first explored the heat stress responses of Goji berry, and found that heat stress adaptation mechanisms fluctuated over 48 h. Moreover, L.barbarum 1402 was more heat resistant while L.barbarum Ningqi No. 7 (N7) was sensitive to high temperatures, in which amino acids and alkaloids played key roles; expression and accumulation timing was also crucial. That is, 1402 responded to heat stress rapidly starting at 1 h under high temperature, activated related genes, and accumulated metabolites earlier in the amino acid metabolic pathway compared to N7, which responded to heat stress starting at 3 h under high temperature. Thus, 1402 resisted high temperatures much earlier and better compared to N7. Furthermore, joint transcriptome and metabolome analysis results showed that L-phenylalanine, L-tyrosine, N-benzylformamide, N-benzylmethylene isomethylamine, lysoPC 19:1, and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine-1-phosthate, as well as their related genes, were higher in content, or earlier in expression, in 1402 compared to N7 under heat treatment. This study initially elucidates that Goji berry 1402 has a better tolerance to heat stress than N7 for earlier and higher expression or accumulation of amino acids and alkaloids when related to high temperatures. Full article

Wolfberry production has become a major agro-industry on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, causing increased nitrogen (N) pollution and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Appropriate N fertilizer rate and nitrification inhibitors may mitigate GHG emissions and improve N use efficiency. A 2-year field experiment was conducted to measure the effects of N application rate and nitrapyrin on GHG emissions, to reduce GHG emissions and N pollution. We used eight treatments: Control (CK), 667 kg·ha⁻¹ N (Con), 400 kg·ha⁻¹ N (N₄₀₀), 267 kg·ha⁻¹ N (N₂₆₇), 133 kg·ha⁻¹ N (N₁₃₃), 400 kg·ha⁻¹ N plus 2.00 kg·ha⁻¹ nitrapyrin (N₄₀₀I_2.00), 267 kg·ha⁻¹ N plus 1.33 kg·ha⁻¹ nitrapyrin (N₂₆₇I_1.33) and 133 kg·ha⁻¹ N plus 0.67 kg·ha⁻¹ nitrapyrin (N₁₃₃I_0.67). Compared with Con treatment, N₄₀₀ maintained fruit yield and increased net income, but saved 40% of N fertilizer and decreased the cumulative N₂O emission by 14–16%. Compared to N₄₀₀, N₂₆₇ and N₁₃₃ treatments, the cumulative N₂O emission of N₄₀₀I_2.00, N₂₆₇I_1.33 and N₁₃₃I_0.67 treatments was reduced by 28.5–45.1%, 26.6–29.9% and 33.8–45.9%, respectively. Furthermore, N₄₀₀I_2.00 resulted in the highest wolfberry yield and net income. The emissions of CH₄ and CO₂ were not significantly different among treatments. Moreover, the global warming potential (GWP) and the greenhouse gas emission intensity (GHGI) of N₄₀₀I_2.00 declined by 45.6% and 48.6% compared to Con treatment. Therefore, 400 kg·ha⁻¹ N combined with 2.00 kg·ha⁻¹ nitrapyrin was shown to be a promising management technique for maintaining wolfberry yield while minimizing GWP and GHGI. Full article