Bioassay-Guided Isolation of Broad-Spectrum Fungicidal Active Compound from Artemisia ordosica

To avoid the widespread resistance of commercial fungicides, new broad-spectrum botanical fungicides need to be developed. In previous bioactive screening assays, extracts of Artemisia ordosica Krasch. (A. ordosica) had highly antifungal activities, but the responsible phytochemicals were unidentified. In this study, active compounds of A. ordosica extracts were identified using a bioassay-guided method, and antifungal assays were performed in vitro and in vivo. The bioactive compounds were dissolved in petroleum ether, and the best antifungal fraction contained four compounds: trans-dehydromatricaria ester (TDDE), 7, 4-demetylnringenin, capillarin, and stearic acid. Among them, TDDE exhibited the highest antifungal activity against six pathogenic fungi and five bacteria. It exhibited significant fungicidal activity against Thanatephorus cucumeris and Botrytis cinerea with EC50 values of 0.464 μg/mL and 1.4 μg/mL, respectively. The living tissue bioassay results showed that the relative protection effects (RPE) of TDDE on tomato leaves, tomato fruit, and strawberry leaves infected with B. cinerea reached 76.78%, 86.2%, and 80.89%, respectively. In pot experiments, the RPE on tomato and strawberry plants infected with B. cinerea reached 84.11% and 96.37%, respectively. Morphological and physiological examination showed that TDDE had significant inhibitory effects on mycelial growth, including increased top offshoot, contorted hyphal tips, and extravasated cytochylema. Meanwhile, bactericidal activities of TDDE were significantly higher than kanamycin and streptomycin in five bacteria, and the plant tissue experiments further demonstrated that it had an 88.31% RPE on walnut leaves infected with Xanthomonas campestris pv. jugiandis, 72.18% RPE on potato infected with Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora, and 82.50% RPE on kiwifruit branches infected with Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae. The active compounds isolated from A. ordosica in this study show great potential value for developing broad-spectrum fungicides, and also provide an important way to identify and isolate new bioactive products from medicinal plants.

Study on Allergic Rhinitis of Artemisia Sphaerocephala

Objective: To explore the cause and feasibility of Artemisia ordosica allergic rhinitis. Methods: The main allergic causes of allergic rhinitis patients in Chifeng City of inner Mongolia were analyzed by a control method. Results: According to the results, Artemisia ordosica is the most important cause of allergic rhinitis in inner Mongolia. In addition, allergic history, asthma and other diseases, or animal hair and other factors can also increase the risk of patients with allergic rhinitis. Conclusions: Artemisia sphaerocephala is the main cause of allergic rhinitis. In recent years, allergic rhinitis has attracted the attention of international organizations, and the medical community has also studied more methods for the treatment of rhinitis, such as putting forward relevant traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment methods.

Influence of Fly Ash and Polyacrylamide Mixtures on Growth Properties of Artemisia ordosica in the Desert Region of North China

This study investigated the effects of consolidated soil layer (CSL) composed of fly ash (FA) and polyacrylamide (PAM) on the growth of Artemisia ordosica through plot experiments in Inner Mongolia, North China. It could provide a feasibility reference for ecological restoration and combating desertification in the desert areas. The germination and growth characteristics of Artemisia ordosica were studied in the control soil and 6 kinds of CSL, which were formed with 3 addition rates of FA (5%, 10%, and 15% (w/w) soil) and 2 addition rates of PAM (0.006% and 0.012% (w/w) soil). The results showed that CSL could provide good growth conditions for Artemisia ordosica in arid regions, especially for plant height, basal diameter, total fresh weight, and total dry weight in F5P1 as seen in 2017 and 2018. The FA, the PAM, and the interaction of FA and PAM all had significant impacts on the percentage of seedling emergence and total fresh weight (p < 0.05). The effects of CSL on the emergence and growth properties of Artemisia ordosica were evaluated by principal component analysis, and the CSL consisting of 5% FA and 0.006% PAM was recommended for plant growth.