When designing a plant production system, it is crucial to perform advanced estimation of growth and productivity in relation to cultivation factors. In this study, we developed Planting-density Growth Harvest (PGH) charts to facilitate the estimation of crop growth and harvest factors such as growth rate, relative growth rate, shoot fresh weight, harvesting time, marketable rate, and marketable yield for quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) and sowthistle (Ixeris dentata Nakai). The plants were grown in a nutrient film technique (NFT) system in a closed-type plant factory under fluorescent lamps with three-band radiation under a light intensity of 140 μmol·m -2 ·s -1, with a 12-h/12-h (day/night) photoperiod. We analyzed the growth and yield of quinoa and sowthistle grown in nutrient solution at EC 2.0 dS·m -1 under four planting densities: 15 cm between rows with a within-row distance of 15 × 10 cm (67 plants/m 2 ), 15 × 15 cm (44 plants/m 2 ), 15 × 20 cm (33 plants/m 2 ), and 15 × 25 cm (27 plants/m 2 ). Crop growth rate, relative growth rate, and lost time were closely correlated with planting density. We constructed PGH charts based on the growth data and existing models. Using these charts, growth factors could easily be determined, including growth rate, relative growth rate, and lost time, as well as harvest factors such as shoot fresh weight, marketable yield per area, and harvesting time, based on at least two parameters, for instance, planting density and shoot fresh weight.
The constant exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) induces oxidative stress and proinflammatory cytokine production. The ROS formed by oxidative stress is related to activate NF-κB signal pathway for inflammation. Sargassum horneri, a brown algae found in East Asia, is known to be an excellent source for bioactive components. In this study, the antioxidant and anti-inflammation effects of Sargassum horneri ethanol extract (SHE) on the PM-induced oxidative stress in MLE-12, a type II alveolar epithelial cell line were investigated. As the exposure concentration of PM increased to 1,000 μg/mL, the cell viability was reduced; however, it was increased when treated with SHE. The ROS generation and lipid peroxidation of MLE-12 cells were increased from the PM concentration of 125 μg/mL and they were reduced after treatment of SHE at 62.5 and 125 μg/mL. The expressions of antioxidant enzymes, catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD2), in MLE-12 cells exposed to PM were lower than those exposed to PM with SHE. The PM was proved to increase the expression of 8-OHdG, one of DNA oxidative damage markers, and OGG1, the repair enzyme of 8-OHdG, while SHE protected the DNA damage of cell. The expression of NF-κB signaling was reduced by SHE. These results suggest that SHE can adjust the expression of antioxidant enzymes, help to suppress the oxidative stress induced by PM, and attenuate its oxidative damage and NF-κB pathway to lung epithelial cells by eliminating over-produced ROS.
This research is part of a project titled ‘Development of functional food products with natural materials derived from marine resources’ funded by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Republic of Korea in 2017 (Project NO. 20172085).
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