Sterculia nobilis is an important tropical woody plant with high ornamental and economic value. At present, there are few reports of diseases on this plant. In August 2018, an unknown leaf spot disease was observed on S. nobilis in Nanning, China, affecting the inner leaves of the canopy and causing considerable defoliation. The pathogen was isolated, and pathogenicity tests carried out on detached leaves to verify Koch's postulates. Based on morphological observations and polygenic analyses, the pathogen causing leaf spots on S. nobilis was identified as Colletotrichum siamense.

Objective. The aim of this study was to explore the pharmacological effects of curcumin on oxidative stress and inflammatory response of renal dysfunction induced by renal ischemia/reperfusion (RIRI). Methods. Fifty male SD rats (Sprague Dawley) were randomly divided into the sham group, RIRI group, and curcumin group (low, medium, and high). The RIRI model was established by clipping the left renal artery for 45 min and then reperfusion for 24 h and resection of the contralateral kidney. In the curcumin group, curcumin was intraperitoneally injected once a day for 3 consecutive days using different dosage regimens. The RIRI group was intraperitoneally administered with normal saline. Renal injury was evaluated by measuring the concentration of creatinine (Cr) and urea nitrogen (BUN) in serum. Oxidative stress was assessed by assessing the level of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione (GSH), and iron reduction/antioxidant capacity (FRAP) in tissues. In addition, the protective effect of RIRI was investigated by measuring Paller scores, the level of serum inflammatory factors and caspase-3, and the number of apoptotic cells. Results. Ischemia/reperfusion resulted in increased levels of Cr and BUN in serum and MDA in tissues and decreased levels of SOD, CAT, GPx, GSH, and FRAP. Curcumin pretreatment strikingly increased the level of SOD, CAT, GPx, GSH, IL-10, IFN-γ, and FRAP and significantly decreased MDA, Cr, BUN, IL-8, TNF-α, IL-6, and myeloperoxidase (MPO) expressions in tissues. Conclusion. Curcumin can relieve the degree of renal injury and improve renal function in ischemia-reperfusion, which may be related to the fact that curcumin can increase SOD content in serum and reduce MDA and FRAP levels in the rat model.

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IN TRODUCTIONMalabar chestnut (Pachira macrocarpa (Cham. & Schl.) Schl.) is a tropical evergreen tree native to Central and South America, in the family of Bombacaceae (Liou, 1960;Liou and Liau, 1981). P. macrocarpa is highly appreciated by consumers and has gradually become a popular indoor foliage plant internationally because of its growth vigor and versatility to be shaped into various styles (Zhang, 1995). In Taiwan, 95% of locally grown P. macrocarpa, which is a top five potted plant regarding export values, are exported to the China, Japan, Netherlands, South Korea and the United States (Wang, 2005). In 2011, the total export value of P. macrocarpa seedlings reached US $7.2 million (Chung, 2008).The commercially available P. macrocarpa is categorized into single-trunk and braided types. The braided type consists of a "5-stem braided seedling" that is 60-120 cm tall and a "small 5-stem braided seedling" that is 25 to 30 cm tall (Taiwan Pot Plants Asso., 2008). The new P. macrocarpa product, which is an 18 cm tall "green braided seedling", is immensely popular in the American, European and Japanese markets. Green braid seedling is one of the small 5-stem braiding products, which is commonly appreciated for the slender green hypocotyls being elongated by shading the seeds after sowing (the hypocotyl length is longer than 12 cm) and the beautiful plant type formed by braiding and the dense lobulars. It is suitable as a desktop potted plant and indoor ornamental skit (Wang, 2011).However, the production of green braided seedling of P. macrocarpa has not yet been standardized. The braiding can result in serious cracks on the surface of the P. macrocarpa hypocotyl, which affects the product quality. Therefore, this study examined the effects of seedling age and dehydration duration on the hypocotyl cracks of green braided P. macrocarpa seedling. We endeavored to identify a balance between the post-sowing digging period and the post-digging dehydration duration. This may ensure that the hypocotyl remains intact and retain emerald color after braiding and hence facilitate the export industry of P. macrocarpa seedlings in Taiwan. M ATERI A LS A N D M ETHODS Plant materialsMature P. macrocarpa fruits were harvested and transported to the laboratory within 1 day, and then placed in shade until they split naturally. After splitting, seeds were extracted for testing. The experiment was conducted in a seedling greenhouse at the internship farm owned by the Department of Horticultural Science of National Chiayi University. Seeds were sown on a mix of equal volumes of river sand and rick husks (particle size is about 2-4 mm) in a 3×3 cm density and covered by a supporting tunnel similar to that used for growing muskmelons in Taiwan. The shed was covered by a shade net (Hun-Kun Enterprise Co., Ltd, Changhua, Taiwan) with an 80% shading rate. The photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) inside the shed was kept at 14.8 μmol•m -2 •s -1 , with a temperature of 33±2˚C. When