2025/10/05 by Hanbing Liu, Qiubi Li, Junxia Liu +8 · 1 voice
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Ecology and Conservation Studies #Food Quality and Safety Studies #Plant tissue culture and regeneration
paper · doi:10.1080/14620316.2025.2566929
openalex publication_date 2025/10/05 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Heracleum moellendorffii Hance is an edible medicinal plant rich in coumarins. This study investigated the effects of different light intensities (full sunlight, 30% and 60% shading) on its growth, coumarin accumulation, and related biosynthetic pathways. Results showed that 30% shading significantly increased plant biomass, concentrations of soluble sugars and proteins, and total coumarin content in leaves and roots compared to full sunlight. Conversely, 60% shading reduced these parameters. The enhanced coumarin accumulation under 30% shading was associated with increased activities of key enzymes phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), cinnamate acid 4-hydroxylase (C4H), and 4-coumarate-CoA ligase (4CL) in the phenylpropanoid pathway. These findings indicate that H. moellendorffii is a shade-tolerant species, and moderate shading (30%) is optimal for promoting its growth and the yield of bioactive coumarins, suggesting a practical agricultural strategy.