Two new fatty acids esters were detected in ginseng stems by the application of azoxystrobin and the increasing of antioxidant enzyme activity and ginsenosides content

•Azoxystrobin was applied on ginseng plants under natural environmental conditions.•It delayed the senescence of ginseng stems by changing physiological and biochemical indicators.•Ginsenosides content in ginseng stems was increased.•Two new fatty acids esters were detected in ginseng stems by azoxystrobin application.

Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer is a valuable herb in China that has also gained popularity in the West because of its pharmacological properties. The constituents isolated and characterized in ginseng stems include ginsenosides, fatty acids, amino acids, volatile oils, and polysaccharides. In this study, the effects of fungicide azoxystrobin applied on antioxidant enzyme activity and ginsenosides content in ginseng stems was studied by using Panax ginseng C. A. Mey. cv. (the cultivar of Ermaya) under natural environmental conditions. The azoxystrobin formulation (25% SC) was sprayed three times on ginseng plants at different doses (150 g a.i./ha and 225 g a.i./ha), respectively. Two new fatty acids esters (ethyl linoleate and methyl linolenate) were firstly detected in ginseng stems by the application of azoxystrobin as foliar spray. The results indicated that activities of enzymatic antioxidants, the content of ginsenosides and two new fatty acids esters in ginseng stems in azoxystrobin-treated plants were increased. Azoxystrobin treatments to ginseng plants at all growth stages suggest that the azoxystrobin-induced delay of senescence is due to an enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity protecting the plants from harmful active oxygen species (AOS). The activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in azoxystrobin-treated plants was about 1-3 times higher than that in untreated plants. And the effects was more significant (P = 0.05) when azoxystrobin was applied at dose of 225 g a.i./ha. This work suggests that azoxystrobin plays an important role in delaying of senescence by changing physiological and biochemical indicators and increasing ginsenosides content in ginseng stems.

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