title: Solanaceae plant malformation in Chongqing City, China, reveals a pollution threat to the Yangtze River.
abstract: Water quality is under increasing threat from industrial and natural sources of pollutants. Here, we present our findings about a pollution incident involving the tap water of Chongqing City in China. In recent years, Solanaceae plants grown in greenhouses in this city have displayed symptoms of cupped, strappy leaves. These symptoms resembled those caused by chlorinated auxinic herbicides. We have determined that these symptoms were caused by the tap water used for irrigation. Using a bioactivity-guided fractionation method, we isolated a substance with corresponding auxinic activity from the tap water. The substance was named "solanicide" because of its strong bioactivity against Solanaceae plants. Further investigation revealed that the solanicide in the water system of Chongqing City is derived from the Jialing River, a major tributary of the Yangtze River. Therefore, it is also present in the Yangtze River downstream of Chongqing after the inflow of the Jialing River. Biological analyses indicated that solanicide is functionally similar to, but distinct from, other known chlorinated auxinic herbicides. Chemical assays further showed that solanicide structurally differs from those compounds. This study has highlighted a water pollution threat to the Yangtze River and its floodplain ecosystem.
authors.affiliation: College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University , Chongqing 400715, China.
authors.forename: Hongbo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Guanshan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Michael P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Timko
authors.forename: Jiana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Wenjing
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Haoran
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ma
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D002947:Cities; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry; D012621:Seasons; D019657:Solanaceae / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000633:toxicity*; D014876:Water Pollution / Q000032:analysis*; D060753:Water Quality; D014881:Water Supply
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical