Quality suitability regionalization analysis of Angelica sinensis in Gansu, China

PLoS One. 2020 Dec 14;15(12):e0243750. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0243750. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

The genus Angelica encompasses 80 species worldwide. Among them, only Angelica sinensis is widely used in China and Japan. To explore the quality and geographical distribution of A. sinensis, we collected 1,530 plants from Gansu Province and analyzed them for their contents of chlorogenic acid (CA), ferulic acid (FA), senkyunolide I(SI), senkyunolide A(SA), senkyunolide H (SH), coniferyl ferulate (CF), ligustilide (LI), and butenyl phthalide (BP) using UPLC. We also assessed the relationship between the ecological environment and quality of A. sinensis through maximum entropy modeling and a geographical information system. The habitat suitability distribution demonstrated that the most influential ecological factors for the growth of A. sinensis were altitude, precipitation during March, May, and December, precipitation during the wettest month, and the soil pH. The most suitable areas for cultivation are concentrated to the south of Gansu Province, including Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Dingxi City, Tianshui City, south of Wuwei City, east of Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, north of Longnan City, and northwest of Pingliang City. The quality suitability regionalization analysis divulged that the most influential ecological factors for the index components of A. sinensis were the altitude, sunshine, rainfall, temperature, and soil pH. The highest quality A. sinensis grow in Dingxi City, Tangchang, Lixian, and Wen counties in Longnan City, Wushan County in Tianshui City, Lintan, Zhouqu, and Zhuoni counties in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Kangle and Linxia counties in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture. The experiment yielded highly accurate results (accuracy of 0.955), suggesting that the results were consistent with the actual distribution of A. sinensis in Gansu. The inferences of this research will naturally draw the attention of the authorities in the fields of natural resources and agriculture departments and provide a scientific basis for the rational selection of A. sinensis cultivation areas.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • 4-Butyrolactone / analogs & derivatives
  • 4-Butyrolactone / analysis
  • Angelica sinensis / chemistry*
  • Benzofurans / analysis
  • China
  • Chlorogenic Acid / analysis
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
  • Coumaric Acids / analysis
  • Plant Extracts / chemistry*

Substances

  • Benzofurans
  • Coumaric Acids
  • Plant Extracts
  • senkyunolide H
  • senkyunolide I
  • Chlorogenic Acid
  • coniferyl ferulate
  • ligustilide
  • 3-N-butyl-4,5-dihydrophthalide
  • phthalide
  • ferulic acid
  • 4-Butyrolactone

Grants and funding

Initials of the author who received each award: L J Grant number awarded to the author: 81360615 The full name of each funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China URL of each funder website: http://www.nsfc.gov.cn/ Specific grant numbers: ¥520000.