Objective To detect the content of 3,6'-di-O-sinapoyl-sucrose in cultured hairy root induced by Polygala tenuifolia. Methods Hairy roots of Polygala tenuifolia were induced from hypocotyl and cotyledon explants with Agrobacterum rhizogens A4,R1600 and R1000,and their 3,6'-di-O-sinapoyl-sucrose contents were determined by HPLC. Results Hairy roots were all produced from the explants of Polygala tenuifolia,and 3,6'-di-O-sinapoyl-sucrose could be detected in the hairy roots,the levels of 3,6'-di-O-sinapoyl-sucrose produced from rhizogenes induced by A4 were higher than that induced by R1600 and R1000(F=5 066.792,P0.05). Conclusion Production of sucrose esters by using hairy root culture of Polygala tenuifolia is a new way worth for further investigation.

Hardseededness in annual wild soybean (Glycine soja Sieb. Et Zucc.) is a valuable trait that affects the germination, viability, and quality of stored seeds. Two G. soja ecotypes native to Shandong Province of China have been used to identify the phenolics in the seed coat that correlate with the seed hardness and seed germination. Three major phenolics from the seed coat were isolated and identified as epicatechin, cyanidin 3-O-glucoside, and delphinidin 3-O-glucoside. Of the three phenolics, only the change of epicatechin exhibited a significant positive correlation with the change of hard seed percentages both under different water conditions during seed development and under different gas conditions during seed storage. Epicatechin also reveals a hormesis-like effect on the seed germination of G. soja. Epicatechin is suggested to be functionally related to coat-imposed hardseededness in G. soja.