Kudzu

Lowney, K. S., and J. Best. (1998). Floral entrepreneurs Kudzu as agricultural solution and ecological problem. Sociological Spectrum 18(1) 93-114. 

Kwon, I.-B. and Park, H.-H., Isoflavonoids of kudzu Pueraria lobata) and bioconversion of exogenous compounds into their malonylglucosides by its cell cultures. Foods Food Ingredients Journal of Japan, 163, 86, 1995. 

Pachyrhizus thunbergianus Sieb. et Zucc. Ge Gen (Kudzu vine) See Pueraria thunbergiana ... 

Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi. P. pseudo-hirsuta Tang. Ge Gen (Kudzu) (root) Isoflavones, daidzin, diadz.in-4, 7-diglucoside, daidzein, puerarin, xylopurarin, robinin, kaempferol-rhamnoside, fatty acids.12-33-48 Antispasmodic, hypotensive, and stabilizing blood pressure, treat angina pectoris. 

Stevens, W.K., Invading weed makes a bid to become the new kudzu, New York Times, August 16, 1994, C4 3. 

Techniques of Purification. The purification techniques have included column and batch adsorption, extraction, dialysis, and column and paper chromatography. Liberal use was made of the fact that the gibberellate anion is not soluble in ethyl acetate, whereas the free acid is soluble, and that charcoal will adsorb GA3 from aqueous solutions but release it with acetone (26). As a rough rule, preliminary concentration by a factor of about 105 was necessary before significant use of paper chromatography could be made. For kudzu vine and pinto bean, a known amount of GA3 was added to an aliquot of the plant extract and taken through the same procedure as the initial extract. These controls are subsequently referred to as "spiked extracts, to differentiate them from the initial or "natural extract. 

Kudzu Vine. Extraction. A 1000-gram sample was macerated in a Waring Blendor with 2 liter of water adjusted to pH 3.5 with hydrochloric acid, followed by addition of 2 liters of ethyl acetate. After steeping overnight, the entire filtered solution was concentrated to near dryness by vacuum evaporation below 40° C. and stored under refrigeration until used. Different samples were used for the two experiments. 

Figure 2. Column partition chromatography of kudzu vine extract followed hy paper chromatography of eluent fractions...

Partition Column. Two columns packed with coarse powdered cellulose impregnated with capryl alcohol as immobile phase were prepared in an identical manner. The mobile phase consists of 0.2Af phosphate buffer at pH 6.5. To avoid overloading the column, only a small portion of the extract could be used. The natural extract consisted of 0.20 ml. of the reduced-pressure evaporated solution, corresponding to about 10 grams of kudzu. A similar quantity was added as the spiked extract, except that it contained 500 /xg. of added GA3. Ten-milliliter eluent fractions were collected, acidified to pH 2, and extracted with ethyl acetate. The ethyl acetate extracts were concentrated prior to chromatography. 

The results in Table I show that, in the presence of plant material, the standard GA3 is spread over a considerably wider range than is usual. However, after the sample is further purified by the second run, the mobility of GA3 returns to normal. The same pattern of distribution, with zone III as maximum, is manifest in the natural run, although at considerably lower fluorescent intensities. For both fractions, the presence of GA3 is confirmed by the capryl system. A portion of zone III of the natural extract gave positive response proportional to concentration in the pinto bean seedling assay and in the dwarf maize mutants I and V assay. The relative activity on both mutants was approximately equal, as is required for GA3 (26). The correlation of relatively specific biological growth activity with chromatographic and chemical behavior affirms the presence of a GA3-like substance in kudzu vine. 

Table I. Chromatography of Purified Kudzu Vine Extract...

Alfalfa, Lima Bean, Dandelion, and Sweet Corn Kernels. Extraction. Two hundred-gram samples were treated like kudzu vine, except for an additional ethyl acetate wash after overnight steeping. The combined filtrates were evaporated to about 3 ml., and stored in a refrigerator for several months. The slurries were then vacuum-dried and extracted with aqueous pH 7 phosphate buffer. 

Kudzu vine Pinto bean Alfalfa Sweet com Dandelion Lima bean... 

Delmonte P, Perry J, Rader JI. 2006. Determination of isoflavones in dietary supplements containing soy, red clover and kudzu Extraction followed by basic or acid hydrolysis. J Chromatography A 1107 59-69. 

Prasain JK, Jones K, Kirk M, Wilson L, Smith-Johnson M, Weaver C and Barnes S, Profiling and quantification of isoflavonoids in kudzu dietary supplements by high-performance liquid chromatography and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. J Agric Food Chem 51 4213-4218 (2003). 

A study was conducted to determine the effects of combinations of organic amendments and benzaldehyde on plant-parasitic and non-parasitic nematode populations, soil microbial activity, and plant growth (Chavarria-Carvajal et al., 2001). Pine bark, velvetbean and kudzu were applied to soil at rates of 30 g/kg and paper waste at 40 g/kg alone and in combination with benzaldehyde (300 mul/kg), for control of plant-parasitic nematodes. Pre-plant and post-harvest soil and soybean root samples were analyzed, and the number of parasitic and non-parasitic nematodes associated with soil and roots were determined. Soil samples were taken at 0, 2, and 10 weeks after treatment to determine population densities of bacteria and fungi. Treatment... 

David Bransby (personal communication, October, 2002) recommended seven potential energy crops (mimosa, sericea, kudzu, arunzo, switchgrass, velvet bean, and castor) as candidates for the extraction of high-value products based on crop yields and largely anecdotal medicinal information. 

Sharkey TD, Yeh S, Wiberley AE, Falbel TG, Gong D, Eemandez DE. Evolution of the isoprene biosynthetic pathway in kudzu. Plant Physiol. 2005 137 700-712. 

One exception, however, is the kudzu vine (Puer-aria lobata), native to Japan and introduced to the southeastern United States as a forage plant and for use in controlling erosion. This species is considered to be a serious, invasive weed in some places. Control methods for the kudzu include the use of herbicides and the excavation of its large, underground, roots. 

Kudzu (Pureria lobata) is known as "the vine that ate the South." Yes, there are uses for this highly aggressive weed. The root is commonly used in Chinese medicine as a heart tonic, demulcent, and antispasmodic, and to reduce alcohol consumption. It also is a rich source of daidzein. 

Numerous other insect antifeedants have been isolated from a variety of sources. One way to search for these is to look for a plant that would appear to be good food for nearby insects, but that is not eaten. Two compounds that are about as effective as azadirachtin are shown in 11.23.138 Mycotoxins can be as effective as azadirachtin in some cases, as in the following example (11.24).139 It would be instructive to try this technique on some of the highly invasive exotic weeds found in the eastern United States. It is possible that weeds such as kudzu, Lonicera japonica, Alliaria petiolata, and Celastrus orbiculatus, contain antifeedants that might be used on crops in the area where they are pests. Their harvest for this purpose... 

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