Abstract:Extraction of taxol from needles and branches of cultivated Taxus chinensis var. mairei is currently a major approach to meet the market demand for taxol, but the key concern is how to increase taxol and its precursor (10-deacetyl-baccatin Ⅲ )(10-DAB) contents in cultivated T. chinensis. Nutrient solutions of N, K, Ca and Mg, and self-developed rare-earth fertilizer mixture containing La, Ce and Sm were used to treat the needle of 3-year-old T. chinensis at different concentrations, the needle samples were collected sequentially by the following three months, and the samples were measured for taxol and 10-DAB with UPLC. Results showed that the taxol and 10-DAB contents declined following the application of N fertilizer at all concentrations; spraying of K fertilizer resulted in the increase in the 10-DAB content in the first two samplings followed by reduction in the later two samplings, while the taxol contents were decreased across all samplings. Spraying of Ca and Mg increased the taxol and 10-DAB contents with a prolonged effect, while the effect of self-developed fertilizer mixture was stronger with the highest taxol and 10-DAB contents reaching 0.261 mg g-1 and 0641mg g-1。