Seeds of the threatened dry rainforest tree Cadellia pentastylis (Surianaceae) are non-dormant

Cadellia pentastylis (Surianaceae) is an Australian endemic threatened rainforest tree. Irregular flowering and fruiting events coupled with high rates of infertility and insect predation has meant that seed testing has not been possible for this species. Seeds were opportunistically collected from a wild population in early 2021, which allowed for the first germination tests to be conducted. In this study, the presence of physical dormancy was examined by performing an imbibition test using scarified and non-scarified seeds. We also investigated whether a 5-min heat shock treatment at temperatures ranging from 60 to 120°C improved germination success. The presence of physiological dormancy was also examined by recording germination success following a gibberellic acid or smoke-water pre-treatment. Both scarified and non-scarified seeds readily imbibed water over a 72-h period, and several seeds had germinated in both treatments after 48 h. Final germination proportion and t50 following a heat shock, gibberellic acid or smoke-water pre-treatment did not significantly differ from the controls. We conclude that C. pentastylis seeds are non-dormant. Although a palisade cell layer has been reported in the endocarp, our results suggest that this layer may not be sufficiently formed to restrict germination. We recommend that seeds are collected from populations following dispersal and propagated shortly after or stored as conservation collections in ex situ Seedbanks.

Macroscopic-microscopic characteristics and AFLP fingerprint for identification of Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. cambodianum and E. cuneatum endemic to Thailand

Erythroxylum novogranatense (Morris) Hieron, E. cambodianum Pierre and E. cuneatum (Miq.) Kurz in family Erythroxylaceae was traditionally used as an antipyretic, general stimulant and gastrointestinal diseases. Due to their morphological similarity, the correct identification was necessary for the quality control in herbal medicine. E. novogranatense (Morris) Hieron, E. cambodianum Pierre and E. cuneatum (Miq.) Macroscopic and microscopic characteristics evaluated Kurz endemic to Thailand according to WHO standard guideline and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) fingerprint. Morphological characters of E. novogranatense, E. cambodianum and E. cuneatum were similar in their flower, fruit and seed but different in stem and leaf. Microscopic characteristics from these three species, including constant leaf numbers, showed individual values. The stomata were classified as paracytic type. The midrib transverse section showed distinct characters of the epidermis, palisade cell, stomata, spongy cell, parenchyma, xylem vessel, phloem tissue and collenchyma. AFLP fingerprint showed highly polymorphisms 97.42% with the number of bands (349 bands) ranging between 50-750 bands. Primer E+ACG/M+CTT had the highest number of AFLP band (91 bands). The dendrogram generated from UPGMA could separate these three species. In summary, the combination of morphological characteristics, microscopic investigation and AFLP fingerprinting can be used to identify plant species and determine the genetic relationship among three Erythroxylum species.

Seed Dormancy Breaking and Germination in Bituminaria basaltica and B. bituminosa (Fabaceae)

Most legumes are well-known for the physical dormancy of their seeds; hence, the implementation of appropriate scarification techniques is essential for introducing new legume crops within agricultural systems. This study investigated morpho-anatomical traits and dormancy-breaking requirements in two taxa of the genus Bituminaria: the widespread B. bituminosa and the point endemic B. basaltica. As the species under investigation show monospermic indehiscent legumes, pods were used in this research. We performed pod trait measurements, light microscopy observations on the seed coat anatomical structure, and germination tests after mechanical, thermal, and chemical scarification treatments for seed dormancy breaking. Moreover, germination performance at different pod maturity stages and storage times was tested. Differences in morpho-anatomical traits were found, with B. basaltica having a thicker palisade cell layer and B. bituminosa showing larger pods. All of the scarification treatments proved to be able to break physical dormancy, with mechanical and chemical scarification being the most effective methods in both species. Nevertheless, dormancy-breaking treatments performed better in B. bituminosa. Seeds at early pod maturity stages showed higher germination capacity in both species. Overall, this research provided background knowledge on seed collection time, storage strategy, and effective pre-sowing treatment, which might contribute to enhance propagation and use of Bituminaria species for multiple purposes. Under this perspective, the future characterization of additional Bituminaria genetic resources from other Mediterranean populations will have remarkable importance.

Basal Cell Adenoma: About Four Cases

Benign tumor of the salivary glands, composed of basaloid cells of architecture most often ductal and tubular or in nests (OMS 2017). We report the case of 4 patients carrying basal cell adenoma diagnosed at the department of pathological anatomy CHU MOHAMMED VI MARRAKECH. These are three women and one man. The average age was 49 years old. The clinical examination found a unilateral parotid mass gradually increasing in size. All the patients benefited from an ultrasound which was in favor of a homogeneous hypoechoic lobulated formation with posterior reinforcement evoking a pleomorphic adenoma. The patients benefited from a total parotidectomy. Macroscopic examination found a thick-walled, hemorrhagic-cystic formation in one patient. Microscopic examination showed a benign encapsulated tumor proliferation of compact architecture, in situ clusters and in channels with eosinophilic contents. . The epithelial cells have a basaloid appearance bordered at the periphery by a palisade cell base. They are of small to medium size, provided with ovoid cores with fine chromatin. The cytoplasm is abundant basophilic. The myoepithelial cells are sometimes cuboid, sometimes fusiform. The nuclei are discreetly elongated hyperchromic. The cytoplasm is scarce eosinophilic.The basal cell adenoma is a rare salivary tumor representing less than 3.7%. It occurs mainly in the elderly with a range of 57 to 70 years. Clinically, it is in most cases a mobile solitary mass of firm consistency. The tumor has a monomorphic appearance due to the predominance of basaloid cells. The differential diagnosis is primarily with basal cell adenocarcinoma and adenoid cystic carcinoma.

The Contribution of Calcium to Changes in Leaf Anatomical Character of Oil Palm Seedlings (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) under Drought Stress

The research was purposed (1) to know the effects of drought stress on changes in leaf anatomical character of oil palm seedlings (2) to know the contribution of calcium in cell compactness and increase the structural strength of leaf tissue so that oil palm seedlings were more tolerant to drought stress. This experiment was laid out following a split plot design with three blocks as replication. Main plot consists of drought stress levels, that are field capacity (FTSW 1.00), moderate drought stress (FTSW 0.35) and severe drought stress (FTSW 0.15). The fraction of transpirable soil water (FTSW) is a method for evaluating gradually increasing drought stress based on the amount of water loss due to transpiration. Meanwhile, subplot consists of four doses of calcium (Ca), that are of 0.0 g/seedlings, 0.04 g/seedlings, 0.08 g/seedlings, and 0.12 g/seedlings. Calcium fertilizer used is calcium sulfate (CaSO4) pure analysis. Leaf anatomical character was observed including the epidermal length and epidermal width; hypodermal length and hypodermal width; palisade cell length and palisade cell width; sponge cell length and sponge cell width; mesophyll tissue thickness; xylem and phloem diameter. The results showed that moderate and severe drought stress reduced epidermal cell length, upper hypodermal cell width, mesophyll thickness, palisade width and phloem diameter of leaf vessels. The applications of calcium to the leaf of oil palm seedlings under drought stresses were able to increased in the sponge cell length at a Ca dosage of 0.04 g/seedlings; increased lower hypodermal width and diameter phloem at a Ca dosage of 0.04 g/seedlings; and increased diameter xylem of leaves vessel at a Ca dosage of 0.12 g/seedlings.