In vitro propagation and conservation of Leontopodium palibinianum Beauverd (Asteraceae), endemic species of Primorye Territory

The microclonal propagation protocol including initiation, propagation, rootage, and adaptation in the premises of the Botanical Garden-Institute FEB RAS was developed for the first time for a vulnerable endemic species of Primorye Territory Leontopodium palibinianum (Palibin’s edelweiss). It was shown that the medium’s mineral composition as well as changes in the concentration of exogenous growth regulators under the same light and temperature conditions had a substantial impact the processes of growth and morphogenesis of Palibin’s edelweiss. Optimal components of the microclonal propagation medium of the species were full strength Murashige and Skoog medium. Reducing in the salt amount leads to a slowdown and arrest of in vitro culture growth. Adding 2 mg/l of 6-BAP to the full strength MS medium led to mass production of plant material with the propagation factor of 9.8. It should be noted that GK3 has a positive effect on the Palibin’s edelweiss culture development in vitro when used together with low concentrations of 6-BAP. When 2.4-D was used at the concentration of 1 mg/l in the medium, direct organogenesis was observed after 14 days of cultivation and further accompanied by formation of additional plant shoots. Also, addition of 1 mg/l 2iP to the MS medium had the same effect. The growth regulators caused a low propagation factor (2.4), which in turn led to production of 2–3 regenerative plants. The IBA concentration of 2 mg/l stimulated formation of the root system capable of positively withstanding acclimatization under unsterile conditions, but lowering the IBA concentration to 1 mg/L of the medium also contributed to formation of such root system, with a slower pace. During acclimatization to ex vitroconditions plant survival did not depend on the types of mixtures being used. After the acclimatization plants are stretched in height and produced additional shoots on 20–25th day.

In-vitro propagation and phytochemical profiling of a highly medicinal and endemic plant species of the Himalayan region (Saussurea costus)

Efficient protocols for callus induction and micro propagation of Saussurea costus (Falc.) Lipsch were developed and phytochemical diversity of wild and in-vitro propagated material was investigated. Brown and red compact callus was formed with frequency of 80–95%, 78–90%, 70–95% and 65–80% from seeds, leaf, petiole and root explants, respectively. MS media supplemented with BAP (2.0 mgL−1), NAA (1.0 mgL−1) and GA3 (0.25 mgL−1) best suited for multiple shoot buds initiation (82%), while maximum shoot length was formed on media with BAP (1.5 mgL−1), NAA (0.25 mgL−1) and Kinetin (0.5 mgL−1). Full strength media with IAA (0.5 mgL−1) along with IBA (0.5 mgL−1) resulted in early roots initiation. Similarly, maximum rooting (87.57%) and lateral roots formation (up to 6.76) was recorded on full strength media supplemented with BAP (0.5 mgL−1), IAA (0.5 mgL−1) and IBA (0.5 mgL−1). Survival rate of acclimatized plantlets in autoclaved garden soil, farmyard soil, and sand (2:1:1) was 87%. Phytochemical analysis revealed variations in biochemical contents i.e. maximum sugar (808.32 µM/ml), proline (48.14 mg/g), ascorbic acid (373.801 mM/g) and phenolic compounds (642.72 mgL−1) were recorded from callus cultured on different stress media. Nonetheless, highest flavenoids (59.892 mg/g) and anthocyanin contents (32.39 mg/kg) were observed in in-vitro propagated plants. GC–MS analysis of the callus ethyl acetate extracts revealed 24 different phytochemicals. The variability in secondary metabolites of both wild and propagated plants/callus is reported for the first time for this species. This study may provide a baseline for the conservation and sustainable utilization of S. costus with implications for isolation of unique and pharmacologically active compounds from callus or regenerated plantlets.

Jewish national units among the troops of Ataman G.M. Semyonov in the Transbaikal, 1919-1920

This article is based on a wide range of sources, including documents of the Russian State Military Archive. It tells about a little-known national white counterrevolution formation created by Ataman G.M. Semyonov in early 1919 and recruited from the Jewish population of Transbaikalia. The uniqueness of this separate Jewish company lies in the fact that it was the only regular armed formation consisting of Jews and participating in combat action on the side of the White movement. In this way, at the very beginning of 1919, a detachment that included a Jewish company fought against the Red partisans and internationalists in the Yakut taiga on the Magyar rift. In addition, the Jewish divisions carried out garrison service in different settlements of the Semyonovskii kingdom. During the summer of 1919, underground Bolshevik cells began to form, which in the spring of 1920 led to a revolt in the white Jewish units. An insurrection in the village of Aleksandrovka was suppressed by Semyononvs forces. On 23 April 1920 a separate Jewish company in full strength successfully went over to the side of the Reds in the village of Nerchensky Zavod. In response, the Red command decided to create the 4th Rifle Partisan Regiment from among the Jewish partisans who had gone over to the Bolshevik side. Thereafter, this regiment was transformed into the 15th Infantry Regiment of the People's Revolutionary Army of the Far Eastern Republic. In the fall of 1920, it took part in heavy battles for Borzya and Dauria. All this is disclosed in more detail in this article. The Jewish national divisions were only one of the ethno-confessional units of the troops of ataman G.M. Semenov, next to Chinese, Serbian, Buryat, Mongolian, Caucasian and Tatar formations. Their activities in 1919 were mostly garrison work in nature, but they also had to fight against the partisans in extremely difficult conditions. The transition of these ethnic groups to the Reds was not surprising, at a time when the White movement in Transbaikalia was already in agony. The article also pays attention to the position of Jews in Transbaikalia during the Civil War and the attitude of Ataman G.M. Semenov to the Jewish matter.

EFFECT OF NUTRIENT SOLUTION ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF CHERRY TOMATO VARIETIES IN SOILLESS CULTURE

Nutrient solution and its nutritional compositions may have the effect on growth and fruit quality attributes of cherry tomato. To avoid the build-up of toxins, mineral deficiencies, nutrition abnormalities, or the spread of disease, producers should use optimum level of nutrient solution. Therefore, the present experiment was conducted to identify a suitable strength of nutrient solution for cherry tomato in hydroponic system. Treatment considered six levels of nutrient solution [viz., S1: ½ strength Rahman and Inden (2012), S2: ¾ strength Rahman and Inden (2012), S3: Full strength Rahman and Inden (2012), S4: ½ strength Hoagland and Arnon No. 2(1940), S5: ¾ strength Hoagland and Arnon No. 2 (1940) and S6: Full strength Hoagland and Arnon No. 2 (1940)] and two varieties [viz., V1: Local market cherry tomato (red), V2: Irelands cherry tomato (yellow)]. Growth and yield contributing characters, quality parameters, physiological traits and biochemical composition were analyzed. The maximum plant height, number of leaves per plant, first flowering, number of flowers per cluster, number of fruit per cluster, number of cluster per plant, average individual fruit weight and average cluster weight per plant were found in S3. Meanwhile, V2 performed better in respect of plant height, number of leaves per plant, first flowering, number of flowers per cluster, number of fruit per cluster, number of cluster per plant, average individual fruit weight and average cluster weight per plant. Therefore, cherry tomato cv. V2 can be cultured in hydroponic system with applying S3 (Full strength Rahman and Inden nutrient solution).

On the Limit Behaviour of Moment Resisting Connections Under Uncertainties

Moment resisting connections are mainly designed to transfer bending moments and shear forces. Generally speaking, the design strength of a moment resisting connection can be classified as full-strength (moment capacity of the connection equal to or greater than that of the connected member) or partial-strength (the moment capacity of the connection less than that of the connected member). Similar remarks can be made regarding the stiffness defining connection rigid or semi-rigid if compared to the stiffness of the connected member. In the past, full-strength connections have been widely adopted especially in moment resisting frames and their structural performance relied on the proper behaviour of welding. However, the research following the 1994 Northridge and 1995 Kobe earthquakes demonstrated the lower than expected performance of welded connections, stimulating the onset and development of pre-qualified connections to be adopted especially in seismic areas. Among these connections the most studied ones are those belonging to the Reduced Beam Section (RBS) typology, being the so-called “dogbone” connection the most adopted. The dogbone presents a bending strength and a flexural stiffness lesser than the ones of the original structural member. Recently, the authors proposed a special device suitably designed to realize an innovative moment resisting connection for steel beam elements belonging to the RBS typology. Such a device, called Limited Resistance Plastic Device (LRPD), is constituted by three different portions: the central one is devoted to the onset and development of plastic deformations and presents geometrical dimensions reduced with respect to those of the original structural member; the external ones are devoted to recover the stiffness of beam-device system to that of the original structural member and present greater geometrical dimensions. This latter remark allows to affirm that, from a connectivity point of view, the stiffness of LRPD at the column-beam interface, is greater than the one of the original structural member. Another fundamental remark is that the structural connections are intrinsically characterized by uncertainties related either to geometrical or to material ones. Usually, the effect of uncertainties is covered by the use of safety coefficients and the analyses are performed referring only to the nominal values of the geometrical and mechanical characteristics. However, in order to perform a more complete interpretation of the mechanical behaviour of the studied connections, a non-deterministic analysis approach can be used. Aim of the paper is the characterization of the structural behaviour of the referenced connections (“dogbone” and LRPD) taking into account the main geometrical uncertainties and that related to the material strength by performing suitably Monte Carlo simulations and by determining the relevant M-N domains. Starting from the described characterization, different commercial steel profiles will be considered in order to build a series of M-N domains useful to quantify the safety level and the range of usability of the two different RBS approaches. Finally, the implemented applications will lead to demonstrate the greater reliability of LRPD compared to the classical dogbone.

Minimal Media Strength for In vitro Conservation of Strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) Cultures

An experiment for strawberry Fragaria ananassa cv. Festival in vitro conservation of cultures for nine months was studied. Three MS medium strength (full strength MS, ¾ MS, ½ MS, and ¼ MS) and the storage period (3, 6, and 9 months) in slowing down or reducing growth. Results showed a significant effect of the medium salt strength, as the full strength treatment was higher by achieved the highest percentage of viability (survival %) and storage characteristics of cultures (N%, P%, carbohydrates%, protein %) and regeneration ability characteristics (shoots and roots number and length). Three-month storage period achieved the highest rate compared to the nine-month storage period, which recorded the lowest average for the studied characteristics. The full strength treatment for three months storage period realized the highest rate compared to treatment ¼ strength for the storage period of nine months, which recorded the lowest rate of the studied traits. The application of minimal strength for in vitro conservation allows strawberry cultures to remain viable with a slow growth rate and a significant increase in the storage life of the tissues to nine months.

The Efficient and Easy Micropropagation Protocol of Phyllanthus niruri

Phyllanthus niruri (P. niruri) or Dukung Anak is a herbal plant in the Phyllanthaceae family that has been used traditionally to treat various ailments such as diabetes, jaundice, flu and cough. P. niruri contains numerous medicinal benefits such as anti-tumor and anti-carcinogenic properties and a remedy for hepatitis B viral infection. Due to its beneficial properties, P. niruri is overharvested and wild plants become scarce. This study was conducted to develop an appropriate in vitro culture protocol for the mass production of P. niruri. An aseptic culture of P. niruri was established followed by multiplication of explants using different types of basal medium and its strength and plant growth regulators manipulation. This study also established the induction of in vitro rooting utilizing various types and concentrations of auxin. Treatment of Clorox® with 30% concentration showed the lowest percentage (%) of contamination, 4.44% in P. niruri culture. Nodal segments of P. niruri were successfully induced in full-strength of Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal media with 2.33 number of shoots, 3.11 cm length of shoot and 27.91 number of leaves. In addition, explants in full-strength MS media without any additional cytokinin were recorded as the optimum results for all parameters including the number of shoots (5.0 shoots), the length of shoots (3.68 cm) and the number of leaves (27.33 leaves). Treatment of 2.5 µM indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) showed the highest number of roots (17.92 roots) and root length (1.29 cm). Rooted explants were transferred for acclimatization, and the plantlet showed over 80% of survival rate. In conclusion, plantlets of P. niruri were successfully induced and multiplied via in vitro culture, which could be a step closer to its commercialization.

Regeneration of Hemidesmus indicus (L.) R. Br. using in vitro nodes: an alternative method for efficient multiplication of shoots

In vivo nodes of Hemidesmus indicus (L.) R. Br. induced healthy multiple shoots with branching in our earlier studies and thus in the present study, potency of in vitro nodes to regenerate shoots was evaluated. In vitro nodes were excised from eight-week-old shoots and placed in Murashige and Skoog’s (MS) medium fortified with sucrose (3%) and different concentrations of 6-benzyladenine (BA) and kinetin (Kn). After eight weeks, optimum of 5.42 ± 0.36 shoots with 100% response were regenerated in medium supplemented with BA (10 µM) and Kn (5 µM). These healthy shoots were placed in full, half and quarter strengths of liquid MS medium fortified with sucrose (1%) and α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA, 1-25 µM) for rooting. Among all the strengths of MS medium, full strength MS medium having 8 µM NAA formed maximum of 3.42 ± 0.55 roots (91.67% response) within four weeks. The protocol is in continuation with earlier study and it was confirmed that a single in vivo nodal explant can regenerate around 385 healthy elongated shoots within 4 months, which will help in mass-propagation of the species.

The Effect of MS Media Strength and Cytokinin in the Induction of Shoots from Shoot Tip Explants of Australian Finger Lime (Citrus australasica cv. Tasty Green)

The Australian Finger Lime (Citrus australasica) is a type of citrus from the Rutaceae family, endemic to the east coast of Australia. The finger lime, loaded with numerous vitamins and renders a unique taste, has also been backed by science to contain essential amounts of antioxidants that are beneficial for cell protection, immune response, cancer prevention, ageing, arthritis and prevention of kidney stones. Current propagation attempts still rely on conventional methods that are less efficient and resulted in the slow establishment of farms for finger lime especially for commercialization purposes. This study focuses on the induction of shoots from shoot tip explants using 6-Benzylaminopurine (BAP) and Kinetin. Aseptic explants were inoculated into Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium of full-strength and half-strength followed by full-strength MS media supplemented with different concentrations of BAP and Kinetin. Results obtained in this study showed no significant differences in terms of the number of axillary shoots produced between explants cultured in full and half-strength MS media. However, the highest number of shoots and increment in shoot length were obtained from MS media supplemented with 2.0 mg/L BAP with the values 1.80 ± 0.27 and 2.56 ± 0.36 cm, respectively. In conclusion, MS media supplemented with 2.0 mg/L BAP was found optimal in the induction of shoots and shoot elongation of C. australasica cv. Tasty Green.