Prioritization and selection of high fuelwood producing plant species at Boset District, Central Ethiopia: an ethnobotanical approach

Background In Ethiopia, about 92.3% of all the fuelwood (firewood and/or charcoal) is consumed for cooking, heating and lighting purposes by domestic households and the demand is growing from 10 to 14%. However, there are little/no practical experiences or documented indigenous knowledge on how traditional people identify and select high fuelwood producing plant species with short rotation periods at Boset District. Therefore, the present study was aimed at: (1) selecting and documenting high fuelwood producing plant species at Boset District; (2) identifying major predictor variables that influence the prioritization and selection of species; and (3) develop a Generalized Linear Model (GLM) to predict the selection of species. Methods A total of 96 informants comprising 59 men and 37 women between the ages of 18 and 81 were sampled. Data were collected using structured interviews, guided field walk, discussions and field observations. Results Collected data indicated that 88.5% of the informants involved in firewood collection, while 90% practiced charcoal making. A total of 1533.60 Birr per household on average was earned annually from this activity. A total of 25 fuelwood producing plant species were identified and documented at Boset District. Of these, Acacia senegal, Acacia tortilis and Acacia robusta were the three best prioritized and selected indigenous high fuelwood producing species. Prosopis juliflora, Parthenium hysterophorus, Azadirachta indica, Calotropis procera, Cryptostegia grandiflora, Lantana camara and Senna occidentalis further grouped under introduced fuelwood species. Prediction of GLM assured sampled Kebeles and source of income generated from fuelwood species positively and significantly (p < 0.001) related to selection of species. Higher efficiency to provide energy and heat; little or no smoke or soot; easier to cut and split the wood and easier availability were some of the main selection criteria. Conclusions This study provides valuable information in selecting and documenting of high fuelwood producing plant species for proper management and sustainable use at Boset District. The three most selected species (A. senegal, A. tortilis and A. robusta) should be further evaluated at laboratory to determine their calorific value and combustion characteristics.

Látex de plantas da família Apocynaceae: Uma revisão

O látex vegetal é excretado pelo sistema de defesa da planta, em resposta a estresses. Em certos casos, o látex pode apresentar toxicidade, mas sua utilização é viável, pois seus componentes podem possuir atividades biológicas variadas, como: antibacteriana; antitumoral; antioxidante; antifúngica, anti-inflamatório; larvicida, dentre outras. Diferentes famílias botânicas produzem látex, uma das principais e mais abrangente é a Apocynaceae. Diante dessa abrangência, torna-se necessário a realização de estudos sobre a aplicabilidade do látex. Deste modo, o presente estudo teve como objetivo promover a busca por trabalhos científicos que descrevessem sobre o uso do látex das espécies: Calotropis procera (Aiton) W.T. Aiton; Cryptostegia grandiflora R. Br; Cryptostegia madagascariensis Bojer; Hancornia speciosa Gomes; Himatanthus drasticus Mart.; Allamanda blanchetti A. DC. por meio de uma revisão bibliográfica. Os trabalhos científicos foram selecionados sob critérios de exclusão e inclusão, nas bases de dados: “Periódicos CAPES”, “Science Direct”, “Scielo”, “PubMed”,”Google Scholar” e “SciFinder” sob um intervalo de tempo de 37 anos (1984-2021), sendo utilizados trabalhos nos idiomas: inglês e português. Os resultados apontam que o látex das espécies, podem atuar como: antimicrobiano, anti-helmíntico, antitumoral, anticâncer, anti-inflamatório, quimioterapêutico, larvicida, inseticida, dentre outras atividades. Conclui-se que, o látex vegetal é uma fonte promissora para a síntese de fármacos, repelentes, cosméticos, e pode estimular pesquisas que visem a extração consciente de recursos naturais.

A REVIEW ON SOME CULTIVATED AND NATIVE POISONOUS PLANTS IN ADEN GOVERNORATE, YEMEN

Plant poisoning is a health concern in many countries where plants are used either accidently, especially among children, or intentionally for purposes such as assassination, suicide, hunting, fishing and treating various diseases. Presently, despite the implementation of toxicology surveillance systems in many countries, plant poisoning continues to be a preventable cause of morbidity and mortality. In the Aden governorate of Yemen, there are no laws or regulations for the prevention of plant poisoning, despite the existence of several poisonous species in gardens, and as roadside trees planted by the local authority, or growing wildly in public areas. In addition, there is a lack of scientific studies on the risks of these poisonous plants. Therefore, we undertook this study, based on scientific review, to document and illustrate the botanical, geographical and toxicological characteristics of fourteen poisonous plants collected from different districts of Aden governorate. The documented poisonous species (6 species) belong to Apocynaceae followed by Fabaceae (2 species), whereas Aristolochiaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Dracaenaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Meliaceae, and Verbenaceae are represented by one species each. The toxic parts of the majority of studied poisonous species are the whole plant, latex, seeds, and fruits. Cardiotoxicity, cytotoxicity, gastrointestinal toxicity, and inflammation of skin and mucous membrane are the main clinical manifestations. They are caused by varying amounts of plant toxins such as cardiac glycosides in Calotropis procera, Cryptostegia grandiflora, Nerium oleander and Thevetia peruviana, and cytotoxic toxins such as toxalbumins in Abrus precatorius and Ricinus communis, aristolochic acids in Aristolochia bracteolate, and vinca alkaloids in Catharanthus roseus, as well as gastrointestinal toxins such as cucurbitacins in Citrullus colocynthis, and tannins in Caesalpinia pulcherrima. Inflammation of skin and mucous membrane is caused by calcium oxalate crystals in Calotropis procera latex, and soluble protein in Cryptostegia grandiflora latex. Moreover, Azadirachta indica caused a number of toxicities attributed partially to tetranortriterpenoids, while Sansevieria trifasciata toxicity was reported to be low. The significance of this work is to promote the awareness among the local authority to take legal actions against plant poisoning. In addition, it provides the physicians with scientific information for the diagnosis and treatment of poisoning by some plants. It is hoped that this study motivates researchers to conduct further research on poisonous plants throughout Yemen.

Cryptostegia grandiflora (rubber vine).

C. grandiflora is a highly invasive weed in semi-arid natural ecosystems, especially dry or monsoonal rainforest. It has the potential to spread much further, especially in Australia where it poses a threat to national parks. The historical evidence suggests that there is a significant lag period before the plant assumes an invasive status. Thus, those countries where the plant has been cultivated as an ornamental or as a crop, but where it has not yet become invasive, are at future risk of invasion.

Evaluation of Antimicrobial Activity Determination and Phytochemical Investigation in Selected Plants

The work was intended to investigate the antibacterial activity of the various medicinal plants viz. Calotropis procera, Jatropha curcas, Cryptostegia grandiflora, Clerodendron inermis and Cassia tora, collected from Indore (Madhya Pradesh, India) region. The aim of the study, with an objective, was to evaluate the antimicrobial potentials and to determine the zone of inhibition of extracts of selected plants on some medically important bacterial strains. The antimicrobial activity was determined in the extracts using agar disc diffusion method. Various plant extracts were tested for the antibacterial activities against Bacillus subtilis, Salmonella typhi, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Corynebacterium diphteriae. Zone of inhibition of extracts were compared with that of standards like streptomycin. The outcomes illustrated that the noteworthy inhibition of the bacterial growth was shown against the tested organisms. The phytochemical analyses of the plants were also carried out. The microbial activity of the selected plant was due to the presence of various secondary metabolites. Hereafter, these plants can be used to discover bioactive natural products that may serve as leads in the development of new pharmaceuticals research activities.