Recent progress in the synthesis of homotropane alkaloids adaline, euphococcinine and N-methyleuphococcinine

The 9-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane ring system is present in several insect- and plant-derived alkaloids. (−)-Adaline (1) and (+)-euphococcinine (2), found in secretions of Coccinelid beetles, and (+)-N-methyleuphococcinine (3), isolated from the Colorado blue spruce Picea pungens, are members of this alkaloid family. Their unique bicyclic system with a quaternary stereocenter, and the potent biological activity exerted by these homotropane alkaloids, make them attractive synthetic targets. This work aims briefly to review the chemical ecology of Adalia bipunctata and the recent methodologies to obtain adaline (1), euphococcinine (2), and N-methyleuphococcinine (3).

Application of stimulating treatment in rooting of conic spruce cuttings

Использование представителей рода ель (Picea L.) многообразно, благодаря уникальному комплексу полезных признаков и свойств. Многие виды имеют в своем составе наследственно обусловленные формы. Их применение сдерживается отсутствием адаптированных технологий размножения посадочного материала. Цель исследования – сравнительная оценка эффективности применения биологически активных препаратов в черенковании ели Коника. Объектом исследования послужила декоративная форма ели сизой (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) с конической кроной (syn.: Picea canadensis cv. conica, Picea glauca f. albertiana cv. conica). Испытаны биологически активные препараты: гетероауксин, циркон, корневин, эпин, экофус, феровит, экстрасол, силиплант. Экспозиция для всех вариантов и контроля (вода) – 18 часов. В обработке материала использован дисперсионный анализ. Установлена различная степень влияния препаратов на регенерационную способность черенков и на показатели последующего развития надземной части и корневых систем. Реакция на применение стимуляторов заметна в оценках каллюсогенеза, количества и протяженности образованных придаточных корней. По общей протяженности корней лучшие результаты дало применение гетероауксина (99,85±6,46 см) и силипланта (99,23±6,36 см), что заметно больше контроля (42,39±4,36 см) и обобщенного среднего значения (65,81±2,06 см). Дисперсионный анализ подтвердил существенность различий между результатами стимулирующей обработки черенков. Наиболее чувствительной оказалась способность к ризогенезу: доля различий, формируемая вариантами опыта, достигла 34,17±0,94%. Результаты укоренения черенков ели Коника свидетельствуют о достаточном для вегетативного размножения потенциале роста и развития надземной массы экзотов в условиях Нижегородской области. The economic use of representatives of the genus spruce (Picea L.) is diverse, thanks to a unique set of useful features and properties. Many species have inherited forms in their composition. Their use is hindered by the lack of adapted technologies for propagation of planting material. The aim of the research is to compare the effectiveness of using biologically active drugs in conic spruce cuttings. The object of research was a decorative form of a blue spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) with a conical crown or spruce 'Conica' (syn.: Picea canadensis cv. conica, Picea glauca f. albertiana cv. conica). Biologically active drugs were tested: heteroauxin, zircon, kornevin, epin, ecofus, ferovit, extrasol, siliplant. Exposure for all options and controls (water) – 18 hours. In the statistical processing of the material, the analysis of variance is used. Various degrees of influence of preparations on the regenerative ability of cuttings and on the indicators of subsequent development of their aboveground part and root systems were established. To a greater extent, the reaction to the use of stimulants is noticeable in the estimates of callus formation, the number and extent of the formed adnexal roots. For the total length of the roots, the best results were obtained using heteroauxin (99.85±6.46 cm) and siliplant (99.23±6.36 cm), which is significantly higher than the control (42.39±4.36 cm) and the generalized average (65.81±2.06 cm). The ANOVA confirmed the significant differences between the results of stimulating treatment of conic spruce cuttings. The most sensitive was the ability to active rhizogenesis: percentage of differences generated by the actual variants, reached 34,17±0,94%, at Fh 2 = 36,21. The results of rooting cuttings indicate sufficient for the vegetative propagation potential of growth and development aboveground mass of exotics in the conditions of Nizhny Novgorod region.

Characterization of Diaporthe spp. associated with spruce decline on Colorado blue spruce in Michigan

Since 2006 there has been a decline in Colorado blue spruce (CBS; Picea pungens) planted as landscape trees and for Christmas tree production throughout the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, United States. This decline is characterized by a slow loss of needles in the lower portion of the tree starting at branch tips, followed by entire branch dieback which gradually progresses upwards over several years. This dieback has been linked to shallow branch cankers visible in the phloem when the bark layer is removed. Isolates in the fungal genus Diaporthe have been consistently isolated from lesion margins on symptomatic branches. Prior to the initial reports of declining CBS in landscape and Christmas trees, Diaporthe was only known as a nursery disease of CBS. To determine the species of Diaporthe linked to the decline of CBS in Michigan, seven gene regions were sequenced from a collection of Diaporthe isolates collected in 2011-2018 from CBS and other coniferous hosts. Subsequent phylogenetic analyses indicated that Diaporthe eres and a novel Diaporthe clade were present on symptomatic CBS in Michigan. The new species Diaporthe brevicancria nov. is described, and Koch’s postulates were confirmed for D. brevicancria nov. and D. eres. Diaporthe brevicancria nov. produced the largest cankers in greenhouse pathogenicity trials and dual inoculations of D. brevicancria nov. and D. eres produced intermediate cankers.

Bud blight (Gemmamyces piceae) in the eastern part of the Krušné hory Mountains

A survey was carried out in 2013–2019 on the life cycle of the bud blight Gemmamyces piceae (Borthw.) Casagrande and the trend assessment in the infestation of the Colorado blue spruce Picea pungens Engelm. stands. Four ecologically different plots were chosen in the Fláje region in the Eastern part of the Krušné hory Mountains. The pycnidia were formed at the beginning of June on buds infested the previous year. Later, in the second half of June, they formed on the spring attack buds. Conidia occurred in the first week of July on the buds of the old infestation, or later in the case of the spring attack buds, in the middle of July. The production of conidia lasted till the end of September. Ascospores occurred in the middle of July and were produced until the end of September. The ability of host trees to sprout became continually weaker, along with the defoliation progress. A distinct decline in the sprouting ability was noticed on stands with a dense crown canopy and on stands with competition of broad-leaved trees – with an admixture of birch.

The Brightest Part of the Forest: A Grit Analysis of an Ontario Children’s Book Award

This study explores how grit manifests in the nominees of Ontario’s Forest of Reading Blue Spruce Award children’s literature competition from 2013-2018. Performing a document analysis (Bowen, 2009), we used a modified version of Duckworth’s (2018) grit scale to gauge the grittiness of the nominees’ protagonists. We found that 28 of the 60 titles portrayed grit with 19 of those titles scoring four or higher on the modified grit scale indicating that protagonists had consistently high scores for the various aspects of grit. Our paper concludes with a discussion about implications to educators seeking to use these books to engage students in discussions about grit and resilience.

Blue sky’s the limit? Somatic embryogenesis as a means of propagating recalcitrant blue spruce (Picea pungens) cultivar Hoopsii

The ‘triple-blue’ cultivar of blue spruce (Picea pungens Hoopsii) is notably recalcitrant towards the realm of traditional vegetative propagation methods. Its ability to naturally proliferate is limited by ovule and embryo abortion during the growing season, leading to low viable seed yield. In this study, we established a protocol using somatic embryogenesis (SE) as a means of propagating this popular ornamental cultivar. We collected cones from Hoopsii trees at seven different timepoints throughout the growing season (mid-June to late July in Ottawa (Plant Hardiness Zone 5A)). Female megagametophytes were harvested following each collection and immature zygotic embryos were plated onto induction media. Early somatic embryos began developing from the embryonic tissue (ET) three to five weeks following induction. The highest ET initiation frequency occurred from embryos collected June 20–July 10, suggesting that developmental stage of the embryo was a significant factor in SE induction. The conversion of mature somatic embryos into plantlets (emblings) was completed in eight–ten weeks at a rate of 92.8%. In this study, we demonstrate that in vitro somatic embryogenesis using our optimized protocol is a fast and prolific method for the mass propagation of Hoopsii blue spruce. This is the first report on the production of somatic Hoopsii emblings.

Relative Salt Tolerance of Four Herbaceous Perennial Ornamentals

Salt tolerant ornamental plants can be irrigated with alternative water sources that are typically saline as a sustainable practice for urban landscaping, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. However, the salt tolerance of many ornamentals is not known. An eight-week greenhouse experiment was conducted to assess the relative salt tolerance of four perennial ornamentals, ‘Angelina’ (Sedum rupestre), ‘Autumn Joy’ (S. telephium), ‘Blue Spruce’ (S. reflexum), and ‘Blue Daze’ (Evolvulus glomeratus). The plants were grown in pots with potting mix substrate and irrigated with control or saline solutions. The electrical conductivities (EC) of the saline solutions were 5.0 and 10.0 mS/cm. Data collected included relative shoot, root, and total dry weight (DW), visual score, shoot tissue concentrations of Na+, Cl−, K+, and Ca2+, and the K+/Na+ ratio. There were significant differences in treatment and varieties for all response variables, and some interactions were also significant, indicating different responses to salinity for the four varieties. Shoot, root, and total DW decreased with increasing salinity for all varieties. Visual score was highest in Autumn Joy and Blue Spruce when treated with EC5 and EC10 and lowest in Angelina and Blue Daze, the latter of which showed symptoms of moderate foliar damage including leaf necrosis, or “burn”, due to salt stress. The concentrations of Na+ and Cl− in the shoot tissue increased with increasing salinity while K+ and Ca2+ and the K+/Na+ ratio tended to decrease. Of the four varieties of herbaceous perennial ornamentals evaluated in this study, Autumn Joy and Blue Spruce were considered the most relatively salt tolerant while Angelina and Blue Daze were least tolerant.