Light Intensity Modulates the Accumulation of Carbohydrates, Antioxidant Enzymes and Production of Iceberg Lettuce under Tropical Conditions

High solar radiation in tropical regions can affect the development, physiology, and biochemistry of plants. Our aim with this research was to evaluate the biochemical responses and production of iceberg lettuce cultivars under environments with different shadings. An experiment under field conditions was installed in a 4 × 4 factorial scheme. Four cultivars of iceberg lettuce (Great Lakes, Winslow, Delicia, and Balsamo) and four environments with different shadings (three types of shading screens: red, ChromatiNet®, and black; and treatment under the full sun) were evaluated. Forty-five days after transplanting, the plants were harvested, and the biomass was weighed to obtain the fresh consumable part (FCP) and the biochemical parameters: total soluble sugar (TSS), reducing sugar (RS), and the activity of SOD, CAT, and POD. We found that shading modulates biochemical and productive responses of iceberg lettuce, and the main microclimatic factor related to these responses was solar radiation. We observed a negative correlation between RS and FCP. The solar radiation between 16 and 18 MJ·m−2·day−1, observed in the environments with a black screen and ChromatiNet®, promoted the highest activity of the SOD enzyme and average levels of TSS and RS, providing higher FCP of the cultivars Delícia and Balsamo in high temperatures period.

Morphological and phylogenetic relations of members of the genus Coelastrella (Scenedesmaceae, Chlorophyta) from the Ural and Khentii Mountains (Russia, Mongolia)

We describe the morphological features and the phylogenetic relationships of five morphologically similar strains belonging to the genus Coelastrella, which live in different ecological and geographical conditions of terrestrial ecosystems: in the Ural Mountains (Polar, Subpolar, and Northern Urals of Russia) and the Khentii Mountains (Russia and Mongolia). We analysed algal strains stored in the Culture Collection of Algae of the Institute of Biology, Syktyvkar, Russia (SYKOA Ch-045-09, SYKOA Ch-047-11, SYKOA Ch-072-17) and the Culture Collection of Algae at Herbarium of the Siberian Institute of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, Irkutsk, Russia (IRK-A 2, IRK-A 173). By light microscopy, all samples were assigned to Coelastrella terrestris. However, the phylogenetic analyses based on the nucleotide sequences of 18S rDNA and ITS1-ITS2 showed that only one strain belongs to C. terrestris (IRK-A 173). Other samples were closer to C. oocystiformis (SYKOA Ch-045-09; IRK-A 2) and C. aeroterrestrica (SYKOA Ch-047-11). The strain SYKOA Ch-072-17 is probably a new species for the genus. These results confirmed the high phenotypic variability and the hidden diversity among the members of this green algal group.

Amplicon-Based Analysis of the Fungal Diversity Across Kenyan Soda Lakes

BackgroundMicroorganisms have been able colonize and thrive in environments characterized by low/high pH, temperature, salt or pressure. Examples of extreme environments are the soda lakes and soda deserts. The objective of this study was to explore the fungal diversity across soda lakes Magadi, Elmenteita, Sonachi and Bogoria in Kenya. A new set of primers was designed to amplify a fragment long enough for the 454-pyrosequencing technology. Results Analysis of the amplicons generated showed that the new primers amplified for eukaryotic groups. A total of 153,634 quality-filtered, non-chimeric sequences were used for community diversity analysis. The sequence reads were clustered into 502 operational taxonomic Units (OTUs) at 97% similarity using BLASTn analysis of which 432 were affiliated to known fungal phylotypes and the rest to other eukaryotes. Fungal OTUs were distributed across 107 genera affiliated to the phylum Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Glomeromycotina and Incertae Sedis. The Phylum Ascomycota was the most abundant phylotype. Overall, fifteen (15) genera (Chaetomium, Monodictys, Arthrinium, Cladosporium, Fusarium, Myrothecium, Phyllosticta, Coniochaeta, Diatrype, Sarocladium, Sclerotinia, Aspergillus, Preussia and Eutypa) accounted for 65.3% of all the reads. The Genus Cladosporium was detected across all the samples at varying percentages with the highest being water from Lake Bogoria (51.4%). Good’s coverage estimator values ranged between 97 and 100%, an indication that the dominant phylotypes were represented in the data. ConclusionThese results provide useful insights that can guide cultivation dependent studies in order to understand the physiology and biochemistry of the as yet uncultured taxa.

STUDY OF KINETIN TRAETMENT ON GROWTH AND ACTIVITY OF SOME ANTIOXIDANT ENZYMES OF SPINACH UNDER SALT STRESS

Soil salinity reduces water availability of plant roots via negative (low) osmosis potential, as well as decrease of germination dynamics of plant seeds by ionic toxicity of Na and Cl, Significant differences in fruit-set, yield, photosynthetic rates, stomatal conductance, total chlorophyll content, proline, In general, salinity affects almost every aspect of the physiology and biochemistry of plants. This experiment was conducted on a private farm in Babylon Governorate at the period from 1/10/ 2013 to 15/5/ 2014, to study the effect of Kinetin treatment with three concentrations (0, 20 & 40 mg /liter ) and the quality of irrigation water in three levels ( 1.3 , 5 & 10) dS.m-1 the water salinity increased the POX and CAT activity, sodium and proline contents in leaves, resulting in decreased growth and leaf contents of NPK, The Kinetin applications alleviated negative effects of saline water by increasing dry weights of roots and NPK contents in leaves with an increasing of POX and CAT activity, and reduction of sodium contents in leaves.

Effect of Paclobutrazol on the Physiology and Biochemistry of Ophiopogon japonicus

Ophiopogon japonicus is a commonly used Chinese medicine with multiple pharmacological effects. To increase the yield of O. japonicus, paclobutrazol is widely used during the cultivation, and residues of paclobutrazol cause undesired side effects of O. japonicus. In this study, the effect of different concentrations of paclobutrazol on O. japonicus was investigated, and the final residual amount of paclobutrazol in the plant sample was determined by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS); cell morphology was observed by transmission electron microscopy. The inhibitory effect of paclobutrazol on plant height and the stimulatory effect on root elongation were concentration-dependent from 0.6 to 11.3 g/L, reaching a maximum of about 28% and 67%, respectively. However, when the concentration was 22.5 g/L, these effects were significantly weakened, and the same trend was observed for the tuber root weight. Paclobutrazol caused the cell wall of O. japonicus to thicken, making the cells smaller and more densely arranged. Paclobutrazol also inhibited bacterial growth, irrespective of the concentration. Considering the residual concentration after application and the effects on growth, the application of 1.3 g/L or 2.8 g/L paclobutrazol can increase the accumulation of effective ingredients while promoting production, reducing application costs, and maximizing farmers’ profit.

Ocular Inserts – A Potential Ocular Controlled Drug Delivery Systems

Ophthalmic drug delivery is one of the most exciting and difficult areas of research for pharmaceutical scientists. The eye's anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry render it impenetrable to outside chemicals. The capacity to maintain a therapeutic level of the drug at the site of action for an extended period of time is a significant hurdle in ocular therapy. The ocular insert represents a substantial development in the treatment of eye illness by extending the duration of the therapeutic level of the medicine at the site of action. They are constructed of a polymeric matrix that may or may not contain a pharmaceutical agent. The medicine can then be introduced into the polymeric support as a dispersion or solution. They have a number of advantages, including increased ocular residence and prolonged pharmaceutical release into the eye. The insert is composed of a body component that is tailored to fit within the eyelid's lachrymal canaliculus. The inserts are classed as insoluble, soluble, or bioerodible based on their solubility. The drug is released from the insert by diffusion, osmosis, and bioerosion. This review aimed to provide a brief overview of Ocular Inserts – A Potential Ocular Controlled Drug Delivery Systems.

НАСЛЕДИЕ АКАДЕМИКА Л.А. ОРБЕЛИ: ИНСТИТУТУ ЭВОЛЮЦИОННОЙ ФИЗИОЛОГИИ И БИОХИМИИ ИМ. И.М. СЕЧЕНОВА РАН 65 ЛЕТ

The history of I.M. Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry is reviewed with emphasis on continuity in the activities of its directors starting from academician Leon Abgarovich Orbeli, the founder and the first director thereof.

Effect of Trace Elements Accumulation on Mangrove Ecosystem and Their Interaction with Humic Substances: The Case of Nickel and Iron

Mangroves are areas of permanent preservation, but anthropogenic interference in this ecosystem (for example the launching of pollutants from industrial, mining, fertilizer by farmers, sewage) is increasing startlingly. Preserve and look for ways to bioremediate mangroves is fundamental, since these maintain the productivity of coastal ecosystems and is thus regarded as a natural nursery. The need to study the mangroves has been growing in recent years, particularly in respect to the environmental characteristics of this ecosystem. This chapter aimed to draw a parallel between the damage that can be caused by the trace elements nickel and iron on the mangrove ecosystem, more specifically affecting the nutrition of mangrove plants, in addition to showing possible effects of the interaction of these metals with humic substances of organic matter acting on the mitigation of stresses caused to the ecosystem under study. Through surveys of the information covered in this chapter, it can be observed that the presence of trace elements such as Iron and Nickel at high levels can cause eminent stress to the plant structure within the scope of its sedimentary physiology and biochemistry. It is necessary to subsidize further studies so that it is explicit and approved by the scientific community that, this environment, which is sensitive and important, the basis for various trophic levels, needs greater attention from government officials for its preservation, as well as the restoration of those many mangroves that are polluted by being close to urban places, receiving an exacerbated supply of pollutants.