Morphobiology and assessment of the introduction possibilities of Leonurus cardiaca L.

The data on the study of morphometric parameters of one of the most valuable medicinal plants – Leonurus cardiaca L., growing in the collection site of medicinal plants of the Botanical garden of the OSU are presented. The parameters of samples, obtained from the cities of Samara and Kazan were compared . All the studied plants have passed the full cycle of their development with the formation of viable seeds. It is established, that the studied species adapts well to new growing conditions, while the morphometric parameters vary within the middle – very high levels of variability. Analysis of seed morphometry showed that the maximum values of the length and width of the seed are typical for samples from Kazan, the weight of 1000 seeds varies from 7.3 g to 9.2 g, depending on the weather conditions of a particular year of research. The assessment of introduction resistance made it possible to classify the species as stable and promising for cultivation.

Interspecific Variation between the American Quercus virginiana and Mediterranean Quercus Species in Terms of Seed Nutritional Composition, Phytochemical Content, and Antioxidant Activity

This study aimed to evaluate a complete nutritional composition in the seeds Quercus virginiana to compare this nutritional composition with three Mediterranean Quercus species. We analyzed the seed morphometry, proximate composition, phytochemicals, and antioxidant capacity. The seed of Q. virginiana presented the smaller seed size and weight, while Q. suber presented the highest values. Moreover, Q. virginiana seeds showed the highest amounts of sugar and total lipids, digestibility, energy, palmitic acid, and stearic acid. On the other hand, Q. virginiana seeds showed the lowest values of linoleic acid. Moreover, Q. coccifera seeds presented the highest total phenolics and flavonoids contents and antioxidant activity. The clustering analysis revealed a significant similarity in seed morphometry and nutritional composition between the Mediterranean Q. ilex and Q. suber, grouping with the American Q. virginiana, but to a considerable distance; by contrast, the Mediterranean Q. coccifera was the most distant in the clustering analysis. The content of phenolics and flavonoids and digestibility value were the variables that contributed to the separation to a greater extent in the clustering of the four species. The nutritional and biological activity assessment of plant seed may be considered as an essential mission to find new sustainable sources and novel chemical agents. In this sense, Quercus seeds may be an alternative and a competitive food source for the agri-food industry.

Seed Morphometry of Native Indonesian Orchids in the Genus Dendrobium

In this study, seeds of 10 species of epiphytic orchids were examined using light and scanning electron microscope. Quantitative and qualitative characters were analyzed. All the presently investigated seeds showed are transparent with visible embryo and remarkable embryo color variations (such as pale yellow, light yellow, shiny yellow to yellow, orange, and white). The species showed two groups in seed shape (fusiform and filiform), prolate and oval-shaped embryo, positioned at the center of the long axis and near apical pole. Embryo in prolate shaped and near apical pole position was only in D. antennatum. Based on our investigation, there are variations in seed and embryo volume as well as percentage air space in different taxa of orchids. The highest air space percentages were found in D. leporinum. According to the ornamentation of testa cells, 3 types of seeds were discovered in this genus. Additionally, the clear variation in the testa ornamentation pattern includes the species of D. leporinum, where the testa cells were in the medial regular rectangles, but in the apical and basal pole they are polygonal and irregularly oriented; the testa cells of D. antennatum are polygonal and irregularly oriented and those of D. purpureum are longitudinally oriented with regular rectangles.

SEED MORPHOMETRY AND GERMINATION OF Aechmea costantinii (Mez) L. B. Sm. (BROMELIACEAE)

ABSTRACT: The potential economic and environmental benefits brought by bromeliads production are significant. It is noteworthy that the high degree of degradation of some ecosystems as the Atlantic forest involve reduction of these species. This factor has been worsened by the elevated degree of endemism of these plants, e.g. Aechmea costantinii (Mez) L. B. Sm., which is a high ornamental potential bromeliad but understudied. Thus, the present research aimed to characterize physical and morphological features of A. costantinii fruit and seeds, describing the different stages of post-seminal development, as well as evaluating seed germination behavior with respect to temperature and light. For this purpose, we used fruit and seeds freshly harvested from an Atlantic Forest fragment, located in the city of Maceió, Alagoas State, Brazil. Tests were carried out under a completely randomized design, in a 6x4 factorial scheme (temperature x light) with four replications of 25 seeds. The polyspermic fruit are of tricarpellate/triloculate type and originated from inferior ovary, containing an average of 73 elliptical and mucilaginous seeds with basal embryo. The germination is epigeal-type and occurs in a great intensity and high speed at 35 °C, regardless light presence or quality.