The Third Report of Colletotrichum japonicum Worldwide

This paperreports the first finding of Colletotrichum japonicum (Hemmi) Bedlan on Berberis aquifolium Pursh [= Mahonia aquifolium (Pursh) Nutt.] in Poland. The fungus was collected in the Botanical Garden of Maria Curie-Skłodowska University (UMCS) in Lublin. This is the second locality of the species in Europe and the third worldwide. In this paper, morphological characteristics, microphotographs, and distribution comments are provided.

Determination of Cytotoxic Activity of Selected Isoquinoline Alkaloids and Plant Extracts Obtained from Various Parts of Mahonia aquifolium Collected in Various Vegetation Seasons

Melanoma is a serious form of skin cancer that begins in cells known as melanocytes. While it is less common than the other forms of skin cancer, melanoma is more dangerous because of its ability to spread to other organs more rapidly if it is not treated at an early stage. The number of people diagnosed with melanoma has increased over the last few decades. The most widely used treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. The search for new drugs to treat various cancers is one of the most important challenges of modern scientific research. Some isoquinoline alkaloids found in different plant species have strong cytotoxic effects on various cancer cells. We tested the effect of isoquinoline alkaloids and extracts obtained from various parts of Mahonia aquifolium collected in various vegetation seasons on human melanoma cancer cells and our data indicated that investigated extract induced significant reduction in cell viability of Human malignant melanoma cells (A375), human Caucasian malignant melanoma cell line (G361), and human malignant melanoma cell line (SKMEL3 cancer cell lines in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Differences in cytotoxic activity were observed for extracts obtained from various parts of Mahonia aquifolium. Significant differences were also obtained in the alkaloids content and cytotoxic activity of the extracts depending on the season of collection of plant material. Our investigations exhibit that these plant extracts can be recommended for further in vivo experiments in order to confirm the possibility of their use in the treatment of human melanomas.

New records and noteworthy data of plants, algae and fungi in SE Europe and adjacent regions, 4

This paper presents new records and noteworthy data on the following taxa in SE Europe and adjacent regions: diatom alga Stauroneis neofossilis, parasitic fungus Anthracoidea arenariae, horsetail Equisetum hyemale, liverwort Harpanthus flotovianus, mosses Fissidens exilis and Rhizomnium punctatum, monocots Epipactis helleborine subsp. orbicularis, Himantoglossum calcaratum subsp. rumelicum and Schoenus nigricans and dicots Calluna vulgaris, Mahonia aquifolium and Willemetia stipitata subsp. albanica.

SHRUB SPECIES FOR MULTIFUNCTIONAL PLANTINGS IN THE VOLGOGRAD REGION

The Volgograd region, with its complex soil and climatic conditions, needs to develop and preserve an assortment of shrub species suitable for various landscaping purposes. Among the introduced and already existing species in the plantings, the most promising include Cotoneaster lucidus Schltdl., Rosa cinnamomea L., Ribes aureum Pursh., Berberis vulgaris L.,Mahonia aquifolium (Pursh.) Nutt., Symphoricarpos albus (L.) S.F. Blake, Amelanchier Canadensis (L.) Medik., Ligustrum vulgare L., Chaenomeles japonica (Thunb.) Lindl. ex Spach. The authors found that the studied species, due to their wide distribution area, perfectly adapted to the conditions of the region. In addition, the shrubs described in the paper, while forming new forest-agrarian landscapes, play an important role in enriching the species composition of flora and fauna, serve to preserve and increase the natural resources of the area, perform sanitary, aesthetic, recreational and other functions, which is of great importance in the conditions of desertification. The biological features of the studied species make them promising for agroforestry areas and soil zones with different precipitation levels. Due to the lack of natural seed bases in the territories occupied by protective forest stands, shrubs form the basis for growing planting material that has the entire set of economically valuable characteristics. Being recommended for use in an arid region, shrub species have good growth, development, well-developed shoots; they retain annual growth and decorative properties, and can be used to preserve the collection of the multifunctional plantings.

Mahonia aquifolium Extracts Promote Doxorubicin Effects against Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells In Vitro

Mahonia aquifolium and its secondary metabolites have been shown to have anticancer potential. We performed MTT, scratch, and colony formation assays; analyzed cell cycle phase distribution and doxorubicin uptake and retention with flow cytometry; and detected alterations in the expression of genes involved in the formation of cell–cell interactions and migration using quantitative real-time PCR following treatment of lung adenocarcinoma cells with doxorubicin, M. aquifolium extracts, or their combination. MTT assay results suggested strong synergistic effects of the combined treatments, and their application led to an increase in cell numbers in the subG1 phase of the cell cycle. Both extracts were shown to prolong doxorubicin retention time in cancer cells, while the application of doxorubicin/extract combination led to a decrease in MMP9 expression. Furthermore, cells treated with doxorubicin/extract combinations were shown to have lower migratory and colony formation potentials than untreated cells or cells treated with doxorubicin alone. The obtained results suggest that nontoxic M. aquifolium extracts can enhance the activity of doxorubicin, thus potentially allowing the application of lower doxorubicin doses in vivo, which may decrease its toxic effects in normal tissues.

Invasions of alien woody plant taxa across a cluster of villages neighbouring the Mlyňany Arboretum (SW Slovakia)

Ornamental plantations in cities and particularly botanical gardens and arboreta are rich sources of alien flora. Mlyňany Arboretum, established in 1892, cultivates 1049 non-native woody plant species on the area of 67 ha. In this work we answered following questions: 1. How many taxa are spontaneously spreading in the arboretum and how is the spreading intensity related to their ecological demands and reproduction traits? 2. How many taxa appear behind the fence? 3. How far from the arboretum they can get? 4. Do private gardens and historical aristocratic park in the studied village cluster contribute to species escapes from culture? 5. Which from the widely spread taxa can represent future risk of invasiveness on the national level? We found that about one tenth of taxa spread across the arboretum (particularly Cotoneaster spp., Prunus laurocerasus, P. serotina and Quercus rubra) and number of their seedlings corresponded only with the mother plant number. Almost one third of these species left the arboretum and their seedlings were observed in distance up to 500 m from the village (mainly Mahonia aquifolium, P. serotina). Private gardens were a large source of Juglans regia seedlings, frequency of which decreased with the distance from villages (no species escaped from the historical park). Weed risk assessment revealed potential invasion danger only for Amorpha fruticosa.

Colletotrichum spp. causing anthracnose on ornamental plants in northern Italy

Species of Colletotrichum are considered among the most important plant pathogens, saprobes and endophytes on a wide range of ornamentals, fruits and vegetables. Several Colletotrichum species have been reported in nurseries and public or private gardens in northern Italy. In this study, the occurrence, diversity and pathogenicity of Colletotrichum spp. associated with several ornamental hosts was explored. Survey were carried out during the 2013–2019 period in Piedmont, Italy. A total of 22 Colletotrichum isolates were collected from symptomatic leaves and stems of two Campanula spp., Ceanothus thyrsiflorus, Coreopsis lanceolata, Cyclamen persicum, Hydrangea paniculata, Liquidambar styraciflua, Mahonia aquifolium and Rhyncospermum jasminoides. A multi-locus phylogeny was established based on the basis of three genomic loci (gapdh, act and tub2). The pathogenicity of selected, representative isolates was tested. Colletotrichum isolates were identified as members of four important species complexes: Acutatum, Gloeosporioides, Dematium and Destructivum. Colletotrichum fioriniae, C. nymphaeae and C. fuscum were found in association with leaf lesions of Mahonia aquifolium, Campanula rapunculoides and Coreopsis lanceolata, respectively. Colletotrichum lineola, C. grossum and C. cigarro were isolated from Campanula trachelium, Rhyncospermum jasminoides and Liquidambar styraciflua, respectively. Colletotrichum fructicola was found to be responsible of anthracnose of Ceanothus thyrsiflorus, Hydrangea paniculata, Cyclamen persicum and Liquidambar styraciflua. All the tested isolates were pathogenic and reproduced identical symptoms to those observed in private gardens and nurseries. The present study improves our understanding of Colletotrichum spp. associated with different ornamental hosts and provides useful information for an effective disease management programme.

Фітосанітарний стан зелених насаджень міста Херсон

Проаналізовано фітосанітарний стан зелених насаджень міста Херсон, багатий видовий склад дерев і кущів якого зумовили широкий спектр патогенних організмів та шкідників, що їх уражають. З'ясовано, що підвищення техногенного навантаження в урбанізованих екосистемах призвели до зниження життєздатності деревних рослин-едифікаторів Херсона. Встановлено, що патогенними організмами уражаються 45 видів досліджених деревних рослин міста. Виявлено, що найбільш вразливими до патогенних організмів є Acer negundo L., A. platanoides L., A. saccharinum L., Quercus robur L., Tilia cordata Mill., Aesculus hippocastanum L., Juglans regia L., Fraxinus excelsior L. За інтенсивністю пошкодження, яке впливає на життєвий стан рослин та їх декоративність, найбільш вразливими до дії фітопатогенів та ентомошкідників виявились Aesculus hippocastanum L., Buxus sempervirens L., Buxus sempervirens (Du Roi) Moench, Prunus divaricata Ledeb., Rosa canina L., Pinus pallasiana D. Don, Picea pungens Engelm., Juniperus virginiana L. З'ясовано, що низка дерев і кущів (Quercus rubra L., Betula pendula Roth, Betula pubescens Ehrh., Cotinus coggyria Scop., Sophora japonica L., Gymnocladus dioicus (L.) Koch, Mahonia aquifolium (Purh.) Nutt., Maclura acuminata L., Populus simonii Carr., Eucomia ulmoides Oliv., Albizia julibrissin Durazz, Symphoricarpos albus (L.) Blake, Ginkgo biloba L., Taxus baccata L.) є стійкими до дії шкідників та хвороб. Дослідження показали, що різні типи насаджень відрізняються за видовим складом патогенних організмів, а також за інтенсивністю пошкодження рослин-господарів. У паркових насадженнях частіше трапляються хвороби та шкідники листя або хвої деревних рослин. У вуличних насадженнях деревні рослини частіше пошкоджуються збудниками стовбурових і кореневих гнилей, листя рослин пошкоджуються американським білим метеликом та комахами-мінерами. Появі уражень та захворювань сприяють перестиглий вік насаджень, велике рекреаційне навантаження на зелені зони, а також відсутність регулярного кваліфікованого догляду за насадженнями. Тому на території дослідження рекомендовано проведення рубок формування та вибіркових санітарних рубок, а також регулярне та своєчасне здійснення агротехнічних заходів.

Antibacterial and fungicidal activities of ethanol extracts from Cotinus coggygria, Rhus typhina, R. trilobata, Toxicodendron orientale, Hedera helix, Aralia elata, Leptopus chinensis and Mahonia aquifolium

The search for promising plants with bactericidal and fungicidal activity is of great interest for practical and veterinary medicine, This article reveals the high antibacterial effect of the use of ethanol extracts from 8 species of plants of the families Anacardiaceae (Cotinus coggygria Scop., Rhus typhina L., Rhus trilobata Nutt. and Toxicodendron orientale Greene), Araliaceae (Hedera helix Linnaeus and Aralia elata (Miq.) Seem.), Phyllanthaceae (Leptopus chinensis (Bunge) Pojark.), Berberidaceae (Mahonia aquifolium (Pursh) Nutt.) against 23 strains of bacteria and one strain of fungi. The in vitro experiment revealed the zone of inhibition of growth of colonies exceeding 8 mm during the application of ethanol extracts of C. coggygria against twelve species of microorganisms (Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, Bacillus cereus, Listeria ivanovi, Corynebacterium xerosis, Rhodococcus equi, Proteus vulgaris, P. mirabilis, Serratia marcescens and Candida albicans), Rhus typhina – against twelve species (E. faecalis, E. coli, S. aureus, S. epidermidis, L. ivanovi, C. xerosis, Rh. equi, P. vulgaris, Salmonella typhimurium, S. adobraco, S. marcescens and C. albicans), Rhus trilobata – against fourteen (E. faecalis, E. сoli, S. аureus, S. epidermidis, B. subtilis, B. cereus, L. ivanovi, C. xerosis, Rh. equi, P. vulgaris, P. mirabilis, Рseudomonas аeruginosa, Yersinia enterocolitica and C. albicans), Toxicodendron orientale – against eleven (E. faecalis, S. аureus, L. іnnocua, C. xerosis, Campylobacter jejuni, Rh. equi, P. vulgaris, P. mirabilis, Р. аeruginosa and C. albicans), Hedera helix – against seven (S. аureus, S. epidermidis, L. monocytogenes, C. jejuni, Rh. equi, P. vulgaris and C. albicans), Aralia elata – against nine (E. coli, S. aureus, B. cereus, C. xerosis, P. vulgaris, P. mirabilis, S. typhimurium, S. marcescens and C. albicans), Leptopus chinensis – only against four (E. coli, S. epidermidis, B. cereus and P. mirabilis) and Mahonia aquifolium – against only three species (S. epidermidis, C. jejuni and P. vulgaris). As a result of the research, the most promising for studying in future regarding in vivo antibacterial activity were determined to be C. coggygria, Rhus typhina, R. trilobata, Toxicodendron orientale and Aralia elata.