MYLPHerb-1: A Dataset of Malaysian Local Perennial Herbs for the Study of Plant Images Classification under Uncontrolled Environment

Research in the medicinal plants’ recognition field has received great attention due to the need of producing a reliable and accurate system that can recognise medicinal plants under various imaging conditions. Nevertheless, the standard medicinal plant datasets publicly available for research are very limited. This paper proposes a dataset consisting of 34200 images of twelve different high medicinal value local perennial herbs in Malaysia. The images were captured under various imaging conditions, such as different scales, illuminations, and angles. It will enable larger interclass and intraclass variability, creating abundant opportunities for new findings in leaf classification. The complexity of the dataset is investigated through automatic classification using several high-performance deep learning algorithms. The experiment results showed that the dataset creates more opportunities for advanced classification research due to the complexity of the images. The dataset can be accessed through https://www.mylpherbs.com/.

Molecular Characterization and Expression Patterns of the HkSVP Gene Reveal Distinct Roles in Inflorescence Structure and Floral Organ Development in Hemerocallis fulva

SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE (SVP) genes are members of the well-known MADS-box gene family that play a key role in regulating vital developmental processes in plants. Hemerocallis are perennial herbs that exhibit continuous flowering development and have been extensively used in landscaping. However, there are few reports on the regulatory mechanism of flowering in Hemerocallis. To better understand the molecular basis of floral formation of Hemerocallis, we identified and characterized the SVP-like gene HkSVP from the Hemerocallis cultivar ‘Kanai Sensei’. Quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) indicated that HkSVP transcript was mainly expressed in the vegetative growth stage and had the highest expression in leaves, low expression in petals, pedicels and fruits, and no expression in pistils. The HkSVP encoded protein was localized in the nucleus of Arabidopsis protoplasts and the nucleus of onion epidermal cells. Yeast two hybrid assay revealed that HKSVP interacted with Hemerocallis AP1 and TFL1. Moreover, overexpression of HkSVP in Arabidopsis resulted in delayed flowering and abnormal phenotypes, including enriched trichomes, increased basal inflorescence branches and inhibition of inflorescence formation. These observations suggest that the HkSVP gene may play an important role in maintaining vegetative growth by participating in the construction of inflorescence structure and the development of flower organs.

Biosystematic Study in Some Dracocephalum Species (Lamiaceae) Based on Morphology and Anatomy in Iran

The genus Dracocephalum L. (Lamiaceae) with about 60 to 70 species is a genus in the sub-tribe Nepetinae, tribe Mentheae of Lamiaceae family, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. They are mostly perennial herbs, and rarely annual. Flora Iranica reports 8 Dracocephalum species and the Flora of Iran reports 10 Dracocephalum species in Iran out of which, 4 species are endemic. We collected 7 Dracocephalum species and studied species delimitation and species relationship by morphometric and anatomic results. The species were efficiently delimited by morphological and anatomical characters. Morphological and anatomical characters revealed closer affinity between D. moldavica and D. subcapitatum and D. thymiflorum were placed with distance from these species.

Alien, Naturalized and Invasive Plants in China

Invasive species are a subset of naturalized species, and naturalized species are a subset of alien species. Determining the relationship among these three assemblages would be helpful in predicting and preventing biological invasion. Here, we reviewed the families, lifeforms, origins, introduction pathways and phylogenetic diversity of alien, naturalized and invasive vascular plants in China. The results show that species in the Asteraceae, Fabaceae and Poaceae families had a high dominance among alien, naturalized and invasive species. Moreover, almost all alien species in the Amaranthaceae, Solanaceae, Convolvulaceae and Euphorbiaceae families became naturalized species, and about 26.7% of the naturalized species became invasive species. Perennial herbs comprised a higher proportion of alien species than did annual herbs, though annual herbs were more suited to becoming invasive than perennial herbs. A considerable proportion (57.8%) of invasive species were introduced from America. More than half (56.5%) of alien species were introduced for their ornamental value, and half of these have become naturalized in China. Moreover, about half (55.2%) of all invasive species were introduced for their economic value (including ornamental, foraging and medicinal purposes). Invasive species were phylogenetically clustered and phylogenetically distant from alien and naturalized species, which indicates that phylogenetic differences could be helpful in becoming invasive. There is no doubt that human activity plays a significant role in biological invasion. This study suggests that when introducing alien species to a region, decision-makers should certainly consider the species’ phylogeny, beyond just its fundamental characteristics.

Phylogenetic Diversity of Wetland Plants across China

Accelerating and severe wetland loss has made wetland restoration increasingly important. Current wetland restorations do not take into consideration the ecological adaptability of wetland plants at large scales, which likely affects their long-term restoration success. We explored the ecological adaptability, including plant life forms and phylogenetic diversity, of plants across 28 wetlands in China. We found that perennial herbs were more common than annual herbs, with the proportion of perennial herbs accounting for 40–50%, 45–65%, 45–70%, 50–60%, and 60–80% of species in coastal wetlands, human-made wetlands, lake wetlands, river wetlands, and marsh wetlands, respectively. A ranking of phylogenetic diversity indices (PDIs) showed an order of marsh < river < coastal < lake < human-made, meaning that human-made wetlands had the highest phylogenetic diversity and marsh wetlands had the lowest phylogenetic diversity. The nearest taxon index (NTI) was positive in 23 out of 28 wetlands, indicating that species were phylogenetically clustered in wetland habitats. Dominant species tended to be distantly related to non-dominant species, as were alien invasive species and native species. Our study indicated that annual herbs and perennial herbs were found in different proportions in different types of wetlands and that species were phylogenetically clustered in wetland habitats. To improve wetland restoration, we suggest screening for native annual herbs and perennial herbs in proportions that occur naturally and the consideration of the phylogenetic similarity to dominant native species.

Improving the soil fertility of agricultural lands in the Non-Black Earth Zone of the Russian Federation

Relevance. According to the Federal Law of 16.07.1998 No. 101-FZ (as amended on 05.04.2016) "On State Regulation of Ensuring the Fertility of Agricultural Land", owners, owners, users, including tenants of land plots are obliged to: carry out the production of agricultural products in ways that ensure the reproduction of the fertility of agricultural land, as well as excluding or limiting the adverse impact of such activities on the environment. Environment.Materials and methods.The research was carried out on a stationary field experience in the Podolsk district of the Moscow region in 2011-2012. On experience, five-floor crop rotation will be deployed in time: 1) oats; 2) barley with planted perennial herbs; 3) perennial herbs of the first year of use; 4) perennial herbs of the second year of use; 5) winter wheat. The plots were located in the upper part of the slope with a slope of 14% (weakly pitched) and in the lower part of the slope with a slope of 7% (gentle).Results. It was found that on average annually in the slope areas of the non-chernozem region soils lose from the layer 0-40 cm with a surface runoff of phosphorus 0.7-6.0 kg / ha, potassium 2.3-28.9 kg / ha, calcium 7.3-45.8 kg / ha. With anti-erosion methods of tillage on a slope with a steepness of 7%, the migration of chemical elements was 2.2 times less compared to similar options on the slope with a steepness of 14%. Surface runoff redistributes substances along the length of the slope, therefore, it is necessary to take this into account during chemical reclamation of the slopes soils and carry out differentiated application of fertilizers and lime. After chemical analysis of the arable layer of soil, it turned out that the maximum content of humus, mobile forms of phosphorus and exchange potassium is noted in the lower part of the slope, which is associated with the processes of washing and alluvium of the soil.

First genome size assessments for Marshallia and Balduina (Asteraceae, Helenieae) reveal significant cytotype diversity

The genus Marshallia is made up by seven to ten species of perennial herbs growing mainly in open habitats, whereas the genus Balduina is represented by three sympatric species; two perennial herbs and one annual, growing in open pine forest habitats. Both genera belong to the family Asteraceae, tribe Helenieae, and are endemic to the southeast United States, in North America. Cytogenetic studies concerning these two genera are scarce and genome size data is lacking for both. The main goals of this study were to (i) generate novel insights into the evolution of the genome size and (ii), contribute to filling existing gaps on our knowledge of the Asteraceae family from this point of view. Nuclear DNA contents range from 11.42 pg/2C in Marshallia trinervia to 31.58 pg/2C in Marshallia mohrii. The combination of genome size with chromosome data (and inferred cytotypes) suggests the existence of multiple cytotypes, and provides interesting insights into the potential impact of polyploidy in the evolution of these genera in general, and the shaping of genome size diversity, in particular.