Lead and cadmium tolerance and accumulation of proanthocyanidin- deficient mutants of the fern Athyrium yokoscense

The fern Athyrium yokoscense often flourishes around mine sites in Japan and can tolerate and accumulate heavy metals such as lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd). In this work, we examined whether proanthocyanidins, also called condensed tannins, were involved in the mechanisms of Pb and Cd tolerance and accumulation of A. yokoscense because proanthocyanidins are known to alleviate metal stress in several plant species and are present at high levels in A. yokoscense. For this purpose, we used mutant gametophytes deficient in proanthocyanidins, in which the relative proanthocyanidin contents were 20% of those of the wild-type gametophytes. Although the proanthocyanidin contents of the mutant were quite low, the growth of the mutant was very similar to that of the wild-type gametophytes even in the presence of 80 mg/kg Pb or 48 mg/kg Cd. Under the same conditions, the mutant gametophytes also accumulated Pb and Cd as much as the wild-type gametophytes did. These results indicate that the proanthocyanidins in A. yokoscense are not important for the Pb and Cd tolerance and accumulation properties.

Ecophysiological response and morphological adjustment of Argania spinosa L. Skeels under contrasting climates: case study of marginal populations

In this paper, we investigated the seasonal physiological performance and morphological adjustment of Argania spinosa growing under contrasting climatic and biogeographic conditions.Two marginal populations were selected in the main distribution area of the species, one at the Northwest and the other one at the South-west. Trees from the North showed a Mediterranean pattern in Photosynthetic performances, exhibiting maximal carbon assimilation during spring and minimum in summer. In contrast, trees from the South showed a different pattern with maximum values recorded in winter and minimum in spring. Photochemical efficiency of PSII results evidenced the absence of damage to PSII in both sites, probably due to an efficient energy dissipation processed by carotenoid pigments. We recorded increased LMA values in the South, which improves drought resistance. Increasing stomatal length and decreasing stomatal density were registered during the drought season in both populations. A. Spinosa is sensitive to changes in the length of drought stress at its Southern limit. The scarcity of rainfall leading to persistent drought has limited the distribution of the species to the banks of dry Wadis and depressions, where it finds some water compensations during summer. In the North, the summer drought severely impacted the species carbon assimilation.

Traditional medicinal plant species belonging to Fabaceae family in Ethiopia: A systematic review

There are approximately 213 families of flowering plants in Ethiopia and among them 92 families contain species with medicinal properties. However, there is no compiled information that comprehensively expresses which plant species belong to each family. In the present review, a total of 127 medicinal plant species belonging to Fabaceae family and used to treat various human and livestock diseases were reported from 62 articles (53 published and 9 unpublished journals). Calpurnia aurea (26.7%) and Millettia ferruginea (11.8%) were among the most frequently cited species of Fabaceae followed by Trigonella foenumgraecum (11.02%). The highest numbers of species of Fabaceae (62 species) were reported from Southern Nation Nationalities Peoples (SNNP) region, and 58 species were from Oromia region. Regarding growth habit, the majority were shrubs (43 species) followed by tree (39 species) and herbs (38 species). The frequently used plant parts were leaves (19.7%) roots (17.3%) and the whole plant (16.5%). 40.5 % of the prepared medicinal plant remedies of Fabaceae were administered through the oral methods in different regions of the country. The most commonly treated health problems by species of Fabaceae were: snake bites (25 species), evil eye (19 species) and wounds (18 species) in various regions of the country. From the finding, it was concluded that Fabaceae family is providing a diverse medicinal plant species for the treatment of different human and livestock health care systems in Ethiopia. Thus, further research activities on phytochemical characterization and conservation would be suggested for better utilization from this family.

The evidence for native coconuts growing in Australia

The coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) is not considered to be a native species in Australia due to the belief that the early European sea captains and botanists did not find coconut trees. A search of their reports shows that they regularly found evidence of coconuts including green and fresh nuts. Mature coconut trees were found from 1848 onwards. The indigenous knowledge, linguistics and oral history about coconuts is evidence that they grew in Australia prior to European colonization in 1788. A fossil coconut and fossils of Cocos pollen are evidence that they may have been in Australia for millions of years.

Variation in micronutrient and macronutrient concentrations in grain of four wheat genotypes grown in Albaha region, Saudi Arabia

Major dependence on wheat-based foods with low bioavailability of nutrients led to high malnutrition rates, especially in developing counties. Four wheat genotypes (Albelad (BE), Aldwasair (AD), Australia (AU) and Najran (NJ)) grown in Albaha region were analyzed for the first time for the variation in micronutrient (Se, Mo, Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe, B and Na) and macronutrient concentrations (P, Ca, Mg and K) in the whole wheat grain using Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in order to select genotype of high nutritional value of the wheat for human consumption for further breeding by farmers. Substantial micronutrient variation existed among the four genotypes according to their mean Se, Mo, Zn, and Na concentrations, while macronutrient variation existed in their P and Ca concentrations. The NJ genotype appeared to contain higher concentrations of Se, Na, and Ca than the other genotypes while AU contained higher concentrations of Zn and P than AD, BE, or NJ. The results of this study can provide information about micro- and macro-nutrient enriched wheat genotypes for agricultural strategies aimed at improving the nutritional value of wheat plants.

Differences in leaf area, trichome density, and xylem structure between the two types of Theobroma cacao l. cultivation: With or without shade plants

This study aimed to analyze the structure and density of non-glandular trichomes and the area of cocoa leaves, and the differences of xylem vessel structures on various shade tree composition. The leaf area and length, and trichomes were observed. The xylem vessel structure was observed from the root system. The result showed the area of cocoa plots without shade tree has more varied leaves size, in which upper canopy was smaller than the bottom. The area with various shade had a relatively equal size between the upper and the lower of the canopy. The three stellate-shaped non-glandular trichomes were found on the leaf venations only with the density in two plots increased with time. The xylem width area to the whole root width area ratio (k) in various shade trees was lower (k= 0.641) than that of without shade trees (k= 0.718). The higher k values indicated xylem structure without the shade tree had more xylem cells, and the pores was smaller compared to the plot with various shade trees.

The paradox of the alien plant Leucaena leucocephala subsp. glabrata (Rose) S. Zárate in Sicily: another threat for the native flora or a valuable resource?

With this contribution, an updated picture of the rapid expansion of Leucaena leucocephala subsp. glabrata in Sicily is provided. On the one hand, this is a quite worrying sign, as this woody species figures among the world’s worst invasive alien species. On the other hand, the species shows interesting potential for production purposes (for wood, biomass and for feeding livestock), also considering its nitrogen fixation ability. Consequently, the two opposite options to cope with this species, i.e. cultivation and control/eradication, should accurately take into account the possible uses as well as its invasive behaviou

Trends in the use of tissue culture, applications and future aspects

Plant tissue culture has developed widely incorporated into biotechnology, the agricultural systems being a key factor to support many pharmaceutical and industrial outcomes. Since 1902 there is vast progress in plant culture and its application has emerged having great diversity in the science filed. Due to development and desire to grow on high scale production in the past few decades, tissue culture techniques were manipulated for improvement of plant growth, biological activities, transformation, and secondary metabolites production. A significant advance in techniques has been sought to deal with problems of low concentrations of secondary metabolites in whole plants. The augmented use of plant culture is due to a superior perceptive of plant oriented compounds and secondary metabolites from economically important plants. Due to development in modern techniques, several particular protocols have been developed for the production of a wide array of secondary metabolites of plants on a commercial scale. Plant tissue culture has to lead to significant contributions in recent times and today they constitute an indispensable tool in the advancement of agricultural sciences and modern agriculture. This review would enable us to have an analysis of plant tissue culture development for agriculture, human health and wellbeing in general.

UV-C rays to simulate the exposition of photosynthetic organisms to solar radiation in space environments

Ultraviolet (UV) is a component of the solar radiation with a wavelength in the range of 100 ≤ λ ≤ 390 nm that is almost entirely shielded by the terrestrial atmosphere but not in space. The effects of UV-C on plants mainly depend on a) the applied UV-C radiation dose and quality, b) the different plant species and varieties used, and c) the phenological phase of irradiated plants. UV-C radiation can be extremely dangerous also at low exposition times. On the other side, considering that terrestrial plants under sunlight are naturally exposed to low doses of UV-C, the question is how much UV-C could be beneficial for plants cultivated in space, in relation to a) protection of plants from pathogens, b) increase of the concentration of important dietary supplements, and c) regulation of some physiological processes. The research on UV-C should be more addressed to better evaluate the damages and benefits in UV-C-exposed photosynthetic organisms, involving plants useful for bioregenerative life support systems (BLSSs).

Intraspecific genetic variation within and between improved cultivars and landraces of durum wheat in germination and root architectural traits under saline conditions

This study was conducted to investigate the genetic variation within and between two subgroups of durum wheat in Jordan, i.e., cultivars and landraces, in germination and root architectural traits at three salinity concentrations (50, 100 and 150 mM NaCl). The results indicate that salinity significantly impacted most traits investigated. A multivariate discriminant analysis (DA) revealed large variations (~85%) between genotypes, with significant ranking in maximum root length, total root length, seminal root length, coleoptile length, germination percentage, and total and seminal root number over the three salinities. Within the cultivar subgroup, salinity significantly influenced the germination percentage and most root traits of durum genotypes, with variable magnitudes depending on NaCl concentration and within-variety intraspecific genetic variation (ANOVAs; P < 0.05). However, within the landrace subgroup, only a salinity of 150 mM NaCl significantly affected the studied traits, and the effect of salinity on germination percentage was highly genotype dependent. Additionally, the durum genotypes in the landrace subgroup were more affected by salinity and showed more genetic variation than those in the cultivar subgroup.