Journal of Phytology

New method for detecting Collectorichum species found in Korea using image analysis

2021-12-15T16:19:05+0530

Colletotrichum acutatum spp. infects various economical crops worldwide and causes massive loss on their yields. Among those, Capsicum spp., which known as chili pepper, is on a critical issue by those pathogens. Due to the lack of their genetic markers in Korea, the unidentifiable various species of C. acutatum obstructs the mechanism studies of these pathogens and the selection of disease resistant breed lines. Therefore, we screened RGB images of the colonization progresses of pathogens to identify the species of Ca40042, K1, NN, AS2, and SW1 by time and temperature. Cultivated pathogens such as Ca40042, K1, and SW1 were detectable on quantified shape and color data of images from specific temperature conditions, while other pathogens were difficult to recognize. Although several limitations exist in identification results of current experiment, but also, we can expect this method can suggest the possibility to replace the genetic marker methods which is now unavailable in Korea.

Vegetation analysis and species diversity of the invasive plant Heliotropium curassavicum growing naturally in heterogeneous habitats

2021-11-09T14:07:13+0530

Heliotropium curassavicum is an invasive annual weed plant that spreads quickly, especially on disturbed saline soils and coastal locations in arid and semiarid habitats. This study aimed to assess the vegetation composition of invasive plant H. curassavicum. The soil factors and associated species of this plant were studied in natural coastal desert habitats (northern Nile delta coast) and inland habitats (farrow land and canal bank habitats). The floristic composition revealed the occurence of 109 species (67 annuals, 2 biennials and 40 perennials) belonging to 86 genera and related to 29 families. Asteraceae, Poaceae, Chenopodiaceae, and Fabaceae (53.21 % of all species reported) are the most abundant families. Therophytes and cryptophytes are the mainly abundant life forms and the Mediterranean chorotype is the most representative. The cluster analysis of stands expressed four vegetational groups (A, B, C and D). The most dominant species with group A was Polypogon viridis, with group B was H. curassavicum, with group C (the largest one) was Cynodon dactylon and H. curassavicum and with group D was Phragmites australis. Diversity indices expressed more richness and evenness of vegetation group B (H. curassavicum communities). The major soil factors influencing the studied invasive species are soil texture, WHC, organic carbon, cations (Na⁺, K⁺, Ca⁺⁺, and Mg⁺⁺), and SAR.

Chemical composition, antibacterial and antioxidant activities of acetone extract from the branches and leaves of Jasminum annamense subsp. annamense (Oleaceae)

2022-03-16T11:40:23+0530

Jasminum annamense subsp. annamense is a rare subspecies of Jasminum annamense belonging to the Oleaceae family. The aims of this study were to address the chemical profiles, antibacterial and antioxidant activities of acetone extract isolated from branches and leaves Jasminum annamense subsp. annamense for the first time. The chemical constituents of acetone extracts of studied samples were investigated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. There were a total of 24 components identified from the leaf extract, including lup-20(29)-en-3-one (27.93%), levodopa (19.68%), trans-cinnamic acid (7.58%), linolenic acid (6.35%) as the major compounds. Meanwhile, 26 components were reported from the branch extracts which are sorbitol (25.74%), lupeol (13.3%), cis-vaccenic acid (6.97%), glycerin (6.35%) and n-hexadecanoic acid (5.86%) were the main components. The two acetone extracts of J. annamense subsp. annamense exhibited antibacterial effect against Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enteritidis and Staphylococcus aureus based on disk diffusion assay. In addition, leaf and branch extracts of the studied species also display notable antioxidant activity in the ABTS assay with IC₅₀values of 311.75±3.39 and 664.46±3.732 µg/ml, respectively. This is the first report on the chemical and biological properties of J. annamense subsp. annamense and provides a promising perspective for developing good sources of antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds against both Gram positive and negative bacteria.

Development of traditional medicinal plants on Peatland conditions in Central Kalimantan

2022-03-21T18:33:50+0530

Most of the total peatland area in Kalimantan Island and particularly in Central Kalimantan Province is suitable for agricultural development. This condition provides a great opportunity for the development of peatlands for the cultivation of traditional medicinal plants. The local society in their daily lives could not be separated from the inherent elements of tradition even though the development of science and technology is currently very fast. One of the traditional elements that are inherent at this time is the use of medicinal plants as a solution in treating various diseases. The research was conducted in Palangka Raya City, Central Kalimantan Province by conducting interviews to determine the type of selected medicinal plants and carrying out experiments for examining their ability to absorb carbon dioxide and to grow in peatland conditions. The results of the study of four types of traditional medicinal plants show that there is great potential for two types of plants, namely Semar Bags and Karamunting, whose implementation fulfills biodiversity in an agricultural land ecosystem.

Antioxidant and Phytochemical analysis of selected lichen species from Mizoram, India

2021-07-14T23:25:49+0530

Lichens are an important source of biologically active substances, primarily phenols, which are well known for their antioxidant properties. The aim of the present study was to evaluated phytochemical constituents (flavonoids and phenols), and the antioxidant activity of the methanol extract of the selected lichens species viz. Usnea baileyi, Hypotrachyna cirrhata and Lobaria pulmonaria collected from Tawi Wildlife Sanctuary, Mizoram, India. The total phenolic content and total flavonoid of the various extracts varied from 31.11 to 67.84 mg of Gallic acid equivalent per gram dry weight (GAE/g DW) and from 27.43 to 37.06 mg of Quercetin equivalent per gram dry weight (QE/g DW) respectively. DPPH free radical scavenging activity of the methanol extract of tested samples showed a concentration-dependent manner with an IC₅₀ value ranges from 133.6 µg/ml in L. pulmonaria to 243.9 µg/ml in U. baileyi. A comparison between lichens extract and positive control (BHT) showed a strong antioxidant capacity (IC₅₀=10.81 μg/ml) of positive control than the lichens methanolic extract. A high negative and significant negative correlation (P<0.05) was observed between total phenol content and antioxidant activity IC₅₀of DPPH assay. Moreover, a positively high significant correlation was also obtained between total flavonoid and phenol content (P<0.01)_.The present study showed that bioactive compounds present in the lichen thallus may be used as good sources of natural antioxidants and a potential candidate for curing several ailments.

Effect of silver nitrate and putrescine on in vitro shoot organogenesis of Polygonum multiflorum

2022-03-10T17:42:14+0530

Polygonum multiflorum is a flowering plant that belongs to the family Polygonaceae and it is commonly used for medicinal and ornamental purposes. Few studies have been studied about the regeneration of this species. Therefore, we aimed to develop a suitable protocol for regeneration and subsequent growth of shoots by comparing the silver nitrate (AgNO₃) (ethylene inhibitor) and the putrescine (polyamine). Internode explants were cultured on shoot regeneration media (Murashige and Skoog (MS) media containing 2 mg L^-1 of 6-benzylaminopurine). To analysis, the effect of AgNO₃and putrescine on shoot regeneration and length, different concentrations (mg L^-1) of AgNO₃(0, 1, 5, 7, 10, and 20) and putrescine (0, 10, 30, 50, 100, and 200) were added to the MS media. The result showed that at highest concentration (20 mg L^-1) of AgNO₃ treatment decrease number of shoots (NOS) (1.4 ± 0.2 mm) and shoot length (9.7 ± 1.6 mm) was observed. Putrescine considerably increased the regeneration efficiency, NOS per explant, and shoot length in all the concentrations when compared to AgNO₃ treatment. Among the different concentrations, the highest NOS (2.52 ± 0.2 mm) was obtained in cultures supplemented with 30 mg L^-1putrescine, whereas the further increase in putrescine concentration reduced shoot regeneration. The longest shoots (20.5 ± 1.7 mm) were achieved in cultures supplemented with 200 mg L^-1putrescine. The findings of this study indicate that the addition of putrescine to the media could be suitable for P. multiflorum micropropagation and plant transformation.

Chemical profiles and biological activities of essential oils of Arisaema and Homalomena species (Araceae) – A review

2022-03-16T11:35:40+0530

In this review, the chemical compositions and bioactivities of the essential oils isolated from Arisaema and Homalomena species, two large genera belonging to the Araceae family, have been reported for the first time. Accordingly, the essential oils isolated from the plants of two genera consisted of some chemical groups, including monoterpene hydrocarbons, oxygenated monoterpenes, sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, and oxygenated sesquiterpenes, etc. In addition, the essential oils and their major compounds isolated from Arisaema and Homalomena plants possessed biological activities, including antimicrobial, insecticidal, nematicidal, antiproliferative, larvicidal and anthelmintic activities. This review mainly provides information on the Arisaema and Homalomena oils which are able to use as a guide for the collection of the species with the best chemical composition and biological activities.

Inflorescence appearance timing and production rate traits in wild Zoysiagrass (Zoysia spp)

2021-09-08T07:02:54+0530

Zoysiagrass (Zoysia spp.) has excellent turf quality and can be applied to various uses for personal space to public sports areas or commercial landscapes. However, it has disadvantages such as slow growth rate, cold hardiness, low seed yield, and hard to establish from seeds, which cannot be improved with agricultural practices. Therefore, breeding a new cultivar as a hybrid could be an efficient strategy to improve the Zoysiagrass cultivar. In fact, hybrid zoysiagrass shows mixed traits of both parents in morphology and heterosis in growth. However, inflorescence appearance and its rate are known to make a hybrid. Thus, the variety of inflorescence appearance timing and production rate were investigated among 549 genetic resources. As a result, only 5.38% of the variety among survived zoysiagrass after transplanting showed more than 30% inflorescence appearance within the given period. During that, some varieties showed a reduction of total inflorescence. Hence, we report the diversity of inflorescence appearance timing and production rate that could be useful for breeders and researchers breeding new Zoysiagrass cultivars.

Purification and partial characterization of a novel lectin from Ruta montana roots

2022-01-13T22:10:14+0530

Lectins are proteins or glycoproteins, which participate in various biological processes. The purpose of this study was to purify new lectin from Ruta montana roots. Lectin of Ruta montana has been purified from roots using ultrafiltration and precipitation with ammonium sulfate followed by gel filtration chromatography whereas protein estimation was done by Bradford’s method. Within sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE) analysis, the extract exhibited three bands and one band after purification. The molecular weight of lectin was determined by SDS–PAGE and gel filtration chromatography, which was found to be a monomeric protein of approximately 28.8 kDa. The agglutination activity of Ruta montana lectins was stable within a temperature range from 4 to 50° C for 30 min and the pH range from 4.2 to 9. This study presents a natural source of lectins that can be used in several other studies due to its different biological activities.

Expression analysis of diosgenin pathway genes and diosgenin accumulation in fenugreek sprouts after exposure to copper sulfate

2022-06-10T17:33:33+0530

Trigonella foenum-graecum L. is an annual herb belonging to the family Fabaceae commonly called Fenugreek. It is rich in various secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, and steroidal saponins. In recent years, diosgenin has much attention in the cosmetic, functional food, and pharmaceutical industries. In this study we aimed to examine the effect of different concentrations of copper sulfate (CuSO₄) on growth, diosgenin biosynthetic (DB) gene expression, and diosgenin accumulation in T. foenum-graecum sprouts. Results showed that the seed germination, fresh weight, shoot length, and root length were gradually decreased with increasing the CuSO₄ concentrations. In contrast, the expression level of DBGs i.e., TfSQS, TfSQLE, TfCAS, and TfSTRL were gradually upregulated with increasing the CuSO₄ concentrations. Among all those tested concentrations, the expression levels of all those genes were significantly higher in 0.5 mM CuSO₄ treated sprouts. The highest expression level was obtained in the TfCAS gene, which was 3.25-fold higher than the unexposed sprouts. The diosgenin content was significantly influenced in the CuSO₄ exposed sprouts. The highest diosgenin content was achieved in the 5.0 mM followed by 1.0, 10.0, and 0.5 mM CuSO₄ exposed concentrations, with a reduction of 41%, 39%, 36%, and 35%, respectively. From these results, it is shown that exposure of fenugreek sprout to CuSO₄is one of the suitable strategies to enhance the accumulation of diosgenin content.

Facile synthesis and optimization of nickel oxide nanoparticles using Polianthes tuberosa extract and its anticancer activity

2022-07-16T18:17:53+0530

NiO nanoparticle has been synthesized by a greener method using Polianthes tuberosa plant extract. The nanoparticle was characterized by UV-Visible, FT-IR, XRD and SEM instrumental techniques. The absorption band appeared at 269 nm in UV-Visible spectrum supported the formation of NiO nanoparticles. The IR spectrum analysis showed a broad band at 554 cm-1 characteristics of NiO nanoparticles. From the XRD results, the crystalline size and shape of NiO nanoparticles was determined to be 3.23 nm with a face centered cubic crystal. The NiO nanoparticles has been distributed well. From SEM results, the synthesized NiO sample has particle size between 5 and 11 nm range. The cytotoxic results showed significant activity of the synthesized NiO nanoparticles against MM2 and HeLa cells.

Molecular phylogeny of Annonaceae species from Binh Chau-Phuoc Buu Nature Reserve based on two chloroplast gene regions

2021-11-30T08:32:19+0530

In this study, based on molecular biology techniques, the matK and trnL-F regions of ten Annonaceae species grown in Binh Chau-Phuoc Buu Nature Reserve, Vietnam were successfully amplified and sequenced for the first time. Along with other highly homologous DNA sequences from the GenBank database, the molecular phylogeny of ten studied species was also established. By using the alignment tool of NCBI database, the percentage of identity among sequences of studied species was also presented. The study aims to partially contribute to the further understanding of the evolutionary relationships among Annonaceae species.

Molecular docking analysis on 16 therapeutic ligands of Ocimum tenuiflorum L. (Tulasi) and their prospects in drug design for COVID-19

2022-07-07T07:28:31+0530

The PyRx software and Discovery studio were used in the present molecular docking studies of the 16 ligands of Ocimum tenuiflorum L., selected based on their high therapeutic potentials, viz., (E)-6-hydroxy-4,6-dimethylhept-3-en-2-one, Apigenin, Bieugenol, Cirsilineol, Cirsimaritin, β-Caryophyllene epoxide, Dehydrodieugenol B, Eugenol, Ferulaldehyde, Isothymonin, Isothymusin, Linalool, Luteolin, Ocimarin, Rosmarinic acid, and Thymol. Saquinavir was used as a positive control. The binding affinities of the 16 ligands to the main proteases of COVID-19 6LU7 and 6Y2E (critical for viral replication) and their ability to arrest the virus replication were recorded. The binding affinities of the ligands to 6LU7 and 6Y2E ranged from -4.3 and -4.7 kcal/mol (for (E)-6-hydroxy-4,6-dimethylhept-3-en-2-one) to -7.6 (for Rosmarinic acid to both target proteins). While the corresponding values for the control drug Saquinavir were -7.8 and -7.6 respectively. The Rosmarinic acid, in binding with both the proteases (-7.6 and -7.6 kcal/mol) showed six conventional hydrogen bonds, one carbon hydrogen bond (ASP 153 had one conventional hydrogen bond and one carbon hydrogen bond), one Pi-alkyl bond, one Pi-Pi stacked bond, eight van der waals bonds for 6LU7 protease; it formed three conventional hydrogen bonds, two Pi-alkyl bonds, one unfavourable donor – donor bond and 14 van der waals bonds with 6Y2E protease. The control drug – Saquinavir in binding with 6LU7 protease showed 12 van der waals, one alkyl, one Pi-alkyl, one Pi-cation, one Pi-stacked and four conventional hydrogen bonds, which indicates that it has less affinity when compared with Rosmarinic acid. Similarly, the control drug on binding with 6Y2E protease exhibited ten van der waals, four Pi-alkyl, one cation and three hydrogen bonds. The results are in conformity to similar other studies, and herald a promising scope for Rosmarinic acid as lead molecule in the drug discovery for COVID-19.

Effect of Temperature induction response on Cell viability, Cell Survivability, Malondialdehyde content and total soluble protein content of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) genotypes

2022-06-01T11:54:52+0530

“Temperature Induction Response” (TIR) technique was employed to investigate the effect of temperature on popular 20 cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) genotypes in a laboratory experiment conducted at the Department of Crop Physiology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore during 2020-2021. Identical sized ten days old cotton seedlings were selected and subjected to inductive temperature (gradual temperature raised from 28 to 40℃) for 4 h and non-inductive temperature (46℃ for 3 h, 47℃ for 3 h, 48℃ for 3 h and 48℃ for 4 h) for specific time duration. KC3 and SVPR6 recorded highest thermotolerance among the genotypes and TSH325 and TSH357 showed moderate thermotolerance while TSH375 and TSH383 were sensitive, in terms of seedling survival, cell viability, total soluble protein and malondialdehyde compared to remaining genotypes under non-inductive temperature.