South African Journal of Botany最新文献

{"title":"Trends and prospect of propagation, cultivation, and ethnopharmacological activities of black ginger (Kaempferia parviflora Wall. ex Baker)","authors":"Khong Shien Koh ,&nbsp;Saikat Gantait ,&nbsp;Juju Nakasha Jaafar ,&nbsp;Uma Rani Sinniah","doi":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.02.027","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.02.027","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Black ginger (<em>Kaempferia parviflora</em> Wall. ex Baker) is a medicinal herb from the Zingiberaceae family that has gained increasing popularity in treating an array of everyday ailments. Traditionally, the crop is used by the indigenous Thai community to boost stamina for strenuous mountain trekking and to enhance the response to sexual erotic stimuli. This review aims to provide comprehensive information on the description, distribution, propagation, cultivation, and ethnopharmacology of black ginger. Based on the published literature, a collection of information regarding black ginger from the aspects of its botany, origin and distribution, propagation and cultivation, phytochemistry, and ethnopharmacological benefits were carried out by retrieving the research outputs from online search engines, including Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, SciFinder, Scopus, etc. Scientifically, this was further supplemented by a number of studies reported throughout the years on its pharmacological activities, mainly attributed to the key phytochemical, i.e., methoxyflavones, present only in <em>K. parviflora</em>. Despite its manifold utilities, information on the propagation and cultivation of this plant is scarce. A collection of studies from the past 20 years has shown that the research activities have been mostly focused on anti-allergic, anti-microbial, anti-cancerous, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, physical or muscle enhancement, skin health, and general health promoting activities of black ginger. In this review, the salient botanical features, geographical distribution, propagation methods, cultivation practices, and ethnopharmacological activities, including the mechanisms that drive those bioactivities, have been discussed in order to pave the way forward for the advancements of its utilization, propagation, and genetic improvement. This review not only highlighted the pharmacological usage of black ginger, but included the current status of crop cultivation practices and biosynthesis of specific flavonoids (methoxyflavones) compared to the other existing reviews on black ginger.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21919,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Botany","volume":"179 ","pages":"Pages 345-357"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143508942","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Avocado fruit peel and flesh as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents: A comparative phytochemical and in vitro study","authors":"Dina Atef Waly ,&nbsp;Aisha Hussein Abou Zeid ,&nbsp;El-Sayeda Ahmed El-Kashoury ,&nbsp;Sherifa Fahmy Moustafa ,&nbsp;Ali Mahmoud El-Halawany ,&nbsp;Reda Sayed Mohammed","doi":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.02.012","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.02.012","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Avocado, (<em>Persea americana</em>, Mill) fruit is considered a super food, it comprises a plenty of phytonutrients that have a significant impact on human health. Flesh (pulp) is the primary form in which the fruit is consumed. However, valorizing the fruit peels as a medicinal agent due to its diverse biological activities is gaining more scientific interest. The present study aims to compare the fruit peel and flesh with respect to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities and correlate these activities to their chemical constituents.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The peel and flesh of avocado fruit were separately extracted with 80 % ethanol to get the total ethanol extract (TEEp &amp;TEEf). Part of both extracts were separately fractionated with dichloromethane to get non-polar fraction (NPF) and polar fraction (PF). The TEEp and TEEf were screened for their <em>in vitro</em> antioxidant activity (DPPH, ABTS, ORAC, FRAP, metal chelation) and anti-inflammatory activity <em>via</em> LPS induced inflammation in macrophage RAW 264 cells. A part of the polar fraction of the peel was fractionated on a Diaion HP-20 column. The unsaponifiable and saponifiable matters (USF and SF) of the non-polar fraction (NPF) of the flesh &amp; peel were prepared and subjected to GC/MS analysis. The major flavonoids were isolated from the 50 % MeOH fraction of the peel.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The TEEp exhibited a significant <em>in vitro</em> antioxidant activity higher than that of the flesh (<strong>Peel:</strong> DPPH:71.68, ABTS:391.9, ORAC:1442.2 TE/mg extract, FRAP:72.7, Metal chelation:279.83 µM EDTA Eq. /mg extract,) (<strong>Flesh:</strong> DPPH:18.20, ABTS:144.89, ORAC:1249.92 TE/mg extract, Metal chelation:108.64 µM EDTA Eq. /mg extract), while the TEEf showed a higher <em>in vitro</em> anti-inflammatory activity as NO inhibitor (80.81 %). Additionally, the active 50 % MeOH fraction of the Diaion column showed a higher antioxidant activity than its 100 % fraction. GC/MS analysis resulted in the identification of 36 (flesh) &amp; 25(peel) compounds in the unsaponifiable fraction (USF) and 13 (flesh) &amp; 9 (peel) compounds in the saponifiable fraction (SF). The isolated flavonoids from the 50 % MeOH fraction were identified as rutin, quercitrin, isoquercitrin, kaemperol-3-<em>O</em>- glucoside, quercetin and luteolin.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>it is recommended to use both parts of <em>P. americana</em> fruit (flesh and peels) in diets and salads due to their noticeable antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21919,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Botany","volume":"179 ","pages":"Pages 334-344"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143508946","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ampicillin potentiation ability of PLGA encapsulated Acorus calamus clarified crude extract targeting Acinetobacter baumannii","authors":"Bhani Kongkham ,&nbsp;Hariprasad P","doi":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.02.031","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.02.031","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The multi-mode of action exhibited by bioactive fractions derived from plants, along with their ability to alter bacterial antibiotic resistance, make them ideal for combination therapy against multi-drug resistant bacteria. However, the challenge lies in the druggability issues related to plant extracts. To resolve this problem, researchers have encapsulated the extracts and bioactive components using a drug carrier polymer called poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) particles (PLGA). The present study aimed to encapsulate the clarified crude of <em>Acorus calamus</em> rhizome hexane extract, possessing antibacterial and bacterial resistance modifying properties using PLGA 50:50 and 75:25. Among the various concentrations of clarified crude (5, 10, 20, 40 mg/ml), a loading of 20 mg/ml demonstrated superior loading capacity (39.46 % and 47.07 %) and encapsulation efficiency (49.25 % and 58.75 %) for both PLGA 50:50 and 75:25. In addition, the encapsulated particles had a size ranging from 300 to 400 nm, a polydispersity index between 0.3 and 0.4, and a zeta potential ranging from -25 to -15 mV. The in vitro release profile exhibited a burst release, with a cumulative release of 67 % to 72 % within a 24 h period. The formulation exhibited antibacterial activity and ampicillin potentiation against <em>Acinetobacter baumannii</em>, a multi-drug resistant opportunistic pathogen. In presence of 40 mg of formulation, the MIC of ampicillin reduced ∼8 fold (25 to 3.25 mg/ml) in 12 h. Further, the clarified crude and their formulation showed 21–25 % inhibition of Vero cell lines at 20 μg/ml. This work demonstrates the feasibility of developing herbal formulation that can modify bacterial resistance to ampicillin by encapsulating with PLGA. However, for better understanding, it is necessary to conduct extensive in vivo, preclinical and shelf-life studies of the formulation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21919,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Botany","volume":"179 ","pages":"Pages 304-317"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143487781","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nepeta-derived essential oils: From pharmaceutical to pesticide industry","authors":"Sankhadeep Mondal ,&nbsp;Somnath Roy ,&nbsp;Azariah Babu ,&nbsp;Abhay K. Pandey","doi":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.02.013","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.02.013","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The extensive use of synthetic agrochemicals for pest and disease management attacking food crops remains a major public health concern. Worldwide, researchers developed biopesticides based on natural products including essential oils (EOs) as an alternative to synthetic agrochemicals and advances were made to meet users' acceptance. Past and recent studies have shown that EOs derived from aromatic plants have demonstrated efficacy against many phytopathogens and insect pests as well as weeds hampering food crops. Remarkably, conventional pesticides based on EOs persist lesser in markets and this opens up numerous possibilities for their deployment in agroecosystems against pests, diseases, and weeds. The genus <em>Nepeta</em> belonging to the family Lamiaceae, has attracted considerable attention due to the presence of rich EOs which have diverse biological functions, particularly in pest management and medicinal applications. This review offers a summary of the present status and scenarios in assessing the efficacy of EOs derived from the various species of the genus <em>Nepeta</em> for its use as botanical pesticides, considering the challenges and opportunities associated with the projections of sustainable eco-friendly agriculture in the future. Besides, the phytochemistry of <em>Nepeta</em>-derived EOs (NEOs) from diverse geographical regions along with traditional and pharmaceutical applications, possible mechanisms of action, and suggestions for or against the deployment of NEOs as a substitute for synthetic agrochemicals, in numerous applications are described. The genus is distributed in Asia, Africa, and Europe and the majority of studies on NEOs were conducted in Turkey, India, and Iran. The NEOs exhibited distinct pharmacological properties, including antioxidant, antiprotozoal, antitumor, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and immunoregulatory activities. The majority of the chemically analyzed NEOs showed the presence of nepetalactone, <em>β</em>-caryophyllene, caryophyllene oxide, 1, 8-cineol, and geraniol as major components, and have performed promising antimicrobial, insecticidal, and herbicidal properties against harmful organisms deteriorating/hampering agricultural crops. Thus, the NEOs and their major active constituents can be harnessed as potential botanical pesticides against insect pests, pathogens, and weeds after large-scale and multilocation field evaluations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21919,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Botany","volume":"179 ","pages":"Pages 318-333"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143487780","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Harnessing plant defense: Elicitors, hormones and immunity-driven production of medicinally valuable secondary metabolites","authors":"Bismillah Mubeen ,&nbsp;Shamas Murtaza ,&nbsp;Sanabil Yaqoob ,&nbsp;Afusat Yinka Aregbe ,&nbsp;Turkson Antwi Boasiako ,&nbsp;YuQing Xiong ,&nbsp;YongKun Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.02.018","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.02.018","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Humans have relied on plants for centuries, not only due to their roles as primary producers but also for their compounds associated with medicinal applications. However, problems pertaining to its low production due to seasonal, geographic or environmental changes remain a challenge. Elicitation is one of the effective techniques which activate the defense mechanisms of plants and stress signal transduction pathways. Elicitation can be achieved through the use of elicitors, which are classified as either biotic or abiotic. These elicitors act as stress agents that activate secondary metabolic pathways, resulting in the enhanced synthesis of bioactive molecules in plants. Specifically, elicitors mimic the actions of plant signaling molecules and induce the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which in turn stimulate the synthesis of defense hormones and both enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants to counteract the effects of ROS. Consequently, applying elicitors as stimulators for product yield represents a promising strategy for enhancing the productivity of secondary metabolites within a relatively short time frame. However, the selection of an appropriate elicitor or a combination of elicitors is crucial for the large-scale production of specific secondary metabolites. Therefore, this review seeks to provide a comprehensive overview of the elicitors and the intricate interactions between plant defense mechanisms and secondary metabolite production. In this context, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), methyl jasmonate (MeJa), and fungal elicitors are the primary focus of this paper, examining how these elicitors contribute to immunity-driven synthesis of medicinally significant metabolites and the pathways involved in this process.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21919,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Botany","volume":"179 ","pages":"Pages 280-292"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143508941","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Insights into genes and pathways regulating abiotic stress in Oryza sativa L.: A comprehensive transcriptome analysis","authors":"Monalisha Mishra,&nbsp;Nidhi Shukla,&nbsp;Mariyam Fatima,&nbsp;Nand K. Singh","doi":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.02.028","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.02.028","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Rice is the model plant for monocotyledon genomics research. It is a prominent staple food crop worldwide. Its productivity, however, is greatly impacted by the challenges caused by unfavourable environmental conditions. It is intriguing to note that the impacts of these stresses vary depending on the developmental stage, with seedling and reproductive phases being more vulnerable than tillering and grain filling stages. Understanding the molecular responses of rice to abiotic stressors is paramount, and transcriptome analysis emerges as a potent tool for deciphering these complex biochemical reactions. This review delves into the comprehensive transcriptome analysis of genes expressed during various stress conditions, shedding light on the regulatory networks and genes with differential expression underlying stress adaptation. Continued advancements in sequencing technologies and computational resources hold promise for further elucidating plant responses to abiotic stresses. Unraveling the molecular intricacies of these responses is pivotal for developing stress-tolerant crops through targeted breeding and genetic engineering techniques. Highlighting a myriad of challenges faced by rice plants—ranging from salt, drought, heat, cold, flooding, to nutritional deficiencies—the review underscores how these adversities orchestrate intricate changes in gene expression. As our understanding of the transcriptomic landscape expands, this review emphasizes the potential for harnessing these insights to ensure global food security amidst evolving environmental conditions, thereby laying the foundation for future research endeavors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21919,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Botany","volume":"179 ","pages":"Pages 261-279"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143474002","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Micropropagation of Euphorbia milii Des Moul. with bioguided preliminary phytochemical studies of its bioactive constituents","authors":"Mai M. Farid ,&nbsp;Wael M. Aboulthana ,&nbsp;Sawsan S. Sayed ,&nbsp;Nadia M. Sokkar","doi":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.02.011","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.02.011","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Euphorbia milii</em> Des Moul. is a slow-growing branching horticulture plant commonly used in large quantities in landscaping streets and gardens; it has also been traditionally used for various medicinal purposes. So, there is an urgent need to design a micropropagation method for the production of a large number of healthy plants. In the present study, shooting establishment, rooting behavior, acclimatization, and biochemical constituents of <em>E. milii</em> were examined. Shoot tip and axillary bud free contamination were sterilized and cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium fortified with 0.2 mg/L naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) to give the best bud sprouting percentage (86.67 %) and bud length (0.73 cm). The adding of 1.0 mg/L benzyl aminopurine (BAP) with 0.2 mg/L NAA recorded the longest shootlet length (1.5 cm), while different strengths of MS medium with 1.0 g/L activated charcoal produced the best results for shootlet length (2.90 cm), leaf number/shootlet (4.33), root number/shootlet (3.67), and root length (5.70 cm). 100 % survival rate of acclimatized plantlets on peat and sand (1:1 v/v) resulted in maximum plantlet height, leaf number/plantlet, root number/plantlet, and root length. The aqueous methanol extracts of shootlet cultures on MS medium fortified with 2.0 mg/L kinetin (Kin) and 0.2 mg/L NAA recorded the highest amount of total polyphenol, total antioxidant capacity, iron-reducing power, 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), anti-diabetic activity, and anti-inflammatory activity. On the other hand, anti-Alzheimer activity increased in the aqueous methanol extracts of shootlet culture on medium-free hormone (control and medium containing 1.0 mg/L Isopentenyl adenine +0.2 mg/L NAA. The fatty matter fraction of the most bioactive culture on a medium containing 2.0 mg/L Kin + 0.2 mg/L NAA was subjected to GC-FID, which revealed the identification of 16 compounds with palmitic acid as the predominant constituent in the extract, with an area percentage of 67.34 %. Similarly, HPLC analysis of the defatted fraction detected and quantified 13 phenolic compounds, with a major occurrence of gallic acid (6257.84 µg/g). The current research provides a successful method for <em>in vitro</em> propagation of <em>E. milii</em> and the first investigation of the phytochemical analysis with <em>in vitro</em> biological evaluation of the cultures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21919,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Botany","volume":"179 ","pages":"Pages 234-245"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143463962","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genome-wide characterization of the PCO (Plant Cysteine ​​Oxidase) gene family in Phaseolus vulgaris L. and expression analysis under heavy metal stress","authors":"Esma Yigider","doi":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.02.010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.02.010","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Plant cysteine oxidases (PCOs) are essential in oxidizing N-terminal cysteine residues in specific proteins, triggering proteolysis through the N-degron pathway. With its high nutritional value and cultural significance, the common bean (<em>Phaseolus vulgaris</em> L.) is a vital staple in the human diet worldwide. With environmental deterioration accumulating heavy metals (HMs) like lead (Pb), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and nickel (Ni) understanding genetic pathways that increase plant resistance to such stressors is vital. This study explores the identification of PCO proteins in <em>Phaseolus vulgaris</em> through bioinformatic analyses and their roles in HM stress for the first time. Bioinformatics analysis identified eight <em>PCO</em> genes in the bean genome. The amino acid (aa) lengths of PvulPCO proteins varied from 162 to 281, their molecular weights (MW) varied from 17.78 to 32.1 kDa, and their pI values ranged from 5.31 to 8.51. Phylogenetic analysis identified the genes into three clades, sharing orthologous relationships with <em>Glycine</em> max and <em>Arabidopsis thaliana</em>, showing evolutionary conservation. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis determined that PvulPCO proteins play a significant function in biological processes such as response to hypoxia and redox homeostasis. Cis-acting regulatory element analysis shows hormone and stress-responsive elements in these gene promoters, emphasizing their essential role in HM detoxification and stress adaptation. Additionally, expressions of eight <em>PvulPCO</em> genes under HM conditions were analyzed using RNA sequencing and qRT-PCR. The data reveals significant expression patterns, suggesting that PvulPCO may emerge in response to the challenges caused by environmental and physiological stressors. The results of this study emphasize the potential role of <em>PvulPCO</em> genes in HM tolerance, providing a foundation for other research on stress-resistant crop development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21919,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Botany","volume":"179 ","pages":"Pages 246-260"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143471321","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ethylene precursor, 1-amino cyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid, induced distinct morpho-physio-biochemical improvements to cadmium-stressed mungbean (Vigna radiata L.)","authors":"Aneeqa Munawar ,&nbsp;Muhammad Tariq Javed ,&nbsp;Nudrat Aisha Akram ,&nbsp;Sadia Zafar ,&nbsp;Muhammad Sohail Akram","doi":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.01.032","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.01.032","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>Heavy metals (HMs) are stored in plant cellular organelles and consumption of food contaminated with HMs can cause toxicity in humans. In the current study, a cadmium (Cd) sensitive mungbean cultivar (cv.) NM-28, identified through physio-biochemical attributes was used to access the efficacy of 1-amino cyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC, ethylene precursor) in modulating Cd-induced negative impacts on mungbean growth and biochemical attributes.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Experiment was executed in pots filled with soil amended with 0, 5 or 10 mg kg⁻¹ of cadmium chloride (CdCl₂). Twenty days after germination, aqueous solution of ACC at 0, 10, 50 and 100 µM were applied as foliar spray. After 30 days, plants were harvested and processed for analysis of nutrient uptake patterns, growth attributes and bio-chemical status.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The presence of Cd in the soil negatively affected mungbean growth by interfering with uptake and translocation of essential nutrient ions such as magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca) etc. When foliar ACC (50 µM) was applied under 5 mg kg⁻¹ Cd stress, the cv. NM-28 showed improvements in shoot dry weight (36 %), root fresh weight (72 %), and root dry weight (38 %). Application of 50 µM ACC also increased chlorophyll <em>a</em> (25 %), chlorophyll <em>b</em> (24 %), total soluble proteins (35 %), phenolics (21 %) and peroxidase (POD) activity (17 %) under 5 mg kg⁻¹ Cd stress compared to 0 mg kg⁻¹ Cd (control). Similarly, 50 and 100 µM ACC enhanced nutrient uptake (Ca and K) from soil under Cd stress. However, some biochemical features were negatively impacted by 100 µM ACC treatment. Furthermore, the negative impact induced by 10 mg kg⁻¹ Cd was not significantly recoverable by any ACC concentration.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Exogenous application of ACC assisted plants to maintain an optimum level of important antioxidants as well as nutrient ion concentrations, thereby improving mungbean growth despite presence of Cd. The findings of this study could be useful for better growth of legumes in Cd contaminated soil. Further experiments using molecular approaches are suggested to explore the relationships between ACC, ethylene (ET), Cd contamination, soil properties and arable crops to devise strategies for crop cultivation in HMs enriched soils and for sustainable food security programs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21919,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Botany","volume":"179 ","pages":"Pages 224-233"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143463961","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"“Efficiency of RAPD, ISSR and SSR markers in assessing clonal fidelity of In Vitro propagated Punica granatum plantlets of cultivar Bhagwa”","authors":"Sachin Abhang ,&nbsp;Roopa Sowjanya P ,&nbsp;Nripendra Vikram Singh ,&nbsp;Amar Ramesh Kadam ,&nbsp;Amol S Shinde ,&nbsp;Vipul R Sangnure ,&nbsp;Ajinkya Mandave","doi":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.02.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.02.009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>One of the significant challenges faced by pomegranate growers is the propagation of true-to-type plants. The fidelity testing of tissue cultured pomegranate saplings is crucial to ensure they are genetically identical to the mother plant. Micropropagation of the Bhagwa cultivar of <em>Punica granatum</em> was achieved using nodal explants on MS medium with 1 mg/L BAP, 0.1 mg/L NAA, 0.5 mg/L silver nitrate and 25 mg/L adenine sulfate for culture establishment. For shoot multiplication, NAA was increased to 0.5 mg/L while maintaining BAP at 1 mg/L. Rooting was performed on media containing 0.5 mg/L IBA and 0.5 mg/L NAA. Micropopagated plantlets underwent <em>in vitro</em> hardening followed by primary hardening before being transferred to greenhouse conditions. Genetic fidelity of these micropropagated <em>Punica granatum</em> plantlets to their mother plant was evaluated using molecular markers, involving RAPD, ISSR and SSR. To achieve this objective, we utilized a set of 48 SSR, 20 RAPD and 12 ISSR for screening purposes. Out of these, a subset of 14 SSR, 10 RAPD and 9 ISSR primers generated 35, 94 and 89 distinct bands, respectively. Few SSR (PgSSR6, PgSSR22 and PgSSR35), RAPD (TIBMBB15 and TIBMBC5) and ISSR primers (ISSR6) exhibited high marker indices such as PIC, <em>He</em>, MI and DP. All selected markers produced 100 per cent homogeneous bands, further supported by pairwise correlation analysis, which indicated high genetic uniformity of all <em>in vitro</em> raised Bhagwa saplings. The outcome of the study will help in quality assurance to the Bhagwa pomegranate growers and horticultural industry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21919,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Botany","volume":"179 ","pages":"Pages 216-223"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143453057","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}