Anatomy of the Dicotyledons

A comprehensive account on standardization of herbal drug Nigella sativa L. (Tukhm-e-Kalonji) by using microscopic as well as pharmacognostic parameters. In the field of herbal medicines, the main issues are quality, purity, and effectiveness, as in many cases herbal drugs are knowingly or unknowingly substituted or adulterated with similar species or varieties. In herbal market the seeds of N. sativa are commonly adultered with seeds of Allium cepa L. intentionally or accidentally due to their similar morphology. In the present study, the microscopic characterization of herbal drug was done by morphological, palynological, and anatomical features. A great diversity was found in anatomical features of two species, as irregular epidermal cells, actinocytic stomata, and nonglandular trichomes were found in N. sativa while in A. cepa epidermal cells were rectangular in shape, stomata type was paracytic, and trichomes were absent. Pharmacognostic characterization was made by fluorescence analysis and physiochemical parameters. Physicochemical parameters like moisture content, total ash, acid insoluble ash, water soluble ash, and water insoluble ash were also evaluated. The above parameters, being reported to the first time for the studied plant species, and are significant towards establishing the microscopic and pharmacognostic standards for future identification and authentication of genuine herbal drug. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Microscopic Investigations for the standardization of herbal drug Nigella sativa L. (Tukhm-e-Kalonji). Pharmacognostic techniques are potentially significant for the standardization of herbal drug Nigella sativa in comparison with its adulterant. Useful for preparation of standards for herbal pharmacopeia.

Microscopic investigations and pharmacognostic techniques used for the standardization of herbal drug Nigella sativa L.

Electrophoretic SDS-PAGE and SCoT-PCR techniques were used to study the fingerprints and genetic diversity of six Egyptian soybean (Glycine max L.) genotypes (Giza111, Giza21, Giza82, Giza35, Giza22, and Giza83). SDS-PAGE revealed a total of 23 bands with a polymorphism 30.43%. The maximum number of bands (22) was recorded in Giza111 and Giza82, while the minimum number of bands (18) was recorded in Giza35. The highest similarity index for SDS- PAGE (0.909) was observed between Giza111 and Giza82, while the lowest similarity index (0.714) was recorded between Giza35 and Giza83. SCoT technique was performed by using 11 primers to generate reproducible polymorphic products. The total number of bands was 106, from them 52 polymorphic and 54 monomorphic bands with a polymorphism 49.11%. The dendrogram of both SDS-PAGE and SCoT markers revealed two main clusters; the first cluster includes the cultivars Giza111and Giza21, while the second cluster includes the cultivars Giza82, Giza35, Giza22, and Giza83. The second group was further subdivided into two subgroups; the first subgroup includes cultivars (Giza82 and Giza35) while the second subgroup includes cultivars Giza22 and Giza83. The markers used in this study created a number of polymorphic bands among the different cultivars that can be utilized as molecular markers for their differentiation. The obtained data indicated that SCoT and SDS-PAGE techniques could be used efficiently for identification and differentiation of the selected genotypes.

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Phylogenetic relationships of some Egyptian soybean cultivars ( Glycine max L.) using SCoT marker and protein pattern

Laurel (Laurus nobilis L.) has been used in the Mediterranean basin since ancient ages. Nowadays, Turkey, Mexico, Portugal, Italy, Spain, France, Algeria, and Morocco use aromatic leaves for commercial purposes, and Turkey is the largest exporter in the world. In this study, molecular characterization, and genetic relationships of 94 Turkish laurel genotypes were determined by ISSR and SCoT markers. The experiment was conducted with 16 ISSR and 10 SCoT markers. While 348 of 373 bands were polymorphic with a 93.3% polymorphism rate, Nei's genetic distances ranged between 0.17 and 0.70 with 0.39 mean in ISSR. In SCoT, 175 of 227 bands were polymorphic with 77.1% polymorphism rate, and Nei's genetic distances varied between 0.12 and 0.51. Sufficient genetic diversity determined with diversity parameters consisting of the average Shannon's information index (ISSR: 0.46, SCoT:0.35), the overall gene diversity (ISSR:0.19, SCoT:0.18), and the effective number of alleles (ISSR:1.52, SCoT:1.38). AMOVA (Analysis of molecular variance) revealed most of the variation was within genotypes (96%). Neighbor-joining algorithms, principal coordinate analysis (PCoA), and model-based structure resulted in harmony and clustered according to the geographical regions and provinces they collected. Genotypes were divided into two groups in ISSR and SCoT with UPGMA clustering resulting in a similar polymorphism distribution. The correlation coefficient (r) determined by marker systems' Nei's genetic distances was 0.25. The results of the study put forward resources for advanced breeding techniques, contribute to the preservation of genetic diversity, and management of genetic resources for the breeders.

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Genetic relationships and diversity analysis in Turkish laurel (Laurus nobilis L.) germplasm using ISSR and SCoT markers.

Hortus third a concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the usa and canada

Almost 35% of the Earth’s land surface is covered by desert ecosystems. Areas that suffer from water scarcity are expected to increase owing to global climate changes. Water deficiency has become a worldwide threat due to its lethal effect on plant growth, development, and reproduction which foreshadows a food problem and enormous economic losses. Xerophytes, drought-tolerant plants, are able to grow and live under these harsh conditions. Although xerophytic plants are not closely related taxa, they all have similar forms, structures and shape to survive in such a xeric habitat. Xerophytes and their different mechanisms of adaptation to arid region have become of an international focus nowadays. This chapter discusses frontier knowledge about morphological, anatomical, and physiological adaptations and strategies of survival enabling xerophytes to develop and complete their life cycles in arid and semiarid regions. In addition, a special interest is given to the transcriptomic analysis of xerophytes to reveal the molecular basis for their drought tolerance. Finally, we provide an overview on the importance of xerophytes as a treasure of genetic resources for genetic enhancement of stress resistance of important forage and crop species in areas of arid climate.

Strategies for Drought Tolerance in Xerophytes

SEM and SCoT Markers Unveil New Taxonomic and Genetic Insights about Some Northern African Triticum aestivum L. Cultivars 
Triticum aestivum L. is an annual grass of family Poaceae. The present study was concerned with the discrimination and Identification of some Northern African T. aestivum L. cultivars. Fourteen T. aestivum L. cultivars, representing seven Northern African countries, were presented in this study. High-resolution conventional SEM imaging was performed to survey on and to examine the grain surface sculpture (dorsal and ventral views) of the studied cultivars. SEM analysis revealed six grain surface sculpture for the ventral surface and four for the dorsal side. In addition, SCoT polymorphism analysis was performed using 14 primers to access and characterize the genetic diversity between T. aestivum L. cultivars under study. The relationship resulted from applied multidisciplinary analyses viz. (UPGMA, structural analysis, and principal coordinate analysis) via SEM and SCoT analyses were in complement and efficient in assessing the characterization of taxonomic and genetic diversity of studied T. aestivum L. cultivars. In conclusion, it is most likely speculated that breeding lines from T. aestivum cultivars range of North Africa and their rational comparison may emerge novel insights and give better understanding of the domestication of T. aestivum genetic diversity. Also, some cultivars could be used as important genetic resources for genetic improvement of T. aestivum in future breeding program.

SEM and SCoT Markers Unveil New Taxonomic and Genetic Insights about Some Northern African Triticum aestivum L. Cultivars

Eight taxa of Lauraceae representing four genera were subjected to the present study. The micro-morphological and chemical investigation were carried out according to traditional methods. The objective of the present study is to find criteria to facilitate the delimitation and identification of the taxa under investigation. The obtained leaf micro-characters were considered diagnostic at the generic and specific level. The extracted chemical compounds from the taxa under investigation ranged from 41-61. Most of tested oils showed antibacterial activity toward six bacteria strains. The most potent antibacterial oils were from Cinnamomum glanduliferum and C. verum . The antibacterial activity was due to oxygenated and non-oxygenated monoterpenes (α-pinene, β-pineneandcineole). The antibacterial activity of Apollonias barbujana  is due to (α-phellandrene rather than cineole). The obtained data from an anatomical and chemical point of view can be considered diagnostic at the infraspecific level, but only to a certain extent .

https://taec.journals.ekb.eg/article_11943_0a66518d3d4345144a99befd2554c6a5.pdf

Leaf Anatomy, Chemical Composition as Well as Essential Oils and their Antibacterial Activity of Some Lauraceous Taxa

Taxonomic relationships of eight taxa (representing three tribes, four genera and seven species) of Lauraceae grown in Egypt were studied, using both the morphoarchitectural leaf pattern, as well as inter-simple sequence repeat ISSR analysis. The morphoarchitectural leaf patterns were investigated by LM. The genetic differentiation among the studied taxa was analyzed by a genotyping method using 13 ISSR primers. The recorded data achieved from the morpho-architectural patterns and 13 ISSR primers were analyzed using the Dice coefficient to compute the similarity matrix. This similarity matrix was used to produce dendrograms using the UPGMA clustering method. The traditional morphological characters were insufficient to resolve relationships within the studied taxa and did not provide generic delimitation. The results obtained from ISSR analysis demonstrated that the genetic analysis were sufficient to resolve relationships within Lauraceae. It also supported previous researches which concluded that Cinnamomum was rejected as monophyletic group.

Al-Safa H. Mohamed

Papers

Strategies for Drought Tolerance in Xerophytes

SEM and SCoT Markers Unveil New Taxonomic and Genetic Insights about Some Northern African Triticum aestivum L. Cultivars

Leaf Anatomy, Chemical Composition as Well as Essential Oils and their Antibacterial Activity of Some Lauraceous Taxa

Implications of morphology and molecular criteria in taxonomy of lauraceae juss.

Morphological study of some taxa of Ranunculaceae Juss in Egypt (anatomy and pollen grains)