Analysis and characterization of the Salix suchowensis chloroplast genome

By screening sequence reads from the Salix suchowensis chloroplast(cp) genome that were generated by next-generation sequencing platforms, we assembled a complete circular pseudomolecule for the cp genome.This pseudomolecule is 155,508 bp long and has a typical quadripartite structure that contains two single copy regions, a large single copy region(LSC, 84,385 bp), and a small single copy region(SSC, 16,209 bp) separated by inverted repeat regions(IRs, 27,457 bp).Gene annotation revealed that the S.suchowensis cp genome encoded 119 unique genes, including four ribosome RNA genes, 30 transfer RNA genes, 82 protein-coding genes, and three pseudogenes.Analysis of the repetitive sequences revealed31 tandem repeats, 16 forward repeats, and five palindromic repeats.In addition, a total of 148 perfect microsatellites, which were characterized as A/T dominant in nucleotide composition, were detected.Significant shifting of the IR/SSC boundaries was revealed by comparing this cp genome with those of other rosid plants.We also constructed phylogenetic trees to demonstrate the phylogenetic position of S.suchowensis in Rosidae based on 66 orthologous protein-coding genes present in the cp genomes of 32 species.Sequencing 30 amplicons based on the pseudomolecule for experimental verification revealed99.88% accuracy for the S.suchowensis cp genome assembly.Therefore, we assembled a high-quality pseudomolecule of the S.suchowensis cp genome, which is a useful resource for facilitating development of this shrub willow into a more productive bioenergy crop.     

A novel cold-inducible promoter,P<Emphasis Type="Italic">ThCAP</Emphasis> from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tamarix hispida</Emphasis>, confers cold tolerance in transgenic <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis thaliana</Emphasis>

Our previous studies have revealed that the ThCAP gene plays a vital role in transgenic Populus (P. davidiana × P. bolleana) in response to cold stress. However, the regulatory mechanism of ThCAP gene expression has been unclear. In this study, the 5′ flanking region of the ThCAP promoter (PThCAP) was cloned using a genome-walking method. By analyzing cis-acting regulatory elements of PThCAP, a DRE motif and MYC and MYB elements were found to be located in the promoter. To identify the regulatory elements that control the expression of the ThCAP gene promoter, a series of deletion derivatives of PThCAP, P1–P5, from the translation start code (?1538, ?1190, ?900, ?718 and ?375 bp), were fused to the GUS reporter gene, and then each deletion was stably introduced into Arabidopsis thaliana plants. Deletion analysis of the promoter suggested that only the P2 fragment had strong GUS expression in leaves and roots of A. thaliana exposed to low temperature stress. These results suggest that this 290-bp region (?1190 to ?900 bp), as an important part in PThCAP, was associated with cold tolerance of A. thaliana. Our results provide evidence for the regulatory mechanism of ThCAP gene involved in the response to cold stress, and that the gene is promising candidate gene for genetic improvement of crops.     

Litterfall,decomposition and nutrient release of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Shorea robusta</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tectona grandis</Emphasis> in a sub-tropical forest of West Bengal,Eastern India

We studied leaf litter fall, decomposition and nutrient release patterns of Shorea robusta and Tectona grandis by using a litter bag technique to better understand the release pattern of nutrients to soil from leaf litter. Annual litterfall varied from 13.40 ± 2.56 t ha^?1 a^?1 for S. robusta to 11.03 ± 3.72 t ha^?1 a^?1 for T. grandis and the decay constant (k) of decomposed leaf litter was distinctly higher for T. grandis (2.70 ± 0.50 a^?1) compared to S. robusta (2.41 ± 0.30 a^?1). Biomass loss was positively correlated with the initial litter C, WSC, C/N and ash content in S. robusta and N, P and K concentration for T. grandis. Biomass was negatively correlated with lignin and L/N ratio for S. robusta and L, WSC, L/N and C/N ratio for T. grandis (P < 0.01). Nutrient use efficiency (NUE) and nutrient accumulation index (NAI) of S. robusta was higher than for T. grandis. The retranslocation of bioelements from senescent leaves ranked as P > N > K. Annual N, P and K input to soil through litterfall differed significantly between the two species in the following order: N>K>P. S. robusta was superior in terms of K and P return and T. grandis was superior in terms of N return. The two tree species showed a similar patterns of nutrient release (K > P > N) during decomposition of their leaf litter. Nutrients of N, K and P were the primary limiting nutrients returned to soil through litterfall with important roles in soil fertility and forest productivity.     

Direct and admixture toxicity of diatomaceous earth and monoterpenoids against the storage pests <Emphasis Type="Italic">Callosobruchus</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">maculatus</Emphasis> (F.) and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sitophilus oryzae</Emphasis> (L.)

We investigated the effects of two commercial diatomaceous earth based insecticides (DE), Protect-It^® and SilicoSec^®, the nano-structured silica product AL06, developed by the section for Urban Plant Ecophysiology at Humboldt University Berlin, and the monoterpenoids, eugenol, and cinnamaldehyde on two stored product pests, Callosobruchus maculatus and Sitophilus oryzae. Protect-It^® was more effective than SilicoSec^® against C. maculatus while the reverse was true for S. oryzae. Generally C. maculatus was more sensitive towards DE and silica treatment than S. oryzae. Mortality rate of both pest species increased when DE’s were applied to food commodities previously treated with a monoterpenoid. In admixture experiments, the toxicity of SilicoSec^® + cinnamaldehyde (LD₅₀ = 42.73 ppm), SilicoSec^® + eugenol (LD₅₀ = 24.30 ppm), and Protect-It^® + eugenol (LD₅₀ = 2.60 ppm) was increased over DE alone against S. oryzae. Both substances showed a synergistic effect considering their co-toxicity coefficient relative to the LD₅₀-value. In contrast, we could not find any synergistic effects in experiments with C. maculatus. Here only Protect-It^® + cinnamaldehyde (LD₅₀ = 20.84 ppm) showed an additive effect while all other combinations of monoterpenoid and DE indicated antagonistic effects. In addition to contact insecticidal effects both monoterpenoids showed a strong fumigant action. The presented results indicate that the natural product DE has great potential to replace synthetic pesticides commonly used in stored product pest management. Efficacy of DE can be improved by adding certain monoterpenoids against certain insect pests.     

Molecular approach to determine taxonomic status of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Septoria</Emphasis> sp. causing leaf blotch of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Castanea sativa</Emphasis> in Hyrcanian forests

Castanea sativa is a valuable tree species in Hyrcanian forests, an evolutionary relict ecosystem whose communities suffer from overexploitation and fungal diseases. In the current study, three species delimitation methods were utilized with ITS regions sequencing to determine the taxonomic status of Septoria causing leaf blotch of C. sativa in Hyrcanian forests. The results indicated that the length of ITS region in the genus Septoria (extracted from GenBank) varied from 650 to 680 bp. There were almost three times more variable sites in ITS1 than in ITS2. The ITS2 secondary structure of Hyrcanian Septoria community had the highest similarity with Septoria castaneicola, except for some differences in helix II and III. Also, Hyrcanian samples had minimum genetic distances with S. castaneicola and maximum with Septoria quercicola. The maximum parsimony method divided the studied Septoria genus into three distinct clades, mostly located in clade I. Clade II consisted entirely of Septoria aciculosa, while clade III contained S. castaneicola as well as Hyrcanian samples.     

Different population performances of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Frankliniella occidentalis</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thrips hawaiiensis</Emphasis> on flowers of two horticultural plants

Gardenia jasminoides and Rosa chinensis are economically important horticultural plants in China. Frankliniella occidentalis and Thrips hawaiiensis are serious coexisting pests that previously demonstrated opposite population trends on G. jasminoides and R. chinensis flowers. To further study the different performances between F. occidentalis and T. hawaiiensis, we investigated their population dynamics in the field (for 5 years) and their life history characteristics on the two flowers in the laboratory. In the field, the density of F. occidentalis was lower than that of T. hawaiiensis on G. jasminoides but was higher than that of T. hawaiiensis on R. chinensis. Under laboratory conditions, F. occidentalis showed significantly slower development, and lower survival and fecundity levels than T. hawaiiensis on G. jasminoides, but the opposite was true on R. chinensis. Significant differences in the net reproductive rate (R ₀) between F. occidentalis and T. hawaiiensis were observed, with respective values of 38.66 ± 2.85 and 47.91 ± 2.70 on G. jasminoides, and 55.64 ± 2.15 and 32.45 ± 2.16 on R. chinensis. The intrinsic rates of increase (r _m ) of F. occidentalis and T. hawaiiensis were 0.156 ± 0.008 and 0.198 ± 0.007, respectively, on G. jasminoides, and 0.172 ± 0.003 and 0.165 ± 0.002, respectively, on R. chinensis. Thus, the performances of both thrips with respect to population size in the laboratory were in accordance with those in the field, suggesting that the innate capacity for insect population increases may directly impact their population dynamics in fields. Thus, the population performance of different thrips species on flowers is species-dependent, which could be exploited in thrips control programs by breeding pest-resistant cultivars.     

Analysis of floral scent emitted from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Syringa</Emphasis> plants

Syringa is an important aromatic woody angiosperm that is widely planted in gardens. Its dry flowers are traditionally used to manufacture infusions and spices in China. In this study, the floral volatiles emitted from nine different Syringa species and varieties, viz. S. chinensis, S. p rotolaciniata, S. o blata, S. o blata var. giraldii, S. o blata var. plena, S. v ulgaris ‘Mrs Harry Bickle’, S. v ulgaris ‘Bright Centennial’, S. v ulgaris ‘White Spires’, and S. v ulgaris ‘President Lincoln’ were collected by the dynamic headspace technique, and then identified by automated thermal desorption–gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. There were significant differences in components and corresponding contents of floral scent emitted from the nine Syringa species and varieties. Among the detected components, β-ocimene exhibited the highest content, accounting for more than 70 % of the floral scent of S. p rotolaciniata, S. o blata var. giraldii, and S. v ulgaris ‘Bright Centennial’. A significant daytime variation of floral scent emitted from S. p ekinensis was recorded, especially for benzaldehyde, whose content first increased and then decreased. We studied the scent emitted from the in vitro flowers of S. v ulgaris ‘Pres Lincoln’ during the process of natural drying. Alcohol compounds were released in the greatest content, and the content of 2-ethyl-1-hexanol accounted for about 40 % of the total release amount. The results described the emission pattern and mechanisms of floral scent in Syringa.     

Effects of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Verticillium nonalfalfae</Emphasis> on <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ailanthus altissima</Emphasis> and associated indigenous and invasive tree species in eastern Austria

The naturally occurring Verticillium nonalfalfae shows promise for biocontrol of the highly invasive Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima), but might also bear a risk for non-target tree species. In this study, we conducted inoculations on potted seedlings of A. altissima as well as on eight indigenous and two invasive tree species associated with Tree of Heaven in Austria. Although vascular discolourations developed in all inoculated tree species, V. nonalfalfae was reisolated from Ailanthus and eight of the ten non-target-species, whereas typical disease symptoms and mortality only occurred on A. altissima. Results confirmed high susceptibility (S) of A. altissima to V. nonalfalfae but indicated tolerance (T) of Acer campestre, Acer pseudoplatanus and Quercus robur, possible resistance (PR) of Fraxinus excelsior, Populus nigra, Tilia cordata, Ulmus laevis and Ulmus minor and resistance (R) of Fraxinus pennsylvanica and Robinia pseudoacacia to this potential biocontrol agent. Results from seedling inoculations were confirmed by cursory field observations in Ailanthus-inoculated forest stands, where admixed A. campestre, A. pseudoplatanus, F. excelsior, Populus alba, R. pseudoacacia and U. laevis canopy trees remained asymptomatic, while mortality was induced in Ailanthus.     

Rhizosphere and bulk soil enzyme activities in a <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nothotsuga longibracteata</Emphasis> forest in the Tianbaoyan National Nature Reserve,Fujian Province,China

The rhizosphere, distinct from bulk soil, is defined as the volume of soil around living roots and influenced by root activities. We investigated protease, invertase, cellulase, urease, and acid phosphatase activities in rhizosphere and bulk soils of six Nothotsuga longibracteata forest communities within Tianbaoyan National Nature Reserve, including N. longibracteata + either Phyllostachys pubescens, Schima superba, Rhododendron simiarum, Cunninghamia lanceolata, or Cyclobalanopsis glauca, and N. longibracteata pure forest. Rhizosphere soils possessed higher protease, invertase, cellulase, urease, and acid phosphatase activities than bulk soils. The highest invertase, urease, and acid phosphatase activities were observed in rhizosphere samples of N. longibracteata + S. superba. Protease was highest in the N. longibracteata + R. simiarum rhizosphere, while cellulase was highest in the pure N. longibracteata forest rhizosphere. All samples exhibited obvious rhizosphere effects on enzyme activities with a significant linear correlation between acid phosphatase and cellulase activities (p < 0.05) in rhizosphere soils and between protease and acid phosphatase activities (p < 0.05) in bulk soils. A principal component analysis, correlating 13 soil chemical properties indices relevant to enzyme activities, showed that protease, invertase, acid phosphatase, total N, and cellulase were the most important variables impacting rhizosphere soil quality.     

Tree leaves of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Salix babylonica</Emphasis> extract as a natural anthelmintic for small-ruminant farms in a semiarid region in Mexico

The study aimed to test the potential anthelmintic activity of Salix babylonica (SB) extract for the control of gastrointestinal and pulmonary parasites in sheep and goats under field conditions. A representative sample of 20 % of all animals reared in 8 sheep and 7 goat farms was used in the study. Animals from each farm were randomly selected for a total number of 93 sheep and 75 goats. Animals suffered a natural gastrointestinal nematode infection and had never been treated with chemical anthelmintic drugs. The SB extract (20 mL) was orally administered weekly before the morning feeding to each animal for 60 days. Fecal eggs or oocysts were counted at 0, 1, 20, 40, and 60 days after starting the extract administration. Differences (P < 0.01) in the fecal oocyst and egg output of Eimeria, Dictyocaulus, and Moniezia were observed between sheep and goats. In addition, the treatment influenced (P < 0.05) egg outputs of Cooperia, Dictyocaulus, and Trichuris. Fecal egg or oocyst counts of Haemonchus contortus, Eimeria, Cooperia, Chabertia, Dictyocaulus, Moniezia, and Ostertagia were time-dependent (P < 0.05). For sheep, administration of SB decreased (P < 0.05) the fecal eggs count of H. contortus, Cooperia, Chabertia, Dictyocaulus, Moniezia, and Trichuris. After 20 days of treatment, H. contortus, Cooperia, or Moniezia were not detected. For goats, SB reduced (P < 0.05) the fecal egg counts of H. contortus, Cooperia, Chabertia, and Moniezia. Moreover, decreases were observed (P < 0.05) for Chabertia, Trichostrongylus, and Ostertagia. Eggs of H. contortus and Moniezia were not present in the feces after 1 day of administration of the extract. It could be concluded that the weekly administration of SB extract at 20 mL per animal can be used to treat gastrointestinal and lung nematodes of small ruminants in organic and traditional farming systems of tropical regions.     

Genetic diversity in two threatened species in Vietnam: <Emphasis Type="Italic">Taxus chinensis</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Taxus wallichiana</Emphasis>

Taxus chinensis and T. wallichiana in have been threatened in their distribution areas in recent decades because of their over-exploitation and reduction and destruction of native habitats. Determining the genetic diversity in populations of the two species will provide guidelines for their protection and preservation. Two hundred and fifteen trees from six populations of T. chinensis and 150 sampled trees of T. wallichiana were sampled. Six microsatellite primer pairs selected from 16 primer pairs were used to investigate genetic variation at the population and species levels. Five yielded polymorphic alleles, and among the 13 putative alleles amplified, 11 were polymorphic (accounting for 76.33 %).Shannon’s information index (I) and percentage of polymorphic bands (PPB) (I = 0.202 and PPB = 67.22 % for T. chinensis; I = 0.217 and PPB = 65.03 % for T. wallichiana). Both species had low levels of genetic diversity (mean H _o = 0.107, H _e = 0.121 for T. chinensis; H _o = 0.095, H _e = 0.109 for T. wallichiana). Genetic differentiation among populations was higher (F _ST = 0.189) for T. chinensis and lower (0.156) for T. wallichiana, indicating limited gene flow (Nm) among populations for T. chinensis (0.68) and T. wallichiana (0.65). Variation among individuals of T. chinensis was 63.59 and 73.12 % for T. wallichiana. Thus, the threatened status of the two conifers is related to a lack of genetic diversity. All populations are isolated in small forest remnants. An ex situ conservation site should be established with a new population for these species that comprises all the genetic groups for the best chance to improve their fitness under environmental stresses.     

Analysis of EST-SSRs in silver birch (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Betula pendula</Emphasis> Roth.)

Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) defined as sequence repeat units between 1 and 6 bp occur abundantly in both coding and non-coding regions in eukaryotic genomes and these repeats can affect gene expression. In this study, ESTs (expressed sequence tags) of Betula pendula (silver birch) were analyzed for in silico mining of EST-SSRs, protein annotation, open reading frames (ORFs), designing primers, and identifying codon repetitions. In B. pendula, the frequency of ESTs containing SSRs was 7.8 % with an average of 1SSR/4. 78 kb of EST sequences. A total of 188 SSRs was identified by using MISA software and di-nucleotide SSR motifs (65.9 %) were found to be the most abundant type of repeat motif followed by tri- (27.1 %), tetra- (4.8 %), and penta- (2.2 %) motifs. Based on ORF analysis, 175 of 178 sequences were predicted as ORFs and the most frequent SSRs were detected in 5′ UTR (58.43 %), followed by in ORF (31.46 %) and in 3′ UTR (8.43 %). 102 of 178 ESTs were annotated as ribosomal protein, transport protein, membrane protein, carrier protein, binding protein, and transferase protein. For a total of 102 SSRs (57.3 %) with significant matches, a set of 102 primers (100 %) with forward and reverse strands was designed by using Primer3 software. Serine (Ser, 19.6 %) was predominant in putative encoded amino acids and most of amino acids showed nonpolar (35.3 %) nature. Our data provide resources for B. pendula and can be useful for in silico comparative analyses of Betulaceae species, including SSR mining.     

Mating patterns of the gum arabic tree (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Acacia senegal synonym Senegalia senegal</Emphasis>) in two different habitats

Understanding the variation of mating patterns in disturbed habitats provide insight into the evolutionary potential of plant species and how they persist over time. However, this phenomenon is poorly understood in tropical dryland tree species. In the present study, we investigated how Acacia senegal reproduces in two different environmental contexts in Kenya. Open-pollinated progeny arrays of 10 maternal trees from each environmental context were genotyped using 12 nuclear microsatellite markers. Overall, A. senegal displayed a predominantly allogamous mating pattern. However, higher multilocus outcrossing rate (tm) was found in Lake Bogoria (tm = 1.00) than in Kampi ya Moto population (tm = 0.949). Higher biparental inbreeding (t _m  ? t _s  = 0.116) and correlation of outcrossed paternity (rp = 0.329) was found in Kampi ya Moto than in Lake Bogoria population (t _m  ? t _s  = 0.074, rp = 0.055), showing the occurrence of mating among relatives. Coefficient of coancestry (Θ = 0.208) showed that full-sibs constitute about 21% of the offspring in Kampi ya Moto population compared to about 14% (Θ = 0.136) in Lake Bogoria population. The results demonstrate that low adult tree density of A. senegal may be promoting seed production through consanguineous mating and suggest that man-made disturbance can affect mating patterns of the species. Despite these mating differences, trees from both populations can contribute as seed source for conservational plans, and to support effective genetic conservation and artificial regeneration programs of A. senegal. We suggest collection of seeds from at least 42 and 63 trees in Lake Bogoria and Kampi ya Moto populations, respectively, to retain a progeny array with a total effective population size of 150.     

The impact of the environmental factors on the photosynthetic activity of common pine (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinus sylvestris</Emphasis>) in spring and in autumn in the region of Eastern Siberia

The taiga coniferous forests of the Siberian region are the main carbon sinks in the forest ecosystems. Quantitatively, the size of the carbon accumulation is determined by the photosynthetic productivity, which is strongly influenced by environmental factors. As a result, an assessment of the relationship between environmental factors and photosynthetic productivity makes it possible to calculate and even predict carbon sinks in coniferous forests at the regional level. However, at various stages of the vegetative period, the force of the connection between environmental conditions and the productivity of photosynthesis may change. In this research, correlations between the photosynthetic activity of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) with the environmental conditions were compared in spring and in autumn. In spring, close positive correlation of the maximum daily net photosynthesis was identified with only one environmental factor. For different years, correlations were for soil temperature (r_s = 0.655, p = 0.00315) or available soil water supply (r_s = 0.892, p = 0.0068). In autumn within different years, significant correlation was shown with two (temperature of air and soil; r_s = 0.789 and 0.896, p = 0.00045 and 0.000006, respectively) and four factors: temperature of air (r_s = 0.749, p = 0.00129) and soil (r_s = 0.84, p = 0.00000), available soil water supply (r_s = 0.846, p = 0.00013) and irradiance (r_s = 0.826, p = 0.000001). Photosynthetic activity has a weaker connection with changes in environmental factors in the spring, as compared to autumn. This is explained by the multidirectional influence of environmental conditions on photosynthesis in this period and by the necessity of earlier photosynthesis onset, despite the unfavorable conditions. This data may be useful for predicting the flow of carbon in dependence on environmental factors in this region in spring and in autumn.     

Heartwood assessment of natural <Emphasis Type="Italic">Santalum album</Emphasis> populations for agroforestry development in Sri Lanka

Sandalwood (Santalum album) is developing as an important agroforestry crop in Sri Lanka. The value of S. album depends upon the oil content in the heartwood and its composition with reference to sesquiterpene alcohols cis-α-santalol and cis-β-santalol. According to the popular belief in Sri Lanka, certain S. album trees do not produce oil even after maturity. Therefore the present study was conducted to identify the presence and the variation of essential oil, its composition and the variation of growth parameters of nine distinctive S. album populations growing under different agroecological zones in Sri Lanka. According to the results, heartwood content, oil content and its constituents varied within and between the populations. It was interesting to observe that cis-α-santalol and cis-β-santalol were not detected in certain S. album trees though the oil contents of those trees were higher than the average. Heartwood content of the trees did not show a correlation with oil content, dbh and height. However, the oil content was significantly correlated with tree dbh and height. Majority of the trees (62 %) had heartwood essential oil in compliance to ISO standards; only a 31 % of the total sampled trees had the essential oil content above 2 % (w/w). Dry mountainous Badulla district had the highest percentage of trees complying the ISO standards. These findings are vital for identifying suitable sources for agroforestry propagation of S. album.     

Chemical composition,antioxidant and antibacterial activities of extracts from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Schinus molle</Emphasis> wood branch growing in Egypt

In the present work, for the first time, the chemical components of essential oils (EOs) and extracts from wood branch (WB) resulted from the tree pruning wastes of Schinus molle L. grown in Egypt were evaluated for their antioxidant and antibacterial activities. EOs, methanol (ME), dichloromethane (DCME) and water (WE) extracts as antioxidant and antibacterial activities were measured. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents as well as analysis of extracts by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) were reported. The major components in EOs were α-elemol, β-pinene, and α-phellandrene, in ME were 6-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-cyano-4-(N-benzylpiperazino)-2H-pyran-2-one, and 2-naphthalene methanol, decahydro-α,α,4a-trimethyl-8-methylene, in DCME were 12-methyl-E,E-3,13-octadecadien-1-ol, and 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, dioctyl ester, and in WE were β-eudesmol, and (Z,Z,Z)-9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid, 2,3-dihydroxypropyl ester. The highest total antioxidant activity was found with EOs (90 ± 1.23 %) and WE (86.30 ± 1.40 %). The lowest IC₅₀ values of 13.11 ± 3.00, and 12.66 ± 2.15 μg/mL were found with WE and EOs, respectively. EOs and WE were observed to have good antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Sarcina lutea, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Micrococcus luteus. In conclusion, the Schinus molle L. WB EOs and extracts might, indeed, be used as a potential source for pharmaceutical or food industries.     

Nutrients leaching from green leaves of three potential agroforestry tree species

Nutrient (NH₄, PO₄ and K) leaching from oven dried green leaves of Emblica officinalis Gaerten, Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Pers. and Moringa oleifera Lam.were investigated in laboratory condition. Oven-dried green leaves were immersed in demineralized distilled water for 8 days. Electrical conductivity (EC), Total dissolved solids (TDS) and nutrients (NH₄, PO₄ and K) of leaching water samples were measured at 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96, 144, and 192 h of intervals. All these species showed an increasing trend for EC and TDS in leachate and comparatively higher EC and TDS were observed in E. officinalis, which is followed, by S. grandiflora and M. oleifera. Significantly high amount (P < 0.05) of NH₄ was leached from S. grandiflora and PO₄ from M. oleifera. But, both S. grandiflora and M. oleifera leached significantly higher (P < 0.05) K than E. officinalis. Within the first 0.25 h, 100 % and 82 % of NH₄ and 68 % and 74 % of K were leached from leaves of S. grandiflora and M. oleifera respectively. S. grandiflora and M. oleifera leached 100 % of PO₄ within 6 h. The concentrtions of NH₄, PO₄ and K in the leachate from E. officinalis, S. grandiflora and M. oleifera were not significantly different (P > 0.05). The green leaves of S. grandiflora and M.oleifera can be a potential source of NH₄, PO₄ and K for a quick nutrient supplement to the agricultural crops in agroforestry practices.     

Conservation status evaluation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Berberis</Emphasis> species across the Karakoram Mountain Ranges,Pakistan using IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria

Berberis species are endangered, high-value medicinal plants in Pakistan with important eco-cultural, commercial and livelihood roles in mountain communities. To assess the geographical distribution of Berberis species across the Karakoram Mountain Ranges in Pakistan, we used IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria (2001) to calculate the extent of occurrence (EOO, <100 km²) and the area of occupancy (AOO, <10 km²) of Berberis pseudumbellata subsp. pseudumbellata and B. pseudumbellata subsp. gilgitica. Overgrazing and habitat loss were key population-limiting factors. The two subspecies had contrasting responses to temperature, elevation, precipitation and insect susceptibility. B. pseudumbellata subsp. gilgitica is endemic to Gilgit-Baltistan and grows in single-cropping zone (areas > 200 m a.s.l.). Status evaluation revealed that both subspecies meet the criteria set for critically endangered species. Prolonged disregard of its declining population trend might lead to its extinction; therefore, integrated conservation efforts are necessary.