Genetic diversity of Ziziphus lotus natural populations from Algeria based on fruit morphological markers

The xerophytic shrub Ziziphus lotus (L) Lam may constitute the best choice as a fruit crop in arid regions and seems to have a great importance in uncultured and marginal soils. As the first report, this study investigates the genetic diversity among and within nine natural populations of Z. lotus encompassing wide range of ecological conditions in Algeria through analyses of fruits characteristics. Results reveal significant differences of fruit traits among and within populations; the morphological variability was significantly correlated with the variation of ecological conditions. In general, fruits color ranges from light to dark brown with mostly oval-shaped endocarps containing one or two seeds. In addition, fruits weight ranged between 0.43 and 0.75?g while length was comprised between 10 and 13?mm and fruit thickness varied between 9.85 and 12.81?mm. Overall, quantitative traits were significantly influenced by the environmental conditions, whereas qualitative traits were not clearly affected. Hence, three phenotypes were distinguished allowing detection of a gradual phenotypic variation following latitudinal gradient related mainly to aridity and sand content in the soil. Such variation offers a good basis for breeding objectives, principally for food and medicine objectives along with wide adaptations for various range of climate and soil. Management and conservation of Z. lotus germplasm in Algeria is highly recommended.     

Effects of cadmium stress on seedlings of various rangeland plant species (Avena fatua L., Lathyrus sativus L., and Lolium temulentum L.): Growth,physiological traits,and cadmium accumulation

A pot culture experiment was performed to study the effect of cadmium stress (Cd stress) on seedling growth, physiological traits, and remediation potency of Avena fatua, Lathyrus sativus, and Lolium temulentum. The seedlings of these native rangeland plant species were treated with 0, 2, 4, and 6 mM cadmium nitrate concentrations. Based on the results of analysis of variance (p < 0.05), the shoot height, shoot dry weight, root length, root dry weight, root: shoot ratio, total chlorophyll content, soluble sugars, and protein contentof A. fatua, L. sativus, and L. temulentum significantly decreased with increased cadmium concentrations. Generally, translocation factor (TF) and tolerance index (TI) decreased significantly as the concentration of cadmium increased. The maximum TF and TI of studied plants in various concentrations of Cd were observed in L. temulentum followed by L. sativus and A. fatua. The root concentration factor (RCF) values of all studied plants were higher than 1 under different cadmium concentrations. Our results indicate that Lolium temulentum could be labeled as an accumulator of Cd asthe values of TF and RCF are greater than 1. A. fatua and L. sativus showed a potential to be used in the phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated soils.     

Evaluation of Textural and Structural Properties of Barbari Bread During Storage

This study was performed using three Barbari flours (strong, medium, and weak) with different physical, chemical, and rheological properties. Determination of texture firmness of Barbari breads (A, B, and C, made of strong, medium, and weak flours, respectively) during storage was carried out with a texture analyzer and evaluating the bread crumb properties and changes during storage with a nondestructive ultrasonic technique. The bread microstructure was assessed with scanning electron microscopy, and the general process of starch gelatinization and retrogradation was evaluated with differential scanning calorimetry. The bread sensory properties were evaluated by 10 trained panelists. Barbari A, made from strong flour, had less firmness, lower transition of ultrasonic wave velocity, lower value of elastic modulus, reduced value of enthalpy, lower average temperature, larger pore diameter and area of images, and higher point total in sensory evaluation than Barbari B and Barbari C, particularly the latter, as storage time progressed. Barbari A's desirable quality characterization and longer shelf life were owing to the qualities of the flour, which enabled the production of dough with the appropriate properties. Eventually, the results of device‐based and sensory tests were significantly correlated. Ultrasonic nondestructive testing is recommended over other methods for assessing the texture, cell structure, and elastic properties of bread after baking and during storage, because it is fast, nondestructive, and less expensive than other methods and can be used during production.     

Pico Level Monitoring of Silver with Modified Hexagonal Mesoporous Compound (MCM-41) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry

A rapid method for the extraction and monitoring of picogram level of silver ions using uniform silanized mesopor (MCM-41) modified by a thiocompound and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) is presented. The preconcentration factor of the method is 500, and detection limit of the technique for silver is 6.5 pg/ml. The time and the efficiency of the extraction, pH and flow rate, type and minimum amount of acid for stripping of silver from modified MCM-41 was tested. The break through volume of the method was found 2500 ml. The maximum capacity the modified MCM-41 was found to be 11.0 ± 1.2 μg of Ag⁺/mg modified MCM-41.     

Quantitative Assessment of Proliferative Effects of Oral Vanadium on Pancreatic Islet Volumes and Beta?Cell Numbers of Diabetic Rats

Background:

Oral vanadyl sulfate (vanadium) induces normoglycemia, proliferates beta cells and prevents pancreatic islet atrophy in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Soteriological method is used to quantitate the proliferative effects of vanadium on beta-cell numbers and islet volumes of normal and diabetic rats.

Methods:

Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were made diabetic with intravenous streptozotocin injection (40 mg/kg). Normal and diabetic rats were divided into four groups. While control normal and diabetic (CD) groups used water, vanadium-treated normal (VTN) and diabetic (VTD) groups used solutions containing vanadyl sulfate (0.5-1 mg/mL, VOSO₄+5H₂O). Tail blood samples were used to measure blood glucose (BG) and plasma insulin. Two months after treatment, rats were sacrificed, pancreata prepared, and stereology method was used to quantitatively evaluate total beta cell numbers (TBCN) and total islet volumes (TISVOL).

Results:

Normoglycemia persisted in VTN with significantly decreased plasma insulin (0.190.08 vs. 0.970.27 ng/dL, P<0.002). The respective high BG (53249 vs. 14446 mg/dL, P<0.0001) and reduced plasma insulin (0.260.15 vs. 0.540.19 ng/dL, P<0.002) seen in CD were reversed in VTD during vanadium treatment or withdrawal. While the induction of diabetes, compared to their control, significantly decreased TISVOL (1.90.2 vs. 3.030.6 mm³, P<0.003) and TBCN (0.990.1 vs. 3.20.2 x 10⁶, P<0.003), vanadium treatment significantly increased TISVOL (2.90.8 and 4.071.0 mm³, P<0.003) and TBCN (1.50.3 and 3.80.6 x 10⁶, P<0.03).

Conclusion:

Two-month oral vanadium therapy in STZ-diabetic rats ameliorated hyperglycemia by partially restoring plasma insulin. This action was through proliferative actions of vanadium in preventing islet atrophy by increasing beta-cell numbers.Key Words: Vanadium, Pancreas, Islet volumes, Rats     

Chemical composition and profile characterisation of pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima) seed oil

Seeds of a Tunisian variety (Béjaoui) of pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima) were analysed for their main chemical composition and for their oil properties. Expressed on dry weight basis, seed moisture was 8.46%, whereas contents of proteins, fibre, ash, fat, and total sugars established at 33.92%, 3.97%, 21.97%, 31.57%, and 0.11% respectively. Gas chromatography revealed that the major fatty acids were oleic, linoleic, and palmitic acids (44.11%, 34.77%, and 15.97% respectively). Seed oil was also found to be rich in tocopherols with a predominance of δ-tocopherol (42.27%). The sterol marker β-sisosterol accounted for 39.6% of total sterols contained in seed oil of this variety. Six phenolic acids (protocatechuic, caffeic, syringic, vanillic, p-coumaric and ferulic) were detected, the syringic acid being predominant (7.96 mg/100 g). As a whole, based on its seed oil features, pumpkin may be considered as a valuable source for new multi-purpose products for industrial, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical utilisation.     

Toxicity of selected biorational insecticides to Pulvinaria aurantii Cockerell and its predator,Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Mulsant in citrus field

The citrus cottony scale, Pulvinaria aurantii Cockerell, is the most important pest of citrus orchards in northern Iran in recent years. Owing to the harmful impacts of chemical insecticides, the use of biorational pesticides seems a safe and convenient way to control this pest. The present investigation was set up to study contact toxicity of various biorational and chemical compounds on the first, second instar nymph and overwintering adult of the citrus cottony scale, P. aurantii, and its predator, Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Mulsant under field conditions. The results indicated that the highest percentage of mortality of first instar nymph of the citrus cottony scale was observed in the Dayabon treatment of 9 and 10?ml/L, 100.0%?±?0.0% and the lowest percentage was observed in Palizin treatment of 1.5?ml/L, 34.7%?±?2.9%. In the second instar nymph, the highest mortality was seen in the Dursban treatment of 2?ml/L, 94.7%?±?2.4% and the lowest mortality in the Palizin treatment of 1.5?ml/L, 30.0%?±?2.3%. Also, for overwintering adults Dayabon 10?ml/L caused the highest mortality, 96.0%?±?4.0% during 24?h. In the case of ladybird insects, the highest and lowest percentage of mortality was observed in the Dursban treatment of 2?ml/L, 76.7%?±?8.8%, Dayabon 5?ml/L, and Palizin 2?ml/L, 3.3%?±?3.3%, respectively. The highest and lowest mortality rate of larvae of ladybird was estimated in the Dursban treatment of 2?ml/L, 83.3%?±?3.3% and Dayabon 5?ml/L, 3.3%?±?3.3%, respectively. Also, for overwintering predator adults Palizin 1.5?ml/L had the lowest mortality, 3.3%?±?3.3% during 24?h and this rate remain unchanged after 96?h after treatment. According to the results obtained, treatments with Dayabon 9 and 10?ml/L, can be a viable alternative to other high-risk chemical pesticides in addition to effectively controlling citrus cottony scale without having any adverse impacts on predator ladybird.     

Pathogenic diversity of Phytophthora sojae pathotypes from Brazil

Phytophthora root and stem rot has developed in commercial soybean fields since 2006 in Brazil, and cultivars with resistance to this disease have not been targeted for this region. Thus, the Phytophthora sojae pathotypes are expected to have virulence to few if any of the Rps genes. The objectives of this study were to characterize the pathotype diversity of P. sojae in Brazil, determine the distribution of the pathogen and predict which Rps genes will be effective and should be used in breeding programs. Isolates were collected in six states (Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, and Goiás). The virulence formulae were based on the response of a differential set with 14 Rps genes (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1k, 2, 3a, 3b, 3c, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8). None of the 17 pathotypes found was reported previously. The most common virulence formulas were: 1d, 2, 3c, 4, 5, 6, 7 (octal code 05471, representing 24 % of the occurrences); 1d, 2, 3b, 3c, 4, 5, 6, 7 (05671, 13 %); 1b, 1d, 2, 3a, 3c, 4, 5, 6, 7 (25571, 8 %); and 1d, 3a, 5, 7, 8 (01123, 8 %). Percentages of isolates with a susceptible interaction with each Rps gene was Rps1a (3 %), Rps1b (11 %), Rps1c (3 %), Rps1d (100 %), Rps1k (3 %), Rps2 (86 %), Rps3a (32 %), Rps3b (19 %), Rps3c (73 %), Rps4 (70 %), Rps5 (89 %), Rps6 (59 %), Rps7 (100 %), and Rps8 (22 %). There was apparently no relationship between pathotypes and origin. Stacking resistance genes Rps1a, Rps1b, Rps1c, and Rps1k with Rps3b or Rps8 would be highly effective for soybean cultivars targeted for Brazil.     

Do metal contamination and plant species affect microbial abundance and bacterial diversity in the rhizosphere of metallophytes growing in mining areas in a semiarid climate?

Journal of Soils and Sediments - Mining areas are low-quality habitats for macro- and microorganisms’ development, mainly due to the degradation of the soil quality by metal pollution. The...