Seabuckthorn (Hippophae Rhamnoides L.)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Ecological restoration, when implemented effectively and sustainably, contributes to protecting biodiversity; improving human health and wellbeing; increasing food and water security; delivering goods, services, and economic prosperity; and supporting climate change mitigation, resilience, and adaptation. It is a solutions-based approach that engages communities, scientists, policymakers, and land managers to repair ecological damage and rebuild a healthier relationship between people and the rest of nature. When combined with conservation and sustainable use, ecological restoration is the link needed to move local, regional, and global environmental conditions from a state of continued degradation, to one of net positive improvement. The second edition of the International Principles and Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration (the Standards) presents a robust framework for restoration projects to achieve intended goals, while addressing challenges including effective design and implementation, accounting for complex ecosystem dynamics (especially in the context of climate change), and navigating trade-offs associated with land management priorities and decisions. The Standards establish eight principles that underpin ecological restoration. Principles 1 and 2 articulate important foundations that guide ecological restoration: effectively engaging a wide range of stakeholders, and fully utilizing available scientific, traditional, and local knowledge, respectively. Principles 3 and 4 summarize the central approach to ecological restoration, by highlighting ecologically appropriate reference ecosystems as the target of restoration and clarifying the imperative for restoration activities to support ecosystem recovery processes. Principle 5 underscores the use of measurable indicators to assess progress toward restoration objectives. Principle 6 lays out the mandate for ecological restoration to seek the highest attainable recovery. Tools are provided to identify the levels of recovery aspired to and to track progress. Principle 7 highlights the importance of restoration at large spatial scales for cumulative gains. Finally, ecological restoration is one of several approaches that address damage to ecosystems and Principle 8 clarifies its relationships to allied approaches on a “Restorative Continuum”. The Standards highlight the role of ecological restoration in connecting social, community, productivity, and sustainability goals. The Standards also provide recommended performance measures for restorative activities for industries, communities, and governments to consider. In addition, the Standards enhance the list of practices and actions that guide practitioners in planning, implementation, and monitoring activities. The leading practices and guidance include discussion on appropriate approaches to site assessment and identification of reference ecosystems, different restoration approaches including natural regeneration, consideration of genetic diversity under climate change, and the role of ecological restoration in global restoration initiatives. This edition also includes an expanded glossary of restoration terminology. SER and its international partners produced the Standards for adoption by communities, industries, governments, educators, and land managers to improve ecological restoration practice across all sectors and in all ecosystems, terrestrial and aquatic. The Standards support development of ecological restoration plans, contracts, consent conditions, and monitoring and auditing criteria. Generic in nature, the Standards framework can be adapted to particular ecosystems, biomes, or landscapes; individual countries; or traditional cultures. The Standards are aspirational and provide tools that are intended to improve outcomes, promote best practices, and deliver net global environmental and social benefits. As the world enters the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030), the Standards provide a blueprint for ensuring ecological restoration achieves its full potential in delivering social and environmental equity and, ultimately, economic benefits and outcomes.

Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.), an ancient miraculous plant, is of great interest because of its tenacity, richness in nutritional active substances, and biological activity. Sea buckthorn is a deciduous shrub or tree of the genus Hippophae in the family Elaeagnaceae. It is a pioneer tree species for soil improvement, wind and sand control, and soil and water conservation. Sea buckthorn contains many nutritional active components, such as vitamins, carotenoids, polyphenols, fatty acids, and phytosterols. Moreover, sea buckthorn has many health benefits, such as antioxidant, anticancer, anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-obesity, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiviral, dermatological, neuroprotective, and hepatoprotective activities. Sea buckthorn not only has great medicinal and therapeutic potential, but also is a promising economic plant. The potential of sea buckthorn in the human food industry has attracted the research interest of researchers and producers. The present review mainly summarizes the phytochemistry, nutrients, health benefits, and food applications of sea buckthorn. Overall, sea buckthorn is a dietary source of bioactive ingredients with the potential to be developed into functional foods or dietary supplements for the prevention and treatment of certain chronic diseases, which deserves further research.

An ecological comparison between ancient and other forest plant species of Europe, and the implications for forest conservation

Soil nutrient limitation controls trophic cascade effects of micro-food web-derived ecological functions in degraded agroecosystems

Functional beverages originate primarily from fruits and vegetables sources, but also include those from other plants such as tea, coffee, cocoa, soybean as well as animal products like milk and dairy-based and alcoholic drinks. They have definite medical or health benefits which include prevention or delaying the progress of diseases. Indian gooseberry is a very rich source of vitamin C and phenolics, two potent antioxidant compounds. Similarly curcumin in turmeric, piperine in black pepper and gingerol in ginger have proven antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Incidence of covid-19 pandemic has raised awareness among people the importance of maintaining higher levels of immunity. A study was undertaken at Kerala Agricultural University during 2020–21 to develop an herbal functional drink from Indian gooseberry fruit juice incorporated with turmeric and black pepper powders, ginger juice extract and juice of acid lime fruits. The herbal drink formulated with these ingredients was homogenized at an operating pressure of 175 Bar with a speed of 235 SPM and was subsequently pasteurized at 100 0 C for 10 minutes in glass bottles, followed by storage under refrigerated conditions at 5 ± 2 0 C for 3 months. The initial ascorbic acid, total phenolics, total flavonoids, total carotenoids and total curcumin contents were 61.0 mg100g− 1, 184.0 mg100g− 1, 153.0 mg100g− 1, 119.98 mg100g− 1 and 31.0 mg100g− 1, respectively. Antioxidant activity of the herbal drink was determined by three assays, viz. ABTS, DDPH and FRAP. The initial IC 50 values of the herbal drink by ABTS, DPPH and FRAP assays were 8.64, 0.212 and 0.368 μgml− 1, respectively. Significant decline in ascorbic acid, total flavonoids, total carotenoids and curcumin content were recorded in the product during storage in contrast to the total phenolics content which showed a significant rise over the storage period. Antioxidant activity of the herbal drink determined by all the three assays also declined significantly throughout the storage period. The results indicate that the product can be promoted as a healthy drink which has to be stored at low temperature in order to retain higher levels of antioxidant compounds and antioxidant activity.Graphical

Although soil degradation is a major threat to food security and carbon sequestration, our knowledge of the spatial extent of the problem and its drivers is very limited in Southern Africa. Therefore, this study aimed to quantify the risk of soil structural degradation and determine the variation in soil stoichiometry and nutrient limitations with land use categories (LUCs) and climatic zones. Using data on soil clay, silt, organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (N), available phosphorus (P), and sulfur (S) concentrations collected from 4,468 plots on 29 sites across Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe, this study presents novel insights into the variations in soil structural degradation and nutrient limitations. The analysis revealed strikingly consistent stoichiometric coupling of total N, P, and S concentrations with SOC across LUCs. The only exception was on crop land where available P was decoupled from SOC. Across sample plots, the probability (φ) of severe soil structural degradation was 0.52. The probability of SOC concentrations falling below the critical value of 1.5% was 0.49. The probabilities of soil total N, available P, and S concentrations falling below their critical values were 0.95, 0.70, and 0.83, respectively. N limitation occurred with greater probability in woodland (φ = .99) and forestland (φ = .97) than in cropland (φ = .92) and grassland (φ = .90) soils. It is concluded that soil structural degradation, low SOC concentrations, and N and S limitations are widespread across Southern Africa. Therefore, significant changes in policies and practices in land management are needed to reverse the rate of soil structural degradation and increase soil carbon storage.

A native of northwest Europe and central Asia, including the northern Himalayas and portions of China, Seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) is a member of the Elaeagnaceae family. Seabuckthorn is a plant that grows well in arid, cold areas; its components, fruit, and leaves are utilised in traditional Asian medicine. Seabuckthorn, which is well-known for its nutrient-dense, tasty berries, has a wide range of bioactive substances, such as polyphenols like flavonoids, phenolic acids, tannins, fatty acids, vitamins, and phytosterols, which support its culinary, cosmetic, and therapeutic applications. The plant is highly valued in traditional medicine, offering a wide range of health benefits having rich antioxidant properties and stress-relief. Seabuckthorn is highly included in daily diets for preventing diet-related diseases. It is especially advantageous for land reclamation and reforestation in vulnerable mountain regions because of its capacity to stop soil erosion, encourage nitrogen fixation, and enhance soil fertility. Seabuckthorn is perfect for agroforestry in climate-vulnerable areas since it grows well in harsh environments.It aids in carbon capture and boosts resilience to climate change. Despite global expansion, improved varieties with higher yields, disease resistance, and enhanced medicinal and culinary traits are still needed for broader, more effective cultivation. The current review describes nutritional, medicinal, and ecological significance of Seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) as a factor in health, soil fertility, and climate stability. It also expounded and stressed why better varieties were necessary to promote sustainable cultivation.

Both arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) Claroideoglomus etunicatum and grass endophytes (Epichloe) could improve disease tolerance. Research is limited on the dual infection by AMF and Epichloe on plant diseases. Bipolaris sorokiniana is a fungal species that causes leaf spot in cereals, and also in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne), impacting its growth and production. This experiment tested the dual infection of AMF and Epichloe on perennial ryegrass growth and the physiological and biochemical indexes under limited soil conditions occurs in nature ecosystem. The results showed that infection with B. sorokiniana significantly decreased plant growth and shoot N concentration (P < 0.05), and this negative effect was exaggerated by AMF × Epichloe. The pathogen alone decreased AMF colonization (P < 0.05); however, the interactions of the pathogen and grass endophyte showed the highest value of perennial ryegrass AM colonization. Infection with AMF or Epichloe alone, or the combination of the two, suppressed the occurrence of leaf spot. Epichloe×AMF × B. sorokiniana had the highest amount of β-1,3-glucanase activity and jasmonic acid activity, whereas AMF and Epichloe alone or combined significantly increased the lignin content in diseased plants (P < 0.05). Limited soil nutrients did not affect the inhibition function of AMF and Epichloe for PRG leaf spot disease.

Different varieties of fruit juices and beverages are available globally and there has been an increased consumption of fruit juices and beverages due to consumer awareness of nutritional and health benefits. Juice extracts are produced from various parts of plants including leaves, fruits a nd flowers. Hibiscus sabdiriffa (Roselle) is one such plant whose flowers are used to prepare juices. The roselle extract has a unique red colour, good flavour, low sugar and high acidic content . The acidity makes the juice sour hence the need for addition of sweetening products. A study was conducted on the formulation of roselle extract -tropical fruit blends aimed at establishing its physiochemical, mineral and antioxidant composition. Dried roselle calyces at a ratio of 1:10 (dried roselle calyces: water ) were extracted at 50 o C for 30 minutes. The roselle extracts were blended at various proportions of fruit (mango, papaya and guava) juices. Physiochemical, mineral composition and antioxidant properties were evaluated in all the roselle fruit juice blends The results for all roselle - fruit blends (80% roselle to 20% roselle) showed that pH ranged between (2.35- 3.32), total soluble solids (5.6- 10.6 o Brix ), titratable acidity (1.28 -1.92 % ), reducing sugars (2.95- 5.55) mg/100g,. Calcium (555.3- 23.4 mg/100g DM ), Magnesium (213.8- 11.5 mg/100g DM ), Phosphorus (39.8- 9.0 mg/100g DM ), Sodium (2.3- 5.47 mg/100g DM ), Zinc (5.85- 0.69 mg/100g DM ), Iron (29.5 -1.36 mg/100g DM ), monomeric anthocyanin (493.5 -118.2 mg cyanidin- 3- glucoside/100g ), vitamin C (40.0- 86.5 mg/100g ), total phenol (54.6- 10.8 mg gallic acid/ 100 g ) and antioxidant activity (1.80- 1.37 mmol/L ). Blending of tropical fruit juices with roselle extract have improved mineral composition and antioxidant properties of fruit juices as roselle is a good source of calcium, magnesium and iron. Antioxidants acts as free radical scavengers inhibit lipid peroxidation and other free radical mediated process, therefore, consumption of roselle -fruit juices with high anthocyanin will protect human body from several diseases attributed to the reactions of free radicals.

Intercropping with legumes alleviates soil N limitation but aggravates P limitation in a degraded agroecosystem as shown by ecoenzymatic stoichiometry

Artemisia tridentata seedlings were grown under carbon dioxide concentrations of 350 and 650 μl l-1 and two levels of soil nutrition. In the high nutrient treatment, increasing CO2 led to a doubling of shoot mass, whereas nutrient limitation completely constrained the response to elevated CO2. Root biomass was unaffected by any treatment. Plant root/shoot ratios declined under carbon dioxide enrichment but increased under low nutrient availability, thus the ratio was apparently controlled by changes in carbon allocation to shoot mass alone. Growth under CO2 enrichment increased the starch concentrations of leaves grown under both nutrient regimes, while increased CO2 and low nutrient availability acted in concert to reduce leaf nitrogen concentration and water content. Carbon dioxide enrichment and soil nutrient limitation both acted to increase the balance of leaf storage carbohydrate versus nitrogen (C/N). The two treatment effects were significantly interactive in that nutrient limitation slightly reduced the C/N balance among the high-CO2 plants. Leaf volatile terpene concentration increased only in the nutrient limited plants and did not follow the overall increase in leaf C/N ratio. Grasshopper consumption was significantly greater on host leaves grown under CO2 enrichment but was reduced on leaves grown under low nutrient availability. An overall negative relationship of consumption versus leaf volatile concentration suggests that terpenes may have been one of several important leaf characteristics limiting consumption of the low nutrient hosts. Digestibility of host leaves grown under the high CO2 treatment was significantly increased and was related to high leaf starch content. Grasshopper growth efficiency (ECI) was significantly reduced by the nutrient limitation treatment but co-varied with leaf water content.

Re‐vegetation types and the application of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play a crucial role in regulating soil conditions and enhancing vegetation cover during ecological restoration in the northern arid mining area. However, the impact of AMF on the balance of soil–plant–microbial ecosystems through its influence on microbial activities remains unclear. Therefore, we studied the influence of AMF on soil nutrient limitation and the soil fungal community in five different vegetation types in the Daliuta reclamation area. Through the measurement of soil extracellular enzyme activity and the analysis of soil fungal communities by high‐throughput sequencing, we found that the ratio of lnBG:ln(NAG + LAP):lnAP in the AMF sample was closer to 1:1:1, and the soil ecological enzyme stoichiometry was more balanced. The results of enzyme vector showed that AMF inoculation could alleviate the restriction of soil nitrogen nutrients. The results of high‐throughput sequencing showed that AMF improved the diversity of soil fungal community by regulating the composition of soil fungal community, and finally alleviated the nitrogen restriction during decomposition. Functional prediction of soil fungi using FUNGuild indicated that the soil fungi present were mainly saprophytic , saprophytic–symbiotic , and pathotroph–saprophytic–symbiotic trophic types. AMF reduced the percentage of pathotroph fungi and also tended to transform saprophytic into saprophytic–symbiotic type. The findings suggest that mycorrhizal reclamation can enhance the homeostasis of extracellular enzyme dynamics by optimizing fungal community structure and modulating fungal functionality, thereby alleviating microbial nutrient constraints and improving plant adaptability to arid environments. This article provides a theoretical underpinning for eco‐friendly mining construction and sustainable ecological development in arid mining areas.

Comparative quantitative analysis of fruit oil from Hippophae rhamnoides (seabuckthorn) by qNMR, FTIR and GC–MS

Phyllostachys praecox is a valuable tree species in karst ecosystems, but improper mulching practices can worsen soil degradation. Understanding soil nutrient limitations is crucial for successful restoration and sustainable development. However, it remains unclear whether and how mulching management of Phyllostachys praecox affects soil enzyme stoichiometry and nutrient limitation in karst areas. Here, we conducted a field experiment in Chongqing karst bamboo forest ecosystems with four mulching treatments: 1-year (T1), 2-years (T2), 1-year and recovery and 1-year (T3), and no mulching (CK). We investigated the activities of the C-acquiring enzyme β-1,4-glucosidase (BG), N-acquiring enzymes L-leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) and β-1,4-N-acetylglucosaminidase (BNA), as well as P-acquiring enzyme phosphatase activity (AP), to assess the limitations of C, N or P and identify the main factors influencing soil microbial nutrient limitation. Compared with the CK treatment, both the T2 and T3 management treatments significantly increased the SOC, TN, MBC, and MBN. Furthermore, the soil enzyme stoichiometric ratio in the karst bamboo forests deviated from the global ecosystem ratio of 1:1:1. T1 &gt; T3 &gt; CK &gt; T2 presented higher values of C/(C + N) and C/(C + P), with T1 having values that were 1.10 and 1.12 greater than those of T2, respectively. Additionally, there was a significant negative correlation between microbial C and N limitations and total nutrients, but a positive correlation with microbial biomass ratios. In conclusion, changes in mulching management of Phyllostachys praecox affect soil enzyme stoichiometry activities and their ratios by influencing total nutrients and microbial biomass ratios. This study suggests an alternate year cover pattern (mulching in one year and resting in the next) as a scientific management approach for bamboo forests, contributing to a better understanding of nutrient limitation mechanisms in karst bamboo forest ecosystems.

The waste of fruit juice and tea defective products has organic content that conventionally has the potential to be utilized as a medium or place for maggot growth, but until now it has not been equipped with supporting scientific studies. Therefore, the objectives of the study are: 1) Assessing the characteristics of fruit juice and tea product waste, 2) Assessing the effectiveness of maggot in reducing fruit juice and tea product waste. This research is experimental in nature using variations in the composition of fruit juice and tea product waste as a source of nutrition for maggot which is carried out for 12 days. This variation uses the Complete Randomized Design method with 3 (three) treatments, namely variations in the composition of 60% tea + 40% fruit juice waste (S1), 50% tea + 50% fruit juice waste (S2), and 40% tea + 60% fruit juice waste (S3) in duplo. In addition, this study was completed with a control treatment. The results showed that the characteristics of fruit juice and tea waste containing protein (3.78-4.59%), fat (0.90-1.31%), carbohydrates (28.15-29.15%), crude fiber (2.42-3.12%) can be used as maggot cultivation media. The highest protein and crude fiber contents were found in the S3 composition waste at 4.59% and 3.12%. Maggot cultivation results that showed the highest fat and carbohydrate content were found in S1 composition waste at 1.31% and 29.15%. The recommended composition variation is S1 composition with the highest substrate consumption value and waste reduction index of 57.47% and 20.06%.