Celosia Argentea Research Articles

Mn Pretreatment Improves the Physiological Resistance and Root Exudation of Celosia argentea Linn. to Cadmium Stress.

Phytoextraction using Celosia argentea Linn. by Mn pretreatment can potentially decontaminate Cd-contaminated soils. However, the mechanism that accelerates the Cd bioaccumulation is still unknown. In order to study the effect and mechanism of Mn pretreatment on Cd bioaccumulation in C. argentea, the hydroponic experiments were set to determine the chlorophyll content, antioxidant enzyme activity, malondialdehyde content, and root exudation of C. argentea. The results indicated that after seven days of Mn pretreatment, both the biomass and Cd concentrations in plants increased compared to the control group. One of the mechanisms for this was the improvement in the physiological resistance of C. argentea following pretreatment with Mn. Compared with Cd stress alone, Mn pretreatment increased photosynthesis and reduced membrane lipid peroxidation. Meanwhile, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) were significantly reduced in leaves of C. argentea after Mn pretreatment through the reduction in the production of reactive oxygen species. In addition, Mn promoted the exudation of organic acids in the roots of C. argentea. The contents of citric and malic acids increased by 55.3% and 26.4%, respectively, which may be another important reason for Mn pretreatment increasing Cd bioaccumulation in C. argentea. Therefore, the present work shows that the pretreatment of seedlings with Mn can provide a meaningful strategy to improve the remediation efficiency of Cd-contaminated soils by C. argentea.

First Report of Cockscomb Root Rot Caused by Fusarium solani in Iraq

Cockscomb ( Celosia argentea L.) is one of the most important ornamental plants in Iraq. In August 2021, severe root rot of cockscomb plants was observed, with an incidence of 30%, in all of the nurseries surveyed in the Karbala and Babylon provinces, Iraq. The symptoms appeared as severe leaf chlorosis and wilting with brown discoloration of the stem vascular bundle associated with dark brown lesions on the root that extended to the root collar and became extensive rot. The morphological features of 50% of the fungal colonies were identical and similar to those of Fusarium spp. The internal transcribed spacer, translation elongation factor, RNA polymerase I and II, beta-tubulin 1, and mitochondrial small-subunit ribosomal RNA genes were amplified and sequenced. BLASTn analysis of these genetic markers’ sequences found 99.84 to 100% similarity with the corresponding global sequences of Fusarium solani (Mart.). This identification was confirmed by phylogenetic analysis of the concatenated sequences of the genetic markers. Although F. solani has caused economic damage to a broad range of commercially important plants in Iraq, to our knowledge, this is the first report of F. solani causing root rot of cockscomb ( C. argentea) in Iraq.

Growth, Biomass and Nickel Accumulation Assessments of Amaranthus hybridus and Celosia argentea grown in Nickel Contaminated Soil

Agricultural lands used in the cultivation of vegetables are prone to contamination with heavy metals of different degrees, which could impact significantly the physiological performance of the plants, and amassing of these metals. This study was conducted at the botanical garden of the Department of Plant Biology, University of Ilorin, to appraise the effects of nickel contamination on identified growth parameters of Amaranthus hybridus and Celosia argentea, their biomass and nickel accumulated in the vegetables. The treatment comprised of varying concentrations of nickel (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) used to pollute soil, while control soil were not contaminated. Growth parameters (stem length and girth, leaf length and breadth, number of leaves; and wet and dry weights) were evaluated. Elemental concentrations of nickel in both plants were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. Celosia argentea planted on soil polluted with 100 mg/kg of nickel recorded peak values for leaf length and breadth and number of leaves at 3 weeks after transplanting (WAT) (4.77 cm, 2.68 cm and 11.83) respectively. Amaranthus hybridus grown on untreated soil recorded the maximum stem length at 1, 2 and 3 WAT (3.50, 3.80 and 5.15 cm) respectively. Celosia argentea and Amaranthus hybridus grown on soil polluted with 200 and 100 mg/kg of nickel recorded the highest dry weights of 0.06 and 3.87 g respectively at 1 WAT. The highest values of nickel concentrations in Celosia argentea and Amaranthus hybridus were recorded in those planted in soil polluted with 200 mg/kg of nickel (3.90 and 3.87 mg/kg respectively). The study revealed that nickel pollution may promote the performance of Celosia argentea and Amaranthus hybridus when cultivated below the threshold of 200 mg/kg which has been established in this study to also enhance build up of nickel in the tissues of the botanicals.

Amino Acids Profile of Five Leafy Vegetables Mainly Consumed in Western Côte d’Ivoire

In tropical Africa, leafy vegetables are traditionally cooked and eaten as a relish together with a starchy staple food. To contribute to their wider utilization and valorization in food sector, five leafy vegetables consumed in Western Côte d’Ivoire were investigated for their amino acids composition. The leaves of Abelmoschus esculentus, Celosia argentea, Ipomea batatas, Manihot esculenta and Myrianthus arboreus were the five leafy vegetables studied. The samples of these five leafy vegetables in this study were collected at maturity in cultivated farmlands located at Dabou (Southern Côte d’Ivoire). Then, they were washed and oven dried at 60 °C during three days before ground. The amino acid content of the ground samples were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technical. The results were showed a significantly different (p ˂ 0.05) between amino acids contents of the five leafy vegetables. For a non-essential amino acids, all the five leaves studied were contained only proline with concentrations varying from 563.6 ± 1.08 to 1562.9 ± 1.88 mg/100 g. The two(2) other non-essential amino acids, arginine and tyrosine were detected only in leaves of C. argentea (1370.6 mg/100mg) and A. esculentus (1.70 mg/100mg) respectively. Concerning essential amino acids, only leucine was contained in all leafy vegetables with contents between 175.9 ± 0.56 and 9685.9 ± 5.14 mg/100 g. For the other essential amino acids, lysine was contained in leaves of C. argentea, I. batatas and M. arboreus with respectives concentrations of 266.7 ± 0.89 mg/100 g, 7225.9 ± 2.56 mg/100 g and 182.4 ± 0.66 mg/100 g. Tryptophane was quantified in leaves of A. esculentus and I. batatas with respectives levels of 1205.4 ± 1.86 mg/100g and 175.4 ± 0.84 mg/100g. Valine was detected in leaves of C. argentea and M. esculenta with respectives contents of 1069.4 ± 1.21 mg/100g and 1639.1 ± 1.39 mg/100g. Methionine was contained in leaf of C. argentea with level of 165.1 ± 0.61 mg/100g. The important concentration of amino acids revealed in leaves studied clearly would justify their consumption by Western Côte d’Ivoire populations. Therefore, exploitation of leafy vegetables could contribute food security of ivorian population.

Genetic diversity, discriminant and trait association analyses of Celosia argentea accessions

Abstract Celosia (Celosia argentea), is an important tropical vegetable for households in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the multifaceted usefulness, available genotypes are low-yielding, and the vegetable faces dangers of genetic erosion due to poor research attention. The magnitude and pattern of variability will guide the choice of breeding methods for improvement. Twenty-one celosia accessions were evaluated in 2018 and 2019 to determine study genetic variability and heterotic patterns among clusters. Accessions and clusters differed significantly (p ≤0.05/0.01) for plant height, number of leaves/plant, stem weight, harvest index and dry matter content. Genotypic coefficients of variation; ranging from 37.89 to 0.12, were lower than phenotypic coefficients of variation which ranged from 114.55 to 0.12, both for number of leaves/plant and harvest index respectively, indicating the importance of environment in the variability. Discriminant analysis indicated low (8.12%) classification error rate, indicating the possibility of heterotic patterns among clusters. Principal component (PC) analysis controlled 73% of the observed variability among accessions and identified all measured traits as important contributors with loadings ranging from 0.30 (in PC 1) to 0.63 (in PC 2) for harvest index and stem weight respectively. Useful levels of association were also observed among measured traits. The study concluded that there was sufficient genetic variability for effective selection. Discriminant and principal component analyses identified plant height, number of leaves/plant and dry matter content as major contributors to variation among accessions. Weight of edible parts of Celosia can be simultaneously improved with plant height and number of leaves/plants.

Comparative Analysis of Heavy Metals Concentration in Soil and Vegetable (Celosia argentea) Collected from Two Sampling Sites and Their Effect on the Plant’s DNA Stability

This study investigated the quantities of heavy metals including cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn)in soil samples and in the organs (leaf, stem and root) of Celosia argentea collected from a dumpsite (at Ojota) and a farmland (at Badagry) in Lagos, Nigeria. Additionally, the macroelement content of the soils and the effect of heavy metal soil contamination on C. argentea DNA stability was analysed. Heavy metals and NPK concentrations in the soil samples and organs of C. argentea were evaluated using standard techniques. The results of this study revealed that the microelement were more abundant in the soil collected from the dumpsite. Likewise, all the heavy metals (Cd,Cr,Cu,Pb and Zn) investigated in this study were detected in higher quantities in the dumpsite soil. Notably, the concentration of the metals was within the WHO/FAO limits in the soils collected from both sampling sites save Zn which was 660.260 mg/kg and 449.180mg/kg in the dumpsite and farmland respectively. The concentration of heavy metals in the C. argentea organs in this research were higher in samples collected from the dumpsite and Zn was the most accumulated on both the dumpsite and farmland. The highest amount (95.987 mg/kg) of Zn was by C. argentea root collected from the dumpsite while the least amount (15.380 mg/kg) was detected in C. argentea stem collected from the farmland. The DNA base pairs were not visibly fragmented in the samples C. argentea collected from the control and dumpsite sites. Although most of the heavy metals detected in C. argentea were in negligible quantities, the soils and the vegetable appear to be Zn-contaminated and unsafe for consumption. Keywords: Heavy Metal, DNA, vegetables, biomagnifications, Bioaccumulation, Dumpsites Farmlands

Evaluation of Antioxidant Potential and Formulation of Nanosuspension of Celosia argentea Extract

It is a well-known undisputed truth that plants play a significant role in health and are frequently used in the food and medicinal industries. Among plant parts, leaves, stems, roots, and bark are being extensively researched for their biological characteristics. However, flowers are overall neglected and significant activities were not explored. Celosia argentea, Family: Amaranthaceae is wide used as ancient drugs with long history. More than 79 chemicals, mostly saponins, peptides, phenols, fatty acids, and amino acids, were extracted and identified from this plant. Saponins are considered to be the distinctive and active components of the herb. Experimental data showed that the active ingredients in this herb have broad biological effects, including the ability to treat number of eye conditions. The flowers of Celosia argentea were collected and extracted using methyl alcohol and water as solvent. Preliminary phytochemical analysis of extracts were carried out by chemical tests. Antioxidant activity was evaluated for the hydroalcoholic extract by DPPH and H2O2 technique. Formulation of nanosuspension of Celosia argentea was carried out by Nanoprecipitation technique. Nanosuspensions of Celosia argentea potentiates the antioxidant potential and bioavailability.

Effect of Seed Priming on Germination, Plant Growth and Flowering of Cockscomb (Celosia spp.) Under Prayagraj Agro Climatic Conditions

The present experiment was carried out during August, 2021 to January, 2022 in Research Field, Department of Horticulture, SHUATS, Prayagraj. The experiment was conducted in Completely Randomized Block Design (CRBD), with nine treatments, replicated thrice, with an aim to identify the most suitable variety under the agro climatic conditions of Prayagraj. From the present experimental findings, It is concluded from the present investigations that nine treatments under study showed significant variation in all the parameters observed. To study on effect of seed priming on germination, plant growth and flowering of cockscomb (Celosia spp.). The experiment consisted with two varieties i.e Celosia cristata L. and Celosia argentea var. spicata. seeds were primed with CaCl₂ and salicylic acid. Celosia cristata L. Seeds were primed with CaCl₂ (0.56% and (2%), Salicylic Acid (0.02% and 0.04%). Celosia argentea var. spicata seed were primed with CaCl₂ (4% and 6%), Salicylic Acid (0.06% and 0.08%) the best performance in terms of Days to first seedling emergence (8.33), Days to 50% emergence (11.33), Mean emergence time (11.20), Emergence percentage (92), Emergence index (2), Vigor index (901.33), plant height (68.55 cm), number of leaves (47.44), days taken to flower bud formation (21.88), days taken to flowering (31.88), number of flowers per plant (25.44) and benefit cost ratio (7.58) gave best result in T₅ Salicylic acid 0.004% as compared to other treatments in terms of seedling, growth and floral parameters.

Biology of Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on Selected Weed Species Associated with Corn in North Cotabato, Philippines

Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), also known as fall armyworm (FAW), is a destructive and highly polyphagous insect pest of corn. We hypothesize that associated weed species of corn may be an alternate host of FAW. This study investigated how different weed species associated with corn – such as Rottboellia cochinchinensis (Lour.) Clayton, Ageratum conyzoides L., Amaranthus spinosus L., Celosia argentea L., Commelina benghalensis L., Corchorus olitorius L., Ipomoea triloba L., Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn., Portulaca oleracea L., and Synedrella nodiflora (L.) Gaertn. – influenced the biology of FAW, S. frugiperda, which were collected from an infested cornfield in North Cotabato, Philippines. The life history traits of 10 weeds were compared. In R. cochinchinensis, C. benghalensis, I. triloba, P. oleracea, and E. indica, there was a high number of egg masses and the number of eggs laid by the female compared to A. conyzoides, A. spinosus, C. argentea, C. olitorius, and S. nodiflora. The duration oviposition period, as well as adult male and female longevity, yielded the same results. The percent survival was the highest (97%) for I. triloba and the lowest for A. spinosus (83.5%) and S. nodiflora (82.50%). Furthermore, no survivors were found in A. conyzoides or C. argentea. According to our findings, six weed species promoted the growth of FAW from egg to adult.

Pollen analysis of squeezed summer honeys from Bhadrawati tahsil, Chandrapur district, (Maharashtra state)

The paper incorporates a qualitative and quantitative analysis of pollen contents in five squeezed honey samples of Apis dorsata hives collected from forest area of Bhadrawati tahsil of Chandrapur district. Terminalia sp. represents the predominant pollen type in three samples ranged from (47.58 to 86.75%) are designate as Termanalia honey. The other significant pollen types recorded include Terminalia sp., Astericanthalongifolia, Leucanaealeucocephala, Citrus sp., Blumea sp., Celosia argentea, Capsicum annumm, Allium cepa, Meliaazadirachta, Careayaarboarea, Delonixregia, Pongamiapinnata and Mangiferaindica. The pollen counts ranged from 55000/g to 1265000/g. The data reflects the floral situation of the place were particular honey was produced and the identification of geographical origin based on the presence of a combination of pollen types of that particulararea.

Amino Acids Profile of Leafy Vegetables Consumed in Western Côte d’Ivoire

Leafy vegetables are an important source of essential components of rural people diet in tropical Africa. This study aimed to characterize the free amino acids of five leafy vegetables consumed in Western Côte d 'Ivoire. The leaves of Abelmoschus esculentus, Celosia argentea, Ipomea batatas, Manihot esculenta, and Myrianthus arboreus were collected at maturity from cultivated farmlands located at Dabou (Abidjan District). These five leaves were washed and oven-dried at 60 °C for 3 days. The dried leaves were then ground and the powdered samples of each leaf were analysis for its amino acid contents using HPLC. The results showed that the amino acid contents of each leaf vegetable were significantly different (p ˂ 0.05). The proline which is a non-essential amino acid was found in all the leaves with contents varying from 563.6 ± 1.08 to 1562.9 ± 1.88 mg/100 g. For essential amino acids, leucine contents of the leaves ranged from 175.9 ± 0.56 to 9685.9 ± 5.14 mg/100 g. Among the five leafy vegetable, lysine was quantified in leaves of C. argentea (266.7 ± 0.89 mg/100 g), I. batatas (7225.9 ± 2.56 mg/100 g) and M. arboreus (182.4 ± 0.66 mg/100 g). Tryptophan could not be detected in C. argentea, M. esculenta and M. arboreus. M. esculenta recorded the highest content of valine (1639.1 ± 1.39 mg / 100 g) compared to C. argentea (1069.4 ± 1.2 mg / 100g). Methionine is the only sulfur amino acid detected in C. argentea (165.1 ± 0.61 mg / 100g). These results show that leafy vegetables consumed in Western Côte d'Ivoire are an important source of amino acids. Therefore, they can contribute to improving the nutritional quality of food and ensure food security.

Phyto-pharmacognostical investigation w.s.r. Micrometric investigation of sheethavar seed (Celosia argentea linn.)

Celosia argentea Linn. is a leading leafy vegetable of Nigerian country and India. It is herb, ornamental plant which belongs to family Amaranthaceae also having medicinal use in antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-bacterial, antiapoptosis etc. For proper methodical evaluation, authentication, macroscopy, microscopy, physicochemical parameters, phytochemical screening and qualitative of seed of C. Argentea has been observed under standard approach. The morphological study showed small black shining spherical, lenticular 3mm in diameter, greyish black in color, slightly aromatic in odour and gritty in touch. Microscopical transverse section of cock’s comb seed showed outer layer of epidermis consisting radially elongated rectangular dark brown color cell, narrow collapsed celled band, outer epidermis of tegmen, followed by parenchyma zone with angular cells of perisperm loaded by starch grains and crystals. Cock’s comb inner cell consists of prismatic crystals and aleurone grains. The unplumbed physicochemical parameters and qualitative screening of seed of cock’s comb are as per standard procedure and useful for future analysis.

Spectroscopic Analysis of Lagos spinach- seed (Celosia argentea Linn.)

Background: Celosia argentea Linn. (C. argentea) commonly known as Cock’s Comb. It’s a leading leafy vegetable used for treatment of antiinflammatory, antioxidant and possessing immunostimulating activities. This species contains a surplus of phytochemicals including terpenoids, glycosides, flavonoids and tannins. The full complement of bioactive chemicals has yet to be identified, which is a critical step in explaining its medical use. The Celosia genus contains around 30 species, the majority of which have had little phytochemical or pharmacological research done on them. The aim of this study is to get a better chemosemantics of Celosia species, large-scale multi-targeted metabolic profiling and fingerprinting approaches was used. Methods: FTIR, GC-MS and LC-MS spectra of extracted components were analyzed with multivariate data from C. argentea. The crude extract was examined at different wavelengths from 4000 cm-1 and 400 cm-1 by using Shimadzu 8400 Spectrophotometry system and the distinctive peaks were detected. For GC-MS analysis, sample was extracted with methanol (as per API procedure), filtered in ashless filter paper and extract was concentrated. The NIST Ver. 2.0 - Year 2005 library was used for chemical detection. Results: The FTIR profile showed different peaks ranging from 4000 cm-1 and 400 cm-1 and spectrum with confirmed presence of alcohols and phenols, amines, alkanes, alkynes aldehydes and ketones, carboxylic acids functional groups in methanol extract of C. argentea. Analysis of the mass spectrum GC-MS analysis provides different peaks determining presence of Pentadeconic acid, n-Hexadecoic acid, 9-12-Octadecadienoic acid, Cis-vaccenic acid, Octadecanoic acid. The results of LC-MS analysis provide specific data of bioactive components which may suggest the Butralin, Fulvine, Dihydrocapsaicin, Lisinopril, 9Z-Octadecen-12-yonic acid, N-Hexadecanoylpyrrodine etc. The phytoconstituents may use to treat diseases and further insight in future researches on Celosia argentea. Conclusion: The molecules reported through above exploration of spectral techniques may justify traditional therapeutic manifestation of C. argentea and useful in activity guided isolation.

First Report of Root-Knot Nematode Meloidogyne enterolobii onCockscomb (Celosia argentea var. cristata) in Taiwan.

Cockscomb (Celosia argentea) is commonly found in subtropical and temperate zones of Africa, South America and South East Asia, and is a popular ornamental plant in the family Amaranthaceae. Cockscomb has been known to contain antiviral proteins, betalains, and anthocyanin, which can be applied in beneficial ways (2). In September 2020, a cockscomb plant (Celosia argentea var. cristata) showing typical galling root symptoms likely infected by root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne sp.) was collected from a garden in Taichung, Taiwan, and a quick exam of several individuals using MK7F/R primers (7) indicating they were M. enterolobii. Nematode population was established from a single egg mass and was later used for species identification and pathogenicity tests. Five perineal patterns of mature females from the single female population show round to oval shapes with weak lateral lines. Dorsal arches are moderate to high, almost squared, with the smooth ventral striae. Second-stage juveniles are vermiform and have a slender tail, tapering to rounded tip with distinct hyaline region at the tail terminus. Morphological measurements of 28 J2s revealed body length = 457.2 ± 20.6 (416.1-506.9) μm, body width = 16.0 ± 2.0 (13.4-20.3) μm, stylet length = 14.7 ± 0.5 (13.9-15.9) μm, dorsal gland orifice to the stylet base = 4.0 ± 0.5 (2.0-4.8) μm, and tail length = 56.0 ± 3.8 (47.4-60.3) μm. Female perineal patterns and morphometric data are similar to the original description of Meloidogyne enterolobii (9). DNA purified from approximately 1500 juveniles using GeneMark Tissue & Cell Genomic DNA Purification Kit (GeneMark, Taiwan) was used to amplify 18S rDNA fragment, D2-D3 expansion segments of 28S rDNA, and a COII region on mtDNA with primer sets 1A/MelR, D2A/D3B, and C2F3/1108, respectively (4,5,6). The 18S rDNA sequence (OK076893) of this study shares 99.94% nucleotide identity with those of M. enterolobii isolated from the United States (KP901058) and China (MN832688). D2D3 sequence of haplotype 1 (OK076898) shows 100% identity to those of M. enterolobii from China (MT193450) and Taiwan (KP411230). Sequence of haplotype 2 (OK076899) shows 99.86% identity to those of M. enterolobii from the United States (MN809527) and China (MN269945). Sequence of the COII region (OK086042) show 99.86% identity to that of M. enterolobii from China (MN269945). Phylogenetic trees of the three gene sequences were plotted following Ye et al.(10), revealing that the newly described root-knot nematode on Cockscomb is grouped with other M. enterolobii isolates. DNA fragment amplified by primer sets Me-F/R(3) and MK7F/R specifically targeting of M. enterolobii yielded 236 bp and 520 bp, respectively. Pathogenicity tests were assayed, from July to September 2021, on three-week-old nematode-free cockscomb plant directly germinated from seeds of SkyStar® (ASUSA SPIKE SEEDS, Taipei, Taiwan) planted in a 10.5 cm diameter pot filled with 600 ml sterilized peat moss: sand (1:1, v/v) soil in a 28℃walk-in chamber. Nematode eggs were extracted using 0.05% NaoCl as described by Vrain(8), and cockscomb plants (n=3) were inoculated by adding 6000 eggs (10 eggs/ cm3). Cockscomb plants treated with water were used as mock controls. Rf value of the inoculated plants were determined by the method of Belair and Benoit (1) 45 days after inoculation, and the average was 4.13. No galls were observed on the roots of control plants. The results confirmed that cockscomb is the new host of M. enterolobii. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of M. enterolobii on Celosia argentea var. cristata in Taiwan.

Determination of Heavy Metals Concentration in Soil and Leafy Vegetables in Urban Expressway and Peri-urban Road Farms of Lagos State, Nigeria

Farmers have long considered urban agriculture as a panacea to urban food insecurity. However, growing food in cities is faced with many challenges like food contamination. Past studies on leafy vegetables focused on vegetables cultivated in urban centres. However, this paper aimed to determine and compare the level of heavy metals concentrations in soil and leafy vegetables in Urban Expressway Farms (UEF) and Peri-urban Road Farms (PRF) in Lagos, Nigeria. These two locations were purposefully selected. Soil Auger was used to drill holes to the required soil depth to collect soil samples. Sample of Amaranthus hybridus, Celosia argentea and Corchorus olitorius were collected using “envelope” principle. Pb, Cd and Mn residues in the samples were digested and determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The collected data were analysed using mean, standard deviation and Analysis of Variance. The mean pH value for UEF soil is 6.5 while PRF soil is 6.6. The highest Pb (0.93±0.06) was recorded in Celosia argentea at UEF. The highest mean concentration of Cd (0.51±0.11) was recorded in Amaranthus hybridus at UEF. The highest concentration for Mn was recorded in Amaranthus hybridus (0.98±0.02) at UEF. The concentrations of Pb in Celosia argentea at UEF 5 m from the expressway and Cd concentration in Amaranthus hybridus at 10 m from expressway were above the WHO/FAO permissible levels in vegetables. Level of heavy metal residue observed in soil and vegetables under this study were mostly influenced by the location of the farm-environment and not mainly the vegetable type. The relative concentrations of Pb and Cd in all the three leafy vegetables raise some serious environmental concerns and need to be monitored regularly to prevent consumption of contaminated leafy vegetables. Farmers are encouraged to cultivate in fields far away from expressway.

Insect Visitors of Specialty Cut Flowers in High Tunnels.

Various strategies incorporate floral resources into agricultural landscapes to support beneficial insects. Specialty cut flower production offers a rarely explored approach to offer floral resources while yielding a marketable product for growers. We characterized insect visitation to six species of specialty cut flowers. Due to Wyoming’s growing conditions, the flowers were grown in high tunnels, thus offering insight into insect abundance in this unique semi-controlled environment. The flower species tested were Calendula officinalis, Celosia argentea, Daucus carota, Helichrysum bracteatum, Matthiola incana, and a Zinnia elegans-Zinnia hybrida mixture. At least four species were in bloom from early June through late September. The flowers attracted diverse pollinator groups including Diptera, Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, and Lepidoptera. Bees most often visited Ca. officinalis, H. bracteatum, and Celosia spicata whereas flies most often visited D. carota. Bombus were the most oft-collected bees from the flowers and were found on all six cut flower species. Wasp abundance varied little across the cut flowers, but wasp community composition was distinct. The highest diversity of wasp families was collected from the Zinnia mixture (seven families) in contrast to less diverse collections from Ce. spicata (two families). The most abundant wasp families collected were Crabronidae and Sphecidae. Our experiment documented that ornamental cut flower species attract pollinator insects into high tunnel environments. All cut flower species tested were visited by multiple types of beneficial insects. Planting a mixture of specialty cut flowers can support insect diversity while also diversifying on-farm agricultural products through sale of cut flower stems.

Precise identification of Celosia argentea seed and its five adulterants by multiple morphological and chemical means

Celosia argentea seed (CAS) has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of liver damage and eye diseases. CAS is easily falsely harvested and misused, five species from Amaranthaceae family have frequently found to be involved in the adulteration and misapplication, namely Celosia cristata seed (CCS), Amaranthus tricolor seed (ATS), Amaranthus retroflexus seed (ARS), Amaranthus cruentus seed (ACS), and Amaranthus spinosus seed (ASS). For the purpose of identification, multiple morphological means including stereomicroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, normal light and polarized light microscopy were comprehensively employed. As a result, micromorphological and microscopic characteristics were extracted and a diagnostic key to CAS and its five adulterants was proposed for the first time. With respect to the genetically closely related species, viz. CAS and CCS, chemical means were developed to achieve the goal of precise identification. Firstly, triterpenoid saponins in CAS and CCS were fully characterized by an HPLC-QTOF-MS/MS method, a total of 20 triterpenoid saponins including 9 novel members were identified. Secondly, the HPLC-ELSD specific chromatogram was established, in which 12 common peaks were assigned. Finally, after a careful comparison, the peak area ratio of two triterpenoid saponins was discovered as interspecies discriminant marker. In conclusion, CAS and its five adulterants can be precisely identified by multiple morphological and chemical means.

Feeding Celosia argentea as Fodder Block to Ruminants

Background: Celosia argentea, commonly known as plumed cockscomb, is a herbaceous plant of tropical origin and has 19.78% crude protein and is equal to leguminous fodder. It is highly palatable by animals. The study was designed to find out the chemical composition of the plant at summer and monsoon season and also to conserve it as fodder block for feeding ruminants during feed shortage. Methods: Fodder block was prepared by using paddy straw (60%), Celosia argentea plant (30%), 7.5% refined wheat flour, 2% mineral mixture and 1% salt. The fodder blocks were assessed for physical, chemical and IVDMD tests. Three treatments such as paddy straw and Desmanthus fodder (T1), paddy straw and Celosia argentea fodder (T2), paddy straw and Celosia argentea block (T3) were used for palatability trial in eighteen cross bred heifers. Trial was conducted for a period of one month. Daily feed intake (kg/day), initial and final body weight was measured. Data was analysed by using SPS software. Result: Significant variations (P less than 0.01) were observed in the proximate composition of Celosia argentea fodder between monsoon and summer season. The prepared fodder blocks with Celosia argentea had bulk density of 70.15 kg/m3, relative hardness of 12.36 mm and durability of 89.22%. The chemical composition of fodder blocks (dry matter - 90.3%, crude protein - 10.28%, ether extract - 1.6%, crude fibre - 16.25%, total ash - 13.26%, nitrogen free extract - 58.35%, Ca - 1.05% and P - 0.53%) were found to lie in the normal range. The IVDMD of fodder block is 48.52%. Average daily dry matter intake of heifers fed with T3 was higher (P less than 0.01) compared to heifers fed with T1 and T2. The body weight of heifers fed with all treatments did not change during trial period. Celosia argentea can be utilized as alternate to Desmanthus fodder and can be preserved as fodder block along with paddy straw for use during fodder deficit seasons.

Binary ethanol-water solvents affect betalain contents and health-promoting properties of red Celosia argentea inflorescence extracts

The present work aimed to compare the betalain profiles and contents in the red inflorescence of Celosia argentea extract obtained using different ethanol-water ratios. The impact of betalain content on the health-promoting properties was also evaluated. Freeze-dried inflorescence powder was extracted three times with aqueous-ethanol (0, 20, 40, 60, and 80% (v/v) ethanol). The highest total betacyanin content was found in the 40 and 60% aqueous-ethanolic extracts. Total phenolic content and antioxidant activities of the extracts increased with increasing ethanol concentration. The antioxidant activities measured by oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay of the 60 and 80% aqueous-ethanolic extracts were significantly higher than that of ascorbic acid. The IC50 of α-glucosidase inhibitory activities of all extracts were comparable to that of acarbose. Phenolics were the major responsible compounds for antioxidant (r = 0.975, p < 0.01 by ORAC assay), α-amylase (r = -0.725, p < 0.01), and lipase (r = 0.607, p < 0.05) inhibitory activities, whilst betacyanins corresponded to α-glucosidase inhibitory activities (r = 0.627, p < 0.05). The 60% aqueous-ethanolic extract was superior to the others in terms of colour, phytochemical contents, and health-promoting activities. These extracts can be utilised as natural food colorant, functional ingredients, and nutraceuticals.

Physical-Functional Properties and Characterization of Green Leaves in Nalgonda District, Telangana State: Nontimber Forest Products

Abstract Naturally grown green leafy vegetables contribute nutrients, fiber, antioxidants, dietary diversity, household food security, income, and livelihood to rural people. Due to their good vitamin, mineral, and fiber properties, green leaves are considered to be protective foods. The physical-functional properties of four fresh and dried (Aerva lanata, Corchorus olitorius, Celosia argentea, and Leucas aspera) uncultivated green leafy vegetables available in Nalgonda District of Telangana State, India, were analyzed and compared. The results of the study reported that fresh Aerva lanata has high pH and fresh Corchorus olitorius has highest relative reconstitution capacity. It was found that fresh Celosia argentea has high shrinkage and dehydration ratio, and the leaves of Leucas aspera had high rehydration capacity. Dried leaf powder of Aerva lanata has high flowability, cohesiveness, pH, total soluble solids, water-retention capacity, and oil-retention capacity. Dried Corchorus olitorius was found to have high bulk density, tapped density, and rehydration capacity on dried weight basis. Leucas aspera powder had a high water absorption index and hydrophilic-lipophilic index. It was found that water activity of all the leaf powders is below 0.5 so they can be stored at room temperature. Physical and functional properties of uncultivated greens powders help in development of value-added products, product-specific equipment, and behavior of leaf powders at processing and packing levels.