Dicotyledonous Families Research Articles

Petiole Anatomy and Minor Veins as Aids for the Identification of <I>Symplocos</I> of Nepal

On a study of eleven species of Symplocos occurring in Nepal, it is observed that petiole anatomy and minor venation pattern are helpful for identifying sterile material. Two species, S. pyrifolia and S. sumantia have exactly similar characters but can be distinguished from the other nine species. Sclerenchymatous bundle sheaths are known in a few dicotyledonous families like Winteraceae and Melastomataceae, and in a few genera of Dilleniaceae. It is significant that such sclerenchymatous bundle sheaths are also found in some species of Symplocos. It is felt that extensive survey of all the species of Symplocos would prove to be very interesting.

Saponin Distribution in Angiosperms and its Bearing on their Classification

In this paper the groups of plants in which saponins are reported to occur have been listed, and their relationships shown according to the phylogenetic system of classification of Hutchinson. Steroidal saponins mostly occur in different orders of the division Corolliferae of subphyllum Monocotyledons; they are also present in a few families of Dicotyledons like Solanaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Acanthaceae, etc., but saponins present in these families are somewhat different in their nature. Triterpenoid saponins are mostly distributed in some orders of the division Lignosae of the subphyllum Dicotyledons. In this division, Euphorbiales and related orders, Capparidales and related orders and Rosales and related orders Me important sources. In the division Herbaceae some orders like Garyophyllales and Berberidales are also important sources of triterpenoid saponins. There is a marked affinity among plants containing similar saponins. Hutchinson's classification comes very close to the arrangement based on saponin-content. Some suggestions for modification of the classification in the light of saponin-content has been made. A plea is made that phylogenetic system of classification should take into account the presence of saponins and other chemical constituents.

A Contribution to the Flora of Purulia District, West Bengal

The present paper deals only with the angiosperm flora of the district of Purulia of West Bengal. The enumeration of species consists of 94 families, 287 genera and 405 species, of which dicotyledons contain 78 families, 235 genera and 324 species, and the rest are monocotyledons. Amohg dicotyledonous families, predominant are Papilionaceae, Rubiaceae and Euphorbiaceae and among monocotyledonous Graminae and Cyperaceae. The collection includes some plants which appear to be new to West Bengal flora.

First Report of Beet western yellows virus Infecting Wheat in China.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is an important cereal crop widely cultivated worldwide. Viral disease is a major threat to wheat yield. In April 2022, fifteen winter wheat plants with yellowing and stunting symptoms were collected from wheat fields in Jingjiang, Jiangsu Province. Total RNA of each sample was extracted, and RT-PCR was performed using two pairs of degenerate luteovirus primers Lu-F (5'-CCAGTGGTTRTGGTC-3') and Lu-R (5'-GTCTACCTATTTGG-3'), Leu-F (5'-GCTCTAGAATTGTTAATGARTACGGTCG-3') and Leu-R (5'-CACGCGTCN ACCTATTTNGGRTTNTG-3'). Amplicons with the expected size were obtained from 10 of the 15 samples (using primers Lu-F/Lu-R) and 3 of the 15 samples (using primers Leu-F/Leu-R), respectively. These amplicons were cloned into the pDM18-T vector (TaKaRa) for sequencing. Blastn alignment showed that 10 amplicons (531 bp) from Lu-F/Lu-R primers were essentially identical to one another, which shared 99.62% nucleotide sequence identity to barley yellow dwarf virus-PAV (BYDV-PAV) isolate GJ1 from Avena sativa in South Korea (LC550014). Three amplicons (635 bp) from Leu-F/Leu-R primers had 99.68% nucleotide identity to the corresponding part of an isolate of beet western yellows virus (BWYV) from saffron (Crocus sativus) in China (MG002646). Among the 13 virus-positive samples, none were co-infected by BYDV-PAV and BWYV. Then, amplification using BWYV-specific primers (BWYV-F: 5'-TGCTCCGGTTTTGACTGGAGTGT-3', BWYV-R: 5'-CGTCTACCT ATTTTGGGTTGTGG-3') generated a 1409 bp product, corresponding to the partial sequence of the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase gene and complete sequence of the coat protein (CP) gene. The sequences (GenBank accession no. ON924175) of amplicons from 3 BWYV samples were identical to one another, which shared 98.41% nucleotide identity to BWYV isolate Hs from Japanese hop (Humulus scandens) in China (KC210049). The predicted coat protein of the BWYV wheat isolate had 99.51% nucleotide and 100% amino acid identity to BWYV isolate Hs. BWYV infection on wheat samples was also verified by dot-nucleic acid hybridization using a digoxigenin-labeled cDNA probe against the CP gene, as described previously (Liu et al. 2007). Further, RNA-positive samples were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using the ELISA reagent kit for BWYV (Catalog No. KS19341, Shanghai Keshun Biotech, Shanghai, China); test results were also BWYV-positive, confirming that both BWYV nucleic and coat protein are present in these wheat samples. BYDV-PAV is a common wheat virus (Chay et al. 1996), while BWYV has never been reported to infect wheat. BWYV, an aphid-transmitted virus belonging to the Polerovirus genus, has an extensive host range, including over 150 plant species from 23 dicotyledonous families, such as Beta vulgaris, Spinacia oleracea, Lactuca sativa, and Brassica oleracea var. italica (Duffus 1964, 1973; Russell 1965; Beuve et al. 2008). In addition, BWYV was reported to infect a monocotyledonous plant, Crocus sativus (Iridaceae) (Zheng et al. 2018). To our knowledge, this is the first report of BWYV in wheat or any other Gramineae crop. The result also implies that BWYV has a potential risk to cereal crops in the field.

Senna multiglandulosa, a new natural host for Tobacco etch virus in Mexico.

Plants of Senna multiglandulosa (family Fabaceae), an ornamental shrub, growing adjacent to tomato and chrysanthemum greenhouses located in San Diego, Texcoco, Estado de Mexico, had leaves with putative virus symptoms, consisting of annular or irregular chlorotic spots of different sizes (Supplementary Fig. 1a). To investigate the presence of a virus, high-throughput sequencing (HTS) was performed. Total RNA was extracted from symptomatic leaves of S. multiglandulosa plants using the SV Total RNA Isolation System Kit (Promega, USA). A portion of the RNA was sent to BGI Genomics (China) for cDNA library construction and sequencing on the DNBSEQ platform (BGI Genomics). HTS yielded 14,673,469 clean paired reads (150x2), which were assembled de novo into 91,879 contigs using SPAdes v3.15 software (Prjibelski et al. 2020). The contigs ranged from 78 to 14,534 nucleotides (nts), which were subjected to BLASTx and BLASTn analyses. A single viral contig of 9,501 nts was detected (average coverage: 56,716x per nt) representing the nearly complete genome of tobacco etch virus (TEV). The highest identity was 79.26% at the nt level (92% query coverage) with TEV isolate TEV7DA (GenBank: DQ986288; length: 9,539 nts) from the USA, and 86.67% at the amino acid (aa) level considering the polyprotein, which are higher than the species demarcation threshold (<76% nt and <82% aa) for the genus Potyvirus (Inoue-Nagata et al. 2022). Additionally, the sequence obtained from S. multiglandulosa revealed 79.21-79.37% nt identities with different TEV isolates from Solanaceae plants (Capsicum annuum, MW748496; Solanum lycopersicum, OM471966.1; Nicotiana tabacum, OL311684.1). The new TEV genome was deposited in GenBank under accession number ON110203. The results obtained by HTS were confirmed by RT-PCR with the original isolated RNA using a pair of specific primers designed from the TEV sequence (TEV-NIb-F, 5'- GCGCTTAAATGCAGACTCGG-3' and TEV-NIb-R, 5'-GTGAAAGTTCAGCAGCAAGCGCA-3') that amplify a 550-bp fragment of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. The obtained amplicon was sequenced by the Sanger method, and was 100% identical to the sequence generated by HTS. Subsequently, N. tabacum and N. glutinosa plants were mechanically inoculated using TEV-positive S. multiglandulosa leaves as the inoculum source. Twenty days after inoculation, light chlorotic spots and necrotic lesions were observed on N. tabacum and mosaic on N. glutinosa (Supplementary Fig. 1b-c). RT-PCR analysis confirmed the presence of TEV infection in these indicator plants. To determine the incidence of S. multiglandulosa plants showing TEV-infection symptoms, a survey (n=16) was carried out on two farms in Texcoco; the survey showed a 100% incidence of symptoms. Five survey samples were randomly selected, and the presence of TEV was confirmed by RT-PCR. The discovery of Tobacco etch virus (family Potyviridae: genus Potyvirus) in tobacco was reported in Kentucky, USA in 1928 (Valleau and Johnson, 1928), one of the most common and damaging viruses for the chili crop in Mexico (Delgado, 1974). TEV causes heavy yield loss in several Solanaceae plants and infects more than 120 species in 19 families of dicotyledons (Holmes, 1946). S. obtusifolia (originally Cassia obtusifolia) was the first legume reported as a natural host of TEV in Florida, USA (Anderson, 1954). To our knowledge, this is the first report of the natural infection of S. multiglandulosa by TEV in Mexico and the first TEV genome isolated and sequenced from a legume. S. multiglandulosa is widely distributed in 16 states in Mexico, both cultivated and naturalized, however, it is not considered native to the country (Rzedowski and Calderón, 1997). The occurrence of TEV in S. multiglandulosa represents an alternative reservoir of the virus, with an important role in the epidemiology of the disease.

Differentiation of Andean and Mesoamerican accessions in a proposed core collection of grain amaranths.

Grain amaranths are made up of three New World species of pseudo-cereals with C4 photosynthesis from the dicotyledonous family Amaranthaceae and the genus Amaranthus. They originate in two ecoregions of the Americas, namely, the inter-Andean valleys of South America and the volcanic axis and lowlands of Mexico and Central America. These correspond to two centers of domestications for Andean and Mesoamerican crops, with one cultivated species found in the first region and two found in the latter region. To date, no core collection has been made for the grain amaranths in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) germplasm system. In this study, our objective was to create a core for the 2,899 gene bank accessions with collection site data by town or farm site of which 1,090 have current geo-referencing of latitude and longitude coordinates. We constituted the core with 260 genotypes of Amaranthus, which we evaluated with 90 single-nucleotide polymorphism markers. Our goal was to distinguish between Andean and Mesoamerican gene pools of amaranths, including the cultivated species and three possible progenitor or wild relative ancestors along with two more species in an outgroup. Population structure, clustering, and discriminant analysis for principal components showed that Andean species Amaranthus caudatus and Amaranthus quitensis shared fewer alleles with Mesoamerican species Amaranthus cruentus and Amaranthus hypochondriacus, compared to each group individually. Amaranthus hybridus was a bridge species that shared alleles with both regions. Molecular markers have the advantage over morphological traits at quickly distinguishing the Andean and Mesoamerican cultivars and have the added benefit of being useful for following inter-species crosses and introgression.

Effect of polyethylene glycol 400 on the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of baicalin by intravenous injection based on the enzyme activity of UGT1A8/1A9

Baicalin (BG) is a bioactive flavonoid extracted from the dried root of the medicinal plant, Scutellaria radix (SR) (dicotyledonous family, Labiatae), and has several biological activities. Polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG400) has been used as a suitable solvent for several traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) and is often used as an excipient for the compound preparation of SR. However, the drug–excipient interactions between BG and PEG400 are still unknown. Herein, we evaluated the effect of a single intravenous PEG400 administration on the BG levels of rats using pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution studies. A liver microsome and recombinant enzyme incubation system were used to further confirm the interaction mechanism between PEG400 and UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) (UGT1A8 and UGT1A9). The pharmacokinetic study demonstrated that following the co-intravenous administration of PEG400 and BG, the total clearance (CLz) of BG in the rat plasma decreased by 101.60% (p < 0.05), whereas the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC)0-t and AUC0-inf increased by 144.59% (p < 0.05) and 140.05% (p < 0.05), respectively. Additionally, the tissue distribution study showed that the concentration of BG and baicalein-6-O-β-D-glucuronide (B6G) in the tissues increased, whereas baicalein (B) in the tissues decreased, and the total amount of BG and its metabolites in tissues altered following the intravenous administration of PEG400. We further found that PEG400 induced the UGT1A8 and UGT1A9 enzyme activities by affecting the maximum enzymatic velocity (Vmax) and Michaelis–Menten constant (Km) values of UGT1A8 and UGT1A9. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that PEG400 interaction with UGTs altered the pharmacokinetic behaviors and tissue distribution characteristics of BG and its metabolites in rats.

Structure of surface polysaccharides affects symbiotic nitrogen fixation in Frankia alni ACN14a

ABSTRACT Frankia spp. are nitrogen-fixing actinobacteria that establish root-nodule symbiosis with actinorhizal plants comprising more than 200 species in eight dicotyledonous families. From a cell population of Frankia alni strain ACN14a that had been subcultured for over 30 years, we identified two types of variants (types A and S) with a different colony appearance. Type A variants exhibited ambiguous, and type S variants exhibited sharp colony edges. The two types differed in molecular weight and monosaccharide composition of cell surface polysaccharides, which could be responsible for the differences in colony appearance. When inoculated to a host plant Alnus glutinosa, both types induced nodulation but plants infected with type S isolates showed much lower nitrogen fixation activity than those infected with type A isolates. Indeed, type S isolates developed fewer vesicles inside infected plant cells. These results suggest that surface polysaccharides of Frankia play important roles in symbiotic interactions with actinorhizal plants.

Angiosperms of Senegal: Key to the families of the class dicotyledons

The Angiosperms are the best known and most diversified group in Senegal. However, even if a lot of work has been done on this group, more needs to be done. The main objective of this work is to contribute to a better knowledge of the biodiversity of dicotyledons in Senegal. More specifically, this work seeks to propose a determination key for the families of dicotyledons in order to facilitate their identification. Based on bibliographical research, a rough table and a summary table listing the different characters of the vegetative and reproductive systems of the families of the Dicotyledons of Senegal have been drawn up. These tables were used to propose dichotomous keys. This work made it possible to propose determination keys essentially based on the stable characters of the vegetative and reproductive systems of these families.

Angiosperms of Senegal: Key to the families of the class dicotyledons

Angiosperms of Senegal: Key to the families of the class dicotyledons

Wild Medicinal Plants of South 24 Parganas District, West Bengal, India

The present study deals with the observation, identification and documentation of medicinal uses of wild plants by the inhabitants of villages in the blocks of South 24 Parganas district, West Bengal. The various medicinal plants are used by the local communities of the study area to treat a variety of health-related challenges and heal different pains and ailments. The study is therefore, undertaken from April 2017 to October 2019, to gather the knowledge and create a record related to important and unexplored wild medicinal plants used by the local population. Data were collected by interviewing local inhabitants or knowledgeable persons and medicine men with the help of a semi-structured and open-ended questionnaire. It provides a comprehensive account of 64 wild medicinal plant species with their botanical name, family, vernacular name(s), parts used and uses. The plant species belonging to 60 different genera and 34 different families were enlisted and found to be used in effective therapies. Among the identified plant species, most belong to the dicotyledonous families. It is observed that out of the surveyed species, 53%, 31%, 11%, 3% and 2% are herbs, trees, shrubs, climbers, and creepers, respectively. The study showed that the area is rich in curative flora. The plants and their parts are used in the treatment of numerous diseases like bronchitis, cut, wound, asthma, jaundice, headache, fever, ear and skin diseases, snake bites, dog bites, vomiting, stomach problems, etc. In this study, 8 species of the family Fabaceae were recorded and it is reported to be the most dominant one. It was found that many diseases are cured by multiple plants, e.g., asthma can be cured by Vachellia nilotica, Boerhaavia diffusa, Calotropis procera, Datura metel, Ficus religiosa, Solanum torvum; burns/boils can be cured by V. nilotica, C. gigantea, F. benghalensis. Sometimes, a single plant is used for curing multiple diseases e.g., B. diffusa can cure abscess, anemia, asthma, cough and cold. Bioassay of all these preparations should be approved for further scientific validation. In West Bengal, the uses of all wild plant taxa have not yet been recorded. The study recommends growing these plants under organized agriculture, as crops, for large scale production, utilization in daily meals in the form of various delicacies and creating awareness meant for conservation and hence, ensuring food and health security for the local growing population.

Studies on Diversity of Natural Dye Yielding Plants of Birbhum and Burdwan Districts of West Bengal, India

The present study is based on extensive survey, collection of ethnobotanical information, indigenous knowledge and review of relevant literature on the traditional dye yielding plant resources used by the different tribal and rural peoples of Birbhum and Burdwan districts of West Bengal. Field investigation was carried out in different villages and adjacent forest pockets in these districts. Total 32 natural dye yielding plants were reported. These 32 taxa spread over 30 species, 29 genera and 22 families of dicotyledons and 2 species, 2 genera and 2 families of monocotyledons. Among the recorded plant species, 26 are found in wild and 6 are grown as cultivated crops and as garden plants. The investigated plants have been enumerated alphabetically depending upon their botanical names along with their local and tribal names, parts used, name of the dye etc. Some noteworthy dye yielding plants are- Bixa orellana, Butea monosperma, Calotropis gigantea, Carthamus tinctorius, Curcuma longa, Lawsonia inermis and Nyctanthes arbor-tristis. The data of this study can further be exploited by the workers in the fields of phytochemistry, genetics, food and textile industries, conservation biology, etc.

Contribution to the phytoecological study of the biodiversity of the dune cord of El-Mesrane in the Wilaya (Province) of Djelfa in Algeria

The various dune fixation actions began in 1982 in the study area (El Mesrane –Djelfa) at the level of the dune ridge with very interesting results, on the one hand for the control of desertification through the creation of a microclimate that ensures the ecological sustainability of fragile ecosystems. This work was carried out in the two projects (1) and (2) in the study area. The objective of the study is summarized in the floristic and ecological char-acterization of the vegetation subject to fixation and other left without fixa-tion or natural regeneration. These dunes have a poorer floristic diversity than those fixed by Retama Retam webb and Tamarix gallica. A significant diversity of 26 species was encountered on dunes naturally fixed by vegeta-tion.The Shannon-Weiner diversity index for the vegetation of natural fixa-tion was found to be H’= 2.05; however, this index for dunes naturally fixed by Retama retam and Tamarix gallicawas 2,61 and 2,5, respectively. In gen-eral, dicotyledonous plant families such as the Asteraceae, Fabaceae and Poaceae were mostly encountered. Moreover, the distribution of biologic types is mainly characterized by the predominance of Chamephytes and The-rophytes. The degradation of the environment due to the anthropogenic pressure favors the high presence of Therophytes. These findings allowed deducing that the degradation of vegetation is mainly attributed to climatic conditions and overgrazing.

Plastome structure and phylogenetic relationships of Styracaceae (Ericales)

BackgroundThe Styracaceae are a woody, dicotyledonous family containing 12 genera and an estimated 160 species. Recent studies have shown that Styrax and Sinojackia are monophyletic, Alniphyllum and Bruinsmia cluster into a clade with an approximately 20-kb inversion in the Large Single-Copy (LSC) region. Halesia and Pterostyrax are not supported as monophyletic, while Melliodendron and Changiostyrax always form sister clades. Perkinsiodendron and Changiostyrax are newly established genera of Styracaceae. However, the phylogenetic relationship of Styracaceae at the generic level needs further research.ResultsWe collected 28 complete plastomes of Styracaceae, including 12 sequences newly reported here and 16 publicly available sequences, comprising 11 of the 12 genera of Styracaceae. All species possessed the typical quadripartite structure of angiosperm plastomes, with sequence differences being minor, except for a large 20-kb (14 genes) inversion found in Alniphyllum and Bruinsmia. Seven coding sequences (rps4, rpl23, accD, rpoC1, psaA, rpoA and ndhH) were identified to possess positively selected sites. Phylogenetic reconstructions based on seven data sets (i.e., LSC, SSC, IR, Coding, Non-coding, combination of LSC + SSC and concatenation of LSC + SSC + one IR) produced similar topologies. In our analyses, all genera were strongly supported as monophyletic. Styrax was sister to the remaining genera. Alniphyllum and Bruinsmia form a clade. Halesia diptera does not cluster with Perkinsiodendron, while Perkinsiodendron and Rehderodendron form a clade. Changiostyrax is sister to a clade of Pterostyrax and Sinojackia.ConclusionOverall, our results demonstrate the power of plastid phylogenomics in improving estimates of phylogenetic relationships among genera. This study also provides insight into plastome evolution across Styracaceae.

Complete nucleotide sequence of soybean leaf rugose mosaic virus, an atypical member of the genus Bymovirus.

The host range of previously reported bymoviruses is restricted to plants belonging to the family Poaceae. Soybean leaf rugose mosaic virus (SbLRMV) from non-Poaceae plants is related to bymoviruses based on a partial genome sequence. However, unlike bymoviruses, this virus infects plants of at least four dicotyledonous families, including Fabaceae, and causes disease in soybean. Complete nucleotide sequences of two variants of SbLRMV were determined, and its taxonomic position was clarified. RNA1 is 7109nucleotides (nt) long with one large open reading frame (ORF), possibly encoding a polyprotein of 257kDa. This polyprotein is likely processed into eight mature proteins. The entire RNA1 ORF shares 52%-55% nucleotide sequence identity and 27%-43% amino acid sequence identity, and the coat protein shares 49%-54% nucleotide sequence identity and 30%-34% amino acid sequence identity to other bymoviruses. The similarity to other viruses in the family Potyviridae is generally lower. RNA2 is 3413 or 3415nt long and putatively encodes a polyprotein of 108kDa. This protein is probably cleaved into two mature proteins. The sequences of these two RNAs are very similar to those of bymoviruses. Phylogenetic analysis of members of the family Potyviridae showed that RNA1 and RNA2 of SbLRMV formed a basal clade with known bymoviruses. Inoculation tests using leaf samples suggested that SbLRMV RNA1 can systemically infect and cause disease in soybean without the presence of RNA2. In conclusion, SbLRMV is an atypical member of the genus Bymovirus that infects soybean (Fabaceae) and other dicots rather than gramineous hosts.

Ethno - medicinal plants for skin diseases and wounds from Dapoli Tehsil of Ratnagiri District, Maharashtra (India)

Ethno-medicinal plant surveys were conducted in Dapoli Tahsil for documentation of traditional knowledge of Tribes and villagers. The present paper deals with ethno-medicinal plants used for control of skin diseases, burns, cuts and wounds. Total 65 plant species belong to 62 genera of 39 families are used in different forms to control the skin diseases, burns, cuts and wounds. Out of total 65 species, 1 species belongs to Pteridophytes, 64 species belong to 61 genera of 38 different families of Angiosperms. Out of 64 species of Angiosperms, 62 species belong to 59 genera of 36 families of Dicotyledons while 2 species belong to 2 genera of 2 families of Monocotyledons. Fabaceae is the dominant family with 5 species used followed by Combretaceae with 4 species and Lamiaceae, Asteraceae, Apocynaceae and Acanthaceae families with 3 species each are reported.

A new cecidogenous species of many-plumed moth (Alucitidae) associated with Cordiera A. Rich. ex DC. (Rubiaceae) in the Brazilian Cerrado

Larvae of many-plumed moths (Alucitidae), especially in the world-wide genusAlucitaLinnaeus, 1758 are known as borers or gall-inducers on flowers, fruits and shoots of a few dicotyledonous families, including Bignoniaceae, Caprifoliaceae and Rubiaceae. However, there is no study available on the biology of the monotypic, Neotropical genusPrymnotomisMeyrick, 1931 except for its original description that was based on a single male, the holotype ofPrymnotomis crypsicrocaMeyrick, 1931 from Espirito Santo, Brazil. We describe here a second species for this genus,Prymnotomis cecidicolasp. nov.whose larvae induce galls onCordiera elliptica(Cham.) Kuntze (Rubiaceae), a dioecious plant with dimorphic inflorescences found in the Brazilian Cerrado, Planaltina City, Federal District. Adults, larvae, pupae and galls are illustrated under light and scanning electron microscopy. Galls are green, spherical, unilocular and develop individually onC. ellipticaflower buds. During development they look like fruits in shape and colour but are larger, do not have style scars when on female plants, and are induced also in male inflorescences. Pupation occurs outside the gall within a silk cocoon, presumably in the litter. A preliminary analysis of DNA barcode sequences including putative members of other alucitid lineages and Neotropical BINs (Barcode Index Number) supportsPrymnotomis cecidicolasp. nov.as an independent phylogenetic unit, with 12 to 18% divergence. Its nearest-neighbour was the BIN cluster 5 (BOLD:AAA0842) that includes specimens from Costa Rica.

Identification of Phenyl Alanine Ammonia Lyase Gene Involved in the Synthesis of Anacardic Acid in Anacardium occidentale L.

Anacardic acids, a class of medicinally and industrially important phenolic compounds is found in a variety of dicotyledonous families chiefly in Cashew (Anacardium occidentale L). Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) shows a dominant role in the biosynthesis of poly phenolic compounds, which are involved in the defense mechanism in harsh environments related to various stimuli. The current study was conducted to find out the presence of anacardic acid in ethyl acetate extract of young leaves of cashew using high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) method and the presence of phenyl alanine ammonia lyase gene also plays a role in the biosynthesis of anacardic acid in young leaves was also confirmed by cDNA synthesis from a cellular mRNA template connected to the polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

RETRACTED: Biotechnological applications of inulin-rich feedstocks

Inulin is a naturally occurring second largest storage polysaccharide with a wide range of applications in pharmaceutical and food industries. It is a robust polysaccharide which consists of a linear chain of β-2, 1-linked-d-fructofuranose molecules terminated with α-d-glucose moiety at the reducing end. It is present in tubers, bulbs and tuberous roots of more than 36,000 plants belonging to both monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous families. Jerusalem artichoke, chicory, dahlia, asparagus, etc. are important inulin-rich plants. Inulin is a potent substrate and inducer for the production of inulinases. Inulin/inulin-rich feedstocks can be used for the production of fructooligosaccharides and high-fructose syrup. Additionally, inulin-rich feedstocks can also be exploited for the production of other industrially important products like acetone, butanol, bioethanol, single cell proteins, single cell oils, 2, 3-butanediol, sorbitol, mannitol, etc. Current review highlights the biotechnological potential of inulin-rich feedstocks for the production of various industrially important products.

Wild edible plants of Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra, India and their economic potential

The present study deals with the exploration, identification and future potentialities of the wild edible plant species of Gadchiroli district. The ethnobotanical survey of the region resulted in the documentation of 73wild plant species that are consumed by the Gondi, Madia, Kawar and Pardhan. Out of these, 56species belong to 52 genera 32 dicotyledonous families, while 17 species belong to 15 genera are from 9 monocotyledonous families.