Leaf Characteristics Research Articles

Pollen morphology of Clerodendrum L. (Lamiaceae) from China and its systematic implications.

Pollen morphology of 26 taxa of Clerodendrum, as well as one species of Volkameria from China, was investigated through a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Pollen grains of Clerodendrum are monads, radiosymmetric and tricolpate, with medium or large size. The equatorial view of the pollen grains is spheroidal or subprolate and the polar view is (sub) circular or rounded triangular. The colpus membrane of the investigated taxa is sunken (rarely even). Five varying pollen types are delimited on the basis of exine sculpturing: (1) spine-tectum perforatum; (2) spine-tectum imperforatum; (3) microspine-tectum perforatum; (4) microspine-tectum imperforatum; and (5) obtuser spine. The results indicate that Clerodendrum is closely related to several genera in Lamiaceae, including Aegiphila, Amasonia, Kalaharia, Tetraclea, Volkameria, Oxera, Faradaya, and Hosea, as supported by previous phylogenic studies. Additionally, the conventional infrageneric classification of Clerodendrum based on inflorescence and leaf characters is not supported by the results. However, the palynological data can be used to identify some closely related species with similar external characteristics. In conclusion, the investigation of pollen morphology not only contributes novel data from palynology for Clerodendrum but also provides a basis for future comprehensive classification of this genus.

DIVERSIDAD MORFOLÓGICA DE Ardisia compressa Kunth, DEL NORESTE DE CHIAPAS, MÉXICO

<p><strong>Background</strong>. <em>Ardisia compressa </em>Kunth, is a wild species native from tropical evergreen forests of Mexico, it produces fruits with phytochemical, ecological and dietary potencial. Its fruits are appreciated by people from local communities. However, in Mexico there are no studies that allow knowing the state of its phenotypic diversity. <strong>Objective.</strong> Characterize the morphological diversity of <em>A. compressa</em> populations from Chiapas state, Mexico. <strong>Methodology</strong>. Ninety individuals of nine wild populations of <em>A. compressa </em>were evaluated using 45 morphological traits (16 qualitative and 29 quantitative). The qualitative data were subjected to descriptive analysis and quantitative data were used in an analysis of variance (ANOVA) and finally the qualitative and quantitative data were analyzed simultaneously by means of a multivariate analysis with the Ward-MLM Method. <strong>Results. </strong>The qualitative traits showed phenotypic variability in the characteristics of leaf and fruit color. The quantitative data showed significant differences (<em>P</em>≤ 0.05) in all traits evaluated. The results of the principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (UPGMA) grouped the populations into three morphological groups differentiated by the similarity of the morphological traits of the populations and not by their geographical origin. <strong>Implications.</strong> The results in this study should be considered to implementing strategies of plant production and conservation of <em>A. compressa</em>. <strong>Conclusion. </strong>A wide phenotypic variability was found organized into three morphological groups defined base on characteristics of tree height, number of fruits, number of flowers and ratio of length to thickness leaf. The quantitative traits allowed us to observe the greatest morphological variability in the populations of <em>A. compressa</em>. </p>

Efficacy of Vegetables Intercropping in Mulberry on Sericulture Productivity and Economy

A field experiment was carried out in three (03) areas viz: experimental field of Bangladesh Sericulture Research and Training Institute (BSRTI), Rajshahi, 05 farmers field of Bholahat, Chapainawabganj and 05 farmers of Paba, Rajshahi during 2020–2022. The objective of this research was to assess the effect of vegetables intercropping in mulberry garden on sericulture productivity and economy. Randomized completely block design (RCBD) with 3 replications and 7 treatments which includes, T0 = Sole mulberry (Control) T1 = Mulberry + Potato, T2 = Mulberry + Cabbage, T3 = Mulberry + Cauliflower, T4 = Mulberry + Red amaranth, T5 = Mulberry + Spinach and T6 = Mulberry + Data shak. The growth and yield parameters of mulberry viz average branch number per plant, total leaf number per plant, total branches height per plant (cm), nodes per meter per plant, length of longest shoot (cm), leaf present per branch, 10 leaves area (cm2), total leaf weight per plant (g), total shoots weight per plant (g) and total leaf yield/ha/crop (mt) were higher in T1 (10.89, 1223.35, 753.12, 23.03, 118.16, 20.58, 537.98, 833.35, 402.84 and 10.37) followed by other treatments except control (12.3, 1365.77, 768.82, 23.62, 122.5, 23, 572.92, 901.03, 414.76 and 10.82), respectively. Leaf quality viz moisture, total chlorophyll, crude protein, total sugar, reducing sugar and mineral percentage were significantly higher in T3 (75.7, 38.8, 20.85, 6.48, 4.1 and 12.71) respectively over the T6 (74.86, 38.05, 19.61, 5.59, 3.12 and 11.1). The silk cocoon attributes like weight of 15 larvae (g), single cocoon weight (g), shell weight (g), cocoon shell ratio, highest filament length (m), renditta and cocoon productivity/100 dfls (kg) were higher also in T3 (53.46, 32.41, 0.21, 19.85, 977.84, 11.1 and 70.66) as compared to T6 (51.48, 31.42, 0.18, 18.24, 966.04, 12.31 and 69.24), respectively. The growing of Cauliflower as an intercrop was given maximum B: C (2.31) due to expansion soil fertility, higher leaf yield (except control), leaf quality, cocoon yield and additional income paralleled with other intercrops (cabbage-2.09, red amaranth-2.05, spinach-1.67, potato-1.49, sole mulberry-1.34 and data shak-1.22).

Blue carbon sink capacity of mangroves determined by leaves and their associated microbiome.

Mangroves play a globally significant role in carbon capture and storage, known as blue carbon ecosystems. Yet, there are fundamental biogeochemical processes of mangrove blue carbon formation that are inadequately understood, such as the mechanisms by which mangrove afforestation regulates the microbial-driven transfer of carbon from leaf to below-ground blue carbon pool. In this study, we addressed this knowledge gap by investigating: (1) the mangrove leaf characteristics using state-of-the-art FT-ICR-MS; (2) the microbial biomass and their transformation patterns of assimilated plant-carbon; and (3) the degradation potentials of plant-derived carbon in soils of an introduced (Sonneratia apetala) and a native mangrove (Kandelia obovata). We found that biogeochemical cycling took entirely different pathways for S. apetala and K. obovata. Blue carbon accumulation and the proportion of plant-carbon for native mangroves were high, with microbes (dominated by K-strategists) allocating the assimilated-carbon to starch and sucrose metabolism. Conversely, microbes with S. apetala adopted an r-strategy and increased protein- and nucleotide-biosynthetic potentials. These divergent biogeochemical pathways were related to leaf characteristics, with S. apetala leaves characterized by lower molecular-weight, C:N ratio, and lignin content than K. obovata. Moreover, anaerobic-degradation potentials for lignin were high in old-aged soils, but the overall degradation potentials of plant carbon were age-independent, explaining that S. apetala age had no significant influences on the contribution of plant-carbon to blue carbon. We propose that for introduced mangroves, newly fallen leaves release nutrient-rich organic matter that favors growth of r-strategists, which rapidly consume carbon to fuel growth, increasing the proportion of microbial-carbon to blue carbon. In contrast, lignin-rich native mangrove leaves shape K-strategist-dominated microbial communities, which grow slowly and store assimilated-carbon in cells, ultimately promoting the contribution of plant-carbon to the remarkable accumulation of blue carbon. Our study provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms of microbial community responses during reforestation in mangrove ecosystems.

Artificial diet for Samia ricini: key considerations and formulation strategies – a review

Abstract This review paper critically examines the components, limitations, and future prospects of artificial diets, and their impact on the rearing performance of Eri silkworm Samia ricini. In conventional rearing practices, the demand for a consistent supply of fresh leaves, particularly from the primary food plant, Ricinus communis (castor), poses significant challenges due to leaf quality variations and scarcity. This predicament sometimes renders the rearing process uncertain and time-consuming. The review emphasizes the pivotal role of artificial diets, particularly those comprising Ricinus communis (castor), soybean, agar agar, preservatives, gelling agents, carbohydrates, sterols, inositol, salt mixtures, citric acid, ascorbic acid, and water, in addressing these challenges. These carefully formulated diets have demonstrated their ability to provide a stable and uniform source of nutrition, significantly impacting key parameters such as hatchability, larval and pupal durations, and shell ratio in comparison to traditional leaf-based diets. Furthermore, the study highlights the potentiality of various artificial diet compositions that can serve as viable alternatives for Samia ricini rearers. By embracing these innovative nutritional approaches, rearers can not only enhance their livelihoods but also contribute to increased silk production. Through an extensive analysis of experiments and studies, this review underscores the importance of thoughtful diet selection in achieving successful rearing of Samia ricini, paving the way for sustainable and efficient sericulture practices.

Leaf surface features of maize cultivars and response to foliar phosphorus application: effect of leaf stage and plant phosphorus status.

Soil phosphorus (P) application is the most common fertilisation technique but may involve constraints due to chemical fixation and microbial immobilisation. Furthermore, excessive P fertilisation leads to P runoff into water bodies, threatening ecosystems, so targeted foliar P fertilisation is an interesting alternative. This study aimed to determine the importance of leaf surface characteristics for foliar P uptake in P-deficient maize (Zea mays L.). The leaf surface of four maize cultivars was characterised by electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and contact angle measurements. Uptake of foliar-applied P by maize cultivars was estimated, measuring also leaf photosynthetic rates after foliar P spraying. Plants of cultivar P7948 were found to be wettable from the 4th leaf in acropetal direction, whereas other cultivars were unwettable until the 6th leaf had developed. Minor variations in stomatal number and cuticle composition were recorded, but no differences in foliar P absorption were observed between cultivars. Nevertheless, cultivars showed variation in the improvement of photosynthetic capacity following foliar P application. Phosphorus deficiency resulted in ultrastructural disorganisation of mesophyll cells and chloroplasts, which impaired photosynthetic performance, yet there was no effect on stomatal frequency and leaf wettability. This study provides new insights into the influence of P deficiency and cultivar on leaf surface characteristics, foliar P uptake and its effect on physiological processes. Understanding the relationships between leaf characteristics and P uptake allows a more targeted evaluation of foliar P fertilisation as an application technique and contributes to the understanding of foliar uptake mechanisms.

Shade Nets Reduced Growth, Nutrition, and Sugars of Hydroponic Lettuce and Basil

Colored shade nets are known to alter the light quality and quantity and thus can influence plant growth and nutritional quality of crops. Lettuce (‘Lollo Antonet’ and ‘Green Forest’) and basil (‘Aroma-2’ and ‘Genovese’) were grown in ebb-and-flow hydroponic tables for 4 weeks. Colored shade nets of aluminet, black, pearl, and red with 50% shading intensity along with a control (no-shade) were used in this experiment. Data for plant growth and leaf quality attributes were collected at harvest time. The no-shade treatment showed increased shoot fresh and dry weight, sugar, and relative chlorophyll content in both lettuce and basil cultivars, whereas plant height and net photosynthesis rates were increased under aluminet, pearl, and red nets. In basil, calcium and sulfur were greatest under no-shade, whereas zinc and copper were greatest under aluminet. Zinc, iron, calcium, magnesium, and manganese concentrations were greatest under no-shade in lettuce. The pearl-colored net increased leaf soluble solids content. No-shade produced the greatest starch values in basil, whereas pearl shade net produced the greatest starch in ‘Lollo Antonet’ in the fall. Light spectra varied with shade net resulting in 90%, 65%, 50%, 30%, and 70% of incident light occurring between 400 and 700 nm for no-shade, pearl, aluminet, black, and red shade nets, respectively. Overall, lettuce and basil plants under no-shade (daily light integral of 20 to 24 mol·m−2·d−1 and temperature of 26 to 30 °C) had increased plant growth and leaf quality in late spring and fall, compared with colored shade nets.

Negative regulation of tobacco cold stress tolerance by NtPhyA

Cold stress is a non-biological stressor that adversely affects tobacco yield and leaf quality. Plant photoreceptor proteins, which function as dual light-temperature sensors, play a vital role in temperature changes, making them crucial for responses to non-biological stressors. However, the regulatory mechanisms of PhyA in tobacco remain poorly understood. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to clone the NtPhyA gene from tobacco and generate overexpression (OE-NtPhyA) and mutant (KO-NtPhyA) constructs of NtPhyA. By assessing the physiological and biochemical responses of the mutants under cold stress and performing transcriptome sequencing, we determined the signalling mechanism of NtPhyA under cold stress. Comparative analysis with wild-type (WT) NtPhyA revealed that KO-NtPhyA exhibited increased seed germination rates and reduced wilting under cold stress. In additional, the degree of damage to leaf cells, cell membranes, and stomatal structures was mitigated, and the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were significantly decreased. Antioxidant enzyme activity, net photosynthetic rate, and Fv/Fm were significantly enhanced in KO-NtPhyA, whereas the opposite effects were observed in OE-NtPhyA. These findings indicate that KO-NtPhyA augments tobacco tolerance to cold stress, implying a negative regulatory role of NtPhyA in tobacco during cold stress. Transcriptome analysis revealed that NtPhyA governs the expression of a cascade of genes involved in the response to oxygen-containing compounds, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), ROS, temperature stimuli, photosystem II oxygen-evolving complex assembly, water channel activity, calcium channel activity, and carbohydrate transport. Collectively, our findings indicate that NtPhyA activates downstream gene expression to enhance the resilience of tobacco to cold stress.

Mangrove Tree Species Classification Based on Leaf, Stem, and Seed Characteristics Using Convolutional Neural Networks with K-Folds Cross Validation Optimalization

Mangrove classification plays a pivotal role in environmental monitoring and conservation efforts. In this study, our meticulously curated dataset comprised diverse mangrove tree images standardized to 250 x 250 pixels, capturing the nuances of various species. Employing advanced deep learning techniques, our models demonstrated exceptional accuracy, reaching 99.23% without K-Folds and a slightly enhanced 99.78% with K-Folds. These models exhibited outstanding consistency, showcasing recall, precision, and F1-Score metrics all surpassing 99%. Through rigorous testing in 10 experiments, both K-Folds and non-K-Folds methods consistently achieved 100% accuracy, evidenced by the presence of True Positives in every classification scenario. This remarkable performance underscores the robustness of our algorithms in precisely classifying mangrove species, offering a valuable tool for ecological research and conservation initiatives.

Phylogenomic and morphological data reveal hidden patterns of diversity in the national tree of Brazil, Paubrasilia echinata.

Paubrasilia echinata (common names, pau brasil, brazilwood) is the national tree of Brazil and an endangered species endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Over its wide distribution of 2000 km, its leaflets morphology exhibits extensive plasticity. Three morphotypes are commonly identified based on leaf size, but it is unclear if they represent distinct taxa or a single polymorphic species. This study aims to clarify the taxonomic position of the three morphotypes to inform conservation decisions. A morphometric study of leaf characters of herbarium specimens was coupled with genetic analyses using genotype-by-sequencing data. We used maximum-likelihood and coalescent methods to evaluate the phylogenetic and population structure of the species. We compared these with a morphological dendrogram built from hierarchical clustering. Two of the three morphotypes formed separately evolving lineages, the third morphotype formed two geographically separate lineages, and northern trees with intermediate leaf morphology formed a separate fifth lineage. Leaflet size varied by over 35-fold, and although morphological clustering generally matched the genetic patterns, there were some overlaps, highlighting the cryptic diversity within this group. Our genetic and morphological results provide some evidence that cultivated trees from different states in Brazil seem to have a limited genetic origin and do not reflect the broader genetic and geographical diversity of the species. As a result, more care is likely needed to preserve the overall genomic diversity of this endangered and iconic species.

The Responses of Stem and Leaf Functional Traits of Medicago sativa and Bromus inermis to Different Mixed Planting Patterns

This study investigated the differences in stem and leaf growth characteristics of Medicago sativa and Bromus inermis in the Jiaozhou region of China during 2019–2020 under three different planting modes of the two forages: monoculture, mixed species sowing in the same rows, and mixed species sowing in alternating rows. No special management of the experimental plots was carried out in this study to simulate as much as possible the growth of forages in their natural state. The stem and leaf characteristics influencing the dry matter weight were calculated using grey correlation. These characteristics included leaf length, leaf width, leaf thickness, leaf area, leaf fresh weight, stem length, stem diameter, stem fresh weight, stem–leaf ratio, fresh matter yield, dry matter yield, and protein yield of M. sativa and B. inermis under different sowing methods in different years. The results showed that the weight pattern of the characteristics affecting the yield of M. sativa and B. inermis production was leaf area > stem diameter > leaf length > stem length > leaf width > leaf thickness, leaf area > leaf length > stem length > leaf width > leaf thickness > stem diameter. Considering all the growth factors, the production capacity was ranked as mixed sowing in alternating rows > mixed sowing in same rows > monoculture. Thus, the suitable mode for M. sativa–B. inermis sowing was mixed sowing in alternating rows.

On-Farm Tree Mulberry Geometry: Biochemical, Growth and Yield Analysis in the Traditional Areas of Sericulture

Navigation from bush to tree mulberry plantation has been in force in recent years to conquer water scarcity and high-temperature impact in traditional areas. Despite no scientific recommendation, Seri-farmers are practicing varied geometry as per their knowledge and expediency wherein a systematic analysis of the growth, leaf quality, and yield parameters is lacking. Thus, tree mulberry gardens in traditional districts - Kolar and Chikkaballapura were selected to analyze the impact of varied geometry on biochemical, growth, and yield parameters of mulberry variety V1. Surprisingly, diverse geometry of 5'x5', 6'x6', 7'x5', 8'x4', 8'x8', 9'x5', 10'x5', 10'x10', and 12'x12' is in practice in the tree mulberry plantations of the study area. The foliage of tree mulberry raised under 12'x12' geometry possesses the highest total crude protein (30.81mg/100g), nitrogen (4.93%), phosphorus (0.39%), and potassium (1.66%) contents. Among growth yield parameters, 12'x12' geometry recorded the highest number of shoots per tree - 62, the number of leaves - 881, maximum shoot height - 157 cm, fresh weight of leaves - 4.18 g. However, leaf yield was recorded lowest (3.876 kg) in 12'x12' mulberry plantation over all the geometry where the number of trees accommodated per unit area was less. Further, the highest leaf moisture measuring 75.80% was recorded from 8'x4' mulberry plantation geometry. The data stated that the number of tree mulberry recorded was 3625 per hectare of plantation under 8'x4' geometry, giving rise to the highest leaf yield of 49209 kg per hectare per year with a gross return of Rs.761000. Computing all these data, we infer that rather than following capricious geometry for establishing tree mulberry plantation, we suggest following a scientific basis of geometry wherein mulberry crop quality and yield are steadfast to harvest cocoons qualitatively and quantitatively good.

A ResNet50-DPA model for tomato leaf disease identification.

Tomato leaf disease identification is difficult owing to the variety of diseases and complex causes, for which the method based on the convolutional neural network is effective. While it is challenging to capture key features or tends to lose a large number of features when extracting image features by applying this method, resulting in low accuracy of disease identification. Therefore, the ResNet50-DPA model is proposed to identify tomato leaf diseases in the paper. Firstly, an improved ResNet50 is included in the model, which replaces the first layer of convolution in the basic ResNet50 model with the cascaded atrous convolution, facilitating to obtaining of leaf features with different scales. Secondly, in the model, a dual-path attention (DPA) mechanism is proposed to search for key features, where the stochastic pooling is employed to eliminate the influence of non-maximum values, and two convolutions with one dimension are introduced to replace the MLP layer for effectively reducing the damage to leaf information. In addition, to quickly and accurately identify the type of leaf disease, the DPA module is incorporated into the residual module of the improved ResNet50 to obtain an enhanced tomato leaf feature map, which helps to reduce economic losses. Finally, the visualization results of Grad-CAM are presented to show that the ResNet50-DPA model proposed can identify diseases more accurately and improve the interpretability of the model, meeting the need for precise identification of tomato leaf diseases.

Morphological and anatomical studies of Conamomum vietnamense N.S. Lý & T.S. Hoang: An endemic plant from Vietnam

Abstract. Nhi NTT, Chen TV, Lam DNX, Nguyen DD, Dinh QD, Linh NHK. 2023. Morphological and anatomical studies of Conamomum vietnamense N.S. Lý & T.S. Hoang: An endemic plant from Vietnam. Biodiversitas 24: 5022-5034. Conamomum vietnamense N.S. Lý & T.S. Hoang (Zingiberaceae) is an endemic plant from Vietnam. Information on the anatomical structure of leaves, roots, rhizomes, and the powder characteristics of C. vietnamense has not been reported. This study aimed to combine macro- and micro-morphological analysis to identify C. vietnamense accurately. Twenty fresh plants were randomly collected from the wild habitats in Vietnam were used for the study. Macromorphological characteristics were observed and compared to earlier research. Iodine green-carmine staining was then used to histologically examine the leaves, roots, and rhizomes. The powdered rhizome and leaf features were described via a microscope. Macromorphologically, C. vietnamense is characterized by its stout stilt roots, short petioles, oblong-lanceolate leaf blades with lightly plicate, inflorescences with obovoid, and narrowly ovate bracts, hairy underside bracteoles, bilobed calyx, yellow flowers with broadly obovate, glabrous, trilobed labellum. Micromorphologically, the anatomical features of leaves, roots, and rhizomes have similarities with those of Zingiberaceae species. The tetracytic stomata was observed on both leaf surfaces. The stomatal indexes on the abaxial and adaxial surfaces of the leaves are 8.81±0.55% and 0.1±0.06%, respectively. Calcium oxalate crystals were found in the leaf. Starch grains and reticulate xylem vessels were present only in rhizome powder. These findings are important characteristics for identifying C. vietnamense.

Applications of leaf architecture characters in delineating selected species and infraspecific taxa of Genus Cucumis L. (Cucurbitaceae)

Leaf venation characters of twelve (12) Cucumis taxa, comprised of eight species, three subspecies, and three varieties were examined to determine patterns of leaf architectural characters and delineate these accessions at the species, subspecies, and variety level. The leaf architecture of twenty-seven accessions representing six taxa were examined and described in this study. Additionally, data on the leaf architecture of another six taxa (represented by 57 accessions) published by Masungsong et al. (2022) were incorporated in the analysis. Results revealed that the twelve (12) taxa of Cucumis primarily varied in blade class, apex angle, primary vein size, secondary vein spacing, tertiary vein angle to primary vein, and areole development. These variations were found consistent with Cucumis species examined in previous studies. A dichotomous key was constructed for the twelve Cucumis taxa using leaf characters derived. Cluster analysis (based on UPGMA) formed two major clusters at 0.130 Gower distance. Cluster I includes Cucumis melo subsp. melo, C. pustulatus, C. melo var. flexuosus, C. melo subsp. agrestis, and C, melo var. texanus which exhibited secondary vein spacing that increases towards the base. while Cluster II is composed of the remaining Cucumis taxa, all displaying irregular secondary vein spacing. Furthermore, sub-clusters were formed based on tertiary vein angle in relation to primary vein, blade class, apex angle, and primary vein size. Results showed that utilizing leaf architecture is an effective technique to describe, characterize and delineate closely related taxa with many similar characters.

Studies on Leaf Characteristics of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) and Their Contribution to Seed Yield under Different Temperature Stress in North West India

Background: Temperature stress (heat or cold) is becoming a major area of concern due to climate change affecting crop production worldwide. Chickpea leaves are most sensitive to variation in temperature so any variation in temperature (High or Low) causes substantial losses in yield due to disruption in physiological processes of the plant cell. Therefore to achieve maximum production under current scenario of climate change a better understanding of stress induced responses in leaves of chickpea and interrelationship between seed yield and leaf traits can prove to be useful. Methods: The field trials was conducted with ten genotypes of chickpea for two consecutive years (2017-2019) at Pulses Section, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar to study various traits of leaf at 50% flowering stage (80-90 DAS). Temperature stress (cold or heat) was given by manipulating the sowing dates that is 15th October (early sown condition in Haryana), 15th November (Normal sown condition in Haryana) and 15th December (late sown condition in Haryana). Data were recorded when temperature was ( less than 5°C for 7 days) in early sown and ( greater than 35°C for 7 days) in late sown crops. Result: Results indicated that early sown crops experienced low temperature stress in the month of December-January while late sown crops showed high temperature stress in the month of March- April. The maximum values of leaf parameters were found in crops sown on 15th Novemberand minimum in15th December sown crops and no significant differences in seed yield was recorded between 15th October and 15th November sowing, however, further delay in sowing to 15th December showed significant reduction in seed yield. Among genotypes maximum leaf parameters and seed yield were observed in H12-64 and H13-01 while minimum were found in H14-04. Seed yield exhibited significant positive correlation with all traits in 15th October and 15th November sowing while non-significant was on 15th December sowing.

Ecological stoichiometry and homeostasis characteristics of plant-litter-soil system with vegetation restoration of the karst desertification control.

It is of great significance to clarify the ecologically chemical stoichiometric characteristics of plant-litter-soil in vegetation restoration process for elucidating the nutrient cycling law and soil nutrient management of karst ecosystem. The carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) contents of leaves, litter and soil and their stoichiometry were determined in loquat (Eribotrya japonica) plantations in a karst plateau canyon after 3, 6, 10 and 15 years of restoration. The homeostasis characteristics of leaf N, P, and N:P with the change in soil nutrients during restoration were revealed. The results showed that leaf C, N, and P contents initially increased and then decreased with increasing years of restoration at the same sampling time. The contents of nutrients in soil and litter varied with increasing restoration years, with the highest values mostly appearing in May and July. This could be due to greater moisture in May and July, which helps with nutrient absorption and transformation. The leaf N:P ratio of loquat with different restoration years was 35.76-47.39, with an average of 40.06. Therefore, loquat leaves may experience P limitation in the growth process. The relationships between N, P and N:P in leaves and soil indexes could be simulated by a homeostasis model. Except for the weak sensitivity of loquat leaf N in 10 years, the other indexes and treatments had a certain homeostasis. Plants maintain homeostasis by regulating physiological responses in vivo in response to soil nutrient changes, indicating that loquat has good adaptability in karst desertification environments, but attention should focus on the management of soil P in the field as part of the vegetation restoration process. Therefore, in future research, we should combine the soil water and fertilizer conditions of different growing seasons in karst rocky desertification areas and provide scientific field management to ensure that the results of rocky desertification management can play a role in rural revitalization.

Assessing the taxonomic identity and distribution of endemic and critically endangered Cynometra cebuensis F. Seid. (Fabaceae) in Cebu Island, Philippines

Abstract. Lillo EP, Malaki AB, Alcazar SMT, Chavez MLM, Cañarijo III DM, Pantinople EM, Redoblado BR, Margate MA, Diaz JL, Flores KMC, Lillo JMP, Gonzaga CFO, Rosales R, Almirante A, Tomol CJ. 2023. Assessing the taxonomic identity and distribution of endemic and critically endangered Cynometra cebuensis F. Seid. (Fabaceae) in Cebu Island, Philippines. Biodiversitas 24: 4854-4861. Cynometra cebuensis F. Seid. is a newly discovered species and considered endemic to Cebu Island, Philippines. Yet, it faces extinction threats, making it a critically endangered species. Information on the taxonomical certainty and geographical ranges is important to facilitate its protection and conservation. Therefore, this study focuses on the identification and distribution of C. cebuensis in Cebu Island, Philippines. Field surveys were conducted across various Key Biodiversity Areas and the Cebu Central Protected Landscape, specifically the Tabunan forest, to ascertain the distribution of these species. The Leaf Architectural Working Group Manual was employed to meticulously describe leaf characteristics, supplemented by information from published literature. Contrary to previous assumptions that C. cebuensis F. Seid. exclusively inhabited the Tabunan forest within Cebu Central Protected Landscape, this study reveals its presence in multiple areas outside Tabunan. Notably, C. cebuensis F. Seid. displays several distinct characteristics that differentiate it from other congeners, encompassing leaf structure, shape, fruit dimensions, growth patterns, and a unique identification key. Given its confinement to Cebu Island, C. cebuensis F. Seid. is acknowledged as an endemic species. Accurate identification of this species assumes pivotal importance in steering effective conservation endeavors. However, its distribution is observed to be confined to a few remaining forested patches. This emphasizes the urgency of safeguarding the Key Biodiversity Areas within Cebu Island, Philippines, where the exclusive presence of C. cebuensis F. Seid. has been ascertained.

Assessment of the Relationships Between Leaf Characteristics with Air Pollutants: A Case Study on Oriental Plane (Platanus orientalisL.) and Caucasian Hackberry (Celtis caucasicaWilld.)

AbstractBackgroundPlants are sensitive to air pollution by altering their vital processes such as growth or photosynthesis. Leaf characteristics reflect the adaptive mechanism of plants to their environment. This mechanism is demonstrated through changes in anatomical, morphological, and physiological characteristics relative to environmental changes.MethodsSamples were taken from 2 species ofPlatanus orientalisL. andCeltis caucasicaWilld. in 10 urban forests of Tehran, Iran. In each study area, 50 leaves were collected from different directions of the canopy of each tree, and their area was measured by a leaf area meter instrument in a laboratory. Leaf moisture and specific leaf area (SLA) were also calculated. The data of air pollutants were obtained from the nearest pollution measurement stations to each study location.ResultsThe average percentage of moisture forP. orientalisandC. caucasicawas calculated as 49.6% and 41.9%, respectively. The averages of SLA were estimated 9.2 and 6.5 cm2/g, respectively. The average leaf area was 36 and 6.04 cm2, respectively. The correlation between quantitative variables of leaf (leaf area and SLA) and air pollutant appeared in both study species, only there was a significant negative relationship between leaf area and O3. This relationship was stronger inC. caucasica(R2= −0.78).ConclusionThe results of this research showed that both species showed similar behavior against air pollutants, butC. caucasicashowed more reaction.

The Changes of Phyllosphere Fungal Communities among Three Different Populus spp.

As an ecological index for plants, the diversity and structure of phyllosphere microbial communities play a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem stability and balance; they can affect plant biogeography and ecosystem function by influencing host fitness and function. The phyllosphere microbial communities reflect the immigration, survival, and growth of microbial colonists, which are influenced by various environmental factors and leaves' physical and chemical properties. This study investigated the structure and diversity of phyllosphere fungal communities in three different Populus spp., namely-P. × euramaricana (BF3), P. nigra (N46), and P. alba × P. glandulosa (84K). Leaves' chemical properties were also analyzed to identify the dominant factors affecting the phyllosphere fungal communities. N46 exhibited the highest contents of total nitrogen (Nt), total phosphorus (Pt), soluble sugar, and starch. Additionally, there were significant variations in the abundance, diversity, and composition of phyllosphere fungal communities among the three species: N46 had the highest Chao1 index and observed_species, while 84K had the highest Pielou_e index and Simpson index. Ascomycota and Basidiomycota are the dominant fungal communities at the phylum level. Results from typical correlation analyses indicate that the chemical properties of leaves, especially total phosphorus (Pt), total nitrogen (Nt), and starch content, significantly impact the structure and diversity of the phyllosphere microbial community. However, it is worth noting that even under the same stand conditions, plants from different species have distinct leaf characteristics, proving that the identity of the host species is the critical factor affecting the structure of the phyllosphere fungal community.