Prunus Mahaleb Research Articles

Analysis of the Energy Potential of Waste Biomass Generated from Fruit Tree Seedling Production

The depletion of conventional fuels and the state of the natural environment have influenced global policy, dictating a new direction for development and approaches to the use of renewable resources. One such resource is woody biomass, which can be used for energy purposes. A type of raw material with an unrecognized potential for utilization is waste biomass from the production of fruit tree seedlings. In this study, thirteen popular species of rootstock produced in Poland were collected and subjected to comprehensive analyses. After determining the calorific value of the collected wood waste, a comprehensive analysis of their suitability for energy purposes was conducted. The highest calorific value of 19.51 MJkg−1 was recorded for waste biomass obtained from Mahaleb Cherry rootstocks in the first year of research, compared to P14 with 17.96 MJkg−1. The content of other elements was also advantageous for Mahaleb Cherry. Considering the relatively large production of this type of waste biomass, it can be concluded that it has great energy potential and can largely meet energy needs in regions where fruit tree seedlings are mass-produced. Implementing the use of such raw materials in energy production will result in a reduction of anthropogenic impacts on the environment by decreasing the demand for standard energy resources.

The valorization of Prunus mahaleb shell through acid modification for the sorption of Pb2+ removal from aqueous solution

AbstractThis study aimed to investigate the biosorption performance of acid-modified waste Prunus mahaleb (PMA) shells in the removal of Pb2+ ions from aqueous solutions. Changes in the morphological properties and functional components of PMA biosorbent were characterized using SEM–EDX, FT-IR, BET, and PZC analyses. The effect of various parameters such as initial Pb2+ concentration, pH, PMA dosage, contact time, and temperature on biosorption was investigated using a batch biosorption procedure. The maximum biosorption capacity, determined using the Langmuir isotherm, was calculated to be 119 mg g−1. It was found that the biosorption kinetic mechanism followed pseudo-second-order kinetics and intraparticle diffusion model. According to the determined thermodynamic parameters, the biosorption mechanism was found to be endothermic (ΔH° > 0), spontaneous (ΔS° > 0), and entropy-increasing (ΔG° < 0). The outcomes of the experiment were evaluated in comparison to other sorbents that have been previously commonly used in the literature. It was demonstrated that PMA could be a promising, environmentally friendly, cost-effective, and sustainable potential biosorbent for the removal of Pb2+ ions.

A comprehensive review on pharmacognosy, phytochemistry and pharmacological activities of 8 potent species of southeast Asia.

Genus Prunus comprising around 430 species is a vast important genus of family Rosaceae, subfamily amygdalaoidae. Among all 430 species, around 19 important species are commonly found in Indian sub-continent due to their broad nutritional and economic importance. Some most common species of genus Prunus are Prunus amygdalus, Prunus persica, Prunus armeniaca, Prunus avium, Prunus cerasus, Prunus cerasoides, Prunus domestica, Prunus mahaleb, etc. A newly introduced species of Prunus i.e Prunus sunhangii is recently discovered which is morphologically very similar to Prunus cerasoides. Plants of Prunus species are short to medium-sized deciduous trees mainly found in the northern hemisphere. In India and its subcontinent, it extends from the Himalayas to Sikkim, Meghalaya, Bhutan, Myanmar etc. Different Prunus species have been extensively studied for their morphological, microscopic, pharmacological and phytoconstituents characteristics. Total phenolic content of Prunus species explains the presence of phenols in high quantity and pharmacological activity due to phenols. Phytochemical screening of species of genus Prunus shows the presence of wide phytoconstituents which contributes in their pharmacological significance and reveals the therapeutic potential and traditional medicinal significance of this genus. Genus Prunus showed a potent antioxidant activity analyzed by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl radical assay. Plant species belonging to the genus Prunus is widely used traditionally for the treatment of various disorders. Some specific Prunus species possess potent anticancer, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic etc. activity which makes the genus more interesting for further research and findings. This review is an attempt to summarize the comprehensive study of Prunus.

Bioactivities of Prunus mahaleb: A Mini Review

The mahaleb cherry, which has the scientific name Prunus mahaleb L., is a fragrant shrub plant belonging to the Rosaceae family. The plant is commonly cultivated in the Mediterranean area. The people cultivated it for its essential oil and seeds, which have great therapeutic and nutritional value. It is widely distributed over North Africa, Central Asia, and Central-South Europe. The plant contains a variety of active constituents like coumarins, vital oils, polyphonic ingredients, and other phytochemical compounds that possess many pharmacological activities capable of improving people’s health. These activities include antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, gastro-protective, neuroprotective, and diabetic management actions. Overall data for this literature review was collected from online sources such as Google Scholar, Science Direct, Scopus, Research Gate, Elsevier, PubMed, and Web Science. In addition to that, the library of the pharmacognosy department was utilized to collect supplementary information on photochemical constituents, pharmacognosy, and pharmacological applications of mahaleb cherry. The gathered data was carefully examined and authenticated. The main aim of this review article is to uncover potential therapeutic activities of this plant that could be valuable in the future for therapeutic nutrition, as well as food and pharmaceutical industries.

Phyto-pharmacology of Most Common Indian Culinary Spices and their Potential in Developing New Pharmaceutical Therapies

Background:Culinary spices and Indian kitchens share a historical relationship for centuries. An average Indian kitchen contains a lot of spices like fennel, cardamom, cumin, turmeric, clove, black pepper, etc., used to increase the aroma and taste of food. Scientific research suggested the pharmacological activities of these kitchen spices, as most of them enhance the appetite, digestion, and have anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, and some spices are potent anticancer, antidiabetic, and anti-obesity. Some Culinary spices are unexplored scientifically.Objective:The objective of this study is to investigate the presently explored spices and some unexplored spices which might be used in certain parts of the world to enhance the flavor and could have medicinal benefits, studying their pharmacological actions in controlling or managing diseases.Methods:Numerous surveys in literature were done in response to determining the culinary spices used commonly in Indian kitchens and also some rare spices which might be used in certain parts of the world for their pharmacological, and traditional uses, their chemical constituents having pharmacological activities. Relevant peer-reviewed publications were searched through various databases such as ScienceDirect, PubMed, Google Scholar, Research Gate, etc.Results:A total of 11 common culinary spices like cumin, cardamom, cloves, etc. are studied regarding their common kitchen role, traditional uses, and their explored pharmacological activities, and 11 other spices like Alpinia galanga, Prunus mahaleb, Grain of Paradise, etc., which are used in some parts of the world having medicinal properties are also studied. The chemical constituents of these plants are also studied which could be responsible for their medicinal activity.Conclusion:In this review, an approach was made to study the common culinary spices and other culinary spices which might not be most common, having medicinal properties, so that better treatment options could be available for future generations.

Urban Dendroflora of Dry Subtropics of the Northwestern Part of The Greater Caucasus on the Example of the City of Gelendzhik

The article presents the results of the analysis of the species composition of the dendroflora of the city of Gelendzhik. The research covered 20 hectares of tree plantations. The route method and the transect method were used. In total, 30 transects were laid with a width of 5-20 m and the total length was 22 km. The routes covered all biotopes of natural (natural forest plantations on the outskirts of the city) and anthropogenic habitats (boarding houses, house territories of private households, spontaneous vegetation of roadsides and wastelands). True census of all tree and shrub species was carried out on the transects. Special attention was paid to rare species for which renewal and undergrowth were taken into account. The arboreal flora of Gelendzhik is represented by 110 species, which belong to 75 genera and 35 families. The predominant part of the dendroflora is represented by angiosperms (82.7%) and gymnosperms (13.7%). The families of Rosaceae, Cupressaceae and Fabaceae are most widely represented in the dendroflora of the city's green spaces (44%). The analysis of the species composition on their share of participation showed that the native fraction of the dendroflora prevails over the cultural one, which indicates its species richness. The analysis of the geographical element of the wild-growing fraction showed the heterogeneity of the dendroflora, in the formation of which 15 geographical elements take part. The largest number of species in the studied dendroflora belongs to the ancient Mediterranean group of geoelements. The significant participation of the Mediterranean and Caucasian geoelements indicates a high degree of autochthonicity in the development of the dendroflora of the city of Gelendzhik. Phanerophytes predominate among the life forms, represented equally by mesophanerophytes, nanophanerophytes and microphanerophytes. It should also be emphasized the significant participation of adventitious tree species (15.4% of the aboriginal fraction). Most of the adventitious species are of North American origin. The leading place in the quantitative spectrum is occupied by rare Mediterranean species Pinus brutia var. pityusa (Stev) Silba) (21% of the total number of studied individuals), Prunus mahaleb (L.) Vassilcz.) (7%), Pistacia atlantica Desf. (2.1%), which reflects the specifics of the dendroflora of the city of Gelendzhik.

Chemical and Functional Properties of Mahlab Tree (Prunus mahaleb) Exudate Gum

Prunus mahaleb (Mahlab) is one of the gums-producing species of the Rosaceae family. The gums produced by many members of this family were extensively investigated except those of Mahlab. Hence, the work aims to study the chemical and functional properties of this gum which is produced from trees grown in Jordan. Exudate nodules were collected in the summer of 2021 from Mahlab trees and sorted according to their color into grades I, II, and III. The chemical composition, hygroscopicity, swelling index, water absorption, emulsification and foaming capacities, solubility, and foam stability of these grades were measured. Proximate composition showed significant (P ≤0.05) variations between the three grades in all of their proximate components except protein. Grade I had the greatest moisture and fat content of 18.0 and 3.29%, respectively. Grade III had the highest protein (though non-significantly (P>0.05) different from other grades) and ash content of 1.10 and 2.91%, respectively. All grades had similar, though significantly (P≤ 0.05) different levels of calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium. Also, their HPLC - detected sugar profiles consisted of xylose (17.65-19.77% w/w), rhamnose (10.10-12.34%w/w), arabinose (53.35-62.01% w/w) and galactose (9.88-14.50%w/w). Results showed significant (P ≤0.05) differences between the three grades in their functional properties, with grade III having the greatest swelling index and water absorption capacity of 7.52 and 16.52%, respectively. Grade I has the greatest hygroscopicity of 6.57% while grade II has the greatest foaming capacity of 21.02%. All grades showed a non-Newtonian-type shear-thinning behavior. Based on the results of this study, it is evident that Mahlab tree exudate gums pose chemical and functional properties typical of other known hydrocolloids.

Biodiversity of spider mites of Ankara, with a checklist of the Tetranychinae and first report of Schizotetranychus ibericus Reck for Turkey (Acari: Prostigmata)

The samples were collected at weekly intervals between April and October from 2011 to 2014 on rosaceous plants and Quercus trees in Ankara, Turkey. Twelve spider mite species (Acari: Tetranychidae), Amphitetranychus viennensis (Zacher), Schizotetranychus ibericus Reck, Tetranychus urticae Koch, T. turkestani (Ugarov & Nikolskii), Eoteteranychus populi (Koch), E. pruni (Oudemans), E. coryli Reck, E. tiliarium (Hermann) Panonychus ulmi (Koch) (Tetranychinae), Bryobia rubrioculus (Scheuten), B. praetiosa Koch and B. sp. (Bryobiinae) were identified in Ankara. Schizotetranychus ibericus Reck, 1947 is a new record for Turkey. Tetranychus urticae and A. viennensis occurred in all the sampling localities, while S. ibericus was collected only on a Quercus sp. (Fagaceae). Tetranychus urticae Koch (Tetranychidae) was the most abundant and common species while some other species were represented by only two specimens such as Eotetranychus populi and E. tiliarum (Hermann). Apple harbored the highest number of spider mite species (9) while Prunus mahaleb and Quercus had only 2 and 1 species, respectively. The preferred hosts plants were Malus domestica (1007), Prunus domestica (749) and Prunus avium (479), while Prunus armeniaca (164), Prunus mahaleb (66) and Quercus sp. (17) were less preferred hosts. Collection data and geographical distribution of these species are provided. The checklist of the previous identified Tetranychinae species of Turkey is provided.

Profiling of primary and phytonutrients in edible mahlab cherry (Prunus mahaleb L.) seeds in the context of its different cultivars and roasting as analyzed using molecular networking and chemometric tools.

Prunus mahaleb L. (mahlab cherry) is a deciduous plant that is native to the Mediterranean region and central Europe with a myriad of medicinal, culinary and cosmetic uses. The present study explored different cultivars of mahlab (white from Egypt and Greece, red from Egypt and post roasting). UPLC-MS led to the detection of 110 primary and secondary metabolites belonging to different classes including phenylpropanoids (hydroxy cinnamates, coumaroyl derivatives), organic acids, coumarins, cyanogenic glycosides, flavonoids, nitrogenous compounds, amino acids and fatty acids, of which 39 are first time to be detected in Prunus mahaleb L. A holistic assessment of metabolites was performed for further analysis of dataset using principal component analysis (PCA) among mahlab cultivars to assess variance within seeds. The results revealed that phenolic acids (coumaric acid-O-hexoside, ferulic acid-O-hexoside, ferulic acid-O-hexoside dimer, dihydrocoumaroyl-O-hexoside dimer and ferulic acid), coumarins (coumarin and herniarin) and amino acids (pyroglutamic acid) were abundant in white mahlab cultivars (cvs.) from different locations. In contrast, red mahlab and its roasted seeds were more rich in organic acids (citric and malic acids), amygdalin derivative and sphingolipids. Orthogonal projections to latent structures discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) revealed for markers in red mahlab and in response to roasting, where red mahlab was rich in nitrogenous compounds viz. nonamide, deoxy fructosyl leucine, glutaryl carnitine and isoleucine, while roasted product (REM) was found to be enriched in choline.

Antioxidant Activity of the Prunus mahaleb Seed Oil Extracts Using n-Hexane and Petroleum Ether Solvents: In Silico and In Vitro Studies

Prunus mahaleb L., also known as white mahaleb, and native to the Kurdistan region of Iraq, has significant nutraceutical and therapeutic ingredients. The seeds are rich in conjugated fatty acids with small quantities of cyanogenic glycosides, coumarin derivatives, and flavonoids. The contents of the seeds were extracted with the Soxhlet apparatus using n-hexane and petroleum ether solvents, separately. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to recognize the chemical composition of the compounds. The radical scavenging activity was performed for the total extracts from n-hexane and petroleum ether solvents using 2,2-diphenyl-1 picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay and compared with quercetin as a positive control. Furthermore, molecular docking was performed for the identified compounds against five enzymes that have main roles in intracellular oxidation. Afterwards, drug-like properties and bioactivity predictions were applied for all compounds using Molinspiration software. The results showed four phthalate derivatives, six saturated fatty acids (SFAs), five monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), and three polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). The n-hexane extract showed competitive antioxidant activity with quercetin and the in-silico studies suggested a notable antioxidant activity of the seed oil contents with apparent drug-likeness properties. Further studies are required to separate the extracts, then perform in vitro antioxidant activity on the compounds.

Anti-tyrosinase and antimelanogenic effect of cinnamic acid derivatives from Prunus mahaleb L.: Phenolic composition, isolation, identification and inhibitory activity.

The traditional use of Prunus species against skin diseases and especially for skin lightning cosmeceutical purposes is widespread in many cultures. Prunus mahaleb L. is a well known food plant and used in the baking industry for flavoring. The fruit kernels (endocarp) are used in India for hyperpigmentation. To investigate the chemical composition with the antimelanogenesis effect of P. mahaleb seed and kernel extracts and isolated compounds. Isolation studies performed from the methanol extracts obtained from kernels and structures were determined using NMR and MS analysis. Antimelanogenesis effect was determined by mushroom tyrosinase assay, cellular tyrosinase assay and melanin content assay using B16F10 murine melanoma cells. Five cinnamic acid derivatives were isolated and their structures (2-O-β-glucopyranosyloxy-4-methoxy-hydrocinnamic acid (1), cis-melilotoside (2), dihydromelilotoside (3), trans-melilotoside (4), 2-O-β-glucosyloxy-4-methoxy trans-cinnamic acid (5)) were elucidated using advanced spectroscopic methods. Mushroom tyrosinase enzyme inhibition of extracts, fractions and pure compounds obtained from P. mahaleb kernels were investigated and structure-activity relationship revealed. According to a detailed, comprehensive and validated LC-MS/MS technique analysis, vanilic acid (41.407mg/g), protocatechuic acid (8.992mg/g) and ferulic acid (4.962mg/g) in the kernel ethylacetate fraction; quinic acid (14.183mg/g), fumaric acid (8.349mg/g) and aconitic acid (5.574mg/g) were found as major phenolic compounds in the water fraction. The correlation of trace element copper content in extracts and fractions with mushroom enzyme activity was determined. By examining the enzyme kinetics of the compounds with effective cinnamic acid derivatives, inhibition types and enzyme binding constants Ki were calculated. Compounds 1,3 and 5 exhibited high noncompetitive tyrosinase inhibitory activity against L-tyrosine substrates, with IC50 values of 0.22, 0.31 and 0.37mM respectively. In addition compounds 1, 3 and 5 showed dose-dependent inhibitory effects on intracellular tyrosinase and melanin levels in α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH)-induced B16F10 melanoma cells. Potent tyrosinase inhibitory compounds and extracts of P. mahaleb kernels suggest that it could be a new, non-toxic and inexpensive resource for the cosmeceutical industry and in skin diseases associated with hyperpigmentation.

Chemical composition, nutritional values, elemental analysis and biological properties of Prunus mahaleb L.: From waste to new potential sources for food, cosmetic and drug industry

Prunus mahaleb L. seeds are widely used in the baking industry as spice for flavouring. While achieving the mahaleb powder for commercial use in local companies, the seeds are sometimes mixed unintentionally with their kernels (stony shell) during sieving procedure. As the chemical and biological properties of the kernel of seeds are not well known, the kernel, seeds and the market sample obtained from a local supplier are decided to investigate individually. The antioxidant capacity and the trace element analyses of the seeds and kernels were performed by TEAC and CUPRAC assays and ICP-MS. The market sample was analysed for nutrient and oil composition. Fatty acid composition of the oil was determined with GC-FID and GC-MS methods. The chemical composition of the methanol extract of the seeds and kernels was studied by LC-MS/MS. Trace elements Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn and Se were determined in the methanol extracts, ethyl acetate and water fractions. Mushroom tyrosinase enzyme inhibitions of 33 different extracts and fractions of various waste parts of the plant (kernel, fruit, twigs, flos, leaves) were investigated. The nutritional values showed that the market sample had high nutritious properties. The fatty acid content of the oil was found to be valuable in remedying dysfunctions of the body. Kernel ethylacetate fraction showed the highest tyrosinase enzyme inhibition. The role of copper element on enzyme activity was determined. The kernels are accepted as a waste material may also be evaluated as a good promising choice for food, cosmetic and drug industry.

Growth and Productivity of Sweet Cherry Varieties on Hungarian Clonal Prunus mahaleb (L.) Rootstocks

Due to climate changes, drought- and lime-tolerant Prunus mahaleb rootstock may gain importance. Among the Mahaleb rootstocks and hybrids, there are standard and moderate-vigorous types, but their intensive testing in orchards is still needed. Our paper reports on testing rootstocks SL 64, Bogdány, Magyar, SM 11/4 clonal Mahalebs, and the hybrid MaxMa 14. ‘Carmen’, ‘Vera’, ‘Paulus’, and ‘Rita’ sweet cherry trees were trained on the above rootstocks to the principles of Hungarian Cherry Spindle at a spacing of 1.6 × 5 m. Rootstocks SL 64, Bogdány, and SM 11/4 proved to be vigorous, while on rootstocks Magyar and MaxMa 14, the trees were moderately vigorous, about 80%. ‘Carmen’, ‘Vera’, and ‘Rita’ on Magyar and MaxMa 14 produced high cumulative yields without significant differences, while ‘Paulus’ trees were most productive on Bogdány rootstock. ‘Carmen’ on Bogdány rootstock, ‘Vera’ on Magyar and Maxma 14 rootstock, and ‘Rita’ on MaxMa 14 were more precocious than on SL 64. Contrary to SL 64 and MaxMa 14, both Magyar and Bogdány rootstocks resulted in abundant flat branching and good fruit size. Our conclusion is that trees on Magyar and Bogdány rootstocks fit well to the Hungarian Cherry Spindle orchard system with 1250 tree/ha orchard density.

Evaluation of the sensory properties, volatile aroma compounds and functional food potentials of cold-press produced mahaleb (Prunus mahaleb L.) seed oil

The aims of this study were to cold-press mahaleb seed, and then fully characterize the oil to extent its food and functional food applications. The novelty of this study relies upon the first data provided by the thermal analysis, sensory analysis, and volatile aroma compounds composition. The seeds were pressed with a screw-type single-head press with a maximum oil exit temperature of 40 °C. Most common physico-chemical properties, composition analyses, volatile aroma compounds profile, sensory descriptive analysis and consumer tests were completed. The main properties were appropriate and the composition (fatty acids, phytosterols and tocopherols) data concurred with the available literature. Thermal data were provided, and the oil peak crystallization and melting temperatures were −44.45 °C and −8.41 °C, respectively. There were 38 volatile aroma compounds quantified mostly with almond, green, vanillin, woody, and fermented aroma definitions. The panel described the oil with 5 sensory descriptive (almond, vanillin, dough, green, cooling) terms. Consumers liked appearance the most (4.49) with a general acceptance score of 3.70 on a 5-point hedonic scale. Overall, the mahaleb seed oil is a conjugated linolenic, oleic and linoleic fatty acids, β-sitosterol and γ-tocopherol rich, very aromatic, and consumer-liked sample. Further studies with various food applications are foreseen.

STUDIES ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOME STRATEGIES FOR SWEET CHERRY TREE PLANTING DISTANCE AND MANAGEMENT

This papers presents the growth and fruiting of the Valerii Chkalov, Record, Ferrovia, Kordia, Regina, Stella, Skeena, Bigarreau Burlat, Lapins, Early Star, Samba and Black Star varieties, grafted on the Cerasus mahaleb, L., MaxMa 14 and Gisela-6 rootstocks in different combinations and planted at different distances, which are grown in the southern and central area of the Republic of Moldova have been investigated. The sweet cherry trees with an age between 9 to 14 years that had been grafted on Cerasus mahaleb, L. showed a stronger growth as compared to the trees with an age between 4 to 10 years that had been grafted on Gisela 6, and the tees with an age between 8 to 10 years which had been grafted on MaxMa 14. High vigour trees are grown on non-irrigated soils; the sweet cherry trees, grafted on Gisela 6 and MaxMa 14 rootstocks are grown on fertile well-irrigated soils. The studied associations of varieties and rootstocks turned out to be suitable for cultivation in terms of the soil and climatic conditions of the area.

Prunus mahaleb shell as a sustainable bioresource for carminic acid removal from aqueous solution: Experimental and theoretical studies

This study focused on the performance of Prunus mahaleb shell (MS) agricultural waste, which is used as an alternative biosorbent for carminic acid (CA) removal from aqueous solution. The effects of different parameters such as pH, initial dye concentration, contact time, biosorbent dosage and temperature on the biosorption of CA dye to the MS biosorbent surface were investigated. The characterization of the biosorbent was done by FT-IR, SEM-EDX and pzc analyses. It was determined that the isotherm and kinetics of CA dye removal were consistent with the Langmuir isotherm and PSO and IPD kinetic models, respectively. The maximum adsorption capacity was calculated as 148 mg g−1 according to the Langmuir isotherm. According to the ΔH0, ΔG0 and ΔS0 results, the biosorption was found to be endothermic and spontaneous. Based on these data, it is concluded that environmentally friendly, inexpensive, simple to use and effective MS biosorbent can be used for CA dye removal.

Optimization of the management and pruning concept of cherry plantations by improving the relationship between growth and f

This article describes the research carried out to develop a strategy for the management and pruning of current cherry plantations. The vigour of the variety-rootstock association, crown shape, planting distance, the age of trees and the pruning system have been studied. The studies regarding the establishment of culture systems for the cherry species were carried out in 6 stationary experiments, located on ordinary chernozem, in the southern and central fruit-growing areas of the Republic of Moldova. The growth and fruiting of the Valerii Cikalov, Record, Ferrovia, Kordia, Regina, Stella, Skeena, Bigarreau Burlat, Lapins, Early Star, Samba and Black Star varieties, grafted on rootstocks of the Cerasus mahaleb L., MaxMa 14 and Gisela-6 in different combinations and at different planting distances, have been investigated. High vigor trees are used on non-irrigated soils in association with self-fertile varieties and optimal planting distances that ensure high yields. Cherry trees, grafted on rootstocks of medium-low vigor (Gisela 6) and moderate (MaxMa 14) are used on fertile soils and well-irrigated, provide medium-sized trees, managed entirely from the ground level, early harvests, average yield, reducing costs for harvesting fruits by increasing labor productivity. The investigated cultivar-portaltoi associations are suitable for the pedoclimatic conditions favorable for cultivation in the respective area. The variety-portaltoi associations will have to be selected according to the direct objective, the culture system and the applied technology.

Size-Controlling Cherry Rootstock Selection Based on Root Anatomical Characteristics

Over the past few decades, numerous studies investigated the vigor and productivity of fruit species depending on the rootstock on which they were grafted, but the exact size-controlling mechanism itself has not been fully elucidated, nor were the rapid rootstock selection methods defined. Thus, this study aimed to assess the root anatomical characteristics and their influence on the overall ‘Summit’ cherry tree vigor to confirm the size-controlling effect and establish an effective protocol for rapid rootstock selection. Plant material included three cherry species (Prunus cerasus, Prunus fruticosa, and Prunus mahaleb) and interspecific hybrid ‘Gisela 5′ (P. cerasus × Prunus canescens) as a control. The detailed anatomical analysis included root samples with the differentiated secondary structure taken from the sampling depth of 10–15 cm. Roots with percentages of vessels ≈40%, ≈50%, and ≈10% belonging to size-classes ˂700 µm2, 700–2000 μm2, and ˃2000 µm2 (respectively) are presumed to provide optimal amounts of water solution to the scion, without compromising plant vitality, drought tolerance, and size-controlling effect. Statistically significant correlations were determined between anatomical properties (the percentage of vessels, especially ˃2000 µm2, xylem porosity, and hydraulic conductivity, both per mm2 and total root) and vegetative growth in the juvenile vegetative phase, indicating direct vessel size influence on plant vigor and its employment in size-controlling cherry rootstock selection.

Food plant with antioxidant, tyrosinase inhibitory and antimelanoma activity: Prunus mahaleb L

Prunus mahaleb L. seeds are used as spice and folk remedies in many countries. The aim of this study was bioactivity guided isolation and characterization phytoconstituents of P. mahaleb which have been studied very limited so far. The antioxidant capacities of seed and kernel (endocarp) extracts were studied by DPPH, nitric oxide (NO), superoxide (SO), TEAC, CUPRAC methods. The antiproliferative activity were investigated for the first time against B16F10, A2058, HeLa and L929 cell lines using MTT assay. Gallic acid and ursolic acid which have strong antioxidant and cell growth inhibitory effect, were isolated from the most active fractions. From the inactive fractions, quercetin-3-O-(2-O,6-O-α-dirhamnopyranosyl β-glucopyranoside), kaempferol-3-O-(2-O,6-O-α-dirhamnopyranosyl β-glucopyranoside) and β-sitosterol 3-O-β-glucopyranoside were isolated. Our study is the first record for the isolation of ursolic acid from all parts of P. mahaleb, gallic acid from P. mahaleb kernels, two flavonol triglycosides from the Prunus species and their analysis by advanced NMR spectroscopic methods. Ursolic acid (IC50: 170.2 μM) and gallic acid (IC50: 10.5 μM) showed strong tyrosinase inhibition, gallic acid being 5.4 times more effective than standard compound. Kernel extracts have strong antioxidant activity, showed high growth inhibitory activity with dose-dependent manner on melanoma cells but no growth inhibitory on healthy L929 and HeLa cancer cells. The high antioxidant capacity of kernel, its selective growth inhibition of B16F10 and A2058 melanoma cells and its strong tyrosinase inhibitory compounds suggest that it could be a new, non-toxic and inexpensive resource for melanoma treatment and cosmetic industry.

Bronchodilator Phenylpropanoid Glycosides from the Seeds of Prunus mahaleb L.

Bronchodilator Phenylpropanoid Glycosides from the Seeds of Prunus mahaleb L.