Tamarix Research Articles

Multilocus Gene Analyses Indicate Tamarix aphylla as Reservoir Host of Diverse Phytoplasmas Associated with Witches' Broom and Yellowing Symptomatology.

Tamarisk witches' broom, yellowing, and little leaf symptoms were observed during 2018-2023 surveys of rural deserts in central regions of Iran with the highest disease incidence up to 72% in Chah Afzal (Yazd province). A verification of the presence and identity of phytoplasmas associated with these symptoms was then performed. Tamarisk tree branch cuttings obtained from symptomatic plants sprouted up to 90.3% but with 15-25 days' delay compared to the asymptomatic ones and showed internode shortening and witches' broom, while the branch cuttings from asymptomatic plants had normal growth and sprouted up to 97.8%. Phytoplasma transmission by dodder bridges to periwinkle did not succeed, while nested polymerase chain reaction on the phytoplasma ribosomal gene followed by RFLP and phylogenetic analyses revealed the presence of 'Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris', 'Ca. P. australasiae=australasiaticum', and 'Ca. P. trifolii' (ribosomal subgroups 16SrI-B, 16SrII-D, and 16SrVI-A, respectively) in the samples from symptomatic plants only. Further amplifications were performed on selected phytoplasma-positive samples on tuf and secA genes, and the produced sequences indicated the presence of mixed phytoplasma infection in some of the samples. In particular, in the tuf gene, a mixed infection of 'Ca. P. australasiae=australasiaticum' and 'Ca. P. trifolii' was detected, while in the secA gene, the presence of 'Ca. P. asteris' or 'Ca. P. tritici' strains was identified. The first-time detection of diverse phytoplasma strains in symptomatic T. aphylla suggests that this species represent a relevant source of infection for the agricultural crops and for landscape plants especially when temperature allows insect vector transmission, and therefore, it represents a risk in every environment especially in the frame of climatic changes.

Dew Water of Tamarisk Leafs (Salt Cedar) for Treating Warts Infection in Libya

Warts are caused by Human papiloma virus which causes a skin infection in all ages, it is un-convenient, if not treated by using the relevant medicine. Tamarisk is a plant commonly known as Salt cedar or, (Athal in Arabic region), which belongs to the Tamaricaece species, the presence of high content of phytochemical compounds like polyphenolics and flavonoids, is a potential source of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative properties, that seems to have secrete medication effect on warts infection. A study to dew water of tamarisk leafs effect on warts infection have showed magic results, seven cases used dew water as remedy irregularly once per day for four to seven times per month, all cases totally healed from warts infection and responded positively 100% to the use of tamarisk leafs dew water.

Estimating Completely Remote Sensing-Based Evapotranspiration for Salt Cedar (Tamarix ramosissima), in the Southwestern United States, Using Machine Learning Algorithms

Accurate estimation of evapotranspiration (ET) is a prerequisite for water management in arid regions. Field based methods estimate point-wise ET accurately, but the challenge is in estimating ET over a region with high accuracies. Machine learning based approaches were taken to estimate ET over a large spatial scale using the Bowen Ratio Energy Balance (BREB) technique. The BREB method depends on terrestrial energy balance equations to estimate ET. Thus, remote sensing-based parameters representing variables in the energy balance equation, and vegetation index representing plant health conditions were used in the model. The study was conducted in the arid areas of the southwestern United States, where dense patches of Salt cedar consume water from the primary water source. The preliminary model used enhanced vegetation index (EVI), global horizontal irradiance (GHI), surface temperature (TS), and relative humidity (RH) as parameters. The k-nearest neighbor method consistently generated poor accuracies. When all the parameters were used, accuracies of the other models varied within 90–94%. When one predictor parameter was dropped, the best model produced accuracies between 90 to 93%, which dropped to 87–92% when a second variable was dropped. Random forest and support vector machine with radial kernel consistently produced the best predictive accuracies.

A new species of Paragigagnathus Amitai and Grinberg (Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae) from Iran

Paragigagnathus sistaniensis Kreiter, Arjmandi-Nezhad and Saboori n. sp. belongs to the tribe Neoseiulini, subfamily Amblyseiinae, is described and illustrated, based on females and males. The new species was collected from foliage of tamarisk trees in Sistan region, Sistan and Baluchestan province, southeastern Iran.

Identification of 16SrXXX-A Phytoplasma Associated with Salt cedar (Tamarix chinensis Lour.) witches'-broom (SCWB) in Southern Xinjiang of China.

Salt cedar is an ornamental shrub/moderate tree species native to Asia and East Europe, and grows in salt-alkali soil, desert and other dry areas, which plays an important role in wind prevention and sand fixation as well as maintaining ecological balance. Salt cedar witches'-broom (SCWB), which was extremely pernicious to Salt cedar. It was first observed and reported in Xi'an, China in 2005 (Zhao et al.2005). Witches' broom symptoms were observed on 20 out of 150 (13.3%) salt plants surveyed from the Alar region and 10 out of 86 (11.6%) plants from the Akesu region in southern of Xinjiang in May 2020. The damaged plants compared with asymptomatic plants (Fig.1A), the major symptoms included branches clustered, intersegment shorten and coarsen, giving rise to the formation of clusters (Fig.1B). Total plant DNA was extracted from phloem tissues with asymptomatic symptoms and phloem tissues with witches'-broom symptoms by a CTAB-based DNA extraction method (Green et al.1999). The 16S rRNA gene and the phytoplasma universal primers P1/P7 and rpF1/rpR1 of the rp (ribosomal protein) gene were used for Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification by using the extracted plant total DNA as the template. The PCR product was used as the template and the R16F2n/R16R2 prmer was used for nested PCR amplification of the 16S rRNA gene after the amplification was completed. The results show that no product was obtained in asymptomatic plants. When DNA samples from witches'-broom symptomatic plants were used as templates, fragments with lengths 1219 bp and 1174 bp, corresponding to 16S rRNA gene and rp gene, were obtained. 16S rRNA gene was sequenced and deposited in GenBank under accession number MW447513. BLAST analysis revealed that the partial 16S rRNA sequence of the phytoplasma associated with P. aphylla witches' broom showed highest sequence identity (99.67%) to salt cedar witches' broom phytoplasma, 'Candidatus Phytoplasma tamaricis' (Accession Number: FJ432664). Phylogenetic and molecular evolutionary analyses were conducted using MEGA-X (Kumar et al., 2018). Results showed taht the SCWB and 16S rXXX group's'Candidatus Phytoplasma tamaricis', (GenBank accession: FJ432664) have the highest affinity (Fig.2A). A virtual restriction fragment length polymorphism(RFLP) was done to determinethe subgroup ( Zhao et al. 2009). The 16S rDNA sequence from the Tamarix chinensis plant showed 99.3% similarity with that of the "Candidatus Phytoplasma tamaricis" reference strain (GenBank accession: FJ432664), suggesting that the phytoplasma in this study belongs to "Candidatus Phytoplasma tamaricis"-related strain. Therefore, it can be stated that SCWB belongs to the 16S rXXX group. The partial rp sequences only shared 84.74% sequence similarity with that of 'Candidatus Phytoplasma prunorum' (MG383523) of Apple proliferation group, a known subgroup 16S rX. Blast analysis based on the partial rp sequences showed that it shares less than 90% similarity with that of any known phytoplasma (Fig 2B), we suspect that this is due to a lack of sequenced rp gene sequences for the 16S rXXX group. To our knowledge, this is the first report of Salt Cedar Witches' Broom phytoplasma in Xinjiang province, China. As a consequence, we guess the SCWB phytoplasma rp gene belongs to 16S rXXX-rp group, which is also the first report about the 16SrXXX-rp group. Because SCWB1 is the only strain in the 16S rXXX group, and it is the representative strain of the 16S rXXX-A subgroup (Zhao et al. 2009). So, the SCWB disease we found in southern Xinjiang belongs to the 16S rXXX-A subgroup.

Tamarisk Tree in Light of Cuneiform References

Those who observe the Mesopotamian civilization will find that this civilization has several components, foremost of which stands the diversity in many of its civilization fields, whether on the architectural, artistic or written level, as well as the richness and abundance in the entirety of its data, and perhaps a civilization extended in its roots since man inhabited the north of Mesopotamia until The Islamic ages are worthy to stand at the top of the hierarchical hierarchy of the rest of the other civilizations in terms of originality and antiquity, and this civilization was characterized by several characteristics, the most important of which is its impact on the rest of other civilizations from which multiple civilization fields have been borrowed, such as writing and the rest of other sciences. Researchers have always delved into the vocabulary of this civilization and have written many books and researches that dealt with its multiple colors and are still trying to decipher the secrets and secrets of what remained unclear from them. For the overall image of this civilization to be integrated. One of the important vocabulary of the civilization of Mesopotamia, which it is important to highlight is an important tree that the cuneiform texts dealt with great importance, namely the tamarisk tree, and through the first extrapolation of the information related to this tree, we find that it has occupied an important place in the thought and belief of the people of Mesopotamia, especially with regard to It is related to the medical aspect of it, as the cuneiform texts dealt with many benefits of this tree and entered many medicinal formulations for treating diseases at that time, in the Islamic ages, the famous doctor Ibn al-Bitar mentioned the great medicinal benefits of this tree, as it was used in many medical treatments. Through the foregoing, we find it important to shed light on this tree, the places in which it is grown, the uses mentioned in the cuneiform texts, and everything related to it, depending mainly on the various information contained in the ancient cuneiform writings about this tree.

Salt Cedar Intake by Cattle, Sheep, and Goats Following 21 Days of Exposure

Salt cedar (Tamarix spp. L), is found across Texas and the western United States, primarily near riparian areas. Introduced in the 1800s as an ornamental plant, salt cedar escaped domestic gardens, invading native rangelands. Mechanical and chemical control options for salt cedar are available, but effective control can be difficult and cost prohibitive. Sheep and goats will readily consume salt cedar after exposure at weaning, and goats readily consume the plant when released on rangelands. Unfortunately, sheep and goats are not a viable option in many areas due to predation or lack of appropriate fencing. The objectives of this study were to determine if cattle would consume salt cedar at a similar level (body weight basis) as sheep and goats and to determine if preconditioning improved acceptance of salt cedar by cattle. Angus-Hereford cross heifers (n = 15), Rambouillet lambs (n = 15), and Boer-Spanish cross kids (n = 15) were placed in individual pens for 21 d and fed salt cedar leaves and tender stems daily. For the first 21 d, eight head from each species were fed a basal diet and salt cedar while 7 head only received the basal diet. The amount of salt cedar in the diet was increased from 5% of the diet to 10% of the diet after 7 d of feeding and fed until d 21. From d 22 to 28 both naïve and familiar animals were fed salt cedar daily. All animals readily increased intake of salt cedar. By d 7, cattle, sheep, and goats consumed the plant, but intake varied daily for cattle and sheep. After the first 7 d, goats consistently ate more (P < 0.05) salt cedar than cattle or sheep. While goats may consume more salt cedar, cattle may be a viable option to reduce salt cedar cover when goats are not a viable option.

AEDES AEGYPTI SURVIVORSHIP ON SALT TOLERANT CALIFORNIA LANDSCAPE PLANTS

Aedes aegypti has expanded its range in the United States to include various arid and desert geographies, with notable introduction into various parts of California. Because resources are limited in arid environments, it is currently an important topic to understand how Ae. aegypti interacts with its surrounding environment for survival and proliferation. Three common plant species in peridomestic landscape, i.e., salt cedar (Tamarix aphylla), arrow weed (Pluchea sericea) and four wing saltbush (Atriplex canescens), were collected for survival bioassays to understand how Ae. aegypti is persisting in arid, chaparral landscapes in California, USA. These three plant-species along with a 10% sucrose solution (positive control) and reverse osmosis water solution (negative control-) were added to cages of Ae. aegypti to assess their survival at 24h, 48h, and 96h. It was found, in comparison with the negative control and four wing salt bush, that arrow weed and to a lesser extent salt cedar, promoted survival of Ae. aegypti in the first 24h. After the first day, only arrow weed significantly supported mosquito survival out to 96h as compared to the controls. Arrow weed and salt cedar are both riparian plants producing some nectaries which could be energy resources provided through stem sap or nectar to Ae. aegypti amidst peridomestic chaparral in California.

تنوع ژنتیکی در میان جوامع گونههای گز با استفاده از نشانگر مولکولی CDDP

سرده Tamarix به دلیل عدم قطعیت تعداد گونه‌ها، پراکنش و اهمیت اکولوژیکی در ایران، یکی از مهم‌ترین موضوعات در رده‌بندی تیره گز است. در این مطالعه، تنوع ژنتیکی و روابط خانوادگی 34 فرد از 8 جمعیت از 3 گونه Tamarix در استان اصفهان مورد بررسی قرار گرفت. ده آغازگر از نشانگر مولکولی CDDP برای بررسی تنوع ژنتیکی این سرده استفاده شد. 125 باند از ده آغازگر ایجاد شد، که از این تعداد 102 (16/80 درصد) چند شکلی بودند. آنالیز خوشه‌ای جمعیت‌ها را به سه گروه مجزا دسته‌بندی کرد. جریان بالای ژنی در میان گونه‌های Tamarix با استفاده از تجزیه و تحلیل PCoA تنوع زیادی در بین سه گونه Tamarix نشان داد، به طوری که نمونه‌های گونه‌های مختلف با هم گروه‌بندی شدند. تجزیه واریانس مولکولی نشان داد که تنوع ژنتیکی بین جمعیت (90٪) بیشتر از تنوع ژنتیکی درون جمعیت (10٪) است. بالاترین میانگین تنوع ژنتیکی نای (H) و شاخص تنوع شانون (I) در جمعیت حبیب‌آباد مشاهده شد. تجزیه و تحلیل داده‌ها نشان داد که صفات ریخت‌شناختی و داده‌های توالی DNA در سرده Tamarix کاملا با هم ارتباط ندارند، که می‌تواند با وجود تعداد زیاد دورگه‌ بین گونه‌ها و عدم تمایز ژنتیکی بین گونه‌های مورد مطالعه توجیه شود.

Remotely Sensed Changes in Vegetation Cover Distribution and Groundwater along the Lower Gila River

Introduced as a soil erosion deterrent, salt cedar has become a menace along riverbeds in the desert southwest. Salt cedar replaces native species, permanently altering the structure, composition, function, and natural processes of the landscape. Remote sensing technologies have the potential to monitor the level of invasion and its impacts on ecosystem services. In this research, we developed a species map by segmenting and classifying various species along a stretch of the Lower Gila River. We calculated metrics from high-resolution multispectral imagery and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data to identify salt cedar, mesquite, and creosote. Analysts derived training and validation information from drone-acquired orthophotos to achieve an overall accuracy of 94%. It is clear from the results that salt cedar completely dominates the study area with small numbers of mesquite and creosote present. We also show that vegetation has declined in the study area over the last 25 years. We discuss how water usage may be influencing the plant health and biodiversity in the region. An examination of ground well, stream gauge, and Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) groundwater storage data indicates a decline in water levels near the study area over the last 25 years.

ARF family identification in Tamarix chinensis reveals the salt responsive expression of TcARF6 targeted by miR167.

Auxin response factors (ARFs) are important transcription factors (TFs) that are differentially expressed in response to various abiotic stresses. The important roles of ARFs and small RNA-ARF pathways in mediating plant growth and stress responses have emerged in several recent studies. However, no studies on the involvement of ARFs in tamarisk trees, which are resistant to salinity, have been conducted. In this study, systematic analysis revealed 12 TcARF genes belonging to five different groups in Tamarix chinensis. The microRNA response elements of miR160, which belongs to group I and miR167, which belongs to group III, were conserved in terms of their location and sequence. Moreover, digital gene expression profiles suggested that a potential miR167 target gene, TcARF6, was rapidly expressed in response to salt stress. Cloning of TcARF6 revealed that TcARF6 could be an activation TF with a glutamine-rich region and expression pattern analysis revealed that the expression of TcARF6 was significantly downregulated specifically in the roots. A significant negative correlation in the expression pattern of tch-miR167/TcARF6 indicated that this module may play a key role in the response to salt stress. Overall, these results provide basic information on the posttranscriptional regulation of TcARF6 for future investigations of the T. chinensis salt-stress response.

Germination and Growth of Native and Invasive Plants on Soil Associated with Biological Control of Tamarisk (Tamarix spp.)

Introductions of biocontrol beetles (tamarisk beetles) are causing dieback of exotic tamarisk in riparian zones across the western United States, yet factors that determine plant communities that follow tamarisk dieback are poorly understood. Tamarisk-dominated soils are generally higher in nutrients, organic matter, and salts than nearby soils, and these soil attributes might influence the trajectory of community change. To assess physical and chemical drivers of plant colonization after beetle-induced tamarisk dieback, we conducted separate germination and growth experiments using soil and litter collected beneath defoliated tamarisk trees. Focal species were two common native (red threeawn, sand dropseed) and two common invasive exotic plants (Russian knapweed, downy brome), planted alone and in combination. Nutrient, salinity, wood chip, and litter manipulations examined how tamarisk litter affects the growth of other species in a context of riparian zone management. Tamarisk litter, tamarisk litter l...

Greenhouse gas emissions and extracellular enzyme activity variability during decomposition of native versus invasive riparian tree litter

Invasive plants alter riparian vegetation communities and shift biogeochemical processes by changing decomposition rates and the soil chemical environment created by leaf litter. It is unclear if this mechanism shifts nutrient dynamics favoring invasive dominance; riparian areas in the Southwestern USA invaded by salt cedar and Russian olive often still host mixed stands of native plants. To test the hypothesis that invasive plant success is related to altered litter inputs, microbial activity and nutrient cycling, we performed laboratory incubations examining greenhouse gas emissions and microbial extracellular enzyme activity (EEA). The responses of GHG flux and EAA were measured from decomposing translocated litter from native and invasive woody perennials between soils where they were growing. Litter decomposition from two invasive species (salt cedar and Russian olive) and two native trees (coyote willow and Fremont cottonwood) were tracked for 3 months. Soil respiration, carbon content and EEA were all more closely related to soil origin than leaf litter species. The highest decomposition rate was from willow soil. Soil nitrate at the end of the experiment was highest for soils collected under cottonwood. Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions were significantly greater from Russian olive litter than other species, on all soil types. Patterns observed here suggest that (1) plant influences on local soil properties over the lifetime of a plant have a greater control on decomposition processes than short-term litter input source, (2) EEA is strongly related to available C resources, and (3) the invasive shrub Russian olive may be responsible for previously undocumented large N2O emissions in riparian systems in the USA.

Assessing the feasibility of using a closed landfill for agricultural graze land.

Once landfills are closed and maintained according to the US Environmental Protection Agency's standards and regulations, they are potential sites for revitalization efforts, particularly via agricultural activities. This project was commissioned by the City of Tucson Environmental Services Department as part of an effort to explore ways to reuse one or more of the 16 landfills the department manages in the Tucson metropolitan area. The objective of this project was to assess the feasibility of using a closed landfill to support safe goat browsing. A site history and investigation was conducted at the Harrison Landfill in Tucson, Arizona, to characterize the soil quality and uptake of deleterious metals by the following plants observed at the landfill: Pennisetum ciliare (buffel grass), Baccharis sarothroides (desert broom), Salsola tragus L. (Russian thistle), Larrea tridentata (creosote), Tamarix ramosissima (salt cedar), and Atriplex canescens (fourwing saltbush). Site characterization data were combined with known goat browsing and plant consumption patterns to determine exposure risks. It was observed that soil concentrations of metals (Al, Ag, As, Be, Ba, Fe, Co, Cu, Cr, Cd, Fe, Mn, Ni, V, Se, Mo, Sn, Sb, Pb) did not exceed Arizona Department of Environmental Quality's soil remediation levels. Tamarix ramosissima, Baccharis salicifolia (willow baccharis), Pennisetum ciliare, Salsola tragus L., Baccharis sarothroides, Larrea tridentata, and Atriplex canescens contained metal concentrations that fell well within maximum tolerable levels. In general, this project determined that after soil and plant assessment, urban, arid landfills may be used effectively for economic development through agricultural grazing ventures.

Modification in the generic diagnosis of Bursaustium (Acari: Erythraeidae) with description of a new species from southeast of Iran

The generic diagnosis of Bursaustium Haitlinger, 2000 is modified and Bursaustium zabolensis Noei sp. nov. (Acari: Trombidiformes: Erythraeidae) collected from soil samples (off host) under tamarisk trees in Zabol city, Sistan and Baluchestan province, Iran, is described. It is the third known species of the genus and second species of this genus from Iran. A key to species of Bursaustium (larva) is also provided.

Prediction of the Species Distribution of Cryptococcus neoformans Throughout Turkey

Cryptococcus neoformans is a human pathogenic yeast that causes life-threatening infections especially in immunosuppressed patients. The environmental isolation of C.neoformans from Turkey was reported as early as 2004, although this was mostly from Eucalyptus camaldulensis colonization. Successful isolations were also reported from pomegranate (Punica granatum), oriental plane (Platanus orientalis), pine tree (Pinaceae), chestnut (Castanea sativa) and salt cedar (Tamarix hispida). The investigation of the relationship between the bioclimatic factors affecting the environmental isolation sites and the colonization of pathogens is a frequently used method. With this method, detailed risk maps can be generated in which environmental colonization can be estimated. The aim of this study was to use the high-resolution bioclimatic and previously-isolated yeasts' coordinates to create a valid model for the occurrence of C.neoformans in Turkey and provide insight into ecological processes. A machine learning approach using presence-only data software, maximum entropy (MaxEnt), was used to for the prediction of C.neoformans distribution. Climatic data and environmental bioclimatic variables from WorldClim were downloaded as 30 seconds spatial resolutions. The correlation between different Turkey bioclimatic layers were analyzed with ENMTools and similar layers were discarded. Forty-one different coordinates representing C.neoformans isolation points were used to generate a predictive map. The area under the curve and the omission rate were used to validate the model. Meanwhile, Jackknife tests were applied to enumerate the contribution of different environmental variables, and then to predict the final model. Maps were created using QGIS mapping software. In this study, we have shown that the coastal region of Anatolia, which is geographically located in the Northeastern Mediterranean Basin, as well as the entire Aegean region, carry an extremely high risk for the colonization of C.neoformans. Other areas which have not previously been reported for the isolation of C.neoformans were predicted to be potential colonization hotspots, including the western part of Ataturk Dam, the Amik Plain and the Bakırçay and Gediz valleys. The maximum temperature of the warmest month, the mean temperature of the warmest quarter and the precipitation of the coldest quarter were the most important factors influencing the model's predictions. It was determined that the humidity in the environment affected the colonization especially in November. In conclusion, we produced a C.neoformans colonization risk map of Turkey for the first time. Obtaining more regional data will facilitate the identification of the regions having similar risk. This approach is useful for the clinical prediagnosis of cryptococcosis cases, which may be more common in places with environmental niches.

Water use measurement by non-irrigated Tamarix ramosissima in arid regions of Northwest China

Water use measurement by non-irrigated Tamarix ramosissima in arid regions of Northwest China

Copper Complexation by Dissolved Organic Matter in arid Soils: A Voltametric Study

A voltammetric method was used to estimate the complexing capacity of water extracts from both desert soils sampled at the root zone of creosote and salt cedar plants, and in soils from interspace or background regions where no vegetative influence was apparent. The copper complexing capacity of water extracts of these desert soils was influenced by contact time and pH. In soils from the root zones of creosote and salt cedar plant, copper complexation capacities at pH 8 were from 5 µM to 60 µM after five min contact periods, while 18 h contact periods yielded copper complexation capacities of 40 µM–80 µM. Soils with no vegetative influence had copper complexing capacities of less the 2 µM. The copper complexing capacities of these soils are well correlated with the concentration of organic carbon in the water extract (r2 = 0.86). The abundance of soluble organic matter in the root zone of desert shrubs has the potential to control the solution speciation of Cu2+. The formation of soluble complexes should also have an important influence on the plant uptake and transport of copper, as well as other heavy metals in the root zones of desert shrubs and beyond.

New Locality Records of Splendid Tamarisk Weevil,Coniatus splendidulus(Fabricius), andChionaspisscale in West Texas and New Mexico

Because of detrimental effects of salt cedar on riparian communities in the southwestern United States, there is active research to control and minimize its impact. One such control program being monitored is use of the salt cedar leaf beetle, Diorhabda sublineata (Brulle'), to reduce the biomass of this invasive plant species. Beetle activity has been monitored in different regions of Texas, various southwestern states of the U.S, and Mexico since 2001. Recently, other biological control agents, Coniatus splendidulus (Fabricius) and Chionaspis scale, were reported from new areas of Texas and New Mexico. While these biological control agents were not intentional introductions, their activity resulted in notable defoliation (40–80%) and biomass reduction and is worthy of monitoring.

Ramosissimin, a new flavonol from Tararix ramosissima, induces apoptosis in rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes.

Tamarix ramosissima is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine used for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment in Northwest China. Chemical investigation of EtOH/H2O extracts of T. ramosissima led to the discovery of a new flavonol, ramosissimin (1), together with the known flavonoids compounds quercetin (2), quercetin-3'4'-dimethylether (3) and kaempferol (4). By means of high resolution electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy (HRESIMS) and 1D and 2D-NMR experiments, and after comparison with literature data, the structures of the compounds were determined. The effect of compound 1 on the viability of RA fibroblast-like synoviocytes (RA-FLS) was evaluated by MTT assay. Apoptosis-inducing effect of compound 1 in RA-FLS was further investigated by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay and activated caspase-3/7 level assessment using luminescent assay. The results revealed that ramosissimin displayed remarkable proliferation inhibitory effect in RA-FLS. Furthermore, compound 1 could significantly induce cellular apoptosis of RA-FLS and increase activated caspase-3/7 levels. It is suggested that ramosissimin may inhibit the proliferation of RA-FLS by inducing apoptosis.