Parthenocissus Quinquefolia Research Articles

Eco-friendly and low-cost phytodyeing for wool, cotton and polyester textile materials using Parthenocissus Quinquefolia L. Fruit Extracts

This study investigates the extraction of natural colorant from fresh fruits of Parthenocissus quinquefolia L. and the application of the extracted dye to wool yarn, cotton, and polyester fabrics in the presence and absence of various mordants. The effect of mordant type on the dyeing quality with different mordanting methods was examined. Iron sulfate, tin chloride, alum, copper sulfate, and potassium dichromate were used as mordant. The effects of these mordants on the color of the dyed samples were investigated in terms of CIELab (L*, a*, b*) and K/S values. The light, washing and rubbing fastness of the dyed samples were evaluated according to ISO standards. While dyeing wool yarn without mordant produces reddish brown, and dyeing with mordant produces a wide range of colors from green to purple, blue and lilac tones are obtained in cotton fabric dyeing, and green, purple and brown tones are obtained in polyester fabric dyeing. While polyester fabrics are dyed with synthetic dyes at 130 oC, in this study they were dyed with natural dyes at 90 oC. As a result of dyeing, colors with high fastness are generally obtained.

First Report of a Phytoplasma Strain in the Elm Yellows Group (16SrV) associated with Virginia Creeper in Maryland, USA.

Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia [L.] Planch.) is a deciduous flowering vine in the Vitaceae family. Native to eastern North America, it is often used ornamentally as a climbing vine or as ground cover due to its rapid growth and foliage color in the fall. In July of 2022, along exterior walls of a private property in Lanham, MD, two Virginia creeper (VC) vines were observed displaying symptoms of yellow mottling and premature reddening of leaves. To investigate the cause of these symptoms, two symptomatic leaf samples and one asymptomatic leaf samples from a third vine in the same vicinity were collected for further analysis. A Qiagen DNeasy Plant Mini Kit was used to extract total DNA from leaf tissues according to the manufacturer's instructions. A phytoplasma-specific real-time PCR (Hodgetts et al. 2009) was used to test the DNA extracts, which detected the presence of phytoplasmas in the two DNA samples derived from symptomatic vines. The near full-length of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene was then amplified by seminested PCR from these samples with primers P1/16S-SR followed by P1A/16S-SR (Deng, and Hiruki 1991; Lee et al. 2004) and Sanger sequenced using primers P1A and 16S-SR. Analysis of the obtained 16S rDNA sequences revealed no variation between the two plant samples, and one sequence was deposited in GenBank representing the phytoplasma strain named VC-MD1 (GenBank PP746981). A BLASTn search of the 16S rRNA gene sequence in the NCBI nucleotide database, showed 99.93% sequence identity with the phytoplasma strain AldY-WA1 (GenBank MZ557341) from red alder in Washington, a phytoplasma associated with VC plants in southern Florida (GenBank AF305198) (Harrison et al. 2001), and other strains detected in grapevines in Europe described as "flavescence dorée" phytoplasma (GenBank AF176319) (Davis, and Dally 2001). The virtual restriction fragment length polymorphism pattern derived from iPhyClassifier (Zhao et al. 2009), indicated that VC-MD1 is indeed a member of the 16SrV-C phytoplasma subgroup. To confirm the identification, the partial spc operon and the partial tuf gene were amplified as previously described (Lee et al. 2010; Makarova et al. 2012). Specifically, the spc operon region was amplified using a nested PCR approach with primer set L15F1A-a/MapR1 followed by L15F1A-b/MapR1A-b. Sequence data obtained from the two loci were deposited to GenBank with accession numbers PP746982 (spc) and PP746983 (tuf). BLAST searches querying the nucleotide sequences of the spc operon and tuf gene showed 95.39% and 99.05% identity, respectively, to the corresponding loci of 'Candidatus Phytoplasma rubi' strain RS (GenBank CP114006) and hemp dogbane yellows phytoplasma strain HD1 (GenBank FR686506). Phylogenetic analysis based on secY and tuf gene sequences suggest that the VC-MD1 strain is evolutionary closest to 16SrV-C phytoplasma strains detected in various hosts in the United States, including HD1 and AldY-WA1. These North American strains cluster together on a distinct branch within the elm yellows group phytoplasmas. For the State of Maryland, this detection represents the first report of a phytoplasma strain member of the16SrV-C subgroup infecting VC plants. A phytoplasma of the same subgroup was previously detected in Florida in asymptomatic VC vines (Harrison et al. 2001). The 16S rRNA gene sequences of the two VC phytoplasma strains are nearly identical, differing by just a single nucleotide. The disease transmission vectors of the VC-MD1 strain and the prevalence of the disease in the region remains undetermined.

First record of Retithrips syriacus (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in Algeria: damage observed on two Vitaceae species in Khenchela province

AbstractThis paper is the first record of Retithrips syriacus (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) for Algeria. This thrips pest is reported for the first time from Khenchela Province, north‐eastern Algeria, on two Vitaceae species (Vitis vinifera and Parthenocissus quinquefolia). The observations were made in several gardens of different houses within the same neighbourhood.

Eco-friendly dyeing of leather and wood samples using Parthenocissus quinquefolia L. fruits aqueous extract

The present study is relevant to extracting natural colorant from Parthenocissus quinquefolia L. fresh fruits and applying the extracted dye on leather and wood samples in the presence and absence of various mordants. The effect of mordant type (copper sulfate (CuSO4.5H2O) ferrous sulfate (FeSO4.7H2O) and alum (KAI(SO4)2.12H2O) with different mordanting methods (pre-mordanting, meta-mordanting, post-mordanting) on dyeing quality was also examined. The effects of mordants on the color of dyed samples were investigated in terms of CIELab (L*, a*, b*) and K/S values. The dyed samples' light, washing, and rubbing fastness were evaluated according to ISO standards. Although generally good fastness values were obtained for all three mordants, light fastness was low. These results suggest that P. quinquefolia fruits have sufficient potential in dyeing leather and wood.

Raster electron microscopy in the analysis of plant raw materials of virgin grapes (<i>Parthenocissus quinquefolia</i> (L.) Planch.)

Introduction. Virgin grape (maiden grape, Virginia grape, virgin grape, Parthenocissus quinquefolia (L.) Planch.) is currently used primarily for decorative purposes, but is also beginning to attract scientists from different countries as a promising source of important compounds such as anthocyanins, flavonoids, organic acids, macro- and microelements. To introduce a plant into medical practice, one of the first steps is the need to develop regulatory documentation that allows for quality assessment and standardization of plant materials, and the first stage of this process is the assessment of the characteristics of the authenticity of the object.Aim. Establish the morphological characteristics of the leaf and petiole of the virgin grape (Parthenocissus quinquefolia (L.) Planch.).Materials and methods. The object of the study was developed leaves of the virgin grape, harvested in the Voronezh region in the summer of 2022 and dried in the shade. To carry out the experiment, a JSM-6510LV electron microscope was used; the analysis was carried out after sputtering a thin film of gold onto the sample.Results and discussion. For the first time, the main structural features of various morphological features of the leaf blade of the virgin grape were identified, differences in the morphological picture of the upper and lower sides of the leaf were established, and structural features of the surface of the petiole were identified. Using micro-X-ray analysis, it was revealed that calcium and potassium are present in large quantities in the leaves and petiole of virgin grapes. The least amount of the studied elements in the study object contains magnesium. It has been shown that the leaves contain a small amount of chlorine, and the cellular contents of the petiole include a small amount of sodium.Conclusion. For the first time, a study of the morphology of the surface of the leaf blade and petiole of the virgin grape was carried out using scanning electron microscopy. The main diagnostic features of plant raw materials have been identified and visualized. Micro-X-ray structural analysis made it possible to establish the composition of the elements of the leaf blade and petiole of virgin grapes and revealed the ability to concentrate calcium, potassium, and phosphorus.

Адвентивный компонент банка семян некоторых лесных сообществ островов реки Волги

The paper presents the results of studying the adventive component of the seed bank of the Oak Mane Island of the Volga River Valley in the vicinity of the city of Saratov. Seeds of 12 species of adventitious plants were registered in the seed bank of the studied forest communities. All identified seeds belong to plant species belonging to one department of Magnoliophyta, 8 families and 12 genera. The Asteraceae family plays a leading role in the taxonomic spectrum of adventitious seed bank species (42%). Mesophytic mesotrophic (63.6%) heliophytic grouping of plants dominates in relation to ecological regimes. Mostly there are species of North American origin (60%). Herbaceous annuals (33% of species) and trees (34%) play a significant role. A significant impact on the composition of seed banks was caused by the unintentional entry of seeds of plants that are “refugees from culture” into this territory. Most adventitious plants, represented by both vegetating individuals and seeds, have penetrated into natural cenoses, and in some cases even partially transformed their structure, which is due to their reproductive potential and ability to compete with representatives of the native flora of natural habitats. In the studied area, foci of the concentration of seeds of drift plants in different communities were revealed, in continuous placement (Acer negundo, Bidens frondosa and Populus alba), disjunctive (Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Echinocystis lobáta, Impatiens glandulifera), sporadic – Ambrosia trifida, Artemisia sieversiana, Crataegus sanguinea, Inula caspica and Ulmus pumila. An increase in the number of adventitious species presented in the seed bank was recorded, but the number of seeds decreased.

A Summary of the Pharmacological Activity, Phytochemistry and Pharmacognosy of Parthenocissus quinquefolia (L.): Review Article

Historically, medicinal herbs have been utilized as an important origin of chemicals with particular therapeutic potentials, and they continue to be a great place to find new medication candidates. Parthenocissus quinquefolia L. is a member of the grape-growing family Vitaceae. It is indigenous to Central and North America. It is widely dispersed in Iraqi gardens and plant houses from north to south. Traditionally, it has many uses, like relieving constipation, treating jaundice, expectorant, emetic, and others. At the same time, its proven activities include antioxidant activity, antimicrobial, anti-diabetic, thrombin inhibitor effect, and medicine for treating eyelid eczema. Parthenocissus quinquefolia contains valuable phytochemicals like alkaloids, saponins, steroids, terpenoids, polyphenolic compounds (flavonoids, phenolic acids, and tannins), anthraquinones, cardiac glycosides, coumarins, and reducing sugars that make it responsible for its critical pharmacological effects. The current review discussed the pharmacognosy, phytochemistry, and pharmacological activity of Parthenocissus quinquefolia (L.).

Anticancer, Antioxidant, Antimicrobial Activities, and HPLC Analysis of Alcoholic Extracts of Parthenocissus quinquefolia L. Plant Collected from Çanakkale

This study aimed to contribute to revealing the health effects of the Parthenocissus quinquefolia L. (PQ) plant by examining the biological activities of various extracts of the plant. An ethnobotanical important medicinal plant, PQ belongs to the Vine family (Vitaceae) and is known for its medicinal uses. Herein, fruit and leaf alcoholic extracts of the plant exhibited anticancer activity on triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell lines, estrogen receptor positive (ER+) (MCF-7), and human colon adenocarcinoma (HT-29) cancer cell lines. Furthermore, fruit methanol extracts displayed strong radical scavenging activity with low IC50 values such as 0.51 mg/mL, 0.80 mg/mL, 0.84 mg/mL, and 1.45 mg/mL. The highest TEAC values (18.72 mM Trolox/mg, 9.90 mM Trolox/mg, and 8.41 mM Trolox/mg) were calculated for the extracts of red leaves. The antifungal activity was determined against Candida albicans as fungal pathogen. The cell apoptosis with methanol extract was obtained between 20 µg/mL and 70 µg/mL for 48 h and 72 h treatments by Hoechst 33258 staining of nuclei under a fluorescence microscopy. HPLC analysis was performed for methanol extracts to determine major bioactive components. Consequently, this plant extracts may guide to new strategies and may be uses in medicinal applications for further investigations.

Study on content of flavonoids and antioxidant activity of the raw materials of Parthenocissus quinquefolia (L.) Planch.

The aim of this work was to determine the component composition and quantitative content of flavonoids, including catechins, in the leaves, shoots and fruits of Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia (L.) Planch.) for further standardization of raw materials and establishing antioxidant activity of their water-ethanol extracts. Materials and methods. The leaves, shoots of Parthenocissus quinquefolia were collected during the phase of mass flowering in July 2020 and fruits were collected during full ripeness (September – October 2020) in Lisnyky village of Obukhiv district of Kyiv Oblast (Ukraine). Determination of the component composition and quantitative content of flavonoids, including catechins, was carried out by the method of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on an Agilent Technologies 1200 liquid chromatograph. Identification and quantitative analysis were carried out using standard solutions of flavonoids (rutin, quercetin-3-b-glycoside, naringin, neohesperidin, quercetin, naringenin, kaempferol, luteolin, apigenin) and catechins (pyrocatechin, catechin, epicatechin, epicatechin gallate and halocatechin). Antioxidant activity was determined by the spectrophotometric method at 347 nm by the ability to inhibit the autooxidation of adrenaline in vitro.Results. As a result of the study, 9 phenolic compounds were identified: rutin, quercetin, quercetin-3-b-glycoside, naringin, epicatechin, catechin, gallocatechin, epicatechin gallate. It was determined that rutin, quercetin, epicatechin, and catechin predominate in the leaves, shoots, and fruits of Virginia creeper.It was established that the extracts of leaves with shoots and fruits of Virginia creeper show a pronounced antioxidant activity due to their ability to inhibit autooxidation of adrenaline in vitro.Conclusions. The high content of rutin, quercetin, epicatechin and catechin in the leaves, shoots and fruits of Virginia creeper has scientific interest, due to discovered compounds have a valuable pharmacological effect. The obtained results can be used for the standardization of raw materials of Virginia creeper, and differences in the quantitative content of halocatechin in different types of raw materials, as well as the presence of naringin in leaves and shoots and luteolin in the fruits of Virginia creeper as diagnostic features of this species raw material.The results of the study of antioxidant activity confirm the prospects of using this raw material for the creation of new drugs with antioxidant activity

Antimicrobial evaluation of crude extracts of bark and stem of virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia (L.) Planch)

The In vitro antimicrobial potential of bark and stem of virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia (L.) Planch) was measured in order to authenticate its ethnopharmacological significance. Bark and stem parts were extracted by static maceration technique in non-polar and polar solvents, such as n-hexane, chloroform, ethanol and double distilled water. Agar well diffusion technique was used to verify the antimicrobial activity of these extracts against two of each Gram-negative, Gram-positive and fungal strains. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was measured through modified broth dilution method. However, ethanolic and aqueous extracts of stem resulted in highest inhibition zone (52.5±1.1 mm) against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and augmented antifungal activity (46±0.48 mm) against Fusarium solani, respectively. Whereas, n-hexane extract of bark exhibited least antibacterial activity in the form of inhibition zone of 15±0.22mm against S. aureus. Similarly, minimum activity (16.5±0.21 mm) was observed in ethanolic extract of bark, against F. solani. The most resistant MIC value was shown by ethanolic bark extract, i.e. 0.5 mg/mL against P. aeruginosa. Thus, virginia creeper can be recommended as a remedy to combat efficaciously with the resilient contagious strains.

MoFs decorated TA-MoS2 nanosheets improving the mechanical and fire properties of epoxy resins: Interface engineering design based on virginia creeper

Developing high-performance polymers with outstanding fire safety and mechanical performance remains a thorny challenge. Hence, inspired by Virginia creepers, an interface engineering design was used to load NH2-MIL-Fe onto the surface of tannic acid (TA)-modified molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), gestating TA-MoS2-NMFe nanohybrids with biomimetic structure. The TA-MoS2-NMFe exhibited well dispersion and interfacial compatibility in the epoxy resin (EP) matrix, which facilitated the improvement of the EP nanocomposites properties. Subsequently, the EP/TA-MoS2-NMFe nanocomposites showed a creeper sucker structure that could withstand high external force, resulting in growths of 49.9% in tensile strength and 67.3% in elongation at break. Moreover, the incorporation of TA-MoS2-NMFe decreased the maximum thermal degradation rate from 1.35%/℃ to 1.0%/℃, leading to EP nanocomposites with excellent thermal stability. Likewise, compared to pure EP, EP/TA-MoS2-NMFe achieved reductions of 42.3%, 41.2%, 50.8% and 71.1% in the peak heat release rate, total heat release, peak smoke production rate and smoke factor, respectively, which was better than reported works. It was due to the catalytic carbon formation of metal ions, the expansion charring characteristics of TA, barrier effect of MoS2 and dilution effect of nonflammable gases. Briefly, this work provides an innovative way to developing high-performance polymers from a bionic perspective.

Assessment of release and anticancer effect of innovative pH-responsive and antioxidant-biodegradable hydrogel by using Parthenocissus quinquefolia L. extract as a crosslinker

The level of toxicity in cancer treatment with chemotherapy can negatively affect the treatment process. Therefore, targeted drug delivery systems play an important role in reducing treatment-related toxicities. Hydrogels with three-dimensional networks are being investigated as drug delivery systems due to their unique properties such as swelling capacity, biocompatibility, and bioavailability. Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-methacrylic acid)/PQ (p(HEMA-co-MAA)/PQ) hydrogel was prepared by redox polymerization method using Parthenocissus quinquefolia L. (PQ) plant extract, known for its anticancer, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties, as a crosslinker. PQ hydrogels were prepared with various monomer and cross-linker ratios. The p(HEMA-co-MAA)/PQ10 (1:1) with a highly porous structure exhibited high swelling behavior. The phenolic content of p(HEMA-co-MAA)/PQ10 (1:1) hydrogel which has been determined to have high in vitro biodegradability at pH 6.5, increased with the amount of PQ extract used as crosslinker. The pH-responsive, antioxidant, biodegradable, and highly porous p(HEMA-co-MAA)/PQ10 (1:1) hydrogel showed higher doxorubicin (Dox) release behavior at pH 6.5. The Dox-loaded p(HEMA-co-MAA)/PQ10 (1:1) hydrogel drug carrier showed its anticancer effect on inhibition of colonies and cell proliferation against breast cancer cell lines. Our findings show that the p(HEMA-co-MAA)/PQ10 (1:1) hydrogel using the PQ plant extract as a crosslinker will be significant potential in combination and cancer therapy studies.

Careful plant choice can deliver more biodiverse vertical greening (green façades)

Plants growing against walls (green façades) are an important part of urban greening. We report on an experiment that used a set of replicated mini model building plots designed to quantify and compare potential biodiversity benefits associated with three plant species commonly grown as green façades in temperate climates: Hedera helix (common ivy) (either as a straight species, or a mix with H. helix ‘Glacier’), Parthenocissus tricuspidata (Virginia creeper) and Pileostegia viburnoides (climbing hydrangea). We assessed the relative abundance of invertebrates collected from green façades in Reading (UK), over two growing seasons. The abundance of invertebrates increased with wall vegetation depth and cover, where considerably more invertebrates were collected from vigorous/deeper leaf wall cover by Hedera helix compared to the other treatments. A combination of two ivy taxa showed a higher invertebrate abundance compared to H. helix alone. The experiment demonstrates that green façades on buildings provide resources for invertebrates; the more vegetation resources there are, and the more varied they are, the more invertebrates are supported. It is clear that green façades can add to the value of invertebrate abundance on buildings and that plant choice is a strong determining factor to that value.

CHORNOBYL’S CURRENT DENDROFLORA: ANALYSIS OF NATURAL SUCCESSIONS IN THE ABANDONED URBAN PHYTOCOENOSES

The research on the dendroflora of Chornobyl town 30 years after the accident at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant reveal that the taxonomic composition of the town green spaces comprises of 87 species and 8 decorative forms of 29 families, 26 orders, 2 divisions. The composition of plantations is dominated by trees (63%), bushes (30%) and winding plants (7%). Despite the natural succession processes over the past 30 years, the plantations of Chornobyl are dominated by introducers, which make up 57% of the total number of taxa. The study of test areas reveals successional changes in the abandoned phytocoenoses of the town, which led to the expansion of the alien invasive species Acer negundo L., Robinia pseudoacacia L., Fraxinus pennsylvanica L. and Parthenocissus quinquefolia (L.) Planch. The spread of alien invasive species is facilitated by droughts of long periods and the decrease in groundwater level. Climate change and the lack of proper agrotechnical care result in fungal diseases, damages caused by the semi-parasitic species Viscum album L. on decorative and fruit trees and bushes, both also leading to their expel from the town plantations.

Identification and Pathogenicity of Neophysopella vitis Causing Rust Disease on Meliosma myriantha in Korea

Rust symptoms on <i>Meliosma myriantha</i> trees have been noticed during disease surveys in Korea since 2010, with a high disease incidence frequently surpassing 90%. The causal fungus of the rust disease was identified as <i>Neophysopella vitis</i> based on the morphological investigation and molecular sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and large subunit (LSU) rDNA regions. This is the first report of rust disease caused by <i>N. vitis</i> on <i>M. myriantha</i> in Korea. A pathogenicity assay proved that <i>M. myriantha</i> serves as the aecial host of <i>N. vitis</i> as spermogonia and aeciospores were produced, which can infect the two uredinial hosts, Boston ivy (<i>Parthenocissus tricuspidata</i>) and Virginia creeper (<i>Parthenocissus quinquefolia</i>).

Herbarium specimens reveal century-long trait shifts in poison ivy due to anthropogenic CO2 emissions.

Previous experimental studies have shown that poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans; Anacardicaceae) responds to elevated CO2 with increased leaf production, water-use efficiency, and toxicity (allergenic urushiol). However, long-term field data suggest no increase in poison ivy abundance over time. Using herbarium specimens, we examined whether poison ivy and other species shifted leaf traits under natural conditions with increasing atmospheric CO2 (pCO2 ) over the past century. We measured stomatal density, leaf area, leaf N, leaf C:N, leaf carbon isotope discrimination (Δleaf ), and intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) from 327 specimens collected from 1838 to 2020 across Pennsylvania. We compared poison ivy's responses to two evolutionarily related tree species, Toxicodendron vernix and Rhus typhina (Anacardiacae) and one ecological analog, Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Vitaceae), a common co-occurring liana. Stomatal density significantly decreased (P < 0.05) in poison ivy and the ecologically similar liana P. quinquefolia over the past century, but did not change in the related trees T. vernix and R. typhina. None of these species showed significant trends in changes in leaf N or C:N. Surprisingly, in poison ivy, but not the other species, Δleaf increased with increased pCO2 , corresponding to significant declines in iWUE over time. In contrast to the results of short-term experimental studies, iWUE decreased in poison ivy over the last century. Trait responses to pCO2 varied by species. Herbarium specimens suggest that realized long-term plant physiological responses to increased CO2 may not be reflected in short-term experimental growth studies, highlighting the value of collections.

Vascular flora of Tuškanac Forest Park (Zagreb, Croatia)

Tuškanac Forest Park has been floristically studied over the past 15 years, but most extensively and systematically during the year 2021. Tuškanac Forest Park is a natural treasure in the center of Zagreb City. This oblong 150-year-old stand of oak, common beech, and hornbeam is a natural extension of the vegetation of Mount Medvednica and descends almost to Zagreb's main street (Ilica). A total of 173 vascular plant taxa were recorded (62 families and 131 genera). The largest part of the flora consists of Angiospermae (163 taxa; 94.2 %), followed by Monilophyta (6 taxa; 3.5%) and Gymnospermae (4 taxa; 2.3%). Rosaceae is the richest family with 14 taxa (8.1%), followed by Asteraceae sensu lato (13 taxa; 7.5%), Poaceae (11 taxa; 6.4%), Lamiaceae (9 taxa; 5.2%) and Fabaceae (8 taxa; 4.6%). The highest percentage of recorded plants are hemicryptophytes (41.0%) and phanerophytes (27.7%). The analysis of chorotypes shows that the Eurasian floral elements dominate (50.9%), followed by European (18.5%) and Mediterranean elements (8.1%). Urbanophobic (45.3%) significantly outnumber urbanophilic taxa (8.7%). A “close to nature“ environmental condition is additionally confirmed by the low values calculated for indicators of anthropogenisation and by the low share of alien flora (27 taxa; 15.6%). The following invasive alien taxa grow in the study site: Ailanthus altissima, Duchesnea indica, Erigeron annuus, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Phytolacca americana, Robinia pseudoacacia and Veronica persica. According to IUCN categories, only two taxa belong to threatened categories: Taxus baccata and Lilium martagon are vulnerable (VU) and both taxa are strictly protected in Croatia.

The role of Glory Square in the system of ecological spaces of Novosibirsk

One of the important elements included in the ecological framework of the city is city squares. The square of Glory of Novosibirsk is a unique, multifunctional object. On the territory of the square there is Memorial Ensemble dedicated to the feat of the Siberians in the Great Patriotic War of 19411945, which is an integral part of patriotic education. Along with the social, transit and architectural and decorative functions, the square of Glory, due to the large area of green spaces, performs a medium-improving function. 89 species of woody plants grow on the territory. The studied plants belong to 25 botanical families. Of the conifers, the largest is the Pinaceae family 7 species, and of the deciduous Rosaceae family 28 species of trees and shrubs. Lianes are isolated: Parthenocissus quinquefolia (L.) Planch., Clematis terniflora L. The largest number of woody plants belong to mesophytes 84,0%, while 16% belong to xerophytes. There are several areas with elements of natural landscapes of the Novosibirsk Region. 38 species of wild-growing species of herbaceous plants, representatives of 16 families, grow on the territory of the park. It has been concluded that the square of Glory is an important element in the system of ecological spaces of the city.

Water Metabolism of Lonicera japonica and Parthenocissus quinquefolia in Response to Heterogeneous Simulated Rock Outcrop Habitats.

The karst carbon sink caused by rock outcrops results in enrichment of the bicarbonate in soil, affecting the physiological process of plants in an all-round way. Water is the basis of plant growth and metabolic activities. In heterogeneous rock outcrop habitats, the impact of bicarbonate enrichment on the intracellular water metabolism of plant leaf is still unclear, which needs to be revealed. In this paper, the Lonicera japonica and Parthenocissus quinquefolia plants were selected as experimental materials, and electrophysiological indices were used to study their water holding, transfer and use efficiency under three simulated rock outcrop habitats, i.e., rock/soil ratio as 1, 1/4 and 0. By synchronously determining and analyzing the leaf water content, photosynthetic and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, the response characteristics of water metabolism within leaf cells to the heterogeneous rock outcrop habitats were revealed. The results showed that the soil bicarbonate content in rock outcrop habitats increased with increasing rock/soil ratio. Under the treatment of a higher concentration of bicarbonate, the leaf intra- and intercellular water acquisition and transfer efficiency as well as the photosynthetic utilization capacity of P. quinquefolia decreased, the leaf water content was lower, and those plants had low bicarbonate utilization efficiency, which greatly weakened their drought resistance. However, the Lonicera japonica had a high bicarbonate use capacity when facing the enrichment of bicarbonate within cells, the above-mentioned capacity could significantly improve the water status of the leaves, and the water content and intracellular water-holding capacity of plant leaves in large rock outcrop habitats were significantly better than in non-rock outcrop habitats. In addition, the higher intracellular water-holding capacity was likely to maintain the stability of the intra- and intercellular water environment, thus ensuring the full development of its photosynthetic metabolic capacity, and the stable intracellular water-use efficiency also made itself more vigorous under karstic drought. Taken together, the results suggested that the water metabolic traits of Lonicera japonica made it more adaptable to karst environments.

First report of Coniella vitis causing white rot on Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia [L.] Planch.) in China.

Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia [L.] Planch.) belongs to the genus of Parthenocissus and Vitaceae family, which is very common in vineyards and where wild grape occurs (Bergh et al., 2011). In September of 2021, a severe white rot disease was observed on Virginia creeper around the vineyard of wine grapevine (Cabernet Sauvignon) located in Penglai city (37º 75'38" N, 120º 84'28" E), Shandong province of China. The disease incidence was about 75%, and infected leaf of Virginia creeper exhibited irregular necrotic lesion with brown center, and most lesion occurred on leaf margin, black pycnidia were also observed on the infected leaf at the late stage of infection. To determine the causal agent, symptomatic leaves with typical lesions were cut into small pieces (5 mm × 3 mm), surface sterilized with 75% ethanol for 1 min, followed by three times rinsed in sterile water. Leaf sections were plated onto potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium and incubated at 28°C for 3 days. Totally, five isolates (referred to as JD01, JD07, JD09, JD12 and JD16) were collected and transferred on to fresh PDA medium for incubation at 28°C. Seven days later, colonies on PDA plates had crenulated edges with concentric rings, the upper surface of colonies was mostly flat and white with many pycnidia. The conidia were hyaline at immature and became brown later, spherical or ellipsoid, aseptate, and 7.92 ± 1.20 μm × 5.18 ± 0.61 μm (n=50), length : width ratio is nearly 2. Morphologically, the isolates were identified as Coniella vitis (Chethana et al., 2017). Further to confirm the fungal species, the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) of the ribosomal RNA gene, large subunit rRNA gene (LSU) and the translation elongation factor 1-alpaha gene (TEF1-α) were amplified using primers ITS1/ ITS4, LR7/ LROR, and TEF1- 728F/ TEF1- 986R (Chethana et al., 2017; Raudabaugh et al., 2018). The amplification products were sequenced and deposited in GenBank database. The sequences were compared to type sequences in GenBank. The results showed that ITS (GenBank accession numbers ON329769, ON329770, ON329771, ON329772 and ON329773), LSU (ON358423，ON358424, ON358425, ON358426 and ON358427) and TEF (ON297671, ON229071, ON229072, ON229073 and ON297672) sequences of the five isolates were 99.66%, 96.90% and 98.79% identical with the sequences data from C. vitis isolates in GeneBank (MFLUCC 18-0093, JZB3700020 and MFLUCC 18-0093, respectively). Furthermore, concatenated sequences of the three genes (ITS, LSU and TEF) were used to conduct a phylogenetic tree using maximum likehood MEGA-X (Raudabaugh et al., 2018). The phylogenetic analysis showed that the five isolates (JD01, JD07, JD09, JD12 and JD16) belong to C. vitis clade among the 41strains of Coniella spp. In the pathogenicity tests, detached leaves of Virginia creeper (1-year-old) were inoculated with mycelia plugs (5 mm diameter) (form 3-day-old of isolate JD07 culture), and control were inoculated with PDA plugs (5 mm diameter). Virginia creeper live plants (1-year-old) were inoculated with conidial suspension (2.5×106 spores/ml) of the isolate JD07 of one week old, and control plants were inoculated with sterile water. All treated Virginia creeper plants (detached leaves) were placed in a greenhouse maintained at 28°C and 95% relative humidity. Virginia creeper plants (detached leaves) inoculated with the conidial suspension (fungal mycelia) had brown lesion on leaves, the disease symptoms were similar to those observed in field. No such symptoms were observed on control plants (detached leaves). The pathogen was reisolated from inoculated Virginia creeper plants and re-identified, thus fulfilling Koch's postulates. C. vitis had been reported to cause grape white rot in China (Chethana et al., 2017). Virginia creeper, as an excellent host of C. vitis, will increase the transmission risk of the pathogens. To our knowledge, this is the first report of C. vitis causing white rot on Virginia creeper, and this finding will provide useful information for developing effective control strategies for white rot disease.