Wild Edible Greens Research Articles

How Does Domestic Cooking Affect the Biochemical Properties of Wild Edible Greens of the Asteraceae Family?

Wild edible greens are a key ingredient of the so-called Mediterranean diet and they are commonly used in various local dishes in their raw or processed form. Domestic processing of edible greens may affect their nutritional value and chemical profile. In this work, six wild species (e.g., Cichorium spinosum L. (S1); Centaurea raphanina subsp. mixta (DC.) Runemark (S2); Picris echioides (L.) Holub (S3); Urospermum picroides (L.) Scop. ex. F.W. Schmidt (S4); Sonchus oleraceus L. (S5); and S. asper L. (S6)) were assessed for the effect of domestic processing (boiling) on chemical composition and bioactivities. Concerning the chemical composition, glucose, oxalic acid, α-tocopherol, and α-linolenic acid were the most abundant compounds, especially in P. echiodes leaves. After decoction, mainly sugars, tocopherols, and oxalic acid were decreased. The species and processing affected the phenolic compounds content and antioxidant, cytotoxicity, and anti-inflammatory activities. Specific compounds were not previously detected in the studied species, while hydroethanolic extracts contained a higher total phenolic compound content. Hydroethanolic and aqueous extracts were effective towards a range of bacterial and fungi strains. Therefore, the consumption of leaves has health-promoting properties owing to the bioactive compounds and can be integrated into healthy diets. However, domestic cooking may affect the chemical profile and bioactivities of the edible leaves, especially in the case of free sugars and phenolic compound content where a significant reduction was recorded in leaves after decoction. On the other hand, domestic processing could be beneficial since it reduces the oxalic acid content in edible leaves, which is considered an antinutritional factor.

Investigation of bioactive peptides from Scolymus hispanicus by using in silico methods

Due to increases in the soil pollution related to agricultural areas, the interests on the wild edible greens have been increasing nowadays. Scolymus hispanicus (=Golden thistle) is a wild edible plant which is widely and naturally spread in Türkiye. An in silico-based bioinformatics approach has been proposed for the evaluation of bioactive peptides from this species. In silico digestion and also bioactive peptides of RubisCO from S.hispanicus were studied by using BIOPEP-UWM. Protparam and Clustal Omega were also used to determine physicochemical parameters and sequence similarity, respectively. The AE values related to angiotensin converting enzyme and dipeptidyl peptidase-IV were 0.0847 and 0.1059 after in silico pepsin digestion (pH>2), respectively. While the antioxidant property obtained after pepsin (pH>2) digestion was found to be 0.0127, the value of 0.042 was obtained for ficin on this parameter. BIOPEP-UWM also exhibit important properties related to the bioactivities of the peptides such as antioxidant, dipeptidyl peptidase-IV and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitions. From the results, it could be said that S. hispanicus has very important bioactive peptides which could be evaluated in the production of functional foods. Moreover, isolated bioactive peptides and also secondary metabolites can also be utilized in pharmaceutical industry. Further in vitro and in vivo studies are strongly recommended on S. hispanicus.

Phytochemical Analysis of the Aerial Parts of Campanula pelviformis Lam. (Campanulaceae): Documenting the Dietary Value of a Local Endemic Plant of Crete (Greece) Traditionally Used as Wild Edible Green

Native wild edible greens usually include plants with widespread geographical ranges and represent a long tradition associated with well-documented health effects, especially in the frame of the Mediterranean diet. Although consuming local endemic and range-restricted plants as wild edible greens is rare, in some areas of Crete this is a long ethnobotanical tradition. The present study is focused on the phytochemical and nutritional element analyses of the edible parts of the wild-growing green Campanula pelviformis. To date, nine secondary metabolites have been isolated: lobetyolin (1), calaliukiuenoside (2), demethylsyrrigin (3), wahlenoside A (4), chlorogenic acid methyl (5) and butyl ester (6), nicotiflorin (7), rutin (8) and corchoionoside A (9). This first-time research on the phytochemical composition of this local endemic plant of Crete is a basic step in attempts to document its nutritional value, also allowing an exploration of its beneficial properties. The nutritional value of the Mediterranean diet owes much to the inclusion of native edible wild plants, which are abundant in mineral elements and bioactive compounds known to promote human health. Among these plants, the local Cretan endemic species C. pelviformis stands out as a rare and valuable source of wild edibles with traditional dietary significance in eastern Crete. This plant’s rich content of mineral elements and bioactive compounds makes it an intriguing subject for further research into the potential health benefits of wild plant consumption.

Domestication of Wild Edible Species: The Response of Scolymus hispanicus Plants to Different Fertigation Regimes

Scolymus hispanicus L. is a wild edible species with wide distribution in the Mediterranean area. Recent research has focused on the domestication of wild edible greens, which is essential for the preservation of agroecosystems and the increase in biodiversity, especially under the adversely changing climate conditions. In the present work, the aim was to evaluate the response of S. hispanicus plants to different fertilization regimes that varied in the amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in regard to plant growth and chemical composition of leaves. For this purpose, plants were grown in pots within an unheated greenhouse. Seven experimental treatments were used, including six fertigation regimes (SH1-SH6) and the control treatment (SHC), where no fertilizers were added. Fresh yield was beneficially affected by the treatments that included a high content of P and K (e.g., SH3 and SH5), while lesser amounts of these macronutrients (e.g., SH1 and SH4) resulted in higher chlorophyll content (SPAD index) and leaf area. In terms of mineral profile, high amounts of P and K improved dietary fiber and carbohydrates content, whereas the untreated plants had the highest content of ash, fat and crude protein. Oxalic and quinic acid were the major organic acids detected, with fertigation regimes significantly reducing their content compared to the control treatment. α-tocopherol was the only isoform of vitamin E detected in all the samples, while glucose and fructose were the most abundant sugars, with their highest content detected in control and SH4 treatments, respectively. Scolymus hispanicus leaves were rich in macro and micro minerals, while their contents varied depending on the fertigation regime. Finally, α-linolenic, palmitic, and linoleic acid were the major fatty acids detected, while their contents were beneficially affected by low nutrient inputs (e.g., untreated plants and SH1 and SH2 treatments). In conclusion, the regulation of nutrient solution seems to be an effective practice to increase fresh yield in S. hispanicus without compromising the nutritional profile of the edible product, while low inputs of macronutrients such as P and K may improve the chemical composition of the species, especially in terms of n-fatty acids.

Impact of Salinity on the Growth and Chemical Composition of Two Underutilized Wild Edible Greens: Taraxacum officinale and Reichardia picroides

Soil salinization is one of the major environmental factors responsible for limited crop production throughout the world. Therefore, there is urgent need to find tolerant/resistant species to exploit in commercial cultivation systems. In this context, the valorization of wild edible greens for human consumption and/or medicinal purposes is gaining more and more interest. The aim of the present work was to study the effect of salinity, e.g., electrical conductivity: 2 mS cm−1 (nutrient solution EC), 6 mS cm−1 and 10 mS cm−1 on plant growth and chemical composition of Reichardia picroides and Taraxacum officinale plants grown in a floating hydroponic system. The results showed that R. picroides is a moderately salt-tolerant species, as the majority of plant growth parameters determined were not negatively affected under the treatment of 6 mS cm−1. On the other hand, the growth parameters of T. officinale plants were severely affected under the same conditions. Moreover, high salinity levels (EC at 10 mS cm−1) impaired the growth of both species. The content of leaves in chlorophylls (a, b and total), carotenoids+xanthophylls and total soluble solids was not significantly affected by the tested EC levels in both species, whereas the titratable acidity increased under the treatment of 10 mS cm−1. Moreover, R. picroides exhibited a more effective adaptation mechanism against saline conditions than T. officinale, as evidenced by the higher accumulation of osmolytes such as proline and the higher shoot K content, probably through a more efficient K/Na selectivity. In conclusion, both species were severely affected by high salinity; however, R. picroides showed promising results regarding its commercial cultivation under moderate salinity levels, especially in regions where resources of high-quality irrigation water are limited.

Effect of Nutrient Solution pH on the Growth, Yield and Quality of Taraxacum officinale and Reichardia picroides in a Floating Hydroponic System

Given the important medicinal and nutritional value of wild edible greens, the last few years there is an increasing interest for their domestication and commercial exploitation. However, information concerning their adaptation to environmental conditions and their response to modern agricultural systems are scarce. In the present study, the effect of nutrient solution pH (4.0, 5.5 and 7.0) on the growth, chemical composition and inorganic nutrition of Taraxacum officinale and Reichardia picroides plants grown indoors in a floating hydroponic system was evaluated. Both species performed better at pH 5.5 and were slightly affected by pH 7.0, whereas pH 4.0 was not prohibitive for growth for both species, although R. picroides was less tolerant than T. officinale at low pH. Moreover, pH 4.0 did not severely affect nutrients uptake and transport within the plant tissues, suggesting that R. picroides susceptibility to low pH should not be attributed to nutrients imbalance. Nevertheless, low pH positively enhanced the content in total soluble solids, total phenolics, chlorophylls (a, b and total) and carotenoids, and decreased nitrates in both species. In conclusion, the studied species could be successfully grown in soilless systems with nutrient solutions of varied pH. Moreover, low pH levels (pH = 4.0) seemed to be beneficial to nutritional and dietary value in both species highlighting the potential of commercial cultivation under adverse conditions, especially in sustainable farming systems.

The Beneficial Health Effects of Vegetables and Wild Edible Greens: The Case of the Mediterranean Diet and Its Sustainability

The Mediterranean diet (MD) concept as currently known describes the dietary patterns that were followed in specific regions of the area in the 1950s and 1960s. The broad recognition of its positive effects on the longevity of Mediterranean populations also led to the adoption of this diet in other regions of the world, and scientific interest focused on revealing its health effects. MD is not only linked with eating specific nutritional food products but also with social, religious, environmental, and cultural aspects, thus representing a healthy lifestyle in general. However, modern lifestyles adhere to less healthy diets, alienating people from their heritage. Therefore, considering the increasing evidence of the beneficial health effects of adherence to the MD and the ongoing transitions in consumers’ behavior, the present review focuses on updating the scientific knowledge regarding this diet and its relevance to agrobiodiversity. In addition, it also considers a sustainable approach for new marketing opportunities and consumer trends of the MD.

Bioactive Phenolics and Antioxidant Capacity of Some Wild Edible Greens as Affected by Different Cooking Treatments.

The study aimed to assess the influence of three cooking methods (boiling, steaming, and microwave-cooking) on (i) composition in individual phenolic compounds, (ii) total phenolic content (TPC), and (iii) total antioxidant activity (TAA) of eight Mediterranean wild edible species (Asparagus acutifolius, Asphodeline lutea, Beta vulgaris, Helminthotheca echioides, Sonchus oleraceus, Taraxacum officinale, Urospermum picroides, Urtica dioica). In raw greens, several caffeic acid derivatives (chicoric, caftaric, chlorogenic, neochlorogenic, 1,5-and 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acids) and flavonoids (glycosides of apigenin, luteolin, quercetin, isorhamnetin, kaempferol) were identified. Cooking treatments did not affect qualitative phenolic composition, while quantitative changes were recorded in some phenolic compounds and in TPC. Generally, boiling decreased TPC and TAA, while chicoric, caftaric, chlorogenic acids and quercetin-3-rutinoside increased in some species after steaming and microwave-cooking, showing positive correlation with TAA. Results confirmed steaming and microwave-cooking as mild procedures able to increase antioxidant capacity of some species, producing beneficial effects on their nutraceutical properties.

Open-source food: Nutrition, toxicology, and availability of wild edible greens in the East Bay.

SignificanceForaged leafy greens are consumed around the globe, including in urban areas, and may play a larger role when food is scarce or expensive. It is thus important to assess the safety and nutritional value of wild greens foraged in urban environments.MethodsField observations, soil tests, and nutritional and toxicology tests on plant tissue were conducted for three sites, each roughly 9 square blocks, in disadvantaged neighborhoods in the East San Francisco Bay Area in 2014–2015. The sites included mixed-use areas and areas with high vehicle traffic.ResultsEdible wild greens were abundant, even during record droughts. Soil at some survey sites had elevated concentrations of lead and cadmium, but tissue tests suggest that rinsed greens of the tested species are safe to eat. Daily consumption of standard servings comprise less than the EPA reference doses of lead, cadmium, and other heavy metals. Pesticides, glyphosate, and PCBs were below detection limits. The nutrient density of 6 abundant species compared favorably to that of the most nutritious domesticated leafy greens.ConclusionsWild edible greens harvested in industrial, mixed-use, and high-traffic urban areas in the San Francisco East Bay area are abundant and highly nutritious. Even grown in soils with elevated levels of heavy metals, tested species were safe to eat after rinsing in tap water. This does not mean that all edible greens growing in contaminated soil are safe to eat—tests on more species, in more locations, and over a broader range of soil chemistry are needed to determine what is generally safe and what is not. But it does suggest that wild greens could contribute to nutrition, food security, and sustainability in urban ecosystems. Current laws, regulations, and public-health guidance that forbid or discourage foraging on public lands, including urban areas, should be revisited.

Phytochemical Composition of the Decoctions of Greek Edible Greens (Chórta) and Evaluation of Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Properties.

Wild or semi-wild edible greens (chórta) are an integral part of the traditional Greek Mediterranean diet due to their nutritional value, containing various phytonutrients beneficial to human health. Water-based decoctions of chórta are widely consumed in Greek alternative medicine as health promoting agents. This study examined the chemical profile of the decoctions of eight edible plants, Cichorium intybus, C. endivia, C. spinosum, Crepis sancta, Sonchus asper, Carthamus lanatus, Centaurea raphanina, and Amaranthus blitum, by UPLC-ESI-HRMS and HRMS/MS analysis, to determine possibly bioactive constituents. The profiles of the plants from the Asteraceae family are dominated by the presence of phenolic acids and flavonoid derivatives, whereas the A. blitum decoction is rich in triterpene saponins. Interestingly, the Centaurea raphanina decoction was found to be extremely rich in flavanones, particularly in the aglycone pinocembrin. Further phytochemical investigation and fractionation of this extract resulted in the isolation and identification of five compounds: phlorin (1), syringin (2), pinocembrin (3), pinocembroside (4), and pinocembrin-7-O-neohesperidoside (5). The extracts were also tested for their antioxidant and differential cytotoxic activity against tumor cells. C. raphanina was found to be differentially toxic against metastatic tumor cells. In conclusion, we found that Greek edible greens are a rich source of bioactive secondary metabolites and their consumption could contribute to the maintenance of overall health.

Lipophilic antioxidants in edible weeds from agricultural areas

Abstract: The present paper reports the contents of individual lipophilic antioxidants in fourteen species of edible common agricultural weeds, typical of agricultural areas such as fields and orchards. Young edible green aboveground parts of weeds were analyzed for their chlorophyll, carotenoid, and tocopherol qualitative profiles and contents. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the complete lipophilic antioxidant composition of the edible weeds examined in this study. The results revealed that all examined leafy plant species are good sources of lipophilic antioxidants, the richest source being Urtica dioica (255.64 mg 100 g − 1 role=presentation> g − 1 g − 1 g^{-1} fwt), followed by Cardamine hirsuta (159.85 mg 100 g − 1 role=presentation> g − 1 g − 1 g^{-1} fwt), Cichorium intybus (150.87 mg 100 g − 1 role=presentation> g − 1 g − 1 g^{-1} fwt), Aegopodium podagraria (146.07 mg 100 g − 1 role=presentation> g − 1 g − 1 g^{-1} fwt), Taraxacum officinale (123.35 mg 100 g − 1 role=presentation> g − 1 g − 1 g^{-1} fwt), and Capsella bursa-pastoris (117.59 mg 100 g − 1 role=presentation> g − 1 g − 1 g^{-1} fwt), all with higher or similar contents compared to spinach (138.72 mg 100 g − 1 role=presentation> g − 1 g − 1 g^{-1} fwt), proving the value of these weeds for nutrition. The shoot vegetable Humulus lupulus had the lowest lipophilic antioxidant content (22.98 mg 100 g − 1 role=presentation> g − 1 g − 1 g^{-1} fwt), but this was still 3.8-fold higher than that of cultivated lettuce. Although all weeds examined in our study are valuable sources of health-promoting lipophilic antioxidants, comparison with cultivated spinach revealed that the general belief that all wild edible greens are richer in lipophilic antioxidants than cultivated leafy vegetables is not valid.

Nutritional profile and chemical composition of Cichorium spinosum ecotypes

Wild edible greens have been consumed as leafy vegetables throughout the centuries by many rural communities within the Mediterranean basin. In the present study, the nutritional profile and chemical composition of various Cichorium spinosum L. ecotypes was evaluated. For this purpose, ten ecotypes of C. spinosum collected in situ, grown in pots or purchased by retail supermarkets were examined. Nutritional value showed a great variation between the studied ecotypes for all the assessed parameters, whereas significant differences were observed between wild and cultivated ecotypes, as well as between conventionally cultivated and organic products. In terms of fatty acid composition, the conventionally grown ecotype had the highest nutritional value, as expressed by polyunsaturated fatty acids/unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA/SFA) and omega-6/omega-3 (n-6/n-3) fatty acids ratios. In conclusion, considering the differences between ecotypes, grown conditions and cultivation systems observed in this study, the selection of ecotypes with high nutritional value and their incorporation in commercial cultivation systems could allow for further exploitation of C. spinosum.

Landscape Ethnoecology of Forest Food Harvesting in the Talamanca Bribri Indigenous Territory, Costa Rica

There is a vast literature on Bribri people's food harvesting, but this literature has largely overlooked how Bribri people interpret their food harvesting practices. Using a landscape ethnoecology approach, we worked with Bribri colleagues to describe forest food harvesting in one community (Bajo Coen) within the Talamanca Bribri Indigenous Territory in Costa Rica. Sylvester spent nine months living and harvesting food with Bribri people, and carried out semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions to gather information. Our study revealed that harvesting food requires interacting with non-human beings to ensure harvesting is respectful of other Bribri worlds and Sibö’s (the Creator) teachings. We also illustrate how harvesting and cultivating food in the forest is important to keep the land alive. Our study further revealed how farm and forest land patches are linked through Bribri harvesting. People plant cultivated species in forests and transplant wild species into farms. These practices are important to access food, to encourage animals in spaces near dwellings, and to keep the land alive. Lastly, we illustrate spatial and temporal links among the following activities: 1) polyculture and wild harvesting (of both plants and animals), 2) shifting agriculture and harvesting wild edible greens, and 3) hunting and harvesting wild greens. Our results are relevant to forest management because we provide information about Bribri harvesting practices that forest managers have committed to supporting but have reported lacking the information to do so.

EMIC CONCEPTUALIZATION OF A ‘WILD EDIBLE PLANT’ IN ESTONIA IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY

1. Introduction Wild edible plants have been a popular research subject in ethnobotany. Numerous recent publications have reflected on the use of edible plants in Europe through historical research based on archival data (for example see Luczaj 2008, Luczaj and Szymanski 2007), modern fieldworks conducted in indigenous, isolated, rural or even urbanized regions (Tardio et al. 2005, Redzic 2010, Pieroni et al. 2005). Several regional and national European, but also international reviews of edibles have also been recently published (Redzic 2006, Tardio et al. 2006, Tardio 2010, Turner et al. 2011, Luczaj 2012, Denes et al. 2012, Kalle and Soukand 2012, Molina et al. 2014). Altogether, the number of articles in all data-bases of the Web of Science that return to the search topic wild edible plants ethnobotany is to 122 titles (28.04.2014). Scientific books (for example Etkin 1994, Etkin 2006) and special issues of journals are dedicated to the subject. The interest toward food plants is well justified, as they can provide valuable nutrients and several health benefits (Sanchez-Mata et al. 2012). Hence the studies of edibles are often merged with the studies of medicinal plants (Pieroni et al. 2002a, Pieroni and Quave 2006, Soukand and Kalle 2013, Pieroni et al. 2014, Quave and Pieroni 2014). The majority of ethobotanical studies define the domain of edible plants through the etic perspective, in order to be understandable within the discipline, to other researchers. Often, such definition is made to simply underline the principles of inclusion of plants into this particular study. For example, plant is defined through the habitat without secondary disturbance (Logan and Dixon 1994) or as being neither managed nor cultivated (Dufour and Wilson 1994, Molina et al. 2014), often acknowledging the situation of 'wild' on just one side of the continuum of plant-human relationship, e.g. the level of the domestication of the plants. On the other hand, in their review on the literature of internationally used food plants, Turner et al. (2011) consider 'wild edibles' only those plants that are gathered without 'particular manipulation', admitting however, that all resources are manipulated at least in some extent. In case of participatory research, e.g. face-to face fieldworks, which is classical research method in ethnobotany, the explicit need for the understanding of folk perception of edible plant barely exists. In the field, the interviewed persons guide researchers to the plants they use, rarely attributing it routinely into specific domains which do not relate to its use, unless it is explicitly asked. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether a definite plant belongs to or cultivated category based on the flora of a specific region and disciplinarily agreed etic perception of what can be considered a edible plant. Research on food plants, which is the part of Local Ecological Knowledge, is, among other goals, intended to help local communities to value and preserve their knowledge, develop better practices in environment conservation and foster economic development of the communities (for example by promoting small-scale enterprises based on the use of natural resources). Understanding the perception of plants within specific researched population would add an important insight onto the cognition of the domain and would help the researchers to formulate the questions in order to receive maximal results from the interview. Hence there have been few attempts to add to the etic domain of edible plants some emic perspective, including native and also naturalized species, but also providing some emic insights of lay folk perceptions of 'wildness' of specific species, associating it rather with gathering, not farming (for example see Euczaj et al. 2012, Menedez-Baceta et al. 2012) or on specific category within the domain of edible plants, like ta chorta (wild edible greens) in Graecanic area in Calabria, Southern Italy (Nebel et al. …

Eficacy and Sfety Human Study of the Ethanol Extracts from Lythrum Salicaria L. and Aceriphyllum Rossii for Reducing Body Fat Percentage of Korean Adult

This research, as a basic preliminary study for development of functional health food, is aimed at assessing the body fat reduction effect and for application to human body for such reduction in actual clinical settings by preliminary extraction of 2 types of wild edible greens, Lythrum salicaria L. and Aceriphyllum rossii. Subjects over the age of 19 and less than 60 years old with BMI value range of 23.0 kg/㎡∼29.9 kg/㎡ were recruited through screening were divided into experimental group and control group, each with 25 subjects, through randomized allocation. With both patients and evaluators wearing blindfold, the experimental group was orally administered with 4 capsules of 500mg of composite preparation containing the extracts of Lythrum salicaria L. and Aceriphyllum rossii 3 times a day for a period of 8 weeks while the control group was orally administered with 4 capsules of 500mg of placebo (fake food) with the same appearance as the preparation administered to the experimental group 3 times a day for a period of 8 weeks. After having carried out evaluation on physical examinations (body weight, BMI and body fat ratio, etc.), laboratory tests (general blood test, biochemical test of blood and urine test), lipid test, the changes were analyzed. There was no significant change between the 2 groups and within the groups in BMI and body fat ratio, which are the primary effectiveness evaluation at each time. There was no significant difference between the 2 groups in serum lipid and WHR, obesity related KOQOL, KEAT-26 which are the secondary effectiveness evaluations. There was no change between the 2 groups and within the groups in vital sign, CBC, BC and urin test. These results suggest that Lythrum salicaria L. and Aceriphyllum rossii ext. showed no significant reduction in BMI, body fat ratio and serum lipid. Additional confirmative clinical application test is needed in the future.

식물공장 농산물에 대한 소비자 선호속성 탐색

이 연구는 식물공장 시스템으로부터 재배된 농산물에 대한 소비자 선호속성과 지불의향을 파악하기 위해 수행되었다. 식물공장 시스템으로부터 재배되는 농산물은 상추, 딸기, 곰취, 인삼으로 구분하였다. 우리는 소비자의 구매행태와 선호를 조사하기 위해 설문지를 구성하고, 선호분석과 한계지불의사액(MWTP) 추정을 위해 최종적으로 200여개의 타당한 응답을 선택하여 분석에 이용하였다. 우리는 실증분석을 위해 컨조인트 분석과 다항로짓모형을 이용하였다. 품목별 지불의사액 추정결과, 상추 1,016원(100g), 딸기 6,014원(2kg), 곰취 3,652원(100g), 인삼 5,905원(100g)으로 나타났다. 몇몇 소비자 구매행태의 속성이 포착되어 제시되었고, 식물공장 시스템에 대한 보다 적절한 정책 수립을 위해 몇가지 정책적 함의가 제안되었다. This study was carried out to find consumers' attributes and willingness to pay(WTP) of agricultural products cultivated from plants factory system. The agricultural products were sorted into lettuce, strawberry, Ligularia fischeri(wild edible greens), and ginseng. We made the questionaires to survey consumers' purchasing attributes and preference of agricultural products. Finally, 200 valid replies were selected to analyze consumers' attributes and to estimate marginal willingness to pay. We used conjoint analysis and multinomial logit model for empirical analysis. MWTPs of commodities are estimated as follows; Lettuce is 1,016KW(100g), Strawberry is 6,014KW(2kg), Ligularia fischeri is 3,652KW(100g), and Ginseng is 5,905KW(100g). Several attributes of consumers' purchasing behavior were identified from this study. We suggested several implications to formulate more appropriate policy of plants factory system.

울릉도 특산 산나물에 대한 본초학적 고찰

Objective : For the purpose of making use the wild edible plants of Ulleung island smoothly, this study was designed. Method : For the first time, I searched the wild edible plants of Ulleung island from various data. And I examined herbological books and research papers on the wild edible plants of Ulleung island. Result : The herbaceous plants in Ulleung island were 12 family and 22 species, Compositae and Liliaceae plants take the highest number of them. The woody plants in Ulleung island were 1 family(Araliaceae) and 2 species. The herbal medicines that originated from the wild edible greens of Ulleung island were 25 species. The herbal medicines that have the effects of clearing away heat(淸熱), eliminating toxin(解毒), subduing swelling(消腫) and promoting blood circulation to remove blood stasis(活血祛瘀) take the highest number of the effects of these herbal medicines. Conclusion : For the purpose of making use the wild edible plants of Ulleung island smoothly, we should recognize not only medical benefits but also matters that pay special attention.

Traditionally used wild edible greens in the Aegean Region of Turkey

Turkey has the largest coastal area in the Mediterranean, possesses an extraordinarily rich flora, and a great traditional knowledge. This diversity of plants naturally affects the traditional use of plants and is reflected in the rich Turkish cuisine. Consequently, the Mediterranean Diet (whose typical components are wild greens) constitutes one of the important elements of Turkish cuisine. For this reason, the aim of this study was to determine the consumption of wild edible green plants for the Aegean Region of Turkey and to establish the similarities to or differences from consumption in other regions and other cuisine in the Mediterranean Basin. This study compiles and evaluates the ethnobotanical data currently available. There were 111 taxa that were identified as wild edible greens in the study area belonging to 26 different families. Asteraceae (21 taxa) were the most commonly consumed as food. It was followed by Boraginaceae with 19 taxa, Apiaceae with 15 taxa and Lamiaceae with 7 taxa, respectively. <em>Rumex </em>and <em>Erodium </em>were the most represented genera with 4 species. <em>Tamus communis </em>and <em>Asparagus acutifolius</em>, Mediterranean elements and distributed in all of the Mediterranean Basin, are among the most widely consumed wild plants in the area. Wild edible plants are consumed in a variety of ways. The most common type of consumption (79 taxa) was in salads. The fact that the majority of the plants used in the area are consumed in salads shows the close relationship between the local diet and the concept of the Mediterranean Diet. As a result, very promisingly, there is a renewed or increasing interest in consuming wild food plants as part of this diet.

Herbaspirillum rhizosphaerae sp. nov., isolated from rhizosphere soil of Allium victorialis var. platyphyllum

Two Gram-negative, milky-white-pigmented, motile, slightly curved rod-shaped bacterial isolates, UMS-37(T) and UMS-40, were isolated from rhizosphere soil of wild edible greens cultivated on Ulleung island, Korea, and their taxonomic positions were investigated by a polyphasic approach. They grew optimally at 25-30 degrees C and contained Q-8 as the predominant ubiquinone. The major cellular fatty acids (>10 % of total fatty acids) were C(16 : 0), cyclo C(17 : 0) and C(16 : 1)omega7c and/oriso-C(15 : 0) 2-OH. The DNA G+C contents of the two isolates were 59.8 and 60.0 mol%. Isolates UMS-37(T) and UMS-40 exhibited no difference in their 16S rRNA gene sequences and possessed a mean DNA-DNA relatedness level of 94 %; they exhibited 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity levels of 96.8-98.2 % to the type strains of recognized Herbaspirillum species. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that isolates UMS-37(T) and UMS-40 formed a distinct phylogenetic lineage within the genus Herbaspirillum. DNA-DNA relatedness levels between isolates UMS-37(T) and UMS-40 and the type strains of some phylogenetically related Herbaspirillum species were in the range 3-56 %. On the basis of differences in phenotypic properties and phylogenetic distinctiveness and genomic data, isolates UMS-37(T) and UMS-40 were classified in the genus Herbaspirillum within a novel species, for which the name Herbaspirillum rhizosphaerae sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain UMS-37(T) (=KCTC 12558(T) =CIP 108917(T)).

Agromyces allii sp. nov., isolated from the rhizosphere of Allium victorialis var. platyphyllum

Two Gram-positive, non-motile, yellow-pigmented, slightly curved and rod-shaped bacterial strains, UMS-62(T) and UMS-101, were isolated from the rhizosphere of Allium victorialis var. platyphyllum, a variety of wild edible greens grown on Ulleung island, Korea. The taxonomic position of the strains was investigated by a polyphasic approach. Strains UMS-62(T) and UMS-101 grew optimally at 30 degrees C and at pH 6.5-7.5. The novel strains contained MK-11 and MK-12 as the predominant menaquinones and rhamnose, ribose and galactose as the major cell-wall sugars. The major cellular fatty acids (>10 % of the total fatty acids) were anteiso-C(15 : 0), iso-C(16 : 0) and anteiso-C(17 : 0). The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and an unidentified glycolipid. The DNA G+C contents were 71.1-71.3 mol%. Phylogenetic trees based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strains UMS-62(T) and UMS-101 belong to the genus Agromyces. Strains UMS-62(T) and UMS-101 showed a 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity value of 99.9 % and a mean DNA-DNA relatedness level of 91.1 %. Similarity values between the 16S rRNA gene sequences of the two novel strains and the type strains of recognized Agromyces species ranged from 95.2 to 99.1 %. The levels of DNA-DNA relatedness between the two novel strains and the type strains of five phylogenetically related Agromyces species were in the range of 13.4 to 54.2 %. On the basis of phenotypic properties, phylogenetic distinctiveness and genetic data, strain UMS-62(T) (=KCTC 19181(T)=JCM 13584(T)) and strain UMS-101 are classified as representing a novel species in the genus Agromyces, for which the name Agromyces allii sp. nov. is proposed.