Crop Adaptation to Elevated CO2 and Temperature

This book contains a collection of recent peer-reviewed articles on the topic "Crop Adaptation to Elevated CO2 and Temperature" published in Plants. Topics range from meta-analyses of crop responses, to descriptions and results of large-scale screening efforts, to molecular studies of changes in gene expression related to fruit quality

Emergent quality issues in the supply of Chinese medicinal plants: A mixed methods investigation of their contemporary occurrence and historical persistence

Quality issues that emerged centuries ago in Chinese medicinal plants (CMP) were investigated to explore why they still persist in an era of advanced analytical testing and extensive legislation so that a solution to improve CMP quality could be proposed. This is important for 85% of the world’s population who rely on medicinal plants (MP) for primary healthcare considering the adverse events, including fatalities that arise from such quality issues. CMP are the most prevalent medicinal plants globally. This investigation used mixed-methods, including 15 interviews with CMP expert key informants (KI), together with thematic analysis that identified the main CMP quality issues, why they persisted, and informed solutions. An unexplained case example, Eleutherococcus nodiflorus (EN), was analysed by collection of 106 samples of EN, its known toxic adulterant Periploca sepium (PS), and a related substitute, Eleutherococcus senticosus (ES), across mainland China, Taiwan and the UK. Authenticity of the samples was determined using High-performance thinlayer chromatography. Misidentification, adulteration, substitution and toxicity were the main CMP quality issues identified. Adulteration was found widespread globally with 57.4% EN found authentic, and 24.6% adulterated with cardiotoxic PS, mostly at markets and traditional pharmacies. The EN study further highlighted that the reason CMP quality issues persisted was due to the laboratory-bound nature of analytical methods and testing currently used that leave gaps in detection throughout much of the supply chain. CMP quality could be more effectively tested with patented analytical technology (PAT) and simpler field-based testing including indicator strip tests. Education highlighting the long-term economic value and communal benefit of delivering better quality CMP to consumers was recommended in favour of the financial motivation for actions that lead to the persistence of well-known and recurrent CMP quality issues

Biocontrol Potential of Forest Tree Endophytes

Peer reviewe

Antioxidant Properties of Natural Products: A Themed Issue in Honor of Professor Isabel C.F.R. Ferreira

It would be almost impossible to discuss natural products without mentioning the extensive knowledge that Professor Isabel C.F.R. Ferreira has contributed to this field. She has been an instrumental scientist in the development and dissemination of information about these products; throughout her career as a researcher, she explored more than 300 food matrices, including plants and mushrooms, as possible sources of these natural compounds. In her studies, the determination of the bioactive properties of the developed extracts and identified molecules from natural matrices stand out.Antioxidant properties are essential to break the oxidation chain that can occur in an organism, for example, in the human body, or on a substrate, such as in food. In organisms, the oxidative process may be responsible for the generation of free radicals that attack cells, which leads to the development of serious diseases, such as cardiovascular and neurological disorders. The intake of compounds with antioxidant capacities can provide beneficial health effects. In food, oxidation can lead to the loss of product quality due to the deterioration of chemical, physical, and sensory characteristics. Natural products with antioxidant activity can add value to food products due to their functional properties and health benefits.Given the importance of minimizing oxidative processes, several authors have been looking for new compounds with antioxidant activity. In this context, plants, mushrooms, and marine and bee products, among others, may have several classes of compounds in their chemical composition that exert this bioactivity, such as vitamins, polyphenols, organic acids, and pigments. In this Special Issue, Antioxidants Properties of Natural Products: A Themed Issue in Honor of Professor Isabel C.F.R. Ferreira, 23 selected studies explore different food matrices as sources of bioactive molecules with potential use as natural products with several functionalities, including antioxidants properties

The establishment and spread of alien plant species (Kenophytes) in the flora of Poland

Tematyka niniejszej pracy mieści się w problematyce dotyczącej synantropizacji szaty roślinnej. Jednym z przejawów tego ukierunkowanego procesu przemian zachodzących w wyniku różnych form działalności człowieka na kuli ziemskiej są procesy wymierania jednych gatunków i rozprzestrzeniania się innych, nasilające się w ostatnich stuleciach i przyczyniające się do zmian różnorodności biologicznej w skali regionów, krajów i kontynentów. Celem niniejszej monografii było ukazanie badań nad kształtowaniem się flor nowszych przybyszów synantropijnych zadomowionych na obszarze Polski (kenofitów) oraz synteza dotychczasowej wiedzy w tym zakresie. Moim zamysłem było także ukazanie historii i kierunków badań nad tą grupą roślin obcego pochodzenia, wraz z przytoczeniem najistotniejszych opracowań i zagadnień specjalnych podejmowanych przez polskich botaników, które na trwałe wpisane zostały w dorobek nauk biogeograficznych (rozdz. 2; tab. 1). Wynikiem podjętych studiów jest opracowanie nowego, uzupełnionego w stosunku do literatury, wykazu dla tej grupy gatunków, poszerzonego o ich charakterystykę ekologiczno-geograficzną (załączniki A i B oraz rozdz. 5.1 i 8). Dotarcie do źródeł historycznych (historyczne/„stare” flory, dokumentacja zielnikowa) umożliwiło zweryfikowanie lub ustalenie pierwszych dat florystycznych (znalezisk) dla poszczególnych gatunków polskich kenofitów (zał. A i B; także rozdz. 5.2, 7 i 9). Podjęto również próbę odtworzenia okresów kulminacji napływu i rozprzestrzeniania się kenofitów, z ukazaniem zależności od czynników historycznych i geograficznych (rozdz. 5.2 i 9). Dla wyselekcjonowanej grupy 25 gatunków odtworzono dzieje ich rozprzestrzeniania się na obszarze kraju (rozdz. 7). Na podstawie zebranych szczegółowych danych o rozmieszczeniu dla 174 gatunków kenofitów przedstawiono typologię ich zasięgów w granicach Polski (rozdz. 6), a także zweryfikowano hipotezy odnoszące się do głównych czynników wpływających na ich kształtowanie się (rozdz. 10). Mapy rozmieszczenia dla wielu gatunków zostały uzupełnione (rozdz. 7); opracowano ponadto 5 nowych map (rys. 39 w rozdz. 7 oraz zał. C). Dokonano próby rekonstrukcji historycznych zmian zasięgów kenofitów wraz ze wskazaniem możliwych dróg ich migracji (rozdz. 9). Omówiono ponadto tendencje dynamiczne kenofitów z uwzględnieniem czynników sprzyjających opanowywaniu różnych typów siedlisk (rozdz. 11). Z listy kenofitów wyłoniono tzw. gatunki inwazyjne (propozycja listy inwazyjnych kenofitów dla kraju), jednocześnie inicjując dyskusję nad przyjętymi kryteriami ich selekcji, a także wskazano rejony kraju zagrożone inwazją (rozdz. 12)

Soil Water Properties of Kerangas Forest Soil after Invasion by Acacia

Soil water is important for forest ecosystems as infiltration and percolation process use soil water for plant growth. The presence of invasive Acacia species may limit the availability of soil water because these species absorb more water than native species. Hence, the objective was to investigate the effect of Acacia invasion on the soil water properties of Kerangas forests. In each invaded and non-invaded Acacia plots, holes a lysimeter was installed into the holes and used to extract soil water by direct contact to the soil. The results shows the invasion of Acacia has affected the Kerangas forest by higher absorption of water and higher fixation of nitrate

Sustainable Use of Soils and Water: The Role of Environmental Land Use Conflicts

This book on the sustainable use of soils and water addressed a variety of issues related to the utopian desire for environmental sustainability and the deviations from this scene observed in the real world. Competing interests for land are frequently a factor in land degradation, especially where the adopted land uses do not conform with the land capability (the natural use of soil). The concerns of researchers about these matters are presented in the articles comprising this Special Issue book. Various approaches were used to assess the (im)balance between economic profit and environmental conservation in various regions, in addition to potential routes to bring landscapes back to a sustainable status being disclosed

SURVEYS ON THE USAGE OF COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE, HERBAL PRODUCTS IN THE MARKET AND THE EFFECTS OF GINSENOSIDE RG1 ON MEDIAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH