Early growth performances of various seed sources of black (Prunus serotina Erhr.) and wild cherry (Prunus avium L.) seedlings on low and high elevation sites in the western Black Sea Region of Turkey

The growth performances of one-year old seedlings of various black cherry (BC) and wild cherry (WC) seed sources (SSs) that were planted on low elevation sites (LES) and high elevation sites (HES) in the western Black Sea Region (BSR) of Turkey were assessed one and five years after planting (YAP). Significance between and within-species variations were found for seedling growth. On species basis, WC was superior to BC for seedling groundline diameter and height growth for the low elevation sites(LES) of one and five years after planting (YAP), whereas no substantial survival and growth differences were found between the species for the high elevation sites (HES) of five YAP. Generally, seedlings averaged a greater survival on the LES, when compared with those on the HES. Local WC SSs (Tefen, Yayla and Dirgine) demonstrated an enhanced seedling survival and growth on LES than the other SSs. Unlike the LES results, a collection of BC (Michigan 1 and Ukraine) and WC SSs (Dirgine, Germany, and Tefen) displayed the best seedling growth over five years. The HES seedlings frequently experienced diebacks and forking due to heavy snow fall and wildlife browsing. Selection of the local WC SSs was vital for the LES. However, BC SSs may present a potential for planting on the HES with harsher environmental conditions.Keywords: Black cherry, provenance test, seedling growth and survival, wild cherry

Effects of cultural treatments, seedling type and morphological characteristics on survival and growth of wild cherry seedlings in Turkey

Wild cherry (Prunus avium L.) is receiving increasing attention from foresters in Europe and Turkey for its fast growth, highly-valued wood and benefits for wildlife and biodiversity. Little documentation may be found concerning the selection of appropriate cultural treatments and the quality and types of seedlings used for wild cherry plantations. This study reports the effects of various combinations of intensive cultural treatments (including weed control, soil tillage, and fertilization) and seedling types on early growth, survival, and nutrition of one-year-old wild cherry seedlings out-planted on four different sites in the western Black Sea Region of Turkey. After two years, early seedling survival and growth were clearly enhanced for potted seedlings. For bare-root seedlings, initial seedling root-collar diameter and height successfully correlated with survival two years after planting. Seedlings with a root-collar diameter of 6-8 mm and height of 60-70 cm demonstrated the best survival rates in the field. The wild cherry seedlings were shown to be highly sensitive to herbaceous weed competition early in their establishment, warranting effective weed control. When used in addition to weed control, neither intensive fertilization nor soil tillage treatments significantly increased seedling survival and growth two years after planting. Therefore, intensive site preparation, as well as fertilization, are not recommended at this stage for planting sites without severe nutrient deficiencies

Matrine induced G0 /G1 arrest and apoptosis in human acute T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) cells

PubMed ID: 29045804Matrine, a natural product extracted from the root of Sophora flavescens, is a promising alternative drug in different types of cancer. Here, we aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects and underlying molecular mechanisms of matrine on human acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cell line, CCRF-CEM. Cell viability and IC50 values were determined by WST-1 cell cytotoxicity assay. Cell cycle distribution and apoptosis rates were analyzed by flow cytometry. Expression patterns of 44 selected miRNAs and 44 RNAs were analyzed by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) using the Applied Biosystems 7500 Fast Real-Time PCR System. Matrine inhibited cell viability and induced apoptosis of CCRF-CEM cells in a dose-dependent manner. Cell cycle analysis demonstrated that matrine-treated CCRF-CEM cells significantly accumulated in the G0 /G1 phase compared with the untreated control cells. hsa-miR-376b-3p (-37.09 fold, p = 0.008) and hsa-miR-106b-3p (-16.67 fold, p = 0.028) expressions were decreased, whereas IL6 (95.47 fold, p = 0.000011) and CDKN1A (140.03 fold, p = 0.000159) expressions were increased after matrine treatment. Our results suggest that the downregulation of hsa-miR-106b-3p leads to the upregulation of target p21 gene, CDKN1A, and plays a critical role in the cell cycle progression by arresting matrine-treated cells in the G0 /G1 phase. © 2018 ABMSFBIH