Morphological Variability of Pedunculate Oak (Quercus robur L.) in the Region of Croatia and Western Balkans

U radu su prikazana istraživanja unutarpopulacijske i međupopulacijske varijabilnosti morfoloških svojstava lista hrasta lužnjaka na području zemalja zapadnog Balkana (Hrvatska, Bosna i Hercegovina, Srbija, Crna Gora). Analizirano je ukupno 65 populacija i 650 stabala, a morfometrijska analiza uključivala je ukupno 14 morfoloških svojstava. Za statističku obradu korištene su deskriptivna analiza, analiza varijance, diskriminacijska analiza i multipli testovi. Utvrđene su signifikantne razlike na međupopulacijskom, kao i na individualnom unutarpopulacijskom i bile su statistički značajnije od međupopulacijske varijabilnosti. Najveću varijabilnost imala su svojstva duljine peteljke lista, usječenost lista od središnje žile i usječenost baze plojke. Analiza varijance, diskriminacijska analiza i multipla testiranja za istraživana svojstva, a grupirana prema zemljama porijekla, ukazuju na postojanje statistički značajnih razlika između istraživanih populacija, tako da istraživani materijal iz svake zemlje čini zasebnu skupinu, te bi pri uporabi šumskog reprodukcijskog materijala trebalo isključivo koristiti autohtoni materijal. Kod istraživanog lisnog materijala nije registrirana dlakavost listova, što ukazuje da nije prisutna pojava hibridizacije sa hrastom meduncem (Quercus pubescens). Istraživanja mogu poslužiti kao polazna osnova za odabir sjemenskih sastojina, oplemenjivanje i očuvanje genetičke raznolikosti hrasta lužnjaka, kao i za razlikovanje pojedinih vrsta, hibridnih rojeva i nižih svojti hrasta lužnjaka.The paper presents a research study into the intrapopulation and interpopulation variability of morphological traits of pedunculate oak leaf in Western Balkan countries (Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro). A total of 65 populations and 650 trees were analyzed. Morphometric analysis included 14 morphological traits in all. Descriptive analysis, analysis of variance, discrimination analysis and multiple tests were used for statistical processing. Significant differences were found both in interpopulation and individual intrapopulation variability. Intrapopulation variability were statistically more significant than interpopulation variability. The highest variability was exhibited by the length of leaf petiole, the incision of leaf to the central nerve, and the incision of leaf blade. Variance analysis, discrimination analysis and multiple testing for the investigated traits, which were grouped according to the country of origin, indicate the existence of statistically significant differences among the studied populations. Consequently, the studied material from each country represents a separate group. Accordingly, forest reproductive material should exclusively consist of autochthonous material. No leaf hairiness was registered in the studied leaf material, which points to the absence of hybridization with pubescent oak (Quercus pubescens). This research may be viewed as a starting point for the selection of seed stands, improvement and preservation of genetic diversity of pedunculate oak, as well as for discriminating individual species, hybrid swarms and lower pedunculate oak taxa

HPLC-ED Analysis of Phenolic Compounds in Three Bosnian Crataegus Species

The aim of this work was the qualitative and quantitative determination of selected phenolic compounds in three Crataegus species grown in Bosnia. Crataegus plants are consumed for medicinal purposes and as foodstuff in the form of canned fruit, jam, jelly, tea, and wine. Two samples of plant material, dry leaves with flowers, and berries of three Crataegus species—Crataegus rhipidophylla Gand., Crataegus x subsphaericea Gand., and Crataegus x macrocarpa Hegetschw.—were analyzed. Twelve ethanolic extracts were isolated from the selected plant material using Soxhlet and ultrasound extraction, respectively. Soxhlet extraction proved to be more effective than ultrasound extraction. A simple and sensitive method, high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection, HPLC-ED, was used for the simultaneous determination of phenolic acids and flavonoids in Crataegus species. The content of gallic acid in the extracts ranged from 0.001 to 0.082 mg/g dry weight (DW), chlorogenic acid from 0.19 to 8.70 mg/g DW, and rutin from 0.03 to 13.49 mg/g DW. Two flavonoids, vitexin and hyperoside, commonly found in chemotaxonomic investigations of Crataegus species, were not detected in the examined extracts. In general, leaves with flowers samples are richer in gallic acid and rutin, whereas the berries samples are richer in chlorogenic acid. Distinct similarities were found in the relative distribution of gallic acid among the three species. Extracts of C. x macrocarpa had the highest content of all detected compounds, while significant differences were found in rutin content, depending on the plant organ. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study reporting content of phenolic compounds in Crataegus rhipidophylla Gand., Crataegus x subsphaericea, and Crataegus x macrocarpa from Bosnia

Contribution to plant genome size knowledge: first assessments in five genera and 30 species of angiosperms from western Balkans

8 p. -- tablasThe first assessments, done by flow cytometry, of nuclear DNA amount for five genera and 30 species of angiosperms (three monocots, 27 eudicots) from the western Balkan Peninsula, including eight taxa with some degree of endemism to this area, are presented here. These data complement the substantial existing information on plant genome size in this region, now accounting for 670 species and subspecies studied for this character.The authors are grateful for the support received from Ministry of Education and Science of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (project 05-14-4565-1/12), Faculty of Forestry (University of Sarajevo), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS,France), the Agència per a la Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR, Catalan government, projects 2012BE100508 and 2009SGR439) and the Dirección General de Investigación (Spanish government, CGL2010-22234-C02/BOS, subprojects 01 and 02). This work has benefited from the facilities and expertise of the Imagif Cell Biology Unit of the Gif Campus (www.imagif.cnrs.fr) which is supported by the Infrastructures en Biologie Sante et Agronomie (IBiSA), the FrenchNational Research Agency under Investments for the Future programs "France-BioImaging infrastructure" (ANR-10-INSB-04-01), "Saclay Plant Sciences" (ANR-10-LABX-0040-SPS), and the "Conseil "Conseil Général de l'EssonnePeer reviewe