Trophic state of Albanian water ecosystem based on phytoplakton photo-synthetic pigments

EnData on the trophic state of some Albanian water bodies (the Adriatic lagoons of Vilun,Kune-Vain,Patog,Karavasta and Narta,and the ecosystem of Ohrid-Prespa)are resented.Evaluation of trophic state is based on chlorophyll acontent in water and distribution of photosynthetic pigments,monitored from March to October.The lagoons of the Adriatic coast have different trophic states.The lagoons of Vilun,Kune-Vain and Patok are oligotrophic,but the Karavasta and Narta lagoons are characterized by a higher trophic state,estimated as mesotrophic.Lake Ohrid is oligotrophic,whereas Lake Prespa is mesotrophic.Vertical profiles of Chl a content demonstrated different distribution in the Ohrid and Prespa lakes

Establishment of an in vitro method for micropropagation of ironwort, (Sideritis raeseri Boiss. & Heldr.)

Ironwort / Mountain Tea (Sideritis raeseri Boiss & Heldr.) is an endangered (EN) plant species in Albania. This study aimed to develop a rapid clonal propagation protocol using in vitro methodologies. The ironwort seeds were pre-treated with three concentrations of GA3 (250, 500, and 1000 mg l-1). During the inoculation stage, two types of culture media, Murashige & Skoog (MS) and Woody Plant Medium (WPM), were tested, and the effects of both GA3 concentration and culture media used were evaluated. For the subculture stage, three cytokinins (6-benzylaminopurine / BAP, kinetin, zeatin) at four concentrations (0.5; 1.0; 1.5; 2.0 mg l-1), were compared for the RGR index, while for the rooting stage, two different auxins (1-naphthaleneacetic acid / NAA and indole-3-butyric acid / IBA) at four concentrations (0.5; 1.0; 1.5; 2.0 mg l-1) were tested. GA3 at 500 mg l-1 and MS medium resulted as more effective. The highest value of the RGR index during the subculture stage was obtained in the MS nutrient medium supplemented with BAP at 1.5 mg l-1. For rhizogenesis response, IBA was more effective for roots and length number. Based on these results, in vitro methodologies can be a promising tool for the mass production of this endangered plant species and with possible applications for enhancing the production of valuable nutraceuticals

Activity of δ-Aminolevulinic Acid Dehydratase at Ramonda nathaliae and Ramonda serbica Plants During Dehydration and Rehydration

Introduction: Ramonda nathaliae and Ramonda serbica are resurrection plants belonging to homoiochlorophyllous desiccation-tolerant angiosperms. Chlorophyll biosynthesis is one of the most important metabolic pathways to tolerate desiccation in these plant species. Materials and methods: To better understand the early pathway steps of chlorophyll biosynthesis, we have analyzed the enzyme δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALA-D) and contents of δ-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) and total chlorophyll as a final product during dehydration and rehydration stages for these plant species. Results: Our results showed that the activity of ALA-D in R. nathaliae and R. serbica plants rapidly decreased during dehydration and in the final stage of desiccation the activity of this enzyme was decreased by 79% and 86%, respectively. After rehydration of plants, the ALA-D activity was fully restored. In contrast, the ALA content of both plant species significantly increased during desiccation and decreased after 48 hr of rewatering. In each stage of dehydration or rehydration, a significant negative correlation was established between ALA-D activity and ALA content in both plant species. Conclusions: Total chlorophyll content was preserved more in R. nathaliae than in R. serbica during desiccation. Moreover, ALA-D activity was decreased to a minimal level but preserved its function during desiccation, and this suggests one possible mechanism of desiccation tolerance to retain the chlorophyll of these plant species

Trophic state of Albanian water ecosystem based on phytoplakton photo-synthetic pigments

EnData on the trophic state of some Albanian water bodies (the Adriatic lagoons of Vilun,Kune-Vain,Patog,Karavasta and Narta,and the ecosystem of Ohrid-Prespa)are resented.Evaluation of trophic state is based on chlorophyll acontent in water and distribution of photosynthetic pigments,monitored from March to October.The lagoons of the Adriatic coast have different trophic states.The lagoons of Vilun,Kune-Vain and Patok are oligotrophic,but the Karavasta and Narta lagoons are characterized by a higher trophic state,estimated as mesotrophic.Lake Ohrid is oligotrophic,whereas Lake Prespa is mesotrophic.Vertical profiles of Chl a content demonstrated different distribution in the Ohrid and Prespa lakes

Genetic characterization of Albanian grapevine cultivars by microsatellite markers

A recently restored ampelographic collection of Albanian grapevine accessions has been submitted to genetic profiling with eleven nuclear microsatellite markers, widely used in other studies. Microsatellite profiling resulted in 28 single profiles for 29 accessions. Two cultivars, Shesh I bardhë and Pucalla, were found to be synonyms. Genetic profiles of Albanian cultivars were compared at 8 microsatellite loci to 29 most commonly cultivated Greek cultivars. Albanian cultivars were found to be more closely related to Greek cultivars from Peloponnese. One Greek cultivar named Dempina was found to be genetically close to two Albanian cultivars Debina teki and Debina kala, which are homonyms Another cultivar, known as Toska or Sinambel displayed a tri-allelic profile at 5 loci over 10 analysed loci. Such a high number of tri-allelic loci found in one individual favours the hypothesis of triploidy but the chimerism hypothesis cannot be excluded without further work