Essential Oils from Wood, Bark, and Needles of Pinus roxburghii Sarg. from Alexandria, Egypt: Antibacterial and Antioxidant Activities

The essential oils extracted by hydro-distillation of Pinus roxburghii wood, bark, and needles were analyzed by GC/MS, and their antibacterial and antioxidant activities were evaluated. Twenty-two, thirty-one, and twenty-eight compounds were identified in the essential oils of wood, bark, and needles, respectively. The major chemical constituents of wood’s essential oil were caryophyllene (16.75%), thunbergol (16.29%), 3-carene (14.95%), cembrene (12.08%), α-thujene (10.81%), and terpinolen (7.17%). In bark, they were α-pinene (31.29%) and 3-carene (28.05%), and in needles, they were α-pinene (39%) and 3-carene (33.37%). Almost all of the essential oils were active against human pathogen bacteria, and the essential oils from bark and needles were active against the plant pathogen bacteria Ralstonia solanacearum and Pectobacterium carotovorum. Alternatively, Erwinia amylovora was resistant to all tested oils. The total antioxidant activities (TAA%) of the essential oils from wood (82 ± 2.12%), and bark (85 ± 1.24%) were higher than that of tannic acid (81 ± 1.02%), and the TAA% from the essential oil of needles (50 ± 2.24%) was lower than that of tannic acid

Effect of Calcium and Potassium on Antioxidant System of <em>Vicia faba</em> L. Under Cadmium Stress

Cadmium (Cd) in soil poses a major threat to plant growth and productivity. In the present experiment, we studied the effect of calcium (Ca<sup>2+</sup>) and/or potassium (K<sup>+</sup>) on the antioxidant system, accumulation of proline (Pro), malondialdehyde (MDA), and content of photosynthetic pigments, cadmium (Cd) and nutrients, <em>i.e.</em>, Ca<sup>2+</sup> and K<sup>+</sup> in leaf of <em>Vicia faba </em>L. (cv. TARA) under Cd stress. Plants grown in the presence of Cd exhibited reduced growth traits [root length (RL) plant<sup>−1</sup>, shoot length (SL) plant<sup>−1</sup>, root fresh weight (RFW) plant<sup>−1</sup>, shoot fresh weight (SFW) plant<sup>−1</sup>, root dry weight (RDW) plant<sup>−1</sup> and shoot dry weight (SDW) plant<sup>−1</sup>] and concentration of Ca<sup>2+</sup>, K<sup>+</sup>, Chlorophyll (Chl) <em>a</em> and Chl <em>b </em>content, except content of MDA, Cd and (Pro). The antioxidant enzymes [peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD)] slightly increased as compared to control under Cd stress. However, a significant improvement was observed in all growth traits and content of Ca<sup>2+</sup>, K<sup>+</sup>, Chl <em>a</em>, Chl <em>b </em>,Pro and activity of antioxidant enzymes catalase (CAT), POD and SOD in plants subjected to Ca<sup>2+</sup> and/or K<sup>+</sup>. The maximum alleviating effect was recorded in the plants grown in medium containing Ca<sup>2+</sup> and K<sup>+</sup> together. This study indicates that the application of Ca<sup>2+</sup> and/or K<sup>+</sup> had a significant and synergistic effect on plant growth. Also, application of Ca<sup>2+</sup> and/or K<sup>+</sup> was highly effective against the toxicity of Cd by improving activity of antioxidant enzymes and solute that led to the enhanced plant growth of faba bean plants. <strong> </strong> <strong> </strong&gt

Influence of sulfur on cadmium (Cd) stress tolerance in Triticum aestivum L.

A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the influence of sulfur on cadmium (Cd) stress tolerance in Triticum aestivum L. (cv. Samma). The treatments were given as follows: 0 mM S + 0 mM Cd (control), 1 mM S + 0 mM Cd (S1), 5 mM S + 0 mM Cd (S2), 10 mM S + 0 mM Cd (S3), 0 mM S + 1 mM Cd (Cd), 1 mM S + 1 mM Cd (S1+Cd), 5 mM S + 1 mM Cd (S2+Cd),) and 10 mM S + 1 mM Cd (S3+Cd). Plants fed with Cd showed reduced plant growth characteristics and increased malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation. However, S-exposed plants clearly exhibited enhanced antioxidant enzymes activity (catalase, peroxidase and  superoxide dismutase), chlorophyll a and b content and total soluble carbohydrates (TSC) accumulation, and decreased MDA content in wheat plants. The results indicate that application of S mitigated the adverse  effects of Cd stress by enhancing TSC, photosynthetic pigments and antioxidant enzymes.Key words: Antioxidant, cadmium stress, carbohydrates, photosynthetic pigments, Triticum aestivum