Ethnopharmacological study of medicinal plants from Khoy city of West Azerbaijan- Iran

251-267The main objective of this study was to gather information on the use of plants by native people along with therapies suggested by the conventional healers of Khoy. It was analyzed and some important indices including, frequency of citation (FC), cultural importance index (IC), use report (UR) and informants consensus factor (ICF) were calculated. A total of 123 plant taxa belonging to 46 families used for cure of various ailments are reported in this investigation. Among the plants evaluated Apiaceae, Lamiaceae and Asteraceae were the dominant families. The most repeatedly utilized parts are aerial parts (23.2%), followed by leaves (18%). Most frequently used method for consumption has been raw (19.7%), followed by infusion (16.5%). Maximum value of ICF was obtained in digestive system category (with 0.81), followed by respiratory and blood use categories (each with 0.80). Malva neglecta Wallr. was the most cited plant, followed by Mentha longifolia (L.) L. and Plantago major L., Cichorium intybus L. and Salix aegyptiaca L. seem to be the most culturally important plants. The indices like IC and FC could be helpful in selecting important medicinal plant species for further pharmacological investigations in order to find new biologically active compounds

Nitrate and nitrogen oxides: sources, health effects and their remediation

Increased use of nitrogenous (N) fertilizers in agriculture has significantly altered the global N-cycle because they release nitrogenous gases of environmental concerns. The emission of nitrous oxide (N2O) contributes to the global greenhouse gas accumulation and the stratospheric ozone depletion. In addition, it causes nitrate leaching problem deteriorating ground water quality. The nitrate toxicity has been reported in a number of studies showing the health hazards like methemoglobinemia in infants and is a potent cause of cancer. Despite these evident negative environmental as well as health impacts, consumption of N fertilizer cannot be reduced in view of the food security for the teeming growing world population. Various agronomic and genetic modifications have been practiced to tackle this problem. Some agronomic techniques adopted include split application of N, use of slow-release fertilizers, nitrification inhibitors and encouraging the use of organic manure over chemical fertilizers. As a matter of fact, the use of chemical means to remediate nitrate from the environment is very difficult and costly. Particularly, removal of nitrate from water is difficult task because it is chemically non-reactive in dilute aqueous solutions. Hence, the use of biological means for nitrate remediation offers a promising strategy to minimize the ill effects of nitrates and nitrites. One of the important goals to reduce N-fertilizer application can be effectively achieved by choosing N-efficient genotypes. This will ensure the optimum uptake of applied N in a balanced manner and exploring the molecular mechanisms for their uptake as well as metabolism in assimilatory pathways. The objectives of this paper are to evaluate the interrelations which exist in the terrestrial ecosystems between the plant type and characteristics of nutrient uptake and analyze the global consumption and demand for fertilizer nitrogen in relation to cereal production, evaluate the various methods used to determine nitrogen use efficincy (NUE), determine NUE for the major cereals grown across large agroclimatic regions, determine the key factors that control NUE, and finally analyze various strategies available to improve the use efficiency of fertilizer nitrogen

A guide to pollen morphology of some Malaysian mangrove plants

A Guide to Pollen Morphology of Some Malaysian Mangrove Plants is a quick reference for those seeking information on the pollen of mangrove plants. Pollen examined by the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) details the characters of pollen at high accuracy and magnification such as ornamentation, aperture, lumen and shape which are important to a certain extent in differentiating plant taxa at the species, genus or family level. Pictures of the plant in the field are also included for reference

Ecology of the coastal heath forest flora - a case study from Terengganu, Malaysia

This study was conducted to determine the floral diversity and biomass in a coastal heath forest at Rantau Abang, Terengganu, Malaysia. The plot included contiguously arranged 100 subplots (10 m x 10 m). Results showed that 959 trees of 63 species belonging to 52 genera and 30 families are distributed in this coastal forest. Myrtaceae is the largest family (163 trees) followed by Annonaceae (160 trees) and Lecythidaceae (100 trees). Euphorbiaceae is the most diverse family containing 6 genera and 6 species. Syzygium claviflorum var. claviflorum (15.5%) was the dominant species followed by Polyalthia hypogaea (12.7%) and Barringtonia macrostachya (10.4%). Dipterocarpaceae has a small stocking as compared to the non-dipterocarp families in this forest. This family comprised about 9% of tree density and 6% of tree species diversity. The dominant species from Dipterocarpaceae is Shorea materialis. The total biomass in the forest lies around 249 ton/ha. The largest contribution to the biomass comes from Dipterocarpaceae with 86 ton/ha (34.5%) followed by Myrtaceae 75.3 ton/ha (30.2%). The biomass contribution of Shorea materialis is78.8 ton/ha, followed by Syzygium claviflorum 67.8 ton/ha. The biomass of Champereia griffithii is 0.006 ton/ha

Avian assemblages at Paya Indah Natural Wetland Reserve, Malaysia

Estimating accurate avian assemblages such as density and diversity are key factors for the conservation and management of birds and their habitats. Avian assemblages based on status in five habitats at Paya Indah Natural Wetland Reserve were determined using the distance sampling, point count method, at 121 count stations. A total of 100 bird species (64 resident, 18 migratory, 16 resident-migratory and 2 vagrant bird species) were detected from November 2012 to January 2014. The highest bird density was recorded for resident birds (72.2 ± 3.8 bird’s ha-1) and the lowest for vagrant birds (0.1 ± 0.1 birds ha-1). In which Resident birds have significantly higher density, species diversity, richness and evenness compared to resident-migrant and migratory birds

Plant responses and tolerance to high temperature stress: role of exogenous phytoprotectants

Among the abiotic stresses high temperature stress is one of the most detrimental stresses threatening higher plant productivity and survival throughout the world. Each degree Celsius increase of average growing season temperature may decrease crop yield and affect plant distribution. On the other hand, global average temperatures are supposed to increase from 1.8 to 4.0 °C or higher by 2100 as compared to the 1980–2000 average. Plants are intimidated by adverse effects of high temperature stresses. Protein denaturation, inactivation of enzymes, production of reactive oxygen species, and disruption of membrane structure are some of the primary damage effects of high temperature that are also responsible for damage of ultrastructural cellular components. These anomalies hamper plant growth and development. Although higher plants develop their own defense strategies to overcome the high temperature stress effects, these often are not enough, therefore substantial damage is observed. The metabolism in plants is altered in response to high temperature stress. The antioxidants, secondary metabolites, hormones, osmoprotectants, and many other essential biomolecules are modulated, which help to defend against high temperature impacts. Moreover, numerous studies have proved that as protectants the exogenously applied hormones, osmoregulators, antioxidants, signaling molecules, polyamines, and trace elements confer high temperature stress tolerance in the organisms. This chapter presents the responses of plants to high temperature stress and evaluates the role of exogenous protectants under high temperature stress

Recovery of soil in hill dipterocarp forest after logging in Kedah, Malaysia

Knowledge on soil recovery in hill dipterocarp forests after logging is of importance for the management of forests. Samples of soils 14-years after supervised logging (SLo) and 16-years after conventional logging (CL) in a hill dipterocarp forest (HDF) at Ulu Muda Forest Reserve, Kedah were evaluated for their physico-chemical properties, soil fertility index and soil evaluation factor. Results showed the detrimental effects of logging on soil chemical characteristics and not sufficient to recover to its original state during this period. Soil Evaluation Factor (SEF) was also found to be more useful than Soil Fertility Index (SFI) for this logged-over HDF to show differences of soil quality between sites. Pearson coefficient correlation showed insignificant correlation between the SEF and tree density, basal area, volume and total biomass

Oxidative Damage to Plants Antioxidant Networks and Signaling Foreword

WOS: 00034164690000