The soil seed bank, as a potential source of ground vegetation renewal, plays an important role in the natural recovery and succession of vegetation as well as in the construction of ecosystems. To ...clarify the characteristics of the soil seed bank of Achnatherum inebrians and its relationship with the aboveground vegetation, the soil seed bank density, species composition and aboveground vegetation of three different grassland types, namely, desert, steppe and meadow, were investigated by means of field survey sampling and indoor germination experiments. The results showed that the seed bank densities of the three habitats were ranked as desert (1 422.22 seeds/m2), steppe (2 077.78 seeds/m2) and meadow (3 722.22 seeds/m2). The numbers of species were 16, 11 and 17, respectively. With respect to the vertical allocation, the soil seed banks in each habitat were shallow, and the seeds were mainly concentrated in the soil surface layer (0-5 cm). The species richness of the soil seed banks in the three habitats was higher than that of the aboveground vegetation, but there were some differences in richness, evenness and dominance. The species richness and diversity of soil seed banks and aboveground vegetation in meadow habitats were higher than those in desert and steppe habitats, indicating that the soil seed banks and aboveground vegetation in meadow habitats had higher stability. There was a significant positive correlation between the density of temporary soil seed banks and the density of aboveground plant communities in grassland habitats. The results may provide some reference for the prevention and control of Achnatherum inebrians in the three habitats.
We have developed a rapid genus identification method for poisonous plants. The real-time PCR using the TaqMan® probe method was employed for detection, with the amplified targets being the “trnL ...(UAA)-intron” or “trnL–trnF intergenic spacer” regions of chloroplast DNA. The targeted plants were selected six genera (Aconitum, Colchicum, Veratrum, Brugmansia, Scopolia and Narcissus), which have been implicated in many instances of food poisoning in Japan. A tissue lysis solution was used for DNA extraction, which can be completed within approximate 30 min. A master mix corresponding to the tissue lysis solution was used for real-time PCR reagents. As a result, we were able to complete the entire process from DNA extraction to genus identification in 4 to 5 hr. The detection sensitivity was estimated at approximately 1 pg of DNA for all six plant genera. Remarkably, an amplification plot was discerned even with the crude cell lysates of all samples. It was also possible to obtain amplification curves for three plant samples that had been subjected to simulated cooking (boiling). This study suggests that the developed method can rapidly identify six genera of poisonous plants.
L-mimosine is a compound found in Leucaena leucocephala, that is used as animal feed due to its high protein content, but it can also cause intoxication. Due to its low solubility in organic and ...aqueous solvents, its administration in laboratory animals is difficult, especially in delicate periods such as pregnancy. Thus, to circumvent such problems, this study proposes a stress-free form of oral administration with gelatin tablets with flavoring (meat broth) for 14 consecutive days of the gestational period (GD06 to GD20). For that, 17 pregnant Wistar rats divided into 3 groups were used: control (CO; n = 5) not treated; gelatin (GEL; n = 6), which received a gelatin tablet with flavoring; and gelatin with flavoring added 140 mg/kg of L-mimosine (GM; n = 6). All animals received feed and water ad libitum. The parameters analyzed were body weight gain, water and feed consumption, serum biochemistry, blood count and reproductive indices. Among these, only the real and total weight gains of dams showed statistically significant differences, with a decrease in the group GM. Thus, we could observe that flavored gelatin was an efficient and effective administration method to insoluble compounds and long-term administration to pregnant rats, with quick adaptation and without refusal by the animals. In addition, we could observe a direct effect of L-mimosine on the animals' weight gain; however, the dose administered was not sufficient to confer maternal and fetal toxicity.
•Oral alternative method of insoluble toxin included into flavored gelatin in rats.•L-mimosine extracted from L. leucochephala was administered to pregnant rats.•L-mimosine incorporated into gelatin was well accepted by the animals.•The methodology used to administer insoluble compounds was efficient.
Poisonous Urobotrya siamensis Hiepko has caused deaths of consumers due to misidentification in several cases in past years. The poisonous plant shares the vernacular name in Thai “Phak Wan” with two ...vegetables, Melientha suavis Pierre and Sauropus androgynus (L.) Merr. The morphology of young leaves among these species is also similar. Therefore, consumer safety could be a major concern. We applied DNA barcoding coupled with high-resolution melting (Bar-HRM) analysis to differentiate the poisonous species from the edible species. Four regions of DNA barcodes, rbcL, matK, ITS2 and the psbA-trnH intergenic spacer, were analysed. Bar-HRM primer pairs were designed based on variable sites of the DNA sequence of the chloroplast matK gene. Distinct melting temperatures for U. siamensis, M. suavis and S. androgynus were revealed at 77.94 ± 0.06 °C, 77.47 ± 0.06 °C and 76.80 ± 0.00 °C, respectively, with confidence levels >99%. The method sensitively identified the poisonous U. siamensis species at levels as low as 0.01 ng of DNA template. Bar-HRM analysis was capable of identifying seedlings or young plants from local nurseries and proved to be an efficient method for detection of food processed by heat treatment, including 5 min of stir-frying and 15 min of boiling. This study is the first report showing that Bar-HRM analysis for safety concerns effectively differentiated poisonous plants from edible plants. Moreover, Bar-HRM analysis may be further applied to other vegetables for quality control, from crop production to food control processes.
Display omitted
•The core DNA barcodes of the poisonous plant Urobotrya siamensis were established.•matK coupled with HRM can differentiate the poisonous plant from edible plants.•Bar-HRM analysis was applied to identify seedlings of U. siamensis species.
Calotropis gigantea (Giant milkweed, GM) has the potential to be utilized as a new feed additive for ruminants, however, the presence of unpalatable or toxic compounds decreases animal feed intake. ...This study aimed to valorize GM as a potential new feed resource through the chemical and microbial biotransformation of toxic compounds that will henceforth, make the plant palatable for cows. After GM’s ensiling using fermentative bacteria, the plant was sampled for UHPLC-MS/MS to analyse the metabolomic changes. Illumina Miseq of the 16 S rRNA fragment genes and ITS1 were used to describe the microbial composition and structure colonizing GM silage and contributing to the biodegradation of toxic compounds. Microbial functions were predicted from metataxonomic data and KEGG pathways analysis. Eight Holstein dairy cows assigned in a cross-over design were supplemented with GM and GM silage to evaluate palatability and effects on milk yield and milk protein. Cows were fed their typical diet prior to the experiment (positive control). After ensiling, 23 flavonoids, 47 amino acids and derivatives increased, while the other 14 flavonoids, 9 amino acids and derivatives decreased, indicating active metabolism during the GM ensiling process. Lactobacillus buchneri, Bacteroides ovatus, and Megasphaera elsdenii were specific to ensiled GM and correlated to functional plant metabolites, while Sphingomonas paucimobilis and Staphylococcus saprophyticus were specific to non-ensiled GM and correlated to the toxic metabolite 5-hydroxymethylfurfural."Xenobiotics biodegradation and metabolism", "cancer overview" and "neurodegenerative disease" were the highly expressed microbial KEGG pathways in non-ensiled GM. Non-ensiled GM is unpalatable for cows and drastically reduces the animal’s feed intake, whereas ensiled GM does not reduce feed intake, milk yield and milk protein. This study provides essential information for sustainable animal production by valorizing GM as a new feed additive.
Display omitted
•After Giant milkweed (GM) ensiling, 23 flavonoids, 47 amino acids and derivatives increased.•The others 14 flavonoids, 9 amino acids and derivatives decreased.•Harmful bacteria associated with toxic GM metabolites were eliminated after ensiling.•Ensiling GM reduced its toxicity without degrading the quercetin functional metabolite.•Supplementing GM silage to dairy cows does not decrease the feed intake, milk yield and milk protein.
S ciljem predstavljanja javnosti zbirke ljekovitog i otrovnog bilja Farmaceutskog botaničkog vrta „Fran Kušan“ Farmaceutsko-biokemijskog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu u ovom radu donosimo pregled ...zeljastih vrsta i sukulenata koji se danas uzgajaju u Vrtu. Usporedbom podataka sadržanih u rukom pisanoj kartoteci i elektroničkoj bazi podataka sa stvarnim stanjem u arboretumu i dva staklenika dobiven je uvid u broj zeljastih svojti i sukulenata koje se trenutno ovdje nalaze. Na taj način utvrđeno je da u arboretumu Vrta danas raste 689 svojti zeljastog bilja od kojih je 447 ljekovito, a 132 su otrovne. U dva staklenika uzgaja se još 80 svojti iz područja s mediteranskom, tropskom i suptropskom klimom. Od toga su 45 svojte ljekovite, a 23 otrovne. Dakle, ukupno u Vrtu danas raste 769 svojti zeljastog bilja i sukulenata, od kojih su 492 ljekovite, a 155 je otrovno. Pri tome je 127 svojti istovremeno i ljekovito i otrovno za čovjeka.
With the aim of presenting to the public the collection of medicinal and poisonous plants of the Pharmaceutical Botanical Garden "Fran Kušan" of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry of the University of Zagreb, in this paper we provide an overview of the herbaceous species and succulents that are grown there today. By comparing the data contained in the Garden's paper cards and electronic database with the actual situation in the Garden's arboretum and two greenhouses, an insight into the current state of the representation of herbaceous species and succulents was obtained. Research has established that in the arboretum today grow 689 taxa of herbaceous plants of which 447 medicinal, and 132 poisonous. In two greenhouses, there are 80 taxa from areas with Mediterranean, tropical and subtropical climate. Of the plants in the greenhouses, 45 taxa are medicinal and 23 are poisonous. Therefore, a total of 769 taxa of herbaceous plants and succulents grow in the Garden today, of which 492 are medicinal and 155 are poisonous taxa. 127 taxa are both medicinal and poisonous to humans at the same time.
The total number of discovered plant species is increasing yearly worldwide. Plant species differ from one region to another. Some of these discovered plant species are beneficial while others might ...be poisonous. Computer vision techniques can be an effective way to classify plant species and predict their poisonous status. However, the lack of comprehensive datasets that include not only plant images but also plant species’ scientific names, description, poisonous status, and local name make the issue of poisonous plants species prediction a very challenging issue. In this paper, we propose a hybrid model relying on transformers models in conjunction with support vector machine for plant species classification and poisonous status prediction. First, six different Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) architectures are used to determine which produces the best results. Second, the features are extracted using six different CNNs and then optimized and employed to Support Vector Machine (SVM) for testing. To prove the feasibility and benefits of our proposed approach, we used a real case study namely, plant species discovered in the Arabian Peninsula. We have gathered a dataset that contains 2500 images of 50 different Arabic plant species and includes plants images, plant species scientific name, description, local name, and poisonous status. This study on the types of Arabic plants species will help in the reduction of the number of poisonous plants victims and their negative impact on the individual and society. The results of our experiments for the CNN approach in conjunction SVM are favorable where the classifier scored 0.92, 0.94, and 0.95 in accuracy, precision, and F1-Score respectively.
In Feuchtwiesen des bayerischen Alpenvorlandes kam es in den vergangenen Jahren zur Zunahme des toxischen Wasser-Greiskrauts (Jacobaea aquatica). Ein 4-jähriger Parzellenversuch auf sieben ...verschiedenen Ökobetrieben mit je sechs Varianten sollte zeigen, wie sich unterschiedlich intensive Schnitt- , Düngungs- und Ausstechbehandlungen auf diese Problemart auswirken. Alle Varianten führten zu einem Rückgang der Individuendichte, wobei die Varianten mit 3-maligem Schnitt kurz vor der Blüte und 4- maligem Schnitt mit regelmäßigem Ausstechen wurden die besten Erfolge erzielten. Bei der extensivsten Variante mit Schnitt im Juli und Oktober wurde die Samenproduktion im Hochsommer kaum unterdrückt. Alle Behandlungen führten zu einem Rückgang zweikeimblättriger Arten. Der nur zögerliche Rückgang der Bodensamenvorräte zeigt den Bedarf an standort- und betriebsspezifischen Strategien an, um die langfristige Nutzung der Flächen sicherzustellen.
Farmaceutski botanički vrt ''Fran Kušan'' Farmaceutsko-biokemijskog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu osnovan je 1946. godine i danas je jedan od tri sveučilišna botanička vrta u Hrvatskoj. O biljnom ...fondu Vrta ima vrlo malo objavljenih podataka te je s tim ciljem provedena inventarizacija drvenastih svojti koje rastu u arboretumu Vrta kao i u dva staklenika. Pri tome je utvrđeno da u arboretumu Vrta danas raste 457 svojti od kojih je 359 ljekovito, a 152 otrovne. U dva staklenika uzgajaju se još 62 drvenaste svojte toplijih klimata od kojih je 48 ljekovito, a 11 otrovno.
he Pharmaceutical Botanical Garden "Fran Kušan" of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry of the University of Zagreb was founded in 1946 and today it is one of three university botanical gardens in Croatia. There is a little published information about the Garden's plant collection, and with this aim, an inventory of woody taxa growing in the Garden's arboretum and two greenhouses was carried out. It was found that 457 taxa grow in the arboretum of the Garden today, of which 359 are medicinal and 152 are poisonous. Another 62 woody taxa from warmer climates are grown in two greenhouses of the Garden, of which 48 are medicinal and 11 are poisonous.
An outbreak of a disease characterized by emaciation, dermatitis with erythema, alopecia, foul-smelling exudation, crusting, hyperpigmentation, lichenification, and edema of fore- and hindlimbs, ...chest and dewlap is described affecting cattle in the State of Alagoas, Northeastern Brazil. Microscopically, the main lesions were characterized by diffuse dermatitis with infiltration of lymphocytes, histiocytes, parakeratotic hyperkeratosis and acanthosis. The plant Tephrosia noctiflora, which exhibited signs of consumption, infested the grazing areas of cattle. To test its toxicity, T. noctiflora was harvested, dried in the shade, crushed and sourced at a concentration of 50% mixed with commercial food for three guinea pigs. The main clinical signs in guinea pigs included weight loss and multifocal, moderate to severe areas of alopecia, diffuse erythema of the skin, vaginal edema and hematuria. Microscopically, lymphocytic and histiocytic dermatitis, parakeratotic hyperkeratosis and acanthosis were noted in guinea pigs. This experiment confirms that T. noctiflora is the cause of outbreaks of dermatitis observed in cattle grazing in areas infested by this plant.
Display omitted
•Tephrosia noctiflora intoxication causes severe dermatitis and emaciation in cattle.•Alopecia, crusting, hyperpigmentation, and lichenification are observed in the skin.•Edema of fore- and hindlimbs, chest and dewlap are also observed in severely intoxicated cattle.•Intoxications causes economic losses due to death of animals, poor weight gain, and low quality of the carcasses.•Guinea pigs are sensitive to the intoxication caused by T. noctiflora.
