Antimicrobial activity and phytochemical screening of Ocimum americanum L extracts against pathogenic microorganisms Publication date: Available online 23 October 2019 Source: Acta Ecologica Sinica Author(s): Vidhya E, Vijayakumar S, Rajalakshmi S, Kalaiselvi S, Pandiyan P Abstract The aim of the present study is to assess the antimicrobial activities of various leaf extracts of Ocimum americanum were tested against pathogenic microorganisms. Preparation of different extracts viz., aqueous, acetone, ethyl acetate and methanol through soxhlet extraction method. Various extracts were investigated against MTCC strains of Bacillus cereus, Clostridium penfrigens, Klebsilla pnemoniae, Salmonella paratyphi, Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger by agar well diffusion and disc diffusion methods. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), Minimum Bactericidal/Fungicindal Concentration (MBC/MFC) were determined through micro dilution method. Elucidation of phytochemicals and functional groups were observed by HPLC and FT-IR respectively. Ethyl acetate leaf extract of O.americanum showed significant antimicrobial activity against the all tested pathogens in agar well diffusion method in which B.cereus (17 mm) was observed high zone of inhibition. Whereas lowest inhibition was observed in aqueous extract against C.pentrigens (7 mm). The ranges of MIC values from 0.78 μg/ml to 50 μg/ml and MBC/MFC 1.56 μg/ml to 50 μg/ml were observed. Phytochemicals such as alkaloids, steroids, saponins, flavonoids, tannins, terepenes, phenolic compounds cardiac glycosides were detected. Saponinns, flavonoids, tannins, phenolic compounds were observed in only ethyl acetate leaf extracts. Functional group of the leaf extracts was exhibited by FTIR and HPLC analysis of the ethyl acetate leaf extract was elutated at six peaks. Based on the results we concluded that ethyl acetate leaf extract of O.americanum has proved to be potentially effective than the other extracts. Therefore, ethyl acetate leaf extract of O.americanum could act as antimicrobial agent and further studies are recommended for isolation of compounds and toxicological studies.

Different response of Alyssum montanum and Helianthus annuus to cadmium bioaccumulation mediated by the endophyte fungus Serendipita indica Publication date: Available online 23 October 2019 Source: Acta Ecologica Sinica Author(s): Saleh Shahabivand, Azar Parvaneh, Ali Asghar Aliloo Abstract Environmental pollution by heavy metals is a severe issue worldwide. Microbe-assisted phytoremediation is a safe, inexpensive, and promising strategy in refinement of metal-polluted regions. Current in vitro work was installed to study effects of the endophytic fungus Serendipita indica on some physiological traits and cadmium (Cd) bioaccumulation of Alyssum montanum and Helianthus annuus seedlings grown in MS medium, under varying levels of Cd (0, 20, 40 and 60 mg Cd/l medium). Even though Cd stress induced phyto-toxicity in both tested species, but a significant improvement was found in biomass accumulation, photosynthetic pigments content, and chlorophyll fluorescence indicators in inoculated seedlings by S. indica under different doses of Cd in media. The non-infected A. montanum plantlets accumulated more Cd in shoot than root, and illustrated the properties of an accumulator species as evidenced by translocation factor (TF) and bioaccumulation factor of shoot (BFS) higher than 1. Contrary to this, un-colonized H. annuus seedlings had higher amount of Cd in root than shoot and showed a phyto-stabilizer feature, as evidenced by TF˂1 and bioaccumulation factor of root (BFR) higher than 1. Presence of S. indica significantly enhanced Cd accumulation in root, while it noticeably diminished Cd amounts of shoot in both A. montanum and H. annuus seedlings, so that inoculated plants had higher values for BFR against lower values for BFS and TF, in compare to non-inoculated ones. These findings indicated that S. indica can be considered as a bio-fertilizer to improve the physiological characteristics of tested species under Cd stress, as well as a bio-stabilizer of Cd in the roots of A. montanum and H. annuus in the regions exposed to toxic levels of Cd.

Integrated use of plant residues, phosphorus and beneficial microbes improve hybrid maize productivity in semiarid climates Publication date: October 2019 Source: Acta Ecologica Sinica, Volume 39, Issue 5 Author(s): Asif Iqbal, Amanullah, Meizhen Song, Zahir Shah, Madeeha Alamzeb, Mazhar Iqbal Abstract Phosphorus unavailability and lack of organic matter in calcareous soils under semiarid climates are the major reasons for low crop productivity. A field experiment was conducted at The Agronomy Research Farm of The University of Agriculture Peshawar (semiarid climate), during summer 2015. The objective of the research was to investigate the effect of plant residues, organic and inorganic phosphorus management on improving yield and yield components of hybrid maize (CS-200) with (+) and without (−) phosphate solubilizing bacteria. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with split plot arrangement, using three replications. A combination of plant residues and phosphorus sources were used as mainplot factor, and phosphate solubilizing bacteria were used as a subplot factor. The results revealed that plant residues, phosphorus sources and phosphate solubilizing bacteria significantly affected all parameters under study except number of plants at harvest. Application of legume residues (Faba bean) increased ear length (22.9 cm), grains row−1 (46) and ear−1 (419), 1000 grains weight (365 g), grain yield (6175 kg ha−1) and shelling percentage (83) as compared to paper mulberry and garlic residues. Phosphorus application at the higher rate of 120 kg ha−1 from inorganic source (single super phosphate) was superior in terms of higher ear length (24.4 cm), number of grains row−1 (48) and ear−1 (455), 1000 grains weight (380 g), grain yield (6558 kg ha−1), harvest index (42.7%) and shelling percentage (83%) than the lower rate of phosphorus (60 kg P ha−1). Inoculation of maize seeds with beneficial microbes (phosphate solubilizing bacteria) significantly increased ear length (22.9 cm), number of grains row−1 (45) and ear−1 (413), 1000 grains weight (364 g), grain yield (6237 kg ha−1), harvest index (41.8%) and shelling percentage (82) than without seed inoculation. On the basis of our results from this study, we concluded that application of faba bean residues, 120 kg P ha−1 as single super phosphate along with seed inoculation with phosphate solubilizing bacteria could improve yield and yield components of hybrid maize under semiarid climates.

Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants in Thanjavur and its surrounding (Tamil Nadu - India) Publication date: October 2019 Source: Acta Ecologica Sinica, Volume 39, Issue 5 Author(s): S. Rajalakshmi, S. Vijayakumar, P. Arulmozhi Abstract The present study aims to document data about the traditional uses of plants in health-care trainers among the local peoples of areas which may lead to natural drug invention development. There is urgency in recording such data for ethnobotanical studies using many statistical calculations were applied. Totally, 137 informants were selected from 8 villages by their traditional knowledge about medicinal plants. The collected specimens were statistically analyzed by Frequency citation (FC), Relative frequency citation (RFC), Use values (UV), Relative importance (RI), Cultural index (CI), Frequency index (FI) and Pearson correlation Co-efficient. Totally, 85 medicinal plants belonging to 73 families were documented through traditional people of Thanjavur for the treatment of 17 different ailments in which paste based herbal medicine is highly used (30%). Among the families, Acanthaceae, Euphorbiaceae and Malvaceae are dominant species with each five, Solanaceae with four species, Amaranthaceae, Apiaceae, Convulcacaeae, Aizoaceae, Apocynaceae, Lamiaceae and Rubiaceae with each three species and Capparaceae, Lythraceae, Anacardiaceae are recorded each two species and remaining families were one species respectively. In this quantitative ethnobotanical analysis, the high use values were recorded as Solanum trilobatum (1.31), Thespesia populnea (1.30), Cissus quadrangularis (1.26), Trianthema portulacastrum (1.76), and Hygrophila auriculata. Phyllanthus niruri showed high RI values than other plants. Pearson correlation coefficient between RFC and UV was 0.802 with P-value <1%. From this study, we can recommend that statistically proved medicinal plants like Solanum trilobatum, Thespesia populnea, Cissus quadrangularis, Trianthema portulacastrum, Hygrophila auriculata, Phyllanthus niruri and Achyranthes aspera were also needed for further investigation on pharmacologically which leads to natural drug invention development.

Floristic composition and biological spectrum of Keran - a remote valley of northwestern Himalaya Publication date: October 2019 Source: Acta Ecologica Sinica, Volume 39, Issue 5 Author(s): Shiekh Marifatul Haq, Akhtar H. Malik, Anzar A. Khuroo, Irfan Rashid Abstract The Himalayas are one of the youngest and richest ecosystems on earth with a variety of species and forest types due to the varying altitude, topographic, and climatic conditions. The present study was aimed to investigate the floristic composition and biological spectrum of Keran valley, a region nestled in the northwestern frontiers of Himalayan biodiversity hotspot. Floristically, a total of 183 species were recorded, out of which 55 were aliens. Herbaceous growth form was dominant (67%) and therophytes were the dominant (37%) life form. Likewise, mesophylls (34%) followed by nanophylls (29%) and microphylls (27%) were major leaf size categories; and the simple leaf lamina type was recorded in majority of the species (65%). Almost 1/3rd of the total species pool was growing in the forest habitats, while as the 2/3rd occur within the rest 9 habitat types which were largely human-modified. The vegetation phenology observed during different seasons revealed that most of the species were dominant in summer season (37%), followed by spring (29%), autumn (21%) and winter (13%). The present study provides baseline information on the plant diversity in this hitherto unexplored region of northwestern Himalaya.

Floristic diversity along altitudinal gradient under Betula utilis in North Western Himalayas of Kashmir, India Publication date: October 2019 Source: Acta Ecologica Sinica, Volume 39, Issue 5 Author(s): Naseer A. Mir, T.H. Masoodi, Syed Maqbool Geelani, Akhlaq Amin Wani, Gowher N. Parrey, Javeed Ahmad Mugloo Abstract A study on community structure was carried out along three altitudinal gradients viz., Lower (3000–3200m), Middle (3200–3400m) and upper (3400–3600m) asl in Sindh Forest Division (Sonamarg) and Tangmarg Forest Divisions (Gulmarg) in sub alpine zone of North Western Kashmir Himalayas, India. The floristic structure revealed that Betula stands at Sonamarg forests supported 48 species belonging to 26 families on South Eastern aspect and 53 species belonging to 28 families on South Western aspect, whereas Gulmarg forest was represented by 54 species of 28 families. The overall community structure of Betula stands depicted that Asteraceae, Poaceae, Rosaceae and Lamiaceae were the dominant families in these timberline forests. The dispersion showed that 65.48% species were contagiously distributed, 25.67 and 8.85% species showed random and regular distribution. Betula utilis shared the top niche with the dominance of 61.56 and 76.27% on SE and SW aspect at Sonamarg, and 71.81% at Gulmarg. Species richness decreased with elevation and species diversity of the forest was relatively low, the decrease in these parameter with increasing altitude can be directly related to high grazing pressure, harsh climatic conditions, topography and snow, which covers these areas for longer times especially during the growing season.

Screening the antimicrobial potential of twelve medicinal plants against venereal diseases causing pathogens Publication date: October 2019 Source: Acta Ecologica Sinica, Volume 39, Issue 5 Author(s): J.E. Morvin Yabesh, S. Vijayakumar, P. Arulmozhi, S. Rajalakshmi Abstract The antimicrobial potential of selected ethnomedicinal plants in traditional healers of Silent valley, Palakkad district of Kerala, India against venereal diseases causing pathogens. Twelve medicinal plants and their parts were collected from the various places of Silent Valley, Kerala, India. These plant parts were dried and mixed with different kinds of solvents respectively hexane, chloroform, methanol and water. In this study, six microbial strains were selected, in which five bacterial and a fungal strain. Among the bacterial strains, two strains were gram positive and three strains for gram negative bacteria. Totally, twelve medicinal plant parts mixed with various solvents were treated against the selected pathogenic organisms. Among them, methanolic extract of A. occidentate, C. indica, H. rosa-sinensis and M. oleifera exhibited excellent antibacterial activity than other parts of plants and standard drugs. As well as, methanolic extract of H. rosa-sinensis showed good antifungal activity against C. albicans. While,the least inhibition was noted with aqueous extract of C. indica against S. aureus. The MIC ranges from 0.78μg/ml to 50μg/ml and MBC/MFC 1.52μg/ml to 50μg/ml. The methanolic flower extract of H. rosa-sinensis has showed effective zone of inhibition against all the pathogens, particularly N. gonorrhoeae (30 mm) and C. albicans (26mm), than other extracts and standard drugs. Therefore, we concluded that, flower extract had potential therapeutic activity against venereal diseases. This research will be helpful to discover the new therapeutic drug molecule in Pharmaceutical sectors.

Effect of seaweed liquid fertilizer on yield and quality of Capsicum annum L. Publication date: October 2019 Source: Acta Ecologica Sinica, Volume 39, Issue 5 Author(s): S. Vijayakumar, S. Durgadevi, P. Arulmozhi, S. Rajalakshmi, T. Gopalakrishnan, N. Parameswari Abstract In the present study, intensive investigation was made on the effect of seaweed liquid fertilizer (SLF) of Codium decorticatum on the seed germination yield biochemical and pigment characteristic of Capsium annum under laboratory conditions and in pots. Different concentrations such as 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% of SLF were prepared using distilled water. The seeds were soaked in 10 h for each SLF concentration then placed in separate Petri plates. Similarly, water soaked seeds were used as controls. Application of a lower concentration (20%) of SLF Showed maximum seed germination, fresh weight, dry weight, root and shoot length, number of branches, leaf area, number of pods and content of total chlorophyll, chl a, and chl b, protein, carbohydrate and lipids were observed. Therefore, the results of the present study suggested that the SLF of C. decortianum could serve as an alternative bio-fertilizer as is eco-friendly, cost-effective, deliver substantial economic and environmental benefits to farmer.

Modelling of plant species richness along altitudinal gradient: Asalem Watershed basin, temperate deciduous forests in northern Iran Publication date: October 2019 Source: Acta Ecologica Sinica, Volume 39, Issue 5 Author(s): Hassan Pourbabaei, Ali Salehi, Sepide Sadat Ebrahimi, Fazel khodaparasrt Abstract Among the various topographical factors, effects of altitudinal factor on species diversity, richness, composition and biological functions patterns are considerable. This study was done to investigate plant species richness along altitudinal gradient in the Asalem watershed basin, northern forests of Iran. For these purpose, 13 altitudinal transects were established from 100 to 2500 m, according to altitude ranges within 200 m intervals. Data collection was done in 216 circular plots of 1000-m2 area with a distance of 150 m from each other. In total, 576species of 325 genus and 96 families were recorded. The highest number of species was belonged to Asteracese، Fabaceae and Lamiaceae families. The results indicated that forbs with 414 species belong to54 families and ferns with 31 species belong to10 families were the largest and smallest group of plants in study area respectively. In herbaceous layer, the mean number of species was increased along altitudinal gradients (P ≤ 0.005). The lowest and highest value of species number was belonged to 500 and 2500 m altitudes, respectively. Generally, there was a gradual decline of species number at 100 to 500 m. Fitted models indicated that variation patterns at altitudinal gradients were significant and the proposed polynomial model had a high conformity with changes of species richness. The lowest value of species number in woody layer was belonged to 1900 m altitude and 2100 m had the highest value. Three peak points were recorded at the beginning, middle and the end of gradient, respectively. Sinusoidal models showed a correlation between species richness and altitudinal changes by high coefficient of determination. Results of β –diversity indicated that species change rate was fixed at 700 m altitude, but it was decreased by increasing altitude. Fluctuations of β diversity were followed of the sinusoidal models. In the study area, destructive factors including road construction, tourism and over-exploitation are a serious threat for the ecosystem and this study can be considerable to develop targeted strategies for conservation of plant diversity. In addition, study of habitat conditions in each altitudinal gradients is necessary to reconstruction stands with low species diversity and appropriate species selection to establish stands with high density.

Dominant control of climate variations over land-use change on net primary productivity under different urbanization intensities in Beijing, China Publication date: October 2019 Source: Acta Ecologica Sinica, Volume 39, Issue 5 Author(s): Yuhong Tian, Weilin Huang, Xiuchen Wu, C.Y. Jim, Xinpan Wang, Yiqing Liu Abstract Climate variations and land-use change induced by rapid urbanization can lead to crucial impacts on ecosystem Net Primary Productivity (NPP), especially in regions with intensive human activity. However, the relative contributions of land-use change and climate variations to NPP changes under different urbanization intensities are still a topic of debate. This study reports on a case study in Beijing, which is undergoing rapid urbanization, to estimate the effects of land-use change and climate variations on NPP in regions with diverse urbanization intensities in recent decades using remote-sensing data and the Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach (CASA) model. The results reveal obvious land-use changes in Beijing, showing an increase in both built-up and forested areas in the two inner, highly urbanized regions and a dramatic conversion from built-up area and grassy bush to forest in the two outer, less urbanized regions. Factorial experiments were performed to estimate the contributions of land-use change and climate variations to NPP changes for different regions and land-use types. An increasing trend in regional NPP was observed with decreasing urbanization intensity in all experiments. However, the increment in NPP between 2002 and 2009 tended to decrease with decreasing urbanization intensity in most experiments. Climate variation was the dominant factor in increasing NPP in the study region during 2002–2009, with a mean contribution of ∼89.5% over different regions and land-use types. However, land-use change contributed to a certain extent to NPP changes for specific land-use types (e.g., ∼28.1% for forests) in regions of intensive urbanization. Eco-engineering approaches such as increasing vegetation cover, especially forest, in built-up areas and reforestation and afforestation in non-built-up areas may be useful in mitigating the impacts of urbanization on NPP, especially in intensively urbanized regions.