The genomes of Dahlia pinnata, Cosmos bipinnatus, and Bidens alba in tribe Coreopsideae provide insights into polyploid evolution and inulin biosynthesis.

BACKGROUND: The Coreopsideae tribe, a subset of the Asteraceae family, encompasses economically vital genera like Dahlia, Cosmos, and Bidens, which are widely employed in medicine, horticulture, ecology, and food applications. Nevertheless, the lack of reference genomes hinders evolutionary and biological investigations in this tribe. RESULTS: Here, we present 3 haplotype-resolved chromosome-level reference genomes of the tribe Coreopsideae, including 2 popular flowering plants (Dahlia pinnata and Cosmos bipinnatus) and 1 invasive weed plant (Bidens alba), with assembled genome sizes 3.93 G, 1.02 G, and 1.87 G, respectively. We found that Gypsy transposable elements contribute mostly to the larger genome size of D. pinnata, and multiple chromosome rearrangements have occurred in tribe Coreopsideae. Besides the shared whole-genome duplication (WGD-2) in the Heliantheae alliance, our analyses showed that D. pinnata and B. alba each underwent an independent recent WGD-3 event: in D. pinnata, it is more likely to be a self-WGD, while in B. alba, it is from the hybridization of 2 ancestor species. Further, we identified key genes in the inulin metabolic pathway and found that the pseudogenization of 1-FEH1 and 1-FEH2 genes in D. pinnata and the deletion of 3 key residues of 1-FFT proteins in C. bipinnatus and B. alba may probably explain why D. pinnata produces much more inulin than the other 2 plants. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, the genomic resources for the Coreopsideae tribe will promote phylogenomics in Asteraceae plants, facilitate ornamental molecular breeding improvements and inulin production, and help prevent invasive weeds.

Antioxidant, insecticidal activity and chemical profiling of flower's extract of Parthenium weed (Parthenium hysterophorus L.).

Parthenium hysterophorus L., an invasive alien species and notorious weed, offers various benefits to the medical and agrochemical industries. This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant and insecticidal activities of P. hysterophorus flower extract and conduct chemical profiling to identify the phytoconstituents responsible for these biological effects. The antioxidant activity was assessed using the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, while gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) analysis was employed for chemical configuration evaluation. Our findings demonstrate that the dichloromethane (DCM) extract of P. hysterophorus exhibits potent radical scavenging activity (95.03%). Additionally, phytochemical analysis revealed significant amounts of phenols and flavonoids in the distilled water and ethyl acetate extracts (103.30 GAEg-1 and 138.67 QEg-1, respectively). In terms of insecticidal activity, the flower extract displayed maximum mortality rates of 63.33% and 46.67% after 96 hours of exposure at concentrations of 1000 µgmL-1 and 800 µgmL-1, respectively, with similar trends observed at 72 hours. Furthermore, the P. hysterophorus extracts exhibited LC50 values of 1446 µgmL-1 at 72 hours and 750 µgmL-1 at 96 hours. Imidacloprid, the positive control, demonstrated higher mortality rates at 96 hours (97.67%) and 72 hours (91.82%). Moreover, the antioxidant activity of P. hysterophorus extracts exhibited a strong correlation with phenols, flavonoids, and extract yield. GCMS analysis identified 13 chemical compounds, accounting for 99.99% of the whole extract. Ethanol extraction yielded the highest percentage of extract (4.34%), followed by distilled water (3.22%), ethyl acetate (3.17%), and dichloromethane (2.39%). The flower extract of P. hysterophorus demonstrated significant antioxidant and insecticidal activities, accompanied by the presence of valuable chemical compounds responsible for these biological effects, making it a promising alternative to synthetic agents. These findings provide a novel and fundamental basis for further exploration in purifying the chemical compounds for their biological activities.

[Research on alien invasive plants in Jingzhou County, Hunan Province, China]. / æ¹–å—çœé–å·žåŽ¿å¤–æ¥å ¥ä¾µæ¤ç‰©ç ”ç©¶.

Harm from alien invasive plants is increasing in Jingzhou County, Hunan Province. Based on a one-year field investigation and available literature, we investigated species composition, origin, flora, degree of harm and distribution pattern of invasive plants in the county. The results showed that there were 34 invasive plant species from 27 genera and 16 families in this County. The dominant invasive species belonged to Asteraceae (8 species) and Amaranthaceae (6 species), which accounted for 23.5% and 17.7%, respectively. The majority of invasive plants originated from South America (45.7%) and North America (30.4%). Tropical flora showed a significantly higher representation than temperate flora, signifying robust tropical characteristics amongst the invasive plant population. Based on hazard level classification, we recognized four types as malicious invasion (Level 1): Alternanthera philoxeroides, Erigeron annuus, E. canadensis, and Xanthium chinense. In addition, five types were classified as severe invasion (Level 2), eight types as local invasion (Level 3), fifteen types as general invasion (Level 4), while two types were still under observation (Level 5). The pattern of distribution demonstrated that invasive plants in Jingzhou County mostly spread along the verges of transportation roads, in human settlements, and in a few areas of water flow. The higher levels of invasion damage were principally concentrated in the central part of Jingzhou County.

Toxic nonpreferred species accelerate the natural restoration of plant productivity and diversity in degraded grasslands.

Long-term overgrazing may lead to the degradation of grasslands which are often characterized by an increase in nonpreferred species, especially toxic plants. However, the impact of these toxic nonpreferred species on the restoration processes of degraded grasslands is not well understood, particularly their interactions with soil properties and other plant functional groups. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted an in situ grazing exclusion experiment in a temperate degraded grassland of Inner Mongolia, China. The objective of this study was to investigate how toxic nonpreferred plants influence the recovery of plant diversity and productivity in degraded grasslands and whether these effects can be explained by changes in soil properties. Our findings revealed that Stellera chamaejasme, a toxic nonpreferred species widely distributed in North China, directly altered plant community composition and improved species diversity in degraded grasslands dominated by Asteraceae plants. The presence of S. chamaejasme could inhibit Asteraceae abundance and increase soil copper content in this study area, because Asteraceae plants have a high copper accumulation capacity. Within the communities with S. chamaejasme, the alleviation of soil copper limitation to plants may subsequently enhance the abundance and aboveground productivity of Poaceae and Forbs. Our study demonstrated that the strong direct and indirect interactions of toxic nonpreferred species with other ecosystem components promoted competitive release in terms of biomass accumulation and species diversity. The change of soil limiting microelements content caused by toxic species exerts an important mediation function during the recovery process of degraded grasslands. Thus, these toxic nonpreferred species can act primarily as accelerators for the restoration of community structure and ecosystem function in degraded grasslands.

Polyphenols of the Inuleae-Inulinae and Their Biological Activities: A Review.

Polyphenols are ubiquitous plant metabolites that demonstrate biological activities essential to plant-environment interactions. They are of interest to plant food consumers, as well as to the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry. The class of the plant metabolites comprises both widespread (chlorogenic acids, luteolin, quercetin) and unique compounds of diverse chemical structures but of the common biosynthetic origin. Polyphenols next to sesquiterpenoids are regarded as the major class of the Inuleae-Inulinae metabolites responsible for the pharmacological activity of medicinal plants from the subtribe (Blumea spp., Dittrichia spp., Inula spp., Pulicaria spp. and others). Recent decades have brought a rapid development of molecular and analytical techniques which resulted in better understanding of the taxonomic relationships within the Inuleae tribe and in a plethora of data concerning the chemical constituents of the Inuleae-Inulinae. The current taxonomical classification has introduced changes in the well-established botanical names and rearranged the genera based on molecular plant genetic studies. The newly created chemical data together with the earlier phytochemical studies may provide some complementary information on biochemical relationships within the subtribe. Moreover, they may at least partly explain pharmacological activities of the plant preparations traditionally used in therapy. The current review aimed to systematize the knowledge on the polyphenols of the Inulae-Inulinae.

Impact of Parthenium hysterophorus L. on floristic diversity in Dhauladhar foothills of Himachal Pradesh.

Parthenium hysterophorus L. has become a weed of global concern owing to its fast expansion and invasive character. In order to study the status of this noxious weed and its impact on floristic diversity in Dhauladhar foothills, the study was conducted during the year 2021-2022 in culturable wastelands of Dhauladhar ranges in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, India. The impact of Parthenium hysterophorus L. on associated species at different altitudes and aspects was observed. Our observations depicted that Parthenium hysterophorus L. has been growing more vigorously in the northern aspect than the southern aspect with the density of 37.78 m-2 and 21.62 m-2, respectively. The highest density of this noxious weed was recorded in the altitudinal range of 600-1200 m (34.32 m-2) while it was not observed beyond 1805 m above sea level. The invasion of Parthenium hysterophorus L. significantly affected the plant density of other species. The descending order of the species as per dominance was observed as Cynodon dactylon, Trifolium repens, Oxalis latifolia, Parthenium hysterophorus L., and Ageratum houstonianum. The average number of species and species density were observed more in non-invaded sites (9.35 and 27.67 m-2) than in invaded sites (7.10 and 20.60 m-2). Species abundance and plant cover were observed more in non-invaded sites (28.73 and 657.90 m2 ha-1) than in invaded sites (22.70 and 322.30 m2 ha-1). Species diversity, richness, and evenness were reported to decline in invaded sites (1.56, 0.95, and 0.81, respectively) with respect to the non-invaded sites (1.94, 1.16, and 0.88, respectively). The study highlights the significant concerns associated with the invasive weed within the plant communities. Understanding its invasive status holds considerable implications for local afforestation initiatives, forest management strategies, and conservation policies. Furthermore, this investigation lays a foundational groundwork for implementing effective measures to get rid of this alien weed.

Functional characterization of geranyl/farnesyl diphosphate synthase in Wurfbainia villosa and Wurfbainia longiligularis.

Wurfbainia villosa and Wurfbainia longiligularis are the two primary plant sources of Fructus Amomi, a traditional Chinese medicine. Both plants are rich in volatile terpenoids, including monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, which are the primary medicinal components of Fructus Amomi. The trans-isopentenyl diphosphate synthase (TIDS) gene family plays a key part in determining terpenoid diversity and accumulation. However, the TIDS gene family have not been identified in W. villosa and W. longiligularis. This study identified thirteen TIDS genes in W. villosa and eleven TIDS genes in W. longiligularis, which may have expanded through segmental replication events. Based on phylogenetic analysis and expression levels, eight candidate WvTIDSs and five WlTIDSs were selected for cloning. Functional characterization in vitro demonstrated that four homologous geranyl diphosphate synthases (GPPSs) (WvGPPS1, WvGPPS2, WlGPPS1, WlGPPS2) and two geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthases (GGPPSs) (WvGGPPS and WlGGPPS) were responsible for catalyzing the biosynthesis of geranyl diphosphate (GPP), whereas two farnesyl diphosphate synthases (FPPSs) (WvFPPS and WlFPPS) catalysed the biosynthesis of the farnesyl diphosphate (FPP). A comparison of six proteins with identified GPPS functions showed that WvGGPPS and WlGGPPS exhibited the highest activity levels. These findings indicate that homologous GPPS and GGPPS together promote the biosynthesis of GPP in W. villosa and W. longiligularis, thus providing sufficient precursors for the synthesis of monoterpenes and providing key genetic elements for Fructus Amomi variety improvement and molecular breeding.

Combined application of sucrose and 1-MCP alleviated the senescence of Gynura bicolor DC through regulating hexose accumulation.

As a leaf vegetable, Gynura bicolor DC (G. bicolor) experiences a rapid deterioration after harvest including insufficient supply of sugar and destruction of cell membranes. In this research, four treatments were experimented on G. bicolor including the control (CK), 12% (g/g) sucrose (ST), 10 µL L-1 1-MCP (MT), and the combination of sucrose and 1-MCP (SMT). The results showed that three treated groups reduced respiratory rate, inhibited hexose consumption and promoted the decrease of starch and sucrose, which was converted into hexose including glucose and fructose to maintain cell membrane integrity. Meanwhile, the activities of AI, NI, SS-C, amylase, and corresponding gene expression levels were significantly up-regulated in three treated groups at 1 d, among which AI played a crucial role in regulating the accumulation of hexose. Furthermore, ST exerted a pronounced effect on hexose accumulation at the beginning while MT reduced hexose consumption through lowered respiratory metabolism during storage. Notably, SMT exhibited an optimum preservation effect on inhibited respiratory metabolism, maintaining cell membrane integrity, enhancing the retention of hexose, indicating that a synergistic effect of ST and MT were developed during storage.

Echinops Asteraceae extract guards against malathion-induced liver damage via minimizing oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis.

Malathion (MAL) is one of the highly toxic organophosphorus (OP) compounds that induces hepatotoxicity. Echinops. ritro leaves extract (ERLE) is traditionally used in the treatment of bacterial/fungal infections. This study's goal was to investigate the potential of extracts from ERLE against hepatotoxicity induced by MAL in male albino rats. Four equal groups of forty mature male albino rats were created: The rats in the first group used as a control. The second group of rats received ERLE orally. The third group received MAL. ERLE and MAL were administered to the fourth group of rats. Six-week treatment groups were conducted. Using lipid peroxidation indicators [malondialdehyde (MDA), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST)], oxidative stress markers [catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx)], apoptotic markers [Bcl-2 & caspase-3] and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). Rats treated with MAL underwent a significant increase on MDA, ALT, AST, caspase-3 and TNF-α marker with a significant decrease in antioxidant markers [CAT, SOD, GPx] and Bcl-2. Histologically, MAL-treated group's liver sections displayed damaged hepatocytes with collapsed portions, pyknotic nuclei, vacuolated cytoplasm, and congested central veins. Ultra structurally, rat livers treated with MAL showed dilated cisternae of endoplasmic reticulum, swollen mitochondria with disrupted cristae, nuclei with disrupted chromatin content, multiple lysosomes, multiple vacuolations and a disrupted blood sinusoid. With rats treated with ERLE, these alterations were essentially non-existent. It is possible to conclude that ERLE protects against MAL hepatotoxicity, and that this protection is related, at least in part, to its antioxidant activities.

Interaction of nickel with oxidative and antioxidative molecules in Cichorioideae species.

The uptake of nickel (Ni) by Asteraceae/Cichorioideae species Cichorium intybus, Leontodon hispidus and Hieracium aurantiacum exposed to Ni (0.3 or 30 µM) over 14 days and subsequent changes of metabolites were compared in order to identify their phytoaccumulation potential. Hieracium contained the most Ni (194 and 1558 µg Ni/g DW at 30 µM Ni in shoots and roots) but had unchanged amount of antioxidants (vitamin C and thiols) in the shoots and an elevated amount in the roots, which may be the reason for the absence of visible damage. On the contrary, Leontodon reacted by a decrease in antioxidants to an excess of Ni, which can be related to enhanced oxidative stress (an increase in ROS and a decrease in nitric oxide detected by fluorescence microscopy). All roots were anatomically in the secondary state and Ni-induced cell wall thickening (i.e. lignin/suberin deposition) was most visible in Hieracium roots, which also contained 2-times more Ni than the other species. Among essential elements, mainly Fe accumulation was affected by Ni excess. The content of soluble phenols increased while organic acids (malic and citric) decreased sometimes extensively (up to 90%) in individual species. PCA analyses showed that especially ascorbic acid, thiols and phenols affect the separation in the shoots especially with regard to applied concentration of Ni, while these metabolites in the roots clearly separated the species (Cichorium from the others). The data show the highest tolerance to Ni in Hieracium, but the highest phytoaccumulation of Ni was found in Cichorium (626 µg Ni/plant or 122 µg Ni/shoot at a dose of 30 µM Ni).

Multifunctional in vitro, in silico and DFT analyses on antimicrobial BagremycinA biosynthesized by Micromonospora chokoriensis CR3 from Hieracium canadense.

Among the actinomycetes in the rare genera, Micromonospora is of great interest since it has been shown to produce novel therapeutic compounds. Particular emphasis is now on its isolation from plants since its population from soil has been extensively explored. The strain CR3 was isolated as an endophyte from the roots of Hieracium canadense, and it was identified as Micromonospora chokoriensis through 16S gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. The in-vitro analysis of its extract revealed it to be active against the clinical isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Candida tropicalis (15 mm). No bioactivity was observed against Gram-negative bacteria, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, and Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 706003. The Micromonospora chokoriensis CR3 extract was also analyzed through the HPLC-DAD-UV-VIS resident database, and it gave a maximum match factor of 997.334 with the specialized metabolite BagremycinA (BagA). The in-silico analysis indicated that BagA strongly interacted with the active site residues of the sterol 14-α demethylase and thymidylate kinase enzymes, with the lowest binding energies of - 9.7 and - 8.3 kcal/mol, respectively. Furthermore, the normal mode analysis indicated that the interaction between these proteins and BagA was stable. The DFT quantum chemical properties depicted BagA to be reasonably reactive with a HOMO-LUMO gap of (ΔE) of 4.390 eV. BagA also passed the drug-likeness test with a synthetic accessibility score of 2.06, whereas Protox-II classified it as a class V toxicity compound with high LD50 of 2644 mg/kg. The current study reports an endophytic actinomycete, M. chokoriensis, associated with H. canadense producing the bioactive metabolite BagA with promising antimicrobial activity, which can be further modified and developed into a safe antimicrobial drug.

Chemical composition and anti-angiogenic activity of the essential oil from Blumea eriantha D.C.

Blumea eriantha D.C is a weed from Asteraceae family and is reported to have anticancer activity. The essential oil from the aerial parts was extracted by steam distillation method with the yield of 0.36%. Through GC-MS analysis of the oil, seventeen compounds could be identified by comparing with linear retention indices with the library. Out of the seventeen compounds ß-Caryophylline oxide was isolated by column chromatography with gradient elution and the structure was determined through FT-IR, MS, 1HNMR, 13 C NMR and DEPT. The oil was evaluated for its effect on angiogenesis using Chorioallantoic Membrane Assay (CAM Assay). The concentration dependent antiangiogenic effect was observed with IC 50 value of 19.28 ppm.

MS/MS-based molecular networking discovery of sesquiterpenes from Carpesium abrotanoides L. with their cytotoxic and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity.

Employing an MS/MS-based molecular networking-guided strategy, three new eudesmane-type sesquiterpenes (1-3) and one undescribed pseudoguaianolide sesquiterpene (8), along with four known eudesmane-type sesquiterpene lactones (4-7) were extracted and purified from the herbs of Carpesium abrotanoides L. Structural elucidation encompassed comprehensive spectroscopic analysis, NMR calculations, DP4+ analysis, and ECD calculations. The cytotoxicity activity of all isolates was evaluated against two human hepatoma carcinoma cells (HepG2 and Hep3B) in vitro. It was demonstrated that compounds 2 and 4 showed moderate cytotoxic against HepG2 and Hep3B cells. Furthermore, all compounds were evaluated for their acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity. Particularly noteworthy is that, in comparison to the positive control, compound 1 demonstrated significant AChE inhibition with an inhibition rate of 77.86%. In addition, the inhibitory mechanism of compound 1 were investigated by in silico docking analyze and molecular dynamic simulation.

Case Report: Mixed Airborne Contact Dermatitis-Chronic Actinic Dermatitis Pattern of Parthenium Dermatitis with Response to Tofacitinib Therapy.

Parthenium hysterophorus is the commonest cause of plant dermatitis in India. It classically causes airborne contact dermatitis (ABCD), characterized by pruritic, eczematous, and lichenified lesions involving predominantly the face and flexural areas. Over time, however, a transition to chronic actinic dermatitis (CAD) pattern, with prominent involvement of sun-exposed sites, may occur. Management involves strict protective measures and topical and oral corticosteroids or immunomodulatory agents but often leads to only limited success. We report a patient with a chronic and extensive mixed ABCD-CAD pattern of parthenium dermatitis recalcitrant to conventional treatment, with rapid resolution after initiation of treatment with tofacitinib.

Hypoglycemic Effects of Gynura divaricata (L.) DC Polysaccharide and Action Mechanisms via Modulation of Gut Microbiota in Diabetic Mice.

Aiming to provide a basis for the application of Gynura divaricata (L.) DC polysaccharide (GDP) in functional foods, the hypoglycemic effects of GDP, and action mechanisms, were investigated. Results showed that GDP effectively inhibited α-glucosidase and remarkably increased the glucose absorption, glycogen content, and pyruvate kinase and hexokinase activities of insulin-resistant HepG2 cells, indicating its potent in vitro hypoglycemic effect. In streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetes mice, GDP significantly improved various glycolipid metabolism-related indices in serum and liver, e.g., fasting blood glucose, oral glucose tolerance, glycosylated serum protein content, serum insulin level, antioxidant enzyme activities, TG, TC, LDL-C, and HDL-C levels, and hepatic glycogen content, and recovered the structure of gut microbiota to the normal level. It was also found that GDP significantly affected the expression of related genes in the PI3K/Akt, AMPK, and GS/GSK-3ß signaling pathways. Therefore, GDP regulates blood glucose possibly by directly inhibiting α-glucosidase, exerting antioxidant activity, and regulating intestinal microbiota.

Allelopathy and potential allelochemicals of Ligularia sagitta as an invasive plant.

Allelopathy is the main chemical means in the invasion process of exotic plants and one of the key factors in grassland degradation. In this experiment, we investigated the effects of ethyl acetate phase extract (EAE), n-butanol phase extract (BE) and aqueous phase extract (AE) from the aboveground (stems and leaves) and roots of Ligularia sagitta on seed germination and seedling growth of four Gramineae forages (Poa pratensis L. Festuca ovina L. Elymus nutans Griseb. Agropyron cristatum (L.) Gaertn.) in their sympatric domains and one Legosuminae forage (Medicago sativa L.). The chemical components in each phase extract of L. sagitta were determined with UHPLC-MS/MS non-targeted metabolomics, and the differential compounds were screened using Orthogonal Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA). Within a set concentration range, EAE significantly inhibited seed germination and seedling growth of four Gramineae forages. BE and AE acted mainly in the seedling growth stage and did not significantly inhibit forage seed germination. P. pratensis was most sensitive to L. sagitta extracts; at 2.0 mg/mL of EAE from roots, germination energy and germination rate of P. pratensis seeds were 0. L. sagitta extracts inhibited the growth of M. sativa seedlings and did not inhibit its seed germination. A total of 904 compounds were identified with UHPLC-MS/MS, among which 31, 64, 81 and 66 metabolites displayed different accumulation patterns in the four comparison groups (R.EAE vs. R.BE, R.EAE vs. R.AE, SL.EAE vs. SL.BE, SL.EAE vs. SL.AE), respectively. In particular, 9 compounds were found to be common up-regulated differential metabolites in the four comparison groups and were enriched in EAE. Additionally, N,N-dimethylaniline, Caffeic acid, 4-Hydroxybenzoic acid, 4-Hydroxybenzaldehyde and cis-9-Octadecenoic acid as potential allelochemicals in L. sagitta. The results of this study support efforts at finding alternative control plants for the restoration of poisonous grass-type degraded grasslands.

Phylogenetic relationships, selective pressure and molecular markers development of six species in subfamily Polygonoideae based on complete chloroplast genomes.

The subfamily Polygonoideae encompasses a diverse array of medicinal and horticultural plants that hold significant economic value. However, due to the lack of a robust taxonomy based on phylogenetic relationships, the classification within this family is perplexing, and there is also a scarcity of reports on the chloroplast genomes of many plants falling under this classification. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis by sequencing and characterizing the complete chloroplast genomes of six Polygonoideae plants, namely Pteroxygonum denticulatum, Pleuropterus multiflorus, Pleuropterus ciliinervis, Fallopia aubertii, Fallopia dentatoalata, and Fallopia convolvulus. Our findings revealed that these six plants possess chloroplast genomes with a typical quadripartite structure, averaging 162,931 bp in length. Comparative chloroplast analysis, codon usage analysis, and repetitive sequence analysis demonstrated a high level of conservation within the chloroplast genomes of these plants. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis unveiled a distinct clade occupied by P. denticulatum, while P. ciliinrvis displayed a closer relationship to the three plants belonging to the Fallopia genus. Selective pressure analysis based on maximum likelihood trees showed that a total of 14 protein-coding genes exhibited positive selection, with psbB and ycf1 having the highest number of positive amino acid sites. Additionally, we identified four molecular markers, namely petN-psbM, psal-ycf4, ycf3-trnS-GGA, and trnL-UAG-ccsA, which exhibit high variability and can be utilized for the identification of these six plants.

Exploring the influence of invasive weed biochar on the sorption and dissipation dynamics of imazethapyr in sandy loam soil.

The management of invasive weeds on both arable and non-arable land is a vast challenge. Converting these invasive weeds into biochar and using them to control the fate of herbicides in soil could be an effective strategy within the concept of turning waste into a wealth product. In this study, the fate of imazethapyr (IMZ), a commonly used herbicide in various crops, was investigated by introducing such weeds as biochar, i.e., Parthenium hysterophorus (PB) and Lantana camara (LB) in sandy loam soil. In terms of kinetics, the pseudo-second order (PSO) model provided the best fit for both biochar-mixed soils. More IMZ was sorbed onto LB-mixed soil compared to PB-mixed soil. When compared to the control (no biochar), both PB and LB biochars (at concentrations of 0.2% and 0.5%) increased IMZ adsorption, although the extent of this effect varied depending on the dosage and type of biochar. The Freundlich adsorption isotherm provided a satisfactory explanation for IMZ adsorption in soil/soil mixed with biochar, with the adsorption process exhibiting high nonlinearity. The values of Gibb's free energy change (ΔG) were negative for both adsorption and desorption in soil/soil mixed with biochar, indicating that sorption was exothermic and spontaneous. Both types of biochar significantly affect IMZ dissipation, with higher degradation observed in LB-amended soil compared to PB-amended soil. Hence, the findings suggest that the preparation of biochar from invasive weeds and its utilization for managing the fate of herbicides can effectively reduce the residual toxicity of IMZ in treated agroecosystems in tropical and subtropical regions.

Effective dispersal patterns in prairie plant species across human-modified landscapes.

Effective dispersal among plant populations is dependent on vector behaviour, landscape features and availability of adequate habitats. To capture landscape feature effects on dispersal, studies must be conducted at scales reflecting single-generation dispersal events (mesoscale). Many studies are conducted at large scales where genetic differentiation is due to dispersal occurring over multiple generations, making it difficult to interpret the effects of specific landscape features on vector behaviour. Genetic structure at the mesoscale may be determined by ecological and evolutionary processes, such as the consequences of vector behaviour on patterns of gene flow. We used chloroplast haplotypes and nuclear genome SNP surveys to identify landscape features influencing seed and pollen dispersal at a mesoscale within the Rogue River Valley in southern Oregon. We evaluated biotic and abiotic vector behaviour by contrasting two annual species with differing dispersal mechanisms; Achyrachaena mollis (Asteraceae) is a self-pollinating and anemochoric species, and Plectritis congesta (Caprifoliaceae) is biotically pollinated with barochoric seeds. Using landscape genetics methods, we identified features of the study region that conduct or restrict dispersal. We found chloroplast haplotypes were indicative of historic patterns of gene flow prior to human modification of landscapes. Seed dispersal of A. mollis was best supported by models of isolation by distance, while seed-driven gene flow of P. congesta was determined by the distribution of preserved natural spaces and quality habitat. Nuclear genetic structure was driven by both pollen and seed dispersal, and both species responded to contemporary landscape changes, such as urban and agricultural conversion, and habitat availability.