Origin of the cultivated passion fruit Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa and genomic relationships among species of the subgenera Decaloba and Passiflora

Ultrasound-assisted extraction, optimisation using response surface methodology and HPLC-DAD phenolic compounds quantification from Passiflora edulis S. peels cultivated in Tunisia

A new ultrasound-assisted extraction method was developed for the determination of phenolic compounds extracted from Passiflora edulis Sims peels cultivated in Tunisia. Several extraction variables including: extraction time, temperature, liquid/solid ratio and pH have been studied using response surface methodology. The extraction efficiency was evaluated by measuring the total phenolics; flavonoids and antioxidants content. The highest values of the studied response were observed after 9.78 min at 49.64 °C in a liquid-to-solid ratio 22.07 ml/g and in pH (5.54). The individual phenolic compounds content of the optimum extract peels of the Passiflora edulis Sims have been analysed using HPLC-DAD. The results revealed the presence of gallic followed by caffeic acids, while the apigenin-7-glucoside and rutin have been quantified as the abundant flavonoid compounds (0.653 and 0.488 mg/ml, respectively). This green procedure should be a promising option to guide industrial design for the production of phenolic-rich plant extracts.

Advances in micropropagation, somatic embryogenesis, somatic hybridizations, genetic transformation and cryopreservation for Passiflora improvement

Passion fruit is an essential commercial plant in the tropics and subtropics, which has lately seen a rise in demand for high-quality fruits and large-scale production. Generally, different species of passion fruit (Passiflora sp.) are propagated by sexual reproduction. However, asexual reproduction, such as stem cuttings, grafting, or tissue culture, is also available and advantageous in many instances. Recent research on passion fruit has concentrated on improving and establishing methodologies for embryogenesis, clonal proliferation via (somatic embryos), homozygote regeneration (by anther culture), germplasm preservation (via cryopreservation), and genetic transformation. These developments have resulted in potentially new directions for asexual propagation. Even though effective embryo culture and cryogenics are now available, however the limited frequency of embryogenic callus transformation to ex-vitro seedlings still restricts the substantial clonal replication of passion fruit. Here, in this review the advancement related to biotechnological approaches and the current understanding of Passiflora tissue culture. In vitro culture, organogenesis, cryopreservation, breeding, and productivity of Passiflora will significantly improve with novel propagation approaches, which could be applied to a wider range of germplasm.

Revealing the Introduction History and Phylogenetic Relationships of Passiflora foetida sensu lato in Australia

Genomic analysis can be a valuable tool to assistmanagement of non-native invasive species, through determining source and number of introductions as well as clarifying phylogenetic relationships. Here, we used whole chloroplast sequencing to investigate the introduction history of Passiflora foetida sensu lato in Australia and clarify its relationship with other Passiflora species present. Phylogenetic analysis of chloroplast genome data identified three separate genetic lineages of P. foetida s. l. present in Australia, indicating multiple introductions. These lineages had affinities to samples from three separate areas within the native range in Central and South America that represented phylogenetically distinct lineages. These results provide a basis for a targeted search of the native range of P. foetida s. l. for candidate biological control agents that have co-evolved with this species and are thus better adapted to the lineages that are present in Australia. Results also indicated that the Passiflora species native to Australia are in a separate clade to that of P. foetida s. l. and other introduced Passiflora species cultivated in Australia. This knowledge is important to assess the likelihood of finding biological control agents for P. foetida s. l. that will be sufficiently host-specific for introduction in Australia. As P. foetida s. l. is a widespread non-native invasive species across many regions of the world, outcomes from this work highlight the importance of first evaluating the specific entities present in a country before the initiation of a biological control program.