Protective Effects of Phellodendron Species on Bone Health: A Novel Perspective on Their Potentials in Treating Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis

Phellodendron (PN) species, traditionally used in Chinese medicine for centuries, hold promise as a potential treatment for osteoporosis (OP) and osteoarthritis (OA) due to their bioactive compounds. The bioactive compounds, including berberine and palmatine, exhibit anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and bone-protective properties, contributing to their potential therapeutic benefits in promoting bone health and preventing bone loss. However, challenges such as the need for standardized preparation and dosing, limited clinical studies, and potential interactions with other medications hinder their clinical use. Nonetheless, the rich history of PN species in Chinese medicine provides a promising foundation for future investigation into their potential as alternative treatments for OP and OA. Further research is needed to fully understand the underlying mechanisms of action and explore the clinical implications of PN for bone health.

First Report of Leaf Spot Caused by Alternaria longipes on Atractylodes macrocephala in China

Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. is a perennial herb that has been used in Chinese herbal medicine for centuries. During the summer of 2011, leaf spots were observed on leaves of A. macrocephala in Panan County of Zhejiang Province, China. Approximately 40% of the plants surveyed showed severe symptoms of leaf spot. At the initial stage of the infection, small, light brown spots appeared on the leaves that gradually became semicircular, oval, or irregular-shaped with dark brown or black centers surrounded by brown or light brown margins. The lesions enlarged and coalesced to form large areas of necrosis on leaves until entire leaves died. Eight fungal isolates were obtained from diseased A. macrocephala leaves by a tissue isolation method (1). Isolates were cultured on potato dextrose agar (PDA) plates at 25°C in darkness. Colonies on PDA were initially white and became grayish brown over time. Conidiophores were light brown with one or a few regular septa, mostly unbranched. Conidia were obclavate, dark brown, with three to eight transverse and zero to two longitudinal or oblique septa, and on average measured 35.1 (20 to 53) × 9.8 (5.8 to 13.3) μm (n = 20). The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of rDNA was amplified using the primers ITS1F/ITS4 and sequenced (GenBank Accession No. JQ004404). The ITS sequence had 99% identity over 545 bp with Alternaria longipes (Ellis & Everh.) E. W. Mason (GenBank Accession No. AY278835), a fungal pathogen reported to cause leaf spot on Smilax china in China (3). To further identify the fungus, we chose the Alternaria allergen gene (Alt a 1 gene), which aids in identifying species of Alternaria (2). Amplification of the Alt a 1 gene was conducted using primers Alt-for/Alt-rev and sequenced (GenBank Accession No. JQ004405). Sequence comparisons showed there was 97% sequence identity with Alternaria longipes (GenBank Accession No. AY563304). Pathogenicity tests were performed on detached healthy A. macrocephala leaves. Nine leaves were inoculated by placing a PDA plug (0.5 cm²) of mycelia on upper surfaces of the leaves. Another nine leaves treated with sterile PDA plugs served as a control. Leaves were incubated in three petri dishes with a 12-h photoperiod at 25°C and 95% relative humidity. After 7 days, the symptoms described above were observed on all inoculated leaves, whereas no symptoms developed on control leaves. Reisolation of the fungus from symptomatic leaf tissues on PDA confirmed that the causal agent was Alternaria longipes. This pathogenicity test was performed three times. The genus Alternaria is ubiquitous and includes both plant pathogenic and saprophytic species that may cause leaf spot and blight on numerous plants (3,4), but to our knowledge, our research demonstrated this is the first report of leaf spot on A. macrocephalae caused by Alternaria longipes in China. References: (1) O. D. Dhingra and J. B. Sinclair. Basic Plant Pathology Methods. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 1995. (2) S. G. Hong et al. Fungal Genet. Biol. 42:119, 2005. (3) Y. Long et al. Plant Pathol. 58:800, 2009. (4) S. X. Zang et al. J. Hebei Normal Univ. Sci. Tech. 19:46, 2005.

Additive inheritance of resistance to pod rot caused by Phytophthora palmivora in cocoa

Quantitative inheritance of resistance to Phytophthora pod rot (Ppr) was studied in cocoa hybrid progeny from 12 Trinitario x Amazonian crosses and their reciprocal crosses. The crossing scheme was similar to a factorial design. Disease was assessed by the number and percentage of infected pods on each tree. Highly significant differences due to general combining abilities (GCA) were obtained for all characters, except for the GCA of Trinitario on total pod production. Differences for specific combining ability (SCA) were not significant for all characters. There were no significant differences between reciprocal crosses. The Trinitario clone K82 provided the only source for the hybrid progenies of strong Ppr resistance to the hybrid progenies, while K20 provided moderate resistance. Other parental clones - KA2-101, KA5-201, KEE 2, KEE 5, and KEE 52 - produced progenies which were susceptible to Ppr. It is evident that resistance to Ppr in cocoa is inherited additively. Maternal and cytoplasmic effects were assumed to have no influence on inheritance of resistance. It is also concluded that resistance to Ppr of the kind shown by K82 is likely to be horizontal resistance. Breeding for high-yielding cultivars combined with Ppr resistance is the most effective way of controlling Ppr of cocoa on the crops of growers with small holdings in Papua New Guinea.

Interaction between alfalfa cultivars and Rhizobium strains for nitrogen Fixation

Two experiments were conducted in the greenhouse to study the interaction between alfalfa cultivars (Medicago sativa L. and M. falcata L.) and strains of Rhizobium meliloti Dang. for acetylene reduction rate, plant height and dry weights of shoot, root and whole plant. Fifteen alfalfa cultivars were inoculated with 10 strains of Rhizobium in Experiment I. Variance component analysis revealed that more than 30% of the total variance was due to alfalfa cultivars for acetylene reduction rate and 26% was accounted for by Rhizobium strains. More than 36% of the total variation was attributed to the interaction between alfalfa cultivars and Rhizobium strains for this character. Twenty-five host cultivars and 11 Rhizobium strains were included in Experiment II. The results also showed that the interaction of alfalfa cultivars and Rhizobium strains contributed the largest portion of the total variation for dry weights of shoot, root and whole plant and acetylene reduction rate. The results clearly demonstrated that the non-additive effects were the major component of variation for these characters associated with nitrogen fixation in alfalfa. Therefore, an effective way of improving nitrogen fixation in alfalfa is to select for a favourable combination of specific Rhizobium strains and alfalfa cultivars.

Combining ability analyses of stability parameters and forage yield in smooth bromegrass

Twenty-one progenies of smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.) from a 7 X 7 half diallel cross, with their parents, were evaluated for three years at four locations in Alberta for the genetic variation of stability in expression of their annual yield. The linear response and deviation from linear response for each genotype were the two stability parameters considered, together with mean performance in the evaluation of each genotype. Four high yielding genotypes, namely 12, 13, 16, and 26, had general adaptability, while genotype 23 was especially suited to a poor environment. Combining ability analysis showed that general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) were both important in the expression of yield. Inheritance of linear regression was controlled predominantly by GCA whereas both GCA and SCA were equally important in the expression of deviation. The presence of a substantial proportion of variability due to the additive genetic component in the linear response suggests that it should be possible to exploit this fraction of variability in developing high yielding stable cultivars.