Pharmacological Properties and Safe Use of 12 Medicinal Plant Species and Their Bioactive Compounds Affecting the Immune System

This paper presents raw plant materials and their characteristic compounds which may affect the immune system. Plant-derived agents in specific doses affect the body's non-specific, antigen-independent defense system. They have immunostimulatory effects on the entire immune regulatory system. They can enhance the immune response through various factors such as macrophages, leukocytes, and granulocytes, as well as through mediators released by the cellular immune system. This paper was inspired by the threats caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The proper functioning of the immune system is important in limiting the effects of viral infection and restoring the normal functioning of the body. This paper also emphasizes the importance of the skillful use of plant immunostimulants by potential patients, but also by those who prescribe drugs. It is important not only to choose the right plant drug but above all to choose the correct dose and duration of treatment.

STUDIES ON BOTANY, LANDSCAPE HISTORY, AND NATURE CONSERVATION ISSUES IN ABANDONED VINEYARDS OF THE BALATON UPLANDS

Data on protected plant species and the main characteristics of local landscape history and historical land-use patterns are presented for altogether 11 abandoned vineyards around Aszófő, Balatonudvari, Dörgicse, Örvényes, Pécsely and Vászoly villages (Central Transdanubia, Hungary). The main reasons for abandonment were the vine-pest epidemic and the nationalization, and later the conversion of previous garden plots to holiday sites. Built-up areas have increased during the past two years due to the covid-19 pandemic, which leads to the deterioration of previously re-vegetated grasslands. Succession is ongoing in every sample area. I found 32 protected plant species and present their localities on maps. After the evaluation of the list of vascular plants based on their social behavior types and ecological indicator values (SBT, Val, TB, WB, RB, NB, SB) I state that the current vegetation of the studied abandoned vine parcels refer to close-to-natural conditions. Their conservation value is emphasized by the fact that I found protected plants in every study area. However, several endangering factors threaten these parcels (except for one site), such as built-up, plowing, conversion to garden;as well as scrub encroachment and afforestation. I add suggestions for the conservation management o each studied parcel. © 2022 Szent István University, Institute of Nature Conservation and Landscape Management. All rights reserved.

Special Issue on Functional Properties in Preharvest and Postharvest Fruit and Vegetables

A total of fourteen papers (ten research papers and four review papers) in various fields of horticulture are presented in this Special Issue, including such topics as the identification and accumulation of the bioactive compounds in various plant species;the effects of abiotic stresses on bioactive compound composition and content;and exploration of the best methods for bioactive compound extraction. [1], the authors investigated the nutritional profile and the antioxidant, antiproliferative, and antibacterial activities of five species of Brassica (cauliflower, broccoli, red cabbage, white cabbage, and Chinese cabbage);they found that these Brassica vegetables are excellent sources of polyphenols that showed moderate antiproliferative and antibacterial potential. [2], the effect of the bulk density and water-holding capacity of lignite substrate in comparison to mineral wool and the EC of nutrient solution on the plant morphological parameters, yield, and fruit quality of greenhouse cucumber were investigated, and the results suggest that both the substrate density and water-holding capacity positively affected the morphological features of the plants. In the fourth paper, reported by Karim and Yusof [4], it was found that the impregnation of spinach leaves with salicylic acid, γ-aminobutyric acid, and sucrose effectively improved the quality and storage ability by reducing chilling injury through improvement of the proline content.

Special Issue: Insect-Plant Relationships INTRODUCTION

Originally, the 17th Symposium on Insect-Plant Relationships (SIP-17) was scheduled to take place in Leiden, The Netherlands, in July 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the symposium was postponed to July 2021 and held in an exclusively online format. This exceptional edition has resulted in four strong contributions to the journal. It is with great pleasure that we now present a themed issue including the proceedings of SIP-17, supplemented with eight regular articles within the subject of insect-plant relationships.

Response of wheatgrass and ricegrass growth on various types of planting media

Wheat and rice are plants that contain many health benefits, such as chlorophyll, protein and phenolic compounds, which are very suitable for consumption during the current COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to observe the growth response of wheat and rice with various types of growing media. The use of the right planting media is expected to provide good content for wheat and rice plants so that they can be used as health drinks that are good for consumption. This study used a factorial completely randomized design using two factors, where : factor I = plant species with T1 (wheat) and T2 (rice) and factor II = type of growing media with P0 (top soil), P1 (top soil: husk charcoal). ) (1:1), P2 (top soil:cocopeat) (1:1), P3 (top soil:sawdust) (1:1) and P4 (top soil:husk charcoal:cocopeat:sawdust) (1:1:1:1). The results of this study indicate that the highest plant height data was obtained from rice plants with an average top soil planting medium of 18.13 cm. The highest protein content was found in wheat with top soil growing media: sawdust with a yield of 2.20 L/g. So it can be said that wheat can be used as a health drink because it contains high protein.

Preface

Originally, the 17th Symposium on Insect‐Plant Relationships (SIP‐17) was scheduled to take place in Leiden, The Netherlands, in July 2020. However, due to the COVID‐19 pandemic, the symposium was postponed to July 2021 and held in an exclusively online format. This exceptional edition has resulted in four strong contributions to the journal. It is with great pleasure that we now present a themed issue including the proceedings of SIP‐17, supplemented with eight regular articles within the subject of insect‐plant relationships.

THE USE OF MEDICINAL PLANTS IN LANDSCAPE DESIGN IN THE STEPPE ZONE OF UKRAINE

The article provides data on the use of medicinal plants in landscaping of the Steppe zone of Ukraine, special attention is paid to the creation of a rock garden. Medicinal plants have been widely used by man throughout his entire existence. Today, scientists are very interested in this group of plants due to the emergence of a pandemic caused by the deadly COVID-19 virus. It has been established that the phytochemicals of these plants are potential drugs against this virus. When creating a rock garden from herbaceous medicinal plants, the generally accepted methods were used in gardening art. And also the landscape-ecological method was used, which takes into account the relationship between vegetation and biotope. Despite the fact that rock gardens have long been used in landscape design, their popularity in the design of various landscape objects does not lose its relevance today. A rock garden is a composition of a combination of plants with stones organically located at different levels. The analysis of scientific publications has shown that the study of the use of medicinal plants in this method of gardening is insufficiently covered. In our proposed version of the rock garden, plant species that are adapted to the specific climate conditions of the Steppe zone will be used. At the same time, the flowering time, height, seasonal decorativeness and harmonious combination were taken into account. The range of medicinal rock garden proposed in this article is represented by the following species and their hybrid forms: Teucrium chamaedrys L., Mentha piperita L., Mentha spicata L., Mentha longifolia (L.) Huds., Mentha suaveolens Ehrh., Melissa officinalis L., Lavandula angustifolia Mill., Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench., Salvia sclarea L., Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton, Monarda didyma L., Origanum vulgare L., Hyssopus officinalis L., Thymus serpyllum L., Thymus vulgaris L., Thymus × citriodorus (Pers.) Schreb, Satureja montana L. Perovskia atriplicifolia Benth. © 2021 International Multidisciplinary Scientific Geoconference. All rights reserved.

Influence of Thermal Modification and Impregnation with Biocides on Physical Properties of Italian Stone Pine Wood (Pinus pinea L.)

Featured ApplicationIn recent decades, the importance of wood has also been increasing for outdoor intended use. A more sustainable approach has turned the attention from faraway tropical forests to local wood, that is, European species. Unfortunately, most of the species are not durable;thus, in order to utilize them in outdoor conditions, protection must be provided. Stone pine (Pinus pinea) is one of the most common tree species in the Mediterranean region, with a great potential in applications with higher added value, instead of being used only for burning or packaging. This investigation explores methods for an improvement of the service life of stone pine sapwood using impregnation and modification techniques.The sudden availability of Italian stone pine (Pinus pinea L.) wood due to the infestation of pathogenic fungi and insects highlighted the need to promote its use as a short supply chain resource in Italy and other Mediterranean countries. However, the durability of stone pine sapwood must be enhanced if outdoor use is to be considered. The impregnability of stone pine wood was studied following the standard EN 351-1:2008, using immersion, vacuum, and high-pressure methods with natural waxes and organic solvent-based and copper-amino-based preservative solutions. The efficacy of the impregnation was determined by calculating the kilos of preservative absorbed per cubic meter of wood and by measuring the penetration depth of the preservative. Thermal modifications were carried out using five different maximum temperatures, and their efficacy was determined by measuring the mass loss and color change. Subsequent to thermal treatments, the wood was exposed to a water-vapor-saturated atmosphere, and the increase in mass was calculated for different periods. Stone pine and Scots pine sapwoods showed similar response to the treatments with the exception of soaking impregnation methods where stone pine showed higher uptake, in particular when Silvanolin was used. Our investigation shows that stone pine can be a suitable short supply chain resource in Italy that, when impregnated, could be tested for outdoor use, exactly as is the case with Scots pine.

Evaluating Potential Respiratory Benefits of Forest-Based Experiences: A Regional Scale Approach

Background: Several studies have suggested the possibility of obtaining specific respiratory benefits by experiencing forests and other natural resources. Despite this, forests have never been considered according to such potential. This study aims to compare municipalities by considering the absence/presence of tree species generating ‘above threshold’ potential respiratory benefits. Methods: The autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia in Italy has been assumed as a research area. The natural resource based view (NRBV), postulating the strategic role played by natural resources in achieving both above-average (thus ‘valuable’) and ‘concentrated’ (thus ‘rare’ among competitors) performance, has been adopted. The literature reviews dealing with potential respiratory benefits of biogenic organic compounds (BVOCs) emitted by trees, published within the ‘forest therapy’ research field, have been adopted. Three analysis models rating tree species by their potential respiratory benefits in ‘holistic-general’ (P1), ‘particular’ (P2), and ‘dynamic” terms (P3) have been outlined. The resulting overall potentials of tree species have been assessed by adopting the well-rooted Hollerith distance (HD) model. Tree species have been rated “1” when they satisfy one or more of 58 potential respiratory benefits. Municipalities have been ranked by considering the surface area covered by forest types whose dominant tree species achieve above-average potential respiratory benefits. QGIS software has been adopted to geographically reference the results obtained. Results: (P1) Valuable municipalities include those covered by both coniferous and deciduous forests;(P2–3) Municipalities achieving the highest potential respiratory benefits, in both particular and dynamic terms, have been mapped. Discussion: Forest-based initiatives that are running in the preselected municipalities can be both further improved and diversified in a targeted way. Conclusions: Despite some limitations mostly embedded in the concept of ‘model’, this study allows scholars to reduce uncertainties when locating municipalities in which to conduct local-scale experiments.

Detection of Eight Cannabinoids and One Tracer in Wastewater and River Water by SPE-UPLC–ESI-MS/MS

The consumption of illicit drugs represents a global social and economic problem. Using suitable analytical methods, monitoring, and detection of different illegal drugs residues and their metabolites in wastewater samples can help combat this problem. Our article defines a method to develop, validate, and practically applicate a rapid and robust analytical process for the evaluation of six naturally occurring cannabinoids (CBG, CBD, CBDV, CBN, THC, THCV), two cannabinoids in acidic form (CBDA, THCA-A), and the major cannabis-related human metabolite (THC-COOH). After SPE offline enrichment, we used a UPLC–ESI-MS/MS system, which permitted the determination of several by-products. Studied matrices were samples of different origins: (i) effluent water from a wastewater treatment plant in the Porto urban area;(ii) environmental water from Febros River, the last left-bank tributary of the Douro River. The multi-residue approach was substantiated and successfully employed to analyze the water samples collected in the above locations. The rapid and precise quantification of nine different cannabinoids in different water samples occurred within nine minutes at the ng L−1 level. The appearance of dozens of ng L−1 of some cannabis secondary metabolites, such as CBD, CBDA, CBN, THCA-A, indicates this plant species’ widespread usage among the general population in the considered area.

Telling the Wood from the Trees: Ranking a Tree Species List to Aid Urban Afforestation in the Amazon

The vast Amazonian biome still poses challenges for botanists seeking to know and recognize its plant diversity. Brazilian northern cities are expanding fast, without considering the regional biodiversity, and urban plantings of almost exclusively exotic species are taking place. It is paramount that the correct identity of such trees is ascertained before procurement of the seeds and young plants, as the use of popular names may lead to importation of plant material from elsewhere, with potential introduction of invasive species. The abundant local diversity also leads to the need to score the most suitable species within a given region. Following the preparation of authoritatively named floristic lists in Southeastern Pará state, we proceeded to score and rank the most suitable trees for urban planning using different characteristics such as size, ornamental value, ecologic role, resilience and known methods of propagation. From an initial 375 species list, 263 species were ranked according to their suitability for street and urban area plantings and visualized using a Venn diagram. A final list with the 49 of the highest-ranking species was further analysed regarding their pollination and phenology period and two types of dissimilarity analyses were provided to aid practitioners in matching and choosing groups of species. Different local vegetation types mean that similar floristic lists must be used to extract cohorts of suitable plants to increase the urban richness in the eight Brazilian states that are included in the Amazonian biome.

Preliminary assessment of the conservation status of medicinal plant species in Canada

Natural health products in North America represent a $9.6 billion USD industry that has seen increased demands, particularly in products for immune support and in anti-viral supplements as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been estimated that approximately 40% of the plant raw materials used in natural health products are wild harvested each year, but exact data are missing for many species. Our data show that there are at least 1445 medicinal plant species harvested for commercial products in Canada, and 1217 of these are native species. Medicinal plants and non-timber forest crops are also increasingly impacted by climate change as suitable growing areas shift. To ensure long-term species survival in the wild, it is necessary to generate accurate information about the distribution of wild populations, the need for conservation, and the development of sustainable methods. Our objective was to provide a preliminary assessment of the conservation status of Canadian medicinal plants by analyzing the available data resources.Alternate :En Amérique du Nord, les produits de santé naturels représentent une industrie de 9,6 $ milliards de dollars américains dont la demande est en croissance, notamment pour les produits de soutien immunitaire et les suppléments antiviraux en réponse à la pandémie de COVID-19. L’on estime qu’environ 40 % des matières premières végétales utilisées dans les produits de santé naturels sont récoltées à l’état sauvage chaque année, mais les données exactes manquent pour de nombreuses espèces. Les données colligées par les auteurs montrent qu’il existe au moins 1445 espèces de plantes médicinales récoltées pour des produits commerciaux au Canada et que 1217 d’entre elles sont des espèces indigènes. Les plantes médicinales et les cultures forestières non ligneuses sont également de plus en plus touchées par les changements climatiques, car les zones de croissance appropriées se déplacent. Afin d’assurer la survie à long terme des espèces dans la nature, il est nécessaire de générer des informations exactes sur la distribution des populations sauvages, le besoin de conservation et le développement de méthodes durables. L’objectif des auteurs était de fournir une évaluation préliminaire de l’état de conservation des plantes médicinales canadiennes en analysant les ressources de données disponibles. [Traduit par la Rédaction]

USING UAV-BASED 3D IMAGES OF INDIVIDUAL TREE SPECIES IN DISTANCE EDUCATION IN FORESTRY

Distance education has been offered for years, but the integration of technological developments and opportunities into education has recently increased its popularity and event it became an indispensable method during the Covid-19 pandemic period. In distance education, accessing all class materials such as lecture presentations, class notes, reading materials, videos, live chats or class hours, and archive records allow students (participants) to learn without being in the same environments with teachers or learners. Technology has made vast contributions to the field of education. For instance, 3D as a teaching tool for the class attracts students’ attention, makes the learning process more enjoyable, and increases participation. In particular, for the disciplines, such as forestry, earth, and environmental sciences, which require laboratory exercises, field observation, field trips, and in-situ measurements, 3D modeling has provided many benefits in distance education. It enables 3D demonstration of the individual tree species to develop a virtual field laboratory. This study focused on the data sources and techniques to generate a 3D model of the individual tree species that forestry students used for distance education. The capabilities of the method in the generation of 3D models were evaluated by using UAV-based SfM photogrammetry. The results indicated that implementing 3D images of individual tree species can be a promising method that may increase the interest, interaction and satisfaction of the students in distance education in forestry.

An Evaluation of the Potential of Essential Oils against SARS-CoV-2 from In Silico Studies through the Systematic Review Using a Chemometric Approach.

Essential oils (EOs) and their compounds have attracted particular attention for their reported beneficial properties, especially their antiviral potential. However, data regarding their anti-SARS-CoV-2 potential are scarce in the literature. Thus, this study aimed to identify the most promising EO compounds against SARS-CoV-2 based on their physicochemical, pharmacokinetic, and toxicity properties. A systematic literature search retrieved 1669 articles; 40 met the eligibility criteria, and 35 were eligible for analysis. These studies resulted in 465 EO compounds evaluated against 11 human and/or SARS-CoV-2 target proteins. Ninety-four EO compounds and seven reference drugs were clustered by the highest predicted binding affinity. Furthermore, 41 EO compounds showed suitable drug-likeness and bioactivity score indices (≥0.67). Among these EO compounds, 15 were considered the most promising against SARS-CoV-2 with the ADME/T index ranging from 0.86 to 0.81. Some plant species were identified as EO potential sources with anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity, such as Melissa officinalis Arcang, Zataria multiflora Boiss, Eugenia brasiliensis Cambess, Zingiber zerumbet Triboun & K.Larsen, Cedrus libani A.Rich, and Vetiveria zizanoides Nash. Our work can help fill the gap in the literature and guide further in vitro and in vivo studies, intending to optimize the finding of effective EOs against COVID-19.