Pseudomonas stutzeri improves the tolerance of Lemna minor to Cu(OH)2 nanopesticide by regulating the uptake of copper, antioxidant defense mechanisms, and the expression of metacaspase-1, chlorophyllase, and stress-responsive genes.

This study investigated the effect of Pseudomonas stutzeri inoculation on Lemna minor treated with Cu(OH)2 nanopesticide (NP). The results showed that P. stutzeri inoculation increased the relative growth rate (RGR) in NP-treated plants. Although chlorophyll and carotenoid contents decreased significantly in NP-treated plants, P. stutzeri inoculation led to an increase in chlorophyll and carotenoid contents in NP-treated plants. Copper (Cu) content increased with increasing NP concentration, but it decreased significantly in the presence of P. stutzeri. NP treatment caused increased H2O2 and TBARS levels, as well as proline levels. However, P. stutzeri inoculation led to decreased H2O2 and TBARS levels and increased SOD, POX, GST, GR, GPX, and DHAR activities. The expression of genes encoding SOD, GST, metacaspase-1, and chlorophyllase was upregulated by NP treatment alone. Additionally, when plants were inoculated with P. stutzeri, the expression of these genes was further enhanced. In conclusion, P. stutzeri inoculation had a positive effect on the growth and antioxidant system of L. minor treated with NP as it enhanced RGR, increased chlorophyll and carotenoid contents, and decreased Cu content and oxidative stress. These findings suggested that P. stutzeri has the potential to promote aquatic plant growth and counteract the negative impacts of NP on these plants.

Monitoring chemically and green-synthesized silver nanoparticles in maize seedlings via surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and their phytotoxicity evaluation.

The emergence of nanomaterials in consumer products has increased concern for their potential hazards in the environment and biological systems. Therefore, the monitoring of nanoparticles in biological systems is of great importance. Despite the numerous attempts, the methods to evaluate the uptake, translocation, and accumulation of nanomaterials inside the plant tissue are still limited. In this study, for the first time, we proposed the monitoring of the silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in different tissues of the plant through surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) approach. For this, chemically (Che-AgNPs) and green-synthesized AgNPs (Gr-AgNPs) were prepared properly and their surfaces were functionalized with Raman-active molecule. With the contribution of electromagnetic enhancement, our NP systems provided high signal-to-noise SERS spectra. After exposure to NPs to maize seedlings as a model plant, we detected that AgNPs were accumulated mainly in the epidermis and cortex of the root and phloem parts of the shoot. Highly distinctive SERS spectra were collected from the root and shoot cross-section of each NP system. Also, the accumulation of the AgNPs was furtherly confirmed through inductively-coupled mass spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy analysis. Moreover, the exposure of AgNPs to maize seedlings led to remarkable alterations in both phytotoxic and biomolecular indicators including chlorophyll, protein and, antioxidant enzymes.

Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants in Aziziye District (Erzurum, Turkey).

OBJECTIVES: The present research was conducted to document the usage of medicinal plants, plant parts utilized, and methods of preparation by the people living in Aziziye district, situated in the western part of Erzurum. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The medicinal plant species utilized by local public for remedial aims were collected and identified. The related knowledge about conventional herbal medicine was collected, herbarium materials were prepared, and they were deposited in the Herbarium of the Faculty of Science, Atatürk University. RESULTS: A total of 77 medical plants pertaining to 30 families were defined in this research. Amongst these, 62 species grew naturally and 15 species were cultivated. The most widespread medicinal plant families were Asteraceae (14), Rosaceae (7), Lamiaceae (5), and Apiaceae (5). The most widespread preparation was decoction. CONCLUSION: The ethnobotanical outcomes documented in this study provide practical evidence about the use of medicinal plants among the inhabitants of Aziziye District. Furthermore, the results revealed that the medicinal plants of the region are a major source of herbal drugs for primary healthcare utilized among the rural communities. This study can be utilized as baseline knowledge for further scientific research to improve new plant-based commercial drugs, and may transfer the traditional information as regards usage of medicinal herbs to new generation.

Effect of proline on biochemical and molecular mechanisms in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) exposed to UV-B radiation.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the role of proline (Pro) in relieving UV-B radiation-induced oxidative stress in lettuce. Lettuce seedlings were exposed to 3.3 W m-2 UV-B radiation for 12 h after pre-treatment sprayed with 20 mM Pro. The data for malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), endogenous Pro level, the activities of antioxidant enzymes [superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and peroxidase (POD)], total phenolic concentration, antioxidant capacity, expression of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), γ-tocopherol methyltransferase (γ-TMT) and proline dehydrogenase (ProDH) genes, phytohormone levels such as abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellic acid (GA), indole acetic acid (IAA) and salicylic acid (SA), soluble sugars and organic acids were recorded. It was found that Pro alleviated the oxidative damage in the seedlings of lettuce as demonstrated by lower lipid peroxidation and H2O2 content, increasing the endogenous Pro level, the activity of antioxidant enzymes, total phenolic concentration and the antioxidant capacity. Additionally, it was revealed that exogenous application of Pro enhanced the levels of GA, IAA, the concentrations of soluble sugars and organic acids and expressions of PAL, γ-TMT and ProDH genes as compared to the control. The results obtained in this study suggest that pre-treatment with exogenous Pro provides important contributions to the increase in the UV-B tolerance of lettuce by regulating the biochemical mechanisms of UV-B response.

Effects of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) pretreatment on UV-B stress tolerance in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) seedlings.

Ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation is one of the most important abiotic stress factors that could influence plant growth, development, and productivity. Nitric oxide (NO) is an important plant growth regulator involved in a wide variety of physiological processes. In the present study, the possibility of enhancing UV-B stress tolerance of lettuce seedlings by the exogenous application of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) was investigated. UV-B radiation increased the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), peroxidase (POD) and total phenolic concentrations, antioxidant capacity, and expression of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) gene in seedlings, but the combination of SNP pretreatment and UV-B enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities, total phenolic concentrations, antioxidant capacity, and PAL gene expression even more. Moreover, UV-B radiation significantly inhibited chlorophylls, carotenoid, gibberellic acid (GA), and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) contents and increased the contents of abscisic acid (ABA), salicylic acid (SA), malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and superoxide radical (O2•(-)) in lettuce seedlings. When SNP pretreatment was combined with the UV-B radiation, we observed alleviated chlorophylls, carotenoid, GA, and IAA inhibition and decreased content of ABA, SA, MDA, H2O2, and O2•(-) in comparison to non-pretreated stressed seedlings.

Evaluation of arsenic trioxide genotoxicity in wheat seedlings using oxidative system and RAPD assays.

Arsenic is a metalloid that is toxic to living organisms. It is known that high concentration of arsenic causes toxic damage to cells and tissues of plants. While the toxic effect of arsenic is known, limited efforts have been made to study its genotoxic effect on the crops. In the present study, effects of arsenic trioxide (As2O3) on seed germination, root length, reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde (MDA)), and activities of antioxidant enzymes, as well as DNA in wheat seedlings were investigated. Seedlings were exposed to different (10 to 40 mg/L) As2O3 concentrations for 7 days. Seed germination and root elongation decreased with increase of As2O3 concentration. The values of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), superoxide anion (O2 (·-)), and MDA contents significantly increased by As2O3 concentrations. The highest values for H2O2, O2 (·-), and MDA were obtained in 40 mg/L treated wheat seedling. A significant increase of peroxidase (POX) and catalase (CAT) activity in seedlings were observed with increased concentration of As2O3, then decreased when reaching a value of 40 mg/L, whereas the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) were gradually enhanced with increasing As2O3 concentration. Alterations of DNA in wheat seedlings were detected using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique. The changes occurring in RAPD profiles of seedlings following As2O3 treatment included loss of normal bands and appearance of new bands in comparison to that of control seedlings. The results of our study showed that As2O3 induced DNA damage in a dose-dependent meaner, and the root cells of wheat studied showed a defense against As2O3-induced oxidative stress by enhancing their antioxidant activities.

Phytotoxical effect of Lepidium draba L. extracts on the germination and growth of monocot (Zea mays L.) and dicot (Amaranthus retroflexus L.) seeds.

Laboratory experiments were performed to determine phytotoxic potentials of white top (Lepidium draba) methanol extracts (root, stem and leaf) on germination and early growth of corn (Zea mays) and redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus). Furthermore, the effects of different methanol extracts of L. draba on the phytohormone (indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), gibberellic acid (GA), abscisic acid (ABA) and zeatin) levels of corn and redroot pigweed were investigated. It was observed that all concentrations of methanol extracts of root, stem and leaf of L. draba inhibited germination, radicle and plumule elongation when compared with the respective controls. Besides this, the degree of inhibition was increased in concert with increasing concentrations of extracts used. On the other hand, phytohormone levels changed with the application of different extract concentrations. Comparing with the control, the GA levels significantly decreased while the ABA levels increased in all the application groups. Zeatin and IAA levels showed changes depending upon the applied extracts and concentrations.

Application of random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) to detect genotoxic effect of trifluralin on maize (Zea mays).

Trifluralin is a widely used dinitroaniline herbicide throughout the world. However, limited efforts have been made to study its genotoxic effects on different plants. The present study aimed to evaluate the herbicide's genotoxic potential on maize (Zea mays) by using the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique. For this purpose, maize seedlings were treated with aqueous solutions of trifluralin at concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 3 ppm for 7 days. In the RAPD analyses, 15 primers were used and 91 bands were obtained, with an average of 6.06 bands per primer in the control seedlings. After trifluralin treatment, significant changes were observed in RAPD profiles. These changes included loss of normal bands and appearance of new bands, in comparison to the control group, and they were dose dependent. In addition, root growth and total soluble protein level in trifluralin-treated seedlings were analyzed and compared for genomic template stability (GTS), which was performed for the qualitative measurement of changes in randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) profiles. The results showed that GTS, root growth, and total soluble protein content of the seedlings gradually decreased with an increase in trifluralin concentration. These findings suggest that the RAPD technique is a useful biomarker assay to evaluate the genotoxic effects of herbicides on plants.

Determination of chemical composition and genotoxic effects of essential oil obtained from Nepeta nuda on Zea mays seedlings.

We aimed to determine the genotoxic potential of essential oil (EO) obtained from Nepeta nuda. The chemical content of EO was measured via gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The most abundant contents were 4aα,7ß,7aα-nepetalactone (18.10%), germacrene (15.68%) and elemol (14.38%). For genotoxic effects of EO, Zea mays' seeds were exposed to four different concentrations of this oil. Inhibition of root and stem growth were observed with an increase in EO concentrations. Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) method was used to determine the genotoxic effects of EO. Some changes occurred in RAPD profiles of germinated EO-treated seeds. Even though total soluble protein quantity vary, the data observed from the protein profiles of sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) showed that there was a little differentiation between band profiles of treated samples and control group. We concluded that the basis of interactions between plants, like allelopathy, may be related with genotoxic effects of EO.

Determination of the genotoxic effects of Convolvulus arvensis extracts on corn (Zea mays L.) seeds.

In this research, the methanolic extracts of Convolvulus arvensis were tested for genotoxic and inhibitor activity on the total soluble protein content and the genomic template stability against corn Zea mays L. seed. The methanol extracts of leaf, stem and root of C. arvensis were diluted to 50, 75 and 100 µl concentrations and applied to corn seed. The total soluble protein and genomic template stability results were compared with the control. The results showed that especially 100 µl extracts of diluted leaf, stem and root had a strong inhibitory activity on the genomic template stability. The changes occurred in random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) profiles of C. arvensis extract treatment included variation in band intensity, loss of bands and appearance of new bands compared with control. Also, the results obtained from this study revealed that the increase in the concentrations of C. arvensis extract increased the total soluble protein content in maize. The results suggested that RAPD analysis and total protein analysis could be applied as a suitable biomarker assay for the detection of genotoxic effects of plant allelochemicals.

Equilibrium, kinetic and thermodynamic studies of the biosorption of textile dye (Reactive Red 195) onto Pinus sylvestris L.

This study investigated the biosorption of Reactive Red 195 (RR 195), an azo dye, from aqueous solution by using cone biomass of Pinus sylvestris Linneo. To this end, pH, initial dye concentration, biomass dosage and contact time were studied in a batch biosorption system. Maximum pH for efficient RR 195 biosorption was found to be 1.0 and the initial RR 195 concentration increased with decreasing percentage removal. Biosorption capacity increased from 6.69 mg/g at 20 degrees C to 7.38 mg/g at 50 degrees C for 200mg/L dye concentration. Kinetics of the interactions was tested by pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetics, the Elovich equation and intraparticle diffusion mechanism. Pseudo-second-order kinetic model provided a better correlation for the experimental data studied in comparison to the pseudo-first-order kinetic model and intraparticle diffusion mechanism. Moreover, the Elovich equation also showed a good fit to the experimental data. Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherms were used for the mathematical description of the biosorption equilibrium data. The activation energy of biosorption (Ea) was found to be 8.904 kJ/mol by using the Arrhenius equation. Using the thermodynamic equilibrium coefficients obtained at different temperatures, the study also evaluated the thermodynamic constants of biosorption (DeltaG(o), DeltaH(o) and DeltaS). The results indicate that cone biomass can be used as an effective and low-cost biosorbent to remove reactive dyes from aqueous solution.

Genetic diversity within and among Lepidium draba populations from Eastern Anatolia based on RAPD analysis.

Genetic variation and structure of six natural populations of Lepidium draba L. from Eastern Anatolia were assessed using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. For RAPD analysis, 12 primers generated 218 reproducible bands across the six populations analyzed, of which 73 bands (33.3%) were polymorphic. The mean Nei's gene diversity value for all six populations was 0.1771. Shannon's information index varied with population (0.2278-0.3082), averaging 0.2608. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that genetic diversity was greater within populations (58.66%) than among populations (30.68%). In addition, the variation between groups was 10.33%. The genetic differentiation among populations (G (ST)) was 0.3210, indicating that most genetic diversity occurs within populations. Gene flow (Nm) was low, at only 0.5288.

Biochemical and molecular characterization of some Centaurea species growing in the eastern Anatolia region of Turkey.

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and fatty acid (FAME) profiles were used to examine phenotypic and genetic relationships among 16 Centaurea species growing wild in the eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. Thirteen decamer primers were used to examine polymorphism. According to the RAPD results, 99 amplicons in the size range of 50-1000 bp were produced from 13 primers in 16 Centaurea species. Genetically four distinct groups were determined among the species of Centaurea, which represents high genetic variation. In the 16 species, 14 fatty acids were determined according to FAME results. Both FAME and RAPD results showed that C. virgata is genetically different from other species. The differences in the composition of fatty acids among Centaurea species suggest that fatty acid profiles could be used to differentiate among some of these species. Results of this study show that RAPD and FAME analyses are consistent.

Application of Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindley (Loquat) seed biomass as a new biosorbent for the removal of malachite green from aqueous solution.

A new biosorbent, Eriobotrya japonica (loquat) seed biomass, has been investigated in order to remove malachite green (MG) from aqueous solutions. The factors affecting the biosorption process such as adsorbent dosage, pH of the solution and contact time were studied. The results showed that as the dose of loquat seed increased, the percentage of MG biosorption decreased accordingly. The experimental data suggested that the maximum pH for efficient biosorption of MG was 5.0. The biosorption process was relatively fast and equilibrium was achieved after about 60 min. Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherm models were used for adsorption equilibrium data and based on the Langmuir isotherm plots the maximum bisorption capacity (Q(max)) value was calculated to be 57.47 mg/g at 20 degrees C. The biosorption kinetics was determined by fitting pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models to the experimental data, with the second-order model providing the best description of MG biosorption onto loquat seed. Various thermodynamic parameters such as free energy change DeltaG(0), enthalpy of sorption DeltaH(0) and entropy DeltaS(0) were estimated. The positive value of DeltaH(0) and negative values of DeltaG(0) show the sorption process is endothermic and spontaneous. The positive value of DeltaS(0) shows the increased randomness at the solid-liquid interface during the biosorption of dyes onto loquat seed.

Copper(II) and zinc(II) biosorption on Pinus sylvestris L.

The biosorption properties of copper(II) and zinc(II) onto a cone biomass of Pinus sylvestris L. was investigated by using batch techniques. The biosorption studies carried out with single metal solutions. The removal of copper(II) and zinc(II) from aqueous solution increased with pH and sharply decreased when pH of the solution was decreased. The maximum biosorption efficiency of P. sylvestris was 67% and 30% for Cu(II) and Zn(II), respectively. Batch kinetic and isotherm of biosorption metal ions were investigated. The second-order kinetic model was used to correlate the experimental data. The Freundlich and Langmuir model can describe the adsorption equilibrium of metal(II) on cone biomass. The biosorption constants were found from the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms at 25 degrees C. It is found that the biosorption data of metals on cone biomass fitted both the Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption models.

The morphological and autecological properties of Salvia rosifolia Sm. (Lamiaceae) grown in Erzurum and its environs in Turkey.

The aim of this study was to determine the morphological and autecological characteristics of Salvia rosifolia Sm. which is an endemic plant (Lamiaceae) distributed in Erzurum and its environs. Morphologically, it was observed that the species had a perennial root system, the herbaceous stem was ascending, unbranched, leaves pinnatisect, oblong-eliptic, glandular and eglandular hairs were present on the both surface of leaves. Bracts were ovate-acuminate and bracteols lanceolate. It was observed that calyx was campanulate and corolla bilabiate and also species contained two A type of stamen. Ecologically, the chemical and physical analysis was carried out on soil and plant samples collected from 22 different localities in Erzurum and its environs. Present results showed that the plant generally prefers loamy, sandy-loamy and sandy-clayey-loam textural soils, with a slightly alkaline or neutral pH. They also preferred non-saline or slightly saline soils which were both medium and rich calcium carbonate. The result obtained from soil and plant analyses were evaluated statistically and it was found that there was a relation between the quantities of phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium and plant abundance and distribution.