Acute and chronic toxicities of the water extract from calyces of Hibiscus sabdariffa were studied in male and female rats. After 14 days of a single oral administration of test substance 5,000 mg/kg body weight, measurement of the body and organ weights, necropsy and health monitoring were performed. No signs and differences of the weights or behaviour compared to the control rats were observe...

In September 2013, we discovered sooty mould growing on kenaf with the extrafloral nectaries in Iksan, Korea and identified the causative fungus as Leptoxyphium kurandae based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses. This is the first report of sooty mould caused by L. kurandae on kenaf in Korea and globally.

Incidence and severity of root-rot caused by the fungus Macrophomina phaseoli was increased in screenhouse-grown kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) seedlings simultaneously infected by the nematode Meloidogyne javanica. In seedlings inoculated at 5, 10 and 15 days of age, root rot lesions increased 70.3, 44.1 and 21.8%, and nematode penetration increased 49.0, 36.7, and 12.3% when both fungus and n...