BACKGROUND Rubisco (ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase) catalyses the key reaction in the photosynthetic assimilation of CO₂. In C₄ plants CO₂ is supplied to Rubisco by an auxiliary CO₂-concentrating pathway that helps to maximize the carboxylase activity of the enzyme while suppressing its oxygenase activity. As a consequence, C₄ Rubisco exhibits a higher maximum velocity but lowe...

The prevalence of sodium (Na)-'hyperaccumulator' species, which exhibit abnormally large shoot sodium concentrations ([Na]shoot ) when grown in nonsaline environments, was investigated among angiosperms in general and within the Caryophyllales order in particular. Shoot Na concentrations were determined in 334 angiosperm species, representing 35 orders, grown hydroponically in a nonsaline solut...

Salt tolerance is an agronomically important trait that affects plant species around the globe. The Salt Overly Sensitive 1 (SOS1) gene encodes a plasma membrane Na+/H+ antiporter that plays an important role in germination and growth of plants in saline environments. Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is a halophytic, allotetraploid grain crop of the family Amaranthaceae with impressive nutrit...

Alligator weed Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb (Amaranthaceae) is being reported for the first time from Kashmir, India. Alternanthera philoxeroides was collected in 2008 during the vegetation survey of Wular Lake, a wetland of international importance under Ramsar convention. Alternanthera philoxeroides is a noxious invasive weed widespread throughout the world. We suggested that al...

Three new triterpenoid saponins, named celosin E (1), celosin F (2) and celosin G (3), together with a known compound cristatain (4), were isolated from the seeds of Celosia argentea L. (Amaranthaceae). All the isolated compounds were obtained for the first time from this plant. The structures of new compounds were characterized on the basis of extensive NMR experiments and mass spectrometry da...

A new species of eriophyid mites, Aceria bassicola sp. n. (Acari: Acariformes: Eriophyoidea: Eriophyidae), collected from Bassia prostrata (L.) Beck (Amaranthaceae), is described Hungary based on females, males and nymphs.