Suaeda monoica Forssk. ex J. F. Gmel was found to possess the C(4) pathway of photosynthesis. The succulent leaves of Suaeda lack a green bundle sheath formation but have a layer of chlorenchyma, containing large and centripetally arranged chloroplasts, which surrounds the water tissue. We suggest that the proximity of a chlorenchymatous cell layer to the vascular bundles is not necessary for t...

Objective: Cold methanolic extract of Suaeda maritima have been considered to screen their biological properties such as analgesic, membrane stabilizing and thrombolytic activity. Although some investigations have previously been reported with this plant, the whole plant was not studied yet to date. In the present study we aimed to investigate in vivo and in vitro bioactivities of Suaeda mariti...

Little information is available on As contamination dynamics in the soil-plant systems of wetlands. Total arsenic (As) in soil and plant samples from Suaeda salsa and Phragmites australis wetlands was measured in the Yellow River Estuary (YRE) in summer and autumn of 2007 to investigate the seasonal changes in As concentrations in different wetlands. The results showed that soil As levels great...

Lotus japonicus genes responsive to parasitism by the compatible species Orobanche aegyptiaca and the incompatible species Striga hermonthica were isolated by using the suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) strategy. O. aegyptiaca and S. hermonthica parasitism specifically induced the expression of genes involved in jasmonic acid (JA) biosynthesis and phytoalexin biosynthesis, respectivel...

The present study investigates the effect of oral administration of the ethanolic extracts of Luffa aegyptiaca (seeds) and Carissa edulis (leaves) on blood glucose levels both in normal and streptozotocin (STZ) diabetic rats. Treatment with both extracts significantly reduced the blood glucose level in STZ diabetic rats during the first three hours of treatment. L. aegyptiaca extract decreased ...

Strigolactones are plant hormones with multiple functions, including regulating various aspects of plant architecture such as shoot branching, facilitating the colonization of plant roots by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and acting as seed germination stimulants for certain parasitic plants of the family Orobanchaceae. The obligate parasitic species Phelipanche aegyptiaca and Striga hermonthica...

Broomrapes (Phelipanche spp. and Orobanche spp.) are holoparasitic plants that cause tremendous losses of agricultural crops worldwide. Broomrape control is extremely difficult and only amino acid biosynthesis-inhibiting herbicides present an acceptable control level. It is expected that broomrape resistance to these herbicides is not long in coming. Our objective was to develop a broomrape con...

Alcoholic and aqueous extracts of endangered medicinal plants Balanites aegyptiaca and Tylophora indica were analyzed for antibacterial potential against various gram positive and gram negative bacteria including resistant strains harbouring bla genes by agar well diffusion method. Alcoholic extracts of both the plants showed activity against wider range of tested bacteria as compared to aqueou...

Balanites aegyptiaca Del. (Zygophyllaceae), known as ‘desert date,’ is spiny shrub or tree up to l0 m tall, widely distributed in dry land areas of Africa and South Asia. It is traditionally used in treatment of various ailments i.e. jaundice, intestinal worm infection, wounds, malaria, syphilis, epilepsy, dysentery, constipation, diarrhea, hemorrhoid, stomach aches, asthma, and fever. It conta...