Kosakonia radicincitans strain YD4 is a rhizospheric isolate from yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis St. Hill.) with plant growth-promoting effects on this crop. Genes involved in different plant growth-promoting activities are present in this genome, suggesting its potential as a bioinoculant for yerba mate.

One of the characteristics of holm-oak acorn production is its high variability among individuals and years. To examine the main causes of this fact, a study was conducted from 1998-2010 in a natural area of holm-oak in southern Spain, where floral phenology, fruit production, fruit size, airborne pollen emission and meteorology factors were analyzed with the ultimate aim of developing a model ...

Five new triterpene saponins, Ilexpublesnins N-R (1-5), along with seven known analogs were isolated from the root of Ilex pubescens. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis, including 1D and 2D NMR experiments. Ilexpublesnin N (1) possessed a rare 20-hydroxyursolic acid scaffold from natural resource. These compounds were evaluated in vitro for their c...

Assessing photosynthesis rates with remote sensing is important for tracking the physiological state of plants. The photochemical reflectance index (PRI) is a good estimator of short-term light-use efficiency (LUE) at the leaf scale but its responses to environmental factors are poorly understood. In this study, we assessed changes in the responses of the PRI to ozone exposure and to an increas...

At the molecular level, folivory activity on plants has mainly been related to the foliar concentrations of nitrogen (N) and/or particular metabolites. We studied the responses of different nutrients and the whole metabolome of Quercus ilex to seasonal changes and to moderate field experimental conditions of drought, and how this drought may affect folivory activity, using stoichiometric and me...

We collected and mapped epigeous fruitbodies of both ectomycorrhizal (ECM) and saprobic fungi in an oldgrowth Quercus ilex L. Mediterranean forest within a permanent transect of 6400 m2 over three consecutive fruiting seasons. Out of 5382 fruitbodies, a total of 234 species were found, including 166 and 68 ECM and saprobic taxa, respectively. Both communities were mainly composed of rare specie...

Due to the increasing importance of nitrosative stress in pathology and the efficacy displayed by flavonoids in cancelling the effects of peroxynitrite, we decided to conduct a comparative study of three commonly used beverages with the highest polyphenol contents and proven antioxidant properties: mate (Ilex paraguariensis); green tea (Camelia sinensis) extracts and white and red wines of the ...

Ilex kudingcha C.J. Tseng (Kudingcha) is a traditional Chinese drink consumed in East Asia. The present study evaluated the in vitro anticancer effects of Kudingcha in MCF-7 human breast adenocarcinoma cells using a 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. At a concentration of 200 μg/ml, Kudingcha inhibited the growth of the MCF-7 cells by 81%. This was a great...

The use of shelterwoods to favour the development of natural or underplanted seedlings is common in temperate forests but rare in the pine forests of the Mediterranean area. Our aim was to assess the use of shelterwoods in Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) woodlands in southern France to promote the survival and growth of two co-occurring oak species: the deciduous Quercus pubescens and the evergr...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Quercus suber and Q. ilex are distantly related and their distributions partially overlap. They hybridize occasionally, but the complete replacement of Q. suber chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) by that of Q. ilex was identified in two specific geographical areas. The objective of this study was to determine whether the contrasting situation reflected current or recent geographical in...