The loss of genetic diversity in fragmented populntions of self-incompalible plant species may result in sexual mproductive f%lure and local extinctions. Florida ziziphus (Ziziphus c&m) i s a self-incompetiblc clonal shrub known only from five genetically depaupemre populations on the Lake Wales Ridge. Florida, USA. Recovery of thix spccics rcyuirex identification of cross-compatible genotypes ...

Symbioses are modelled as evolutionarily and ecologically variable with fitness outcomes for hosts shifting on a continuum from mutualism to parasitism. In a classic example, rhizobia fix atmospheric nitrogen for legume hosts in exchange for photosynthetic carbon. Rhizobial infection often enhances legume growth, but hosts also incur interaction costs because of root tissues and or metabolites ...

Improving the Nutritional Value of Ziziphus Spina-Christi using Degrading Bacteria Isolated from Rumen

Objective Diabetes mellitus (DM) as a metabolic disorder is becoming a serious threat of health. In recent years, there has been renewed interest in the treatment against different diseases using medicinal plants. The present randomized clinical trial was carried out to evaluate the efficacy of Ziziphus in improving glucose control in women with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Materials and...

Various kinds of helical swimmers inspired by E. coli bacteria have been developed continually in many types of researches, but most of them are proposed by the rigid bodies. For the targeted drug delivery, the rigid body may hurt soft tissues of the working region with organs. Due to this problem, the biomedical applications of helical swimmers may be restricted. However, the helical microswim...

The temperate herbaceous tribes Loteae and Coronilleae have traditionally been regarded as taxonomically distinct entities. More recent morphological assessments, however, have challenged this view and suggest combining the two tribes under Loteae. Two key features used to distinguish the Coronilleae from Loteae include jointed fruits and branched root nodules. We evaluate the taxonomic utility...

Sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) has been cultivated as a crop in Asia for thousands of years. An ∼1300-yr-old lotus fruit, recovered from an originally cultivated but now dry lakebed in northeastern China, is the oldest germinated and directly (14)C-dated fruit known. In 1996, we traveled to the dry lake at Xipaozi Village, China, the source of the old viable fruits. We identified all of the la...

Trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (TPS) plays a key role in plant carbohydrate metabolism and the perception of carbohydrate availability. In the present work, the publicly available Nelumbo nucifera (lotus) genome sequence database was analyzed which led to identification of nine lotus TPS genes (NnTPS). It was found that at least two introns are included in the coding sequences of NnTPS genes. W...

We have characterized the development of seeds in the model legume Lotus japonicus. Like soybean (Glycine max) and pea (Pisum sativum), Lotus develops straight seed pods and each pod contains approximately 20 seeds that reach maturity within 40 days. Histological sections show the characteristic three developmental phases of legume seeds and the presence of embryo, endosperm, and seed coat in d...