The fastest way to create new azalea (Rhododendron simsii hybrids) cultivars is by making use of flower colour sports, which appear spontaneously on azalea plants. Unfortunately, there is still very little known on how bud sport induction occurs. Therefore, genes coding for two key enzymes of the azalea flavonoid biosynthesis pathway, chalcon synthase (chs) and dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (dfr)...

Rhododendron is one of the largest shrubs and is well known as a garden plant because of their evergreen leaves and various flower colors. The present study investigated the variation in amino acids in the differently colored flowers of Rhododendron schlippenbachii. Analysis of the Rhododendron flowers revealed 22 types of amino acids. The amino acid content varied greatly depending on the diff...

BACKGROUND Plants are traditionally used for medicinal treatment of numerous human disorders including infectious diseases caused by microorganisms. Due to the increasing resistance of many pathogens to commonly used antimicrobial agents, there is an urgent need for novel antimicrobial compounds. Plants of the genus Rhododendron belong to the woody representatives of the family Ericaceae, which...

Small canopy openings often alter understory microclimate, leading to changes in forest structure and composition. It is generally accepted that physical changes in the understory (i.e., microclimatic) due to canopy removal drive changes in basic forest processes, particularly seedling recruitment which is intrinsically linked to soil moisture availability, light and, to a lesser extent, temper...

The rhizome of Menispermum dauricum DC known as a traditional Chinese medicine, with high content of alkaloids, has been found to possess antitumor activity. In this research, an attempt to correlate fingerprinting with bioactivity was made for quality control of M. dauricum. Firstly, the cytotoxicity of extracts from ten batches of samples against human breast MCF-7 cancer cells was estimated ...

Use of plant based drugs and chemicals for curing various ailments and personal adornment is as old as human civilization. Plants and plant-based medicaments are the basis of many of the modern pharmaceuticals we use today for our various ailments. The aim of the study was to find out the bioactive chemical constituents and to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of the ethanolic extract of trad...

The most important hosts of Phytophthora ramorum in Europe are cultivated Rhododendron species and hybrids. Since November 2002, EU emergency phytosanitary measures are being taken to prevent the introduction and spread of P. ramorum in Europe. Surveys at all commercial Rhododendron-growing premises are part of these measures and have led to P. ramorum findings at 2 to 5% of the inspected sites...

Dechlorodauricumine (5) and dechloroacutumine (6) were converted to miharumine (7) and dechloroacutumidine (8), respectively, by a cell-free preparation from cultured roots of Menispermum dauricum in the presence of FAD. The structures of 7 and 8 were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analyses and chemical conversion.

Rhododendron arboreum belong to the family Ericaceae is a medicinally and economically important wild edible tree species from Himalayan region. The fresh flowers of R. after harvesting were treated at different temperatures separately. study revealed that quick- drying process was found for maximum harnessing phenolics, flavonoids, flavanols, antioxidant activity (FRAP assay DPPH assay) protei...

Secondary phenolic metabolites are involved in plant responses to various biotic stress factors, and are apparently important for the defense against fungal pathogens. In this study, we investigated their role in defense against the rust Chrysomyxa rhododendri in Norway spruce. The fungal pathogen undergoes a seasonal lifecycle with host shift; after overwintering in rhododendron shrubs, it att...