Thymus hyemalis L. and Spanish T. vulgaris subsp. vulgaris shrubs are characterized by a great chemical intraspecific variability among plants. This fact makes it difficult to detect real changes occurring in their essential oil composition during the vegetative cycle. Because of this, clones of T. hyemalis and T. vulgaris were used to monitor seasonal variations in their aromatic composition o...

The commercial essential oils of Citrus aurantium L., Cupressus sempervirens L., Eucalyptus globulus Labill., Foeniculum vulgare Mill. and Thymus vulgaris L., isolated by steam distillation by a company of Morocco were evaluated in terms of in vitro antioxidant activity through several methods. In vitro acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity was also determined. Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f. oil...

The antifungal activity of proteinaceous compounds from different food matrices was investigated. In initial experiments, water-soluble extracts of wheat sourdoughs, cheeses, and vegetables were screened by agar diffusion assays with Penicillium roqueforti DPPMAF1 as the indicator fungus. Water-soluble extracts of sourdough fermented with Lactobacillus brevis AM7 and Phaseolus vulgaris cv. Pint...

Allelopathic effect of apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) root on some crops and weeds was investigated in two independent experiments. First, the effect of concentrations aqueous extract of apricot root (AAR) was assayed on the seed germination of Cicer arietinum L., Phaseolus vulgaris L., Triticum aestivum L., Zea mays L., Amaranthus retroflexus L., Secale cereal L., and Avena ludoviciana Durieu. ...

Herbivorous insects are characterized by a great diversity of host plant associations, yet, the processes driving host range evolution are not fully understood. When herbivores encounter a novel host, local selection pressures are expected to shape traits that mediate plant–insect interactions. I show that a leafmining fly, Amauromyza flavifrons (Meigen) (Diptera: Agromyzidae), suffers a profou...

Berberis vulgaris L (B. vulgaris) and its main constituent berberine have been used in traditional medicine for a long time. This medicinal plant and berberine have many properties that have attracted the attention of researchers over the time. According to several studies, B. vulgaris and berberine exhibited anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticonvulsant, antidepressant, anti-Alzheimer, anti-c...

Algal biofuels and valuable co-products are being produced in both open and closed cultivation systems. Growing algae in open pond systems may be a more economical alternative, but this approach allows environmental microorganisms to colonize the pond and potentially infect or outcompete the algal "crop." In this study, we monitored the microbial community of an outdoor, open raceway pond inocu...

Beta vulgaris L. accumulates a large amount of glycinebetaine (betaine), a metabolite that is related to salttolerance. Production of betaine involves expression of many genes that encode enzymes such as betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase, choline monooxygenase, phosphoethanolamine N-methyltransferase, S-adenosyl-L-methionine synthetase, S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine hydrolase, and methionine synthase....