Moringa oleifera Lam. (synonym: Moringa pterygosperma Gaertn.) (M. oleifera) known in 82 countries by 210 different names is well known by the name of the miracle tree. It is one of the extensively cultivated and highly valued members of Moringaceae, a monogeneric family, comprising of thirteen perennial angiosperm shrubs and trees[1-3]. Moringa tree is endemic to the Himalayan foothills of Pak...

Viruses of the genus Megalocytivirus have not been detected in wild populations of fish in Australia but circulate in imported ornamental fish. In 2012, detection of a megalocytivirus in healthy platys Xiphophorus maculatus was reported from a farm in Australia during surveillance testing as part of a research project undertaken at the University of Sydney. Confirmatory testing of the original ...

Pollen respiratory allergies have been increasing in prevalence over the last two decades, partly as the result of the impact of climate change. For many allergenic trees, grass and weed species, increased pollen production and prolonged pollination period result in long-term increased abundance of pollen allergens in the atmosphere; earlier shifts of airborne pollen grains and prolonged exposu...

Sequence variation in the melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) gene explains color morph variation in several species of birds and mammals. Ruffs (Philomachus pugnax) exhibit major dark/light color differences in melanin-based male breeding plumage which is closely associated with alternative reproductive behavior. A previous study identified a microsatellite marker (Ppu020) near the MC1R locus assoc...

In efforts to record pathogenic fungal diversity on ornamental plants of Pakistan, infected leaves Chlorophytum comosum were collected from commercial nursery in Lahore, Pakistan. Investigation leafspot symptoms led identification an ascomycete fungus, Thielavia terrestris. Analysis for involved morphological, microscopic and molecular methods. ITS-nrDNA sequence data used construct phylogeneti...

Beijing Key Laboratory of Development and Quality Control of Ornamental Crops, Department of Ornamental Horticulture, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, PR China (L.W., N.M., Y.J., Y.Z., M.F., J.G.); Crops Pathology and Genetic Research Unit, United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, Davis, California 95616 (C.-Z.J.); and Department of Plant Sciences, Un...

Allergy is becoming a major disease burden globally. Pollens are considered as the main component of aeroallergens that lead to rhinitis and asthma. Due to the lack of a comprehensive investigation on most allergic pollens of trees in the Middle East, the present study aimed to conduct a comprehensive literature review on this topic. The main goal of the study was to provide a checklist for all...