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Ericulture, rearing of eri silk worm plays a significant role in rural livelihood security especially among marginalized and weaker sections. Castor (Ricinus communis L.) being the primary host plant of eri silk worm Samia cynthia ricini Boisduval, its rearing can be taken up, without losing the seed yield. To study the effect of defoliation on seed yield and additional income, eight castor genotypes viz., Haritha, Kranthi, Kiran, DPC-9, PCH-111, PCH-222, GCH-4 and DCH-177 were studied during 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 kharif and rabi seasons at the Regional Agricultural Research Station, Palem. Significantly no deviation in seed yield was observed from non-defoliated samples, and 30% defoliated plants. The batches reared on the leaves of PCH-111 gave significantly maximum shell yield of 15.1 kg/ ha followed by GCH-4 (14.8 kg/ ha) and PCH-222 (14.6 kg/ ha). By utilizing the 30% defoliated leaf for rearing, significantly more gross returns and net profit were obtained with PCH-111 (Rs. 55,582 and 37,452), GCH-4 (Rs. 55,144 and 37,036) and PCH-222 (Rs. 54,820 and 36,635). On an average almost all the genotypes gave an additional income of Rs. 4000/ ha in addition to the regular seed yield with rearing of the silk worm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Papaya leaves produce several metabolites that may be toxic to an insect pest. In East Java, it is easy to find two cultivars in the yard, plantation, and moors, such as Thailand and local papaya. However, information about their utilization as biopesticides remains limited. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between those papaya cultivars and the effect of their extracts on Spodoptera litura larvae. Methods: The Thailand papaya cultivar (TPC) and Indonesian papaya cultivar (IPC) leaves were obtained from the medium and lowlands and were macerated with methanol until obtained a papaya leaves extract (PLE). The S. litura larvae on the instar phase 2 (n= 630) were used for treatment. The Ricinus communis leaves were sprayed with PLE concentrations of 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50% and fed to S. litura larvae. Result: Based on the secondary metabolites, the papaya cultivars form two clusters associated with its origin. The 40 and 50% concentrations of PLE significantly affect the mortality and head-capsule width of S. litura indicated with broken pupae and failure to transform to imago. This result signifies the potential of papaya leaves extract as bioinsecticide for S. litura larvae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The resistant and susceptible genotypes of castor were utilized for leaf proteomic study during Fusarium wilt infection. The histopathological study was observed under SEM and it confirmed that the infection of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ricini was higher in the root of susceptible JI-35, while incompatible interaction is observed in resistant SKI-215 genotype. The acidic and neutral proteins were maximally up-expressed with 2 to 171 kDa in treated resistant and 2 to 150 kDa in treated susceptible interactions. In resistant genotype, the leaf proteins were recognized with 3.0- and 5.8-fold higher at infection stage and post-infection stage, respectively, as compared to susceptible genotype. The highly up expressions of leaf acidic (4.76 pI) and basic (8.77 pI) proteins were found with 224.94- and 61.68-fold change, respectively during the post-infection stage in treated resistance compared to its control. The protein spots at 4.76 pI and 8.77 pI were characterized with nanoLC–MS Triple TOF and were recognized as signalling molecules small GTP binding protein (23 kDa) and actin (8 kDa), respectively, on the basis of mass spectrometry and peptide sequences. However, basic and neutral proteins were up regulated as 30.11- and 20.30-fold changes in treated susceptible compared to its control. These proteins were identified as HSP90 (10 kDa) and LEA (27 kDa) proteins. The 148 kDa protein is recognized as histidine kinase in incompatible resistant interaction compared to compatible susceptible (serine threonine protein kinase, 65 kDa) as common acidic protein at 3.80 pI during infection stage. Some acidic proteins were maximally up-regulated in the leaf of resistant castor genotype and played a significant role in defense response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial application of castor oil is anchored on both agronomical and technological variables that intrinsically influence its quality properties. Therefore, castor oils of two varieties (Gibsoni and Carmenicita), extracted by screw press, solvent and traditional methods were compared in terms of oxidative stability indices, quality parameters and fatty acid distributions. General factorial analyses showed the significance of both factors on the oil yield, color intensity, moisture content, oxidative stability indices, most of the oil’s fatty acids and other quality parameters. Gibsoni variety yielded more oil at the range of 40.12 – 53.51%, especially in solvent extraction. The two oxidative stability indicators; peroxide value (PeV) and free fatty acids (FFA) favored traditional extraction and were significantly higher in oils of Carmenicita variety, at 4.26 – 7.21 meqO2/kg and 2.55 – 3.94%, respectively. In addition to ricinoleic acid (85.93 – 89.19%), other fatty acids characterized in the oils include, oleic (4.73 – 5.84%), stearic (1.41 – 2.50%), linoleic (1.08 – 3.41%), and palmitic acids (0.60 – 1.29%). Saponification (SaV) and iodine values (IoV) of the oils were unaffected by varietal differences or extraction processes and the ranges recorded in both varieties were within ASTM (175 – 187 mgKOH/g) and EN 14214 (120–140 g I2/100 g) acceptable limits. Principal component analysis (PCA) model built on the data of the oils further emphasized the significance of these two factors in quality characterization of castor oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is axiomatic that castor (Ricinus communis L.) is an industrially important oil crop with wide use. Though it is possible to augment oil yield by selecting appropriate parental lines, seed yield of the parents should also be given due weightage to meet out the increasing oil demand. Hence, it is imperative to improve the seed yield by breeding elite hybrids/varieties. Morphological description of 208 castor genotypic population for eight qualitative traits was carried out and considerable polymorphism existed among the collection. Maximum genotypes were R2 and R3 morphotypes because of the dominant nature of red stem color and blooming nature. K means clustering separated the genotypes into 20 clusters with cluster 4 and 20 as well separated ones. Cluster 4 could serve as female parent since the cluster was composed of pistillate lines and cluster 20 as male parent during hybridization. Path coefficient analysis supported the correlation coefficient that effective spike length and capsule weight showed high positive direct effects with seed yield. Also, the analysis revealed primary spike length and effective length of primary spike as the variables with the largest weightage. The first four components accounted for 75.95% of the variation cumulatively. The components were rotated with varimax rotation and the variability contribution was similar to the normal (76%). High communality values specified the reliability of the studied variables in explaining the total variation. Considering both cluster analysis and PCA, the genotypes SKP 84, DPC 19, JP 65, JC 3, JC 26, RG 27, ICS 210 and RG 3477 possessed superior agronomic performance. Hence, these genotypes/germplasms had immense value as parents in breeding varieties/hybrids to meet out the global oil demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terpene synthase (TPS) genes are responsible for producing highly specialized metabolites that assist in the plant's response to biotic and abiotic stresses, ecological signaling, and the regulation of homeostasis. Ricinus communis L. is an important oilseed crop that can grow in harsh environments and still display good yield. Thus, we aimed at characterizing the TPS gene family in R. communis and its transcriptional regulation under heat stress. For that, bioinformatics and transcriptomics were used to characterize the R. communis TPS (RcTPS) family and to pinpoint potential candidate genes for further genomics studies focused on stress‐related agronomic problems. The R. communis genome possesses 46 TPS genes that were characterized by extensive bioinformatics, including phylogenetic analysis, subcellular localization, exon and intron distribution, and transcriptional regulatory regions. All 46 genes contained C‐ and N‐terminal Pfam domains (PF01397 and PF03936) characteristics of the TPS enzymes. These genes also showed the conserved motifs DDXXD, DXDD, NSE/DTE, and RRX8W. The TPS sequences were aligned with several model plant species, and the presence of the canonical motif DDXXD amongst them indicates that TPS genes were highly conserved during plant evolution. Transcriptomics indicated that 37 RcTPS genes are readily responsive to high‐temperature stress because they showed higher expression levels in seedlings growing at 35 °C compared with those growing at 20 and 25 °C. Altogether, TPS genes are potential candidates for genome editing techniques to develop abiotic stress‐tolerant crops. Core ideas: The Ricinus communis terpene synthase (RcTPS) family was fully characterized by bioinformatics.The R. communis genome possesses 46 RcTPS genes containing at least one TPS domain.RcTPS genes showed conserved motifs DDXXD, DXDD, NSE/DTE, and RRX8W.Transcriptomics indicated that 37 RcTPS genes are responsive to high‐temperature stress.RcTPS genes are good candidates to target stress‐related agronomic problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guttation is the mechanism by which liquid exudes from hydathodes located on the tip, along the margins, and on the adaxial and abaxial surfaces of leaves. In contrast to stomata, hydathodes, also known as water stomata or water pores, are often open, representing the path of least resistance to liquid outflow from them. Guttation fluids are made up of several organic compounds. This paper focuses on the defensive properties of the chemical compositions of the guttation extracts of Oryza sativa, Momordica charantia, Luffa acutnugula, and Ricinus communis extracted using five different solvents, which were analyzed using Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The mass spectra of the compounds present in the guttation fluids were matched by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) library. GC-MS analysis of guttation fluid extracts of crop plants revealed the existence of compounds with antifungal and antimicrobial properties which may act as barriers to pathogens. The numerous compounds found in plant extracts, such as fatty acids, organic acids, and terpenoids, have a wide range of protective activities and mechanisms that can serve as the first line of defense against pests and diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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H1s, or linker histones, are ubiquitous proteins in eukaryotic cells, consisting of a globular GH1 domain flanked by two unstructured tails. Whilst it is known that numerous non-allelic variants exist within the same species, the degree of interspecific and intraspecific variation and divergence of linker histones remain unknown. The conserved basic binding sites in GH1 and evenly distributed strong positive charges on the C-terminal domain (CTD) are key structural characters for linker histones to bind chromatin. Based on these features, we identified five linker histones from 13 GH1-containing proteins in castor bean (Ricinus communis), which were named as RcH1.1, RcH1.2a, RcH1.2b, RcH1.3, and RcH1.4 based on their phylogenetic relationships with the H1s from five other economically important Euphorbiaceae species (Hevea brasiliensis Jatropha curcas, Manihot esculenta Mercurialis annua, and Vernicia fordii) and Arabidopsis thaliana. The expression profiles of RcH1 genes in a variety of tissues and stresses were determined from RNA-seq data. We found three RcH1 genes (RcH1.1, RcH1.2a, and RcH1.3) were broadly expressed in all tissues, suggesting a conserved role in stabilizing and organizing the nuclear DNA. RcH1.2a and RcH1.4 was preferentially expressed in floral tissues, indicating potential involvement in floral development in castor bean. Lack of non-coding region and no expression detected in any tissue tested suggest that RcH1.2b is a pseudogene. RcH1.3 was salt stress inducible, but not induced by cold, heat and drought in our investigation. Structural comparison confirmed that GH1 domain was highly evolutionarily conserved and revealed that N- and C-terminal domains of linker histones are divergent between variants, but highly conserved between species for a given variant. Although the number of H1 genes varies between species, the number of H1 variants is relatively conserved in more closely related species (such as within the same family). Through comparison of nucleotide diversity of linker histone genes and oil-related genes, we found similar mutation rate of these two groups of genes. Using Tajima's D and ML-HKA tests, we found RcH1.1 and RcH1.3 may be under balancing selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reproductive growth and vegetative growth are a pair of main contradictions in the process of plant growth. Flowering, as part of reproductive growth, is a key switch in the life cycle of higher plants, which affects the yield and economic benefits of plants to a certain extent. The Euphorbiaceae species, including castor bean (Ricinus communis), physic nut (Jatropha curcas), tung tree (Vernicia fordii), cassava (Manihot esculenta), and rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis), have important economic values because they are raw materials for the production of biodiesel, rubber, etc. The flowering mechanisms are still excluded in the Euphorbiaceae species. The flowering-related genes of Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) were used as a reference to determine the orthologs of these genes in Euphorbiaceae genomes. The result showed that 146, 144, 114, 114, and 149 of 207 A. thaliana genes were respectively matched to R. communis, V. fordii, J. curcas, H. brasiliensis, and M. esculenta. These identified genes were clustered into seven pathways including gibberellins, floral meristem identity (FMI), vernalization, photoperiod, floral pathway integrators (FPIs), and autonomous pathways. Then, some key numbers of flowering-related genes are widely conserved in the Euphorbiaceae genomes including but not limited to FPI genes LFY, SOC1, FT, and FMI genes AG, CAL, and FUL. However, some genes, including FRI, FLC, and GO, were missing in several or all five Euphorbiaceae species. In this study, we proposed the putative mechanisms of flowering-related genes to control flowering and provided new candidate flowering genes for using marker-assisted breeding to improve variety quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of feed plays an important role in the growth and development of silkworms and eventually in the economic traits of cocoons. This study was conducted to evaluate ten castors (Ricinus communis L.) genotypes and their feeding values on the rearing performance of Eri Silkworm (Samia cynthia ricini Boisduval) (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) at Tepi, southwest Ethiopia. A total of ten castor genotypes were evaluated in a randomized complete block design (RCBD), and the suitability of castor genotypes as feed for a mixed strain of Eri-silkworm was also evaluated in a completely randomized design (CRD) under laboratory conditions. A hundred worms were used in each replication. Castor genotypes showed significant differences in fresh leaf yield. Among the castor genotypes tested, genotype 219645 recorded 439 g of ten fresh leaf yields. Results of Eri-silkworm rearing performance depict that a shorter larval period (22 days), a higher effective rate of rearing (94.54%), and a shorter life cycle (58 days) were observed in Eri-silkworm fed on leaves of the 200390 genotype, while a higher larval weight (6.16 g) was recorded in the Abaro genotype. However, higher cocoon weight (3.26 g), pupal weight (2.46 g), shell weight (0.45 g), and silk ratio (13.80%) were found in Eri-silkworms fed on leaves of genotype 219645. Hence, based on silkworm rearing performance, genotype 219645 showed relatively superior results and is recommended for future development work. Further studies should continue giving more emphasis to the multilocation study of genotype 219645 to understand its performance in the diverse growing environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A factorial experiment was conducted at the Agriculture fields of Diyala University on alluvial mixed soils in spring 2021 according to the complete random sector (R.C.B.D.) design to study the effects of two dates of pinching as well as the comparative treatments(without pinching, 15 and 40) days, after planting and spraying with zinc by two concentrations with non -spraying treatment (300, 150 and 0). Ppm. On castor plant (Ricinus communis L.). The results obtained revealed the following: the process of developing apex pinching of the plant (first pinching) significantly exceeded In the average quality of the seed yield in plant and hectare and the ratio and yield of oil amounted to 53.55 g, 1115.0 kg.h-1, 36.1%, 402.7 kg.h-1 respectively, In addition, it increased the average total percentage of unsaturated fatty acids in the oil to 37.73%. treatment of spraying with zinc at a concentration of 300 ppm showed significant superiority of the average seed yield, characteristic of plant, hectare and oil yields, reaching 52.93 g and 1102.6 kg. h-1, 388.3 kg. h-1-, respectively, increasing the average oil and total percentage of unsaturated fatty acids to 35.5% and 32.72%, respectively. In addition to the role of zinc application at 150 ppm concentration. The overlap of the two test factors (first pinching with spraying with zinc at 300 ppm concentration) had a significant impact on the quality of seed yield in plants, hectares, and oil yield, 56.89 g, 1184.8 kg.h-1, 427.2 kg.h-1. continuous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Wound is characterized as harm or disturbance to the typical anatomical organization and function. As a result, muscles, nerves, arteries, tendons, parenchymal organs, and even bone may be harmed. It can also cause a basic breach in the tissue's epithelial integrity, such as dermal tissue, alternatively it may extend farther deeply into the subcutaneous tissue. Ricinus communis is a plant belong to the vast and significant family of flowering plants known as the Euphorbiaceae, different parts of the plant have bioactivity against a variety of diseases, include diabetes, wound infections, constipation, paralysis, and discomfort. There are a variety of phyto-constituents present, which contributes to these medicinal applications, includes reducing sugars, poly-uronides, glycosides, terpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, saponins, and steroids. Aim of the study: To look into the impact of Ricinus Communis aqueous leaf extract on wound healing in MDCK cell line. Materials) and (Methods: vertical wound was made by using 200µl sterile plastic micropipette tip to press firmly against the cell monolayer of tissue culture plate. Then the wounded MDCK cell was exposed to different concentrations of Ricinus communis aqueous leaf extract (500, 250, 125, 62.5, 31.25, 15.6) µg/ml. Results: A) the concentration 125 µg/ml of R. communis aqueous extract caused significant increase in the cell viability percentage (p=0.05) of the MDCK normal Cell line B) all concentrations of Ricinus communis aqueous leaf extract caused highly significant decrease (p<0.001) in the diameter of the MDCK normal cell line induced wound after 3,6,9 hours of incubation and wound healing was completed after 12 hours of incubation. Conclusion: On the MDCK cell line, all concentrations of R.communis leaf aqueous extract have wound healing effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are promising nanomaterials exhibiting anti-cancer effects. Green AuNPs synthesis using plant extracts can be used to achieve stable and beneficial nanoparticles due to their content of bioactive compounds. This research aimed to synthesize and evaluate the antiproliferative and caspase-3 activity induction of green AuNPs synthesized with common mullein (V. thapsus) flowers (AuNPsME) and castor bean (R. communis) leaves (AuNPsCE) ethanolic extracts in human HT29 and SW480 colorectal cancer cells. Their effect was compared with chemically synthesized AuNPs (AuNPsCS). The extracts mainly contained p-coumaric acid (71.88–79.93 µg/g), ferulic acid (19.07–310.71 µg/g), and rutin (8.14–13.31 µg/g). The obtained nanoparticles presented typical FT-IR bands confirming the inclusion of polyphenols from V. thapsus and R. communis and spherical/quasi-spherical morphologies with diameters in the 20.06–37.14 nm range. The nanoparticles (20–200 µg/mL) showed antiproliferative effects in both cell lines, with AuNPsCE being the most potent (IC50 HT29: 110.10 and IC50SW480: 64.57 µg/mL). The AuNPsCS showed the lowest intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in SW480 cells. All treatments induced caspase 3/7 activity to a similar or greater extent than 30 mM H2O2-treated cells. Results indicated the suitability of V. thapsus and R. communis extracts to synthesize AuNPs, displaying a stronger antiproliferative effect than AuNPsCS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Castor (Ricinus communis L.) is the main host plant of eri silkworm (Samia ricini D.) and Eri silkworm rearing on castor is desirable for basic seed production and to get the highest potential yield. In India, castor is contributing chiefly in the production of the Eri silk. However, the annual nature of castor has limited its spread in the field due to involvement of annual recurring cost for raising systematic plantations as well as deficient leaf availability during early growth period. Perennial castor will not only minimize the input cost but will also ensure the leaf availability throughout the year. Vast diversity of wild un-adopted perennial castor plants exists in North East India. Keeping this in view, the present investigation is focused to target the natural perennial germplasm collection from the northeastern region of India (61-1573m AMSL). The rigorous expedition for collection of the germplasm was attempted during the period 2019-2021. All the collected perennial germplasm was evaluated at Central Muga Eri Research and Training Institute, Lahdoigarh, Assam. Total 73 descriptor characters were analyzed in the 12 promising perennial castor germplasm. Variability in perennial source accessions ranged from 10.15 to 40.70% with highest variability in total shoot length. The dominance characters i.e. erect habit (75%), red stem color (33%), incised lobe shape (100%), convergent branching (58%), non-bloomy (83%), tristichous phyllotaxy (58%), mucronate type leaf apex (59%), Coriacious leaf texture (50%), Non glossy leaf (50%), leaf surface roughness (50%), Red mature stem color (83%), anthocyanin pigmentation (33%), staminate flowers presence on the lower part of the Raceme (92%), intermediate type of raceme density (83%) and non-dehiscent fruit (92%) was observed. Variability in morpho-metric, biochemical and bioassay traits in perennial castor is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present investigation, seeds of Ricinus communis were subjected to various treatments to achieve early germination by breaking dormancy. At the end of 17th day, highest germination (82%) was achieved in the seeds subjected to mechanical injury followed by IAA treated seeds (79%). The germination percentage was 28, 48, 54, 23, 40, 17, 37, 4, 27, 38, 43, 27, 30 and 77 respectively in the seeds kept as control, pretreated with hot water, scarified, stratified, subjected to alternate high and low temperature, KNO3, thiourea, kinetin, GA3, H2SO4, pre soaking treatment and those which were put in electric field and those which were subjected to coumarin and brassinolide. Thus, to achieve germination of R. communis seeds, the most suitable method is mechanical injury. IAA and brassinolide are also useful methods as they respectively resulted 79% and 77% germination in the present study (Table 1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the response of castor oil seeds and seedlings to six different substrata: regional soil (sandy-clay-loam), sand, spent mushroom compost (CAC), and mixes of CAC with 50% (A1:CAC1), 66% (A1:CAC2), and 33% (A2:CAC1) sand. Design/Methodology/Approach: The experimental design consisted of two randomized complete blocks with 24 experimental units per substratum, monitored from their germination until 50 days later. Seed weight was correlated with the final seedling biomass. Results: The best germination (P=0.05) was obtained with the A2:CAC1 and A1:CAC1 substrata, while regional soil had the lowest germination. CAC produced the highest growth and biomass in 50-day-old plants (P=0.05), followed by A1:CAC2, A1:CAC1, and A2:CAC1, while regional soil and sand had the lowest development. Seed weight had a statistically positive correlation (P=0.05) with seed biomass only in the sandy substratum. Study Limitations/Implications: The experimental period and pod size limited the achievements of this research. Findings/Conclusions: Independently of seed weight, CAC, and mixes with sand provide suitable texture and nutrient contents for castor oil seedling's germination and growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate seed, dry matter, and oil content yield in five accessions of castor oil plant (Ricinus communis L.) in the Altiplano Potosino Zacatecano high plateau regionof Mexico, grown with a fertigation system. Design/Methodology/Approach: Castor was established under a fertigation system on agricultural land. Three levels of fertilization were tested. A completely random experimental design was used, with a 5x4 factorial arrangement (accessionsxfertilization levels) and three repetitions, for a total of 60 experimental units. Results: The following accessions showed an outstandingly favorable response to fertilization: ZACS2C1 (Orito Zac) which had the greater seed yield (735 g) and oil content (%) (50.30±5.23); and SLPS11C1 which had the greater weight per 100 seeds (g) (56.77±2.35) and dry matter (1600 g). The best fertilization level for the above mentioned accessions was obtained with the low nutrient solution, while other accessions showed a variable and inverse response to the fertilization level. Limitations/Implications of the study: The study did not imply limitations. Results/Conclusions: The castor oil plant accession from El Orito showed a favorable response to fertilization levels and achieved a higher yield (number of seeds and their oil content), even in the absence of fertilization; consequently, it is a promising accession for agro-industrial crops use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phloem is a key player in whole plant functioning—transporting carbon from sites of production to sites of demand—and is likely influenced by drought due to its dependence on water for generating pressure‐driven bulk flow transport. Yet, phloem functioning during drought remains largely unknown due to a lack of experimental studies. Here, we use a phloem‐bleeding species, Ricinus communis, to investigate phloem loss‐of‐function in the context of leaf physiological processes, the mechanisms of phloem turgor maintenance during drought, and the role of turgor in phloem loss‐of‐function. We found that the solute concentration in the phloem sap doubled over the drought, which allowed phloem turgor to be maintained past the point at which leaves have reached permanent stomatal closure. We also found that phloem turgor did not decline before bleeding ceased, which suggests that phloem bleeding ceassation (interpreted as the cessation of transport) occurred when the phloem still had turgor. In sum, our findings highlight the robustness of phloem functioning, with important implications for forecasting whole‐plant carbon dynamics and drought‐induced tree mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Liver is one of the most important human organs and is a sensitive target for chemicals that modulate biotransformation. The present study aimed to develop a polyherbal formulation in the form of both capsules (solid dosage form) and suspensions (liquid dosage form) with the combination of powders of Ricinus communis leaves, Allium sativum cloves, and Piper nigrum seeds and evaluated for hepatoprotective activity. Methods: Three batches of each formulation (CF1, CF2, CF3 for capsules and SF1, SF2, SF3 for suspensions) were developed by varying starch (as binder) concentration for granulation in capsules and by varying concentrations of sodium CMC (carboxy methyl cellulose) a thickening agent in suspension formulations. These were initially evaluated for invitro parameters. Then calculated OD (overall desirability) factor for both formulations based on good flow properties and pourable viscosity of capsules and suspensions, respectively. Results: It was found that CF2 and SF1 formulations were selected as the best. Hence, these two formulations were considered for further pharmacological evaluation by ex-vivo studies using rat liver slices with CCl4 triggered lipid peroxidation assay and reduced glutathione assay, which revealed that the CF2 and SF1 formulations effectively prevented lipid peroxidation and considerably increased the glutathione levels. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that the polyherbal formulation in both dosage forms could be used for the hepatoprotective activity to treat liver toxicities for adults (capsules) and for pediatric and geriatric (Suspension) patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aimed to synthesize biodiesel from Ricinus communis L., using calcium oxide (CaO) nanoparticles as a catalyst. The CaO nanoparticles were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). The physico-chemical properties of biodiesel were studied through H and C-NMR, GC-MS, FT-IR, and fuel properties were studied according to ASTM and EN standard methods. The oil content of the feedstock was 53.7% with a free fatty acid (FFA) content of 0.89 mg KOH/g. The suitable condition for the optimum yield (89%) of biodiesel was 1:15 of oil to methanol using 20 mg of catalyst at a temperature of 60 °C for 80 to 100 min of reaction time. The H and C-NMR confirm the biodiesel synthesis by showing important peaks at 3.661, 2.015–2.788, 24.83–34.16 and 174.26 and 130.15 ppm. Similarly, GC-MS spectroscopy confirmed 18 different types of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) in the biodiesel sample. FT-IR spectroscopy confirmed the synthesis of biodiesel by showing characteristic peaks of biodiesel formation in the range of 1725–1750 cm−1 and 1000–1300 cm−1. The fuel properties were compared with the international ASTM and EN standards. The physico-chemical properties confirm that RCB is both an engine and environmentally friendly fuel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the era of precision agriculture, the fertilizer prescription based on the soil fertility status is much required. Analyzing the soil after each crop is necessary for fertilizer recommendation and developing an alternative technique to forecast the soil available nutrient value rather than analyzing the soil. Multiple linear regression (MLR) equation was developed using filed experiment data to predict the soil available nutrient in castor cropping sequence. The post-harvest soil available nutrient was considered as the dependent variable and the initially available soil nutrient values, fertilizer added, yield and nutrient uptake of castor as an independent variable. In general, the post-harvest soil nutrient model's prediction accuracy was notable and had a coefficient of determination of less than 0.90. By calculating the RMSE (root means square error), R2 value, the ratio performance to deviation (RPD) and, RE (relative error) the performance of the MLR model was confirmed.Using the validated model, post-harvest soil available nutrients were predicted and compared with laboratory tested soil available nutreints. It turned out that the established model is more precisely effective and equally precise. Fertilizer recommendation could be made to subsequent crop after hybrid castor using the predicted soil available nutrients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kasugamycin (KSM), an aminoglycoside antibiotic, has been widely used for the management of plant diseases, especially for the control of rice blast in Asia. However, its uptake mechanism and transport in plants are still obscure. The castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) seeding, a model plant for phloem transport, was used to study the mechanism of uptake and transport of KSM. Results showed that cotyledon-applied KSM could transport into the phloem and distributed in root and shoot of plant. The temperature, concentration, and pH had significant effects on the uptake of KSM, indicating that the uptake of KSM was mediated by an active carrier system. Compared with the control, competitive inhibitors of sugar transporters D-glucose, D-chiroinositol, and phloridzin inhibited 71.03%, 67.95%, and 61.73% uptake of KSM, respectively. Energy inhibitor dinitrophenol (DNP) and carbonyl cyanide chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) also affected the uptake of KSM, and the inhibition rates were 34.23% and 48.06%. All the results showed that the uptake of KSM was mediated by a sugar transporter, and it could transport from shoot to root in plants via the phloem. The study preliminary elucidated the plant– microbe interactions in the context of the transport of microbial secondary metabolites in plants. It has certain significance for scientific application of antibiotics and biological control of plant diseases and provides theoretical basis for the development of bidirectional transport pesticides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews research on phytoremediation (2002–2021), particularly for the estimation of plant efficiency and soil pollution indices, examining the extraction of metals from soil and plants growing under both artificial (spiked with specific metal) and natural conditions. From the analysis of >200 published experimental results, it was found that contamination factor and geo-accumulation index as well as translocation and bioconcentration factors are the most important soil pollution and plant efficiency metrices, respectively, which are gaining importance to assess the level of metal pollution and its transfer from soil to plant to find a better metal clean-up strategy for phytoremediation. To access the metal concentration, it was found that the most widely accepted extractants to dissolve and extract the metals from the soil and plant were HNO3 and HClO4 (mainly in 5:1; v/v or 4:1; v/v), which are used both in natural and artificial metal contamination studies. Moreover, plants such as Pteris vittata, Monochoria korsakowi, Lolium perenne, Festuca rubra, Poa pratensis, Ricinus communis, and Siegesbeckia orientalis can act as hyperaccumulators under both natural and artificial experiments and can be directly implemented into the fields without checking their further efficiency in phytoremediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) was first observed in tobacco in Greece in 1889. In China, since the introduction of Euphorbia pulcherrima (Euphorbiales: Euphorbiaceae, native to Central America) at the end of the previous century, B. tabaci has gradually become an increasingly significant agricultural pest. In recent years, the push–pull strategy has been widely applied to the control of the pest. The distinct volatiles are emitted of plants directly affect the efficiency of pushing and pulling; hence, we aimed to study the behavioral responses of B. tabaci to three plants (Gossypium hirsutum, Abutilon theophrasti, and Ricinus communis) during various growth phases (pre-flowering, fluorescence, and fruiting) and analyzed the quality and quantity of volatiles from of three growth stage, as well as identified few compounds that attract or repel the B. tabaci. The results demonstrated that the distinct volatiles are emitted by pre-flowering, flowering, and fruiting plants with varying effects on B. tabaci preference. Three volatile compounds (linalool, (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate, and nonanal) analyzed in this study had trapping/repellent effects on B. tabaci. Therefore, these compounds can be adopted as potential attractants or repellents to control B. tabaci. Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is a worldwide pest that damages over 900 host plant species. The volatile organic compounds (volatiles) of contrasting plants, as well as their growth stage, influence this pest's infestation behavior. The chemical contents of volatiles isolated from three plants (Gossypium hirsutum, Abutilon theophrasti, and Ricinus communis) during various growth phases (pre-flowering, fluorescence, and fruiting) were examined, as well as their influence on the behavior of adult B. tabaci. The olfactometer studies demonstrated that growth periods of the three plants affected the preference of B. tabaci. Volatiles of piemarker and cotton plants had dissimilar levels of attraction to adults during all stages. Volatile substances released by the castor at the stage of flowering had repellent effect on B. tabaci. In the plant versus plant combination, piemarker volatiles before and during anthesis were most preferred by adults, followed by cotton and then castor. A total of 24, 24, and 20 compounds were detected from volatiles of piemarker, cotton, and castor, respectively, and proportions among the compounds changed during different stages of plant development. The olfactory responses of B. tabaci to volatile compounds presented that linalool and high concentration of (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate had a strong trapping effect on this pest, while nonanal had a significant repellent effect at high concentration. This study indicates that distinct plants and their growth stage affect their attractiveness or repellency to B.tabaci adults, which are mediated by changing plant volatiles. These compounds obtained by analysis screening can be adopted as potential attractants or repellents to control Mediterranean (MED) B. tabaci. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skeletal muscle atrophy is characterized by reduced muscle function and size. Oxidative stress contributes to muscle atrophy but can be treated with antioxidants. This study investigated the antioxidant activity of a castor oil plant leaf (Ricinus communis L.) extract (RC) and its effects on muscle atrophy. Rutin was identified as the major compound among the thirty compounds identified in RC via LC-MS/MS and was found to inhibit dexamethasone (DEX)-induced muscle atrophy and mitochondrial oxidative stress. Rutin-rich RC showed DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities and efficiently reduced the DEX-induced myotube atrophy and mitochondrial oxidative damage in C2C12 cells. RC supplementation prevented the loss of muscle function and muscle mass in DEX-administered mice and ameliorated DEX-induced oxidative stress via Nrf2 signaling. Taken together, both RC and rutin ameliorated muscle atrophy and helped in maintaining redox homeostasis; hence, rutin-rich RC could be a promising functional food that is beneficial for muscle health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In order to explore the effect of the combination of microorganisms and castor (Ricinus communis L.) in remediating copper-contaminated soil, a pot experiment was conducted to study the synergistic effect of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, as the rhizospheric microorganisms added to siol, on the copper uptaking by castor. The results showed that after 120 days of thinning, the shoot and root biomass of castor added with A. calcoaceticus increased increased by 22.55% and 17.82%, respectively, and the copper content increased by 18.47% and 27.88%, compared with the control (without microorganism addition). The addition of the rhizobacteria could promote the synthesis of chlorophyll, especially chlorophyll a. The SOD and POD were significantly activated at the treatment group, however, which showed a downward trend with the extension of time. Furthermore, A. calcoaceticus could stimulate the secretion of malic acid, oxalic acid, and tartaric acid obviously of the plant, and accelerated the activity of urease, catalase, acid phosphatase and sucrase in the soil. Obove result indicated that the addition of microorganisms not only promoted the growth of castor seedling and increased the tolerance of castor to copper, but also strengthened the accumulation of copper in castor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metals pollution represents a serious issue for cultivable lands and ultimately threatens the worldwide food security. Lead (Pb) is a menacing metal which induces toxicity in plants and humans. Lead toxicity reduces the photosynthesis in plants, resulting in the reduction of plant growth and biomass. The excessive concentration of Pb in soil accumulates in plants body and enters into food chain, resulting in health hazards in humans. The phytoremediation is eco-friendly and cost-efficient technique to clean up the polluted soils. However, to the best of our Knowledge, there are very few reports addressing the enhancement of the phytoremediation potential of castor bean plants. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the potential role of glutathione (GSH), as a promising plant growth regulator, in enhancing the lead stress tolerance and phytoremediation potential of castor bean plants grown under lead stress conditions. The results indicated that Pb stress reduced the growth, biomass, chlorophyll pigments and gas exchange attributes of castor bean plants, causing oxidative damage in plants. Pb stress induced the oxidative stress markers and activities of antioxidant enzymes. On the other hand, the application of GSH reduced oxidative stress markers, but enhanced the growth, biomass, photosynthetic pigments, gas exchange attributes, Pb accumulation and antioxidant enzymes activities of lead-stressed castor bean plants. Both Pb uptake and Pb accumulation were increased by increasing concentrations of Pb in a dose-additive manner. However, at high dose of exogenous GSH (25 mg L−1) further enhancements were recorded in the Pb uptake in shoot by 48% and in root by 46%; Pb accumulation was further enhanced in shoot by 98% and in root by 101% in comparison with the respective control where no GSH was applied. Taken together, the findings revealed the promising role of GSH in enhancing the lead stress tolerance and phytoremediation potential of castor bean (Ricinus communis) plants cultivated in Pb-polluted soils through regulating leaf gas exchange, antioxidants machinery, and metal uptake. The excessive concentration of Lead (Pb) in soil accumulates in plants body and enters into food chain, resulting in health hazards in humans. Phytoremediation is eco-friendly and cost-efficient technique to clean up the polluted soils. However, to the best of our knowledge, there are very few reports addressing the enhancement of the phytoremediation potential of castor bean plants. Therefore, the novelty of this research is that this research studied the potential role of glutathione (GSH), as a promising plant growth regulator, in enhancing the lead stress tolerance and phytoremediation potential of castor bean plants grown under lead stress conditions. The results indicated that Pb stress reduced the growth, biomass, chlorophyll pigments and gas exchange attributes of castor bean plants, causing oxidative damage in plants. Pb stress induced the oxidative stress markers and activities of antioxidant enzymes. On the other hand, the application of GSH reduced oxidative stress markers, but enhanced the growth, biomass, photosynthetic pigments, gas exchange attributes, Pb accumulation and antioxidant enzymes activities of lead-stressed castor bean plants. Taken together, the findings revealed the promising role of GSH in enhancing the lead stress tolerance and phytoremediation potential of castor bean plants cultivated in lead-polluted soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work details the structure and composition of the woody plant community of a gallery forest located in the La Silla River, between Monterrey and Guadalupe urban areas in Nuevo León, Mexico. For the analysis, the woody vegetation was categorized into upper and lower strata. The upper stratum maximum height was 38 m, and the canopy cover was 100%. The canopy consisted of 22 species from 16 families, of which seven species represented 82.3% of the importance value index (IV); Taxodium huegelii had the highest IV (34.32%). The lower stratum maximum height was 2.5 m, and the cover was 48%. Thirteen species from 10 families were identified, five of which reached 81.3% of the IV; Ricinus communis had the highest IV (23.42%). The plant community diversity was 3.8 and 2.29, based on Margalef and Shannon indices, respectively. As one finding in the present study, it can be stated that the main threat is the presence of widely distributed exotic species such as Ricinus communis and Leucaena leucocephala, with high importance values. However, the presence of a well-established tree stratum, as well as the presence of species typical of the gallery forest, suggest a good state of conservation of this gallery forest. The present results highlight the importance of studying the composition, structure, and diversity, taking into consideration the flora of floristic provinces, as an analytic strategy for the diagnosis of riparian lentic community health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Infectious disease impacts are reduced due to the development of antimicrobial agents. However, the effectiveness of antimicrobial agents is reduced over time because of the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. To overcome these problems, scholars have been searching for alternative medicines. Ricinus communis is used as a traditional treatment for bovine mastitis, wound infection, and other medicinal purposes. Objective: The objective of the present study was to further evaluate the antimicrobial activities of R. communis leaf extracts and fractions. Methods: R. communis leaves were macerated in methanol and acetone. The methanol extract showed better antimicrobial activity and subjected to further fractionation via increasing polarity of solvents (n‐hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and aqueous). Test microorganisms included in the study were six laboratory reference bacteria (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Kleibsella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Streptococcus pyogenes), two clinical isolate bacteria (E. coli and S. aureus), and Candida albicans. The agar well diffusion method was employed to determine antimicrobial activity. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and minimum bactericidal/fungicidal concentrations (MBC/MFC) were determined through broth microdilution. Results: The results indicated that the best antimicrobial activity for ethyl acetate fraction ranged from 14.67 mm (clinical E. coli) to 20.33 mm (S. aureus) at 400 mg/ml, however, n‐hexane exhibited the lowest antimicrobial activity. Among the tested fractions, ethyl acetate fraction showed the lowest MIC values ranged from 1.5625 mg/ml (S. aureus) to 16.67 mg/ml (Candida albicans). The ethyl acetate fraction showed bactericidal activity against all tested microorganisms. Conclusion: Hence, ethyl acetate fraction of crude methanol extract exhibited the best antimicrobial activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) is an oil plant of great importance worldwide. It has a very low share in the structure of agricultural crops in Romania, but with a tendency to grow, due to multiple economic advantages. In the context of climate change new approach to cultivation technology is needed. Improving the effects of stressors is the benefit of using biostimulants. Under this circumstances, the aim of this paper is to present the results of the researchers performed in South Romania with respect to the application of biostimulants at castor bean crop. In the years 2019, 2020, and 2021, at Agricultural Research and Development Station Teleorman (ARDS Teleorman) located in South Romania, a multifactorial field experiment of type 2 x 2 x 2 was set up, having the following factors: Factor A - biostimulant product: a1 = product containing auxins (Kelpak); a2 = product containing amino acids (Amer Micro); Factor B - application phase: b1 = application at 4-5 leaves; b2 = application before the appearance of the main raceme; Factor C - application rate: c1 = 1 l/ha; c2 = 2 l/ha. The application of the studied biostimulants determined significant increases in seed yield at castor bean. The obtained results in the three experimental years show that the application of the biostimulants should be done before the appearance of the main raceme and in the rate of 2 l/ha. The effects determined by Amer Micro biostimulant (based on amino acids) was more consistent than those of Kelpak biostimulant (based on auxins). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study assesses the prospect of using R. Communis seed oil as a substitute fuel for diesel engines. Biodiesel is prepared from the R. Communis plant seed oil by a single-step base catalytic transesterification procedure. The investigation deals with the Physico-chemical characteristics of R. Communis biodiesel and has been associated with the base diesel. It has been perceived that the characteristics of biodiesel are well-matched with the base diesel under the ASTM D6751 limits correspondingly. R. Communis biodiesel is blended in different proportions with base diesel such as D10, D20, D30, D40, D50 and D100 and is tested in a Kirloskar TV1 single-cylinder, 4 blows DI engine under altered loading conditions. Outcomes demonstrate that BTE and BSFC for D10 as well as D20 are similar to base diesel. BSFC indicates that the precise BSFC of base diesel, D10, D20, D30, D40 and D50 was 0.87, 1.70, 2.60, 3.0, 3.4, and 3.5 kg/kW-hr, respectively. The extreme BTE at full load condition for base diesel, D10, D20, D30, D40, D50 and D100 are 28.2%, 28.1%, 27.9%, 25.5%, 24.1%, and 23.6% , respectively. In the case of engine emissions, R. Communis biodiesel blends provided an average decrease in hydrocarbon (HC), Carbon-monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2) associated with base diesel. Nevertheless, R. Communis biodiesel blends discharged high stages of nitrogen oxide (NOx) compares to base diesel. Base diesel, D10, D20, D30, D40, D50, and D100 had UBHC emissions of 45 ppm, 40 ppm, 44 ppm, 46 ppm, 41 ppm, and 43 ppm, respectively. The reduction in CO emissions for D10, D20, D30, D40, D50 and D100 are 0.13%, 0.14%, 0.17%, 0.18% and 0.21% respectively. The dissimilarity in NOx attentiveness within brake powers for D10, D20, D30, D40, and D50 and base diesel are 50-ppm, 100 ppm, 150 ppm, 250 ppm, 350 ppm, and 500 ppm, respectively. The dissimilarity of CO2 emanation with reverence to break powers for the base-diesel, D10, D20, D30, D40, D50, and D100 are 4.8%, 4.9%, 4.8%, 4.56%, 4.9% and 5.1%, respectively. The present research provides a way for renewable petrol blends to substitute diesel for powering diesel engines in that way dropping the reliance on fossil fuels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Castor oil is a vegetable product extracted from Ricinus communis L (castor seed), which is primarily considered an important commercial value for the manufacturing of soaps, lubricants, coatings, etc. It is rich in hydroxylated fatty acids (ricinoleic acid, 89-92%) and is widely used in the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, oleochemical, and agricultural industries. This oil has also been confirmed as a bactericidal, anti-inflammatory, and antiherpetic agents, due to the ricinoleic acid having functional groups, such as –COOH, -OH, and –C=C-. Furthermore, it is converted into various acid derivative compounds with several applications. Therefore, this article reviewed some reaction stages to the preparation of ricinoleic acid from castor oil. Several methods or reaction pathways were employed in the preparation procedure, such as the Twitchell and Colgate-Emery processes, as well as the alkaline catalyzed, transesterification with methyl ricinoleic, and lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis, respectively. Although each of these preparation methods has advantages and disadvantages, the most effective technique was the hydrolysis through the use of the enzyme lipozyme TL IM. Besides being a green method, the conversion rate in the hydrolysis process was 96.2 ± 1.5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Castor is an important industrial oilseed crop utilized for multivarious applications. Augmenting seed yield in long duration castor varieties is of utmost importance to meet the increasing oil demand and also to make them suitable for inter/border cropping. Understanding the genetic diversity in base population of monoecious lines and interrelationship between economic traits are very much important to formulate suitable genetic improvement programmes. In this regard, seed morphological characterization and genetic diversity was assessed in 62 late flowering monoecious lines. Predominance of brown colour, ellipsoid shape and conspicuous mottling with caruncle was observed among the genotypes. Cluster analysis grouped them into eight different clusters. Maximum inter cluster distance was found between cluster VI and VIII, whereas intra cluster distance was high in cluster II. Cluster VI recorded the highest cluster mean for 100 seed weight and seed yield per plant (44.56 g and 174 g, respectively). Association studies revealed 100 seed weight and shelling percentage to be the significant traits for indirect selection of yield. In conclusion, the cluster VI has potential genotypes to utilize in developing high yielding varieties and male parent donor for hybrid breeding. The diverse genotypes identified from this study could be given priority during recombination breeding to get diverse segregants and for further molecular analysis like mapping population development and QTL/gene identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high consumption of fossil fuels has significant environmental implications. An alternative to reduce the use of fossil fuels and develop ecological and economic processes is the bio-refinery approach. In the present study, the authors present the production of biodiesel from castor plants through a biorefinery approach. The process includes sub-processes associated with the integral use of castor plants, such as biodiesel production, oil extraction, fertilizer, and solid biomass production. Economic analyses show that producing only biodiesel is not feasible, but economic indicators (NPV, IRR, and profitability index) show it is much more feasible to establish businesses for the valorization of products and subproducts of castor plants, such as biomass densification. The internal rate return for the second scenario (E2) was 568%, whereas, for the first scenario (E1), it was not possible to obtain a return on investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ricinus communis commonly known as castor oil plant is used in Indian indigenous medicinal system of Ayurveda to treat various diseases like sleeping disorders (insomnia), gall bladder pain, headache, backache, expulsion of placenta and arthritis. The present study deals with the genotoxic effects of silver nanoparticles of Ricinus communis leaves and seeds aqueous extracts in human lymphocytes and in Escherichia coli by the comet assay. Using aqueous extracts of seeds and leaves powder of Ricinus communis, silver nano particles are prepared. The results showed increase in tail length when the E. coli samples were treated with four different concentrations of leaves silver nanoparticles, as the concentration increases tail length also increases denoting DNA damage at high concentrations. Mild genotoxicity was observed when human lymphocytes were used against different concentrations of leaves silver nanoparticles. When seed nanoparticles of Ricinus communis (four different concentrations) treated with E. coli, mild genotoxicity is observed but when seed nanoparticles were treated with human lymphocytes, results showed higher level of genomic damage (nature of genotoxicity is increasing with the increasing concentration). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tung tree (Vernicia fordii) is an industrially important oil-bearing woody plant of the Euphorbiaceae family. Functional studies of tung tree at the molecular level are limited by the lack of an efficient transgenic system. The Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated hairy root generation system is an alternative to typical plant transformation systems. However, its application in many plants has been blocked due to the inability of existing methods to induce hairy roots. Thus, it is critical to build a method suitable for the hairy induction of the specific plant of interest. In this study, a modified method for tung tree was developed, and it is the first report that hairy roots could be effectively induced in the stem of tung tree. With the method, an average of 10.7 hairy roots per seedling were generated in tung tree, approximately 67% of seedlings produced transgenic hairy roots and approximately 13.96% of the hairy roots of these seedlings were transgenic. This modified method is also suitable for the hairy root induction of two other oil-bearing plants of the Euphorbiaceae family, Ricinus communis and Vernicia montana. This modified method will accelerate functional studies of tung tree at the molecular level and also shed light on plants lacking a transgenic system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A central goal of green chemistry is to produce industrially useful fatty acids in oilseed crops. Although genes encoding suitable fatty acid-modifying enzymes are available from more than a dozen wild species, progress has been limited because expression of these enzymes in transgenic plants produces only low yields of the desired products. For example, fatty acid hydroxylase 12 (FAH12) from castor (Ricinus communis) produces only 17% hydroxy fatty acids (HFAs) when expressed in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), compared with 90% HFAs in castor seeds. The transgenic plants also have reduced oil content and seed vigor. Here, we review experiments that have provided for steady increased HFA accumulation and oil content. This research has led to exciting new discoveries of enzymes and regulatory processes in the pathways of both seed oil synthesis and lipid metabolism in other parts of the plant. Recent investigations have revealed that HFA-accumulating seeds are unable to rapidly mobilize HFA-containing triacylglycerol (TAG) storage lipid after germination to provide carbon and energy for seedling development, resulting in reduced seedling establishment. These findings present a new opportunity to investigate a different, key area of lipid metabolism—the pathways of TAG lipolysis and β-oxidation in germinating seedlings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poisonous plants cause tremendous economic losses to the livestock industry. These economic losses are deterioration in their health, decreased productivity, deformed offspring, and reduced longevity. The current study is the first comprehensive report on poisonous plants of Azad Jammu and Kashmir which systematically documents the phytotoxicological effect and mode of action in livestock. The information was gathered from 271 informants including 167 men and 104 women through semi-structured interviews and literature search through available databases. The data collected through interviews was analyzed with quantitative tools viz. the factor informant consensus and fidelity level. A total of 38 species of flowering plants belonging to 23 families and 38 genera were reported. Family Asteraceae (5 spp) was the most dominant, followed by Solanaceae (4 spp), Fabaceae (4 spp), Euphorbiaceae (4 spp) and Convolvulaceae (3 spp). Among all the species collected, herbs were the dominant life form (22 spp, 57.89%), trailed by shrubs (11 spp, 28.95%), and trees (5 spp, 13.16%). Whole plant toxicity was reported to be the highest (15 spp, 39.47%), followed by leaf toxicity (12 spp, 31.58%), seed toxicity (4 spp, 7.89%), fruit toxicity (3 spp, 10.53%), latex toxicity (2 spp, 5.26%), flowers toxicity (1 spp, 2.63%), and berries toxicity (1 spp, 2.63%). The most toxic route of administration was found oral (39 spp, 40.63%), followed by intraperitoneal (24 spp, 25%), and intravenous (21 spp, 21.88%). The most commonly affected organ was found liver (20.41%), followed by gastrointestinal tract (20.341%), CNS (16.33%), skin (14.29%), kidneys (12.24%), lungs (4.04%), reproductive organs (2.04%), spleen (1.75%), blood (1.75%), heart (1.75%), urinary tract (1.75%), and pancreas (1.75%). The maximum Fic value was found for dermatological disorders (0.91), followed by the endocrine system (0.90), gastrointestinal (0.82), neurology (0.77), nephrology (0.67), cardiovascular (0.67), urinary (0.67), respiratory (0.60), sexual (0.60) disorders. Senecio vulgaris, and Ageratum conyzoides were the most important plants with fidelity level (0.95) and (0.87). Nerium oleander, Lantana camara, Leucaena leucocephala, and Ricinus communis were the important poisonous plant with maximum fidelity level (100%). Ricinus communis with reported lowest LD50 (<20 mg/kg) was the top-ranked poisonous plant followed by Lantana camara and Justicia adhatoda (25–50 mg/kg), Nerium Oleander (157.37 mg/kg), and Datura innoxia (400 mg/kg). We found that knowledge about poisonous plants is less prevailing in the rural areas of Azad Kashmir compared to the knowledge about medicinal plants and poisonous nature of reported plants is due to production of toxic substances and presence of essential oils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gray mold is a major disease of castor caused by the pathogen Amphobotrys ricini. It mainly affects the inflorescence resulting in severe yield losses. Role of qualitative characters of inflorescence (spike) and capsule viz. spike compactness, capsule type, waxy bloom intensity on capsules (visual), capsule spine length, spine texture and spine density in predisposing castor crop to gray mold was investigated. A set of 26 castor lines differing for presence and intensity of bloom was characterized for spike and capsule characters. The lines were screened in vitro (detached spike and capsule techniques) and in vivo by raising the plants in poly house and field conditions for disease reaction. Spearman's rank correlation analysis revealed significant positive correlation (rs = >0.5; p = <0.05) between disease severity and capsule type, capsule waxy bloom, spine texture, spine length. Principal component regression analysis revealed that waxy bloom intensity is the major factor, among the evaluated, that predisposes castor lines to the fungus infection promoting disease severity. Quantification of epicuticular wax from capsules of different waxy bloom lines revealed that there was an increase in severity of infection with increase in wax quantity on capsules irrespective of nature of bloom substantiating the role of waxy bloom quantity in promoting the infection. High quantities of wax (1.50–3.00 µg/mg) were extracted from lines showing high per cent disease severity (40%–95%), and low quantities of wax (0.00–1.50 µg/mg) were extracted from lines showing low per cent disease severity (1%–40%). A disease scoring scale considering differences in waxy bloom quantity as a biochemical marker has been proposed. It may not be a replacement to phenotypic screenings but helps breeders in selecting early generation material for low disease severity when huge populations are to be screened against gray mold by choosing low waxy bloom varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) is a promising industrial crop suitable for cultivation in marginal conditions in the Mediterranean area, but the mechanical harvesting of the seeds is still usually performed manually. In this manuscript, the authors present a preliminary test to assess the effectiveness of equipping a combine harvester with a sunflower header to mechanically harvest castor beans. Machinery performance, seed loss from impact (ISL) and cleaning systems (CSL), and seed cleaning were evaluated and compared with the results obtained from the same combine harvester equipped with a cereal header. According to the results, no statistically significant difference in CSL was found. Values ranged from 162. 41 kg dry matter (DM) ha−1 in the cereal header to 145.56 kg DM ha−1 in the sunflower header, corresponding, respectively, to 8% w/w and 7% w/w of the potential seed yield (PSY). Using the sunflower header significantly lowered ISL (158.16 kg DM ha−1, i.e., 8% w/w of PSY) in comparison with the cereal header (282.02 kg DM ha−1, i.e., 14% w/w of PSY). This suggests more gentle cutting and conveying capability of the sunflower header to harvest the plants without losing capsules. On the other hand, the use of different headers did not significantly affect the cleaning of the seeds which averaged at 20% of the total seeds collected in both cases. In conclusion, the study highlights that a conventional combine harvester equipped with a sunflower header could be the first step towards the development of a fully mechanized harvest phase in castor beans which triggers lower seed loss and does not negatively affect the cleaning capacity of the combine harvester. Further studies are also encouraged to confirm these findings in other hybrids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To describe the agribusiness potential of the castor oil plant in Mexico through the collection and analysis of agricultural, industrial and commercial information that allows decision making for the formulation of future productive projects to generate economic, social and technological impacts. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study is descriptive with a transactional design. The information was collected on national and international agrifood statistical and documentary information platforms. Results: Different attempts have been made in Mexico in commercial and research projects related to the cultivation, production and transformation of castor oil, with results that are not very encouraging due to the lack of knowledge about productive, technological and commercial processes. However, on the other hand, the need for the industrial sector to import oil to produce high-value products is evident. Study Limitations/Implications: Isolated efforts have been made by each of the actors in the castor oil agribusiness, which has prevented the sector’s consolidation. Findings/Conclusions: An intelligent management of agricultural production must be implemented through the establishment of commercial crops with the adoption of basic technological packages applied to each region in particular, with great attention to the availability of planting seed, which should have agronomic potential, use of nutrition and management of pests and diseases, as well as to foresee all the cultural tasks of maintenance of the crop and harvesting modality that guarantee yield in the field and quality raw material. Currently, there is a deficit in the castor oil market in the country, which leads to high business prospects and business opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]