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Paronchia argentea is traditionally being used for medicinal purposes in Jordan. The current investigation was designed to check the in vitro efficacy of in vitro and ex vitro P. argentea against selected bacterial and fungal strains. The antimicrobial properties of in vitro plantlets and field (ex vitro) plant extracts of P. argentea were investigated against both bacteria and fungi, after and before heavy metals stress used. In this study, four bacterial species were used: Listeria monocytogen and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram positive bacteria) Salmonella typhimurum and Coronobacter sakazakii (Gram negative bacteria) and Calvularia lunata as a mold. The obtained results revealed that the in vitro grown plantlets with the supplemented of lead (Pb), copper (Cu) or Cobalt (Co) with methanol and aqueous extract showed significant inhibitory activities within zones of inhibition ranging between 6.7-30.0 mm. All extracts of P. argentea had activity against the fungi and bacteria tested. The maximum inhibition zone was found in Staphylococcus aureus (30 mm inhibition zone) in medium supplemented with 0.3 mg/L Cu followed by Calvularia lunata (30.0 mm inhibition zone). The methanolic and aqueous P. argentea extract indicate that the solvent plays an important role in the solubility of the antimicrobial substance and also affects the activity of the microbe. Both field (ex vitro) and tissue culture plant extract showed similar antimicrobial activity. The present study could be used as an approach for the development of new, alternative and cheap antimicrobial drugs, particularly against the infections caused by the tested microbes through the tissue culture technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to investigate the impact of salinity on vegetative growth, chemical constituents, and yields of cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata) and the possible benefits of salicylic acid (SA) on these plants after damage from salinity. To achieve these objectives, two pot experiments were carried out at the Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Egypt, during the two growing seasons of 2019 and 2020. The results revealed that salinity significantly decreased, and SA treatment substantially increased the plant height, number of compound leaves, number of internodes per plant, fresh weights of leaves and stems, productivity, photosynthetic pigments content, and concentrations of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) of the cowpea plants compared with the control. The anatomical structure of stems and leaves of the plants were also investigated, and it was found that positive variations in the anatomical structure of the median portion of the main stems and blades of mature foliage leaves were detected in the stressed and SA-treated plants. In conclusion, SA treatment increased the salt stress tolerance of cowpea plants by improving the morphological and physiological attributes of the plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]