Rahmatullah Qureshi

Ethnobotany of plants used by the Thari people of Nara Desert, Pakistan.

This paper reports the results of an ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used by the Thari people of the Nara Desert, Sindh, Pakistan. Fifty-one plant species distributed across 28 families and 43 genera were discovered to have medicinal uses by local inhabitants of the Nara Desert. Twenty-one of those species are proposed to have new uses not recorded in the Indo-Pak folk herbal medicinal literature. Boraginaceae and Amaranthaceae were the most dominant families (5 species; 2 and 4 genera, respectively) of medicinal plants, followed by Asteraceae, Capparidaceae, Convolvulaceae, Poaceae, Scrophulariacea and Zygophyllaceae. About 44 types of ailments were treated with various parts of the 51 medicinal plant species. For treating ailments, the use of the whole plant was higher (53%) than leaves (18%), roots (14%) and fruits (10%) alone.

Ethnobotanical inventory and folk uses of indigenous plants from Pir Nasoora National Park,Azad Jammu and Kashmir

ABSTRACT Objective To document the medicinal and other folk uses of native plants of the area with a view to preserve the ethnobotanical knowledge associated with this area. Methods The fieldwork was conducted during a period of one year. Data were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire and interviews with indigenous tribal people and traditional health practitioners residing in the study area. Results The present study documented ethnobotanical uses of 104 plant species belonged to 93 genera and 51 families. Results revealed that most of the documented species were used medicinally (78 spp., 44.07%). Leaves were found to be the most frequently used part (69 spp., 42.86%) for the preparation of indigenous recipes and for fodder. Conclusions The current research contributes significantly to the ethnobotanical knowledge, and depicts a strong human-plant interaction. There is an urgent need to further document indigenous uses of plants for future domestication.

A review of therapeutic potential of Saussurea lappa-An endangered plant from Himalaya.

There are 300 known Saussurea species. Among them, Saussurea lappa (S. lappa) is a representative perennial herb, globally distributed across Himalaya region. S. lappa has been traditionally used in medicines without obvious adverse effects. Despite significant progress in phytochemical and biological analyses of S. lappa over the past few years, inclusive and critical reviews of this plant are anachronistic or quite limited in scope. The present review aims to summarize up-to-date information on the active constituents, pharmacology, traditional uses, trade and challenges in conservation and sustainable use of S. lappa from the literature. In addition to botanical studies and records of the traditional use of S. lappa in over 43 diseases, scientific studies investigating the latent medicinal uses of this species and its constituent phytochemicals for a range of disorders are presented and discussed. The structure, bioactivity, and likely mechanisms of action of S. lappa and its phytochemicals are highlighted. Although some progress has been made, further scrupulous efforts are required to investigate the individual compounds isolated from S. lappa to validate and understand its traditional uses and develop clinical applications. The present review offers preliminary information and gives direction for further basic and clinical research into this plant.

Antidiabetic Plants of Pakistan

Diabetes mellitus (DM), a complicated metabolic disorder, is prevalent across the globe particularly in the rural communities. The indigenous communities of the developing countries mostly rely on the traditional recipes based on plants to treat this ailment. A systematic literature survey on such herbal therapies (HTs) can provide firsthand information for drug discovery program. An attempt has been made to overview literature along with ethnobotanical survey of antidiabetic recipes from Pakistan that may be used for the development of new hypoglycemic agents. A total of 209 antidiabetic plants that belonged to 74 families are documented. Of them, 182 species are used individually and 27 species in herbal mixtures. Astragalus gummifer, Lactuca sativa, and Santalum album are recorded first time for their antidiabetic potential in the herbal mixtures. Besides, 38 species such as Adiantum incisum, Alnus nitida, Andrachne cordifolia, Artemisia roxburghiana, Berberis brandisiana, Capparis cartilaginea, Caryopteris odorata, Centaurea iberica, Chrysanthemum indicum, Cleome scaposa, Convolvulus prostratus, Cuscuta campestris, Euphorbia helioscopia, Farsetia hamiltonii, Ferula narthex, Ficus virens, Fragaria indica, Gentianodes tianschanica, Hedera nepalensis, Kickxia ramosissima, Limeum indicum, Malva neglecta, Mentha longifolia, Onosma echioides, Opuntia monacantha, Oxalis corniculata, Papaver somniferum, Prunus amygdalus, P. persica, Pyrus malus, Salix babylonica, Stellaria media, Tamarix aphylla, Tanacetum artemisioides, Taraxacum officinale, Tylophora hirsuta, Ziziphus oxyphylla, and Z. spinosa are ethnobotanically used to treat diabetes, which are required to be scientifically evaluated for in vitro and in vivo antidiabetic activity. The most frequently quoted species in treating diabetes were Syzygium cumini, Allium sativum, Momordica charantia, Ficus benghalensis, Justicia adhatoda, Citrullus colocynthis, Ziziphus sativa, Allium cepa, Caralluma edulis, Rhazya stricta, Trigonella foenum-graecum, Grewia asiatica, and Olea ferruginea. In addition to the published data, this chapter described six novel antidiabetic herbal compounds/formulations which are used by traditional health practitioners (THPs) for the treatment of DM in the country. Leaves were the most used plant parts (78%), followed by fruits, seeds, whole plant, and roots. This ethnobotanical knowledge can provide candidate antidiabetic agent for the novel hypoglycemic drugs in future. Based on the frequency of citation, it is recommended that pharmacological studies and clinical trials should be conducted on those species for which such information is lacking.

Genome-wide association mapping in bread wheat subjected to independent and combined high temperature and drought stress

Most investigations to date aiming to identify the genetic basis of the stress response of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) have focused on the response to single stress agents such as high temperature or drought, even though in the natural situation, these stresses tend often to occur together. Here, a panel of 108 spring type bread wheat cultivars was phenotyped for 15 yield and yield related traits for two years (2014/15 and 2015/16) under non-stressed conditions, under high temperature stress, under drought and under a combined high temperature and drought regime. The mean loss in grain yield caused by all stress regimes was 51.33%. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) of yield trait showed significant differences among genotypes environments and their interactions (G×E). All the studied traits had higher heritability values which ranged from 0.35–0.94 under [C], 0.58–0.95 under [D], 0.62–0.93 under [H] and 0.60–0.95 under [HD]. GWAS was performed by using 9,646 informative SNP markers and based on these polymorphic SNPs population structure analysis divided whole germplasm into five major sub-populations. Mixed model association analysis detected 503 marker-trait associations (MTAs) at P ≤0.001 while 329 MTAs crossed FDR ≤ 0.05 for all traits with phenotypic variances (R2) ranged from 24.83% to 12.51%. Seven new pleiotropic SNPs on chromosome 7D and IAAV8258 (86.91cM) and wsnp_Ex_c7168_12311649 (57.93cM) on chromosome 5A were most stable association in present study. Furthermore, candidate genes Psy and Sr25 (TG0040) were also significant in present study, these genes were previously mapped on 7A and 7D. The region on 7D was assiociated with 7DL.7Ag translocation from Lophopyrum carring rust resistance Yr16 and many other genes. Similarly region on chromosome 7A which was associated with Psy gene was linked with grain yellow pigment content QTLs. Favourable alleles controlling grain yield were of vital importance and incorporation of these alleles after validation through marker assisted selection and fine mapping could be helpful in wheat yield improvement stress and non-stress conditions.

In vitro anticancer activities of Withania coagulans against HeLa, MCF-7, RD, RG2, and INS-1 cancer cells and phytochemical analysis

Background The Pakistani Salt Range has a rich floral diversity including Withania coagulans from the Solanaceae family. Methods The crude methanolic extracts of the root, leaf, leaf stalk, and fruit of this plant were screened for their cytotoxic activity against human (HeLa, MCF-7, RD) and rat (RG2 and INS-1) cancer cell lines at 20 μg/mL and compared to methotrexate. The IC50 values indicated that leaf stalk and fruit extracts exert an 80% or higher cytotoxic activity against all cell lines at 24 hours. Results The leaf stalk extract showed the highest cytotoxic efficacy against all tested cell lines, with IC50 values ranging from 0.96 ± 0.01 μg/mL to 4.73 ± 0.05 μg/mL followed by the fruit extract with IC50 values of 0.69 ± 0.01–6.69 ± 0.06 μg/mL after 48–72 hours incubation. The leaf stalk and seed extracts were analyzed for polyphenols and flavonoids using RP-HPLC. The total flavonoid content (TFC) was calculated for all tested samples, and the highest TFC was recorded for the root extract (394.34 ± 1.26 μg/g). The total phenolic content (TPC) was found in the seed extract (307.86 ± 9.42 μg/g) of W. coagulans. The highest contents of myricetin (358.46 ± 2.91 μg/g) were noted in the leaf extract, and highest quercetin was recorded in the seed extract (21.43 ± 0.13 μg/g). The highest gallic acid concentration (83.62 ± 0.71 μg/g) was recorded in leaf stalk extract and p-hydroxybenzoic acid in the seed extract (157.46 ± 1.43 μg/g). Conclusion The present study gives a scientific insight and comparative analysis of various plant parts in this medicinally important plant species from the Salt Range of Pakistan against both human and rat cancer cells.

The Deserts of China

This chapter provides features of environmental factors and phytogeographical divisions for desert vegetation in China. There are three kinds of desert vegetation in China: semi-desert, true desert, and extremely arid desert. The desert vegetation is distributed on different land forms with diversified soil feature, extending in NW China with mean annual precipitation less than 200 mm. Dominant species in the desert vegetation in China include eight life forms.

Vegetation and Environment

This chapter provides an overview of desert flora and plant communities. The vegetation-environment relationships were explained with two case studies, true desert in the Jungar Basin and extremely arid desert in the Anxi Extremely Arid Desert National Nature Reserve. There are 610 species in the desert of China, which can be classified into Central Asian element and Inner Asian element. The plant communities are abundant caused by diversified topography and soil features.

The Inland Eastern Desert of Egypt

The inland part of the Eastern Desert of Egypt forms an ecosystem with characteristic habitats: (1) rocky surface, (2) erosion pavement, (3) gravel desert, (4) slopes, (5) cliffs, and (6) desert wadi, which represents a drainage system collecting water from extensive catchment area. The geographic position of the mountainous range along the Red Sea coast is very conspicuous. The flora and vegetation of the Gebel Elba mountainous group is much richer than that of the other coastal mountain, where the Palaearctic and Afrotropical regions meet. The species composition of the Gebel Elba National Park was greatly influenced by disturbances such as severe cutting of trees and shrubs either for domestic fuel or charcoal production and browsing. In terms of classification and ordination, the vegetation and environment in northern wadis and southern wadis in four transects representing three different types of desert running from the Nile Valley to the Red Sea coast were investigated. Based on the current status of flora of the Eastern Desert, a biogeographical analysis and phytogeographical divisions of the were re-assessed.

The Coastal Desert of Egypt

The coastal deserts in Egypt are found along the Mediterranean (east and west), the Red Sea, and the Gulfs of Suez and Aqaba in Sinai Peninsula. The variations in their floristic composition and vegetation structure are varied considerably. The association between the landform units and their floristic features showed significant differences. In the meanwhile, the biological spectrum and chorological analyses of the flora exhibited a general trend in both dominance and structure. Climatic variations, especially rainfall, between the different geographical areas play a profound role in the species distribution patterns. The relationships between the vegetation and the prevailing environmental characteristics indicated the importance of certain soil factors such as coarse and fine sediments, moisture content, electrical conductivity, pH, and organic matter. The distance from the sea and altitude were other significant factors in delimiting species distribution.