SummaryCereals are the world's major source of food for human nutrition. Among these, rice (Oryza sativa) is the most prominent and represents the staple diet for more than two‐fifths (2.4 billion) of the world's population, making it the most important food crop of the developing world (Anon., 2000a). Rice production in vast stretches of coastal areas is hampered due to high soil salinity. This is because rice is a glycophyte and it does not grow well under saline conditions. In order to increase rice production in these areas there is a need to develop rice varieties suited to saline environments. Research has shown that Porteresia coarctata, a highly salt tolerant wild relative of rice growing in estuarine soils, is an important material for transferring salt tolerant characteristics to rice. It is quite possible that Porteresia may be used as a parent for evolving better and truly salt resistant varieties. The inadequate results and the difficulties associated with conventional breeding techniques necessitate the use of the tools of crop biotechnology in unravelling some of the characteristics of Porteresia that have been highlighted in this report. In view of the limited resources available for increasing salinity tolerance to the breeders to wild rice germplasm, Porteresia is undoubtedly one of the key source species for elevating salinity tolerance in cultivated rice.
The study was carried out on antimicrobial, antioxidant and anticancer activity of Syzygium benthamianum leaf extract. Chemical compositions of the leaf were analysed using GC/MS technique. A total of 24 compounds were identified among which 4-(4-ethylcyclohexyl)-1-pentyl-Cyclohexene (24.07 %) and Linoleic acid (15.16 %) are the major constituents. Antimicrobial activity of the leaf was observed on six bacterial and three fungal species, whose MIC values ranged from 100 to 500 μg/ml. At higher concentration, the extract exhibits higher scavenging activity (94.7 %) that was comparable with standard BHT. It was also observed that the leaf sample were able to effectively inhibit the growth of Hep 2 cells.
The Syzygium calophyllifolium is a large evergreen tree growing in higher altitude in Southern Western Ghats, India. The ethyl acetate extract of leaves contain higher proportions of sesquiterpenoids and triterpenoid compounds that showed effective antimicrobial screening against some of bacterial and fungal strains. The extract showed maximum inhibition zones against Enterococcus faecalis and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. The extract also showed notable antioxidant activity and at higher concentration scavenged 81.45 % of free radicals. A potent cytotoxicity has been exhibited by the extract, showing increased activity with increasing concentration. The study suggests that leaves of Syzygium calophyllifolium may be a prominent source of several medicinally important natural compounds.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.