Single-copy chloroplast loci are used widely to infer phylogenetic relationship at different taxonomic levels among various groups of plants. To test the utility of chloroplast loci and to provide additional data applicable to hybrid evolution in Musa, we sequenced two introns, rpl16 and ndhA, and two intergenic spacers, psaA-ycf3 and petA-psbJ-psbL-psbF and combined these data. Using these four regions, Musa acuminata Colla (A)- and M. balbisiana Colla (B)-containing genomes were clearly distinguished. Some triploid interspecific hybrids contain A-type chloroplasts (the AAB/ABB) while others contain B-type chloroplasts (the BBA/BBB). The chloroplasts of all cultivars in 'Namwa' (BBA) group came from the same wild maternal origin, but the specific parents are still unrevealed. Though, average sequence divergences in each region were little (less than 2%), we propose that petA-psbJ intergenic spacer could be developed for diversity assessment within each genome. This segment contains three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and two indels which could distinguish diversity within A genome whereas this same region also contains one SNP and an indel which could categorize B genome. However, an inverted repeat region which could form hairpin structure was detected in this spacer and thus was omitted from the analyses due to their incongruence to other regions. Until thoroughly identified in other members of Musaceae and Zingiberales clade, utility of this inverted repeat as phylogenetic marker in these taxa are cautioned.

As part of carbon pools, forest soil stores soil organic matter (SOM) that contains many elements including organic C, N, P, and K. These elements contribute nutrients for biogeochemical cycles within the ecosystem. This study was done to determine the ecological value of forest soil organic matter at tropical evergreen Aglaia-Streblus forest of Meru Betiri National Park (MBNP), East Java, Indonesia. The data were sampled along gradient topography in Pringtali tropical forest of TMBNP. Direct measurements of soil moisture, temperature, and pH were taken in the field. The soil samples were extracted from 6 points of soil solum using soil auger, and then oven-dried to get value of dry-weight. The elements content of organic C, N, P, and K were analyzed and estimated at the laboratory. The ecoval of SOM was appraised using developed ecological valuation tool. The result showed that SOM contributed higher ecoval of organic C (66.03 Mg ha-1) than other elements. Compared to P and K elements, N had the highest stock of element content. However, comparing to other two tropical forest ecosystems of Asia the ecoval of SOM elements in TMBNP was relatively low because of its natural geomorphological features.The ecoval of SOM elements in TMBNP was relatively low because of its natural geomorphological features. The ecovals contributed about 2.440,64 - 6.955,50 USD or  31.271.923,73 - 89.120.837,23  IDR per hectare of ecological value (d) to the ecosystem. This value was mainly contributed by organic C stock in the TMBNP forest SOM. It means the forest SOM had higher element content of organic C than N, P, and K elements. This d value is an indicator for TMBNP to protect the SOM elements meaning protecting their resources to sustain the biogeochemical cycles in the forest ecosystem. All the management and policy correlated to this protected area should consider this valuable information for their plan and actions.

Abstract. Napaldet JT, Buot Jr. IE, Zafaralla MT, Lit Jr. IL, Sotto RC. 2019. Effect of phytoremediation on the morpho-anatomical characters of some aquatic macrophytes. Biodiversitas 20: 1289-1302. In constructed wetland studies, the effect of pollutants or the phytoremediation set-up on aquatic macrophytes is often not investigated. This literature gap may prove useful in realizing the full phytoremediation potential of aquatic macrophytes. This study was conducted to examine the effect of phytoremediation, the set-up, and the pollutants, on the morpho-anatomical characters of aquatic macrophytes used in the constructed wetlands. This was investigated in Amaranthus spinosus, Eichhornia crassipes, Eleusine indica, and Pennisetum purpureum. Simultaneously, interesting anatomical features in the aquatic macrophytes were discovered. Anomalous secondary growth was discovered in roots and stems of A. spinosus while isobilateral anatomy of the leaf with two layers of vascular bundles and two palisade layers under each epidermis were noted in E. crassipes. The anatomy of P. purpureum was also first reported here. Results showed that the response of the aquatic macrophytes toward phytoremediation treatments was species-specific. E. indica and P. purpureum were the ones significantly affected by the phytoremediation treatment in contrasting ways. E. indica under phytoremediation suffered significantly lower growth rate than those in the uncontaminated site which could be attributed to the inability of its relatively short root system to tap into the water and nutrients. On the other hand, P. purpureum exhibited higher biomass and growth rate under phytoremediation treatment which is primarily due to the water pollutants absorbed as nutrients by the plant. There were no structural differences observed in the anatomy of the aquatic macrophytes between sampling sites except in E. indica. The root’s cortex in samples under phytoremediation has no aerenchyma while this is present in uncontaminated site and Balili River samples. This shows that, indeed, some aquatic macrophytes were significantly affected (p=0.00) by phytoremediation that should be taken in consideration when planning and designing constructed wetlands.

Producing enough food, fiber, and fuel, in this case, the second most important global crop called rice, remains a continuing challenge as global population increases and various production constraints ensue. Plant breeding scientists prefer using elite rice lines but also infuse new genetic resources into the parental genepool for desirable traits, such as resistance to pests and diseases, good flavor, and high nutritional quality on top of high-yielding potential. Prior research studies reveal the importance of germplasm resources including wild rice relatives as excellent sources of desirable traits in new crop breeds. Advances in molecular and genomics approaches (QTLs, GWAS, OMICs technologies) have identified and transferred genes, genomes, loci among other important genetic materials that are sought for. As knowledge builds up with these biotechniques, more rice genetic resources can be characterized at the molecular and systems levels for further utility in breeding better cultivars. Information generated from innovative approaches must be documented and processed as germplasm characterization data and must remain accessible at genebanks that exist centrally to conserve biodiversity. Development of germplasm information should be a collaborative effort of scientists who share similar interests in exploiting the valuable and novel genes within germplasm resources that are essential for crop improvement.

Tetrastigma species have considerable attention because of their medicinal importance, but little is known about these Philippine species. This study provides information on the biological (morphological, phytochemicals, nutritional, antimicrobial characterization) and environmental (diversity, distribution, growing environment, soil characteristics) profiles of the three Philippine Tetrastigma species namely, Tetrastigma ellipticum Merr., Tetrastigma harmandii Planch., and Tetrastigma loheri Gagnep. Tetrastigma harmandii growing in various habitats were widely distributed throughout northeastern Cagayan, while T. ellipticum and T. loheri were found only in the mountain forests of the northernmost part of northeastern Cagayan. Tetrastigma ellipticum was found only in Mt. Cagua forests and volcano, while T. loheri was found growing in the forests of Palaui Island, Buwacag mountain, and Mt. Cagua. Most of the plant species growing within the Tetrastigma environments were native and endemic trees. Mountain species of Tetrastigma (T. ellipticum and T. loheri) grew in extremely acidic soils with high organic matter content. More secondary metabolites were detected in T. ellipticum, which was the only species among the three Tetrastigma species to contain alkaloids, flavonoids, and anthocyanin. Saponins were detected only in T. harmandii. Steroids were not detected in the three species. Moreover, T. harmandii was the only species to have an antibacterial property against Staphylococcus aureus and a slight inhibiting activity against Klebsiella aerogenes. Between the two edible Tetrastigma species, T. harmandii contains more macronutrients and micronutrients, while T. loheri contains higher crude protein, crude fat, and crude fiber