The total phenolic content, antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of hot ethanolic extract of Salix alba bark were investigated. The antioxidant properties and the total phenolic contents of the extract were assessed by 1, 1-Diphenyl- 2-Picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging and Folin-Ciocalteu methods, respectively. The extract showed significant antioxidant activity and antimicrobial activities against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans. The highest effect was observed on C. albicans, followed by S. aureus then P. aeruginosa. While, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae were not affected. The cytoxicity of S. alba extract against the Human Leukemia (HL-60) cell line was evaluated, it had been noticed that the extract significantly reduced the viability of HL-60 cells in a dose- and time-dependent response relationship. Findings from the present study indicate that extract is highly cytotoxic to HL-60 cells. The antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of S. alba extract seemed to be positively correlated with their antioxidant potentials
The current study on the traditional use of medicinal plants was carried out from February 2018 to March 2020, in Gokand Valley, District Buner, Pakistan. The goal was to collect, interpret, and evaluate data on the application of medicinal plants. Along with comprehensive notes on individual plants species, we calculated Use Value (UV), Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC), Use Report (UR), Fidelity Level (FL), Informant Consensus Factor (FCI), as well as Family Importance Value (FIV). During the current study, a total of 109 species belonging to 64 families were reported to be used in the treatment of various ailments. It included three families (four species) of Pteridophytes, 58 families (99 species) of angiosperm, one family (three species) of Gymnosperms, and two families (three species) of fungi. The article highlights the significance of domestic consumption of plant resources to treat human ailments. The UV varied from 0.2 (Acorus calamus L.) to 0.89 (Acacia modesta Wall.). The RFC ranged from 0.059 (Acorus calamus L. and Convolvulus arvensis L.) to 0.285 (Acacia modesta Wall.). The species with 100% FL were Acacia modesta Wall. and the fungus Morchella esculenta Fr., while the FCI was documented from 0 to 0.45 for gastro-intestinal disorders. The conservation ranks of the medicinal plant species revealed that 28 plant species were vulnerable, followed by rare (25 spp.), infrequent (17 spp.), dominant (16 spp.), and 10 species endangered. The traditional use of plants needs conservation strategies and further investigation for better utilization of natural resources.
Desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria (Forskål) (Orthoptera: Acrididae), swarms during outbreaks, and plagues can invade many countries across vast regions of Africa and Asia, consuming substantial quantities of crops and rangeland vegetation. In the most recent desert locust episode, which originated in Saudi Arabia’s remote interior in June 2018, and swarms entered Pakistan in March 2019, devastating important crops, such as cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L.; wheat, Triticum aestivum L.; and maize, Zea mays L., in >60 districts of Baluchistan, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Sindh provinces. A national emergency was declared on 1 February 2020. A national emergency was declared on 1 February 2020 and the Department of Plant Protection responded by conducting surveillance and control operations with the assistance of other Pakistani organizations, and multilateral and bilateral international aid agencies. Surveillance and control operations were performed by ground and by air, applying mostly oil-based ultra-low volume insecticide formulations combined with some nonconventional control tactics. The Pakistan government also established a detailed multi-phased locust control policy and a National Locust Control Center with rapid response units deployed to vulnerable districts. To prevent or mitigate desert locust-associated agricultural damage, additional improvements to surveillance and control approaches are needed. The desert locust’s unique behaviors, and the magnitude and intermittency of swarming episodes, pose challenges to the development and implementation of coherent integrated pest management strategies. The status of a possible integrated approach to desert locust management, including proactive and preventive intervention strategies, is discussed.
The foraging and consumption of wild food plants is a long-standing tradition in many parts of the world and their importance in promoting food security has become more widely debated in recent years. The current study aimed to document, analyze, and interpret the traditional knowledge of non-cultivated vegetables among four Pathan tribes (Alisher Khel, Hadarzai, Haji Khel, and Umarzai) living in the Gadoon Valley, Swabi District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, NW Pakistan, and to evaluate how these practices vary among the considered tribal communities. A total of 104 informants were interviewed via a semi-structured, open-ended questionnaire and group discussions. The field survey was conducted from October 2018 to November 2020. Information about local names, growth habit, used plant parts, food/cooking details, medicinal perceptions, availability season, and market prices were collected. The field survey recorded 51 non-cultivated vegetables belonging to 24 botanical families, for which the frequently used plant parts included young leaves, stems, and flowers. The greatest number of use reports was recorded for Colocasia and the highest cultural index value was recorded for Rumex dentatus; the dominant botanical families were Asteraceae and Fabaceae (six species each). Seven species were found to be sold at local and regional markets. Cross-cultural analysis among the four considered tribes showed that the largest number of species was reported by members of the Hadarzai and Umarzai tribes, although most of the quoted wild vegetables were homogenously gathered among all considered communities, with some more idiosyncratic plant uses among the Umarzai group, who have likely been less affected by the erosion of traditional knowledge or possibly have had less access to traded cultivated vegetables. The novelty of the data was assessed by comparing it with the previously published wild food ethnobotanical literature of Pakistan, which showed fifteen new wild vegetables not yet reported in the NW of the country. The recorded food biocultural heritage should be seriously considered in future local development projects aimed at fostering environmental sustainability and food security.
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