Celebrating Multi-Religious Co-Existence in Central Kurdistan: the Bio-Culturally Diverse Traditional Gathering of Wild Vegetables among Yazidis,Assyrians, and Muslim Kurds

An ethnobotanical field study focusing on traditional wild vegetables was conducted in 22 villages of Central Kurdistan among three ethno-religious groups: Yazidis, Christian Assyrians, and (Sunni) Muslim Kurds. Through 91 interviews with elderly informants, we recorded the folk uses of 54 identified botanical taxa. We also observed important differences among these three groups in the use of wild vegetables that reflect the historical prevalence of pastoralism versus horticulture among Kurds and Assyrians, respectively. The preservation of the peaceful co-existence of different cultural and religious groups in the study area is crucial for the maintenance of the rich wild plant food local heritage.     

Negative effects of urbanisation on diurnal and nocturnal pollen-transport networks

Pollinating insects are declining due to habitat loss and climate change, and cities with limited habitat and floral resources may be particularly vulnerable. The effects of urban landscapes on pollination networks remain poorly understood, and comparative studies of taxa with divergent niches are lacking. Here, for the first time, we simultaneously compare nocturnal moth and diurnal bee pollen-transport networks using DNA metabarcoding and ask how pollination networks are affected by increasing urbanisation. Bees and moths exhibited substantial divergence in the communities of plants they interact with. Increasing urbanisation had comparable negative effects on pollen-transport networks of both taxa, with significant declines in pollen species richness. We show that moths are an important, but overlooked, component of urban pollen-transport networks for wild flowering plants, horticultural crops, and trees. Our findings highlight the need to include both bee and non-bee taxa when assessing the status of critical plant-insect interactions in urbanised landscapes.     

Comparative Survey of Entomophagy and Entomotherapeutic Practices in Six Tribes of Eastern Arunachal Pradesh (India)

Background

Dalmatia is an interesting place to study the use of wild greens as it lies at the intersection of influence of Slavs, who do not usually use many species of wild greens, and Mediterranean culinary culture, where the use of multiple wild greens is common. The aim of the study was to document the mixtures of wild green vegetables which are sold in all the vegetable markets of Dalmatia.

Methods

All vendors (68) in all 11 major markets of the Dalmatian coast were interviewed. The piles of wild vegetables they sold were searched and herbarium specimens taken from them.

Results

The mean number of species in the mix was 5.7. The most commonly sold wild plants are: Sonchus oleraceus L., Allium ampeloprasum L., Foeniculum vulgare Mill., Urospermum picroides F.W.Schmidt, Papaver rhoeas L., Daucus carota L., Taraxacum sp., Picris echioides L., Silene latifolia Poir. and Crepis spp. Also the cultivated beet (Beta vulgaris L.) and a few cultivated Brassicaceae varieties are frequent components. Wild vegetables from the mix are usually boiled for 20–30 minutes and dressed with olive oil and salt. Altogether at least 37 wild taxa and 13 cultivated taxa were recorded. Apart from the mixes, Asparagus acutifolius L. and Tamus communis L. shoots are sold in separate bunches (they are usually eaten with eggs), as well as some Asteraceae species, the latter are eaten raw or briefly boiled.

Conclusions

The rich tradition of eating many wild greens may result both from strong Venetian and Greek influences and the necessity of using all food resources available in the barren, infertile land in the past. Although the number of wild-collected green vegetables is impressive we hypothesize that it may have decreased over the years, and that further in-depth local ethnobotanical studies are needed in Dalmatia to record the disappearing knowledge of edible plants.     

More than multiple introductions: Multiple taxa contribute to the genesis of the invasive California’s wild artichoke thistle

The history of some invasive species is so complex that their origins can be difficult to determine. One example of such invasive species is the California invasive known as “wild artichoke thistle” (Cynara cardunculus var. sylvestris), found in natural and disturbed ecosystems. Wild artichoke thistle is a Mediterranean native and the progenitor of two domesticated horticultural taxa, artichoke and cardoon. Different hypotheses regarding the origins of California plants have included introductions by 19th century Italian immigrants and the de-domestication (evolutionary reversion to wild-type morphology) of feral (escaped, free-living) cultivars. Using microsatellite markers, we compared the genetic constitutions of 12 artichoke thistle populations in California with possible progenitor populations: 17 Spanish and Italian wild populations and eight different artichoke and cardoon cultivars. Each California population was compared with its putative progenitors using STRUCTURE analysis. Our results suggest that California's artichoke thistle populations are polyphyletic. Surprisingly, two-thirds of California's populations closely matched populations from the Iberian Peninsula. Three populations matched domesticated artichoke. One population appears to have wild and cultivar hybrid ancestry. Alleles specific to Italian populations were found at low frequencies in some California plants, suggesting that Italian wild plants may have been in California, but have left a trivial genetic legacy. Given that the de-domesticated plants in this study appear to be as invasive as the wild taxon, we conclude with a discussion of the role that ferality and de-domestication may have in plant invasions.     

Harnessing Senescence Delaying Gases Nitric Oxide and Nitrous Oxide: A Novel Approach to Postharvest Control of Fresh Horticultural Produce

The effects of ethylene on postharvest horticultural produce are a major limiting factor in their orderly and efficient marketing. Nitric oxide and nitrous oxide have recently been shown to inhibit ethylene action and synthesis in higher plants and their potential for commercial use to extend the storage and marketing life of fruits, vegetables and flowers is reviewed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Combining novel technologies with interdisciplinary basic research to enhance horticultural crops

Horticultural crops mainly include fruits, vegetables, ornamental trees and flowers, and tea trees (Melaleuca alternifolia). They produce a variety of nutrients for the daily human diet in addition to the nutrition provided by staple crops, and some of them additionally possess ornamental and medicinal features. As such, horticultural crops make unique and important contributions to both food security and a colorful lifestyle. Under the current climate change scenario, the growing population and limited arable land means that agriculture, and especially horticulture, has been facing unprecedented challenges to meet the diverse demands of human daily life. Breeding horticultural crops with high quality and adaptability and establishing an effective system that combines cultivation, post-harvest handling, and sales becomes increasingly imperative for horticultural production. This review discusses characteristic and recent research highlights in horticultural crops, focusing on the breeding of quality traits and the mechanisms that underpin them. It additionally addresses challenges and potential solutions in horticultural production and post-harvest practices. Finally, we provide a prospective as to how emerging technologies can be implemented alongside interdisciplinary basic research to enhance our understanding and exploitation of horticultural crops.     

Orchids from coffee-plantations in mexico: an alternative for the sustainable use of tropical ecosystems

Life form, endemism, conservation status, and horticultural interest are detailed for orchid species associated to shade coffee-plantations in Mexico. About 11% of the orchid taxa (214 species) found in these agroecosystems are in the Mexican list of species requiring some form of protection. Almost 40% of the species are of horticultural interest. The importance of promoting shaded coffee plantations as an alternative to the conservation of primary plant communities in Mexican and other tropical regions is clear. Long term management plans are recommended.     

水杨酸处理对采后园艺产品的作用

本文结合作者自己的研究结果 ,综述了水杨酸对园艺产品的采后作用 (包括延长切花保鲜期、减轻果实腐烂、推迟洋葱等产品的发芽和对果蔬产品贮藏期间品质、呼吸速率、乙烯释放、抗逆、活性氧代谢方面影响 )的研究进展 ,并对这些结果进行了分析 ;对高浓度外源SA处理引起的负面作用以及存在的一些问题进行了探讨     

水杨酸处理对采后园艺产品的作用

本文结合作者自己的研究结果,综述了水杨酸对园艺产品的采后作用（包括延长切花保鲜期、减轻果实腐烂、推迟洋葱等产品的发芽和对果蔬产品贮藏期间品质、呼吸速率、乙烯释放、抗逆、活性氧代谢方面影响）的研究进展,并对这些结果进行了分析;对高浓度外源SA处理引起的负面作用以及存在的一些问题进行了探讨。     

六种野菜不同部位硝酸盐、亚硝酸盐及维生素C的含量

报道了6种野菜不同部位的硝酸盐、亚硝酸盐和维生素C的含量。参考蔬菜中硝酸盐含量分级评价标准和无公害蔬菜亚硝酸盐含量限量标准,结合各种野菜及不同部位的维生素C的含量,对这6种野菜评价如下:鼠麴草的叶、龙葵的叶、苋的嫩茎和叶,属于一级野菜,可以安全食用;鼠麴草的嫩茎属二级蔬菜范围,不宜生食,煮熟或盐渍可安全食用;龙葵的嫩茎、树仔菜的嫩茎,属于三级蔬菜,不可生食和盐渍,可熟食。白子菜的嫩茎和狗肝菜的嫩茎,属于四级蔬菜,不宜食用或限量食用;树仔菜的叶、白子菜的叶亚硝酸盐含量高于我国制定的无公害蔬菜亚硝酸盐含量的限量标准,所以不宜食用或限量食用。     

我国野生蔬菜资源的开发利用研究

对我国野菜资源利用的历史和现状、野菜营养价值和重要性、野菜的加工和商品化开发进行了阐述,并针对我国野菜研究与开发中的存在问题提出了对策。     

Searching for the origins of arable weeds in the Near East

This short note adds to earlier attempts at identifying arable weeds on late Pleistocene/early Holocene sites in the Near East. Nineteen potential arable weed taxa that have no known use were selected. The occurrence of these taxa at sites with morphologically wild cereals was compared to sites with morphologically domestic cereals. The presumed arable weed taxa were as common on three PPNA (Pre Pottery Neolithic A) sites without domestication as they were on Middle PPNB (Pre Pottery Neolithic B) sites with domestication, which lends support to arguments for pre-domestic cultivation at the former sites. Arable weed taxa were less common at Natufian sites but their presence raises the question of whether they originated in cultivated fields or were the ancestors of weeds gathered accidentally alongside wild cereals in their natural habitat.     

江苏野菜资源的利用与开发

江苏野菜资源丰富,共计１９２种,隶属４４科１０８属,其中蕨类植物７科１５属５１种,种子植物３７科９３属１４１种。江苏野菜利用历史悠久,近年已发展成为规模种植,产生良好的经济效益和社会效益。     

Wild plants eaten in childhood: a retrospective of Estonia in the 1970s–1990s

In this ethnobotanical study, the authors provide the first quantitative analysis of the use of wild edible plants in Estonia, describing the domains and assessing the food importance of different species. The information was collected using free‐listing written questionnaires and concerned plants used by the respondents in their childhood. As part of a major study, this article covers the responses of professionals with some botanical education at vocational or university level, to ensure the greatest possible reliability without using voucher specimens. Fifty‐eight respondents provided information on the use of 137 plant taxa, corresponding to approximately 6% of the native and naturalized vascular plants of Estonia. According to use frequency, the most typical wild food plant of Estonia is a fruit, eaten raw as a snack. The results clearly signal that the majority of famine and food shortage plants had already been forgotten by the end of the 20^th century, but new plants have been introduced as green vegetables for making salads. Despite changes in the nomenclature of the plants, the use of wild food plants in Estonia was still thriving at the turn of the 20^th century, covering many domains already forgotten in urbanized modern Europe. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013, 172 , 239–253.     

Wild vegetable resources and market survey in Xishuangbanna, Southwest China

The article presents results of a field and market survey on characteristics and use of wild vegetable consumption for local ethnic groups in Xishuangbanna, SW China. A total of 284 wild vascular plant species and varieties were identified as wild vegetables consumed by three distinct native ethnic groups. These wild vegetables account for 6.1% of total vascular plant species in this area. Wild vegetables play an important role in the ethnic groups’ diet and source of cash income. Based on a 10-month market survey, wild vegetables accounted for 20.6% (in weight) of total vegetable sales. The structure of income from total vegetable sales varied among ethnic groups, with high sales for those living close to dense forests. The use of wild-vegetable resources can increase income of local ethnic groups, thus contributing to the conservation of forest resources in the region.     

基因组学技术大发展助力园艺植物研究取得新进展

园艺植物包括花卉、蔬菜、果树、部分瓜类(如西瓜(Citrullus lanatus)和甜瓜(Cucumis melo))和茶树(Camellia sinensis),在植物分类上涉及大量物种。园艺植物的基因组学和遗传学研究具有重要的理论价值和经济意义。基因组测序技术及相关生物信息学工具的发展为园艺植物基因组和分子生物学研究注入了新的活力。睡莲是一种重要的花卉植物,除了具有观赏价值,其进化地位也非常特殊,属于一种早期被子植物类群。最近,蓝星睡莲(N.colorata)的高质量基因组图谱绘制完成。通过系统分析和比较睡莲基因组与其它被子植物的基因组,研究者阐明了睡莲的进化位置及相关进化事件。所获得的高质量基因组序列将有助于园艺植物研究者开展深入的分子遗传学研究,鉴定到控制和调控花器官、花色花香及品质等众多性状的功能基因,从而推动基础研究的快速发展和加快新品种创制。     

Nanotechnology-Based Advancements in Postharvest Management of Horticultural Crops

Horticulture is a branch of Agricultural science where it is defined as the science and art of cultivating and handling fruits, vegetables, ornamental plants and several plants having unique medicinal and aromatic values. Horticultural crops provide farmers with high income and have good export quality, but they have a concern about postharvest losses. Hence, increasing productivity and decreasing post-harvest losses by using scientific studies and techniques like biotechnology and nanotechnology could be the simplest possible solution to the above-mentioned problems. Using nanotechnology which is having the characteristics of nanoparticles is proven to be very useful in science and technological applications. Nanotechnology-based formulations increase the product quality and the shelf life of horticultural products and provide multiple ways of inhibiting the growth and development of microorganisms. It is precisely a new edible packaging coverage (film) that controls the exchange of gases and prevents damage from harmful rays such as ultraviolet radiation to a greater extent. Increasing strength by using nano biosensors for labeling products is considered a fundamental process to automated control of storage products. Postharvest rotting of vegetables is recognized to be an oxidative reaction and microbial deterioration as well. This review will address all such nanotechnology-based advancements for minimizing post-harvest losses of horticultural crops and enhancing the socio-economical progress of growers in particular.     

Slimy leaves and oily seeds: Distribution and use of wild relatives of sesame in Africa

This is a cultural, ecological, economic, geographical and historical study of the close wild relatives of sesame in Africa. Medical, culinary, cosmetic and industrial use of each species is assembled along with ethnographic and linguistic data. Collectively, it presents a summary of the genetic resources of Sesamum. The relative importance of each species varies by location, however most of these taxa are used in strikingly similar ways by subsistence farmers. Comparison of usage by ethnic group reveals the social role these valuable leaf vegetables play in daily life, particularly during times of shortage and famine. Fieldwork provides firsthand data, supplementing herbarium specimens and the published literature about the distribution, uses and environmental adaptations of wild Sesamum species and their close relative, Ceratotheca sesamoides Endl.     

A genome-wide search for wild-species alleles that increase horticultural yield of processing tomatoes

To identify QTLs associated with horticultural yield it is necessary to conduct replicated plot trials of the tested genotypes. The first step in the utilization of an introgression-line (IL) population of Lycopersicon pennellii in a processing-tomato variety (M82) for mapping such QTLs was to screen 51 ILs in a non-replicated plot trial. The results of this survey were compared to those obtained in a replicated trial of the same genotypes grown as single plants at wide spacing. Fruit characteristics were similar between the two stands, but yield was generally different. Eight lines that outperformed the control in the plot survey were subjected to detailed analysis in the following year. The effects of these introgressions, measured on single plants, were reproducible relative to the previous year's results. In a replicated plot trial of these ILs and their hybrids involving two genetic backgrounds, the product of yield and total soluble solids (horticultural yield) in seven of the eight hybrids was 7–13% higher than that of their nearly isogenic controls. The results revealed a consistent trend in the interaction between introgression effects and genetic background. Combining the two introgressions with the largest contribution to horticultural yield in plots resulted in a 20% increase relative to the control in the third year. This research highlights the potential of wild germ plasm for yield improvement and the ability of nearly isogenic populations to achieve this goal.     

Ethnopharmacological uses of Erythrina senegalensis: a comparison of three areas in Mali, and a link between traditional knowledge and modern biological science

Consumption of greens is a major source of vitamins and micro-nutrients for people using only vegetarian diets rich in carbohydrates. In remote rural settlements where vegetable cultivation is not practiced and market supplies are not organized, local inhabitants depend on indigenous vegetables, both cultivated in kitchen gardens and wild, for enriching the diversity of food. Knowledge of such foods is part of traditional knowledge which is largely transmitted through participation of individuals of households. A total of 123 households in six villages of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve buffer zone was surveyed using a schedule to assess the knowledge, availability and consumption pattern of wild leafy vegetables. Quantity estimations were done using regular visits with informants from 30 sample households of the six study villages during the collections. Monetization was used to see the value of wild leafy vegetables harvested during a year. The diversity of wild leafy vegetables being use by the local inhabitants is 21 species belonging to 14 genera and 11 families. This is far less than that being reported to be used by the communities from Western Ghats in India and some parts of Africa. Irrespective of social or economic status all households in the study villages had the knowledge and used wild leafy vegetables. The number of households reported to consume these wild leafy vegetables is greater than the number of households reporting to harvest them for all species except for Diplazium esculentum and Phytolacca acinosa. The availability and use period varied for the species are listed by the users. The study indicated that the knowledge is eroding due to changing social values and non participation of younger generation in collection and processing of such wild leafy vegetables.