Retracted: Bauhinia saksuwaniae sp. nov. (Leguminosae–Caesalpinioideae) from Thailand

The following article from the Nordic Journal of Botany , ‘Bauhinia saksuwaniae sp. nov. (Leguminosae‐Caesalpinioideae) from Thailand.’ by Sawai Mattapha, Pranom Chantaranothai and Somran Suddee, published online on 11 December 2013 in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ), has been retracted by agreement between the authors, the journal Editor in Chief, Torbjörn Tyler and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. The retraction has been agreed due to the publication of a species under the name B. nakhonpranomensis, prior to the publication of this article.     

Pollen morphology of the genus Cornukaempferia (Zingiberaceae) in Thailand

Cornukaempferia is a recently described genus of Zingiberaceae which only occurs in Thailand as a rare genus with limited geographical distribution. Only three species have been described so far, including a recently described new species, C. larsenii. These three species are morphologically very similar and additional data on other biological aspects are useful for the elucidation of their relationship. Pollen morphology of all three species of genus Cornukaempferia has been studied by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The pollen grains are monad, spherical, inaperturate. The exine sculpture is echinate with psilate between the spines for C. aurantiflora and C. longipetiolata, or echinate with regulate between the spines for C. larsenii. This obser-vation helps support the taxonomic status of C. larsenii.     

Development of species-specific SCAR markers for identification of three medicinal species of Phyllanthus

Phyllanthus amarus Schum.& Thonn.has been widely used in traditional medicine in Thailand as an antipyretic.a diuretic.to treat liver diseases and viml infections.Two closely related species,P. debills L.and P.urinaria KIein ex Willd.,with different and less effective medicinal properties,are less commonly used.These three species are similar in morphology and often Occur in overlapping populations in nature.The latter two species can easily be mistaken for P.amarus and collected for medicinal uses, which can lead to undesirable results.DNA fingerprints of these species were obtained using RAPD-PCR techniques.RAPD markers specific for each species were identified.Primers for highly specific sequence-characterized-amplified-regions (SCAR) were then designed from nucleotide sequences of specific RAPD markers.These primers efficiently amplified SCAR markers of 408,501 and 319 bp unique to P.amarus,P.debilis and P.urinaria respectively.This method of plant identification Was rapid and highly specific when tested against DNA of several closely related species and was able to amplify specific markers from mixed DNA samples.     

Piper viridescens sp. nov. (Piperaceae) from Thailand

Piper viridescens sp. nov. is proposed based on material from northern Thailand. The new species is described and illustrated, resulting from a revision of the genus in Thailand. The new species is most closely related to P. boehmeriifolium (Miq.) C. DC. A table comparing diagnostic features of P. viridescens, P. boehmeriifolium and P. retrofractum is provided.     

Changes in integument histology and protein expression related to the molting cycle of the black tiger shrimp, Penaeus monodon

We investigated changes in the histology and protein expression in the epidermis and sub-epidermis of the black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monondon) during the molting cycle. The epidermis consists of a cell layer located beneath the cuticle, while the sub-epidermis is mainly composed of sub-epidermal cells and tegumental glands. During the molting cycle, the epidermal cells increase in cell height and number, and the sub-epidermis increases in its storage of carbohydrate, protein, mucus, and other unidentified substances at the time of the active period of cuticular regeneration. At the early premolt (stage D0), the epidermal cells are tidily organized, but short. Storage of carbohydrate and protein in the sub-epidermis is not observed. During the rest of the premolt (D1-4 stages) and the early postmolt A stage, epidermal cell height and sub-epidermal deposition are increased, and reached a maximum during the D4 to A stages. The period of late postmolt stages B-C3 is the time for a decrease in epidermal cell height and sub-epidermal depositions. Lastly at intermolt stage C4, the epidermal cells become short, and untidily organized. Sub-epidermal deposition is not observed. Protein expression in the epidermis and sub-epidermis was observed by SDS-PAGE. This revealed that the profile of a protein band with a molecular mass of 57 kDa corresponded with the profile observed by histochemistry. All results point to the conclusion that both the epidermis and sub-epidermis play major roles in cuticular regeneration. It may also reflect the level of metabolic activity of the integument during the molting cycle. In addition, for the first time, this work provides direct evidence of the epidermal and sub-epidermal changes that occur during the molting cycle of the black tiger shrimp.     

Taxonomic changes regarding three species of Zingiber (Zingiberaceae) from Thailand

Zingiber teres S. Q. Tong & Y. M. Xia and Z. xishuangbannaense S. Q. Tong are reduced to be synonyms of Z. smilesianum Craib and Z. thorelii Gagnep.,respectively. Z. cochinchinense Gagnep. is changed to be a subspecies of Z. zerumbet (L.) Sm.     

Purification, characterization and synergistic activity of β-1,3-glucanase and antibiotic extract from an antagonistic Bacillus subtilis NSRS 89-24 against rice blast and sheath blight

Antifungal compounds in the culture filtrate from Bacillus subtilis NSRS 89-24 that inhibited the growth of Pyricularia grisea and Rhizoctonia solani were mainly heat stable as the filter sterilized culture filtrate showed higher activity than an autoclaved one. The heat stable and labile components were due to an antibiotic and a β-1,3-glucanase, respectively. This β-1,3-glucanase was purified and characterized. Glucanase activity in the culture medium of B. subtilis NSRS 89-24 was inducible in the presence of 0.3% chitin, reaching a maximum on day 5. After purification, activity was associated with a protein of molecular mass of approximately 95.5 kDa by both gel filtration and native PAGE. Two major bands of M_r 64.6 and 32.4 kDa were revealed by SDS–PAGE. The enzyme had a K_m of 0.9 mg/ml, and V_max of 0.11 U, the optimal pH was 6.5–9.5 and was stable up to 50 °C. Both the pure enzyme and the antibiotic extract from the culture filtrate of the B. subtilis separately inhibited R. solani and P. grisea with MIC values of 12.5 and 6.25 mU/ml and 3.13 and 1.56 μg/ml, respectively. The glucanase enzyme in combination with the antibiotic showed a strong synergistic inhibitory effect on the hyphal growth of both fungi.     

Contributions to the seed morphology and taxonomy of Justicia (Acanthaceae) from Thailand

Seed morphology provides some of the most important characters for species delimitation in Justicia (Acanthaceae).The seed morphology of 30 species from Thailand was studied using stereomicroscopy and ...