BackgroundThe inhabitants of mountainous terrains depend on folk therapies to treat various ailments; however lack of plant based research and geographical constraints set the traditional knowledge in jeopardy. Present study is the first documentation on traditional uses of plant species by the inhabitants of the Shigar Valley, Karakorum Range, Northern Pakistan.MethodEthnobotanical data were collected over a period from July, 2013 to October, 2016 from 84 respondents, using semi structured questionnaire. Quantitative indices such as relative frequency citation (RFCs) and fidelity level (FL) were intended to evaluate the importance of medicinal plant species.ResultsIn total 84 plant species belonging to 36 families and 72 genera were recorded. Fabaceae was dominant with 7 species, followed by Asteraceae, Lamiaceae and Rosacea (6 species each). Leaves, root, flowers, seeds and fruits were the frequently utilized plant parts, whereas among drug formulations, decoction (49%) was ranked first. Majority of the plant species were used to treat abdominal, respiratory and dermal ailments (31, 12 and 12, respectively). RFCs value ranged 0.477 to 0.11 for Tanacetum falconeri and Allium carolinianum, respectively; while Hippophe rhamnoides and Thymus linearis depicted 100% FL. Comparative assessment with previous reports revealed that traditional uses of 26% plant species counting Hedyserum falconeri, Aconitum violoceum var. weileri, Arnebia guttata, Biebersteinia odora, Clematis alpine var. sibirica, Corydalis adiantifolia and Saussurea simpsoniana were reported for the first time.ConclusionThe endemic medicinal plant species and traditional knowledge of Balti community living in extremely high mountains area were explored for the first time. A comprehensive survey of this region could be significant to drive the existing knowledge in market circuit with sustainable collection, and to evaluate economic potential of the plant species. Additionally, social livelihood could be reinforced through establishing collection sites, transformation and drying centres for micro and macro marketing of medicinal plant species.Graphical abstractPlants and people interaction in the Karakorum Mountains

Inventorying and monitoring work on alpine specific flora of Haramosh and Bagrote valleys (Gilgit-Baltistan) was done for fourteen years from 2001-2014. The fourteen years inventorying revealed a rich alpine exclusive species consisting of 105 species in 52 genera and 21 families of Angiosperms. The Alpine zone had 13 genera with 3 or more alpine exclusive species; Potentilla and Carex with 9 species each were the largest genera of this zone, followed by and Draba (8 species) Rhodiola 5 species etc. Genera containing 9 or 10 species occurred only in Alpine zone which are specific to extreme alpine habitat. The exclusive Alpine flora of both valleys formed 45.25% of the total alpine flora. Although the total number of species was the highest in the Sub-alpine zone, but in the species specific to any one zone, the Alpine zone had the highest number, that is, 105 of the total 232 species were exclusively found in this zone only. Like species, 22 genera out of 52 were exclusively found in alpine zone only. The Alpine zone was characterized by herbs and low shrubs, with Potentilla species as the dominants. A clear trend of migration of certain species both from lower to higher latitudes and altitudes was observed. Bistorta affinis and Potentilla species were observed that are grazing resistant and drought resistant species of the alpine zone were upward shifted from subalpine zone in both valleys during the last fourteen years. Beside these dominant and grazing resistant species some other species like Saussurea simpsoniana, Corydalis spp., Pulsatilla wallichiana, Anemone rupicola, Allium spp., Silene gonosperma, Aconogonon spp., Primula spp., were upward shifted within the alpine zone and some are completely shifted from subalpine zone. Anemone rupicola, Pulsatilla wallichina and Aconogonon spp. were completely shifted from lower zone to alpine zone of both valleys. The species richness index of Alpine zone however showed increasing trend probably due to species migrations towards the alpine zone.

Sustainable development relies heavily on a food system that is both safe and secure. Several approaches may lead to sustainability and food safety. An increase in the cultivation of legume crops is one of the approaches for enhancing agricultural viability and ensuring adequate food supply. Legumes may increase daily intake of fiber, folate, and protein as substitutes for meat and dairy. They are also crucial in various intercropping systems worldwide. However, legume production has been hampered by Rhizoctonia solani due to its destructive lifestyle. R. solani causes blights, damping off, and rotting diseases in legume crops. Our knowledge of the global distribution of R. solani associated with legume crops (alfalfa, soybean, chickpea, pea, lentil, common bean, and peanut), detection, diagnosis, and management of legume crops diseases caused by R. solani is limited. Traditional approaches rely on the incubation of R. solani, visual examination of symptoms on host legume crops, and microscopy identification. However, these approaches are time-consuming, require technical expertise, fail to detect a minimal amount of inoculum, and are unreliable. Biochemical and molecular-based approaches have been used with great success recently because of their excellent sensitivity and specificity. Along with conventional PCR, nested PCR, multiplex PCR, real-time PCR, magnetic-capture hybridization PCR, and loop-mediated isothermal amplification have been widely used to detect and diagnose R. solani. In the future, Next-generation sequencing will likely be used to a greater extent to detect R. solani. This review outlines global distribution, survival, infection and disease cycle, traditional, biochemical, molecular, and next-generation sequencing detection and diagnostic approaches, and an overview of the resistant resources and other management strategies to cope with R. solani.

Novel thiophene-derived Schiff base ligand DE, where DE is (E)-N 1 ,N 1 -diethyl-N 2 -(thiophen-2-ylmethylene)ethane-1,2-diamine, and the corresponding M(II) complexes, [M(DE)X 2 ] (M = Cu or Zn, X = Cl; M = Cd, X = Br), were prepared and structurally characterized. X-ray diffraction studies revealed that the geometry around the center of the M(II) complexes, [Zn(DE)Cl 2 ] and [Cd(DE)Br 2 ], could be best described as a distorted tetrahedral. In vitro antimicrobial screening of DE and its corresponding M(II) complexes, [M(DE)X 2 ], was performed. The complexes were more potent and showed higher activities against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, fungi Candida albicans, and protozoa Leishmania major compared to the ligand. Among the studied complexes, [Cd(DE)Br 2 ] exhibited the most promising antimicrobial activity against all the tested microbes compared to its analogs. These results were further supported by molecular docking studies. We believe that these complexes may significantly contribute to the efficient designing of metal-derived agents to treat microbial infections.

The present study aims at phytochemical profiling and valuating the effect of crude extract of Delphinium brunonianum on fructose mediated rise in blood pressure and metabolic abnormalities in rats. Therefore, rats were fed on fructose (10%w/v) for 6 weeks. Rats in treatment groups received amlodipine 250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg of DB-Cr separately in concurrent to fructose. Various parameters of metabolic perturbations were assessed at the end of study. Further, DB-Cr was analyzed using LC-MS technique. DB-Cr exerted remarkable antihypertensive effect whereas, sympathetic hyperactivity and hyperinsulinemia in these rats was significantly blunted, further, endothelium functionality was successfully restored. LC-MS analysis of DB-Cr revealed the presence of a variety of chemical constituents (41) including quinic acid, scopolin, gingerol, Robinetin 3-rutinoside, KAPA and maleic acid. In conclusion, D.brunonianum possess the potential to combat the fructose mediated hypertension and metabolic perturbations, which may partially be due to its chemical constituents.