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Resolving the position of roots in the whole-plant hierarchy of drought-induced xylem embolism resistance is fundamental for predicting when species become isolated from soil water resources. Published research generally suggests that roots are the most vulnerable organ of the plant vascular system, although estimates vary significantly. However, our knowledge of root embolism excludes the fine roots (< 2 mm diameter) that form the bulk of total absorptive surface area of the root network for water and nutrient uptake. We measured fine root and stem xylem vulnerability in 10 vascular plant species from the major land plant clades (five angiosperms, three conifers, a fern and lycophyte), using standardised in situ methods (Optical Methods and MicroCT). Mean fine root embolism resistance across the network matched or exceeded stems in all study species. In six of these species (one fern, one lycophyte, three conifers and one angiosperm), fine roots were significantly more embolism resistant than stems. No clear relationship was found between root xylem conduit diameter and vulnerability. These results provide insight into the resistance of the plant hydraulic pathway at the site of water and nutrient uptake, and challenge the long-standing assumption that fine roots are more vulnerable than stems., (© 2024 The Author(s). New Phytologist © 2024 New Phytologist Foundation.)

Therapeutic effects of herbal medicines differ greatly due to the use of different anatomical parts or processing methods in traditional Chinese medicine, and Ephedra sinica (ES) is just a case in point. To better understand different traditional uses of the stems (known as Mahuang, MH) and roots (known as Mahuanggen, MHG) of ES, their therapeutic material basis should be investigated. In this study, ephedrine alkaloids were profiled simultaneously with primary metabolites using GC-MS based metabolomics. Ephedrine (E) has been reported to be the major bioactive constituent in MH for the treatment of asthma. The results showed that compared with MH, MHG contained much lower levels of five ephedrine alkaloids, which may well explain that MHG has not been used as an antiasthmatic. Additionally, these pharmacologically important ephedrine alkaloids exhibited strong positive correlation with five primary metabolites. In conclusion, this study facilitates better understanding of different traditional uses of MH and MHG., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The quality control of drugs is necessary to guaranty the safety and efficacy of natural products. In this sense, the present investigation is led to compare the pharmacognostic parameters and preliminary phytochemical composition of the leaves, stems and roots of Urera baccifera, a medicinal plant with gastroprotective, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antimicrobial activities. The morphological characteristics and physicochemical parameters were evaluated for three organs, according to well-established methods for vegetal drugs. In addition, phytochemical screening was made. In microscopical analysis, different types of crystals were observed in each organ. Also, the leaves showed the highest percentage of total ashes and soluble constituents. Water was the better extraction solvent. The micromorphological characteristics and physicochemical parameters were reported for the first time for this species. The hydroalcoholic extract of three organs showed the presence of lactones, triterpenes, flavonoids, amino acids, phenols and sugar reducing. Based on the results, the leaves are proposed for the development of future phyto drugs from U. baccifera, in contrast with the ethnomedical information, where the roots are used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The root of Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis, a famous and endangered traditional Chinese herb, has a significant medicinal value. The aim of this study was to analyze the composition and functional characteristics of bacterial endophytes in roots, stems, and leaves of P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing and functional prediction of bacterial endophytes in roots, stems, and leaves of P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis were conducted. The Chao and Shannon indices of the bacteria in roots were significantly higher than those in stems and leaves. The dominant endophyte phyla were Cyanobacteria, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria. The main genera detected in roots were unclassified Cyanobacteria, Rhizobium, Flavobacterium, and Sphingobium; the main genera in stems were norank_c__Cyanobacteria, Bacillus, and Pseudomonas; the main genera in leaves were norank_c__Cyanobacteria and Rhizobium. The microbiota in roots was particularly enriched in functional categories "extracellular structures" and "cytoskeleton" compared with stems and leaves (p < 0.05). Our study reveals the structural and functional characteristics of the endophytic bacteria in roots, stems, and leaves of P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis, which aids in the scientific understanding of this plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, betalains content, phenolic composition, and antioxidant activity of different parts of red beet (Beta vulgarisL.conditiva) (i.e., roots and stems) were compared. Crude extract of root showed the highest betalain content with a maximum of 53 ± 4 mg betanin eq and 46 ± 3 mg vulgaxantin I eq g−1of extract stems showed higher total phenolic concentration than roots, ranging between 2.0 ± 0.4 and 14.6 ± 0.5 mg gallic acid eq−1of extract. Chemical composition was analyzed using LC-MS. Betalains (vulgaxanthin I, betanin, and isobetanin) and phenolics (gallic acid, ferulic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, vanillic acid, syringic acid, ellagic acid myricetin, quercetin, rutin, kampferol) were identified in roots and stems. Betalain extract obtained from roots showed higher antioxidant activity than extract obtained from stems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We measured six phenolic compounds by HPLC, the total phenolic content by Folin-Ciocalteu, and antioxidative activities by three methods in the sweet potato plant and in home processed roots. Total phenolic content was highest in the leaves. Eight root varieties were partitioned and analyzed for phenolics. The stem end of the root had significantly more phenolics. In all samples the predominant chlorogenic acids were 5-caffeoylquinic acid (5-CQA) and 3,5-diCQA. 3,4-diCQA was present in significant amounts in the leaves and the flower, and 4,5-diCQA in the leaves. Six home-processing/cooking techniques reduced phenolic content from 7% (baking) to ∼40% (deep frying/boiling). High correlations were observed between phenolic compounds determined by HPLC and Folin-Ciocalteu, radical scavenging activity by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and oxidative activity by ferric thiocyanate (FTC) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) methods. The results show that there is a large variation in phenolics among sweet potato varieties and different parts of the plant and that high-phenolic sweet potato leaves, widely consumed in Asian countries as a vegetable, should be considered for diets of other countries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Using a database of 2510 measurements from 287 species, we assessed whether general relationships exist between mass-based dark respiration rate and nitrogen concentration for stems and roots, and if they do, whether they are similar to those for leaves. The results demonstrate strong respiration–nitrogen scaling relationships for all observations and for data averaged by species; for roots, stems and leaves examined separately; and for life-forms (woody, herbaceous plants) and phylogenetic groups (angiosperms, gymnosperms) considered separately. No consistent differences in the slopes of these log–log scaling relations were observed among organs or among plant groups, but respiration rates at any common nitrogen concentration were consistently lower on average in leaves than in stems or roots, indicating that organ-specific relationships should be used in models that simulate respiration based on tissue nitrogen concentrations. The results demonstrate both common and divergent aspects of tissue-level respiration–nitrogen scaling for leaves, stems and roots across higher land plants, which are important in their own right and for their utility in modelling carbon fluxes at local to global scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The early fossil record of terrestrial arthropod herbivory consists of two pulses. The first pulse was concentrated during the latest Silurian to Early Devonian (417 to 403 Ma), and consists of the earliest evidence for consumption of sporangia and stems (and limited fungivore borings). Herbivorization of most of these tissues was rapid, representing 0 to 20 million-year (m.y.) lags from the earliest occurrences of these organs in the fossil record to their initial consumption (Phase 1). For approximately the next 75 m.y., there was a second, more histologically varied origination and expansion of roots, leaves, wood and seeds, whose earliest evidence for herbivorization occurred from the Middle-Late Mississippian boundary to the Middle Pennsylvanian (327 to 309 Ma). The appearance of this second herbivory pulse during the later Paleozoic (Phase 2) is accompanied by major lags of 98 to 54 m.y. between times of appearance of each of the four organ and tissue types and their subsequent herbivory. Both pulses provide a context for three emerging questions. First is an explanation for the contrast between the near instantaneous consumption of plant tissues during Phase 1, versus the exceptionally long lags between the earliest occurrences of plant tissues and their subsequent herbivorization during Phase 2. Second is the identity of arthropod herbivores for both phases. Third is the cause behind the overwhelming targeting of seed-fern plant hosts during Phase 2. Regardless of the answers to these questions, the trace fossil record of plant-arthropod associations provides primary ecological data that remain unaddressed by the body-fossil record alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydraulic properties were studied in Acer saccharinum L., a riparian species that also grows well on a dry soil when transplanted. Hydraulic resistances were measured by two independent techniques: a new high-pressure flowmeter (HPFM) method and a conventional evaporative flux (EF) method. Vulnerability to cavitation was also investigated on petioles, stems and roots using a hydraulic conductivity technique. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]