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The flowering of Amorphophallus bulbifer (A. bulbifer) plays an important role in its reproduction. The flowers and leaves of A. bulbifer cannot grow at the same time. However, the physiological and molecular mechanisms involved in flower bud and leaf bud formation are still unclear. In this study, the flower buds and leaf buds of A. bulbifer in the early stage of growth were used as research materials, transcriptome and metabolome analyses were carried out, and the soluble sugar and starch contents of A. bulbifer corms were determined. Transcriptome analysis revealed 5542 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between flower buds and leaf buds, 3107 of which were upregulated and 2435 of which were downregulated. Enrichment analysis of the KEGG pathway showed that these differential genes were enriched mainly in the plant hormone signal transduction, DNA replication and fatty acid elongation pathways. A total of 5296 significant differentially abundant metabolites were screened out by nontargeted metabolomics analysis. The differentially abundant metabolites were functionally classified in the HMDB, and 118 were successfully matched, including 17 that were highly expressed in flower buds. The differentially abundant metabolites in the flower buds were mainly enriched in pathways such as amino acid metabolism, isoquinoline alkaloid biosynthesis and pyrimidine metabolism. Targeted metabolomics analysis revealed that the contents of ABA, ZT and iPA in flower buds were significantly greater than those in leaf buds, while the opposite trend was observed for IAA. The analysis of soluble sugar and starch contents showed that the starch and soluble sugar contents in flower buds were significantly greater than those in leaf buds. The results of this study showed that flower bud development in A. bulbifer was regulated by amino acids, starch, ABA, ZT, iPA, IAA and other hormones. These findings could lead to valuable genetic resources for further study of A. bulbifer flowering and provide a deeper understanding of the molecular basis of A. bulbifer flowering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tripura, a small hilly state in India, harbors a treasure trove of traditional knowledge that revolves around utilizing forest-based resources for sustenance. Amorphophallus bulbifer (Roxb.) Blume, which belongs to the family Araceae, is a widely available and preferred food choice for the ethnic communities in Tripura. This study aimed to look at its biochemical potential for adding value and for bioprospecting. Several markets and homes were polled to determine how they could be used for more than one thing and to estimate the wild stock, demand, and supply. The results revealed that the corm is processed to make a food cake known as Batema and has a high market value. Batema is a traditional food that is high in carbs and is sold in the local markets which are alternative to soybeans and tofu. Furthermore, the nutritional content analysis reveals that a higher proportion of carbohydrate (7.73%) is present, followed by protein (3.15%), fat (0.05%), and estimated total calories (43.97 kcal/g). Besides that, the number of micronutrients and minerals, viz., Na (26.08%), Mg (0.94%), Al (1.92%), P (1.21%), K (2.99%), and Ca (4.34%), was also estimated. These findings suggested that Batema could be a resource for dietary supplements, which improve the healthfulness of novel foods for human consumption. Unfortunately, this food product is sold locally, which on the contrary, can be revolutionized from its traditional production into large-scale production at the commercial level. Such an approach will help secure livelihoods and increase the production and trade of this unique product.

The flowering of Amorphophallus bulbifer (A. bulbifer) plays an important role in its reproduction. The flowers and leaves of A. bulbifer cannot grow at the same time. However, the physiological and molecular mechanisms involved in flower bud and leaf bud formation are still unclear. In this study, the flower buds and leaf buds of A. bulbifer in the early stage of growth were used as research materials, transcriptome and metabolome analyses were carried out, and the soluble sugar and starch contents of A. bulbifer corms were determined. Transcriptome analysis revealed 5542 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between flower buds and leaf buds, 3107 of which were upregulated and 2435 of which were downregulated. Enrichment analysis of the KEGG pathway showed that these differential genes were enriched mainly in the plant hormone signal transduction, DNA replication and fatty acid elongation pathways. A total of 5296 significant differentially abundant metabolites were screened out by nontargeted metabolomics analysis. The differentially abundant metabolites were functionally classified in the HMDB, and 118 were successfully matched, including 17 that were highly expressed in flower buds. The differentially abundant metabolites in the flower buds were mainly enriched in pathways such as amino acid metabolism, isoquinoline alkaloid biosynthesis and pyrimidine metabolism. Targeted metabolomics analysis revealed that the contents of ABA, ZT and iPA in flower buds were significantly greater than those in leaf buds, while the opposite trend was observed for IAA. The analysis of soluble sugar and starch contents showed that the starch and soluble sugar contents in flower buds were significantly greater than those in leaf buds. The results of this study showed that flower bud development in A. bulbifer was regulated by amino acids, starch, ABA, ZT, iPA, IAA and other hormones. These findings could lead to valuable genetic resources for further study of A. bulbifer flowering and provide a deeper understanding of the molecular basis of A. bulbifer flowering.

Diverse tree species, understory bamboos, shrubs, and herbs in mixed deciduous forests (MDFs) provide not only timber, but also non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in terms of fuel, food, and medicinal plants. Sustainability and the economic value of commercially extracted NTFPs have been studied mainly for the aboveground vegetative components of plants. However, such important knowledge of the underground parts of the plants is limited because of difficulties observing them and lesser consideration of the lower value of NTFPs, compared with timber, in forest management. Here we established allometric models to predict the root and corm biomasses of two plants, Rauvolfia serpentina and Amorphophallus bulbifer , in relation to their aboveground, vegetative parts. Estimated underground biomasses of the two species were compared among three habitat types: a swidden field, a fallow forest after cultivation, and a ridge forest that was not subjected to swidden agriculture. The length of the longest leaf of each individual plant explained the accumulation of the underground biomass of R. serpentina ( R 2 = 0.64, P < 0.001) in a positive, linear relationship, and stem diameter at ground level did the same for A. bulbifer ( R 2 = 0.92, P < 0.001). The largest biomass accumulation of R. serpentina was found in swidden fields because of its light demanding nature, which was supported by a significant, negative correlation between canopy cover and leaf length (Pearson’s correlation = −0.612, P < 0.05). Because A. bulbifer was cut during weeding time, we could not measure its biomass accumulation in swidden fields; however, its occurrence in swidden fields was confirmed by farmers and field observations. No difference in the biomass accumulation of A. bulbifer was observed between the fallow and ridge forests. The promising growth of both species in the same year that a fire occurred during swidden cultivation suggests that the underground regeneration source provides advantages related to the harvesting of NTFPs and allows them to co-exist with slashing and burning in a swidden system, as well as surface fires in an MDF. Establishment of the two species in fallow vegetation was possibly facilitated by ecological and anthropogenic factors such as the reproductive bulbils of A. bulbifer and the broken root fragments of R. serpentina left after the harvest, as well as the dormancy period of these species during the dry season. This study revealed the cultivation potential of NTFPs that are suitable for community and agroforest plantations using a swidden system in an MDF that experiences fires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of the Amorphophallus Bulbifer in Wistar rats and mice. Methods: The anti-inflammatory activity of the hydroalcohol extract of A. bulbifer whole plant at dose levels of 100 and 200 mg/kg p.o. in rats was determined with a plethysmograph paw volume difference of the animals pre- and post-treatment. Ibuprofen (10 mg/kg) was employed as reference standard. Analgesic activity was evaluated using tail flick and tail immersion techniques, by measuring the reaction time of the animals treated with either standard or extract. Pentazocin (30 mg/kg) was used as reference standard. Results: The extract showed significant anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities at the two test dose levels at the 4th hour (p < 0.001). The extract exhibited anti inflammatory activity of 56.5 (p < 0.001) and 57.1 % (p < 0.001) inhibition compared to the control group in the carrageenan and histamine-induced inflammation model at a dose of 200 mg/kg. For analgesic activity, the extract showed reaction times of 7.33 (p < 0.001) and 7.83 (p < 0.001) min in the tail flick and tail immersion models, respectively, at a dose of 200 mg/kg while the normal and reference groups exhibited reaction times of 2.16, 2.66 and 8.16 (p < 0.001) and 8.5 (p < 0.001) in the tail flick and tail immersion methods, respectively. Conclusion: Based on the findings, it can be concluded that Amorphophallus bulbifer possesses antiinflammatory and analgesic properties and this lends some support for its use in traditional medical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]