Acanthaceae merupakan famili tumbuhan berbunga di bawah order Lamiales dan terdiri daripada sekurang-kurangnya 4,000 spesies di kawasan tropika dan juga kawasan subtropika dengan genus Justicia merupakan genus terbesar. Kajian mikromorfologi petal dan sepal telah dijalankan ke atas ke atas enam spesies iaitu Justicia betonica L., J. carnea Lindl., J. comata (L.) Lam., J. gendarussa Burm.f., J. procumbens L. dan J. ptychostoma Nees. Kaedah kajian termasuklah penetapan bunga di dalam larutan penetap, siri dehidrasi, titik pengeringan genting dan cerapan di bawah mikroskop imbasan elektron. Hasil kajian menunjukkan kesemua enam spesies mempunyai variasi dan perbezaan mikromorfologi pada permukaan epidermis petal dan sepal. Kutikel lilin boleh ditemui pada kedua-dua permukaan epidermis petal dan sepal kesemua spesies yang dikaji. Kutikel lilin butir merupakan satu-satunya jenis kutikel lilin yang ditemui pada kesemua permukaan petal dan sepal spesies kajian. Terdapat lapan jenis trikom ditemui pada permukaan epidermis sepal dan juga lapan jenis trikom pada permukaan epidermis petal. Justicia betonica boleh dibezakan secara langsung dengan kehadiran stomata amfidiasitik pada permukaan epidermis petal dan stomata tidak hadir pada permukaan petal spesies yang lain. Kesimpulannya, hasil kajian ini membuktikan ciri mikromorfologi petal dan sepal mempunyai kesignifikan sistematik dan boleh digunakan sebagai data sokongan bagi pembezaan dan pengenalpastian spesies dalam genus Justicia.
This paper discussed on the effectiveness of BAP and NAA growth hormones on establishment of plant regeneration for selected ornamentals; Agapanthus praecox, Justicia betonica and Celosia cristata. Various explants (leaf, stem, shoot tip and bulb) derived from one-month-old aseptic seedlings of A. praecox and C. cristata, as well as explants from intact plants of J. betonica were utilized to achieve complete plant regeneration of these species. MS medium supplemented with various hormones, with an emphasis on BAP and NAA was tested to obtain direct and indirect regeneration. Both A. praecox (bulbs) and C. cristata (shoots) formed complete plantlets on MS added with 0.5-2.0 mg/L BAP and NAA, while direct regeneration was achieved for J. betonica on MS media containing BAP. Several methods were attempted to acclimatize the regenerants, with A. praecox gave the highest percentage of survival rates (96.67%), followed by J. betonica (80.00%) and C. cristata (75.00%).
This research was undertaken to evaluate the nematicidal activity of various concentrations of aqueous tinctures of 80 plant species towards L1-2 of S. papillosus. For the experiment with larvae of S. papillosus, there were used 0.19%, 0.75% and 3.00% aqueous tinctures of plants. Out of 80 tested species, nematicidal activity against L1-2 of S. papillosus was displayed by 20 plants. The greatest activity (LC50 = 0.060-0.069%) towards larvae of S. papillosus was exerted by Teucrium polium, Achillea millefolium, Genista tinctoria and Ulmus laevis. Less expressed nematicidal activity (LC50 = 0.070-0.079%) was recorded for Thalictrum minus, Stachys recta, Falcaria vulgaris, Lavatera thuringiaca. Even lower effect (LC50 = 0.080-0.089%) was shown by aqueous tinctures of Mentha × piperita, Achillea millefolium, Salvia nutans, Eryngium campestre and Cerasus fruticosa. The following plants could be arranged in declining order of effectiveness of nematicidal activity (LC50 = 0.090-0.165%) Malus sylvestris, Tragopogon orientalis, Erigeron annuus, Grindelia squarrosa, Urtica dioica, Daucus carota, Medicago sativa, Carduus acanthoides, Ulmus minor and Hieracium umbellatum. A far weaker effect on the nematodes was displayed by Bromopsis inermis and Tragopogon podolicus. Aqueous tinctures of 60 other studied species of plants exhibited low nematicidal activity in 3.00% aqueous tincture, while in 0.19% and 0.75% aqueous tinctures, no nematicidal activity was seen. The results of the research suggest that in the conditions of natural ecosystems, some species of plants of the Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Malvaceae, Rosaceae, Ulmaceae and Urticaceae families could reduce vitality of free-living L1-2 larvae of S. papillosus.