Essential oils (EOs) were obtained by hydrodistillation of various parts of Ferula ovina (Boiss.) Boiss., Ferula iliensis Krasn. ex. Korovin, and Ferula akitschkensis B. Fedtsch. ex Koso-Pol., collected in the flowering/budding and fruiting stages. Eight samples of EOs isolated from F. ovina and four samples from F. akitsckensis were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The major constituents of F. ovina EOs were α-pinene (6.9–47.8%), β-pinene (1.5–7.1%), sabinene (0.1–20.5%), β-phellandrene (0–6.5%), trans-verbenol (0.9–7.4%), eremophilene (3.1–12%), and 6Z-2,5,5,10-tetramethyl-undeca-2,6,9-trien-8-one (0–13.7%). The major constituents of F. akitsckensis EOs were α-pinene (0–46.2%), β-pinene (0–47.9%), sabinene (0–28.3%), eremophilene (0–10.6), β-caryophyllene (0–7.5%), himachalen-7-ol (0–28.2%), and an himachalol derivative (0–8.3%). Samples of EOs from F. ovina, F. iliensis, and F. akitsckensis were evaluated for antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pulse-field gel electrophoresis type USA300 (LAC). EOs from F. ovina exhibited the highest antibacterial activity compared to samples from other Ferula spp., with the most potent EOs being isolated from roots at the flowering and fruiting stages and stems at the fruiting stage (IC₅₀ values of 19.1, 20.9, and 22.9 µg/mL, respectively). Although EOs demonstrated concentration-dependent inhibition of MRSA growth, analysis of the major constituents (α-pinene, β-pinene, and sabinene) showed that they had low activity, suggesting that other components were likely responsible for the observed bioactivity of the unfractionated EOs. Indeed, correlation of the GC-MS data with antibacterial activity suggested that the putative components responsible for antibacterial activity were, either individually or in combination, eremophilene and trans-verbenol. Overall, these results suggest that the EOs from F. ovina could have potential for use as alternative remedies for the treatment of infectious diseases caused by MRSA.

Endophytic contaminants are a common problem for the in vitro propagation of woody plants and have significant economic repercussions for the conservation of plant genetic resources and commercial micropropagation. In this study, first, the microbial contamination that appeared around the base of in vitro-grown apple shoots was identified as Bacillus megaterium. Then, plant preservative mixture (PPM^TM) was used as a bactericidal agent in plant tissue culture. Its efficacy for eradicating endophytic B. megaterium in in vitro cultures of apple was tested. In vitro-contaminated shoots were grown in tissue culture medium supplemented with 0.2% v/v PPM^TM for 12 weeks and then transferred to medium without any PPM^TM and cultured for 24 weeks. This study showed that PPM^TM is an effective agent for controlling the growth of B. megaterium. Our results highlight the species-specific response of apple shoots to PPM^TM. PPM^TM was effective in controlling endogenous microbial contaminations from apple varieties ‘Golden Delicious’, ‘Landsberger Renette’, ‘Suislepper’, and ‘Aport krovavo-krasnyi’; meanwhile, in ‘KG 7’ and ‘Gold Rush’, all the plants grown in the absence of PPM^TM were still bacterially contaminated, even though they were pre-treated for 12 weeks in PPM^TM-supplemented medium. These results therefore suggest the essentiality of further testing of extended incubation of PPM^TM in these cultivars that had outbreaks of bacterial contamination.

This paper focuses on the creation of an in vitro collection of grapevine hybrids from the breeding program of the Kazakh Scientific Research Institute of Fruit Growing and Viticulture and investigates the presence of Plasmopara viticola resistance mediated by Rpv3 and Rpv12 loci. We looked at the optimization of in vitro establishment using either shoots taken directly from field-grown plants or from budwood cuttings forced indoors. We further screened for the presence of endophyte contamination in the initiated explants and optimized the multiplication stage. Finally, the presence of the resistance loci against P. viticola was studied. The shoots initiated from the field-sourced explants were the more effective method of providing plant sources for in vitro initiation once all plant accessions met the goal of in vitro establishment. The concentration of phytohormones and the acidity of the culture medium have a great effect on the multiplication rate and the quality of in vitro stock cultures. Out of 17 grapevine accessions, 16 showed the presence of single or combined resistance loci against P. viticola. The grapevine accessions identified as carrying Rpv3 and Rpv12 alleles represent important genetic resources for disease resistance breeding programs. These accessions may further contribute to the creation of new elite cultivars of economic interest.

BACKGROUND: Persian walnut (Juglans regia L.) is one of the most economically important nut crops. In the Western Tien Shan in Kazakhstan, walnut forests are the northernmost in the natural range of this species. Shoot tip cryopreservation is an important strategy to ensure long-term clonal conservation of plant genetic resources. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of cold acclimation duration (0-6 weeks) with alternating temperatures (8 h at 22°C, light intensity 10 μmol m -2 s -1 /16 h at -1°C, in the dark) and of plant vitrification solution 2 (PVS2) exposure duration (30, 50, 80 or 100 min) on shoot tip regrowth after cryopreservation by vitrification. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In vitro-grown shoots of three wild Juglans regia accessions from a native population of Sairam-Ugam National Natural Park in the south of Kazakhstan and of cultivar Milotai 10 were used as sources of plant material. Shoot tips (1.8-2.0 mm with five to six leaf primordia) were excised from in vitro- grown shoots and cryopreserved using PVS2 vitrification technique. RESULTS: Regrowth of cryopreserved shoot tips increased and was significantly higher (P < 0.05) after 4-6 weeks cold acclimation with the highest regrowth between 59.9-67.8% after 5 weeks for the four genotypes tested. The highest regrowth level was obtained after 80 min of PVS2 exposure, which was significantly better (P < 0.05) compared to 30, 50 or 100 min exposure. CONCLUSION: The PVS2 vitrification protocol established is very effective for cryopreservation of both unique wild J . regia germplasm and of walnut cultivars.