Memecylon viswanathanii R.Rajesh, P.Sakthidhasan & C.Rajasekar, a new species of Melastomataceae, is described and illustrated from the Kalakkad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) in the southern Western Ghats of India. M. viswanathanii is close to M. parvifolium Thwaites and M. varians Thwaites but differs by several vegetative and floral characters. The species is assessed here as Critically endangered as per IUCN Red List.

The genus Allium comprises plants of significant economic and medical importance, including onion, garlic, and leek plants. The genetic diversity of garlic plants (Allium sativum) is vital for improving agricultural practices, developing resilient crops, preserving genetic resources, and exploring the full range of culinary and medicinal potential within this important plant species. In this research, we investigated the results of genetic barcoding, focusing on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region; four distinct barcoding regions, matK, rbcL, and trnH-psbA; and the trnL and Inter Simple Sequence Repeats (ISSR) regions of Allium sativum L. (Amaryllidaceae), which were collected from three diverse cultivation sites. Our findings revealed significant interspecific diversity and intraspecific divergence among the three cultivars examined. Interestingly, the results from different genetic markers were consistent, with BDUT 1451 and 1452 consistently grouping together, while BDUT 1450 diverged. These findings emphasize the effectiveness of the multi-marker approach for exploring intricate genetic landscapes. Furthermore, they highlight the importance of genetic studies in understanding the diversity of breeding and the potential utility of this economically and medicinally important nutraceutical crop.

Background/Objectives: Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, remains a major global health challenge, exacerbated by the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains and limited efficacy of existing therapies. Given the involvement of multiple essential mycobacterial proteins, multitarget drug discovery represents a rational therapeutic strategy. Methods: In this study, an integrated in silico pipeline combining machine learning–based quantitative structure–activity relationship modeling, graph neural network–driven drug–target affinity prediction, molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and pharmacokinetic–toxicity profiling was employed to identify potential antitubercular leads from natural products. Results: A curated library of over 0.69 million compounds from the COCONUT database was systematically screened against seven essential M. tuberculosis protein targets. Machine learning and heterogeneous graph neural network models effectively captured complex ligand–protein interaction patterns, enabling high-confidence multitarget prioritization. Structure-based docking and MM-GBSA analyses revealed favorable binding affinities, further supported by 100 ns Molecular Dynamics simulations demonstrating stable binding and conformational integrity. In silico ADMET and toxicity predictions identified pharmacokinetically balanced candidates, while density functional theory calculations corroborated favorable electronic properties. Conclusions: Notably, a myricetin-based flavonoid glycoside exhibited consistent multitarget binding and dynamic stability across all targets. Overall, this study underscores the potential of integrated artificial intelligence and structure-based approaches in accelerating natural product-based antitubercular drug discovery and supports further experimental validation of prioritized leads.

Evolution of genus is accompanied by ecological diversification. The majority of species grow in open, sunny, rather dry sites in arid and moderately humid climates. However, Allium species have adapted for many other ecological niches. Classical approaches for the identification of Allium cultivars are based on morphological traits. The assessment of these traits is difficult and their evaluation can be subjective considering that most of these cultivars are closely related. Hence, this study of Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) sequencing and four barcoding regions, matK, rbcL, trnH-psbA, trnL and Inter Simple Sequence Repeats (ISSR) were researched in onion, Allium cepa L. (Alliaceae) collected from three different cultivation sites. The results established noticeable hereditary divergence among the three cultivars. In ITS and matK, BDUT 1453, BDUT 1454 and BDUT 1455 were independent of each other and formed three clusters. In rbcL, BDUT 1453 formed an independent cluster from the cluster of BDUT 1454 and BDUT 1455. But in trnH-psbA, BDUT 1454 formed an independent cluster and BDUT 1453 and BDUT 1455 were closely placed whereas trnL showed all the three forming a cluster wherein BDUT 1453 and BDUT 1454 were placed closely in a sub-cluster. In ISSR, BDUT 1454 and BDUT 1455 formed a single cluster and BDUT 1453 diverged from it. Even though the tested cultivars belong to the same species they showed genetic divergence among themselves.