Centella asiatica L., commonly known as Gotu kola, Indian pennywort, and Asiatic pennyworts, is an herbaceous perennial plant that belongs to the family Apiaceae and has long been used in the traditional medicine system. The plant is known to produce a wide range of active metabolites such as triterpenoids including asiatic acid, asiaticoside, brahmoside, and madecassic acid along with other constituents including centellose, centelloside, and madecassoside, etc., which show immense pharmacological activity. Due to its beneficial role in neuroprotection activity, the plant has been considered as a brain tonic. However, limited cultivation, poor seed viability with low germination rate, and overexploitation for decades have led to severe depletion and threatened its wild stocks. The present review aimed to provide up-to-date information on biotechnological tools applied to this endangered medicinal plant for its in vitro propagation, direct or indirect regeneration, synthetic seed production, strategies for secondary metabolite productions including different elicitors. In addition, a proposed mechanism for the biosynthesis of triterpenoids is also discussed.

Creation of plantations of the most popular species of forest berry plants with high nutritional and medicinal value is advisable in connection with the reduction of such natural resources and the increased demand for berry products, as well as for the biological reclamation of depleted peat deposits. The paper shows the research results of clonal micropropagation of forest berry plants (cranberry, American cranberry, half-high blueberry, Arctic bramble, lingonberry, Kamchatka bilberry) of promising cultivars and forms using various types of lighting (white LED lamps, LED lamps with a combination of white, red and blue spectra, as well as white fluorescent lamps). Plants were cultivated using WPM and MS nutrient media with the addition of cytokinins 2-iP and 6-BAP in various concentrations. The largest number (3.3–16.9 pcs) and the maximum total length (13.8–251.1 cm) of microshoots of cranberry (Dar Kostromy cultivar, hybrid form 1-15-635), American cranberry (Ben Lear cultivar, hybrid form 1-23-3), Arctic bramble (Anna cultivar, hybrid form K-1), lingonberry (Kostromskaya rozovaya and Rubin cultivars) and Kamchatka bilberry (Sakhalinskaya and Kurilskaya forms) were observed under lighting by LED lamps with a combination of white, red and blue spectra at the “proper micropropagation” stage. The formation of the largest number (13.1 pcs) and the maximum length (98.7 cm) of microshoots of half-high blueberry (Northblue cultivar, hybrid form 23-1-11) was observed under lighting by white fluorescent lamps. There were no significant differences in biometric parameters of plants under different types of lighting depending on cultivars and forms. The use of LED lamps with a combination of white, red and blue spectra has a significant effect on the formation of microshoots of forest berry plants during clonal micropropagation. For citation: Makarov S.S., Upadyshev M.T., Kuznetsova I.B., Zaushintsena A.V., Kulikova E.I., Surina E.A. The Use of Lighting of Various Spectral Ranges for Clonal Micropropagation of Forest Berry Plants. Lesnoy Zhurnal = Russian Forestry Journal, 2022, no. 6, pp. 82–93. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.37482/0536-1036-2022-6-82-93

Более полное вовлечение и эффективное использование недревесных ресурсов леса является одной из актуальных проблем развития лесного комплекса Российской Федерации в рамках обеспечения многоцелевого, рационального и неистощительного лесопользования. Создание плантаций лесных ягодных растений позволит решить проблему биологической рекультивации выработанных торфяных месторождений, а также повысить продуктивность дикорастущих ягодников и увеличить биоразнообразие неиспользуемых земель лесного фонда. Цель работы – изучить перспективы использования клонального микроразмножения как наиболее эффективного способа получения высококачественного сортового посадочного материала лесных ягодных растений для закладки плантаций на рекультивируемых выработанных торфяниках. Приведены результаты исследований клонального микроразмножения лесных ягодных растений – полувысокорослой голубики и клюквы болотной перспективных сортов и гибридных форм – и их адаптации к условиям выработанных торфяных месторождений. Представлены данные по формированию микропобегов и корней растений голубики и клюквы на питательной среде WPM при использовании росторегулирующих веществ. На этапе собственно микроразмножения максимальная суммарная длина микропобегов отмечена у полувысокорослой голубики (23,7 см) при концентрации цитокинина 2-iP 3,0 мг/л, у клюквы болотной (22,7 см) – при концентрации 0,5 мг/л. На этапе укоренения in vitro максимальная суммарная длина корней растений полувысокорослой голубики (12,1 см) и клюквы болотной (51,7 см) выявлена при концентрации ауксина ИУК 1,0 мг/л. Охарактеризована приживаемость растений в нестерильных условиях in vivo в зависимости от состава субстрата и в естественных условиях на выработанных торфяниках. На этапе адаптации к нестерильным условиям in vivo наибольшая приживаемость растений голубики наблюдалась на субстрате из торфа переходного типа и сфагнума (95–98 %), клюквы – на субстрате из торфа верхового типа и сфагнума (100 %). В условиях выработанных торфяников приживаемость растений полувысокорослой голубики и клюквы болотной достигала 100 %. Метод клонального микроразмножения является наиболее эффективным способом получения высококачественного оздоровленного посадочного материала лесных ягодных растений для быстрого размножения перспективных сортов и гибридных форм, создания плантаций с целью рекультивации выработанных торфяников в рамках организации многоцелевого лесопользования.

Hidden hunger is a significant social issue in numerous countries worldwide, causing the development of nutrition-related diseases among populations annually. Biofortification offers a sustainable solution as it combines methods of cross-breeding, genetic engineering, agriculture, and microbiology. The authors reviewed international studies in the field of microbial biofortification in order to assess the microbial potential to enh ance the essential element content in grain crops. The review featured relevant scientific articles published by foreign experts in Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar in 1984–2024. The keywords included biofortification, wheat, rice, oats, growth stimulation, antagonism, and phytopathogen. The sources were processed in Zotero and VOSviewer. Nitrogen fixation and nutrient solubilization are the main mechanisms of microbial biofortification. Solubilization occurs as a synthesis of organic and inorganic acids, protons, siderophores, extracellular enzymes, and other secondary metabolites. Microorganisms can improve the expression of plant genes in terms of absorption and nutrient accumulation. They also affect root systems, facilitating the extraction of nutrients from the soil. The authors summarized laboratory and field studies on microbial biofortification of rice, wheat, and barley with iron, selenium, zinc, copper, manganese, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Biofortified growth-promoting microorganisms are a sustainable, reliable, and cost-effective approach to food security and hidden hunger issues. The review offers relevant information that can be used to develop new microbial preparations for the domestic agriculture.

Biologically active substances extricated by extraction of water and 40% ethyl alcohol from rootstalks of Rhodiola rosea L.: gallic acid, forms of rosovin and salidroside have been studied. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were used during the research. Determination of antimicrobial activity was performed by agar diffusion method (OFC.1.2.4.0010.15) [8]. The method is based on the evaluation of inhibition of the growth zone of testing cultures of microorganisms by certain concentrations of biologically active substances (BAS). String formed bacteria (8 strains), cocci bacteria (3) and fungal (4) microorganisms, bifidobacterium (10 strains) were used as testing cultures. Various responses of microorganisms to exposure by biologically active substances have been determined. Gallic acid and salidroside in the aqueous phase have the maximum inhibitory property to rod bacteria and coccoid microorganisms. Post-antibiotic effect is shown in rozovin. Salidroside in the butanol phase is more neutral to most microorganisms, with the exclusion of: Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus. The lack of a clearly expressed reaction of BAS to bifidobacterium, most probably, gives the possibility of their use in the development of functional products of a new generation. However, first of all, it is required to organize a special experiment on the structure of the introduction of the studied components into the lactoserum. Next, determine the content of BAS in the derived product, the reaction of bifidobacterium admitted for use in biotechnology, and a standard set of microbiological strains. Gallic acid is suggested to be introduced in applied studies to explore as a target immunomodulator of resistance to the listed microflora and to develop an effective form of a new product.

Starter cultures of lactic acid bacteria define the sensory profile of cheese, as well as its microbiological safety and shelf life. Under the current import restrictions, Russia needs efficient domestic starter strains with probiotic properties. Research in this sphere opens up prospects for new functional cheeses that combine conventional sensory properties with health benefits. The authors tested Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. plantarum, and Weissella thailandensis for starter culture potential. The highest antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli belonged to L. plantarum (B-11264) and W. thailandensis (B-10412). E. faecium (B-4054) and L. acidophilus (B-2585) demonstrated strong acid-forming effects, which contributed to a decrease in pH. Their resistance to high NaCl concentrations was strain-specific: while 2–4% NaCl inhibited some cultures, 6.5% NaCl was able to inhibit them all. The biocompatibility test revealed no antagonism between the strains, which confirmed good consortia prospects. Strains B-4054, B-2585, and B-11264 demonstrated a reliable enzymatic potential and steady growth under the experimental conditions. In the future, they may provide a strategic alternative to imported probiotic starters. Research prospects involve optimization of cheese production technology by using these strains in microbial consortia.