Ethnobotanical and Indigenous Knowledge of Important Plants in East Hararghe, Eastern Ethiopia

An ethnobotanical study was conducted in East Hararghe, Ethiopia to identify and investigate the use of various plants by the traditional healers and communities engaged in domestic, pesticide and medicinal use. A total of 78 species were observed to be used by the local inhabitants in the region for the treatments of various ailments. Out of these, herbs constitute 49% followed by trees(36%) and shrubs only 15%. However, most frequently used plant parts were leaf and aerial parts(20) followed by seed(13), fruit(12), other parts(10), rhizome(7) and bark(1). Most of the plants were found to be used for medicinal, aromatic and food flavouring(spices, condiments) purposes. Out of 78 species recorded in the present study, 11 were reported to cure stomachache, seven for cold, cough and respiratory problem, six for diarrhoea and five species were found capable of curing fever. Fabaceae was the largest family contributing to medicinal plant use with seven species followed by Solanaceae, Myrtaceae,(5 spp.), and Zingiberaceae, Asteraceae, Liliaceae(4 spp. each). Some of the important plants utilized for taking care of variety of ailments are Azadirachta indica, Brassica nigra, Balanites aegyptiaca, Maytenus ovatus, Rosmarinus officinalis and Trigonella foenum graecum. Most of these medicinal and aromatic plants(MAPs) play a significant role in the household economy and were observed to be very popular among the people. Unpopular plants were left out of the study. This study provides useful and basic information on usage of different plants for conducting further studies aimed at conservation and documentation of traditional medicine system and economic welfare of rural peoples of the East Hararghe, Ethiopia. It also revealed that indigenous practices contributed to sustainable management of plants.

Can soil microbial diversity influence plant metabolites and life history traits of a rhizophagous insect？ A demonstration in oilseed rape

Interactions between plants and phytophagous insects play an important part in shaping the biochemical composition of plants. Reciprocally plant metabolites can influ- ence major life history traits in these insects and largely contribute to their fitness. Plant rhizospheric microorganisms are an important biotic factor modulating plant metabolites and adaptation to stress. While plant-insects or plant-microorganisms interactions and their consequences on the plant metabolite signature are well-documented, the impact of soil microbial communities on plant defenses against phytophagous insects remains poorly known. In this study, we used oilseed rape （Brassica napus） and the cabbage root fly （Delia radicum） as biological models to tackle this question. Even though D. radicum is a belowground herbivore as a larva, its adult life history traits depend on aboveground signals. We therefore tested whether soil microbial diversity influenced emergence rate and fitness but also fly oviposition behavior, and tried to link possible effects to modifications in leaf and root metabolites. Through a removal-recolonization experiment, 3 soil microbial modalities （＂high,＂ ＂medium,＂ ＂low＂） were established and assessed through amplicon sequencing of 16S and 18S ribosomal RNA genes. The ＂medium＂ modality in the rhizosphere significantly improved insect development traits. Plant-microorganism interactions were marginally associated to modulations of root metabolites profiles, which could partly explain these results. We highlighted the potential role of plant-microbial interaction in plant defenses against Delia radicum. Rhizospheric microbial communities must be taken into account when analyzing plant defenses against herbivores, being either below or aboveground.