Musa chunii Hkkinen,a new species (Musaceae) from Yunnan,China and taxonomic identity of Musa rubra

The center of diversity of the genus Musa （Musaceae） is in Southeast Asia, a region not studied in detail and where new species and varieties continue to be reported. A new wild banana species, M. chunii Hakkinen from Yunnan, China is described and illustrated based on observed morphological characteristics in the field. This extremely rare new species was only found in Tongbiguan Nature Reserve, Dehong District, West Yunnan. A key to M. chunii and related taxa is provided. In addition, critical notes regarding M. rubra Kurz identity are given.

BanSatDB, a whole-genome-based database of putative and experimentally validated microsatellite markers of three Musa species

The genus Musa is one of three genera in the family Musaceae, which includes bananas and plantains, which are monocotyledonous plants. Bananas have valuable nutritional content of vitamin C, B6, minerals, and dietary fiber and are a rich food energy source, given that carbohydrates account for 22%–32% of fruit weight. Molecular markers are valuable for crop improvement and population genetics studies. The availability of whole-genome sequence and in silico approaches has revolutionized bulk marker discovery. We describe an online web genomic resource, BanSatDB(http://webtom.cabgrid.res.in/bansatdb/) having the highest number(>341,000) of putative STR markers from Musa genera so far, represented by three species: M. acuminata(110,000), M. balbisiana(107,000), and M. itinerans(124,000)from 11 chromosomes of each species. BanSatDB has also been populated with 580 validated STR markers from the published literature. It is based on a three-tier architecture using MySQL, PHP and Apache. The markers can be retrieved by use of multiple search parameters including chromosome number(s), microsatellite types(simple or compound),repeat nucleotides(1–6), copy number, microsatellite length, pattern of repeat motif, and chromosome location. These markers can be used for Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability(DUS) tests of variety identification and for marker assisted selection(MAS) in variety improvement and management. These STRs have also proved to be helpful in classification of Musa germplasm to distinguish individual accessions and in the development of a standardized procedure for genotyping. These markers can also be used in gene discovery and QTL mapping. The database represents a source of markers for developing and implementing new approaches for molecular breeding, which are required to enhance banana productivity.

Antioxidant,anti-alpha-glucosidase and pancreatic beta-cell protective effects of methanolic extract of Ensete superbum Cheesm seeds

Objective: To investigate the antioxidant, anti-a-glucosidase and pancreatic b-cell protective potential of Ensete superbum(E. superbum) seeds.Methods: A variety of in vitro assays including radical scavenging, reducing power potential, phenolic content determination, a-glucosidase assay and pancreatic b-cell(1.4E7 cells) viability were employed for assessing the effect of methanolic extract of E. superbum seeds.Results: The radical scavenging and reducing power effects comparable with the standard rutin were obtained while the enzyme inhibitory activity of the extract was 68-fold better than the standard antidiabetic drug, acarbose. The seed extract of E. superbum was packed-full of polyphenols with mean percentage gallic acid equivalent value of(38.2 ± 1.8)(n = 3). The protection of pancreatic cells from massive onslaught of hydrogen peroxide was far superior to that obtained for rutin.Conclusions: The reputed antidiabetic therapeutic uses of the seeds extract of E. superbum may be justified on the basis of inhibition of carbohydrate enzymes, antioxidant effects and pancreatic b-cell protection.

Spirematospermum wetzleri (Heer) Chandler (Zingiberaceae) from the Miocene of Weichang, Hebei Province, North China and the phytogeographic history of the genus

Spirematospermum is a well-known extinct zingiberalean taxon, characterized by trilocular capsules containing many distinctive, spirally striate and arillate seeds. It is frequently found and studied in European Neogene carpological floras, but is scarcely represented in East Asia floras. In this work we recognize a new fossil record of Spirematospermum wetzleri（Heer） Chandler based on the capsules and seeds from the Miocene of Weichang, Hebei Province, North China. These fossils represent the first record of the species in the Miocene of China. Fossil data indicate that Spirematospermum probably originated in the Late Cretaceous of North America or Central Europe.The genus still existed in the Paleocene of North America, but became extinct after that time. However, the genus successively survived in Europe from the Eocene to Pliocene, and flourished luxuriantly during the Oligocene to Miocene. As there was Turgai Strait between Europe and Asia during the Eocene, the genus did not spread to Central Asia and West Siberia until the strait closed in the late Eocene/early Oligocene, and further expanded eastwardly to eastern Siberia, Russia, northern China and central Japan during the Miocene, but became extinct in Asia after the Miocene. The genus contracted its distribution to Europe in the Pliocene, and afterwards it became extinct in the world.