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Browsing Botany-Scholarly Publications by Author "Adekunle, A.A."
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- ItemOpen AccessActivity activity of the crude extracts of Alafia bateri Oliver (Apocynaceae) and Chasmanthera dependens Hochst. (Menispermaceae)(National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), Islamabad, 2004) Adekunle, A.A.; Okoli, S. O.Texts attached
- ItemOpen AccessAirborne fungi from some eating places on the University of Lagos, Akoka Campus, Nigeria(Kloblex Academic Publishers, 2001) Adekunle, A.A.Texts attached
- ItemOpen AccessAirborne fungi spores distribution in various locations in Lagos, Nigeria(Environ Monit Assess, 2020) Odebode, A.; Odebode, A.; Adekunle, A.A.; Adeonipekun, P.Exposure to outside air microorganisms es- pecially fungi has been linked with illness such as allergic respiratory symptoms, rhinitis, asthma, and in- fection such as mycosis. Airborne fungal composition was sampled from five locations in Lagos State, Nigeria, between May 2014 and April 2016. Fungi spores were collected using the sedimentation plate method with the Petri dishes of dichloran-glycerol 18 (DG-18) and pota- to dextrose agar (PDA) media. Fungi sporulated faster on DG-18 agar plate as compared with PDA. The abun- dances of fungal spores collected monthly at the locations varied. The most abundant spores came from the fungi were Aspergillus niger (14.47%), Aspergillus sydowii (10.37%), and Aspergillus flavus (7.93%). Ad- ditional species were present in the collections including Ascomycetes: Penicillium funiculosum (5.49%), Neurospora crassa (5.32%), Penicillium oxalicum (4.71%), Penicillium pinophilum (2.88%), Fusarium verticillioides (3.05%), Penicillium simplicissimum (1.83%), Aphaderanum sp. (0.22%), Curvularia sp. (0.22%), Aspergillus oryzae (0.22%), and Paecilomyces sp. (0.61%) and the Mucoromycotina Zygomycetes: Rhizopus oryzae (4.10%) and Mucor sp. (3.44%). Fungal concentrations were significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) during the rainy season compared with the dry season. Aspergillus and Penicillium were the most predominant airborne fungal genera while Mucor, Alternaria, and Cladosporium were some of the least observed. Generally, abundance of fungi was significantly high during the wet season in all the studied locations.
- ItemOpen AccessAirborne fungi spores distribution in various locations in Lagos, Nigeria(2020) Odebode, A.; Adekunle, A.A.; Stajich,J.; Adeonipekun, P.Exposure to outside air microorganisms especially fungi has been linked with illness such as allergic respiratory symptoms, rhinitis, asthma, and infection such as mycosis. Airborne fungal composition was sampled from five locations in Lagos State, Nigeria, between May 2014 and April 2016. Fungi spores were collected using the sedimentation plate method with the Petri dishes of dichloran-glycerol 18 (DG-18) and pota- to dextrose agar (PDA) media. Fungi sporulated faster on DG-18 agar plate as compared with PDA. The abun- dances of fungal spores collected monthly at the loca- tions varied. The most abundant spores came from the fungi were Aspergillus niger (14.47%), Aspergillus sydowii (10.37%), and Aspergillus flavus (7.93%). Additional species were present in the collections including Ascomycetes: Penicillium funiculosum (5.49%), Neu- rospora crassa (5.32%), Penicillium oxalicum (4.71%), Penicillium pinophilum (2.88%), Fusarium verticillioides (3.05%), Penicillium simplicissimum (1.83%), Aphaderanum sp. (0.22%), Curvularia sp. (0.22%), Aspergillus oryzae (0.22%), and Paecilomyces sp. (0.61%) and the Mucoromycotina Zygomycetes: Rhizopus oryzae (4.10%) and Mucor sp. (3.44%). Fungal concentrations were significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) during the rainy season compared with the dry season. Aspergillus and Penicillium were the most predominant airborne fungal genera while Mucor, Alternaria, and Cladosporium were some of the least observed. Generally, abundance of fungi was significantly high duringthe wet season in all the studied locations.
- ItemOpen AccessAntifungal Activity of Ancistrophylum secundiflorum L. (Areceae)(National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, 2001) Adekunle, A.A.Texts attached
- ItemOpen AccessAntifungal property of the crude extract of Brachystegia eurycoma and Richardia brasiliensis(Nigerian Society of Pharmacognosy, 2000) Adekunle, A.A.Texts attached
- ItemOpen AccessBio-preservation Potential of Leaf Extracts of Ocimum gratissimum L. on Fresh-Cut Fruits of Citrullus lanatus (Thunb)(University of Port-Harcourt, 2019) Ebabhi, A. M.; Adeogun, O. O.; Adekunle, A.A.; Onafeko, A. O.This study was conducted to assess the retail market edibility quality of Citrullus lanatus fresh-cut fruits enhanced with the extracts from the leaves of Ocimum gratissimum. Analytical graded ethanol and hexane were used to extract O. gratissimum leaves differently. The fresh-cut fruits were dipped in the extract obtained from the leaves and reconstituted with Tween 80, fruits treated with Tween 80 and untreated fruits were used as controls. The treated fruits with the extracts, fruits treated with Tween 80 and fruits without treatment were analysed for quality test using the following parametres: carotenoids, ascorbic acids, total phenolic acid, pH, total soluble solids, microbial loads and moisture contents at day 0 and at an interval of 3, 5 and 9 days. The quantitative estimations of the phytochemicals in the extracts were determined and the constituents in the essential oil of the hexane extracts were established with the use of GC-MS system, and the data generated from the study were analysed with SPSS 20.0. This study showed that there was lower reduction in moisture content, pH, ascorbic acid and potential browning values of the treated fresh-cut fruits of C. lanatus, compared to higher reduction in untreated and tween 80 treated fresh-cut fruits during the storage intervals for nine days. The treated fresh-cut fruits had higher Brix values of TSS, total phenolic acid and carotenoids contents, compared with the untreated fresh-cut fruit, which was low during the period of storage for nine days. The microbial loads in the untreated fresh-cut fruit of C. lanatus were higher than what was obtained in the treated fresh-cut fruits of C. lanatus after nine days of storage. The yield of Alkaloids from ethanol and hexane extracts were 54.25±0.09 mg/100g and 51.86±0.06mg/100g respectively. γ-Terpinene (17.21 %) and (E)-9-Octadecenoic acid (11.848 %) had the highest percentage composition of phytoconstituents present in the essential oil from Citrullus lanatus. This study was able to establish the preservation potential of Ocimum gratissiumum on fresh-cut fruits of Citrullus lanatus.
- ItemOpen AccessBiochemical properties of essential oil extracted from Cyperus esculentus L. (Cyperaceae) corm(Trinidad, 2000) Adekunle, A.A.; Badejo, A. A.Texts attached
- ItemOpen AccessBiodegradation of petroleum oil by fungi isolated from Treculia africana (Dec'ne) seeds in Nigeria.(Academic Journals, 2015) Adekunle, A.A.; Adeniyi, A. O.
- ItemOpen AccessCo-biomass degradation of fluoranthene by marine-derived fungi; Aspergillus aculeatus and Mucor irregularis: Comprehensive process optimization, enzyme induction and metabolic analyses(Elsevier B.V, 2022) Bankole, P.O.; Omoni, V.T.; Mulla, S.I.; Adebajo, S.O.; Adekunle, A.A.The application and relevance of marine-derived fungi in the mycoremediation of environment polluted with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is promising whilst limiting envi- ronmental hazards. The present study investigated the fluoranthene degradation efficiency of marine-derived fungal co-culture, Aspergillus aculeatus (AA) and Mucor irregularis (MI) in batch processes (Plackett-Burman experiments) enhanced with the addition of surfactants and solid- state substrates. Further optimization studies done through fractional factorial design revealed that the co-culture exhibited 98.4% fluoranthene degradation capacity after 7 days of incubation. The role played by enzymes was revealed with 93, 85 and 71% induction of laccase, lignin peroxidase and manganese peroxidase respectively during fluoranthene degradation. The Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry analysis revealed the formation of five metabolites; 1,2- dihy- droxyfluoranthene, 9H-fluorene-1,9-dicarboxylic acid, benzene-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid, benzene- 1,3-dicarboxylic acid and benzoic acid after fluoranthene degradation by AA + MI co-culture which was used in predicting a metabolic pathway. The findings of this study elucidated the promising potentials of marine-derived fungal co-biomass in the eco-friendly remediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons thus promoting green technology
- ItemOpen AccessEffect of fungi on dyes used in making Nigerian tie and dye cloths ('Adire') and shelf-life determination(Biotechnology society of Nigeria, 2019) Bankole, P. O.; Adekunle, A.A.; Obidi, O. F.Dye quality and fastness properties could only be guaranteed for a finite period of time on shelf. In this study, the shelf-life of natural indigo dye and indigo VAT dye was studied for 360 days. Physico-chemical parameters monitored includes; total viable count, viscosity, pH, specific gravity, absorbance and transmittance from 360 days. Fungi isolated from the dyes on shelf were Achaetomium strumarium, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Duitina rugosa, Penicillium citrinum and Peyronellaea prosopidis. The fungal population count was monitored monthly throughout the shelf-life study period. Multiple linear regression model was used to predict the shelf-life of the dyes from the growth data of the isolated organisms and the physico-chemical parameters. The total fungal viable counts ranged from 1.267×105 -3.213×105 spores ml-1 for indigo VAT dye and 1.453×105 - 3.347×105 spores ml-1 for natural indigo dye over the 12 months study period. The changes in the physico-chemical parameters ranged from pH 12.94±0.00-10.39±0.01 and 12.54±0.00-10.01±0.01, specific gravity 1.279±0.00-1.106±0.005 and 1.445±0.00-1.176±0.001, viscosity 1.288±0.00-1.215±0.001 cSt and 1.283±0.00-1.176±0.001 cSt, optical density 1.627±0.002-3.323±0.001 and 1.705±0.001- 3.315±0.002, transmittance 5.573±0.003-2.652±0.001 and 6.124±0.002-2.108±0.001 for indigo VAT dye and natural indigo dye respectively. The percentage dye exhaustion of the shelf-life products determined after the study period peaked at 88±0.001 and 90±0.001 % for indigo VAT dye and natural indigo dye respectively. The shelf-life were found to be 17 months and 10 months for indigo VAT dye and natural indigo dye respectively. The synthetic indigo VAT dye has a higher shelf-life than the natural indigo dye. Imported indigo VAT dye is however recommended based on its longer shelf-life. The results further buttressed the trend where textile dyers in Nigeria and indeed the West African region largely employ imported indigo VAT dye than locally produced natural indigo dye.
- ItemOpen AccessEffect of some fungi on the anatomy of Cucumeropsis manii Naud-Holl (Melon) seeds(Scholastic Publications, Jos, Nigeria, 1998) Adekunle, A.A.; Uma, U. N.texts attached
- ItemOpen AccessEffects of Leaf Extracts of Selected Plants on Quality of Stored Citrus sinensis (Sweet Orange) Juice.(Horticulture and Forestry Society from Transylvania, 2017) Adeogun, O. O.; Adekunle, A.A.; Adongbede, E. M.Reduction in the quality of fruits during storage has been a concern to the consumers and the effect can be felt on the economy of developing countries. Leaves of plants such as Canna indica, Megaphrynium macrostachyum and Thaumatococcus daniellii have been documented as food packaging materials in West Africa. Based on this, the quality of stored sweet orange juice was investigated using ethanolic extracts of leaves of C. indica, M. macrostachyum and T. daniellii to enhance the shelf life of the juice. The extracts were used to assess the quality of juice for 30 days using quantitative parameters such as total soluble solid, browning potential, pH, microbial analysis and turbidity at 4 oC and at room temperature (27-31 oC). The qualitative and quantitative phytochemical constituents of the extracts were determined. The extracts’ toxicity was determined using Brine shrimp. The quality assessment evidently revealed that the freshly squeezed orange juice with the extracts possess tolerable activity to enhance the shelf life of orange juice. The leaf extract of M. macrostachyum had the highest preservation rate on the juice after 30 days. The qualitative phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloid, tannin, saponins, flavonoids, steroids and terpenoids in the three plants tested. The quantitative phytochemical analysis of the most active extracts in the three plants revealed that M. macrostachum had the highest contents of alkaloids (107.48 mg/g) and flavonoids (56.92 mg/g).The study showed that the extracts were non-lethal on Brine shrimp. This study ascertained the potential preservative qualities of the test plants for enhancing the shelf-life of orange juice.
- ItemOpen AccessEnhanced decolorization and biodegradation of acid red 88 dye by newly isolated fungus, Achaetomium strumarium.(Elsevier, 2018) Bankole, P. O.; Adekunle, A.A.; Govindwar, S. P.Acid red 88 dye degradation efficiency of newly isolated filamentous fungus, Achaetomium strumarium were investigated. Molecular studies of 23S rRNA sequence data confirmed the phylogenetic clade relationship of the isolate with members of the same genus, Achaetomium. Achaetomium strumarium decolorized (99%) of 10 mg L−1 of acid red 88 dye at pH (4), biomass dose (2000 mg) and temperature (40 °C) within 96 h. Further studies revealed that decolorization was enhanced with the addition of calcium salts in the reaction medium resulting in maximum amount of dye adsorbed (35.55 mg g−1). The experimental data showed the best goodness of fit when subjected to Temkin isotherm model (R2=0.985) in comparison with Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models (R2=0.883 and 0.688) respectively. The adsorption mechanism followed pseudo-second order kinetic model (R2=0.997) indicating the influence of the AR88 dye molecules and fungal biomass. Enzymes analysis revealed significant inductions and role played by NADH-DCIP reductase and laccase in the asymmetric cleavage, dehydroxylation, and desulfonation of AR-88 dye. Metabolites of the acid red 88 dye after degradation were analyzed using UV–vis spectroscopy, FTIR, HPLC and GCMS. The GCMS analysis revealed the production of three intermediates; naphthalen-2-ol, sodium naphthalene-1-sulfonate and 1,4-dihydronaphthalene. Possible metabolic fate pathway for the degradation of AR88 dye by A. strumarium was proposed. The results obtained from toxicity studies revealed the AR-88 dye detoxification efficiency of Achaetomium strumarium and hence, in its myco-transformation.
- ItemOpen AccessExtracts of endophytic fungi from leaves of selected Nigerian ethnomedicinal plants exhibited antioxidant activity(BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, 2021) Ibrahim, M.; Oyebanji, E.; Fowora, M.; Aiyeolemi, A.; Orabuchi, C.; Akinnawo, B.; Adekunle, A.A.ackground: Plants with an ethnobotanical history are known to harbor diverse group of endophytic fungi, which constitute major natural sources of bioactive compounds. In the present study, we evaluated the antioxidant activity of endophytic fungi from eight Nigerian ethnomedicinal plants. Endophytic fungi were isolated from the leaves of Acalypha ornata, Albizia zygia, Alchornea cordifolia, Chrysophyllum albidum, Ficus exasperata, Gomphrena celosioides, Millettia thonningii, and Newbouldia laevis. Methods: Endophytic fungi were isolated from the leaves of selected plants via surface sterilization. Isolated fungi were identified by internal transcribed spacer (ITS-rDNA) sequence analysis. Pure fungal strains were subjected to fermentation process on solid rice medium and metabolites extracted using ethyl-acetate. Fungal crude extracts were screened for antioxidant activity using 2, 2- diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and reduction of ferric ion assays. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis was used to identify the major chemical constituents in active fungal extracts. Results: A total of eighteen fungal endophytes with fungal codes CU (061 and 062); ZA (161, 162, 163, and 164); LO (261); CA (041, 042, and 043); FE (081, 082, and 084); GE (091); MO (211 and 212); and NA (021 and 022) were isolated from the eight ethnomedicinal plants A. ornata, A. zygia, A. cordifolia, C. albidum, F. exasperata, G. celosioides, M. thonningii, and N. laevis respectively. ZA 163 and MO 211 fungal extracts showed significant (p < 0.05) radical scavenging activity with IC50 values of 50.53 ± 0.01 and 86.69 ± 0.02 μg/ml respectively. Fungal extract CA 041 demonstrated significantly (p < 0.01) higher iron chelating activity than standard gallic acid with absorbance values of 0.803 and 1.107 at 250 and 500 μg/ml concentrations respectively. Pyrogallol, phenol, 2,6-dimethoxy-, phytol, dl-alpha-tocopherol, alpha-tocospiro, oleamide, methyl stearate, oleic acid, palmitic acid, campesterol, stigmasterol, β-sitosterol, urs-12-en-24-oic acid, 3-oxo-, methyl ester, lup-20(29)-en-3-one, and lupeol were detected in the selected active extracts. Conclusion: These results showed that leaves of the selected Nigerian plants harbor diverse group of endophytic fungi, which can be potential antioxidant resource
- ItemOpen AccessFungal Spore Diversity and Abundance in Five Areas in Ibadan, South West, Nigeria(Kampala International University, Uganda, 2023) Odebode, A.; Adekunle, A.A.Background: Airborne fungal spores may pose as a potential high risk of fungal-related health problems in humans, animals, and plants which necessitated the need to constantly monitor the pre- sence and diversity of fungi spores in the atmosphere regularly. This study aims to investigate diversity and abundance of airborne fungal spores across multiple locations for two years in Ibadan, South West, Nigeria. Subjects dan Method: Study descriptive cross-sectional are used to investigate diversity and abundance of airborne fungal spores across multiple locations. The variable in this study were Air- borne fungi spores diversity sampled monthly from five different locations in Ibadan, Oyo State, South-West Nigeria for two years using the open plate sedimentation method with the petri dishes of Dichloran-glycerol 18 (DG-18) and Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) media. Monthly Meteorological para- meters were equally taken during the duration of sampling. The data were collected and graphical presented using histograms. Results: A total of 39 fungal species were identified throughout duration of study. Aspergillus and Penicillium were the most abundant fungi genera isolated while few Zygomycetes, Ascomycetes, and Basidiomycetes were found. Rainy season period favours high number of fungi in the atmosphere. The highest abundance of fungal spores was recorded in June and July while lower fungi concentrati- on was recorded between December and February. Conclusion: the study revealed the most dominant and abundant spores belong to the genera Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Fusarium. The results show the need for people suffering from fungi sensitivity and allergies to be well informed.
- ItemOpen AccessGrafting in Screenhouse of Parkland Shea Tree Accessions with Agronomic Traits for Quality Seedlings Multiplication for Farmers in Nigeria(Apex Journal International, 2023-03) Eziashi, E.I; Adekunle, A.A.; Chidi, N.I.; Nwawe, A.K.I; Aneni, T.I; Udo, M.E; Mohammed, A.I; Hamza, A.M; Omoregie, K.O; Garba, M.H.There is an urgent need to supply farmers with true-to-type grafted seedlings of shorter gestation period and direct seeds sowing of high yield. The screenhouse grafted shea seedlings, grafted shea seedlings transferred to open field and shea seeds directly sowed in nursery bags in the open field had been studied. The results revealed that scions collected from shea tree accessions in the parkland with the best agronomic traits were grafted in screenhouse at 500 per batch for each trial. After six months trial, the highest mean survival and mortality rates for grafted shea seedlings in screenhouse were 87.6 and 12.4%. Followed by the second grafted shea seedlings transferred to open field with 19.1 and 80.9 had the highest mortality rate and the third, seeds directly sowed in the open field using nursery bags 94.7 and 5.3% had the highest survival rate respectively. The average mean screenhouse temperatures at midday were 38.30C, open field 32.80C and screenhouse cooling 27.30C. The screenhouse cooling temperature was better for grafting compared with open field. The cooling was normalized by opening the doors, watering and cross ventilation to reduce plant stress. The differentiated grafted shea seedlings in screenhouse at 3 months old were transplanted to the field. However, the grafted shea seedlings raised in screenhouse exhibited better plant vigor, pest and disease free and, would have true- to-type as parent plant and shorter gestation period for quality seedlings multiplication for farmers in Nigeria
- ItemOpen AccessIdentification and Toxigenic Potential of Fungi Isolated from Capsicum Peppers(2019-08-30) Frimpong, G.K.; Adekunle, A.A.; Ogundipe, O.T.; Solanki, M.K.; Sadhasivam, S.; Sionov, E.Capsicum peppers are among the most popular horticultural crops produced and consumed worldwide. This study aimed to assess the occurrence of spoilage fungi responsible for post-harvest losses in the most common varieties of Capsicum peppers collected from retail markets in Nigeria and Ghana. Forty fungal isolates belonging to 7 families, 8 genera, and 17 species were identified on the basis of morphology, culture characteristics, and DNA sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. Aspergillus spp. (42.5%), Fusarium spp. (22.5%), and Colletotrichum spp. (15%) were found to be the predominant fungal pathogens. Furthermore, potential ability of the isolated mycotoxigenic fungi to produce some major mycotoxins was analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Among the 22 isolates analyzed, 11 strains belonging to the genera of Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Penicillium were found to be able to produce mycotoxins, such as aflatoxin B1, gliotoxin, deoxynivalenol, and citrinin. A better understanding of the role of fungal contaminants in pepper fruits, especially the prevalence of mycotoxigenic fungi and their associated mycotoxigenic potential, will assist in the development of management strategies to control mycotoxin contamination and to reduce toxicological risks related to pepper consumption by humans and animals.
- ItemOpen AccessIdentification and Toxigenic Potential of FungiIsolated fromCapsicumPeppers(2019) Frimpong, G. K.; Adekunle, A.A.; Ogundipe, O.T.; Solanki, M. K.; Sadhasivam, S.; Sionov, E.Capsicumpeppers are among the most popular horticultural crops produced and consumedworldwide. This study aimed to assess the occurrence of spoilage fungi responsible for post-harvestlosses in the most common varieties ofCapsicumpeppers collected from retail markets in Nigeriaand Ghana. Forty fungal isolates belonging to 7 families, 8 genera, and 17 species were identifiedon the basis of morphology, culture characteristics, and DNA sequencing of the internal transcribedspacer (ITS) region.Aspergillusspp. (42.5%),Fusariumspp. (22.5%), andColletotrichumspp. (15%)were found to be the predominant fungal pathogens. Furthermore, potential ability of the isolatedmycotoxigenic fungi to produce some major mycotoxins was analyzed using high-performance liquidchromatography (HPLC). Among the 22 isolates analyzed, 11 strains belonging to the genera ofAspergillus,Fusarium,andPenicilliumwere found to be able to produce mycotoxins, such as aflatoxinB1, gliotoxin, deoxynivalenol, and citrinin. A better understanding of the role of fungal contaminantsin pepper fruits, especially the prevalence of mycotoxigenic fungi and their associated mycotoxigenicpotential, will assist in the development of management strategies to control mycotoxin contaminationand to reduce toxicological risks related to pepper consumption by humans and animals.
- ItemOpen AccessIn vitro germination of Markhamia tomentosa Benth K. Schum ex. Engl. and preliminary phytochemical screening for medicinal compounds(Indian Society for Plant Physiology, 2016) Bankole, A. E.; Uchendu, E. E.; Adekunle, A.A.Markhamia tomentosa is used in ethno-medicine for the cure of common diseases such as malaria. There are currently few plants in their natural tropical habitats, as it is difficult to propagate. We have developed a simple protocol for in vitro regeneration of M. tomentosa using matured seeds and determined the secondary metabolites present in the in vitro-derived seedlings. Effects of two media types, i.e., Woody plant medium (WPM), and Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium with and without plant growth regulators, viz., 6-benzyl amino purine (BAP) and indole- 3-butyric acid (IBA) @ 0, 1, 2, 3 mg l-1 were studied separately on in vitro germination and growth of seedlings. Seeds were surface disinfected, cultured in the above media and incubated at 27 _C and 16/8 light/dark photoperiod and a light intensity of 40 lmol m-2 s-1 provided by cool white fluorescent tubes prior to seeds germination. Results showed that the WPM alone produced significantly more germinated seeds (11.7) than MS (7.7) media. Significantly more germinated seedlings were produced on WPM with a combination of 1 mg l-1 BAP (10.7) or 2 mg l-1 IBA (9) than the control or other treatments. Anthraquinones were absent in the wild plants but were detected in the in vitro derived plants (7.4 mg g-1 dry wt). This study provides the first report on a protocol for in vitro germination of this medicinally important species that could be applied to rescue it from extinction, as well as information on the phytochemical profile of the in vitro derived plants.