Drought-induced stress is the main limiting factor that affects growth and development in plants. In this study, the effect of exogenous application of salicylic acid (SA) on drought tolerance in basil was investigated. The analysis showed that application of SA under drought stress had significant effects on physiological and biochemical parameters, such as photosynthetic pigments content, total phenolics, flavonoids, flavanols and protein content and peroxidise activity, but had no significant effects on the morphological parameters, such as stem length, length and areaof leaves . In drought conditions, total phenolics and peroxidase activity reduced significantly, but all photosynthetic pigments, total flavonoids, flavanols and proteins increased significantly. Application of SA displayed some alleviating effects against drought induced stress through increase of plant growth, total flavonoids content and peroxidase activity

UDK 581.19:547.56]:582.736.3 The aim of this study was to determine the total concentrations of some phenolic compounds and antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of methanol extracts of different parts of Illyrian endemic Petteria ramentacea. Concentrations of phenolic compounds were determined with UV/VIS spectrophotometry. The antioxidant activity of plant extracts was determined by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity. Antimicrobial activity of extracts was evaluated by measuring the inhibition's zone against six selected test bacteria and two fungi. The highest average total phenols concentrations were in seeds (10.78 mg GAE g-1 DW), root (10.51 mg GAE g-1 DW) and bark (10.40 mg GAE g-1 DW), and the lowest in inflorescences (2.99 mg GAE g-1 DW) and leaves (3.12 mg GAE g g-1 DW). The total flavonoids concentrations were determined only in leaves (8.25 mg CE g-1 DW) and in stem (5.66 mg CE g-1 DW). Both flavanols and proanthocyanidins (0.75 mg CE g-1 DW and 3.49 mg CE g-1 DW, respectively) were found only in leaves. Analysis of variance indicated presence of significant differences between total phenols and flavanols concentrations (p<0.05), and Duncan's test confirmed the presence of intraspecies variability according to their concentrations. The highest antioxidant activity (IC50) was observed for the seed's extract (6.86%) and the lowest for the bark’s (51.31%). All methanol extracts showed the most pronounced antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus epidermididis, and the lowest against S. aureus subsp. aureus. Antifungal activity against Candida albicans was moderate. Since Peteria ramentacea methanol extracts are potential natural antioxidant and antimicrobial preparations against selected microorganisms, it is necessary to continue with more detailed analysis.

Abstract Knautia sarajevensis is an endemic plant of the Dinaric Alps and is mainly distributed on Bosnian Mountains. Due to the quite large flower heads and easy maintenance, this plant has a potential use as a substitute ornamental plant for K. arvensis in perennial beds. The current study evaluated the germination process in different treatments in an attempt to suppress dormancy and increase germination rate, and to develop a successful protocol for micropropagation. An over 60% germination rate was achieved through cultivation of seeds on MS basal medium with reduced mineral nutrient composition and the absence of sucrose. On the other hand, a below 10% germination rate was achieved with untreated seeds. Suppression of apical dominance was achieved through application of high concentrations of kinetin, apical shoot decapitation or cultivation of shoots in liquid media. Overall, liquid cultures were more successful as a micropropagation system for this plant. Shoots spontaneously developed roots on multiplication treatments and were successfully acclimatized. Moreover, phenolic compound profile was analysed in the light of the possible medicinal potential of this plant. Variable amounts of total phenolic compounds as well as individual phenolics were recorded, according to treatment and solidification of media. An increase in rosmarinic acid content was reported for kinetin treatments and acclimatized plants comparing to mother plants in natural habitat. The present study shows that choice of cytokinin concentration, explant type as well as culture type influences not only shoot proliferation and apical dominance suppression but also in vitro production of phenolics.

Atmospheric pollution is among the largest anthropogenic impacts on the ecosystem. In numerous studies it was observed that plants, especially those that grow in urban areas, are heavily influenced by different pollutants and their survival is correlated with structural and metabolic adaptation to stressful environmental conditions. Primary objective of this study was to determine the index of tolerance to air pollution (APTI) of plantain (Plantago major), on two locations in Zenica. The results indicated that index of tolerance to air pollution of P. major, APTI, is higher in individuals sampled from the contaminated site, than those in the control area.

Black cumin (Nigella sativa L. [N.sativa]) seed extracts demonstrated numerous beneficial biological effects including, among others, antidiabetic, anticancer, immunomodulatory, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive, and antioxidant activity. To better understand the phytochemical composition of N. sativa seeds, methanol seed extracts were analyzed for phenolic acid and flavonoid content. Furthermore, we tested N. sativa methanol, n-hexane, and aqueous seed extracts for their inhibitory activity against butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) and catalase (CAT) as well as for antimicrobial activity against several bacterial and a yeast strains. The phenolic content of N. sativa was analyzed using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). The inhibition of BChE was assessed by modified Ellman's method, and the inhibition of CAT was determined by monitoring hydrogen peroxide consumption. The extracts were tested against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica, and Escherichia coli using the agar diffusion method. The UHPLC-MS/MS method allowed the identification and quantification of 23 phenolic compounds within 15 minutes. The major components found in N. sativa seed extract were sinapinic acid (7.22 ± 0.73 µg/mg) as a phenolic acid and kaempferol (11.74 ± 0.92 µg/mg) as a flavonoid. All extracts showed inhibitory activity against BChE, with methanol seed extract demonstrating the highest inhibitory activity (inhibitory concentration 50% [IC50] 79.11 ± 6.06 µg/ml). The methanol seed extract also showed strong inhibitory activity against CAT with an IC50 value of 6.61 ± 0.27 µg/ml. Finally, the methanol extract exhibited considerable inhibitory activity against the tested microbial strains. Overall, this is the first study to investigate the ability of black cumin seed extracts to inhibit CAT. Our results indicate that N. sativa seed can be considered as an effective inhibitor of CAT activity.

The effect of aluminium and cadmium on growth and physiological parameters in 60 days old basil seedlings (Ocimum basilicum L.) grown in polluted soil were investigated. Control plants, grown in unpolluted soil, were used for evaluation of the heavy metal effect. Growth parameters were analysed immediately after sample collection, leaf area and plant height were recorded. Analysis of secondary metabolite, proline, total carbohydrates content and antioxidant capacity in 60 days old seedlings was performed. The antioxidant activity of basil extracts was determined by the DPPH method, and results showed an increase of antioxidative capacity in basil seedlings exposed to heavy metal stress due to the activation of antioxidative system in plant cells. Maximum production of secondary metabolites was recorded for seedlings exposed to 100 mg/kg soil Cd and Al. Results showed that cadmium stress increased concentration of proline, while aluminium did not had that effect. The content of total carbohydrates remained almost unchanged, with exception of basil seedlings grown on soil containing 50mg/kg AlCl3.