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Forests
Special Issues
Tree Traits and Chemistry
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Tree Traits and Chemistry

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Ecophysiology and Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2024) | Viewed by 6032

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Biljana M. Nikolic̈

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Genetics, Plant Breeding, Seed and Nursery Production (Chief of Department), Institute of Forestry, Kneza Višeslava 3, 11030 Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: trees; phytochemistry; physiology; chemotaxonomy; systematics; phylogeography; micromorphology; morpho-anatomy; biological activity; ecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Zorica S. Mitić

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niš, 18000 Niš, Serbia
Interests: plant taxonomy; morpho-anatomy; micromorphology; chemotaxonomy; phytochemistry; secondary metabolites; biological activity; terpenes; essential oils; cuticular waxes; multivariant statistics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Dalibor Ballian

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Forestry, University of Sarajevo, Zagrebačka 20, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Interests: forest genetics; tree breeding; conservation biology; ecology; silviculture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Trees (both conifers and deciduous) are very important plants in supplying the atmosphere with oxygen, in the natural circulation of water, carbon, and nutrients, in activities related to wood production and soil erosion control, as well as in preserving biodiversity on Earth. Characteristics of their woods, barks, crown, root, leaves, and seeds strongly influence to aforementioned functions. Forests’ survival is also momentous in the wake of global warming and other climatic changes, especially in arid zones. Alone or in conjunction with morphology, physiology, molecular biology, genetics, etc., the chemistry of trees also plays an important role in medicine and/or in pharmacy, industry, food production, wood production, aromatherapy, physiology, ecology, chemical ecology, plant systematics, and nanotechnology, as well as in other areas of engineering research and implementation. This Special Issue aims to provide new or comprehensive data on tree secondary metabolite profiles (e.g., terpenes, n-alkanes, flavonoids, alkaloids, fatty acids, lipids, etc.) as well as of their correlations with other tree characteristics which are important for the growth of forests. In addition, chemical studies of trees based on investigations of proteomic and transcriptomic assemblies and their variability are also welcome. According to the listed aims and scopes, original scientific articles as well as review articles are expected.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Essential oil composition of conifer trees and its bioactivity;
  • Conifers: Microstructure and chemical composition of cuticular and epicuticular leaf waxes;
  • Flavonoids in tree species;
  • Distribution of alkaloids in tree species;
  • Lipids in tree species;
  • Lipids in seeds of tree species;
  • Metabolomic, proteomic, and transcriptomic data used in tree species;
  • etc.

Dr. Biljana M. Nikolic̈ 
Dr. Zorica S. MitiĆ
Prof. Dr. Dalibor Ballian
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • trees
  • chemistry
  • essential oils
  • waxes
  • chemotaxonomy
  • physiology
  • micromorphology
  • morpho-anatomy
  • biological activity
  • ecology
  • biodiversity

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 4909 KiB  
Article
Terpene Compound Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Essential Oils from Needles of Pinus densiflora, Pinus koraiensis, Abies holophylla, and Juniperus chinensis by Harvest Period
by Eunjin Kim, Suyeon Yang, Byeong Bae Jeon, Eugene Song and Hwayong Lee
Forests 2024, 15(3), 566; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15030566 - 20 Mar 2024
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2158
Abstract
Plant resources are used as raw materials in various industries related to humans, such as edible, medicinal, taste, and flavor industries, depending on processes such as drying, processing, and collection period. In this study, we investigated the terpene compound composition and antioxidant activity [...] Read more.
Plant resources are used as raw materials in various industries related to humans, such as edible, medicinal, taste, and flavor industries, depending on processes such as drying, processing, and collection period. In this study, we investigated the terpene compound composition and antioxidant activity of essential oils extracted from the needles of Pinus densiflora, Pinus koraiensis, Abies holophylla, and Juniperus chinensis collected in the harvest period (February, April, July, and October) planted on the campus of Chungbuk National University. The essential oil was separated by hydrodistillation. According to the analysis results of gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, the terpene compounds changed depending on the season and tree species. The proportions of monoterpene and sesquiterpene classes in the needles of P. densiflora, P. koraiensis, A. holophylla, and J. chinensis changed depending on the harvest period. The antioxidant activity by DPPH and ABTS assays varied depending on the species and seasons, and needles harvested from P. koraiensis showed the highest activity in all harvest periods. High antioxidant activity has been confirmed even at low concentrations in pine trees, so it is expected to play a role as a natural antioxidant. Additionally, since the composition of terpene compounds varies depending on the harvesting time and species, it is expected to have various uses in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and food industries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tree Traits and Chemistry)
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17 pages, 10161 KiB  
Article
Screening and Expression Characteristics of Plant Type Regulatory Genes in Salix psammophila
by Kai Zhao, Rong He, Guosheng Zhang, Fucang Qin, Yongjie Yue, Long Li and Xiaoyu Dong
Forests 2024, 15(1), 103; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15010103 - 4 Jan 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1298
Abstract
Salix psammophila is an important tree species adapted to sand-fixing afforestation in arid areas, and its different plant type characteristics can have different ecological functions. To identify the genes affecting the plant type of S. psammophila, this study used RT-qPCR and RNA-seq [...] Read more.
Salix psammophila is an important tree species adapted to sand-fixing afforestation in arid areas, and its different plant type characteristics can have different ecological functions. To identify the genes affecting the plant type of S. psammophila, this study used RT-qPCR and RNA-seq technology to establish a method for screening the candidate genes of the S. psammophila plant type based on the correlation coefficient of the crown–height ratio. We then screened out the gene combination that can best control the expression of the S. psammophila plant type. The results show the following: (1) The expression levels of the FHY1 and TAC2 genes were positively correlated with the crown–height ratio, whereas those of the ATX1, RFK1, PYL1, ABF2, SPA2, TB1, ZFP4, and LAZY1b genes were negatively correlated with the crown–height ratio. (2) The ATX1 + FHY1 gene combination had the greatest influence on the plant type traits of S. psammophila, and the correlation between the gene combination and the crown–height ratio reached 0.74. (3) The double- gene combination screening method improved the screening efficiency and accuracy, as well as the sensitivity and specificity, indicating certain universality. This strategy can be used for the determination of other plants or other traits, providing a theoretical basis for the directional breeding of forest trees. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tree Traits and Chemistry)
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17 pages, 1215 KiB  
Article
Biological Activities of Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (A.Murray bis) Parl. and Thuja plicata Donn ex D.Don Essential Oils: Toxicity, Genotoxicity, Antigenotoxicity, and Antimicrobial Activity
by Vladimir J. Cvetković, Zorica S. Mitić, Zorica Stojanović-Radić, Sanja Lj. Matić, Biljana M. Nikolić, Ljubinko Rakonjac, Jovana Ickovski and Gordana Stojanović
Forests 2024, 15(1), 69; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15010069 - 29 Dec 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1656
Abstract
Essential oils (EOs) derived from evergreen conifer trees are recognized as complex sources of agents with various biological activities. In this study, the biological activities of the EOs derived from Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (A.Murray bis) Parl. (CLEO) and Thuja plicata Donn ex D.Don (TPEO) [...] Read more.
Essential oils (EOs) derived from evergreen conifer trees are recognized as complex sources of agents with various biological activities. In this study, the biological activities of the EOs derived from Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (A.Murray bis) Parl. (CLEO) and Thuja plicata Donn ex D.Don (TPEO) were investigated. The third instar larvae of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster were used as a model organism to determine the in vivo toxicity, genotoxicity, and antigenotoxicity of five different concentrations of CLEO and TPEO, ranging from 0.19% to 3%. Artemia salina was used for acute toxicity assessment and determination of LC50 after 24 h and 48 h. The antimicrobial activity of the CLEO and TPEO was tested against fourteen bacterial and two fungal strains using the microdilution method. The larvicidal activity and developmental time of D. melanogaster increased as the concentrations of the EOs rose. CLEO and TPEO produced a dose-dependent increase in DNA damage compared with the negative control. Both oils, at concentrations up to 1.5%, demonstrated the ability to reduce the genotoxic effect induced by ethyl methanesulfonate, with a reduction rate exceeding 60%. CLEO and TPEO were highly toxic against Artemia salina nauplii. The results indicate that the tested EOs act as antimicrobial agents against some pathogenic bacteria and fungi. CLEO and TPEO show promising potential as a source of antimicrobial and antigenotoxic agents and as potential biocides against pest insects and arthropods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tree Traits and Chemistry)
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