Maeleletse Glas Mopai

Mistletoe species grow hemiparasitically on a wide spectrum of trees occurring in the tropical, subtropical and temperate zones. Mistletoe has been associated with fertility, vitality and fatality in humans. In the present review, we examine articles published in English and/or with the option to translate them into English on the distribution mechanism, ecological impact and value. This study aimed to interrogate and outline the phytonutrient profiling, ethnomedicinal and ethnopharmacological applications, toxicology and quality control of mistletoes, particularly the Loranthaceae and Viscaceae families. There are at least 1400 species of mistletoe belonging to these two families across the world. Humans have used mistletoe for years, and it has a rich history, mainly in traditional medicine. Recent research interests accompanied by investigations on mistletoe have made a major contribution to our understanding of the survival behavior and mechanisms of the species. This has prompted researchers to intensively investigate and justify its potential and applications in traditional medicine systems to further incorporate it into conventional scientific medicine processes. This study thoroughly outlines the nutritional and phytochemical constituents of various mistletoe species, as well as the factors that play a role in the process. The sections in this study dedicated to elaborating on the nutritional and phytochemical composition of mistletoe show that it is a plant species rich in nutrients and bioactive compounds, especially compared to its host. Its survival mechanism makes it possible for this plant species to contain significant quantities of both nutrients (proximate components and mineral elements) and bioactive compounds (viscin, alkaloids, phenolics and polyphenolics, tannins, flavonoids, terpenoids, glycosides, and saponins). Overall, mistletoe species have potential as medicinal plants, offering a range of health benefits and the ability to treat ailments (both communicable and non-communicable diseases). However, there are insufficient investigations and records of mistletoe’s toxicity, safety and quality control. Therefore, it is important to further investigate the potential applications, mechanisms of action, and optimal uses of mistletoe preparations and/or extracts.

Organic Medium Enclosed Trough (OMET) system is a new non-drainable growing technique. The study set out to investigate the interactive effects of OMET and Amaranth species variation on some growth attributes, yield, bioactive compounds, and nutrients. Three Amaranth species, A. caudatus, A. cruentus, and A. tricolor, were grown in OMET and non-OMET growing conditions. Growth attributes, irrigation water, bioactive compounds, and nutrients were determined. Non-OMET growing conditions and A. cruentus showed the highest total phenolics and flavonols followed by A. caudatus and A. tricolor, whilst tannins were predominant in A. caudatus followed by A. cruentus and A. tricolor. The use of unsupervised PCA showed major metabolic variation based on Amaranth species and the use of supervised OPLS-DA showed clear metabolic variation based on OMET and non-OMET. OMET and A. cruentus showed the highest plant height, stem diameter, biomass, and some nutrients (%protein, Ca, P, Cu, Se, Zn), followed by A. caudatus based only on growth and biomass, and A. tricolor based only on some nutrients (Mg, K, Mn, and Fe). The use of the OMET system on A. cruentus and A. tricolor can be recommended to mitigate climate change effects on nutritional composition using relatively low levels of irrigation water.

Organic Medium Enclosed Trough (OMET) is a new non-drainable growing technique. The study envisioned to investigate the interactive effects of OMET and Amaranth species vari-ation on some growth attributes, bioactive compounds and nutrients. Three Amaranth species: A. caudatus, A. cruentus and A. tricolor were grown in an OMET and non-OMET growing conditions. Growth attributes, irrigation water, bioactive compounds and nutri-ents were determined. Non-OMET and A. cruentus showed the highest total phenolics and flavonols followed by A. caudatus and A. tricolor, whilst tannins were predominant in A. caudatus followed by A. cruentus and A. tricolor. The use of unsupervised PCA showed major metabolic variation based on Amaranth species and the use of supervised OPLS-DA showed clear metabolic variation based on OMET and non-OMET. OMET and A. cruentus showed the highest plant height, stem diameter, biomass, and some nutrients (%protein, Ca, P, Cu, Se, Zn), followed by A. caudatus based only on growth and biomass, and A. tricol-or based only on some nutrients (Mg, K, Mn, and Fe). The use OMET system on A. cruentus and A. tricolor can be recommended to mitigate climate change effects on nutritional com-position using low irrigation water.