A publication by the National Academy of Sciences, USA (1979) outlined some of the research need for a great variety of economically important woody species whose remaining genetic resources need urgently to be collected and conserved. A viable regeneration system was established via tissue and cell suspension culture for Albizia falcataria and A. lebbeck, two important wood yielding leguminous tree species. The culture medium was standardized after several trials to obtain callus from the leaflet explants of these two tree species. The optimum use of casein hydrolysate (w/v) and coconut milk (v/v) in addition to 6-Benzylaminopurine and Indole-3-butyric acid could induce morphogenesis and somatic embryogenesis in the cultured tissue. This reports the first observation on somatic embryogenesis ofA. lebbeck using leaflets as the explants. Scanning Electron Microscopy and histological studies were done on the different stages plant development following standard techniques. Embryogenesis in suspension culture followed regeneration of plantlets in A. lebbeck. In A.falcaaria the regenerative process followed via organogenesis from the shoot buds developed on the leaf explants. After hardening the regenerated plants were transferred to the greenhouse. Some of the trees grew more than 25 feet tall within a few months outside the greenhouse. Karyotype of the three leguminous trees Albizia lebbeck, A. falcataria, and Dalbergia sissoo was analyzed. In D. sissoo, various chromosomal anomalies were observed in the cultured tissue. The abnormality indices and ploidy level varied with the age and the frequency of the subculture. In the aged culture the regenerative potential declined but was reinstated to some extent with the addition of two complex growth factors, coconut milk and casein hydrolysate. Seed anatomy of 26 species of 4 leguminous genera was studied with SEM. The main distinguishing anatomical features observed in the seed sections were uniseriate or multiseriate epidermis, epidermal projections, and number of rows and nature of columns of hypodermal layer, especially the nature of endosperm. Three species of Dalbergia, Acacia and Cassia and two species of Albizia are difficult to distinguish externally even with seed coat study under SEM, but this study with cross sections provided enough characteristic features to distinguish one from the other.

An in vitro system of generating protoplasts from their callus cultures was established. The friable callus was more productive in terms of producing protoplasts than the green compact callus. The concentration of the various cell wall degrading enzymes had an effect on the viability of the protoplasts in the medium. The protoplast system developed from the experiments was stable and could be used for the transformation experiments of Albizia lebek and for other plant improvement practices.

no / Candidiasis is one of the most frequent opportunistic infections in individuals with severe immunosupression and further development of resistance against the available antifungal drugs has created an alarming situation. This requires intensive drug discovery to develop new, more effective, affordable and accessible antifungal agents possessing novel modes of action. Albizia anthelmintica, which is ethno medically used to treat vaginal candidiasis in the Morogoro and coastal regions of Tanzania, on activity guided fractionation and subsequent purification resulted in the isolation and characterization of an isomer of methyl cyclitol (1) and six echinocystic acid saponins (2–7). Saponins 6 and 7 are new and being reported for the first time from nature. Among all the isolated compounds, 3-O-[α-L-arabinopyranosyl (1[RIGHTWARDS ARROW]2)][α-L-arabinopyranosyl (1[RIGHTWARDS ARROW]6)]-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-β-D-glucopyranosyl echinocystic acid (4), 3-O-[α-L-arabinopyranosyl (1[RIGHTWARDS ARROW]2)] [α-L-arabinopyranosyl (1[RIGHTWARDS ARROW]6)]-2-amino-2-deoxy-β-D-glucopyranosyl echinocystic acid (6) and 3-O-[β-D-glucopyranosyl (1[RIGHTWARDS ARROW]3)] [α-L-arabinopyranosyl (1[RIGHTWARDS ARROW]2)] [α-L-arabinopyranosyl (1[RIGHTWARDS ARROW]6)]-2-amino-2-deoxy-β-D-glucopyranosyl echinocystic acid (7) and their combinations were active against the various strains of C. albicans with MICs ranging from 12.5 to 125 μg/ml.

Afin de sélectionner des plantes ayant des propriétés pharmacologiques, un suivi éthologique et vétérinaire de chimpanzés (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii), a été conduit, grâce à des méthodes non-invasives (parasitologie, analyses d'urine et observations vétérinaires) dans le Parc National de Kibale, en Ouganda. Des essais biologiques antiparasitaires, antibactériens, antifongiques, antiviraux et cytotoxiques ont été pratiqués in vitro sur 84 extraits bruts, provenant de 24 espèces de plantes. Parmi les nombreux extraits biologiquement actifs, deux binaphtoquinones, isolées de l'écorce de Diospyros abyssinica, et des acétogénines, telles l'annonacine et la gigantétrocine isolées des feuilles et écorces d'Uvariopsis congensis, possèdent une cytotoxicité significative. Deux nouveaux limonoïdes, à forte activité antipaludique, ont été isolés des feuilles de Trichilia rubescens. Ces résultats confirment que le régime alimentaire des chimpanzés peut agir de façon préventive et curative pour améliorer leur santé et pourrait être utilisé pour guider la recherche de nouvelles molécules potentiellement utilisables en médecine humaine.

The research of this thesis will focus on the performance of farm forestry trees in Mubende district, Uganda. In order to this, the research will help to fill the existing knowledge gap on the performance of farm forestry trees of east Africa specially Uganda. The conducted tree species are Markhamia lutea, Ficus natalensis, Mangifera indica, Artocarpus heterophyllus, Anitaris toxicaria, Persea americana, Albizia coriaria and Spathodea campanulata. The selection of the trees was mainly driven through the availability of age information. The trees were measured in height, age, DBH, length of commercial stem, diameter at specific height and visual observations e.g. occurrence and stem quality. To compare the performance of the conducted tree species a regression analysis with eight different functions was carried out for each tree species. The results are reproducible Stand- Height-Curves, height curves, DBH curves and curves for the single tree volume. The decision on the best curve was made on their biological plausibility and their statistical calculations. Additionally, the farmers of the trees were interviewed about their tree species for e.g. purposes of the tree, value of the wood and their own impressions on the growth of the tree species. The recommendation for the best applicable function is the Petterson function for the Stand-Height- Curve and the function of Richards for the height-, DBH- and single tree volume curve. Still these functions shouldn’t be used without comparison to other functions, especially because the used functions were developed for tree stand conditions and not specially for agroforestry conditions were the tree growth is in general higher. Additionally, an upscaling and prediction of the monetary tree values is made on the basis of the single tree volume curves and the interview results. The prediction of the farmers possible income through the cultivation of trees is made for Markhamia lutea, Ficus natalensis, Anitaris toxicaria and Albizia coriaria and assumes that 100 trees are planted on one hectare. Albizia coriaria 3.630 € achieves the highest possible extra income for the farmer followed by Ficus natalensis with 1.300 €, Anitaris toxicaria with 910€ and Markhamia lutea with 880 €. This thesis gives an example on the performance and possible monetary value of tree species in Mubende district, Uganda. Further investigation is needed to fill the knowledge gap in the performance of east African tree species and their values completely. Keywords: performance, tree growth, utilization, Uganda, East-Africa