Effect of Antibiotics in Extender on Bacterial and Spermatozoal Quality of Cooled Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) Bull Semen

The present study was designed to study the effect of traditional antibiotic combination (streptomycin and penicillin; SP) and relatively modern combination of antibiotics (gentamycin, tylosin, lincomycin and spectinomycin; GTLS) in extender on bacterial control and spermatozoal quality of liquid buffalo bull semen stored at 5°C. Semen collected from Nili‐Ravi buffalo bulls (n = 10) was diluted with skim milk extender containing either SP (streptomycin 1000 μg/ml and penicillin 1000 IU/ml), GTLS (gentamycin 500 μg/ml, tylosin 100 μg/ml, lincomycin 300 μg/ml and spectinomycin 600 μg/ml) or negative control with no antibiotics (NA). Liquid semen was stored at 5°C for 5 days. Aerobic bacteria isolated from buffalo semen were Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. The only facultative anaerobic bacterium isolated was Klebsiella pneumoniae. In vitro antibiotic sensitivity test revealed that Ps. aeruginosa and Staph. aureus were susceptible to gentamycin. Staphylococcus aureus and K. pneumoniae were susceptible to tylosin and linco‐spectinomycin. Total aerobic bacterial count was significantly lower in semen samples treated with GTLS than those of SP on third and fifth day of storage at 5°C. There was no difference (p > 0.05) in sperm motility, longevity and plasma membrane integrity (PMI) in extender containing SP or GTLS combination until the third day of storage at 5°C. On fifth day of storage sperm motility, longevity and PMI was significantly better in extender containing SP compared with GTLS and NA. Intact acrosomes, and sperm head, mid piece and tail abnormalities remained similar (p > 0.05) because of antibiotics up to 5 days of storage. In conclusion, GTLS is more capable than SP for bacterial control of buffalo bull semen. Moreover, GTLS and SP are equally efficient in preserving spermatozoal quality of extended buffalo bull semen for 3 days at 5°C.     

孟加拉国曼尼普尔部落对部族药用植物的利用

通过问卷调查的方式,调查了孟加拉国曼尼普尔部落对民族药用植物的利用。发现有26个科29个属32种药用植物用于治疗37种疾病。结果表明：所调查的32种植物中,多利用其地上部分（86％）,而地下部分的利用相对较少（14％）。在植物药用制备中,叶片的使用最高（17个种）,接下来依次是树皮、果实、根／地下茎、整个植株、种子和花。在32个植物种中,用于治疗痢疾的物种有10个,治疗发烧和风湿病的物种各5个,治疗哮喘、便秘、创伤和皮肤病的各4个物种,低烧病、咳嗽、腹泻各3种。32个物种中,72％的药用植物都能治疗至少一种疾病：75％口服使用,9％外服用,16％口服和外服结合使用。本研究突出了民族植物研究的潜力和迫切需求获取药用植物在人类健康利用的健康医疗实践知识。     

Productivity and resource use of direct-(drum)-seeded and transplanted rice in puddled soils in rice–rice and rice–wheat ecosystems

Conventional tilled transplanting, a widely practiced method of rice (Oryza sativa L.) establishment in puddled soils in rice–rice and rice–wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) systems in Asia, requires a large amount of labor and water, which are becoming scarce and expensive. Growing more food with the same production costs or even reduced costs and sustaining the quality of the natural resource base are a major concern. On-farm trials were conducted in Chuadanga District of Bangladesh during the wet season as monsoon rice (aman) and during the dry season as winter rice (boro) in 2006–07 to evaluate the effects of establishment methods with improved crop management on productivity, resource (land, water, and labor) use, and economic return. Rice was established by sowing in line with a drum seeder on conventional tilled puddled soils (CT-DrumR) and by transplanting in line on the day of CT-DrumR (CT-TPR1) and 30 and 35 days after CT-DrumR (CT-TPR2) in aman and boro seasons, respectively. Farmers’ usual transplanting time corresponds to the day of CT-TPR2. Grain yields in CT-DrumR and CT-TPR2 were similar but the crop occupied the main field 22–24 days longer in CT-DrumR than in CT-TPR2, resulting in lower productivity (45 kg grain ha⁻¹ day⁻¹ vs. 55 kg grain ha⁻¹ day⁻¹) in both seasons. Drum-seeded rice matured earlier by 8 and 11 days, received 12% and 6% less irrigation water, saved 19 and 24 person-days ha⁻¹, and gave higher gross margins of 6% and 4% but input costs increased by 20% and 12% than CT-TPR2 in aman and boro seasons, respectively. There is a need to examine these benefits of drum-seeded rice in relation to the feasibility of adoption by farmers.     

Bovine faeces as a source of micro-organisms for the in vitro digestibility assay of forages

The aim of this study was to investigate whether bovine faeces could replace rumen liquor collected from fistulated sheep in the determination of organic matter digestibility (OMD) of forages in vitro . The first experiment compared two inocula that had been prepared by mixing 83 and 333 g of cattle faeces with 1 litre of artificial saliva according to the first stage of the in vitro technique of Tilley and Terry ( Journal of the British Grassland Society, 18, 104–111, 1963). Inocula made from 333 g of faeces gave higher values of OMD than that prepared from 83 g of faeces and was used in subsequent studies. When a 48-h acid pepsin digestion, the second stage of the Tilley and Terry (1963 ) technique, was included, the OMD values and the ease of filtering of undigested residues were increased. The second experiment compared digestibility determined with inocula produced from faeces with that produced from rumen liquor. The OMD of a ryegrass hay determined with an inoculum prepared from faeces was 0·468 compared with 0·528 when using an inoculum prepared from rumen liquor. The third experiment investigated the accuracy of estimating the OMD of eight contrasting forages determined using rumen liquor from three sheep ( y ) and faeces from two cows ( x ). All regressions were significant ( P  < 0·001) and had residual standard deviations (r.s.d.) of between ±0·019 and ±0·022. The final study compared faeces collected from cattle fed with either hay or concentrates. The OMD of forage was higher from the hay-fed animals, but the r.s.d. values of the regressions were similar. It was concluded that cattle faeces shows potential as an alternative to rumen liquor collected from rumen-fistulated sheep for use in the in vitro digestibility assay of forages.     

A review on the use of non-timber forest products in beauty-care in Bangladesh

This review describes the non-timber forest products （NTFPs） used for different aspects of beauty-care in Bangladesh on the basis of extensive literature survey. The diverse plant species, including used parts and using patterns for hair care, facial treatments and body care, were summarized in 13 tables. This paper accumulate the scattered knowledge regarding the use of plants in beauty-care in Bangladesh, to draw the extent of use of NTFPs in health care and to record the knowledge for assessing the possibilities of further implementation in herbal cosmetics industries. The structured knowledge can be used in policy making process for sustainable management of these valuable NTFPs leading to the conservation of the country＇s biological diversity. It is suggested that intensive field level research is necessary for securing sustainability of NTFPs.     

Arachidic Acid in Extender Improves Post‐thaw Parameters of Cryopreserved Nili‐Ravi Buffalo Bull Semen

Cryopreservation process reduces lipids and phospholipids from buffalo bull spermatozoa. It was therefore hypothesized that supplementation of fatty acid to extender may improve the post‐thaw quality of buffalo semen. The objective was to evaluate the effect of arachidic acid supplementation in extender on post‐thaw quality of buffalo bull (Bubalus bubalis) spermatozoa. Semen was collected from three adult Nili‐Ravi buffalo bulls of similar age group with artificial vagina (42°C) for 3 weeks (replicate). Qualified semen ejaculates (n = 18) were split into four aliquots and diluted in tris–citric acid extender containing 0.0 (control), 5.0, 10.0 and 20.0 ng/ml at 37°C having approximately 50 × 10⁶ spermatozoa/ml. Diluted semen was cooled to 4°C in 2 h and equilibrated for 4 h at 4°C. Cooled semen was filled in 0.5‐ml straws at 4°C, kept on liquid nitrogen vapours for 10 min and plunged in liquid nitrogen for storage. Thawing of frozen semen was performed after 24 h at 37°C for 30 s. Sperm progressive motility (%) was improved in a dose‐dependent manner by supplementing arachidic acid at 5.0, 10.0 and 20.0 ng/ml compared with control. Structural and functional integrity of sperm plasma membrane (%), number of acrosome‐intact live sperm (%) and sperm chromatin integrity (%) were better (p < 0.05) in extender having 5.0 ng/ml of arachidic acid compared with control. At 10.0 ng/ml, these values did not vary (p > 0.05) from those at 5.0 ng/ml. Further improvement in structural and functional integrity of sperm plasma membrane, number of acrosome‐intact live sperm and chromatin integrity was observed at 20.0 ng/ml of arachidic acid in extender. In conclusion, arachidic acid supplementation in extender improved the post‐thaw quality parameters of cryopreserved Nili‐Ravi buffalo bull spermatozoa. Among the arachidic acid concentrations studied, maximum improvement in post‐thaw semen quality parameters was observed at 20.0 ng/ml.