Two new lathyrane type diterpenoids from Euphorbia aellenii

Euphorbia aellenii Rech. f. (Euphorbiaceae) afforded a cytotoxic chloroform fraction from which two new esters of 6(17)-epoxylathyrol were identified (1 and 2). The structure of these compounds was elucidated by spectroscopic methods.     

Natural regeneration of Pinus brutia Ten. in a recreational public forest in Zawita-Kurdistan region,Iraq

Zawita natural forest has recently has been subject to mass recreational activities during spring that have denuded large areas of the forest.It was thus essential to assess regeneration before designing optimizing strategies.To this end,we studied the overstory canopy and microhabitat conditions for recruitment of Pinus brutia Ten in 10 plots(20×25 m)on the southern aspects where the Zawita natural forest is still present.In total,1540 regenerating P.brutia were recorded,854 seedlings,597 saplings,and 89 trees.Seedlings and saplings were more frequent beyond the canopy than under the canopy of the parent trees.Regeneration requirements differed between seedlings and saplings.The probability of the occurrence of seedlings was negatively correlated with increasing litter depth and increasing soil compaction.The density of saplings only showed a positive significant correlation with increasing slope.The nearest neighbor index showed a trend toward a positive spatial association between understory shrubs with their neighboring seedlings at a mean distance of 1.6 m.Overall,the study highlighted the requirements for seedling regeneration as a relatively open canopy cover,a light understory litter layer,and noncompacted soils.These results are a step towards designing effective management and restoration programs.     

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.     

Line thinning promotes stand growth and understory diversity in Japanese cedar (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cryptomeria japonica</Emphasis> D. Don) plantations

We studied the effects of line thinning on stand structure, microclimate and understory species diversity of two Cryptomeria japonica D. Don plantations in south-central Japan. In each of two study sites we compared stand structure between the thinned stand and an adjacent unthinned stand and found that line thinning increased the growth rate of residual trees such that stand basal area may recover within 10 years after thinning. In the thinned stand, more open canopy conditions resulted in higher maximum temperatures on the forest floor during the early growing season than in the unthinned stand. The thinned stand had greater understory plant species richness and biomass than the unthinned stand. This study suggested that line thinning could potentially enhance biodiversity while simultaneously increasing tree-growth rates in overstocked Cryptomeria japonica plantations.     

Traditional utilization of wild date palm （Phoenix sylvestris） in rural Bangladesh： an approach to sustainable biodiversity management

A study was conducted to explore the traditional utilization pattern and indigenous management practices of wild date palm （Phoenix sylvestris Roxb） in the rural agrarian regions of Bangladesh. A multistage sampling method with 10% intensity and a semi-structured questionnaire were used for the study. The farmers manage the palm mainly for sap production with which sugar based secondary goods are manufactured. The sap is either used fresh as drink or after some sort of processing as molasses and/or alcoholic beverage. Seven diversified sites support the palm as its habitat and most palms （20.40%） occur in orchards. Besides growing naturally, the palm is also established in orchards using the wildings as the staple planting material. Although the medium category farmers own most of the palms （33%）, a considerable portion （28.68%） of it is managed by the landless farmers, who earn a substantial livelihood from the palms. The farmers practice their own indigenous wisdom in every stage of the palm＇s maintenance from planting through tapping for sap collec- tion to the processing of products. If managed more scientifically on a sustainable basis with the collaboration of farmers＇ indigenou~ knowledge, this familiar palm could be able to support the rural economy of the country to a great extent. Side by side, it would also be able to contribute to the richness of biodiversity in the region.     

New sources of resistance to <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cucumber mosaic virus</Emphasis> in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Capsicum annuum</Emphasis>

Background

Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) is the most serious virus disease affecting chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) worldwide and the absence of natural resistance makes management of CMV outbreaks difficult. The characterization of improved sources of resistance to CMV in chilli would facilitate the development of commercially acceptable chilli varieties with adequate levels of CMV resistance. A total of 30 chilli genotypes were evaluated for their reaction to CMV in field and artificial inoculated conditions during 2010-2011 and 2011-2012. Large differences were observed among genotypes for disease incidence, severity indexes, and yield losses. Based on observed data, genotype CA23 (Noakhali) was identified as resistant, while CA12 (Comilla-2) was categorized as moderately resistant to CMV both in natural and inoculated conditions. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay absorbance values of samples taken from CMV-infected leaves corresponded well with visible viral symptoms for these genotypes. The identified C. annuum CA23 and CA12 genotypes represent previously undescribed and potentially useful sources of CMV resistance.

     

“Space Obesity”: The Effect of Remoteness on County Obesity

We test if remoteness of a county is one of the environmental factors that contribute to obesity. First, we employ geographically weighted regressions (GWRs) that allow us to observe local or regional patterns. We find that county obesity rate is spatially non‐stationary, remoteness affects county obesity rates, and there are spatial heterogeneities in how distance affects county obesity rates. Next, we refine our estimates of the effect of remoteness on county obesity rate using a random effect model that accounts for county‐level unobserved heterogeneity. Even after accounting for these heterogeneities and state fixed effects, we find measurable impact of remoteness on county obesity rate. Splitting the sample into metro and non‐metro counties, we find that remoteness matters more for the obesity rates in the metro counties.     

QTL hotspots in eggplant (Solanum melongena) detected with a high resolution map and CIM analysis

Fifty-eight F₂ individuals derived from an interspecific cross between cultivated eggplant, Solanum melongena, and its wild relative, S. linnaeanum, were phenotyped for 42 plant, leaf, flower, and fruit traits. Composite interval mapping analysis using genotypic data from 736 molecular markers revealed the positions of 71 statistically significant (P ≤ 0.05) quantitative trait loci (QTL) influencing 32 of the morphological traits. Although most QTL were location-specific, QTL governing three traits (leaf lobing, leaf prickles and prickle anthocyanin) were detected in both experimental locations. Analysis of three additional traits (stem prickles, fruit calyx prickles and fruit length) in both locations yielded QTL in similar but non-overlapping map positions. The majority (69 %) of the QTL corresponded closely with those detected in previous analyses of this data set. However the increased resolution of the linkage map combined with advances in QTL mapping permitted more precise localization, such that the average interval length of these QTL was reduced by 93 %. Thirty-one percent of the QTL were novel, suggesting that simple linear regression with a low density linkage map (the method used in previous studies of this population) missed a substantial portion of significant QTL. Hotspots of QTL affecting plant hairiness, prickliness, and pigmentation were identified on chromosomes 3, 6, and 10, respectively, and may reflect the pleiotropic activity of single structural or regulatory genes at these positions. Based on synteny between the eggplant, tomato, potato and pepper genomes, putative orthologs were identified for 35 % of the QTL suggesting strong conservation of gene function within the Solanaceae. These results should make it easier to target particular loci for map-based cloning and marker-assisted selection studies.     

Development of advanced fragrant rice lines from MR269 × Basmati 370 through marker-assisted backcrossing

Fragrance in rice is an appealing attribute to consumers. The increasing demand for fragrant rice highlights the need to develop fragrant rice variety that suit the preference of local consumers in addition to reduce fragrant rice imports. Marker-assisted backcrossing (MABC) was employed to develop advanced fragrant rice lines from the cross between MR269 and Basmati 370. MR269 is a Malaysian high-yielding rice variety but non-fragrant and was used as recurrent parent whereas Basmati 370 is a well-known fragrant traditional rice variety and was used as donor parent for the fragrance gene. Two generations of backcrosses and a generation of selfing were conducted to introgress the fragrance gene and restore the recurrent parent genome in the backcross progenies. As a result, 14 advanced fragrant rice lines were developed. These advanced fragrant rice lines carried homozygous alleles for the fragrance gene, similar to Basmati 370. The average recovery of recurrent parent genome was 88.4%. Besides being fragrant, the advanced fragrant rice lines also had most of the morphological and agronomical traits similar to MR269. Grain quality of the advanced fragrant rice lines in terms of gelatinization temperature, amylose content and gel consistency are also similar to both parents. Besides, the advanced fragrant rice lines had 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline content similar to Basmati 370. MABC approach applied in this study has successfully introgressed the fragrance gene and accelerated the recovery of recurrent parent genome in advanced fragrant rice lines, therefore these lines can be delivered to the farmers and consumers for use in due time.     

Response of cotton genotypes to water and heat stress: from field to genes

Cotton is a crop of tropical and subtropical regions but the seed cotton yield is highly influenced by abiotic stresses like drought and heat. Response of cotton genome to abiotic stresses is highly complex and involve many genes. A comprehensive study, involving cotton genotypes developed through conventional and synthetic tetraploid method, was designed to (i) study the introgression of heat and water stress tolerance by using wild relatives (ii) evaluate genetic markers for marker assisted selection against water and heat stress. Two separate experiments for water and heat stress tolerance with a common control were established. Treatments in each experiment include a control and a stress treatment. Heat stress was applied by sowing crop two month earlier than the control treatment, whereas water stress was imposed by withholding alternate irrigation. Analyses of variance depicted highly significant (P ≤ 0.01) effect of genotypes and both stresses on boll retention, boll weight and seed cotton yield. Interaction of genotypes with stress in both experiments was also highly significant (P ≤ 0.01). Genotypes derived from interspecific crosses performed consistently in stress conditions compared to control which prove it a reliable method to introgress stress related genes from wild parents. Four genes reported for water stress tolerance and five genes reported for heat stress tolerance were evaluated by field results for efficient marker assisted selection (MAS). Results verified drought stress genes but heat stress genes could not explain genetic variability caused by heat stress. It is concluded from the results that separate genes may be responsible for heat stress tolerance for vegetative and reproductive stages, therefore, selection criteria should include both the traits.