An efficient in vitro shoot regeneration through direct organogenesis from seedling-derived petiole and leaf segments and acclimatization of Ficus religiosa

Prolific and rapid in vitro plant organogenesis via direct regeneration has been obtained from axenic seedling-derived petiole and leaf explants of Ficus religiosa in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing different concentrations of cytokinins in combination with indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). MS medium with 1.5 mg/l 6-benzylaminopurine plus 0.15 mg/l IBA produced the highest shoot induction frequency with an average of 6.26 and 10.13 shoots per leaf and petiole explants, respectively. After 4 weeks, the highest root formation frequency (96.7%), root number (5.73), and root length (4.76 cm) were with MS medium containing 2.0 mg/l IBA plus 0.1 mg/l α-naphthalene acetic acid. In addition, the effect of four sodium nitroprusside (SNP) treatments on acclimatization was also studied. Highest morphological traits such as survival rates, fresh and dry root weights as well as antioxidant enzymatic activities such as superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase was achieved with 125 ppm SNP. The α-amino acid, proline, content was highest with this treatment while the highest H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) was in the controls. This study introduces a cost-effective, prolific, and efficient in vitro multiplication system to supply pharmaceutical and ornamental needs. It is the first report of an in vitro organogenesis protocol for F. religiosa by direct regeneration through axenic seedling-derived petiole and leaf explants, which can be efficiently employed for the utilization of active biomolecules.     

Land use change modeling through an integrated Multi-Layer Perceptron Neural Network and Markov Chain analysis(case study: Arasbaran region,Iran)

Temporal land use/land cover (LULC) change information provides a variety of applications for informed management of land resources. The aim of this study was to detect and predict LULC changes in the Arasbaran region using an integrated Multi-Layer Perceptron Neural Network and Markov Chain analysis. At the first step, multi-temporal Landsat images (1990, 2002 and 2014) were processed using ancillary data and were classified into seven LULC categories of high density forest, low-density forest, agriculture, grassland, barren land, water and urban area. Next, LULC changes were detected for three time profiles, 1990–2002, 2002–2014 and 1990–2014. A 2014 LULC map of the study area was further simulated (for model performance evaluation) applying 1990 and 2002 map layers. In addition, a collection of spatial variables was also used for modeling LULC change processes as driving forces. The actual and simulated 2014 LULC change maps were cross-tabulated and compared to ensure model simulation success and the results indicated an overall accuracy and kappa coefficient of 97.79% and 0.992, respectively. Having the model properly validated, LULC change was predicted up to the year 2025. The results demonstrated that 992 and 1592 ha of high and lowdensity forests were degraded during 1990–2014,respectively, while 422 ha were added to the extent of residential areas with a growth rate of 17.58 ha per year. The developed model predicted a considerable degradation trend for the forest categories through 2025, accounting for 489 and 531 ha of loss for high and low-density forests, respectively. By way of contrast, residential area and farmland categories will increase up to 211 and 427 ha, respectively. The integrated prediction model and customary area data can be used for practical management efforts by simulating vegetation dynamics and future LULC change trajectories.     

孟加拉吉大港地区乡村家庭竹手工业

对孟加拉吉大港地区家庭竹子手工业非农就业的潜力以及对其产生的社会经济效益进行了调查。本地区有40个竹企业,涉及到Hathazcori upazila的4个村庄。80%手工业者的年龄在30~50岁。他们的大多数是未受教育和土地贫瘠的家庭成员。50%的企业是由夫妻或3~5个工人组成的。竹产品主要是满足当地市场的需求。产品是根据季节的变化而决定的。5个产品中,竹书架提供了企业月净收入的41%,平均月净利润约2373.48塔卡,这为促进乡村经济发展起到重要的作用。作者对竹产业发展的状况进行了验证,并提出了建议。     

Effects of tree species diversity on leaf litter decomposition process in semi-arid Mediterranean oak forests

European Journal of Forest Research - Many studies have been conducted on the effects of changes in plant diversity and species composition on ecosystem functioning and plant productivity due to...     

Investigation of salinity impacts on germination and growth of two forest tree species at seedling stage

Soil salinity is becoming an increasingly serious constraint to plant growth in many parts of the world;this is particularly common in semi-arid and arid zones. This study was conducted to evaluate the...     

Improve regression-based models for prediction of internal-bond strength of particleboard using Buckingham’s pi-theorem

Internal bond (IB) strength is one of the most important me-chanical properties that indicate particleboard quality. The aim of this study was to find a simple regression model that considers the most ...     

Accumulation of heavy metal in Platanus orientalis, Robinia pseudoacacia and Fraxinus rotundifolia

Plants are capable of reducing environmental pollutions through uptaking contaminants in their tissues. In the study site, twenty one-year-old leaves and shoots as well as twenty soil samples were sampled and analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP). We investigated the uptaking ability of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) by the leaves and shoots of Platanus orientalis, Robinia pseudoacacia and Fraxinus rotundifolia in Karaj city, the western Tehran, Iran. We also evaluated the total metal accumulation capacity by using metal accumulation index (MAI). Results indicated that there was no significant difference in uptaking contents of Cd and Pb in the leaves among the trees. However accumulation of Cd in shoots of F. rotundifolia and R. pseudoacacia was significantly higher than that of P. orientalis. The accumulation of Pb in shoots of R. pseudoacacia was significantly higher than the other species. The amount of Pb in the soil of the study area was significantly higher than Cd. Concentrations of Cd and Pb in leaves of the three species are in the ranges of 2.4 2.7 mg Kg-1 and 7.1 14.4 mg Kg-1 , respectively. R. pseudoacacia had the highest MAI value for leaves (2.21) and F. rotundifolia had the highest MAI value for shoots (2.4).     

Insecticidal and anti-microbial activity of bio-oil derived from fast pyrolysis of lignin,cellulose, and hemicellulose

Journal of Pest Science - Conflicting views regarding synthetic pesticides include the successful use as pest management tools for agriculture and forestry on one hand and the threats to components...     

Antimicrobial and cytotoxic constituents from the seeds of Annona squamosa

Annotemoyin-1, Annotemoyin-2, squamocin and cholesteryl glucopyranoside were isolated from the seeds of Annona squamosa. These compounds and plant extracts showed remarkable antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities.     

Ecosystem services assessment using a valuation framework for the Bangladesh Sundarbans: livelihood contribution and degradation analysis

The ecosystem services provided by the Bangladesh Sundarbans contribute in various sectors especially to the livelihood of the surrounding peoples, but they are often overlooked in the valuation process. This study investigates the significance of ecosystem services on peoples’ lives and how these services are affected by climate change and other factors. Here an economic valuation framework was used to list the ecosystem services provided by this mangrove forest. Direct uses included timber, golpata (Nypa fruticans), honey, beeswax, fish, shrimp larvae and tourism. Indirect uses included carbon storage, protection from cyclones and tidal surges, breeding and nursery grounds for the aquatic species, and biodiversity conservation. This work also found that the ecosystem services were diminished by fresh water flow reduction, overharvesting, sea level rise, salinity increase, poaching, and climate change. In the present context and future scenario, sea level rise will be an important contributor to changes in ecosystem services. But because many factors impact sea level rise, the impact of climate change takes on less importance than many other causes of ecosystem service degradation in the Bangladesh Sundarbans.