Steam explosion pretreatment used to remove hemicellulose to enhance the production of a eucalyptus organosolv dissolving pulp

The steam explosion (SE) pretreatment associated with the organosolv process was investigated to produce dissolving pulp from eucalyptus. Prehydrolysis Kraft (PHK) pulping was also done to produce viscose and acetate grade pulps as reference. The organosolv pulps were delignified in two steps with sodium chlorite. Viscose and acetate grade PHK pulps were bleached by OD₀(EH)D₁P and OD₀(EP)D₁PCCE sequences, respectively. Dilute acid-catalyzed (with acid addition) SE pretreatment dissolved more xylan than auto-catalyzed (no acid addition) SE pretreatment. Steam-exploded unbleached organosolv pulps showed lower residual lignin content and screened yield than unbleached organosolv pulps without SE pretreatment. Steam explosion pretreatment helped to decrease lignin content and damaged fiber length of unbleached organosolv pulps. The 1.0% H₂SO₄ organosolv pulp (organosolv dissolving pulp at bioconversion conditions) showed the highest reactivity. Even showing low viscosity for some applications, in general, the organosolv dissolving pulps produced in this study can be used for making lyocell fibers.     

Identification of insect-damaged wheat kernels using short-wave near-infrared hyperspectral and digital colour imaging

Healthy wheat kernels and wheat kernels damaged by the feeding of the insects: rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae), lesser grain borer (Rhyzopertha dominica), rusty grain beetle (Cryptolestes ferrugineus), and red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum) were scanned using a near-infrared (NIR) hyperspecrtal imaging system (700-1100 nm wavelength range) and a colour imaging system. Dimensionality of hyperspectral data was reduced and statistical and histogram features were extracted from NIR images of significant wavelengths and given as input to three statistical discriminant classifiers (linear, quadratic, and Mahalanobis) and a back propagation neural network (BPNN) classifier. A total of 230 features (colour, textural, and morphological) were extracted from the colour images and the most contributing features were selected and used as input to the statistical and BPNN classifiers. The quadratic discriminant analysis (QDA) classifier gave the highest accuracy and correctly identified 96.4% healthy and 91.0-100.0% insect-damaged wheat kernels using the top 10 features from 230 colour image features combined with hyperspectral image features.     

Management of Tibial Fractures Using a Circular External Fixator in Two Calves

Objectives: To report the repair of tibial diaphyseal fractures in 2 calves using a circular external skeletal fixator (CEF). Study Design: Clinical report. Animals: Crossbred calves (n=2; age: 6 months; weight: 55 and 60 kg). Methods: Mid‐diaphyseal tibial fractures were repaired by the use of a 4‐ring CEF (made of aluminum rings with 2 mm K‐wires) alone in 1 calf and in combination with hemicerclage wiring in 1 calf. Results: Both calves had good weight bearing with moderate lameness postoperatively. Fracture healing occurred by day 60 in 1 calf and by day 30 in calf 2. The CEF was well maintained and tolerated by both calves through fracture healing. Joint mobility and limb usage improved gradually after CEF removal. Conclusions: CEF provided a stable fixation of tibial fractures and healing within 60 days and functional recovery within 90 days. Clinical Relevance: CEF can be safely and successfully used for the management of selected tibial fractures in calves.     

Recommendations for the Use of Herbicides

Management of Pests and pesticides: Farmers’ Perceptions and Practices. Editors Joyce Tait and Banpot Napompeth, Boulder, Col.: Westview Press 1987. ISBN 0–8133–7174–0, £33 paperback.

Termites in Buildings. Their Biology and Control. R. Edwards and A. Mill. Rentokil Library, 1987, ISBN 0906 5640 69 £24–50.

Pesticide Science and Biotechnology. Proceedings of the Sixth International Congress of Pesticide Chemistry. Ottawa, Canada, 10–15 August 1986. Edited by R. Greenhalgh and T. R. Roberts. IUPAC/Blackwell Scientific Publications, 1987 (602 pp + xiii).

Breeding for Resistance to Diseases and Insect Pests. By D. P. Singh. 222 pp + xi. ISBN 0 387 16970 9. Springer Verlag. 1986. Price $7900.

Pest Control Safe for Bees: A Manual and Directory for the Tropics and Subtropics. By M. Adey, P. Walker and P. T. Walker, 1986. International Bee Research Association, London. Price £12–20.

The Cocoa Pod Borer: An Introduction and Abstracts. Compiled by Lim Guan Soon et al. Malaysian Plant Protection Society, Box 12351 Kuala Lumpur. 1987. 103 pp. ISBN 967–9942–07–4.

Pentachlorophenol. Environmental Health Criteria, No. 71, World Health Organization, Geneva, 1987. 236 pages, ISBN 92 4 154271 3. Price: Sw.fr. 18—/US$1080.

Ecology and Control of Perennial Weeds in Latin America. FAO Plant Production and Protection Paper No. 4. Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome. 1986, 339 pp. ISBN 92–5–102446–4.

Proceedings of the 2nd International Workshop on Leaf hoppers and Planthoppers of Economic Importance. Edited by M. R. Wilson and L. R. Nault. CAB International Institute of Entomology. 1987. 368 pp. ISBN 0–900301–03–1.

Breeding for Durable Resistance in Perennial Crops. FAO Plant Production and Protection Paper No. 70 (1986). 130 pp.

Ascochyta Blight Resistance in Chickpea. Proceedings of a training course, PARC/ICARDA, 3–10 March, 1984, Islamabad, Pakistan. ICARDA, 1986, 123 pp.     

A PCR-based assessment of genetic diversity,and parentage analysis among commercial mango cultivars and hybrids

Summary

Three different PCR methods [Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD), Inter-Simple Sequence Repeats (ISSR), and Directed Amplification of Minisatellite DNA (DAMD)] were used to analyse genetic diversity and parentage among 20 mango cultivars, including 18 landraces and two hybrids (‘Amrapali’ and ‘Mallika’). These hybrids together with a third hybrid (‘Ratna’), and an out-group species (Mangifera sylvatica) were also analysed for parentage. Fifteen, seven and four primers were used to amplify a total of 158, 69 and 59 distinct DNA fragments by RAPD, ISSR and DAMD, respectively. Of these, approx. 85%, 64% and 90% were polymorphic, respectively. Genetic distances between pairs of mango cultivars were measured separately by each method and depicted graphically as a Neighbor Joining (NJ) tree. The three methods revealed different groupings of cultivars and hybrids. A NJ tree based on the cumulative data from all methods correlated well with the parentage of the mango hybrids, and the grouping of cultivars on a regional basis. Genetic markers likely to be associated with important agronomic traits were identified by further analysing the hybrids, with their respective parents, using all three methods. On the basis of the highest number of polymorphic bands observed (90%), DAMD was judged to be the best method with which to analyse mango germplasm.     

Papaya (Carica papaya L.) Leaf Powder: Novel Adsorbent for Removal of Methylene Blue from Aqueous Solution

Batch sorption experiments were carried out to investigate the potentiality of papaya leaf powder (PLP) for the removal of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution. The effects of various experimental parameters, such as adsorbent dose, initial solution concentration, contact time, and solution pH were also studied. The amount of dye adsorbed was found to increase with increase in initial dye concentrations. Papaya leaf adsorbs MB better in basic medium. The adsorption equilibrium data fitted well in the Langmuir isotherm equation with a monolayer sorption capacity of 512.55?mg?g^?1. The kinetics of MB adsorption onto papaya leaf was examined using the pseudo-first and pseudo-second order and unified approach kinetic models. The adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo-second order kinetic model, but the rate constant was found to depend on initial dye concentration. The unified approach model described the equilibrium and kinetics well. The forward and backward rate constants were determined from the unified approach model.     

Quality of potato tubers as affected by freezing: II. lipids and minerals

The effect of freezing on the chemical composition of Katahdin and Atlantic potatoes was studied. Tubers were exposed to a temperature of ?20°C for 24 hrs., then thawed for 1 hr. at 20°C prior to analysis. Frozenthawed tubers were compared with unfrozen controls for total lipid, phospholipid, fatty acid and mineral content. Following freezing, a significant (p<.01) decrease was observed in crude lipid and phospholipid content of both cortex and pith sections. Generally, an increase in palmitic acid and a decrease in linolenic acid occurred in the phospholipid fractions of both varieties. A decrease in both macro and micro mineral content also occurred following freezing.     

Comparative nutrient utilization,growth, and rumen enzyme profile of mithun (Bos frontalis) and Tho-tho cattle (Bos indicus) fed on tree-leaves-based ration

A study was conducted to compare the nutrient utilization, growth, and rumen enzyme profile of mithun (Bos frontalis) and Tho-tho cattle (Bos indicus) reared in the same feeding and managemental conditions. For the purpose, male mithun (n = 8) and male Tho-tho cattle (n = 8) of 1.5 years age, selected from the farm of National Research Centre on Mithun, Nagaland, India, were fed on mixed-tree-leaves-based ration as per the requirement of NRC (2001) for cattle for 12 months. Average daily gain (ADG), average dry matter intake (DMI), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) for all animals were recorded. A metabolic trial was conducted at 6 months of the experiment to assess the digestibility coefficient of different nutrients and nutritive value of ration. At 12 months of the experiment, rumen liquor was collected from all animals and analyzed for rumen enzyme profiles, viz., carboxymethylcellulase, xylanase, α-amylase, β-glucosidase, α-glucosidase, urease, and protease. It was found that ADG (507.8 g vs 392.8 g), DM intake (6.59 vs 5.85 kg/day) and DMI/W^0.75 (98.75 g vs 91.00 g/day), crude protein intake (780 vs 700 g/day), and total digestible nutrient intake (3.65 vs 3.32 kg/day) were higher (p < 0.05) in mithun than cattle. The nitrogen balance was higher and FCR was better (p < 0.05) in mithun compared with cattle. The digestibility coefficient of different nutrients was similar (p > 0.05) between the species. The microbial enzyme profiles of mithun and cattle were not different (p > 0.05). The better growth performance of mithun than cattle as found in the present study clearly indicates that the mithun has higher genetic potential for growth than Tho-tho cattle of north-eastern hilly region of India.