Timber species grouping in Bangladesh: linking wood properties

Timber species grouping (TSG) is essential for meaningful and cost-optimal use of wood. Bangladesh forests are exceedingly diverse and comprise many woody species which are potentially suitable for versatile uses including structural materials. Traditionally, widely known tree species are used for structural timber because technological properties of most of the species are poorly known. In this study, a hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis based on three selected wood properties [i.e., wood density, modulus of elasticity (MOE) and modulus of rupture (MOR)] of seventy-nine timber species was done. The clustering process led to the formation of four distinct species groups [i.e., very low (TSG1), low (TSG2), medium (TSG3) and high (TSG4)]. However, the species grouping patterns also varied from trait to trait. This might be due to moderate relationship between density and MOE (r ² = 0.46) or MOR (r ² = 0.52). Species of the TSG1 group are mainly characterized by extremely low trait values, while the TSG4 group consists of species having exceedingly high trait values. The TSG2 and TSG3 groups are characterized by low and medium trait values. Hence, it is suggested to select suitable species from these groups, particularly the lesser known high-quality species in afforestation and reforestation programs to meet future timber demand in Bangladesh.     

Effects of farmyard manure on soil organic carbon stock,the pattern of fertility build-up,and plant growth in ‘Mallika’ mango (Mangifera indica L.)

Summary

A field experiment was conducted on mango (Mangifera indica L.) to study the effects of farmyard manure (FYM) on soil organic carbon (SOC) content and on the build-up of fertility over three growing seasons (2006–2007, 2007–2008, and 2008–2009) at Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India. Five treatments, including the application of FYM at 5.0 kg plant^–1, 7.5 kg plant^–1, or 10.0 kg plant^–1, the recommended dose of a chemical fertiliser (RDF; N:P:K=75:20:60), and a non-fertilised control, were evaluated in a randomised block design. The results indicated that SOC contents increased significantly in the FYM-treated plots. The highest SOC density (554 g m^–2) and stock (5.55 Mg ha^–1) were recorded in the treatment with FYM at 10 kg plant^–1. The rate of increase in SOC density was highest (193 g m^–2 year^–1) with FYM at 10 kg plant^–1, and lowest in the untreated control (15 g m^–2 year^–1). Regular addition of FYM had a positive effect on the build-up of soil fertility. However, the greatest increases in soil N, P, K contents were in the 7.5 kg plant^–1 FYM treatment (means = 319.9, 19.1, and 270.8 kg ha^–1 for N, P, K, respectively). Farmyard manure significantly influenced the growth parameters of mango trees over the three seasons. There was a positive and linear relationship between increasing rates of application of FYM and trunk cross-sectional area.     

Phytotransformation of Phorate by <Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">Brassica juncea</Emphasis> (Indian Mustard)

Over 5 days, Brassica juncea removed 54% of the highly toxic insecticide phorate from the medium with the formation of phorate sulfoxide in small quantity. The loss of phorate from the medium followed first-order kinetics. The half-life of phorate disappearance from water decreased by ~4.5-fold in the presence of B. juncea. Mild phorate phytotoxicity was evident from the elevated activities of the antioxidative enzymes like glutathione-disulfide reductase, glutathione S-transferase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase in the plants. Nevertheless, the ubiquitous antioxidative peroxidase was not significantly increased, nor the total glutathione content, due to phorate exposure. Phosphotriester bond hydrolysis and glutathione S-transferase-mediated conjugation seemed to be the key reactions for phorate metabolism by B. juncea. From the limited information available, for the first time, a tentative mapping of phytotransformation pathways was performed.     

Bioactive Lipids of Marine Microalga Chlorococcum sp. SABC 012504 with Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Thrombotic Activities

Microalgae are at the start of the food chain, and many are known producers of a significant amount of lipids with essential fatty acids. However, the bioactivity of microalgal lipids for anti-inflammatory and antithrombotic activities have rarely been investigated. Therefore, for a sustainable source of the above bioactive lipids, the present study was undertaken. The total lipids of microalga Chlorococcum sp., isolated from the Irish coast, were fractionated into neutral-, glyco-, and phospho-lipids, and were tested in vitro for their anti-inflammatory and antithrombotic activities. All tested lipid fractions showed strong anti-platelet-activating factor (PAF) and antithrombin activities in human platelets (half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) values ranging ~25–200 μg of lipid) with the highest activities in glyco- and phospho-lipid fractions. The structural analysis of the bioactive lipid fraction-2 revealed the presence of specific sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerols (SQDG) bioactive molecules and the HexCer-t36:2 (t18:1/18:1 and 18:2/18:0) cerebrosides with a phytosphingosine (4-hydrosphinganine) base, while fraction-3 contained bioactive phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) molecules. These novel bioactive lipids of Chlorococcum sp. with putative health benefits may indicate that marine microalgae can be a sustainable alternative source for bioactive lipids production for food supplements and nutraceutical applications. However, further studies are required towards the commercial technology pathways development and biosafety analysis for the use of the microalga.     

A novel urea coated with pine oleoresin for enhancing yield and nitrogen uptake by maize crop

A study was conducted with maize in Vertisol, Inceptisol, Alfisol and Aridisol to evaluate the efficacy of the pine oleoresin coated urea fertilizers (coated with 1.25, 2.50, 3.75 and 5.00% pine oleoresin). Significant increase in biomass yield was observed in all the soils when urea was coated with pine oleoresin at 3.75% or more. All the pine oleoresin coated urea in Inceptisol and Aridisol; and 3.75% and 5% pine oleoresin coated urea in Vertisol and Alfisol significantly increased nitrogen (N) uptake as compared to uncoated urea. Nitrogen use efficiency increased from 19.34% to 32.80% in Vertisol, 13.06% to 28.27% in Alfisol, 13.87% to 23.86% in Inceptisol and 10.68% to 20.23% in Aridisol, as a result of coating urea with pine oleoresin. Thus the results indicate that there is a beneficial effect of coating urea with pine oleoresin with respect to yield, N uptake and use efficiency in maize crop.     

Molecular mapping of greenbug (Schizaphis graminum) resistance gene Rsg1 in barley

The greenbug, Schizaphis graminum (Rondani) is an extremely damaging aphid pest of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) particularly in the southern Great Plains of the USA. The simply inherited, dominant resistance gene Rsg1 is in all greenbug‐resistant US barley cultivars. In this study, we conducted molecular mapping of Rsg1 using an F_2:3 population derived from a cross between the greenbug‐resistant Post 90*4/R015 and susceptible CI2260 inbred lines. Segregation of host responses to greenbug biotype E infestation confirmed that a single dominant gene is responsible for greenbug resistance in Post 90*4/R015. Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers evenly distributed along the seven barley chromosomes were employed for the construction of a framework genetic map. Linkage analysis placed the Rsg1 locus in the long arm of chromosome 3H (3HL) flanked by SSR markers Bmag0877 and GBM1420 that were 35 cM apart. Polymorphic single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers in 3HL were identified from an Illumina GoldenGate SNP assay and used for targeted mapping to locate Rsg1 to an 8.4‐cM interval. Comparative analysis identified syntenic genomic regions in Brachypodium distachyon chromosome 2, in which 37 putative genes were annotated including a NB‐LRR‐type resistance gene homologue that may be a potential candidate gene for the Rsg1 locus of barley. Results from this study offer a starting point for fine mapping and cloning of this aphid resistance gene in barley.     

The Upland Settlement Project of Bangladesh as a Means of Reducing Land Degradation and Improving Rural Livelihoods

Because of illegal logging, increased population pressure and intensified shifting cultivation, forest coverage of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) has decreased drastically resulting in land degradation. Many development projects have been implemented to combat forest loss and land degradation and also to improve the livelihoods of the hill people. This paper reports an empirical study of the Upland Settlement Project (USP) of Bangladesh which was undertaken to prevent land degradation and enhance the standard of living of the people. Planters were found to have given up shifting cultivation and adopted soil conserving agroforestry practices, and forest coverage has been increased in the project village. Interacting with project staff members, government officials and NGOs assisted planters in diversifying livelihood strategies thereby reducing dependency on project resources. Rich planters, utilizing their own capacity, expanded their income sources successfully. Poor planters still remain wage labourers because they do not have sufficient finance and networks to invest in productive ventures. Planters’ participation in project activities and the information flow between them and project staff were found to be minimal. Suggestions are made for the continuity of project functions, which involve greater participation of planters in rubber management functions, improved information flow, resolution of land tenure and greater equality in distribution of rubber revenue.