Anaesthetic efficacy of eugenol on Flowerhorn (Amphilophus labiatus × Amphilophus trimaculatus)

Anaesthetic efficacy of eugenol was investigated on Flowerhorn (Amphilophus labiatus × Amphilophus trimaculatus). A total of 104 fish with average weights of 12 ± 2.5, 28 ± 5 and 53 ±5.1 g were subjected to 25–200 mg L^?1 eugenol and behavioural responses as well as induction and recovery times were recorded. Induction and recovery times were significantly affected by eugenol concentration as well as fish weight (P < 0.05). Generally, 49.9–127.3 s after exposure to 50–200 mg L^?1 eugenol, fish reached stage 3 anaesthesia (suitable for general handling). Fish entered stage 4 anaesthesia (suitable for surgery and blood sampling) over 57.3–140.4 s post exposure to such concentrations. Recovery time was 91.7–312 s in all weight classes for all eugenol concentrations. Mortality (23%) was only observed in 12‐g fish when were subjected to 200 mg L^?1 eugenol. This study showed the behavioural response of Flowerhorn to anaesthesia and eugenol efficacy as an anaesthetic in this important ornamental species. The general quadratic equation revealed that concentrations of eugenol and fish size along with their interactive effects have significantly contributed to the model, with concentration recording the highest beta value in all models (β = ?0.809, ?0.818 and ?0.909, P = 0.000). According to the results, minimum eugenol concentration to induce anaesthesia in less than 3 min was 50 mg L^?1.     

The inheritance and chromosomal location of morphological traits in wild wheat, Triticum turgidum L. ssp. dicoccoides

The homoeologous groups of chromosomes carrying the genes for some morphological traits in wild wheat Triticum turgidum L. ssp. dicoccoides (T. dicoccoides) were determined, but not the actual chromosomes carrying them. The objectives of this study were to investigate the modes of inheritance, and determine the chromosomes carrying some morphological traits in wild emmer (2n = 28; AABB), the progenitor of most cultivated wheats. To investigate the inheritance of morphological traits, crosses were made between T. turgidum L. ssp. durum (T. durum cultivar Chartokhmi (IR10) and T. dicoccoides accessions TA1150 and TA1131. F₂ seeds from each cross were grown in the field and six qualitative characters were investigated. Purple coleoptile, purple auricle, purple culm, hairy auricle, hairy rachilla, and fragility of spike were controlled by single dominant genes. To determine the chromosomal locations, accession TA1131 was crossed with the complete set of LDN D-genome disomic substitution lines. Assessments of F₂ populations showed that chromosomes 7A, 6A, 7B, 5B, 5A and 3B carried genes for purple coleoptile, purple auricle, purple culm, hairy auricle, hairy rachilla and brittle rachis, respectively.     

A Study on Chemical Composition of Atmospheric Precipitation at Savar,Joydevpur, Tongi and Narayanganj,Bangladesh

Precipitation was collected on an event basis from July 1994 to August 1995 at towns around the capital Dhaka of Bangladesh. The major chemical components were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry, UV-Visible spectrophotometry and ion selective electrode method. The concentrations of nitrate and sulphate were found to be below the minimum detection limit of 1.0 mg L- 1; the concentrations of Cl-, Na+, K+, Ca+2, Mg+2 and NH4+ ranged from <1.0–3.03, 0.14–1.70, 0.04–0.37, 0.04–1.30, <0.02–0.20 and <0.10–2.33 mg L-1, respectively. The values of pH and conductivity ranged from 4.80–6.74 and 3.3–37.5 μS cm-1, respectively.     

Importance of soil extractable phosphorus distribution for mature Norway spruce nutrition and productivity

Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for forest growth. In this study, we assessed the impact of soil extractable phosphorus using two simple extraction methods on nutrition and productivity of Norway spruce in sixteen mature forest stands on different bedrocks and soils in Bavaria, Southern Germany. Representative trees were sampled for needles, twigs, branches, stem bark, and stem wood. Total phosphorus content in the tree parts and soil phosphorus stock extractable with citric acid and sodium bicarbonate up to a soil depth of 80 cm were determined. We found that easily soil extractable phosphorus is a suitable indicator for estimating phosphorus uptake and stand productivity in Norway spruce. In contrast, organic layer phosphorus showed no significant correlation with aboveground biomass phosphorus contents. In the biomass, the highest phosphorus contents were measured in young needles and twigs, but the highest correlation with soil phosphorus was detected for phosphorus contents in needles and bark. The stock of phosphorus extracted by citric acid down to 40 cm soil depth revealed the best correlation with phosphorus in needles and bark. Therefore, as a supplemental or alternative method to needle analysis, our study suggests the use of phosphorus contents in stem bark to evaluate tree phosphorus nutrition. These results highlight the suitability of the citric acid soil extraction method to characterize plant available phosphorus in Norway spruce ecosystems.     

Insecticidal properties of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thymus persicus</Emphasis> essential oil against <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tribolium castaneum</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sitophilus oryzae</Emphasis>

Red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) and rice weevil Sitophilus oryzae (L.) are considered to be the major insect pests in storage. Essential oils from aromatic plants are recognized as proper alternatives to fumigants. Thymus persicus (Ronniger ex Rech. f.) is one of these plants that have medicinal properties and is indigenous to Iran. The essential oil was obtained from aerial parts of the plant and analyzed by GC and GC–MS. Carvacrol (44.69%) and thymol (11.05%) were the major constituents of the oil extracted. In this experiment, fumigant toxicity of the essential oil was studied against T. castaneum, S. oryzae at 27 ± 1°C and 60 ± 5% RH in dark condition. The adult insects were exposed to the concentrations of 51.9, 111.1, 207.4 and 370.4 μl/l air to estimate median lethal time (LT₅₀) values. The fumigant toxicity was increased in response to increased essential oil concentrations. The LT₅₀ values at the lowest and the highest concentrations tested were ranged from 28.09 to 13.47 h for T. castaneum, and 3.86 to 2.30 h for S. oryzae. It was found that S. oryzae adults were much more susceptible to the oil than T. castaneum. After 24 h of exposure, the LC₅₀ values (95% fiducial limit) for T. castaneum and S. oryzae were estimated to be 236.9 (186.27–292.81) and 3.34 (2.62–4.28) μl/l air, respectively. These results suggest that T. persicus essential oil merits further study as potential fumigant for the management of these stored-product insects.     

Morphinandienone alkaloids from Dehaasia longipedicellata

Five morphinoid alkaloids have been isolated from Dehaasia longipedicellata, namely (-) pallidine, a new alkaloid (+) pallidinine (1), (+)-milonine, (-) 8,14-dehydrosalutaridine and (-) sinoacutine.     

Performance and yield of 14 eucalypt species on Imperata cylindrica (L.) Beauv. grassland 3 years after planting

A species trial with 14 eucalypt species with randomized complete blocks design was planted on Imperata cylindrica dominated grassland in South Kalimantan, Indonesia in January 1987. The site was prepared mechanically. No fertilizers were used. At the age of three years E. camaldulensis had clearly the highest survival rate (95%) and mean annual increment (5.9 m³ha^–1a^–1) compared with the other species tried. It was followed by E. urophylla, E. deglupta, E. pellita, E. tereticornis, E. alba, E. torelliana, E. intermedia, E. grandis and E. pilularis. Four other species, E. phaeotricha, E. resinifera, E. cloeziana and E. microcorys died either in the nursery or immediately after planting. All the eucalypts tried had narrow crowns and open canopies. It is suggested that eucalypts are not recommendable for grassland reforestation under minimum plantation tending. Effects of intensive weeding, spacing, fertilizing and performance in second rotation or mixed stands should be tested to elaborate the suitability of eucalypts on grasslands.     

Anti-inflammatory activities of cucurbitacin E isolated from Citrullus lanatus var. citroides: role of reactive nitrogen species and cyclooxygenase enzyme inhibition

The in vivo and in vitro mechanistic anti-inflammatory actions of cucurbitacin E (CE) (Citrullus lanatus var. citroides) were examined. The results showed that LPS/INF-γ increased NO production in RAW264.7 macrophages, whereas L-NAME and CE curtailed it. CE did not reveal any cytotoxicity on RAW264.7 and WRL-68 cells. CE inhibited both COX enzymes with more selectivity toward COX-2. Intraperitoneal injection of CE significantly suppressed carrageenan-induced rat's paw edema. ORAC and FRAP assays showed that CE is not a potent ROS scavenger. It could be concluded that CE is potentially useful in treating inflammation through the inhibition of COX and RNS but not ROS.     

Impact of cycocel on seed germination and growth in some commercial crops under osmotic stress conditions

Most of plant growth regulators are known to alleviate negative effects of osmotic stress on crop growth. To evaluate the effects of cycocel (CCC), as a growth regulator, on crop seed germination, early growth, and vegetative growth under osmotic stress conditions, a study was conducted under controlled conditions. Six crops, wheat, barley, maize, sunflower, safflower, and rapeseed were grown under five osmotic potentials (0, as non-stress, ?0.5, ?1.0, ?1.5, and ?2.0 MPa), which were raised from seeds treated with three CCC concentrations (0, 2.5, and 3.5 g l^?1). Reduced germination, seedling and vegetative growth as well as enhanced leaf free proline and chlorophyll content index were observed under osmotic stress. The extent of these changes depended on the type of the used crops. Priming with optimum CCC concentration mitigated to great extent stress-induced adverse effects on these crops. The positive effect of CCC priming on wheat, maize, and rapeseed was observed only at moderate osmotic levels, whereas on barley and safflower the priming effects were found in all levels of osmotic stress. However, sunflower did not respond to CCC priming treatments which might have been due to its thick achene coat. CCC priming was found to be effective in diverting a major proportion of assimilates to root, because root to shoot dry weight ratio increased due to CCC application under all osmotic stress regimes. Since barley and safflower were found to be most responsive to CCC priming, further research for better understanding of mechanisms of CCC priming on their germination and vegetative growth is recommended.     

Optimizing fertilizers doses and their effects on photosynthesis and biomass yield of Hibiscus cannabinus cultivated on BRIS soil

In tropical climate, huge amount of fertilizer need to be used for the cultivation of kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) in Beach Ridges Interspersed with Swales (BRIS) soil, however this approach is not cost effective and environmental friendly. Therefore, the optimizing of fertilizer rate for BRIS soils and selection of suitable soil amendments are crucial to get a higher yield. In this study, the effects of different combinations of urea, chicken manure and biochar on soil properties, growth performance and physiological characteristics of kenaf cultivated on the BRIS soil were investigated. Eight treatments were conducted namely: control (T1), biochar (T2), chicken manure (T3), urea (T4), chicken manure + urea (T5), biochar + chicken manure (T6), urea + biochar (T7) and biochar + chicken manure + urea (T8). The biomass and physiological characteristics of kenaf were recorded every month, while the soil was analyzed following a standard laboratory procedure. The application of organic and inorganic fertilizer (urea) significantly increased the nutrient content of the soil compared to the T1, whereas T3 showed the highest pH, cation exchange capacity, and exchangeable bases (Na, Mg, Ca). However, the mixing of biochar with organic and inorganic fertilizers showed the highest plant height, diameter of stem and number of leaves as well as dry biomass compared to other treatments. Furthermore, the application of nitrogen fertilizer significantly increased the photosynthesis rate and stomatal conductivity. The results suggest that the mixing of biochar with organic and inorganic fertilizers represents an effective approach for the cultivation of kenaf in tropical climate.