Participatory rural appraisal to identify needs and prospects of market-oriented dairy industries in Bangladesh

We assessed resources, challenges and prospects of the dairy industries in four districts of Bangladesh (Mymensingh, Satkhira, Chittagong and Sirajganj) with the participation of 8 to 12 dairy farm families in each district. We used ten participatory rural appraisal (PRA) tools, namely social mapping, semi-structured interview, activity profiles, seasonal calendar, pie charts, mobility diagram, matrix ranking, preference ranking and scoring, system analysis diagram and focus group discussion in 57 PRA sessions from September through October 2002. Dairying contributed more to family income (63 to 74%) and utilized a smaller portion of land than did crops. Twenty seven to 49% of cattle feed is rice straw. Only Sirajganj and Chittagong had limited, periodic grazing facilities. Fodder (Napier; Pennisetum purpureum) cultivation was practiced in Sirajganj and Satkhira. Fodder availability increased milk production and decreased disease occurrence. Friesian crossbred cows were ranked best as dairy cattle. The present utilization of veterinary and AI services was ranked highly. Farmers outside the milk union desired milk purchasing centres as the most required service in the future. They identified veterinary and AI services as inadequate and desired significant improvements. The PRA tools effectively identified resources, constraints, opportunities and farmers’ perspectives related to the dairy industries in Bangladesh.     

Morphological and Genetical Variability among Rhizoctonia solani Isolates Causing Sheath Blight Disease of Rice

Eighteen isolates of Rhizoctonia solani collected from infected rice plants in four different locations of Bangladesh were studied by using morphological characters and molecular markers. Anastomosis study with a reference isolate confirmed that all the isolates belonged to R. solani. Significant variation was observed in sclerotial size, shape and distribution. Un-weighted pair group method with arithmetic mean dendrogram constructed based on the Gower's general similarity coefficient showed that these isolates were grouped into four clusters at the 0.68 similarity coefficent according to morphological characters. Cluster I was a major cluster consisting of 13 isolates, while clusters Ⅱ to Ⅳ consisted of 1 or 2 isolates. Analyses by variable number of tandem repeat and amplified fragment length polymorphism markers showed that the isolates were grouped into five and three clusters at a similarity coefficient of 0.64 and 0.69, respectively. Although most of the variability was found between isolates from different regions as expected, significant variation was observed within the isolates collected from similar agro-ecological regions. Our results suggest the presence of different races of R. solani within the same local geographic regions.     

Role of homestead forests in household economy and factors affecting forest production: a case study in southwest Bangladesh

Empirical information regarding the role of homestead forests in household economy is essential in understanding the importance of these resources. Identification of the factors that affect homestead forest production and understanding forest owners' attitudes toward key forest management issues have great significance in making appropriate policy responses to manage these resources on a sustainable basis. In Bangladesh, homestead forests are claimed to play an important economic role in rural livelihoods, but no reliable quantitative information exists. This study was undertaken to investigate the role of homestead forests in the household economy, examine if forest production and income vary across landholding size classes, to explore the relationships of homestead forest production with species richness, education level, and household size, and to assess the attitude of homestead forest owners toward key forest management issues. Results show that homestead forests contribute 15.9% of the household income and generate 51.4 man-days of employment per household per year. Production of homestead forests significantly varies across landholding size classes. It was observed that forest production depends significantly on species richness of homestead forests and the education level of forest owners. However, no such relationship was found between forest production and household size. The study revealed that farming families depend more on forest income than nonfarming families. Attitudes of forest owners toward key forest management issues differ significantly across landholding size classes. For example, although the majority of the forest owners prefer fruit species to timber species, the percentage of respondents decreased as the landholding size class increased, while the opposite trend was observed for timber species. The findings of this study suggest that diversification of forests and extension of education amongst forest owners would improve forest production. Furthermore, forest policy should address the concerns of the forest owners in different landholding classes and focus on their specific requirements to enhance sustainable forest management.     

Monitoring acetaldehyde concentrations during micro-oxygenation of red wine by headspace solid-phase microextraction with on-fiber derivatization

An analytical method was developed to quantify levels of acetaldehyde in wine samples. The method utilizes headspace solid-phase microextraction with on-fiber derivatization using O-(pentafluorobenzyl)hydroxylamine and quantification by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection. The technique showed good sensitivity and reproducibility in samples of Chardonnay, Petite Sirah, and Merlot wines containing acetaldehyde at levels below the sensory threshold (40-100 ppm). The method was used to monitor acetaldehyde concentrations during the micro-oxygenation of Merlot wine in a 141 L pilot-plant experiment and a 2400 L full-scale study. In both experiments, levels of acetaldehyde remained constant for several weeks before increasing at rates of the order of 1 ppm/day. Variations in the levels of acetaldehyde present are discussed within the context of the underlying chemical reactions.     

HIV-inhibitory diterpenoid from Anisomeles indica.

The 1H- and 13C-NMR spectral data of ovatodiolide (1), a diterpenoid from Anisomeles indica, and its anti-HIV activity are reported.     

Effect of feeding stimulants on growth performance,feed intake and appetite regulation of mandarin fish,Siniperca chuatsi

Mandarin fish is a typical carnivorous fish, it can accept artificial diet after domestication, which is significantly essential to optimize its artificial diet. Nevertheless, only few studies were conducted on artificial diet of mandarin fish. Therefore, an 8‐week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the influence of feeding stimulants on growth performance, feed intake and appetite regulation of mandarin fish. In this trial, six diets were formulated, a basal diet contained 80% of Fish Meal without feeding stimulants, named as Control, 0.4% inosinic acid meal, 0.4% L‐Alanine meal, 3% Yeast meal, 3% a commercial squid extract meal and 0.4% betaine meal were added into the basal diet to make five experimental diets, which were named as IM, AM, YM, SVO and BM respectively. At the end of feeding trial, SVO group showed higher feed intake, up‐regulated mRNA expression of neuropeptide Y (NPY) and down‐regulated mRNA expression of pro‐opiomelanocorticoid (POMC) significantly as compared to control group, which suggested that squid extract improved feed acceptability and promoted appetite in mandarin fish. Similarly, compared to control group, SVO group showed low food conversion ratio, high weight gain and SGR, indicated that squid extract enhanced the growth performance. Our results suggested that the appropriate level of squid extract addition could contribute to optimize artificial diet in mandarin fish.     

Flood control,drainage and irrigation projects in Bangladesh and their impact on soils: an empirical study

The combination of a rising population and increased food demand has placed tremendous pressure on the land resources of Bangladesh. These pressures are exacerbated by the annual wet-season floods which frequently devastate much of the agricultural land. Successive governments have therefore sought international aid to assist in the development of flood control measures. Of particular importance are 14 major schemes which aim to provide protection from 20–25 year return floods by the construction of earth-embanked enclosures. There is no doubt that these schemes have been very successful in protecting valuable agricultural areas from floods and hence increasing agricultural production. There is, however, growing evidence from a range of sources for long-term deterioration in soil fertility within the project areas. The study reported here is the first to systematically examine the changes taking place in soil properties following the establishment of a flood control, drainage and irrigation project. Comparison of two soil series, sampled from within and without the project area, demonstrate that within six years of project establishment, significant adverse changes have occurred in several soil properties; these include increasing acidity and a decline in available nutrients. The changes are attributable to a combination of poor management strategies and the absence of the annual flood input of silt. As Bangladesh cannot afford any decline in agricultural output, it is vital to establish whether adverse changes recorded here are occurring in other projects. This can be achieved by the establishment of a nationwide programme of soil fertility monitoring. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Prevalence of white spot syndrome virus infection detected by one-step and nested PCR in selected tiger shrimp (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Penaeus monodon</Emphasis>) hatcheries

White spot syndrome (WSS) is considered as a great threat to commercial farming of the tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon). The causal agent of WSS is a DNA virus called white spot syndrome virus (WSSV). The prevalence of this dreadful virus infection has been studied in five randomly selected hatcheries located in the Cox’s Bazar district of Bangladesh. Both one-step and nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) involving two pairs of primers, namely, 146F1/146R1 and 146F2/146R2, amplifying the 1447 bp and 941 bp fragments, respectively, were conducted to detect the WSSV. Out of 60 randomly collected shrimps, 12 (20%) were found to be positive by one-step PCR, while 18 (30%) were found to be positive by nested PCR. The nested PCR was found to be much more sensitive than the one-step PCR. The shrimp specimens showing clinical signs of WSS were positive for WSSV by both one-step and nested PCR. Some of the apparently healthy samples were also found to be positive for WSSV by nested PCR. Among the two primer-pairs, the inner pair amplifying the 941 bp fragment was more sensitive than the outer primer pair amplifying the 1447 bp fragment when used in one-step PCR.     

Phytochemical study of Salvia moorcroftiana.

Four known flavonoids were isolated from the aerial parts of Salvia moorcroftiana.     

Application de la chromatographie en phase gazeuse au dosage du squalène dans les végétaux

Résumé Découvert il y a plus de 50 ans, dans des huiles de foies de squaloides, le squalène C₃₀ H₅₀ a été ensuite identifié et dosé dans plusieurs huiles d'origine végétale.Les auteurs décrivent une nouvelle méthode de dosage, plus spécifique et plus sensible, par chromatographie en phase gazeuse et déshydrogenation de la fraction insaponifiable de végétaux.Les teneurs sont, en mg pour 100 g, d'environ 150 pour l'huile d'olive, 4 pour les feuilles d'olivier, 2 pour la luzerne, 0,1 pour les feuilles de sureau, acanthe, laitue et les feuilles et racines de carottes.

---

Summary Discovered more than 50 years ago in liver oils of squaloids, squalene C₃₀ H₅₀ was later identified and determined in several oils of vegetable origin.The authors describe a new, more specific, and more sensitive, method of determination by gas chromatography and dehydrogenation of the unsaponiüable fraction of plants.The contents are, in mg per 100 g, about 150 for olive oil, 4 for olive-tree leaves, 2 for alfalfa, 0.1 for the leaves of elder, acanthus, lettuce, and leaves and roots of carrots.

---

Zusammenfassung Vor mehr als 50 Jahren im Lebertran von Haifischen entdeckt, wurde das Squalen später in mehreren Ölen pflanzlichen Ursprungs identifiziert und bestimmt.Die Verfasser beschreiben eine neue mehr spezifische und empfindliche Bestimmungsmethode mittels Gaschromatographie und Dehydrogenierung der unverseifbaren Fraktion der Pflanzen.Die Gehalte sind, in mg/100 g, ungefähr 150 für Olivenöl, 4 für die Blätter des Ölbaumes, 2 für Klee, 0,1 für die Blätter des Hollunders, für Bärenklau, für Kopfsalat sowie für Blätter und Wurzeln der Möhren.

---

---

avec 1 fig.