• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.193-198
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• 2004

Seasonal effects of the newly evolved bivoltine hybrid namely CSR$_2$${\times}$SR$_{5}$, SR$_1$ ${\times}$SR$_4$ and control hybrid KA${\times}$NB$_4$D$_2$ along with their parents SR$_1$, SR$_4$, SR$_{5}$, CSR$_2$ KA and NB$_4$D$_2$ were evaluated during different seasons of the year to understand genotype and environment interactions. Data were collected on five economic importance namely, pupation rate, cocoon yield, cocoon weight, cocoon shell ratio and filament length of the lines, hybrids and the control breeds/hybrid in three different seasons i.e., Pre-Monsoon, Monsoon and post-monsoon and subjected to relevant statistical methods. Seasonal performance of CSR$_2$, SR$_1$, SR$_4$ and SR$_{5}$ revealed superiority over control breeds KA and NB$_4$D$_2$. Both the hybrids i.e., CSR$_2$${\times}$SR$_{5}$ and SR$_1$${\times}$SR$_4$ performed well under diversified environmental conditions of tropical climate in a year indicating overall stability. These hybrids revealed highly significant (P < 0.01) variations for majority of the traits studied over the control hybrid KA${\times}$NB$_4$D$_2$.$.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.330-341
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• 2017

Tropical forests play a key role for functioning of the planet and maintenance of life. These forests support more than half of the world's species, serve as regulators of global and regional climate, act as carbon sinks and provide valuable ecosystem services. Forest floor biomass and litterfall dynamics was measured in different sites influenced by fire in a seasonally dry tropical forest of Bhoramdeo wildlife sanctuary of Chhattisgarh, India. The forest floor biomass was collected randomly placed quadrats while the litterfall measured by placing stone-block lined denuded quadrat technique. The seasonal mean total forest floor biomass across the fire regimes varied from $2.00-3.65t\;ha^{-1}$. The total litterfall of the study sites varied from $4.75-7.56t\;ha^{-1}\;yr^{-1}$. Annual turnover of litter varied from 70-74% and the turnover time between 1.35-1.43 years. Monthly pattern of forest floor biomass indicated that partially decayed litter, wood litter and total forest floor were differed significantly. The seasonal variation showed that leaf fall differed significantly in winter season only among the fire regimes while the wood litter was found non significant in all the season. This study shows that significant variation among the site due to the forest fire. Decomposition is one of the ecological processes critical to the functioning of forest ecosystems. The decomposing wood serves as a saving account of nutrients and organic materials in the forest floor. Across the site, high fire zone was facing much of the deleterious effects on forest floor biomass and litter production. Control on such type of wildfire and anthropogenic ignition could allow the natural recovery processes to enhance biological diversity. Chronic disturbances do not provide time for ecosystem recovery; it needs to be reduced for ecosystem health and maintaining of the high floral and faunal biodiversity.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.16 no.7
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• pp.952-961
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• 2003

In the first part of the study, rates of estrus occurrence and success of A.I. service in the Thai-native and Friesian crossbred, and purebred Friesian cows fed in the National Dairy Training and Applied Research Institute in Chiang Mai, Thailand were traced monthly throughout a year. An electric fan and a water sprinkler cooled the stall for the purebred cows during the hot season (March-September). Both rates in pure Friesians were at their highest in the cold-dry season (October- February), but they decreased steadily during the hot-dry season (March-May) and were at their lowest in the hot-wet season (June-September). Seasonal change of a similar pattern was observed in the incidence of estrus, but not in the success rate of insemination in the crossbred cows. By the use of reproductive data, compiled in the same institute, on the 75 % cross- and purebred Friesian cows, and climatological data in Chiang Mai district, effects of ambient temperature and humidity on the reproductive traits of cows were examined by regression analysis in the second half of the study. Significant relationships in the crossbred, expressed by positive-linear and parabola regressions, were found between reproductive parameters such as days to the first estrus (DTFE), A.I. service (DTFAI), and conception, the number of A.I. services required for conception and some climatic factors. However, regarding this, no consistent or intelligible results were obtained in purebred cows, perhaps because electric fans and water sprinklers were used for this breed in the hot season. Among climatic factors examined, the minimum temperature (MINT) in early lactation affected reproductive activity most conspicuously. As the temperature during one or two months prior to the first estrus and A.I. service rose, DTFE and DTFAI steadily became longer, although, when MINT depleted below $17-18^{\circ}C$, the reproductive interval tended to be prolonged again on some occasions. The maximum temperature also affected DTFE and DTFAI, but only in limited conditions. The effect of humidity was not clear, although the inverse relationship between DTFE and minimum humidity during 2 months before the first estrus in the crossbred seemed to be significant. Failure to detect any definite effect of climate on the reproductive traits of pure Friesians seemed to indicate that forced ventilation by electric fans and water sprinklers were effective enough to protect the reproductive ability of this breed from the adverse effects of a hot climate.