• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.31-39
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• 2015

Antheraea mylitta Drury (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) is a commercial silk producing forest insect of India, but it has never been experimented in Uttarakhand state in spite of the huge availability of its forestry host plants. This is the first study on A. mylitta in Uttarakhand. The goal of this study is to introduce forest based commercial rearing of A. mylitta, in tropical forest areas of Uttarakhand to reduce poverty among forest dependent people. In current study, we assessed the effect of seven forest tree species, rearing seasons, and their interactions on cocoon productivity of Daba (bivoltine) ecorace of A. mylitta in the New Forest of FRI, Dehra Dun during 2012 and 2013 and collected the data that was analysed by two-way completely randomized block factorial design. Post HOC Tukey's HSD test was carried out to compare the homogeneous pairs of means. We also carried out Evaluation Index analysis to rank the tested forestry host plants for better growth and development of A. mylitta under the climatic condition of Uttarakhand. Analysis of variance indicated that cocoon yield of A. mylitta differed significantly between rearing seasons (DF=1, F=88.24, p<0.05) and host plants (DF 6, F= 368.63, p<0.05); however, their interactions were found insignificant (DF=6, F=0.99, p>0.05). In first rearing season of July-August, there was higher cocoon yield than the second season of September-November. Results indicated that Terminalia alata fed larvae showed significantly higher cocoon yield (164.11 cocoons/300 larvae); followed by, T. tomentosa (148.89 cocoons), T. arjuna (140.00 cocoons) and Lagerstroemia speciosa (129.47 cocoons) fed larvae. Whereas, Lagerstroemia tomentosa fed larvae that was used by the first time in India, showed lowest cocoon yield (48.81 cocoons), followed by T. chebula (72.53 cocoons) fed larvae. Cocoon yield of T. tomentosa and T. arjuna fed larvae of A. mylitta did not differ significantly with each other.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.98 no.5
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• pp.563-567
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• 2009

This study was conducted to clarify the characteristics of bird communities between before and after forest fire in tropical deciduous Dipterocarp forest of Mondulkiri protected forest of the northeastern Cambodia from January to April 2009. The DBH distribution of trees were different in each DBH class. Most of the trees (> 80%) were belong to < 30 cm DBH. After the forest fire, coverage of understory layers were dramatically decreased by the fire. Total 64 species of birds were recorded, and 64 and 46 species of birds were observed before and after the fire, respectively. Observed number of individuals of bee-eaters, treepies, kingfishers, lapwings, herons, junglefowl, peafowl, prinias and warblers were decreased after the fire. The decrease of those species would be related with the change of habitat condition, such as decrease of water amount and understory coverage. For the management and conservation of junglefowls, peafowls, prinias and warblers, understory vegetation should be maintained in Mondulkiri protected forest, northeastern Cambodia.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.109 no.4
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• pp.421-428
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• 2020

Tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) is one of the multipurpose tree species distributed in the tropical and sub-tropical climates. It is an important fruit yielding tree that supports the livelihood and has high social and cultural values for rural communities. The vegetative, reproductive, qualitative, and quantitative traits of tamarind vary widely. Characterization of phenotypic and genetic structure is essential for the selection of suitable accessions for sustainable cultivation and conservation. This study aimedto examine the genetic relationship among the collected accessions of sweet, red, and sour tamarind by using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primers. Nine accessions were collected from germplasm gene banks and subjected to marker analysis. Fifteen highly polymorphic primers generated a total of 169 fragments, out of which 138 bands were polymorphic. The polymorphic information content of RAPD markers varied from 0.10 to 0.44, and the Jaccard's similarity coefficient values ranged from 0.37 to 0.70. The genetic clustering showed a sizable genetic variation in the tamarind accessions at the molecular level. The molecular and biochemical variations in the selected accessions are very important for developing varieties with high sugar, anthocyanin, and acidity traits in the ongoing tamarind improvement program.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.46-58
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• 2022

Wood from tropical plantation forests has lower physical and mechanical properties than mature wood. Furfuryl alcohol (FA) impregnation into the wood could help to enhance hydrophobic properties, dimensional stability, and structural strength. Furfurylation was applied to specimens of the following four fast-growing tropical wood species: jabon (Anthocephalus cadamba), sengon (Falcataria moluccana), mangium (Acacia mangium), and pine (Pinus merkusii). The discoloration and physical and mechanical properties were subsequently measured, and the results showed that furfurylated wood had a darker color and better physical and mechanical properties than untreated wood. Specifically, the furfurylated wood had higher density, modulus of elasticity, and hardness and lower moisture content, water absorption, swelling, and shrinkage. The furfurylation significantly enhanced physical and mechanical properties.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.225-230
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• 2004

The impact of slash and burning on microbial biomass C, N and P in soils of semi-evergreen tropical deciduous forest were studied from February 1999 to January 2000. The experimental sites were located near Moreh town in the Chandel district of Manipur state (India) along the Indo-Myanmar border between 23° 49' N-24°28'N latitude and 93°45'E-94°16'E longitude. Microbial biomass C ranged from 319.50 ㎍ g/sup -1/ 905.50㎍ g/sup -1/ in the slash and burnt site and from 209.50 ㎍ g/sup -1/ to 708.80 ㎍ g/sup -1/ soil in the forest site. Microbial N ranged from 19.30 ㎍ g/sup -1/ to 99.45 ㎍ g/sup -1/ in the slash and burnt site and from 16.08㎍ g/sup -1/ to 88.90 ㎍ g/sup -1/ in the forest site. Microbial P varied from 10.90 ㎍ g/sup -1/ to 32.21 ㎍ g/sup -1/ in the slash and burnt site and from 2.50 ㎍ g/sup -1/ to 17.60 ㎍ g/sup -1/ in the forest site in different months throughout the year. Microbial biomass C, N and P were recorded to be higher in the slash and burnt site compared to the forest site The conversion of forest into slash and burnt site for agriculture - the traditional shilling cultivation practiced by tribal people in the north- eastern India leads to addition of large amount of organic matter in the soil thereby exhibiting higher values of microbial biomass C, N and P in the recent slash and burnt site than that of the forest site. Relationship between the soil moisture, soil organic C and microbial biomass C, N and P were found to be correlated significantly in both the sites.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.75-89
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• 2022

The negative impact of monoculture rubber plantations on biodiversity and associated ecological processes/ecosystem services has led to suggestions on the use of integrated land use systems for rubber cultivation and production in order to ensure environmental sustainability. However, there is paucity of information on the effect of such integrated land use systems on the diversity and abundance of the rubber plantation undergrowth. We evaluated and compared undergrowth plant species composition, richness, abundance, diversity and interaction, in three integrated systems (Rubber-Strelitzia reginae Integrated System - RSrIS, Rubber-Podocarpus nagi Integrated System - RPnIS & Naturally Managed Rubber Plantation - NMRP) with three Rubber Monoculture Plantations (RMP₁, RMP₂ & RMP₃) adjacent to the integrated systems, respectively, at the Investigation and Experiment Station of Tropical Crops, Danzhou, Hainan, China. Undergrowth species density was higher in the rubber monocultures than in the integrated systems except in RSrIS. Species richness and diversity were also higher in the monocultures except in NMRP. Species similarity/interaction between the monocultures and the integrated systems was highest between RMP₃ and NMRP. The NRMP proved to be the best model of natural rubber integrated system for the conservation of undergrowth species richness, diversity and interspecific interaction. However, the conservation of undergrowth species in other forms of integrated natural systems can be enhanced by considering the ecology of species to be integrated in terms of their growth characteristics, competitive nature, and ability to grow in association with other species.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2016

Tropical tasar silkworm, Antheraea mylitta is a commercial forest silkworm in India that produces tasar silk, but never experimented in Uttarakhand, a Himalayan state of India. A. mylitta express divergent phenotypic characters under different ecological conditions; so, we studied the effect of seven forest tree species in two rearing seasons on variability in silk gland weight of Daba (bivoltine) ecorace of A. mylitta at Forest Research Institute in Dehra Dun, Uttarakhand during 2012 and 2013. We used two-way completely randomized block factorial design and Post HOC Tukey's HSD test to analyse the collected data and there after carried out multiple regression analysis. Results indicated that silk gland weight differed significantly between rearing seasons (DF=1, F=2333.98, p <0.05), host plants (DF 6, F= 1516.25, p <0.05) and their interactions (DF=6, F=7.10, p <0.05). Higher silk gland weight was found in second rearing season than the first on all the host tree species. Terminalia alata fed A. mylitta larvae showed the highest silk gland weight of 8.03 and 9.47 g in first and second rearing seasons, followed by T. tomentosa (7.19 & 9.01g), T. arjuna (6.8 & 8.08 g) and L. speciosa (6.57 & 7.83 g) fed larvae, respectively. Post HOC Tukey's HSD test indicated that silk gland weight of L. speciosa and T. arjuna fed larvae in both the rearing seasons did not differ significantly. E.I. analysis also confirmed that T. alata, T. tomentosa, T. arjuna and L. speciosa are better in their order of merit than T. bellirica , T. chebula and L. tomentosa. Multiple regression analysis indicates that larval weight gain is a strong predictor (β=1.002, t=346.777, p = <0.05) for the silk gland weight of A. mylitta ; however, larval duration had significant negative regression weight (β=-0.270, t=-8.436, p = <0.05) on mean weight of silk gland.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.313-323
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• 2006

Forest Canopy Density is a dynamic process mediated by various natural and anthropogenic factors. It can be changed over time and locations in the same forest type and landscape. However, human dimensions are considered as the primary force of landscape change and subsequent forest canopy loss in tropical regions of the world. Many studies have been indicated that roads have a far greater impact on forests than simply allowing access for human use. Similarly, rivers have been used as means of transportation, hence illegal logging and felling further deplete forest canopy density. The main objective of this study was to investigate the spatio-temporal dynamic alterations of Forest Canopy Density (FCD) across with site associated factors such as biophysical, physical and human interferences in tropical region of Nepal from 1988 to 2001. Landsat TM and ETM+ of 1988 and 2001 were used to assess the spatial and temporal dynamic alterations of FCD. This analysis revealed that distance to human settlements at P=<0.01, rivers, human interferences (path and fire) and species composition had a statistically significance at P=<0.05 level. However, other factors did not show any significant relation. So, we concluded that understanding of dynamic alterations of FCD with respect to factors was quite complex phenomena. Other surrounding environment could also playa significant role. A comprehensive analysis could be required to understand such complexities. Therefore, additional factors such as climatic, biophysical, social, and institutional with respect to spatio-temporal variability should be considered for the better understanding of canopy dynamic.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• v.1
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• pp.102-105
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• 2006

Forest canopy density is an essentially important for maintaining the diversify flora and fauna in the tropic. But, the natural and human disturbances have an influence over the inconsistency of forest canopy density. So, forest canopy density (FCD) has been threatened in the tropic since a decade. The objective of this study was to examine the dynamics change of the forest canopy density in tropical forest Chitwan, Nepal combine with field survey and remote sensing data. The field survey data of 2001 such as canopy cover percentage, dbh so on and some human disturbances were used. Similarly, Landsat TM 1988 and ETM+ 2001 have also used to predict the dynamic changes of the FCD over the period. Moreover, nonparametric Kruskal- Wallis test has performed for the validation of the results. Data analysis revealed that very few factors i.e. the number of trees, path, and fire had realized statistically significance at P=<0.05. Therefore we concluded that detail analysis could be needed incorporate with additional socioeconomic, climatic, biophysical and institutional factors for the better understanding of the forest canopy dynamic in particular location.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.131-137
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• 2013

This study attempts to classify forest species using hyperspectral data for supporting resources management. The primary dataset used was AISA sensor. The sensor was mounted onboard the NOMAD GAF-27 aircraft at 2,000 m altitude creating a 2 m spatial resolution on the ground. Pre-processing was carried out with CALIGEO software, which automatically corrects for both geometric and radiometric distortions of the raw image data. The radiance data set was then converted to at-sensor reflectance derived from the FODIS sensor. Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM) technique was used for image classification. The spectra libraries for tree species were established after confirming the appropriate match between field spectra and pixel spectra. Results showed that the highest spectral signature in NIR range were Kembang Semangkok (Scaphium macropodum), followed by Meranti Sarang Punai (Shorea parvifolia) and Chengal (Neobalanocarpus hemii). Meanwhile, the lowest spectral response were Kasai (Pometia pinnata), Kelat (Eugenia spp.) and Merawan (Hopea beccariana), respectively. The overall accuracy obtained was 79%. Although the accuracy of SAM techniques is below the expectation level, SAM classifier was able to classify tropical tree species. In future it is believe that the most effective way of ground data collection is to use the ground object that has the strongest response to sensor for more significant tree signatures.