• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.235-242
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• 2012

Mikania micrantha, a neo-tropical vine, is spreading rapidly in the tropical part of Nepal and is now threatening the rural ecosystem including biodiversity and rural livelihoods. However, no attempt has been made to control the spread of M. micrantha. As a result, the vines are spreading freely and rapidly. After a thorough literature review and assessment of forest management practices, we proposed a manual cutting method, as it suits the Nepalese situation for several reasons: required labor is readily available, as local communities are managing forest patches, and the method does not have any potential adverse effects on non-target native species. Experimental plots were laid out in August 2011 to examine the effectiveness of manual cutting. Two different site types based on canopy coverage were selected and divided into three blocks based on cutting strategy. Four treatments were assigned across the experimental plots following a complete block design. We harvested above-ground biomass according to the assigned treatment. The results suggested that there should be at least two consecutive cuttings within a 3-week interval before flowering, and that three consecutive cuttings resulted in 91% mortality of the vines. In addition, cutting promoted regeneration of native plant species. Employing regular cutting operations can modify understory shade enhancing regeneration of native species, which is a desirable condition to constrain proliferation of M. micrantha. Periodic cuttings reduced the competitiveness of M. micrantha regardless of canopy openness, but native ground cover should be retained.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.719-725
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• 2004

Mesquite or Vilayati babul (Prosopis juliflora) is a drought resistant, evergreen, spiny tree with drooping branches and a deep laterally spreading root system. It grows in semi-arid and arid tracts of tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world and is spreading because the leaves are unpalatable and animals do not digest its seed. The mesquite has become a major nuisance; cutting or pruning its branches to form a canopy would provide shade for travelers, aid harvesting of pods, as well as make available wood for fuel. An average plant starts fruiting by 3-4 years of age and yields annually 10-50 kg pods/ tree, which can be collected from May-June and September-October. Availability of pods worldwide is estimated to be about 2-4 million metric tonnes. Ripe pods are highly palatable; on dry matter basis they contain 12% crude protein, 15% free sugar, a moderate level of digestible crude protein (7% DCP) with a high level of energy (75% TDN). The pods contain low tannin levels below those toxic to animals. Seeds contain 31-37% protein; pods should be finely ground before feeding to facilitate utilization of the seeds. Mesquite pods could replace costlier feed ingredients such as grain and bran contributing 10-50% of the diet. Phosphorus supplements need to be added when mesquite pod, exceeds 20% of animals' diet.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.14-24
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• 2021

A plant community is a group of populations that coexist in space and interact directly or indirectly with the environment. In this paper, we determined the pattern of tree species composition in response to soil variables in Khadimnagar National Park (KNP), which is one of the least studied tropical forests in Bangladesh. Soil and vegetation data were collected from 71 sample plots. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) with associated Monte Carlo permutation tests (499 permutations) was carried out to determine the most significant soil variable and to explore the relationship between tree species distribution and soil variables. Soil pH and clay content (pH with p<0.01 and Clay content with p<0.05) were the most significant variables that influence the overall tree species distribution in KNP. Soil pH is related to the distribution and abundance of Syzygium grande and Magnolia champaca, which were mostly found and dominant species in KNP. Some species were correlated with clay content such as Artocarpus chaplasha and Cassia siamea. These observations suggest that both the physico-chemical properties of soil play a major role in shaping the tree distribution in KNP. Hence, these soil properties should take into account for any tree conservation strategy in this forest.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.161-170
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• 2010

A study was conducted for indentifying the floral biodiversity of woody species by calculating four diversity indices using data collected from 4 stands of different age groups and disturbance regimes in two areas of Madhupur tract. Results showed that highest species diversity in the old growth secondary coppice forest (>60 years) under moderate anthropogenic disturbances of Madhupur National Park area (delete (D=0.74, H'=3.36) followed by old growth secondary forest stands (>40 years) under moderate disturbances at Bhawal National Park area (D=0.65, H'=2.81). Plant species diversity of the young enrichment plantations (<20 years and <15 years) under high anthropogenic disturbances in both the areas are much low (D=0.54 and H'=2.16 and D=0.52 and H'=1.92 respectively), which indicate high anthropogenic disturbances coupled with introduction of invasive exotics that are rival for endemic species are detrimental for conservation of biological diversity of tropical moist deciduous forests of Madhupur tract in Bangladesh.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.12
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• pp.1628-1634
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• 2009

Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) function as molecular chaperones that protect cells against environmental stresses. In the present study, the genes of hsp17.6 and hsp17.7, cytosolic class I sHSPs, were cloned from a tropical plant, Ageratina adenophorum. Their C-terminal domains were highly conserved with those of sHSPs from other plants, indicating the importance of the C-terminal domains for the structure and activity of sHSPs. The recombinant HSP17.6 and HSP17.7 were applied to determine their chaperone function. In vitro, HSP17.6 and HSP17.7 actively participated in the refolding of the model substrate citrate synthase (CS) and effectively prevented the thermal aggregation of CS at $45^{\circ}C$ and the irreversible inactivation of CS at $38^{\circ}C$ at stoichiometric levels. The prior presence of HSP17.7 was assumed to suppress the thermal aggregation of the model substrate CS. Therefore, this report confirms the chaperone activity of HSP17.6 and HSP17.7 and their potential as a protectant for active proteins.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.32 no.4 s.127
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• pp.330-337
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• 2001

Prickly pear(Opuntia ficus-indica var. saboten Makino, Cactaceae) is a tropical or subtropical plant, which is widely used as folk medicine for burned wound, edema and indigestion. Screening on the biological properties of the fruits(OFS-Fr) and stems(OFS-St) of the plant was carried out to prove the pharmacological significance. By hot plate and acetic acid-inducing writhing methods, significant analgesic effects of OFS-Fr and OFS-St were found in mice and anti-edemic effect was observed in carrageenin-induced inflammatory rats. However, the extracts showed no significant actions on central and autonomic nervous system and blood circulatory system, which imply no toxic effects to animal.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2018.10a
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• pp.23-23
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• 2018

Taiwan, formerly known as Formosa, located on tropical and subtropical climate zones with abundant biological resources. According to the latest version of the Flora of Taiwan, there are 4339 species of vascular plants including 1054 endemic species. First, Taiwania (Taiwania cryptomerioides), named after its native island of Taiwan, have been isolated more than 500 secondary metabolites, including lignans, terpenoids, steroids, and flavonoids. Several of the metabolites are reported to have antibacterial, antifungal, antimite, antitermite and antitumor activities. In order to investigate plant secondary metabolic diversity toward industrial applications, we established deep transcriptome resources for non-model plants and fungi to produce terpenoid metabolites of economic importance. Second, many plants of Lauraceae have been utilized in folk medicine for their exciting bioactivities. The twigs and leaves from 27 tree species of Lauraceae grown in Taiwan were performed to evaluate potential bioactivity. The leaves of Cinnamomum osmophloeum are traditionally used in folk medicines, and many biological activities have been identified, such as antibacterial, antifungal, antitermite, antidiabetic, antihyperuricemia, antiinflammatory, and antioxidant activities. However, C. osmophloeum has nine chemotypes with various secondary metabolite profiles. In order to efficiently produce active compounds, we established the genetic markers to identify the chemotype plants. Finally, Cinnamomum kanehirae is the host of the medicinal mushroom Antrodia cinnamomea. Several in vivo and in vitro studies indicated that A. cinnamomea possesses a diverse range of biological activities. Because of the potential pharmacological application, we established the transformation system to enhance the triterpenoid contents production.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.317-319
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• 2014

The aloe vera aphid, Aloephagus myersi Essig, was collected on imported Aloe vera (L.) Burm.f. (Xanthorrhoeaceae) grown in greenhouses in Korea. This species is native to tropical Africa and probably was introduced into greenhouses via the aloe plant trade. This introduction reinforces the need to focus attention on the eradication from collected localities, and for constant surveillance and detection at ports of entry to prevent introduction and establishment of new pests in the Korean environment. In this paper, additional information for the aloe vera aphid is provided with diagnoses and photographs along with host plant and distribution data for accurate species identification.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.211-215
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• 2015

Two species of the genus Palorus Mulsant of Palorini (Tenebrionidae) are reported for the first time from Korea, P. ratzeburgii (Wissman, 1848) and P. subdepressus (Wollaston, 1864). These species are economically importance as stored product insect pests in the tropical and subtropical countries, and occur in low densities in the rice mills of southern Korea. Adult morphology, taxonomic diagnosis, illustrations of diagnostic characteristics of these species, and a taxonomic key to the 6 species related to plant quarantine inspections in Korea are provided.

• Mycobiology
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.263-275
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• 2020

Phlebopus spongiosus is a well-known edible ectomycorrhizal mushroom indigenous to southern Vietnam. The mushroom specimens collected from northern Thailand in this study were identified as P. spongiosus. This identification was based on morphological characteristics and the multi-gene phylogenetic analyses. Pure cultures were isolated and the relevant suitable mycelial growth conditions were investigated. The results indicated that the fungal mycelia grew well on L-modified Melin-Norkans, and Murashige and Skoog agar all of which were adjusted to a pH of 5.0 at 30 ℃. Sclerotia-like structures were observed on cultures. The ability of this mushroom to produce fruiting bodies in the absence of a host plant was determined by employing a bag cultivation method. Fungal mycelia completely covered the cultivation substrate after 90-95 days following inoculation of mushroom spawn. Under the mushroom house conditions, the highest amount of primordial formation was observed after 10-15 days at a casing with soil:vermiculite (1:1, v/v). The primordia developed into a mature stage within one week. Moreover, identification of the cultivated fruiting bodies was confirmed by both morphological and molecular methods. This is the first record of P. spongiosus found in Thailand and its ability to form fruiting bodies without a host plant.