scholarly journals Metabarcoding in Diet Assessment of Heterotrigona itama Based on trnL Marker towards Domestication Program

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 205
Author(s):  
Jaapar Fahimee ◽  
Aqilah Sakinah Badrulisham ◽  
Mohd Sani Zulidzham ◽  
Nurul Farisa Reward ◽  
Nizar Muzammil ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Peninsular Malaysia ◽  
Stingless Bee ◽  
Main Criterion ◽  
Honey Production ◽  
Diet Assessment ◽  
Domestication Process ◽  
Cucumis Sativa ◽  
Muntingia Calabura

Honey quality is the main criterion used for evaluating honey production in the stingless bee Heterotrigona itama, and it is correlated with the plant species consumed as its main diet. The objective of this study was to obtain the metabarcode data from 12 populations of H. itama species throughout Malaysia (Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia) using the trnL marker. A total of 262 species under 70 families and five phyla of plants were foraged by H. itama in the studied populations. Spermatophyta and Magnoliophyta were recorded as the two most abundant phyla foraged, at 55.95% and 32.39%, respectively. Four species, Garcinia oblongifolia, Muntingia calabura, Mallotus pellatus, and Pinus squamata, occurred abundantly and were consumed by H. itama in all the populations. These data are considered as a fundamental finding that is specific to the diet of H. itama for strategizing the management of the domestication process specifically in a mono-cropping system and in a netted structure. Thus, based on these findings, we recommend Momordica charantia, Melastoma sp., and Cucumis sativa as the best choices of food plant species to be planted and utilized by H. itama in meliponiculture.

scholarly journals Technical Efficiency of Commercial Stingless Bee Honey Production in Peninsular Malaysia

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Norhidayah Che Soh ◽  
Nur Syahirah Samsuddin ◽  
Mohd Mansor Ismail ◽  
Muzafar Shah Habibullah
Keyword(s):  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
Peninsular Malaysia ◽  
Stingless Bee ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Data Envelopment ◽  
Economic Potential ◽  
Honey Production ◽  
Using Data ◽  
New Industry ◽  
Structured Questionnaire

The Stingless beekeeping project, a relatively new industry in Malaysia, has a huge economic potential because the production of stingless bee honey is low but the demand for this type of honey is slightly higher. This study was developed to measure the technical efficiency of commercial stingless beekeeping farms in Peninsular Malaysia by using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Ninety-two respondents were selected using clustered random sampling and they were personally interviewed using a structured questionnaire. The results showed that the average technical efficiency was at 75%, with a minimum of 21% and a maximum of 100%. However, 25% of the farms were found to be fully efficient. The output slacks were 24.7, revealing that the bee farms produced honey with a shortfall in outputs. Labour hours indicated the highest input slacks which was 457. Mean slack for farm size indicated that the farms should be reduced by 0.58 acre while for the total number of colonies, the value of slack indicated that beekeepers should reduce it by one colony. Determinants of inefficiency results indicated that bee flowers and agricultural extension were significant. In conclusion, the technical efficiency of commercial stingless bee honey production in Peninsular Malaysia is high, but efficiency and inefficiency factors should be of concern to improve the value of technical efficiency.

scholarly journals Traditional usage of medicinal plants by Temiar tribes in the State of Kelantan, Peninsular Malaysia

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 227
Author(s):  
Pakhriazad Hassan Zaki ◽  
Seca Gandaseca ◽  
Noorhayati Mohd Rashidi
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Medicinal Plant ◽  
Traditional Medicine ◽  
Healthcare System ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Rural Community ◽  
Peninsular Malaysia ◽  
Cultural Roots ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Structured Questionnaire

Traditional medicine has deep historical linkages and cultural roots. In a rural community, it is practice based on the ethnological, medical and heritage of the practitioners. Temiar indigenous tribe of Orang Asli in Kelantan, have their traditional way of beliefs and healing practices. This study examines the remedies using medicinal plants and herbs among the tribe members in Kampung Pasik, Kelantan, Malaysia. A structured questionnaire and in-depth interviews were conducted with 250 respondents. A total of 18 species of medicinal plants was recorded preferably used by the tribes. Results indicate that traditional phytoremedies practices play an important role in helping their healthcare system with the help of the tribe healers. Cultivated medicinal plant species represent 94% of the source, whereas 4.4% were found wild in the forest and 1.6% grown around their settlement. This study revealed that five preparations methods such as boiling (27.56%), pounded (27.45%), squeeze (21.60%), drying (14.17%) or concoction of various part of medicinal plants (9.22%). The most applied were by drinking (35.29%), chewing (32.70%) and 19.89% rubbing, poultice (6.40%) and shower ingredients (5.72%).

Temporal Variation in Honey Production by the Stingless Bee Melipona subnitida (Hymenoptera: Apidae): Long-Term Management Reveals its Potential as a Commercial Species in Northeastern Brazil

2015 ◽  
Vol 108 (3) ◽  
pp. 858-867 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheina Koffler ◽  
Cristiano Menezes ◽  
Paulo Roberto Menezes ◽  
Astrid de Matos Peixoto Kleinert ◽  
Vera Lucia Imperatriz-Fonseca ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Variation ◽  
Stingless Bee ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Honey Production ◽  
Melipona Subnitida ◽  
Commercial Species ◽  
Term Management

scholarly journals Hanguana neglecta (Hanguanaceae): a new plant species from a heavily collected and visited reserve in Singapore

Phytotaxa ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 188 (1) ◽  
pp. 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matti A. Niissalo ◽  
Lahiru S. Wijedasa ◽  
Peter C. Boyce ◽  
Jana Leong-Skornickova
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Nature Reserve ◽  
Peninsular Malaysia ◽  
The World ◽  
A New Species

We describe and illustrate a new species, Hanguana neglecta (Commelinales, Hanguanaceae), from the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve in Singapore, one of the most heavily collected and frequently visited forests in the world. The species, growing prominently near the path at the nature reserve, was not described despite being identified as new fifteen years ago, owing to long-standing taxonomic misconceptions in Hanguana. The key to Hanguana in Peninsular Malaysia is here updated.

scholarly journals Plants foraged by bees for honey production in northern India: The diverse flora of India and its implications for apiculture

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohan Singh Chauhan ◽  
Anjum Farooqui ◽  
Anjali Trivedi
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Community ◽  
Uttar Pradesh ◽  
Tinospora Cordifolia ◽  
Xanthium Strumarium ◽  
Ageratum Conyzoides ◽  
Invasive Weed ◽  
Gangetic Plain ◽  
Honey Production ◽  
Flora Of India

AbstractThe plants foraged by bees for honey production vary from place to place in the diverse flora of India. This paper reports a palynological study of honey from eight sites of agriculture and urbanisation in the Gangetic Plain of Uttar Pradesh (UP), and presents data from similar studies done in India. Pollen grains of 55 species were recorded in the honey from south-western, central and eastern parts of Uttar Pradesh, whereAgeratum conyzoides, a noxious invasive weed, is a very dominant plant taxon. The second plant community used for foraging by honeybees consists ofSyzygium cumini,Feronia limonia,Eucalyptus globulus,Prosopis spicigera,Prosopis juliflora,Brassica campestris,Pimpinella tomentosa,Xanthium strumarium, andZiziphussp. The third plant community foraged by honeybees includes diverse plant species such asCapparissp.,Ficussp.,Murraya koenigii,Aegle marmelos, andTinospora cordifolia, as well as Caryophyllaceae and nectarless families. The last group of plants foraged by honeybees comprises ca 37 species sparsely present in the vicinity. If honeybees have access to their preferred plant species they rarely visit non-preferred species, but in the urban and rural agricultural areas where the vegetation is sparse they are forced to forage several other plants including invasive species. The quality and character of honey, whether multifloral, monofloral, or bifloral, largely indicates the changing pattern of vegetation in a particular area, and can furnish decadal to century-scale information about the vegetational changes induced by climate or anthropopression. Palynological data also shed light on medicinally important or allergenic pollen protein present in honey (valuable information for consumers) and the details about plant taxa foraged by honeybees can be used for branding and marketing particular types of honey.

scholarly journals Pollination implications of the diverse diet of tropical nectar-feeding bats roosting in an urban cave

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e4572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Voon-Ching Lim ◽  
Rosli Ramli ◽  
Subha Bhassu ◽  
John-James Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Plant Material ◽  
Peninsular Malaysia ◽  
Food Resources ◽  
The Body ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Morphological Identification ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Nectar Feeding

Background Intense landscaping often alters the plant composition in urban areas. Knowing which plant species that pollinators are visiting in urban areas is necessary for understanding how landscaping impacts biodiversity and associated ecosystem services. The cave nectar bat, Eonycteris spelaea, is an important pollinator for many plants and is often recorded in human-dominated habitats. Previous studies of the diet of E. spelaea relied on morphological identification of pollen grains found in faeces and on the body of bats and by necessity disregarded other forms of digested plant material present in the faeces (i.e., plant juice and remnants). The main objective of this study was to examine the diet of the nectarivorous bat, E. spelaea, roosting in an urban cave at Batu Caves, Peninsular Malaysia by identifying the plant material present in the faeces of bats using DNA metabarcoding. Methods Faeces were collected under the roost of E. spelaea once a week from December 2015 to March 2016. Plant DNA was extracted from the faeces, Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplified at ITS2 and rbcL regions and mass sequenced. The resultant plant operational taxonomic units were searched against NCBI GenBank for identification. Results A total of 55 species of plants were detected from faeces of E. spelaea including Artocarpus heterophyllus, Duabanga grandiflora and Musa spp. which are likely to be important food resources for the cave nectar bat. Discussion Many native plant species that had not been reported in previous dietary studies of E. spelaea were detected in this study including Bauhinia strychnoidea and Urophyllum leucophlaeum, suggesting that E. spelaea remains a crucial pollinator for these plants even in highly disturbed habitats. The detection of many introduced plant species in the bat faeces indicates that E. spelaea are exploiting them, particularly Xanthostemon chrysanthus, as food resources in urban area. Commercial food crops were detected from all of the faecal samples, suggesting that E. spelaea feed predominantly on the crops particularly jackfruit and banana and play a significant role in pollination of economically important plants. Ferns and figs were also detected in the faeces of E. spelaea suggesting future research avenues to determine whether the ‘specialised nectarivorous’ E. spelaea feed opportunistically on other parts of plants.

scholarly journals Keeratan Hubungan antara Dimensi Sarang Bambu dan Perkembangbiakan Lebah Trigona sp. (Correlation of Bamboo Nest Dimension and Trigona sp. Bee Productivity)

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 83-92
Author(s):  
Rusli Kapitanhitu ◽  
Tekat Dwi Cahyono ◽  
Fitriyanti Kaliky
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Stingless Bee ◽  
Honey Production ◽  
Bee Bread ◽  
Selection Of

The Trigona sp. bees do not require specific breeding treatment. Nevertheless, selection of shade, container or media to cultivate this stingless bee can be engineered to increase the production of honey. This study was aimed to determine the effect of diameter, length, and thickness of bamboo used as a beehive of Trigona sp. The beehive was prepared from 54 thorny bamboo’s culms with various sizes. Hole was made on the culms where the queen and propolis could be inserted into the culms. Those inserted culms were then put in the cultivation place. The honey resulted from each culm was calculated after 4 months of the cultivation. The results showed that total honey production, HPB (honey, propolis, bee bread), and bee bread were 221.3 g, 792.7 g, and 33.8 g. Regression analysis revealed that there wa a significant effect of bamboo’s diameter on honey production, but not on bee bread, egg’s weight and HPB. Recommended diameter of bamboo culms for the cultivation of Trigona sp. was about 6-12 cm to obtain better quantity of honey

scholarly journals Distribution and Morphometrical Variations of Stingless Bees (Apidae: Meliponini) In Urban and Forest Areas of Penang Island, Malaysia

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Suhaila Ab Hamid ◽  
Mohammad Sharifuddin Salleh ◽  
Kumara Thevan ◽  
Nur Aida Hashim
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Urban Area ◽  
Body Length ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Stingless Bees ◽  
Botanical Garden ◽  
Peninsular Malaysia ◽  
Stingless Bee ◽  
Forest Area ◽  
Significant Difference

Stingless bees from four different places in Penang, northern peninsular Malaysia includingUniversiti Sains Malaysia campus(USM), Botanical Garden, Balik Pulau and Teluk Bahang weresampled randomly and identified. A total of six species of stingless bee were successfully recorded; Heterotrigona itama, Lepidotrigona terminata, Tetrigona apicalis, Tetragonula iridipennis, Tetragonula laeviceps, and Tetragonula pagdeni. Heterotrigona itama is the most abundance species in both urban and forest area. Their hive can be found in all study areas. The results showed that Balik Pulau (forest) had the most diverse stingless bee species (5 species) compared to other selected sites. Morphometrical studies comprising fifteen characters of H.itama were measured. There were significant difference for H. itama body length and appendages between samples collected from urban and forest areas. H.itama in forest areas have larger body size compared to those in the urban area. Overall, stingless bees in urban areas was less diverse compared to forest area

scholarly journals Economic Efficiency of Stingless Bee Farms in Peninsular Malaysia Estimated by Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA)

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Norhidayah Che Soh ◽  
Nur Syahirah Samsuddin ◽  
Mohd Mansor Ismail
Keyword(s):  
Data Envelopment Analysis ◽  
Economic Efficiency ◽  
East Coast ◽  
Northern Region ◽  
Peninsular Malaysia ◽  
Stingless Bee ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Data Envelopment ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
Coast Region

The commercial stingless beekeeping industry has good economic growth potential in Malaysia, which is a tropical country rich in flora that serves as food sources for stingless bees. Local consumption of honey is increasing and its production locally can be raised to meet the demand by sustainable stingless beekeeping. An important indicator that measures the success of the industry is the economic efficiency of the farm. This study hence examined the cost efficiency (CE), technical efficiency (TE), and allocative efficiency (AE) of commercial stingless beekeeping farms in the East Coast and Northern regions of Peninsular Malaysia using Cost Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) under the assumption of Constant Return to Scale (CRS). Interviews with 47 respondents in the East Coast region and 28 respondents in the Northern region showed that the average CE scores for the two regions were 0.291 and 0.172, respectively. TE for the East Coast region and Northern region were 0.656 and 0.385 while mean AE scores of 0.445 and 0.404 were obtained. Factors that influenced the efficiency of the farms included farmers’ years of schooling and extension officer visits. In conclusion, CE, TE, and AE of commercial stingless bee honey production in Peninsular Malaysia were fairly low, and the determinants responsible for this low efficiency is of concern. Economic efficiency in stingless beekeeping needs to be further elevated to optimise productivity.

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