IDENTIFICATION OF PLANT UTILIZATION IN THE LIFE CYCLE CEREMONY OF THE KAILI DA'A TRIBE IN UWEMANJE VILLAGE, KINOVARO DISTRICT, SIGI REGENCY

The purpose of this study was to obtain information about the types of plants used by the Kaili Da’a tribe in life cycle ceremonies that are still preserved for generations in Uwemanje village, Kinovaro district, Sigi district. The research population is all people who live in Uwemanje Village, Kinivaro District, which are spread over 4 hamlets. The research method uses survey research with the help of interview questionnaires. Interviews were conducted on key respondents and general respondents. Key respondents were selected by purposive sampling as much as 10% of the population, namely the people who were considered to be the most knowledgeable about the ins and outs of this ceremony, such as Sando, traditional leaders, village heads and village priests. Meanwhile, general respondents are people who are recommended by key respondents with a record that they are at least 30 years old and are married or have a family. The data and information in this study were processed descriptively. Types of plants/plants used in life cycle ceremonies consist of 21 species, namely: rice (Oryza sativa L.), coconut (Cocos nucifera L.), banana (Musa paradisiaca L.), cocor duck (Kalanchoe pinata L.), areca nut (Areca catechu L.), turmeric (Curcuma domestica L.), nail paci (Lawsonia enermis L.), bogenvil (Boganvillea glabra L.), pandanus (Pandanus amarylifolius L.), jatropha (Jatropha curcas), forest basil ( Ocimum sanctum L.), moringa (Moringa oleifera L.), shallot (Allium cepa L.), Bengal grass (Eleusine indica L.), hibiscus (Hibiscus tiliaceus L.), peacock flower (Caesalpinia pulcherima L.), betel (Piper betle L.), keluwih (Artocarpus camansi L.), jasmine (Jasminum sambac L.), palm sugar (Arenga pinnata), and red sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum L.). The percentage of utilization of plant parts that are most directly utilized is the leaves which amount to 14 with a percentage of 65.66%, flowers amount to 4 to 16.67%, fruit to reach 3 to 12.5%. The least used parts are rhizomes, seeds, tubers, roots and stems with a percentage of 5.17%.

Aislamiento y caracterización de Metarhizium spp. de cultivos de caña de azúcar y su patogenicidad contra Mahanarva andigena (Hemiptera: Cercopidae)

Metarhizium anisopliae es uno de los hongos entomopatógenos más comercializados para la regulación de poblaciones de insectos plagas. Las cepas nativas de este hongo ejercen un importante rol en el control natural. Sin embargo, se desconoce su efectividad en condiciones amazónicas ecuatorianas. Es por ello que esta investigación tuvo como objetivos aislar y caracterizar cepas nativas de M. anisopliae con potencial para el control de Mahanarva andigena (Jacobi) en el cultivo de caña de azúcar (Saccharum officinarum L.). Se realizaron las colectas para el aislamiento y caracterización de los hongos, obteniendo un total de 20 aislados (quince de muestras de suelo y cinco de ninfas de M. andigena micosadas). Todos los aislados se caracterizaron con base en sus caracteres morfológicos y fisiológicos. En diez de ellos se evaluó la patogenicidad contra ninfas de M. andigena en condiciones de laboratorio. Los resultados obtenidos de la caracterización de los aislados fueron variables, tanto para el diámetro y tasa de crecimiento, como para el largo y ancho de conidios, germinación, esporulación y mortalidad corregida. El análisis de estas características demostró que los aislados DSA5401 y TI6301 presentaron los mejores valores para la mayoría de las variables evaluadas, en especial el diámetro, la tasa de crecimiento y la producción de conidios. Respecto a la efectividad en el control, los aislados DAS5401, TI6301, TS6304, PS5003, SJS5104 y SJS5102 presentaron una alta mortalidad corregida. Estos resultados indican la efectividad de aislados nativos de M. anisopliae para su uso en programas de control biológico de M. andigena.

Fractionation of Sugarcane Extracts and Determination of Phenolic Compounds and their Antioxidant Activity

Crude ethanolic extracts of four cultivars of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) were firstly prepared and then fractionated using silica gel column chromatography before the determination of their oxidative substances. The fractionated extracts were then tested for antioxidant activity by various assays. Finally, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was applied for the quantitative determination of the individual phenolic compounds. Sub-fraction 2 has the highest phytochemical contents as well as antioxidant activity. All tested phytochemicals had positively correlated to antioxidant activity. HPLC analysis showed that the phytochemicals in the fractionated extracts varied by the sugarcane cultivars. The main flavonoid substances found in the fractionated extracts were epicatechin, catechin, quercetin, resveratrol, myricetin and rutin while gallic acid was the main phenolic substance. The obtained information is useful for further studies and applications.

Novel Insights into Anthocyanin Metabolism and Molecular Characterization of Associated Genes in Sugarcane Rinds Using the Metabolome and Transcriptome

Saccharum officinarum (sugarcane) is the fifth major cultivated crop around the world. Sugarcane rind is a promising source for anthocyanin pigments; however, limited information is available on the anthocyanin and its biosynthesis in sugarcane rinds. In this study, we have quantified 49 compounds including 6 flavonoids and 43 anthocyanins in the rind of 6 sugarcane cultivars by using LCMS/MS approach. Thirty of them were quantified for the first time in sugarcane. The 43 anthocyanins included 10 cyanidin (Cya), 11 pelargonidin (Pel), 9 peonidin (Peo), 5 malvidin (Mal), 4 delphinidin (Del), and 4 petunidin (Pet) metabolites. High contents of Cya derivatives were observed in the rind of YT71/210 (dark purple rind), such as cya-3-O-(6-O-malonyl)-glu 1283.3 µg/g and cya-3-O-glu 482.67 µg/g followed by ROC22 (red rind) 821.3 µg/g and 409 µg/g, respectively, whereas the YT93/159 (green rind) showed a minimum level of these compounds. Among six cultivars, ROC22 rind has high levels of Peo derivatives such as peo-3-O-glu (197 µg/g), peo-3-O-(6-O-malonyl)-glu (69 µg/g) and peo-3-O-(6-O-p-coumaryl)-glu (55.17 µg/g). The gene expression analysis revealed that some genes, including a MYB(t) gene, were highly associated with the color phenotype. Thus, we cloned and overexpressed the gene in Arabidopsis and found the pinkish brown color in the hypocotyl of all transgenic lines compared with the wild type. Hence, we have quantified a wide range of anthocyanins in major sugarcane cultivars, reported many new anthocyanins for the first time, and concluded that Cya and Peo derivatives are the major contributing factor of dissimilar colors in sugarcane. The finding and the verification of a novel MYB gene involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis have demonstrated that our study was very valuable for gene discovery and genetic improvement of sugarcane cultivars to harvest high anthocyanin contents.

Analysis of genetic diversity in selected sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) accessions using inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers

<p class="042abstractstekst"><span lang="EN-US">Genetic diversity information among a population is important in exploiting heterozygosity for the improvement of crop species through breeding programmes. This study was therefore, conducted to assess genetic diversity and establish molecular relationships among 20 selected exotic sugarcane accessions from the Unilorin Sugar Research Institute germplasm using Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) molecular markers. Genomic DNA was extracted from the sugarcane leaf. Fragments amplification was then performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with ISSR markers and the data obtained were analyzed using MEGA 4 software. Analysis of the electropherogram showed a total of 39 loci consisting of 369 bands, out of which 95.8% were polymorphic. The biplot analysis showed all the markers contributed to the observed diversity with the least achieved with ISSR6. The principal co-ordinate analysis grouped the accessions into four clusters, comprising mixtures of all the six collection sites. The polymorphism obtained in the present study showed that the ISSR markers are effective for assessment of genetic diversity of the sugarcane accessions as it reveals the genetic similarity or divergence of the accessions regardless their place of origin or cultivation.</span></p>

Sugarcane Industrial Byproducts as Challenges to Environmental Safety and Their Remedies: A Review

Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) is one of the major crops cultivated in tropical and sub-tropical countries, and the primary purpose is to obtain raw sugar. It is an important substance for sugar and alcohol production by both the sugar and beverage industries. During cane processing, various byproducts are obtained, namely sugarcane bagasse, bagasse ash, pressmud cake, sugarcane vinasse, and spent wash. There are many challenging problems in storage, and they cause great environmental pollution. This review discusses their properties by which they can be used for cleaner agricultural and environmental sustainability. Utilization of byproducts results in value-added soil properties and crop yield. Replacing chemical fertilization with these organic natured byproducts not only minimizes the surplus usage of chemical fertilizers but is also cost-effective and an eco-friendly approach. The drawbacks of the long-term application of these byproducts in the agricultural ecosystem are not well documented. We conclude that the agriculture sector can dispose of sugar industry byproducts, but proper systematic disposal is needed. The need arises to arrange some seminars, meetings, and training to make the farming community aware of byproducts utilization and setting a friendly relationship between the farming community and industrialists.