Oviposition Deterrence and Ovicidal Activity of Birbira (Melletia furrgunia) on Diamondback Moth (Plutella xylostella) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)

The efficacy of different polar and non-polar solvent extracts of Birbira, Melletia furrginea (Hochst.) Baker tree seeds namely: Water, Acetic acid, Acetone, Chloroform, Toluene, and Hexane at different rates were evaluated on Diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella L. oviposition and egg mortality under laboratory conditions. The leaf dipping method was used to run both assays. In the assay, full Oviposition deterrence was recorded at the higher rates of polar solvent extracts. Significantly higher egg un-hatchability was recorded only at the higher rates for non-polar extracts. Eggs mortality caused by extracts with Water and Acetone was very high, and have much smaller LC50 values. In contrast, LC50 was higher for the other extracts. However, there was a constant increase in the percent kill of egg mass with the increase in the extract concentration. From this study, it is evident that M. furrgunia extracts with different solvents possess significant oviposition deterrence and ovicidal effect on P. xylostella.

Bioactive Compound Contents and Antioxidant Activity of of Fermented Lead Tree (Leucaena leucocephala (lmk.) de Wit) Seeds

Leucaena leucocephala (lmk.) de Wit) (leed tree) seeds have been fermented by Indonesian as a traditional food which is called tempeh. The fermentation products of legume seeds are good functional foods, since they contain many bioactive compounds. The objective of this study was to determine the bioactive compound contents of fermented lead tree seed, such as total phenolic, ascorbic acid, β-carotene and a-tocopherol. Antioxidant activity testing was carried out using the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) method. Analysis of total phenolics, ascorbic acid, β-carotene and a-tocopherol were carried out using the folin-ciocalteu method, iodine titration, spectrophotometry and iron (III) chloride-thiocyanate, respectively. Rhizopus oligosporus was used to ferment lead tree seeds for 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 days. Fermented leed tree seed powder was extracted with petroleum ether followed by ethanol. In comparison to unfermented leed tree seed powder, the β-carotene and a-tocopherol of the fermented seed powder increased. The greatest enhancement of β-carotene and a-tocopherol contents were observed at day 2 of fermentation. The highest antioxidant activities of fermented leed tree seeds were also obained at day 2 of fermentation with 55.55±4.59 and 74.46±3.49% inhibition in petroleum ether and ethanol extracts, respectively. The results show that lead tree seed tempeh has high antioxidant activity due to the bioactive compounds contains, such as phenolics, β-carotene and a-tocopherol. Therefore, leed tree seed tempeh could be used for possible commercial production of functional food to alleviate oxidative stress.

In-vitro seed germination Trial for the population Terminalia ivorensis Collected from Benchi-Maji zone, south western Ethiopia

Tree seeds exhibit some degree of dormancy. Similarly, the seeds of Terminalia ivorensis germinate with great difficulties. To break the dormancy and improve the germination capability of seeds, different types of mechanical and physiological approaches can be followed. Accordingly, the seeds of T. ivorensis were subjected to two pre-sowing treatments (one is with seeds soaked in water for 24 hours and the other is with seeds soaked for 10 minutes in 80% concentrated H2SO4 then abundantly rinsed in running water for 20 minutes) in addition to the control one. So, a total of 100 seeds divided into 4 replications (25 seeds per tray) were tested for each treatment. Then, treated seeds were sown in sand tray to seed the germination characteristic of the different treatments. The sown seeds were followed up for 5 months with proper watering, and the germination record was taken accordingly. Analysis of the germination of the different treatments shows that seeds that were not treated exhibits better mean germination percentages (62%) followed by the one with seeds soaked for 24 hours (47%). However, seeds treated with 80% [H2SO4] for 10 minutes then abundantly rinsed in running water for 20 minutes showed no germination. So, both the 62% and 47% germination recorded are fairly accepted results considering the low germination capacity of T. ivorensis in laboratory and natural conditions. However, other possible pre-sowing treatment techniques can be studied and incorporated for increasing the seed germination of T. ivorensis in-vitro in addition to the records obtained in this trial.

Constraints and Prospects of Mechanized Processing of Forest Tree Seeds

Trees are generally propagated from seeds and the suitability and quality of the seeds have a big effect on the success of the plantations, afforestation and reforestation programmes established from their seedlings. In view of the fact that good forestry projects start with good seeds, the quality as well as quantity of tree seeds is very important. Processing of seeds is one of the main factors that determined the quality and quantity of seeds. However, processing of forest tree seeds in Nigeria and other developing countries has mostly been carried out using traditional methods which affects the quality of the seeds especially for large quantity of seeds. This work attempts to raise awareness on the need to mechanize processing of forest tree seeds so as to increase the quantity and quality of the seeds and to reduce the drudgery, time and health hazards involved in the common traditional methods of processing the seeds. Tree seeds are often regarded as inferior to crop seeds, a misnomer (mistaken belief) that needs to be rectified to promote tree planting.

IDENTIFIKASI POTENSI PENYEBAR BENIH TUMBUHAN PADA HUTAN RAWA GAMBUT DALAM RANGKA REGENERASI ALAMI DAN RESTORASI LAHAN GAMBUT PASCA KEBAKARAN

Tahura Orang Kayo Hitam is one of the locations that was severely damaged due to forest fires that occurred in the peat area of Jambi Province. Natural regeneration is a possible option in restoration activities and requires the presence of a mother tree and seed dispersing agents . This study aims to identify seed dispersing agents in the Orang Kayo HitamTahura and has been carried out for 3 months from June to August 2020. These tree species were obtained by a sampling method with a plot size of 20x20 m determined by a 500 m long transect from outside the forest to inside the forest. All trees with a diameter above 10 cm were measured and their species identified. Seed dispersing agents were identified by literature study, photo analysis and discussion with locals. The results of field data indicated that the species found in the study area were spread by wind and wildlife. From the 32 tree species were found, 10 species (32%) were spread by the wind and 22 species (68%) were spread by wild animals. The preliminary conclusion of this study is that wind and wildlife are very important in the distribution of tree seeds in burned areas.

Growth and Yield of Avicennia Officinalis (Baen) L. And Heritiera Fomes (Sundri) Buch. Ham. Plantations Established From Plus Tree Seeds in the Western Coastal Belt of Bangladesh

not available Asiat. Soc. Bangladesh, Sci. 46(2): 209-214, December 2020

Identification of gluten-like proteins in selected pod bearing leguminous tree seeds

The protein composition, molecular weight distribution, and rheological properties of honey locust, mesquite, Kentucky coffee tree, and carob seed germs were compared against wheat gluten. Polymeric and Osborne fractionation protocols were used to assess biochemical properties. Dynamic oscillatory shear tests were performed to evaluate protein functionality. All samples had similar ratios of protein fractions as well as high molecular weight disulfide linked proteins except for the Kentucky coffee tree germ proteins, which were found to have lower molecular weight proteins with little disulfide polymerization. Samples were rich in acidic and polar amino acids (glutamic acid and arginine,). Rheological analyses showed that vital wheat gluten had the most stable network, while Kentucky coffee seed proteins had the weakest. High molecular weight disulfide linked glutenous proteins are a common, but not universal feature of pod bearing leguminous trees.

Development of an Innovative Pressurized Liquid Extraction Procedure by Response Surface Methodology to Recover Bioactive Compounds from Carao Tree Seeds

Nowadays there are evidences from several studies which have revealed the protective effects of food against chronic diseases. These healthy properties have been related to bioactive compounds. Among bioactive substances, the scientific interest in phenolic compounds has stimulated multidisciplinary research on the composition of plant phenolic compounds. The aim of this work has been to determine the bioactive composition of Carao tree seeds (Cassia grandis) and to optimize the recovering of these compounds for developing functional ingredients. To achieve this goal, pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) has been applied to recover these phytochemicals. The optimization of this innovative extraction procedure was performed by a response surface methodology (RSM) based on a central composite design 23 model to address the bioactive compounds extraction. Phenolic compounds recovered by PLE were characterized using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-TOF-MS). Analytical characterization allowed the identification and quantitation of phenolic compounds belonging to hydroxybenzoic acids and flavonoids (flavonols, flavanols, flavanones and proanthocyanidins). Phytochemical concentrations were used as response variable in order to get the best extraction conditions. These results pointed out that Carao tree seeds can be a potential source of bioactive compounds and PLE extracts could be used as functional ingredients.