Comparative Study on Mechanical Properties of Bamboo Strip and Bamboo Strip-glass Fiber Reinforced Hybrid Composites

In this paper, mechanical properties of bamboo strip and bamboo strip-glass fiber reinforced hybrid composite were investigated. Composites were manufactured by using hand lay-up technique and bamboo strips were made from locally available bamboo. Four layers of bamboo strip composite were manufactured and in case of hybrid composite, two layers of glass fiber one at the top and the other at the bottom were used with the aim was to observe the effect of adding glass fiber layer on the mechanical properties of bamboo strip composite. Tensile and flexural properties were studied and it was found that adding the glass fiber layer doesn’t have any significant effect on tensile properties but flexural strength and modulus have increased by 22.49 % and 15.02 % respectively.

Facilitating Anastomosis Grouping of Rhizoctonia solani Isolates from Cool-season Turfgrasses

Determining anastomosis groups (AGs) of Rhizoctonia solani Kühn isolates is tedious and time-consuming. Three previously described methods (i.e., cellophane strip, glass slide, petri dish) were compared to determine which was the most rapid and accurate. Colony characteristics also were assessed to tentatively identify AGs. All techniques were accurate. The cellophane strip method was most time-consuming, and the time required for hyphal overlap with the glass slide method was not generally predictable. Pairing isolates in a petri dish containing a thin layer of water agar was reliable and was the simplest technique. There was little variation in colony pigmentation or sclerotia color, shape, or formation patterns within AG-1 IA (n = 34), AG-2-2 IIIB (n = 46), and AG-4 (n = 5); the former two AGs are the ones most commonly isolated from cool-season turfgrasses. Accordingly, R. solani isolates from turfgrasses may be assigned tentatively to an AG based on colony pigmentation and sclerotial characteristics.