Growth of Acacia mangium at Different Stand Ages and Soil Physicochemical Properties in Sarawak, Malaysia

The information on soil physicochemical properties is vital for the optimum wood biomass production in forest plantation management. The objective of this study was to determine the topsoil physicochemical properties under different Acacia mangium stand ages and their effect on the growth parameters. Five plots were established randomly within each five different stand ages. In all sample plots, the diameter at breast height (DBH) and the total height of standing trees were measured. Soil samples were collected at a depth of 0 to 20 cm at three random points in each plot, then mixed to get a composite before determining physical and chemical properties. DBH mean and the total height of A. mangium increased as stand age increased. The mean annual volume increment maximised at the 8.5 years old stand with 27.9 m3 ha-1 yr-1. Survival rate and stem density decreased as stand age increased. Principal component analysis (PCA) results showed that the most important soil physical properties were soil organic matter, silt and sand contents, bulk density, and moisture content. For soil chemical parameters, exchangeable magnesium (Mg), cation exchange capacity (CEC), total carbon (TC), total nitrogen (TN), and carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio were the influential soil variables. Soil pH, available phosphorus (P), and clay content were negatively correlated with the growth development of A. mangium trees. Observations suggest that multiple soil variables are essential for the success of the A. mangium plantation.

Comparative Genomics of Copia and Gypsy Retroelements in Three Banana Genomes: A, B, and S Genomes

In plants, the proportion of transposable elements (TEs) is generally dominated by long terminal repeat (LTR) retroelements. Therefore, it significantly impacts on genome expansion and genetic and phenotypic variation, namely Copia and Gypsy. Despite such contribution, TEs characterisation in an important crop such as banana [Musa balbisiana (B genome), Musa acuminata (A genome), and Musa schizocarpa (S genome)] remains poorly understood. This study aimed to compare B, A, and S genomes based on repetitive element proportions and copy numbers and determine the evolutionary relationship of LTR using phylogenetic analysis of the reverse transcriptase (RT) domain. Genome assemblies were acquired from the Banana Genome Hub (banana-genome-hub.southgreen.fr). Repetitive elements were masked by RepeatMasker 4.0.9 before Perl parsing. Phylograms were constructed according to domain analysis using DANTE (Domain-based ANnotation of Transposable Elements), alignments were made using MAFFT 7 (multiple alignments using fast Fourier transform), and trees were inferred using FastTree 2. The trees were inspected using SeaView 4 and visualised with FigTree 1.4.4. We reported that B, A, and S genomes are composed of repetitive elements with 19.38%, 20.78%, and 25.96%, respectively. The elements were identified with dominant proportions in the genome are LTR, in which Copia is more abundant than Gypsy. Based on RT phylogenetic analysis, LTR elements are clustered into 13 ancient lineages in which Sire (Copia) and Reina (Gypsy) are shown to be the most abundant LTR lineages in bananas.

Bio-Compost Behaviour as Soil Additive by Food Waste Pretreatment on the Growth of Abelmoschus esculentus L.: A Systematic Review

Food waste (FW) has always been a significant issue faced by almost all countries worldwide. The rise in FW does not only influence one’s food supply, yet the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission such as methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) gas leads to global warming and health issues. This paper reviews the primary FW treatments available in all countries. Most advanced countries have accomplished that the least cost and most efficient FW treatment is composting. Among all the composting methods available, vermicomposting (VC) that uses redworms (Eisenia fetida) produces nutrients rich bio-compost, as proven in the existing literature. Furthermore, bio-compost produced by the VC method nourishes plant growth. In this study, the primary research data sources are 78 scientific articles over the last few years. This research is the consensus on VC as the FW treatment. Besides, briefly discuss the FW pretreatment methods, the effect of bio-compost on soil properties, and their corresponding effects on the growth of Abelmoschus esculentus L.

Effect of Various Immersion Time and Water Temperature on Seed Germination of Clitoria ternatea and Momordica charantia

The seeds of Clitoria ternatea and Momordica charantia were subjected to seven pre-sowing treatments, i.e., control (T0), peeled coat and soaked in 5 oC for 24 hours (T1), peeled coat and soaked in 37 oC for 24 hours (T2), peeled coat and soaked in 5 oC for 48 hours (T3), peeled coat and soaked in 37 oC for 48 hours (T4), peeled coat and soaked in 5 oC for 48 hours (T5), peeled coat and soaked in 37 oC for 72 hours (T6). The study revealed that peeling the coat and soaking seeds in water for various temperatures and periods improved seed germination. The highest germination and germination energy percentage of C. ternatea were observed in T2, namely 94.95% and 23.69%, respectively, while the lowest germination (0%) and germination energy (0%) was found in T6. The highest germination and germination energy percentage of M. charantia, namely 64.38%, and 16.10%, respectively, were found in T3, while the lowest germination (10.67%) and germination energy (2.17%) were observed in T0. The germination may vary for both seeds used in the study as C. ternatea and M. charantia are different in type. The pre-sowing treatments of seeds would prove its potential in the practical fields.

The Potential of Silicon in Improving Rice Yield, Grain Quality, and Minimising Chalkiness: A Review

Silicon (Si) is a micronutrient that can increase the resistance of certain plants against multiple biotic or abiotic stresses. It is known that Si has a beneficial effect on plant growth, beginning in the soil, which could lead to a good crop yield. Despite its benefits, Si is not listed among the generally essential elements or nutrients for rice production in many countries such as Malaysia. This review discusses the ability to uptake Si and its benefits on rice. Environmental factors affect rice production, and among the factors, high temperature has been shown to disrupt the physiological development of rice grain, which contributes to chalkiness. Chalkiness is an undesirable trait that decreases grain’s value, milling, cooking, and eating quality. The application of Si could ameliorate rice grain quality, thus providing a valuable reference for Si fertiliser use in high-quality rice production. This review also presents an update on the potentials of Si in improving the rice yield and grain quality, including Si’s ability to minimise grain chalkiness. Therefore, it is anticipated that Si applications will increase rice yield and grain quality and help to reduce chalkiness.

Formulation and Antimicrobial Screening of Piper sarmentosum Cream against Staphylococcus aureus

Piper sarmentosum, known as ‘kaduk’ has been traditionally used in different parts of the world to cure many diseases and ailments. It contains alkaloids and has been reported to possess many pharmacological properties like anti-cancer, anti-hyperglycaemic, anti-tuberculosis, antioxidant, and antimalarial. This study aimed to evaluate the formulation of P. sarmentosum cream and exploring the antimicrobial properties in different types of cream formulation before in vivo study. The leaves extract of P. sarmentosum was obtained from the cold-soaked methanolic extraction method, evaporated, and dried to produce the powdered extract. Then, it was diluted into four different concentrations, 25% w/v, 50% w/v, 75% w/v, and 100% w/v for Staphylococcus aureus antimicrobial screening. Based on the S. aureus antimicrobial screening, four types of creams were formulated (Cream A: cream base without Piper sarmentosum extract; Cream B: Piper sarmentosum extract (5%) only; Cream C: Piper sarmentosum extract (5%) with parabens preservatives; Cream D: Piper sarmentosum extract (5%) with vitamin E) and evaluated for their physical appearance, pH, stability study, and antimicrobial activity against S. aureus. As a result, 100% w/v concentration of the P. sarmentosum extract showed the highest result in the zone of inhibition (5.50 mm ± 0.03) towards S. aureus and was selected for cream formulation. In evaluating their physical appearance, all formulated creams showed high homogeneity and consistency with no phase separation and pH between 7.2 – 8.0 ± 0.07. On stability study, all creams with three different temperatures of 4°C, 27°C, and 37°C for 30 days show no colour changes, high homogeneity, and consistency with any phase separation. The results of antimicrobial screening for all formulated creams, show that Cream D has the highest zone of inhibition towards S. aureus (5.53 mm ± 0.25), followed by Cream C (4.43 mm ± 0.13). In conclusion, P. sarmentosum cream formulation showed high stability properties and possessed anti-microbial properties suggesting its potentials for wound healing cream.

Haplotype Analysis and Phylogeny of Oryzaephilus surinamensis Populations from Four Regions in Peninsular Malaysia

The sawtoothed grain beetle, Oryzaephilus surinamensis, is a secondary pest that damages rice products and other stored grains. Analysis based on the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences data, the number of haplotypes (Hap) (n), haplotype diversity (Hd), haplotype network, genetic distance, and phylogeny between O. surinamensis populations from four regions (small-scale), viz. the northern area (Seberang Perai), middle area (Klang), southern area (Pasir Gudang), and east coast (Kuantan) of Peninsular Malaysia, as model sampling locations, were obtained. A total of five haplotypes were detected in all the test populations, two shared (Haplotype 1 and Haplotype 3) and three unique haplotypes (Haplotype 2, Haplotype 4, and Haplotype 5) with haplotype diversity value, Hd = 0.6789 were recorded. Furthermore, the neighbour-joining (NJ), maximum parsimony (MP), and Bayesian inference (BI) trees showed a mixture of individuals from all regions in Peninsular Malaysia (Haplotype 1 to Haplotype 4), except Haplotype 5, which was grouped with foreign populations that inherited similar haplotype with those of the European samples. This study assumed a mixture of populations presumably due to human activities and related explicitly to the exportation and importation of rice products across regions. This information is vital for strategising the control management of this pest species to reduce rice storage losses.

Small Pteropodid Bats are Important Pollinators of Durian in Terengganu, Malaysia

Bats are often misunderstood as agricultural pests and have received little attention for conservation efforts. However, bats are critical pollinators to commercially important agricultural products, such as durians. This study intends to confirm the role of small pteropodid bats as pollinating agents to flowering durian trees. Samplings were conducted in April 2018 to record bats visiting the flowers of two durian species, Durio zibethinus and Durio lowianus at Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) Jerangau, Terengganu. Captured bats were swabbed for conspecific pollen load on their bodies to determine their potential role as pollinators. One hundred thirty-one (131) pollen swabs were collected from three pteropodid bat species: Eonycteris spelaea Dobson, Cynopterus brachyotis Dobson, and Cynopterus horsfieldii Gray. Only E. spelaea and C. brachyotis, however, were found with conspecific pollen loads on their bodies. Between the two, E. spelaea showed a higher potential to be the pollinating agent for the durian trees. Hence, they recorded more individuals carrying many conspecific pollen grains while visiting the trees. Thus, this finding will hopefully reduce the misconceptions held on bats and conserve them in Malaysia.

An Optimised TRIzol-based Protocol for the Improvement of RNA Extraction Yield of Tomato Stem

One of the most common methods for purifying RNA is using TRIzol reagent because of its simplicity and economic feasibility. However, the drawback of this method is frequently the low quality of extracted RNA due to contaminants from the residue of phenol and guanidinium thiocyanate from the reagents. This study aimed to evaluate the improvement in the quality and concentration of RNA after the optimisation treatment. One-month-old tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) stem was used in this research. TRIzol or acid guanidinium thiocyanate-phenol-chloroform-based method was given optimisation treatments of the initial sample amount, twice chloroform extraction, overnight precipitation at low temperature, and three times final washing with ethanol. The results showed no significant improvement (p > 0.05) in the purity ratio A260/A280. At the same time, there was a significant improvement (p < 0.05) in RNA yield and purity ratio A260/A230. The quality of RNA was verified using agarose-formaldehyde electrophoresis gel. Eight of nine samples (89%) from the optimised group had better RNA integrity characterised by sharp bands for 28S and 18S rRNA. Furthermore, a representative sample from the optimised group was successfully synthesised into complementary DNA by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with primers of the ubiquitin (UBI3) gene. To sum up, optimised TRIzol-based protocol provides meaningful insight to produce RNA with better quality and suitability for downstream applications.

A Retrospective Study of Vertebral Fracture and Luxation in Dogs Presented to University Veterinary Hospital, Universiti Putra Malaysia in 2015 to 2017

To date, there is data paucity on canine vertebral fracture and luxation (VFL) in the local setting. Therefore, it was hypothesized that the geographical location and stray dog population would influence VFL cases in the University Veterinary Hospital, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UVH, UPM). This study aimed to describe the incidence and characteristics of VFL in dogs presented to UVH, UPM. Medical records, including radiographic images of 74 dogs between 2015 to 2017, were reviewed. VFL dominated the spinal cord disease in dogs at 49% (n = 36/74), exceeding intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) and acute non-compressive nucleus pulposus extrusion (ANNPE). Half of VFL cases were contributed by intact male, small breed dogs aged more than one-year-old, with 52% (n = 11/19) of cases caused by vehicular accidents. Almost two-thirds (n = 21/36) of dogs with VFL were outdoor or stray dogs, and the Th3-L3 region was the most susceptible (52%, n = 19/36) for VFL. More than 70% (n = 25/36) of the patients had unstable fractures, highly associated with severity. In conclusion, the occurrence of VFL in UVH, UPM is three times higher than reported in western countries and most likely contributed by a large number of outdoor and stray dogs.