Economic Development through Medicinal and Aromatic Plants(MAPs) Cultivation in Hindu Kush Himalaya Mountains of District Swat,Pakistan

Poverty is pervasive in the Swat Valley in northwestern Pakistan, and most people survive by farming small landholdings. However, many supplement their meager subsistence earnings by collecting and selling plant material for use in herbal medicine. This material is wild-harvested, but collectors seem not to fully appreciate the potential value of the plant material they collect nor the longterm impact their collection has on local plant populations. A model project supported by the International Food Policy Research Institute(IFPRI)persuaded small-scale farmers in four different villages to use some of their land for cultivating traditionally wild-harvested species of medicinal and aromatic plants(MAPs) with high market value. The farmers were provided seeds or rhizomes of five MAPs and asked to monitor their germination and growth on 25 m2 plots during a 12 month period. At the end of the study, growth and yield data from the four localities were compared and economic analyses conducted to determine the profitability of the species based on yields, prevailing market prices, and costs of production. Five of the cultivated species were subsequently marketed and their value evaluated:Sesamum indicum, Linum usitatissimum, Ocimum basilicum, Nigella sativa and Viola pilosa. The MAPs V. pilosa and O. basilicum were the most profitable,whereas Nigella sativa was the least profitable because of its low germination rate. The net income from all but Nigella was higher than that would have been earned by planting the same area with the predominant cereals or tomatoes. In addition to demonstrating the feasibility and financial benefits of cultivating MAPs as a cash crop, this model study identified a number of additional steps that would increase the benefits of MAPs cultivation in this area.A combination of specialized education, market infrastructure development and a small loans program would enable farmers to increase their agricultural income without damaging the area's plant diversity.     

Antimicrobial Activity of Ulva reticulata and Its Endophytes

Seaweeds are known to exhibit various antimicrobial properties,since it harbours an enormous range of indigenous bioactive compounds.The emergence of drug resistant strains has directed to the identification of prospective metabolites from seaweed and its endophytes,thereby exploiting the properties in resisting bacterial diseases.The current study was aimed to assess the antimicrobial activity of extracts obtained from Ulva reticulate,for which metabolites of Ulva reticulata and its endophytes were extracted and assessed against human pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus,Escherichia coli,Pseudomonas aeruginosa,Salmonella typhi,and Bacillus subtilis.It was observed that the hexane extract of isolate VITDSJ2 was effective against all the tested pathogens but a significant inhibition was observed for Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.Further,Gas chromatography coupled with Mass spectroscopy(GC-MS) revealed the existence of phenol,3,5-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl) in the crude hexane extract which is well-known to possess antibacterial activity.The effective isolate VITDSJ2 was identified to be the closest neighbour of Pseudomonas stutzeri by phenotypic and genotypic methods.The crude extracts of the seaweed Ulva reticulata was also screened for antibacterial activity and the hexane extract was effective in showing inhibition against all the tested pathogens.The compound in the crude extract of Ulva reticulata was identified as hentriacontane using GC-MS.The extracts obtained from dichloromethane did not show significant activity in comparison with the hexane extracts.Hence the metabolites of Ulva reticulata and the bacterial secondary metabolites of the endophytes could be used in the treatment of bacterial infections.     

Pond culture of seaweed Sargassum hemiphyllum in southern China

The seaweed Sargassum hemiphyllum is widely distributed throughout the coastal waters of Asia and has high commercial value.In recent years,its natural biomass has declined due to over-exploitation and environmental pollution.To seek for a feasible way to culture this seaweed efficiently,we designed a simple long-line system in a shrimp pond for the culture during winter,and the growth and nutritional composition of the seaweed were examined.Results show that the culture system was durable and flexible allowing S.hemiphyllum to grow vertically off the muddy bottom of the pond.Although the length of pondcultured S.hemiphyllum was inhibited by water depth,the weight-specific growth rate((1.65±0.17)%/d) was nearly three times higher than that of wild plants((0.62±0.19)%/d).The crude protein(6.92%±0.88%) and ash content(21.52%±0.07%) of the pond-cultured seaweed were significantly lower than those of the wild plants(9.38%±0.43% and 26.93%±0.07%,respectively);however,crude fat(1.01%±0.04%) was significantly higher than that of the wild plants(0.87%±0.02%).In addition,the nutritional composition of both pond-cultured and wild S.hemiphyllum was comparable to or even higher than those of other common seaweeds being used as food and/or aquaculture fodder.Future studies shall be focused on the impact of environmental parameters on its growth and nutritional composition.     

Component Analysis and Antifungal Activity of the Compounds Extracted from Four Brown Seaweeds with Different Solvents at Different Seasons

The polar and nonpolar extracts of Colpomenia sinuosa, Padina pavonia, Cystoseira barbata and Sargassum vulgare collected during spring, summer and autumn were evaluated for their antifungal activities. The phytochemicals of unexplored seaweeds were analyzed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometric (GC/MS). The algal extracts were tested for their antifungal activities against Aspergillus niger, A. flavus, Penicillium parasiticus, Candida utilis and Fusarium solani. Phytochemicals were extracted from the four seaweeds with various solvents including methanol, ethanol, acetone, chloroform and dimethyl ether. Among the various extracts, methanolic extract showed the highest inhibition activity on all fungal species. Seasonal variation in antifungal activity was studied, while methanol extracts showed the best antifungal activity in spring. Cystoseira barbata was the most effective seaweed, having antifungal activity throughout the whole year. The UV-Vis phytochemical procedure and GC-MS analysis of the methanol extracts from tested species indicated the existence of different constituents. In conclusions, the compounds with antifungal activity were identified as indoles, terpenes, acetogenins, phenols, and volatile halogenated hydrocarbons.     

Seaweed cultivation: Traditional way and its reformation

INTRODUCTIONSeaweedcultivationisthemosteffectivewayforobtaininglargeamountofseaweedproducts.Thoughseaweedcultivationhasahistoryofonlyafewdecades,itsdevelopmentisfast (Fei,1 996) .Thetotalproductionofcultivatedseaweedatpresentisabout 62 50× 1 0 3tonsfreshweight,ofwhichLaminariaaccountsfor 3 1 0 0× 1 0 3tons,Undaria 2 2 0 0x 1 0 3tons,Porphyra 750× 1 0 3tons,Gracilariasp .1 0 0× 1 0 3tons,EucheumaandKappaphycus 1 0 0× 1 0 3tons,otherkindofseaweeds 1 0 0× 1 0 3tons.Theestimatedtotal…     

Comparative studies on spectral properties of R-phycoerythrin from the red seaweeds from Qingdao

The present paper reports on comparative studies of R-phycoerythrin (R-PE) from 30 species of the red seaweeds in Bangiophyceae and in Florideophyceae from Qingdao. The measured absorption spectra show that R-PE from these red seaweeds have two spectral types, namely type I having two absorption peaks and type II having three absorption peaks. 9 specise of a lower red seaweed belonging to Bangiophyceae are all type I R-PE. 3 species of a higher red seaweed belonging to Florideophyceae are also type I R-PE. The remaining 18 species are all type II R-PE. According to the distribution of two types of R-PE in red algae, an evolutionary trend from type I R-PE to type II R-PE, can be seen, but this evolutionary process is more complicated and without a definite line of demarcation between the two spectral types of R-PE. The occurrence of two types of R-PE in red algae is of taxonomic significance. Project supported by the Science Fund of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Contribution No. 1357 from the Institute of Oceanology, Academia Sinica.     

Mineral Components and Anti-oxidant Activities of Tropical Seaweeds

Seaweeds are known to hold substances of high nutritional value; they are the richest resources of minerals important to the biochemical reactions in the human body. Seaweeds also hold non-nutrient compounds like dietary fiber and polyphenols. However, there is not enough information on the mineral compounds of tropical seaweeds. Also we are interested in the antioxidant activities of seaweeds, especially those in the tropical area. In this study, Indonesian green, brown and red algae were used as experimental materials with their mineral components analyzed by using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The catechins and flavonoids of these seaweeds were extracted with methanol and analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography （HPLC） ; the anti-oxidant activities of these seaweeds were evaluated in a fish oil emulsion system. The mineral components of tropical seaweeds are dominated by calcium, potassium and sodium, as well as small amounts of copper, iron and zinc. A green alga usually contains epigallocatechin, gallocatechin, epigallocatechin gallate and catechin. However, catechin and its isomers are not found in some green and red algae. In the presence of a ferrous ion catalyst, all the methanol extracts from the seaweeds show significantly lower peroxide values of the emulsion than the control, and that of a green alga shows the strongest anti-oxidant extract of this alga, which is significantly different from activity. The highest chelation on ferrous ions is also found in the the other methanol extracts in both 3 and 24 h incubations.     

Applications of three DNA barcodes in assorting intertidal red macroalgal flora in Qingdao, China

This study is part of the endeavor to construct a comprehensive DNA barcoding database for common seaweeds in China. Identifications of red seaweeds, which have simple morphology and anatomy, are sometimes difficult solely depending on morphological characteristics. In recent years, DNA barcode technique has become a more and more effective tool to help solve some of the taxonomic difficulties. Some DNA markers such as COI (cytochrome oxidase subunitⅠ) are proposed as standardized DNA barcodes for all seaweed species. In this study, COI, UPA (universal plastid amplicon, domain V of 23S rRNA), and ITS (nuclear internal transcribed spacer) were employed to analyze common species of intertidal red seaweeds in Qingdao (119.3 -121 E, 35.35 -37.09 N). The applicability of using one or a few combined barcodes to identify red seaweed species was tested. The results indicated that COI is a sensitive marker at species level. However, not all the tested species gave PCR amplification products due to lack of the universal primers. The second barcode UPA had effective universal primers but needed to be tested for the effectiveness of resolving closely related species. More than one ITS sequence types were found in some species in this investigation, which might lead to confusion in further analysis. Therefore ITS sequence is not recommended as a universal barcode for seaweeds identification.     

Development of a seaweed species-selection index for successful culture in a seaweed-based integrated aquaculture system

Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) has been proposed as a concept that combines the cultivation of fed aquaculture species (e.g., finfish/shrimp) with extractive aquaculture species (e.g., shellfish/seaweed). In seaweed-based integrated aquaculture, seaweeds have the capacity to reduce the environmental impact of nitrogen-rich effluents on coastal ecosystems. Thus, selection of optimal species for such aquaculture is of great importance. The present study aimed to develop a seaweed species-selection index for selecting suitable species in seaweed-based integrated aquaculture system. The index was synthesized using available literature-based information, reference data, and physiological seaweed experiments to identify and prioritize the desired species. Undaria pinnatifida, Porphyra yezoensis and Ulva compressa scored the highest according to a seaweed-based integrated aquaculture suitability index (SASI). Seaweed species with the highest scores were adjudged to fit the integrated aquaculture systems. Despite the application of this model limited by local aquaculture environment, it is considered to be a useful tool for selecting seaweed species in IMTA.     

Extraction of agar from Eucheuma cottonii and Gelidium amansii seaweeds with sonication pretreatment using autoclaving method

The effect of sonication pretreatment condition on Eucheuma cottonii and Gelidium amansii seaweed towards agar extraction wae studied. Four parameters were changed during sonication to investigate the effects on agar yield and quality. These parameters include the time interval, concentration ratio, frequency, and intensity. The highest amount of agar extracted from Eucheuma cottonii species could be obtained from the time interval of 30 min, seaweed weight to solvent volume ratio of 1:20, the frequency of 35 Hz, and the sonication power intensity of 30%. For Gelidium amansii species, the best agar yield also could be obtained from the time interval of 30 min, 1:20 of seaweed weight to water volume ratio, the frequency of 35 Hz, and power intensity of 30%. From the experiment, sonication pretreatment significantly influenced the yield and properties of extracted agar. The sonication with autoclaved seaweed produced agar containing less sulfate content, which is an excellent chemical property for gel electrophoresis applications.The gel strength of sonication with autoclaving for both seaweeds, Eucheuma and Gelidium species was the highest among those by sonication with direct heating, which proved that sonication pretreatment with autoclaving could enhance the physical properties of the agar.     

Studies on free radical scavenging activity in Chinese seaweeds part I. Screening results

INTRODUCTIONIthaslongbeenknownthatfatsundergoslowautoxidationduringstorage;andthatantioxidantswhichscavengefreeradicalsexistingduringtheinitialstageorearlypropagationstageoflipidoxida tioncanpreventrancidity ,soantioxidantsareoftenusedasfoodadditivescapableofdelaying ,re tardingorpreventingtherancidityinlipidsduetooxidation .Inthissense ,anidealantioxidantshouldhavethefollowingcharacteristics:safeinuse ,noodor,flavororcolor,effectiveatlowcon centration ,easytoincorporateandavailableatlowco…     

Properties of polysaccharides in several seaweeds from Atlantic Canada and their potential anti-influenza viral activities

To explore the polysaccharides from selected seaweeds of Atlantic Canada and to evaluate their potential anti-influenza virus activities, polysaccharides were isolated from several Atlantic Canadian seaweeds, including three red algae (Polysiphonia lanosa, Furcellaria lumbricalis, and Palmaria palmata), two brown algae (Ascophyllum nodosum and Fucus vesiculosus), and one green alga (Ulva lactuca) by sequential extraction with cold water, hot water, and alkali solutions. These polysaccharides were ana-lyzed for monosaccharide composition and other general chemical properties, and they were evaluated for anti-influenza virus activities. Total sugar contents in these polysaccharides ranged from 15.4% (in U. lactuca) to 91.4% (in F. lumbricalis); sulfation level was as high as 17.6% in a polysaccharide from U. lactuca, whereas it could not be detected in an alikali-extract from P. palmaria. For polysaccharides from red seaweeds, the main sugar units were sulfated galactans (agar or carrageenan) for P. lanosa, F. lumbricalis, and xylans for P. palmata. In brown seaweeds, the polysaccharides largely contained sulfated fucans, whereas the polysaccharides in green seaweed were mainly composed of heteroglycuronans. Screening for antiviral activity against influenza A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) virus revealed that brown algal polysaccharides were particularly effective. Seaweeds from Atlantic Canada are a good source of marine polysaccharides with potential antiviral properties.     

Characteristics of Algal Succession Following Rock Scraping at Imwon Area in the East Coast of Korea

This study was conducted to clarify the characteristics of algal succession following rock scraping using hoe or high-pressure water sprayer in the period from June 2010 to April 2011. We divided the research area off the eastern coast of Korean near Imwon into 3 categories depending upon the severity of the barren ground, i.e., the urchin barren-affected, urchin barren-ongoing and urchin barren-free areas. In April 2011, in the urchin barren-affected area with 25 seaweed species, the cover percentage and importance value(IV) of crustose coralline algae were higher than those of other species. In the urchin barren-ongoing area with 33 seaweed species, crustose coralline algae(mean IV = 62%) as well as Sargassum sp.(mean IV = 28%), and Gelidium amansii(mean IV = 19%) were observed following rock scraping. In the urchin barren-free area where seaweed communities were relatively abundant with 42 species, a variety of algal species including G. amansii(mean IV = 32%) underwent algal succession. Overall, it was observed that, as an aspect of algal succession, the weaker the barren ground severity was, the more frequent and diverse the seaweeds were, and the more complex the succession pattern was in the study. As an aspect of recovering algal community, rock scraping using hoe was shown to be superior to the method using high-pressure water spraying. Therefore, we conclude that rock scraping using hoe is a very effective strategy for recovering the algal community in urchin barren-ongoing area.     

Assessing applicability of Near-Infrared/Green/Blue UAV modified camera in crop monitoring:a case study of eastern Zimbabwe

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles(UAVs) have become popular and their use in agriculture monitoring is attracting more and more attention. There has emerged another class of agricultural UAVs whose normal consumer grade Red/Green/Blue(RBG) bands cameras have been modified to include the Near-Infrared(NIR) band by replacing one of the visible channel bands. This reduces the cost for agricultural UAVs. However, few researches have assessed the suitability of these modified UAV cameras in agricultural remote sensing. This study employed a modified UAV consumer grade camera with Blue/Green/Near Infra-red(BGNIR) bands to assess its applicability in crop remote sensing monitoring. Two experimental fields in Eastern Zimbabwe were used to assess the applicability of the modified BGNIR UAV camera in potato stress detection, maize senescence monitoring and chlorophyll concentration variations in bananas. Processed Green Normalized Vegetation Index(GNDVI) maps from the UAV imagery were compared with actual ground data of geo-tagged images taken during the UAV flights. Visual comparison between the ground and UAV imagery showed positive correlation. Highly stressed potato plants had lower GNDVI values than the healthier looking plants. Matured maize canopies also had lower GNDVI values than the late mature plants whose leaves were still green. GNDVI values in bananas from the first flight ranged from 0.094 91 to 0.334 74 and after the application of Nitrogen/Phosphorous/Potassium(NPK) fertilizer the GNDVI values ranged from 0.124 61 to 0.555 64. Increase in nitrogen also increases chlorophyll concentration in plant leaves hence the values of GNDVI increase after fertilization. We conclude that consumer grade modified UAV cameras are suitable in remote sensing of agricultural crops. Their adoption and utilization reduce the cost burden on farmers in developing countries especially in Africa, and help them to monitor their crops more efficiently.     

Preference of the herbivorous marine teleost Siganus canaliculatus for different macroalgae

The decomposition of a large amount of unexploited macroalgal resource along the coast of China often results in heavy environmental pollution. In order to pave a way of using macroalgae as the dietary ingredient of rabbitfish Siganus canaliculatus, one of a few farmed herbivorous marine teleosts in China, its preference （feeding selectivity） for different macroalgae was determined in this study. Seven seaweed species abundantly inhabiting the coast of east Guangdong Province were exposed simultaneously to rab-bitfish juveniles in laboratory （multiple-choice feeding） with their content and absolute intake assayed. It was found that the most preferred algae were Ulva prolifera, Gracilaria lemaneiformis and Chaetomorpha linum, less preferred algae were U. pertusa and Porphyra haitanensis, and least preferred ones were Sargassum fusiforme and Corallina sessilis. Such an order did not change when one to four relatively preferred seaweeds were removed. The preferred seaweeds were richer in protein and soluble sugar thus higher in energy than the least preferred. In addition, this fish was found to favor filamentous and flat algae rather than calcified ones. Ac-cordingly, the richness of nutrients and morphological characteristics determined the preference of S. canaliculatus for tested macro-algae.     

Removal of Mercury(Hg(Ⅱ)) from Seaweed Extracts by Electrodialysis and Process Optimization Using Response Surface Methodology

In this work,response surface methodology(RSM)was employed to model and optimize electrodialysis process for mercury(Hg(II))removal from seaweed extracts.Box-Behnken design(BBD)was utilized to evaluate the effects and the interaction of influential variables such as operating voltage,influent flow rate,initial concentration of Hg(II)on the removal rate of Hg(II).The developed regression model for removal rate response was validated by analysis of variance,and presented a good agreement of the experimental data with the quadratic equation with high value coefficient of determination value(R2=0.9913,RAdj 2=0.9678).The optimum operating parameters were determined as 7.17V operating voltage,72.54L h−1 influent flow rate and 5.04mgL−1 initial concentration of mercury.Hg(II)removal rate of 76.45%was acquired under the optimum conditions,which showed good agreement with model-predicted(75.81%)result.The results revealed that electrodialysis can be considered as a promising strategy for removal of Hg(II)from seaweed extracts.     

精准水稻种植信息系统结构、管理与应用

精准农业是当今世界农业发展的新潮流 ,中国 2 1世纪农业的发展方向之一。稻谷产量占我国粮食总产量的 4 0 %左右 ,实现精准水稻种植具有重大意义。在上海市农工商现代化农业园区“精准农业试验与示范基地”开展的水稻精准种植试验 ,结果与其他地块相比较 ,化肥使用量减少 1 5 % ,单产提高 8% ,总收益提高 1 8%。精准水稻种植信息系统是实现水稻精准种植的核心 ,目前完成 PRC/ INFO1 .0版本的开发 ,本文介绍了系统的结构、功能和技术特点。     

微量元素提高水稻产量的应用试验研究

浙北平原区水稻微量试验Mo、Zn、B肥效果最为显著。早稻施Mo肥（0．3％浓度）增产20．0％,Zn肥（0．5％浓度）增产18．5％,B肥（0．5％浓度）增产12.3％;晚稻Mo肥（0．3％浓度）增产21．6％,B肥增产15．0％。由此证实了利用区域地球化学基础资料进行农业地球化学开发应用可以获得较好的社会效益和经济效益。     

Alterations to biological soil crusts with alpine meadow retrogressive succession affect seeds germination of three plant species

Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are the important components of alpine meadow ecosystems. The extent and morphology of BSCs vary greatly with alpine meadow retrogressive succession due to grazing pressure. There is significant interest in impacts of crust composition on plant seed germination, especially in (semi-) arid environments. However, little is known about the influences of BSCs, and their associations with alpine meadow succession, on germination of typical alpine meadow vascular plant species. In a full factorial common-garden experiment, we studied effects of: (1) crust type, (2) seed position, and (3) surface texture on seed germination. We chose three typical alpine meadow plant species (i.e. Poa pratensis, Tibetia himalaica and Potentillen nivea), which belonged to different functional groups (graminoids, legumes, and forbs) and play important roles in all alpine meadow succession stages. Crust type and seed position influenced seed germination, and the inhibitory effects of BSCs depended on the crust type and seed species tested. The major factors influencing seed germination were BSC type, seed position, soil texture, and the interactions between BSC type and seed position; species and seed position; species and surface texture; and species, crust type, and surface texture. Cyanobacteria crust significantly inhibited germination of all seeds. Seed position also had a significant effect on seed germination (p < 0.001). Fewer seedlings germinated on the surface than below the surface, this was especially true for P. nivea. seeds within cyanobacteria and lichen crusts. Only germination rates of T. himalaica on the soil surface were significantly correlated with plant occurrence frequency within the alpine meadow community. The poor correlation for the other two species is possibly that they are perennials. Our results clearly demonstrated that BSCs can be biological filters during seed germination, depending on the BSC succession stage. Through their influences on seed germination, BSCs can strongly influence community assemblages throughout alpine meadow retrogressive succession.     

Pedogeochemistry of china and its significance in agricultural production

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