World distribution of Minthea rugicollis (Coleoptera : Lyctidae)

The distribution of Minthea rugicollis worldwide is presented based on a compilation of literature records of population establishments and also from the world collection of M. rugicollis at the Natural History Museum, London. The distribution map derived indicates the limits of distribution for M. rugicollis to be 40° north and south of the Equator, with maximum distribution within 20° north and south. The present compiled records of occurrence of established populations as well as reports on repeated accidental introductions strongly suggest M. rugicollis is not capable of establishing populations under outdoor temperate conditions

Developmental biology of the tiger moth, Atteva sciodoxa Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae) under laboratory conditions

The tiger moth, Atteva sciodoxa is a serious pest of tongkat Ali, Eurycoma longifolia. The morphology, development times and fecundity aspects were studied at 27±2°C, 90±5% relative humidity and 12 h photoperiod. The eggs were yellow and ovoid in shape with a mean length and width of 1.19±0.02 and 0.86±0.02 mm, respectively. Width measurements of larval head capsules showed that A. sciodoxa undergoes five larval instar stages. The mean head capsule widths of the first to fifth instar larvae were 0.55±0.01, 0.89±0.01, 1.23±0.02, 1.52±0.01 and 2.11±0.02 mm, while the body lengths were 4.71±0.1, 8.63±0.1, 12.87±0.1, 16.29±0.1 and 21.74±0.2 mm, respectively. The mean male and female pupal body lengths were 10.36±0.1 and 11.26±0.2 mm, respectively. The mean male and female wing span were 21.63±0.2 and 24.28±0.2 mm, respectively. The mean pre-oviposition and oviposition periods were 6.2±0.23 and 8.5±0.28 days, respectively. A single female laid on average 106.1±4.85 eggs with maximum production between days 8-15 of adult emergence. The maximum number of eggs laid per female per day was 20.1±0.5. The mean hatching time was 5.7±0.1 days with a mean hatchability of 81.1±0.6%. The mean larval, pupal and adult periods were 20.7±0.2, 6.2±0.8 and 13.2±0.5 days, respectively. The female pupal period and adult lifespan were significantly longer than the male. Atteva sciodoxa completed its life cycle in 46.28±0.49 days

Resistance of some forest plantation timbers against rotting fungus and their durability in ground contact

Four plantation species, Acacia crassicarpa, Acacia auriculiformis, Gmelina arborea (yemane) and Azadirachta excelsa (sentang)) were tested far their natural resistance towards a white rotfungus (Pycnoporous sanguineus) and for their durability after three months' exposure to the ground. Hevea brasiliensis (rubberwood) and Neobalanocarpus heimii (cengal) were used as controls. Samples were prepared from the heartwood portion. The weight loss of the timbers caused by the white rot fungus and their durability in ground contact were evaluated in accardance with ASTM Standards. The weight loss values far the outer heartwood of the plantation timbers ranged from 7.69 to 14.69% while those far the inner heartwood ranged from 13.16 to 24.20%. On average, all the plantation timbers fell in the class of resistant against white rot fungus. Within the class, G. arborea had the highest average weight loss value (19.88%), followed by A. crassicarpa (19.53%), A. excelsa (15.44%) andA. auriculiformis (10.75%). H. brasiliensis and N. heimii had weight loss values of61.20% and 2.16%, respectively. After three months of exposure in the ground, A. auriculiformis was the most durable against decay fungi whilst A. excelsa was the most durable against termite attack. The least durable against decay and termite attack were A crassicarpa and G. arborea, respectively

A review of insect defoliators on teak with special reference to Paliga damastesalis Walker in Malaysia

Teak is a deciduous hardwood tree species native to India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. It is renowned for its aesthetic qualities, durability and versatility for a wide range of uses including furniture manufacture, ship building, decorative panelling and flooring. However, the tree is predisposed to a spectrum of insect pests particularly when grown as a monoculture or mked plantation crop. More than 285 insect pests have been reported globally on teak. Of these, defoliators rank highest in the damage caused to teak saplings and plantations, worldwide. These primarily belong to three orders' namely Lepidoptera (139), Coleoptera (41) and Orthoptera (18). In Malaysia, 28 insect pests have been reported thus far. Among these, Paliga damastesalis Walker (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), Xyleutes ceramica Walker (Lepidoptera: Cossidae) and Hyblaea puera Cramer (Lepidoptera: Hyblaeidae) are common pests, with P. damastesalis as the major defoliator in Malaysia. The effects of defoliation is especially severe in young plantations. Although outbreaks are predominantly seasonal and has been frequently associated with flushing of leaves, the insect remains active throughout the year, with a total of 12 to 13 overlapping generations per year

Outbreaks of Bagworms and their Natural Enemies in an Oil Palm, Elaeis Guineensis, Plantation at Hutan Melintang, Perak, Malaysia

A field study on population of bagworms was carried out in oil palm, Elaeis guineensis, plantation at Hutan Melintang, Perak, Malaysia from October 2005 to April 2006. Sampling was conducted at 14 days interval. The result suggests bagworm infestation was not correlated with amount and distribution of rainfall as being claimed by many planters. The result also shows that Pteroma pendula (Lepidoptera: Psychidae) was the most dominant bagworm species among all of the bagworms recorded. Natural enemies, predators, parasitoids and some entomopathogenic fungi, contributed to mortality of the bagworms. Larvae of Callimerus arcufur (Coleoptera: Cleridae) were the most common predator attacking the bagworms. Cosmelestes picticeps (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) was also observed attacking P. pendula. Among three species of parasitoids, Dolichodenidea metasae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) was the most significant parasitoid of bagworm and this parasitoid commonly attacked by a hyperparasitoid, Pediobius imbrues (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). Two species of entomopathogenic fungi, Peacilomyces fumosoroseus and Metarhizium ansopliae, were isolated from fungal-infected bagworms. Even though natural enemies were affecting the bagworm populations in the field and their resultant impact in controlling the bagworm populations in the field was still far from desirable

Physical and Mechanical Properties of Flame Retardant-Treated Hibiscus Cannabinus Particleboard

Physical and mechanical properties of flame retardant-treated kenaf particleboards were studied using physical tests such as water absorption, thickness swelling and mechanical tests such as modulus of rupture (MOR), modulus of elasticity (MOE) and internal bond (IB). The kenaf core particles were treated with 10% concentrations of three types of flame retardants namely diammonium phosphate (NH4)2HPO4), monoammnium phosphate (NH4)HPO4) and BP® [mixture of 27-33 % boric acid, 67-73 % guanylurea phosphate and 0.0-4.2 % phosphoric acid]. The study showed that DAP-treated particleboards complied with the thickness swelling and water absorption of British-European standard [BS EN 317:1993] requirements. BP®-treated particleboards were found to have performance values superior than the British-European standard requirement values for MOR [BS EN 310:1993] and MOE [BS EN 310:1996]. MAP-treated particleboards surpassed the standard requirement value for IB [BS EN 319:1993]. However, all treated particleboards complied with the standard requirement value of MOE except DAP-treated particleboards. The untreated particleboards complied with all the standard requirements of the physical and mechanical tests. Overall, the flame retardants affected the physical and mechanical properties of the kenaf core particleboar

Properties of particleboard made from pretreated particles of rubberwood, EFB and rubberwood-EFB blend

The increasing use of low formaldehyde emission adhesives such as Melamine Urea Formaldehyde (MUF) for bonding particleboard and other wood composites has led researchers to find ways to improve the durability of these products against biodeterioration agents. A study on the treatment of particleboard through soaking of particles with 2% boric acid and 0.2% deltamethrin solutions was conducted. Particleboards were produced utilizing treated particles of rubberwood (clone RRIM 2002), Empty Fruit Bunches (EFB) and rubberwood-EFB blend (70:30). A low formaldehyde emission MUF resin (E1-grade) was used as a binder. The boards were evaluated for resistance against termite and fungal attack, static bending, internal bonding and dimensional stability. The properties were compared with those of untreated boards. The results of this study showed that the resistance of E1 grade MUF-bonded rubberwood and EFB particleboards against white rot fungus (Pycnoporous sanguiness) and termite (Coptotermes curvignathus) can be enhanced through the proposed treatment method. The particleboards made from both rubberwood and rubberwood-EFB blend require longer pressing time (> 6 min). Boric acid offered better protection against white rot wheras deltamethrin was more effective against termite. The bonding quality of both treated rubberwood and rubberwood-EFB blend boards was inferior compared to that of untreated board. Nonetheless, all treated EFB particleboards have higher IB. The strength and stiffness properties of rubberwood and rubberwood-EFB blend particleboards for both dry and wet conditions were markedly reduced by the treatments. The treatments increased the dry MOR and MOE values of EFB boards but lowered the wet MOR and MOE values. The study also indicated that the presence of preservatives had markedly decreased the stability of rubberwood and rubberwood-EFB blend particleboards

Efficacy of Pyrethroid and Boron Preservatives in Protecting Particleboards against Fungus and Termite

Pyrethroid-formulated preservatives were investigated for their efficacy in protecting rubberwood and empty fruit bunches (EFB) particleboards against fungi and termites. Timberlife®, Stoprot® and Cislin® solutions (5% w/w of particles) were incorporated in rubberwood (clone RRIM 2002), EFB and rubberwood–EFB blend (70:30) particleboards by spraying the solutions separately into the furnish during blending. Boric acid (0.5% w/w) was used for comparison. A low formaldehyde emission melamine urea formaldehyde (MUF) resin (E1 grade) was used as binder. The pressing time of each type of board was determined by studying the gelation time of the adhesive mixture with added preser vatives. With the exception of Timberlife®, all preser vatives markedly increased the gelation time of the resulting adhesive mixture. The gel time for control mixture (without preservative) was 360 s. The resistance of treated particleboards against biodeterioration agents was evaluated based on weight loss of testing blocks after exposure to white rot fungus (Pycnoporus sanguineus) and subterranean termite (Coptotermes curvignathus). The resistance of particleboards either against white rot fungus or termite can be enhanced through incorporation of small amount of pyrethroid formulated preservatives through spraying during blending of furnish. Timberlife® provided the best protection of these particleboards against P. sanguineus. Cislin® offered the best protection for EFB particleboard against termite. Stoprot® gave fair protection to all particleboards against white rot fungus and termite, while boric acid still gave the best protection to rubberwood particleboard against termite

Fire propagation and strength performance of fire retardant-treated Hibiscus cannabinus particleboard

The fire propagation and strength performance of kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus) core particle board treated with three different commercialized fire retardants were studied using ten percent concentration of fire retardants. The fire propagation test was evaluated using performance index (I), which indicates the heat release of the tested particle boards. Physical and mechanical properties such as water absorption, thickness swelling, Modulus of Rupture (MOR), Modulus of Elasticity (MOE) and Internal Bond (IB) of the treated and untreated boards were also studied. The study showed that diammonium phosphate (DAP) was excellent in reducing the heat release of the boards followed by monoammonium phosphate (MAP) and BP® [mixture of 27-33% boric acid, 67-73% guanylurea phosphate and 0.0-4.2% phosphoric acid]. DAP and MAP were able to delay the maximum early heat release of the boards by about 15 to 16 min and 18 to 20 min, respectively compared to BP® which was only able to delay the maximum early heat release by about 10 to 15 min after ignition. The heat release of the DAP and MAP-treated particle boards started 5 min after ignition, but the heat release of the BP®-treated boards started from the beginning of the test. Boards treated with DAP were found comply with the standard ratings for thickness swelling and water absorption test. MAP-treated boards were found comply with the standard rating for MOR and were found to be the best compared to the other treated boards for MOE and IB. However, treated boards complied with the standard ratings of MOE and IB

Effect of equilibration temperature on in vitro viability and subsequent embryo development of vitrified-warmed immature bovine oocytes

Problem statement: Vitrification is replacing conventional slow freezing to cryopreserve gametes and embryos especially for in vitro production of embryo in domestic animal species. However, the results are still not satisfactory. The aim of this experiment was to study the effect of different equilibration temperatures on in vitro viability of immature bovine oocytes after vitrification. Approach: Oocytes were obtained from slaughterhouse ovaries. Only grade one oocytes were used. Oocytes were equilibrated in three different temperatures: 32, 37, or 41°C. Immature oocytes were equilibrated in VS1 (7.5 Ethylene Glycol (EG) + 7.5% DMSO) for 10-12 min and then exposed to VS2 (15% EG + 15%DMSO + 0.5M sucrose) for one min. Thereafter oocytes were loaded on hand-made Cryotop and directly plunged into liquid nitrogen. After warming, oocytes were examined for viability, maturation, cleavage and blastocyst production. Results: Oocytes that were equilibrated at 37°C had significantly higher (p<0.05) viability than 41°C, but there were no significant difference between 37 and 41 with 32°C. Maturation rate in 37°C group was significantly higher compared with other groups. The highest percentage of degenerated and germinal vesicle stage oocytes were obtained from 41°C than 32 and 37°C. Cleavage rate of 37°C group (38.77%) was greater than other groups (30.84 and 28.95% for 32 and 41°C, respectively). The highest blastocyst rate was also produced when oocytes equilibrated at 37°C (6.45%). Conclusion: In conclusion, these results indicated that immature bovine oocytes can be equilibrated successfully at 37°C while higher or lower temperature can significantly decrease their subsequent viability and development