SEED PROPAGATION OF RATH HADUN (Pferocarpus santalinus Linn.) AS EFFECTD BY METHOD OF SOAKING AND SCARIFICATION

Red Sandalwood (Pterocarpus santalinus Linn.) is an evergreen tree species grownunder semi dry climates in well drained lateric soils. The reddish and fragrant heartwoodhas a range of medicinal, pharmaceutical, industrial and timber and economically placedin the same category as tusk and amber. The Red heartwood contains a range ofconstituents including santalin (Santalic Acid), Santaol, Pterocarpin, Homo-Petrocarpinand reported to have anticoagulant, anti inflammatory, anti expectorant, anti pyretic, antibacterial and anti tumor properties. Expensive natural fabric paint produced from thepowdered Red heartwood is used in wood carving of prestigious nature. The naturalhabitat of Red Sandalwood is India which is extensively exploited to the point of nearextinction, thus placing it in the red list of endangered species under IUCN guidelinesThere is only a limited number of Red sandalwood trees in Sri Lanka, which werebrought from India. Therefore, conservation and multiplication of Red sandal wood is oftimely importance. Even though a single tree of Red Sandalwood produces severalthousands of seeds, there is no single seedling under the tree. The local requirement ofRed Sanders is met partly by Indian suppliers while substitutes with similar medicinalproperties (Rath Kehiriya) are also being used.Two separate pot experiments(Complete Randomized Design with three replicates) wereconducted to study the seed germination as affected by method of soaking andscarification. Fully matured brown coloured fresh seeds were used for the experimentsand viability of the seeds used for the experiment was 70 to 72 %. Three differentsoaking methods (i.e. 24 hours dipping in normal water, 24 hour soaking in runningwater, alternatively soaked in running water for 12 hrs. followed by 12 hours of dryingfor 14 days) and again differentiated with scarification and without scarification wereused as treatments. Total germination percentage was counted up to 14 daysResults revealed that Seed germination was significantly higher (P>0.05) in scarifiedseeds (48.8%) when compared to those without scarification (6.1%). With regards to thesoaking method, highest germination percentage (3 1%) was observed in the treatment,12 hrs of alternate soaking and drying in running water for 14 days, which was notsignificantly different from the treatment that seeds were soaked in running water for 24hrs. Therefore it can be concluded that germination of Red Sandalwood seeds could besubstantially enhanced by scarification of the seed coat and seeds soaked in runningwater for 24 hrs. as well as 12 hrs of alternate soaking and drying for 14 days.

IMPORTANCE OF IMPROVING BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF TEA SOILS IN SOUTHERN PROVINCE OF SRI LANKA.

Five separate field experiments were conducted at Hungama in the Hambantota district, SriLanka, to evaluate the growth performances of selected five tree species i.e.Tamarind(Tamarindus indica), Wood apple tFeronoa /imonia), Kottamba (Terminalia catappa),Kathurumurunga tSesbonia grandiflora) and Katuandara (Acasia leucoploeai, mainlyavailable in the salt-affected areas. Each tree species consisted of six treatments whichwere differentiated with three potting mixtures (i.e. top soil, sub soil and a mixture of topsoil - cattle manure) filled in planting holes and again with mulching and withoutmulching. The experimental design for at experiments were Randomized Complete BlockDesign (RCBD) with four replicates. Two months old plants raised in poly bags were usedin all the experiments. Plant height and dry matter yield of plants were determined asgrowth parameters, once in three months.The experimental site was near the Hungama Lake and salinity of the soil is about 9.5mmhos!cm at topsoil and 8.3mmhos/cm at 30 cm depth. All the plants have shown goodgrowth performances in all treatments. Growth performances were not significantlyaffected by mulching for all plant species. Tamarind, Wood apple and Kottamba, whichwere grown in planting holes filled wi.l: subsoil, showed significantly higher growthperformances. But in Kathurumurunga, the better performances were observed in thetreatment, which used a potting mixture of cattle manure - top soil while in Katuandara,plants grew well in all the treatments irrespective of the treatment effect. Therefore all fivetree species, which were used for the experiment, may be recommended as salt tolerant treespecies. 

IMPORTANCE OF IMPROVING BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF TEA SOILS IN SOUTHERN PROVINCE OF SRI LANKA.

Five separate field experiments were conducted at Hungama in the Hambantota district, SriLanka, to evaluate the growth performances of selected five tree species i.e.Tamarind(Tamarindus indica), Wood apple tFeronoa /imonia), Kottamba (Terminalia catappa),Kathurumurunga tSesbonia grandiflora) and Katuandara (Acasia leucoploeai, mainlyavailable in the salt-affected areas. Each tree species consisted of six treatments whichwere differentiated with three potting mixtures (i.e. top soil, sub soil and a mixture of topsoil - cattle manure) filled in planting holes and again with mulching and withoutmulching. The experimental design for at experiments were Randomized Complete BlockDesign (RCBD) with four replicates. Two months old plants raised in poly bags were usedin all the experiments. Plant height and dry matter yield of plants were determined asgrowth parameters, once in three months.The experimental site was near the Hungama Lake and salinity of the soil is about 9.5mmhos!cm at topsoil and 8.3mmhos/cm at 30 cm depth. All the plants have shown goodgrowth performances in all treatments. Growth performances were not significantlyaffected by mulching for all plant species. Tamarind, Wood apple and Kottamba, whichwere grown in planting holes filled wi.l: subsoil, showed significantly higher growthperformances. But in Kathurumurunga, the better performances were observed in thetreatment, which used a potting mixture of cattle manure - top soil while in Katuandara,plants grew well in all the treatments irrespective of the treatment effect. Therefore all fivetree species, which were used for the experiment, may be recommended as salt tolerant treespecies. 

Study of thermal, flammability and mechanical properties of intumescent flame retardant PP/kenaf nanocomposites

Detrimental physical and mechanical properties are common problems for composites when their flame retardancy is improved through filler additions. An increased interest of the synergistic nanoparticle addition to improve the flame retardancy of natural fiber composites is the aim of this work. The paper investigates the synergistic effect of two different nanoparticles (halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) and montmorillonite (MMT) nanoclay) on the flame and mechanical properties in an intumescent ammonium polyphosphate (APP)-based polypropylene (PP)/kenaf composite system. First, the nature of nanoparticle dispersion in PP through X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveals that under twin screw compounding process, the partial exfoliation and intercalation have taken place within the nanocomposites. An increase in the decomposition temperature was observed under thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), with the presence of HNT. However, MMT tends to lower the maximum decomposition temperature under inert atmosphere. The flammability analysis in an intumescent flame retardant (IFR) system shows that the suitable amount of high aspect ratio nanoparticles with their exfoliation characteristics effectively helps to reduce the sustained combustion. Even though, improved stiffness properties can be observed with the presence of increased filler content, particle agglomeration tends to reduce the mechanical strengths of these composites due to low compatibilization and crack propagation