Management of Sambar Deer (Cervus Unicolor Brookei) Under Agroforestry System in Sarawak

Sambar deer breeding under existing forest plantation with local Sabal Tapang community participation was one of the Agroforestry projects implemented in Sarawak aimed at bringing socio-economic benefits to the shifting cultivators and to strike a balance in nature conservation. The research and observation conducted during the implementation of this agroforestry deer breeding focused on the animal performance, initial effect of deer browsing behaviour on the plantation and attitude and perception of adjacent communities towards the overall agroforestry systems in Sabal. Brody's Growth Model was the most suitable model for deer production under this system. The appropriate age of venison production was about two years when the animal weighed around 74.2 kg. Sambar deer was found to have no definite breeding season. The sex ratio of fawn male to female was 1:1.5, female became sexually mature at 23.1 months, fawning interval was 11.3 months and gestation was 257 days. The period of stag which did not cause damage to vegetation was 4.7 months compared to the long period of 6.9 months of destructiveness to the trees stand as a result of rubbing and territorial marking. There were 22 known families of woody plant and another 10 families of non-woody plant found in the 12-year old Acacia mangium plantation. A total of more than 21 species were eaten by 14 heads of Sam bar deer over a total observation of 65 days within an area of 8.0 ha. Sambar deer browsing was highest in Ficus spp. (34%) for all leaves, fruits and bark; followed by Dillenia sp. shoots (30%); Agrostistachys sp. leaves (8%) and Macaranga spp. leaves (7%). The maximum limit of browsing was observed at height of 4 m with diameter of less than 3.8 cm. The browsing pattern based on nutritional selectivity was shown in species with high dry matter digestibility, crude protein, fibre, potassium, calcium, copper and zinc content. The other factors affecting the browsing pattern were microhabitat and closeness to perimeter fence. It was found that more than 70 percent of tracks and trampling happened near to stream and near to fence compared to only 20 percent observed in the middle of paddock. The criteria for villages acceptance of agroforestry projects were (1) ease of management; (2) fast economic returns; (3) proximity to village and; (4) involving direct participation oflocal people in most of the activities

Biocompatibility Between Flora and Fauna Under Simulated Outdoor and Indoor Biopark

The biocompatibility between flora and fauna in BioPark was evaluated. A group of 20 heads of Cervus timorensis (Timorensis), 5 heads respectively of Axis axis (Axis), Cervus unicolor brookei (Sambar) and Muntiacus atherodes (Muntjac) were studied in Outdoor BioPark. In Indoor BioPark, 16 heads of Callosciurus prevostii borneansis (prevost's squirrel), 10 heads of Tragulus javanicus (Kancil) and 6 heads of Tragulus napo (Pelandok) were used for the purpose of study. In Outdoor BioPark, the biocompatibility between the deer species with Acacia mangium and its natural vegetation were studied. Meanwhile in Indoor BioPark, introduced flora species were used The study found that the undergrowth vegetation of A. mangium plantation was biocompatible with the tested deer species. With monthly forage yield of 183.28 kg (DM) per ha or 1392.93 MJ ME per ha with 75% total available forage grazed, the A. mangium undergrowth could be stocked with 5 to 9 heads of Muntjac, or 1 to 3 heads of Timorensis, or 2 to 7 heads of Axis, or 1 to 2 heads of Sambar deer. Based on captive feeding habit and requirements of the Mousedeer species, the area also could be stocked with Kancil and Pelandok with allowable carrying capacity of 18 to 42 heads of Pelandok and 44 to 132 heads of Kandl, respectively. It was found that some of the deer was not biocompatible with A. mangium stands. Of all the deer species tested, it was found that only Sambar and Muntjac were biocompatible and did not cause any significant debarking damage on the matured stands of A. mangium. Biocompatibility between deer species and A . mangium was influenced by tree bark architecture (bark surface coarseness) and taxonomy (thickness), deer species, number of individual stags stocked and the animal's feed management. The biocompatibility between Prevost's squirrel, Pelandok and Kancil with introduced flora in Indoor BioPark had found that feed factor in terms of quantity and availability together with the availability of juvenile individuals were the most associated factors with the animal's herbivory. Other factors were includes the animal's stocking rate and plant's species used

Browsing preference and ecological carrying capacity of sambar deer (Cervus unicolor brookei) on secondary vegetation in forest plantation

The browsing preference and ecological carrying capacity (ECC) of sambar deer (Cervus unicolor brookei) in acacia plantations for management and conservation of the ecosystem were investigated at Sabal Forest Reserve in Sarawak, Malaysia. The identification of the species browsed by the sambar deer was based on an observation of the plant parts consumed. ECC estimation was based on body weight (BW) and the physiological stages of animals browsed in six fenced 4-ha paddocks. Sambar deer were found foraging on only 29 out of 42 species of secondary vegetation in the acacia plantation. The remaining species are too high for the deer to reach. Planted species, Shorea macrophylla are not palatable to the deer. This augurs well for the integration of sambar deer into shorea plantations. The most frequently exploited plants were Ficus spp. Sambar deer preferred woody species more than non-woody species and they are browser animals. By producing metabolizable energy of 19 000 to 27 000 MJ/ha, the ECC was five head/ha to 5.25 head/ha. Given its contribution to the conservation of wildlife and its capacity to sustain the ecosystem, the sambar deer integrated farming system offers a promising strategy for the future of tropical forestry management

Total polyphenols content and antioxidant activity of different tea commercially produced in Nepal

This study was conducted to assess and compare the total polyphenol content (TPC), antioxidant activity of different tea varieties commercially produced in Nepal. Nine different brands of tea samples, three from each CTC, orthodox and green tea were collected from different parts of Kathmandu valley. TPC was analyzed as per folin-ciocalteu method and antioxidant activity as per DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhrdrazine) free radical scavenging capacity. The TPC was found to be 4.60, 8.79, 18.20mg of phenol equivalent (PE)/gm of sample in CTC, orthodox and green tea respectively. Green tea Emerald and green tea Kanchanjunga contained the highest level of polyphenol. Antioxidant activity (for 0.36 mg of tea sample) was found to be 25.04, 43.86, and 72.39% for CTC, orthodox and green tea respectively. Moreover, some commercial brands of green tea (Emerald and Kanchanjunga) showed the highest antioxidant activity. The TPC and antioxidant activity of different commercial brands of tea were found to be positively correlated (r=0.97)

Some physical characteristics of Sambar Deer (Cerous unicolor)

Weights and body measurements of 115 sambar deer (Cervus unicolor) from three states of Malaysia were analysed. The deer range in age from three weeks to seven years old. They were divided into groups and allowed to graze the fenced up paddocks. The deer which were raised in an environment similar to their natural habitat had the heaviest body weight (100.18 kg). The effects of location and partial regression of body height, body length and heart girth, had highly significant (p<.00l) effects on body weight. The partial regression coefficients for body weight, body length and heart girth were 0.91, 0.84 and 1.00, respectively

Long term effect of organic sources of nutrients on productivity and soil health in maize+soybean—wheat+gram cropping system

Organic farming has emerged as an important priority area globally in view of growing demand for safe and healthy food which provides health and environmental benefits. The long term sustainability and concerns on environmental pollution associated with indiscriminate use of agrochemicals calls for use of organic farming practices in agriculture for maintaining soil health and crop productivity. Over the past few decades, increasing attention has been given to intercropping particularly in organic agricultural systems and the evidence suggests that this can provide production advantages over sole crops in the absence of increased external inputs due to more efficient utilization of resources. Component crops in intercropping may differ in their use of growth resources over time and space such that when grown together they make more efficient use of light, water and nutrients than when grown separately. Therefore, to study the effect of different composts on the productivity of crops and soil health in terms of nutrient and microbial status in maize/maize + soybean-wheat + gram cropping system, a long term field experiment was conducted at Model Organic Farm of CSK Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University, Palampur (H.P.), India w.e.f. 2006-07 to 2011-12. The treatments consisted of FYM 20 t/ha, vermicompost (VC) 15 t/ha, Him compost (HC) 5 t/ha, FYM+HC (10+2 t/ha), vermicompost + HC (10+1t/ha), FYM + vermicompost (10+10 t/ha) and control (FYM 5 t/ha) from 2006-07 to 2008-09, however, the doses of composts were reduced after 3rd year of experimentation and the treatments were slightly modified as FYM 15 t/ha, VC 10 t/ha, HC 5 t/ha, FYM + HC (7.5+2.5 t/ha), VC + HC (5.0+2.5 t/ha), FYM + VC (7.5+5.0 t/ha) and Control (FYM 5t/ha). After third year of experimentation maize + soybean was taken in place of maize in kharif season. Whereas, in rabi season wheat + gram continued as such. In general, for the first three years of study i.e. w.e.f. 2006-07 to 2008-09 the yield levels of maize were not increased, however, after third year of study i.e. from 2009 to 2011 the yield levels were improved because of improvement of the fertility and microbial status of the soil. Similarly, in wheat also the yield levels during the first two years i.e. 2006-07 and 2007-08 were low and almost same but there after an impressive increase in yield levels of wheat was obtained till 2011-12 due to continuous increase in fertility levels of the soil. The treatment effects on yield contributing characters of maize and wheat were significant which ultimately increased the grain yields significantly over the control during all the years of experimentation. Irrespective of the doses of different composts, FYM + HC, VC + HC and FYM + VC being at par with each other produced higher values of almost all the yield attributes both of maize and wheat which ultimately resulted in significantly higher maize and wheat equivalent yields over the remaining treatments i.e. FYM, Vermicompost and Him compost when applied alone during all the years of study. The nutrient status (organic carbon (%), available nitrogen, phosphorus & potassium) and microbial status (Total count, N-fixers, P-solubilizers, fungus & actinomycetes) were improved tremendously in six years of study (2006-07 to 2011-12) as compared to the initial status. *Corresponding Author: Dr. J.P. Saini, Professor & Head, Department of Organic Agriculture, CSKHPKV,Palampur,(H.P.) 176062-India. Contact No. +91 98160 29019 TeleFax: +91-1894-230402, E-mail: [email protected]

Formation and structural chemistry of the unusual cyanide-bridged dinuclear species [Ru-2(NN)(2)(CN)(7)](3-)(NN=2,2 '-bipyridine or 1,10-phenanthroline)

Crystallisation of simple cyanoruthenate complex anions [Ru(NN)(CN)(4)](2) (NN = 2,2'-bipyridine or 1,10-phenanthroline) in the presence of Lewis-acidic cations such as Ln(III) or guanidinium cations results, in addition to the expected [Ru(NN)(CN)(4)](2) salts, in the formation of small amounts of salts of the dinuclear species [Ru-2(NN)(2)(CN)(7)](3). These cyanide-bridged anions have arisen from the combination of two monomer units [Ru(NN)(CN)(4)](2) following the loss of one cyanide, presumably as HCN. The crystal structures of [Nd(H2O)(5.5)][Ru-2(bipy)(2)(CN)(7)] center dot 11H(2)O and [Pr(H2O)(6)][Ru-2(phen)(2)(CN)(7)] center dot 9H(2)O show that the cyanoruthenate anions form Ru-CN-Ln bridges to the Ln(III) cations, resulting in infinite coordination polymers consisting of fused Ru(2)Ln(2)(mu-CN)(4) squares and Ru(4)Ln(2)(mu-CN)(6) hexagons, which alternate to form a one-dimensional chain. In [CH6N3](3)[Ru-2(bipy)(2)(CN)(7)] center dot 2H(2)O in contrast the discrete complex anions are involved in an extensive network of hydrogen-bonding involving terminal cyanide ligands, water molecules, and guanidinium cations. In the [Ru-2(NN)(2)(CN)(7)](3) anions themselves the two NN ligands are approximately eclipsed, lying on the same side of the central Ru-CN-Ru axis, such that their peripheries are in close contact. Consequently, when NN = 4,4'-Bu-t(2)-2,2'-bipyridine the steric bulk of the t-butyl groups prevents the formation of the dinuclear anions, and the only product is the simple salt of the monomer, [CH6N3](2)[Ru((t)Bu(2)bipy)(CN)(4)] center dot 2H(2)O. We demonstrated by electrospray mass spectrometry that the dinuclear by-product [Ru-2(phen)(2)(CN)(7)](3) could be formed in significant amounts during the synthesis of monomeric [Ru(phen)(CN)(4)](2) if the reaction time was too long or the medium too acidic. In the solid state the luminescence properties of [Ru-2(bipy)(2)(CN)(7)](3) (as its guanidinium salt) are comparable to those of monomeric [Ru(bipy)(CN)(4)](2), with a (MLCT)-M-3 emission at 581 nm

Ammonia volatilization from urea at different levels of zeolite.

Ammonia (NH3) loss due to hydrolysis of urea can be substantial. When applied to the soil, up to 50% NH3 volatilizes. This decreases urea-N use efficiency. The objective of this study was to minimize ammonia loss from urea using different levels of clinoptilolite zeolite. Six treatments were evaluated; (1) soil alone, (2) 2.60 g granular urea, (3) 2.60 g liquid urea, (4) 2.60 g liquid urea + 4 g of zeolite, (5) 2.60 g liquid urea + 8 g of zeolite and (6) 2.60 g liquid urea + 12 g of zeolite. The incubation study was conducted using close-dynamic air flow system method to measure the amount of NH3 released. At the end of this study, soils samples were analyzed for pH, exchangeable ammonium (NH4+) and available nitrate (NO3-) using standard procedures. When urea was applied in liquid form, NH3 loss was reduced when compared with granular urea, but not significantly different among the treatments with and without zeolite inclusion. Increase in soil pH was observed upon addition of higher amount of zeolite when compared with urea alone. High NH4+ content and low NH3 loss for T5 directly showed that high cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the amended soil due to inclusion of zeolite was responsible for retention of more NH4+ in the soil even though the soil pH was higher when compared with T1 and T2. Liquid urea mixed with zeolite reduced NH3 loss and increased NH4+ retention in the soil