Growth performance of silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) in cage stocked at different densities

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the growth performance of silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) in cage stocking at different densities. It was expected that silver carp could grow feeding on plankton without external feeding. In this experiment, silver carps in nine cages were stocked in three different stocking densities such as 20, 30 and 40 fishes/m3 designated as treatments T1, T2 and T3, which were located in the south west corner of the L-shaped pond in Field Laboratory Complex, Faculty of Fisheries, Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), Mymensingh consisting of three treatments with three replications of each for a period of 90 days from 18th August to 17th November, 2015. Each cage size was 1m x 1m x1m (length x width x height) and silver carp was cultured in the cage with natural feed which filtered phytoplankton mainly. Twenty five genera of phytoplankton were identified in pond and the average phytoplankton production was around 8.44x105cells/liter. Water quality parameters such as temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH and transparency were recorded fortnightly. At the completion of the experiment, weight showed significant difference (p>0.05) among three treatments although length didn’t vary significantly. The highest length gain (18.61+0.369 cm) and the highest weight gain (62.52+2.249 g) were found in T1. The highest SGR% for silver carp was found in T1 and the highest total production was obtained in T3 (5.00+ 0.015 kg/m3). Individual growth performance of silver carp was satisfactory. Further studies are needed with different stocking densities and duration to verify the result

Survey and scientific evaluation of medicinal plants used by the Pahan and Teli tribal communities of Natore district, Bangladesh

The Pahans and the Telis are two of the smallest indigenous communities in Bangladesh. The Pahans, numbering about 14,000 people are widely scattered in several northern districts of the country, while the Telis are such a small community that nothing has been reported on their numbers and lifestyle. Both tribes are on the verge of disappearance. One each of the Pahan and the Teli community was located after much search in two adjoining villages of Natore district, Bangladesh. Since the tribes were found to still depend on their traditional medicinal practitioners for treatment of ailments, it was the objective of the present study to document their traditional usage of medicinal plants and to evaluate such plants against modern research-based pharmacological activity studies on these plants. Interviews were conducted of the practitioners of the Pahan and Teli community of Natore district with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire and using the guided field-walk method. Plant specimens aspointed out by the practitioners were collected and pressed on the field and identification completed at the Bangladesh National Herbarium. The Pahan tribal practitioners used 13 plants distributed into 9 families for treatment of 14 different ailments. The Teli tribal practitioner used 15 plants divided into 14 families for treatment of 17 different ailments. Eight out of the thirteen plants used by the Pahan tribal practitioner (61.5%) had reported relevant pharmacological activities in the scientific literature, while six out of the fifteen plants used by the Teli tribal practitioners (40%) had such relevant pharmacological activities in accordance with their usage. The medicinal plants used by the Pahans and Telis warrant further scientific studies toward discovery of lead compounds and efficacious drugs and the documentation and protection of the traditional medical knowledge held by these tribes

Botany, chemistry, and pharmaceutical significance of Sida cordifolia: a traditional medicinal plant

Sida cordifolia Linn. belonging to the family, Malvaceae has been widely employed in traditional medications in many parts of the world including India, Brazil, and other Asian and African countries. The plant is extensively used in the Ayurvedic medicine preparation. There are more than 200 plant species within the genus Sida, which are distributed predominantly in the tropical regions. The correct taxonomic identification is a major concern due to the fact that S. cordifolia looks morphologically similar with its related species. It possesses activity against various human ailments, including cancer, asthma, cough, diarrhea, malaria, gonorrhea, tuberculosis, obesity, ulcer, Parkinson’s disease, urinary infections, and many others. The medical importance of this plant is mainly correlated to the occurrence of diverse biologically active phytochemical compounds such as alkaloids, flavonoids, and steroids. The major compounds include β-phenylamines, 2-carboxylated tryptamines, quinazoline, quinoline, indole, ephedrine, vasicinone, 5-3-isoprenyl flavone, 5,7-dihydroxy-3-isoprenyl flavone, and 6-(isoprenyl)- 3-methoxy- 8-C-β-D-glucosyl-kaempferol 3-O-β-D-glucosyl[1–4]-α-D-glucoside. The literature survey reveals that most of the pharmacological investigations on S. cordifolia are limited to crude plant extracts and few isolated pure compounds. Therefore, there is a need to evaluate many other unexplored bioactive phytoconstituents with evidences so as to justify the traditional usages of S. cordifolia. Furthermore, detailed studies on the action of mechanisms of these isolated compounds supported by clinical research are necessary for validating their application in contemporary medicines. The aim of the present chapter is to provide a detailed information on the ethnobotanical, phytochemical, and pharmacological aspects of S. cordifolia