Sexing in Rattans

In Malaysia, rattans belonging to Calamus species are regarded as the most economically important non-wood resource from forest after timber. However, the genetic resource of rattans in the wild is much depleted due to over exploitation and lose of forest habitat. Therefore, there is a need to establish large scale plantation to produce enough canes for furniture and handicraft industries. Large scale planting requires sufficient planting materials, and the establishment of seed orchards for seed production is important for supplying sufficient planting materials. However, the dioecy in rattan limits its breeding and cultivation. The dioecious Calamus species have distinct male and female plants, and gender is identified only after the first flowering. Early identification of male and female individuals by molecular markers can help to address the limitation of dioecy for large scale planting. In this paper, we address the dioecy and sex ratio in Calamus species. Subsequently, we discuss the functional genomics of Calamus manan and C. palustris in understanding the sex determination and flower development in rattans

Chemical components of marine sponge derived fungus fusarium proliferatum collected from Pulau Tinggi Malaysia (Komponen kimia kulat fusarium proliferatum diperolehi daripada Span Marin di Perairan Pulau Tinggi, Malaysia)

Marine fungus Fusarium proliferatum derived from marine sponge collected along Pulau Tinggi, Malaysia was cultivated on Potato Dextrose Broth and incubated for 7 days at 30oC. The liquid cultures were then extracted using ethyl acetate. The crude extract was investigated for its anti-microbial activity and was passed through Sephadex column and the fractions were collected. Reverse phase HPLC was used to monitor the component of crude extract. HPLC guided purification of crude extract resulted in the isolation of linoleic acid, 4-hydroxy phenethyl alcohol, 2,5-furandimethanol and adenosine. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods

Impact of disturbance on population and genetic structure of tropical forest trees

Effects of selective logging on the population and genetic structure of Shorea curtisii, Dryobalanops aromatica and Scaphium macropodum were examined via two approaches:(1) to investigate the immediate effects by studying a same population before and after logging and,(2) to determine the long term effects by comparing regenerated stands with an adjacent unlogged stand, assuming that they were genetically identical before logging. Reduction in basal area of trees from different size classes due to a single ..

High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic (HPLC) Analysis of a Crossbred Brown Rice Variety (UKMRC-9) Shows High Gaba Content

The neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a functional food ingredient of growing importance in the preparation of GABA-enriched germinated brown rice (GBR). Quantification of GABA levels during germination in a locally developed high yielding red rice variety (UKMRC-9) was carried out via high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis using pre-column chemical derivatisation with 2-hydroxynaphthaldehyde (HN) using a UV detection system. Factors that influence rice germination such as soaking time and temperature were also studied. The results of this study showed that the UKMRC-9 rice variety soaked in water for 6 hours at 35 °C yielded the highest value for both germination percentage (95.4±1.2%) and GABA content (411 μg g–1). This suggests that long soaking times of 1–4 days can be substituted by short soaking times to produce high GABA levels in germinated brown rice

Tropical and subtropical Asia's valued tree species under threat

Tree diversity in Asia's tropical and subtropical forests is central to nature-based solutions. Species vulnerability to multiple threats, which affects the provision of ecosystem services, is poorly understood. We conducted a region-wide, spatially explicit vulnerability assessment (including overexploitation, fire, overgrazing, habitat conversion, and climate change) of 63 socio-economically important tree species selected from national priority lists and validated by an expert network representing 20 countries. Overall, 74% of the most important areas for conservation of these trees fall outside of protected areas, with species severely threatened across 47% of their native ranges. The most imminent threats are overexploitation and habitat conversion, with populations being severely threatened in an average of 24% and 16% of their distribution areas. Optimistically, our results predict relatively limited overall climate change impacts, however, some of the study species are likely to lose more than 15% of their habitat by 2050 because of climate change. We pinpoint specific natural forest areas in Malaysia and Indonesia (Borneo) as hotspots for on-site conservation of forest genetic resources, more than 82% of which do not currently fall within designated protected areas. We also identify degraded lands in Indonesia (Sumatra) as priorities for restoration where planting or assisted natural regeneration will help maintain these species into the future, while croplands in Southern India are highlighted as potentially important agroforestry options. Our study highlights the need for regionally coordinated action for effective conservation and restoration

Perspectives on the use of transcriptomics to advance biofuels

As a field within the energy research sector, bioenergy is continuously expanding. Although much has been achieved and the yields of both ethanol and butanol have been improved, many avenues of research to further increase these yields still remain. This review covers current research related with transcriptomics and the application of this high-throughput analytical tool to engineer both microbes and plants with the penultimate goal being better biofuel production and yields. The initial focus is given to the responses of fermentative microbes during the fermentative production of acids, such as butyric acid, and solvents, including ethanol and butanol. As plants offer the greatest natural renewable source of fermentable sugars within the form of lignocellulose, the second focus area is the transcriptional responses of microbes when exposed to plant hydrolysates and lignin-related compounds. This is of particular importance as the acid/base hydrolysis methods commonly employed to make the plant-based cellulose available for enzymatic hydrolysis to sugars also generates significant amounts of lignin-derivatives that are inhibitory to fermentative bacteria and microbes. The article then transitions to transcriptional analyses of lignin-degrading organisms, such as Phanerochaete chrysosporium, as an alternative to acid/base hydrolysis. The final portion of this article will discuss recent transcriptome analyses of plants and, in particular, the genes involved in lignin production. The rationale behind these studies is to eventually reduce the lignin content present within these plants and, consequently, the amount of inhibitors generated during the acid/base hydrolysis of the lignocelluloses. All four of these topics represent key areas where transcriptomic research is currently being conducted to identify microbial genes and their responses to products and inhibitors as well as those related with lignin degradation/formation.clos

Estimation of genetic diversity and identification of potential rice lines for two-line hybrid based on microsatellite marker and phenotypic trait analyses

The genetic relatedness among 31 advanced breeding lines derived from crosses between O. rufipogon and MR219, three Malaysian rice varieties (MR219, MR253 and MR263) and two thermosensitive genic male sterile (TGMS) lines (IR73827- 23-26-15-7S and IR77271–42–5–4–36S) were determined using different microsatellite (SSR) markers. A total of 81 alleles were detected with the 26 SSR markers, with an average of 3.12 alleles per locus and a PIC value varying from 0.028 to 0.450. UPGMA cluster analysis separated the entire accessions into seven major groups. Group I accommodated twenty two advanced breeding lines along with the parental variety, MR219. Eight advanced breeding lines formed the Group III while Group II, IV, V, VI and VII contained either a single improved line or variety. Group II was constituted by the improved line G33, while Group IV and V were constituted by the released varieties MR253 and MR263, respectively. On the other hand, two TGMS lines viz. IR73827-23-26-15-7S and IR77271–42–5–4–36S were clustered under Group VI and Group VII, respectively. Based on the genetic distance (GD) data derived from the analysis, three combinations with maximum GD viz., MR253 x G33 (GD= 0.61), MR253 x G02 (GD= 0.61) and MR253 x G16 (GD=0.56) are suggested to be used as parental lines in two line hybrid rice breeding system. Besides GD, the suggested lines possess promising yield and yield related traits. The released variety, MR253 is suggested to be developed as a TGMS line. These suggested parental lines are expected to produce highest hybrid vigour and will be useful for future breeding programmes