F. B. Chen, K. C. Yang, G. F. Zhou, Y. H. Fan, Z. Y. Zhang, J. J. Shen, H. Zhang, and L. L. Jiang Fifteen inbred lines of tuber mustard were used to determine their genetic diversity by using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and seven inbred lines (male) and eight sterile male inbred lines (female) were crossed to obtain 56 hybrids. Heterosis and combining ability were analyzed among these hybrids. We detected 80 pairs of SSR primers amplifying 637 bands among the parents, with an average of 8.0 and ranging from 3 to 13. The genetic distances between the male lines and the male sterile lines ranged from 0.25 to 0.40, with an average of 0.33. Fifteen accessions were classified into two clusters based on genetic distance. The combining ability analysis showed that five significant positive relative effects and 24 significant positive relative effects were found in general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) analyses, respectively. Thirty-six hybrids showed...

Dennis D. Raga, Agnes B. Alimboyoguen, Chien-Chang Shen, Annabelle A. Herrera, and Consolacion Y. Ragasa Chemical constituents of the dichloromethane extract of the leaves of Ardisia pyramidalis (Cav.) Pers were isolated and identified. Chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) vascularity assay was also conducted to determine the probable effects of these chemical constituents on the CAM of mallard duck relative to its potential anti-angiogenic properties. From the dichloromethane extract of the air-dried leaves of A. pyramidalis, we isolated spinasterol 1, spinasteryl acetate 2, a mixture of α- amyrin 3a, β-amyrin 3b and bauerenol 3c at a ratio of 2:1:2, squalene 4, lutein 5 and triglycerides 6. All were identified on the basis of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectral data. Compounds 1, 6 and the mixture of 3a, 3b and 3c demonstrated a positive vascular damage activity, whereas 1 showed possible anti-angiogenic properties characterized by capillary hemorrhaging and ghost vessels, which e...

Arvin Paul P. Tuaño, Takayuki Umemoto, Noriaki Aoki, Yasunori Nakamura, Takayuki Sawada, and Bienvenido O. Juliano Selected intermediate- and low-apparent amylose content (AC) Philippine rices differing in alkali spreading value (index of starch gelatinization temperature, GT) and cooked rice hardness were characterized for differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurement of gelatinization of granular starch, content of long-chain amylopectin and true amylose by high-performance size exclusion chromatography of debranched starch and amylopectin, and amylopectin chain ratio (ACR) of Σ degree of polymerization (DP) 6–10/Σ DP 6–24 of debranched starch by capillary electrophoresis. The Waxy gene alleles were mainly 17G and 20G for intermediate-AC samples and 17T and 20T for low-AC samples, regardless of GT. Long-chain amylopectin content was as predicted from apparent amylose content, and ACR was as predicted from GT by DSC and alkali spreading value. AC of milled rice was higher tha...

Ya Juan Zhang, Zhong Kui Xie, Ya Jun Wang, and Li Ping An The release of lily bulbs from dormancy is an important factor in their development. Dormancy, which may develop after harvest, can be broken by storage for several weeks at a low temperature, but the exact requirements to break dormancy are unknown. This study investigated the effects of cold treatments and non-cold treatments on dormancy of the bulbs of the oriental lilies ‘Siberia’ and ‘Conca d’Or’. Data from two lily cultivars (as necessary for model calibration and validation) were gathered after long-term storage over a wide range of storage temperatures [25 °C, 10 °C, 2 ° C, and at fluctuating temperature (FT) during which bulbs were stored for 15 d at 10 °C and then at 2 °C until the 91st day]. Sugar and starch contents in the bulbs stored at different temperatures were measured, including plant quality parameters after the bulbs were planted. During storage, exposure to low temperatures induced the net breakdow...

A. M. Mortazavian, S. Ghorbanipour, M. A. Mohammadifar, and M. Mohammadi Combined effects of inoculation rate [standard inoculation (S), 2S, 4S and 8S (representing two-fold, four-fold and eight-fold of standard inoculation, respectively)] and incubation temperature (40 or 44 °C) on biochemical and microbiological characteristics of yogurt milk during and immediately after fermentation were investigated. Two probiotic bacteria (Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5 and Bifidobacterium lactis BB-12), along with the yogurt bacteria Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus, were used. Acidification-related parameters during fermentation, incubation time and concentrations of lactic and acetic acids, as well as probiotic bacteria viability at the end of fermentation (final pH of 4.5), were determined. Incubation time and inoculation rate showed interactive effects on biochemical parameters and incubation time, as well as on viability of both probiotic bacteria. ...

Sevil Karaaslan and İ. Kurtuluş Tunçer The effects of microwave drying (180, 360, 540, 720 and 900 W); combined convective (100, 180, 230 ºC) and microwave drying (180 and 540 W); and convective drying (100, 180, 230 ºC) on drying time, drying rate and change in color of green tea (Camellia sinensis L.) leaves were investigated. Eleven different thin layer mathematical drying models were compared based on their coefficient of determination (R2), standard error of estimate (SEE) and residual sum of squares (RSS) to estimate the drying curves. The Midilli-Kucuk model described the drying curve best in all drying methods (R2 = 0.9988–1.0000, SEE = 0.0024–0.0201, RSS = 0.0001–0.0054). The results closest to fresh sample values with respect to color criteria were obtained from microwave drying followed by microwave-convective drying and convective drying.

Virginia C. Cuevas, Cirilo A. Lagman, Jr., and Agham C. Cuevas Three farmer cooperators in Banooy, Buguias, Benguet used Trichoderma microbial inoculant (TMI) as a control measure against club root disease of crucifers caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae Wor., in addition to the usual farmers’ practice of applying chemical pesticides. Two treatments were used: farmers’ practice (FP – control) and T1 (Trichoderma inoculant). In both treatments, chicken manure (416 g m-2) and chemical fertilizers (triple 14, 205–220 g m-2) were applied; the chemical fungicide mancozeb (3.3 g m-2) and the insecticides carbaryl and flubendiamide (2.0 mL m-2) were also used. In T1, Trichoderma inoculant was applied at 0.5 g m-2 at the seedling stage, but not in FP. The test crops were Brassica oleracea capitata group (head cabbage) and B. rapa, Pekinensis group (Chinese cabbage). One farmer used less material and labor inputs in plots where Trichoderma inoculant was added; all other cultural practic...

Bayani M. Espiritu Sugarcane mudpress and chicken manure are agro-industrial wastes that could become environmental pollutants in certain localities but proper handling and treatment could convert them into value-added products. This study explored the use of composting and microbial inoculation to generate organic fertilizers from these so-called wastes. Raw materials of sugarcane mudpress and chicken manure were collected and characterized in terms of microbial load and NPK content. Mixtures of mudpress and manure were heaped and composted in 50-kg lots in a two -factorial experiment with two replications involving different treatments [control, those added with 2–10 % (w/w) of complete chemical fertilizer, and/or microbial inoculants at an addition rate of 2% (w/w) of Trichoderma sp. and Azotobacter sp.]. Composting significantly reduced the population of lactose-fermenting and coliform bacteria in the materials from almost 3 log colony-forming unit (cfu) g-1 total solids to only...

Dan D. Baliao and Miguel A. de los Santos A series of verification runs on the farming of shrimp [Penaeus monodon (Fabricius)] using environment-friendly techniques was conducted in different pilot demonstration sites including privately owned farms in the Philippines from 2001 to 2005. Encouraging results were achieved using the low or partial discharge and closed-recirculating systems following the advanced environment-friendly protocols. In the low or partial discharge system, 11 grow-out ponds were stocked with P. monodon post larvae (PL) at densities between 15 and 25 m-2 while in the closedrecirculating system, eight grow-out ponds were stocked with PLs at densities between 30 and 60 m-2. Both systems incorporated the use of head and tail reservoirs, crop rotation, filter box, salinity reduction, long-arm paddlewheel aerators, biomanipulators, biofilters, sludge collectors and quality feeds. In the low or partial discharge system, an average total yield of 5.3 ± 0.8 tons ha-1,...

Juliana C. Baylon An experiment was carried out to determine temperature and salinity effects on the survival and development of each stage of the larvae and juveniles of the mud crab (Scylla olivacea Forskal). Salinities of 15, 25, 35 and 45 g L-1 were tested for zoea; 5, 15, 25, 35 and 45 g L-1 for megalopae and 0, 5, 15, 25, 35 and 45 g L-1 for crab instar (C1) juveniles, at temperatures of 20, 26 and 32 oC. The survival of zoea and megalopae was affected by the separate effects of salinity and temperature and by their interaction. The survival of C1 juveniles, on the other hand, was influenced by the separate effects of salinity and temperature but not by their interaction. Z1–Z3 larvae survived at salt concentrations of 25–35 g L-1 at 20, 26 and 32 oC but survival at 15 and 45 g L-1 occurred only at 32 oC. Z4–Z5 larvae survived at 15–35 g L-1 at all temperatures, but survival was low at 15 g L-1 at 20 oC. At 45 g L-1, none of the Z5 larvae reached megalopa. The megalopae develo...