Morpho-physiological diversity and its implications for improving drought tolerance in grain sorghum at different growth stages

Abstract Sorghum grown under rain-fed conditions is usually affected by drought stress at different stages resulting in negative effect on yield. The assessment and quantification of morpho-physiological diversity for the traits contributing towards drought tolerance at these stages is of vital importance. For this purpose, drought stress was imposed on 44 sorghum accessions at seedling stage and natural incidence of water stress at post anthesis stage. The data of 21 different morpho-physiological traits were subjected to different multivariate techniques, including correlation, principal component (PC) and cluster analysis to assess the diversity for drought tolerance in sorghum. The correlation analysis revealed that selection for long roots; higher root/shoot ratio, leaf area and leaf dry matter could be performed simultaneously. There was positive association between relative water contents and cell membrane stability but both of these traits were negatively correlated with residual transpiration and excised leaf weight loss. Principal component (PC) analysis showed first 7 PCs having Eigen value >1 explaining 77.653% of the total variation with head width, head weight, grain yield per plant, fresh and dry shoot weight being the most important characters in PC1. Cluster analysis classified 44 accessions into four divergent groups. The members of first two clusters exhibited adequate degree of drought tolerance on the basis of majority of morpho-physiological traits, whereas, cluster 3 and 4 included genotypes with lower level of drought tolerance. The D 2 statistics revealed the highest distances between 2 nd and 3 rd clusters, while 3 rd and 4 th clusters displayed maximum similarity. Scatter plot and tree diagrams demonstrated sufficient diversity among the sorghum accession for various traits and some extent of association between different clusters. The results concluded that morpho-physiological diversity in the studied material is structured by genotypes and this diversity could be utilized for cultivar breeding and germplasm conservation programs aimed at improving drought tolerance in sorghum

Effects of handling and short-term captivity: a multi-behaviour approach using red sea urchins, Mesocentrotus franciscanus

Understanding the effects of captivity-induced stress on wild-caught animals after their release back into the wild is critical for the long-term success of relocation and reintroduction programs. To date, most of the research on captivity stress has focused on vertebrates, with far less attention paid to invertebrates. Here, we examine the effect of short-term captivity (i.e., up to four days) on self-righting, aggregation, and predator-escape behaviours in wild-caught red sea urchins, Mesocentrotus franciscanus, after their release back into the wild. Aggregation behaviour, which has been linked to feeding in sea urchins, was not affected by handling or captivity. In contrast, the sea urchins that had been handled and released immediately, as well as those that were handled and held captive, took longer to right themselves and were poorer at fleeing from predators than wild, unhandled sea urchins. These results indicate that handling rather than captivity impaired these behaviours in the short term. The duration of captivity did not influence the sea urchin behaviours examined. Longer-term monitoring is needed to establish what the fitness consequences of these short-term behavioural changes might be. Our study nevertheless highlights the importance of considering a suite of responses when examining the effects of capture and captivity. Our findings, which are based on a locally abundant species, can inform translocation efforts aimed at bolstering populations of ecologically similar but depleted invertebrate species to retain or restore important ecosystem functions

Põdra populatsiooni struktuurist ja jahindusliku kasutamise alustest Eestis

https://www.ester.ee/record=b5458491*es

Organised hiking by the Estonian nature-based tourism enterprises in the protected areas

Magistritöö Loodusturismi õppekavalKaitsealad on olulised vaba aja veetmise ja turismiobjektid ning paljudes piirkondades on matkamine tunnistatud üheks olulisemaks vabaaja veetmise viisiks. Puutumatu loodus pakub huvi paljudele huvitegevustele sh. jalgsimatkamine ning on peamine eesmärk looduskaitsealade külastamisel. Külastajate arv enamusel kaitsealadel üle maailma tõuseb ning väga kiiresti kasvab nõudlus puhke- ja vabaaja veetmise võimaluste järele. Seetõttu on oluline ka, et jalgsimatkasid organiseerivad loodusturismi ettevõtjad ja kaitsealade valitseja vahel oleks koostöö ning kehtestatud reeglid ja piirangud oleksid läbimõeldud ja tegevused kaitsealadel planeeritud vastavalt nendele. Antud töö eesmärgiks on välja selgitada kuidas suhtuvad jalgsimatku korraldavad ettevõtted kaitsealadel kehtivatesse looduskaitselistesse piirangutesse ja kas need seavad tegevustes takistusi ning kas mõjutavad nende tegevusi. Magistritöö eesmärgi saavutamiseks kasutati kvantitatiivse meetodina ankeetküsitlust Eesti loodusturismi ettevõtjatega. Andmete analüüsimisel kasutati nii statistilist kui ka sisuanalüüsi. Töö tulemustest selgus, et loodusturismi ettevõttete poolt jalgsimatkade pakkumine on koondunud Harjumaale ja Lääne-Virumaale ning on tihedalt seotud omavahel loodusradade esinemisega neis piirkondades. Kaitsealadel viivad jalgsimatku läbi kõik loodusturismi ettevõtjad ning ala piirangute ja regulatsioonide kohta teeb uurimust enne matka suur osa jalgsimatkade läbiviijatest. Samuti tuli välja, et pigem on loodusturismi ettevõtjad kaitsealadele kehtestatud piirangutega nõus ja peavad nendest kinni ning soovivad ka konkreetsemaid (nt grupi suurused) piiranguid. Takistavaid asjaolusid oma tegevustes ei nähta ning juhindutakse kehtivatest piirangutest. Töös saadud tulemused aitavad kaasa loodusturismialaste otsuste tegemisel kaitsealadel ning samuti külastuskorralduslike soovituste väljatöötamisel.Protected areas are important leisure and tourist attractions.. In many areas, one of the most important activities is organized hiking. Untouched nature is interest to many leisure activities, including hikes with the main goal of nature reserve visitation. Globally increasing visitation numbers in protected areas correlate with the need for leisure opportunities in those areas. Therefore the collaboration of organized hiking between Estonian nature-based tourism enterprises and protected area supervisors isimportant. Activities in protected areas should be planed according to established rules and limitations. The purpose of this study was to find out the attitude of nature-based tourism entrepreneurs torwards to organized hike limitations in protected areas. Moreover wheater these limitations create obstacles or affect their activities. In order to achieve the goal of the theses, a questionaire survey with Estonian nature tourism entrepreneurs was used as a quantitative method. Based on the results, Estonian nature-based tourism on organized hikes has mostly gathered in Harju County and Lääne-Virumaa County. This is densely related to interconnecting hiking trails in the area. Hiking in protected areas is organized by all nature-based tourism enterprises. The majority of the enterprises research the set rules and limitations before organizing the hikes. Furthermore, nature-based businesses agree that the rules are needed and feel that more concrete (eg. group sizes) limitations are required. No hindering factors are seen and actions related to organizing hikes takes into consideration protected area limitations. The collected data will help the decision-making process of nature-based tourism as well with recommendations regarding visitation management in protected areas

Spatial Temporal Analysis of Forest Fire in Malaysia Using ATSR Satellite Measurement

Over the last few decades, Malaysia experienced several severe forest fire episodes in history due to dry season and El-Niño events. In fact, research on fire event has become an important as its strongly responsive to climatic drivers, provide impacts on biogeochemical cycles and it tremendously affects ecosystems life. Therefore, this study aimed to collect and process Along Track Scanning Radiometer (ATSR) fire count data and to assess the distribution of fire occurrences in Malaysia. This study specifically used ATSR World Fire Atlas (WFA) product (Algorithm 2 data) from ATSR satellite data covering years 1997-2008. Preliminary results of this study show that there are 3 minor El-Niño events (June-December, July-November and September-October), and the large El-Niño event (January-April) had occurred as followed by an equally important La-Niña episode. Month of April and state of Sabah show the month and region with the highest fire events. There are several factors that can contribute to the forest fire events such as fire locations in Indonesia, anthropogenic activities, geographical and meteorological conditions and natural phenomenon such as lightning and El-Niño events. Findings from this study can be utilized to increase the understanding of spatial and temporal distribution of forest fire in Malaysia. ATSR Satellite measurements also found to be significantly helpful in providing a valuable fire data count.</jats:p

Effect of 8-week aerobic training on lipid profile, PYY3-36, and cortisol levels among obese women

Background: Limited energy intake with physical activity is effective to reduce health problems associated with obesity. It has been shown that PYY3-36 level increased after intense exercise. This study investigated effect of exercise therapy on appetite suppression and weight loss among obese and/or overweight women. Methods: There was a quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest design, two groups (control-exercise) study. Study population was overweight or obese women with 20-34 years old and body mass index 27-34 kg/m2. 13 women were randomly assigned in 2 groups (exercise group with 8 weeks of aerobic exercise training (n=7) and control group (n=6)). Weight, waist circumference, hip circumference, lipid profile, cortisol and PYY3-36 were measured at baseline and end of the study. Results: In baseline of study, there was no significant difference across the groups in factors mean (P&gt;0.05).In control group, after 8 weeks, there was no significant difference in variables.(P&gt;0.05) However, In exercise group significant decrease was observed in BMI, WHR, PYY3-36, TG, CHOLESTROL(TC) and LDL, compared to control group (P&lt;0.05). Conclusion: Aerobic exercise within the 80% of heart rate reserve is beneficial in lipid profile, appetite management and modified anthropometric factors. These studies demonstrate that a cortisol change is not along with PYY3-36 changes. We suggest the longer exercise training for this purpose.</jats:p

Platelet Rich Fibrin in double lateral sliding bridge flap procedure for gingival recession coverage: An original study

Background: Gingival recession is a common occurrence in periodontal disease leading to an unaesthetic appearance of the gingiva. The effect of platelet-rich fibrin (PRF), when used along with double lateral sliding bridge flap (DLSBF), remains unknown. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of PRF in conjunction with DLSBF for multiple gingival recessions. Materials and Methods: Twenty systemically healthy individuals exhibiting Grade II gingival recession on their mandibular central incisors were recruited in this study. These patients were randomly assigned into two groups: DLSBF and PRF + DLSBF. The clinical parameters that were evaluated in this study were gingiva recession height, gingiva recession width, width of keratinized gingiva, clinical attachment level, and probing depth. PRF was procured from the patient's blood at the time of the surgery and used for the procedure. The follow-up was performed at 12 and 24 weeks postsurgery. Results: Statistically significant difference was observed between the clinical parameters at baseline and 12 and 24 weeks within the groups. There was no statistically significant difference, between the groups. Mean root coverage (RC) was 80% ±29.1% in the DLSBF group and 78.8% ±37.6% in the DLSBF + PRF group with no statistically significant difference. Conclusion: From the results obtained in this study, the addition of PRF to DLSBF gives no additional benefits to the clinical parameters measured in RC