Panicle Research Articles

IDENTIFICACIÓN Y EVALUACIÓN DE LA INCIDENCIA DE INSECTOS Y HONGOS BENÉFICOS ASOCIADOS A Diaphorina citri KUWAYAMA (HEMIPTERA: LIVIIDAE) EN PLANTAS TRASPATIO (Citrus spp. y Murraya paniculata) DEL CANTÓN CATAMAYO (LOJA - ECUADOR)

En los últimos años, la citricultura mundial se ha encontrado amenazada por la presencia del psílido asiático de los cítricos, Diaphorina citri, un insecto perjudicial por ser portador de la bacteria “Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (las)”, causante de la enfermedad Huanglongbing (HLB), que ha provocado la devastación de plantaciones y la reducción de la producción de cítricos en todo el mundo. En el año 2017 se reportó la presencia de D. citri en plantas traspatio del cantón Catamayo, en la provincia de Loja, por lo que la presente investigación tuvo por objetivo identificar los enemigos naturales (depredadores, parasitoides y hongos) asociados a D. citri, y evaluar su incidencia en campo. Para ello, se realizaron muestreos en plantas traspatio (Citrus spp. y Murraya paniculata) del cantón Catamayo. Los muestreos se efectuaron a una altura de 1,5 m de las plantas en los cuatro puntos cardinales de la misma. Se colectaron larvas y adultos de depredadores, ninfas parasitadas y adultos de parasitoides, y adultos de D. citri para el aislamiento de hongos. Como resultado de la identificación en el laboratorio, se determinó la presencia de 11 especies depredadoras (principalmente Cheilomenes sexmaculata y Chrysopa spp.), dos especies de parasitoides (Diaphorencyrtus sp. y Tamarixia radiata) y cuatro especies de hongos (Cladosporium sp., Fusarium sp., Aspergillus sp. y Alternaria sp.). Diaphorencyrtus sp. tuvo una tasa de parasitismo del 7,76 %. Estas especies podrían utilizarse para establecer programas de control biológico, aprovechando su potencial como reguladores de poblaciones de ninfas de Diaphorina citri.

Ruminal degradation of Panicum grasses in three post-regrowth ages

Abstract The objective was to evaluate the chemical composition and in situ degradation of Maasai, Mombasa and Tanzania grasses belonging to the genus Panicum, at 22, 34 and 46 days after regrowth. The contents of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) were determined. For the evaluation of ruminal degradation, 4 g sample were placed in nylon bags and incubated in the rumen of a fistulated animal, for 6, 24 and 72 h. The experiment had a completely randomized design for chemical composition analysis and a split-split plot completely randomized design for in situ degradation, with means compared by Tukey test at 5%. There was an increase in the contents of DM (+ 1.69%) and NDF (+ 5.06%) (P <0.05) of the grasses at the highest cutting ages with reduction in the CP fraction. The potential degradation (PD) of DM, NDF and CP decreased with advancing age of grasses, with an increase in colonization time (0.69 h) and NDF degradation rate (1.14%/h). The increase in the post-regrowth age of the Massai, Mombasa, and Tanzania grasses increases the acid detergent fiber content and reduces the crude protein content, with a negative effect on the degradation of DM, PB and NDF. The management of these cultivars is indicated at 22 and 34 days post-regrowth to obtain forage with better nutritional value.

Modulation of carcinogenicity by Andrographis paniculata extract

Modulation of carcinogenicity by Andrographis paniculata extract

Effects of water and nitrogen coupling on growth, physiology and yield of rice

Water and nitrogen fertilizer are two essential factors for quality and yield formation of rice. Experimental study was carried out to investigate the effects of water and nitrogen fertilizer coupling on yield-related factors, such as growth (height), physiological indicators (chlorophyll and leaf area index (LAI)) and yield composition indicators (productive panicles, thousand grain weight and total grains per panicle). Results showed that, the height difference under two irrigation regimes was not significant, and it showed no difference until the tillering stage (p > 0.05). The water control method for controlled and mid-gathering irrigation (CMI) was favorable for nutrients converting to rice grain. Meanwhile the height difference for CMI and conventional irrigation (CVI) was the biggest at 80 d after rice transplantation. Variance analysis showed the effect of fertilization on height was significant (p < 0.05). With organic fertilizer application, it could control plant growth and promote the nutrients converting to the panicle. The change curve of LAI was similar to chlorophyll content. Organic fertilizer application could not only promote chlorophyll content and LAI, but also delay leaf fading and promote yield. Nitrogen fertilizer factors showed significant difference on rice yield, compared to irrigation regimes showing no significance. Considering the irrigation and fertilizer factors together, the interaction was significant. The descending orders for the effects of water and nitrogen on rice yield were fertilizer, water and fertilizer, water. Regression analysis showed that the productive panicles and total grains per panicle of rice were extremely significant on rice yield, and the direct effect of total grains per panicle on yield was greater than that of productive panicle. This study results could provide theoretical basis for water and nitrogen management to improve rice production. Keywords: water and nitrogen coupling, controlled and mid-gathering irrigation (CMI), organic fertilizer, growth and physiology, regression and path analysis, rice yield DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20191203.4060 Citation: Li Y Y, Shao X H, Li D X, Xiao M H, Hu X J, He J. Effects of water and nitrogen coupling on growth, physiology and yield of rice. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2019; 12(3): 60–66.

Overexpression of RICE FLOWERING LOCUS T 1 (RFT1) Induces Extremely Early Flowering in Rice.

RICE FLOWERING LOCUS T 1 (RFT1) is a major florigen that functions to induce reproductive development in the shoot apical meristem (SAM). To further our study of RFT1, we overexpressed the gene and examined the expression patterns of major regulatory genes during floral transition and inflorescence development. Overexpression induced extremely early flowering in the transgenics, and a majority of those calli directly formed spikelets with a few spikelets, thus bypassing normal vegetative development. FRUITFULL (FUL)-clade genes OsMADS14, OsMADS15, and OsMADS18 were highly induced in the RFT1-expressing meristems. OsMADS34 was also induced in the meristems. This indicated that RFT1 promotes the expression of major regulatory genes that are important for inflorescence development. RFT1 overexpression also induced SEPALLATA (SEP)-clade genes OsMADS1, OsMADS5, and OsMADS7 in the greening calli before floral transition occurred. This suggested their possible roles at the early reproductive stages. We found it interesting that expression of OsFD1 as well as OsFD2 and OsFD3 was strongly increased in the RFT1-expressing calli and spikelets. At a low frequency, those calli produced plants with a few leaves that generated a panicle with a small number of spikelets. In the transgenic leaves, the FUL-clade genes and OsMADS34 were induced, but SEP-clade gene expression was not increased. This indicated that OsMADS14, OsMADS15, OsMADS18, and OsMADS34 act immediately downstream of RFT1.

14-Deoxy-11,12-Didehydroandrographolide: A novel compound isolated from Andrographis paniculata Nees. induces robust apoptosis in leukemic cells

Objective: Andrographis paniculata is widely cultivated in South and Southeast Asian countries and popularly used in “Ayurveda” medicine. We attempted to investigate antileukemic activity of the biomolecules extracted from this plant and a probable mechanism of action. Materials and Methods: Biomolecules from methanolic extract were isolated using silica gel column chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography. The structures were determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and 13C NMR. In vitro antiproliferative activity was measured by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The apoptotic efficacy of the most potent molecule was investigated by annexin V and propidium iodide (V/PI) staining and flow cytometry. Caspase activation, cell cycle distribution pattern, and nuclear morphology of the treated leukemic cells were also investigated. Results: From the methanolic extract, four biomolecules were isolated, namely 14-deoxy-11,12-didehydroandrographolide (1), andrographolide (2), neoandrographolide (3), and 14-deoxy-11,12-didehydroandrographiside (4). Results of MTT assay exhibited that out of four compounds, compound (1) showed the most potent activity against all the cell lines tested with the lowest IC50 values of 13 μM on U937 cells. Annexin V/PI staining revealed that the compound was able to induce apoptosis in concentration-dependent manner with IC50 value being 17.66 μM. Apoptotic induction was mediated through elevated activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9. Cell cycle analysis revealed that the compound (1) effectively increased the sub-G0-G1 population in the treated U937 cells (73.25% at 50 μM) in comparison to control set (3.12%). DAPI nuclear staining indicated that compound (1) increased the number of deformed nuclei and an increased level of apoptotic body formation in the treated cells.

Heterosis studies for yield and agronomic traits in Thai upland rice

The exploitation of heterosis and heterobeltiosis are the promising way for raising yield potential in crops. Twenty-eight F1 hybrids and their eight parents were evaluated to estimate the heterosis and heterobeltiosis of yield and other agronomic traits in Thai upland rice. Significant differences of analysis of variance were observed for all studied traits, indicating the existence of worth genetic variability among the hybrids and their parents. The highest significant positive heterosis and heterobeltiosis was attained by Dawk Pa-yawm × Hawm Mali Doi for number of tillers (90.59%; 58.82%) and number of panicles plant-1 (60.35%; 46.14%), and panicle length (heterobeltiosis: 20.05%), but highest significant negative heterosis for plant height (-8.90%). Likewise, Nual Hawm × Khun Nan showed the highest significant positive heterosis and heterobeltiosis for yield components, viz., number of filled grains panicle-1 (57.39%; 52.25%), spikelet fertility (25.01%; 21.16%), 1000 grain weight (heterosis: 12.85%) and grain yield plant-1 (heterosis: 19.86%), but highest significant negative for days to flowering (-17.52%; -6.03%) and days to maturity (-12.00%; -4.91%). These crosses were recommended as the most promising combinations to gain early favorable segregants and developing high yielding upland rice hybrid varieties by heterosis breeding.

Research progress on the mechanism of air paniculate matter on cardiovascular diseases

In recent years, facing the increasingly prominent air pollution, many countries are attac-hing importance to public health issues related to human. Many studies show that there is a positive correlation between inhalable paniculate matter and the risk of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, the threat of inhalable particulate matter (PM) to human cardiovascular disease has become popular research topics. The paper summarizes recent progress in researches of the pathological mechanism and correlation on cardiovascular diseases, such as inflammation reaction, oxidative stress, autonomic dysfunction, cardiac cell membranes ion channels, coagulation system. Key words: Air pollutants; Particulate matter; Cardiovascular diseases; Review

Assessment of Andrographis paniculata and Aframomum melegueta on Bacteria Isolated from Wounds

Assessment of Andrographis paniculata and Aframomum melegueta on Bacteria Isolated from Wounds

English

English

Design and field evaluation of hill-drop pneumatic central cylinder direct-seeding machine for hybrid rice

To meet the requirement of the precision direct-seeding for hybrid rice, this study aimed to design a hill-drop pneumatic central cylinder direct-seeding machine to sow ten rows at a time. A series of orthogonal experiments were conducted to investigate the performance of the cylinder seeder. The influences of the hole diameters, degree of vacuum, and rotational speed of the cylinder were tested on JPS-12 computer-vision seeding test platform, and the rotational speed of 10-50 r/min, diameter of 135 mm and a negative pressure of 1.0-2.0 kPa were employed. Test results showed that the optimal parameter combination was a vacuum of 2.0 kPa and a hole diameter of 2.0 mm (straight hole), with a rotational speed of 30 r/min. The probability of (2±1) seeds in each hole was 95.3%, while the probability of seed-missing hole was 2.0%. A series of field experiments were then conducted to test the seeder performance according to China National Standard Test Methods, and the field test results showed that for the hill-drop pneumatic central cylinder direct-seeding machine, the probability of (2±1) seeds in each hill was 91.6%, while the probability of seed-missing hill was 2.7%. The yield data showed that the average effective panicle had 231.25 ears, the average seed setting rate was 9.92%, the average 1000-grain weight was 22.45 g, and the average yield was 7107.9 kg/hm2 that was 26.14% higher than the average yield of rice (5634.9 kg/hm2) of Guangdong Province in 2016. The results showed that the hill-drop pneumatic central cylinder direct-seeding machine for hybrid rice could be applied in practical precision rice seeding. Keywords: direct-seeding machine, hybrid rice, precision rice seeder, pneumatic cylinder, platform test, field test DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20181106.4175 Citation: Wang B L, Luo X W, Wang Z M, Zheng L, Zhang M H, Dai Y Z, et al. Design and field evaluation of hill-drop pneumatic central cylinder direct-seeding machine for hybrid rice. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2018; 11(6): 33–40.

Weed-competitive ability of a hybrid and an inbred rice cultivar in managing Ischaemum rugosum in dry-seeded rice

Ischaemum rugosum Salisb. commonly known as ribbed murainagrass is a problematic herbicide-resistant weed in directseeded rice systems. To evaluate the competitive ability of rice cultivars against I. rugosum, a study was established with two rice cultivars (Mestiso 21, a hybrid and IR 64, an inbred). These cultivars were sown at density of 4 plants per pot with four different densities of I. rugosum (0, 2, 4, and 8 plants pot(-1)). Across weed density levels, IR 64 had 14% lower while Mestiso 21 had 20% higher plant height than I. rugosum. In competition with eight I. rugosum plants per pot, Mestiso 21 had 17% higher plant height (85 cm) than of IR 64 (73 cm). Without competition, IR 64 had higher tiller number, leaf number, leaf area, and root biomass than Mestiso 21 while in competition with eight weed plants per pot, Mestiso 21 had higher leaf biomass (29%), stem biomass (13%), specific stem length (38%), panicle biomass (29%), florets number (41%), and florets biomass (36%) than IR 64. In comparison with control (no weed competition), weed densities of 2, 4, and 8 plants pot(-1) reduced the total rice biomasses and grain yields by 32, 42, and 50%; and 26, 46, and 56% for IR 64 and by 23, 37, and 45%; and 20, 28, and 42% for Mestiso 21, respectively. The Mestiso 21 reduced the I. rugosum plant height, number of tillers, leaf biomass, inflorescence biomass, root biomass, and total aboveground biomass by 16.3, 0.3, 22.1, 31.3, 21.8, and 22.7%, respectively, compared with IR 64. The results of this study suggest that the hybrid rice Mestiso 21 has a better competitive ability to suppress I. rugosum than IR 64 therefore can be used in an integrated weed management of problematic weeds in direct-seeded rice systems.

Revision of the group previously known as Panicum L. (Poaceae: Panicoideae) in Madagascar

Vorontsova, M.S. (2018). Revision of the group previously known as Panicum L. (Poaceae: Panicoideae) in Madagascar. Candollea 73: 143–186. In English, English and French abstracts. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15553/c2018v732a1Panicoid grasses are ubiquitous across Madagascar, yet no complete and modern taxonomic framework has so far been attempted. This paper aims to establish and record species boundaries in the group previously recognised as the genus Panicum L. (Poaceace, Panicoideae), with simple panicoid spikelets and open panicle-like inflorescences. All specimens held at the K, P, and TAN herbaria were revised in addition to field work throughout the island. Species concepts were reconciled with those in tropical Africa. Recent phylogenetic research in Panicum s.l. has been incorporated and several species have been placed in Adenochloa Zuloaga, Trichanthecium Zuloaga & Morrone, and Urochloa maxima (Jacq.) R.D. Webster. Further species outside the Panicum s.s. clade will be ultimately transferred to other genera pending further research. A treatment of 32 species is presented, including an identification key, synonymy and typification for all names applied to specimens collected in Madagascar, species descriptions, illustrations, distribution maps, and full specimen citations. Twenty species (63%) are endemic to Madagascar and the nearby islands. Data on natural occurrence in Madagascar are presented but these are still tentative. Nineteen names are placed in synonymy for the first time; 38 lectotypes are designated.

Andrographolide inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line C666-1 through LKB1-AMPK-dependent signaling pathways.

Andrographolide (Andro) belongs to the main bioactive ingredients of Andrographis paniculata. Many studies have shown that andro has a variety of pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-virus, anti-oxidant, immune regulation and liver protective effects. Moreover andro has been reported to have anticancer activity in multiple types of cancer, including gastric cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer and so on. However, there is no report about the effect of andro on the human NPC cell line C666-1 and the molecular mechanisms of andro-mediated apoptosis in C666-1 cells remain to be clarified. Cell proliferation was measured by a CCK8 assay, cell apoptosis rate was evaluated by flow cytometric analysis, and the protein expression of LKB1/AMPK signaling pathways was detected by Western blotting. Treatment with andro inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis of C666-1 cells. Moreover, andro could activate LKB1-AMPK signaling. We also demonstrated that Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinaseβ (CaMKKβ) was not involved in the regulation of andro on AMPK activation in C666-1 Cells. Andro suppressed proliferation and induced apoptosis of C666-1 cells through regulating the LKB1/AMPK/mTOR signal pathway.

Morphometric and productive characteristics of sorghum genotypes for forage production in the Brazilian semi-arid

SUMMARY This study agronomically evaluated 14 sorghum genotypes in the Brazilian semi-arid region. A randomized complete block design, with the treatments represented by sorghum genotypes and three replicates, was used. The dry matter (DM), plant height (PH), number of live leaves, fresh matter production (FMP), dry matter production (DMP), leaf blade (LB), stem, panicle (PAN), dead material, water accumulation (WA), efficiency of rainwater use (ERU) and carrying capacity (SC) were measured. There was an effect of genotype among all the variables. The genotype with the highest percentage of DM was BRS 655 (26.42%). The genotypes BRS 655, BRS 506, B1141340, 13F04 (1141572) and PONTA NEGRA produced the most FMP, with values of 48,517, 48,500, 44,879, 44,788 and 43,549 kg/ha, respectively. Not only did the genotypes BRS 655, B1141340, 13F04 (1141572), BRS 506 and PONTA NEGRA present the highest DMP, with values of 12,426, 10,344, 9,778, 9,756 and 9,176 kg/ha, respectively, but also the highest values for ERU, WA and SC. There was a significant positive correlation between productive variables (FMP with DMP, PH, ERU and WA) and a nonsignificant negative correlation between morphometric variables (FMP with LB and PAN). A hierarchical formation of four groups was observed, with groups I and III composed of the most productive genotypes. BRS 655 can be recommended for cultivation since this genotype has desirable agronomic characteristics.

Complete Chloroplast Genome Sequence of Broomcorn Millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) and Comparative Analysis with Other Panicoideae Species

Broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) is one of the earliest domesticated cereals worldwide, holding significant agricultural, historical, and evolutionary importance. However, our genomic knowledge of it is rather limited at present, hampering further genetic and evolutionary studies. Here, we sequenced and assembled the chloroplast genome (cp) of broomcorn millet and compared it with five other Panicoideae species. Results showed that the cp genome of broomcorn millet was 139,826 bp in size, with a typical quadripartite structure. In total, 108 genes were annotated and 18 genes were duplicated in the IR (inverted region) region, which was similar to other Panicoideae species. Comparative analysis showed a rather conserved genome structure between them, with three common regions. Furthermore, RNA editing, codon usage, and expansion of the IR, as well as simple sequence repeat (SSR) elements, were systematically investigated and 13 potential DNA markers were developed for Panicoideae species identification. Finally, phylogenetic analysis implied that broomcorn millet was a sister species to Panicum virgatum within the tribe Paniceae, and supported a monophyly of the Panicoideae. This study has reported for the first time the genome organization, gene content, and structural features of the chloroplast genome of broomcorn millet, which provides valuable information for genetic and evolutionary studies in the genus Panicum and beyond.

Effects of irrigation water regime, soil clay content and their combination on growth, yield, and water use efficiency of rice grown in South China

To investigate the effect of irrigation regime, soil clay content and their combination on growth, yield, and water productivity of rice, a shelter experiment was conduct using Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with a factorial arrangement of treatments with four replications. Irrigation regime was the main treatment investigated, set in three levels as R(30 mm-100%) (100% of saturation and 30 mm flooded), R(30 mm-90%) (90% of saturation and 30 mm flooded) and R(30 mm-70%) (70% saturation and 30 mm flooded), respectively. The sub-treatment was soil type, set in three levels as 40%, 50% and 60% clay content, respectively. Results showed that irrigation regime and soil clay content had significant effects on growth, yield and water productivity of rice. However, their combination showed no significant impact on panicles number, root biomass, harvest index and irrigation water productivity. Higher soil clay content results in increase in growth, yield, and water productivity of rice. The total water consumption during R(30 mm-100%) was higher than that during R(30 mm-90%) and R(30 mm-70%) because the latter two saturation levels led to the cracking of soil and decrease of total number of irrigations. Cracks were consistently getting more serious with the reduction in soil water content and the increase in soil clay content. Cracks in soil will preferentially become the major routes of water losses, thus water percolation during R(30 mm-70%) was higher than that during R(30 mm-90%) and R(30 mm-100%) after each irrigation event. The total water use under R(30 mm-70%) exceeded the water consumption under R(30 mm-90%) due to the great amount of soil cracking as well as the excessive volume of standing water depth. Considering water consumption and grain yield, the following conclusion can be reached: (i) The reduction in water consumption was greater than the reduction in grain yield in the case of drying soil 10% below saturation before reflooding. (ii) The reduction in water consumption was less than the reduction in grain yield in the case of drying soil 30% below saturation before reflooding; (iii) The increase in water use was greater than the increase in grain yield in the case of maintaining soil moisture at 100% of saturation before reflooding. Therefore, the water use efficiency was recorded in the order of R(30 mm-90%) >R(30 mm-100%) >R(30 mm-70%). Keywords: irrigation regime, clay content, combination, growth, yield, water productivity, rice DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20181104.3895 Citation: Hamoud Y A, Guo X P, Wang Z C, Chen S, Rasool G. Effects of irrigation water regime, soil clay content and their combination on growth, yield, and water use efficiency of rice grown in South China. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2018; 11(4): 144-155.

A WUSCHEL Homeobox Transcription Factor, OsWOX13, Enhances Drought Tolerance and Triggers Early Flowering in Rice.

Plants have evolved strategies to cope with drought stress by maximizing physiological capacity and adjusting developmental processes such as flowering time. The WOX13 orthologous group is the most conserved among the clade of WOX homeodomain-containing proteins and is found to function in both drought stress and flower development. In this study, we isolated and characterized OsWOX13 from rice. OsWOX13 was regulated spatially in vegetative organs but temporally in flowers and seeds. Overexpression of OsWOX13 (OsWOX13-ov) in rice under the rab21 promoter resulted in drought resistance and early flowering by 7–10 days. Screening of gene expression profiles in mature leaf and panicles of OsWOX13-ov showed a broad spectrum of effects on biological processes, such as abiotic and biotic stresses, exerting a cross-talk between responses. Protein binding microarray and electrophoretic mobility shift assay analyses supported ATTGATTG as the putative cis-element binding of OsWOX13. OsDREB1A and OsDREB1F, drought stress response transcription factors, contain ATTGATTG motif(s) in their promoters and are preferentially expressed in OsWOX13-ov. In addition, Heading date 3a and OsMADS14, regulators in the flowering pathway and development, were enhanced in OsWOX13-ov. These results suggest that OsWOX13 mediates the stress response and early flowering and, thus, may be a regulator of genes involved in drought escape.

Essential oil production of Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack at different harvest times

Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack has a fragrant flower, from which the fragrance is due to the essential oil. The study aimed to investigate the production of essential oil and its chemical compounds at different harvest times. The research was conducted at an organic experimental farm, Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor, Indonesia (6°30’-6°45’ S, 106°30’-106°45’ E) from October 2016 to February 2017 using randomized complete block design. The experiment consisted of one factor, namely the harvest times, comprised of harvest at 05.00-07.00 and 07.00-09.00 a.m. M. paniculata flowers were collected at three different flower ages, comprised of two days before anthesis, one day before anthesis and the day of anthesis (blooming). The different flower ages indicated by the flower size. Ethanol extraction method was used to extract the essential oil of the flowers from different harvesting times and then chemical compounds were analyzed by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. The result showed that flower number and weight were not affected by harvesting times. The flower collected on the day of anthesis had the highest flower number and weight. Harvesting flowers at anthesis can be done at 05.00-09.00 a.m. The highest quantity and quality of essential oils were obtained by harvesting the flowers at anthesis. β-methylesculetin and murralongin were the primary compounds in M. paniculata flowers that harvested at 05.00-09.00 a.m.

Rice cultivation to cope with drought situation by alternate wet and dry (awd) water management system: case study of ratchaburi province, thailand

Alternate wet and dry (AWD) system is an interesting water management system that has been widely promoted to replace continuous flooding (CF) system as an effective water saving technique for rice cultivation. This study was conducted in wet season of 2015 and dry season of 2016 in Ratchaburi Province, Thailand, with a randomised block design to estimate and compare the water used in rice cultivation and grain yield between AWD and CF systems. Water level controlling in rice field of AWD was incomplete in wet season experiment due to rainfall interference, but it was complete in the dry season experiment. It was found (non-significantly) that AWD used less water in rice cultivation than CF. It reduced water use by average about8.13 % for the stages of transplanting to harvesting and 7.51 % for the stage of land preparation to harvesting. Dry field allowing of AWD has positive effects to tiller, panicle numbers and productivity which it increased grain yield by 2.42 % as compared to CF. This increase of grain yield can only be found in complete AWD (AWD in dry season). AWD also found significantly increased water productivity in both wet and dry seasons as compared to CF. Our result suggested that in the case study at Ratchaburi, although less water used in complete AWD than in CF, it was still not significant to show the effective of water used in the incomplete AWD system. More investigation in water consumption with no rainwater interfering is recommended.