Scientific Harvesting Research Articles

Analysis of Chemical Changes during Maturation of Amomum tsao-ko Based on GC-MS, FT-NIR, and FT-MIR.

Amomum tsao-ko Crevost et Lemaire (A. tsao-ko) is widely grown for its high nutritional and economic value. However, the lack of a scientific harvesting and quality control system has resulted in an uneven product quality. The present study was based on A. tsao-ko from four maturity stages from the same growing area, and its chemical trends and quality were evaluated using a combination of agronomic trait analysis, spectroscopy, chromatography, chemometrics, and network pharmacology. The results showed that A. tsao-ko was phenotypically dominant in October. Spectroscopy showed that the absorbance intensity at different maturity stages showed a trend of October > September > August > July. Further chemical differences between A. tsao-ko at different stages of maturity were found by chromatography to originate mainly from alcohol, aromatic, acids, esters, hydrocarbons, ketone, heterocyclic, and aldehydes. The network pharmacology results showed that the active ingredient for the treatment of obesity was present in A. tsao-ko and had high levels in A. tsao-ko in September and October. The results of this study provide a new idea for the comprehensive evaluation of A. tsao-ko and a theoretical basis for the harvesting and resource utilization of A. tsao-ko.

Contribution of Nontimber Forest Products Earn to Livelihood in Rural Households and the Type of Use: A Systematic Review

The researcher conducted a review of 83 articles published between 2011 and 2021 to determine the nontimber forest products (NTFPs) income contribution and usage types based on spatial and temporal patterns. The study used a search, synthesis, appraisal, and analysis framework for review. The review included articles that only focused on the contributions of NTFPs for livelihood income and NTFPs usage type, while others not related to these two topics were excluded. For its literature search, more than half of the articles used Google Scholar, followed by Research4life, Scopus/Elsevier, EMBASE, and PubMed, respectively. In this study, excluding papers that (i) did not provide evidence on the income contribution of NTFPs, (ii) did not include articles that did not clearly explain the NTFPs use types, and (iii) were published before 2011, the reviewer was able to reduce the number of included articles (eligibility criteria or inclusion and exclusion criteria). 83 article papers were reviewed for the current review. The majority of the research for this review was carried out in India (19%), Ethiopia (13%), and Nigeria (11%). India was the first of the 17 both Asian and African countries to do research on the NTFPs’ contribution to rural household income and type of use. NTFPs contribute significantly to rural household revenue in 17 countries, ranging from a minimum of 9.5% in Zambia to a maximum of 40.19% in Myanmar. The average percentage of revenue from NTFPs across the 17 nations was 23.56%. Wild fruit, wild vegetables, medicinal plants, firewood, and crafts were the five NTFP usage types that were used by people in every country studied. Despite the fact that different countries utilize different types of NTFPs, the most commonly used types of NTFPs do not differ statistically ( P > 0.05 ). To prevent overexploitation, those top five NTFPs must be conserved as they gather across the regions. NTFP collection is a significant source of revenue for rural poor and people who live in and around the forest. There are many types of NTFPs in both Asian and African countries. So, this study shows that the rural people depend on the forest product and get many benefits from the forest especially in the NTFP usage type. In order to secure livelihood stability in this global biodiversity hotspot and to preserve plant and animal diversity, the cultivation and scientific harvesting of NTFPs are urgently required. It is necessary to increase capacity by teaching NTFP users how, when, and how much to harvest.

Transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses provide new insights into the appropriate harvest period in regenerated bulbs of Fritillaria hupehensis.

The bulb of Fritillaria hupehensis, a traditional cough and expectorant medicine, is usually harvested from June to September according to traditional cultivation experience, without practical scientific guidance. Although steroidal alkaloid metabolites have been identified in F. hupehensis, the dynamic changes in their levels during bulb development and their molecular regulatory mechanisms are poorly understood. In this study, integrative analyses of the bulbus phenotype, bioactive chemical investigations, and metabolome and transcriptome profiles were performed to systematically explore the variations in steroidal alkaloid metabolite levels and identify the genes modulating their accumulation and the corresponding regulatory mechanisms. The results showed that weight, size, and total alkaloid content of the regenerated bulbs reached a maximum at IM03 (post-withering stage, early July), whereas peiminine content reached a maximum at IM02 (withering stage, early June). There were no significant differences between IM02 and IM03, indicating that regenerated bulbs could be harvested appropriately in early June or July. Peiminine, peimine, tortifoline, hupehenine, korseveramine, delafrine, hericenone N-oxide, korseveridine, puqiedinone, pingbeinone, puqienine B, puqienine E, pingbeimine A, jervine, and ussuriedine levels were upregulated in IM02 and IM03, compared with IM01 (vigorous growth stage, early April). The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis indicated that the accumulation of steroidal alkaloid metabolites mainly occurred prior to IM02. HMGR1, DXR, CAS1, CYP 90A1, and DET2 may play a positive role in peiminine, peimine, hupehenine, korseveramine, korseveridine, hericenone N-oxide, puqiedinone, delafrine, tortifoline, pingbeinone, puqienine B, puqienine E, pingbeimine A, jervine, and ussuriedine biosynthesis, whereas the downregulation of FPS1, SQE and 17-DHCR may lead to a reduction in peimisine levels. Weighted gene correlation network analysis showed that CYP 74A2-1, CYP 74A2-2, CYP 71A26-1, CYP 71A26-2, and CYP74A were negatively correlated with peiminine and pingbeimine A, whereas CYP R and CYP707A1 were positively correlated. . CYP 74A2-1 and CYP 74A2-2 may play a negative role in peimine and korseveridine biosynthesis, whereas CYP R plays a positive role. In addition, the highly expressed C2H2, HSF, AP2/ERF, HB, GRAS, C3H, NAC, MYB-related transcription factors (TFs), GARP-G2-like TFs, and WRKY may play positive roles in the accumulation of peiminine, peimine, korseveridine, and pingbeimine A. These results provide new insights into scientific harvesting of F. hupehensis.

The Cancer Registry of Norway – “a ground for scientific harvesting”

The Cancer Registry of Norway (CRN) has been important in registry-based research in Norway for decades. The use of CRN in combination with other population-based registries and health surveys have been the basis for numerous research projects, which has contributed to fill important knowledge gaps. Researchers at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and CRN have a long tradition of using these data sources to address research questions of common interests such as e.g. the effect of life style and diet on cancer risk. CRN and the Medical Birth Registry of Norway have co-existed for a long period, making it possible to study cancer incidence and birth characteristics over generations. During the last decades, several new registries such as the Norwegian Prescription Database and the Norwegian Patient Registry have been established, providing opportunities for studying for example drug use and cancer risk and the influence of comorbidities on the development of cancer. In the future, the CRN will be an even more valuable data source when also other population-based registries and health surveys have existed for longer time periods.

An Investigation on Post-harvest Losses of Lemon Farmers in Moulvibazar District, Bangladesh: Aspects of Practices, Determinants, and Problems

Aims: Lemon is a popular citrus fruit in Bangladesh. Post-harvest management is very important to make lemon production profitable. The current study was carried out to measure the post-harvest practices of lemon farmers, to identify the determinants or factors influencing post-harvest losses of lemon at farm levels, and the associated problems of lemon farmers.
 Study Design: This article is about investigating the determinants or factors influencing post-harvest losses of lemon farmers and is placed on empirical analysis. It was also conducted to determine the practices and problems regarding post-harvest of lemon at the farm levels.
 Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in purposively selected five intensivelemon growing villages of Sreemangal Upazila in the Moulvibazar district of Bangladesh purposively selected as they signify the top lemon (e.g. local, bilati, and china varieties) producing areas of Moulvibazar district. The study period was the harvesting season of lemons from April to May 2019.
 Methodology: The relevant data were collected using structured questionnaires via face-to-face interviews with 160 lemon farmers that were selected using simple random sampling. The post-harvest practices of lemon farmers were measured by using descriptive statistics. The farm-level determinants of post-harvest losses of lemon in the survey areas were identified using a multiple linear regression model, and the Problem Faced Index (PFI) was generated to assess the severity of the particular problem of lemon farmers in the study areas.
 Results: From descriptive statistics results, it is found that farmers in the study area harvested their lemons under mature green conditions (67.6 percent) to reap the benefits of a longer life span, and 59.5 percent of them use the bamboo basket for packaging and transportation purposes. Lemon farmers were using manual vans (48.7 percent) and motor driving rickshaws (25.3 percent) to carry their products in the market. From the multiple linear regression model, it is shown that the key determinants of post-harvest losses in the study area were total production, labor, transportation, storage, distance, market place, and lemon farmers’ farming experience. Lack of storage facilities was the greatest severe problem for lemon farmers, after overproduction and supply of lemon in the peak season, lack of quality seed, high input prices, disease infection, insect infestation, and so on.
 Conclusion: Therefore, this study highlights developing suitable storage facilities, convenient transportation, scientific harvesting methods, and a fair price policy to reduce lemon post-harvest losses at the farm levels.

DISTRIBUTION AND COLLECTION PATTERN OF PICRORHIZA KURROOA MEDICINAL PLANT SPECIES OF NEPAL

Medicinal flora is one of the important natural resources of Nepal. Picrorhiza kurrooa (Kutki) is a well-known medicinal herb found in high mountain of Nepal. The Kutki rhizomes have been widely used to cure indigestion problems in traditional medication systems. Very less information is available on its distribution and collection patterns, particularly from high mountain of mid-western of Nepal till date. The present research aimed to explore the distribution of Kutki and assess its collection pattern in Nepal. Primary data were collected through direct field survey and key informant interview. Atotal of 63 plots with each plot size of 5m×5m were laid out in the field to collect data. The stratified systematic sampling with sampling intensity 0.01% was adopted for distribution survey. The results revealed no significance difference in mean number of Kutki with respect to aspect (p>0.05), whereas there is significance difference in mean number of Kutki with respect to elevation (p<0.05). The distribution of Kutki was recorded between 3750m lower plot and 4831m at higher plot. The Important Value Index of Kutki was found 113.59 with relative frequency of 34.44%. The highest density of Kutki (7476.92 per hectare) was found on eastern aspect. Male participation was found higher than the female for collection of Kutki. Scientific harvesting technique should be adopted for sustainable management of Kutki in the study area.

Effects of different planting density, leaf position and leaf age on growth and quality of Artemisia argyi var. argyi 'Qiai'

In order to guide the standardized planting and scientific harvesting of Artemisia argyi var. argyi 'Qiai', effects of diffe-rent planting density, leaf position and leaf age on the growth and quality of A. argyi var. argyi 'Qiai' were studied in this paper. The results showed that appropriate sparse planting could increase stem diameter, compact leaf spacing, increase the leaf size, reduce the rate of withered leaves and increase the number of effective leaves. Dense planting can significantly increase the yield of A. argyi var. argyi 'Qiai' per Mu(1 Mu≈667 m~2) and the output rate of moxa, but reduce the yield per plant and the number of effective leaves. With the decrease of leaf position and the increase of leaf age, the leaf size and the weight of one hundred leaves increased at first and then decreased, the density of non-glandular hair field of the lower epidermis and the output rate of moxa decreased. With the increase of planting density, the contents of eucalyptus oleoresin, camphor, α-platyclone, and cyanidin decreased gradually, the contents of chlorogenic acid, isochlorogenic acid B, isochlorogenic acid A and isochlorogenic acid C in the leaves of A. argyi var. argyi 'Qiai' increased gradually, while the contents of borneol, bornyl acetate and isozelanin increased at first and then decreased significantly. With the decrease of leaf position and the increase of leaf age, the contents of volatile oil, phenolic acid and flavonoid in A. argyi var. argyi 'Qiai' decreased gradually. PCA analysis can divide the leaf quality characteristics of A. argyi var. argyi 'Qiai' into two parts: the middle and upper 10-30 days leaf age, the middle and lower 40-50 days above leaf age. Based on the above factors, the planting density of 28 000 plants/Mu(row spacing of 10 cm×20 cm) can be selected for cultivation of A. argyi var. argyi 'Qiai' rhizome, and the effective plants in the field are about 142 800 plants/Mu. In terms of harvesting, it is suggested that the A. argyi var. argyi 'Qiai' should be harvested on "March 3 rd" and "May 5 th" of the lunar calendar. If it is the traditionally harvested at one time in May, the A. argyi var. argyi 'Qiai' should be divided into two parts: the middle and upper leaves, the middle and lower leaves, so as to achieve high quality and high price of A. argyi var. argyi 'Qiai' leaves and improve the economic benefits of A. argyi var. argyi 'Qiai' planting.

Chironji (Buchanania lanzan): A Retreating Valuable Resource of Central India

Minor forest products have been a source of livelihood of millions of forest dwellers in India and other developing and third world countries. The seeds of Buchanania lanzan (Chironji) - a tree species belonging to the family Anacardiacae are commercially very useful for rural tribal people in various parts of India. The seeds/kernels of the plant yield fatty oil which is a substitute for olive and almond oils and widely used in confectionery as well as in the Indigenenous Medicine System (IMS). Due to unsustainable extraction of the seeds natural regeneration of Chironji has become a major issue among environmentalists and field biologists during the last few decades. The species listed in the Red Data Book of IUCN as a vulnerable medicinal plant species. The present article deals with the assessment of the nutritive/economic value of Chironji and regeneration techniques which might be helpful in the conservation and enhancement of this valuable species. The study reveals that the species have great nutritive values having indigenous and industrial significance. Vegetative propagation has shown good results compared to direct seed sowing. The conservation of the species can be promoted by adopting better regeneration techniques and creating awareness among primary collectors and suggesting appropriate scientific harvesting practices.

The search for microbial Martian life and American Buddhist ethics

AbstractMultiple searches hunt for extraterrestrial life, yet the ethics of such searches in terms of fossil and possible extant life on Mars have not been sufficiently delineated. In response, in this essay, I propose a tripartite ethic for searches for microbial Martian life that consists of default non-harm towards potential living beings, default non-harm to the habitats of potential living beings, but also responsible, restrained scientific harvesting of some microbes in limited transgression of these default non-harm modes. Although this multifaceted ethic remains secular and hence adaptable to space research settings, it arises from both a qualitative analysis of authoritative Buddhist scriptural ethics as well as the quantified ethnographic survey voices of contemporary American Buddhists. The resulting tripartite ethic, while developed for Mars, contains ramifications for the study of microbes on Earth and further retains application to other research locations in our Solar system.

Cultivars breeding and production of non-psychoactive medicinal cannabis with high CBD content

The shortage of new cannabis varieties with low THC and high CBD content and irregular planting techniques have become the bottleneck for he development of non-psychoactive medicinal cannabis industry. Based on the cannabis germplasm resources,this paper proposes strategies for breeding high CBD content,seed-type and high-efficiency,dwarf non-psychoactive medicinal cannabis varieties through molecular marker development,assisted breeding,genetic engineering breeding and traditional breeding. According to the suitable ecological factors of non-psychoactive medicinal cannabis,the CBD content and grain yield of non-psychoactive medicinal cannabis can be improved by regulating the nutritional structure and illumination properties of non-psychoactive medicinal cannabis,scientific harvesting and storage. At the same time,in order to further accelerate the application of non-psychoactive medicinal cannabis,we can accelerate the selection of new varieties of non-psychoactive medicinal cannabis by mining genetic information of cannabis,and strengthen the application of information technology and automation of modern agriculture in the production of non-psychoactive medicinal cannabis. Provide basis for the cultivation and wide application of new non-psychoactive medicinal cannabis varieties with high quality and high yield.

Early harvesting improves seed vigour of hybrid rice seeds

Maturity stage in harvesting time greatly affects seed vigour. This work aimed to scientific harvesting time of hybrid rice for being high vigour with high & stable seed yield. Field experiments of different harvesting time were conducted in 2013–2014, and germination percentage (GP), vigour index (VI), seed moisture content and 1000-grain weight was determined. Both GP and VI progressively increased to peaks and then began to decline with harvesting time delayed, and the regression coefficients of varieties were ranged from 0.7214 to 0.9066. In addition, difference values between tangent points (ΔX) of GP were higher than that of VI according to the quadratic functions. Based on seed vigour through the divided range from 75% to 125% of peak value, optimum harvesting time of IIY-416, JY-167, Yliangyou-1 (YLY-1) ranged from 17 to 27, 15 to 23 and 17 to 23 days after the completion of artificial pollination (DACAP), respectively. Moreover, when seedlots harvested from 17 to 23 DACAP, no significant difference was found on 1000-grain weight and the seed moisture content was kept relatively low (19–25%). Therefore, it can be concluded that hybrid rice seed can be earlier-harvest based on seed vigour, and 17 to 23 DACAP can be recommended as optimum harvesting time during hybrid rice seed production.

Forest removal and the cascade of effects corresponding with an Ozark Hellbender population decline

Populations of the endangered Ozark Hellbender salamander (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis bishopi) in the North Fork of the White River (NFWR) in Missouri and other streams have declined precipitously in recent decades. Deforestation of the riparian and nearby upland habitat has corresponded with in-river habitat changes and other interacting stressors that coincide chronologically with the precipitous decline. We review the cascade of effects, including changes in water quality, benthic habitat, illegal and scientific harvesting, and introduced and reintroduced species occurrence that followed deforestation in the context of their impacts on hellbenders and relationship with other stressors such as climate change. In-river habitat changes since the 1960s include benthic microhabitat alterations associated with redistribution of gravel, siltation, and sedimentation and, in part, increases in nuisance vegetation, including periphyton. Deforestation of riparian and nearby upland habitats increased access and opportunities for human activities such as recreation, wildlife collection, and development. The subsequent degradation of stream habitat and water quality following deforestation reduced the carrying capacity for the NFWR Ozark Hellbender population and had negative consequences on population health.

Status, Utilization and Economic Valuation of Non-timber Forest Products of Arunachal Pradesh, India

Non-timber forest products are important component of subsistence and livelihood of tribal communities living in and near forests. This is of particular significance in the state of Arunachal Pradesh having more than 80% of geographical area under forest cover and predominantly inhabited by tribal people. Purpose of this study was to document the status and utilization pattern and to assess the economic value of NTFPs of the state. Present study was carried out in eight districts of Arunachal Pradesh viz., Changlang, East Kameng, Lower Subansiri, Tawang, Tirap, Upper Siang, West Kameng and West Siang covering 34 villages and 350 households. Altogether, 135 plant based and 36 animal based non-timber forest products were recorded. Among plant based NTFPs, 54 species were collected for leaves, 30 for stem and 22 for fruits. Most of the animal based NTFPs (93%) were collected/hunted for food. Average 20~40 kg of NTFPs was collected annually per household. Maximum plant based NTFP collection was recorded from West Siang followed by West Kameng and Tawang. Similarly, highest collection of animal based NTFPs was recorded from West Siang followed by Tirap and Lower Subansiri. NTFP contributed more than 50% of annual income of the people of East Kameng, Tirap, Lower Subansiri and Upper Siang districts. An illiterate and unemployed person with minimum agricultural land was more dependent on forests for his livelihood than a literate jobholder. The study concludes that a large section of people of Arunachal Pradesh are dependent on NTFPs for their livelihood however due to its unscientific harvesting, the availability of NTFPs is receding with time. There is an urgent need to promote cultivation and scientific harvesting of NTFPs in order to conserve the plant and animal diversity of this global biodiversity hotspot and for ensuring livelihood security of the people living in this area.

Silvicultural and management techniques for improving quality and productivity of existing bamboo Plantation in India

In the present investigation, an attempt was made to demonstrate how regular scientific harvesting and silvicultural management practices could avoid over congestion and enhance quality and overall productivity of old existing bamboo plantations in India. Infrastructure development, irrigation facilities and various silvicultural activities were carried out regularly at the project site through out the project t duration of four years. Four different silvicultural treatments including the control were established in irrigated as well as rain fed research plots. The findings revealed that maximum number of new bamboo shoots, their maximum average height and girth were observed in 100% decongestion of culms in a clump followed by 33% decongestion of culms in a clump and 25% decongestion of culms in a clump treatment with respect to the control one. Among, the plots, irrigated plot performed better in terms of quality as well as overall productivity of new bamboo shoots as compared to the rain fed research plot.