Smart Traps, Smarter Surveillance: Using IoT and Computer Vision to Detect Aedes Eggs | InformativeBD

Arnel C. Fajardo, from the different institute of Philippines. wrote a Research Article about, Smart Traps, Smarter Surveillance: Using IoT and Computer Vision to Detect Aedes Eggs. Entitled, Detecting and counting Aedes aegypti egg using iot-ovitrap with computer vision approach. This research paper published by the Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences | JBES. an open access scholarly research journal on Biodiversity. under the affiliation of the International Network For Natural Sciences| INNSpub. an open access multidisciplinary research journal publisher.

Abstract

This study focuses on the critical investigation of the propagation of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, a vector responsible for transmitting various diseases. The significance lies in understanding its spread due to its potential to disseminate illnesses. Employing laboratory-engineered traps called IoT-Ovitraps, the research aims to construct maps illustrating egg deposition within a community. To achieve this, images featuring the objects of interest, namely Aedes aegypti eggs, are captured using a Raspberry Pi equipped with a micro lens. The primary objective centers on the detection and enumeration of Aedes aegypti eggs within the confines of Cauayan City. To ascertain the most effective methodology for achieving accurate egg quantification, the study employs three distinct models. These models are subsequently compared for their precision in estimating egg quantities present in the ovitraps. Among the models assessed, the convolutional neural network (CNN) emerges as the superior option in terms of efficiency and dependability. Remarkably, the CNN model attains an impressive accuracy rate of 99.5% in accurately detecting and enumerating Aedes aegypti eggs. This outcome underscores the potential of advanced machine learning techniques in contributing to effective disease vector monitoring and control strategies, highlighting the promising role of neural networks in tackling the challenges posed by disease-carrying mosquitoes.

Read more : Battling Bacterial Blight: How Rice Varieties and Wild Species Fight Back | InformativeBD

Introduction

An epidemic of dengue disease is spread by infected Aedes aegypti. When eggs were clumped with comparable things, disease carriers were difficult to locate. This illness has frequently endangered public health and even resulted in fatalities. To identify disease carriers at an early stage, several approaches and technologies, including computer vision and deep learning, had been explored. Aedes aegypti eggs can also be branded and mixed in with similar objects while still being recognized by a computer vision algorithm. Some studies (Bandong & Joelianto, 2019) (Santana et al., 2019) includes in their investigations are determined the size, shape, and color are the most important characteristics of eggs.

In the Philippines, the threat of dengue fever remains a significant public health concern due to the active transmission of the disease by the infected Aedes aegypti mosquito. The country has experienced recurrent outbreaks of dengue, posing substantial health risks and mortality rates. In response to the challenges posed by these disease carriers, innovative strategies and technological advancements have been explored to enhance early detection and control.

In order to effectively detect and count Aedes aegypti eggs in a particular location in Cauyan City, Isabela Province, Philippines. The researcher created a hardware which is called IoT-OviTrap that composed of Raspberry pi with micro lenses that is place over the black container with paddle or so called “DOST OL trap”. The hardware was being set with a time interval for capturing and automatically processed the capture images and then sends the result into the webserver.

The motivation of this study is to perform different computer vision models such as (OpenCV, Template Matching and Neural Network) to be package into the hardware and compare its results.

This study lies in its potential to address a pressing public health concern related to the spread of dengue disease through infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

Dengue outbreaks have posed a significant threat to public health, leading to substantial morbidity and mortality. The challenge of detecting disease carriers becomes more complex when Aedes aegypti eggs are clustered among similar objects, making their identification and control arduous. Early detection and monitoring of these disease vectors are critical to implementing timely control measures.

By exploring innovative approaches such as computer vision and deep learning, this study aims to contribute to the development of effective tools and techniques for the detection and counting of Aedes aegypti eggs. The creation of the IoT-OviTrap hardware, which integrates Raspberry Pi with micro lenses, offers a practical solution for real-time image capture and analysis. The utilization of computer vision models like OpenCV, Template Matching, and Neural Network within the hardware holds the potential to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of egg detection.

Ultimately, the study's findings have the potential to inform and guide public health interventions, aiding in the early identification and management of Aedes aegypti populations. This research could contribute significantly to the field of disease vector control and monitoring, offering insights into innovative technological solutions that can be applied in other regions facing similar challenges.

The emergence and propagation of dengue disease carried by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes have engendered substantial health risks, necessitating effective control measures. However, the challenge of identifying these disease vectors is compounded when their eggs are clustered alongside similar objects. Traditional detection methods often fall short in accurately locating and quantifying these eggs. In response, this study seeks to address the problem of efficient and reliable Aedes aegypti egg detection within a specific location in Cauayan City, Isabela Province, Philippines.

Despite previous research efforts, there is a need for advanced technological solutions that combine hardware and computer vision techniques to enhance the accuracy and speed of egg detection. The development of the IoT-OviTrap, encompassing Raspberry Pi with micro lenses and integrated computer vision models, seeks to provide a holistic solution to this problem. The comparative analysis of computer vision models—OpenCV, Template Matching, and Neural Network—within the hardware framework further enhances the potential for accurate and early identification of Aedes aegypti eggs.

Reference

A. Joshi, C. Miller. 2021. Review of Machine Learning Techniques For Mosquito Control In Urban Environments, Ecol. Inform., Vol. 61, No.1, P. 101241, Doi: 10.1016/J.Ecoinf.2021.101241.

Al. Rapid Surveillance For Vector Presence (RSVP): Development of a Novel System For Detecting Aedes aegypti And Aedes Albopictus, Plos Negl. Borne Dis., 2020, Vol. 1, No. 1, P. 100014, DOI: 10.1016/J.Crpvbd.2021.100014.

Bandong S., Joelianto E. 2019. Counting of Aedes aegypti Eggs using Image Processing with Grid Search Parameter Optimization. ICSECC- International Conference on Sustainable Engineering and Creative Computing: New Idea, New Innovation, Proceedings, 293–298. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICSECC.2019.8907232

Cuevas E., Osuna V., Oliva, D. 2017). Template matching. Studies in Computational Intelligence. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51109-2_4

Chaves, 2017. Modeling The Association Between Aedes aegypti Ovitrap Egg Counts, Multi-Scale Remotely Sensed Environmental Data And Arboviral Cases At Puntarenas, Costa Rica (2017–2018),” Curr. Res. Parasitol. Vector-“Doh Observes National Dengue Awareness Month, Leads The 2021 Asean Dengue Day Regional Forum, Department Of Health. Https://Doh.Gov.Ph/Press-Release/Dohobserves-National-Dengue-Awareness-Monthleads-The-2021-Asean-Dengue-Day-Regional-Forum

Dehshibi D., Masip A. 2021. Deep Convolutional Neural Network For Classification Of Aedes Albopictus Mosquitoes, IEEE Access, Vol. 9, Pp. 72681–72690. DOI: 10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3079700

Gumiran AC., Fajardo RP., Medina MS., Dao, BE. Aguinaldo. 2022. Aedes aegypti Egg Morphological Property And Attribute Determination Based On Computer Vision, Pp. 581–585, Sep. DOI: 10.1109/ICSIP55141.2022.9887255

Ghoshal A., Aspat A., Lemos E. 2021. OpenCV Image Processing for AI Pet Robot. International Journal of Applied Sciences and Smart Technologies. https://doi.org/10.24071/ijasst.v3i1.2765

Han Y. 2021. Reliable template matching for image detection in vision sensor systems. Sensors. https://doi.org/10.3390/s21248176

Scavuzzo M. 2018. Modeling Dengue Vector Population Using Remotely Sensed Data And Machine Learning, Acta Trop., Vol. 185, Pp. 167–175. Doi: 10.1016/J.Actatropica.2018.05.003

Santana C., Firmo A., Oliveira R., Buarque P., Alves, G., Lima R. 2019. Albopictus Eggs in Paddles from Ovitraps Using Deep Learning. 17(12), 1987–1994.

Shubham Mishra, Mrs. Versha Verma, Dr. Nikhat Akhtar, Shivam Chaturvedi, & Dr. Yusuf Perwej. 2022. An Intelligent Motion Detection Using OpenCV. International Journal of Scientific Research in Science, Engineering and Technology. https://doi.org/10.32628/ijsrset22925

Wijaya MC. 2022. Template Matching Using Improved Rotations Fourier Transform Method. International Journal of Electronics and Telecommunications. https://doi.org/10.24425/ijet.2022.143898

Santana LFM., Pedra GM., Pires MP. 2019. Using Computer Vision for Aedes aegypti Egg Detection. IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), 2726-2731. https://doi.org/10.1109/IROS40897.2019.8968270

Yamashita R., Nishio M., Do RKG., Togashi K. 2018. Convolutional neural networks: An overview and application in radiology. In Insights into Imaging. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13244-018-0639-9

Source : Detecting and counting Aedes aegypti egg using iot-ovitrap with computer vision approach 

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Battling Bacterial Blight: How Rice Varieties and Wild Species Fight Back | InformativeBD

Abdul Waheed,  Habib Ahmad,  Fida. M. Abbasi,  Azhar H. Shah,  Hamid Ali,  F. S. Hamid, and Saqib Mumtaz,  from the different institute of  Pakistan. wrote a Research Article about, Battling Bacterial Blight: How Rice Varieties and Wild Species Fight Back. Entitled, Resistance Characterization of Cultivated Varieties and Rice Wild Species in Response to Bacterial Blight. This research paper published by the Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences | JBES. open access scholarly research journal on Biodiversity. under the affiliation of the International Network For Natural Sciences| INNSpub. an open access multidisciplinary research journal publisher.

Abstract

Bacterial leaf blight (BB) of rice caused by (Xanthomonas oryzae pv oryzae) is converting into a critical threat almost in all rice growing countries of the world. In order to catagorize resistant sources to virulent isolates of BB, an experiment comprising 02 species of wild rice (Oryza sp.) and four most common cultivated varieties i.e., Bas-385 , Swat-1 , JP-5 and Fakhar Malakand of rice in Pakistan was conducted in the green house of Genetic Department Garden campus ,Hazara University in the rice growing season during 2012. Bacterial suspension of concentration 108 CFU/ml was prepared from mixture of (Xanthomonas oryzae pv oryzae) prevailing in Khyber Puktunkhawa,Pakistan i.e., X00-1, X00-2 and X00-3. Clip method of artifical inoculation was used. Both tested wild relatives of rice O. longistaminata and O. rufipogon showed highly resistance to all the isolate. F3 genotypes Bas-385 x O. rufipogon was found highly susceptible to most of the isolates among all others genotypes. The use of resistant wild species O. rufipogon is therefore recommended in rice breeding program for transfer of bacterial blight resistant genes to cultivated varieties to enhance the relative characters.

Read more : Unraveling Maize Diseases: Insights into Major Leaf Blights and Damping-Off | InformativeBD

Introduction

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is known as a staple food for more than half of the world’s population (Chakravarthi & Naravaneni, 2006). Pakistan is an important rice growing and exporting country. Pakistani Basmati rice is famous for long grain aromatic character all over the world. International Rice Research Institute reported that, export share of Pakistani rice was 10 % of the total world rice trade (IRRI, 1993).

Many diseases of rice crop significantly reduce the yield and quality all over the world, among them the bacterial blight (BB) of rice caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Akhtar, 2005) is the most destructive and critical disease of rice throughout the world (Mew, 1987). This disease was first observed by farmers in Japan during 1884-85 and its occurrence has been reported in Australia, Bangladesh, India, Mainland China, Malaysia, SriLanka, Thailand, Philippines, USA, West Africa and Vietnam (Ezuka & Kaku, 2000). Mew & Majid, 1977) reported its incidence in Pakistan and it was confirmed from all the provinces in a later study (Akhtar & Akram, 1987). Recently an alarming increase in BB incidence is observed in Pakistan especially in Punjab which is largest growing province of Pakistan and famous for rice cultivation (Khan et al., 2000 & Akhtar et al., 2003). Bacterial blight appears at all growth stages of rice and is manifested by either leaf blight or “Kresek” symptoms. The causal organism invades plants through water pores and wounds (Tabei & Mukoo, 1960). Since the water pores are located at the margins of upper parts of the leaf, the lesion starts from the leaf margins near its tip. As the disease progresses, the tiny water soaked lesions turns yellow, enlarges in size progressively and develop into an elongated irregular lesion with wavy margins. Bacterial ooze, which consists of small, yellowish, spherical masses, may sometimes be seen on the margins or veins of the freshly infected leaf under moist conditions. with the passage of time, the lesion may cover the entire blade, which turns white and later greyish owing saprophytic growth (Ou, 1985).

If plant ever produces panicles, it results in sterile immature grains, which are easily broken during milling. The reduction in yield in case of severe infection could be as high as 50% (Mew et al., 1993) whereas 10-12% yield reduction has been recorded in case of mild infection (Ou, 1985). The disease is also characterized by a systemic infection phase, which is manifested by acute wilting of young plants. This is commonly referred to as “Kresek” phase. The causal organism consists of straight rods, with a single polar flagellum, occurring singularly, in pairs and sometimes in chains as well and is also Gramnegative (Swings et al., 1990). The bacterium over winters either in weeds or in soil. Grains, straw and rice stubble are other possible sites of over wintering of the pathogen. During growing season, it enters the plants via natural opening or wounds where it survives and multiplies in plant’s vascular system, producing typical leaf blight symptoms.

Bacterial bight has the potential to become a destructive disease of rice in Pakistan. Generally, the use of resistant cultivars is the most effective method for controlling plant diseases. However, the available rice germplasm in the country is susceptible to virulent isolates of bacterial blight (Akhtar, 2005). Rice productivity is limited by several biotic and abiotic stresses. Thus, there is an urgent need to wide extent the gene pool of cultivated rice. Rice wild species are an important source of variability for resistance to all major diseases, insects and pests, offered an important source of innovative resistance genes for rice crop improvement (Eizenga et al., 2009). Wide hybridization between Oryza sativa (AA genome) and wild species of rice is one of the important way to transfer genes to cultivated rice. Apart from other research innovation some useful important genes have successfully been transferred from wild species of rice into cultivated rice to date which include genes for resistance to grassy stunt virus, bacterial blight, brown plant hopper, blast (Brar and Khush, 1997). The present study was, therefore, aimed to identify sources of resistant genes to virulent isolates of bacterial blight in wild relatives for future use in rice breeding programs.

Reference

Adhikari TB, Vera CCM, Zhang Q, Nelson RJ, Skinner DZ, Mew TW, Leach JE. 1995. Genetic diversity of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae in Asia. Appl. Environ. Microbiol 61, 966-971.

Akhtar MA. 2005. Studies on genetic variation in Xanthomonas Oryzae pv. Oryzae in relation to resistance in rice. In: 3rd annual progress report ALP-Project. Inst. Plg. and Env. Protect. National Agricultural Research Center, Islamabad, 31.

Akhtar MA, Zakria M, Abbassi FM, Masod MA. 2003. Incidence of bacterial blight of rice in Pakistan during 2002. Pakistan Journal Botany, 35(5), 993-997.

Akhtar MA, Akram M.1987. Incidence of bacterial blight of rice in the Punjab, Pakistan, IRRN, 5, 5.

Brar DS, Khush GS. 1997. Alien introgression in rice. Plant Mol. BioI. (35), 35-47.

Chakravarthi BK, Naravaneni R. 2006. SSR marker based DNA finger-printing and diversity study in rice (Oryza sativa L.). African Journal of Biotechnology. 5(9), 684-688.

Chaudry RC. 1996. Standard evaluation system for rice. Genetic Res. Cent. Intl. Rice Res. Institute. Manila, Philippines, 52.

Eizenga GC, Agrama HA, Lee FN, Jia Y. 2009. Exploring genetic diversity and potential novel disease resistance genes in a collection of rice (Oryza spp) wild relatives. Gen. Resource. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. 56, 65-76.

Ezuka A, Kaku H, 2000. A historical review of bacterial blight of rice. National Inst. Agrobio. Res. Bull. Japan, 207.

IRRI (International Rice Research Institute). 1993. Rice Almanac. IRRI-WARDA-CIAT, Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines.

Khan TZ, Gill MA, Khan MG. 2000. Screening of rice varieties/lines for resistance to bacterial leaf blight, Pakistan Journal of Phytopathology. 12(1),71-72.

Leach JE, Rhoads ML, VeraCruz CM, White FF, Mew TW, Leung H. 1992. Assessment of genetic diversity and population structure of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae with a repetitive DNA. Applied Environmental Microbiology. 58, 2188–2195.

Mew TW. 1987. Current status of future prospects of research on bacterial blight of rice. Annual Review of Phytopathology, 25: 359-382.

Mew TW, Majid A. 1977. Bacterial blight of rice in Pakistan. IRRN, 2, 5-7.

Mew TW, Alvarez AM, Leach JE, Swings J. 1993. Focus on bacterial blight of rice. Pl. Disease, 77, 5-12.

Nelson RJ, Baraoidan MR, VeraCruz CM, Yap IV, Leach JE, Mew TW, Leung H. 1994. Relationship between phylogeny and pathotype for the bacterial blight pathogen of rice. Applied Environmental Microbiology. 60, 3275-3283.

Ou SH. 1985. Rice diseases. 2nd ed. Commonwealth Mycological Institute, Kew, Surrey, England, 61-96.

Sodhi M, Vikal Y, George MLC, Bala GS, Mangat GS, Garg M, Sidhu JS, Dhaliwal HS. 2003. DNA fingerprinting and virulence analysis of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. Oryzae isolates from Punjab, northern India. Euphytica. 130 (1) 107-115.

Swings J, Mooter MV, Vauterin L, Hoste B, Gills M, Mew TW, Kersters K. 1990.Reclassification of the causal agents of bacterial blight (Xanthomonas campestris pv. oryzae)and bacterial leaf streak (Xanthomonas campestris pv. oeyzicol) of rice as pathovars of Xanthomonas oryzae (ex. Ishiyama, 1922) sp. Now. Nom. Rev. International journal of systematic bacteriology. 40, 309-311.

Tabie H, Mukoo H. 1960. Anatomical studies of rice plant leaves affected with bacterial leaf blight, in particular reference to the structure of water exudation system. Scholarly articles for Bull National Institute Agricultural Science. 11, 37-43.

VeraCruz CM, Ardales DZ, Skinner JT, Nelson RJ, Louws FJ, Mew TW, Leach JE. 1996. Measurement of Haplotypic variation in Xanthomonas oryzae pv oryzae within a single field by rep PCR and RFLP analysis. Phytopathology. 86, 1352-1359.

Waheed M, Inamullah A, Habib A, Sirajuddin K. 2009. Xanthomonas Oryzae pv. Oryzae. Pakistan. Journal of Bototany. 38(1) 193-203.

Article source : Resistance Characterization of Cultivated Varieties and Rice Wild Species in Response toBacterial Blight  

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Unraveling Maize Diseases: Insights into Major Leaf Blights and Damping-Off | InformativeBD

Md. Moshiur Rahman Akonda, Monira Yasmin, and Ismail Hossain, from the different institute of Bangladesh. wrote a Reseach Article about, Unraveling Maize Diseases: Insights into Major Leaf Blights and Damping-Off. Entitled, Study on etiology, incidence and severity of Southern corn leaf blight, curvularia leaf spot, sheath blight and damping off of maize. This research paper published by the International Journal of Biosciences | IJB. an open access scholarly research journal on Biosciences. under the affiliation of the International Network For Natural Sciences| INNSpub. an open access multidisciplinary research journal publisher. 

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to determine the incidence and severity of different fungal diseases of maize occurred in the major maize growing regions (Bogra, Gaibandha, Mymensingh and Rangpur) of Bangladesh during January 2007 to March 2008. Incidence and severity of the diseases viz. southern corn leaf blight (Bipolaris maydis), curvularia leaf spot (Curvularia lunata), sheath blight (Rhizoctonia solani) and damping off of seedlings (Aspergillus spp., Fusarium spp. and Penicillium spp.) were recorded from a hybrid variety Pacific-984 and a high yielding variety Khai Vutta at seedling stage (30 DAS-Days After Sowing), vegetative growth stage (60 DAS) and silking stage (90 DAS) of the plant. The etiology of the diseases was also studied. Considering all growth stages of plant, the comparative analysis revealed that incidence and severity of the diseases varied from one district to another, but almost minimum levels of infection were observed in Rangpur followed by Bogra, Gaibandha and Mymensingh. The results also depicted that southern corn leaf blight and curvularia leaf spot were found at all the growth stages of plants, sheath blight was found at vegetative stage and silking stage, where as damping off symptoms were recorded only at seedling stage of maize plants. As the pathogens have negative influence on plant health as well as yield so, special attention should be given by the growers to minimize the fungal infections by promoting good agricultural practices in the maize growing districts of the country.

Read more : Winged Residents of theMangroves: Understanding Avifauna Diversity in Misamis Oriental | InformativeBD

Introduction

Maize (zea mays L.) is one of the most important cereal crops in the world and ranks third next to wheat and rice (Aldrich et al., 1975). In Bangladesh, it has a good potential as a cereal crop due to its low cost of production, wide adaptability and diversified use. There has been continuous increase in the consumption of corn mainly owning to increase in the demand from meat and starch sector. There is growing requirement of maize from poultry sector where it is being used as feed. It is also fractionated by either dry or wet milling into food and industrial ingredients. Starch, the major constituent of the corn kernel, is used in its native form or after chemical or enzymatic modification, in foods and industrial products. Starch is also converted into glucose or fructose for use as food sweetener. Glucose can be fermented into ethanol for beverages or into many other chemicals. Recently, it has been discovered that corn can also be used in the production of biofuel (Deepavali and Nilima, 2013). However, maize kernels have high nutritive value containing 66.2% starch, 11.1% protein, 7.1% oil and 1.5% minerals. Besides, it contains 90mg carotene, 1.8mg niacin, 0.8mg thiamin and 0.1mg riboflavin per 100g grains (Chowdhury and Islam, 1993).

The average yield of corn in the world is 4.31 ton/ha (FAO, 1999). In Bangladesh corn was cultivated in 66,801 ha of land and production was 35,600 ton having the average yield 5.33 ton /ha during the year 2005 (BBS, 2006). Recently, government of Bangladesh has given special emphasis on its extensive cultivation, especially in the char areas where the land remains almost fallow during the winter.

Many factors such as environmental conditions, yield potential, soil fertility, genetics of particular hybrids, and the synergistic action of different diseases and insects all impact yield loss and cannot be evaluated with any precision, especially over a large geographic area (White, 1999). As many as 112 diseases are known to occur on corn in the corn growing countries.

Of all the diseases, more than 70s are seed borne (USDA, 1960). Among the diseases, southern corn leaf blight (Bipolaris maydis), curvularia leaf spot (Curvularia lunata), stalk rot (Zibberella zeae), sheath blight (Rhizoctonia solani), damping off of seedlings (Aspergillus spp., Fusarium spp., Penicillium spp.), bacterial leaf blight (Pseudomonas avenae), bacterial leaf streak (Xanthomonas campestris pv. Zeae) and maize dwarf mosaic of maize are common in Bangladesh. Seasonal yield loss is significantly correlated with disease incidence and severity of maize (Zhang et al., 1999). Though it is a food crop of economic significance so, by knowing the causes of disease and damaging effects of a disease at particular growth stage of plant will provide basic information to the growers to initiate appropriate management strategies on time to minimize the yield loss. In view of above-mentioned facts, the present research has been undertaken to study the etiology of the diseases and to record the incidence and severity of maize diseases at specific growth stages of plants in the existing maize fields of the farmer.

Reference

Aldrich SR, Scott WO, Leng ER. 1975. Modern corn production. 2nd edition, United States of America pp. 1-5.

Atac. 1984. Survey of fungus disease of second crop maize in the Mediterranean region. Bitki Koruma Bulteni 24(3), 137-147.

BBS. 2006. Monthly Statistical Bulletin. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of Planning, Govt. of Bangladesh 54.

Brekalo J, Palaversic JB, Rojic M. 1991. Monitoring the occurrence and severity of maize disease in Croatia from 1985 to 1989. Zastita Bilja 42 (1) 51-60.

Chowdhury MK, Isalm MA. 1993. Production and uses of maize (in Bengali). Published by On-Farm Res. Div. Bangladesh Agril. Res. Inst., Joydebpur, Gazipur 1-189.

Deepavali S, Nilima WK. 2013. Incidence of Seedborne Mycoflora on Maize and its Effect on Seed Germination, Int. J. Current Research 5(12), 4151-4155.

Egein MI, Arinze AE. 2001. A new fusarial disease of maize in Nigeria. Whurr Publishers, London, UK. Tropical Science 41(3), 133-136.

Esteves A. 1984. Incidence of diseases under field conditions on maize (Zea mays) cultivars in Dourados. Fitopatologia Brasileira 9(1), 155-160.

FAO. 1999. Production Year Book. Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome 53, 70-79.

Harlapur SI, Mruthunjaya CW, Anahosur KH, Muralikrishna S. 2000. A report survey and surveillance of maize diseases in north Karnataka. All India Co-ordinated Maize Improvement project, Agricultural Research Station, Arabhavi-591318, India. Karnataka Journal of Agricultural Sciences 13(3), 75.

Kar AK. 2006. Assessment of losses due to maydis leaf blight disease of maize in Orissa. Bhubaneswar, India. Society for Plant Protection and Environment. Journal of Plant Protection and Environment 3(2), 120-121.

Tang CR, Jie C, Shan JM, Dao ZQ, Gang S. 2000. The etiology of corn sheath blight in Liaoning Province. Chinese Society for Plant Pathology, Beijing, China. Acta Phytopathologica Sinica 30(4), 319-326.

USDA. 1960. Index of Plant Disease in the United States. Agricultural Hand Book. No 165, 531.

White DG. 1999. Compendium of Corn Diseases. APS Press, The American Phytopathological Society. 3 rd edition 1-54.

Zhang DF, He-Pei X, Xiu WY, Ting MJ. 1999. Damage and control index of maize leaf spot (Curvularia lunata). Henan Vocation-Technical Normal College, Xinxiang, Henan Province, China. Plant protection 25(4), 12-15.

Article source : Study on etiology,incidence and severity of Southern corn leaf blight, curvularia leaf spot,sheath blight and damping off of maize 

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Winged Residents of the Mangroves: Understanding Avifauna Diversity in Misamis Oriental | InformativeBD

Joly Bee A. Olila, and Richel E. Relox, from the different institute of Philippines. wrote a Reseach Article about, Woody Allies: How Chagga Home Gardens Sustain Insect Pollinators in Northern Tanzania. Entitled, Factors affecting avifauna diversity in selected mangrove areas of Misamis Oriental, Philippines: Basis for conservation and management. This research paper published by the Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences | JBES. an open access scholarly research journal on Biodiversity. under the affiliation of the International Network For Natural Sciences| INNSpub. an open access multidisciplinary research journal publisher. 

Abstract

Ecological and anthropogenic factors may influence the distribution and diversity of birds. This study assessed the avifauna and mangrove species composition, abundance, and diversity as well as the socio-economic and institutional conditions in three coastal ecosystems of Molugan, El Salvador City; Baybay, Alubijid and Tubajon, Laguindingan, Misamis Oriental. Point count and mist-netting methods were used to survey birds, quadrat method to survey mangroves, household survey to 212 respondents and Geographic Information System (GIS) in mapping birds, mangroves and human activities. Results showed a total of nine (9) Orders, 19 Families, 22 species and 1,168 individuals were documented in three selected areas. Baybay had the highest diversity index (2.46), followed by Molugan (1.96) and Tubajon got the lowest (1.70). As for the mangroves, five (5) species were recorded namely: Rhizophora mucronata, Sonneratia alba, Avicennia alba, Avicennia rumphiana and Rhizophora apiculata. However, continuing threats such as growing human population, land-use changes and weak management in the coastal ecosystems led to its unsustainability. Thus, the diversity of birds is highly dependent on the mangrove species and zonation and human activities in the coastal areas. Hence, regular monitoring of programs and policies by stakeholders to ensure sustainability and conservation of birds and mangroves species is recommended.

Read more : Woody Allies: How Chagga Home Gardens Sustain Insect Pollinators in Northern Tanzania IInformativeBD

Introduction

The Philippine archipelago which is composed of 7,100 distinct islands (Ambal et al., 2012) is recognized as one of the 17 mega diverse countries which contain two-thirds of the earth’s biodiversity and about 70-80% of the world’s flora and fauna species. Avifauna refers to a group of birds that are found almost everywhere on the planet which shows great diversity by their habitat and geographical conditions (Tandan et al., 2015). Birds are valuable indicators of global patterns in biodiversity conservation (Mallari et al., 2011). Avifauna provides several ecological functions such as pest control, pollination, seed dispersal, and plant reproduction in thousands of economically and culturally important plant species through its consumption of several terrestrial, marine, and aerial resources (Whelan et al., 2015). The bird population is a sign of environmental changes as they respond fast to threats and changing environmental conditions (Mallari et al., 2011). However, few are aware of the importance of birds and are greatly affected by human development which leads to the loss of its species. Mangroves belong to a higher group of plants which may exist as trees, shrub, palm, herb, or fern (Primavera et al., 2004). It is a habitat of different avifauna species where they can hatch their eggs (Duke et al., 2007). Mangrove is the one that lessens the impact of tsunamis, hurricanes, cyclonic storms on human lives, properties and helps to prevents flooding and it is the one who catches the waste generated by humans (Danielsen et al., 2005). The mangrove habitat loss caused by deforestation, urbanization, salt production, conversion into paddy fields and aquaculture ponds, over-harvesting of timber and fuel wood, pollution, dumping of domestic sewage and crude oil exploration (Giri, 2011), and degradation has posed major threats to a wide array of fauna bringing them among the ranks of endangered and extinct species (Sandilyan et al., 2010). Thus, there is an urgent demand to examine the avifauna diversity inhabiting mangrove habitats to know the impact of disturbance for future conservation and management.

Reference

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Alviola GL, Mohagan A. 2017. Assessment of Bird Species in Central Mindanao University, Bukidnon, Philippines. Journal of Biology and Life Science Vol 8, No. 2. 2157-6076.

Ambal RGR, Duya MV, Cruz MA, Coroza OG, Vergara SG, de Silva N, Molinyawe N, Tabaranza B. 2012. Key Biodiversity Areas in the Philippines: Priorities for Conservation. Journal of Threatened Taxa 4(8), 2788-2796.

Ascaño II CP, Albutra QB, Ansigbat VV, Mugot DA, Demayo CG. 2016. Avifauna Assessment in and around the Hydraulic Mining Area of Brgy. Tumpagon, Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines. Journal of Scientific Research and Development 3(4), 83-90.

Branch FM, May J, Roberts B, Russell E, Clark BM. 2002. “Case studies on the socio-economic characteristics and lifestyles of subsistence and informal fishers in South Africa,” South African Journal of Marine Science 24, 439-462.

Cailing CAG, Caban JLS, Cultura, RKM, Relox RE. 2018. Relationship of Avifauna and Mangroves in Laguindingan, Misamis Oriental, Philippines. Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences 13(1), 216-222.

Calimpong DMT, Nuñeza OM. 2015. Avifaunal diversity of Bega Watershed, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur, Philippines. Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences 6(4), 385-400.

Danielsen F, Sørensen MK, Olwig MF, Selvam V, Parish F, Burgess ND, Hiraishi T, Karunagaran VM, Rasmussen MS, Hansen LB, Quarto A, Suryadiputra N. 2005.      The Asian Tsunami: A Protective Role for Coastal Vegetation. Science 310(5748), 643.

Duke NC, Meynecke JO, Dittmann S, Ellison AM, Anger K, Berger U, Cannicci S, Diele K, Ewel KC, Field CD, Koedam N, Lee SY, Marchand C, Nordhaus I, Dahdouh-Guebas F. 2007. A World without Mangroves. Science 317, 41-42.

Ellison AM. 2015. Managing mangroves with benthic biodiversity in mind: moving beyond roving banditry. Journal Sea Research 59, 215.

Giliba RA, Boon EK, Kayombo CJ, Chirenje CI, Musamba EB. 2011. “The influence of socio-economic factors on deforestation: a case study of the bereku forest reserve in Tanzania,” Journal of Biodiversity, vol 2, pp. 31-39.

Giri C. 2011. Status and Distribution of Mangrove Forests of the World using Earth Observation Satellite Data. Global Ecology Biogeography 20, 154-159.

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Mariano HG, Dagoc FLS, Espra AS, Ruben F, Amparado RF. 2019. Mangrove diversity, taxonomic classification, and morphological characteristics of natural and reforested mangrove forests in selected municipalities of Zamboanga Del Sur, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences (JBES), Vol 15, No. 4, p. 86-99.

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Primavera JH, Sadaba RS, Lebata NJHL, Altamirano JP. 2004. Handbook of Mangroves in the Philippines–Panay. SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department, Iloilo, Philippines 106pp.

Relox RE, Leano EP, Camino FA. 2011. Avifaunal Assemblage in Mt. Hamiguitan, Davao Oriental, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Journal of Environmental Science and Management 14(1), 1-11.

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Tagupa VMF, Besoro ET, Bacas TDL, Labiao RJG, Sinco AL, Raagas EL. 2017. Avifaunal Assemblage in Barangay Lumbia, Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines. Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences 11(5), 169-178.

Tandan HN, Maheshwari R, Tandan S. 2015. Avifaunal diversity of Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University Campus, Raipur (Chhattisgarh). IOSR Journal of Environmental Science, Toxicology and Food Technology 1(6), 41-44.

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Article source : Factors affecting avifauna diversity in selected mangrove areas of Misamis Oriental, Philippines:Basis for conservation and management

 

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Woody Allies: How Chagga Home Gardens Sustain Insect Pollinators in Northern Tanzania I InformativeBD

Nanyika Kingazi RPC. Temu, Agnes Sirima, and  Mattias Jonsson, from the different institute of Tanzania. wrote a Reseach Article about, Woody Allies: How Chagga Home Gardens Sustain Insect Pollinators in Northern Tanzania. Entitled, Woody plants supporting insect pollinators in Chagga home Gardens, Northern Tanzania. This research paper published by the Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences | JBES. an open access scholarly research journal on Biodiversity. under the affiliation of the International Network For Natural Sciences| INNSpub. an open access multidisciplinary research journal publisher.

Abstract 

Insects play a great role in the pollination of flowers in many agricultural systems, and they rely on floral resources for their survival. However, a significant decline and extinction of these crucial insects have been witnessed globally as a result of fragmentation and/or loss of their habitat such as floral resources using data from the Chagga home garden (CHGs), we aimed at (1) examining the composition and species richness of pollinator forage plants in the CHGs, (2) determining how elevation affects the diversity of pollinator forage species in CHG, (3) determining the temporal availability of pollinator forage plants in the CHGs, (4) determining the pollinator groups foraging on the plants in the CHGs, (5) determining the type of floral rewards for the insect pollinators in CHGs. It was observed that: (1)of the 302 wood species in the CHGs, 293 (97%) from 62 families were pollinator forage of which 170 species (58.02%) were trees while 123 species (41.98%) were shrubs; (2) pollinator forage species diversity decreased with increase in elevation gradient; (3) Flowering of the pollinator forage plants was spread throughout the year; (4) Bees were the most dominant group of plant visitors, visiting about 93% of the plants; (5) the majority of plants provided both pollen and nectar to insect pollinators. The results from this study suggest that traditional agroforestry systems such as Chagga home gardens can contribute to increasing the spatial and temporal availability of diverse floral resources for insect pollinators.

Read more : Healing from theIslands: Hypoglycemic Power of Cagayan’s Endemic Flora | InformativeBD

Introduction

The importance of pollinators' protection is underscored by the fact that they are essential for pollination of the majority of the world's wild flowering plants (Ollerton et al., 2011) and 75% of crop species (Klein et al., 2007). With regard to crop pollination, understanding factors influencing pollinator populations in farmlands is critical in designing conservation strategies that ensure their longtime survival in agricultural landscapes (Timberlake & Vaughan, 2019).

Insect pollinators are the main pollinator group in agricultural areas and their population is affected by several factors including the availability of floral resources (nectar and pollen) and nesting sites in farmlands (Fowler et al., 2016). One way to ensure the availability of floral and nesting resources for insect pollinators in agricultural areas is by integrating trees and shrubs in farmlands (Bentrup et al., 2019; Centeno-Alvarado et al., 2023). The trees and shrubs in farmlands provide nesting sites and ensure floral resources availability for insect pollinators even when crops are not in bloom (Lowe et al., 2021). However, this depends on whether the integrated trees and shrubs species are suitable for insect pollinators such as supplying food resources in terms of pollen, nectar, or both as well as nest sites.

The Chagga home gardens in Tanzania are one of the agricultural land use systems whereby farmers integrate trees and shrubs with crops and livestock in the same unit of land (Mbeyale &mcharo, 2022). The trees and shrubs in Chagga home gardens are either retained or planted for different purposes such as providing shade to the crops, especially bananas and coffee, fodder, live fences, and fruits (Soini, 2005). According to Hemp (2005), the Chagga home gardens maintain a high diversity of plants with over 500 plant species (including wood and herbaceous plants). However, despite of the high floral diversity of Chagga home gardens, there is little information concerning their potential in supplying floral and nesting resources to insect pollinators. Previous studies such as Arnold et al. (2021), Sawe et al.

(2020), and Elisante et al. (2019) focused on assessing the pollination service of insect pollinator communities in the Chagga home garden and not their ecological habitat (floral resources and nesting sites).

The diversity of pollinator forage plants in the landscape reflects the continuous supply of floral resources from different plant species and hence encourages the insect pollinators to remain on site (Mensah et al., 2017a). This is because trees and shrub species differ in flowering time and duration hence due to their intermittently flowering, they provide floral resources for insect visitors throughout the year (Torne-́Noguera et al., 2014). Also, floral availability to insect pollinators in the landscape depends on the flowering time and spatial distribution of pollinator forage plants in the landscapes. In the Chagga home garden, farmers play a great role in determining the species composition in their garden since they plant or retain species based on their preferences and needs (Fernandes et al., 1985). However environmental factors such as elevation affects the composition of plant species in the landscape (Malizia et al., 2020).

This paper aimed at quantifying the availability of forage resources to insect pollinators in CHGs. A survey was carried out in CHGs to: (1) examine the composition and species richness of pollinator forage plants; (2) determine how elevation affects the diversity of pollinator forage species in CHG; (3) determine the temporal availability of pollinator forage plants in CHG, (4) determine the pollinator groups foraging on the pollinator forage species in CHGs (5) determine the type of floral rewards among insect pollinators forage species in CHGs. The results from this study are a crucial part of formulating efficiency policies, plans, and strategies to manage and conserve insect pollinators in agricultural landscapes in Tanzania.

Reference

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Article source : Woody plants supportinginsect pollinators in Chagga home Gardens, Northern Tanzania 

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Healing from the Islands: Hypoglycemic Power of Cagayan’s Endemic Flora | InformativeBD

Jane R. Sambrana, and Andy L. Catulin, from the different institute of Philippines. wrote a Reseach Article about, Healing from the Islands: Hypoglycemic Power of Cagayan’s Endemic Flora. Entitled, Three Cagayan Island endemic flora: Its phytochemicals and hypoglycemic effect on alloxan induced Sprague Dawley Rat. This research paper published by the Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences |JBES. an open access scholarly research journal on Biodiversity. under the affiliation of the International Network For Natural Sciences| INNSpub. an open access multidisciplinary research journal publisher.

Abstract

Cagayan province is blessed with vast flora with presence of many island species that are endemic. Currently, different botanicals have been formulated as pharmaceutical agents to developed new products essential for human wellbeing. This study generally aimed to determine the secondary metabolites present in the three island endemic plant species in Cagayan namely; Igem dagat (Podocarpus costalis C. Presl), Balingagta (Drypetes falcata Pax & K. Hoffm.) and Babuyan lunas (Lunasia babuyanica Merr.) and to determine their hypoglycemic effect on Sprague Dawley Rats. Ethanolic leave extract of the three endemic plant species were used and tested for its phytochemicals. Complete randomized design (CRD) was used for the hypoglycemic potential with three replications for each species and Alloxan was used to induce hyperglycemia in the rats. The results reveals that P. costalis, D. falcata and L. babuyanica contains alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, tannins and tripertenes. Likewise, L. babuyanica and D. falcata were also positive with saponin and phytosterols. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) for the initial glucose level, after Alloxan induced and after treatment of plant extracts did not show significant difference across treatment means. Among the treatments, T3 (L. babuyanica ethanolic leave extract) significantly reduced the Alloxan induced hyperglycemia in Spraue Dawley Rats. Glucose level were reduced with the administration of the other treatments but not significant to reject the null hypothesis. All the plant extracts have hypoglycemic effect however, T3 (L. babuyanica ethanolic leave extract) is more effective.

Introduction

Situated within the Cagayan Valley region, the province is bounded by the Philippine Sea on the east; on the south by Isabela province; on the west by the Cordillera Mountains; and on the north by the Balintang Channel and the Babuyan Group of Islands. About 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the northeastern tip of the province is the island of Palaui; a few kilometers to the west is Fuga Island. The Babuyan Group of Islands, which includes Calayan, Dalupiri, Camiguin, and Babuyan Claro, is about 60 nautical miles (110 km) north of Luzon mainland. This island comprises a unique flora that most of the islanders used them in their traditional healing practices. Three of these plants are endemic in the island town of Calayan. The three island endemic plant species in Cagayan namely; Igem dagat (Podocarpus costalis C. Presl), Balingagta (Drypetes falcata Pax & K. Hoffm.) and Babuyan lunas (Lunasia babuyanica Merr.).

Plants are richest source of bioactive secondary metabolites in a most effective way and with specific selectivity. From the start of human being development men were using different medicinal plants as traditional medicines for their health care. Plants have the ability to produce several valuable classes of chemical constituents which showed interesting biological action.

Plants are recognized in the pharmaceutical industry for their broad structural diversity as well as their wide range of pharmacological activities. The biologically active compounds present in plants are called phytochemicals. These phytochemicals are derived from its various parts of plants such as leaves, flowers, seeds, barks, roots and pulps. These phytochemicals are used as sources of direct medicinal agents. They serve as a raw material base for elaboration of more complex semi-synthetic chemical compounds. Due to these active compounds that are present in plants many diseases have been treated, like hyperglycemia.

Hyperglycemia is associated with high blood glucose level. Severely elevated glucose levels can farther result in a medicinal emergency like diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) or hyperglycemic hyperosmolar nonketotic (HHNS) also referred to as hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state). The main symptoms of hyperglycemia are increased thirst and a frequent need to urinate.

Objectives of the Study This study aimed to determine the phytochemical constituents and hypoglycemic effect of the three Cagayan Island endemic plant ethanolic extract on Sprague Dawley Rats (Mus musculus).

Specifically, this study sought to determine the following:

 1. The phytochemical constituents present on the three Cagayan island endemic plant ethanolic extract namely: Igem dagat (Podocarpus costalis C. Presl), Balingagta (Drypetes falcata Pax & K. Hoffm.) and Babuyan lunas (Lunasia babuyanica Merr.);

2. The percent decrease of the blood glucose level of Sprague Dawley Rats after fasting and after administration of the different treatments; and

3. The treatment with the highest lowering effect on the blood glucose level of the experimental rat

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Article source : Three Cagayan Island endemic flora: Its phytochemicals and hypoglycemic effect on alloxan inducedSprague Dawley Rat 

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