Forest Research Institute

About: Forest Research Institute is a facility organization based out in Dehra Dūn, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Forest management. The organization has 5320 authors who have published 7625 publications receiving 185876 citations.

The antidiabetic effect of ginsenoside Rb2 via activation of AMPK

Abstract: Ginsenosides, which are active compounds found in ginseng (Panax ginseng), are used as antidiabetic treatments. The aim of this study was to determine whether Rb2, a type of ginsenoside, regulates hepatic gluconeogenesis through AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and the orphan nuclear receptor small heterodimer partner (SHP) in hyperlipidemic conditions used as an in vitro model of type 2 diabetes. Considering these results, we concluded that Rb2 may inhibit palmitate-induced gluconeogenesis via AMPK-induced SHP by relieving ER stress, a cause of gluconeogenesis.

Effects of intensive versus no management strategies during an outbreak of the bark beetle Ips typographus (L.) (Col.: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) in the Tatra Mts. in Poland and Slovakia

Abstract: Une pullulation massive de scolytes s'est deroulee entre 1993 et 1998 dans les montagnes Tatras, situees entre la Pologne et la Slovaquie. Dans la partie Slovaque de la surface attaquee, la pratique forestiere a consiste a ne pas intervenir jusqu'en 1994, puis en une protection active via l'utilisation d'arbres-pieges, d'insecticides et de coupes sanitaires entre 1995 et 1996, et en diverses techniques de lutte diversifiees selon la zonation des surfaces attaques, combinees a l'utilisation de piegeages a pheromones en 1997 et 1998. En Pologne la pullulation etait localisee en grande majorite dans des reserves strictes ou aucune mesure de protection n'etait autorisee. Malgre l'importance des moyens de lutte mis en oeuvre, la mortalite des arbres n'a pas diminue significativement dans la partie Slovaque pendant les annees 1995-1996. Les techniques utilisees aboutissaient a l'augmentation de l'attractivite des bordures de la foret pour les scolytes, et ceux-ci pouvaient s'y developper en provenance de zones forestieres ou le meme niveau de controle n'etait pas applique. Un climat defavorable au developpement des scolytes a largement contribue a la diminution rapide des mortalites d'arbres observees dans les deux parties de la region etudiee.

Inter- and intraspecific polymorphism at chloroplast SSR loci and the inheritance of plastids in Pinus radiata D. Don.

Abstract: DNA sequence analysis of chloroplast genomes has revealed many short nucleotide repeats analogous to nuclear microsatellites, or simple sequence repeats (SSRs). We designed PCR primers flanking five of these regions identified in the chloroplast sequence from Pinus thunbergii and tested them for amplification in Pinus radiata, P. elliotii, P. taeda, P. strobus, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Cupressus macrocarpa, four New Zealand native conifer species (Podocarpus totara, Podocarpus hallii, Podocarpus nivalis, Agathis australis), and four angiosperms (Vitex lucens, Nestegis cunninghamii, Actinidia chinensis, and Arabidopsis thaliana). A PCR product in the expected size range was amplified from all species and interspecific polymorphism was detected at all five loci. Intraspecific polymorphism was detected in P. radiata with four of the five primer pairs. One of these polymorphic chloroplast SSR (cpSSR) was then used to determine the inheritance of chloroplasts in 206 progeny from four control-pollinated, full-sibling P. radiata families. Approximately 99% of the progeny had the cpSSR variant of the pollen parent indicating that in Pinus radiata, like most other conifers, chloroplasts are typically inherited from the paternal parent. These results suggest that polymorphic chloroplast SSRs will be a valuable tool for studying chloroplast diversity, cyto-nuclear disequilibrium, and plastid inheritance in a range of species, and for the analysis of gene flow via pollen and paternity in species with paternal transmission of chloroplasts.

Semi-determinate hydraulic geometry of river channels, South Island, New Zealand

Abstract: Data to describe the morphologic, hydrologic and sedimentologic characteristics of 72 South Island, New Zealand, rivers were collected and analysed. Nearly 70 per cent of variation in channel morphology is accounted for by differences in cross-sectional area, slope, and cross-section shape; only 53 per cent of the morphologic variability could be statistically ‘explained’ by the hydrologic and sediment variables used. The level of explanation varied for different morphologic variables; nearly 90 per cent of the variability in cross-sectional area could be explained, but aspect ratio (maximum depth divided by hydraulic radius) was completely independent. Apart from the inadequacy of the measured variables as indices of the true underlying controlling factors, and the imperfect measurement and sampling procedures, the low level of explanation is probably due to the influence of factors such as floodplain vegetation, high quasi-random variability in bark sediment character, boundary effects imposed by bedrock bluffs, and the precise sequence of flood events, none of which are easily quantified. In addition, observations indicate that there is a large random variation in channel form which cannot be related to any factor. An attempt to relate channel morphology to flow variability, using simple indices of the latter, was unsuccessful.

Towards automation: Radiata pine shoot hedges in vitro

Abstract: A novel system for in vitro shoot production has been developed whereby shoot hedges are maintained in one vessel. Monthly crops of shoots are produced for rooting. Radiata pine shoot hedges were maintained on Lepoivre (LP) nutrient agar medium for 18 months using a weekly liquid-nutrient replenishment system. In a separate experiment liquid-LP-nutrient replenishment of shoots twice weekly without transfers (D) resulted in better shoot growth and health than monthly transfers to fresh agar medium (B), monthly transfers to fresh agar medium plus aeration twice weekly (C), or no transfers and no liquid nutrient addition (A). Liquid nutrient replenishment twice weekly was better than 2 weekly or 4 weekly replenishment. The percentage of normal waxy (abundant tubular epicuticular wax) shoots harvested monthly increased significantly over the culture period from 41% at the first harvest to 93% at the eight harvest, and remained high at 97% from the ninth to twelfth harvest. The percentage of wet (no tubular epicuticular wax, small amounts of globular epicuticular wax) shoots harvested showed a corresponding decline—from 59%, to 7% at the eighth harvest. Shoots were harvested at a rate of 672/h (1.19 cents/shoot at a labour cost of NZ$8.00/h) and approximately 1100 shoots were produced per square metre of agar surface per month. Initial problems of contamination and crowding were overcome. These results will greatly facilitate progress towards automation of shoot production and reduction of costs of micropropagated trees. An automated system used in combination with other cost-saving techniques or robotics could potentially result in a substantial reduction in costs. This is the first report of a method of culturing shoots as hedges for a period of up to 18 months without manual subculturing.