BANGLADESH JOURNAL OF FOREST SCIENCE
A Half-yearly Peer Reviewed Journal of Bangladesh Forest Research Institute
A Half-yearly Peer Reviewed Journal of Bangladesh Forest Research Institute
Antheraea paphia Linn. (Saturniidae : Lepidoptera) is a wild silkworm that gives us tassar silk of commerce. The dark buff-coloured silk is coarse and very strong, but of inferior quality a,s compared to that obtained from the domesticated silkworm, Bonibyx mori. This wild
insect is not domesticated, and cannot be reared in confinement on a commercial basis. In 1999, some trees of a 3-year old telsur (Hopea odorata Roxb.) plantation in the campus of the Bangladesh Forest Research Institute, Chittagong were found infested by a group of wild silkworm. The larvae were found feeding on the tender foliage of the upper canopy of the trees and were kept under observation. They were pale green with a yellow line at each side and rather bulky, distinctly segmented and smooth-bodied except for rows of ornamental metallic spotsand tubercles bearing clusters of short spines (Fig. 1). The full-grown larvae were about 10 cm long. Pupation occurred in oval cocoons with a compact surface (Fig. 2). The cocoons were formed in rolled leaves orsuspended by a thick silken cord from a twig. The cocoons were collected and reared to adults which were identified as Antheraea paphia Linn. (Saturniidae : Lepidoptera). The adult female is a broad-winged moth with a wing-span of about 12 cm. It is bright yellow with a circular semi-transparent area or ‘eye’ on each wing(Fig- 3)
Sundarbans, the largest single continuous tract of natural mangroves in the world, is endowed with a diverse group of plants and animals and has recently been given the status of ‘World Heritage Site’ by the UNESCO.Thispaper gives a briefaccount of 31 species of insect pests attacking Sundarbans mangroves of Bangladesh. The pests include five species of defoliators, three stem borers, eight fruit borers, two gall makers, one sap sucker, one root feeder and 11 wood borers. These include 17 specks of Coleoptera, 11 species of Lepidoptera, two species of Diptera and one species of Homoptera.
This paper deals with detailed macroscopic and microscopic characteristics of five timber species, namely Calophylluni polyanthum Wall., Garcinia cowa Roxb., G. xanthochynius Hook., Kayea floribimda Wall, and Mesuaferrea Linn, of Guttiferae from Bangladesh. Dichotomous keys based on both the macroscopic and microscopic features have been developed for their identification.
Kadam (Anthocephalus chinensis (Lam.) Rich ex. Walp.}, a fast growing multipurpose tree species, is grown in the homesteads and planted in the forest areas of Bangladesh. The plantations of this species often suffer from the attack of the defoliator, Arthroschista (=Margaronia) hilaralis Walker (Pyralidae : Lepidoptera). This paper describes distribution, host plants, nature and impact of damage, life history, number of
generation, population fluctuation, natural enemies and management of the pest. The pest completes its life cycle within 23.0 + 3.0 days. It has 9-10 generations in a year. Younger trees, usually 2-5 years of age, were found most heavily infested. The peak infestation occurred during August-September. Two parasites, Apanteles balteatea Lal. (Braconidae : Hymenoptera) and Brachytneria lasus Walk. (Chalcididae: Hymenoptera), caused a mortality of about 40% of the pest population. Application of Thuricide (Bacillus thnringiensis) 40 WP or Malathion (malathion) 57 EC @ 0.1% concentration was effective in controlling severe infestation. Hand collection and destruction at the initial stage of infestation could suppress and provision of overhead orside shade for the tree could prevent the attack of this pest.
In 1990, a serious root rot disease was observed in different strip plantations of Court Chandpur-Subdalpur railroad, Jessore-Benapole highway and Jessore-Satkhira road of greater Jessore district. These plantations were covered with trees such as Cassia siamea, Acacia
auriculiformis, A. nilotica, Albizia procera, Leucena leucocephala and Dalbergia sissoo. The affected trees died in patches showing wilting symptoms. C. siamea, A. auriculiformis and A. procera were affected most, whereas A. nilotica, L. leucocephala and D. sissoo were least affected. The leaves of the diseased trees became brown, dried up and remained attached to the dead branches. After excavation of roots, whitish mats of mycelia were observed on the branch and anchor roots of the trees. Typical fruit bodies were seen on the collar region, exposed roots and on Clerodendruni viscosum and Glycosmis pentaphylla situated at the vicinity of the infected trees (Figs. 1 and 2). The bark of roots were rotted and, in most cases, the rotting was extended up to the collar region. The fungus responsible for the disease was isolated and identified as Fomes lignosus (Klotzsch) Bres. Heavily infected trees were removed from the sites. Basal area covering one metre radius of each diseased tree was drenched with 2% commercial formalin. The second spray was given 15 days after the first. The sprays, however, could notsave the diseased trees butfurtherspread ofthe disease symptom was checked.
This paper reports the distribution, nature and impact of damage, life history, number of generations in a year, host records and biocontrol agents of the beehole borer, Zenzera conferta Walker (Cossidae : Lepidoptera) infesting keora (Sonneratia apetala Buch.-Ham.) plantations along the coastal belt of Bangladesh. The pest profusely tunnels in the stem rendering the tree to wind breakage. It probably completes two generations in a year. Besides keora, the pest attacks Sonneratia caseolaris, Avicennia officinalis, A. alba and Tamanx indica. Woodpeckers (Dinopium benghalense and Picoides canicapilltis) and a small black ant were found to feed on the larvae and pupae of the pest.
The paper presents the leaf epidermal micromorphology of 26 bamboo species under seven genera occurring in Bangladesh both in wild and under cultivation. The results are presented in a tabular form. The findings indicate that micromorphological features of abaxial leaf epidermis work as taxonomic characters at species level. The paper also provides a dichotomous key to identify bamboo species occurring in Bangladesh based on leaf epidermal characters.
Teli garjan (Dipterocarpus turbinatus) is the most important indigenous species included for long term plantation programme in Bangladesh. Site indices models have been derived for the species in the plantations of Bangladesh. The selected models derived in the study could be satisfactorily used for teli garjan plantations having ages 3-60 years and site indices of 25-55 metres based on a base age or rotation of 45 years.
A study was conducted with 15 lesser used/unused medium density
(0.52-0.68) wood species of Bangladesh to determine their hardboard making
characteristics. The species tested were barta (Artocarpus lakoocha), chalta (Dillenia
iiidica), dakroom (Mitragyna rotundifalia), gab (Diospyros peregrine), hargaza (Dillenia
pcntagynn), jhumka bhadi (Engelhardtia spicata), kamdev (Calophyllum polyanthum),
kao (Garcinia cowa), kasturi (Cinnamomum cecidodaphne), kerung (Pongamia pinnata),
moos (Pterospernium acerifolium), pairag (Canarium risiiiiferum), rata (Aphanamixis
polystachya), tali (Palagttiuni polyanthum) and uriam (Mangifera sylvatica). It wasfound
that all the species except barta, kasturi and uriam produced good or even better
quality hardboard than that ofsundri (Heritierafames) a widely used wood species in
Khulna Hardboard Mills
Teli garjan (Dipterocarpus turbinatus), dhakijam (Sygyzium grande) and teak (Tectona
grandis) are the three most important timber species included in the plantation
programme in Bangladesh. Sometimes, trees are being removed without recording
the diameter at breast height (dbh) and total height. As such it is not possible to
estimate the volumes of the removed trees. But, it is necessary to have an estimate of
volumes of the removed trees for different purposes. The stump diameters can be
measured while the stumps are still there after removal of the trees. Therefore, stump
diameter and dbh relationships have been established in the present paper so that we
can estimate the dbh of removed trees first followed by estimation of the volumes
using the.dbh volume relationships. It was identified that some mistakes were done
in converting the previously selected imperial volume equations to metric units for the
species teli garjan and dhakijam. These equations and tables have also been corrected.
Welcome to the Bangladesh Journal of Forest Science (BJFS) – a leading platform for advancing the knowledge and understanding of forest science in Bangladesh and beyond. Established with a commitment to excellence, BJFS serves as a cornerstone for researchers, practitioners, and enthusiasts dedicated to the sustainable management and conservation of forest ecosystems.
