Three common invasive fish species in Malaysia, Peacock Bass (Cichla ocellaris), Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and Algae Suckermouth Catfish (Hypostomus plecostomus) were assessed for their efficacy as potential fish powder fertilizers. These invasive fish species were known to disturb the stability of lentic and lotic aquatic ecosystems in Malaysia, especially O. niloticus and H. plecostomus, altering aquatic habitats and food webs to be unsuitable for survival of indigenous fish species, while C. ocellaris becoming active aggressive predators on indigenous fish species, overall reducing indigenous fish species diversity. Plant primary macronutrient traces showed that C. ocellaris fish powder fertilizer recorded the highest Nitrogen (N) element percentage (15.81 ± 0.43 N %w/w) and trace Potassium (K) element (28,909.15 ± 32.56 K mg/kg), while H. plecostomus fish powder fertilizer recorded the highest trace Phosphorus (P) element (30,562.09 ± 197.11 P mg/kg). Plant secondary macronutrient traces showed that C. ocellaris fish powder fertilizer recorded the highest trace Magnesium (Mg) element (1496.66 ± 3.99 Mg mg/kg), while H. plecostomus fish powder fertilizer recorded the highest trace Calcium (Ca) element (6984.48 ± 26.20 Ca mg/kg). Two vegetable species tested for their growths, the water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica) and the spinach (Spinacia oleracea), showed that C. ocellaris fish powder fertilizer recorded the highest heights (263.74 ± 12.29 mm, 166.35 ± 9.46 mm), the widest leaf width (14.82 ± 0.66 mm, 21.08 ± 1.53 mm), and the widest stalk width (3.06 ± 0.10 mm, 2.89 ± 0.17 mm), respectively, comparable to the NPK 15:15:15 compound fertilizer, followed by H. plecostomus and O. niloticus fish powder fertilizers. C. ocellaris as predatory invasive fish species with the highest Mg concentration and moderate Ca concentrations, was especially suitable for the growth of both semi-aquatic and terrestrial vegetables grown on low Mg concentration soils.

This study focused on the efficacy of the fecal matter component from insect-derived frass containing high total crude fibre (TCF) for the effective alleviation of ammonium (NH4+) toxicity in short-term vegetables. Two types of insect-derived frass, bred from different feeding substrates, the black soldier fly (BSF) larvae, Hermetia illucens, known as the BSF frass (BSFF), and the common house cricket (CHC), Acheta domesticus, of both adults and nymphal instars, known as CHC frass (CHCF). The short-term vegetable, Amaranthus tricolor, was chosen as the test crop. A total of 200 A. tricolor vegetable seedlings were tested, with five experimental replicates, each with 10 A. tricolor seedlings set following completely randomized design, each for the different fertilizer treatments, BSFF fertilizer, CHCF fertilizer, NPK 15:15:15 fertilizer as the positive control, and no fertilizer as the negative control, pre-prepared in the form of soil–fertilizer mixtures, applied following the rate of 120 kg N ha−1. Comparatively, BSFF fecal matter component recorded lower rates of decomposition of total organic matter (TOM), total organic carbon (TOC), and organic nitrogen (ON) but with a higher rate of TCF decomposition, contrary to CHCF with higher rates of decomposition of TOM, TOC, ON, and a lower rate of TCF decomposition. Additionally, the rates of ON decomposition to NH4+ and NH4+ uptake were lower for BSFF compared to CHCF. The ratio rates of TOM-TCF (22:31), TOM-ON (22:02), TOC-TCF (30:31), and TOC-ON (30:02) for BSFF recorded the highest difference, compared to CHCF with a lower difference of ratio rates; TOM-TCF (36:21), TOM-ON (36:13), TOC-TCF (38:21), and TOC-ON (38:13). The alleviation of NH4+ toxicity for short-term vegetables with high sensitivity toward excessive NH4+ uptake could only be effectively alleviated with high TCF fecal matter component of the frass, increasing decomposition toward the TCF element and reduced decomposition on the organic N element of the frass’ fecal matter.

A newly innovated UV-Pit-Light trap specific for trapping beetle species within oil palm plantations is described and the results of experiments on its efficacies that were carried out within different oil palm age stands are presented. The UV-Pit-Light trap is made of two parts: a lower located 1-L plastic collection container inserted into the ground, 6V fast recharging lead-acid battery and 4-W miniature UV-bulb attached to electronic device with wire clips, with the upper located plastic stool for the basic stand and the wide plastic basin for rain and light shield. The UV-Pit-Light trap caught significantly higher beetle specimens, which also included several morphospecies from the common beetle families found in oil palm plantations with 1.5 to 2 times higher in abundances including Nitidulidae, Curculionidae, Scarabaeidae, and Tenebrionidae. Rare beetle families of Aderidae, Cerambycidae, Histeridae, and Lagriidae, which not to be found in passive pitfall trap, were caught in considerable abundances in the UV-Pit-Light trap. The short electro-magnetic wavelengths of UV-light source included many closely packed epigeal related micro-habitats, which makes the UV-Pit-Light trap specific for sampling beetles specifically related within micro-habitats of various oil palm age stand types. The use of only four units of UV-Pit-Light trap compared with 100 units of passive pitfall trap is adequate for sampling beetle species community which includes both the common and uncommon families, and include two times higher for the most abundant and common species than the passive pitfall trap. Thus, the UV-Pit-Light trap allows accurate and unbiased diversity and ecological evaluations of beetle species and proposed to be the specific trapping system for insect species dwelling within the epigeal related micro-habitats oil palm plantations.Â

A study on micro-habitats utilizations, feeding niche overlapping, and management systems impacts pertaining to hymenopteran community were evaluated at five chosen oil palm age stands within FELDA Sungai Tekam oil palm plantations, Pahang.  Samplings were done within the duration of one year, employing the standard Malaise traps, starting from February 2013 till February 2014, involving both hot and wet seasons. 60 species, from 17 families and 35 subfamilies were successfully collected during the sampling periods. Eight defined micro-habitats were elaborated, with the subdivisions of major, minor, stable, and risky micro-habitat types. Management systems impacts were associated with the applications of chemical herbicides and fertilizers. Species groups were formed using Two-Way Hierarchical Cluster Dendrogram, following 75% of information remaining. Three species groups were formed for hot and wet seasons respectively, with the first group involved nearly half of the overall hymenopteran community. Beneficial nectariferous plants, heaps of chipped rotting oil palm trunks, and remnants of rotting forest logs were all the prominent micro-habitats associated will all cases of hymenopteran species groups, for both cases of major and minor micro-habitat types. Application of BASTA, Glyphosate-Type-A and Type-B herbicides, as well as NK-Mix, Borax, and GML chemical fertilizers were all highly correlated with hymenopteran species groups, showing the high tolerance of most hymenopteran species towards the employed management systems, with reference to minor micro-habitats. Strong feeding ecological niches and plexus values between species of similar species groups formed were specifically associated with discrete but connected minor micro-habitats with weaker food chains, collectively forming larger stable food webs within major micro-habitats. Suggestions on maintaining minor micro-habitats for the survival of most hymenopteran community, as well as the sustenance of their food sources were also discussed.Â

In response to Pi deprivation, phosphate 1 (PHO1) is a significant regulator at trans-eQTL hotspots in Brassica rapa. Brassica rapa short-read sequencing data analysis revealed four PHO1 paralog genes, PHO1_A, PHO1_B, PHO1_C, and PHO1_D, placed in tandem with very high sequence similarity. However, based on short-read genomic sequence data, only three transcripts are accessible. Five bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) can be sequenced using a long-read sequencer, which improves de novo assembly and identifies structural variants. The PHO1 gene’s quadruplicating tandem positions in the genomic sequence were confirmed by an analysis of long-read data. Transcript analysis identified only three groups of PHO1 paralogs (ortholog AT1G14040 in Arabidopsis), i.e., PHO1_A, PHO1_B, and PHO1_D, expressed in B. rapa leaf tissues under Pi deficiency. PHO1_A, with transcript ID XM_009150437.2, has five different splice variants found. These splice variants’ truncated proteins demonstrated PHO1_A’s function in P control as opposed to protein encoding.