Calendar December 3, 2019 07:09

Eranthis longistipitata Regel (Ranunculaceae) is an endemic plant of Central Asia and one of the most popular among decorative bulbs. There is a need for the development of fast and controlled propagation methods of this species. The purpose of this study is to identify the features of in vitro culture of E. longistipitata seeds and embryos. The effect of various pretreatment methods on germination of E. longistipitata seeds in in vitro culture was studied – cold stratification, treatment with gibberellic acid (GA3) and a combination of cold stratification and embryo culture treatment. It is shown that mature seeds of E. longistipitata exhibit an underdeveloped embryo, and for complete maturation of embryos in in vitro culture, it is necessary to incubate the seeds at +4°C in the dark for 2 months, and then at +7°C under a 16/8 photoperiod regime for 2 months. The optimal method of seed pretreatment is a combination of cold stratification and embryo culture, when the number of viable explants attained 23%. GA3 seed treatment did not foster embryo development and seed germination of E. longistipitata. The study has shown that a combination of cold stratification and embryo culture methods is necessary to overcome the dormancy of E. longistipitata seeds in vitro.

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Posted December 3, 2019 07:09

Calendar October 9, 2019 06:51

Plato lamented nearly 2500 years ago that land degradation in the city of Athens had stripped it off the lush hills of Greece. Among the key forms of degradation are deforestation, drought, siltation of rivers, destruction of water catchment areas, soil erosion, poaching and pollution due to industrialization. This destruction has been going on unabated despite awareness creation through education and also legislations. The greed of humanity for exploitation of the environment for profits has exposed the soft underbelly of human civilization giving rise to phenomena like global warming, floods, drought and now diseases associated with environmental degradation are a threat to the survival of mankind.

Ubuntu is a philosophy that recognizes the humanness of Africans whereby the sense of collectiveness imbues the collective responsibility to others. “We are, therefore I am”. However, this restriction of ubuntu to humanity only is problematic since it negates the special relationship homo sapiens have towards the flora and fauna. Traditional African knowledge systems utilizes proverbs, cultural beliefs, taboos, totems, shrines as ways of promoting man’s tolerance towards the environment whereby mankind is just but a mere caretaker. African philosophy encourages a collective sense of responsibility to conservation. In most African communities, the practice of meshing environmental seasons and animal identities with that of clan names, family lineage names, environment seasons creates a sense of human/animal similitudes which encourages a communal commitment to conservation of flora and fauna.  Majority of the communities living in the Zambezi river basin are grappling with challenges posed by climate change. These communities had and still have their own indigenous knowledge systems that enabled them to live harmoniously with the environment.

On the other hand, according to the earliest Daoist texts, when human nature is aligned with the rest of nature, order and harmony are inherent. Thus, according to Daoism we should therefore aspire to being simple and unadorned, with no illusions about our own significance in the cosmos. Here, Daoism treats humanity simply as a part of nature and not as a master of nature. This paper examines how, since time immemorial, ubuntu and Daoism has been used to conserve the ‘natural’ environment in the process making its use sustainable which could come in handy especially in addressing the challenges posed by environmental degradation in the Zambezi river basin.

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Posted October 9, 2019 06:51