The prevalence and seasonal variation in liver fluke and gastro-intestinal parasites were studied in native (n = 360) and crossbred (n = 360) cattle with four age groups (<12 months, >12-24 months, >24-36 months and >36 months) and three seasons (summer, rainy and winter) in Trishal Upazilla, Mymensingh district for a period of November 2002 to October 2003. Feces were collected to examine the worm load in each of the animal. The maximum rate of infection of gastrointestinal parasite was recorded in crossbred cattle with the exception of Strongylid. In the rainy season highest gastrointestinal parasitic infestation was observed. The infection rates of Fasciola, Paramphistomum, Trichuris and Schistosoma were highest in the age group >36 months and lowest in the age group < 12 months. The infection rates of Ascaris, Strongylid, Strongyloids and Moniezia were very high in the age group < 12 months and low in the age group >36 months.

Curcuma zedoaria (Christm.) Roscoe, a member of the family Zingiberaceae, is one of the most widely distributed Curcuma species in Bangladesh. It is a well-known and important species because of its medicinal and horticultural values. However, some plant populations are predicted to be depleted due to habitat destruction and due to extensive collection by local inhabitants. In order to estimate the level of genetic diversity within and between natural populations, RAPD analyses were performed using individual plants from different populations. We used Shannon's index to partition genetic diversity which clearly demonstrated that hilly populations of Srimangal, Chittagong and Sitakundu maintain rather higher genetic diversity than that of plain land and plateau land populations of Savar and Birganj, respectively. We found a high intrapopulational (H¢ pop /H¢ sp ) genetic diversity of 0.717 that was higher than the interpopulation diversity G ST [(H¢ sp )H¢ pop )/H¢ sp ] value of 0.283. Principal Coordinates Analysis (PCoA) showed that individuals of the hilly populations were combined in one group, separated from the plain land and plateau land populations. From a conservation point of view, our results suggest that special attention should be kept on the small populations of plain and plateau lands that are critically threatened due to high anthropogenic activities.

Curcuma zedoaria populations comprise 2n = 63 chromosomes with three satellite chromosomes showing elongated secondary constrictions. Flow cytometry results inferred that the 2C nuclear DNA values varied between the populations. The largest genome size was found in the population Chittagong (mean 3.37 pg) and the lowest in the Birganj population (mean 3.15 pg). RAPD based estimations of genetic diversity revealed that hilly populations maintain higher genetic diversity, which was also found to be distinct from plainland and plateauland populations. Genome sizes and genetic diversity values of the populations were positively correlated.

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Northeast India is known for its diverse nature of soil, climate, and topography that supports rich banana diversity. Banana (Musa sp.) is the second most important fruit crop in India due to its availability throughout the year, taste along with the nutritive and medicinal value. Thus, the genetic diversity of banana resources is essential for present and future food. This study aimed to determine the comparative genetic variation among 14 non-commercial edible banana cultivars of Assam, India, by using 50 different morphological characters with ISSR markers. Morphological data were analyzed hierarchical clusters and principal coordinates which showed to cluster all the accessions into two distinct groups and subsequently into four subgroups. Furthermore, ISSR markers revealed the average percentage of polymorphism. A total of 62 bands were detected of which 56 bands showed polymorphism using seven primers. The highest number of the band was detected with the primer UBC-843 and the lowest number of the band was observed with UBC-848. The genetic similarity index was prepared using Jaccard's similarity coefficient and the range of genetic similarity was from 0.28 to 0.77 with 0.51 of average. Dendrogram produced from the cluster analysis showed the clear division of the genotypes into two distinct clusters. Seven accessions of viz. Bharatmoni, Assamiya-malbhog, Gobin tulashi, Bokmoni, Bangali-malbhog, Katiya-jahaji, and Abormalbhog were clustered in the first group. The second group included the accessions viz. Jatikol, Adeel, Guwahatia-kol, Fessamonohar, Athiya kol, Ximalu-monohar, and Bogi-monohar. The Mantel test analysis also showed positive relationships between morphological traits and ISSR markers.