Papers by Wahizatul Afzan Binti Azmi
Research Article, 2024
The ecological aspects, distribution, and possible conservation of a syrphid hoverfly, Axona chal... more The ecological aspects, distribution, and possible conservation of a syrphid hoverfly, Axona chalcopyga (Wiedemann, 1839) is poorly known due to their rare records. Three female individuals of A. chalcopyga were discovered in the Gelam forests of Terengganu state, which is the first record in Peninsular Malaysia. Here, we provided a pictorial description of the female. We also noted the functional role of the hoverfly as a potential pollinator candidate for the Gelam trees by visiting its flowers.
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu Journal of Undergraduate Research
Stingless bee, Heterotrigona itama is one of the most important and effective insect pollinators ... more Stingless bee, Heterotrigona itama is one of the most important and effective insect pollinators of many plant species. They can be found in the tropical rain forest where they build their nest in the living trees. This study was conducted to measure the morphological characteristic of H. itama from two different populations which were TKPM (Taman Kekal Pengeluaran Makanan) Kampung Peradong, Manir (A) and Big Bee Honey, Merchang (B), Terengganu. 20 individuals of H. itama adults were taken from each population by using insect net. The external morphologies such as body length, head, abdomen, thorax, leg, tibia, forewing, hindwing and antenna were measured by using DinoLite 2.0. The measurements were recorded and the mean ± standard deviation and range of the measurement data were analysed. Based on Mann-Whitney test, there were significant differences for population B of H. itama in mean of head length (p=0.0016; p<0.05), head width (p=0.0022; p<0.05) and thorax width (p=0.044...
Microorganisms
Industrial crops including coconut palm and other palm species are seriously infested by red palm... more Industrial crops including coconut palm and other palm species are seriously infested by red palm weevil (RPW), resulting in significant economic damage globally. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a mycoinsecticide utilizing conidia of Metarhizium anisopliae to control RPW and sought to investigate a new emulsion formulation for the influences of storage temperature and heat stress on conidia germination in an oil-in-glycerol emulsion system. The mycoinsecticide is an emulsion formulation which comprises an oil carrier, non-ionic surfactants, water, and glycerol, which was optimized by premixing the oil and non-ionic surfactant in different weight ratios (1:0, 9:1, 8:2, 7:3, 6:4, 5:5, 4: 6, 3: 7, 2:8, 1:9, and 0:1). From three selected oil-in-glycerol formulations, F25 was more stable in storage and had a smaller particle size (between 154.3 and 236.4 nm in diameter) and stable zeta potential (above + 30 mV) with low surface tension (29.83 ± 0.24 mN/m to 30.72 ± 0.11 mN/m at ro...
PROCEEDINGS OF SCIEMATHIC 2020, 2021
The red palm weevil (RPW) or Rhynchophorus ferrugineus is an invasive palm pest that if not contr... more The red palm weevil (RPW) or Rhynchophorus ferrugineus is an invasive palm pest that if not controlled can become a threat to the oil palm industry. In addition, the signs of RPW attack on palm trees at an early stage of infestation are difficult to be identified. Thus, new methods and alternatives are needed to overcome this setback. This study is aimed to determine the antioxidant and protein responses of oil palm seedling’s cabbage tissues fed by the RPW. These responses can be used as biomarkers of RPW infestation. In this study, analyses were done for a period of one month. Determination of antioxidant activity was based on the cabbage tissues’ total phenolic content (TPC) and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity (HRSA). Total soluble protein (TSP) content and SDS-PAGE protein profiles of healthy and infested cabbages were also determined. TPC of RPW-infested cabbages significantly reduced from week one until week four with the highest reduction observed for week three. Comparatively, HRSA of the cabbages was gradually increased from week one until week four. Furthermore, TSP of these cabbages was induced except for week two where there were no changes. Week four TSP was significantly the highest than the other treatments. Thirteen new proteins were formed on the profiles of RPW-infested cabbages while 20 protein bands were missing. In conclusion, changes in the antioxidant activity as well as in the protein’s content and profile of the cabbages in the presence of RPW indicate that some sort of defend and regulatory mechanisms are triggered which can be used as potential biomarkers to detect early infestation of RPW in oil palm.
Folia Zoologica, 2017
BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access t... more BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.
In this study, we reported the proteins expressed by oil palm seedlings using a one-dimensional s... more In this study, we reported the proteins expressed by oil palm seedlings using a one-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulphatepolyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (1D SDS-PAGE) analysis. This study was carried out as a preliminary study on the effects of an invasive palm pest, the Red Palm Weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) on oil palm. In order to determine whether the trees can differentiate between the weevil (RPW)and mechanical-inflicted (MW) wounds, proteins of both types of wounds were compared. Treatments were carried out within four time frames: one, two, three and four weeks. For each week, new 12 months old oil palm seedlings were used and cabbage tissue samples were analyzed for their protein content and profile. Protein content was determined using Bradford assay while SDS-PAGE analysis was used to construct the protein profile of the samples. Protein content of MW seedlings gradually increased from week one until week four while for RPW, the proteins significantly increased in w...
Interaction between the Red Palm Weevil (RPW) and coconuts will stimulate the plants’ early respo... more Interaction between the Red Palm Weevil (RPW) and coconuts will stimulate the plants’ early response by producing the reactive oxygen species (ROS) which causes lipid peroxidation and membrane damage of the host plants. Thus, a multiple defense lines, including both scavenging enzymes and molecular antioxidants have been evolved to promptly inactivate these radicals. This study investigated the responses of catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), α-tocopherol, ascorbic acid and carotenoids contents of three coconut cultivars which were PANDAN, MAWA and MATAG against the RPW infestation. The infested PANDAN and MAWA exhibited higher CAT, POD and APX specific activities of 2.60 ± 0.11, 5.0 ± 0.72 and 1.58 ± 0.20 units/mg protein for PANDAN whereas 1.13 ± 0.04, 39.38 ± 2.29 and 1.15 ± 0.16 units/mg, protein for MAWA) compared with controls. However, MATAG cultivar showed no significant difference (p<0.05) in the production of both enzymes except for POD specifi...
Red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier, RPW) is one of the widely distributed harmful... more Red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier, RPW) is one of the widely distributed harmful pests that attacks coconut palms in Malaysia. The infestations spread rapidly after the first case reported and cause severe damages to thousands of coconut trees. Thus, the problem affects the coconut production. This study was conducted to evaluate the early oxidative stress responses in coconut-RPW infestation. Fourteen-month-old seedlings of MATAG and PANDAN cultivars were infested with RPW for 28 days. The lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde equivalents, MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) concentration and percentage of ion leakage in lower and upper stems of planted coconut cultivars were measured at 0, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days after infestation. Results showed that the MDA and H2O2 concentration were decreased at both lower and upper stem of PANDAN, but decreased at lower stem for MATAG. In contrast, at later stages of experiment, infested upper MATAG stem demonstrated significantly hig...
Tasik Kenyir is located in Hulu Terengganu (District between latitude of 4o43’N to 5o15’N and lon... more Tasik Kenyir is located in Hulu Terengganu (District between latitude of 4o43’N to 5o15’N and longitude of 102o30’ to 102o53’N), in the state of Terengganu, sharing its border with Kelantan in the west and Pahang in the south. Tasik Kenyir is the largest man-made lake in South East Asia, with the total water surface area of the lake is about 38,000 ha and surrounding catchment area of approximately 260,000 ha (Zulkafli & Ashhar, 2000). It was created in 1986 by the damming of the Kenyir River to build the Sultan Mahmud Hydroelectric Power Plant. Tasik Kenyir has a very diverse range of terrestrial and aquatic habitats that support interesting species of flora and fauna. The forest is one of the oldest tropical rainforest in the world, which serves as part of the Malaysian National Park or Taman Negara. It is also a home for numerous species of freshwater fishes and exotic wildlife (Sayed & Mohd. Azmi, 2005). Tasik Kenyir also supports a wide range of benthic macroinvertebrates, incl...
Journal of Sustainability Science and …, 2006
ABSTRACT A rich collection of 593 individuals belonging to 44 species from 11 families of Odonata... more ABSTRACT A rich collection of 593 individuals belonging to 44 species from 11 families of Odonata were successfully identified at Sekayu Recreational Forest, Terengganu from September until December 2005. Zygopterans (393 individuals) were found to be more abundant than anisopterans (200 individuals). However, Libellulidae (suborder Anisoptera) made up the most dominant family collected with 31.9% of total individuals recorded. Euphaea ochracea and Rhinocypha limbata were found to be the most abundant species recorded in this study. More individuals were collected from middle stream (MS) of Sungai Sekayu followed by lower stream (LS) and upper stream (US). However, ANOVA does not show significant difference among the individuals represented at each study sites as all the study areas consist of similar microhabitats.
Stingless bee is one of the important pollinators in open field crops as well as in the greenhous... more Stingless bee is one of the important pollinators in open field crops as well as in the greenhouse crops. However, the potential use of stingless bees as pollinator for greenhouse cucumber is less documented in Malaysia. In this study, the stingless bees, Heterotrigona itama were placed together with the greenhouse cucumbers, Cucumis sativus in order to investigate the effects of H. itama pollination on greenhouse cucumber. This experiment involved three pollination treatments; namely pollination without stingless bee, hand-cross pollination and pollination by stingless bee, H. itama. Two hives of stingless bees were introduced into the greenhouse at least two days before the cucumber flowers started to bloom. Results showed that the cucumbers pollinated by stingless bee and hand-cross pollination produced heavier, longer and larger cucumbers compared to those produced from pollination without stingless bees. However, in terms of dried weight seed, firmness and colour of cucumbers, ...
The red palm weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus is an economically important pest of palms i... more The red palm weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus is an economically important pest of palms in many parts of the world. The weevil was first reported in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia in the early 2007, where it is now causing severe damage to coconut palms. However, in 2016, the RPW has been reported in five states – Perlis, Kedah, Pulau Pinang, Terengganu and Kelantan, with the latter being the worst-hit. The weevil has also been found in oil palm plantations of FELDA and FELCRA by using pheromone trapping, but so far there is no evidence of the oil palm trees being affected. Current method to manage the RPW in Malaysia is largely based on pheromone mass trapping. However, it is still not an effective way to reduce the infestation of the RPW as the weevil population keeps increasing drastically. Thus, urgent action with special management considerations should be taken in order to reduce the problem. Here we report the identification, life cycle, symptoms of infestation...
Tropical biomedicine, 2016
Musca domestica Linnaeus or house fly is one of the well-known cosmopolitan pests. Poultry farms,... more Musca domestica Linnaeus or house fly is one of the well-known cosmopolitan pests. Poultry farms, horse stables and ranches are some of the main habitats for house flies to extend their interference and disturbance. Since 1999, large number of fly population around horse stables and barns in Terengganu Equestrian Resort (TER) was detected and still persists till today. Imported horse food are speculated to be the main cause for the increasing number of these flies. The current study was conducted to determine the effect of imported horse food (i.e. chaff, pallet and alfalfa) and the food conditions (wet and dry) on house fly population densities. Commercial sticky papers were used for trapping house fly distribution around the horse stables and barns in TER from October 2013 to January 2014. A total of 36,751 flies were caught during the eight week study period. The highest number of flies (2,843 individuals) was caught when using 'wet alfalfa + chaff' whereas the lowest cat...
Melissopalynology or study of pollen is well established and has been used to determine floral so... more Melissopalynology or study of pollen is well established and has been used to determine floral sources, geographical origin and genus of the plants that the bees visited (Ponnuchamy et al., 2014). Previous studies suggested that numerous pollen types commonly found on honey combs and bee hives affords the possibility of identifying the botanical and geographical origin of the honeys as well as the biochemistry and quality determination of honeys (Herrero et al., 2002; Montenegro et al., 2010). Therefore, pollen analysis is important to the apiculture industry in developing the premium marketable honey and honey products.
Journal of Insect Science, 2018
Data in Brief, 2019
Rhynchophorus ferrugineus or red palm weevil (RPW) is a destructive insect pest of major cultivat... more Rhynchophorus ferrugineus or red palm weevil (RPW) is a destructive insect pest of major cultivated palms such as coconut, date and oil palm. One of the control management of RPW is trunk injection using monocrotophos or methamidophos, but these chemicals are found to affect ecosystems and human health. Thus, we aimed to determine a bio-pesticide to replace these synthetic chemicals. We tested the antifeedant activity of three eugenolbased compounds as potential control agent against RPW larvae in vitro condition for two weeks. All these compounds show significant effect as feeding deterrent agent on 4th instar larvae, while WN16 (4-allyl-2-methoxy-1-(4-trifluoromethyl-benzyloxy)benzene) shows the highest feeding deterrent index (FDI ¼ 64.42%). Here we present the data regarding the biological aspect on treated RPW larvae as well as antifeedant activity index of these eugenol derived compounds.
American Journal of Agricultural and Biological Sciences, 2017
Journal of Oil Palm Research, 2017
Journal of Oil Palm Research, 2016
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Papers by Wahizatul Afzan Binti Azmi