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The present study was conducted with an aim to find out the efficacy of bacterial endophytes against major seedborne pathogens of rice grains. Twenty three seedborne pathogens were isolated by Agar plate method from 26 rice varieties collected from Assam and Meghalaya. Among 23 seed borne pathogens, Curvularia lunata, Fusarium moniliforme, Aspergillus cumulatus, Phoma sorghina, Aspergillus glaucus Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae and Bipolaris oryzae were predominant and frequently isolated. Out of 23 endophytes (15 Bacillus spp. and 8 Pseudomonas spp.) isolated from rice leaves, five Bacillus spp. were more effective against growth of fungal pathogens, whereas four Bacillus spp. showed effectiveness against X. oryzae pv. oryzae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bengal slow loris Nycticebus bengalensis is the only strepsirrhine primate in north-east India. It is categorized as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. The limited information on its status and ecology is the main hindrance to developing a conservation strategy for this species in India. Therefore during February 2009–May 2010 we surveyed the species in 16 protected areas in Assam and one protected area in Arunachal Pradesh. We used recce transects to estimate encounter rates for the species. A team of 3–4 conducted night-time surveys (18.00–03.00) on foot, covering 370 km over 99 full and 28 partial nights. We recorded lorises a total of 22 times in nine protected areas in Assam and three times in the protected area in Arunachal Pradesh. The mean distance of lorises from transects at the time of encounter was 15.04 m, at a mean height of 12.36 m above ground. The encounter rate was 0.06–0.2 lorises per km, which is relatively low compared to encounter rates for slow lorises elsewhere in their range but higher than recorded by other studies in north-east India. We found that despite hunting and habitat loss Bengal slow lorises still exist in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, albeit patchily within a forest block. The protected area network in these states is important for their conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary (GWLS) in the Jorhat District of Assam in northeastern India is rich in primate diversity with seven species. The plains alluvial semi-evergreen forest patches with high canopy cover support a variety of fauna. In October-November 2008, we carried out a survey to estimate the population status of Bengal Slow Loris (Nycticebus bengalensis) in GWLS, a species for which little data are available in India, and whose conservation status has only recently been changed from Data Deficient to Vulnerable. We estimated population abundance of 0.18 loris individuals/km using recce-survey transects' method in GWLS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]