Dr. Kushan Tennakoon
Lecturer, Environmental Science
Dr Kushan Tennakoon is a plant eco-physiologist with research experience in South East Asia, USA and Australia. Dr Tennakoon is internationally recognised for his research on the functional attributes of parasitic plants.
Kushan’s current research is focused on plant responses to environmental change, especially native flora in degraded habitats and those co-occurring with invasive Acacias. He is also involved with developing propagation and agronomic practices of selected native and medicinal species for urban greening programs and studying the silviculture of economically and culturally important trees such as Sandalwood and Agarwood.
Kushan has received numerous professional awards including the International Postgraduate Research Scholarship from the University of Western Australia for his doctoral studies. As a mid-career researcher, he was awarded the J. William Fulbright Senior Fellowship, USA to pursue advanced research in plant ecophysiology and also the Third World Academy of Sciences Young Scientist Award for Biology.
Changes in Soil Physicochemical and Water Properties in Response to Exotic Acacia Invasion in a Bornean Coastal Heath Forest
Ecological Approaches to Forest Restoration: Lessons Learned from Tropical Wet Asia
Germination Strategy of Chenopodium acuminatum Willd. under Fluctuating Salinity Habitats
Achievements, Developments and Future Challenges in the Field of Bioherbicides for Weed Control: A Global Review
Impacts of invasive Acacias on ion deposition in a coastal Bornean tropical heath forest
The uncontrolled invasive spread of exotic Acacias is a growing concern for many tropical...
The Angiosperm Stem Hemiparasitic Genus Cassytha (Lauraceae) and Its Host Interactions: A Review
Medicinal value of three agricultural weed species of the asteraceae family: A review
Ageratum conyzoides L., Tridax procumbens L. and Bidens pilosa L. are well known plant species of...
Photosynthetic Responses of Invasive Acacia Mangium and Co-Existing NATIVE Heath Forest Species to Elevated Temperature and Co2 Concentrations
The impacts of climate change, in particular via elevated temperature and atmospheric CO2...
Photosynthesis in co-occurring invasive Acacia spp. and native Bornean heath forest trees at the post-establishment invasion stage
Seedlings of invasive species often exhibit superior physiological traits that facilitate their...
Effects of Acacia invasion on leaf litter nutrient and soil properties of coastal Kerangas forests in Brunei Darussalam
Exotic Acaciawere introduced to Brunei Darussalam in the 1990s for plantation forestry and land...
Isotopic evidence of partial mycoheterotrophy in Burmannia coelestis (Burmanniaceae)
The Burmanniaceae contain several lineages of achlorophyllous mycoheterotrophic plants that...
Ecophysiological responses of mistletoe Dendrophthoe curvata (Loranthaceae) to varying environmental parameters
We measured parameters of photosynthetic capacity, instantaneous gas exchange and leaf mineral...
Host specific variation in photosynthesis of an obligate xylem-tapping mistletoe Dendrophthoe curvata in a Bornean heath forest
Most mistletoe-host ecophysiological studies have paid attention to the influence of parasites on...
Parasitic mistletoes of the genera Scurrula and Viscum: From bench to bedside
The mistletoes, stem hemiparasites of Asia and Europe, have been used as medicinal herbs for many...
Comparative Study on Growth Performance of Transgenic (Over-Expressed OsNHX1) and Wild-Type Nipponbare under Different Salinity Regimes
Transgenic Nipponbare which over-expressed a Na+/H+ antiporter gene OsNHX1 was used to compare...
Controls on foliar nutrient and aluminium concentrations in a tropical tree flora: Phylogeny, soil chemistry and interactions among elements
Foliar elemental concentrations are predictors of life-history variation and contribute to...
Efficiency enhancement of cocktail dye of Ixora coccinea and Tradescantia spathacea in DSSC
The use of anthocyanin dyes extracted from epidermal leaves of Tradescantia spathacea (Trant) and...
Higher performance of DSSC with dyes from cladophora sp. As mixed cosensitizer through synergistic effect
Chlorophyll and xanthophyll dyes extracted from a single source of filamentous freshwater green...
Impact of Cuscuta australis infection on the photosynthesis of the invasive host, Mikania micrantha, under drought condition
Cuscuta species (dodders) are widespread stem holoparasites that depend on host plants for their...
Soil seed bank of an exotic acacia sp. plantation and an adjacent tropical heath forest in brunei darussalam
Acacias are some of themost successful invasive plants in the tropics, causing significant...
Differences in survival and growth among tropical rain forest pioneer tree seedlings in relation to canopy openness and herbivory
Although differences in canopy openness, herbivory and their interaction may promote species...
Equilibrium isotherm studies of adsorption of pigments extracted from Kuduk-kuduk (Melastoma malabathricum L.) pulp onto TiO2 nanoparticles
The adsorption of natural pigments onto TiO2 nanoparticles was investigated. The pigments were...
Impacts of temperature on the stability of tropical plant pigments as sensitizers for dye sensitized solar cells
Natural dyes have become a viable alternative to expensive organic sensitizers because of their...
Mineral nutrition of the hyperparasitic mistletoe Viscum articulatumBurm. f. (Viscaceae) in tropical Brunei Darussalam
A plant parasite parasitizing another plant parasite is known as a hyperparasite. Information is...
Use and cultivation of plants that yield products other than timber from South Asian tropical forests, and their potential in forest restoration
Rural communities have traditionally valued forests for a diversity of products and services,...
Disturbance and tropical pioneer species: Patterns of association across life history stages
Pioneer tree species of tropical rain forests in the seedling and sapling size classes are...
Nutritional and isotopic relationships of selected Bornean tropical mistletoehost associations in Brunei Darussalam
Our understanding of mineral nutrition and carbon heterotrophy in mistletoes is derived largely...
Mineral nutrition and heterotrophy in the water conservative holoparasite Hydnora Thunb. (Hydnoraceae)
There are large gaps in our understanding of parasite-host nutrient relationships. Our goal was...