Variance in leaf spot susceptibility in chestnut trees of different species and hybrids

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - Prior to the first occurrence of chestnut blight in 1976, leaf spot caused by Cylindrosporium castaneae was one of the most important diseases of European...     

Technological properties and fire performance of medium density fibreboard (MDF) treated with selected polyphosphate-based fire retardants

ABSTRACT

The objective of the work was to evaluate the efficacy of two new polyphosphate-based fire retardants (FRs) and one commercial product named Siriono^® on the fire performance and physical–mechanical properties of medium density fibreboard (MDF) fabricated in the laboratory from Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) wood. The fibres were treated with aqueous solutions of fire retardants, at 12% loading (dry salt on dry wood), and bonded with a melamine urea formaldehyde (MUF) adhesive. The physical and mechanical properties of panels were assessed using the European standards, whereas their fire performance was evaluated using an in-house method and the Cone calorimeter. In overall, the chemicals added enhanced the fire and smoke properties of the panels to varying degrees. Critical FR parameters such as peak heat release rate (peak HRR), total heat release (THR) and total smoke production (TSP) were significantly improved in the FR-treated panels, as exhibited in cone calorimeter tests. However, the internal bond strength of treated panels largely decreased by the addition of fire retardants, while thickness swell and water absorption negatively affected to a significant extent. In contrast, the formaldehyde release of the panels was considerably decreased at the E1 class level, with the incorporation of the polyphosphate-based additives.     

Impact of traditional soil burning (guie) on Planosol properties and land‐use intensification in south‐western Ethiopia

In the Gilgel Gibe catchment in Ethiopia, local farmers intensify land use on Planosols by adjusting a traditional soil burning practice known as guie. The burning practice used to be applied in a cycle of shifting cultivation. However, more recently, farmers burn small plots to make fertile seedbeds for Eucalyptus seedlings in the first year before these trees are transplanted to larger plots. The purpose of this research was to assess the physico‐chemical properties of Planosols that have been subjected to burning over the last 10 yrs and evaluate the contribution of guie to land‐use intensification of these soils. Transect studies and interviews of local farmers, followed by chemical, physical and micromorphological analyses of samples from selected plots were used to compare the soil properties of recently (0–2 yrs) and formerly (3–10 yrs) burnt Planosols with those of unburnt Planosols. The analytical results show that the burning practice improved nutrient availability in the first 2 yrs after guie. Increased amounts of exchangeable aluminium (Al) were reported in the long term. Charge fingerprints illustrate that the nutrient‐buffering capacity of the soil was high shortly after the practice but subsequently decreased with time. Given the population pressure on the formerly extensively used Planosols, it is argued that the current application of guie on small, localized plots for raising Eucalyptus seedlings is well adapted to the local socio‐economic context and promotes land‐use intensification on the Planosols. The increased exchangeable Al content of former Eucalyptus seedbeds merits further in‐depth research into the biophysical sustainability of the burning practice.     

Effectiveness of stone bunds in controlling soil erosion on cropland in the Tigray Highlands, northern Ethiopia

Abstract Use of stone bunds to enhance soil and water conservation was first introduced to Tigray, northern Ethiopia in 1981. This study was designed to examine the factors that control the effectiveness of bunds installed on cropland. Qualitative and quantitative assessments of soil loss and sediment accumulation were conducted on 202 plots at 12 representative sites in Dogu'a Tembien district. Mean annual soil loss from the foot of the bunds due to tillage erosion was estimated at 39kgm⁻¹yr⁻¹ or 20tha⁻¹yr⁻¹, a rate which decreased with increasing age of bund. The assessed mean annual soil loss rate by sheet and rill erosion in the absence of stone bunds is 57tha⁻¹yr⁻¹. The mean measured annual rate of sediment accumulation behind the stone bunds is 119kgm⁻¹yr^−1/sp or 59tha⁻¹yr⁻¹. The measurements show that the introduction of stone bunds to the region has led to a 68% reduction in annual soil loss due to water erosion. This reduction is due to the accumulation of sediment behind the stone bunds, which occurs faster in the early years after construction and decreases as the depression behind the bunds becomes filled with sediment. New stone bunds are particularly effective in trapping sediment in transport, but regular maintenance and increase in height of the bunds is necessary to maintain their effectiveness. The average USLE P factor for stone bunds in the study area is estimated to be 0.32.     

The impact of environmental change on the intensity and spatial pattern of water erosion in a semi-arid mountainous Andean environment

Aerial photographs taken in 1976 and 1989 and a field survey in 1999 showed that land use in a 900-ha catchment in the southern part of the Ecuadorian Andes is highly dynamic. Over 23 years, ca. 83 ha of arable land was abandoned and ca. 70 ha was taken into agricultural production. Changes in land use were not spatially homogeneous. Parcels on unstable geologic formations and close to village centres were preferably set-aside. Land taken into cultivation was preferably located on gently sloping areas close to newly built sites and arterial roads. The area with bush vegetation increased by regeneration of natural vegetation on fields set-aside in the late 1970s and early 1980s. There was a complex interaction between water erosion and environmental change in the study area. Land taken into production was levelled for furrow irrigation: this led to a net reduction in the area susceptible to water erosion. However, one quarter of the area affected only by sheet and rill erosion 23 years ago has since become incised by deep gullies. This increase in gully density was related to inadequate construction and management of irrigation infrastructure, rather than to change in vegetation cover and/or soil erodibility caused by agricultural practices. This factor is often overlooked in studies of the effects of environmental change on geomorphologic processes.     

Removal of rock fragments and its effect on soil loss and crop yield, Tigray, Ethiopia

Abstract. When the farmers of the Highlands of Tigray (northern Ethiopia) consider rock fragment cover in their fields to be excessive, they remove some of them. In addition, large amounts of rock fragments of all sizes are removed from fields for building stone bunds. Semi-structured interviews indicate that the farmers are often reluctant to take away the smaller rock fragments (i.e. < 5 cm across) from their fields, since they believe these benefit soil moisture conservation and protect topsoil from erosion. A field experiment was carried out on a Vertic Cambisol (average slope: 0.125 m m^–1), 2 km east of Hagere Selam (subhumid climate). Rock fragments were totally, partially or not removed from the 12 runoff plots (5 m × 6 m) before the beginning of the 1999 cropping season, during which a local mixture of wheat varieties ( Triticum spp.) was sown. After harvest, erosion rates were assessed by measuring deposited sediment volume in trenches at the lower side of each subplot, and grain and straw yields were assessed. We found a significant negative relationship between rock fragment cover and soil loss by water erosion. However, the resulting positive relationship between rock fragment cover and grain and straw yield was weak. This might be explained by the fact that the plot did not suffer from drought due to soil and climatic conditions. Detailed analysis showed that cover by medium and large rock fragments (> 2 cm diameter) showed an optimum percentage cover above which crop yields decrease. A recommendation resulting from this study is to rely on the farmers' experience: smaller rock fragments should never be removed from the surface of fields during soil and water conservation works; instead rock fragment rich soil can be used to top the stone bunds.     

Impact of land use changes on the hydrological properties of volcanic ash soils in South Ecuador

Abstract. The effect of land use on the water retention capacity of Umbric Andosols in south Ecuador was studied. The objective was to acquire a better insight into the hydrological processes of the ecosystem and the role of the soil, in order to assess the impact of changing soil properties due to land use change on the hydrology of the high Andes region. Field data on the water retention capacity at wilting point of Umbric Andosols were collected for both cultivated field conditions and original bush vegetation. The pH in water and in NaF, texture, organic matter content and dry bulk density were measured to show which physicochemical soil characteristics are responsible for the water retention of the Umbric Andosols and for the irreversible loss in water retention due to air drying. Organic matter content appears to be very important and certainly more important than allophane clay content. Water retention of the organic litter layer was calculated to be 16 mm, this would be lost when vegetation was cleared and the land cultivated.     

Textural properties and their correlation to cell structure in porous food materials

This paper focuses on understanding the role of structural parameters and starch crystallization on the toughness of cake samples. Accurate mechanical measurements were performed to obtain toughness values, and these were related to structural parameters obtained from image analyses. Three-dimensional skeletons of food samples were generated by using X-ray tomography technique. The structural parameters (cell diameter, cell wall thickness, thickness to radius ratio (t/R), fragmentation index) were obtained after processing of the images with CTan software. The basic hypothesis of the paper is to show that the structural parameter t/R is a determinant for predicting toughness, which is a critical indicator of freshness. Freshness in cakes and other baked products is a leading factor in consumer perception. For this purpose three different cake formulations were stored at 37 and 50 °C. Cycling from these temperatures to lower storage temperatures of 25 and 4 °C was done to accelerate the starch retrogradation rate. Experimental results indicated that there was a strong interrelationship between morphological structure and the mechanical properties with regression coefficients of 0.68 and 0.95. Starch retrogradation, which was followed by X-ray diffractometry, was found to be directly proportional to toughness values, where the percent relative crystallinity increased with storage temperature.     

Identification of risk factors for the prevalence and persistence of Salmonella in Belgian broiler chicken flocks

According to the European Food Safety Authority, salmonellosis is still one of the main causes of infectious foodborne gastroenteritis in humans. Broilers are an important source of salmonellosis after eggs and pork. Between 1987 and 1999 the trend of human salmonellosis incidence in Belgium increased constantly. However, from 2000 until 2005 a decrease in human cases was observed, probably following the sanitary measures implemented in the poultry breeder and laying sector. In order to decrease human infections it is essential to tackle the problem at the farm level to minimize cross-contamination from farm to fork. This paper seeks to answer two questions: (i) given the Salmonella status of the farm at a certain occasion (equal to the sampling time of the flock), what are the risk factors that the farm will be Salmonella positive at a following occasion? And (ii) what are the risk factors for a farm to be persistently positive for two consecutive flocks? We used surveillance data on 6824 broiler flocks studied for Salmonella infectivity from 2005 to 2006 in Belgium. The farms were tested regularly (3 weeks before slaughter of each broiler flock) for the presence of Salmonella based on multiple faecal samples per flock on a farm yielding clustered data. Generalized estimating equations, alternating logistic regression models, and random-intercept logistic regression models were employed to analyse these correlated binary data. Our results indicated that there are many factors that influence Salmonella risk in broiler flocks, and that they interact. Accounting for interactions between risk factors leads to an improved determination of those risk factors that increase infection with Salmonella. For the conditional analysis, the risk factors found to increase the risk of Salmonella infection on a farm at a current occasion given the previous Salmonella status included: Salmonella infection of day-old chicks (of the current flock); a previously infected flock even though the farm was equipped with a hygiene place to change clothes prior to entering the broiler house; having temporary workmen when there was a separation between birds of different species; and separating birds of different species in the Walloon region relative to the Flanders region. Sanitary measures such as a cleaning and disinfecting procedure conducted by an external cleaning firm, applying the all-in all-out procedure, and hand washing decreased the risk despite their interaction with other factors. From the joint analysis, the most important factors identified for increased risk for persistent Salmonella on a farm involved the interaction between having temporary workmen when there were poultry or farmers in contact with foreign poultry or persons, and the interaction between having temporary workmen when there were poultry or farmers in contact with external poultry or persons.