Phaeolus schweinitzii an Pinus peuce in Bulgarien

Phacolus schweinitzii in Pinus peuce in Bulgaria . Research on wood-rotting fungi, causing damage to Pinus peuce in forest plantations and natural stands in Bulgaria established that most damage in natural stands is caused by Phacolus schweinitzii have been characterized and the basic factors favouring its development and the damage in causes are pointed out.     

Effect of auxin,cytokinin, and glutamine on mycelial growth of Phaeolus schweinitzii

The effect of naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), benzylaminopurine (BAP), L-glutamine (L-gln), and combinations of these substances on mycelial growth of Phaeolus schweinitzii was studied in vitro. NAA (1 mg × 1^?1), L-gln (500 mg × 1^?1) and a combination of NAA with L-gln inhibited the growth of fungal mycelium. BAP (1 mg × 1^?1) enhanced the inhibitory effect of NAA while in combination with L-gln it reduced the inhibitory effect of L-gln.     

The occurrence of Phaeolus schweinitzii in the soils of Sitka spruce plantations with broadleaved on non-woodland histories

The soils of thirty-five Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) plantations in southern Britain were surveyed for the presence of the root- and butt-rotting fungus P. Schweinitzii. As a soil inhabitant, the fungus was found to be present in plantations with both broadleaved woodland histories and non-woodland histories, but it was normally isolated at a higher frequency from those ex-broadleaved woodland sites which contained diseased Sitka spruce. The implications of the presence of the fungus in the soils of the formerly non-woodland sites, where no disease has been observed, is discussed in relation to its infection biology, as currently understood.     

In vitro testing for the resistance of conifers to the fungus Phaeolus schweinitzii (Fr.) Pat. on callus cultures

Defence reactions to the fungus Phaeolus schweinitzii were studied in spruce, pine, larch and Douglas-fir callus cultures. It was found that the defence reaction of the callus culture could indicate the degree of the resistance of the tree species to the wood-destroying fungus.     

Recent spruce decline with biotic pathogen infestation as a result of interacting climate,deposition and soil variables

Decline or health deterioration of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) dominated forest stands has recently been observed mainly in sub-mountainous parts of Central Europe. Forest inventory of 208 randomly distributed circular plots including field observations of spruce tree health and rot symptoms by honey fungus (Armillaria ostoyae) was used for assessing intensity of spruce forest health decline in a managed forest area of 12.7 th. ha located in Beskids Mts., NE Czech Republic. First, principal component analysis was used to separate inventory variables related to environmental stress (reduced apical increment, dry tree top and stem resin exudation due to A. ostoyae infestation) into PC1, and health deterioration symptoms associated with mechanical damage (peeling, crown breaks) into PC2. The first two principal components explained 59% of the total variability in health decline symptoms. Spatial variability of both principal components was explained using spatial lag regression model identified from a set of environmental variables including sulfur and nitrogen deposition, elevation, solar radiation, age of the forest stands and geological properties (geochemical reactivity index). Environmental stress (PC1) was associated with low elevations (sub-optimal for spruce), high level of nitrogen and sulfur deposition (their interaction), low geochemical reactivity and also stand age. On the other hand, mechanical damage (PC2) significantly increased with elevation and stand age. As the forest decline in Beskids Mts. is related to A. ostoyae spreading from local infestation hot spots, both principal components had a significant spatial autocorrelation, partly distorting the signal of environmental conditions. The results indicate that the disturbed forest soils by long-term acid deposition and subsequent nutrient degradation and more pronounced drought stress at low elevations are the most important drivers of the recent spruce health decline in Beskids Mts.     

Susceptibility of eucalypt taxa to a natural infestation by Leptocybe invasa

New Forests - Recently, pest occurrence in forest plantations has been increasing influenced by genotypes and environmental conditions such as climate change, thus impacting production negatively....     

云南省城市饮用水水源地水土流失治理措施

饮用水作为一类用途最为重要的水资源,由于存在着管理机构不健全,责任不到位等问题,水源地水土流失日趋严重,老百姓饮用水安全正逐步受到威胁。饮用水水源保护问题已成为关系国计民生的重大问题。文章通过分析水源地水土流失原因,提出了治理措施。     

Evaluating the habitat factors of Pristiphora laricis infestation: an information load model

ABSTRACT

Larch defoliation by Harig (Pristiphora laricis) has caused great damage in China. In this study, an attempt is made to analyze the relationships between Harig infestation and various habitat factors via the analysis of representative needles and other environmental metrics that were collected from Saihanba Mechanical Forestry Farm of Hebei Province between 2007 and 2010. The population density per tree (PD), the percentage of insect-infected trees in one sample plot (PIIT), and the infected area (IA) are treated as dependent variables when analyzing the degree of infection. The study concludes: PD and PIIT differ significantly between areas with varying species composition; canopy density and stand density negatively correlate with PD; Harig appears not to infect young growth; and infections have the tendency to spread to high altitudes. In order to provide a basis for macro prevention and control of insect attack, the habitat factors most closely related to the occurrence of insect attack are inputted into an information load GIS model to estimate the potential damage from infection.     

基于USLE的苏南山丘区水土流失面源污染监测

利用基于通用土壤流失方程(USLE)的《南京市2001-2010年水土流失面源污染与面源污染定量监测研究》成果,分析南京江宁区水土流失面源污染数据.结果表明:江宁区全氮和总磷面源污染等级为中度,氨氮为轻度面源污染,速效磷、总磷为微度面源污染.10 a(2001-2010年)平均值与4 a(1997-2000年)平均值比较,轻度以上污染面积、污染量皆大幅减少,氨氮、全氮、速效磷污染面积减少11％ ～24％,污染量减少21％ ～ 32％.4种污染物中,发生轻度污染面积和污染量均占总污染(轻度以上,下同)面积和总污染量的重要比重;中度次之;强度、极强和剧烈污染等级中,面积比重相近,但剧烈等级的污染量比重突出,其中全氮污染量比重达37.4％.     

Effects of silvicultural disturbance on acorn infestation and removal

Oak (Quercus spp.) regeneration is an important forest management goal in the central hardwood forest region of the United States. Silvicultural methods that target oak regeneration, such as the creation of canopy openings and removal of shade-tolerant midstory trees, are complicated by the impact of pre- and post-dispersal predators of oak acorns like acorn weevils (Curculio spp.) and granivorous small mammals. Understanding the effects of forest disturbance created by silviculture on these predators is important to promote successful oak regeneration. We conducted a 6-year study of acorn production, weevil infestation, and acorn removal at 113 black (Q. velutina) and white oak (Q. alba) trees impacted by three types of silvicultural treatments: adjacent to harvest openings, midstory removal (first-stage shelterwood harvest), and control (no harvest) in south-central Indiana, USA. We observed highly variable acorn production across years, but minimal impact of silvicultural treatments. Levels of weevil infestation and acorn removal by small mammal seed predators also varied greatly, and predation pressure was highest in years when acorns were scarce. Weevil infestation was reduced following midstory removal in shelterwood harvests, but probability of acorn removal by small mammals was unchanged following harvest. Damaged, germinated, and weevil-infested acorns were less likely to be removed by seed predators, suggesting additive effects of pre- and post-dispersal predators. This study emphasizes the importance of considering acorn predators in oak regeneration silviculture, and timing harvests to follow large acorn crops in order to reduce predation pressure and generate a high number of seedlings.     

Agroforestry systems and soil surface management of a tropical alfisol:

Soil physical properties were measured on field runoff plots established on a tropical Alfisol in Western Nigeria. Evolution of soil physical properties was assessed over a period of 6 years beginning in 1982 (when soil was cleared off its secondary regrowth) till 1987. Changes in soil physical properties were measured for six systems including plow-till, no-till, contour hedgerows of Leucaena leucocephala established 2- and 4-m apart, and contour hedgerows of Gliricidia sepium established 2- and 4-m apart. Soil physical properties were measured once every year during the dry season following the harvest of second season crops.Over the 6-year period, there were no significant differences in relative contents of textural separates of sand, silt and clay for the surface 0–5 and 5–10 cm layers. The gravel concentration of the surface 0–5 and 5–10 cm layers, however, increased significantly due to plowing and mixing of the surface and subsoil layers. Soil bulk density of 0–5 and 5–10 cm layers, respectively, increased in all treatments from initial values of 1.02 and 1.16 g cm^–3 in 1982 to 1.43 and 1.65 g cm^–3 at the end of cropping cycle in 1986. The maximum increase in soil bulk density was observed for the no-till treatment. Accordingly, there was an increase in penetration resistance of the surface 0–5 cm layer from an average value of 25.3 kPa in 1982 to 210.7 kPa in 1986. The highest penetration resistance (353 kPa) of 5–10 cm layer was recorded for the no-till treatment. In accord with total porosity, the gravimetric soil moisture retention at zero suction was the lowest for the no-till and the highest for a Gliricidia-based system. There were significant improvements in available water capacity (AWC) of the soil by both Leucaena and Gliricidia-based systems. In comparison with the no-till system, increase in AWC by Leucaena- and Gliricidia-based systems, respectively, was 42 and 56 percent by weight for 0–5 cm depth and 12 and 58 percent by weight for 5–10 cm depth. Alterations in p^F curves by agroforestry-based systems were attributed to improvements in soil structure and structural porosity.     

Agroforestry systems and soil surface management of a tropical alfisol:

Field runoff plots, 70 x 10 m each, were established on a tropical Alifisol in southwestern Nigeria to monitor water runoff, soil erosion and nutrient loss in water runoff. The non-agroforestry control treatment (A) was established at two levels: plow-till and no-till systems of seedbed preparation. There were two agroforestry systems based on contour hedgerows of (B) Leucaena leucocephala and (C) Gliricidia sepium established at 4-m and 2-m spacings. Field plots were established in 1982 and hydrological measurements were made for uniform maize-cowpea rotation for 12 consecutive growing seasons from 1982 through 1987. Once established hedgerows of Leucaena at 2-m spacing were extremely effective in reducing water runoff and controlling erosion. Runoff, erosion and nutrient losses were generally more from maize grown in the first season than from cowpea grown in the second. Mean seasonal erosion from maize was 4.3, 0.10, 0.57, 0.10, 0.64 and 0.60 t/ha for plow-till, no-till, Leucaena-4m, Leucaena-2m, Gliricidia-2m treatments, respectively. Mean runoff in the first season from treatments listed in the order above was 17.0, 1.3, 4.9, 3.3, 4.3, and 2.4 percent of the rainfall received. There were high losses of Ca and K in water runoff from the plow-till treatment. In contrast to runoff and erosion, losses of bases in water runoff from agroforestry treatments were relatively high, high concentration of bases in runoff was probably due to nutrient recycling by the deep-rooted perennials.     

Linking tree growth rate,damage repair,and susceptibility to a genus-specific pest infestation

Pest preference and subsequent susceptibility of a host individual is likely related to previous growth patterns in that host.Emerald ash borer(Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire)is a pestiferous beetle introduced to North America from Asia.While all species of ash are susceptible to attack,some individual trees appear to survive infestation.We selected ash trees in southeastern Michigan,collected cores and categorized trees as high tolerance to emerald ash borer attack(high overall health,low crown dieback),low tolerance(low overall health,high crown dieback)and intermediate tolerance(in-between the other categories).We artificially wounded trees and measured wound closure after 3 years.Ring width indices were not correlated between high and low tolerance trees.Regression slopes comparing growth and years were significantly different between the three tolerance categories,with high tolerance trees having the steepest slope.Wound closure was greatest in high tolerance trees.High tolerance trees demonstrating more rapid(steeper regression slope),consistent(lower variance),and effective(greater wound closure)growth.Those vigorously growing trees likely had more capacity to repair damage caused by emerald ash borer,leading to healthier trees in our categorization.Linking previous host growth patterns to health may have implications related to identifying individual trees potentially tolerant to attack.     

Resistance against oxidative stress in leaves of young beech trees grown in model ecosystems with different soil qualities, elevated CO2, and lachnid infestation

Summary The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the resistance of beech foliage(Fagus sylvatica) against oxidative stress was affected by soil quality, nitrogen or CO₂ fertilisation, or lachnid infestation(Phyllaphis fagi). For this purpose young beech trees were grown for four years in reconstructed calcareous or acidic forest soils in open top chambers under ambient or elevated CO₂ concentrations with two levels of nitrogen fertilisation. At harvest lachnid colonisation was observed, preferentially on leaves from trees in calcareous soil and on leaves from trees fertilised with the high nitrogen level. General leaf characteristics such as pigment concentrations, dry mass, and leaf mass ber area were not affected by the soil type, nitrogen fertilisation or CO₂ regime. Leaves colonised with lachnids displayed slightly increased leaf mass per area. When the stress resistance was challenged by exposure to paraquat — a herbicide inducing oxidative stress — leaves from trees grown on calcareous soil maintained significantly longer membrane integrity and, thus, were better protected against stress than leaves from trees on acidic soil. Other experimental variables had negligible or no effects on the resistance against oxidative stress.      

Estimating stemwood nutrient concentration with an increment borer: a potential source of error

Two methods of sampling stemwood nutrients have been comparedon 10 Pinus pinaster (Ait.) trees: the increment borer method(non-destructive but producing samples which are not weighedaccording to the tissues' proportion) and the disc method (destructivebut producing weighed samples). The samples were divided intosapwood and heartwood, and nutrient concentrations were determinedfor major nutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg). Compared with the discsampling method, the increment borer sampling method significantlyunderestimated N, P and K concentration in sapwood, whereasit overestimated Ca and Mg concentration in heartwood. The meanerror ranged from –13 per cent (N and P in sapwood) to+14 per cent (Ca in heartwood). These results were in agreementwith previous studies which showed horizontal variations inthe nutrient concentration of stemwood.     

Unravelling pest infestation and biological control in low-input orchards: the case of apple blossom weevil

Low-input farming is an alternative production system that provides a great opportunity to disentangle the natural mechanisms regulating crop pests, since neither pests nor their natural enemies are disrupted by pesticides. Here, we use a key apple pest in Europe, the apple blossom weevil (Anthonomus pomorum), as a model case to unravel the factors driving pest infestation and its biological control in a low-input context, namely the cider apple orchards of NW Spain. We applied a holistic approach based on the complete life cycle of the pest and combined large-scale observation (23 orchards) with small-scale experimental assessment. Weevil attack (0.4–37.4% of flowers) increased with the proportion on apple trees in the immediate orchard neighbourhood and with semi-natural woody habitat in the surrounding landscape and decreased with tree distance to orchard edge and apple bloom level. Thus, the prevalence of the pest depended on the availability of the various resources required for foraging, egg-lying and overwintering. Three types of natural enemies supplied complementary pest control by preying on weevils at different stages in their life cycle: seven parasitoid species attacked immature weevils (6.4–81.5%), while the additive effects of birds and crawling arthropods were evident in terms of the removal of adult weevils (31–44%). We conclude that the effective biological control of A. pomorum can be achieved in low-input systems to maintain the pest at non-harmful levels, through combined management of the pest, its habitat and its natural enemies.     

Residue management of a planted fallow on an acid soil in Cameroon: crop yields and soil organic matter fractions

A fallow management trial was initiated in March 1990 in Yaounde, Cameroon, with the objective of identifying an efficient method of managing residue derived from a planted fallow of Cajanus cajan. Ten months after establishment, the shrubs were slashed and residues were treated in one of the following ways: burnt, incorporated in the soil, mulched on soil surface or removed. Following that, maize and groundnut were planted. Soil organic matter was fractionated after the residue treatments, and elementary partial budgeting was conducted. After three cycles of fallow and cropping seasons, maize yield was similar, about 3 t ha^-1, in all plots except in the residue-removed plots, where it was 1.4 t ha^-1. Yield trend of groundnut was also similar. The residue management method did not affect either the nature of fractions or the total content of soil organic matter. The highest net return, US$5945 ha^-1 year^-1, was obtained from the residue incorporated treatment, whereas the highest return to labour, US$11 per manday^-1 was associated with burning of residues. In areas such as the forest zone of Cameroon where labour is a major constraint and climatic conditions allow vigorous vegetation growth, burning appears to be the best method of residues management, at least in the short run. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

陕西榆林森林鼠害发生现状及防治对策

论述了榆林市森林鼠害发生现状和危害情况,同时分析了森林鼠害发生之原因,即环境恶化、天敌数量稀少、气候变暧等异常现象,以及害鼠食源丰富和重防治轻预防等因素。同时提出主要通过天敌来实现长久有效控制鼠害“生物防治、综合治理”之防治对策。     

Vernonia polyanthes as a new source of antiulcer drugs

Methanolic (VPME) and chloroformic (VPCL) extracts, obtained from the aerial parts of Vernonia polyanthes, were investigated for its antiulcerogenic properties. Administration of VPME (250 mg/kg) and VPCL (50 mg/kg) significantly inhibited the gastric mucosa damage (64% and 90%, respectively) caused by absolute ethanol (p.o.). Otherwise, in NSAID-induced gastric damage, their gastroprotective effects have decreased. Since the VPCL extract resulted to be more effective than the VPME we focused our efforts over VPCL action mechanism of action.