Edible forage production, chemical composition, rumen degradation and gas production characteristics of Calliandra calothyrsus (Messin) provenances in the humid tropics of West Africa

Two experiments evaluated variations in feed value among Calliandra calothyrsus provenances. In Experiment 1, edible forage production of four provenances were evaluated at Ibadan, southwestern Nigeria over a 2-year period in three seasons: main-wet (April–August), minor-wet (September–November) and dry (December–March). Forage samples from the main-wet and dry seasons were incubated for 6, 12, 48, 72 and 96 h in rumen-fistulated steers to estimate in sacco dry matter (DM) and nitrogen (N) degradation characteristics. In vitro gas production was estimated over 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h of incubation. In Experiment 2, DM degradation characteristics of 14 provenances of C. calothyrsus planted on an acid soil in Yaounde, Cameroon, were evaluated. Data were subjected to cluster analysis for grouping, and the 14 provenances were placed into four distinct cluster groups. Based on the potential extent of DM and, N degradation and gas production characteristics in Experiment 1, the four provenances of C. calothyrsus were classified into three forage quality groups: high (ILCA 16310), medium (ILCA 14891, ILCA 15166) and low (NFTA 896). In Experiment 2, using the extent of DM degradation as a forage quality index, C. calothyrsus provenances in clusters 3 and 4 (namely: 51/92, 11/91, 13/91, 45/92, 10/91, 15/91, 18/91, 134/91, 12/91, 62/92), were relatively higher in quality than their counterparts in clusters 1 and 2. The results suggested the existence of intra-species variation among the provenances, and confirmed earlier observations that forage quality of C. calothyrsus could be improved through provenance evaluation. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Genetic variation in minerals,crude protein and structural carbohydrates of foliage in provenances of young plants ofProsopis cineraria (L.) Druce in India

Prosopis cineraria is an important species for aridzone agroforestry in India. Information on the chemical composition and nutritive value of the leaves of young trees that will be useful in screening the provenances, is lacking. Chemical composition (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na), crude protein, and structural carbohydrates (neutral detergent fibre, acid detergent fibre, cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin) of the foliage of one-year-old plants of 31 provenances ofProsopis cineraria were determined. The seeds were collected from 16°50 N to 29°55 N latitude and 69°49 E to 78°03 E longitude in India, and grown at Hisar (29°10 N latitude, 75°46 E longitude and 215 m altitude). Mineral contents (except N and P), crude protein, and structural carbohydrates varied significantly (p<0.05) between provenances, and the greatest amount of N, P, crude protein, NDF, ADF and lignin contents were found in Hisar provenance. The in vitro dry matter digestibility varied from 18.2% in Gandhinagar provenance to 34.0% in that of Barmer provenance.     

Forage dry matter yields and psyllid resistance of thirty-one leucaena selections in Hawaii

Forage yields ofL. leucocephala (Lam). de Wit have been reduced as the result of psyllid damage sinceHeteropsylla cubana Crawford invaded the Hawaiian Islands in 1984. The forage productivity and psyllid resistance of 31Leucaena species and interspecific hybrids were assessed from 5 harvests in Hawaii during 1991 and 1992. The trial consisted of an augmented randomized complete block with 22Leucaena selections in all 4 replicates, 2 selections in 3 replicates and 7 selections in 1 or 2 replicates.Forage (leaves and stems < 6 mm diam.) dry matter (DM) biomass yield over a 13-month period ranged from 1.4 to 34 Mg ha^–1 from total DM ranging from 1.9 to 63.7 Mg ha^–1. Percent forage fractions ranged from 49 to 78% (forage DM/total DM). The 10 selections in this trial of eitherL. pallida Britton & Rose, and its hybrids withL. leucocephala consistently produced both the highest forage and total DM yields averaging 22 and 40 Mg ha^–1, respectively. This represented a three-fold increase in forage production when compared toL. leucocephala K636 (a standard around the world).The excellent performance of theL. pallida lines was attributed to high psyllid resistance and seedling vigor. AllL. pallida selections with the exception of K953 exhibited good psyllid resistance.Leucaena diversifolia Benth. K749,L. pallida K376, andL. esculenta (Moc. & Sesse) Benth. K950 had the highest psyllid resistance (p<0.05). Psyllid damage was negatively correlated to forage DM yield at both harvest 2 and 5 (r=–0.55,p<0.01,n=94). Forage DM was positively correlated to seedling vigor for the first harvest (r=0.83,p<0.001,n=74) and combined harvests (r=0.88,p<0.001,n=74).     

Ethnobotanical study of forage/fodder plant species in and around the semi-arid Awash National Park,Ethiopia

We undertook ethnobotanical study of forage/fodder plant species used by the Afar and Oromo （Kereyu and lttu） Nations in and around the semi=arid Awash National Park （ANP）, Ethiopia. The study aimed at investigating and documenting indigenous knowledge （IK） on forage/fodder plant species and threats to their survival. Ninety-six in= formants between 20 and 80 years old were selected using prior informa- tion. Data were collected using semi-structured interview, guided field wail discussion and field observation. Preference ranking, Jaccard＇s coefficient of similarity and priority ranking were used for data analysis. One hundred twenty-six forage/fodder species of 90 genera and 43 fami- lies were collected in the study area. More than 88% of the species were reported with their vernacular names, where 68% were reported by the Afar Nation and 70% by the Oromo Nation. Family Poaceae was repre- sented by 25 species （20%）, followed by Fabaceae 18 （14%）. Preference ranking for the most preferred forage grasses as perceived by key informants revealed that Chrysopogon plumulosus was the most important forage/fodder species. Overgrazing was the major threat in the study area, scoring 22%.     

Chemical composition and dry matter degradation characteristics of multi-purpose trees and shrubs in the humid lowlands of southeastern Nigeria

Twenty weeks forage re-growth from 20 multipurpose trees and shrubs (MPTS) species (Albizia ferruginea, Albizia gummifera, Albizia niopoides, Berlinia grandiflora, Bauhimia monandra, Dialium guineense, Dalbergia sissoo, Enterolobium cyclocarpum, Leucaena leucocephala, Lonchocarpus sericeus, Milletia griffoneanus, Milletia thoningii, Napoliana imperialis, Parkia bicolor, Pterocarpus santalinoides, Senna spectabilis, Treculia africana, Terminalia superba, Tetrapluera tetraptera and Xylia xylocarpa) were investigated for their feed value. The MPTS were grown on an ultisol in southeastern Nigeria and were subjected to proximate analyses, nylon bag degradability studies and cluster analysis. Among species, crude protein (CP) ranged from 104 g kg^?1 DM in P. bicolor to 205 g kg^?1 DM in A. gummifera, neutral detergent fibre (NDF) ranged from 498 g kg^?1 DM in L. leucocephala to 771 g kg^?1 DM in L. sericeus, acid detergent fibre (ADF) ranged from 303 g kg^?1 DM in T. superba to 661 g kg^?1 DM in L. sericeus, acid detergent lignin (ADL) ranged from 75 g kg^?1 DM in T. superba to 305 g kg^?1 DM in L. sericeus. Also, ADF-ash ranged from 0.78 g kg^?1 DM in E. cyclocarpum to 15.58 g kg^?1 DM in D. guineense. Except E. cyclocarpum and S. spectabilis, the remaining 18 MPTS studied had effective degradabilities (ED) less than 500 g kg^?1 DM effective degradability. Eight MPTS (A. ferruginea, A. niopoides, B. monandra, D. sissoo, E. cyclocarpum, L. leucocephala, S. spectabilis, T. superba) were classified as high quality, another eight (A. gummifera, B. grandiflora, L. sericeus, N. imperialis, P. bicolor, P. santalinoides, T. tetraptera and X. xylocarpa) as medium quality while, the remaining four (D. guineensis, M. griffoneanus, M. thoningii, T. africana) fell into the low quality class based on their nutrient composition and ruminal DM degradability. The results indicate that most of the MPTS could be used as good quality feed for small ruminants in Nigeria.     

Tree-grass relationships in open eucalypt woodlands of northeastern Australia: influence of trees on pasture productivity, forage quality and species distribution

Pasture yield, quality and species distributions were compared between zones around live and killed eucalypt trees at two woodland sites in northeast Queensland which differed markedly in soil fertility. Trees affected pasture quality and yield on an individual tree basis: N concentration and dry matter digestibility tended to be higher under trees than in inter-tree areas at both sites and pasture yields declined with distance from killed trees at the lower fertility site. However, the distribution of individual species did not vary markedly with distance from trees. Trees also affected pasture yield on a woodland basis: yields were greater where the trees were killed than under intact woodland. Soil under trees had higher levels of organic carbon and greater litter cover than soil in inter-tree areas. However, pasture yields did not generally reflect this fertility gradient since growth was limited by moisture availability due to drought conditions during the study period. Pasture N concentration was higher under trees that in inter-tree areas since plants under trees produced a similar amount of biomass as plants in inter-tree areas, but had access to higher nutrient levels. Trees appeared to have a greater effect on soil nutrient availability at the low fertility site. Live trees depressed pasture yields to a lesser degree at the low fertility site, demonstrating that the effects of trees on soil water availability (on a woodland scale) are less important when soil nutrients are more limiting to growth. These results indicate that, while removing trees may enhance pasture productivity, this benefit may be offset by a reduction in pasture quality. Given the beneficial effect of trees on soil nutrients, tree removal may also have longer term implications for soil nutrient dynamics. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Rumen degradation in sheep,goats and cattle and voluntary intake by sheep of four browse species

Two experiments were conducted using dried leaves ofAlchornea cordifolia, Ficus capensis, Manniophytum fulvum andAlbizza niopoides. In Experiment 1, dry matter (DM) degradation characteristics were investigated using thein sacco nylon bag technique in West African Dwarf (WAD) sheep, WAD goats and Bunaji steers. In Experiment 2, voluntary intake of the browse forage when fed as supplements to sheep at 0, 10 and 30% levels was measured. In Experiment 1,A. cordifolia andM. fulvum had significantly higher rapidly degradable DM fraction thanA. niopoides andF. capensis. Averaged across browse species, the extent of DM degradation for sheep (58.3%) was significantly higher than for goat (47.7%) or cattle (44.1%). Ranking order of browse species for the extent of DM degradation was:F. capensis>A. cordifolia=M. fulvum=A. niopoides. In Experiment 2, as the level of supplementation increased from 10 to 30%, voluntary intake ofA. niopoides andM. fulvum increased while voluntary intake ofA. cordifolia andF. capensis declined. The results suggest that dried leaves ofA. niopoides andM. fulvum are more acceptable to WAD sheep than those ofA. cordifolia andF. capensis.     

Establishment and early growth characteristics of six Paulownia genotypes for goat browse in Raleigh, NC, USA

Meat goat production in the eastern USA is increasing as a result of growing demand from various ethnic groups. Because goats naturally prefer a high proportion of browse in their diets, research was initiated to investigate various silvopastoral production systems. The genus Paulownia contains several species which exhibit rapid juvenile growth and other characteristics that justify research into their potential use in meat goat feeding systems. In May 1997, six Paulownia genotypes were planted in a randomized complete block experiment with six replications. Trees were between 6 and 12 cm in height at planting. Genotypes included: P. fortunei seedlings, P. tomentosa seedlings, P. elongata seedlings and three P. elongata clones. Each 4-m wide plot contained a single row of 12 trees with an intra-row spacing of 1 m. Plant measurements included height, root collar diameter (RCD) at 3 cm above soil surface, and the number of main branches. Leaf samples were collected from all six replications for estimates of herbage quality. During 1998, trees were browsed with goats on two occasions to assess palatability of the herbage and to determine any preference for specific genotypes by the animals. Compared with seedling trees of all three species, the three P. elongata clones were taller (clones: 79.7 cm, seedlings: 55.9 cm; P < 0.01), had larger RCDs (clones: 18.4 mm, seedlings: 13.9 mm; P < 0.01) and had a higher branching frequency (clones: 4.9, seedlings: 1.5; P < 0.01) by the end of the first growing season. Mortality averaged 4.8% across all treatments and ranged between 0 and 8%. Early in the 1998 growing season before trees were browsed, P. elongata clones grew more rapidly than seedlings (clones: 116.4 cm, seedlings: 84.1 cm; P < 0.01). Estimates of herbage quality indicated favorable concentrations of energy and protein for lamina. In vitro true dry matter disappearance ranged from 85.4 (blades) to 71.5% (petioles) and crude protein from 25.1 (blades) to 4.9% (petioles). Animals readily browsed the lamina during two separate sessions, but no clear preference trends were observed among the different Paulownia genotypes.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

ISSR标记对樟子松遗传变异的分析及种源区划的研究

Inter Simple Sequence Repeat （ISSR） was used to detect genetic variation among nine provenances, including 135 individuals. A total of 108 loci were amplified using 10 random primers. The differentiation of the percentage of polymorphic bands （PPB） among different provenances was evident, ranging from 27% to 54%. of which Honghuaerji provenance had the highest PPB and Kalunshan provenance had the lowest PPB. Shannon＇s Information index （1） at species level was 0.1581 and Nei＇s gene diversity （h） was 0.2393. Coefficient of gene differentiation （Gsr） calculated by Popgene was 0.3965, these results indicated that majority of genetic variation （60.35%） was found within provenances. According to dendrogram among pinus sylvestriv provenances, nine provenances were divided into two provenance areas. namely Daxing＇an and Xiaoxing＇an Mountains provenance area and Hulunbeier provenance area.     

Early growth and survival of Eucalyptus pellita provenances in a range of tropical environments,compared with E. grandis,E. urophylla and Acacia mangium

Provenance/family trials of Eucalyptus pellita F. Muell were established at three seasonally-dry tropical sites in northern Australia (two in north Queensland and one on Melville Island in the Northern Territory), and at Luasong, a tropical site with year-round high rainfall and humidity in Sabah, Malaysia. After 2–3 years, it was clear that New Guinea provenances outperformed Queensland provenances in their survival, growth and form, and in their crown health, in the humid tropical environment of Luasong. New Guinea provenances were also clearly superior to Queensland provenances in their growth and form at Melville Island, but less clearly so at Cardwell, Queensland. Among Queensland provenances, Helenvale and Kuranda were superior to the more northerly Cape York provenances, Tozers Gap and Lankelly Creek, while there was little difference between the two New Guinea provenances tested, Bupul-Muting (Irian Jaya) and Keru (Papua New Guinea). Significant differences in growth traits, form and survival were demonstrated between families within provenances. In a species/provenance trial at Luasong, E. pellita displayed better growth and survival than tropical provenances of E. grandis and E. urophylla, but was inferior in growth and crown health to Acacia mangium.     

Intake,digestibility, nitrogen balance and certain rumen characteristics of Ethiopian Menz sheep fed teff straw supplemented with cotton seed cake,dry sesbania,dry leucaena or fresh leucaena

Twenty five rumen fistulated Ethiopian Menz sheep were used in a completely randomized block design to determine roughage utilization when different types of supplements (sesbania, leucaena, cotton seed cake (CSC)) and forms (fresh or dry leucaena) were fed. The chemical composition, intake, digestibility, nitrogen balance and rumen degradability coefficients were determined. Rumen pH and ammonia-nitrogen (NH₃-N) levels were estimated in samples taken at 1, 2, 3, and 6 h after feeding.There was substitution of teff straw dry matter by the supplements. Fresh leucaena effected the highest substitution. Supplementation enhanced (p<0.05) the dry matter degradation (DD) of teff straw at 6 and 12 hours of incubation but not (p>0.06) for the other incubation times. There were no significant differences (p>0.05) between treatments in the degradation constants: readily soluble component (a) slowly degradable fraction, (b) potential degradability (PD=a+b) and rate of degradation (C) and for rumen NH₃-N concentration, the ranking was CSC > sesbania > dry leucaena > fresh leucaena > teff straw alone (p<0.05). The particularly high substitution rate observed with fresh leucaena might suggest that bulkiness may be a limiting factor in the intake of low quality roughages supplemented with tree leaves. The lower DM and OM digestibilities of the supplemented diets were attributed to substrate preference by rumen cellulolytic bacteria. Excessively high levels of rumen NH₃–N (328 mg/l) in the CSC diet resulted in high urinary nitrogen losses (r ²=0.32;p<0.001) leading to low N balance. This may suggest that for the utilization of poor quality tropical roughages, moderate levels of rumen NH₃–N sustained over a longer period may be needed.     

Availability and use of dry season feed resources on smallholder dairy farms in central Kenya

A cross-sectional survey on 41 farms followed by six weeks monitoring of dairy cattle feeding on ten smallholder dairy farms in central Kenya was conducted to investigate the use, availability and quality of dry season feed resources. Fodder production was largely from Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) grown on small plots and contour strips where it acts both as a fodder source as well as a biological barrier to soil erosion. There is a need to broaden the choice of fodder crops on such farms to provide a wide range of harvesting management options and to avoid total loss in case of pest or disease outbreaks. Intercropping of Napier grass with leguminous fodder trees could boost the quantity and quality of herbage production especially during the dry season. Roughage from a variety of sources was utilised during the dry season in addition to Napier grass. Among the herbages, leguminous feeds had the lowest potential dry matter degradability while weeds harvested from cropland and roadsides had the highest. Energy and protein intake from the roughage fed to grade dairy cattle during the dry season may be insufficient to meet the requirements of these animals due to the high levels of fibre concentration (acid detergent fibre and neutral detergent fibre (ADF and NDF)) in them. It is recommended that the scope for alternative sources of improved roughage such as Napier/calliandra mixtures, to boost the energy, protein and overall dry matter provision on the farms should be investigated further.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Genetic variation and division of Pinus sylvestris provenances by ISSR markers

Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) was used to detect genetic variation among nine provenances, including 135 individuals. A total of 108 loci were amplified using 10 random primers. The differentiation of the percentage of polymorphic bands (PPB) among different provenances was evident, ranging from 27% to 54%, of which Honghuaerji provenance had the highest PPB and Kalunshan provenance had the lowest PPB. Shannon's Information index (I) at species level was 0.1581 and Nei's gene diversity (h) was 0.2393. Coefficient of gene differentiation (G_ST) calculated by Popgene was 0.3965, these results indicated that majority of genetic variation (60.35%) was found within provenances. According to dendrogram amongpinus sylvestriv provenances, nine provenances were divided into two provenance areas, namely Daxing's and Xiaoxing'an Mountains provenance area and Hulunbeier provenance area. Foundation item: This study was supported by National Scientific and Technological Brainstorm Project. Biography: LI Hui-yu (1978-), female, Ph.D. candidate, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, P. R. China. Responsible editor: Song Funan     

Analysis of joint and endogenous technology choice for protein supplementation by smallholder dairy farmers in Zimbabwe

Survey data on observed choices of protein feed supplements by smallholder dairy farmers in Chikwaka communal area of Zimbabwe were analyzed for factors affecting use of a specific agroforesty practice. The observed protein supplementation choices included multipurpose tree [MPT] fodder and purchased concentrates. These supplements were used mostly in combination and were thus considered jointly by multivariate probit analysis. The results indicated significant positive correlation suggesting joint use of the two protein supplements by these smallholder dairy farmers. Significant correlations also indicated that relative specialization in the dairy enterprise, where milk revenue is cited as the primary income source, is an endogenous factor in the choice of both protein supplements by farmers. Multinomial logit analysis was also applied to determine significant explanatory factors in supplement choice. It was found that dependence on off-farm wages, cropping season labor constraints and receipt of crop revenue as the primary income source each significantly reduced the probability of using both purchased concentrates and multipurpose tree fodder. The probability of using multipurpose tree fodder alone was reduced by relatively fewer years of experience in the dairy industry and in growing MPT fodder trees, but increased by having greater areas planted. Overall, continued use of MPT fodder and the potential of this technology to substitute for purchased concentrates appeared to be dependent on the ability to generate income from milk production and fodder yields from the technology in the short-term, and the learning curve with fodder tree growing in the long-term. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

山杨材性群体变异趋势及个体遗传差异的研究*

在山杨主要分布区随机抽取６个天然群体，每群体随机抽样１５株采集木芯，分析结果表明：群体间及个体间的木材密度和纤维长度差异都极显著。群体平均密度０．４３２ｌｇ／ｃｍ３，极差０．０６６２ｇ／ｃｍ３；平均纤维长度１．０７７５ｍｍ，极差０．２６５０ｍｍ。东北、华北群体的密度呈梯度变异，纤维长度的梯度变异不明显。木材密度群体重复率０．５４１，个体重复率０．４７１；纤维长度重复率分别是０．４７１与０．４１２。不同群体、不同年轮组的密度与纤维长度的个体重复率有所不同。密度、纤维长度等与生长性状呈微弱遗传相关，可以进行材性与生长的同步遗传改良。     

Voluntary intake by sheep and goats ofGliricidia sepium fed in three states and at three levels of supplementation to a basal diet ofPanicum maximum

Crude protein content andin sacco dry matter (DM) loss after 72 h of incubation in West African dwarf (WAD) sheep and goats of fresh, wilted and dried leaves ofGliricidia sepium were compared. Additionally, voluntary DM intakes by WAD sheep and goats ofG. sepium leaves presented in the fresh, wilted and dried states at 10, 20 and 30% levels of supplementation were investigated in two separate experiments. The crude protein content and DM loss from dried leaves were relatively lower than fresh and wilted leaves. At all levels of supplementation, the voluntary DM intakes of fresh and wilted leaves by WAD sheep and goats were relatively higher than dried leaves. The results suggest thatG. sepium leaves should be fed either in the fresh or wilted states to WAD sheep and goats, at levels between 20 and 30% of the total daily DM allowance.     

Effects of light quality on gas exchange and dry matter partitioning in Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden

Stockplants of Eucalyptus grandis were pruned to a height of 7–10 cm and after 3 weeks were placed in growth cabinets set at a photon flux density (PFD) of 200 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ and red to far-red ratios of 0.4, 0.7, 1.3, 3.5 or 6.5. Experiments tested the effects of light quality on growth and gas exchange of stockplants. Light quality did not affect the total shoot dry weight (DW), root DW or shoot to root ratio of stockplants or their total leaf area. However, there were significant effects of light quality on: (i) plant height, which was greatest at red:far-red (R:FR) ratios of 0.4 and 0.7; (ii) partitioning of DW between leaves and stems, with greater stem DW and less leaf DW at low R:FR ratios (0.4 and 0.7); (iii) partitioning of DW and leaf area between the most dominant shoot and all other (non-dominant) shoots; (iv) specific leaf area, which was greatest at low R:FR ratios. In the above characters, the dominance ratio (ratio of most dominant shoot to sum of all other shoots) was greatest at low R:FR ratios and least at ratios of 3.5 and 6.5. Photosynthetic rate per unit leaf area and leaf chlorophyll concentration significantly increased with increasing R:FR ratio. However, photosynthesis per unit chlorophyll concentration was significantly greater at low R:FR ratios. Generally, light quality had no significant effect on photosynthetic rate per leaf or per unit dry weight, but rates of transpiration, stomatal conductance and water use efficiency increased with an increase in R:FR ratio. These data indicate that compensatory changes in plant morphology and gas exchange caused equality in total dry weight per plant between treatments. The above effects of light quality on dry matter partitioning and gas exchange had important effects on the size, number, morphology and physiology of subsequently collected cuttings for vegetative propagation.     

Effect of nitrogen and carbon sources on lignin and cellulose degradation by Armillaria ostoyae

Lignin has been hypothesized to be the primary mechanism of resistance to fungal pathogens in plant tissue. Degradation of lignin and cellulose by Armillaria ostoyae cultured for six weeks in Melin-Norkrans medium containing various nitrogen and carbon sources was measured radiometrically. No consistent pattern of lignin or cellulose degradation was found, regardless of A. ostoyae isolate, nitrogen source and concentration, or carbon concentration. More lignin was degraded as the concentration of glucose and fructose increased but not when the concentration of sucrose increased.     

Radial and between-family variations of the microfibril angle and the relationships with bending properties in Picea jezoensis families

With emphasis on tree breeding for wood quality in Picea jezoensis, we aimed to evaluate radial and between-family variations in the microfibril angle (MFA) of the S₂ layer in the latewood tracheids in 10 open-pollinated families of 43-year-old P. jezoensis trees. In addition, the relationships between MFA/wood density with the modulus of elasticity (MOE) or modulus of rupture (MOR) were investigated. Significant differences in MFA between families were found from the pith toward the bark. MFA showed higher values around the pith area, although some families showed relatively lower values than others around this area. In addition, due to a larger coefficient of variations of MFA near the pith, the potential for juvenile wood MFA improvement may be greater compared with mature wood. MOE was correlated with MFA in juvenile wood and with wood density in mature wood, whereas MOR was mainly correlated with wood density at radial positions in both woods. Therefore, to improve the MOE and MOR of P. jezoensis wood, both MFA and wood density would be factors to consider in both juvenile and mature woods. On the other hand, there are indications that, only wood density would be an important criterion for improving mature wood properties.     

薄壳山核桃品种果质性状变异及选择改良研究

对南京地区引种的21个薄壳山核桃品种果实单果重、出仁率、出油率,果型指数性状进行测定分析.结果表明,各性状均有显著的遗传变异,具有明显的改良潜力.相关分析未发现性状间有相互制约的关系.通过综合性状改良,由综合坐标评定法选出Mahan,Wictita,Sioux,Pawnee,Elliott,Shawnee等6个优良新品...