Influence of Ammoniacal Copper Quaternary treatments on mechanical properties of blue-stained Lodgepole Pine wood

Three concentrations （2.8%, 2.0%, 1.2%） of Ammoniacal Copper Quaternary （ACQ） was selected to treat Lodgepole pine wood for evaluating ACQ treatment on mechanical properties of blue-stained wood. The bending modules of elasticity （MOE）, modules of rupture （MOR）, toughness and shearing strength parallel to grain on tangential surface, are tested according to the criteria GB1927-1943-91. Non-treated sample were also tested according to the same procedure. The results showed that the three groups specimen impregnated by different concentrations of ACQ solution met the AWPA standard 2003 of America （UC4A 6.4g/cm^3）. There were significant difference of toughness between treated wood and non-treated wood （p=0.01）, but there were no statistically significant differences among three concentrations in terms of toughness, and toughness of treated wood was approximately 20% lower than non-treated. MOR, MOE as well as sheafing strength parallel to grain were found to be not significantly different between treated wood and non-treated one, and there were no statistically significant difference among three concentrations of ACQ too. Toughness, MOR, MOE and sheafing strength parallel to grain increased with decrease of concentration of ACQ, but they were hardly affected by ACQ preservatives.     

Farm Forestry Prospects Among Some Local Communities in Rachuonyo District,Kenya

Deforestation and degradation of productive lands are serious threats to the sustainability of forestry/agricultural practices in Kenya. In the last two decades farm forestry (FF) has been promoted through pilot projects among local communities as an example of sustainable land use. However adoption of FF is limited outside the project locations because FF improvement measures focused mainly on biological (e.g. succession, biodiversity and traditional industrial timber production) and technical concerns (e.g. material input delivery such as providing free tree seedlings for field planting) rather than local values, and interests and the constraints facing farmers. This study examined the local farm priorities and constraints and the prospects for the wider implementation of farm-level tree planting in four communities in Rachuonyo District. Using interviews with 597 randomly selected household heads, the study assessed farmer’s production assets and activities, land tenure, priority tree species and the constraints to growing trees on farms. Results show that farm labour is represented by a young population, 56.3% under the age of forty. They are mainly engaged in small-scale mixed cropping integrated with multipurpose trees and some livestock. Tree products contribute about 32% to household cash income, more than any other source (agricultural products, labour sales, etc). Females were more often household heads and had considerable influence over productive activities, making them an important target group in FF development. Farmers preferred exotic tree species due to their ability to provide short-term cash income, fuel and shade. Farmers’ concerns included population pressure on limited farmlands and the problem of credit for agricultural inputs. Given the feeling of secured tenure arrangement and influence of tree products on the household economy, farmers are likely to invest more in efficient land uses such as FF if consideration is given to local priorities.     

Using leaf tip necrosis as a phenotypic marker to predict the presence of durable rust resistance gene pair <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lr34</Emphasis>/<Emphasis Type="Italic">Yr18</Emphasis> in wheat

Fifty wheat varieties along with Jupateco-73 and Morocco were studied for the expression of leaf tip necrosis (LTN), a trait linked with the durable rust resistance gene pair Lr34/Yr18. LTN was frequent (i.e., ≥6) in nine replications of a field experiment over 3 years in 17 genotypes, and the varieties were considered positive for LTN. In molecular analyses of these varieties, having relative severity values up to 78 for yellow rust and 45 for leaf rust, the 150-bp Lr34/Yr18-linked allele was consistently amplified. Expression of LTN in six of nine replications is an appropriate threshold for predicting the presence of Lr34/Yr18 gene pair, and genotypes can be selected using this trait.     

“云大— 120 ”浸种对水稻秧苗素质及产量影响的研究

试验结果表明：用“云大— 120 ”浸稻种对种子的发芽势、发芽率、秧苗素质、有效穗和稻谷产量具有一定的促进作用，发芽势比对照提高 12.68% — 23.94% ；发芽率提高 3.75% — 18.75% ；有效穗提高 0.5% — 7.43% ；产量增加 1.03% — 8.49% 。其使用方法简单易行，在生产上具有重要的推广价值。     

生物质结皮制剂在民勤流动沙区恢复植被的作用

利用矿物质材料和生物高分子材料的环境友好和吸湿保水的特性制作形成结皮,对立地条件极端恶劣的流动沙丘进行植被恢复.首先将草籽(黄蒿籽)撒播于目的沙丘表面,然后将与砂土混匀的结皮制剂均匀地撒在沙地表面,最后,洒木质素液使结皮凝固并用围栏封育试验区.通过调查结皮制剂施用后沙丘植物的种类、覆盖度、生长状况等植被恢复指标,分析了生物质结皮制剂在流动沙区植被恢复的效果.研究结果表明:结皮封育区内大量草籽萌发,达1000颗/m2;结皮区植物物种丰富度为13,对照区仅为2,物种多样性和均匀度指数也高于对照区,分别为1.57(Shannon-Weaver index H)、0.41(Simpson index D)和0.81(Pielou index),对照区则分别为0.47、0.40和0.68;结皮区植物生长期较对照延长,2010年早春提前10 d萌发,深秋枯黄延迟约20 d;结皮区植物在干旱季节亦可生长存活;2010年9月,结皮区沙丘植被盖度可达38%,对照区植被盖度仅为4%.研究结果表明该制剂可能在寒区旱区困难立地条件下的植被恢复工作中具有较大的潜在应用价值.     

Rice <Emphasis Type="Italic">terpene synthase 18</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">OsTPS18</Emphasis>) encodes a sesquiterpene synthase that produces an antibacterial (<Emphasis Type="Italic">E</Emphasis>)-nerolidol against a bacterial pathogen of rice

Plant volatile compounds, including terpenes, are known to be involved in the rice defense system. In the present analysis of a terpene synthase, OsTPS18, in rice, we found that OsTPS18 was localized in the cytoplasm and synthesized the sesquiterpenes (E)-nerolidol and (E)-β-farnesene. The amounts of (E)-nerolidol and (E)-β-farnesene increased after jasmonic acid (JA) treatment. (E)-Nerolidol had significant antibacterial activity against Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo). These results suggest that (E)-nerolidol plays an important role in JA-induced resistance against Xoo and that it functions as an antibacterial compound in rice.     

Responses of labile soil organic carbon and enzyme activity in mineral soils to forest conversion in the subtropics

Aims

Globally, extensive areas of native forest have been almost replaced by plantations to meet the demands for timber, fuel material and other forest products. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of forest conversion on labile soil organic C (SOC), soil respiration, and enzyme activity, and to quantify their relationship in subtropical forest ecosystems.

Methods

Surface mineral soil (0–20 cm) was collected from a Cunninghamia lanceolata Hook. plantation, Pinus massoniana Lamb. plantation, Michelia macclurei Dandy plantation, and an undisturbed native broadleaf forest. Soil microbial biomass C, dissolved organic C, permanganate-oxidizable C, basal respiration, and six enzyme activities were investigated.

Results

Soil microbial biomass C was higher by 45.9 % in native broadleaf forest than that in M. macclurei Dandy plantation. The ratio of soil microbial biomass C to total SOC was 27.6 % higher in the M. macclurei Dandy plantation than in the native broadleaf forest. The soil respiration increased by 25.2 % and 21.7 % after conversion from native broadleaf forest to P. massoniana Lamb. and M. macclurei Dandy plantations respectively. The effects of forest conversion on the soil enzyme activities differed among the tree species. Soil microbial biomass C had higher correlation with soil respiration than with the other SOC fractions. Moreover, soil microbial biomass C was positively correlated with urease and negatively correlated with cellulase activity. Soil respiration had higher correlation with soil microbial biomass C, dissolved organic C and permanganate-oxidizable C.

Conclusion

Forest conversion affected the soil microbial biomass C, soil respiration, invertase, cellulase, urease, catalase, acid phosphatase, and polyphenol oxidase activities, but their response depended on tree species. Soil respiration was mainly controlled by labile SOC, not by total SOC.     

Identification of favorable alleles in the <Emphasis Type="Italic">non</Emphasis>-<Emphasis Type="Italic">yellow coloring 1</Emphasis> gene by association mapping in maize

Association mapping was conducted to explore favorable alleles of the chlorophyll-related non-yellow coloring 1 (NYC1) gene under light and dark using an association panel of 146 maize inbred lines. A total of 14 polymorphic sites were identified to be significantly associated with at least one of the chlorophyll-related traits at the seedling stage. Four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (S320, S2951, S3901, and S3355) from the NYC1 gene were respectively strongly associated with chlorophyll b (chlb), the ratio of chlorophyll a to chlorophyll b (chl_ratio), chlorophyll a degradation (chla_deg), and total chlorophyll degradation (total_chl_deg). SNPs S320 (C/A) in exon 1, and S2951 (A/G) in intron 8 was related to chlb, with 6.01 and 8.89% of phenotypic variation under light treatment, respectively. Under dark treatment, SNP S3901 (C/T), located in 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR), was associated with chl_ratio, explaining 7.01% of the observed phenotypic variation, whereas SNP S3355 (C/G) in intron 9 explained 6.48 and 5.18% of phenotypic variations in chla_deg and total_chl_deg, respectively. Taken together, these results indicated that the NYC1 gene plays an important role in chlorophyll content and other related traits, and different sites act on chlorophyll metabolism under different light intensities in maize seedlings. Furthermore, these findings improve our understanding of the genetic basis of chlorophyll metabolism under different light conditions.     

植酸酶对肉鸭饲用原料钙与磷及其养分真利用率的影响

在18种常用肉鸭饲料原料中添加750 U/kg的植酸酶,通过鸭的强饲代谢试验来探究植酸酶对钙、磷及干物质、粗蛋白、粗脂肪、能量等真利用率的改善程度。结果表明:与加酶前比较,加酶后供试原料的总磷真利用率的提高幅度为0.92%~17.29%,其中,对次粉2、麦麸、米糠、玉米总磷的提高幅度差异达到显著或极显著水平,分别为11.79%(P0.05)、8.46%(P0.05)、17.29%(P0.05)、16.33%(P0.01),其余原料的总磷真利用率均有不同程度的提高,但差异不显著(P0.05);对钙真利用率的提高幅度为2.74%~22.12%,其中,对碎米(早)、玉米皮、小麦、麦麸、棉粕的钙真利用率的提高作用显著(P0.05),分别为16.37%、17.12%、30.75%、21.40%、22.12%,对糙米(晚)的提高幅度最小,仅为2.74%,对其余原料的提高幅度均在5%以上;加酶后供试原料的干物质、粗蛋白、粗脂肪、能量真利用率的提高幅度分别为0.03%~14.60%,0.71%~27.05%,2.00%~37.69%、0.17%~10.07%;植酸酶对原料有效磷的改进值范围为0.02~2.60 g/kg。综合分析,在肉鸭饲料原料中添加750 U/kg的植酸酶,对钙、磷及干物质、粗蛋白、粗脂肪真利用率的改善效果较明显。     

定向刨花板加固腹板开洞竹木工字梁力学性能研究

为研究定向刨花板(oriented strand board,OSB)加固腹板开洞的竹木工字梁的力学性能,揭示其受力破坏机理。以孔径与腹板高度的比值(d/hw)和补强板型为参数,制作并测试了42根竹木工字梁,考察测试过程中的破坏形态、弯曲变形性能,分析各因素对工字梁力学性能的影响规律。结果表明,当孔径较小(d/hw≤25%)时,试件的破坏形态以翼缘内OSB层裂和腹板剪切破坏为主,孔洞对开洞梁承载力和刚度的影响较小,可忽略不计。当孔径较大(d/hw25%)时,破坏形态以洞口周边受拉和受压破坏为主,随着孔洞直径d增加,孔洞的不利影响愈发明显,开洞梁的承载能力呈下降趋势,但对梁的刚度影响较小。OSB补强板能有效约束孔角裂缝开展,加固后的开洞梁的开裂荷载、正常使用极限状态荷载和承载能力极限状态荷载较未加固开洞梁明显提高,平均提高52.9%、12.1%和28.2%。但OSB补强板对开洞梁抗弯刚度的改善作用不明显,平均提高仅为11.5%。承载力和刚度的提高幅度与补强板类型密切相关,其中,套环定向刨花板(collar oriented strand board,C-OSB)增强效果最好、双U型定向刨花板(two U shaped oriented strand board,TU-OSB)次之,U型定向刨花板(U shaped oriented strand board,U-OSB)最差。C-OSB适合于管道施工前对开洞梁进行加固,而U-OSB和TU-OSB适合加固d/hw不大于75%的开洞梁。粘贴OSB加固开洞竹木工字梁是一种有效的加固方法。