THE REACTION OF FLUORIDE WITH SOILS AND SOIL MINERALS

The reaction of sodium fluoride solution with soils and soil minerals at constant pH has been assessed as a possible single-value characteristic in the classification of soils, particularly those containing significant amounts of poorly ordered inorganic material. A suitable method involves reaction of the soil or clay at 25°C with 0·85 M sodium fluoride at pH 6·8, the amount of OH^? released after 25 min being taken as the single-value characteristic. There was a statistically significant correlation between the amount of OH^? released and the amount of alumina extracted with cold 5 per cent sodium carbonate solution from both freely drained and poorly drained Scottish soils. The multiple correlation coefficients were improved for freely drained soils by including the dithionite-extracted ferric oxide and the silica soluble in 5 per cent sodium carbonate solution. The procedure is not suitable for surface soils, because of interference by organic matter, or for carbonate-containing soils unless carbonate is removed.     

Determination of the surface fractal dimension from sorption isotherms of five softwoods

Summary This paper presents the determination of the surface fractal dimensions from water adsorption/desorption data of five softwood species by using three different methods. The Frenkel-Holsi-Hill model of polymolecular sorption on a fractal surface by allowing capillary condensation is shown to be the best method. Using this method, the fractal dimensions were found to be close to 2.5 and 2.4 from desorption and adsorption isotherms respectively. Moreover, they were shown to slightly vary between species, and between sapwood and heartwood for the temperature range of 30 to 60 °C, but with no clearly identifiable temperature effect. Received 13 March 1997     

Induction of photosynthesis and importance of limitations during the induction phase in sun and shade leaves of five ecologically contrasting tree species from the temperate zone

We examined the principal differences in photosynthetic characteristics between sun and shade foliage and determined the relative importance of biochemical and stomatal limitations during photosynthetic induction. Temperate-zone broadleaf and conifer tree species, ranging widely in shade tolerance, were investigated from one locality in the Czech Republic. The study species included strongly shade-tolerant Abies alba Mill. and Tilia cordata Mill., less shade-tolerant Fagus sylvatica L. and Acer pseudoplatanus L. and sun-demanding Picea abies (L.) Karst. In the fully activated photosynthetic state, sun foliage of all species had significantly higher maximum CO(2) assimilation rates, maximum stomatal conductance and maximum rates of carboxylation than shade foliage. Compared with shade leaves, sun leaves had significantly higher nocturnal stomatal conductances. In all species, shade foliage tended to have higher induction states 60 s after leaf illumination than sun foliage. Sun and shade foliage did not differ in the rate of disappearance of the transient biochemical limitation during the induction phase. Longer time periods were required to reach 90% photosynthetic induction and 90% stomatal induction in sun foliage than in shade foliage of the less shade-tolerant F. sylvatica and A. pseudoplatanus and in sun-demanding P. abies; however, in sun foliage of the strongly shade-tolerant species T. cordata and A. alba, the time needed for photosynthetic induction was similar to, or less than, that for shade foliage. Shade but not sun needles of P. abies and A. alba had significantly slower induction kinetics than the broadleaf tree species. Among species, the sun-demanding P. abies exhibited the shortest stomatal induction times in both sun and shade leaves. Independently of shade tolerance ranking, the transient stomatal and total limitations that characterize photosynthetic induction were relieved significantly earlier in shade foliage than in sun foliage. Sun foliage generally exhibited a hyperbolic photosynthetic induction response, whereas a sigmoidal induction response was more frequent in shade foliage. The different relative proportions of transient biochemical and stomatal limitations during photosynthetic induction in sun and shade foliage indicate an essential role of stomata in photosynthetic limitation during induction, mainly in shade foliage, with a consequent influence on the shape of the photosynthetic induction curve.     

Rootstock effects in grafted conifers: A review

The literature on rootstock effects (on scions) in conifers was reviewed, specifically: graft success, compatibility, size, reproduction, phenology, crown and needle characters, mineral contents, organic compounds, water relations, disease resistance and wood properties. Scions usually had higher graft success and less incompatibility on more closely related rootstocks although there were exceptions. Even intergeneric grafts have succeeded on occasion. Although there were marked rootstock effects on growth and reproduction, the effects did not follow a pattern with increasing relationship. It is also likely that some crown characters and the nutrient content of scions can be manipulated by the use of rootstocks. For many characters, a specific rootstock may give a desired result only for a limited number of scion types (species, cultivars or clones). With some exceptions, the review shows that the subject has not been comprehensively studied. Many of the studies were either short-term, inadequately replicated, or poorly designed to allow firm conclusions about rootstock effects. The physiological and biochemical mechanisms, which cause the changes seen in morphology, are not well understood. Further research and more comprehensive study of rootstock effects on scion biology are recommended.