Accretion, partitioning and sequestration of calcium and aluminum in red spruce foliage: implications for tree health

Calcium (Ca) is an essential macronutrient in plants and is an important component of many cellular structures and physiological processes as well as overall forest function. Aluminum (Al) in soil solution can inhibit Ca uptake by plants and disrupt many Ca-dependent metabolic and physiological processes of plants. The ratio of Ca to Al in soil solution can be an important indicator of forest health, especially on acid soils. We used sequential chemical extractions (water, acetic acid and hydrochloric acid) to assess the chemical availability of Ca and Al in foliage from mature red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) trees growing under ambient environmental conditions. In plants deficient in Ca and with intermediate total foliar Ca concentration ([Ca]), Ca preferentially accrued in labile and physiologically available forms (water- and acetic acid-extractable). In plants with total foliar [Ca] above a "sufficiency" threshold, Ca also accrued in a chemically sequestered form with low solubility (HCl-extractable), suggesting that Ca sequestration is an inducible process in response to excess foliar Ca. Because it has low solubility, it is likely that sequestered Ca is unavailable for Ca-dependent physiological processes. Immobilization of Al in foliage was related to Ca sequestration, suggesting that Ca sequestration may provide a passive mechanism for Al tolerance in the foliage of these trees. Aluminum immobilization was evident based on the ratio of HCl-extractable Al to the more labile (water- and acetic acid-extractable) forms of Al. Sufficient labile Ca combined with Al sequestration was associated with plant health, including enhanced foliar accretion of Mg and Mn, greater tree growth, enhanced foliar cold hardiness and reduced winter injury. These findings demonstrate that not all chemical forms of foliar Ca and Al are of equal physiological significance and underscore the importance of assessing the biologically significant element forms in biogeochemical research.     

Nondestructive estimation of wood chemical composition of sections of radial wood strips by diffuse reflectance near infrared spectroscopy

The use of calibrated near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy for predicting the chemical composition of Pinus taeda L. (loblolly pine) wood samples is investigated. Seventeen P. taeda radial strips, representing seven different sites were selected and NIR spectra were obtained from the radial longitudinal face of each strip. The spectra were obtained in 12.5 mm sections from pre-determined positions that represented juvenile wood (close to pith), transition wood (zone between juvenile and mature wood), and mature wood (close to bark). For these sections, cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin (acid soluble and insoluble), arabinan, galactan, glucan, mannan, and xylan contents were determined by standard analytical chemistry methods. Calibrations were developed for each chemical constituent using the NIR spectra, wood chemistry data and partial least squares (PLS) regression. Relationships were variable with the best results being obtained for cellulose, glucan, xylan, mannan, and lignin. Prediction errors were high and may be a consequence of the diverse origins of the samples in the test set. Further research with a larger number of samples is required to determine if prediction errors can be reduced.     

Sowing methods and mulch affect 1+0 northern red oak seedling quality

The effects of sowing depth, seedling density and mulches on northern red oak seedling survival and growth were evaluated in Wilson State Forest Nursery in southwest Wisconsin, USA. Sowing depths between 2.2 and 6.3 cm, combined with sowing densities of 75 and 150 acorns · m^-2, made up five sowing method plots. Mulch treatments of ground corncobs aged 1 year, hardwood sawdust aged 2 years, and no mulch made up 3 subplot treatments. Treatments resulted in a range of densities from 18 to 148 seedlings · m^-2. Mulch delayed emergence and increased seedling survival. Increasing sowing depth also delayed emergence. Corncob mulch increased root collar diameter; however, hardwood sawdust, aged for 2 years, decreased both root collar diameter and the number of permanent first-order lateral roots. Increasing sowing depth decreased root dry mass but increased shoot dry mass. Increasing density from 18 to 148 seedlings · m^-2decreased root dry mass in this study.     

Physiological and morphological responses to nitrogen limitation in jack pine seedlings: potential implications for drought tolerance

The morphological and physiological responses to nitrogen (N) limitation in jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) seedlings were studied following the initiation of four different dynamic N treatments for six and 15 weeks. The N treatments produced needle N concentrations from 11 to 31 mg g^-1dry weight, and seven-fold difference in dry weight at 15 weeks. Low-N jack pine seedlings: 1) had an higher root/shoot ratio; 2) extended their tap root more rapidly; 3) were better able to maintain turgor when shoot water potential declined; and 4) had a larger dry weight fraction and apoplasmic fraction than seedlings with higher foliar N concentrations. These responses may contribute collectively to enhance drought tolerance in N-limited plants, thereby affecting seedling quality. Modifying nursery fertilization regimes, other than optimal as usually applied, may thus be needed to produce stock for use on particularly droughty sites. Knowledge of the nature of drought at a particular site could be an important consideration when making decisions related to fertilization.     

Field survival and early height growth of Douglas-fir rooted cuttings: relationship to stem diameter and root system quality

In 1990, three studies involving 11 half-sib families of Douglas-fir rooted cuttings were established at three sites in western Washington State (USA): two with low regeneration difficulty (RD) and one with high RD. Grading and cull studies were installed on each site and a root number study on one site. The grading study compared the performance of nine classes of rooted cuttings based on stem diameter and root system quality. The cull study evaluated five different types of putative culls. The root number study determined the correlation between the number of initial roots and field performance.

In the grading study survival and height growth reflected stem diameter and relative root quality on all three sites. Mean survival by treatment was in the range 92–100%, 82–97% and 66–87% across the three sites. First year height growth varied from approximately 10 cm to 20 cm and was greatest on the low RD sites. Second year height growth was from three to four times greater than first year height growth on the low RD sites and two to three times greater on the high RD site. Plants with larger diameter had higher survival and better growth than those with smaller diameter. Within each diameter class, plants with good or fair root systems outperformed those with poor root systems. Performance of seedlings and transplants was nearly identical to that of rooted cuttings with corresponding diameter and root system quality.

In the cull study only trees with stem diameter < 4 mm were deemed true culls owing to significantly reduced survival and height growth. In the root number study, rooted cuttings generally increased in size in the nursery in proportion to root number. However, after 2 years in the field, root number was a very poor predictor of survival and height growth.     

Detection of Erysiphe necator in Air Samples Using the Polymerase Chain Reaction and Species-Specific Primers

ABSTRACT A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay employing species-specific primers was developed to differentiate Erysiphe necator from other powdery mildews common in the northwest United States. DNA was extracted from mycelia, conidia, and/or chasmothecia that were collected from grape leaves with a Burkard cyclonic surface sampler. To differentiate E. necator from other erysiphaeceous fungi, primer pairs Uncin144 and Uncin511 were developed to select unique sequences of the internal transcribed spacer regions of E. necator. Using these primers in PCR amplifications, a 367-bp amplicon specific to E. necator was generated, but no amplicons were generated from other erysiphaceous species collected from 48 disparate hosts representing 26 vascular plant families. The PCR limit of detection was one to five conidia of E. necator placed directly into reaction mixtures or 100 to 250 conidia placed on glass rods coated with silicon grease. During field studies, this PCR assay facilitated the detection of E. necator inoculum in air samples within hours of sample rod collection and prior to disease onset. Amplification of E. necator DNA did not occur when the PCR assay was conducted on vineyard air samples collected while grapes were dormant or during periods when vine growth occurred but E. necator remained dormant. The initial PCR detection of E. necator of the season occurred during seasonal ascospore releases caused by precipitation events between bud burst and the prebloom period during the 3 years of the study. Detection ceased for 7 to 11 days following ascospore release and then resumed several days prior to the observance of microscopic symptoms and signs of powdery mildew in the field. Results of this study represent the initial step toward the goal of incorporating an inoculum availability component into current and future grapevine powdery mildew risk assessment models.     

Quantitative analysis of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) lint trash by fluorescence spectroscopy

The presence of cotton plant botanical components, or trash, embedded in lint subsequent to harvesting and ginning is an important criterion in the classification of baled cotton by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service. The trash particles may be reduced in size to the point that specific trash types are not identifiable by image or gravimetric analysis, and it is desirable to quantify different trash types so that processing lines may be optimized for removal of the most problematic trash to enhance processing performance and cotton lint quality. Currently, there are no methods available to adequately quantify cotton lint trash based on botanical origin. The present work attempts to address this issue through the analysis by fluorescence spectroscopy of dimethyl sulfoxide extracts of mixtures of six botanical trash types. The fluorescence data are subsequently subjected to chemometric analysis. The resulting 6 partial least-squares calibration models obtained from 128 mixtures are demonstrated in the case of leaf and hull to be capable of predicting individual trash component concentrations with a high degree of confidence.