Estimating the abundance and diversity of butterflies

Concern about the apparent decline in butterfly populations has led to projects designed to obtain quantitative information on their abundance and diversity. Three methods of sampling communities of butterflies are suggested, and the use of a diversity index, β, is recommended. This index gives an estimate of the probability that an individual sampled at random from a community will be different from the previous individual sampled. Change and stability in diversity can be used as a guide for conservation and management programmes.     

An Experiment to Control Fomes annosus in Second Rotation Pine Crops

Stump removal was found to singnificantly reduce killing byFomes annosus in second rotation crops of pine. Poisoning andgirdling of trees prior to felling and also stump poisoningfailed to control the disease. In this experiment no significantdifferences were detected in the susceptibility of Scots andCorsican pine to attack. Increasing periods of delay beforereplanting resulted in less mortality. An equation is presented,based on factors of the first rotation crop which may be usedto predict losses likely to occur when a site is replanted.Root attack by F. annosus results in reduced growth and yieldas well as mortality. The results from the experiment are discussed in trems of themangement of pine crops attacted by F. annosus in Theford Chase.     

THE ERROR IN PREDICTING PASTURE DRY–MATTER DIGESTIBILITY FROM FOUR DIFFERENT METHODS OF ANALYSIS FOR LIGNIN

The lignin content of 50 samples of five grasses of known in vivo digestibility were determined by the methods of Armitage, van Soest and two modifications of the van Soest technique. The error in predicting DM digestibility varied from ±3.1 for tbe Armitage metbod to ±5.0 for the van Soest method. This error compares nnfavourably witb ±2.1 previonsly obtained on tbe same samples with the in vitro technique of Tilley and Terry.     

Chemical Aids in Forest Fire Control

Progress in development of chemical aids in suppressing andretarding forest fires and in drying vegetation to facilitatecontrolled burning is reviewed briefly. The main part of thepaper describes exploratory trials in 1958–61, using arange of fire-retardant compounds for control of grass and heathfires. All chemicals tested were markedly superior to plainwater in checking fire spread. Ammonium phosphate solution,and ‘viscous water’ prepared using sodium alginate,were the most promising retardants tested, the latter beingthe more effective on heavier fuels such as heather and gorse.The costs and mechanics of use are discussed. Subject to operationaltrials, it is concluded that these chemicals could be of practicalvalue in checking the front and hottest parts of vegetationfires. Recent trials suggest that herbicides, of those testednotably Paraquat, may be used to desiccate grass vegetationto permit safe and rapid controlled burning during summer months.     

Heritable necrosis of red storage cabbage

Research was carried out on heritable necrosis of red storage cabbage. Susceptibility to this type of necrosis depends on 1 incompletely recessive factor n. NN-plants always remain healthy, whereas the majority of the nn-plants become necrotic shortly after the harvest. A number of the Nn-plants also show (mostly weak) symptoms in the second half of the storage period. Minor genes may have an effect as well.Selection for resistance to necrosis should be carried out as late as possible, preferably at the end of the storage period.

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Samenvatting Onderzoek vond plaats over erfelijke necrose bij rode bewaarkool. De gevoeligheid voor dit verschijnsel wordt bepaald door 1 onvolledig recessieve factor n. N N-planten blijven steeds gezond, terwijl de meeste nn-planten korte tijd na het oogsten necrotisch worden. Bij een deel van de Nn-planten treden in de tweede helft van de bewaar-periode dat ook andere genen op resistentie tegen necrose nog een geringe invloed hebben.Voor de selectie op resistentie tegen necrose is hetvan belang dat deze zo laat mogelijk uitgevoerd wordt, dus bij voorkeur aan het eind van het bewaarseizoen.