Controlling growth and chemical composition of saplings by iteratively matching nutrient supply to demand: a bootstrap fertilization technique

We developed a fertilization technique that results in the control, and maintenance at defined rates and levels, of growth and tissue composition of plants of different sizes and developmental stages growing at exponential and nonexponential rates in solid media under naturally fluctuating light and temperature regimes. Clonal cottonwood (Populus deltoides Bartr.) saplings were grown in sand. Low concentrations of nutrient solution were added daily at different constant exponentially increasing rates for 20-30 days to produce plants with different growth rates and tissue nutrient composition. Matching nutrient supply to measured growth demand by bootstrapping, where bootstrapping is the use of an iterative equation that calculates demand from either actual or desired growth rates, maintained these differences for 20-40 days. Nutrient additions controlled growth of saplings with growth rates between 2.0 and 4.0% day(-1), heights between 13.9 and 37.5 cm, dry weights between 0.70 and 3.90 g, leaf nitrogen contents between 1.2 and 3.9%, and leaf carbon/nitrogen ratios between 42.1 and 12.5. The technique was reproducible in a greenhouse without temperature, humidity, or light control, and is easily modified to suit different plant species, plants of various sizes, and various growing conditions.     

Stand biometry and leaf area distribution in an old olive grove at Andria, southern Italy

The objectives of this paper were (1) to provide general biometry data for an 80-year-old olive (Olea europea L., cv. Coratina) grove in Andria, southern Italy, and (2) to compare different methods for estimating leaf area distributions. Stand biometry was represented by a stocking density of 132 trees ha^?1, mean spacing of 8.7 m and mean social area (proportional to spacing and tree size) of about 76 m² per tree. Trunk total circumference averaged 110 cm and after subtraction of missing or dead parts of stems averaged 81 cm, projected area of crowns averaged 17.7 m² and the mean tree height was 4.9 m. Leaf distribution was evaluated using calibrated ground-based side photographs through image analysis and through using a simple canopy-layer model (considering hollow volume within tree crowns) and double-Gaussian curves. The mean leaf size was about 5 cm² (distributed in a log-normal manner over the range of 2 to 12 cm²). Considering whole tree crowns, the mean leaf density was about 2.6 m²m^?3; the maximum leaf area occurred in canopy layers between 1.5 to 3 m, tailing with a steeper slope to the crown base and a less steep slope to the tree-top. The foliated volume of olive crowns (mean 33.2 m³) contained on average 145 thousand leaves of the total area of 72.6 m². The corresponding leaf area index on the stand level (LAI _grove = 0.96), was rather low due to low stocking density. However when taking into account only the projected crown areas (and avoiding free space between trees), the mean LAI reached about 3.5 (range from 1–7). The radial pattern of leaf distribution derived from image analysis indicated peak LAI _rad values at a distance from the stem of about 60 to 70% of crown radius in trees of different size. The applicability of different approaches to the estimation of the necessary allometric parameters is discussed.     

Integrating traditional and local ecological knowledge into forest biodiversity conservation in the Pacific Northwest

The potential for traditional and local ecological knowledge to contribute to biodiversity conservation has been widely recognized, but the actual application of this knowledge to biodiversity conservation is not easy. This paper synthesizes literature about traditional and local ecological knowledge and forest management in the Pacific Northwest to evaluate what is needed to accomplish this goal. We address three topics: (1) views and values people have relating to biodiversity; (2) the resource use and management practices of local forest users, and their effects on biodiversity; (3) models for integrating traditional and local ecological knowledge into biodiversity conservation on public and private lands. We focus on the ecological knowledge of forest users belonging to three groups who inhabit the region: American Indians, family forest owners, and commercial nontimber forest product harvesters.     

Effects of forest floor planting and stock type on growth and root emergence of Pinus contorta seedlings in a cold northern cutblock

A two-year field trial was conducted to determine the growth response, and root emergence pattern of interior lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm.) seedlings in response to container type and forest floor removal. Seedlings were grown in Styroblocks^TM, Copperblocks^TM, or AirBlocks^TM, and were planted directly into the undisturbed forest floor or into manually prepared planting spots where the forest floor had been scraped away to expose the mineral soil. Seedlings planted into scalped planting spots exhibited marginally but significantly (7%) greater above-ground growth rates (seedling stem volume); whereas seedlings planted into the forest floor produced significantly more (11%) new roots. There were no differences in above- or below-ground biomass. Seedlings grown in Copperblock^TM containers produced a higher proportion of roots near the top of the plug when tested at lifting, however this pattern was not observed in the field. Given that scalping is more costly than forest floor planting, and that the increased shoot growth was relatively small, we recommend that forest floor planting be considered as an alternative to manual spot scalping for sites, such as the site tested here: those with cold, but well-drained soils and where competition from other plants is not a serious problem.     

Nontimber forest products and biodiversity management in the Pacific Northwest

Nontimber forest product harvesting in the Pacific Northwest is neither a new activity nor a disappearing relic of the pre-industrial era. Though the emphasis may have shifted from subsistence to commercial and recreational pursuits, harvesting and harvesters of wild species are still widespread throughout the region. Hundreds of businesses and thousands of harvesters earn part or all of their income from the harvests. Every year thousands of pounds and hundreds of nontimber forest products valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars are harvested from regional public and private forests. This harvesting of a large diversity of species represents a considerable subset of the overall terrestrial biodiversity in Pacific Northwest forests. Despite widespread extraction, little investment in research, planning, or basic inventorying and monitoring has been done on nontimber forest products. Without better information, land managers will be increasingly unable to make informed decisions on how to manage nontimber forest product biodiversity sustainably as demand for products increases.     

评估调质时间和温度对猪颗粒饲料淀粉糊化度和维生素沉积的影响

本论文研究了饲料加工的两个关键参数(调质温度和时间)对育肥猪颗粒饲料淀粉糊化度和维生素沉积的影响。日粮配方为含30%干酒糟及其可溶物的玉米-豆粕型基础日粮。整个试验中配方保持不变。本试验采用2×3双因子设计,调质温度分别为77℃和88℃,调质时间分别15秒、30秒和60秒。此外,本试验还设置一个对照组,对照组饲料不采用调质制粒工艺,而是采用粉料饲喂。因此,本试验共有7个处理组。采集调质后制粒前(热干粉)、制粒后冷却前(热制粒)、以及制粒冷却后(冷制粒)的样品,并分析这三种样品的总淀粉率、淀粉糊化     

COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHIC FINDINGS IN 57 CATS WITH PRIMARY PULMONARY NEOPLASIA

Primary pulmonary neoplasia is relatively uncommon in cats and generally has a poor prognosis. In this multicenter, retrospective study of 57 cats with pulmonary neoplasia, the most frequent presenting signs were anorexia/inappetence (39%) and cough (37%). The pulmonary tumors were considered to be incidental findings in 9% cats. In computed tomographic (CT) images, primary pulmonary tumors appeared as a pulmonary mass in 55 (96%) cats and as a disseminated pulmonary lesion without a defined mass in two (4%) cats. Most pulmonary tumors were in the caudal lobes, with 28 (49%) in the right caudal lobe and 17 (30%) in the left caudal lobe. CT features associated with pulmonary tumors included mass in contact with visceral pleura (96%), irregular margins (83%), well‐defined borders (79%), bronchial compression (74%), gas‐containing cavities (63%), foci of mineral attenuation (56%), and bronchial invasion (19%). The mean (range) maximal dimension of the pulmonary masses was 3.5 cm (1.1–11.5 cm). Additional foci of pulmonary disease compatible with metastasis were observed in 53% cats. Pleural fluid was evident in 30% cats and pulmonary thrombosis in 12% cats. The histologic diagnoses were 47 (82%) adenocarcinomas, six (11%) tumors of bronchial origin, three (5%) adenosquamous cell carcinomas, and one (2%) squamous cell carcinoma. In this series, adenocarcinoma was the predominant tumor type, but shared many features with less common tumor types. No associations were identified between tumor type and CT features. Prevalence of suspected intrapulmonary metastasis was higher than in previous radiographic studies of cats with lung tumors.