Effects of compaction and water content on lodgepole pine seedling growth

Soil disturbance by heavy machinery usually causes a decrease in porosity and an increase in soil strength, which may limit access to nutrients and compromise seedling survival and growth. This study used a soil strength and a greenhouse experiment to assess the impact of compaction on lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. Ex. Loud. var. latifolia Engelm.) seedling growth and the degree to which soil water influences the effects of compaction. A silt loam soil was collected from a forest landing in the central interior of British Columbia (BC) in the Sub-Boreal Spruce Biogeoclimatic zone. The silt loam soil was used in a soil strength experiment where soil with four water content levels (0.10, 0.18, 0.27, and 0.36 cm³ cm⁻³) was packed into 0.21 cm³ cores with three levels of compaction (74, 79, and 84% of maximum bulk density (MBD)). Soil strength was strongly affected by compaction and water content. In the greenhouse experiment, three water content levels (0.10–0.15, 0.20–0.30, and 0.30–0.35 cm³ cm⁻³) and three levels of compaction (67, 72, and 76% of MBD) were applied to soil in pots and 1-year old lodgepole pine seedlings were grown in the pots. Soil strength was highest (1275 kPa) for the high compaction and dry water content treatment in the greenhouse experiment. Though the soil strength for this treatment did not exceed 2500 kPa, the effect of compaction on growth was noticeable, with a decrease in diameter growth, total shoot mass, and new root mass as compaction increased at the dry water content. At dry water content and high compaction, foliar nutrient concentrations were greatest. Generally, water content had a greater impact on seedling growth than did compaction, at the levels of compaction used in this study. This study indicates that if there is a critical value for mechanical impedance of the conifer roots, it likely occurs below 2500 kPa. Our results are consistent with the explanation that soil strength incrementally affects root growth below 2500 kPa for this soil type. Expensive rehabilitation techniques may not be needed on lightly disturbed soils similar to that used in this study if soil water content is high enough throughout the conifer growing season to alleviate the effects of compaction on soil strength.     

Analysis of Adaptability for Water Surface Heat Pumps in China Climatic Region

Based on the application characteristics of Surface Water Source Heat Pump System(WSHPs),the condition for the high efficient application of the system was expounded.Meanwhile,the distribution of water source in China Climatic Region was analyzed,and combining with the condition under which the surface water heat pump system was applied,the application feasibility of the system was explored.On the basis of the present climate division,the water source in the climate zone was analyzed comprehensively in terms of water temperature and water quality.Based on practical data,HVAC style,characteristic and condition of WSHPs,the adaptability analysis of the surface water heat pump system used in the climate zones was also given.     

Effect of irrigation frequency and planting density on herbage biomass and oil production of thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis)

An experiment was undertaken to determine the herbage biomass and oil production of thyme (Thymus vulgaris Linn.) and hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis Linn.) in 2003 and 2004 in the semi-arid region of Khorasan in Iran. The experiment was a split plot with three irrigation intervals as main plots and three planting densities as subplots, all of which replicated three times. Irrigation intervals consisted of 7, 14, and 21 days for both crops and planting densities of 6.6, 8, and 10 (plants m⁻²) for thyme and 5, 6.6, and 8 (plants m⁻²) for hyssop. Different planting densities were employed by changing planting distances on cultivation rows. Herbage biomass and oil production of shoots, harvested at flowering were measured as annual production of each crop. Irrigation intervals did not change total harvested herbage biomass and oil production of both crops. Averaged across both years of the experiment, thyme produced higher oil than hyssop. Both crops produced higher biomass and oil in the second year of the experiment compared to the first year. While thyme plants biomass and oil production were lower at the highest planting density, hyssop plants showed no response to planting density. Herbage biomass and oil production of hyssop did not show a clear trend in response to interaction of irrigation intervals and planting densities in both years of the experiment. Our results showed that there is a high potential for saving water through longer irrigation intervals (e.g. 14 days) using locally adapted plants in the semi-arid conditions of Khorasan. These crops serve as alternative sources of income in dry years.     

An Altered aroA Gene Product Confers Resistance to the Herbicide Glyphosate

The hypothesis that the herbicide glyphosate (N-phosphonomethylglycine) acts on plants and microorganisms by inhibiting synthesis of 5-enolpyruvyl-3-phosphoshikimate, a precursor to aromatic amino acids, was tested. Salmonella typhimurium was treated with ethyl methanesulfonate, and mutants mapping at the aroA locus, which encodes 5-enolpyruvyl-3-phosphoshikimate synthetase, were isolated by selection for glyphosate resistance. One of the mutants results in the synthesis of a 5-enolpyruvyl-3-phosphoshikimate synthetase that is resistant to inhibition by glyphosate. The mutant aroA gene and the corresponding wild-type allele were cloned. The mutation confers high resistance to glyphosate when introduced in Escherichia coli in the presence or absence of the wild-type aroA allele.     

Notes on Ectotrophic Mycorrhizae of Pinus patula in South Africa

The discovery of ectotrophic mycorrhizae of Pinus patula Schlecht. et Cham. formed by Boletus edulis Bull, ex Fr., Amanita muscaria (L. ex Fr.) Pers. ex Hooker and possibly Tuber rapaeodorum Tul. et Tul. and Lycoperdon umbrinum Pers. is described. Aseptic culturing of mycorrhizae was carried out with A. muscaria and B. edulis, and chemical tests employed in agaricology, applied to these species and L. umbrinum to determine their association with natural mycorrhizae.     

Non-lethal strategies to reduce browse damage in eucalypt plantations

Browsing by mammalian herbivores is a major problem in plantation forestry worldwide. This has traditionally been controlled through a reduction in herbivore numbers achieved by lethal means, namely shooting and poisoning. In recent years, however, there has been increasing social and political pressure to reduce reliance on such lethal controls, and consequently research into non-lethal controls is becoming increasingly important. In order for non-lethal methods to be efficiently incorporated into management, however, we must first identify those that are most effective under operational conditions. Different methods are rarely tested concurrently, and many have only been proven effective with captive animals or in small scale field trials. This study therefore sought to consolidate past research by combining non-lethal methods, which were known to significantly reduce browsing damage, into a single trial to enable their relative effectiveness to be compared under operational conditions.     

Variability of some plant species from different origins and their suitability for virus work

Plants of four species obtained from various sources were raised and compared for their suitability as test plants for a number of viruses. The species comprisedChenopodium amaranticolor (local lesion host of red clover mottle virus),Nicotiana glutinosa (local lesion host of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV)),N. rustica (systemic host of TMV, cucumber mosaic virus and tomato spotted wilt virus) andN. tabacum ‘White Burley’ (systemic host of TMV). Some sources proved to be more attractive as test plants or experimental hosts because of, e.g., production of more local lesions per unit of leaf area (C. amaranticolor andN. glutinosa), distinctness of lesions (C. amaranticolor), development of more pronounced systemic symptoms (N. rustica andN. tabacum ‘White Burley’), better growth characteristics (particularlyC. amaranticolor andN. rustica), smoother leaves being easier to rub (N. glutinosa) or more and bigger leaf formation (particularlyN. rustica). The implications for the interpretation of host range studies and the quest for propagation and assays hosts are discussed.