Aloe ring spot,a new disease of aloe caused by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Haematonectria haematococca</Emphasis> (Berk. &; Broome) Samuels &; Nirenberg (anamorph: <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fusarium</Emphasis> sp.)

A ring spot disease of Aloe vera was found on leaves of potted seedlings of Aloe vera in Hachijojima and Chichijima Islands, Tokyo. From tissue of ring spot lesions, a fungus producing Fusarium-type conidia was consistently isolated. After 1 month, reddish perithecia of nectriaceous fungus had formed on the colonies of this isolate on PDA. These nectriaceous and Fusarium fungi were identified as Haematonectria haematococca and Fusarium sp., respectively. From a single ascospore isolation, the former was confirmed to be the teleomorph of the Fusarium sp. Typical ring spot lesions were reproduced by artificial inoculations using single ascospore and single conidium isolates. Inoculations of five species of genus Aloe revealed that they were highly susceptible except for A. arborescens. This is the first report of a disease on Aloe caused by H. haematococca (anamorph: Fusarium sp.) in Japan, and it was named aloe ring spot.     

Hydration behavior and compressive strength of cement mixed with exploded wood fiber strand obtained by the water-vapor explosion process

Poor compatibility was found between exploded wood fiber strand (WFS) and cement due to the excessive presence of water-soluble degraded polysaccharides in extractives of exploded WFS obtained from weathered wood waste treated by the water-vapor explosion process (WVEP). This study presents some comparative results from a continuing investigation on the compressive strengths of exploded WFS–cement mixtures. Based on results previously obtained with the hydration test, the relation between hydration behavior and compressive strength of the mixture was explored. In addition, the effect of the curing age on compressive strength development of the mixture with selected additive chemicals was examined. The results supported the results of early studies with hydration tests indicating that adding MgCl₂ to the mixtures of exploded WFS mixed with quick-curing cement or ordinary Portland cement and a composite of MgCl₂ + CaO added to the mixture of exploded WFS and furnace-slag cement effectively improved the hydration behaviors; it greatly enhanced the compressive strengths of mixtures as well. Compressive strengths were strongly correlated to maximum hydration temperatures (T_max) of wood–cement mixtures influenced by the cement type, wood wastes (treated or not with WVEP), additive chemicals, and their content levels. The results also indicated that adding selected chemicals had no significant effect on compressive strength among the mixtures of exploded WFS mixed, respectively, with three types of cement at a curing age of 180 days. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were used to identify the hydration products and to probe the element distribution of the mixture in the wood–cement interface zone from a fractured surface.Part of this report was presented at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Gifu, April 2002     

Screening method for wood extractives: direct cellulose thin-layer chromatography plate

A method for screening wood extractives was developed using cellulose thin-layer chromatography plate (Cell-TLC) separation and was directly applied to bioassays. Wood meal (60 mesh) from nangka (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lamk) heartwood was extracted with hot methanol. The crude extract was separated using a Cell-TLC plate (50 × 50mm). Two broad bands with R_f values of 0.46 and 0.96 were found, and the bands showed completely different effects against the pest termite Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki and the decay fungus Fomitopsis palustris. The band with R_f 0.46 was preferentially consumed by workers of C. formosanus, and it did not show any growth inhibition against F. palustris when the Cell-TLC plate was directly exposed to the organism. In contrast, the band with R_f 0.96 appeared to repel strongly the feeding by C. formosanus and inhibited the growth of F. palustris. It was concluded that the Cell-TLC system was applicable for screening wood extracts consisting of many compounds.     

A novel control strategy for dry-wood termite <Emphasis Type="Italic">Incisitermes minor</Emphasis> infestation using a bait system

Three types of experiments were designed to evaluate the performance of a bait system intended to control Incisitermes minor (Hagen). In the first type of experiment, Type I, the effectiveness of the bait in a small wood specimen was evaluated. In the second type, Type II, the bait effectiveness was evaluated in a larger wood specimen. Feeding arena lumber with artificial galleries was prepared for the Type III experiment so that the response of the insects to the gel could be observed. In general, the average percentage of termites that died after being exposed to the gel formulation in all three types of experiment was more than 60%, and in the gel control the average percentage of live termites was more than 95% in Types I and III, and more than 75% in Type II. These results suggest that the gel bait system used in this study has the potential to eliminate I. minor colonies. Further investigation will be necessary to increase the reliability of the bait system as a control measure against dry-wood termites.     

Seasonal parasitism of native egg parasitoids of brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) in Japan

Journal of Pest Science - The invasive, Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is a severe economic insect pest native to East Asia. A strong effort has been made to identify natural egg...     

Differences in spectral trajectory with stand volume development between Japanese larch and Japanese oak in Hokkaido,Japan

Our objective was to investigate the differences in the spectral trajectory of the LANDSAT Thematic Mapper with stand volume development between Japanese larch (Larix kaempferi) and Japanese oak (Quercus mongolica var. crispula) in the experimental forest of Kyushu University, Hokkaido, Japan. We used nonlinear regression and a categorical variable to investigate the relationship between spectral reflectance factor and stand volume for each forest type. This research showed that the reflectance factor of Japanese larch and Japanese oak reached saturation and that both forest types had different spectral trajectories with stand development. In addition, we found that middle of development stage (stand volume was between 100 and 200 m³/ha) of each forest type had similarity in reflectance factor.     

Utilization of sweet sorghum bagasse and citric acid for manufacturing of particleboard II: influences of pressing temperature and time on particleboard properties

Development of environmentally friendly particleboard made from sweet sorghum bagasse and citric acid has recently attracted attention. In this study, we investigated the effects of pressing temperature and time on physical properties, such as dry bending (DB), internal bond strength (IB), and thickness swelling (TS) of particleboard. Wet bending (WB), screw-holding power (SH), biological durability, and formaldehyde emission of particleboard manufactured under effective pressing temperature and time were also evaluated. Particleboards bonded with phenol formaldehyde (PF) resin and polymeric 4,4′-methylenediphenyl isocyanate (pMDI) were manufactured as references. Effective pressing temperature and time were 200?°C and 10 min, respectively. It was clarified that DB, IB, and TS satisfied the type 18 requirements of the JIS A 5908 (2003), and were comparable to those of particleboard bonded with PF and pMDI. The WB and SH of particleboard did not satisfy type 18 of JIS. Particleboard manufactured under effective pressing conditions had good biological durability and low formaldehyde emission. Based on the results of infrared spectra measurement, the degree of ester linkages increased with increased pressing temperature and time.     

Antifungal and antitermitic activities of wood vinegar from Vitex pubescens Vahl

Antifungal and antitermitic activities of wood vinegar produced from Vitex pubescens were evaluated. Three kinds of wood vinegar were produced at three different pyrolysis temperatures, i.e. at 350, 400 and 450 °C. A PDA dilution method was employed to assay antifungal activity of the vinegars with a white-rot fungus Trametes versicolor and a brown-rot fungus Fomitopsis palustris. Termiticidal activity and repellent effect were evaluated by a no-choice test and a choice test with Reticulitermes speratus and Coptotermes formosanus. All wood vinegars exhibited antifungal activity against both fungi. Wood vinegar of 450 °C had the higher activity than those of 400 and 350 °C. It was assumed that acid component contributed to the increase in controlling the growth of fungal. The wood vinegar exhibited antitermite activity to both R. speratus and C. formosanus workers in the no-choice experiment. However, it needed relatively high concentration to obtain the perfect mortality. For instance, the wood vinegar of 10 % concentration was needed to achieve 100 % mortality against C. formosanus, whereas for R. speratus only 3 % of wood vinegar was required. In the direct-choice experiment, wood vinegar had a significantly repellent effect to both termites at the lowest treating concentration of 10 %.     

Comparison of depth- and mass-based approaches for estimating changes in forest soil carbon stocks: A case study in young plantations and secondary forests in West Java, Indonesia

Soil carbon (C) stocks in forest ecosystems have been widely estimated to a fixed soil depth (i.e., 0-30 cm) to clarify temporal changes in the C pool. However, surface elevations change as a result of compaction or expansion of the soil under forest management and land use. On the other hand, the calculation of soil C stocks based on “equivalent soil mass” is not affected by compaction or expansion of forest soil. To contribute to the development of a forest C accounting methodology, we compared changes in soil C stocks over 4 years between depth- and mass-based approaches using original soil data collected at 0-30 cm depths in young plantations and secondary forests in West Java, Indonesia. Our methodology expanded on the mass-based approach; rather than using one representative value for the mass-based calculation of soil C stocks, we adjusted individual values, maintaining the coefficient of variance in soil mass. We also considered the effect of an increase or decrease in soil organic matter on equivalent soil mass. Both increasing and decreasing trends in soil C stocks became clearer when the mass-based approach was used rather than the depth-based approach. The trends in soil C stocks based on equivalent soil mass were particularly evident in the surface soil layers (0-5 cm) and in plantation sites, compared with those for soil profiles including subsurface soil layers (0-30 cm) and in secondary forests. These trends in soil C stocks corresponded with temporal trends in litter stocks. We suggest that equivalent mass-basis soil C stock for the upper 30 cm of soil be calculated based on multiple soil layers to reduce estimation errors. Changes in soil organic matter mass had little effect on the estimation of soil C stock on an equivalent mass basis. For the development of a forest C accounting system, the mass-based approach should be used to characterize temporal trends in soil C stocks and to improve C cycle models, rather than simpler methods of calculating soil C stocks. These improvements will help to increase the tier level of country-specific forest C accounting systems.