Trade-offs among establishment success,stem morphology and productivity of underplanted Toona ciliata: Effects of nurse-species and thinning density

Toona ciliata (Australian red cedar), a valuable hardwood species, requires a nurse-tree overstorey to prevent damage from frost and drought in some regions of north-eastern Argentina. Different nurse-species offer different degrees of protection, resource competition, and thinning revenues. In addition, choice of nurse-species will influence trade-offs between T. ciliata establishment success, stem quality and productivity as well as revenue from intermediate and final harvests. We tested the effects of overstorey species and planting density on underplanted T. ciliata survival, stem morphology and growth. Initial stand densities of nurse-species Pinus taeda (625 stems/ha), P. elliottii × P. caribaea (625 stems/ha), and Grevillea robusta (833 stems/ha) were thinned by 0%, 25%, 50%, and 75% in three experiments, each using a randomized block design. Initial mortality, light availability and growth of T. ciliata, as well as growth of its nurse-trees, were measured before and two years after thinning. In the third year, we characterized T. ciliata stem morphology (straightness and height-to-diameter-ratio) and destructively harvested a subsample of T. ciliata in order to investigate T. ciliata biomass production and allocation patterns in response to overstorey species, thinning density and light availability. T. ciliata mortality was lower when planted under G. robusta than the pines, and increased in plots with greater exposure to solar radiation. T. ciliata productivity was also greater under G. robusta than under the pines, and was generally greatest where any of the nurse-species were thinned by 75%. Stem form was best when growing under P. taeda and in stands thinned by 50%, regardless of nurse-species. With the exception of early mortality, light levels appeared to have limited effects on T. ciliata growth dynamics. Neither growth rate nor stem morphology was strongly correlated with light availability. Total overstorey basal-area was highest in P. taeda stands and individual overstorey tree growth generally increased with decreasing stand densities, except for slower height growth of G. robusta in more open stands. Thinning operations resulted in sawn-wood revenue for the pine species only. Because stand productivity and stem quality were optimized under different nurse-species and thinning treatments, we conclude that the choice of nurse-species and thinning intensity will depend on management objectives and will change with market preferences and conditions.     

德国政府在家畜育种领域中的作用

在第四届中国国际奶业展览会及高层论坛上,韩国、日本、德国、荷兰奶业交流专场吸引了众多中外奶业界同仁。国外专家关于本国奶牛养殖业、乳品加工业的精彩报告,使与会代表对各国的奶业发展现状和趋势有了全面而深入地了解。本刊编辑部,对各位国外专家的发言进行了整理,现分韩国篇、日本篇、德国篇、荷兰篇四个部分予以刊登,以飨读者,希望对中国建设现代奶业有所借鉴。     

Maintenance and Enhancement of Sustainable Forest Development on Regional Levels

Zusammenfassung:   Der verbesserte Katalog der gesamteuropäischen Kriterien und Indikatoren einer nachhaltigen Forstwirtschaft ist geeignet, Zustände und Entwicklungen auf verschiedenen Skalenniveaus zu beurteilen. Er repräsentiert die Vielfalt der möglichen Sachziele einer multifunktionalen Forstwirtschaft, die sich in einem hierarchischen Zielsystem strukturieren lassen. Vergleiche zwischen den aktuellen Zuständen und den angestrebten Zielen liefern wichtige Informationen für die überbetriebliche Steuerung. Zur Erreichung der angestrebten Ziele bieten sich meist mehrere Handlungsalternativen an. Diese lassen sich mit Hilfe von Waldwachstumsmodellen auf unterschiedlichen räumlichen und zeitlichen Skalenniveaus überprüfen. Insbesondere Einzelbaummodelle sind geeignet, strategische Entscheidungen für oder gegen bestimmte Bewirtschaftungskonzepte multikriteriell zu unterstützen. Die Verschneidung von Sachdaten mit Lagedaten in einem geographischen Informationssystem erleichtert es, Kompromisse zwischen den Forderungen verschiedener Waldnutzer auf überbetrieblichen Ebenen zu finden.     

Aktuelle Fragen der Schädlingsbekämpfung in Lebensmittelbetrieben unter besonderer Berücksichtigung des Verbraucherschutzes

Zusammenfassung Der Verfasser schildert die gegenwärtige Situation in der Bekämpfung von Schädlingen in deutschen Lebensmittelbetrieben, Er weist auf die Begünstigung mancher Schädlingsarten durch die Technisierung und Rationalisierung der Betriebe hin. Probleme der schriftlichen und persönlichen Beratung sowie die Organisation und Durchführung der Bekämpfung von Lebensmittelschädlingen werden eingehend besprochen, ebenso die wichtigsten Vorbeugungsmaßnahmen gegen die Einschleppung von Schädlingen unter Berücksichtigung der Einrichtung von Sicherheitsschleusen und Bestrahlungsräumen. Die zur Zeit in der Bundesrepublik üblicben Entseuchungsverfahren für ganze Betriebsanlagen werden unter Beschreibung der wichtigsten Begasungsmethoden diskutiert. Besondere Hinweise gelten der Bekämpfung eingeschleppter Schadlinge und der Vernichtung von Nagetieren. Auch die Problematik in der Beurteilung von Reklamationen wird erörtert. Darüber hinaus finden die Bestimmungen des neuen Pflanzenschutzgesetzes sowie der Höchstmengen-Verordnung — Pflanzenschutz — im Hinblick auf die Bekämpfung von Lebensmittelschädlingen besondere Berücksichtigung.

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Summary The author describes the present pest control situation in German food processing plants. He refers to the constant spread of some pests favoured by modern food processing techniques and by the rationalization of plants. Problems of advisory work carried out by personal consultation or written information as well as the organization and implementation of pest control are discussed in detail. This applies also to the principal prophylactic measures against an introduction of pests into the plant by the installation of safety sluices and radiation chambers. The disinfection methods for entire plants presently applied in the Federal Republic of Germany and the principal fumigation methods are also being described. Special recommendations are given for the control of the pests introduced and for the eradication of rodents. Furthermore, the problems relating to an assessment of reclamations are being discussed. In view of the control of pests on food special attention is paid to the regulations of the new Plant Protection Act and to the Regulations on the Maximum Quantity of Residues Tolerated on Food (Plant Protection).

     

Harnessing the potential for otolith microchemistry to foster the conservation of Amazonian fishes

1. Freshwater environments host roughly half of the world’s fish diversity, much of which is concentrated in large, tropical river systems such as the Amazon. Fishes are critical to ecosystem functioning in the Amazon River basin but face increasing human threats. The basic biology of these species, and particularly migratory behaviour, remains poorly studied, in part owing to the difficulty associated with conducting tagging studies in remote tropical regions.
2. Otolith microchemistry can circumvent logistical issues and is an increasingly important tool for studying fish life histories. However, this approach is still new in the Amazon, and its potential and limitations to inform fish conservation strategies remain unclear.
3. Here, otolith microchemistry studies in the Amazon are reviewed, highlighting current possibilities, and several key factors that limit its use as a conservation tool in the Amazon are discussed. These include the dearth of spatiotemporal elemental data, poor understanding of environment–fish–otolith pathways, and insufficient funding, facilities, and equipment.
4. A research initiative is proposed to harness the potential of this technique to support conservation in the Amazon. Key aspects of the proposal include recommendations for internal and external funding, which are critical to acquiring and maintaining technical staff, cutting-edge equipment, and facilities, as well as fostering regular scientific meetings and working groups. Meetings can facilitate a systematic approach to investigating environment–otolith pathways, broadening the chemical baseline for most Amazonian tributaries, and exploring potential valuable elements.
5. These outcomes are urgently needed to conserve biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in the Amazon, especially given threats such as widespread hydroelectric damming. The initiative proposed here could make otolith microchemistry an important, cost-effective tool to inform and foster conservation in the Amazon, and act as a template for other imperilled tropical river basins, such as the Mekong and the Congo.

     

Comparison of bronchoalveolar lavage and respiratory secretion cytology in horses with clinically diagnosed chronic pulmonary disease

Thirty-nine horses and 3 ponies underwent a thorough respiratory examination and were grouped as follows: healthy (4 horses and 1 pony); mild chronic pulmonary disease (CPD 11 horses); moderate CPD (16 horses and 1 pony); and severe CPD (8 horses and 1 pony). Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid collected from all animals and respiratory secretions (RS) obtained from 39 of these animals were evaluated cytologically and the results were compared. It was concluded that cytological examination of either BAL fluid or RS was useful in diagnosing various equine pulmonary diseases. The only advantage that BAL offered over RS sampling was in cases in which there was no RS available in the trachea. In addition, the severity of the CPD did not always correlate with either RS or BAL cytology.     

Preliminary experiences with the treatment of shock in horses with a plasma expander from a starch base

HAES Steril 10% is a colloidal plasma expander rarely used in veterinary medicine. In this study HAES was used in clinical cases for the treatment of shock and in a comparative hypervolemic hemodilution study (HAES versus lactated Ringer's solution) using two experimental horses. Injection of a HAES volume equivalent to 10% of estimated blood volume resulted in a highly significant drop in PCV and in a significant drop in total protein concentration. Half live of HAES was approximately two hours. No incompatibility reactions were observed. In man HAES improves microcirculation. Studies in progress may confirm a similar effect in the equine.     

Hydroxamic acid content of triticum species

Summary Fifty-five accessions of Triticum species were analyzed for content of hydroxamic acids (Hx), a natural resistance factor against various organisms. Hx were found in all accessions analyzed. Extreme values were found in wild diploid species: highest in T. speltoides (16.0 mmol/kg fr. wt) and lowest in T. tauschii (0.21). Modern polyploid wheats sharing the same genome did not show substantial variations in Hx levels. The data suggest possible sources of high Hx levels for wheat breeding programs.     

Callose concentration in leaves of field grown Oxalis acetosella (L.) indicates growth impediments

The Höglwald, located in Bavaria, is a pure Norway spruce stand, where experimental plots which were limed or not were subjected to normal or acid irrigation (Höglwald Experiment). The growth of the forest herb Oxalis acetosella improved greatly with liming. Callose concentration in leaves of Oxalis reflected the lime effect with about a 2.5 times lower callose concentration in the limed compared to unlimed plots. Acid irrigation increased callose concentration only in the unlimed plot. A negative exponential relationship was established between leaflet area and callose concentration. In a Diagnostic Field Fertilization Experiment in the vicinity of the Höglwald Experiment, Ca and Mg were applied either as carbonate or sulphate and Mn and Si added to experimental plots. In this experiment, it was demonstrated that it was not liming per se, but the application of Ca, that greatly increased the growth of Oxalis. Again, there was a negative correlation between leaflet area and callose concentration in leaves. Chemical analysis of leaves revealed that a Mn concentration > 3.5 mg (g DW)^?1 and a Mg concentration > 10 mg (g DW)^?1 led to increased callose concentration.