Lichen species diversity and substrate amounts in young planted boreal forests: A comparison between slash and stumps of Picea abies

The increasing demand for biofuel may decrease the dead wood supply in managed forests, and hence the amount of substrate available for dead wood dependent species. Slash is already being harvested for biofuel purposes, and stumps are an even bigger potential source of wood fuel. Both substrates constitute a major component of dead wood in managed forests, but have been poorly studied in terms of lichen diversity. We compared lichen species diversity between the lateral surface of slash and the cut surface of stumps of Norway spruce in planted boreonemoral Swedish forests of four age classes; 4-5, 8-9, 12-13, and 16-18 years. We also estimated the amounts of the two substrates, and discriminated between slash with bark and decorticated slash. There were no differences in species number per surface area, but slash had more species when equal volumes were compared. We found compositional differences between slash and stumps throughout the decay process. The majority of species found on both substrates were more frequent on stumps, which also had a higher number of unique species and species in the literature indicated as nationally rare or uncommon. The volume per hectare of stumps was ten times greater than that of slash but conversely, the lateral surface area of slash was five times greater than the cut surface area of stumps. Few dead wood specialist lichen species were, however, strictly associated with slash, whereas stumps offer a more heterogeneous environment and may provide important habitats for rare lichens in the managed forest landscape.     

Collembola in low stumps at clear-cuts. Is stump harvesting a threat?

Abstract

Stump harvesting as a way to increase wood biomass production in order to meet the European Union targets for reduced CO₂ emissions is starting up in Sweden. The knowledge about if and how Collembola species can use low stumps as a substrate is very limited. Stumps of three different ages (4, 14 and 75 years) were sampled to see if Collembola used the dead wood during the whole rotation period of a forest. Stumps of spruce, pine and birch were compared. Both the bark and the splint wood of the stumps were sampled. To determine whether the stump also influenced the nearby soil, the soil close to the stump were sampled as well as the soil further away. In total, five Collembola species that are known to prefer dead wood as a substrate were found in the stumps. Wood specialists were more dominating in young stumps, but occurred also in the oldest stumps. No preference was found for any specific tree species. Wood-living Collembola seem to be able to survive in low stumps for a whole rotation period, at least in low numbers. There is, however, a risk for extinction debt due to their low capacity for active long-distance dispersal.     

Volume equations for poplars growing on farmland in Sweden

Abstract

Volume equations for poplars growing on farmland in Sweden. The aim of the study was to construct a simple volume equation for poplar and to evaluate the equation together with seven published equations. Data from 72 poplars were collected from 37 stands in central and southern Sweden (lat. 55–60°N). The stands’ mean age and density was 21 years and 940 stems ha^?1, respectively and the trees’ mean diameter at breast height (DBH) was 25 cm. One simple volume equation with three parameters to be estimated for poplar was constructed with DBH and total height (H) as independent variables. This equation was analyzed and compared to seven published simple equations. The best performance, in terms of low values of Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and Absolute Bias, was achieved by the equations developed by Eriksson and by Scott. However, due to these equations high level of multicollinearity an alternative recommendation was made where the constructed equation is recommended.     

Environmentally sustainable production of food,feed and fuel from natural resources in the tropics

Responding to the challenges posed by global warming, peak oil and biofuels will require a paradigm shift in the practice of agriculture and in the role of live stock within the farming system. Farming systems should aim at maximizing plant biomass production from locally available diversified resources, processing of the biomass on farm to provide food, feed and energy and recycling of all waste materials. The approach that is the subject of this paper is that the generation of electricity can be a by-product of food/feed production. The concept is the fractionation of biomass into inedible cell wall material that can be converted to an inflammable gas by gasification, the gas in turn being the source of fuel for internal combustion engines driving electrical generators. The cell contents and related structures such as tree leaves are used as human food or animal feed. As well as providing food and feed the model is highly appropriate for decentralized small scale production of electricity in rural areas. It also offers opportunities for sequestration of carbon in the form of biochar the solid residue remaining after gasification of the biomass.     

Soil amendment with seed meals: Short term effects on soil respiration and biochemical properties

In the last decades, worldwide biofuel production increased up to 105 billion liters in 2010; in this year, the world's first biodiesel producer was the European Union. Biodiesel is produced from a variety of oils, mainly soybean, Brassicaceae and sunflower. One of the most important biodiesel production byproducts are seed meals. The most common use of seed meals is for animal nutrition, but another potential use is agricultural soil organic amendments. Soil biological and biochemical properties have been widely used as soil quality indicators, due to their quick response to changes in soil management. Although there are many studies on the effects of regular amendments on respiration and enzymatic activities of the soil, very few papers refer to the effect of seed meals. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the short-term effect of seed meal amendment on soil respiration and enzymatic activities (alkaline phosphatase, dehydrogenase, fluorescein diacetate hydrolase, arylsulphatase and β-glucosidase). The two seed meals used were obtained from Brassica carinata (A.) Braun (Ethiopian mustard) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). The study was carried out, from June 2007 to October 2007, at an experimental farm of CRA-ORT, Battipaglia, in the Sele River (Plain Salerno, Campania Region, Italy). The results of this study support an alternative use of seed meals as organic amendments. Generally, a significant positive response of enzymatic activities, evaluated in this study, to the addition of seed meals, indicates a beneficial effect on soil quality as regards microbial activity.     

Effect of irrigation schedule on growth and seed yield of camelina (Camelina sativa L.) in Tarai region of central Himalaya

Camelina(Camelina sativa)has emerged as a potential biofuel crop globally with its suitability even as a jet fuel source with 75–80%less greenhouse gas emissions compared to common petroleum fuels.The crop has originated from Mediterranean region and belongs to Brassicaceae family.DIBER,DRDO has made initial and pioneer efforts in successful introduction of this crop to India and its agro-technology standardization.Being a short duration crop with lesser input requirement,it fits well in the cropping pattern of hilly states of Indian Himalaya.These areas experience fallow land due to shortage of irrigation water for growing other crops.The present study revealed that irrigation at flowering stage is more beneficial.Irrigation at this stage(if only one irrigation is available)exhibited grain yield of 1.004 kg·m^-2which was 21 and 80%higher over pod setting and rosette stage irrigation,respectively.The maximum seed yield was observed under treatment where irrigation was provided at all three crop growth stages(2.044 kg·m^-2).It was 50%higher over T6 treatment(where two irrigations were given at rosette and flowering stage)and 104%higher over T3(where only one irrigation was given at flowering stage).     

沙棘及其副产物在畜牧业中的应用

沙棘具有耐干旱、抗风沙等特性,广泛种植于我国西北、西南和华北等地区,富含维生素、蛋白质和氨基酸等营养物质,还含有黄酮类和萜类等功能性成分,具有较高的药用和食用价值。文章就沙棘及其副产物在畜牧业中的应用进行综述。     

生物燃料乙醇产业化研究进展

阐述了国内外生物燃料乙醇的生产、使用及产业化等现状,分析了我国生物燃料乙醇生产存在的问题,提出了生物燃料乙醇的发展对策。     

Effects of Amino Acid By-products on Fermentation Quality and Digestibility of Silage

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of amino acid by-products(ABP) on fermentation quality and digestibility of red sorghum and sweet corn,and explore the mechanism of action by scanning electron microscopy(SEM).There was a control group without additives,an experimental group Ⅰ with 2.0% ABP,and an experimental group Ⅱ with 2.0% ABP mixed with forage fungus for red sorghum and sweet corn,respectively.The results showed that:①2.0% ABP reduced the pH of red sorghum and sweet corn silage to 3.90 and 3.28 respectively,and they were belonged to the high-quality silage range by sensory evaluations.②For the red sorghum silage,compared with the control group,the dry matter (DM) contents of the experimental groups were slightly increased,but the difference were not significant (P>0.05),while the crude protein (CP) contents were significantly increased (P<0.05).The fiber content of the experimental group Ⅱ was slightly lower than the control group,but the difference was not significant (P>0.05).The lactic acid and acetic acid contents of experimental groups were significantly higher than that of control groups (P<0.05).The content of butyric acid in experimental group Ⅱ was significantly lower than that of the other groups (P<0.05).The dry matter and neutral washing fiber (NDF) digestibilities of the experimental groups were higher than the control group,but the difference were not significantly (P>0.05),and acidic washing fiber(ADF) digestibility was significantly higher than control group (P<0.05).③ For sweet corn silage,the dry matter and fiber contents of experimental groups were lower than those in the control group,but the differences were not significant (P>0.05),the crude protein content was significantly higher than the control group (P<0.05).The lactic acid content of the experimental group Ⅰ was significantly higher than the other groups (P<0.05),the acetic acid content of experimental group Ⅱ was significantly higher than that of the other groups (P<0.05),and the butyric acid content of each experimental group was significantly higher than the control group (P<0.05).The digestibilities of the experimental groups were lower than the control group but higher than the raw materials,and the differences of dry matter and acid washing fiber digestibilities were significant (P<0.05).④SEM results showed that ABP promoted the adhesion of forage bacteria by destroying the waxy layer on the surface of red sorghum silage,and degraded the cell wall fiber components to improve the quality of the silage fermentation and improve the digestibility during the silage process.But the destructive effect of ABP on sweet corn silage was not obvious.In conclusion,the addition of ABP could improve the fermentation quality and digestibility of red sorghum,but the effect on sweet corn silage was not obvious.     

蚕沙β-胡萝卜素的提取

β-胡萝卜素是存在蚕沙中的天然黄色素,具有维生素A的生理活性。蚕沙中类胡萝卜素用石油醚-乙醇混合溶剂提取,经活性氧化铝柱层析,首次获得六边形的β-胡萝卜素结晶,用分光光度计测定β-胡萝卜素的吸光值。A_1:340nm;A_2:362nm;A_3:434nm;A_4:455nm(吸光极大);A_5:483nm。它们的吸光比为:A_2/A_1=1.08;A_4/A_1=1.62;A_4/A_3=1.38;A_4/A_5=1.15。β-胡萝卜素的纯度达99.80％。