Comparing the Geography of Changing Crown Density from Two Sampling Systems for Picea abies in Norway

This study examined the geographical pattern of changing forest condition in Norway by comparing two nation - wide, independent sets of Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst) plots with 8 yr of crown density data. Each set had some limitations regarding its ability to provide reliable information about the pattern of its changes in crown density. This problem mainly concerned the sampling strategy and the grid density. One set was a random sample and the other was a subjective sample. However, a consistent geographical pattern was found at the regional scale, with the greatest reductions in crown density in mid Norway and south - eastern Norway. These areas are little to moderately affected by long - range air pollution, and the results draw the attention towards a range of other stress factors. There was no relationship between the two samples at the local scale. The change in crown density between 1990 and 1997 estimated from the two samples was significantly different. The results demonstrated the influence of different sampling techniques on the forest health statistics, but also indicated that the two samples together can form a basis for further studies of forest condition in Norway, since the subjective sample complements the random sample at the regional level.     

Financial effect of bovine Johne's disease in beef cattle herds in Australia

Objective To assess the financial effect of programs for controlling bovine Johne's disease (BJD) in beef herds. Design A spreadsheet simulation model of a self‐replacing beef herd in south‐eastern Australia selling 400‐kg steers at 15 months old. Methods The model calculated the monthly cash flow, and net present value (NPV) of cumulative cash flow, over 10 years. Four main control options were compared: (1) a base herd (no action to control the disease), (2) test and cull, and (3) partial and (4) total destocking. It was assumed that BJD was eradicated after 3 and 5 years with total and partial destocking, respectively, and not eradicated with a test and cull program. Scenarios were compared for both commercial and stud enterprises. Results If there was no discount on the sale price of cattle in commercial herds, deaths from BJD had to exceed 5% before the NPV of partial or total destocking was similar to taking no action to control the disease over a 10‐year period. When cattle sales incurred a 10% discount, deaths had to exceed 1% before the destocking strategies would break even after 10 years. Conclusion Control options for BJD should be carefully planned on an individual herd basis, as significant production and financial risks accompany destocking programs. Eradication will only be more profitable in the longer term, compared with living with the disease, when discounts on the sale of stock from infected herds are high. This can occur with the selling of store cattle or breeders. In stud herds, BJD will usually cause the total failure of the business.     

Development of equine upper airway fluid mechanics model for Thoroughbred racehorses

REASON FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models provide the means to evaluate airflow in the upper airways without requiring in vivo experiments. HYPOTHESIS: The physiological conditions of a Thoroughbred racehorse's upper airway during exercise could be simulated. Methods: Computed tomography scanned images of a 3-year-old intact male Thoroughbred racehorse cadaver were used to simulate in vivo geometry. Airway pressure traces from a live Thoroughbred horse, during exercise was used to set the boundary condition. Fluid-flow equations were solved for turbulent flow in the airway during inspiratory and expiratory phases. The wall pressure turbulent kinetic energy and velocity distributions were studied at different cross-sections along the airway. This provided insight into the general flow pattern and helped identify regions susceptible to dynamic collapse. RESULTS: The airflow velocity and static tracheal pressure were comparable to data of horses exercising on a high-speed treadmill reported in recent literature. The cross-sectional area of the fully dilated rima glottidis was 7% greater than the trachea. During inspiration, the area of highest turbulence (i.e. kinetic energy) was in the larynx, the rostral aspect of the nasopharynx was subjected to the most negative wall pressure and the highest airflow velocity is more caudal on the ventral aspect of the nasopharynx (i.e. the soft palate). During exhalation, the area of highest turbulence was in the rostral and mid-nasopharynx, the maximum positive pressure was observed at the caudal aspect of the soft palate and the highest airflow velocity at the front of the nasopharynx. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In the equine upper airway collapsible area, the floor of the rostral aspect of the nasopharynx is subjected to the most significant collapsing pressure with high average turbulent kinetic during inhalation, which may lead to palatal instability and explain the high prevalence of dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP) in racehorses. Maximal abduction of the arytenoid cartilage may not be needed for optimal performance, since the trachea cross-sectional area is 7% smaller than the rima glottidis.     

Soil distribution in valleys according to stream order

While much research has been done on predicting the occurrence of waterlogged soils in small catchments, we need to improve our knowledge of the extension of these soils in large catchments. The aim of this study is to analyse the extent of soils with redoximorphic features in the valley bottomland domain as a function of the stream order.This study concerns a 10,000 km² catchment (River Vilaine, Armorican massif, north-western France) where valley bottomland soils commonly associated with hydromorphic characteristics cover up to 20% of the basin area. To describe the catchment organisation, we used the stream order classification of Strahler to test the behaviour of the topographic index in a large range of landscape morphological settings. Two methods were used to define the extent of the hydromorphic zone (HZ) in each valley bottomland according to stream order: (i) A field study based on mapping the HZ according to the occurrence of redoximorphic features along 60 transects; (ii) a modelling approach linking a DEM-derived topographic index to the digitized stream network of the River Vilaine.In view of the topographic factors, progressive valley widening may represent an enhancing factor of HZ extent. Thus, simple topographic index modelling predicts an increase in waterlogging in high-order channel settings (orders 6–7). By contrast, field mapping suggests that HZ extent remains stable with increasing order and decreases significantly for high-order settings (orders 6–7). Therefore, topographic index modelling appears effective in upper catchment settings (1st, 2nd and 3rd order). On the contrary, modelling efficiency is limited in high-order settings where the indices prove to be inappropriate: in such contexts, interactions between adjacent hillslope and HZ are of secondary importance. Along the longitudinal profile of the catchment, soil material near the streams shifts from having a colluvial origin in low-order to an alluvial origin in high-order settings. In high-order settings, the fine-scale valley bottomland topography and the spatial organisation of deposits control waterlogging duration and possibly play a major role in HZ extent. Finally, the integration of stream order data should considerably improve the efficiency of modelling the spatial distribution of soils over large catchments.     

A Power Function Based Approach for the Assessment of the Sulfate Deprivation Impact on Nutrient Allocation in Young Maize Plants

Thirteen-day-old maize (Zea mays L.) plants were exposed hydroponically to sulfur (S)-deprivation and their nutritional status was monitored for ten days. Sulfur (S) -deprivation altered the allocation of nutrients between roots and shoots in a differential manner and the effect was approached in terms of a power function. The experimental curvature was analyzed through the value of the exponent of the function and two formulations of the approach were tested through regression analysis. In the shoot, the impact of the S-deprivation relative to that on dry mass was: calcium (Ca) (45.3%) > nitrate (NO₃) (18.9%) > magnesium (Mg) (17.2%) > manganese (Mn) (14.1%) > water (W) = phosphorus (P) = potassium (K) = iron (Fe) = copper (Cu) > nitrogen (N) (?4.3%) > ammonium (NH₄₎ (?4.7%) > zinc (Zn) (?12%) > boron (B) (?21.4%) > S (?75.2%). In the root, the relative impact was: N = K = Ca = Zn = B > P (?12.7%) > NO₃ (?14.7%) > NH₄ (?18.4%) > W (?27.8%) > Mn (?34.4%) > Mg (?37.5%) > Fe = Cu (?40.5%) > S (?126.6%). Both models produced the same conclusions.     

Spatial modelling indicates Striga seedbank density dependence on rainfall and soil traits in the savannas of northern Nigeria

Striga is one of most notorious weeds devastating crop production in the dry savannas of northern Nigeria. The weed attacks most cultivated cereals and legumes with crop losses as high as 100% when no control measure is employed. Studies conducted in the dry savannas of Nigeria indicated that Striga seedbank is strongly related to soil and climate properties. This study was conducted to model Striga hermonthica seedbank zones in the dry savannas of Nigeria based on soil and climate properties of the areas. Using multi-stage spatial sampling, 169 soil samples were collected at the centroids of 25 × 25 km grids across the study area and analysed for physico-chemical properties. The number of Striga seeds were counted from the soil samples using water elutriator and potassium bicarbonate method. Daily temperature, relative humidity and rainfall for each point were downloaded from Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station data (CHIRPS). Minimum and maximum temperatures, and relative humidity were accessed from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA POWER). Thresholds of various soil and climate variables for optimum concentration of Striga seedbank were analysed using boundary line analysis (BLA). From the BLA, optimum amount of rainfall for high Striga seedbank was 549 mm per annum. While temperature has a wide suitability range for Striga seedbank development. Principal component analysis was used to reduce dimensionality of the dataset into principal components (PCs). Seven PCs which explained 75.6% variation in the data were retained and used in the weighed overlay modelling (WOM). The weighted overlay map produced five distinct Striga seedbank zones; very low, low, moderate, high and very high. More than 60% of the study area had moderate to high Striga seedbanks. The zones vary mostly based on soil, climate and Striga seed count. The establishment of the optimum levels of the environmental factors at which Striga seedbank is favoured will assist in designing a more site-specific Striga management. However, for scalability purpose, adoption of the Striga zoning approach can be useful.     

GRASSING ROADS AND ERODED AREAS IN THE DRAKENSBERG / GRASAANPLANTING OP PAAIE EN VERSPOELDE AREAS IN DIE DRAKENSBERG

Aspects of erosion control not dealt with in a previous paper (Forestry in South Africa, No. 14, June 1973) are described. Using the same fertilizer good success has been achieved in grassing three types of exposed soil. Bare road surfaces planted to Cynodon dactylon were soon covered with a mat of runners and the strip between the wheel tracks has been colonised by local grasses. Road cuttings and vertical erosion faces were sloped to 45° and successfully sown to Eragrostis curvula. Lines of broom (Spartium junceum) were successfully sown in the steep sides of deep gulleys, but mechanical sloping of the sides to a more gentle slope and seeding to Eragrostis is recommended.     

From laboratory to field: uses and limitations of pesticide behaviour models for the soil/plant system

Modelling is an economic way of assessing pesticide behaviour under field conditions; it is cheaper and faster than field experiments. Modelling attempts to generalize knowledge of pesticide field behaviour through identification of the most important pesticide/soil properties that can be measured in the laboratory. The technology to simulate volatilization of volatile pesticides that are incorporated or injected into the soil is well developed. However, modelling of volatilization rates from plant and soil surfaces before the first significant rainfall event after application is barely possible with current knowledge. The technology to simulate pesticide persistence in the plough layer is well developed; the PERSIST model has been tested at least 178 times, usually resulting in a slightly faster decline in the field than was simulated. In general, available pesticide leaching models are reliable enough to assess the leaching of the bulk of the dose (leaching levels above 1%). The EU drinking water limit of 0.1 μg L^?1 implies leaching of less than 0.1% of a dose of 1 kg ha^?1. At such a low leaching level, the validation status of the models is still low, mainly because preferential flow processes in both structured and unstructured soils and the factors controlling the transformation rate in subsoil are not well enough understood.     

武威市新东七组粮草畜生产结构优化的探讨

为了提高农业生产的经济效益,寻求切实可行的农牧生产最优结构,本文作者采用线型规划的方法,以电算机为工具,对甘肃省河西走廊绿州灌溉农业区一个自然村的农牧生产结构进行了优化研究。建立的粮草畜生产结构模型是一个具有模似功能的模型。此模型概括了杜会需求,当前农村生产条件,种植业和养殖业协调发展的关系以及经济、生态、社会诸因素。在一定的约束条件下,找到了决策变量的非负值,可使目标函数达到最大。该结构模型对同类地区优化农业结构和调整农牧业发展方向具有参考意义。     

The influence of multiyear drought and associated reduction in tributary connectivity on an adfluvial fish species

Multiyear drought is projected to increase in frequency and duration in arid and semiarid regions across the world, threatening native species and ecosystem function. The effects of multiyear drought are often exacerbated by human water use, which manifest in reduced lake elevation, reduced stream discharge, and disruption in hydrologic connectivity for aquatic species. Here, we demonstrate that drought-driven decreasing lake levels reduce the connectivity between tributaries and lakes by creating an elevation-explicit tributary distance map. We combined long-term fish catch data and a lake elevation time-series with our elevation-explicit tributary distance map to test whether population demographics are related to drought-driven changes in tributary connectivity. We surveyed the littoral zone of Bear Lake, Utah and Idaho, USA, from full pool to a depth of >12 m, totalling 94.86 km² surveyed. As lake elevation decreased from full pool to the lowest historical elevation, tributary channel distance increased by 3.5 km. Bear Lake Bonneville Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii utah) catch per unit effort was strongly negatively correlated with tributary channel distance, though individual growth rates were not influenced by drought metrics. We predicted the response of age 0 to age 10 cutthroat under high and low cobble availability, estimating up to a 61% decline in cutthroat CPUE when tributary channel distance is at its maximum historical value. Our study provided a unique opportunity to identify quantitative linkages between climate-driven changes in habitat connectivity and an ecologically important endemic sportfish, expanding our understanding of potential pathways through which climate change may affect lentic ecosystems and fishes.