Effect of polyethylene glycol 4000 supplementation on the performance of indigenous Pedi goats fed different levels of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acacia nilotica</Emphasis> leaf meal and <Emphasis Type="Italic">ad libitum</Emphasis> Buffalo grass hay

In a first of two experiments, twenty yearling male Pedi goats weighing 21.3 ± 0.5 kg live weight were used in a 37-day study in a 2 (levels of PEG 4000) × 2 (levels of Acacia) Factorial arrangement in a Completely Randomised Design to determine the effect of the level of Acacia nilotica leaf meal supplementation plus 23 g polyethylene glycol 4000 on diet intake and digestibility, and growth rate of Pedi goats fed ad libitum Buffalo grass hay. Acacia nilotica leaf meal contained high amounts of total phenolics (2.04 % DM) and low amounts of condensed tannins; both extracted (0.37 % DM) and unextracted (1.83 % DM). Supplementation with PEG 4000 increased (P < 0.05) crude protein intake as the level of Acacia nilotica leaf meal increased from 80 to 120 g. Similarly, treatment with PEG 4000 improved (P < 0.05) DM, OM and CP digestibilities when compared to 80 g Acacia nilotica leaf meal. Supplementation with PEG 4000 resulted in an increase (P < 0.05) in blood urea concentrations. Polyethylene glycol 4000 has the potential to improve the feeding value of A. nilotica leaf meal and can, therefore, be used in the feeding systems for ruminant animals. The second experiment determined the effect of A. nilotica leaf meal supplementation on in vitro digestibility of the diets similar to the actual ratios of the first experiment. Level of A. nilotica leaf meal supplementation plus 23 g PEG 4000 supplementation improved (P < 0.05) in vitro DM, OM and CP digestibilities where 120 g A. nilotica leaf meal was supplemented. Similarly, 23 g PEG 4000 supplementation also improved (P < 0.05) in vitro CP digestibility where 80 g A. nilotica leaf meal was supplemented. In vivo DM and OM digestibilities were best predicted from in vitro DM and OM digestibilities while in vivo CP was explained by in vitro OM and CP digestibilities. It is, therefore, concluded that in vitro DM and OM digestibilities have good capacity to predict in vivo DM and OM digestibilities while OM and CP digestibilities have good capacity to predict in vivo CP digestibility.     

黑荆树经营数表编制的研究——Ⅱ经济材出材量表与树皮材积、重量表

黑荆树的树皮和木材分别是提取栲胶、造纸和培养香菇的好原料。福建省漳州市各县已建立了一定规模的原料基地。为正确测定黑荆树的经济材出材量与树皮的材积、重量,笔者调查了133块标准地,砍伐样木333株,继编制了立木材表后,又编制了经济材出材量表与树皮材积、重量表。编表中采用了3个数学模型的选择,所编的数表总体精度均在95％以上。精度高,具有一定的实用价值。     

银荆引种育苗试验

报道了引种银荆过程中播种，芽移育苗，苗木生长及其抗冻性，耐涝性，病害发生情况。     

Evaluation of the fire endurance of mechanically graded timber in bending

AbstractThis study examined the performance of mechanically graded timber in bending when exposed to fire at various load ratios. The test specimens were 150 pieces, each with the dimensions of 60 × 120 × 3500mm. The modulus of elasticity (MOE) of 150 specimens was measured, and 60 among them were selected to formulate the prediction equation for MOE and modulus of rupture (MOR), which was used to predict the remaining 90 specimens. These were tested under fire exposure in bending using three-point loading at 11.1%, 16.7%, 33.3%, 66.7%, and 83.3% of the ultimate load. Using mechanically graded timber, which means acknowledging the actual strength of the bending member, permits fairly precise application to the targeted design load. This research confirmed that mechanically graded timber under fire exposure has the following tendencies: under the same load ratio, time to failure is independent of strength class, and, at any load ratio, the critical strength is dependent on the timber strength class. The obtained design bending strength under fire exposure using the reduced cross section method and the reduced strength method conformed to those calculated based on Eurocode 5. Following those findings, mechanically graded timber can be applied to obtain the design bending strength when taking into account the fire attack.     

MnSO4水溶液浸种对金合欢种子发芽的影响

研究了不同浓度MnSO4水溶液、不同浸种时间处理金合欢种子,对其种子发芽的影响。结果表明:45 mg/L MnSO4水溶液浸种48 h发芽效果最佳(发芽率100%)。     

Virtual trees and light capture: a method for optimizing agroforestry stand design

In agroforestry systems, the distribution of light transmitted under tree canopies can be a limiting factor for the development of intercrops. The light available for intercrops depends on the quantity of light intercepted by tree canopies and, consequently, on the architecture of the tree species present. The influence of tree architecture on light transmission was analysed using dynamic 3D architectural models. The architectural analysis of Acacia mangium and Tectona grandis was performed in Indonesian agroforestry systems with trees aged from 1 to 3 years. 3D virtual trees were then generated with the AmapSim simulation software and 3D virtual experiments in which tree age, planting density, planting pattern and pruning intensity varied were reconstructed in order to simulate light available for the crop. Canopy closure of trees was more rapid in A. mangium than in T. grandis agroforestry systems; after 3 years the quantity of light available for A. mangium intercrops was three times lower than under T. grandis. Simulations with A. mangium showed that practices such as pruning and widening tree spacing enable to increase the total transmitted light within the stand. On T. grandis, modification of the tree row azimuth resulted in changes in the spatial and seasonal distribution of light available for the intercrops. These results are discussed in terms of agroforestry system management.

A comparison of agrisilvicultural systems with plantation forestry in the Atlantic Lowlands of Costa Rica

Survival and growth data (ages 0–5 years) are presented for two timber species (Acacia mangium, Cordia alliodora) planted in monocultures or in association with a sequence of agricultural cropsZea mays, Zingiber officinale andEugenia stipitata (a fruit shrub) in the tropical humid Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica. Average annual height and diameter growth rates were 3.2 m and 4.0 cm (C. alliodora), 3.5 m and 3.8 cm (A. mangium).C. alliodora associated with crops gave the greatest productivity with an average total stem volume increment of 19 m³ ha^–1 yr^–1. Root rot ofA. mangium (mainlyRosellinia sp.), leading to tree mortality, was greater in pure plots compared to associated plots.A. mangium can not be recommended for similar sites because of this problem.     

Acacia cyanophylla for forage and fuelwood in North Africa

Forage and wood yield of Acacia cyanophylla, also known as Acacia saligna, was studied in a 300–400 mm precipitation zone in Tunisia. Yields were measured during and after drought. This short (2–8 m) evergreen leguminous tree is used as a forage drought reserve in frost free regions where mean annual precipitation exceeds 250 mm. The standing crop of leafy forage builds up year after year for at least four years or until the tree is cut. It rapidly regrows after cutting from coppice shoots. The leaves provide high protein forage for sheep and goats during the long dry summer season typical of the Mediterranean climate as well as emergency forage during drought. The tree is used to stabilize moving sand dunes, and as a windbreak to protect cropland. It also provides fuelwood and increasaes soil nitrogen by fixation. The need for supplemental irrigation during establishment is a major constraint. Research in the 350 mm precipitation zone of Tunisia found 3.2 year old trees to yield over 1400 kg of forage standing crop per hectare after a severe drought. Trees harvested at 2.5 years of age in May, during the worst drought in over 30 years, yielded a standing forage crop of 724 kg per hectare. Forage regrowth 8 months after cutting and 4 months after rains returned was 700 kg/ha. The forage standing crop for trees harvested only once during the 3.2 year period was double the amount of forage regrowth from trees harvested the previous year, but mean annual forage yield similar. This demonstrates that it is possible for forage to be conserved as a living forage reserve for later use during drought. Total wood yield was only 1621 kg/ha for trees cut twice compared to 3683 kg/ha for trees cut only once. Annual cutting will substantially reduce the amount of forage available during drought and reduce the production of fuelwood. It may also reduce the vigor, productivity and life of the tree. Acacia cyanophylla alley cropped on cereal farmland can protect the soil from erosion, protect the associated crop from wind damage, fix nitrogen, provide fuelwood and provide a reserve of high quality forage for use during drought. This work was supported by the Government of Tunisia and the U.S.A.I.D. Tunisia Range Development and Management Project (664-0312.8).     

The influence of heartwood on the pulping properties of Acacia melanoxylon wood

The pulping wood quality of Acacia melanoxylon was evaluated in relation to the presence of heartwood. The sapwood and heartwood from 20 trees from four sites in Portugal were evaluated separately at 5% stem height level in terms of chemical composition and kraft pulping aptitude. Heartwood had more extractives than sapwood ranging from 7.4% to 9.5% and from 4.0% to 4.2%, respectively, and with a heartwood-to-sapwood ratio for extractives ranging from 1.9 to 2.3. The major component of heartwood extractives was made up of ethanol-soluble compounds (70% of total extractives). Lignin content was similar in sapwood and heartwood (21.5% and 20.7%, respectively) as well as the sugar composition. Site did not influence the chemical composition. Pulping heartwood differed from sapwood in chemical and optical terms: lower values of pulp yield (53% vs 56% respectively), higher kappa number (11 vs. 7), and lower brightness (28% vs 49%). Acacia melanoxylon wood showed an overall good pulping aptitude, but the presence of heartwood should be taken into account because it decreases the raw-material quality for pulping. Heartwood content should therefore be considered as a quality variable when using A. melanoxylon wood in pulp industries