Does gender matter in valuation studies? Evidence from three forestry applications

This work presents evidence from three different valuation studieson the influence of gender in the formation of forestry-relatedvalues. Previous studies examined gender differences withoutexplicitly considering their interaction with other explanatoryvariables. Three separate studies dealing with forest-relatedgoods and services, revealed statistically significant differencesin peoples' preferences, especially between older women andolder men, and older and younger women. In these studies, althoughthere was no overall difference in preferences attributableto gender, there were significant differences related to ageand income, in combination with gender.     

Wood Moisture Content Measurement by X-Ray Exposure Method

lNTRoDUCTIONTheon-sitcnon-dcstructit'cmcasurcl11cntofu.oodmoisbocontcntattTactsgrcatintcrcsts.Itpla3'simpor-tantpartsinthescicntificrcscarchsucl1asonthchcatandmasstransportproccssesint"ooddri'ing.thcim-pregnationofliquidinxt'ood.thcmoisturccontcntdistri-b…     

The Bolivian “Altiplano” and “Valle” sheep are two different peripatric breeds

Forty-nine sheep belonged to the Andean Altiplano region (“Altiplano”) and 30 in the lowland regions of Bolivia (“Valle”), aged 1 to 4 years, were wool sampled to determine the extent of difference between these local breeds. Fibre length and the percentage of each type of fibre (long-thick, short-thin and kemp), yield and fibre diameter were measured. There was a highly significant difference between the two sheep populations that were not clearly separated in the first two principal component of a principal components analysis (PC); the first PC explained 67.1 % and the second PC explained 26.6 % of the total variation. The variables that contributed most to the separation of the sheep populations were the percentage of long-thick and short-thin fibres in the first PC and yield in the second PC. A discriminant analysis, which was used to classify individuals with respect to their breeding, achieved an accurate classification rate of 84.2 %. Thus, the Altiplano and Valle sheep must be viewed as two closely peripatric breeds rather than different “ecotypes”, as more than 80 % could be correctly assigned to one of the breeds; however, the differences are based on composition of long-thick and short-thin fibres and yield after alcohol scouring.     

Litter decomposition and faunal activity in Mediterranean forest soils: effects of N content and the moss layer

Accumulation of soil carbon is mainly controlled by the balance between litter production and litter decomposition. Usually In Mediterranean forests there are contrasting conditions in the distribution of faunal activity and the moss layer that may have different effects on litter decomposition. Decomposition and faunal activity were studied by exposing litter of contrasting quality (Pinus halepensis Mill. and Quercus ilex L.) for 3.5 yr in three Mediterranean pine forests of the eastern Iberian Peninsula. The effects of mosses on decomposition and on faunal activity were studied by exposing P. halepensis litter either on moss patches or directly on the forest floor. Faecal pellet production was used as an indication of faunal activity. Water availability or soil characteristics seem to limit faunal activities in the drier sites. Faecal pellets were not found during the first stages of decomposition and in all sites they appeared when about a 30% of the initial litter had decomposed. Under wet conditions faecal pellet production was very high and a mass balance suggested that soil faunal activity may result in a net flow of organic matter from the lower organic horizons to the surface Oi horizon. Mosses slightly increased mass loss of pine litter probably as a consequence of high potentially mineralizable nitrogen in the Oa horizon of moss patches and also, perhaps, as a consequence of the higher moisture content measured in the Oi horizon needles sampled among the mosses. In contrast, moss patches reduced faunal activity. The effect of litter quality on mass loss was not always significant, suggesting an interaction between litter quality and site conditions. During the first stages of decomposition there was N immobilisation in P. halepensis litter (poorer in N) and N release from Q. ilex litter (richer in N). In conclusion, in these forests soil microclimate and/or N availability appear to be more important controlling litter decomposition than the distribution of faunal activity.     

Genetic diversity of some accessions of Cucurbita maxima from Spain using RAPD and SBAP markers

Increasing the knowledge of the molecular diversity of a crop is essential for extending its genetic base, identifying cultivars and selecting parental varieties for breeding programs. In this sense, Cucurbita maxima Duch. is poorly characterised. Nineteen accessions of this species and 8 related Cucurbita accessions were included in a genetic diversity analysis. For this purpose, Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA markers (RAPDs), which analyse neutral variability, and Sequence-Based Amplified Polymorphism (SBAPs), which preferentially amplify coding regions of the genome, were used. While the UPGMA cluster and the principal coordinates analysis obtained using RAPDs did not group the different accessions according either to fruit morphological criteria or to passport data (origin and agro-climatic conditions), the principal coordinates analysis obtained using SBAPs grouped the different pumpkin accessions fundamentally according to the type of use (human consumption, animal fodder or ornamental). This passport trait is reported to be associated with agronomic breeding characters of interest. The usefulness of both types of markers for discriminating accessions of breeding interest is discussed.     

Characterisation of Escherichia coli strains associated with canine urinary tract infections

Of 33 Escherichia coli strains isolated from canine urinary tract infections, 22 were haemolytic and 27 were classified into O serogroups, the most common being O4, O6, O2 and O83. P-fimbriated strains were haemolytic and belonged mainly to serogroups O4 and O6. Twenty-nine strains possessed type-1 fimbriae but only small numbers possessed S fimbriae, type-1C fimbriae, X adhesins or the aerobactin system. It is postulated that P fimbriae and haemolysin production contribute to bacterial virulence in canine pyelonephritis and cystitis.     

Spatial patterns of shrub cover after different fire disturbances in the Pyrenees

? Woody encroachment into grasslands is a worldwide phenomenon. In the Pyrenees, fire has been used as a management tool to transform part of the encroached land to grassland.

? This study aims to compare the spatial patterns of shrub cover 4 y after 4 different fire disturbances (prescribed burning, repeated prescribed burning, wildfire in 20 year-old shrubs and wildfire in 5 year-old shrubs); and also to compare shrub cover after different fire disturbances, accounting for spatial autocorrelation. The study focuses on the shrub Cytisus balansae. Two-dimensional transects (20 × 0.5 m) were established to monitor shrub cover for 4 y after each disturbance type. Autoregressive models and Markov models were used with a Monte Carlo procedure to account for the presence of spatial autocorrelation.

? Shrub cover was greater after prescribed burning than after repeated prescribed burning, and it increased with shrub age before disturbance. Differences in spatial patterns were detected in shrub patch size, with repeated prescribed fires and wildfires reducing shrub patch size by half in comparison with prescribed burning.

? From the management point of view, the effects of repeated prescribed burning were similar to those of a wildfire on reducing shrub cover and shrub patch size.

     

Control of brown spot of pear by reducing the overwintering inoculum through sanitation

Stemphylium vesicarium, the causal agent of brown spot of pear, overwinters in the leaf residues of pear and herbaceous plants of the orchard floor. Pseudothecia of the teleomorph, Pleospora allii, are formed on these residues where they produce ascospores. New methods were tested aimed at reducing this overwintering inoculum and increasing the efficacy of control of brown spot of pear. Sanitation methods were evaluated in nine trials in Girona (Spain) and Ferrara (Italy) over a 4-year period. The sanitation methods were leaf litter removal in December to February, and application of biological control agents (commercial formulates of Trichoderma spp.) to the orchard ground cover from February to May. Fungicides were also applied to the trees during the pear-growing season, scheduled according to the BSPcast model. The different methods were tested as stand-alone applications or in combination. All methods consistently reduced the disease incidence at harvest on fruit with an efficacy between 30 to 60% for leaf litter removal and more than 60% for the combination of leaf litter removal and biological control. Efficacy of sanitation alone (leaf litter removal and biological control) in reducing the brown spot level on fruit was similar in most of the trials to the efficacy obtained when fungicides were applied alone. However, integration of sanitation methods and fungicides did not improve the efficacy of disease control over the level provided by fungicides alone.