剪叶对茭白肉质茎膨大的影响

以 1个单季茭和 1个双季茭茭白品种为试材 ,在肉质茎开始膨大时进行不同程度的剪叶处理 ,结果表明 :各处理在开始膨大后最初几天内干、鲜质量差异不明显 ;剪去叶片对肉质茎膨大影响不大 ,但切除叶鞘后 ,肉质茎膨大初期以后的干、鲜质量显著下降 ;整株剪叶比单茎剪叶处理对肉质茎膨大的影响大 ,剪去叶片与切除叶鞘、叶片表现相似。由此认为 ,茭白肉质茎膨大所需养分主要依靠短缩茎和叶鞘在肉质茎膨大前的积累 ,肉质茎膨大过程中植株茎蘖间存在养分交流 ,品种间在膨大速率上有一定差异。     

Early flower initiation allows ample manipulation of flowering time in cherimoya (Annona cherimola Mill.)

Flower initiation date and readiness to flowering in buds of different age were studied in ‘Fino de Jete’ cherimoya (Annona cherimola) cultivar in order to establish the limits for the manipulation of its flowering date. Flower initiation was analyzed by light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) collecting axillary buds from May to the following February, whereas the bud readiness to produce perfect flowers was determined by forcing buds of different age to sprout by means of leaf removal and tipping the new growth. SEM images confirm that cherimoya buds are differentiated into flowers almost a year before blooming. In this regard, axillary buds have already formed the sepals when the subtending leaf has just begun unfolding (week 0), while the petals are clearly visible in 1-week-old buds. Sectioning of paraffin-embedded buds illustrate that cherimoya buds are in fact a bud complex that 1 week after its inception comprises 4–5 buds of different size of which the two largest ones are reproductive, while the 2–3 smallest buds often remain undifferentiated at that time. The high capacity of flowering expressed by young buds that have been forced to grow proves that cherimoya meristems are early competent for flowering. No differences in fertility or in the time needed to reach anthesis after leaf removal were found among buds of different ages. Node position had no effect on bud break and flowering potential. The early flower initiation in cherimoya deduced from this work opens a wide temporal window for the experimental manipulation of flowering and harvest dates in this crop.     

Isotopic detection of recent photosynthate carbon flow into grassland rhizosphere fauna

In this study, we measured the incorporation of recent photosynthate-C inputs into active rhizosphere fauna (earthworms, enchytraeids, mites and collembolans) in an upland grassland soil under natural environmental conditions. This was achieved by means of a ¹³CO₂ pulse-chase experiment made during the growing season, followed by a 20-day dynamic sampling of soil fauna for ¹²C/¹³C analysis by IRMS. The effect of post-¹³C labelling defoliation (cutting) on fauna ¹²C/¹³C ratios was also examined.Results showed that earthworms made up over 93% of the extracted fauna biomass, while mites, collembolans and enchytraeids together accounted for less than 7%. All fauna groups showed evidence of tracer ¹³C in their tissues within a week of ¹³CO₂ pulse labelling in both control and cut treatments. Cutting significantly increased the amount of tracer ¹³C entering the organisms (P=0.0002). Similarly, the fauna group also had a significant effect (P=0.0001). Time did not have any effect on fauna ¹³C content between groups as differences were only significant at the last sampling occasion. The interaction time×animal group, however, had a significant effect (P=0.0054).Collembolans accounted for most of the tracer ¹³C measured within the fauna biomass, i.e. mean±standard deviation of 44.78±12.75% and 44.29±14.69% of fauna ¹³C in control and cut treatments, respectively. Mites and earthworms contained between 22.13% and 28.45%, and enchytraeids less than 6% of the tracer ¹³C. We conclude that, during the growing season, there was a rapid incorporation of recent photosynthate-C into rhizosphere mesofauna. This carbon transfer was most significantly increased by defoliation in mites and collembolans (P<0.01). These results provide evidence that soil foodweb carbon dynamics are not solely underpinned by detrital decomposition but are also affected by short-term plant rhizodeposition patterns.     

刈割期对多棱饲料大麦饲草及籽粒产量与品质的影响

为探明大麦饲草与籽粒双收的适宜刈割期,以六棱皮大麦皖饲麦2号为材料,设不刈割(T0)及分蘖期(T1)、拔节期(T2)、孕穗期(T3)分别进行一次刈割4个处理,比较了两年度不同刈割期大麦饲草、籽粒产量及品质的差异。结果表明,随刈割期后移,皖饲麦2号饲草产量显著增加;饲草粗蛋白、粗灰分、钙、磷含量显著下降,粗纤维、酸性洗涤纤维、中性洗涤纤维含量显著增加,即饲草品质显著下降。籽粒产量受刈割期影响大,与T0相比,两年度T1期刈割籽粒产量无显著变化,T2、T3期刈割则籽粒产量显著下降;而品质受影响小。说明T1期刈割,可达到饲草与籽粒双收目标,且饲草品质好;在生产中要保障一定的籽粒产量,T2期后应停止刈割。     

Artificial decrease of leaf area affects inflorescence quality but not floral size in Antirrhinum majus

We have studied the effect of artificial modification of leaf area on inflorescence and floral quality in Antirrhinum majus. We used two treatments where we clipped all the leaves except the first three pairs of true leaves, or we cut every leaf visible by the time the plant had six leaf pairs. Decreased leaf area caused a decrease in stem elongation that could be traced back to a decrease in internode elongation. Leaves left on the plant increased their size beyond control. Inflorescence quality was strongly affected since total floral number showed a strong decrease with reduced leaf area. In contrast, floral size hardly changed. Breeding programs in Antirrhinum should take into account growth conditions affecting leaf area when searching for changes in inflorescence quality while floral size can be screened independently of this factor.     

Biomass dynamics of Erythrina lanceolata as influenced by shoot-pruning intensity in Costa Rica

Pruning of agroforestry trees, while reducing shade of the crops, usually reduces both biomass production and nitrogen fixation. Short pruning cycles are often not sustainable on the long run, because tree production declines over subsequent pruning cycles. We compared biomass and labile carbohydrate dynamics of Erythrina lanceolata Standley (Papilionaceae) shade trees under total and partial pruning regimes in a vanilla (Vanilla planifolia L.) plantation in South-western Costa Rica. The highest biomass production was measured in the unpruned control, followed by trees with 50% of the leaf pruned every three months, while total pruning every six months resulted in the lowest biomass pruduction. In the more productive treatments, a higher proportion of the production was in branches. Because, the N content of woody branches was high, they were important for nitrogen cycling. In the partial pruning treatment more nitrogen was returned to the soil from litter and woody branches than from pruned leaf. Sugar concentrations were not different between treatments and the dynamics of non-structural carbohydrates (sugar and starch) seems to depend more on plant phenology than pruning treatment. However, the starch concentrations in the total pruning were lower than in the other treatments.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Signals of summer drought in crown condition data from the German Level I network

Crown transparency estimates of Scots pine, Norway spruce, common beech, pedunculate and sessile oak, annually surveyed between 1990 and 2004 within a grid over Germany, provide a suitable response variable to study drought effects on forest trees. Major climatic factors, available on a monthly basis as plot-specifically interpolated values and parameters of site and stand conditions, biotic and other relevant factors were used as predictors in different cross- and length-sectional, and longitudinal models. Stand age is a considerable and most constant driver of crown transparency in all species. Pine, spruce and beech responded—mainly with a delay of 1 year—with some foliar loss in areas where there was a surplus of temperature after the generally hot and dry summer of 2003. Parallel time-series analyses delivered species-specific geographic large-scale patterns with delayed or recent precipitation deficits or temperature surpluses. Even if beech is partly responding in current years with leaf loss towards precipitation surpluses, defoliation is especially high 1 year after hot summers, partly a result of high seed sets after such summers. Crown condition of oak responds in dry and warm areas according to the drought stress hypothesis, however, in cool and wet mountainous ranges oak responds after wet summers with higher defoliation. Longitudinal approaches revealed for all 4-tree species significant relationships between crown condition and deviations from the long-term means of temperature, precipitation but also global radiation and wind speed. Results do not always match the drought stress hypothesis, however, this is not to expect considering the heterogeneous site, stand and climatic conditions across Germany. Complex interactions of climatic and biotic factors also impede simple relationships. Soil-related clusters reveal higher sensitivity of spruce and beech towards climatic drought factors on more acid soils with thin humus layers. Also clusters constructed from plot-specific courses of defoliation reveal groups with rather closer relationships like a group of pine plots in the Oberpfalz, which seems to be especially sensitive to summer drought.     

Effects of prescribed fire on canopy foliar chemistry and suitability for an insect herbivore

We assessed the effects of a prescribed fire on the phytochemical characteristics and vigor of overstory chestnut oak, scarlet oak, and red maple, and measured the impact of potential changes on herbivore fitness. We compared foliar carbohydrates, tannins, nutrients, and fiber concentrations in foliage from burned and non-burned forest canopies. There were significant differences in most foliar characteristics between tree species. Total non-structural carbohydrate concentrations in scarlet oak and red maple foliage, and calcium levels in red maple foliage, were significantly lower in burned plots, but other phytochemical characteristics were largely unaffected by burning. Tree growth also varied with species. Burning increased chestnut oak relative growth, decreased scarlet oak growth, and had no affect on red maple growth. Scarlet oak and red maple foliage from burned and non-burned forest canopies were assayed for gypsy moth performance. Caterpillars fed foliage from scarlet oak, the preferred host, grew larger and developed more rapidly than did those fed red maple foliage. There were no significant burn treatment differences in caterpillar development within either tree species, suggesting that managers using prescribed fire to promote oak regeneration need not worry about enhancing forest stand susceptibility to gypsy moth. However, the fire in this study was of low to moderate intensity; more intense fires may alter foliar palatability.     

Impact of defoliation on yield of group IV soybeans in Mississippi

Field experiments were conducted during 2009 and 2010 to evaluate the effects of defoliation on maturity group IV soybeans, Glycine max (L.) Merr., grown in Mississippi. During each year, two locations were planted with maturity group IV soybeans that were subjected to various levels of defoliation during R3, R5, and R6 growth stages. Soybeans were subjected to various levels of defoliation within the upper 50% of the plant canopy, lower 50% of the plant canopy, and whole-plant canopy. There was greater yield loss from defoliation occurring in the upper plant canopy compared with the lower plant canopy during R3 and R5 stages, but no difference between canopy regions during R6 stage. Yield loss from whole plant defoliation was greater than upper or lower canopy defoliation. Results confirmed that soybeans during R3 and R5 stages are more susceptible to yield loss than during R6. However, yield losses were not significantly different between R 3 and R5 until defoliation exceeded 63%. Dynamic economic injury levels were determined for each growth stage based on yield loss equations, value of the crop, and cost of control and can be used as a basis for developing action thresholds in high-yielding soybean production environments.     

Combining field and control team assessments to obtain error estimates for surveys of crown condition

Three field teams undertook a survey of crown transparency in Switzerland in 1993. A fourth team (control) also visited a subset of the trees that had already been visited by the field teams and reported estimates for the same. The problem of estimating the proportion (P_c) of trees with total crown transparency at least equal to a (fixed) level c is addressed. The method assumes that the control team estimate is an unbiased estimate of P_c and therefore if the expected difference between a field team estimate and the control team estimate is non‐zero then the field team estimate is biased. This assumption is most likely to be met in those countries or areas where the control team consists of the instructors. When this assumption cannot be met, as long as the bias of the control team remains the same over the years, the estimates of P_c from different years can still be used to study, for example, whether there is any temporal trend in P_c . A weighted average of the bias‐corrected field team estimates is used to determine the confidence limits. The method is applied to the Swiss national forest damage inventory data from the year 1993. The same approach can also be taken for estimating the proportion of cases where a random variable X, qualitative (such as the social position of a tree) or quantitative (such as the diameter of a tree at breast height), assumes values in a particular set.