scholarly journals Clearing vs. burning for restoring Pyrenean grasslands after shrub encroachment

2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 441 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.L. Alados ◽  
H. Saiz ◽  
P. Nuche ◽  
M. Gartzia ◽  
B. Komac ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiments ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Shrub Encroachment ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Clear Cutting ◽  
Mechanical Removal ◽  
Subalpine Grasslands ◽  
The Impact

Anthropogenic activities have modified vegetation on subalpine belts for a long time, lowering the treeline ecotone and influencing the landscape mainly through grazing and fire. The abandonment of these traditional land use practices during the last decades and global warming are contributing largely to the colonization of woody species in subalpine grasslands, causing irreversible changes in ecosystem functioning. A variety of management strategies requiring the use of fire and/or clear-cutting are carried out to prevent the expansion of highly encroaching shrubs and improve the conservation status of subhumid high-productive grasslands ecosystems. However, it is still poorly understood how different management strategies affect the recovery of subalpine grasslands, which is influenced concurrently by the vegetation community involved. In this study we used field experiments to test the impact of management treatments on soil properties and vegetation responses in subalpine Bromion erecti grassland communities colonized by the pyrophyte shrub Echinospartum horridum (Vahl) Rothm. on the southern Pyrenees. Vegetation was monitored for 5 years in E. horridum plots (two plots per treatment) where the vegetation was removed by prescribed fire (Burnt treatment) or by mechanical removal (Clear-cut treatment). Undisturbed E. horridum plots were used as a control (C-Erizón) for shrub removal treatments and a Bromion erecti grassland community regularly grazed (C-Grass) was used as a control for subalpine grassland. Clear-cut treatment of E. horridum community was more effective to control E. horridum colonization than Burnt treatment and contributed to a higher extent to recover original grassland vegetation, because E. horridum seedling performed worse (lower germination rates) and plant species were more similar to the original grassland (legumes, non-legume forbs, and grasses). Shrubs and sub-shrubs cover in Burnt areas increased faster than in Clear-cut areas during the 5 years following the treatment, although it did not reach the level of C-Erizón. Species richness and diversity increased in comparison with C-Erizón in both treatments, but they were significantly lower than those in the C-Grass. Network connectivity was larger in well preserved grasslands, i.e, C-Grass, than in any other treatments, mainly dominated by negative plant-plant association. Soils nutrients declined in Burnt sites 4 years after the fire treatment and no difference was observed between Clear-cut and C-Erizón sites, although they did not reach the soil fertility values of C-Grass in terms of organic matter and C/N ratio. This study showed that grazing favors plant diversity and community complexity in subalpine grasslands. It also demonstrated that clearing is a better strategy than burning to restore grasslands after shrub encroachment because burning entails deeper soil degradation and faster recovering of the pyrophyte shrub, E. horridum.

Boll Removal Studies Provide Insights into Compensation Ability of Virginia Cotton: A Necessary Step for Further Improvement of Insect Management Strategies

2006 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-154
Author(s):  
D. Ames Herbert ◽  
Sean Malone ◽  
Susanne Aref ◽  
Joel Faircloth ◽  
Ozzie Abaye
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiments ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Cotton Production ◽  
Cotton Lint ◽  
Insect Management ◽  
Heat Units ◽  
Mechanical Removal ◽  
Four Levels ◽  
Production Areas ◽  
The Impact

In developing management strategies for hemipteran pests in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), it is important to understand the potential of plants to compensate for loss of the fruiting structures. Because of its northern latitude, Virginia has fewer available heat units relative to other cotton-producing states. Therefore, there may be limited opportunity for compensation relative to more southerly production areas. Previous work in Virginia demonstrated that cotton can sustain relatively high levels of first position square loss with no yield loss. This study evaluated the impact of a single event loss of 10–14-d-old bolls via mechanical removal on cotton lint yields with the premise that boll loss would have greater impact than square loss as less time and fewer heat units are available for compensation. Field experiments examining four levels of boll removal (0, 5,15 and 20%) were conducted in 2001,2002 and 2003. Each boll removal level was imposed at three different dates, beginning 2 wks after first flower and at 3- to 5-d intervals thereafter. Yields ranged from 1103–1422 in 2001, 909–1124 in 2002, and 843–1015 kg lint per ha in 2003. There were no significant differences in lint yields among the boll removal dates or removal levels. The results of our study showed that cotton in Virginia, which approaches the northernmost latitude for cotton production, is capable of sustaining losses as high as 20% of 10–14-d-old bolls at a single removal event without affecting lint yield. Results were consistent despite the wide variation in rainfall and temperatures during the 3 study years.

scholarly journals Influence of Plantation Establishment on Discharge Characteristics in a Small Catchment of Tropical Forest

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siti Aisah Shamsuddin ◽  
Zulkifli Yusop ◽  
Shoji Noguchi
Keyword(s):  
Water Yield ◽  
Plantation Establishment ◽  
Forest Plantation ◽  
Small Catchment ◽  
Forested Catchment ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Clear Cutting ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Hopea Odorata ◽  
The Impact

A study was conducted on the impact of forest clearance on discharge from newly established Hopea odorata plantations catchment (14.4 ha). The stands were two years old when this study commenced in year 2006 and the data collection was carried out for two years. The forested catchment (C3) was clear-cut during the preparation of the forest plantation and catchment C1 was left undisturbed. Discharge and rainfall were measured continuously for two years. The discharge measured from years 1997 to 2003 was used also to determine the water yield before and after forest clear-cut. This study showed that the plantation catchment is more responsive to storm with higher total water yield than in the forested catchment. The effect of forest clear cutting to discharge was clearly shown by the increment in the amount following the clear-cut activities and time taken for the recovery of the discharge back to its original state was almost three years. The peak discharge in C3 also was affected in which the biggest change was obtained during the forest clear-cutting period compared with during calibration and after clearing periods. This study is useful as basis for improving the existing guidelines on forest plantation establishment.

Effects of two silvicultural practices on ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in a northern hardwood forest, Quebec, Canada

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 959-968 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-David Moore ◽  
Rock Ouimet ◽  
Daniel Houle ◽  
Claude Camiré
Keyword(s):  
Forest Type ◽  
Forest Disturbance ◽  
Carabid Beetles ◽  
Hardwood Forest ◽  
Northern Hardwood Forest ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Clear Cutting ◽  
Abundance And Diversity ◽  
The Impact

The impact of selective cutting (6 and 8 years after treatment) and strip clear-cutting (12 and 13 years after treatment) on abundance and diversity of carabid beetles was evaluated in a northern hardwood forest of Quebec, Canada. A total of 1078 individuals belonging to 14 species were captured with pitfall traps from June to September 1996 during 2568 day-trap. Abundance of Synuchus impunctatus Say was significantly higher in clear-cut compared with uncut control strips. There were no within-species differences between selectively cut and uncut plots. None of these two silvicultural systems had any significant impacts on species diversity and richness 6–13 years after treatment. Although we observed an effect of strip clear-cutting on the abundance of S. impunctatus in this northern hardwood forest, the discrepancy between the response of carabids to forest disturbance in this study compared with other studies in different ecological regions suggests that the same carabid beetle species cannot be used as an indicator of forest disturbance over a large region. Our results suggest the use of carabid beetles as a disturbance indicator at the ecological-type scale (relatively similar soil and forest type) in a given region.

scholarly journals Management Strategies for Barley Yellow Dwarf on Winter Wheat in Kansas

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 122-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
William W. Bockus ◽  
Erick D. De Wolf ◽  
Timothy C. Todd
Keyword(s):  
Winter Wheat ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Yellow Dwarf ◽  
Yield Losses ◽  
Disease Progress ◽  
Barley Yellow Dwarf ◽  
Progress Curve ◽  
The Impact

Barley yellow dwarf (BYD) is one of the most important wheat diseases in the state of Kansas. Several methods of disease management have been recommended to mitigate losses from BYD including the use of seed-treatment insecticides, delayed planting of winter wheat, and deploying cultivars with resistance to BYD. The goal of this research was to quantify the impact of these three management strategies, alone and in combination, on BYD disease progress and grain yields in Kansas. When field experiments were averaged over four years, treating seed with the insecticide imidacloprid (Gaucho) reduced the daily increase in the area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) by 35.0% and corresponding yield losses from BYD by 16.4%. Compared with early planting, late planting reduced AUDPC by 47.9% and corresponding yield losses by 57.5%. Planting a moderately resistant cultivar reduced AUDPC by 80.9% and corresponding yield losses by 72.6% compared with a susceptible cultivar. When all three BYD management methods were combined, BYD was reduced by 95.2% and yield losses reduced by 97.1% when compared with not using any of the management methods. Therefore, integrating management practices can result in high levels of control of BYD in Kansas. Accepted for publication 4 May 2016. Published 7 June 2016.

INFLUENCE OF THE DIFFERENT SOIL PREPARATION METHODS ON THE PEA YIELD

2018 ◽  
pp. 16-20
Author(s):  
А. М. Grebennikov ◽  
А. S. Frid ◽  
V. P. Belobrov ◽  
V. А. Isaev ◽  
V. М. Garmashоv ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiments ◽  
Morphological Properties ◽  
Mineral Fertilizers ◽  
First Year ◽  
Zero Tillage ◽  
Preparation Methods ◽  
Soil Preparation ◽  
Multifactor Analysis ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Central Chernozem

The article assesses the relationships between the morphological properties of agrochernozems and yield of peas on the plots, experience with different methods of basic treatment (moldboard plowing at the depth of 20 - 22, 25 - 27 and 14 - 16 cm, moldboard plowing to a depth of 14 - 16 cm, combined midwater moldboard, mid-water subsurface, surface to a depth of 6 - 8 cm and zero tillage) is inherent in V.V. Dokuchaev Research Institute of Agriculture of the Central Black Earth strip, in the fall of 2014. The research was conducted in 2015 - 2016, with the application of mineral fertilizers (N60Р60К60) and unfertilized background. The highest pea yields in the fertilized as the background, and without the use of fertilizers was observed in dumping plowing and especially in the variant with deep moldboard plowing, which creates in comparison with other ways of handling the best conditions for the growth and development of peas. The lowest yield of pea was obtained with zero processing. Apparently legalistic migrational-mizelial agrochernozems the Central Chernozem zone of minimum tillage in the cultivation of peas are not effective, what is evident already in the first year after the laying of experience with different basic treatments. As shown by the results of applying multifactor analysis of variance studied the mapping properties of the soil can have the same significant impact on the yield of agricultural crops, as options for the field experiments aimed at assessing the impact of various treatments on yield.

AMOUNT AND STRUCTURE OF THE BIOLOGICAL FERTILITY OF SOYA, DEPENDING ON THE SYSTEM OF MAIN TILLAGE OF SOIL AND MEASURES TO OPTIMIZE NUTRITION MODE

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Novokhatskyi ◽  
◽  
V. Targonya ◽  
T. Babinets ◽  
O. Gorodetskyi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiments ◽  
Optimal Number ◽  
Soil Tillage ◽  
Forest Steppe ◽  
Biological Productivity ◽  
Tillage Systems ◽  
Application Rates ◽  
Tillage System ◽  
Biological Yield ◽  
The Impact

Aim. Assessment of the impact of the most common systems of basic tillage and biological methods of optimization of nutrition regimes on the realization of the potential of grain productivity of soybean in the Forest-Steppe of Ukraine. Methods. The research used general scientific (hypothesis, experiment, observation) and special (field experiment, morphological analysis) methods Results. The analysis of the results of field experiments shows that the conservation system of soil cultivation, which provided the formation of 27.6 c/ha of grain, is preferable by the level of biological yield of soybean. The use of other systems caused a decrease in the biological yield level: up to 26.4 c/ha for the use of the traditional system, up to 25.3 c/ha for the use of mulching and up to 23.0 c/ha for the use of the mini-till. With the use of Groundfix, the average biological yield of soybean grain increases to 25.6 c / ha for application rates of 5 l/ha, and to 28.2 c/ha for application rates of 10 l/ha when control variants (without the use of the specified preparation) an average of 22.6 c/ha of grain was formed with fluctuations in soil tillage systems from 21.0 (mini-bodies) to 25.8 c/ha (traditional).The application of Groundfix (10 l/ha) reduced the seed abortion rate from 11.0% (average without biofertilizer variants) to 8.0%, forming the optimal number of stem nodes with beans, increasing the attachment height of the lower beans and improving other indicators of biological productivity soybeans. Conclusions. It has been found that the use of the canning tillage system generates an average of 27.6 cent soybean grains, which is the highest indicator among the main tillage systems within the scheme of our research. The use of Groundfix caused a change in this indicator: if the variants with a conservative system of basic tillage without the use of biological preparation (control) were formed on average 24.1 c/ha, the use of Ground Licks caused the increase of biological productivity up to 29.4 c/ha, and at a dose of 10 l/ha biological yield was 32.2 c/ha. It was found that both the use of Groundfix and the basic tillage system influenced the elements of the yield structure: the density of the plants at the time of harvest depended more on the tillage system than on the use of Groundfix; the use of Groundfix and increasing its dose within the scheme of our studies positively reflected on the density of standing plants; the height of attachment of the lower beans and reduced the abortion of the seeds.

Influence of temperature and humidity on the angle of repose of wood bulk materials

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
И.В. Бачериков ◽  
Б.М. Локштанов
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiments ◽  
Bulk Material ◽  
Average Particle Size ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Angle Of Repose ◽  
Wood Dust ◽  
Average Particle ◽  
Bulk Materials ◽  
Technical Literature ◽  
The Impact

При проектировании открытых и закрытых хранилищ измельченных сыпучих материалов древесных материалов, таких как щепа и опилки, большое значение имеет угол естественного откоса (статический и динамический) этих материалов. В технической литературе приводятся противоречивые сведения о величине этих углов, что приводит к ошибкам при проектировании складов. В справочных данных не учитываются условия, в которых эксплуатируются емкости для хранения сыпучих материалов, свойства и состояние этих сыпучих материалов. В свою очередь, ошибки при проектировании приводят к проблемам (зависание, сводообразование, «затопление» и т. д.) и авариям при эксплуатации бункеров и силосов на производстве. В статье представлены сведения, посвященные влиянию влажности и температуры на угол естественного откоса сыпучих материалов. На основании лабораторных и натурных экспериментов, проведенных с помощью специально разработанных методик и установок, была скорректирована формула для определения углов естественного откоса (статического и динамического) для измельченных древесных материалов в зависимости от их фракционного и породного состава, влажности (абсолютной и относительной) и температуры. При помощи скорректированной формулы можно определить угол естественного откоса древесных сыпучих материалов со среднегеометрическим размером частицы от 0,5 мм до 15 мм (от древесной пыли до технологической щепы) в различных производственных условиях. Статья может быть полезна проектировщикам при расчете угла наклона граней выпускающей воронки бункеров и силосов предприятий лесной отрасли и целлюлозо-бумажной промышленности. In the design of open and closed storage warehouses chopped wood materials for bulk materials such as wood chips and sawdust, great importance has an angle of repose (static and dynamic) of these materials. In the technical literature are conflicting reports about the magnitude of these angles, which leads to errors in the design of warehouses. In the referencesdoes not take into account the conditions under which operated capacities for storage of bulk materials, and properties and condition of the bulk material. The design errors lead to problems (hanging, arching, «flooding», etc.) and accidents in the operation of hoppers and silos at the mills. The article provides information on the impact of humidity and temperature on the angle of repose of granular materials. On the basis of laboratory and field experiments, conducted with the help of specially developed techniques and facilities has been adjusted formula for determining the angle of repose (static and dynamic) for the shredded wood materials depending on their fractional and species composition, humidity (absolute and relative) and temperature. It is possible, by using the corrected formula, to determine the angle of repose of loose wood materials with average particle size of from 0.5 mm to 15 mm (wood dust to pulpchips) in various operating conditions. The article can be helpful to designers in the calculation of the angle of inclination of the funnel faces produces bunkers and silos forest industries and pulp and paper industry.

Chemical Composition and Metal Speciation in Porewaters from the Upper Qu’Appelle River Basin, Saskatchewan

1993 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard E. Farrell ◽  
Jae E. Yang ◽  
P. Ming Huang ◽  
Wen K. Liaw
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Trace Metal ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Drainage Basin ◽  
Metal Speciation ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Metal Concentrations ◽  
Carbonate Equilibria ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Porewater samples from the upper Qu’Appelle River basin in Saskatchewan, Canada, were analyzed to obtain metal, inorganic ligand and amino add profiles. These data were used to compute the aqueous speciation of the metals in each porewater using the computer program GEOCHEM-PC. The porewaters were classified as slightly to moderately saline. Metal concentrations reflected both the geology of the drainage basin and the impact of anthropogenic activities. Whereas K and Na were present almost entirely as the free aquo ions, carbonate equilibria dominated the speciation of Ca. Mg and Mn (the predominant metal ligand species were of the type MCO3 (s). MCO30. and MHCO3+). Trace metal concentrations were generally within the ranges reported for non-polluted freshwater systems. Whereas the speciation of the trace metals Cr(III) and Co(II) was dominated by carbonate equilibria, Hg(II)-, Zn(II)- and Fe(II)-speciation was dominated by hydroxy-metal complexes of the type M(OH)+ and M(OH)2°. The speciation of Fe(III) was dominated by Fe(OH)3 (s). In porewaters with high chloride concentrations (> 2 mM), however, significant amounts of Hg(II) were bound as HgCl20 and HgClOH0. The aqueous speciation of Al was dominated by Al(OH)4− and Al2Si2O4(OH)6 (s). Total concentrations of dissolved free amino acids varied from 15.21 to 25.17 umole L−1. The most important metal scavenging amino acids were histidine (due to high stability constants for the metal-histidine complexes) and tryptophan (due to its relatively high concentration in the porewaters. i.e., 5.96 to 7.73 umole L−1). Secondary concentrations of various trace metal-amino add complexes were computed for all the porewaters, but metal-amino acid complexes dominated the speciation of Cu(II) in all the porewaters and Ni(II) in two of the porewaters.

Chasing the phantom: biogeography and conservation of Vipera latastei-monticola in the Maghreb (North Africa)

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inês Freitas ◽  
Soumia Fahd ◽  
Guillermo Velo-Antón ◽  
Fernando Martínez-Freiría
Keyword(s):  
North Africa ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Niche Modelling ◽  
Habitat Transformation ◽  
Mountain Ranges ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Suitable Space ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The Maghreb region (North Africa) constitutes a major component of the Mediterranean Basin biodiversity hotspot. During the last centuries, a consistent human population growth has led to an unprecedented rate of habitat transformation and loss in the region and thus, threatening its biodiversity. The Western Mediterranean viper Vipera latastei-monticola inhabits humid and subhumid areas in the main mountain ranges of the Maghreb, facing such threatening factors; however, its elusive character and rarity hindered data collection for distinct biological purposes. Here, we study the biogeographical patterns and conservation status of the Maghrebian V. latastei-monticola resulting from recent sampling campaigns in Morocco and Tunisia. We update species distribution, and integrate phylogeographic and ecological niche modelling analyses at both species and lineage level to identify suitable areas, and to evaluate the impact of anthropogenic transformation and level of protection of their suitable space. We identified four highly divergent mitochondrial lineages, including a new lineage endemic to the Western High Atlas, with allopatric distributions and restricted to mountain ranges, supporting the role of mountains as past climatic refugia. Despite the remoteness of suitable areas, we report widespread habitat degradation and identify the low effectiveness of the current protected areas system in preserving the species and lineages range. Our study shows the urgent need to apply management actions for the long-term conservation of this vulnerable species and suggests a revaluation of the specific status of V. monticola, as these populations likely represent an ecotype of V. latastei.

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