scholarly journals Emergence Patterns of Rare Arable Plants and Conservation Implications

Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 309
Author(s):  
Joel Torra ◽  
Frank Forcella ◽  
Jordi Recasens ◽  
Aritz Royo-Esnal

Knowledge on the emergence patterns of rare arable plants (RAP) is essential to design their conservation in Europe. This study hypothesizes that is possible to find functional groups with similar emergence patterns within RAP with the aim of establishing management strategies. Seeds of 30 different species were collected from Spanish arable fields and sown under two tillage treatments: (a) 1 cm depth without soil disturbance to simulate no-till, and (b) 1–10 cm depth with soil disturbance every autumn to simulate tillage to 10 cm depth. Two trials were established; the first trial being maintained for three seasons and the second for two seasons. Relative emergence in autumn, winter and spring was calculated each season. Afterwards, multivariate analysis was performed by K-means clustering and Principal Component Analysis to find groups of RAP species with similar emergence patterns. Four RAP groups were defined, and each was based on its main emergence season: autumn, winter, spring, or autumn-winter. Tillage treatment and the year of sowing had little effect on emergence patterns, which were mostly dependent on environmental factors, particularly temperature and rainfall. Therefore, conservation strategies could be designed for each of these RAP functional groups based on emergence patterns, rather than on a species-by-species basis.

2009 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 255-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin McKee ◽  
Liana Spazzafumo ◽  
Mike Nolan ◽  
Beata Wojszel ◽  
Giovanni Lamura ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 9293-9303
Author(s):  
Juan José Guerra-Hincapié ◽  
Óscar De Jesús Córdoba-Gaona ◽  
Juan Pablo Gil-Restrepo ◽  
Danilo Augusto Monsalve-García ◽  
Juan David Hernández-Arredondo ◽  
...  

The knowledge of the defoliation-refoliation process in rubber cultivation allows the development of management strategies in the production system to improve rubber yield. The objective of this study was to determine the intensity and duration of defoliation-refoliation of rubber clones FX 3864, IAN 710 and IAN 873 in the municipality of Tarazá and the FX 3864 and IAN 873 clones in the municipality of Nechí (northwestern Colombia). From October 2015 to June 2016, the measurements of the necromass were carried out in each location for each clone. The light environment was quantified, employing the hemispheric photographs technique to estimate canopy openness percentage (CO) and leaf area index. The assessed weeks were grouped by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) based on the original phenology and climatic variables. The defoliation-refoliation process was analyzed descriptively using graphical representations of the trend for the phenological variables that best described this process. The relationship between climatic and phenological variables in the period evaluated was evidenced; the rainfall was the most critical climatic characteristic in the induction of the defoliation process. The leaf area index was reduced to a minimum value in February, with values of 0.52 for IAN 710 clone in Tarazá, and 0.64 for the IAN 873 clone in Nechí, which corresponded to the highest defoliation stage in both locations. The refoliation period was short (4 to 6 weeks) and occurred during the dry season for all the clones in both places.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
RAMA KUMARI ◽  
PARMANAND KUMAR

The present study was conducted for two years to analyze the water quality of the sacred lake Rewalsar. Water quality of different seasons was evaluated by water quality index. Various statistical techniques, such as correlation, principal component analysis were applied. Based on Water Quality Index, water quality of the lake was in the range of 33-80 in different seasons. Cluster analysis of similarity indicates the relationship intensity between the seasons as cluster ranged 80-100% during the study period. In the principal component analysis maximum variables (Conductivity, Alkalinity, Biochemical Oxygen Demand, Nitrates, Phosphates, and Chloride) shows maximum influence during the summer and monsoon. The outcome revealed that the major driving factors of water quality deterioration are the runoff of effluent from the domestic area and offering food materials to the fishes. So, it is necessary to implement effective management strategies for the conservation of the Rewalsarlake.


Foods ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 1062 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriele L. Beccaro ◽  
Dario Donno ◽  
Guglielmo Gianni Lione ◽  
Marta De Biaggi ◽  
Giovanni Gamba ◽  
...  

A large species diversity characterises the wide distribution of chestnuts in Asia, North America, and Europe, hence reflecting not only the adaptation of the genus Castanea to diverse environmental conditions, but also to different management strategies encompassing orchards. The characterisation and description of chestnut populations and cultivars are crucial to develop effective conservation strategies of one of the most important Italian and European fruit and wood species. Chestnut cultivars grown in the same pedoclimatic conditions and on the same clonal rootstock were characterised with sensory, spectrophotometric, and chromatographic analysis to determine the phytochemical composition and nutraceutical properties. A multivariate approach, including principal component analysis and conditional inference tree models, was also performed. The ease of peeling, seed colour, and intensity of sweetness were the sensory descriptors that allowed us to differentiate C. sativa cultivars. Antioxidant capacity ranged from 9.30 ± 0.39 mmol Fe+2 kg−1 DW (‘Bouche de Bètizac’) to 19.96 ± 1.89 mmol Fe+2 kg−1 DW (‘Garrone Rosso’). Monoterpenes represented the main component, reaching 88% for hybrids, followed by polyphenols (10–25% for hybrids and chestnuts, respectively). A multivariate approach showed that phenolic acids and tannins were the bioactive classes with the highest discriminating power among different genotypes, and that genotype is a significant variable (p < 0.05). In addition, most of the analysed chestnut cultivars showed a content of bioactive compounds similar to or higher than the main hazelnut, walnut, and almond varieties. Chestnut agrobiodiversity could be intended as strictly associated to the genotype effect and underlines the large variability within the genus Castanea, and therefore, the importance of in farm and ex situ conservation of local germplasm is part of a global strategy aimed at increasing the levels of agrobiodiversity.


Weed Science ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 248-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel Torra ◽  
Aritz Royo-Esnal ◽  
Jordi Recasens

This research investigated the temperature and light requirements for seed germination and emergence patterns of pinnate poppy, violet horned-poppy, and nodding hypecoum, three annual Papaveraceae species found in arable lands in the Mediterranean region. Two experiments performed in growth chambers (1) analyzed light (complete darkness or 12 h light) and temperature (10/5, 15/5, and 20/10 C day/night temperatures) requirements for germination, and (2) determined base temperature (Tb) for germination. An outdoor pot trial was also set up to study emergence patterns. All species showed higher germination in complete darkness than they did with a light regime, irrespective of dormancy level, time of the year, and temperature regime under which germination was tested, illustrating better germination when seeds are buried.Tbranged from −2.6 to 0 C, depending on the species, indicating low temperature requirements for germination. Given their higher germination in daily fluctuating, rather than constant temperatures, the three Papaveraceae species should have the capacity to form persistent seed banks. These species behaved as winter annuals (from November to February) in the pot experiment and had difficulties to emerge in spring. Given that they cannot avoid autumn–winter chemical treatments, this could partially explain their regression in arable fields. These results bring new information to develop management strategies for these Papaveraceae species in agroecosystems.


Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (13) ◽  
pp. 3640 ◽  
Author(s):  
Parthojit Chakraborty ◽  
Yu-An Chien ◽  
Tso-Fu Mark Chang ◽  
Masato Sone ◽  
Takamichi Nakamoto

Novel sensing materials have been formed by decorating polyaniline conducting polymers with atomic gold clusters where the number of atoms is precisely defined. Such materials exhibit unique electrocatalytic properties of electrooxidation to aliphatic alcohols, although analytes with other functional groups have not been studied. This paper reports a study of cyclic voltammetric patterns obtained with bi-atomic gold nanocomposite response to analytes with other functional groups for sensor applications. Principal component analysis shows separation among normal-propanol, iso-propanol and ethyl formate/ethanol groups. Indirect sensing of ethyl formate is demonstrated by electrooxidation of the product upon hydrolysis in alkaline medium. Voltammograms of ethyl formate are studied in gaseous phases.


Author(s):  
Brian Cross

A relatively new entry, in the field of microscopy, is the Scanning X-Ray Fluorescence Microscope (SXRFM). Using this type of instrument (e.g. Kevex Omicron X-ray Microprobe), one can obtain multiple elemental x-ray images, from the analysis of materials which show heterogeneity. The SXRFM obtains images by collimating an x-ray beam (e.g. 100 μm diameter), and then scanning the sample with a high-speed x-y stage. To speed up the image acquisition, data is acquired "on-the-fly" by slew-scanning the stage along the x-axis, like a TV or SEM scan. To reduce the overhead from "fly-back," the images can be acquired by bi-directional scanning of the x-axis. This results in very little overhead with the re-positioning of the sample stage. The image acquisition rate is dominated by the x-ray acquisition rate. Therefore, the total x-ray image acquisition rate, using the SXRFM, is very comparable to an SEM. Although the x-ray spatial resolution of the SXRFM is worse than an SEM (say 100 vs. 2 μm), there are several other advantages.


VASA ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 333-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirchberger ◽  
Finger ◽  
Müller-Bühl

Background: The Intermittent Claudication Questionnaire (ICQ) is a short questionnaire for the assessment of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with intermittent claudication (IC). The objective of this study was to translate the ICQ into German and to investigate the psychometric properties of the German ICQ version in patients with IC. Patients and methods: The original English version was translated using a forward-backward method. The resulting German version was reviewed by the author of the original version and an experienced clinician. Finally, it was tested for clarity with 5 German patients with IC. A sample of 81 patients were administered the German ICQ. The sample consisted of 58.0 % male patients with a median age of 71 years and a median IC duration of 36 months. Test of feasibility included completeness of questionnaires, completion time, and ratings of clarity, length and relevance. Reliability was assessed through a retest in 13 patients at 14 days, and analysis of Cronbach’s alpha for internal consistency. Construct validity was investigated using principal component analysis. Concurrent validity was assessed by correlating the ICQ scores with the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) as well as clinical measures. Results: The ICQ was completely filled in by 73 subjects (90.1 %) with an average completion time of 6.3 minutes. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient reached 0.75. Intra-class correlation for test-retest reliability was r = 0.88. Principal component analysis resulted in a 3 factor solution. The first factor explained 51.5 of the total variation and all items had loadings of at least 0.65 on it. The ICQ was significantly associated with the SF-36 and treadmill-walking distances whereas no association was found for resting ABPI. Conclusions: The German version of the ICQ demonstrated good feasibility, satisfactory reliability and good validity. Responsiveness should be investigated in further validation studies.


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