A FIELD TEST FOR ASSESSING THE WINTER HARDINESS OF ALFALFA IN NORTHWESTERN CANADA

1984 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 917-924 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. S. McKENZIE ◽  
G. E. McLEAN

A procedure is described for separating differences in winter hardiness among alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cultivars under field conditions. The procedure depends upon two factors associated with winterkill in northern Alberta during the 1977–1978 winter, namely, low food reserves in the crowns resulting from improper cutting management plus cold stress due to lack of snow in early winter. To induce these conditions we recommend that year-old plants be clipped in mid-June, late July and early September and that snow be removed once from the plot during early winter on the first day that air temperatures below −30 °C are forecasted. Natural snow fall can protect the plot for the remainder of the winter. If soil temperatures do not drop close to the range of the LT50 of the control cultivars, snow cover may be removed again provided air temperatures are below −30 °C. Cultivar rankings for winter hardiness following severe stress induced by snow removal were significantly correlated (r = 0.944**) with the mean survival observed at five locations following natural winter stresses in this region. Although additional work is warranted, the induced stress procedure has real merit in screening winter-hardy genotypes in the field and in assessing management techniques to reduce the effects of stressful winter environments on alfalfa production in northwestern Canada.Key words: Alfalfa, winter hardiness, field test, snow removal, frequent clipping

1980 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. S. McKENZIE ◽  
G. E. McLEAN

During the 1977–78 winter, many perennial legumes were severely injured in northern Alberta and British Columbia. The winter was characterized by an early killing frost on 1 Sept. 1977. Air temperatures were −28 °C in late November and −43 °C in early December prior to any appreciable ground snow cover. This caused soil temperatures at 5 cm to drop to −19 °C. Field and laboratory experiments are described in which cold hardiness measurements (LT40), etiolated regrowth weight measurements of root food reserves and visual percent stand estimates were determined on various cultivars of Medicago sativa, M. media and M. falcata prior to, during and/or following the 1977–78 winter. Injury was first observed in plants collected from the field following the low soil temperatures in November and December. Fall cutting management studies indicated that alfalfa harvested during August or early September in 1977 suffered the most severe injury the following spring. In June 1978, first-cut yields of these plots were up to 50% lower than the yields from single-cut control plots or plots harvested after mid-September. M. sativa, M. media and M. falcata cultivars left for seed showed little evidence of winter injury. The results suggest that low fall food reserves which resulted from harvesting during August or early September and low soil temperatures in December and January were two primary factors associated with winter injury. M. sativa stands cut twice in 1977 were more severely injured than stands of M. media or M. falcata. Three-year-old stands of M. media were more severely injured than 2-yr-old stands.


1974 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 885 ◽  
Author(s):  
MS Rahman ◽  
JS Gladstones ◽  
N Thurling

Two Lupinus species, L. angustifolius L. and L. cosentinii Guss., were grown in pots in the glasshouse on a virgin lateritic soil, with two soil temperatures attained by immersion in water-baths at 10 and 20°C, and four rates of superphosphate ranging from 0 to 1792 kg ha-l. Air temperatures were not controlled. Dry matter, and phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations, were measured separately for tops and roots after harvest at 7 weeks. In a second experiment, the rate of early radicle elongation was measured for the two species in complete nutrient solutions at 10 and 20°.Water-bath temperature markedly influenced the growth of both roots and tops, growth with 20° being approximately double that with 10° in both species. At both bath temperatures, responses to superphosphate closely paralleled those observed previously on the same soil in the field. There was a slight positive interaction between bath temperature and superphosphate rate, but in the main the effects of the two factors were independent and additive. The results did not support the suggestion that reduced growth with low root temperature may be due primarily to reduced phosphorus uptake. Nor did they indicate reductions in nodulation, nitrogen fixation, or translocation of either nitrogen or phosphorus from roots to tops as likely causes. It is suggested that temperature may have directly affected the growth and/or metabolism of the roots, influencing their production of growth substances, which in turn influenced processes controlling top growth.


Author(s):  
F. T. Last ◽  
A. M.I Roberts

Observations were made weekly over a period of 30 years of 208 species (trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants and geophytes) from more than 1,000 growing in a garden located 18km east of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE), Scotland (lat. 55º 56ʹN: long. 3º 09ʹW). Of these species, 27 were British native or naturalised.The First Flowering Dates (FFD) of 67 species were without significant temperature association with variable weather; the FFDs of the other 141 species reflected, in contrast, the net outcome of ‘major’ associations with late winter/spring temperatures and smaller impacts of autumn/early winter temperatures. Increases in late winter and spring temperatures advanced the onset of flowering in the current year; in contrast, increases in autumn and early winter temperatures tended to be associated with delayed flowering in the following year.With stepwise regression, penalised signal regression and thermal-time models, it was possible to identify species with ‘strong’ associations with both air and soil temperatures and species with ‘weak’ associations with either air or soil temperatures.Thermal-time models for each of 120 species, whose FFDs were associated with temperature, enabled the characterisation of (1) base temperatures, Tb(°C), at, and above which, development towards open flowers is possible; and (2) thermal constants (degree days accumulated between the start of development and the onset of flowering). Together these attributes suggested that each base temperature cohort has species with widely different degree-day requirements. Between 1978 and 2007 mean air temperatures significantly increased by 0.080°C, 0.044°C and 0.026°C yrˉ¹ in the first, second and third quarters; soil temperatures increased by 0.060ºCyrˉ¹in the first quarter. Over the 30-year period, the trends in flowering showed the early (February/March) flowering species flowering c. 24 days sooner; the later flowering species (April/May) advanced by only c. 12 days.


1972 ◽  
Vol 52 (6) ◽  
pp. 1067-1072 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. C. J. VAN ADRICHEM

Several population samples of Rubus idaeus subspp. strigosus Michx. (raspberries) were collected in British Columbia and northern Alberta and a number of characters were studied and compared with the cultivar Trent. Significant differences between populations were found for cane length, number of buds per cane, percentage of buds growing, number of inflorescences and flowers per bud, fruit and seed weight. There was a positive correlation between the total seed weight and the number of seeds, and between the total seed and fruit weight. No distinct types could be established based on location or elevation. None of the populations showed significantly better winter hardiness than the cultivar Trent, and although some had a specific character that was superior, none was found to have overall superiority.


Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 625
Author(s):  
Savanah Laur ◽  
Andre Luiz Biscaia Ribeiro da Silva ◽  
Juan Carlos Díaz-Pérez ◽  
Timothy Coolong

This study evaluated the impact of shade cloth and fogging systems on the microclimate at the plant canopy level and yield of basil (Oscimum basilicum L.), arugula (Eruca vesicaria subsp. Sativa L.), and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) planted in mid-September and early October in high tunnels. Fogging systems were installed at canopy level in plots within shaded (30%) and non-shaded high tunnels. Average air temperatures in the shaded high tunnels were 0.9 °C lower than non-shaded high tunnels during the day. Shade cloth significantly reduced soil temperatures during the day and night periods by 1.5 °C and 1.3 °C, respectively, compared to non-shaded treatments. Fogging systems did not have an impact on air temperature, soil temperature, or relative humidity, but did increase canopy leaf wetness. Shade and fogging did not impact the yield of any of the crops grown. Yield was impacted by planting date, with earlier planting result in higher yields of lettuce and basil. Yields for arugula were greater during the second planting date than the first. Planting date and shade cloth interacted to affect the concentrations of macronutrients.


2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Bertrand ◽  
L. González Sotelino ◽  
M. Journée

Abstract. Soil temperatures at various depths are unique parameters useful to describe both the surface energy processes and regional environmental and climate conditions. To provide soil temperature observation in different regions across Belgium for agricultural management as well as for climate research, soil temperatures are recorded in 13 of the 20 automated weather stations operated by the Royal Meteorological Institute (RMI) of Belgium. At each station, soil temperature can be measured at up to 5 different depths (from 5 to 100 cm) in addition to the bare soil and grass temperature records. Although many methods have been developed to identify erroneous air temperatures, little attention has been paid to quality control of soil temperature data. This contribution describes the newly developed semi-automatic quality control of 10-min soil temperatures data at RMI.


2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 4465-4479 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. L. Hanis ◽  
M. Tenuta ◽  
B. D. Amiro ◽  
T. N. Papakyriakou

Abstract. Ecosystem-scale methane (CH4) flux (FCH4) over a subarctic fen at Churchill, Manitoba, Canada was measured to understand the magnitude of emissions during spring and fall shoulder seasons, and the growing season in relation to physical and biological conditions. FCH4 was measured using eddy covariance with a closed-path analyser in four years (2008–2011). Cumulative measured annual FCH4 (shoulder plus growing seasons) ranged from 3.0 to 9.6 g CH4 m−2 yr−1 among the four study years, with a mean of 6.5 to 7.1 g CH4 m−2 yr−1 depending upon gap-filling method. Soil temperatures to depths of 50 cm and air temperature were highly correlated with FCH4, with near-surface soil temperature at 5 cm most correlated across spring, fall, and the shoulder and growing seasons. The response of FCH4 to soil temperature at the 5 cm depth and air temperature was more than double in spring to that of fall. Emission episodes were generally not observed during spring thaw. Growing season emissions also depended upon soil and air temperatures but the water table also exerted influence, with FCH4 highest when water was 2–13 cm below and lowest when it was at or above the mean peat surface.


1956 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 273-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wm. Rowan ◽  
L. B. Keith

In conjunction with studies of the "10-year cycle" of snowshoe hares, almost 900 hares were collected in the Anzac district of Alberta during the period May, 1949, to April, 1956. Embryo numbers and sex ratios were among the data gathered from post-mortem examinations of these hares. It was found that the average litter size was 3.82; the modal litter size was four and the range was from one to seven. The average number of litters each season was calculated at 2.75. The annual reproductive potential is thus 10.51 (3.82 × 2.75) young per female hare. This is more than 50% greater than that indicated by comparable data from Minnesota. It is suggested that herein lies the cause of higher peak populations in northern regions. Sex ratios shifted from a marked excess of females in the year 1949–1950 to about even numbers of both sexes during the two subsequent years. Since the change in sex ratio occurred at the peak of the cycle, the two factors are believed to be in some manner correlated.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacques D Charlwood

Background: With the possible implications of global warming, the effect of temperature on the dynamics of malaria vectors in Africa has become a subject of increasing interest. Information from the field is, however, relatively sparse. We describe the effect of ambient temperature over a five-year period on the dynamics of An. funestus and An. gambiae s.l., collected from a single village in southern Mozambique where temperatures varied from a night-time minimum of 6oC in the cool season to a daytime maximum of 35oC in the hot season. Results: Mean daily air temperatures varied from 34o C to 20oC and soil temperatures varied from 26 o C to 12 o C. Diurnal variation was greatest in the cooler months of the year and were greater in air temperatures than soil temperatures. During the study 301, 705 female An. funestus were collected in 6043 light-trap collections, 161, 466 in 7397 exit collections and 16, 995 in 1315 resting collections. The equivalent numbers for An. gambiae s.l. are 72, 475 in light-traps, 33, 868 in exit collections and 5, 333 from indoor resting collections. Numbers of mosquito were greatest in the warmer months. Numbers of An. gambiae s.l. went through a one hundredfold change (from a mean of 0.14 mosquitoes a night to 14) whereas numbers of An. funestus merely doubled (from a mean of 20 to 40 a night). The highest environmental correlations and mosquito numbers were between mean air temperature (r2 = 0.52 for An. funestus and 0.77 for An. gambiae s.l.). Numbers of mosquito collected were not related to rainfall with lags of up to four weeks. Numbers of both gravid and unfed An. gambiae complex females in exit collections continued to increase at all temperatures recorded but gravid females of An. funestus decreased at temperatures above 28oC. Overall the numbers of gravid and unfed An. funestus collected in exit collections were not correlated (p = 0.07). For an unknown reason the number of An. gambiae s.l. fell below monitoring thresholds during the study. Conclusions: Mean air temperature was the most important environmental parameter affecting both vectors in this part of Mozambique. Numbers of An. gambiae s.l. increased at all temperatures recorded whilst An. funestus appeared to be adversely affected by temperatures of 28oC and above. These differences may influence the distribution of the vectors as the planet warms.


1993 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 313-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Carlos Miranda ◽  
Heloisa Sinátora Miranda ◽  
Inês de Fátima Oliveira Dias ◽  
Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias

ABSTRACTAir and soil temperatures were measured during dry season heading fires in three different physiognomic forms of native vegetation common in Central Brazil: cerrado sensu stricto (dense scrub of shrubs and trees), campo cerrado (open scrub), and campo sujo (open grassland with scattered shrubs). The vegetation was protected from fire for 15 y in some areas, had been burned once every two years, and once each year in other areas. The temperatures were measured with type-k thermocouples and recorded at intervals of 22.5 sees. Air temperature measurements were taken at 1, 60 and 160 cm. Maximum air temperatures ranged from 85°C to 840°C, and the duration above 60°C varied from 20 to 270 seconds. In the soil, negligible temperature increases were recorded below 5 cm depth, whereas at 2 cm maximum soil temperatures varied from 29 to 38°C. Possible influences of fuel load and moisture on the recorded data and on the behaviour of fire in the cerrado ecosystems are discussed.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document