Impact of feed supplementation with balsam poplar buds on performance of young bulls

There is an urgent need to develop new strategies to minimize the environmental impact of animal production and support sustainability of food production and consumption. Feed additives have been for a long time used in animal nutrition to improve animal growth and performance as well as animal health. Balsam poplar plants (Populus balsamifera) is well known as a rich source of bioactive compounds with positive health effects, and might be used in agriculture as a feed additive for ruminants. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of balsam poplar-based additives on growth and performance of fattening young bulls of Simmental breed. In the present study, we used 4 combinations of extract from balsam poplar buds or its components as a feed additives. The animals were given the supplements at the age of 15 months, 3 months before slaughter. The growth and slaughter characteristics of young bulls were studied. After the first and second month of feeding with dietary supplements, animals from the groups fed 10% balsam poplar buds extract and dry shredded balsam poplar buds had significantly higher live weight compared to the control animals fed a diet without any supplements (P < 0.05). At slaughter, group fed 10% balsam poplar buds extract had significantly higher live weight compared to control. Average daily gain was also greatest in that group. Major sensory as well as physical and chemical parameters were not affected by balsam poplar-based supplements (p > 0.05 for all) and were in line with regulatory meat hygiene requirements.

Assessment of the condition of Balsam poplar trees (Populus balsamifera L.) in a residental area of Bratsk

In this study, we investigated the health status of balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera L.) trees in a residential area of the city of Bratsk (Irkutsk Oblast, Russia). Visual and instrumental assessment of the health status of pruned and unpruned trees was performed. The identified internal defects in the tree were analyzed with a Resistograph device, which enabled the extent of decayed wood to be determined. Visual analysis revealed various types of damage: dried branches, brittle crowns, frost cracks, mechanical damage, curvature of trunks, decay and inclusions of foreign bodies. We compared trees with and without canopy pruning. We found that pruned trees were significantly more damaged than non-pruned trees. Decomposing wood at different stages of development was found in all the trees studied. A tree passport combining the visual and instrumental assessment data was compiled for each tree. The results of the research were used to formulate conclusions and recommendations for improving the management of urban trees in order to restore their ecological and aesthetic functions.

TOTAL PHENOLIC CONTENT AND CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF LITHUANIAN BALSAM POPLAR BUDS (POPULUS BALSAMIFERA L.) ETHANOLIC AND AQUEOUS EXTRACTS

The aim of this study was to prepare liquid aqueous and ethanolic extracts of poplar buds and to investigate their chemical composition.

Comparison of Ethanolic and Aqueous Populus balsamifera L. Bud Extracts by Different Extraction Methods: Chemical Composition, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities

The balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera L.) buds that grow in Lithuania are a polyphenol-rich plant material with a chemical composition close to that of propolis. In order to potentially adapt the extracts of this plant’s raw material for therapeutic purposes, it is important to carry out detailed studies on the chemical composition and biological activity of balsam poplar buds. An important step is to evaluate the yield of polyphenols by different extraction methods and using different solvents. According to our research, extracts of balsam poplar buds collected in Lithuania are dominated by p-coumaric (496.9–13,291.2 µg/g), cinnamic acid (32.9–11,788.5 µg/g), pinobanksin (34.9–1775.5 µg/g) and salicin (215.3–1190.7 µg/g). The antioxidant activity of poplar buds was evaluated by the ABTS (2,2-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid), DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and FRAP (ferric-reducing antioxidant power) methods, all extracts showed antioxidant activity and the obtained results correlated with the obtained amounts of total phenolic compounds in the extracts (ABTS r = 0.974; DPPH r = 0.986; FRAP r = 0.955, p < 0.01). Studies of antimicrobial activity have shown that ethanolic extracts have an antimicrobal activity effect against Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis and Escherichia coli. The extracts showed a better antimicrobal activity against gram-positive bacteria.

Plant species selection and biomass nutrient content on post-mine sites of the Kursk magnetic anomaly, Russia

The article presents data on the assessment of the different tree and shrubs species for a reclamation of the hydraulic dump of the Kursk Magnetic Anomaly, Russia. The purpose of the work is to identify highly productive tree and shrub species with the maximum content of nitrogen and ash elements in the biomass. The objects of research are protective plantations of Robinia pseudoacacia L., Caragana arborescens L., Betula pendula L., Hippophae rhamnoides L., Pínus sylvestris L., Populus balsamifera L. Under the influence of different type of vegetation, the fertility of the dump substrates increases and the initial substrates gradually turns into soil. The rate of formation of primary soils depends on the biomass of plantations and the content of chemical elements in it. The article analyzes data on the content of the main chemical elements in different parts of plants aged 8-9 years. Trees and shrubs are arranged in sequential rows in terms of nitrogen accumulation, ash elements and overall biological productivity. The authors identified sea-buckthorn and robinia pseudoacacia, which, already at a young age, are characterized by high productivity (146.2 and 118.0 dt/ha) and have a positive effect on the fertility of the dump substrates.

Using Discrete-Point LiDAR to Classify Tree Species in the Riparian Pacific Northwest, USA

Practical methods for tree species identification are important for both land management and scientific inquiry. LiDAR has been widely used for species mapping due to its ability to characterize 3D structure, but in structurally complex Pacific Northwest forests, additional research is needed. To address this need and to determine the feasibility of species modeling in such forests, we compared six approaches using five algorithms available in R’s lidR package and Trimble’s eCognition software to determine which approach most consistently identified individual trees across a heterogenous riparian landscape. We then classified segments into Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), black cottonwood (Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa), and red alder (Alnus rubra). Classification accuracies based on the best-performing segmentation method were 91%, 92%, and 84%, respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate tree species modeling from LiDAR in a natural Pacific Northwest forest, and the first to model Pacific Northwest species at the landscape scale. Our results suggest that LiDAR alone may provide enough information on tree species to be useful to land managers in limited applications, even under structurally challenging conditions. With slight changes to the modeling approach, even higher accuracies may be possible.

INFLUENCE OF STEM ROT ON THE COMPOSITION AND THE CONTENT OF PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS IN THE LEAVES OF BOPLAMIC POPULUS (POPULUS BALSAMIFERA L.) UNDER THE CONDITIONS OF URBANIZATION

Balsam poplar is important component of landscaping urban environments. It’s characterized by high growth rate and resistance to negative environmental factors, but in urbanization conditions it’s intensely affected by diseases, especially stem rot. Biochemical composition of poplar has been studied, mainly in buds [1–4]. In leaves, it’s less studied [5–7]. Therefore, study of influence of stem rot on phenolic compounds of Balsam poplar leaves at urbanization conditions was main purpose of research. Biochemical composition of leaves was studied by HPLC. Chromatography of leaf extracts revealed 88 compounds, identified 22 of them. Predominant tendency was activation of their synthesis: 45.46%. Flavonoids are dominated in their composition (50%). 27.27% of compounds inhibition of phenolic compounds synthesis was observed, 27.27% content is not change. This is consequence of reaction to oxidative stress. Differences in composition of chemical compounds in leaves of control and diseased plants were not observed. Reaction of woody plants different species to stem rot and pollution is different. This is due to both the species-specificity of the reaction and different levels of resistance and tolerance of various species and different mechanisms of adaptation to these factors. Probably different species of plants have different strategies for dealing with effects of environments factors, it’s possible that similar mechanism exists for different species of stands affected by rot.