scholarly journals Covering Norway spruce container seedlings with reflective shading cloth during field storage affects seedling post-planting growth

New Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikko Tikkinen ◽  
Johanna Riikonen ◽  
Jaana Luoranen

AbstractThe field storage of container seedlings is often a necessity after the seedlings have been transported from nurseries close to the regeneration area. Suboptimal storage conditions can lead to reduced growth or even seedling mortality. Supporting favourable conditions for the seedlings during storage requires labour, especially for the watering of seedlings, and therefore increases the costs of forest regeneration. In this study, we examined the effects of covering Norway spruce container seedlings with a reflective shading cloth and neglecting the watering during field storage. This was done by measuring the drying of the seedlings during field storage, the rooting of the seedlings when planting, and the subsequent survival and performance in the field two and three growing seasons after planting. The study comprised one-year-old Norway spruce container seedlings covered with reflective shading cloth and seedlings with no cover (subject to rainfall) in 2012 and 2013; additionally, in 2013, replicates from both treatments were stored in conditions where rainfall was impeded. The stem water potential was measured, a rooting test was carried out, and the seedlings were planted in the test field weekly over 42 days of field storage without watering. As a novel finding, the results indicate that covering the seedlings with a reflective shading cloth during the field storage increased the risk of grey mould in summer storage and led to negative effects regarding post planting seedling development. The application of a shading cloth directly on the seedlings cannot be recommended to prolong the watering intervals during field storage in the current climatic conditions in Southern Finland, where the risk of grey mould is high.

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eeva Terhonen ◽  
Gitta Langer ◽  
Johanna Bußkamp ◽  
David Rӑscuţoi ◽  
Kathrin Blumenstein

Research Highlights: Dedicated experiments to investigate how disturbances will affect Heterobasidion sp.—Norway spruce pathosystems are important, in order to develop different strategies to limit the spread of Heterobasidion annosum s.l. under the predicted climate change. Here, we report on a greenhouse experiment to evaluate the effects of water availability on the infection severity of Heterobasidion parviporum or Heterobasidion annosum, respectively, on Picea abies saplings. Background and Objectives: Changes in climatic conditions and intense logging will continue to promote H. annosum s.l. in conifer forests, increasing annual economic losses. Thus, our aim was to test if disease severity in Norway spruce was greater after infection with H. parviporum or H. annosum in low water availability conditions, compared to seedlings with high water availability. Materials and Methods: We performed inoculation studies of three-year-old saplings in a greenhouse. Saplings were treated as high (+) or low (−) water groups: High water group received double the water amount than the low water group. The necrosis observed after pathogen inoculation was measured and analyzed. Results: The seedling growth was negatively influenced in the lower water group. In addition, the water availability enhanced the necrosis length of H. parviporum in phloem and sapwood (vertical length) in the low water group. H. annosum benefited only in horizontal length in the phloem. Conclusions: Disturbances related to water availability, especially low water conditions, can have negative effects on the tree host and benefit the infection ability of the pathogens in the host.


Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 943
Author(s):  
Katri Nissinen ◽  
Virpi Virjamo ◽  
Antti Kilpeläinen ◽  
Veli-Pekka Ikonen ◽  
Laura Pikkarainen ◽  
...  

We studied the growth responses of boreal Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) and silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) seedlings to simulated climate warming of an average of 1.3 °C over the growing season in a controlled field experiment in central Finland. We had six replicate plots for elevated and ambient temperature for each tree species. The warming treatment lasted for the conifers for three growing seasons and for the birch two growing seasons. We measured the height and diameter growth of all the seedlings weekly during the growing season. The shoot and root biomass and their ratios were measured annually in one-third of seedlings harvested from each plot in autumn. After two growing seasons, the height, diameter and shoot biomass were 45%, 19% and 41% larger in silver birch seedlings under the warming treatment, but the root biomass was clearly less affected. After three growing seasons, the height, diameter, shoot and root biomass were under a warming treatment 39, 47, 189 and 113% greater in Scots pine, but the root:shoot ratio 29% lower, respectively. The corresponding responses of Norway spruce to warming were clearly smaller (e.g., shoot biomass 46% higher under a warming treatment). As a comparison, the relative response of height growth in silver birch was after two growing seasons equal to that measured in Scots pine after three growing seasons. Based on our findings, especially silver birch seedlings, but also Scots pine seedlings benefitted from warming, which should be taken into account in forest regeneration in the future.


Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1726
Author(s):  
Nasr H. Gomaa ◽  
Ahmad K. Hegazy ◽  
Arafat Abdel Hamed Abdel Latef

Perennial shrub-annual plant interactions play key roles in desert regions influencing the structure and dynamics of plant communities there. In the present study, carried out in northwestern Saudi Arabia, we examined the effect of Haloxylon salicornicum shrubs on their associated understory annual species across four consecutive growing seasons, along with a record of the seasonal rainfall patterns. We measured density and species richness of all the annual species in permanent quadrats located beneath individual shrubs, as well as in the spaces between shrubs. During wet growing season H. salicornicum shrubs significantly enhanced the density and species richness of sub-canopy species, whereas in the relatively dry seasons they exerted negative effects on the associated species. In all growing seasons, the presence of shrubs was associated with enhanced soil properties, including increased organic carbon content, silt + clay, and levels of nutrients (N, P and K). Shrubs improved soil moisture content beneath their canopies in the wet growing season, while in the dry seasons they had negative effects on water availability. Differences in effects of H. salicornicum on understory plants between growing seasons seem due to the temporal changes in the impact of shrubs on water availability. Our results suggest the facilitative effects of shrubs on sub-canopy annuals in arid ecosystems may switch to negative effects with increasing drought stress. We discuss the study in light of recent refinements of the well-known “stress-gradient hypothesis”.


2008 ◽  
Vol 88 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
C F Drury ◽  
X M Yang ◽  
W D Reynolds ◽  
N B McLaughlin

It is well established that nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from agricultural land are influenced by the type of crop grown, the form and amount of nitrogen (N) applied, and the soil and climatic conditions under which the crop is grown. Crop rotation adds another dimension that is often overlooked, however, as the crop residue being decomposed and supplying soluble carbon to soil biota is usually from a different crop than the crop that is currently growing. Hence, the objective of this study was to compare the influence of both the crop grown and the residues from the preceding crop on N2O and CO2 emissions from soil. In particular, N2O and CO2 emissions from monoculture cropping of corn, soybean and winter wheat were compared with 2 -yr and 3-yr crop rotations (corn-soybean or corn-soybean-winter wheat). Each phase of the rotation was measured each year. Averaged over three growing seasons (from April to October), annual N2O emissions were about 3.1 to 5.1 times greater in monoculture corn (2.62 kg N ha-1) compared with either monoculture soybean (0.84 kg N ha-1) or monoculture winter wheat (0.51 kg N ha-1). This was due in part to the higher inorganic N levels in the soil resulting from the higher N application rate with corn (170 kg N ha-1) than winter wheat (83 kg N ha-1) or soybean (no N applied). Further, the previous crop also influenced the extent of N2O emissions in the current crop year. When corn followed corn, the average N2O emissions (2.62 kg N ha-1) were about twice as high as when corn followed soybean (1.34 kg N ha-1) and about 60% greater than when corn followed winter wheat (1.64 kg N ha-1). Monoculture winter wheat had about 45% greater CO2 emissions than monoculture corn or 51% greater emissions than monoculture soybean. In the corn phase, CO2 emissions were greater when the previous crop was winter wheat (5.03 t C ha-1) than when it was soybean (4.20 t C ha-1) or corn (3.91 t C ha-1). Hence, N2O and CO2 emissions from agricultural fields are influenced by both the current crop and the previous crop, and this should be accounted for in both estimates and forecasts of the emissions of these important greenhouse gases. Key words: Denitrification, soil respiration, rotation, crop residue


Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 247
Author(s):  
Aida Albu ◽  
Cristina-Gabriela Radu-Rusu ◽  
Ioan Mircea Pop ◽  
Gabriela Frunza ◽  
Gherasim Nacu

Romania is known among the main European honey producers, due to the variety of landforms as well as the diversity of the flora. Thirty-four honey samples of the acacia, linden and multifloral types, produced in eastern Romania and collected during 2013–2018, were physico-chemically analyzed using methods provided by the national and EU standards. The results of water-insoluble solids, color and refractive index were found to be 0.023–0.131%, 0.3–76.4 mm Pfund and 1.485–1.499, respectively. The moisture content ranged between 15.20% and 20.77%, solid substances content ranged between 79.23% and 84.80% and total soluble substances content ranged between 77.83 °Brix and 83.26 °Brix. The obtained values of specific gravity were from 1.414 to 1.450 g/cm3, pH ranged from 3.673 to 5.503 and free acidity ranged between 2.4 meq and 50 meq kg−1. The ash content and the electrical conductivity varied between 0.030 and 0.543% and 130 and 679 µS cm−1, respectively. Pearsonʹs correlation analysis showed an intense association of the ash content with electrical conductivity (r = 0.81). Our findings reveal the qualitative level of Romanian honey and the variation in quality parameters due to factors such as geographical region, climatic conditions, botanical origin and handling or storage conditions.


2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 515-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tore Skrøppa ◽  
Ketil Kohmann ◽  
Øystein Johnsen ◽  
Arne Steffenrem ◽  
Øyvind M. Edvardsen

We present results from early tests and field trials of offspring from two Norway spruce ( Picea abies (L.) Karst.) seed orchards containing clones that have been transferred from high altitudes to sea level and from northern to southern latitudes. Seedlings from seeds produced in the low-altitude seed orchard developed frost hardiness later at the end of the growth season, flushed later in field trials, and grew taller than seedlings from seeds produced in natural stands. They had the lowest mortality rate and the lowest frequency of injuries in the field trials. Similar results were observed in seedlings from seeds produced in the southern seed orchard. We found no adverse effects of the changed growth rhythm. Seedlings from two seed crops in the southern orchard, produced in years with a warm and a cold summer, had different annual growth rhythms. The results are explained mainly by the effects of the climatic conditions during the reproductive phase. Seed crops from different years in the same seed orchard may produce seedlings that perform as if they were from different provenances. It is argued that the effects of the climatic conditions during seed production must contribute to the variation among provenances of Norway spruce.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamed Abbasi

Abstract Objective Human is accustomed to climatic conditions of the environment where they are born and live throughout their lifetime. The aim of this study is to examine mood swings and depression caused by sudden climate changes that have not yet given the humans a chance to adapt. Results Our results showed that depression could be affected by climate change and as a result, the behavior of climatic elements and trends has damaged mental health in the western regions of Iran. By investigating the trends and changes of climatic time series and their relationship with the rate of depression in urban areas of western Iran, it can be said that climate change is probably a mental health challenge for urban populations. Climate change is an important and worrying issue that makes the life difficult. Rapid climate changes in western Iran including rising air temperature, changes in precipitation, its regime, changes cloudiness and the amount of sunlight have a negative effects on health. The results showed that type of increasing or decreasing trend, as well as different climatic elements in various seasons did not have the same effect on the rate of depression in the studied areas.


2008 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 117-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
William S. Keeton

Abstract Riparian forest restoration can be severely constrained by tree seedling mortality. I evaluated the effects of tree shelters and planting density on herbivory and seedling mortality at a restoration site in the Lake Champlain Basin of Vermont. Eighteen experimental units were established along a 5th-order stream and planted with bare-root seedlings of seven species associated with northern hardwood floodplain forests. Two treatments were applied in a factorial design: shelters versus no shelters and high versus low planting density. Mortality and herbivory data were collected over three growing seasons. Survivorship declined to 56.4% after three growing seasons and varied significantly by species. Planting density, presence/absence of shelters, and their interaction had significant effects on survival, browse, or girdling intensity when tested for all species combined. Browse rates were high (44%), whereas girdling rates were low (3.4%). Both browse (P < 0.001) and girdling (P = 0.022) contributed to seedling mortality. High rates of deer browse on seedlings in shelters were due, in part, to the short height (60 cm) of the shelters, suggesting a need for taller shelters. A large portion (39%) of dead seedlings were neither browsed nor girdled, signaling the importance of other mortality agents. An adaptive approach is recommended to compensate for high seedling mortality and the limited effectiveness of protective devices.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-132
Author(s):  
CRIZ RENÊ ZANOVELLO ◽  
FABIANO PACENTCHUK ◽  
JAQUELINE HUZAR-NOVAKOWISKI ◽  
GUILHERME ZAMBONIN ◽  
ANTHONY HASEGAWA SANDINI ◽  
...  

RESUMO – O milho é uma planta monoica, e a geração de novos híbridos exige a remoção do pendão das plantas.Sabe-se que a remoção do pendão possui efeito negativo na produtividade da cultura. Contudo, a aplicação de Ncomplementar, via foliar, poderia minimizar essas perdas. Assim, o objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar como o Ncomplementar afeta a produtividade e os componentes de rendimento da cultura do milho submetida ao despendoamento.O estudo foi conduzido em delineamento de blocos casualizados em esquema fatorial 2 x 3 x 5, sendo duas safras(2014/15 e 2015/16), três momentos de despendoamento (sem despondoamento, arranquio de 2-3 folhas e arranquiode 4-5 folhas antes do pendoamento) e cinco doses de N complementar (0, 5, 10, 15, 20 L ha-1) aplicadas no estádio depré-pendoamento (VT). Não foi verificada interação N complementar X despendoamento para nenhuma das variáveisestudadas. A menor produtividade foi verificada no despendoamento de 4-5 folhas. A aplicação de N complementaraumentou a produtividade da cultura do milho, e a aplicação de 11,5 L ha-1 incrementou a produtividade em 448 kgha-1. O despendoamento diminuiu a produtividade da cultura do milho, quanto mais precoce o despendoamento, maisnegativo é o efeito na produtividade.Palavras-chave: Melhoramento genético, N complementar, pendoamento, produção de sementes, Zea mays.FOLIAR APPLICATION OF COMPLEMENTARY NITROGEN,IN MAIZE SUBJECTED TO DETASSELINGABSTRACT – Maize is a monoic plant and the generation of new hybrids requires the removal of the tassel from theplants, which has a negative effect on crop yield. However, the use of complementary leaf nitrogen (N) fertilization,could minimize the yield losses. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect os the application ofcomplementary N affects on yield of the maize crop subjected to detasseling. The study was carried out in a randomizedcomplete block design, with a 2 x 3 x 5 factorial scheme and four replications. Two growing seasons (2014/15 and2015/16), three detasseling moments (without detasseling, detasseling of 2-3 leaves, and detasseling of 4-5 leaves)and five doses of complementary N (0, 5, 10, 15, 20 L ha-1) applied at the VT stage. There was no interaction betweencomplementary N and detasseling for any of the variables studied. The lowest yield was verified with the detasselingof 4-5 leaves. The application of complementary N showed a positive effect on maize yield, and the application of 11.5L ha-1 of complementary N provided yield increase of 448 kg ha-1. The detasseling technique had negative effects onmaize crop yield, the earlier is the detasseling, the more negative is the effect on yield.Keywords: Genetic improvement, Seed production, tasseling, Zea mays.


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