scholarly journals Faidherbia albida (Delile) Tree Dieback Effects on Crop Production in the Parkland Agroforests of Southwestern Niger

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Abasse Tougiani ◽  
Moussa Massaoudou ◽  
Adamou Haougui ◽  
Amadou Laouali ◽  
John C. Weber
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Large Diameter ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Small Diameter ◽  
West African ◽  
Agroforestry Parkland ◽  
Tree Dieback ◽  
Small Diameter Trees

Faidherbiaalbida is an agroforestry tree species playing important agroecological and socioeconomic roles in arid and semiarid zones in Africa. For many years, anthropogenic and abiotic stresses were considered as the main threats for the species in West African parkland agroforests. Considerable dieback has recently occurred in F. albida trees of parkland agroforests in central southwestern Niger, and the causes are unknown. The objectives of this study are to (i) investigate the magnitude of dieback of F. albida trees and (ii) assess local community perceptions of the effects of F. albida dieback on crop production. The health status and phenology of 213 F. albida trees were observed in the area where the dieback is occurring. Similarly, a sample of 144 people, 86% of which were farmers, was surveyed. Dieback incidence of F. albida trees was 19%, with mortality of 6%. Large-diameter trees had greater dieback than small-diameter trees. The most affected parts of the tree were the branches at 54% and the trunks at 39%. The populations noted a 33–55% reduction in the yields of major crops. This dieback of F. albida trees poses a serious threat to the survival of rural communities. Further studies can be conducted to identify the cause or cause of the dieback to guide the suitable agroforestry parkland management strategies.

scholarly journals The importance of large-diameter trees to the creation of snag and deadwood biomass

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
James A. Lutz ◽  
Soren Struckman ◽  
Sara J. Germain ◽  
Tucker J. Furniss
Keyword(s):  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Large Diameter ◽  
Small Diameter ◽  
Tsuga Heterophylla ◽  
Spatially Explicit ◽  
Causes Of Mortality ◽  
Small Diameter Trees ◽  
Time Required ◽  
Almost All

Abstract Background Baseline levels of tree mortality can, over time, contribute to high snag densities and high levels of deadwood (down woody debris) if fire is infrequent and decomposition is slow. Deadwood can be important for tree recruitment, and it plays a major role in terrestrial carbon cycling, but deadwood is rarely examined in a spatially explicit context. Methods Between 2011 and 2019, we annually tracked all trees and snags ≥1 cm in diameter and mapped all pieces of deadwood ≥10 cm diameter and ≥1 m in length in 25.6 ha of Tsuga heterophylla / Pseudotsuga menziesii forest. We analyzed the amount, biomass, and spatial distribution of deadwood, and we assessed how various causes of mortality that contributed uniquely to deadwood creation. Results Compared to aboveground woody live biomass of 481 Mg ha−1 (from trees ≥10 cm diameter), snag biomass was 74 Mg ha−1 and deadwood biomass was 109 Mg ha−1 (from boles ≥10 cm diameter). Biomass from large-diameter trees (≥60 cm) accounted for 85%, 88%, and 58%, of trees, snags, and deadwood, respectively. Total aboveground woody live and dead biomass was 668 Mg ha−1. The annual production of downed wood (≥10 cm diameter) from tree boles averaged 4 Mg ha−1 yr−1. Woody debris was spatially heterogeneous, varying more than two orders of magnitude from 4 to 587 Mg ha−1 at the scale of 20 m × 20 m quadrats. Almost all causes of deadwood creation varied in importance between large-diameter trees and small-diameter trees. Biomass of standing stems and deadwood had weak inverse distributions, reflecting the long period of time required for trees to reach large diameters following antecedent tree mortalities and the centennial scale time required for deadwood decomposition. Conclusion Old-growth forests contain large stores of biomass in living trees, as well as in snag and deadwood biomass pools that are stable long after tree death. Ignoring biomass (or carbon) in deadwood pools can lead to substantial underestimations of sequestration and stability.

scholarly journals Bayesian Predictions of Bark Beetle Attack and Mortality of Three Conifer Species During Epidemic and Endemic Population Stages

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Bretfeld ◽  
Heather N. Speckman ◽  
Daniel P. Beverly ◽  
Brent E. Ewers
Keyword(s):  
Bark Beetle ◽  
Bark Beetles ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Large Diameter ◽  
Small Diameter ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Engelmann Spruce ◽  
Attack Patterns ◽  
Small Diameter Trees

Bark beetles naturally inhabit forests and can cause large-scale tree mortality when they reach epidemic population numbers. A recent epidemic (1990s–2010s), primarily driven by mountain pine beetles (Dendroctonus ponderosae), was a leading mortality agent in western United States forests. Predictive models of beetle populations and their impact on forests largely depend on host related parameters, such as stand age, basal area, and density. We hypothesized that bark beetle attack patterns are also dependent on inferred beetle population densities: large epidemic populations of beetles will preferentially attack large-diameter trees, and successfully kill them with overwhelming numbers. Conversely, small endemic beetle populations will opportunistically attack stressed and small trees. We tested this hypothesis using 12 years of repeated field observations of three dominant forest species (lodgepole pine Pinus contorta, Engelmann spruce Picea engelmannii, and subalpine fir Abies lasiocarpa) in subalpine forests of southeastern Wyoming paired with a Bayesian modeling approach. The models provide probabilistic predictions of beetle attack patterns that are free of assumptions required by frequentist models that are often violated in these data sets. Furthermore, we assessed seedling/sapling regeneration in response to overstory mortality and hypothesized that higher seedling/sapling establishment occurs in areas with highest overstory mortality because resources are freed from competing trees. Our results indicate that large-diameter trees were more likely to be attacked and killed by bark beetles than small-diameter trees during epidemic years for all species, but there was no shift toward preferentially attacking small-diameter trees in post-epidemic years. However, probabilities of bark beetle attack and mortality increased for small diameter lodgepole pine and Engelmann spruce trees in post-epidemic years compared to epidemic years. We also show an increase in overall understory growth (graminoids, forbs, and shrubs) and seedling/sapling establishment in response to beetle-caused overstory mortality, especially in lodgepole pine dominated stands. Our observations provide evidence of the trajectories of attack and mortality as well as early forest regrowth of three common tree species during the transition from epidemic to post-epidemic stages of bark beetle populations in the field.

Differences in the brain stem terminations of large- and small-diameter vestibular primary afferents

1995 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 1362-1366 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Huwe ◽  
E. H. Peterson
Keyword(s):  
Brain Stem ◽  
Large Diameter ◽  
Small Diameter ◽  
Movement Control ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Significant Shift ◽  
Axon Diameter ◽  
Vestibular Complex ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Adjacent Brain

1. We visualized the central axons of 32 vestibular afferents from the posterior canal by extracellular application of horseradish peroxidase, reconstructed them in three dimensions, and quantified their morphology. Here we compare the descending limbs of central axons that differ in parent axon diameter. 2. The brain stem distribution of descending limb terminals (collaterals and associated varicosities) varies systematically with parent axon diameter. Large-diameter afferents concentrate their terminals in rostral regions of the medial/descending nuclei. As axon diameter decreases, there is a significant shift of terminal concentration toward the caudal vestibular complex and adjacent brain stem. 3. Rostral and caudal regions of the medial/descending nuclei have different labyrinthine, cerebellar, intrinsic, commissural, and spinal connections; they are believed to play different roles in head movement control. Our data help clarify the functions of large- and small-diameter afferents by showing that they contribute differentially to rostral and caudal vestibular complex.

scholarly journals Detection and Analysis of Degree of Maize Lodging Using UAV-RGB Image Multi-Feature Factors and Various Classification Methods

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 309
Author(s):  
Zixu Wang ◽  
Chenwei Nie ◽  
Hongwu Wang ◽  
Yong Ao ◽  
Xiuliang Jin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Accurate Determination ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Canopy Structure ◽  
Object Oriented ◽  
Texture Features ◽  
Sowing Date ◽  
Kappa Coefficient ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
Field Management

Maize (Zea mays L.), one of the most important agricultural crops in the world, which can be devastated by lodging, which can strike maize during its growing season. Maize lodging affects not only the yield but also the quality of its kernels. The identification of lodging is helpful to evaluate losses due to natural disasters, to screen lodging-resistant crop varieties, and to optimize field-management strategies. The accurate detection of crop lodging is inseparable from the accurate determination of the degree of lodging, which helps improve field management in the crop-production process. An approach was developed that fuses supervised and object-oriented classifications on spectrum, texture, and canopy structure data to determine the degree of lodging with high precision. The results showed that, combined with the original image, the change of the digital surface model, and texture features, the overall accuracy of the object-oriented classification method using random forest classifier was the best, which was 86.96% (kappa coefficient was 0.79). The best pixel-level supervised classification of the degree of maize lodging was 78.26% (kappa coefficient was 0.6). Based on the spatial distribution of degree of lodging as a function of crop variety, sowing date, densities, and different nitrogen treatments, this work determines how feature factors affect the degree of lodging. These results allow us to rapidly determine the degree of lodging of field maize, determine the optimal sowing date, optimal density and optimal fertilization method in field production.

scholarly journals Community seed network in an era of climate change: dynamics of maize diversity in Yucatán, Mexico

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianna Fenzi ◽  
Paul Rogé ◽  
Angel Cruz-Estrada ◽  
John Tuxill ◽  
Devra Jarvis
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Seed Systems ◽  
Farming Community ◽  
Climate Resilience ◽  
Maize Diversity ◽  
Climatic Period ◽  
Small Holder Farmers

AbstractLocal seed systems remain the fundamental source of seeds for many crops in developing countries. Climate resilience for small holder farmers continues to depend largely on locally available seeds of traditional crop varieties. High rainfall events can have as significant an impact on crop production as increased temperatures and drought. This article analyzes the dynamics of maize diversity over 3 years in a farming community of Yucatán state, Mexico, where elevated levels of precipitation forced farmers in 2012 to reduce maize diversity in their plots. We study how farmers maintained their agroecosystem resilience through seed networks, examining the drivers influencing maize diversity and seed provisioning in the year preceding and following the 2012 climatic disturbance (2011–2013). We found that, under these challenging circumstances, farmers focused their efforts on their most reliable landraces, disregarding hybrids. We show that farmers were able to recover and restore the diversity usually cultivated in the community in the year following the critical climate event. The maize dynamic assessed in this study demonstrates the importance of community level conservation of crop diversity. Understanding farmer management strategies of agrobiodiversity, especially during a challenging climatic period, is necessary to promote a more tailored response to climate change in traditional farming systems.

scholarly journals Elastic Modulus and Elasticity Ratio of Malignant Breast Lesions with Shear Wave Ultrasound Elastography: Variations with Different Region of Interest and Lesion Size

Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1015
Author(s):  
Antonio Bulum ◽  
Gordana Ivanac ◽  
Eugen Divjak ◽  
Iva Biondić Špoljar ◽  
Martina Džoić Dominković ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Elastic Modulus ◽  
Shear Wave ◽  
Large Diameter ◽  
Small Diameter ◽  
Shear Wave Elastography ◽  
Lesion Size ◽  
Ultrasound Elastography ◽  
Breast Lesions ◽  
Malignant Breast ◽  
The Impact

Shear wave elastography (SWE) is a type of ultrasound elastography with which the elastic properties of breast tissues can be quantitatively assessed. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of different regions of interest (ROI) and lesion size on the performance of SWE in differentiating malignant breast lesions. The study included 150 female patients with histopathologically confirmed malignant breast lesions. Minimal (Emin), mean (Emean), maximal (Emax) elastic modulus and elasticity ratio (e-ratio) values were measured using a circular ROI size of 2, 4 and 6 mm diameters and the lesions were divided into large (diameter ≥ 15 mm) and small (diameter < 15 mm). Highest Emin, Emean and e-ratio values and lowest variability were observed when using the 2 mm ROI. Emax values did not differ between different ROI sizes. Larger lesions had significantly higher Emean and Emax values, but there was no difference in e-ratio values between lesions of different sizes. In conclusion, when measuring the Emin, Emean and e-ratio of malignant breast lesions using SWE the smallest possible ROI size should be used regardless of lesion size. ROI size has no impact on Emax values while lesion size has no impact on e-ratio values.

Analysis Influence of Pile Embedded Depth and Diameter on Pile Tip Resistance

2013 ◽  
Vol 353-356 ◽  
pp. 459-462
Author(s):  
Ying Jie Zheng ◽  
Bin Fang ◽  
Lian Xiang Li
Keyword(s):  
Large Diameter ◽  
Small Diameter ◽  
Stiffness Ratio ◽  
Initial Stiffness ◽  
Tip Resistance

Pile tip absolute settlement curves and relative settlement curves of several working cases were analyzed. It is found that load-settlement curve characteristic related to the selection standard. The tip resistance initial stiffness of each case was analyzed. Results show that the small diameter pile has higher initial stiffness than large diameter pile, embedded depth has little influence on initial stiffness ratio, but increment of initial stiffness is linear with embedded depth growth.

Evaluation of moisture reduction in small diameter trees after crushing

1991 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald L. Sirois ◽  
Cynthia L. Rawlins ◽  
Bryce J. Stokes
Keyword(s):  
Small Diameter ◽  
Small Diameter Trees

New method of poultry selection

2021 ◽  
pp. 61-66
Author(s):  
E. Rehleckaya ◽  
A. Dymkov ◽  
L. Lazarets ◽  
A. Maltsev
Keyword(s):  
Egg Production ◽  
Initial Period ◽  
Large Diameter ◽  
Small Diameter ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Individual Variability ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
New Method ◽  
Egg Diameter ◽  
Correlation Rate

Purpose: Install the influence of the «small diameter of the egg» on the living mass and the reproductive qualities of chickens of meat crosses and the quail of meat breeds.Materials and methods. The selection was carried out along egg production and mass of eggs and additionally on the average small diameter of 5 eggs by value of ≥0.5σ from the average for the herd, while the evaluation on the basis of the «small diameter of the egg» was carried out in chickens aged 238 days of life, quails — 70 days of life. Calculated the average for each female and the average for the herd. For further reproduction, chickens carrying eggs with a small egg diameter ≥0.5σ from the average for the herd. Studies were held in SibNIP on quail and on the courses.Results. In the initial period of the egg laying, the individual variability of the small diameter of the egg — more than 10% (in the future, the figure decreased). The close correlation rate of the small egg diameter in the first half of the egg laying with such at the end of the bird's operation period was revealed. It has been established that the large diameter of the egg has a positive reliable connection with a lively mass, but negative with egg production. The reliable correlation rate of the small diameter of the egg with a live weight at a 42-day age, as well as with the derivation of eggs. The inheritance coefficients of the small diameter of the egg are comparable to the inheritance coefficients of the mass of eggs and significantly exceed those for a large diameter of the egg. The selection according to the small diameter of the eggs by ≥0.5σ from the average for the herd led to the fact that the chickens of the experimental groups reliably exceeded the live weight in the SB level of 1.57%, in the line G8 — by 1.35%. The superiority of a lively mass of quail of experienced groups was more pronounced than that of the chickens: the Pharaoh breed — by 4.15%, the Texas white breed is 4.22%. In relation to the derivation of eggs, a similar trend was traced. The derivation of eggs in quails of experienced groups was more than 4.59–4.98%; Country, respectively, 4.57–5.22%. Egg production of females of comparable groups of both chickens and quail was almost on the same level, and the difference was unreliable.Conclusion. It was established that a new method of breeding the poultry of the meat direction of productivity allows without decreasing egg production to increase the living mass of chickens of meat crosses by 1.5%, rewinds of meat breeds — by 4%, the derivation of eggs, respectively, by 4–5%. The method is intended for early prediction of females productivity during breeding selection.

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