Identification of a Novel Geminivirus in Fraxinus rhynchophylla in Korea

Fraxinus rhynchophylla, common name ash, belongs to the family Oleaceae and is found in China, Korea, North America, the Indian subcontinent, and eastern Russia. It has been used as a traditional herbal medicine in Korea and various parts of the world due to its chemical constituents. During a field survey in March 2019, mild vein thickening (almost negligible) was observed in a few ash trees. High-throughput sequencing of libraries of total DNA from ash trees, rolling-circle amplification (RCA), and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) allowed the identification of a Fraxinus symptomless virus. This virus has five confirmed open reading frames along with a possible sixth open reading frame that encodes the movement protein and is almost 2.7 kb in size, with a nonanucleotide and stem loop structure identical to begomoviruses. In terms of its size and structure, this virus strongly resembles begomoviruses, but does not show any significant sequence identity with them. To confirm movement of the virus within the trees, different parts of infected trees were examined, and viral movement was successfully observed. No satellite molecules or DNA B were identified. Two-step PCR confirmed the virion and complementary strands during replication in both freshly collected infected samples of ash tree and Nicotiana benthamiana samples agro-inoculated with infectious clones. This taxon is so distantly grouped from other known geminiviruses that it likely represents a new geminivirus genus.

Topophilia: a Cistercian monastry in Australia's land of fire

<p>On a portion of sacred Aboriginal land, formerly the resting place of Coranderrk Station, lies Tarrawarra Abbey, Australia’s solitary Cistercian monastery. Established in 1954, Tarrawarra Abbey represented an opportunity for a community to emerge that encouraged the interaction and collaboration between European and Aboriginal peoples. Instead, the historical discourse and relationship between Tarrawarra’s monks and Victoria’s Aboriginal people reflects a broader narrative of Australia’s past. Aboriginal histories, their perceptions of the natural world, strategies for managing and caring for the land as well as dispossession are treated as marginal and often invisible elements within a European history, architecture and life. Additionally, with the eradication of Aboriginal people from their position as protectors and guardians of their environment, combined with a changing climate, areas of Victoria’s landscape are now under serious threat as fire-storms continue to plague its most valuable forests. On February 7, 2009, the most destructive fire-storm in Australia’s history ripped through Victoria. With no Aboriginal influence on the landscape to control fuel, ‘Black Saturday’ as it became known, executed centuries old mountain ash trees, forcing them into a compromised state, a landscape trap. Consequently, the surviving stands of mountain ash and vulnerable stands of recent re-growth need protecting. This thesis addresses how site and sensory-based Aboriginal perspectives on the relationship between people, architecture and landscape can drive the manifestation of a ‘new’ and reinterpreted Cistercian monastery. Through this process the monastery will become an architectural scar. As a scar, the reinterpreted monastery and its community of monks and Aborignals will not only contribute to the protection of Kinglake National Park’s injured mountain ash forest and heritage stone water structures, but also assist in the mending of a torn relationship between two cultures.</p>

Topophilia: a Cistercian monastry in Australia's land of fire

<p>On a portion of sacred Aboriginal land, formerly the resting place of Coranderrk Station, lies Tarrawarra Abbey, Australia’s solitary Cistercian monastery. Established in 1954, Tarrawarra Abbey represented an opportunity for a community to emerge that encouraged the interaction and collaboration between European and Aboriginal peoples. Instead, the historical discourse and relationship between Tarrawarra’s monks and Victoria’s Aboriginal people reflects a broader narrative of Australia’s past. Aboriginal histories, their perceptions of the natural world, strategies for managing and caring for the land as well as dispossession are treated as marginal and often invisible elements within a European history, architecture and life. Additionally, with the eradication of Aboriginal people from their position as protectors and guardians of their environment, combined with a changing climate, areas of Victoria’s landscape are now under serious threat as fire-storms continue to plague its most valuable forests. On February 7, 2009, the most destructive fire-storm in Australia’s history ripped through Victoria. With no Aboriginal influence on the landscape to control fuel, ‘Black Saturday’ as it became known, executed centuries old mountain ash trees, forcing them into a compromised state, a landscape trap. Consequently, the surviving stands of mountain ash and vulnerable stands of recent re-growth need protecting. This thesis addresses how site and sensory-based Aboriginal perspectives on the relationship between people, architecture and landscape can drive the manifestation of a ‘new’ and reinterpreted Cistercian monastery. Through this process the monastery will become an architectural scar. As a scar, the reinterpreted monastery and its community of monks and Aborignals will not only contribute to the protection of Kinglake National Park’s injured mountain ash forest and heritage stone water structures, but also assist in the mending of a torn relationship between two cultures.</p>

Fungi from Galleries of the Emerald Ash Borer Produce Cankers in Ash Trees

The emerald ash borer (EAB, Agrilus planipennis) is a devastating invasive pest that has killed millions of ash trees in the United States and Canada. EAB was discovered in the US in 2002 and first reported in Minnesota in 2009. It attacks ash trees that are native to the United States, including Fraxinus americana (white ash), F. nigra (black ash) and F. pennsylvanica (green ash). It also attacks Chionanthus virginicus (white fringe tree). Seven species of fungi isolated and identified only from EAB-infested trees in a previous study as having the potential to cause cankers were used to test their pathogenicity in F. americana (white ash). The fungi used were Cytospora pruinosa, Diplodia mutila, Diplodia seriata, Paraconiothyrium brasiliense, Phaeoacremonium minimum, Phaeoacremonium scolyti, and Thyronectria aurigera. Two field experiments that used F. americana used two inoculation methods: woodchip and agar plug inoculations. Results indicated that all of the fungi tested caused cankers in varying amounts, as compared to the controls. The largest cankers were caused by D. mutila (270 mm2), C. pruinosa (169 mm2), and D. seriata (69 mm2). All fungi except for T. aurigera were re-isolated and sequenced to confirm Kochs’ postulates. Canker-causing fungi found in association with EAB galleries have the potential to contribute to tree dieback and mortality.

Ash Stories: A Spell against Forgetting

This paper will explore The Ash Project (2016-2019), which worked to commission a memorial sculpture and a series of walks, talks, workshops and exhibitions to create closer relationships between ash trees and the local puow trade in plants has created increased risks to plant health, and the way in which plants can perform complex relationships to a collective sense of national and colonial identity, through an exploration of ash migrations to the colonies via acclimatisatioblics. This paper will situate the concerns of the ash within broader thinking about capitalism's intensifying impact on nature. It explores hn societies in Australia and New Zealand. Finally, the paper thinks about how we might perform memorial acts to curate love or care while acknowledging our complex shared histories in multi-species entanglements.

The scientific basis of enrichment of dendroflora of low-forest regions with economically valuable plants

Вопросам адаптации, интродукции, селекции и семеноведения для подбора ассортимента древесных растений, используемых на деградированных землях в аридной зоне при обогащении дендрофлоры малолесных регионов, до настоящего времени уделялось мало внимания. В последние годы согласно нацпроектам «Наука» и «Экология» уделяется большое внимание адаптивной организации территории агро- и урбоэкосистем в целях повышения комфортности проживания населения и экологизации производства сельскохозяйственной продукции. Объекты – дендрологические искусственные насаждения, научно-производственные комплексы, питомники, ассортимент, адаптированный в засушливом поясе России (Нижневолжская станция по селекции древесных пород - филиал ФНЦ агроэкологии РАН; кад. №34:36:000014:178; Волгоградская обл.). Цель – обоснование и подбор адаптированных видов, форм деревьев и кустарников для обогащения дендрофлоры в агролесоводстве и озеленении в Нижнем Поволжье. Методология исследований построена на биоэкологических принципах интродукции, селекции и питомниководства на основе изучения растений в системе «генотип-среда», использовании эколого-хозяйственного потенциала древесных видов с учетом их изменчивости и специфики условий засушливого региона и обогащения дендрофлоры в лесомелиорации и озеленении. На маточных гибридных плантациях сосен, тополей, дубов, кленов и ясеней проведен учет роста, состояния, репродуктивного развития. Дано обоснование и методология биоэкологического подбора адаптированных видов, форм древесных растений в засушливых условиях. Представлен каталог ассортимента для питомниководства экономически важных адаптированных деревьев и кустарников. Получены материалы по выделенным таксонам для оформления объектов интеллектуальной собственности. Внедрение научных разработок проводилось на производственных питомниках Нижневолжской станции по селекции древесных пород. Ежегодная реализация сеянцев и саженцев на сумму около 7 млн. рублей из селекционного улучшенного семенного материала для обогащения дендрофлоры. Область применения: лесное хозяйство, озеленение, питомнические хозяйства, агролесомелиорация, природоохранные органы, образование. Until now, little attention has been paid to the issues of adaptation, introduction, selection and seed science for the selection of an assortment of woody plants used on degraded lands in the arid zone during the enrichment of dendroflora in sparsely forested regions. In recent years, according to the national projects "Science" and "Ecology", much attention has been paid to the adaptive organization of the territory of agro- and urban ecosystems in order to increase the comfort of living for the population and greening the production of agricultural products. Objects - dendrological artificial plantations, research and production complexes, nurseries, an assortment adapted in the arid belt of Russia (Lower Volga station for selection of tree species - branch of the Federal Research Center of Agroecology of the Russian Academy of Sciences; cad. No. 34: 36: 000014: 178; Volgograd region). The goal is to substantiate and select adapted species, forms of trees and shrubs for the enrichment of dendroflora in agroforestry and gardening in the Lower Volga region. The research methodology is based on the bioecological principles of introduction, selection and nursery based on the study of plants in the "genotype-environment" system, the use of the ecological and economic potential of tree species, taking into account their variability and the specific conditions of the arid region and the enrichment of dendroflora in forest reclamation and gardening. On the parent hybrid plantations of pines, poplars, oaks, maples and ash trees, the growth, state, and reproductive development were recorded. The substantiation and methodology of bioecological selection of adapted species and forms of woody plants in arid conditions are given. A catalog of assortment for nursery of economically adapted trees and shrubs is presented. Materials were obtained on the allocated taxa for registration of intellectual property objects. The introduction of scientific developments was carried out at the production nurseries of the Nizhnevolzhskaya station for the selection of tree species. Annual sale of seedlings and seedlings worth about 7 million rubles from the selection of improved seed material for the enrichment of dendroflora. Scope: forestry, landscaping, nursery farms, agroforestry, environmental authorities, education.

Advances in the Detection of Emerging Tree Diseases by Measurements of VOCs and HSPs Gene Expression, Application to Ash Dieback Caused by Hymenoscyphus fraxineus

Ash shoot dieback has now spread throughout Europe. It is caused by an interaction between fungi that attack shoots (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus) and roots (Armillaria spp., in our case Armillaria gallica). While detection of the pathogen is relatively easy when disease symptoms are present, it is virtually impossible when the infestation is latent. Such situations occur in nurseries when seedlings become infected (the spores are carried by the wind several dozen miles). The diseases are masked by pesticides, fertilisers, and adequate irrigation to protect the plants. Root rot that develops in the soil is also difficult to detect. Currently, there is a lack of equipment that can detect root rot pathogens without digging up root systems, which risks damaging trees. For this reason, the use of an electronic nose to detect pathogens in infected tissue of ash trees grown in pots and inoculated with the above fungi was attempted. Disease symptoms were detected in all ash trees exposed to natural infection (via spores) in the forest. The electronic nose was able to detect the pathogens (compared to the control). Detection of the pathogens in seedlings will enable foresters to remove diseased trees and prevent the path from nursery to forest plantations by such selection.

To the variability and ecology of the genus Fraxinus in the Far East

The article clarifies the morphology, variability, species composition and ecology of the ash genus of theRussian Far East in connection with the prospects for their protection and economic use. Hybridization of ash trees hasbeen proven. In the Far East, 5 species of ash are known: Fraxinus mandshurica Rupr., F. rhynchhophylla Hance,F. densataNakai, F. stenopterus Urussov and F. sieboldiana Blume var. serrata Nakai. To study the variability of species, a gene-ecological decoding of specific characters was used, which makes it possible to clarify taxonomy and biology. The article describes the critical signs of ash trees, indicates the places of their growth.

Invasive Populations of Emerald Ash Borer Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, 1888 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) in Saint Petersburg, Russia: a “Hitchhiker”?

Emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis, is an invasive beetle of East Asian origin that in North America and Russia killed millions of ash trees (Fraxinus spp.). In September 2020, EAB was de-tected in Saint Petersburg, becoming resonant event for the metropolitan city. The aim of the present study was to investigate occurrence and ecology of EAB in Saint Petersburg. The presence of two distinct enclave populations of EAB was revealed, each of which has (very likely) been established by separate events of &ldquo;hitchhiking&rdquo; transport vehicles. Following the invasion, further spread of EAB in Saint Petersburg was slow and locally restricted, main explanation for which is climatic factor. Due to spread by &ldquo;hitchhiking&rdquo;, the possibility of EAB further long-distance ge-ographic spread of EAB in the Baltic Sea region (EU) is high, and not only by ground transport (120&ndash;130 km distance from EU borders), but also by ferries transporting cars (traditional means of transportation across the Baltic Sea). In certain cases, development of EAB on F. excelsior was more successful (stem portion colonized, larval densities, number of galleries, exit holes, viable larvae, emerged beetles) than in (adjacent) F. pennsylvanica trees. Observed relatively high EAB-sensitivity of F. excelsior therefore questions the efficacy and benefits of the currently ongoing selection and breeding projects against ash dieback (ADB), caused by Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. Inventory, mapping, and monitoring of surviving F. excelsior trees in areas infested by both ADB and EAB are necessary to acquire genetic resource for work on strategic long-term restoration of F. excelsior, tackling (inevitable) invasion of EAB to the EU.

Alien Pests Can Spread Quickly: Wooly Ash Aphid Prociphilus fraxinifolii (Hemiptera: Eriosomatidae) Has Occupied Europe in 18 Years

Prociphilus fraxinifolii (woolly ash aphid) is a pest of ash trees (Fraxinus spp.). This species, which is native to North America, was first recorded in Europe in 2003, in Budapest, and then began to spread quickly. In 2019–2021, we first detected P. fraxinifolii in Belarus (Brest) and eight regions of European Russia, namely Astrakhan, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Saratov, Smolensk, Tambov, Volgograd and Voronezh regions. By 2021, P. fraxinifolii has spread over a vast territory in Europe: from Spain in the west to the Volga River in the east. The distance between the westernmost and easternmost localities is 4180 km. The known range is disjunctive: Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Spain and 16 regions of European Russia. This case indicates that some alien pests are able to occupy the whole of Europe in less than two decades after the first record in the continent. It is known that P. fraxinifolii can infest native ash species F. excelsior, but all our findings, as well as most findings indicated in the literature, were on F. pennsylvanica introduced from North America. We never found P. fraxinifolii on F. excelsior even near infested F. pennsylvanica trees.