Choosing an appropriate planting scheme for intensive apple gardens

This article describes the intensive planting of varieties of apples belonging to local and foreign selection in soil and climatic conditions of Tashkent region in 4 different (4.0x2.5; 4.0x2.0; 4.0x1.5 and 4.0x1.0 m.) planting schemes, mainly in varieties with low tree height and small branch size, the effect of planting schemes on tree habitat is small. In contrast, in varieties with high biological growth rate, the effect of planting schemes was found to be high. However, data have shown that as the length of the main branches in apple tree trees decreases, they cause an increase in ring-shaped fruit branches, which in turn affects the yield in the trees by reducing the feeding area.

Evaluation of interaction in the system "genotype of stock-scion/stock combinations of apple tree - habitat" at temperature stresses of the summer period in the Krasnodar Territory

The yield of fruit crops depends significantly on the climatic conditions of growing. High-temperature stresses of the summer growing season can lead to a decrease or even death of the crop. In the Krasnodar Territory, more and more new records of the onset of high temperatures are observed in the summer months, when the average daily temperature exceeds the climatic norm by 4-7 degrees. The purpose of the study is to study the sustainability of apple tree trips for summer high-temperature stresses, an assessment of the interaction in the system "Genotype of stock-scion/stock combinations of apple tree-habitat" in the conditions of a changing climate, as well as identifying the rootstocks that are most adapted to the soil-climatic conditions of the South of Russia. The relevance of the work is due to the enhancement of harmfulness of high-temperature stresses during the passage of the most important stage of laying the generative organs of the future harvest and ripening the current. An assessment of the drought-resistance of the apple trees in conditions of an elevated temperature background was carried out. Apple tree Prikubanskoy cultivar on semi-dwarf rootstock CK 2 and dwarf rootstock M 9 and CK 7, had the greatest leaf boom and their better water-holding ability. The most productive were the trees on the M 9 and SK 7 stocks. In the trees on the semi-dwarf stocks, the highest and steadily growing yield was on the SK 2 stock. Consequently, the implementation of genetic-physiological systems of adaptability of drought-resistant briefings determined the level of yields of the graft trees of the apple tree. The use of apple trees with a high biopotential of resistance to abiotic stress is an element of biologized compensation for the damaging effect of climatic stressors in the ecologized technology for the production of gardening products.

Species Diversity and Distribution Pattern of Heritage Trees in the Rapidly-Urbanizing Province of Jiangsu, China

Heritage trees have important ecological, historical, and landscape values in cities. Rapid urbanization may cause dramatic change of ecosystem functions of cities, thereby inevitably affecting the growth performance of ancient trees. However, few studies have explored their species diversity and spatial differentiation on the medium scale in the scenario of urbanization in China. Here, we took Jiangsu Province in China, with developed economy in recent decades, as a typical case. Based on the provincial forest inventory data, we addressed the abundance, species richness, tree density, and species diversity of ancient trees in 13 cities, and their tree habitat, growth status, and tree age, as well. Then, we compared the spatial differentiation of tree attributes by 13 districts and nine tree habitats. We also applied detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) and redundancy analysis (RDA) to determine the leading factor influencing their distribution pattern. The 7678 heritage trees in Jiangsu belonged to 215 species. More than half of the trees were native with domination by Ginkgo biloba. Villages and farmlands accommodated the most heritage trees while parks and gardens harbored the most species. This indicates that sparsely-populated rural community and scenic areas with open space are conducive to accommodating more urban heritage trees. The tier 3 heritage trees (100–299 years) accounted for about 80% of the total. Overall, most ancient trees in Jiangsu grew well. The species diversity index (H) of 13 cities was between 1.98 and 3.39. The H value among the 13 cities was largely affected by elevation range shift, while the tree density by GDP per capita. DCA showed that the ratio of unique species was >40%, and that dominant species presented little habitat preference. Therefore, species diversity among different cities are affected by climate and topography, as well as human factors. With the accelerating urbanization process, tree habitat, cultural tradition, and urban history should be taken into consideration for management and conservation of heritage trees in the future.

Number and distribution of large old ginkgos in east China: Implications for regional conservation

Large old ginkgos (LOGs), having important ecological, cultural and historical values, are widely distributed in China. However, little is known regarding their quantity and tree-habitat quality in the mesoscale distribution. Here, the quantity, spatial distribution and conservation status of Ginkgo biloba L. older than 100 years in Jiangsu Province, east China were examined using ArcGIS software and detrended correspondence analysis (DCA). Based on our collated data, Jiangsu Province included 2,123 LOG individuals and 237 LOG groves and both mostly occurred in southern and central Jiangsu. Most LOGs grew well and were distributed in villages, temples and government institutions. Ginkgos’ growth status was largely associated with tree-habitat types. LOGs performed worse in commercial areas, roadsides and residential districts than in other tree-habitat types. To protect these ginkgos, dynamic monitoring and strengthening of scientific management are required, especially for tree-habitats in the process of urban planning and construction. It is also necessary to improve the relationship between religious culture and conservation measures. This is the first study examining LOGs in Jiangsu Province using a unified standard and our findings provide a baseline for future studies and insights into the regional conservation of LOGs.

Abundance of arthropod insect pests and natural enemies in rice field as influenced by rice growth stages and neighboring crops

Studies were conducted to record the abundance of arthropod insect pests and natural enemies in rice fields as influenced by rice growth stages and neighboring crops at the experimental farm of Patuakhali Science and Technology University (PSTU), Dumki, Patuakhali during 2012 in Boro rice season following randomized complete block design. Results indicated that rice-tree habitat showed the highest abundance of leafhoppers (100.75) followed by cricket (16.50), grasshoppers (15.25) and stink bugs (15.25). The lowest abundance of all insect pests was in rice-sesame habitat. No significant differences were found on the abundance of rice bug, rice hispa and stem borer populations. At seedling stage, the highest abundance of leafhopper (94.25) was recorded followed by grasshopper (47.00) and stink bug (26.50) while the lowest was stem borer (0.57) and rice hispa (6.00). At early tillering stage, maximum number of grasshopper (17.25) was recorded followed by cricket (7.00). At maximum tillering stage, the highest abundance of leafhoppers (122.5) was obtained followed by rice bug (62.00) and the lowest was the stink bug (7.00). At panical initiation stage, the highest abundance of rice bug (334.00) was recorded which was followed by leafhoppers (65.25) and the lowest was the cricket (15.75). No population of rice hispa and stem borer was recorded at maximum tillering and panical initiation stages. In case of natural enemies, the highest abundance of lady bird beetle (45.27) and damselfly (16.73) was found in rice-rice habitat. The highest abundance of ichneumonid wasp (57.53) was in rice-tree habitat and ground beetle (28.80) was in rice-sesame habitat. No significant differences were observed on the abundance of dragonfly, spider and dipteran fly among different habitats. Among different growth stages of rice plant, significantly the highest abundance of lady bird beetle was recorded at maximum tillering stage. The highest abundance of ichneumonid wasp and ground beetle was recorded at seedling stage. The highest abundance of damselfly, spider and dipteran fly was at early tillering stage. No significant difference was observed on the abundance of dragonfly among different rice growth stages.Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 42(2): 309-319, June 2017

Is wood safe for its inhabitants?

The generally accepted assumption on the low mortality pressure for inside-tree habitat was challenged in this study. To achieve this objective, the number of larval instars of xylem-feeding Aredolpona rubra (L.) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) was determined using multidimensional statistics, and the life table was constructed based on the head-width distribution of larvae taken from the field. The mean value of natural mortality of an average larva was then compared with data available for other wood-feeding species and contrasted with insects from other feeding guilds. The results show that larvae living in wood experience lower mortality rates than those from other habitats and that, among the wood-feeders, the mortality rate of larvae decreases while development time increases further inside the tree.