The effect of spruce plantation density on resilience of mixed forests in the Perm Krai

Over the course of the last few decades, many countries across the globe have experienced mass desiccation of spruce plantations. The subject of our research was the spruce forests of the Russian Perm Krai’s mixed forest zone. Spruce is a shade–tolerant tree species and low plantation density may adversely affect the spruce health. The aim of this research is to establish how influential the spruce stand density is on causing desiccation in mixed zones in the Perm Krai. The results of an on-site survey which had recorded spruce desiccation in 2017 were analysed. Within the boundaries of the aforementioned forest areas, 2017 saw the desiccation of spruce trees in 301 forest allotments covering an area of 5,343.7 ha. The value of the weighted average category of spruce forest health in Prikamye varies from 2.7 (severely weakened) to 4.2 (desiccating), and the percentage of the volume of spruce deadwood varies from 17% to 59.5%. When the spruce stand density rises from 0.4 to 0.8, spruce stand resilience to desiccation increases.

EFFECTS OF IRRIGATION, PLANTATION DENSITY AND clonal composition ON WOODY BIOMASS QUALITY FOR BIOENERGY IN A SHORT ROTATION CULTURE SYSTEM WITH WILLOWS (Salix spp.)

ABSTRACT A short rotation intensive system with willows was analyzed with the following aims: a - to determine the effects of irrigation, genotype and plantation density on wood anatomy, wood density, moisture content, lower heating value, total ash content and energy accumulated in the woody biomass; b - to explore the relationships between anatomical and physical wood properties and the parameters determining their quality as a biofuel. A complete factorial experiment was set up, with three factors and two levels for each factor. The factors were: irrigation, plantation density and clone (genotype). The clones were Salix matsudana Koidz. x Salix alba L. ‘Barrett 13-44 INTA´ (B) and Salix alba L. ‘Yaguareté INTA - CIEF´ (Y). 46 stools of 1 m long were sampled, on which the following determinations were carried out: vessel diameter and frequency, fiber wall thickness and area, wood density, moisture content, ash content and heating values. Clone B had higher wood density than clone Y (0.406 vs. 0.395 g/cm3) and lower moisture content (47.11 vs. 50.53 %). The plantation density did not affect any of the variables analyzed. Irrigation increased the energy yield to 393.2 Gj/ha, compared to 309.15 Gj/ha without irrigation. A system with clone B planted at a lower density (13,000 plants/ha) and under irrigation has the best advantage as an energetic crop over the other alternatives evaluated in this work.

Weed Interference Periods and Transplanting Densities of Onion Crop in the Brazilian Region of Guarapuava, PR1

ABSTRACT The study was conducted with the objective of determining the critical periods of interference prevention (CPIP) and the best period for the management of weeds community in onion crop Crioula Mercosul genotype, transplanted in distinct plants densities. The experiment was carried out in field conditions in the Brazilian municipality of Guarapuava, Paraná State, during the 2012 and 2013 agricultural years, at Universidade Estadual do Centro-Oeste - UNICENTRO. Treatments were disposed in randomized complete blocks and experimental design, with five repetitions, consisting of weeds coexistence periods and weeds control at 14, 28, 56, 112 and 168 days after transplanting the seedlings (DATS), using 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0 million plants ha-1. Weeds community was evaluated through a phytosociological survey at the end of each coexistence period in relation to yield and commercial quality of bulbs. Bulbs yield of transplanted onion was significantly affected by weeds coexistence, reaching 100% of losses. From adjusted models, viability was not observed in increasing plantation density as a practice that may favor the necessary reduction of weeds control. Onion plants transplanted in August 2012 and July 2013 presented CPIP, respectively, of 23 at 76 and 21 at 120 DATS for commercial bulbs yield, and of 20 at 55 and 26 at 112 DATS for total bulbs yield, respectively.

A Permutation-Randomization Approach to Test the Spatial Distribution of Plant Diseases

The analysis of the spatial distribution of plant diseases requires the availability of trustworthy geostatistical methods. The mean distance tests (MDT) are here proposed as a series of permutation and randomization tests to assess the spatial distribution of plant diseases when the variable of phytopathological interest is categorical. A user-friendly software to perform the tests is provided. Estimates of power and type I error, obtained with Monte Carlo simulations, showed the reliability of the MDT (power > 0.80; type I error < 0.05). A biological validation on the spatial distribution of spores of two fungal pathogens causing root rot on conifers was successfully performed by verifying the consistency between the MDT responses and previously published data. An application of the MDT was carried out to analyze the relation between the plantation density and the distribution of the infection of Gnomoniopsis castanea, an emerging fungal pathogen causing nut rot on sweet chestnut. Trees carrying nuts infected by the pathogen were randomly distributed in areas with different plantation densities, suggesting that the distribution of G. castanea was not related to the plantation density. The MDT could be used to analyze the spatial distribution of plant diseases both in agricultural and natural ecosystems.

Justification of formation parameters of plantation density of sugar beet

Questions of influence of average interval, accuracy of application of intervals between shoots and field germination of seeds on relative harvest are considered. The depen-dences of the relative yield of sugar beet from the average interval between shoots, the coefficient of variation of the interval between shoots with the influence of field germination are got. These dependencies are installed with process simulation of flow transformation of seeds obtained from the sowing, in the flow of plants and then calculating the relative yields. The basis of the simulation is mathematical, logical and experimental data, so the results are close to the actual ones.

Effect of the density of transplants in reforestation on the morphological quality of the above-ground part of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) six years after planting

Quality of the above-ground part of European beech planted at different densities and spacing patterns for the purpose of artificial forest regeneration was monitored 3, 4 and 6 years after planting. The initial numbers of beech transplants were 5,000 pcs.ha−1, 10,000 pcs.ha−1, 15,000 pcs.ha−1 and 20,000 pcs.ha−1. The spacing pattern of transplants was either square or rectangular nearly in all variants: 1.4 × 1.4 m, 2 × 1 m, 1 × 1 m, 0.8 × 0.8 m, 1 ×0.65 m, 0.7 × 0.7 m and 1 × 0.5 m. Conclusions following out from the research are as follows: 1. neither the chosen density of transplants nor their spacing pattern had an essential influence on the after-planting loss or damage of trees; 2. through the planting of larger-diameter transplants it is possible to achieve canopy closure more rapidly as well as faster growth of the plantation; these beech plants keep the edge in growth and quality even 6 years after planting; 3. the higher is the beech plantation density, the less individuals occur in such a plantation with inappropriate stem form; 4. beech plants of the worst quality were found on plots with the lowest initial density of transplants (5,000 and 10,000 pcs.ha−1), yet the number of promising trees was sufficient even there. Thus, none of the experimental numbers of transplants per hectare or spacing arrangements of the European beech transplants can be claimed as inappropriate; however, further monitoring of the plots is necessary.