COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE US IMPORTATION SEASONALITY OF WOODEN MOLDINGS MADE OUT OF BRAZILIAN AND CHILEAN CONIFERS

Conifer wood moldings are classified as high value-added wood products and are used for several purposes in civil construction. Brazil is the world’s leading exporter of this product and the United States are its main destination market. It is very important to analyze the behavior of such importations and exportations to set strategies to obtain or increase the competitive advantage and improve the commercialization of these products. The objective of this study was to analyze the US importation seasonality of conifer wood moldings from Brazil and Chile, the main competitor of the Brazilian product in the US market. To write this paper, monthly data of the quantity of US importations of Brazilian and Chilean moldings from the period of 2011 to 2017 were collected from the database of the United States Department of Agriculture/Foreign Agricultural Service. The methodology proposed by Hoffman (2006) was employed to calculate the seasonal and seasonality indexes. The results indicated that the US importation of conifer wood moldings, both from Brazil and Chile, have a seasonal behavior, with great variation of the seasonal index.

Inter- and Intra-Continental Genetic Variation in the Generalist Conifer Wood Saprobic Fungus Phlebiopsis gigantea

Phlebiopsis gigantea (Fr.) Jülich is a well-known generalist conifer wood saprobe and a biocontrol fungus used in several world countries to prevent stump infection by tree pathogenic Heterobasidion fungal species. Previous studies have reported the presence of regional and continental genetic differentiation in host-specific fungi, but the presence of such differentiation for generalist wood saprobes such as P. gigantea has not been often studied or demonstrated. Additionally, little information exists on the distribution of this fungus in western North America. The main purposes of this study were: (I) to assess the presence of P. gigantea in California, (II) to explore the genetic variability of P. gigantea at the intra and inter-continental levels and (III) to analyze the phylogeographic relationships between American and European populations. Seven loci (nrITS, ML5–ML6, ATP6, RPB1, RPB2, GPD and TEF1-α) from 26 isolates of P. gigantea from coniferous forests in diverse geographic distribution and from different hosts were analyzed in this study together with 45 GenBank sequences. One hundred seventy-four new sequences were generated using either universal or specific primers designed in this study. The mitochondrial ML5–ML6 DNA and ATP6 regions were highly conserved and did not show differences between any of the isolates. Conversely, DNA sequences from the ITS, RPB1, RPB2, GPD and TEF1-α loci were variable among samples. Maximum likelihood analysis of GPD and TEF1-α strongly supported the presences of two different subgroups within the species but without congruence or geographic partition, suggesting the presence of retained ancestral polymorphisms. RPB1 and RPB2 sequences separated European isolates from American ones, while the GPD locus separated western North American samples from eastern North American ones. This study reports the presence of P. gigantea in California for the first time using DNA-based confirmation and identifies two older genetically distinct subspecific groups, as well as three genetically differentiated lineages within the species: one from Europe, one from eastern North America and one from California, with the latter presumably including individuals from the rest of western North America. The genetic differentiation identified here among P. gigantea individuals from coniferous forests from different world regions indicates that European isolates of this fungus should not be used in North America (or vice versa), and, likewise, commercially available eastern North American P. gigantea isolates should not be used in western North America forests. The reported lack of host specificity of P. gigantea was documented by the field survey and further reinforces the need to only use local isolates of this biocontrol fungus, given that genetically distinct exotic genotypes of a broad generalist microbe may easily spread and permanently alter the microbial biodiversity of native forest ecosystems.

Fossil woods from the Eocene of Corcovado, Argentinean Patagonia: geological setting and conifer diversity

Eocene paleofloras of Patagonia are diverse and increasingly known. A new assemblage of fossil wood has been recovered from Eocene sediments in Corcovado, western Argentinean Patagonia. The lithological succession (formerly Arroyo Lyn Formation sensu Pesce 1979) is correlated with the Huitrera Formation. The specimens were mostly found embedded in sandstones and conglomerates. One-third of the assemblage are conifers and studied herein. We found four taxonomic types: Agathoxylon cf. antarcticum (Araucariaceae), Phyllocladoxylon antarcticum (Podocarpaceae), Podocarpoxylon dusenii (Podocarpaceae), and Cupressinoxylon hallei (Cupressaceae or Podocarpaceae). The presence of four taxonomic units among only 7 specimens suggests a significant conifer species richness in the assemblage. Araucariaceae and dominant Podocarpaceae are usually found in previously described conifer wood assemblages from the Eocene of Patagonia andAntarctica. The diversity of the conifer assemblage in Corcovado is very similar to that found at Laguna del Hunco (these two localities are 170 km distant), also from the Huitrera Formation. This is consistent with the proposal that the bearing sediments of both localities are from the same stratigraphic unit.

Multi-analytical techniques in characterization and identification of Chinese historical rubbings

For authenticity and conservation purposes, the precious historical rubbings preserved in Wuyuan Museum were studied by multi-analytical techniques including Pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS), SEM-EDS and Herzberg staining method. Through Py-GC/MS analyses, five types of constituents could be detected: (1) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from soot; (2) retene and methyl dehydroabietate from tar of conifer wood; (3) marker compounds of egg; (4) additives of menthol and curcumene compounds; (5) biochemical compounds of bark paper. Based on this analytical results, the ink type, binding media and additives in the ink, as well as the fiber origin source of the rubbing paper could be concluded. The materials information of the rubbings obtained through this study could not only provide evidence for its authenticity, but also supply scientific support for its conservation and restoration.

Kräusel’s eight genera for fossil softwoods: types, nomenclature, and taxonomy

Seventy years after its publication Kräusel’s review of fossil conifer woods is still among the most quoted references in this field. Several of his earlier contributions are foundational works, but they have largely been overlooked, which has led to some misinterpretations. We reviewed the taxonomy and nomenclature of the eight genera Kräusel described for fossil conifer wood. Two of them should not be used. The genus Protophyllocladoxylon is neotypified. Several synonymies are proposed and the way Kräusel used generic names is briefly discussed.

Conifer wood assemblage dominated by Podocarpaceae, early Eocene of Laguna del Hunco, central Argentinean Patagonia

During the early Eocene, Patagonia had highly diverse floras that are primarily known from compression and pollen fossils. Fossil wood studies from this epoch are scarce in the region and largely absent from the Laguna del Hunco flora, which has a highly diverse and excellently preserved compression assemblage. A collection of 26 conifer woods from the Laguna del Hunco fossil-lake beds (early Eocene, ca. 52 Ma) from central-western Patagonia was studied, of which 12 could be identified to genus. The dominant species is Phyllocladoxylon antarcticum, which has affinity with early-diverging Podocarpaceae such as Phyllocladus and Prumnnopitys. A single specimen of Protophyllocladoxylon francisiae probably represents an extinct group of Podocarpaceae. In addition, two taxonomic units of cf. Cupressinoxylon with putative affinity to Podocarpaceae were found. Diverse Podocarpaceae taxa consistent with the affinities of these woods were previously reported from vegetative and reproductive macrofossils as well as pollen grains from the same source unit. Some of the woods have galleries filled with frass. Distinct growth ring boundaries indicate seasonality, inferred to represent seasonal light availability. Growth ring widths suggest that the woods came from mature trees, whereas the widths and types of some rings denote near-uniform temperature and water availability conditions.

Conifer wood biochar as an amendment for agricultural soils in South-Tyrol: impact on greenhouse gases emissions and soil carbon stocks

<p>Biochar is a carbonaceous material produced through the pyro-gasification of biomass. In the last decade, biochar has been proposed as a soil amendment because it can improve soil physico-chemical properties and carbon stocks, contributing to climate change mitigation.</p><p>In the framework of the Wood-Up project (Optimization of WOOD gasification chain in South Tyrol to prodUce bioenergy and other high-value green Products to enhance soil fertility and mitigate climate change, FESR1028), we studied the impact of conifer wood biochar on the emissions of the main greenhouse gases (GHGs) from the soil: carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>), nitrous oxide (N<sub>2</sub>O) and methane (CH<sub>4</sub>), as well as on the soil carbon stock of agricultural fields in South Tyrol.</p><p>In May 2017, 25 and 50 t ha<sup>-1</sup> of pure biochar and biochar mixed with compost (45 t ha<sup>-1</sup>), were applied to the soil of a vineyard near Merano (South-Tyrol, northern Italy) following a randomized block experimental design with four replicates per treatment.</p><p>Soil GHGs fluxes were monitored from June 2017 until December 2019. Fluxes were measured, in real time, with a high-resolution portable multi-gas analyzer based on cavity ring-down spectroscopy technology (Picarro inc., Santa Clara, CA, USA) connected to an automated dynamic chambers system (Eosense Inc., Dartmouth, NS, Canada). Gas emissions were measured monthly and were related to soil temperature and moisture to evaluate the impact of treatments on the sensitivity of GHGs fluxes to environmental parameters. The stability of conifer wood biochar in soil was assessed through the quantification of the Benzene PolyCarboxylic Acids (BPCA), specific biomarkers of black carbon, over time. The BPCA content in the soil was measured before the application of biochar and compost, three weeks after the application and two years later.</p><p>During the first year of experiment, in biochar-amended soils, we observed a reduction of the temperature sensitivity of all GHGs fluxes in comparison to treatments without biochar (control and compost alone). In the second and third year an opposite trend was observed, with an increase of temperature sensitivity of GHGs fluxes in biochar-treated soil. The change of biochar effect over time might be linked to biochar ageing in soil. However, a role of soil moisture cannot be excluded, as it was higher in the first year of experiment. The experimental results will be presented in the broader context of the Wood-Up project.</p>