Article
Forestry
Mario Lima dos Santos, Eder Pereira Miguel, Mauro Eloi Nappo, Hallefy Junio de Souza, Cassio Rafael Costa dos Santos, Jose Natalino Macedo Silva, Eraldo Aparecido Trondoli Matricardi
Summary: We conducted a study on the dominant height growth of clonal teak plantations in the Brazilian Amazon using ADA and GADA approaches. The study analyzed data from 58 permanent plots collected over a 10-year period and developed equations to classify the sites. The results showed that the approaches effectively represented the sites and indicated the volumetric production of the plantations, with an agreement rate of 98.3%.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaodong Gao, Hongchen Li, Xining Zhao
Summary: The study found that using combinations of terracing and mulching could significantly increase soil water storage for jujube trees and enhance their resilience to drought. Under extreme drought conditions, the combined treatments also increased transpiration for jujube trees, helping them cope with drought challenges.
LAND DEGRADATION & DEVELOPMENT
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Carlos Felipe dos Santos Cordeiro, Cristiane Pilon, Fabio Rafael Echer, Renato Albas, R. Scott Tubbs, Glendon H. Harris, Ciro Antonio Rosolem
Summary: Peanut pod yield and its response to fertilizer-K are influenced by the interaction between the environment and plant density. Planting density and K fertilization have a greater impact on rainfed areas than irrigated environments. Increasing plant density leads to an increase in peanut leaf area index and dry matter accumulation, but a decrease in stomatal conductance, particularly in rainfed fields. The application of 50 kg ha(-1) of K in low-K soil can increase leaf K concentration, stomatal conductance, and yield in rainfed fields, while in irrigated fields, yield increases up to a certain plant density and does not further increase with higher densities or K application.
Review
Plant Sciences
Daniel M. Johnson, Gabriel Katul, Jean-Christophe Domec
Summary: Water circulation inside plants is crucial for their physiological functions, and failures in this circulation can lead to reduced transpiration and photosynthesis. By applying catastrophe theory, the study of plant hydraulics can help us better understand these phenomena and provide a framework for investigating transpiration, hydraulic function, and hydraulic safety-efficiency tradeoff.
PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Akash Koppa, Dominik Rains, Petra Hulsman, Rafael Poyatos, Diego G. Miralles
Summary: In this study, a global hybrid model that integrates deep learning algorithms and satellite observations is developed to estimate transpiration stress and evaporation. The model shows enhanced capability in estimating transpiration stress and evaporation compared to traditional models.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Soil Science
Damien R. Finn, Julia Schroeder, Md Sainur Samad, Christopher Poeplau, Christoph C. Tebbe
Summary: Soil-extracted DNA is commonly used to study microbiome composition, but there is no consensus on the effects of sample preservation and pre-incubation. This study evaluated different pre-treatments of soil samples and found that microbiomes could still be differentiated based on land use and sampling site regardless of the pre-treatments. Different pre-treatments had varying impacts on different groups of microorganisms, indicating that the composition of fungal microbiomes may be more affected by pre-treatments in forest soils compared to cropland soils. Overall, oven-drying had the most detrimental effect on DNA extraction efficiency.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Seome Michael Swafo, Phesheya Eugine Dlamini
Summary: Sub-Saharan Africa is facing increased food insecurity due to high population growth and low agricultural productivity. Smallholder farmers are affected by poor soil fertility, land degradation, and inadequate agronomic practices. There is a need for reliable soil information to support sustainable agriculture, but most studies do not consider the spatial variability of soils and their properties.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kun Zhang, Xin Li, Donghai Zheng, Ling Zhang, Gaofeng Zhu
Summary: This study proposes a comprehensive framework to estimate global irrigation water use (IWU) by integrating multiple satellite observations. The results show that the integrated IWU estimate outperforms individual satellite observations, but there is a general underestimation of IWU globally. Further efforts are needed to improve the accuracy of global IWU estimation by producing high-quality and finer spatiotemporal resolution satellite-based products.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nataniel Holtzman, Yujie Wang, Jeffrey D. Wood, Christian Frankenberg, Alexandra G. Konings
Summary: Vegetation water content is essential for transpiration, plant mortality, and wildfire risk. Microwave remote sensing can provide direct measurements of VWC, and high-temporal-resolution observations can improve the determination of ecosystem parameters and fluxes.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Bakhtiar Feizizadeh, Tobia Lakes, Davoud Omarzadeh, Ayyoob Sharifi, Thomas Blaschke, Sadra Karimzadeh
Summary: Lake drying is a significant issue caused by water management failures and exacerbated by climate change. The drying up of Lake Urmia in Iran has dire consequences for the region, affecting food production and potentially leading to unknown impacts. Through studying changes in climatic conditions, land use, and land degradation, it has been found that the drought has significantly reduced food production in the past three decades and is projected to further decrease in the future. This study emphasizes the importance of addressing environmental impacts and supporting food production in regions with dying lakes.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Xiongwen Chen, John L. Willis, Qinfeng Guo
Summary: Monitoring water consumption dynamics can provide insights into variations and stress in an ecosystem. This study used remote sensing data to examine the water consumption dynamics and its effects on cone production in three geographic locations of the longleaf pine's range. The results highlight the importance of climate conditions in influencing water consumption and cone production in these regions.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jiali Du, Xiaoqin Dai, Zailin Huo, Xingwang Wang, Shuai Wang, Chaozi Wang, Chenglong Zhang, Guanhua Huang
Summary: Populus popularis, as a tree species of shelterbelts, plays significant ecological roles in arid and semiarid areas. However, the dynamics of stand transpiration (T) and canopy conductance (gc) of P. popularis in arid irrigated areas with shallow groundwater fluctuations are not clear. In this study, we investigated the responses of T and gc to meteorological factors, soil water, and shallow groundwater in a typical arid area of China. The findings revealed the influence of solar radiation, vapor pressure deficit (VPD), groundwater table depth (GTD), and soil water content (SWC) on T and gc, providing an essential basis for water use strategy and stand water resources management in arid regions.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Thibaud Andre-Alphonse, Claudele Ghotsa Mekontchou, Pascal Rochon, Audrey Maheu
Summary: This study aimed to understand the influence of residual basal area (BA) on transpiration in mixed temperate forest stands dominated by red maple (Acer rubrum) in southeastern Canada. The research found that residual BA had a significant impact on transpiration, with higher residual BA resulting in increased transpiration, especially under dry atmospheric conditions. The study highlights the need for better modeling of forest water budgets and partitioning overstory and understory evapotranspiration to develop more appropriate residual BA management strategies.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Marcel Carvalho Abreu, Alvaro Augusto Vieira Soares, Cleverson Henrique de Freitas, Fabrina Bolzan Martins
Summary: The regulation of plant transpiration plays a crucial role in the transpiration efficiency, growth, and adaptation of Eucalyptus species to limited water availability. This study found that Eucalyptus seedlings exhibit water-conserving mechanisms such as rapid stomatal closure, reduced leaf area, and number of leaves under progressive soil water deficits. The influence of vapor pressure deficit on transpiration rates and growth was also investigated, with little or no changes detected.
JOURNAL OF FORESTRY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yilin Fang, L. Ruby Leung, Ryan Knox, Charlie Koven, Ben Bond-Lamberty
Summary: In plant hydrodynamic models, the numerical accuracy has a significant impact on the simulated vegetation function and dynamics. Coarsening the near-surface vertical grid spacing leads to substantial errors in estimating aboveground biomass, and coarse surface grid resolution should be avoided in specific situations.
GEOSCIENTIFIC MODEL DEVELOPMENT
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Paraskevi Alizoti, Jean-Charles Bastien, Debojyoti Chakraborty, Marcin Miroslav Klisz, Johan Kroon, Charalambos Neophytou, Silvio Schueler, Marcela van Loo, Marjana Westergren, Monika Konnert, Vlatko Andonovski, Kjell Andreassen, Peter Brang, Robert Brus, Branislav Cvjetkovic, Martina Dodan, Manuel Fernandez, Josef Frydl, Bo Karlsson, Zsolt Keseru, Andrej Kormutak, Vasyl Lavnyy, Tiit Maaten, Bill Mason, Georgeta Mihai, Cristina Monteverdi, Sanja Peric, Krasimira Petkova, Emil Borissov Popov, Matti Rousi, Srdan Milenko Stojnic, Ivaylo Tsvetkov
Summary: Non-native forest tree species have been introduced in Europe since the 16th century, with the recognition of the significance of the seed source origin for their economic use only coming in the second half of the 20th century. This led to the establishment of provenance trials and breeding programs for the most important species. This study aims to formulate provenance recommendations for five non-native tree species in Europe, based on information from twenty countries. The survey revealed that official and non-official national recommendations exist for the five species, with Douglas fir having recommendations in almost all surveyed countries. Consolidation of trial data and the establishment of new trials are urgently needed to identify suitable genetic material for non-native tree species in the face of climate change.
Article
Soil Science
Eva Corral-Pazos-de-Provens, Igor Rapp-Arraras, Juan M. Domingo-Santos
Summary: This article introduces the two most commonly used classification systems for soil particle size distribution in soil science, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the International System (IS). The existence of these different systems hinders the use and exchange of soil information worldwide. To solve this problem, methods for converting textural fractions between different classification systems need to be developed. This study focuses on estimating the USDA silt fraction from the basic textural fractions in the IS, and evaluates several models for this purpose. A new methodology based on local quantile regression is developed and shown to be the best model evaluated.
Article
Forestry
Marta Pardos, Javier Vazquez-Pique, Luis Benito, Guillermo Madrigal, Reyes Alejano, Manuel Fernandez, Rafael Calama
Summary: This study evaluated how the age of Pinus sylvestris mother trees affects seed size, viability, germination capacity, and offspring seedling survival. The results showed that the age of the mother tree had a significant impact on cone and seed morphological traits, but not on germination capacity and viability. Seedling survival was primarily affected by water availability, and the age of the tree played a significant role once soil moisture reached 0%.
Article
Plant Sciences
Manuel Fernandez, Raul Tapias
Summary: This study assessed the growth phenology and seed morpho-physiological traits of Picris willkommii, as well as the environmental factors affecting them. The species prefers specific limestone substrates and has specific temperature and light requirements. It produces two types of seeds that contribute to its dispersal capacity. However, there is a risk of being replaced by more aggressive species.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Eva Corral-Pazos-de-Provens, Igor Raap-Arraras, Juan M. Domingo-Santos
Summary: This paper presents a detailed analysis of the nomograph and its underlying equation for calculating the K-factor in the USLE. It identifies limitations and deficiencies in existing models and proposes a new equation that accurately reproduces the nomograph.
INTERNATIONAL SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Roberto Contreras-Diaz, Felipe S. Carevic, Wilson Huanca-Mamani, Romulo Oses, Mariana Arias-Aburto, Maria Navarrete-Fuentes
Summary: This study describes the structure and phylogeny of the chloroplast genome of Geoffroea decorticans, a vulnerable native species in the Atacama Desert. The complete chloroplast analysis reveals the gene composition and genetic differences compared to G. spinosa. Phylogenetic analysis confirms the placement of G. decorticans within the Pterocarpus clade. The reported chloroplast genome can be used for phylogenetic studies and reconstruction of the biogeography history of the genus Geoffroea in South America.
ELECTRONIC JOURNAL OF BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Manuel Fernandez, Raul Tapias, Victoriano Camacho, Joaquin Alaejos
Summary: The use of wood and residual biomass from forestry works as energy source has CO2 emission-neutral effect and helps reduce forest fire risk in Mediterranean climate. This study assessed the commercial quality of pellets made from different types of cutting residues and wood. The results showed that high-quality pellets can be obtained by combining residual biomass with stone pine debarked wood, but the proportion varies depending on the residue type. It is recommended to utilize thick wood and a proportion of medium branches and bark, while leaving needles and thinnest branches in the forest.
Article
Forestry
Joaquin Alaejos, Raul Tapias, Francisco Lopez, David Romero, Federico Ruiz, Manuel Fernandez
Summary: This study compares the biomass production, energy value, and soil impact of twelve fast-growing woody plants. The results show that Eucalyptus species have the highest yield, followed by N-fixing species and Populus. Furthermore, it was found that management practices such as retaining nutrient-rich and poor-quality biomass for energy use, using N-fixing species, and considering all nutrient inputs and outputs can ensure the sustainability of cultivation systems and improve degraded soils.
Article
Forestry
Felipe S. Carevic, Roberto Contreras, Erico Carmona, Ermindo Barrientos
Summary: This study investigated the interannual evolution of ecophysiological parameters and their effects on fruit production and flower sprouting in Prosopis strombulifera in the Atacama Desert. Positive relationships were found between plant water parameters, specific leaf area (SLA), and chlorophyll variables measured in spring at flower sprouting and during fruit production. A negative correlation was found between the mean of the minimum temperatures in spring and flower sprouting.
Article
Plant Sciences
Felipe S. Carevic, Roberto Contreras
Summary: This study investigates the effect of El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on the natural regeneration rate of the endemic legume Hoffmannseggia aphylla (retama) in the Atacama Desert, northern Chile. The results show that ENSO increases the density of retama during its occurrence, mainly due to water flows from higher sectors of the Tamarugal pampas and the increase in humidity and summer rainfall.
BOLETIN DE LA SOCIEDAD ARGENTINA DE BOTANICA
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Roberto Contreras-Diaz, Felipe S. Carevic, Liesbeth van den Brink
Summary: Chanar has been a significant plant for indigenous people in the Atacama Desert for thousands of years. The mitogenome of G. decorticans has undergone changes that enhance its adaptation to the extreme conditions of the desert. Comparative analysis reveals unique features of the mitogenome in terms of structure and function.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Ermindo Barrientos-Perez, Felipe S. Carevic-Vergara, Juan Pablo Rodriguez, Jorge Arenas-Charlin, Jose Delatorre-Herrera
Summary: The abandonment of ancestral techniques and the incorporation of new technologies in quinoa production has caused negative effects on the environment, such as overexploitation of soils, water imbalance, and loss of native vegetation cover. Establishing native vegetative barriers, such as t'ola, can help prevent wind erosion and improve soil conditions for quinoa cultivation.
