CREA Journals (Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l’analisi dell’economia agraria)
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Comparing growth rate in a mixed plantation (walnut, poplar and nurse trees) with different planting designs: results from an experimental plantation in northern Italy
Get PDFResults of a mixed plantation with poplar, walnut and nurse trees established in winter 2003 in Northern Italy, are reported. Main tree species (poplar and walnut) were planted according to a rectangular design (10 x 11m), with different spacings and alternate lines. The experimental trial was carried out to verify the following working hypotheses: (i) possibility to combine main trees with different growth levels (common walnut, hybrid walnut, and different poplar clones) and test two different poplar and walnut spacings (5.0 and 7.4 m) in the same plantation; (ii) opportunity to reduce cultivation’s workload, in comparison with poplar monoculture, using mixtures with different poplar clones and N-fixing nurse trees; (iii) verifying the growth pattern of two new poplar clones in comparison with the traditional clones cultivated for different purposes in Italy.The use of different valuable crop trees’ mixtures intercropped with nurse trees and shrubs (including N-fixing trees) allows to decrease the cultivation’s workload. In fact, a heavy reduction of cultural practices - fertilizers, weed control, irrigation and pesticides applications (-61%) are the main concurrent, supplementary benefits. The best growth performances (DBH and tree height), associated with the higher competition towards walnuts, were recorded with the new clones Lena and Neva in comparison with the I214 and Villafranca. The closer spacing (5 m between poplar and walnut trees) was found to be unsuited to get merchantable poplars sized 30 cm without developing a heavy competition towards walnut trees. The wider spacing (7.4 m) resulted vice versa suitable to get poplar trees sized as requested by veneer factories and to maintain an acceptable competitive level with walnut. Within this plantation design, a shorter rotation (8 yrs) is needed for Lena and Neva clones in comparison with I214 and Villafranca (10 yrs). Walnut intercropped with poplar showed cone-shaped crowns, light branching and a good stem quality in comparison with walnut grown in pure plantations. This model of mixed plantation can become an interesting optional choice to walnut's and poplar's monoculture with notable advantages both for farm economics, landscape quality and environment preservation
Sample size determination for maize plants and cob traits under straw management at sowing
Get PDFCertain types of management in maize crop experiments (Zea mays L) can determine sample size. This study aimed to estimate the sample size needed to determine traits of maize plants and cobs under various straw management and sowing methods in large plots. The experiment was performed in the experimental area of the Federal University of Technology in Paraná (Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná - UTFPR), Pato Branco, Paraná. Different managements methods of oat straw were subjected to four sowing methods using plots with five 20 m long rows spaced at 0.8 m. A total of five traits were evaluated on 10 plants and four traits on eight cobs. The 95% confidence interval was estimated using 5,000 bootstrap simulations. For an error equal to 10% of the mean, the sample size for plant and cob insertion heights and stem diameter is less than six, and for cob length, diameter, number of rows and number of kernels per row, the sample size is less than five. The type of straw management and the method of sowing did not affect the sample size for traits of plants and cobs
Cell wall composition and biomass digestibility diversity in Mexican maize (Zea mays L) landraces and CIMMYT inbred lines
Get PDFMaize is one of the most important crops worldwide. Historically, breeding efforts in this crop have been primarily focused on the improvement of grain yield and stability and just recently also on the potential utility of maize stover (above ground biomass excluding the grain) as a source of biomass for the production of feed, fiber and cellulosic ethanol. The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) holds one of the largest maize germplasm collections in the world and therefore is an important source of phenotypic and genetic diversity for many traits. Our objectives were to assess the phenotypic diversity for cell wall composition and biomass digestibility in Mexican tropical, subtropical and highland maize landraces and elite maize lines (CMLs) in the CIMMYT germplasm collection, as well as to evaluate the relationship between place of origin of these materials and phenotypic expression of biomass compositional traits. The range of variation for neutral detergent fiber for three groups of landraces was from 47 to 73%. Slightly larger levels of phenotypic variation were observed for this trait in the set of CMLs evaluated (42 to 78%). Some of the inbred lines, such as CML 507, presented superior characteristics in terms of cell wall composition and digestibility. The Tuxpeño tropical-subtropical race, widely used in CIMMYT breeding programs, formed a cluster characterized by high cell wall content and low biomass digestibility. The CIMMYT germplasm collection appears to be a vast source of untapped genetic and phenotypic variation for the improvement of maize biomass composition
Maize as emerging source of oil in India: an overview
Get PDFIndia is the largest importer as well as the third largest consumer of edible oils. Over many decades maize has been meeting the requirements of human population for food, fodder, fuel and other innumerable number of industrial products such as oil, protein, starch, ethanol, etc. Due to ever-growing and increasing human population and its demands, the necessities and demands of oil is increasing at an alarming rate. In India, maize oil is used to blend with other oils, because of vast nutritional quality embedded in it such as vitamin E (tocopherol), sitosterol and linoleic acid which are indispensable essential fatty acids. Hence, there is a wider scope to emphasize research on maize hybrids that are not only rich in oil content but also having an array of beneficial nutrients. Maize has the highest productivity as compared to other crops. Therefore, the target of attaining self-sufficiency in oil can be fulfilled through this crop. To achieve this goal, the breeders have to develop best inbreds by various methods such as divergent recurrent selection or other such, which are being successfully conducted in the University of Illinois
Status and change of tree crown condition at the CONECOFOR plots, 1996 - 2005
Get PDFBetween 1996 and 2005 crown condition at Italian Level II plots was assessed annually within the CONECOFOR programme. Three different assessment forms and manuals were adopted over this period of time (the first in 1996-97, the second between 1998 and 2004, the last starting in 2005); as a result, many of the parameters investigated and the data collected are neither homogeneous nor comparable over time. Since, however, neither the definition nor the assessment criteria for transparency changed, this parameter was chosen to represent crown condition variations over time. (In this survey, transparency is used as a proxy for defoliation.) Yearly field surveys were always preceded by an inter-calibration course, and were followed up by Quality Control surveys done by one or more Reference Teams. After 10 years, the results suggest that statistically significant variations in transparency, from one year to the next, are only scattered and display no recognizable trend. Overall, there were 15 variations, of which 7 were positive (i.e. increase in transparency), and 8 negative (i.e. decrease in transparency). The majority of variations is concentrated in the 1997-98 period. Significant defoliation trends were identified in 11 out of the 27 considered plots. In 4 cases these trends were positive (increased transparency)
Relationship between physical-chemical characteristics of corn kernels and susceptibility to Sitotroga cerealella
Get PDFThe Angoumois grain moth, Sitotroga cerealella Olivier (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), is a stored-grain pest distributed worldwide. Interaction relationships between physical-chemical characteristics of plants and insects have been found, and this interaction has great potential to be used in integrated pest management strategies. Therefore, our laboratory studies aimed to assess i) the susceptibility of five corn (Zea mays L) genotypes (UFVM100, UFVM200, UFVM100X200, AG1051 and DKB747) to S. cerealella and, ii) the correlation between physical-chemical characteristics of corn kernels and moth performance. In this study, kernels of five corn genotypes were evaluated for their comparative susceptibility to S. cerealella. Developmental period, progeny of emerging adults and kernel weight loss were taken the parameters adopted for this test. S. cerealella led to longer development period, shorter survival percentage and lower kernel weight loss percentage on AG1501 genotype. A strong positive correlation between kernel weight loss percentage and protein content was observed. A strong negative correlation was observed between development period and kernel weight, moisture and protein contents. Additionally, a negative correlation was found between survival percentage and kernel hardness. Our study leads to the conclusion that development period, progeny of emerging adults of S. cerealella and kernel weight loss were related to some kernel characteristics. Thus, this information may be used as a tool in integrated management programmes and plant breeding programmes for S. cerealella
Maize cell wall degradability, from whole plant to tissue level: different scales of complexity
Get PDFToday, maize stover can be considered as a model for investigating secondary cell wall formation in grasses with major applications in cattle feeding (forage maize) and green energy production (bioethanol, biogas, etc). Up until now, cell wall formation and cell wall degradability have been considered at the whole plant scale. However, a detailed examination of leaves and internodes has underlined a large diversity of lignified cell types (xylem vessels, parenchyma, sub-epidermal and perivascular sclerenchyma) and significant variations in the organization and / or the composition of these different cell types. In this review, we highlighted several aspects of this complexity and their consequences on valorization processes both in agriculture or industries
Assessing impact of forest cover change dynamics on high nature value farmland in Mediterranean mountain landscape
Get PDFA general trend of scrub encroachment and natural forest expansion (old-field succession) has been occurring in the past fifty years in Mediterranean mountain areas. While this phenomenon enhances a series of ecological processes and environmental services, it may represent a threat for biodiversity conservation when occurring on high nature value (HNV) extensive farmland. These open areas, created by traditional farming systems, have been recognized as a critically important European biodiversity resource. Understanding the drivers of Land Use and Land Cover Change (LUCC) and their implications on the dynamics of forest and HNV farmland habitats plays a crucial role in biodiversity conservation in protected areas. In this perspective, the case study here presented aims to model recent (1989-2008) LUCC in a National Park of the Central Apennines (Italy) and to produce a mid-term forecast (2008-2020). In the past twenty years, 57% of the land uptake by shrubland and 46% by forest has been occurring on former HNV farmland. Mid-term projections (2008-2020) confirm further HNV farmland decline. Localization of HNV farmland habitats vulnerable to change is a valuable decision-making tool to tradeoff in protected areas the conservation of traditional landscapes with the increase of forest and shrubland areas. In this perspective, concrete socio-economical and silvicultural measures are outlined to preserve these socially and economically-fragile open habitats
Status and trend of tree growth and mortality rate at the CONECOFOR plots, 1997-2004
Get PDFThe circumference of trees in the CONECOFOR permanent monitoring plots (PMPs) were measured by three surveys carried out in 1997, 2000 and 2005. Plots were arranged into forest types according to tree species, management system and stand structure: beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and spruce (Picea abies K.) high forests, aged coppice forests and transitory crops (deciduous, evergreen oaks and beech). Diameter distribution, basal area, basal area increment, tree mortality rate and in-growth were calculated per layer (dominant, intermediate, dominated) within each PMP, to point out relative contributions and changes. A range in relative annual growth was detected both within and between types over the monitored period, but an obvious reduction of annual increment was found in two/thirds of plots over 2000-04 as compared to 1997-99. Current mortality, mostly allocated into the dominated and intermediate layers, can be explained as “regular” due to overstocking and high inter-tree competition in almost all of the observed case-studies. Opposite patterns were found to occur as for stand growth vs. mortality rate between coppice forests and the other types owing to the different dynamics of tree competition in progress. Drought 2003 is the likely large-scale factor determining the reduced annual growth course over the second period
Pollen control and spatial and temporal adjustment in evaluation of kernel composition of maize inbreds
Get PDFMaize (Zea mays L) pollen can have an immediate effect on kernel oil, protein, and starch concentration, and evaluation of kernel composition is often done with self pollination. Procedures for adjusting for spatial or temporal variation have not been studied for kernel composition traits in maize. Our objectives were to (i) characterize the effect of pollen control on protein, oil, and starch concentrations in maize inbreds, (ii) determine the impact of open and self pollination on relative ranking of inbreds, and (iii) determine if spatial or temporal adjustments are useful for kernel composition when plants are open pollinated. Thirty inbreds were evaluated for kernel protein, oil, and starch concentrations in open- and self-pollinated treatments at two planting dates in St. Paul, MN in summer 2011. The inbreds differed significantly for oil, protein, and starch concentrations. However, pollination treatment was not significant for oil, protein, or starch concentration. Simple correlations and rank correlations between open- and self-pollinated treatments were high for oil (0.93), protein (0.83 - 0.85), and starch (0.73 - 0.82) concentrations. Neither spatial nor temporal adjustments improved estimates of open- pollinated kernel composition over unadjusted, open-pollinated means. Overall, our results suggested that when relative performance of inbreds is more important than absolute concentrations, maize inbreds can be evaluated for oil, protein, and starch concentrations without the pollen source confounding differences among entries