Effects of rust infection of Senecio vulgaris on competition with lettuce

The effects of rust (Puccinia lagenophorae) on competition between groundsel (Senecio vulgaris L.) and lettuce were investigated. In small tubs in a glasshouse environment, rust infection reduced the dry weight yield of groundsel both in monocultures and mixtures with lettuce at total densities from 35 to c. 1100 plants m-2. While rust did not affect the relative mixture response of groundsel it resulted in a significant decrease in the relative mixture response of lettuce. Indeed, the yield-density relationship of lettuce in mixture with rusted groundsel was not significantly different from that of lettuce in monoculture. At 1120 groundsel plants m-2, lettuce yield in mixture with uninoculated groundsel was inhibited by c. 50% when the ratio of lettuce: groundsel (L:G) was 1:3. By contrast, in mixture with rusted groundsel, lettuce yield per tub was not changed by varying L:G, eight lettuce with 24 groundsel yielding no less than 32 in monoculture. Although the severity of rust did not appear to differ, infection inhibited groundsel yield and modified competitive interactions only when L:G was low. In a field experiment the fresh weight yield of lettuce was significantly inhibited by interference from uninoculated groundsel at all sowing densities from 250 to 65 000 seed m-2. Conversely, lettuce yield was not significantly reduced by rust-infected groundsel until weed density exceeded c. 4000 m-2. Even at greater sowing densities, lettuce yield in plots with rusted groundsel was two to three limes greater than in plots with uninoculated groundsel. Inoculation with rust reduced the impact of groundsel upon lettuce yield without causing any significant increase in groundsel mortality. The effects of rust were consistent in both glasshouse and field and were attributed to the decreased competitive ability of infected groundsel plants, especially at high density. The implications of the results for the use of rusts in biocontrol are discussed

Stable and unstable flow in materials processed by equal-channel angular pressing with an emphasis on magnesium alloys

Magnesium alloys such as ZK60 exhibit strain softening when processed by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP). Finite element modeling (FEM) was used to examine the flow process during ECAP with an emphasis on the importance of the strain-rate sensitivity m. The simulations show there is unstable flow and shear localization for values of m of 0 and 0.01, but the flow is stable for values of 0.05 and 0.1. The flow softening reduces the cross-sectional area of the billet and leads to an enhanced accumulation of damage at the upper surface. The simulations show that the presence of a back pressure increases the ability of the billet to fill the exit channel but does not remove the development of plastic instabilities such as shear concentrations. It is shown that an imposed back pressure reduces the level of the maximum principal stresses in the area in which deformation takes place, and this reduces the tendency for cracking of the billet during the pressing operation. This article is based on a presentation given in the symposium entitled “Mechanical Behavior of Nanostructured Materials,” which occurred during the TMS Spring Meeting in San Francisco, CA, February 15–19, 2009, under the auspices of TMS, the TMS Electronic, Magnetic, and Photonic Materials Division, the TMS Materials Processing and Manufacturing Division, the TMS Structural Materials Division, the TMS Nanomechanical Materials Behavior Committee, the TMS Chemistry and Physics of Materials Committee, and the TMS/ASM Mechanical Behavior of Materials Committee