Silvoarable agroforestry

Introduction: A silvoarable system of land management implies the cultivation of trees and arable crops on the same area of land, a system practised quite commonly in southern Europe and in the tropics. The system comprises two components: tree rows, generally one tree wide, and arable alleys, alternating across the field. The first major development of silvoarable practice in the UK took place during the 1960s and 1970s when Bryant & May established extensive poplar plantations on lowland farmland in southern England to supply their own market for match veneer timber (Beaton, 1987). Since the demise of the Bryant Sr May market for match timber in 1978, interest in the potential for silvoarable systems lay dormant until the advent of food crop surpluses in the 1980s

Guidelines for measuring and reporting environmental parameters for experiments in greenhouses

Background: The importance of appropriate, accurate measurement and reporting of environmental parameters in plant sciences is a significant aspect of quality assurance for all researchers and their research. There is a clear need for ensuring research across the world can be compared, understood and where necessary replicated by fellow researchers. A common set of guidelines to educate, assist and encourage comparativeness is of great importance. On the other hand, the level of effort and attention to detail by an individual researcher should be commensurate with the particular research being conducted. For example, a researcher focusing on interactions of light and temperature should measure all relevant parameters and report a measurement summary that includes sufficient detail allowing for replication. Such detail may be less relevant when the impact of environmental parameters on plant growth and development is not the main research focus. However, it should be noted that the environmental experience of a plant during production can have significant impact when subsequent experiments investigate plants at a molecular, biochemical or genetic level or where species interactions are considered. Thus, researchers are encouraged to make a critical assessment of what parameters are of primary importance in their research and these parameters should be measured and reported. Content: This paper brings together a collection of parameters that the authors, as members of International Committee on Controlled Environment Guidelines (ICCEG) in consultation with members of our three parent organizations, believe constitute those which should be recorded and reported when publishing scientific data from experiments in greenhouses. It provides recommendations to end users on when, how and where these parameters should be measured along with the appropriate internationally standardized units that should be used

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Session 17 Ecophysiology

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Poplar (Populus spp) growth and crop yields in a silvoarable experiment at three lowland sites in England

In early 1992, a silvoarable experiment, comprising four poplar (Populus spp.) hybrids (at a spacing of 10 m x 6.4 m) and four arable treatments, was established at three contrasting lowland sites in England. By the end of 1998, seven years after planting, the height of the poplar hybrid Beaupré (11.9 m) was greater than those of the hybrids Gibecq, Robusta and Trichobel (8.9-9.8 m). The trees at the most exposed site had the shortest height (9.2 m) and the greatest diameter at breast height (173 mm). Tree growth was also affected by the arable treatments. The height (9.5 m) and diameter (143 mm) of the trees bordered on both sides by a continuous rotation of arable crops were 89% and 79%, respectively, of those bordered on both sides by a regularly cultivated fallow. This result could be explained by competition for water. Across the three sites, in the presence of the trees the yield per unit cropped area, relative to that in the control areas, was an average of 4% less in the first three years and an average of 10% less between years four and six. However the specific responses were dependent on the arable crop. The experiment also included an alternately- cropped arable treatment, where the crop was alternated with a one-year bare fallow. The benefits of a preceding fallow, rather than a cereal crop, for yield were greatest for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and least for field beans (Vicia faba L.), peas (Pisum sativum L.) and mustard (Brassica alba L.

The influence of the Rht1 and Rht2 alleles on the deposition and use of stem reserves in wheat

A field experiment was undertaken with a set of near-isogenic spring wheat lines (cv. Triple Dirk) to determine the influence of the Rht1 and Rht2 alleles on the deposition of carbon in the stem, and the subsequent use of these reserves during grain growth. The amount of dry matter stored and mobilized was estimated by the measurement of changes in masses of stem from frequent harvests. Deposition or absolute reserve was defined as the sum of the increments in mass in each segment of the large culm between the time that the segment ceased extending and the time that it reached maximum mass. The incorporation of the Rht1 and Rht2 alleles into a Triple Dirk background reduced the absolute amount of stored carbon in the stem by 35 and 39%, respectively. This was a consequence of the 21% reduction of stem height in Rht1 and Rht2 lines. Use or mobilization of reserve was defined as the sum of the decrements in mass in each segment of the large culm between maximum and maturity. The alleles did not confer an ability to mobilize more of the stored stem reserves in absolute terms, although the efficiency of use of stem reserves (i.e. use as a proportion of deposition) was higher in Rht1 than in rht or Rht2 . The possible contribution of stored carbon in the stem to final grain yield was estimated to be 22, 18 and 14% in the rht, Rht1 and Rht2 lines. In these estimates, the loss of mass was adjusted by 33% to allow for respiration. It was concluded that the larger stem reserves in rht wheats are of no real advantage under favourable environmental conditions, and may in fact be a disadvantage if the accumulation of that extra dry matter results in a reduction of sink size