Nursery location and potassium enrichment in Aleppo pine stock 1. Effect on nursery culture, growth, allometry and seedling quality

There is a need for a better understanding of the primary role of macronutrients in Aleppo pine stock quality and for producing larger nutrient-loaded stock, which may be challenging for inland nurseries. The influence of nursery location and fertilization on nursery culture, growth, allometry and seedling quality of Aleppo pine was studied in seedlings cultivated over the 2006 growing year. Fertilization treatments considered how a K enrichment performed over common programs currently being practiced and divided into three levels of K/N ratio: 0.63-0.89 (normal), 1.81-1.89 (high), and 2.25-2.53 (very high). Results showed that fertilization had a minor effect on seedling growth and allometry in comparison with location, which was the governing factor. However, fertilizing treatments significantly affected final seedling attributes, which has its origin on the early treatment differences that were kept up to the end of culture. Higher nutrient supply treatments produced the highest nutrient concentration in seedlings but they were associated with lower fertilization efficiencies. Fertilizer efficiency was approximately twofold in the coastal nursery for the three macronutrients, although concentration was higher in the inland nursery due to lower seedling growth. It is concluded that warmer regions are more suitable for producing large stock more efficiently. © Institute of Chartered Foresters, 2011. All rights reserved.This work was supported by the projects 'Improvement of reforestation in the province of Valencia through the definition of seedling quality standards' (20020995) and 'Establishment of protocols for seedling quality testing in nursery and field' (20080682), directed by the Polytechnic University of Valencia and the Valencian Regional Government (Generalitat Valenciana).Campo García, ADD.; Hermoso De Mena, J.; Ceacero, CJ.; Navarro Cerrillo, RM. (2011). Nursery location and potassium enrichment in Aleppo pine stock 1. Effect on nursery culture, growth, allometry and seedling quality. Forestry. 84(3):221-233. https://doi.org/10.1093/forestry/cpr008S22123384

Alternation of wet and dry sides during partial rootzone drying irrigation enhances leaf ethylene evolution

Soil drying increases endogenous ABA and ACC concentrations in planta, but how these compounds interact to regulate stomatal responses to soil drying and re-watering is still unclear. To determine the temporal dynamics and physiological significance of root, xylem and leaf ABA and ACC concentrations in response to deficit irrigation (DI) or partial rootzone drying (PRD-F) and re-watering, these variables were measured in plants exposed to similar whole pot soil water contents. Both DI and PRD-F plants received only a fraction of the irrigation supplied to well-watered (WW) plants, either to all (DI) or part (PRD-F) of the rootzone of plants grown in split-pots. Both DI and PRD-F induced partial stomatal closure, increased root ABA and ACC accumulation consistent with local soil water content, but did not affect xylem or leaf concentrations of these compounds compared to WW plants. Two hours after re-watering all (DI-RW) or part of the rootzone (PRD-A) to the same soil water content, stomatal conductance returned to WW values or further decreased respectively. Re-watering the whole rootzone had no effect on xylem and leaf ABA and ACC concentrations, while re-watering the dry side of the pot in PRD plants had no effect on xylem and leaf ABA concentrations but increased xylem and leaf ACC concentrations and leaf ethylene evolution. Leaf water potential was similar between all irrigation treatments, with stomatal conductance declining as xylem ABA concentrations and leaf ACC concentrations increased. Prior to re-watering PRD plants, accounting for the spatial differences in soil water uptake best explained variation in xylem ACC concentration suggesting root-to-shoot ACC signalling, but this model did not account for variation in xylem ACC concentration after re-watering the dry side of PRD plants. Thus local (foliar) and long-distance (root-to-shoot) variation in ACC status both seem important in regulating the temporal dynamics of foliar ethylene evolution in plants exposed to PRD. © 2020 Elsevier B.V

Frequency and characteristics of familial melanoma in Spain: The FAM-GEM-1 Study

Similar to that observed in other countries, familial melanoma accounts for 6.6% of melanoma diagnoses in Spain. Although no differences in the multivariate analysis were found, some better prognosis factors, such as Breslow index, seem more frequent in familial melanoma, which reflect a better early detection marker and/or a different biological behavior

Knee model of hydrodynamic lubrication during the gait cycle and the influence of prosthetic joint conformity

Background: The influence of the total joint components' elastic deformation on lubrication is generally accepted, but little is known about the influence of joint conformity under hydrodynamic lubrication based on fluid film interposition. The aim of this study was to evaluate induced pressure and stresses in the knee under fluid film lubrication during the stance phase of walking under various joint conformity conditions. Methods: A theoretical two-dimensional (2D) geometric model of knee prosthesis contact, with Dirichlet boundary conditions at both edges, and with a conformity index (CI) of 0, 0.3, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 0.92, 0.94, 0.96, 0.98, 0.99, 0.995, and 1.0, was used to calculate the spatiotemporal lubricant flow on a synovial fluid rheological model. With the instantaneous load as a source term, the Reynolds lubrication equation was subsequently solved following a finite volume approach in two dimensions and three dimensions. Results: Conformity strongly influenced the peak pressure, from 47 MPa with CI = 0 to 1.4 MPa with CI = 1, with a definite behavior change from CI = 0.96. The role of hydrodynamic lubrication was restricted to early steps of the stance phase. With CI 0.96. Conclusion: The present model suggested the limited modifying effect of hydrodynamic lubrication in total knee replacement systems. However, its role during the early stance phase, coupled with high conformity, helps significantly to decrease compressive stresses on the polyethylene, fostering the beneficial effect of high conformity in a mixed lubrication regime. This beneficial effect may also be of great interest in total knee replacement systems based on materials with less deformation. © 2009 The Japanese Orthopaedic Association.Peer Reviewe

COMMENSURATE-INCOMMENSURATE PHASE TRANSITION IN (Co1-xMnx)2P

Neutron diffraction, a.c. initial magnetic susceptibility, magnetization, and heat capacity measurements allow a better understanding of the metamagnetic-like phase observed at low temperature in (Co1-xMnx)2P. The magnetic structures and phase transitions for x = 0.6 and 0.75 have been determined

A customizable method to characterize Arabidopsis thaliana transpiration under drought conditions

Background Characterization of the dynamic response of plant transpiration to decreasing soil water content in a reproducible way is required for the correct phenotyping of traits related to water saving strategies. Nowadays, an increasing number of automated high throughput platforms are available, but their development requires a great economic investment and it is not always desirable/feasible to outsource these analyses. We propose a medium-throughput protocol to characterize transpiration responses to decreasing soil moisture in a quantitative and highly reproducible way with a minimum investment of resources. Results The quantitative characterization of plant responses to a decreasing soil water content using our phenotyping platform has showed high reproducibility between different experiments. The proposed irrigation strategy allowed us to harvest plants ranging from a well-watered condition to the loss-of-turgor point in a predictable and controlled way. Coupling this protocol with hormone profiling allows investigation of hormonal responses (metabolite accumulation as well as plant sensitivity) to water stress. As a proof-of-concept, we have characterized the dynamic responses of leaf transpiration to decreasing soil water contents in an abscisic acid (ABA) deficient genotype (aba1-1) as well as in genotypes with altered sensitivity to ABA (abi1-1 and hab1-1abi1-1), which are insensitive and hypersensitive to ABA, respectively. Conclusions This protocol allows for assessment of quantitative differences in rosette transpiration responses to water depletion in both ABA biosynthesis mutants and genotypes with altered sensitivity to the hormone. Data indicate a correlation between ABA levels and/or hormone perception and growth rate and/or water content. The protocol guarantees the correct application of water stress to adult plants, which is essential to understand responses of mutants and/or natural accessions

Nursery location and potassium enrichment in Aleppo pine stock 2. Performance under real and hydrogel-mediated drought conditions

This work investigates Aleppo pine performance under severe drought conditions according to seedling size and nutritional status, with special emphasis on potassium. The interaction of drought ameliorating measures such as hydrogels is also studied. Seven fertilization treatments applied in two nursery locations provided 14 stocklots, resulting in different seedling sizes for each nutrient concentration and vice versa. Stocklots were tested in a greenhouse experiment and a harsh site plantation experiment. In the greenhouse, seedlings given two hydrogel doses (0.01 and 0.1 per cent w/w) plus a control were allowed to dry and survival and soil moisture were measured. In parallel to this trial, the effects of hydrogel dosage, brand and soil texture on soil water properties were tested in a laboratory. Results show that large stock survived significantly better than conventionally sized stock in both experiments: 37 and 27 per cent more in the greenhouse and harsh site, respectively. Despite presenting wide variation, macronutrient concentration was not related to survival for a given size. Hydrogel effect on soil water was different according to factors, although in all cases, its effect diminished at suction tensions higher than 30 kPa. Results demonstrate the overriding effect of size over nutritional status on seedling survival in harsh environments. © Institute of Chartered Foresters, 2011. All rights reserved.This work was supported by the projects 'Improvement of reforestation in the province of Valencia through the definition of seedling quality standards' and 'Establishment of protocols for seedling quality testing in nursery and field', directed by the Polytechnic University of Valencia and the Valencian Regional Government (Generalitat Valenciana)Campo García, ADD.; Hermoso De Mena, J.; Flors, J.; Lidón Cerezuela, AL.; Navarro-Cerrillo, RM. (2011). Nursery location and potassium enrichment in Aleppo pine stock 2. 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