Seed Yield of Herbaceous Crops under Agroforestry System

Agroforestry is a perspective way of biomass production which combines simultaneous growing of woody plants with agricultural crops on the same area for different purposes (Reisner et al., 2007). Agroforestry like multifunctional agriculture has the objective of promoting economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable rural development (Leakey, 2012). It is more sustainable than the monocultures of forestry or agriculture separately. Agroforestry can be an appropriate technology in the areas with fragile ecosystems and subsistence farming. The main advantage of this technology is improved efficiency of resource utilization and smaller competition of plants for nutrients (Bardule et al., 2013). Agroforestry has the ability to provide short-term economic benefits while the farmer is waiting for traditional long-term forestry products. In the system of agroforestry perennial herbaceous plants can be successfully cultivated along with fast-growing trees for different purposes. There is an opportunity to place various herbaceous crops species for seed production, including crosspollinated crops in the cultivation of which it is important to comply with spatial isolation. Perennial grasses and legumes have been widely used as fodder crops for centuries and there has been an increasing interest in the use of them as energy crops because they have many economic and ecological advantages. Both woody and herbaceous crops need fertiliser for increasing productivity and it is a good opportunity to use various by-products for this purpose in the agroforestry system. The investigation was performed on the seed production of herbaceous plants cultivars grown in columns alternated with aspen rows and fertilized with residual materials - wood ash and wastewater sludge that contain chemical elements with considerable fertilizing value

Wood-Ash Fertiliser and Distance from Drainage Ditch Affect the Succession and Biodiversity of Vascular Plant Species in Tree Plantings on Marginal Organic Soil

Cutaway peatland is a marginal land, which without further management is an unfavourable environment for plant growth due to low bearing capacity, high acidity and unbalanced nutrient composition of the soil. After wood-ash application, the soil becomes enriched with P and K, creating better conditions for tree growth. In addition to being economically viable, tree plantations ensure long-term carbon storage and promote habitat restoration. In a three-year term, we studied how distance from a drainage ditch and three different doses of wood-ash—5, 10, and 15 tons per hectare—affect the diversity of vascular plants in a tree plantation on a cutaway peatland. Plant species richness, vegetation cover and composition were positively affected by the distance from the drainage ditch and application with fertiliser, but in most cases, fertiliser dose had no significant effect. Both cover and species diversity were not affected by the planted tree species. In a tree plantation, herbaceous plants provide soil fertility by decay and recycling, and reduce mineral leaching in the long term. Since vascular plants play an important role in both the development of habitats and tree growth, it is important to know how multiple factors influence the development of vegetation in tree plantations

Planting and tending productivity comparison in mounds and disc trenches using containerized and bareroot coniferous seedlings

ArticleIn 2016 more then 40,300 ha of forest was regenerated in Latvia, where 13,000 ha were seeded or planted and 30,300 ha were left in natural regeneration. Before planting, usually one of two soil preparation methods are used – mounding or disc trenching. In areas with optimal water regime, disc trenching is used, while in wet areas mounding is used. Tree planting and after planting tending is done manually by hand tools. The aim of the study was to compare planting and tending productivity in different soil preparation methods (mounding and disc trenching) by planting different stocktypes (containerized and bareroot seedlings). Planting time studies were done in 12 sites and tending time studies in 8 sites. In planting time studies, different planting operations were measured and compared. In tending time studies, GPS devices were used, where area, distance and working time (productive and rest) was counted from GPS data. Average planting time for containerized seedlings in disc trenches was 10.3 seconds, while in mounds 9.2 seconds per seedling, an 11% improvement. Average planting time for bareroot seedlings in mounds was 28.3 seconds, while in trenches – 18.2 seconds, a 35% improvement. Tending in trenches was done faster than in mounds. On average, one hectare tending time in mounds was 8.4 hours, while in trenches 7.4 hours, an 11% improvement. Walked distance for 1 hectare tending in mounds was 5.4 km, 7% shorter than the distance of 5.0 km in trenches. Factors that influence planting and tending productivity are soil preparation quality, logging residue, and water level on the site. Data from planting and tending time studies could be used for better plan work activities and select suitable planting material for a particular soil preparation method

Plantation Forests: A Guarantee of Sustainable Management of Abandoned and Marginal Farmlands

The chapter summarises the research data on cultivating forest crops in abandoned and marginal farmlands (AL). The course of growth and productivity of different tree species in the local climatic conditions is clarified in a variety of agricultural soils. The research results show the most appropriate tree species for short-rotation or special end-use monoculture or mixed plantations, using Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.), silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.), pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.), grey alder (Alnus incana (L.) Moench), alder (Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn.), wild cherry (Cerasus avium (L.) Moench syn. Prunus avium), aspen (Populus tremula L.), hybrid aspen (Populus tremula x tremuloides), and small-leaved lime (Tilia cordata Mill.). At the same time, research results show sustainability of management of plantation forests—positive impact on soil agrochemical properties, proportionate changes on above-ground vegetation, and improvement of economic benefits of farmlands

Wood-Ash Fertiliser and Distance from Drainage Ditch Affect the Succession and Biodiversity of Vascular Plant Species in Tree Plantings on Marginal Organic Soil

Cutaway peatland is a marginal land, which without further management is an unfavourable environment for plant growth due to low bearing capacity, high acidity and unbalanced nutrient composition of the soil. After wood-ash application, the soil becomes enriched with P and K, creating better conditions for tree growth. In addition to being economically viable, tree plantations ensure long-term carbon storage and promote habitat restoration. In a three-year term, we studied how distance from a drainage ditch and three different doses of wood-ash—5, 10, and 15 tons per hectare—affect the diversity of vascular plants in a tree plantation on a cutaway peatland. Plant species richness, vegetation cover and composition were positively affected by the distance from the drainage ditch and application with fertiliser, but in most cases, fertiliser dose had no significant effect. Both cover and species diversity were not affected by the planted tree species. In a tree plantation, herbaceous plants provide soil fertility by decay and recycling, and reduce mineral leaching in the long term. Since vascular plants play an important role in both the development of habitats and tree growth, it is important to know how multiple factors influence the development of vegetation in tree plantations

Juvenile growth and frost damages of poplar clone OP42 in Latvia

ArticleShort rotation plantations in the northern Europe are commonly established using poplar clone OP42 (Populus maximowiczii Henry × P. trichocarpa Torr. and Gray). We assessed its growth and suitability to the climate in central part of Latvia at juvenile age. Trees that had formed single stem were significantly higher (121 ± 2.5 cm), thicker (7.1 ± 0.48 mm) and had longer branches (32 ± 1.5 cm) than trees that had formed multiple stems. In beginning of the second growing season all trees had died stems and 19.6% of them formed new shoots from the ground level. The sprouting trees had random spatial distribution in the field. Regardless of the number of stems, the sprouting trees were significantly lower (110 ± 3.9 cm) than the dead trees (119 ± 2.0 cm). During the repeated assessment about one month later, proportion of the sprouting trees increased up to 44%, but the detected relations between measured traits of sprouting and dead trees remained. Clone OP42 had serious frost induced damages also in autumn phenology experiment (96% trees with severely damaged leaves). Our results suggest that frost prone sites are not suitable for establishment of plantations of OP42 clone

Impact of different fertilisers on elemental content in young hybrid aspen stem wood

The biomass production using fast-growing tree species such as hybrid aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx. x Populus tremula L.) has been recognized as an environmentally friendly and cost-effective approach. Growing these species can reduce the negative impact of earlier land mismanagement and at the same time provide additional biomass growth. The application of fertilisers may introduce not only the necessary macro elements (N, P, K) but also significant amounts of toxic heavy metals. Therefore, the knowledge about elemental flows from fertilised soil to the different parts of hybrid aspen trees is essential and especially meaningful for the evaluation of element content in specific environmental ecosystems. The impact of different fertilisers (sewage sludge, digestate and wood ash) on the concentrations of micro- and macro elements in the wood of six-year-old hybrid aspen stands grown on former agricultural land was studied. The determination of element concentrations in different tree rings of hybrid aspen trees was accomplished by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP–MS). Isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) was used to determine the nitrogen and carbon content and isotope ratios in different parts of hybrid aspen trees. Stem disc samples from hybrid aspen trees were obtained from agricultural land in the central part of Latvia. Samples were taken from six-yearold hybrid aspen trees that at the moment of planting were fertilised with sewage sludge, a residue of biogas production (digestate) and wood ash. The obtained results indicated that the chemical element accumulation in hybrid aspen was affected by the applied fertiliser type. In this study, the use of wood ash, as well as digestate, affected the elemental content in hybrid aspen to a greater extent than the use of sewage sludge, relative to unfertilised (control) subplot. The analysed elements varied in the analysed stem plane (across the tree rings). The most significant changes between the rings were observed for the content of K and Ca

Genetic analysis of Latvian Salix alba L. and hybrid populations using nuclear and chloroplast DNA markers

Funding Information: This research was funded within the ERDF project no. 2014/0025/2DP/2.1.1.1.0/ 14APIA/VIAA/101 ?Development of identification technologies for vegetatively propagated short rotation tree species? Publisher Copyright: © SISEF.Latvia is at the northern border of the species range of S. alba L. in Europe, and there has been some debate whether the Latvian populations of S. alba are autochthonous, as this species has long been planted in Latvia as an ornamental tree in gardens, parks and roadsides. In addition, there is increasing interest in the use of several Salix species (including S. alba) as bioenergy crops. Natural S. alba stands throughout Latvia, as well as stands of possibly hybrid origin were analysed using nuclear and chloroplast markers. Our results showed that S. alba populations are probably natural, and that the rate of vegetative reproduction is low, supporting the evidence that Latvia is within the natural range of S. alba. These results provide the basis for the identification of possibly introduced or artificially regenerated stands of S.alba in Latvia. In addition, our results confirm that S. alba hybridises with S. fragilis, and that natural stands including hybrid individuals can be established. The analysis of chloroplast markers indicated that the predominant hybridisation occurs by fertilisation of S. fragilis by S. alba pollen; however, the extent of haplotype sharing between these two species should be further investigated.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Coppice Forests in Europe

This book is the final output fronm the COST Action FP1301 EuroCoppice Innovative managementand multifunctional utilisation of traditional coppice forests - an answer to future ecological, economic and social challenges in the European forestry sector. This book was produced with input from partners form 35 countries and contains eight chapters (1) Overview (2) Silviculture (3) Utilisation (4) Conservation (5) Governance (6) reports from each of the 35 participating countries (7) Outlok and (8) Annex