Changes in elm (Ulmus) populations of mid-westernPolandduringthepast35years

Abstract: Three elm species are native to Poland: wych elm (Scots elm) (Ulmus glabra Huds.), field elm (U. minor Mill.), and European white elm (fluttering elm) (U. laevis Pall.). The epidemic of Dutch elm disease (DED) has led to a decrease in the popularity of elm cultivation. An analysis of forestry data was the first step in the assessment of elm resources. The area of forest stands where elms are dominant has more than doubled since 1978. Lowland alluvial forests rank first in regards to the number of elm localities per unit area of a given forest site type. While this site type is clearly preferred by elms, the majority of elm trees are actually scattered among sites of oak-hornbeam or closely related forests (of the alliance Carpinion betuli). Field research revealed a clear dominance of U. laevis, a species which in the past was predominantly located out of woodland and rarely cultivated. Data analysis indicated that all trees greater than 70 cm in diameter belonged to this species. Data from plots surveyed directly also suggest that the three elm species have slightly different habitat preferences. U. laevis prefers riparian habitats, although the major part of its resources is now on potential sites of oak-hornbeam or closely related forests. U. minor even more often than U. laevis occurs at less humid sites (mostly potential sites of oak-hornbeam or closely related forests), while U. glabra prefers moist slopes. In general, it appears that the impact of DED in the last 20-30 years has been smaller than in the preceding period, however, the disappearance of the disease has not been established. Undoubtedly, U. laevis is the elm species that is least impacted by DED

Determination of profiles of volatile metabolites produced by Trametes versicolor isolates antagonistic towards Armillaria spp.

Armillaria root disease is one of the most important diseases causing losses in forestry, horticulture, pomiculture and agriculture. Fungi from Armillaria spp. infest roots and stem base in trees and shrubs, causing white wood rot. In Poland the most common species include Armillaria ostoyae (Romagn.) Herink, found both in coniferous and deciduous stands, and A. gallica Marxm. et Romagn. found in deciduous stands. Identification of antagonistic interactions between microorganisms in the soil medium enables to use their activity to protect plants against pathogens. Analyses were conducted on two Trametes versicolor isolates TR31 and TR55, collected from oak stumps, and 5 fungal species from the genus Armillaria: A. borealis Marxm. et Korhonen, A. cepistipes Velen., A. gallica, A. mellea (Vahl) P. Kumm. and A. ostoyae. Profiles of volatile compounds produced by T. versicolor isolates TR31 and TR55 determined in this study varied in their effect on growth of pathogens Armillaria borealis, A. cepistipes, A. gallica, A. mellea and A. ostoyae. TR31 more effectively than isolate TR55 inhibited growth of fungi from the genus Armillaria. Profiles of volatile compounds biosynthesised in the examined fungal cultures were assessed by headspace microextraction in a gas chromatograph coupled with a mass spectrometer. We detected 179 compounds in the analysed fungal cultures. They belonged to the following groups of chemical compounds: amines, alcohols, terpenes, aldehydes, ketones, hydrocarbons, heterocyclic compounds, esters and aromatic compounds (tab. 2). The most numerous group among the isolated volatile compounds comprised hydrocarbons, alcohols and esters at 32.4%, 16.2% and 14.5%, respectively. The highest concentrations reported in RU (i.e. the peak area of a given substances in relation to the peak area of the internal standard, i.e. tridecane) were recorded for aldehydes, alcohols and hydrocarbons. Among all the identified volatile compounds the highest concentration was observed for 2−methylbutanal. However, it was characteristic only of isolate TR31, which exhibited a greater capacity to inhibit growth of Armillaria spp. in comparison to isolate TR55 (fig.)

Criminal intelligence supported with spatial analysis tools in LINK application

The aim of the paper is to present the possibilities of utilizing spatial (geographical) information in the criminal analysis and to introduce the LINK software, which is able to perform such analyses. LINK is a decision-support system dedicated for operational and investigational activities of homeland security services. The paper briefly discusses issues of criminal analysis in the Polish reality and focuses on crime mapping and spatial analyses. It also lists available analysis methods and software tools together with their pros and con. The description of LINK system functionality constitutes the main part of the paper. It covers the tasks of data acquisition, processing, analysis and visualization. In addition to that the paper also includes a description of the integration possibilities of LINK and ESRI’s ArcGIS application stack and performing complex geospatial analyses

Genetic diversity of Heterobasidion annosum sensu stricto and Heterobasidion parviporum in chosen Scots pine and Norway spruce stands in Poland

The study was done in five Scots pine and five Norway spruce stands. Pine stands were infested by Heterobasidion annosum sensu stricto and spruce stands by Heterobasidion parviporum. In all stands the pathogens’ genets were identified. In Scots pine stands 54 genets were found. The biggest one covered area of 160,2 m² and was isolated from 11 stumps. 40% of genets were isolated only from one stump, but in some cases two or three genets colonized the same stump. In Norway spruce stands 55 genets were found. In most cases they were small and only two covered area of 38,5 m² and 40 m². The other ones colonized only one stump or more genets were found in the same stump. Genetic diversity among genets varied from 0 to 77%

Application of unattended installation systems and image management in research and didactic laboratories

The purpose of this article is to present image management and unattended systems in research and teaching laboratories. Both types of laboratories are specific from the point of view of IT personnel. In this work environment, unlike computers used for example in offices, frequent and advanced changes in configurations and settings are necessary. Maintaining such machines is a challenge for IT staff due to time-consuming processes and downtime in laboratories. The system proposed within the framework of this study is aimed at shortening and simplifying the service of laboratories. It help in increase of usage time of laboratories by reducing the downtimes necessary to maintain the IT infrastructure