Striking divergences in Earth Observation products may limit their use for REDD+

Countries are required to generate baselines of carbon emissions, or Forest Reference Emission Levels, for implementing REDD+ under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and to access results-based payments. Developing these baselines requires accurate maps of carbon stocks and historical deforestation. Global remote sensing products provide low-cost solutions for this information, but there has been little validation of these products at national scales. This study compares the ability of currently available products obtained from remote sensing data to deliver estimates of deforestation and associated carbon emissions in Guinea-Bissau, a West African country encompassing the climate and vegetation gradients that are typical of sub-Saharan Africa. We show that disagreements in estimates of deforestation are striking, and this variation leads to high uncertainty in derived emissions. For Guinea-Bissau, we suggest that higher temporal resolution of remote sensing products is required to reduce this uncertainty by overcoming current limitations in differentiating deforestation from seasonality. In contrast, existing datasets of carbon stocks show better agreement, and contribute much less to the variation in estimated emissions. We conclude that using global datasets based on Earth Observation data is a cost-effective solution to make REDD+ operational, but deforestation maps in particular should be derived carefully and their uncertainty assessed

Efeito da luz e da temperatura na germinação de sementes de quatro espécies de Xyris L. (Xyridaceae) ocorrentes na Serra do Cipó, MG, Brasil Light and temperature effect on germination of four species of Xyris L. (Xyridaceae) seeds occurring at the Serra do Cipó, MG, Brazil

As espécies do gênero Xyris são típicas de solos brejosos ou úmidos, sendo bastante freqüentes nos campos rupestres de Minas Gerais. O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar o comportamento germinativo de sementes de X. cipoensis Smith & Downs, X. longiscapa A. Nilsson, X. platystachia A. Nilsson e X. trachyphylla Mart. sob diferentes condições de luz e temperatura. Os experimentos de germinação foram realizados em câmaras de germinação nas temperaturas constantes de 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 e 40ºC, sob luz e escuro contínuos, e nas alternâncias de 25-15, 30-15, 30-20, 35-15, 35-20 e 35-25ºC, onde as temperaturas mais altas referem-se ao período de luz, sob fotoperíodo de 12 horas. As quatro espécies de Xyris apresentam sementes pequenas e sensíveis à luz, com resposta nula de germinação no escuro. As sementes de X. cipoensis germinaram em faixa mais estreita de temperatura (20 a 30ºC), apresentando alta porcentagem de germinação na temperatura constante de 20ºC. A faixa de 15 a 30ºC foi favorável à germinação das sementes de X. longiscapa, X. platystachia e X. trachyphylla, apresentando baixo percentual de germinação a 15ºC. As temperaturas alternantes não favoreceram a germinação em relação às temperaturas constantes.<br>The Xyris genus species are typical from marshy or wet soils, being quite common on Minas Gerais rocky fields. The objective of this study was to investigate the germinative behavior of X. cipoensis Smith & Downs, X. longiscapa A. Nilsson, X. platystachia A. Nilsson and X. trachyphylla Mart. under different light and temperatures conditions. The germination experiments took place in germination chambers at constant temperatures of 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40ºC, under continuous white light and darkness, and on the alternating temperatures of 25-15, 30-15, 30-20, 35-15, 35-20 and 35-25ºC, the higher temperature being in light at a 12 hours photoperiod. The four species of Xyris have small and light sensitive seeds, with no germination on darkness. The seeds of X. cipoensis germinated in a strict temperature (20 to 30ºC), presenting higher percentage of germination at the constant temperature of 20ºC. The 15 to 30ºC range were favorable to the germination of X. longiscapa, X. platystachia and X. trachyphylla seeds. These species presented low percentage of germination at 15ºC. The alternating temperature did not favor the germination when compared to the constant temperatures

Profundidade de semeadura e presença de palha afetam a emergência de plântulas de Vernonia ferruginea Sowing depth and presence of straw affect emergence of Vernonia ferruginea seedling

A compreensão sobre a biologia de plantas daninhas pode contribuir significativamente no estabelecimento de estratégias adequadas para seu manejo, além de possibilitar o desenvolvimento de ferramentas de controle não químico. O objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar o efeito de profundidade de semeadura, tipo de solo, tipo e quantidade de palha na emergência de plântulas de Vernonia ferruginea (assa-peixe). No primeiro experimento, sementes da espécie foram colocadas em dois substratos (terra e areia) e em sete profundidades (0; 0,0025; 0,005; 0,01; 0,02; 0,04; e 0,08 m). No segundo experimento, determinou-se o efeito de palha de cana-de-açúcar, capim-braquiária e milho em cinco quantidades (0,0; 1,5; 3,0; 6,0; e 9,0 t ha-1) na emergência de V. ferruginea. Maior emergência foi obtida na superfície e em 0,0025 m em ambos os substratos. A palha de milho foi a que mais inibiu a emergência de V. ferruginea, em todas as quantidades testadas.<br>Basic information on the biology of weeds can contribute significantly to building appropriate strategies for their management, and developing non-chemical control tools. The aim of this work was to study the effect of sowing depth, soil type, and litter type and amount on the emergence of Vernonia ferruginea seedlings. In the first experiment, seeds of this species were placed in two substrates (soil and sand) at seven depths (0, 0.0025, 0.005, 0.01, 0.02, 0.04 and 0.08 m). In the second experiment, the effect of sugarcane straw, signal grass and maize was determined in five amounts (0.0, 1.5, 3.0, 6.0 and 9.0 t ha-1) on the emergence of V. ferruginea. The highest emergence was observed on the surface and at 0.0025 m in both substrates. Corn straw inhibited emergence of V. ferruginea the most, in all the amounts tested