Cedrus Libani Research Articles

ВЛИЯНИЕ ПОГОДНО-КЛИМАТИЧЕСКИХ УСЛОВИЙ НА РАЗВИТИЕ ВЕГЕТАТИВНЫХ ПОБЕГОВ И ГЕНЕРАТИВНЫХ ОРГАНОВ У КЕДРА ЛИВАНСКОГО (CEDRUS LIBANI A. RICH.) В КРЫМУ

Research of effect of prolonged drought on the development of vegetative organs of Lebanese cedar in the territory of Crimea, revealed that, though it generally is highly drought resistant, it nevertheless reacts to a lack of moisture by a certain decrease in annual growth and leaf length. To a greater extent, this reaction is registered on the Southern coast of Crimea than in the Foothill zone of the peninsula, which is probably due to the different soil conditions of these zones. The results of mathematical processing showed that the correlation coefficient between the length of shoots of Lebanese cedar growing on the Southern coast of Crimea and the amount of precipitation here in the period from January to June of the corresponding year is rshoots=0.865, and between the length of leaves and the amount of precipitation for the specified period rleaves=0.988. Along with the decrease in shoot growth and leaf size, a significant increase in the number of Lebanese cedar trees with male characteristics (male and monoecious) and the decrease in the number of plants forming only female cones were recorded in the dry 2019 and 2020 years. At the same time, the fact that Lebanese cedar formed a significant number of generative organs even in conditions of drought in Crimea is evidence of its considerable adaptation in the studied area, while changes in reproductive structure indicate the ability of the species to adequately respond to water stress. Data on damage to Cedrus libani trees by freezing winter temperatures during abnormally severe winters and their subsequent regeneration indicate the high plasticity of the vegetative system of this species and its ability to effectively recover both after massive freezing of the leaf apparatus and the shoot system.

Monitoring of heavy metal pollution by using populus nigra and cedrus libani

Monitoring of heavy metal pollution by using populus nigra and cedrus libani

Vitality versus cambium, xylem, and phloem characteristics in Cedrus libani

Abstract In many regions, such as the Mediterranean, anticipated climate change is seen as a serious threat to tree vitality and forest productivity. Recent studies show that wood and bark structure as well as the number of dormant cambial cells bear valuable information about the growth condition and vitality of trees and thus could function as indicators to help manage forests in the future. Microcores and tree cores were sampled from stems of adult Cedrus libani trees growing at different altitudes in SW-Turkey. Trees were divided into two groups based on basal area increments: vital trees (positive growth trend), and trees of diminishing vitality (negative growth trend). Histological cross-sections were investigated for their number of dormant cambial cells as well as their xylem and phloem characteristics. We measured the widths of the conducting phloem, most recent xylem ring, earlywood, and latewood. We further calculated the ratio between the width of xylem ring and conducting phloem (XR:CPH ratio), and earlywood to latewood ratio. Vital trees had a significantly higher number of dormant cambial cells (on average 32%), higher xylem (67%), and conducting phloem (36%) widths, and a higher XR:CPH ratio (47%). The XR:CPH ratio ranged between 1.8:1 and 21.4:1. The number of dormant cambial cells was closely related to xylem and conducting phloem widths and showed a significant decrease with tree age. Altitude showed no direct effect on the measured and calculated parameters. Our results indicate the potential of dormant cambium, xylem, and phloem characteristics to assess the vitality and growth conditions of C. libani trees.

First report of Lecanosticta acicola on pine and non‐pine hosts in Turkey

AbstractBrown spot needle blight, caused by Lecanosticta acicola, is a serious disease of pines worldwide and has become of great concern in Europe over the last decade, with significantly increased outbreaks in pine forests. We examined native and non‐native Pinaceae taxa (four Cedrus and 24 Pinus) in the Atatürk Arboretum, Istanbul, Turkey, for the presence of L. acicola. Needles were sampled from 37 trees at least twice between March 2017 and July 2018. Symptomatic occurrence of the disease was confirmed by isolations, followed by molecular identification via sequencing of the ITS region. Lecanosticta acicola was isolated from symptomatic needles of 10 trees from seven host taxa (Cedrus and six Pinus). Molecular diagnostics of isolates confirmed the identification of L. acicola on Cedrus libani, Pinus sylvestris, P. nigra subsp. nigra, P. nigra subsp. laricio, P. nigra subsp. pallasiana, P. nigra subsp. pallasiana var. fastigiata and P. nigra subsp. pallasiana var. pallasiana f. şeneriana in the arboretum.This paper is the first report of L. acicola on C. libani and also the first report of the pathogen infecting a genus other than a Pinus spp. under natural conditions. Additionally, it is also the first report of L. acicola occurring in Turkey. The pathogen was clearly able to cause severe damage on native Turkish Pinus taxa, including P. sylvestris and P. nigra subsp. pallasiana, and endangered endemic forms of the host in Turkey.

Drought responses and their effects on radial stem growth of two co-occurring conifer species in the Mediterranean mountain range

Key messagePatterns of stem radial variations showed thatCedrus libaniA. Rich. was less limited by summer drought than co-occurringJuniperus excelsaM. Bieb.Cedrus libanirecovered faster from tree water deficit and showed significantly higher radial growth rates and annual stem increments thanJ. excelsa. However, the ability ofJ. excelsato grow more hours per year may indicate a potential benefit in more extreme conditions.ContextKnowledge about species-specific drought responses is needed to manage productive forests in drought prone areas. Under water shortage, trees commonly show stem shrinkage, which is assumed to inhibit growth.AimsWe investigated whether the two co-existing conifers Juniperus excelsa M. Bieb. and Cedrus libani A. Rich. (growing at the Taurus Mountains, SW-Turkey) show differences in water relations and stem growth in order to evaluate their respective drought tolerance.MethodsStem radius changes were hourly monitored over 2 years using high-resolution point dendrometers. Radial stem growth, tree water deficit-induced stem shrinkage, and maximum daily shrinkage were extracted from stem radius change measurements, investigated for their patterns, and related to environmental conditions.ResultsCedrus libani recovered from tree water deficit under higher temperature and vapor pressure deficit than J. excelsa. The number of hours during which stem growth occurred was higher for J. excelsa; however, growth rates and annual increments were significantly lower than in C. libani. Both species showed highest maximum daily shrinkage during the driest months indicating the ability to maintain gas exchange all year round.ConclusionJuniperus excelsa showed a more conservative growth strategy while C. libani was less limited by summer drought and showed more annual stem increment under the conditions investigated.

Wood identification of some coffins from the Necropolis of Thebes held in the collection of the Egyptian Museum in Florence

Two groups of coffins from the Necropolis of Thebes and held in the Egyptian Museum of Florence were analysed to collect information about the woods used in their construction, possible provenance and the technological features. The two groups of coffins belong to burials during the XVIII Dynasty of the New Kingdom and the XXI Dynasty of the Third Intermediate Period. The latter group comes from the well-known tomb of Bab el-Gasus. The analysis confirms that the most frequently utilised timber for the ancient Egyptian wooden coffins was Ficus sycomorus L. (sycamore fig) that was widely available locally at the time of construction. Sycamore fig wood is light and easy to process, and is the only local tree species suitable for making boards of sufficient length for the sides of coffins. Sycamore fig is used almost exclusively in the coffins from Bab el-Gasus. Here very few other woods were detected, but were all local in origin: Acacia sp., acacia; Tamarix sp., tamarisk. In contrast, the precious softwood of Cedrus cf. libani (probably Lebanon cedar) largely appears in the coffins of the New Kingdom. The comparison of the woods from the analysis of the two groups of coffins points out important differences between them. The differences may depend on the variations over time of the workmanship skills and on the higher social status of the deceased in more ancient periods. Most likely the main difference is due to the worst socio-economic situations that drastically reduced the availability of timber during the XXI dynasty period, in that geographical area of Egypt.

Headspace GC-MS analysis of differences in intra- and interspecific Terpene profiles of Picea pungens Engelm. and P. abies (L.) Karst

Conifer terpenes mediate a number of ecological roles such as deterring herbivory and allelopathic (plant-plant) communication. These terpenes also effect air quality and climate models and are used in chemotaxonomic studies. Herein we report on variation in both intra- and interspecific spruce terpenes using static headspace gas chromatography mass spectrometry (HS-GC-MS) and principal component analysis (PCA) of ‘fingerprint’ volatile profiles. Samples of blue spruce (Picea pungens), Norway spruce (P. abies), and cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani), an outgroup control, were analyzed by HS-GC-MS using both chiral and achiral GC columns. Headspace sampling parameters, temperature and heating time, were optimized to maximize detected terpenes. PCA of terpene ‘fingerprint’ profiles showed differences by species, by individual trees, but perhaps surprisingly not by environmental conditions. Analysis of blue and Norway spruce over several months show that volatile emissions remained remarkably constant unlike cedar of Lebanon, which showed a much greater variation in volatile profiles. Branches and buds from both spruces were found to release greater amounts of terpenes than samples of needles. The enantiomeric compositions of seven chiral monoterpenes were found to be largely similar between the three conifers with the exception of (−)-α-pinene, which was the dominant enantiomer released by Norway spruce and cedar of Lebanon, while (+)-α-pinene slightly predominated in blue spruce. While not the primary focus of this work, we believe this constitutes the first report on the enantiomeric composition of terpenes in cedar of Lebanon.

Fertility variation, seed collection and gene diversity in natural stands of Taurus cedar (Cedrus libani)

Seed stand is a natural forest population that is one of the essential seed sources for global seed supply. Individual fertility is an ability to produce progeny to next generation. Prediction of fertility variation is useful for seed quality, ecosystem management and gene conservation. Fertility variation and gene diversity in seed stands of Taurus cedar were estimated based on the difference in strobilus production between female and male parents. A total of 50 trees were randomly chosen from each stand, and female and male strobili were counted for three consecutive years. The mean of female strobili ranged from 31 to 150, and that of male ranged between 77 and 828. The variation in strobilus production was subjected to estimation of female and male fertility variation. The total fertility variation (\(\Psi\)) was estimated from the female and male fertility variation. The \(\Psi\) in a good crop year was smaller than in a poor year. The effective number of parents (Np) was calculated based on the \(\Psi\), which varied from 34.7 to 44.2. When strobilus productions were pooled across 3 years or populations, the Np increased. Equal cone harvest could mitigate the fertility variation among individuals but caused loss of seed production. Mixing seeds from different years could also decrease the fertility variation and increase the gene diversity of seeds. However, a balance between the size of Np and the number of pooling years should be carefully considered for maintaining the gene diversity in the natural stands.

<p><strong>A new species of the genus <em>Cryptognathus </em>Kramer (Acari: Cryptognathidae) from the Aegaen region of Turkey</strong></p>

A new species viz. Cryptognathus karabagiensis sp. nov., collected from soil and litter under Spartium junceum (Fabaceae), Cedrus libani (Pinaceae), Vitis vinifera (Vitaceae) and Pistacia terebinthus (Anacardiaceae) in Afyonkarahisar, Manisa and Muğla provinces (the Aegaen region of Turkey), is described and illustrated based on adult females. Also, an updated key to all known species of the genus Cryptognathus is presented.

Environment and horticulture in the Byzantine Negev Desert, Israel: sustainability, prosperity and enigmatic decline

This study presents a comprehensive paleoenvironmental reconstruction of the Byzantine and Early Islamic western Negev Desert communities during the 4th-8th centuries CE. The study is based on 33 pollen samples and hundreds of charcoal remains that were recovered from the villages of Shivta and Nitzana. The results demonstrate that during the 5–6th centuries CE flourishing desert agricultural communities existed on the periphery of the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire). The presence of diverse fruit-tree horticulture is revealed by both pollen and charcoal remains (grape, fig, olive, carob, almond/apricot, pomegranate, date palm and the exotic hazelnut). The rich botanical assemblages also provide evidence of the cultivation by irrigation of conifers and other Mediterranean trees common to the more humid Mediterranean vegetation zone, including the prestigious cedar of Lebanon. The palynological reconstruction of an ornamental garden at Shivta indicates the ability to invest water and labor, not only for horticultural and construction purposes, but also for ornamental greenery. We therefore suggest that the Byzantine Negev Desert community was a luxury society in contrast to societies living in a mode of survival in challenging desert environments. During the Early Islamic period (since the second half of the 7th century CE), our data show a dramatic decline in fruit-tree horticulture coupled with indicators signifying overexploitation for fuel of the nearby natural woody desert environment. Hence, we claim that in addition to previous possible explanations for the demise of the Negev Byzantine communities (plague pandemic, climate change, the Muslim conquest), overexploitation of the natural vegetation should also be taken into account. This study therefore helps address historical questions that are also pertinent to the modern era, regarding the existence of flourishing societies in challenging environments, overexploitation of the natural environment, and neglect of sustainability.

Modeling the natural regeneration of Cedrus libani A. Richard in Slenfeh, Syria, using binary logistic regression

Species distributions and abundances are undergoing rapid changes worldwide. This highlights the significance of reliable, integrated information for guiding and assessing actions and policies aimed at managing and sustaining the many functions and benefits of species. Mapping and monitoring of forest extent is a common requirement of regional forest inventories and public land natural resource management which requires generation of an accurate database on spatial forest structure distribution and environmental variables. Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology is an effective tool in modern management programs for forest ecosystems. The environmental factors which probably affect in the natural regeneration of Cedrus libani A. Richard in its natural distribution forest in Slenfeh, Syria, were modeled using the binary logistic regression (BLR) model. The effect of environmental factors (spatial and forest structure factors, topographic factors, and spectral indicators) was studied, each one as single set and then their combined effect with each other on the probability of the presence of C. libani seedlings in Slenfeh. The accuracy of the model was clearly improved by studying the effect of environmental factors combined together (84%), while the accuracy of the other studied models did not exceed 70%. The results showed that the forest cover (Cedrus libani, broad leaved except oaks, mixed) is considered a good condition for natural regeneration of C. libani, while the lack of soil moisture in summer was a negative factor in the possibility of the presence of C. libani seedlings in Slenfeh.

Cedrus libani ve Pinus nigra subsp. pallasiana‘nın Uçucu Yağlarının Kimyasal Bileşimi, Antimikrobiyal Aktivitesi ve Flavonoid İçeriklerinin Belirlenmesi

Kahramanmaraş‘ta doğal olarak yayılış gösteren Cedrus libani A. Rich ve Pinus nigra subsp. pallasiana (Lamb.) Holmboe ‘nın iğne yaprak ve meyvelerine ait uçucu yağların bileşimi GC-MS ile; antimikrobiyal etkileri disk difüzyon yöntemi ile flavonoid içerikleri ise HPLC cihazı ile belirlenmiştir. Nisan, Temmuz ve Eylül olmak üzere üç farklı zamanda toplanan yaprak örneklerine ait uçucu yağların kimyasal kompozisyonundaki mevsimsel değişimin incelendiği bu çalışmada, uçucu yağ ana bileşenlerini P. nigra subsp. pallasiana‘da α-pinene, β-pinene, limonene, β-caryophyllene ve germacrene-D ile; C. libanii‘de bu bileşenlere ek olarak, myrcene ve α–terpineol olarak bulunmuştur. HPLC analizi sonucunda rutin, quercetin, kaempferol, naringin, ve resveratrol flavonoidleri çeşitli oranlarda bitkilerde bulunmuştur. C. libani‘de en yüksek oranda rutin ve resveratrol (sırasıyla 154,33 ve 20,02 µg g-) bulunurken; P. nigra subsp. pallasiana‘da ise yine rutinin (39,66 µg g-) yanı sıra quercetin ve naringin (sırasıyla 9,65 ve 9,31 µg g-) elde edilmiştir. Antimikrobiyal aktivite sonuçlarına göre Nisan‘da toplanan C. libani uçucu yağları Haziran ve Eylül ayı uçucu yağlarından daha yüksek aktivite göstermiştir. Buna karşılık P. nigra subsp. pallasiana uçucu yağları en iyi antimikrobiyal aktiviteyi Nisan ve Haziran‘a kıyasla Eylül‘de göstermiştir. Sonuç olarak, C. libani ve P. nigra subsp. pallasiana antimikrobiyal aktivite gösteren bir içeriğe sahiptir ancak en iyi ve etkin bir içerik için hasat dönemlerine dikkat edilmelidir.

Use of stand density to improve prediction performance of stem taper model for Taurus cedar

Toros sediri (Cedrus libani A. Rich.) Türkiye’nin ekonomik ve ekolojik açıdan en önemli orman ağacı türlerinden birisidir. Bu çerçevede doğal Toros sediri ormanlarının geleceğe dönük yönetim ve planlanması ile ilgili stratejilerinin geliştirilmesinde, türün büyüme ve hasılatına ilişkin mevcut durumun ortaya konması gerekmektedir. Ağaç türlerinin büyüme ve hasılatına ilişkin tahminlerde kullanılan en önemli yapı taşlarından birisi, ağaç hacim tahminleridir. Ağaç hacimlerinin tahmini amacıyla gövde çapı modellerinin kullanımı son yıllarda önemli bir araç olmuştur. Gövde çapı modelleri, bir ağaç gövdesi boyunca farklı yüksekliklerdeki çap değerlerinin tahmin edilmesi, buna bağlı olarak da ağaç hacim tahminleri ve bu hacmin farklı ürün sınıflarına dağılımının belirlenmesi için kullanılmaktadır. Yapılan çalışmalar, ağaçların büyüme ve gövde formu üzerinde; meşcere sıklığı, gençleştirme yöntemi, toprak tipi ve joe-klimatik faktörler gibi bazı karakteristiklerinin önemli etkilere sahip olduğunu göstermiştir. Dolayısıyla, gövde çapı modellerine meşcere sıklığının yardımcı değişken olarak eklenmesi ile modellerin gövde çapı ve hacim tahminlerindeki performansları arttırılabilir.

Effect of climate change on potential distribution of Cedrus libani A. Rich in the twenty-first century: an Ecological Niche Modeling assessment

The present study is focused on the potential distribution of the Lebanese cedar (Cedrus libani) in the present and in the future throughout the twenty-first century. The location of this work encompasses Lebanon, Syria and Turkey. Twenty-four environmental variables are used and two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) scenarios for two different time periods are studied: RCP 4.5 2050, RCP 4.5 2070, RCP 8.5 2050 and RCP 8.5 2070. The most interesting novelty is the use of 13 General Circulation Models and 6 algorithms (Climate Space Model, Envelope Score, Environmental Distance, Genetic Algorithm for Rule-set Production, Maximum Entropy and Support Vector Machines) were considered for modelling. Area Under the Curve is used as goodness of fit and building the final consensus map. The global habitat suitability area would enlarge in the forecasted scenarios with respect to the present, although it would be more restricted in 2070 due to the altitudinal shift. This study also suggests an interesting approach to manage C. libani stands by means of afforestation programs aiming to face global warming in the late twenty-first century.

STUDIES ON THE IMPACT OF FLOW RATE AND BED HEIGHT ON THE FIXED BED ADSORPTION OF METHYLENE BLUE DYE, BISMARCK BROWN Y DYE, AND INDIGO BLUE DYE ON TO CEDRUS LIBANI (ELIZ ABETH LEAF) BIOMASS

Objective: One of the objectives of this work includes to expand the field of application of natural biomass for the treatment of dye effluents from industrial wastes. In addition, it is aimed at elucidating the dependency or otherwise of flow rate and bed height on adsorption using the fixed bed technique method of adsorption.
 Methods: The biomass was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in order to examine the morphology of the biomass. The screened biomass samples were characterized at 1000 x magnification, and 500 x magnification respectively for their surface morphologies. This was done using a scanning electron microscope (FEI–inspect/OXFORD INSTRUMENTS–X–MAX), which was equipped with an energy dispersive x-ray (EDAX) spectrophotometer employed for the elemental composition analyses. It was equally characterized with Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) before and after adsorption to ascertain the functional growth responsible for the adsorption. This was done using a Fourier Transformed Infrared (FTIR) Spectrophotometer (Perkin-Elmer, England) in the wavelength range of 350-4000 nm.
 Results: Results for the biomass morphology obtained through the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) showed the presence of some tiny pores. These pores represent sites where dye molecules could be trapped in the course of the adsorption. The result from the Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) after adsorption show that C-H, C ≡ H, and C ≡ C functional growth were responsible for the adsorption. For the methylene blue dye, at the flow rate of 20m3/s, the amount of dye adsorbed was 8.40 mg/g, 11.30 mg/g at 30m3/s and 13.64 mg/g at 40m3/s. For Bismarck brown Y dye, at the same range of flow rate, the amount of dye adsorbed ranged from 4.71 mg/g to 9.78 mg/g. indigo was the least adsorbed at the same range of flow rate. The values obtained ranged from 2.80 mg/g to 8.00 mg/g. In addition, at the bed height of 4.0–6.0x10-2(m), the amount of dye adsorbed ranged from 5.15 mg/g–24.62 mg/g for methylene blue dye. Within the same range of bed height, the amount of dye adsorbed ranged from 8.20 mg/g–15.00 mg/g for Bismarck brown Y dye, and 5.66 mg/g–14.86 mg/g for indigo dye.
 Conclusion: From the results obtained, it is clearly seen that methylene blue dye was the most adsorbed, while the indigo dye was the least adsorbed within the same flow rate and bed height ranges. In addition, the three classes of dyes used in these investigations, which represent Cationic, Anionic and Neutral dyes, can adsorb on to Cedrus libani (Elizabeth Leaf) at various degrees. Also, the amount of dye adsorbed is dependent on the flow rate and bed height within the range of experimental consideration.
 In each of the analyses, three different experiments were performed, and the mean values reported with their standard deviations.

Non-invasive wood identification on parts of King Horemheb's ritual couches (New kingdom)

The inclusion of couches as basic artefacts of ritual use in ancient Egyptian royal tombs first emerged in the New Kingdom; these are very rare objects, and very little information is available concerning the timber used to make them. To address this knowledge gap the present paper deals with the identification of wood from parts of ancient Egyptian ritual couches from King Horemheb's tomb using reflected light microscopy as a non-invasive analytic technique. Although these couches are from a royal tomb, our results show that the four identified wood species (Cedar of Lebanon, Sycamore fig, Tamarisk and Christ's thorn) are among the most common timbers found in ancient Egypt. This confirms that the shortage of timber in ancient Egypt forced the use of the few available timbers for specific purposes, according to their properties, and led the Egyptian carpenters to use large logs from external sources, such as cedar of Lebanon, confirming trading of wood in ancient Egypt.

Factors affecting success in natural regeneration works of cedar (Cedrus libani A. Rich.) In Kas region of Antalya

Plants are living things that form the basis of food pyramid, provide numerous products and are considered as the source of life. Many professions such as agriculture, forestry and landscaping work on plant growing. The fast growth of plants is of prime importance since it provides advantage in light and root competition in the areas where plants are grown. For this reason, it is highly important to identify the factors affecting plant development and to change these factors in favour of the target species. In order to achieve this, first of all, the factors affecting the development of the target species in the study area should be known. In this study, which was carried out in the natural regeneration areas of Taurus Cedar (Cedrus libani A. Rich) found in the Kasaba Forest Sub-District Directorate in Kas region of Antalya, and was prepared as a term project, 3-year-old young cedars naturally grown in different stands were compared in terms of their root collar diameters, seedling length and number of seedlings, and the factors affecting the natural regeneration success were tried to be identified by factor analysis. As a result of the study, it was found that the average root collar diameter was between 2.5 and 4.7 mm, the average seedling length was between 4.5 and 11.3 cm, and the average number of young cedars per square meter was between 6 and 47. When the factors affecting the natural regeneration success were examined, it was found that the factors such as soil moisture, precipitation, amount of organic matter, light intensity and number of healthy seeds were the most important factors that played a role in this success, and that those factors explained 78.32% of the total variance.

Honeydew producing insects in some forests of Turkey and their potential to produce of honeydew honey

The commercial interest in honeydew honey is increasing because of its higher therapeutic properties than most flower-based honeys. Marchalina hellenica Gennadius (Hemiptera: Marchalinidae) is one of the important scale insects to produce of honeydew honey and its honeydew in large quantities is collected by honeybees and used in pine honey in Turkey. The aim of this study was to survey and identify honeydew producing insects’ habitats that source of honeydew honey in pure fir forest in Bolu, spruce forests in Giresun (Black Sea region), oaks forest in Kırklareli (Thracian region) and cedar forest in Antalya (Mediterranean region). In accordance with these results, we found 20 honeydew producers and among of them are Cinara cedri Mimeur on Cedrus libani, Marchalina caucasica Hadzibejli on Abies nordmanniana subsp nordmanniana, and Picea orientalis; Nemolecanium abietis Borchsenius, Physokermes hellenicus Kozẚr & Gounari and Schizolachnus pineti on Abies bornmuelleriana; Lachnus roboris Linnaeus and Parthenolecanium rufulum (Cockerell) on Quercus spp. and Castanea sativa; Metcalfa pruinosa Say (Hemiptera: Flatidae) and Ricania simulans (Walker) (Hemiptera: Ricaniidae) on different host plants. All these insects produce large amount of honeydew depending on their population size. The article discusses the potential for these insects to produce honeydew honey.
 Keywords: Picea orientalis, Abies nordmanniana, Ricania simulans, Eulecanium sericeum Metcalfa pruinosa, Marchalina caucasica

Do tree plantations or cultivated fields have the same ability to maintain soil quality as natural forests?

Human activities, such as tree cutting and land-use change, have significantly altered the forests of Iran's Zagros Mountains. In plantation projects within these forests, maintaining soil structure and fertility is necessary for sustainable forest management. Ideally, the soil quality of tree plantations should be as good as that of natural forests. In this study, we investigated the long-term impact of land-use change, i.e. conversion of natural oak forest to tree plantations or cultivated fields, on soil quality (i.e., physicochemical, biological and biochemical soil properties) in the forests of the Zagros Mountains. We found that the conversion of natural oak forest to tree plantations (in this case Cupressus arizonica, Cedrus libani, Elaeagnus angustifolia, Quercus brantii (persica), Robinia pseudoacacia and Fraxinus rotundifolia) and agriculture caused declines in soil organic carbon content, especially in the cultivated fields where it fell by around 60%. Overall, the lowest contents of soil nutrients, except Cu, were measured in agricultural soils. Interestingly, the plantation of a non-native tree (Cedrus libani) sequestrated more atmospheric carbon and nitrogen than native Persian oak forests. The impact on soil biological activity remains unclear: the conversion of natural forests into cultivated fields reduced soil biological activity, while conversion from forest to tree plantations had little influence. Finally, the conversion of natural forest to tree plantations had less impact on soil properties than conversion to cultivated fields. In conclusion, to maintain soil fertility, forest managers should avoid forest conversion to agriculture. Moreover, we do not recommend plantation of Cupressus arizonica in the Zagros region for the purpose of carbon and nitrogen sequestration and the increase of soil productivity.

Presentation of Yavsan Plateau Park

Yavsan Plateau Nature Park is located in the Onikisubat district of Kahramanmaras province in the Mediterranean Region. The Natural Park and its surroundings, covering an area of 3,480 hectares, 36 km away from Kahramanmaras city center and the environment, due to their natural and cultural resource values, the proposal of the General Directorate of Nature Protection and National Parks was declared as the 39th natural park of the Ministry on 15.12.2009. By recognizing the plant species in Kahramanmaras and surrounding provinces, various arrangements have been made for the promotion and protection of natural resources as well as for the development of nature conservation awareness. Nearly 65 endemic species have been identified and other species are under investigation.In the area, coniferous species of Taurus Fir (Abies cilicica), Taurus Cedar (Cedrus libani), larch and juniper, aspen and oak species from leafy species grow naturally in our country. There are wild walnuts in the creek. Yavsan Plateau Nature Park, which is located in the area where Mediterranean, Eastern Anatolia and Southeastern Anatolia Regions approach each other, is rich in natural water resources. The spring waters from Yavsan plateau and its immediate surroundings form Yavsan stream and Pekmez spring.