Nursery Cultivation Research Articles

APHIS CORDUBENSIS SP. N. (HEMIPTERA APHIDIDAE) LIVING ON ABUTILON MEGAPOTAMICUM (MALVACEAE) FROM CORDOBA PROVINCE (ARGENTINA)

Aphis cordubensis sp. n. (Hemiptera: Aphididae) is described from apterous and alate viviparous females, oviparous females and males collected in Villa Carlos Paz (Córdoba, Argentina) on Abutilon megapotamicum. A summarized identification key for apterous viviparae of Aphis species recorded worldwide on Malvaceae is presented. The diagnostic features allowing to differentiate the new species from the Aphis species known in South America are presented. The new species should be able to live in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay on wild and cultivated plants of Abutilon and perhaps on other genera of Malvaceae. The species is potentially invasive and trade and cultivation in gardens and plant nurseries of Abutilon and close genera must be monitored.

Agro-industrial-residues as potting media: physicochemical and biological characters and their influence on plant growth.

Nursery cultivation is recognized globally as an intensive production system to support quality seedlings as well as to manage resources efficiently. Apart from other factors, potting media (PM) play a crucial role in determining the success of nursery cultivation. Worldwide, peat is the most commonly used substrate in PM because of its favorable physicochemical properties. However, due to ascending environmental and ecological concerns regarding the use of peat, a variety of new substrates have been used/tested by researchers/practitioners/growers as PM. Bark, coir pith, wood fiber, compost derived from various agro-residues, and vermicompost either alone or in combination are some of the commonly explored substrates and found to have the potential to replace peat to a greater extent. In lieu of availability, abundance, low cost, and no/low processing requirement, the use of agro-industrial residue (AIR) in the PM is the current trend. However, challenges associated with their adoption cannot be ignored. The present review is focused on providing collective information, scientific knowledge and detailed analysis of various AIR used in PM. The critical evidence-based review would help in developing a consistent approach for the identification, selection and characterization of a new renewable substrate. In addition, it would help in developing a rationale understanding of the practical and economic realities involved in the adoption of the same in PM.Graphical abstract Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13399-021-01998-6.

Garden Nursery Cultivation and Management Techniques

Garden Nursery Cultivation and Management Techniques

PENERAPAN BUSINESS MODEL CANVAS (BMC) UNTUK PENGEMBANGAN USAHA MANGGA DI DESA PAWIDEAN JATIBARANG KABUPATEN INDRAMAYU

The existence of innovation in the home industry needs to be studied in the form of a business model to describe the business processes that will be implemented. A business model describes the rationale for how an organization creates, delivers, and captures value. Economically, the implementation of a good Business Model Canvas can provide an overview of the response to the products produced and the overall business implementation, making it easier for business actors to make decisions regarding business development. This stage aims to describe the business actors of processed food and beverage products of mango fruit creating, delivering, and capturing a value. Determination of business development strategy is carried out based on a SWOT analysis on each component of the Business Model canvas. Application of the Business Model Canvas (BMC) for the development of processed food and beverage products in Pawidean Village, Kec. Jatibarang, Kab. Indramayu is able to provide insight to business actors Processing mango fruit food and drinks so that their business can continue and develop. However, the development of these businesses requires support not only from the Cooperatives and UMKM Service, but also other related agencies. Such as the Department of Industry and Trade for the use of mango tree nursery cultivation and the Department of Tourism and Creative Economy for the development of educational tours for the manufacture of processed food and beverage products based on local wisdom. Keywords: Business Model Canvas, Business Development, Mango Fruit.

The influence of German science on Cinchona and quinine research in Portugal in the second half of the 19th century.

This paper examines the contribution of three Portuguese scientists to Cinchona cultivation in the former Portuguese colonies in the second half of the 19th century, while discussing the importance of their studies in Germany to their professional lives. Portuguese pharmaceutical, medical, and botanical literature from the 19 th and 20 th century was reviewed, as well as books and articles regarding the history of pharmacy and medicine in Portugal. Cinchona bark, source of the antimalarial alkaloid quinine, is obtained from a South American plant, and was an important commodity in the 19th century. Many European nations (including Portugal) tried to acclimatize and cultivate Cinchona plants in their colonies. Pharmacist Joaquim dos Santos e Silva (1842-1906) performed chemical analysis of Cinchona bark samples from the Portuguese colonies in Africa. Forester Bernardino Barros Gomes (1839-1910) wrote a book with practical instructions for Cinchona cultivation and chronicled the history of Cinchona plantations in the British and Dutch colonies. In that work he also encouraged private planters to cultivate Cinchona. Forester Adolpho Frederico Möller (1842-1920), as inspector of the Botanical Garden of Coimbra, managed Cinchona plants' cultivation in the garden's nurseries, which were later sent to the colonies, and answered queries from Cinchona planters. Silva's chemistry studies in Germany were crucial to his career and the work of the three scientists was influenced and guided by their knowledge of German science and scientific culture.

Climate and species stress resistance modulate the higher survival of large seedlings in forest restorations worldwide.

Seedling planting plays a key role in active forest restoration and regeneration of managed stands. Plant attributes at outplanting can determine tree seedling survival and consequently early success of forest plantations. Although many studies show that large seedlings of the same age within a species have higher survival than small ones, others report the opposite. This may be due to differences in environmental conditions at the planting site and in the inherent functional characteristics of species. Here, we conducted a global-scale meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of seedling size on early outplanting survival. Our meta-analysis covered 86 tree species and 142 planting locations distributed worldwide. We also assessed whether planting site aridity and key plant functional traits related to abiotic and biotic stress resistance and growth capacity, namely specific leaf area and wood density, modulate this effect. Planting large seedlings within a species consistently increases survival in forest plantations worldwide. Species' functional traits modulate the magnitude of the positive seedling size-outplanting survival relationship, showing contrasting effects due to aridity and between angiosperms and gymnosperms. For angiosperms planted in arid/semiarid sites and gymnosperms in subhumid/humid sites the magnitude of the positive effect of seedling size on survival was maximized in species with low specific leaf area and high wood density, characteristics linked to high stress resistance and slow growth. By contrast, high specific leaf area and low wood density maximized the positive effect of seedling size on survival for angiosperms planted in subhumid/humid sites. Results have key implications for implementing forest plantations globally, especially for adjusting nursery cultivation to species' functional characteristics and planting site aridity. Nursery cultivation should promote large seedlings, especially for stress sensitive angiosperms planted in humid sites and for stress-resistant species planted in dry sites.

Influence of Fertilization and Mycorrhizae on the Nutritional Status of Rhododendron (Rhododendron hybridum) in a Nursery

Background: This study of the large-flowered azalea cv. ‘Anneke’ investigated the impact of two factors, i.e., methods of fertilization and mycorrhization, on the nutritional status of plants during three years of nursery cultivation. Methods: Single mineral fertilizers, a slow-release fertilizer Hortiform pH (SRF), and fertigation in combination with mycorrhization of plants, were applied. Plant roots were inoculated with fungi from the genera Oidiodendron and Hymenoscyphus sp. The nutritional status of the large-flowered azalea in the first three years of cultivation was assessed based on macroelements. Results: The analyses revealed significantly higher content of nitrogen, phosphorus and calcium in the leaves of plants inoculated with fungal mycelium. A beneficial effect of plant mycorrhization on plant nutritional status, i.e., higher levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium, was noted in the second and third years of azalea cultivation. Conclusions: Significant amounts of the nutrients were utilized in the middle of the growing season and almost fully utilized after the season. Hence, the necessity to supplement nutrients in each subsequent year of plant vegetation was postulated. Fertigation was shown to require further improvement of the nutrient solution.

Progeny selection of "Myrocarpus frondosus" for improved growth vigor of seedlings

In this study, we aimed to evaluate half-sibling progenies of Myrocarpus frondosus based on morphological characteristics and to select seedlings with high growth vigor and quality. Seedlings were evaluated for shoot height and diameter, shoot height/diameter ratio, and number of leaves. The shoot height showed the highest estimations of linear correlation with the other characteristics. The linear correlation of shoot height between two consecutive evaluations was high from 60 days of cultivation, indicating that selection should be applied after this period. Selection of 101 seedlings within the best progenies resulted in a genetic gain of 15.13% for shoot height. The greatest indirect gain from selection was for the shoot height/diameter ratio, whereas the lowest indirect gain was for the stem diameter. Myrocarpus frondosus progenies can be selected for shoot height at 60 days of nursery cultivation, resulting in high direct gain for growth and indirect gain for stem height/diameter ratio.

Water use estimation and growth of container grown tatarian dogwood (Cornus alba L. ‘Sibirica’) and cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus L. ‘Novita’)

The pot in pot (PIP) system is a new alternative to container above ground (CAG) cultivation in nurseries. Our study estimates plant water usage of plants in CAG and PIP. Main variables as plant species, nursery container type and year effect on morphological parameters (plant size, leaf area, fresh and dry weight), on daily water use (weighed DWU), transpiration of leaves (DT) supplemented with species effect were analysed. Twenty plants grown in 5 L plastic pots of each combination were investigated. For leaf area measurement by AM350 we sampled 30 leaves from each plant. Fourty plants were weighed by a digital scale (Dyras, KSCL-300), morning and evening on each sampling day. Leaf gas exchange was measured on the same days by using leaf gas exchange analyzer (LCi, ADC Scientific Ltd.). From the two investigated deciduous (tatarian dogwood) and evergreen species (cherry laurel), only the tatarian dogwood showed improved quality in the PIP system (enhanced canopy increment, fresh and dry weight). Significant difference showed the two species in DWU, and in DT. The tatarian dogwood used 626 g day-1 water (194 %) compared to the cherry laurel’s 341 g day-1 water use in 2015, while in 2016 this ratio was 144% in favor of tatarian dogwood. We measured higher initial morning weight (IWC) in PIP system. The transpiration measurements on single selected leaves overestimated the real transpiration compared to DWU. The DT of the deciduous tatarian dogwood responses more sensitive to environmental conditions than the evergreen cherry laurel.

Pathogenicity of Phytophthora species to ornamental plant Plectranthus scutellarioides

Pathogenicity of seven Phytophthora species (P. plurivora, P. citricola, P. lacustris, P. gonapodyides, P. chlamydospora, P. pseudocryptogea and P. hydropathica) to ornamental plant Plectranthus scutellarioides was evaluated. Susceptibility of the tested plant to the selected pathogens was analyzed by a baiting technique with detached leaves and an infection of cuttings. P. pseudocryptogea was determined as the most aggressive pathogen to the coleus plant according to the results of both methods. P. lacustris, P. gonapodyides, P. chlamydospora and P. hydropathica induced comparable disease symptoms on tested leaves as well as cuttings. P. plurivora and P. citricola demonstrated less aggressiveness to leaves of P. scutellarioides, but strongly inhibited the growth of the roots of the cuttings. All tested Phytophthora species were recognized as a real threat for coleus plants in their natural habitat, but they could also compromise its cultivation in greenhouses, nurseries and parks. In addition, the ability of the fungicide azoxystrobin for an effective control of Phytophthora species was proved.

Coconut Coir as a Sustainable Nursery Growing Media for Seedling Production of the Ecologically Diverse Quercus Species

Peat, a non-sustainable resource, is still predominately used in forest nurseries. Coconut coir might provide an alternative, renewable, and reliable growing media but few studies have evaluated this media type in forest nurseries. We assessed the influence of pure coir, in combination with various fertilization regimes, on the growth and physiology of three ecologically diverse Quercus species seedlings (Q. robur, Q. pubescens, and Q. ilex) during nursery cultivation. Seedlings were grown using peat and pure coir in combination with three fertilization treatments (standard, K-enriched, and P-enriched). Data were collected for: (1) growth and physiological traits; (2) detailed above- and below-ground morphological traits by destructive analysis; and (3) NPK content in leaves, shoot and roots, and in the growing media, following cultivation. Peat and coir in combination with the various fertilization treatments affected above- and below-ground morphology and, to a lesser extent, the physiological traits of Quercus seedlings. Large effects of the substrate occurred for most morphological variables, with peat being more effective than coir in all studied species. Fertilization also produced significant differences. The effect of K-enriched fertilization on plant growth was clear across the three species and the two growing media. P-enriched fertilization in peat was the only combination that promoted a higher amount of this element in the tissues at the end of cultivation. Despite their smaller size, seedlings produced in coir were compatible with standard Quercus forest stocktype size, and showed a proportionally higher root system development and fibrosity. Our results suggest that coir can be used as an alternative substrate to grow Quercus species seedlings, and that fertilization can offset coir deficiencies in chemical properties. As several functional traits drive planting performance under varying environmental conditions. according to the Target Plant Concept, coir might thus serve as an acceptable material for seedling cultivation in some cases.

Ecologically distinct pine species show differential root development after outplanting in response to nursery nutrient cultivation

The capacity to rapidly expand root systems to increase soil foraging is key for the survival of tree seedlings in arid regions. Plants alter root growth dynamics and architecture in response to environmental changes and this plasticity in root development allows plants to maximize soil resource uptake. However, how variation in plant physiological status, such as nutrient content, affects root growth dynamics and architecture is poorly understood. We assessed how variation in seedling nutrient status affects root growth dynamics and architecture in three closely related, yet ecologically distinct pine species: Pinus nigra J.F. Arnold, Pinus pinaster Ait., and Pinus pinea L. Seedlings were cultivated under contrasting fertilization regimes to promote different levels of mineral nutrient content. Seedlings were then transplanted into rhizotrons to evaluate root growth dynamics and architecture over 10 weeks. Overall, increased seedling nutrient content enhanced root development, but species showed distinct root growth patterns and architecture. Pinus pinaster, which inhabits moderate climatic stress environments, showed the greatest root growth plasticity with variation in seedling nutrient content. In contrast, root development was less plastic in the pines adapted to more stressful environments, P. pinea, which occurs in sites with long and strong summer drought and P. nigra, which inhabits cold winter areas. High nutrient-content seedlings developed larger root systems by maintaining a greater number of growing roots rather than by increasing the elongation rate of individual roots, reflecting a strategy that likely improves soil foraging capacity. Nitrogen use efficiency for root growth (new root growth per unit of plant nitrogen content at planting) increased with increasing nutrient content in P. pinaster, yet the opposite effect occurred in the other two species. New roots of high nutrient-content seedlings had lower specific root length than low content seedlings in all species, suggesting that internal seedling nutrient status determines specific root length. The means by which increased seedling nutrient content affects root development after transplanting in pine species seems to be related to species ecology and stress resistance physiology. With a surplus of mineral nutrients during nursery cultivation, pine species from high stressful environments have low flexibility in modifying root development, while species from moderate climatic stress environments prioritize root development.

Effect of pre-germinative treatments on <i>Nothofagus glauca</i> seed germination and seedling growth

Background: Nothofagus glauca (Phil.) Krasser (Nothofagaceae, “Hualo”) is an endemic tree of the Mediterranean zone of Chile. The natural forests in this area have been severely fragmented as a result of human causes such as replacement by agricultural crops and fast-growing tree species. From 1975, these forests have declined from 900,000 ha to 145,000 ha, so it is categorised on the IUCN Red List as ‘vulnerable’. In restoring this ecosystem, efforts should focus, in part, on the propagation of quality stock. However, information on propagation systems is still insufficient.
 Methods: We aimed to analyse the effect of different pre-germinative treatments and sowing times on seed germination, and seedling growth and quality. The pre-germinative treatments were: (i) cold stratification; (ii) soaking in gibberellic acid (GA3) and thiourea solution; and (iii) nursery cultivation, while the sowing times were July, August and September.
 Results: A high germination capacity was achieved by: soaking the seeds in GA3 solution irrespective of concentration; stratifying, irrespective of period; or soaking in 7.5 mg L-1 thiourea solution, values significantly varied from that of the control treatments. The sowing time was not relevant in terms of the percentage of germination or seedling development. Stratification at 5°C for 60 days produced the best quality indices for N. glauca seedlings but no significant differences were found in any of the morphological attributes tested as a result of the pre-germinative treatments.
 Conclusions: The pre-germinative treatments significantly improved the germination and seedlings growth of N. glauca. Cold stratification at 5°C for 60 days is recommended as it produced suitable seedlings for field establishment. Gibberellic acid and thiourea did not produce important effects on seedling growth. Our results suggest the presence of endogenous physiological dormancy of the N. glauca seeds. The results of this study provide important information on propagation and nursery techniques of N. glauca, which can be used in restoration programmes.

Development of a new cultivar with high yield and high-temperature tolerance by crossbreeding of Undaria pinnatifida (Laminariales, Phaeophyta)

Recent production of the marine crop Undaria pinnatifida has become unstable due to rising temperatures caused by global climate change. The cultivar HGU-1 was bred in a previous study to achieve early cultivation. A new cultivar, NW-1, was bred for improved yield and stress tolerance. This was achieved by crossbreeding using male and female gametophytes, each isolated from a single zoospore. To evaluate whether the cultivar NW-1 is superior to the previous cultivar HGU-1, we compared their growth characteristics in an Undaria farm, in the eastern Seto Inland Sea of Japan. Despite the early start of nursery cultivation, due to a high seawater temperature of 24.5 °C, many young sporophytes of NW-1 grew on strings wound around the collector, whereas most of the HGU-1 sporophytes fell from the strings. After nursery cultivation, seawater temperature during rope cultivation was remarkably higher than usual. Nevertheless, the mean total length and weight of NW-1 were 115.5 cm and 140.1 g, respectively, at the end of December. In contrast, the mean total length and weight of HGU-1, at the corresponding time, were 85.4 cm and 58.1 g, respectively. Moreover, the growth and weight of the NW-1 sporophytes were significantly higher than those of HGU-1 throughout experimental cultivation. These results demonstrate that NW-1 is an excellent cultivar with a high yield and high-temperature tolerance.

Seed weight and container capacity effects on emergence and early growth of the Mediterranean oak (Quercus suber L.) seedlings in nursery

The goal of this study was to assess the effects of seed weight and container capacity on cork oak seedling growth and attributes during nursery cultivation. Seedlings were grown from seeds of known weights sown in three WM type containers of 400cm3, 800cm3 and 1,200cm3 filled with a compost of Acacia cyanophylla Lindl. Seedling quality was evaluated through some growth parameters including seedling emergence time and percentage, seedling height and collar diameter, shoot and root dry weight measured on thirty seedlings per container type randomly selected after seedling emergence was completed. The results showed that seedling emergence and growth were rather influenced by container size than seed weight. The 1,200cm3 container had the highest values for all growth parameters throughout the nursery period while the 400cm3 had the smallest values ; the 800cm3 being intermediate. However, increasing container volume improved much more growth than quality in cork oak seedling. In fact, seedlings grown in large WM type container showed the highest growth values throughout the nursery period but, unluckily, not the best quality attributes. Thus, breeding of cork oak seedlings in containers up to 400cm3 in capacity will be justified only if planting stock produced in such a way will result in high quality seedlings with high outplanting success.

Mechanism of application nursery cultivation arbuscular mycorrhizal seedling in watermelon in the field

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) colonisation of plant root facilitates the absorption of nutrients such as phosphorus (P) and enhances plant biotic and abiotic resistance generally. However, arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) colonisation decreases with application of chemical fertiliser. Here, we investigated whether AMF inoculation in nurseries would facilitate AM colonisation and take physiological and ecological functions in watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) in the field. Pot experiments were carried out to study the change of AMF colonised seedling on physiology and gene expression in nursery site. Field experiments were performed to investigate the effect of nursery AMF inoculation on yield, quality and disease resistance of watermelon in the field. The results showed that nursery‐inoculated seedlings produced more dry matter and root surface area than non‐inoculated seedlings. Expression of the secretory purple acid phosphatase (PAP) genes ClaPAP10 and ClaPAP26 was up‐regulated following AMF colonisation. Accordingly, acid phosphatase activities at the root surface and P concentrations in seedling were enhanced. After transplantation to the field, the shoot dry matter and P concentration in old stem were higher in the nursery AMF inoculated seedlings than that in non‐AMF inoculated seedling. AMF inoculation also induced increase of yields and decrease of wilt disease indexes and soluble sugar content. In addition, acid phosphatase activities and AMF spore densities were increased by nursery‐inoculation in watermelon rhizosphere soil in the field. In conclusion, nursery colonisation AMF seedling enhanced watermelon growth and yield by improving the root growth and P acquisition in nursery cultivating stage, as well as optimised soil properties in the field. Nursery cultivation of watermelon seedling with AMF was an effective technique to reduce wilt disease in continuous cropped management in watermelon.

OPTIMAL REQUIREMENTS OF NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS FERTILIZATION RATES FOR STRAWBERRY NURSERIES

Due to the expansion of strawberry nursery cultivation, transplant production has become an important industry in Egypt. Nitrogen and phosphorus are the most important nutrients affecting the number and quality of strawberry transplants. However, no empirical research exists addressing the optimal requirements of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization rates for strawberry nurseries in Egypt, until now. This study was conducted at a private farm in Abo Ghalib, Giza Governorate, Egypt during the two successive summer seasons of 2015 and 2016 to determine the optimal requirements of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizations for Festival strawberry cultivar nurseries via evaluating the influence of four nitrogen rates (83, 100, 117 or 134 kg N/feddan) and five phosphorus rates (38, 62, 74, 86 or 98 kg P2O5/feddan) in a factorial experiment. Results revealed that increasing the rates of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizations increased the number of main runners/mother plant and number of marketable transplants/m2, and enhanced all vegetative growth parameters, leaf SPAD readings, leaf relative water content, crown diameter, crown carbohydrates, and leaf mineral content in both growing seasons. On the contrary, both elements had an inverse effect on leaf total soluble phenols. Thus, the study recommends to the nurserymen of Festival straw-berry cultivar to apply 117 or 134 kg N with 98 kg P2O5 per feddan under pure sandy soil condition which gave the highest number of transplants with high quality and subsequent high quality crop in the field.

Life cycle assessment of passively aerated composting in gas-permeable bags of olive mill waste

In Italy, composting olive mill waste has become a common practice, since it mitigates the environmental problems associated with spreading the waste on land. Compost can be used to prepare growth media for plant nursery cultivation as a substitute for peat, a non-renewable resource whose extraction has long raised environmental concerns. Here, we investigate two common composting procedures—open windrow and static-pile in gas-permeable bags—and compare them to evaluate their environmental impact. We perform a cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) in accordance with ISO 14040 and 14044. The LCA considers carbon storage in the soil after 100 years, fugitive greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and the impacts avoided by substituting for peat. We use cumulative energy demand, global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential, and eutrophication potential indicators in a contribution analysis and explore how the re-use of olive pits for energy production and reduction of commercial fertilizers improves the environmental balance. We also present a scenario analysis that indicates how parameter fluctuations affect the results. Our study shows that peat’s impacts can be significantly reduced from 1162.3 to 96.3 kg CO2-eq/Mg for open windrow compost or 43.1 kg CO2-eq/Mg for static-pile compost in gas-permeable bags. For static-pile composting, the lack of volatile organic compound and ammonia emissions and the detection of oxygen concentrations above 12% vol. suggest fully aerobic conditions. Fugitive greenhouse gas emissions were the most important contributions to the GWP. In the contribution analysis for static-pile composting, the avoidance of compost spreading and the carbon storage effect (due to compost usage) contributed 54% of the overall impacts to GWP and between 21 and 45% to the other indicators. This LCA study illustrates how horticulturists can improve their resource management practices by recycling olive mill waste materials. Proper management of composting unit aeration can reduce fugitive GHG emissions.

Dry micro-polymeric inoculant of Azospirillum brasilense is useful for producing mesquite transplants for reforestation of degraded arid zones

Massive clear-cutting of wild stands of mesquite trees in the Mexican part of the Sonoran Desert result from high demand for this wood by the charcoal industry. Consequently, there is a need to develop techniques for reforestation of this tree in the desert and maintain its natural diversity at the same time. An outdoor nursery procedure to produce mesquite transplants from diversely originated seeds for reforestation of arid zones was developed. This procedure involved: 1) inoculation of the seedlings in the nursery with the plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) Azospirillum brasilense immobilized in dry microbeads of alginate, and 2) developing a reliable way to monitor plant development and aerial volume in the nursery for the entire growth period of seven months before transplantation. Dry microbeads containing the PGPB and maintained at room temperature were tested for survival of bacteria for up to seven months. These dry microbeads maintained sufficient population levels of A. brasilense to inoculate the plant for the entire period. Inoculation with the PGPB enhanced all growth parameters of the plants, including biomass, aerial volume, root system, and chlorophyll pigments, but not the auxiliary photosynthetic pigments. The PGPB was specifically identified colonizing the roots of the transplants by fluorescent in situ hybridization for the entire growth period. Measuring a few simple parameters allowed development of a workable model for plant growth. This model was confirmed by data obtained from sacrificed plants whose parameters were measured directly. This study shows that outdoor nursery cultivation of inoculated mesquite transplants is feasible.

How can my research paper be useful for future meta-analyses on forest restoration plantations?

Statistical meta-analysis is a powerful and useful tool to quantitatively synthesize the information conveyed in published studies on a particular topic. It allows identifying and quantifying overall patterns and exploring causes of variation. The inclusion of published works in meta-analyses requires, however, a minimum quality standard of the reported data and information on the methodology used. Our experience with conducting a meta-analysis on the relationship between seedling quality and field performance is that nearly one third of the apparently relevant publications had to be discarded because essential data, usually statistical dispersion parameters, were not properly reported. In addition, we encountered substantial difficulty to explore the effect of covariates due to the poor description of nursery cultivation methods, plantation location, and management in a significant proportion of the selected primary studies. Thus, we present guidelines for improving methodology detail and data presentation so that future forest restoration-oriented research can be more readily incorporated into meta-analyses. In general, research studies should report data on means, sample size, and any measure of variation even if they are not statistically significant. The online availability of raw data is the best practice to facilitate the inclusion of primary research on meta-analyses. Providing full information about the production of nursery seedlings, such as plant material and experimental conditions, is essential to test whether these procedures might have an effect on seedling quality. In addition, detailed information about field trials such as site climate, soil preparation techniques, previous land use, or post-plantation management, is needed to elucidate whether seedling quality is context-dependent. Thus, we provide a detailed checklist of important information that should be included when reporting forest restoration research involving the use of nursery-produced seedlings. All this will help to quantitatively synthetize current state-of-knowledge and thus contribute to the advancement of the forest restoration discipline.