Forestry Research Research Articles

Demonstration of Local Honeybee Flora “Mentesie” (<i>Becium grandflorum</i>) Propagation Techniques in Wag - Himra Zone, Ethiopia

The demonstration of local honeybee flora "Mentesie" (<i>Becium grandiflorum</i>) propagation techniques was carried out over two rainy seasons in the Gazgibla district, Debreweyla watershed closure area of the Northeastern Amhara region. The shrub has numerous benefits for the community, including honey production, fuel use, and soil and water conservation. However, it has been gradually declining. To preserve these valuable shrubs, various propagation techniques were tested. The objectives of the experiment were to demonstrate the propagation techniques of <i>Becium grandiflorum</i> to beekeepers and to generate wider demand for its plantation among beekeepers and extension workers. The experiment compared two selected propagation techniques with local farmers’ traditional planting practices, under the guidance of forestry researchers. The treatments included seeds and cuttings. Seeds were collected from mature fruits, and cuttings were taken early in the morning from natural, mature, young, and healthy mother plants at a height of 40 cm during 2020/21. These materials were packed in perforated polyethylene bags. The average mean of flower numbers, branch numbers, and canopy cover for the enhanced propagation techniques (seedlings with pots) were 4107, 21.81, and 92.5, respectively. These values were higher than those for the comparative propagation technique, which had flower numbers of 2462, branch numbers of 19.4, and a canopy cover of 92.5. There were significant differences (p<0.05) among the propagation techniques in terms of canopy cover, height, number of flowers, and branches per plant. Farmers recognized the higher flower biomass, canopy cover, and potential for greater plant height of the enhanced techniques, which are beneficial for bee forage and soil and water conservation. Therefore, planting seedlings using pots were found to be the best method for the wider production of <i>B. grandiflorum</i> in its natural growing areas.

Impact of Tree Geometry on the Growth and Yield Performance of Black Gram (Vigna mungo L.) under Kadam (Neolamarckia cadamba Roxb.) based Agroforestry System

Agroforestry is an environmentally conscious and comprehensive method of land management that entails cultivating agricultural crops, forest trees, and animals in conjunction on the same parcel of land through the implementation of suitable management strategies. The present study entitled “Impact of tree geometry on the growth and yield performance of Black Gram (Vigna mungo L.) under Kadam (Neolamarckia cadamba Roxb.) based Agroforestry System” was conducted during the Kharif season of 2022-23 within an already established 2-year-old plantation situated at Forestry research farm, RLBCAU, Jhansi. The study encompasses three different spacings, i.e., S1- 5 m x 5 m, S2- 5 m x 4 m and S3- 5 m x 3m. A randomized block design having four treatments each replicated five times was laid out, Outcomes of research revealed that sole cropping of black gram exhibited higher plant height (77.44 cm), leaf and branch numbers (6.38 and 5.32, respectively), dry matter accumulation (17.05 g/plant for above-ground and 2.12 g/plant for below-ground), leaf area (2183.06 cm2), root nodules (11.54), shorter phenological duration viz., 50% flowering, 50% pod setting and maturity (40.11 days, 54.49 days, and 70.84 days, respectively). It also demonstrated significantly higher yield attributes such as number of pods and seeds per pod (27.28), number of seeds per pod (5.82), test weight (36.73 g), grain yield (0.79 t ha-1), straw yield (1.78 t ha-1), biological yield (2.57 t ha-1), harvest index (30.63 %), and grain-to-straw ratio (0.44) compared to the intercropped. Among all the agroforestry treatments Neolamarckia cadamba at 5 m × 5 m with Vigna mungo, found to perform better than closer spacing (i.e., 5 m x 4 m and 5 m x 3 m) spatial arrangements. The study encountered challenges in achieving an optimal balance between tree-crop interactions and resource competition, which are critical factors in agroforestry systems. Nevertheless, it provides significant contributions by offering insights into the optimization of tree geometry, enhancing both yield performance and the sustainability of such integrated systems.

Simulation of the growth and yield of the species Gmelina arborea Roxb

Forests are being threatened worldwide mainly due to the increase in demand for wood and that more than 50% is extracted from them. This is largely because forest plantations grow at a slow rate and supply the market. Given that, one of the fundamental goals of forestry research is the construction of growth and yield models to be used as a planning tool. In this way, the proposal of this work is to show how through the modeling and simulation of the growth of a forest stand, the uncertainty of investors is reduced because it allows to quantify the production of wood that will be obtained. The study was based on data obtained from inventories conducted between 2012 and 2015 in 31 permanent plots of Gmelina arborea Roxb., located in three municipalities of Tolima: Armero, Coello, and Guamo. Based on the inventory data, three regression models were implemented. These results will be particularly useful for silvicultural management planning since the implemented methodology can be applied in other regions of the world and with other varieties of forest species. As an additional stimulus for investors, in the simulation it is possible to quantify carbon capture in a technical way to be offered in the carbon bond market.

Equity, travel, and park visitation in 10 US metro areas: A smartphone mobility study

Urban planners and urban forestry researchers use various methods to evaluate how well different populations access the benefits of parks, often by assessing park distribution in relation to the social and economic conditions of surrounding neighbourhoods. However, without precise visitation data, it remains unclear whether proximity to parks translates into actual use. This study analyses the social and spatial factors influencing park visitation using real-world data across multiple urban and ecological contexts. We utilised smartphone mobility to capture visitation counts for over 14,000 parks across 10 US metropolitan areas, representing populations from more than 26,000 census block groups (CBGs). By integrating census data with spatial models, we examined the relationships between park visitation, proximity of parks to visitors' home neighbourhoods, and socio-economic variables such as race and ethnicity. Our analysis revealed that park visitation increases with proximity to visitors' home neighbourhoods. We also found positive associations between visitation rates and factors such as population density, median income, and park coverage in visitors' home neighbourhoods. Additionally, we identified significant correlations between park visitation and the racial and ethnic composition of these neighbourhoods. These findings confirm the assumption that closer proximity to parks enhances visitation rates. We recommend that park visitation data be considered alongside distributional analyses when planning for park accessibility.

Does It Matter Whether to Use Circular or Square Plots in Forest Inventories? A Multivariate Comparison

The design of a sampling unit, whether a simple plot or a subplot within a clustered structure, including shape and size, has received little attention in inferential forestry research. The use of auxiliary variables from remote sensing impacts the precision of estimators from both model-assisted and model-based inference perspectives. In both cases, model parameters are estimated from a sample of field plots and information from pixels corresponding to these units. In studies assisted by remote sensing, the shape of the plot used to fit regression models (typically circular) often differs from the shape of the population elements for prediction, where the area of interest is divided into equal tessellated parts. This raises interest in understanding the effect of the sampling unit shape on the mean of variables in forest stands of interest. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of circular and square subplots, concentrically overlapped and arranged in an inverted Y cluster structure, over tree density, basal area, and aboveground biomass in a managed temperate forest in central Mexico. We used a Multivariate Generalised Linear Mixed Model, which considers the Gamma distribution of the variables and accounts for spatial correlation between Secondary Sampling Units nested within the Primary Sampling Unit. The main findings of this study indicate that the type of secondary sampling unit of the same area and centroid, whether circular or square, does not significantly affect the mean tree density (trees), basal area (m2), and aerial biomass.

Enhancing Acoustic Data Mobilization: A User-Friendly Data Platform for the Asian Soundscape Monitoring Network

Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) has emerged as a crucial tool in monitoring efforts to track environmental changes and evaluate conservation measures in response to the biodiversity crisis (Sugai et al. 2018). PAM now offers long-term and continuous insights into biodiversity, using acoustic indices correlating with biodiversity and deep-learning tools to aid in the detection and identification of animal sounds (Sueur et al. 2014, Kahl et al. 2021, Wu et al. 2022). However, managing and mobilizing original recordings remains challenging due to their large size and lack of structure, hindering broader applications of these valuable data. Established in 2014 by Academia Sinica and Taiwan Forestry Research Institute, the Asian Soundscape Monitoring Network has amassed over 20 million minutes of audible and ultrasonic recordings from diverse landscapes, including forests, wetlands, urban parks and farmlands across Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam. To enhance data mobilization and utilization, we developed a user-friendly data platform enabling browsing, searching, visualization, exploration and retrieval of the original recordings (Fig. 1), as well as derived data such as acoustic indices and species occurrences, and associated weather records (Fig. 2) The platform also allows users to visualize the temporal dynamics of the soundscape and identify acoustic events at monitoring sites by examining long-term spectrograms and time series of acoustic indices (Fig. 3). Detailed information about the monitoring sites and recorder deployment is provided. Each recording is tagged with a Creative Commons license, and a unique Archival Resource Key is assigned to every data retrieval for persistent identification, facilitating data reuse. Additionally, recordings containing human voices are identified and restricted to protect privacy. Our aim with this data platform is to streamline the mobilization of acoustic data, foster diverse applications, and enhance the overall value of the data.

Seasonal Climatic Variation and Flowering Intensity of Garcinia kola (Heckel) in a Humid Forest Plantation

Aim of study: The study designed to assess seasonal climatic variation and flowering intensity in G. kola in a humid forest plantation. Area of study: The study was conducted in the mono-plantation of Garcinia kola in the Swamp Forest Research station of the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Onne, Rivers state, Nigeria. The plantation consists of 103 trees at 5×5m spacing. Material and methods: Climatic data were sourced from meteoblue.com. Flowering intensity was determined by the estimation of the total flower production per tree: total number of flower buds per inflorescence was determined by visual counting and then extrapolated for the total number of inflorescences per twig, total number of twigs per branch and total number of branches per tree to determine the average flowering intensity per tree. A total of 9 trees and twenty-five inflorescences per tree, were sampled. Data was analysed using covariance and analysis of variance. Main results: Rainfall, wind speed, and flowering intensity varied significantly (p ≤ 0.05) between seasons; seasonal rainfall variation influence on flowering intensity varied with tree gender. Research highlights: Rainfall is the flowering cue of the plantation; we recommend that farmers target low to moderate rainfall seasons for high fruit and seed yields.

The role of forestry sciences in combating climate change and advancing sustainable development goals

IntroductionAs ecological disasters loom, forests play a crucial role in mitigating climate change and aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study aims to systematically examine the contribution of forestry science research to the SDGs through a multidisciplinary perspective, highlighting its role in advancing global sustainability efforts.MethodsUtilizing the PRISMA protocol, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of 39,841 publications since 2015, focusing on the intersection of forestry sciences with the SDGs. Network and keyword co-occurrence analyses were performed to identify thematic clusters and interdisciplinary linkages among SDGs.ResultsOur findings indicate a significant focus on SDG 15 (Life on Land) and SDG 13 (Climate Action), emphasizing the forestry sector’s contributions to biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, and ecosystem services. The analyses revealed thematic clusters centered around ecological sustainability, sustainable energy, and social development, demonstrating the diverse ways in which forestry research supports the SDGs.DiscussionThis study highlights the interdisciplinary nature of forestry sciences and identifies key areas of contribution while pointing to potential research gaps. Future research should explore advanced technologies such as AI-driven analytics and remote sensing, socioeconomic impacts of forest-based livelihoods, and innovative reforestation techniques. Strengthening urban forestry, enhancing interdisciplinary cooperation, and improving governance are recommended to ensure continued contributions of forestry sciences to global sustainability and the SDGs.

Phytochemical and Antioxidant Analysis of Artocarpus heterophyllus Peel Extracts

BACKGROUND: Plants have a diverse variety of bioactive compounds such as tannins, alkaloids, flavonoids, carbohydrates and steroids among many others that can offer significant physiological actions in the human body. Phytochemicals are naturally occurring chemical, biological and active compounds found in plants that are of benefit to human health apart from those that act as macronutrients and micronutrients. A. heterophyllus (Jackfruit) belongs to the family Moraceae. Jackfruit tree is native to India and is popular in several tropical and sub-tropical Countries. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to determine the phytochemical constituents, antioxidant properties and gas chromatography mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) of the fruit peel of A. heterophyllus extracts using three different solvents. METHODS: Artocarpus heterophyllus fruits were collected from University of Ibadan botanical garden, identified at the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Oyo State. The peel was extracted and dried at 35 ℃. Qualitative method and Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy were used to determine the phytochemical and bioactive compounds present in the plant, whereas¬¬¬¬¬¬ 2, 2, Diphenylpicryl-1-hydrazyl (DPPH) was used for the antioxidant analysis. RESULTS: Secondary metabolites such as flavonoids, phenols, alkaloids, glycosides, saponins, tannins, steroids, and Terpenoids were present based on the solvents while anthraquinnes were absent. Flavonoid and phenol were abundant in the three extracts while saponin was moderate. Eight chemical compounds were observed in the plant extracts. Major bioactive components with highest and lowest retention peak were (65.55 %) bis(2- ethyl hexyl) phthalate and (6.06 %) Cis- 13(2- ethylhexyl)phthalate respectively. Antioxidant activity increased with increase in concentration of which acetone extract had the highest DPPH (75.00 %) at 100 μg/ml. CONCLUSION: The fundamental means of the usage of medicinal plants for medicine is due to their bioactive properties which are used as substrates for biochemical and enzymatic reactions. Phytochemical derivatives have antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, immunomodulatory, anticancer, antimicrobial, antitumor, analgesic and many other properties harbor in them.

Optimizing growth conditions and biostimulant application for enhanced growth, yield and quality in Butter bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) cultivar KKL 1

Butter beans (Phaseolus lunatus) are prized for their significant nutraceutical benefits, which are crucial in addressing malnutrition in developing countries. Given their nutritional advantages, global cultivation demand is increasing. This study aims to boost production and improve crop quality through effective agronomic practices. To minimize dependence on synthetic chemicals, the study investigates the use of biostimulants as an alternative, offering a promising method for enhancing crop growth and performance. The experiment took place under 2 different conditions: polyhouse (G1) and open field condition (G2) at Horticultural and Forestry Research Station, Kodaikanal, from December 2023 to June 2024. Various biostimulants were applied in foliar parts in different doses: control (B1) seaweed extract at 3 % (B2) and 5 % (B3), panchagavya at 3 % (B4) and 5 % (B5), vermiwash at 5 % (B6) and 10 % (B7) and fulvic acid at 6 g/L (B8) and 9 g/L (B9), each replicated 3 times. Among the treatment combinations, G1B3 (seaweed extract 5 % under polyhouse condition) was most effective in all growth, yield and quality parameters including days to first flower emergence (48.50 days), number of pods per plant (96.33), pod yield (4.98 t/ha), highest soluble protein (37.36 %) than G2B1 (control group under open field condition). It resulted in a greater number of days for flower emergence (57.85 days), lowest values in number of pods per plant (69.91), pod yield (2.96 t/ha) and soluble protein (24.69 %). These findings suggest that seaweed extract has great potential as a sustainable agricultural input, enhancing productivity and crop performance in butter bean cultivation. The main goals were to investigate how different biostimulants and growing conditions affect the growth and yield of butter beans and to identify effective organic growth promoters that could improve the yield and quality of butter bean crops in various growing environments. The results of this study are discussed in the following sections.

Influence of Tree Geometry on Growth and Yield of Mungbean (Vigna radiata L.) under Gamhar (Gmelina arborea Roxb.) based Agroforestry System

The experiment was conducted during kharif (June to September) 2022–23 at Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India to evaluate effect of Gmelina arborea geometry on the growth and yield of mungbean, tree growth, biomass, carbon storage and assessing the economic feasibility of the agroforestry systems. The experiment was designed for intercropping of one mungbean high yielding varieties viz., IPM 205-7 (Virat) sown in June with Gmelina arborea. The treatments for gamhar and mungbean are as follows: T1-Vigna radiata sole crop; T2-Gmelina arborea sole tree (5×5 m2); T3-Gmelina arborea sole tree (5×4 m2); T4-Gmelina arborea sole tree (5×3 m2); T5-Gmelina arborea (5×5 m2)+Vigna radiata; T6-Gmelina arborea (5×4 m2)+Vigna radiata; T7-Gmelina arborea (5×3 m2)+Vigna radiata. Experiment was designed in randomized block design (RBD) with seven treatments and five replications. The effect of different spacing patterns viz., S1-5×5 m2, S2-5×4 m2, S3-5×3 m2 in 2 year old Gamhar plantation with seven treatments combinations on mungbean was studied at the Forestry Research Farm, RLBCAU, Jhansi. The maximum number of branches plant-1 (8.04), number of trifoliate leaves plant-1 (11.96), number of seeds pod-1 (12.32), grain yield (0.73 t ha-1) and straw yield (2.13 t ha-1) was recorded in mungbean sole crop. The plant height (62.51 cm) was recorded highest in mungbean intercrop in 5×3 m2 gamhar spacing. The maximum girth (27.38 cm) of trees was recorded in 5×5 m2 gamhar spacing mungbean intercrop. The tree height (6.01 m) and benefit cost ratio (2.67) was observed maximum in 5×4 m2 gamhar spacing with mungbean intercrop.

Bibliometric Insights into Terrestrial Laser Scanning for Forest Biomass Estimation

Effective forest management and conservation are increasingly critical in addressing the challenges posed by climate change. Advances in remote sensing technologies, such as terrestrial laser scanning, offer promising tools for more accurate assessments in forestry research. This study explores the application of TLS in biomass estimation by conducting a bibliometric analysis of scientific articles indexed in Scopus and the Web of Science. By examining the literature from 2010 to 2024, the study identifies key trends, knowledge gaps, and emerging research opportunities, as well as practical applications in forest management and conservation. The analysis reveals a significant rise in scientific output on TLS, with an average annual growth rate of 8.16%. The most cited works address biomass estimation at the individual tree level using laser scanning data. China leads in the publication volume with 11 articles, followed by the USA with 11. The collaboration network highlights research disparities among regions such as Latin America. Overall, TLS has proven effective for the non-destructive measurement of forest variables and biomass.

Effect of Maximum Seasonal Temperature on Yield and Water Use Efficiency in Forage Corn in Consecutive Growing Seasons

High temperature negatively af fects plant growth and crop yield. The aim was to evaluate the ef fect of maximum temperature on yield and water use ef ficiency in forage corn with subsurface drip irrigation and surface irrigation in five consecutive growing seasons (spring and summer) in the comarca Lagunera. The study was carried out at the La Laguna Experimental Field, of the National Institute of Forestry, Agricultural and Livestock Research (INIFAP) in Matamoros, Coahuila. The research was carried out during summer 2019, spring 2020, summer 2020, spring 2022, and summer 2022 growing seasons. The variables were: maximum temperature, plant height, dry forage, water depth, and water use ef ficiency. The highest temperatures were recorded in spring 2022 and the lowest in the summer growing season of the same year. Overall, the highest plant heights occurred in the coolest growing season (summer 2022). A higher yield of dry forage (19 Mg ha-1) was in the 2022 summer growing season. The highest water depth was applied in the spring 2022 growing season (71 cm) and the lowest in summer 2020 (55 cm). This resulted in higher water use ef ficiency in summer. The variation in water use ef ficiency between growing seasons was due to higher temperatures in spring. Finally, water use ef ficiency tended to decrease by 19% as temperature increased from 30 to 38 degrees Celsius.

First Report of Grovesinia moricola Causing Zonate Leaf Spot on Hernandia nymphaeifolia in Taiwan.

Hernandia nymphaeifolia (C. Presl) Kubitzki, a native tree of Taiwan, is a sea drift plant (Yang and Lu 1996). It is a salt- and wind-tolerant tree (Bezona et al. 2009) and was selected for the afforestation of badlands in coastal areas of Taiwan. In December 2022, all H. nymphaeifolia seedlings at a nursery in Wu-Lai, Taiwan were diseased and wilted with a similar progression. The initial symptom was small zonate white or gray lesions with water-soaked periphery on leaves. Then, expansion and fusion of leaf spots which caused leaf blight and defoliation were observed. Seedlings eventually wilted. Sporophores found on the host were generally hypophyllous, solitary, erect, and easily detachable. The upper portion of the sporophore was considered an individual conidium and consisted of a pyramidal head that was fusiform to ventricose, 206.3 to 501.8 μm (average: 378.0 ± 75.3 μm) long, and 63.6 to 104.5 μm (average: 85.0 ± 16.2 μm) wide at the broadest point (n=30). Branches within the pyramidal head were short, compact, and di- or trichotomously branched. The central stipe was hyaline, broad, septate, tapering toward an acute apex, and sometimes constricted at the basal septum. Sclerotia were gray or black, spherical, and 1.0 to 2.5 mm (n=10) in diameter and observed on older lesions. The fungus was isolated from infected tissue and sporophores and maintained on potato dextrose agar (PDA) at 20°C in darkness. Sclerotia were produced on PDA after 4 to 5 weeks and were irregular or spherical, but no sporophore was developed. The fungus was identified as Grovesinia moricola (I. Hino) Redhead based on morphological characteristics (Tomoko et al. 2006). Three DNA samples was obtained from the cultures isolated from the diseased leaf, sporophores and sclerotia. They were then amplified by PCR with primers for the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS; primers ITS5/ITS4) and the large subunit nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (LSU; primers LR0R/LR5) (Cho et al. 2017), and then sequenced respectively. The sequences were deposited into GenBank with accession nos. PP727191 to PP727193 and PP748518 to PP748520. BLAST analysis of the three isolates showed 100% identity to the sequences of G. moricola from Taiwan (OP550202, OP550203) for the ITS region and 99.9% identity to the sequence of G. moricola from the USA (MW013804) for the LSU rRNA gene. The specimens (FS2022-140) and the culture (Asco-0109) in this study were deposited into the herbarium of Taiwan Forestry Research Institute in Taiwan. Koch's postulates were performed by inoculating four 8-month-old, asymptomatic, potted H. nymphaeifolia plants; every plant was inoculated with sporophores from infected leaves on the upper surface of each of five leaves. Four uninoculated plants were kept in separate pots and served as controls. All plants were covered with transparent plastic bags individually and incubated in a growth chamber at 18 to 20°C with 8 h of light. Similar leaf spots and sporophores were observed after 2 to 4 days and 10 days on every inoculated plant but not on uninoculated plants. The pathogen with a similar colony on PDA was reisolated from the leaf spots of the inoculated plants. Molecular identification of the reisolated pathogen by the above method was carried out. The sequences showed 99.9% identity to the sequence of G. moricola, and were deposited into GenBank with accession nos. PQ157896 to PQ157897 (ITS region) and PQ157701 to PQ157702 (LSU rRNA gene). The pathogenicity test was repeated once. G. moricola is known to cause severe defoliation on woody and annual plants, including at least 73 host species and 36 families distributed in the eastern United States and Japan (Trolinger et al. 1978). This is the first report of G. moricola on H. nymphaeifolia in the world. Control of the disease would play an important role in maintaining healthy seedlings for the afforestation in Taiwan.

Camphor tree detection in urban environments using RGB-DSM data fusion

ABSTRACT Individual tree detection in urban areas using unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) RGB imagery poses challenges due to the diverse shapes and structures of urban trees and the complexity of urban forests. The digital surface model (DSM) provides elevation data, and the fusion of UAV RGB imagery with elevation data has emerged as a promising approach for tree detection. Here, we constructed a novel network structure based on the faster region-based convolutional neural network (Faster R-CNN) to detect camphor trees in urban environments using RGB-DSM data. First, an attention fusion module was proposed to effectively fuse the RGB and DSM features by leveraging their complementarity. Second, the bidirectional feature pyramid network (BiFPN) was introduced to enhance the model performance in detecting camphor tree crowns of varying sizes. The results showed that our approach could effectively detect urban camphor trees and achieved an AP of 85.7%. Notably, our approach yielded an AP of 81.3% in urban green spaces. The analysis indicated that our approach was feasible for detecting camphor trees in urban areas and demonstrated its potential to facilitate urban forestry research and applications.

Characterization of the typology of producers in the “sembrando vida” program in Oaxaca, Mexico

In Mexico, research work documented at plot in the field or producer level is uncommon and with limited information, due to the fact that it is expensive and requires specialized personnel. This research work carried out by the National Institute of Forestry, Agriculture and Livestock Research (INIFAP) and financed by the National Council of Humanities, Science and Technology (CONAHCYT) was based on a field diagnosis to determine the description of the typology of the participating "sowers'' producers enrolled in the Sembrando Vida Program (PSV), of the Federal Goverment of Mexico belonging to the state of Oaxaca, and thus, be able to implement strategies for training and follow-up attention on a massive scale. A total of 383 sample surveys were analyzed from a population of 37,719 small producers representing an estimated crop area of 56,578 hectares distributed in two regions of the state of Oaxaca. It is concluded that the diagnosis continues to be a fundamental information tool to identify and address more precisely and timely the problems at the farmer's plot level and with any type of crop. Another fundamental activity was the visit or technical visits to the territories that are representative of the regions in order to validate the information obtained. With the results obtained in this research, it was possible to address the main problems through personalized and directed technical assistance under the scheme of field schools (learning-by-doing) throughout the development of annual and fruit crops that the planters have in the MIAF within their PUPs (Small Production Units). Likewise, insert the main training needs at the express and consensual request of all program stakeholders: researchers-trainers, PSV technicians and sowers.

Evolution and Paradigm Shift in Forest Health Research: A Review on of Global Trends and Knowledge Gaps

Forest health is an attractive concept in forestry research, which environmental, social, and political interests have shaped. Assessing forest health is crucial, but finding a single definition of the concept is complex. It is determined by the aim of the forest study, different areas of knowledge, scales of work, technology, methodologies, the historical moment, or the source of funding, among others. With almost a century of scientific evidence, the aim is to identify and contextualise temporal changes in the relevance of this key concept. Trends are analysed through the construction of three main descriptors (state variables, drivers, and methods) and the main conceptual subdomains (themes). This review reveals the significant geographical bias driven by diverse needs and interests. Methodologies have evolved from traditional inventories to the use of advanced tools such as remote sensing or ecophysiology, improving forest characterisation at both global and individual scales. Research has evolved from unicausality towards holistic and multidisciplinary approaches, influencing research to date and future scenarios. We identified key knowledge gaps in the scientific literature, particularly the concepts of ecosystem services, Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) and the concept of “one health”. These findings highlight the need for a research assessment, future directions, and scenarios for forest health research.

GLUTENIN DIVERSITY OF FLOUR WHEAT (Triticum aestivum L.) FOR COOKIE QUALITY IN MEXICO

Glutenins are high- and low-molecular-weight proteins (HMW-G and LMW-G). They play a determining role in genetic improvement to define industrial quality in flour wheat, so understanding their variability is necessary for directing selection toward a specific quality. The objective of this research was to determine the diversity of HMW-G and LMW-G alleles of genotypes from the flour wheat breeding program of the National Institute of Forestry, Agricultural, and Livestock Research (INIFAP) useful for cookie quality. Twenty-five genotypes were used, including six Mexican cookie varieties, as well as 21 genotypes introduced from an international collection of accessions from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT). HMW-G and LMW-G were identified based on their separation on polyacrylamide gels in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. For HMW-G, the 2* variant in Glu-A1 was the most frequent variant for the trial and introduction nursery, with more than 80 %. At the Glu-B1 locus, the 7+9 and 7 variants were the most frequent, with 60 and 38.1 % in trial and nursery, respectively. For Glu-D1, the 2+12 variant was the most frequent in the trial with 64 %, and 5+10 with 85.7 % in nursery. The latter allele favors baking quality. For the Glu-A1 and Glu-D1 loci, it is necessary to introduce genotypes with null alleles or with the 2+121 variant in Glu-D1 associated with cookie quality. For the highest-frequency variants of LMW-G, c in Glu-A3, h in Glu-B3, and b in Glu-D3 are associated with baking quality. With the aforementioned, it is concluded that there is a low frequency and little variation in useful alleles of HMW-G and LMW-G for cookie quality in the introduced accessions analyzed, implying that new genetic sources that favor it should be explored.

Current trends in forestry research of Latin-America: an editorial overview of the Special Issue

Mendoza city (Argentina) hosted the VIII Latin American Forestry Congress (CONFLAT) and the V Forestry Congress of Argentina (CFA) in 2023, where relevant issues were addressed, such as climate change, degradation, reforestation, management and forest industry, monitoring, environmental services, social issues, and governance, among others. The objective of this Special Issue was to present the main advances in Forestry Science for Latin-America in the context of changing governance and forest livelihoods for people. The fifteen articles emphasize the interdisciplinary nature of the forest management and conservation, and that multiple variables must be considered to achieve sustainability. The articles come from studies across Southern South-America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay), and the collaboration of researchers of other countries (México, Canada, and Spain). Articles include research in tropical, Mediterranean and temperate Sub-Antarctic forests. Together, these articles provide a snapshot of new forestry research carried out locally and internationally to bring about beneficial ecological and environmental outcomes in a world facing the challenges of sustainable management and conservation amongst the threats and uncertainty of climate change and environmental degradation responsible for extensive loss of biodiversity and environmental services. We believe that this Special Issue will encourage more inter-disciplinary research focusing on management and conservation of forests.

Synergistic enhancement of regeneration capacity and ecological functions of Robinia pseudoacacia L. plantations in the Loess Plateau

Contemporary forestry research prioritizes the advancement of high-quality forestry, especially in ecologically vulnerable areas. To this end, enhancing the ecological function and natural regeneration capacity of planted forest stands is crucial. This study investigated synergistic or trade-off relationships between stand regeneration capacity and the ecological functions (including water conservation, soil conservation, carbon sequestration, and understory plant diversity) of Robinia pseudoacacia L. (RP) plantations in the Caijiachuan watershed of the Loess Plateau using Root Mean Square Deviation. The results indicated that stand regeneration capacity exhibited synergistic, moderate trade-off, and high trade-off relationships with soil and water conservation, stand carbon sequestration, and understory plant diversity, respectively. Notably, stand regeneration capacity had a synergistic relationship with the overall forest ecological function (sum of the above functions), suggesting that the overall forest ecological function can be simultaneously improved by enhancing stand regeneration capacity. Redundancy analyses revealed that the regeneration capacity was primarily influenced by soil moisture content (SMC), stand density (SD), total transmitted light, herbaceous species richness, litter accumulation, and soil available phosphorus (AP). According to the stand optimization model, the highest regeneration capacity of RP was observed under the following conditions: 1742 trees·hm−2 for SD, 15.29 % for SMC (higher than the mean value of 33.53 % for the existing RP), 41.69 mg·kg−1 for AP (higher than the mean value of 15.84 %), and 1.84 for LAI (lower than the mean value of 20.0 %). Therefore, to achieve the simultaneous enhancement of the regeneration capacity and overall ecological function of RP stands, foresters should prioritize adjusting SD to an appropriate range through thinning or replanting. Additionally, regular pruning of specific branches of individual trees is essential to mitigate the adverse effects of high LAI on stand regeneration. Where feasible, soil moisture and nutrients can also be increased, but excessive levels of AP should be avoided.