Short Rotation Research Articles

Effects of succinic acid impregnation on physical properties of sapwood and heartwood from plantation-grown short-rotation teak

The aim of this study was to improve the properties of 15-year-old short rotation teak wood using a succinic acid (SA) treatment without excessively increasing the weight gain. The samples were classified as sapwood (SW) and heartwood (HW). Samples were immersed in 10% concentration SA solutions (w/w), followed by vacuuming at -50 kPa for 30 minutes, and applying 7 M Pa of pressure for 2 hours. They were then analysed for specific gravity (SGs), dimensional stability, including tangential/radial ratio (T/R Ratio) and water absorption (WA), weight percent gain (WPG), chemical uptake (CU) and void volume filled (WF). Our results showed that SGs increased in treated SW and HW by 2.33% and 1.23%, respectively, as compared to the untreated wood (0.60 and 0.66). The increase in SGs was the result of SA penetration into wood cell walls. The WPG and CU values increased slightly to 5.54% and 0.87 g cm−3 for SW and 3.46% and 0.62 g cm−3 for HW, respectively. The greater increase of SGs in treated SW is due to a greater ease of treatability in SW than HW. The T/R ratio of treated HW decreased by 29.34% from the initial T/R ratio, whereas SW remained unchanged. The WA of treated SW and HW decreased by 42.67% and 55.46%, respectively compared to untreated wood. Treated wood performed better on dimensional stability, especially in terms of T/R ratio and WA values for HW. Our results show that the impregnation of short rotation teak wood with SA provides a significant increase on dimensional stability with a negligible increase in weight gain.

Application of Multi-Plant Symbiotic Systems in Phytoremediation: A Bibliometric Review

The bibliometric analysis technique was used to retrieve 232 relevant publications from the Web of Science core database published between 2002 and 2022. The basic characteristics of the literature were analyzed, and keyword co-occurrence analysis and literature co-citation analysis were performed. The results demonstrated the following: (1) The total number of publications on phytoremediation utilizing a multi-plant symbiosis system increased year by year, indicating that multi-plant symbiosis systems have garnered significant interest in the field of phytoremediation in recent years. (2) “Short rotation coppice” (#0), “straw” (#1), “heavy metal” (#2), “soil enzymes” (#3), “glomus caledonium” (#4), and “phenanthrene” (#5) comprise the research hotspots in this field both domestically and internationally, where the #0 clusters, #2 clusters, and #5 clusters indicate that the application of multi-plant combinations has not formed a new branch in the field of phytoremediation during 2007–2017. In addition, the #1 clusters, #3 clusters, and #4 clusters indicate that the safety of agricultural land, the mechanism of action of soil enzymes, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi comprise research hotspots in recent years. (3) “Heavy metal contamination” (#0), “agro-mining” (#1), “Leguminosae” (#2), “soil enzymes” (#3), “soil microbial community” (#4), and “Salix caprea” (#5) constitute the domestic and international knowledge base of this field, with a study of soil microbial communities regarded as the cutting-edge branch of this field. (4) The specific influencing factors of multi-plant symbiotic systems include plant diversity, interspecific relationships, and the gender of plant species, and the mechanisms of action include the plant–soil feedback mechanism, enhanced plant resistance mechanism, increased detoxification pathway, and plant–plant interaction mechanism. Finally, future research on phytoremediation using multi-plant symbiotic systems should focus on the following four aspects: exploring the applicable environment of multi-plant symbiotic systems as a remediation strategy; analyzing the remediation mechanism from multiple perspectives: atmosphere–plant–soil; combining physicochemical and biological technologies to improve remediation efficiency; and establishing a dynamic model to evaluate remediation effects.

Methodology for strengthening energy resilience with SMART solution approach of rural areas: Local production of alternative biomass fuel within renewable energy community

The article presents a proposal for a comprehensive methodology for the design of the process of local production of alternative energy fuel. The goal of the methodology is to ensure a local source of renewable fuel (biomass) for the needs of covering the supply of thermal energy to citizens in rural areas. In the first part, the methodology deals with the issue of sustainable cultivation of energy crops, namely short rotation coppice and its appropriate placement on soil blocks which are threatened by erosion or degraded by intensive agriculture. Subsequently, the local energy community independently produces alternative pellet biofuel, from the initial cultivation of young woody plants to the final production of ecological wood-based fuel with a calorific value of 16 MJ/ kg. The proposed innovative method of heat production leads to environmental benefits, energy savings, reduced payments for energy supply, and overall modernization of the technologies used.

Changes in Water-Use Efficiency of Eucalyptus Plantations and Its Driving Factors in a Small County in South China

Ecosystem water-use efficiency (WUE) has been central in revealing the variability in terrestrial carbon and water cycles. Short-rotation plantations such as Eucalyptus plantations can simultaneously impact net primary production (NPP) and actual evapotranspiration (ETa), components of WUE, resulting in changes in terrestrial carbon and water cycles. However, there are few detailed studies on the changes in the WUE of Eucalyptus plantations at the catchment scale with high spatial remote sensing imagery. Here, we present the changes in the WUE of Eucalyptus plantations and its driving factors (i.e., NPP and ETa) using satellite-based models combined with 5-m spatial resolution RapidEye imagery in a small county in South China. The increases in ETa of Eucalyptus plantations are primarily the result of climate warming and result in low WUE of Eucalyptus plantations. The management practice used (short rotation in this study) can enhance the effect of climate warming on WUE by varying the NPP of Eucalyptus plantations. A high value of NPP leads to a high WUE of Eucalyptus plantations at the end of a short rotation, while a low value of NPP results in a low WUE at the beginning of another short rotation. Changes in the WUE of Eucalyptus plantations indicated large spatial and temporal variability, associated with climate warming and short-rotation practices.

Reducing the time-dependent climate impact of intensive agriculture with strategically positioned short rotation coppice willow

In this study the implementation of a short rotation coppice willow system, planted as a riparian buffer in an intensive agricultural setting, to intercept and reduce nutrient losses, was investigated. The aim of the work was to assess how such a system could reduce the overall climate impact of an intensive agricultural setting. A life cycle assessment was carried out for a combined Irish dairy farm and willow buffer system considering the impact category, climate impact. The climate impact was considering using the time-dependent climate impact metric, with the results given in terms of the impact on the global surface temperature. The results were compared to an Irish dairy farm in which no willow was planted. Such a system has not previously been investigated in this way and this was the first time-dependent climate impact assessment of a willow plantation planted on pastureland. Geographic information systems software, was used to map areas particularly susceptible to agricultural run-off and suitable for willow planting, using the land bank of the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute research farm in Hillsborough, Northern Ireland, for the case study. The harvested willow was assumed to be combusted in a combined heat and power plant. By implementing the willow system the time-dependent climate impact of an Irish dairy farm could be reduced by 8% with only 3.7% of the land used for willow cultivation over a 101-year study period. The results also found an immediate reduction in climate impact following the implementation of the willow system. Total GHG emissions were reduced by 131 Mg CO2eq ha−1 over the study timeframe. The results can be more broadly applied to other agricultural sectors, such as arable farming where the climate impact savings of the willow system could be even higher.

Characteristics of emergency general surgery services in Switzerland: a nationwide survey

ObjectiveRunning an emergency general surgery (EGS) service is challenging and requires significant personnel and institutional resources. The aim of this study was to achieve a nationwide overview of the individual EGS service organizations in public hospitals in Switzerland.MethodsAll Swiss public hospitals with a surgical and emergency department were included and contacted by telephone. General surgeons were interviewed between December 2021 and January 2022 using a standardized questionnaire.ResultsSeventy-two out of 79 public hospitals in Switzerland (91.1%) agreed to the survey. They employed 1,581 surgeons in 19 (26.4%) hospitals with < 100 beds, 39 (54.2%) hospitals with 100–300 beds, 7 (9.7%) with 300–600 beds, and 7 (9.7%) with > 600 beds. The median number of surgeons per hospital was 20.5 (IQR 13.0–29.0). Higher level of care (intermediate or intensive care unit) was significantly less available in small hospitals (< 100 beds). The median hour of designated emergency operating room capacity per day was 14 h (IQR 14–24) for all hospitals with < 600 beds and 24 h (IQR 14–24) for the largest hospitals (> 600 beds). With increasing hospital size, there was a significant increase in the number of surgical units where EGS and orthopedic trauma surgery were covered by two separate teams (21.1% vs. 43.6% vs. 85.7% vs. 100%, p = 0.035). The median number of surgeons on-call per hospital and per 24 h was 5.0 (IQR 3.3–6.0).ConclusionLack of higher level of care in small hospitals, limited emergency OR capacity and short rotations of on-call teams are major drawbacks of many current EGS systems in Switzerland. Centralization of critically ill EGS patients and reorganization of surgical on-call systems to designated acute care surgery teams should be considered.

Differences of technological properties on sapwood and heartwood of short rotation teak wood

ABSTRACT Short rotation teak has been developed to overcome the limited supply of long rotation teak. The characteristics and technological properties of sapwood and heartwood of short rotation teak are not well studied. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of sapwood and heartwood differences on technological properties for short rotation teak. The short rotation teak woods used were Plus Perhutani teak of 15 years old with a sapwood proportion of 30% and Biotrop teak of 8 years old with a sapwood proportion of 18%. The following technological properties of sapwood and heartwood were studied: extractive content, chemical composition, volumetric swelling, water-sorption isotherm, modulus of elasticity, modulus of rupture, decay resistance, termite resistance, surface roughness, surface free energy, wettability, and weathering performance. The results showed that the extractive content of heartwood was higher than sapwood. The main compounds in the extractive content of heartwood were lapachol and 9,10-anthracenedione; meanwhile the main compounds of sapwood were mostly single sugars and derivatives. The extractives present could contribute to technological properties of short rotation teak wood, particularly for improved dimensional stability, reduced water-sorption, higher decay and termite resistance, and better photostability. Sapwood presented lower quality especially in dimensional stability and durability, which could restrict its utilization for both indoor and outdoor applications. Therefore, sapwood should require certain treatments, especially for wood exposed to outdoor conditions.

The effect of rotation length of crop rotations and weather conditions on the productivity of winter wheat

The results of the study of changes in winter wheat grain yield depending on the rotation length of crop rotations in the Lower Volga region are presented. As a result of 12 years of research (20082019) it was found that the maximum yield was obtained in four- and five-field crop rotations with the inclusion of leguminous crops - 2.73 and 2.79 t/ha, respectively. During the analysis of variance, different effects of growing conditions and rotation length on winter wheat yields were noted. The influence of vegetation conditions accounted for 98.6%. The effect of crop rotation was also significant (0.6%). Winter wheat grain yield significantly depended on the weather conditions, which allowed to fully evaluate the potential of winter wheat - fallow in crop rotations with a short rotation. When winter wheat was cultivated in four- and five-field crop rotations with the inclusion of leguminous crops, the yield increased both in wet and moderately wet years. With HTC greater than 0.9 in the five-field crop rotation the grain yield was 4.40 t/ha, in four-field - 4.31, in three-field - 4.02 t/ha. With HTC of 0.6 to 0.9 in four- and five-field crop rotations, the yield ranged from 2.78-2.84 t/ha, and in three-field crop rotations it was 2.52 t/ha. In dry years, no significant difference in winter wheat yield between crop rotations was found, which ranged from 0.98-1.07 t/ha. It can be concluded that winter wheat cultivation on the second field of short rotational crop rotations on fallow preceding crop in conditions of insufficient moisture is effective.

Phytoextraction of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and the influence of supplements on the performance of short–rotation crops

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are anthropogenic compounds threatening water quality and food safety worldwide. Phytoremediation is a nature-based, cost-effective, and scalable solution with high potential for treating PFAS-contaminated sites. However, there is a large knowledge gap regarding choice of plant species and methods to enhance performance. This study assessed the PFAS phytoextraction potential of sunflower (Helianthus annuus), mustard (Brassica juncea), and industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa) in a greenhouse experiment, using inorganic fertilizer and a microbial mixture as supplements. PFAS concentrations were measured using UPLC-MS/MS, and bioconcentration factors for different plant tissues and removal efficiency were determined. Perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acid (PFCA) accumulation was 0.4–360 times higher than that of perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acid (PFSA) homologues of similar perfluorocarbon chain length. Inorganic fertilizer significantly (p < 0.001) reduced PFAS concentration in all plant tissues, whereas the microbial mixture tested did not affect PFAS concentration. PFAS uptake ranged from 0.2 to 33% per crop cycle. Overall, the potential number of crop cycles required for removal of 90% of individual PFAS ranged from six (PFPeA) to 232 (PFOA) using sunflower, 15 (PFPeA) to 466 (PFOS) using mustard and nine (PFPeA) to 420 (PFOS) using Hemp. In this study, the percentage of PFAS removal by plants was determined, and an estimation of the time required for PFAS phytoextraction was determined for the first time. This information is important for practical phytoremediation applications.

13 years of biomass production from three poplar clones in a temperate short-rotation alley cropping agroforestry system

Farmers' interest in establishing agroforestry systems is increasing, as they are considered to have many benefits, such as the possibility of climate adaptation and crop diversification. Growing wood on agricultural land can produce biomass for energy or material purpose. Knowledge of the yield potential of the woody component in an agroforestry system is essential for informed decision making by farmers. The present study investigates the biomass production of the three poplar clones 'Max 1′, 'Koreana' and 'Hybride 275′ during the first 13 years (2008–2021) of their growth in a short rotation alley-cropping agroforestry system in Lower Saxony, Germany, on a vertic cambisol as well as a stagnosol soil. There was a high clonal effect on re-sprouting and mortality of the trees as well as on the mean annual dry matter (DM) woody biomass increment (MAI). Overall, 'Max 1′ showed highest re-sprouting, lowest mortality and highest MAI compared to the clones 'Hybride 275′ and 'Koreana'. The MAI of the three poplar clones was not affected by the rotation length of 3 or 6 years. Over the period of 13 years MAI of 'Max 1′ was 13.3 t Mg ha−1 year−1 DM, whereas that of 'Hybride 275′ and 'Koreana' was 10.2 and 9.8 t Mg ha−1 year−1 DM, respectively. The MAI was significantly determined by the factor harvest year. A low MAI was found for the 3-year rotation cycle in 2021, which was most possibly caused by drier and warmer than average vegetation periods in 2018–2020. Under the given site conditions, clone 'Max 1′ proved to be the most productive.

The Root Collar Diameter Growth Reveals a Strong Relationship with the Height Growth of Juvenile Scots Pine Trees from Seeds Differentiated by Spectrometric Feature

This study is intended for forest owners considering options to increase the efficiency of the production of forest seedlings in automated nurseries. In the short rotation technology of the Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), the production of seedlings was integrated in the process of grading seeds by spectrometric features, followed by the fall outplanting of containerized seedlings to a restorable post-pyrogenic site. There are studies of the spectrometric effect grading viable seeds, but a negligible amount of testing has been conducted on the seedling’s field performance from these seeds. It was very important for us to evaluate the morphogenesis of juvenile Scots pine trees in relation to the change in morphological features—increase in root collar diameter (RCD-increment) and increase in stem height (SH-increment)—in the second and third growing season from the field outplanting. To determine the nature of the interaction between independent (RCD increase), dependent (SH-increment), and categorical (seed spectrometric categories and timespans) variables, a regression analysis was performed using the R statistical software. All coefficients of the linear models are statistically significant at the 1% significance level, and all are positively associated with an increase in seedling height. On average, a RCD increment by 0.1 cm causes a SH-increment by 0.72 ± 0.16 cm (p = 9.779 × 10−6). In addition, in 2020, compared to 2019, the SH-increment was 5.46 ± 0.37 cm (p &lt; 0.001). The seeds’ differentiation into spectrometric categories is strongly correlated with the stem height increment (p &lt; 0.001). Thus, in order to improve the plant propagation protocol, it seems advisable to first condition the seeds in accordance with the spectrometric feature, and to then apply a coating (by pelleting or encapsulating) in order to improve the storage and seeding conditions. For a medium-term assessment of the short rotation technology with an integrated seed spectrometric grading in the future, the morphogenesis of Scots pine trees at 5, 7 and 10 growing seasons from the seedlings field outplanting is controlled.

Biomass Production and Quality of Twelve Fast-Growing Tree Taxa in Short Rotation under Mediterranean Climate

Sustainable production of lignocellulosic biomass for energy use can contribute to climate change mitigation. This work aims to compare the biomass production of twelve fast-growing woody taxa belonging to the Eucalyptus, Casuarina, Populus and Paulownia genera, the quality of their biomass for energy use and its valorizing through transformation into pellets, as well as the effect of the crop on the soil. Over the course of two rotations, plant growth and biomass production were assessed. The yield of aboveground dry biomass ranged from 9 to 61 Mg ha−1 year−1 (equivalent to 137–867 GJ ha−1 year−1). The highest yields were obtained for Eucalyptus clones (51–61 Mg ha−1 year−1). The N-fixing species Casuarina equisetifolia and two Populus × euramericana clones (‘Adige’ and ‘AF2’) also achieved high yields (28–33 Mg ha−1 year−1), though significantly smaller than those of the eucalypts. Due to its low wood density, Paulownia fortunei was not very productive in terms of biomass (18 Mg ha−1 year−1), despite its good growth in diameter and height. However, some management practices, such as not removing nutrient-rich and poor-quality biomass fractions for energy use (leaves and thin branches) from the harvested crop, as well as the use of N-fixing species and by taking into account all nutrient inputs and outputs, can ensure the sustainability of the cultivation systems and improve degraded soils.

Eucalyptus pellita and Acacia hybrid species: potential bioenergy plantation in managing the risk of invasive in Indonesia

Eucalyptus pellita and Acacia hybrid (Acacia mangium × A. auriculiformis) have favourable properties for bioenergy. However, these species have been indicated as invasive species. Because of great economic value of the species, managing the risk of its invasiveness is necessary. This paper presents an analytical study to examine the uses of E. pellita and Acacia hybrid for bioenergy while preventing its invasive potential. Data for the analysis was collected from two demonstration plots which were laid out in randomized completed block design with three replications of 16-squared tree-plots. The observation includes height, DBH, stand volume, and wood properties which were then converted into the wood biomass and energy potential. The findings indicate that E. pellita and Acacia hybrid could be potential sources of bioenergy. At short rotation of 36 months age, the estimated total energy potential for E. pellita ranged from 11.39 to 16.39 toe.ha-1, while the Acacia hybrid ranged from 23.41 to 35.74 toe.ha-1. Plantation management for bioenergy following considerations in reproductive system, growth, tree morphology, and wood properties could be applied to reduce the risk of invasiveness of the species. Implications to improve breeding strategy for bioenergy while avoiding the risk of invasive are also further discussed.

Expression of triploid heterosis in the biomass productivity of energy willow plants under salinity stress

Bioenergy production from short rotation woody species grown on saline soil provides multiple environmental advantages. Breeding of energy willow for salinity tolerance can support green energy utilization. Here, we quantify triploid heterosis in biomass traits under salt stresses. Crosses between diploid cultivars (Tora and Inger) and our autotetraploid plants (PPE-2/6 and PPE-7) resulted in TH16/24 and TH21/2 triploid hybrid genotypes. Growth characteristics of shoots and roots of triploid hybrids and their parental plants were monitored by pixel-based phenotyping under high salt stress (NaCl 2.0 g kg −1/EC: 8.71 mS cm−1) in greenhouse. Different values of Mid-Parent Heterosis (MPH %) were recorded by comparing these two crossing combinations and top or above views (for TH16/24 plants: 3.66% (side pixels) and 22.25% (above pixels) and for TH21/2 plants: 63.30% (side pixels) and 72.10% (above pixels). At the end of the growing period, considerable MPH values were detected in biomass parameters of TH16/24 and TH21/2 plants (shoot length: 18.26%/26.28%; green biomass weight: 40.28%/52.40%; stem diameter: 15.40%/13.98%) in soil with 2.0 g NaCl kg−1. The TH21/2 hybrid plants expressed higher hybrid vigor than plants from the TH16/24 genotype. The TH21/2 hybrid plants exhibited better water use efficiency than their parental plants and showed high MPH values for K+/Na+ ratio in soil containing 2.0 g NaCl kg−1. The presented data support a conclusion that heterosis depending on crossing partners can ensure improvement in salinity tolerance for triploid hybrids. Field experiment has been initiated for the characterization of these hybrids under natural saline soil.

Adapting 3-PG foliar variables to deciduous trees in response to water restriction: poplar short rotation plantations under Mediterranean conditions

Abstract Poplar plantations growing in short rotation are a crucial biomass source of raw material for bioenergy and/or bioproducts, making an important contribution towards achieving a low-carbon bioeconomy. To optimize yield predictions of poplar plantations, this study aims to adapt the foliar variables of the process-based model 3-PG (Physiological Principles Predicting Growth) to a deciduous species like poplar. A total of 138 trees were sampled from a poplar plantation of the highly productive hybrid P. x canadensis (‘AF2’) over a first rotation at a planting density of 10 000 trees ha−1. Two irrigation scenarios, full soil field capacity (FC) and 50% FC, were considered to take into account the impact of climate change in the context of irrigation restrictions. Based on this information, the objectives were not only to determine the required species-specific foliar parameters but also to adapt the 3-PG model architecture to a pattern of variation along each growing season and identify the foliar parameters which present a significant response to restrictive irrigation. For this, specific leaf area (SLA) changes were modelled and the litterfall rate (${\gamma}_F$), and maximum canopy quantum efficiency (${\alpha}_{Cx}$) were calculated. SLA follows a similar dynamic in terms of water availability and year, with SLA for mature leaves being 19.9 m2 kg−2 and the SLA at the beginning of the growing season 10.4 m2 kg2. Leaf litter season begins in late August and lasts until early December, with 26 per cent litterfall by October. Additionally, the highly sensitive parameter ${\alpha}_{Cx}$ was calibrated and a proposed value of 0.093 molC mol PAR−1 was used. The validation of the proposed parameterization showed realistic estimates of the changes of leaf biomass and LAI during the growing season. These results will enable improved 3-PG-based estimations of the real variation along the growing season of variables such as Net Primary Productivity, leaf litterfall or analysis of the soil–plant nutrient cycle.

Agroecological assessment of short crop rotation on sod-podzolic soil

In the conditions of drained lands with unsatisfactory work of reclamation systems, in the Polissia zone it became possible to grow commercially attractive crops, in particular, such as winter rapeseed and corn for grain. A short-rotation crop rotation was analyzed: lupine — winter rapeseed — winter rye — corn, on the basis of which various variants of the fertilization system were studied, including by replacing litter manure with siderate and by-products of all crops in combination with the recommended for the zone and increased (intensive) mineral norms fertilizers. The goal of the task was to determine the optimal agrochemical support for grain crop rotation to obtain stable crop productivity and preserve soil fertility. It was noted that during the 2016–2020 research, during the growing season of agricultural crops, the reserves of productive moisture in the meter-long layer of drained sod-podzolic sandy soil decreased to 60–80 mm, that is, to a critical level. It was established that the overall productivity of the crop rotation depended on its saturation with corn, the grain yield of which was 6.01–7.13 t/ha on average over 5 years at different levels of organic and mineral nutrition. The highest yield of grain and fodder units from 1 ha of crop rotation area (4.23 and 4.52 tons, respectively) was obtained when by-products were applied together with an increased rate of mineral fertilizers (N67P84K91). It was established that the replacement of litter manure with the by-products of grain, leguminous and oilseed crops as an organic fertilizer, together with the use of the recommended (N45P56K61) and increased (N67P84K91) mineral fertilizer rates, does not reduce the productivity of crop rotation, ensures a deficit-free nitrogen balance and the annual accumulation of humus in the amount of 320 and 440 kg, respectively, which guarantees extended reproduction and increased soil fertility.

Efficiency of different tillage, fertilization systems under short crop rotation and their influence on phytosanitary condition of agrocenoses

The main restraining factor of the widespread introduction of minimization of mechanical tillage into the domestic agricultural practice was and remains the problem of deterioration of the phytosanitary state of agrophytocenoses and the soil environment. Intensive use of pesticides, especially in violation of the regulations of their use, does not solve the problem, and often, on the contrary, aggravates it. Ukraine ranks sixth-seventh in the world in terms of contamination of plant products with pesticide residues. Agricultural practice proves that all pesticides are toxic to humans, and many of them also have mutagenic activity. They also cause great harm to living nature, suppressing the biological activity of soils, destroying pollinating insects, etc. Given this, the value of mechanical cultivation in regulating the phytosanitary state of agrobiocenoses and soil will increase, especially in ecological and organic agriculture. Research (2020– 2022) on the chernozems of the typical experimental field of Bila Ttserkva National Agrarian University established changes in the phytosanitary state of the agrobiocenoses of the field specialized grain five-field crop rotation and its productivity under different systems of the main cultivation of the chernozem soil of a typical low-humus medium loam in the Right Bank Forest Steppe of Ukraine, namely: shelf-disc the treatment has an advantage only in terms of significant limitation of dark brown spotting on winter wheat for sowing after buckwheat. In the remaining cases, it was significantly inferior to control. Indicators of the phytosanitary state of agrobiocenoses significantly worsen with constant soil disking. Discless tillage has an advantage only in terms of significant limitation of dark brown spotting on winter wheat after sowing after buckwheat. In the remaining cases, it was significantly inferior to control. Indicators of the phytosanitary state of agrobiocenoses significantly worsen with constant soil disking. The abundance of weeds is insignificantly lower under differentiated than shelf-disc cultivation. Fertilizer systems did not affect weediness, but worsened other indicators of phytosanitary status. With differentiated cultivation, the population of larvae of the winter weevil and the prevalence of helminth sporous root rot, powdery mildew and septoriosis of winter wheat after buckwheat, as well as the abundance of the meadow butterfly and wireworm in the agrophytocenosis of corn, are significantly reduced. Productivity of crop rotation is almost at the same level for shelf-disc and differentiated tillage. With chisel-disk and disk processing, it is significantly reduced. In a five-field field row crop rotation, differentiated tillage is recommended, in which deep (25–27 cm) plowing is performed only in one field under the row crop, where manure is applied, and in the rest of the fields, plowing and disc tillage to different depths, taking into account biological features of agricultural crops.

Кореляційні зв’язки між показниками стану мікробного ценозу і потенційної родючості чорнозему типового

Goal. To study the regularities of the formation of connections between separate groups of microorganisms in typical chornozem and indicators of its potential fertility for growing sunflowers with the use of different systems of basic tillage and mineral fertilization. Methods. Microbiological, laboratory-analytical, statistical. The research was carried out using soil samples from a stationary experiment on the study of short crop rotations, established in 2009 at the Panfilsk research station of the Institute of Agriculture of NAAS. Results. The number of microorganisms of many ecolotrophic, systematic, and functional groups, their physiological-biochemical activity, intensity, and orientation of mineralization processes in the soil are correlated with indicators of the potential fertility of typical chornozem. In particular, the number of ammonifiers correlates with the hydrolytic acidity of the soil (r = 0.352), the sum of the absorbed bases (r = –0.559), the content of nitrogen (r = 0.975), potassium (r = 0.739), and humus (r = 0.837). The number of CFU (colony-forming units) of mineral nitrogen immobilizers correlates with the sum of absorbed bases (r = –0.547), nitrogen content (r = 0.826), potassium (r = 0.712), and humus (r = 0.777). The number of oligonitrophils has significant correlations with saline pH (r = –0.615), hydrolytic acidity (r = 0.604), phosphorus content (r = 0.533), and humus (r = –0.586). The inverse nature of the relationship between the number of oligonitrophils and the content of humus indicates the main cause of humus mineralization — the lack of nitrogen compounds in the soil. The number of Azotobacter is correlated with the hydrolytic acidity of the soil (r = –0.539), saline pH (r = 0.568), the sum of absorbed bases (r = 0.338), the content of nitrogen (r = –0.395), and phosphorus (r = –0.470). The inverse nature of the relationship with the content of phosphorus in the soil indicates that Azotobacter is not an indicator of providing the soil with phosphorus compounds. The number of polysaccharide-synthesizing bacteria does not correlate with indicators of potential soil fertility, except for humus content (r = –0.389). Humus mineralization activity correlates with all studied indicators of potential fertility: hydrolytic acidity (r = –0.784), saline pH (r = 0.772), the sum of absorbed bases (r = 0.887), nitrogen content (r = –0.555), phosphorus (r = 0.788), potassium (r = 0.588), and humus (r = –0.760). Total biological activity is correlated with hydrolytic acidity (r = 0.363), saline pH (r = –0.343), sum of absorbed bases (r = –0.430), nitrogen content (r = 0.655), potassium (r = 0.424), and humus (r = 0.625). The total number of microorganisms correlates with hydrolytic acidity (r = 0.349), saline pH (r = –0.303), the sum of absorbed bases (r = –0.550), the content of nitrogen (r = 0.965), potassium (r = 0.735), and humus (r = 0.839). Conclusions. The analysis of correlations between indicators of the state of the microbial coenosis of microorganisms and indicators of the potential fertility of typical chornozem shows the presence of a close relationship.

P01 Mentorship in United Kingdom plastic surgery

Abstract Introduction A cornerstone of the Halstedian model of surgical training is a reliance on mentors to support and guide trainees in taking on increasing levels of responsibility. In the UK, however, there are significant barriers to effective mentorship which are affecting the quality of training and the satisfaction of trainees, with 85% of UK Plastic Surgery trainees reporting they do not have access to a mentoring service. Methods A round robin brainstorming session at the Royal Free Hospital Plastic Surgery department brought together clinicians ranging from foundation year doctors to consultants. The barriers to effective mentorship and potential solutions were discussed. Results and Conclusion Key barriers identified included the fragmented nature of training, with short rotations of -12 months, and the non-run-through nature of training leading to the loss of motivated trainees at each stage of competition. Proposed solutions included a transition to run-through training, with smaller deaneries allowing trainees to progress within a handful of units, increasing stability, satisfaction and mentorship. This could also be achieved by expanding the number of academic trainees, with guaranteed national training numbers and greater levels of mentorship from academic supervisors. Another proposal was a transition to the “old-school-firm style workforce”, with consultants allocated their own registrar, core trainee and foundation year doctor –promoting continuity of care, collaboration and mentorship. Finally, a nationwide mentorship scheme was postulated, with consultants supporting registrars who subsequently support junior trainees. Such a scheme should be driven by a national organisation such as BAPRAS, standardising its reaching to all UK units.

Toward the Adoption of New Farming Systems among Farmers: A Case study of Short Rotation Woody Crops in North Carolina

This study explores the human dimensions of the broad-based adoption of Short Rotation Woody Crops (SRWCs) among farmers in North Carolina. We used an actor diagramming and tracing approach to explore factors influencing farmers’ adoption of SRWCs. Results suggest four factors strongly influence the adoption process: 1) market availability, 2) education awareness, 3) funding, and 4) social networking. Based on these results, we recommend that Extension professionals use the following education modules to prompt the adoption of SRWCs practices and potentially adopt other new farming practices: 1) ecological sustainability, 2) financial considerations, 3) harvesting, and 4) community building.