Summer Vegetation Research Articles

Evaluation of different establishment methods of sedum cuttings for summer vegetation of green roofs in Venetian Plain conditions

Sedum species are the most commonly used plants to vegetate green roofs because of their tolerance to extreme conditions. Despite the easier and faster establishment of sedums by plugs or mats, the direct spreading of cuttings is still an interesting cost-effective installation method, especially for large-scale roofs. To improve cutting establishment in the difficult conditions of the Venetian plain during summer, a three-way experimental design was set up on June 5, 2015. Rooted and un-rooted cuttings of five Sedum species (Sedum acre, S. album, S. reflexum, S. sexangulare and S. spurium) were compared with and without ground cover with non-woven fabric (fabric) in the first four weeks after cutting spreading (WAS). Cuttings survival and plant growth was evaluated over 20 weeks: 4 WAS (at fabric removal), after 12 and 20 WAS. Plant growth was measured by means of growth index, and shoot and root dry weights. After 4 WAS sedum cuttings were negatively affected by covering with fabric as only 68.5% of cuttings had survived compared to 98.5% of the uncovered control. Shoot and root dry weights were also negatively affected by fabric cover. At the end of the study both the fabric cover and Sedum species affected plant survival. Uncovered treatment exhibited better survival compared to the fabric cover (71.5 vs. 60.5%) while S. spurium and S. sexangulare had only 50% survival compared to the over 80% survival for S. acre. The sedum cuttings of the fabric cover treatment recovered over time, providing similar growth as the uncovered treatment at the end of the experiment. Sedum spurium had the highest growth index, shoot and root dry weights and S. album growth was also good. Pre-rooted cuttings did not affect survival but favored aerial growth of S. spurium and S. reflexum.

Relationships between aquatic vegetation and water turbidity: A field survey across seasons and spatial scales.

Field surveys often show that high water turbidity limits cover of aquatic vegetation, while many small-scale experiments show that vegetation can reduce turbidity by decreasing water flow, stabilizing sediments, and competing with phytoplankton for nutrients. Here we bridged these two views by exploring the direction and strength of causal relationships between aquatic vegetation and turbidity across seasons (spring and late summer) and spatial scales (local and regional), using causal modeling based on data from a field survey along the central Swedish Baltic Sea coast. The two best-fitting regional-scale models both suggested that in spring, high cover of vegetation reduces water turbidity. In summer, the relationships differed between the two models; in the first model high vegetation cover reduced turbidity; while in the second model reduction of summer turbidity by high vegetation cover in spring had a positive effect on summer vegetation which suggests a positive feedback of vegetation on itself. Nitrogen load had a positive effect on turbidity in both seasons, which was comparable in strength to the effect of vegetation on turbidity. To assess whether the effect of vegetation was primarily caused by sediment stabilization or a reduction of phytoplankton, we also tested models where turbidity was replaced by phytoplankton fluorescence or sediment-driven turbidity. The best-fitting regional-scale models suggested that high sediment-driven turbidity in spring reduces vegetation cover in summer, which in turn has a negative effect on sediment-driven turbidity in summer, indicating a potential positive feedback of sediment-driven turbidity on itself. Using data at the local scale, few relationships were significant, likely due to the influence of unmeasured variables and/or spatial heterogeneity. In summary, causal modeling based on data from a large-scale field survey suggested that aquatic vegetation can reduce turbidity at regional scales, and that high vegetation cover vs. high sediment-driven turbidity may represent two self-enhancing, alternative states of shallow bay ecosystems.

Future changes in summer MODIS-based enhanced vegetation index for the South-Central United States

Evaluating the response of vegetation to climate change is relevant to improving the management of both human and natural systems. Here, we quantify the response of the MODIS-based enhanced vegetation index (EVI) to temperature, precipitation, and large-scale natural variability across the South-Central U.S. for summer (JJA) from 2000 to 2013. We find statistically significant relationships between climate and EVI that vary across the region and are distinct for each land cover type: the mean coefficient of determination (R2) between EVI and climate is greatest for pasture (0.61±0.13) and lowest for forest (0.55±0.14). Among the climate variables, three-month cumulative precipitation has the strongest influence on summer vegetation, particularly in semi-arid west Texas and eastern New Mexico. Summer monthly maximum temperature plays an important role in the eastern half of Texas and Oklahoma, moderated by the influence of both Atlantic and Pacific teleconnection indices over inter-annual time scales. Based on these relationships, we train, cross-validate, and, where statistically significant relationships exist, combine this multivariate predictive model with projected changes in teleconnection indices and statistically-downscaled temperature and precipitation from 16 CMIP5 global climate models to quantify future changes in EVI. As global mean temperature increases, projected EVI decreases, indicative of stressed and dry vegetation, particularly for grasslands as compared to other land types, and in Oklahoma and western, central and Gulf Coast Texas for mid- and end-of-century. These trends have potentially important implications for agriculture and the regional economy, as well as for ecosystems and endemic species that depend on vegetation.

Quantifying streambank movement and topography using unmanned aircraft system photogrammetry with comparison to terrestrial laser scanning

AbstractStreambank movement is an integral part of geomorphic changes along river corridors and affects a range of physical, ecological, and socio‐economic systems including aquatic habitat, water quality, and infrastructure. Various methods have been used to quantify streambank erosion, including bank pins, ground surveys, lidar, and analytical models, however, due to high‐cost or labour intensive fieldwork these are typically feasible or appropriate only for site‐specific studies. Advancements in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and photogrammetry provide opportunities for more rapid and economical quantification of streambank erosion and deposition at variable scales. This work assesses the performance of UAS‐based photogrammetry for capturing topography of streambank surfaces and quantifying bank movement. UAS data are compared to terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) and GPS surveying from streambank sites located in Vermont that featured a variety of bank conditions and vegetation. Cross‐sectional analysis of data from UAS and TLS revealed that the UAS reliably captured the bank surface within 0.2 m of TLS and GPS surveys across all sites during leaf‐off conditions. Mean error between UAS and TLS was only 0.11 m in early spring conditions. Dense summer vegetation resulted in decreased accuracy and was a limiting factor in the ability of the UAS to capture the ground surface. At areas with observed bank movement, the change in cross‐sectional area estimated using UAS data compared reliably to TLS survey for net cross‐sectional changes greater than 3.5 m2, given a 10% error tolerance. At locations with smaller changes, error increased due to the effect of vegetation, georeferencing, and overhanging bank profiles. UAS‐based photogrammetry shows significant promise for capturing bank topography and movement at fine resolutions in a flexible and efficient manner.

Greening winter wheat seed crops

Purpose. To study the influence of biological preparations on yield and seed quality of bread winter wheat. Methods. Laboratory (evaluating 1000 seed weight, activity of seed sprouting, seed vigor, laboratory germination, number of embryonic roots and coleoptile length); measuring and weight (yielding capacity); mathematical statistics (to assess the validity of research results). Results. It was established that when treating winter wheat crops with biofertilizers during spring and summer vegetation,, the yields of the cultivar Kolos Myronivshchyny, Myronivska storichna, Natalka, Yuviliar Myronivsky increased by 0.28-0.37 t/ha, the 1,000 seed weight increased by 1.3-1.5 g. The best result was obtained with the use of biofertilizer “Biokompleks BTU” in the VIII stage of organogenesis at the rate of 500 ml/ha. Spraying winter wheat crop with “Microbiological component of culture” (1 l/ha) resulted in increase of the yield (by 0.22-0.45 t/ha), output of conditioned seeds (by 3.0-8.0 %) and 1,000 seed weight (by 1.3-2.0 g). The highest yield for varieties Horlytsia myronivska (5.50 t/ha) and Hospodynia myronivska (6.05 t/ha) was obtained by application of the fertilizer “Microbiological component of culture” on the III, IV and VIII stages of organogenesis. In the case of application of the biofertilizers, a tendency has been found to increase indices of seed sprouting activity, seed vigor, laboratory germination, coleoptile length and number of embryonic roots in comparison with the control. Conclusions. Based on the results obtained, increase in the yields, sowing qualities and biological indices of winter wheat seeds produced on crops treated with the biofertilizers was revealed. To be adopted into production it is recommended to carry out spraying seed crops in spring-summer period of vegetation with the biofertilizers "Biokompleks BTU" and "Microbiological component of culture".

How winter cover crops and tillage intensities affect nitrogen availability in eggplant

This study evaluates the fate of nitrogen (N) content in winter cover crops under different tillage intensities. Field trials were conducted over a 2-year period in a Mediterranean environment adopting a cover crop–eggplant sequence. The treatments were: three cover crops (hairy vetch, oat and oilseed rape); three tillage intensities (residue left on soil surface, shallow green manure and deep green manure). The measurements included: cover crop and eggplant characteristics, N mineralization from cover crops, soil inorganic N and soil CO2 emission. At cover crop termination, N accumulated in the cover crops was 207, 77 and 77 kg N ha−1 in hairy vetch, oat and oilseed rape, respectively. Tillage intensity affected biomass decomposition and N mineralization from cover crop residues which were slower when residues were left on soil surface (54 and 71%, respectively) than when incorporated into the soil (66 and 79%, respectively). Hairy vetch showed a greater ability to supply N to eggplant (151 kg N ha−1), due to the fast decay of its residues, consequently, the N balance index was always high after hairy vetch throughout eggplant cultivation. N mineralized by cover crops was positively correlated with total soil CO2 emission and soil inorganic N. Placing cover crop residues on soil surface enhances synchronization between N mineralized and eggplant N demand in hairy vetch, while in oat it appears to mitigate the shortage of soil inorganic N for the following vegetable. These findings may also be extended to other summer vegetables which have similar requirements to the eggplant.

APPLICATION OF AEROSPACE DATA FOR FOREST FIRE RISK ASSESSMENT AND PROGNOSES. A CASE STUDY FOR VITOSHA MOUNTAIN

An adequate assessment of the fire risk is of great importance for developing fire-prevention policies. Two important indices, that have been frequently used to estimate the level of fire risk, are the Fire Weather Index (FWI) and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The main purpose of the present study was to analyse the NDVI index variability during different summer time periods for Vitosha mountain region in order to assess his applicability for accessing the associated risk of fire. A comprehensive spatial and temporal data regarding the distribution of the NDVI index obtained through satellite data (using aerospace technology), GPS and above-ground data, and rationalised using the GIS approach have been applied. The data obtained demonstrate that immediately after a fire, the NDVI for BR “Bistrishko branishte” reached a negative value -0.025(±0.346). The lowest NDVI: +0.17 (±0.339) was found for the image taken on 16.08.2012, about two months before the fire occurrence. Overall, the results show that the NDVI data could be successfully used as an indicator for identifying locations with an elevated summer vegetation dryness and provide important information on vegetation sites with an increased fire susceptibility. Therefore development of a fire risk assessment methodology based on using NDVI data, especially during summer periods, appears to be a promising technique for regions, where the fire events have been frequently observed.

Antimutagenicity, antibacteria, and water holding capacity of chitosan from Luffa aegyptiaca Mill and Cucumis sativus L.

The objective of this study was to separate the chitosan (deacetylated products) in the peel and the flesh of loofah (Luffa aegyptiaca) and cucumber (Cucumis sativus) to evaluate its water holding capacity, antibacterial and antimutagenicity activities. The levels of glucosamine (degree of deacetylation; DD) in ultrapure deacetylated (UD) chitosan product of loofah and cucumber were much higher than other deacetylated chitosan products. Also, UD chitosan products of loofah and cucumber showed better water absorption and moisture holding capacity. All the deacetylated chitosan products effectively suppress the survival of Staphylococcus aureus and Propionibacterium acnes in a dose-depended manner. Furthermore, UD chitosan products of loofah and cucumber effectively reduced the mutagenicity on various strains of Salmonella typhimurium namely TA100 and TA102. Hence, UD chitosan products of loofah and cucumber might be used to improve skin tone as well as prescribed with a standard chemotherapeutic agent as an adjuvant therapy. Practical applications Luffa aegyptiaca Mill (loofah) and Cucumis sativus L. (cucumber) are common summer vegetables in Asia, especially in Taiwan, India, and China. Recently, the chitosan (deacetylated chitin) present in the fresh loofah (Luffa) and cucumber attracted more researchers owing to its high biodegradability, nontoxicity, and several other biological properties like antiobesity, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activities. Also, this study shows that loofah and cucumber (UD fraction) are the richest sources for chitosan a vegan source with dermal protective, antibacterial, and antimutagenicity activities. Hence, UD chitosan products of loofah and cucumber may be recommended with other skin protective agents and cancer condition with the standard drug, since it acts as an antimutagenic agent.

野菜・果物栽培活動実施者と非実施者それぞれの夏野菜栽培開始時期と収穫時期における野菜・果物摂取状況および身体活動状況の比較

【目的】中高年男性の野菜・果物栽培活動実施者と非実施者それぞれの野菜・果物摂取状況および身体活動状況に夏野菜栽培開始時期である春と収穫時期である夏とで差があるのかを明らかにし，野菜・果物栽培活動による健康づくりに役立てる。【方法】群馬県Ａ市在住の50～74歳の男性を対象とした。2015年4月と8月に調査票を郵送し，任意での回答を求めた。調査項目は，野菜・果物栽培活動の有無，年齢，最終学歴，就労状況，1日に食べる野菜皿数，野菜・果物摂取回数／日，身体活動量，座位時間，野菜・果物をもらう頻度とし，野菜・果物栽培活動有り群（有り群）と野菜・果物栽培活動無し群（無し群）それぞれの春と夏との差を分析した。【結果】有り群（n＝43）と無し群（n＝33）との比較では，春の身体活動量（p＝0.004），夏のその他の野菜摂取回数／日（p＝0.028），夏の野菜合計摂取回数／日（p＝0.032），夏の身体活動量（p＝0.007）が，有り群で有意に多かった。有り群と無し群それぞれで，春と夏との差を分析した結果，有り群で，赤・黄・オレンジ色の野菜摂取回数／日（p＝0.016），その他の野菜摂取回数／日（p＝0.022），ジュース以外の野菜合計摂取回数／日（p＝0.029），無し群で，野菜・果物をもらう頻度（p＝0.020），が春と比べて夏で有意に多かった。【結論】野菜・果物栽培活動の実施が，野菜収穫時期の野菜摂取回数の増加や，野菜栽培開始時期と収穫時期の身体活動量の増加に寄与する可能性が示唆された。

Efficiency of joint application of microfertilizers and plant protection products on bread winter wheat crops

Aim. To determine yielding capacity and economic efficiency of joint application of microfertilizers and plant protection products on winter wheat crops in the Right-bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine.Materials and methods. The researches (2012-2014) were conducted on the fields of the V.M. Remeslo Myronivka Institute of Wheat of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine on commodity crops of bread winter wheat with varieties Kolos Myronivshchyny, Myronivska storichna, Natalka and Yuviliar Myronivsky treated with microfertilizers together with plant protection products in the IV, VIII and X stages of organogenesis. The treatment was carried out with microfertilizers Tseovit Micro Grain and Tseovit the Ovary Plus (1 l/ha) together with fungicide Falcon 460 EC (0.5 l/ha) and insecticide Karate Zeon 050 CS (0.2 l/ha). The accounting area of plots treated with fertilizers was 10 m2 in four replications. Agrotechnics in the experiments was common in the Right-bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine. The crop was harvested by “Sampo-130” combine and recalculated to standard (14%) grain moisture.Results. Resulted from the studies conducted in 2012-2014 it was found that at joint application of microfertilizers and plant protection products during spring-summer vegetation of bread winter wheat the highest yield was obtained when processing crops in the VIII stage of organogenesis. During the years of research, yielding capacity of the varieties in average increased by 1.07–1.15 t/ha as compared with the control.Calculations show that the level of profit for the varieties during years of the research increased in average by 1257-1958 UAH/ha in comparison with the control. The highest profit level (9736–10041 UAH/ha) was obtained from the application of microfertilizers Tseovit the Ovary Plus (1.0 l/ha) and Tseovit Micro Grain (1.0 l/ha) together with plant protection products in the VIII stage of organogenesis, thus exceeding the control by 1653–1958 UAH/ha.When using microfertilizers on elite winter wheat crops, the profit would increase by 3500-4700 UAH/ha in comparison with the control.Conclusions. The use of microfertilizers together with plant protection products on winter wheat crops during the spring and summer vegetation makes it possible to increase yielding capacity of 1.07 to 1.15 t/ha and to increase the net profit from the additional grain by 20–24%.

Effects of Conventional Storage Methods on the Ascorbic Acid Content of Summer Vegetables

The study aimed to determine the effect of common storage practices adopted at the domestic level on the ascorbic acid content of 12 summer vegetables. Five common techniques namely storage at room temperature, refrigeration, drying, freezing without blanching and blanching prior to freezing were applied. Results showed that almost all the vegetables were good sources of vitamin C. However, significant losses were observed during storage at room temperature (25% - 55.5%), refrigeration (11%-33.3%), freezing without blanching (12.5% - 61.5%), and freezing after blanching (38.8 – 66.6%). Data indicated sun drying being the most vulnerable method as far the percent losses in the Vitamin C levels in the sampled vegetables (66.6% - 87%) suggesting it to be the most inappropriate method at noncommercial level. The current study also confirmed the inevitable losses of Vitamin C in all the storage methods being evident from statistically significant lower values in the stored vegetables as compared to fresh vegetables. The present study thus emphasized the importance of nutrition education for the home makers to minimize nutritional losses and conserve the nutrients at the domestic level.

Trend shifts in satellite-derived vegetation growth in Central Eurasia, 1982-2013.

Central Eurasian vegetation is critical for the regional ecological security and the global carbon cycle. However, climatic impacts on vegetation growth in Central Eurasia are uncertain. The reason for this uncertainty lies in the fact that the response of vegetation to climate change showed nonlinearity, seasonality and differences among plant functional types. Based on remotely sensed vegetation index and in-situ meteorological data for the years 1982-2013, in conjunction with the latest land cover type product, we analyzed how vegetation growth trend varied across different seasons and evaluated vegetation response to climate variables at regional, biome and pixel scales. We found a persistent increase in the growing season NDVI over Central Eurasia during 1982-1994, whereas this greening trend has stalled since the mid-1990s in response to increased water deficit. The stalled trend in the growing season NDVI was largely attributed by summer and autumn NDVI changes. Enhanced spring vegetation growth after 2002 was caused by rapid spring warming. The response of vegetation to climatic factors varied in different seasons. Precipitation was the main climate driver for the growing season and summer vegetation growth. Changes in temperature and precipitation during winter and spring controlled the spring vegetation growth. Autumn vegetation growth was mainly dependent on the vegetation growth in summer. We found diverse responses of different vegetation types to climate drivers in Central Eurasia. Forests were more responsive to temperature than to precipitation. Grassland and desert vegetation responded more strongly to precipitation than to temperature in summer but more strongly to temperature than to precipitation in spring. In addition, the growth of desert vegetation was more dependent on winter precipitation than that of grasslands. This study has important implications for improving the performance of terrestrial ecosystem models to predict future vegetation response to climate change.

SPECIFIC ROLES OF SOIL IN AGROECOSYSTEMS OF NERETVA AND TREBIŠNJICA RIVER BASIN

UDK 631.4(497.6)
 The diversity of soils and climate in the Neretva and Trebišnjica River Basin spreads from the lower, higher, high to very high zone over 2,000 meters above sea level. The most important agricultural land is in river valleys and karst poljes of belonging zones. Ameliorative systems are mostly out of function while actual systems are comprised of very intensive farming; vegetable growing, modern fruit plantations on the open field and protected areas (greenhouses), but also of the low-intensity farming system in a mountainous area. The current climate changes obviously are not a temporary phenomenon, but are a specific one; there are no more “dry” or “rainy years” as it was in the past -now we have both in the same year. In spring, the soil needs quick and efficient drainage of the sufficient water by drainage system, but in dry – vegetation period, compensation of water deficiency by irrigation is needed. Therefore, today's generation of decision-makers and users of soil as a public treasure cannot avoid the question as to which soil/land areas and at which way to focus investments. We propose the construction of multi-purpose water accumulation, to collect (excess) precipitation in autumn-winter season for irrigation in dry summer vegetation period, but it is necessary to focus land management on (pedo) biological properties and activity.

Commercial Vegetable Farming: An Approach for Poverty Reduction in Nepal

Poverty reduction of farmers from Kapilbastu and Kaski districts were evaluated with respect to the vegetable farming where PRISM (Prosperity Realization through Irrigation and Smallholder Markets) technology was implemented. After the implementation of PRISM there has been considerable increase in vegetable farming area in both districts. Numbers of vegetable crops grown were increased with respect to yield and net return from both the winter and summer vegetables. With the opening of organized markets and large scale increase in income, farmers were attracted towards vegetable cultivation that provided wide range of vegetables for consumers as well. Earlier farmers cultivated vegetables only when there would be fallow land after the harvest of main season cereal crops while after the adoption of new technology farmers grew vegetables all the yearround. Among the popular vegetables during summer was cucumber in the hills and okra in the Terai covering more land than other vegetables crops in the study area. These cropshelp farmers achieve net return of NRs.25240.6 and from NRs. 20425.4 per Ropani in Kaski and Kapilbastu, respectively. Land area under vegetables crops were increased by 6 times in Kaski and 12 times in Kapilbastu. This increase in net return has been found as a result of creating better marketing system developed by the activity of the PRISM. Similarly, involvement of household in summer season vegetable was not enough and farmers hired labor for commercial vegetables cultivation.Agronomy Journal of Nepal (Agron JN), Vol.4, 2016, page: 92-106

Excavation of irrigation canal changes the cropping pattern in 2013-14: Auria Union, Narail, Bangladesh

The principal crop during winter is Bororice and it occupies about 70% of crops. Being a country of 140 million inhabitants, agriculture is still the major water using sector in order to feed a growing population where at least 40 million people do not have a square meal. Recently, Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) launched some projects to various water user groups for maintenance and expenditure recovery. Chenchuri Irrigation Sub Project is under South-West Area Integrated Water Resources Planning and Management Project (SWAIWRPMP). The project area covers the South Western Narail District along with Auria Union at Narail Sadar Upazila. Data were collected from 150 farmers of 6 villages in Auria Union. This research investigates the overall cropping pattern in Auria Union, Narail Sadar Upazila, before the construction of canal (during 1987-88), after the construction of canal (during 2009-10)and after re-excavation of canal (2012-13). The result showed that, before the construction of canal (during 1987-88) there were 5 types of cropping pattern and after the construction of canal (during 2009-10) there were 6 types of cropping pattern. But after re-excavation of canal (2012-13), 12 types of cropping pattern were recorded. Among them, the T. Aman and Boro were the most prominent cropping pattern. In Kharif 1, Kharif 2 and Rabi seasons, various types of crops were cultivated. Such as Aus, B. Aman, T. Aman, Boro, Jute, Sesame, Summer vegetables, Chilly, Garlic, Chickpea, Lentil, Mustard, Onion, Sugarcane, Turmeric, Wheat, Winter vegetables etc. The result revealed that, the re-excavation of canal have significantly positive impact on the Boro, Wheat, Turmeric, Chilly, Chick pea, Sugarcane, Lentil production. The Boro rice cultivation increased significantly day by day and it replaced other crops gradually. Because, farmers get irrigation water easily and cheaply from canal in Rabi season (16 October - 15 March). The present study showed that, the excavation of irrigation canal completely changes the cropping pattern at auriaunion in Narail, Bangladesh.Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. June 2016, 2(2): 285-296

Eleven-year results on soft and durum wheat crops grown in an organic and in a conventional low input cropping system

Eleven-year results on yields and apparent balances of organic matter and nitrogen (N) are reported for soft and durum wheat crops grown in the BIOSYST long-term experiment for the comparison between an organic and a conventional low-input system in Central Italy. The N supply to organic wheat consisted of 40 kg N ha–1 as poultry manure plus the supposed residual N left by green manures carried out before the preceding summer vegetable, while the N supply to conventional wheat consisted of 80 kg N ha–1 as mineral fertilisers, split in two applications of 40 kg ha–1 each, at tillering and pre-shooting. In every year, above ground biomass and N accumulation of each wheat species, including weeds, and the partitioning between grain yield and crop residues were determined. Apparent dry matter and N balances were calculated at the end of each crop cycle by taking into account the amounts of dry matter and N supplied to the system as fertilisers, and those removed with grain yield. Soft wheat yielded more than durum wheat. For both species, grain yield and protein content were more variable across years and generally lower in the organic than in the conventional system. In both systems, grain yield of both species resulted negatively correlated with fall-winter rainfall, likely for its effect on soil N availability. Both species caused a lower return of biomass and a higher soil N depletion in the organic than in the conventional system. Our experiment confirmed that winter wheat can help exploit the soil N availability and reduce N leaching in fall winter, especially after summer vegetables, but in stockless or stock-limited organic systems it needs to be included in rotations where soil fertility is restored by fall winter green manures to be carried out before summer crops.

Detecting Late Holocene cultural landscape modifications using LiDAR imagery in the Boreal Forest, Susitna Valley, Southcentral Alaska

The subarctic boreal forest, or taiga, is the largest biome in the world but has received minimal archaeological research because of its remoteness and difficult working conditions. In Southcentral Alaska the most common archaeological sites are surface manifestations of proto-historic semi-subterranean caches once used for food storage and living structures. However, in dense summer vegetation, these small-scale features are difficult to locate without high intensity pedestrian survey. To test the usefulness of LiDAR data for archaeological prospection in the taiga, we compare LiDAR imagery to the known distribution of small-scale semi-subterranean cultural features. The use of LiDAR, when complemented with Sky-View Factor, has proven valuable in identifying relatively small semi-subterranean features though it does not replace on-the-ground investigation. Nevertheless, the application of LiDAR to locate low density and small-scale cultural features is widely applicable across the subarctic in densely vegetated contexts and may assist in significantly expanding our current knowledge of land-use patterns and site distributions in logistically challenging places.

Strong impacts of daily minimum temperature on the green-up date and summer greenness of the Tibetan Plateau.

Understanding vegetation responses to climate change on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) helps in elucidating the land-atmosphere energy exchange, which affects air mass movement over and around the TP. Although the TP is one of the world's most sensitive regions in terms of climatic warming, little is known about how the vegetation responds. Here, we focus on how spring phenology and summertime greenness respond to the asymmetric warming, that is, stronger warming during nighttime than during daytime. Using both insitu and satellite observations, we found that vegetation green-up date showed a stronger negative partial correlation with daily minimum temperature (Tmin ) than with maximum temperature (Tmax ) before the growing season ('preseason' henceforth). Summer vegetation greenness was strongly positively correlated with summer Tmin , but negatively with Tmax . A 1-K increase in preseason Tmin advanced green-up date by 4days (P<0.05) and in summer enhanced greenness by 3.6% relative to the mean greenness during 2000-2004 (P<0.01). In contrast, increases in preseason Tmax did not advance green-up date (P>0.10) and higher summer Tmax even reduced greenness by 2.6%K(-1) (P<0.05). The stimulating effects of increasing Tmin were likely caused by reduced low temperature constraints, and the apparent negative effects of higher Tmax on greenness were probably due to the accompanying decline in water availability. The dominant enhancing effect of nighttime warming indicates that climatic warming will probably have stronger impact on TP ecosystems than on apparently similar Arctic ecosystems where vegetation is controlled mainly by Tmax . Our results are crucial for future improvements of dynamic vegetation models embedded in the Earth System Models which are being used to describe the behavior of the Asian monsoon. The results are significant because the state of the vegetation on the TP plays an important role in steering the monsoon.

Development of winter wheat breeding material by method of thermal mutagenesis and its evaluation

Thermal mutagenesis is one of the methods that are used at the MIW when creating winter wheat varieties. It provides for changing wheat growth habit from spring to winter.Aim. To create by method of thermal mutagenesis new breeding material, to evaluate economically valuable traits of either new or obtained in the previous years breeding material and to select valuable forms for practical breeding.Materials and methods. Annually, of 20 to 60 spring wheat varieties from diverse countries worldwide are involved in breeding work. Application of thermal mutagenesis method in breeding programs of the MIW means the use of different variants to change growth habit of spring wheat varieties: late sowing before winter, a long-term (80-100 days) vernalization followed by cultivation during spring–summer vegetation and autumn sowing. In addition, since 2014 freezing seeds of spring varieties at minus 8-10ºC before being vernalized has been included into preparatory stageResults. Resulted from breeding the morphotypes with a sufficient level of overwintering have been selected within spring wheat varieties, such as Taifun (DEU), Leguan (CZE),Baqula,AL V # 1, Alubuc (MEX), Maies (PER), Hope (USA). They combine high spike productivity, lodging resistance, and disease resistance. The part of them varies from 8.3% to 19.4% in total amount developed.In M4, M5 there were selected high-quality forms (72-93 ml sedimentation rate and above 13% protein content), their genetic basis is derived from on spring wheat varieties, such as Nja 2214 (FIN), Kadet (SWE), AYDi-2 (SYR ), Alfa (POL), Leguan (CZE), AD-608, AD-616, Adonis (USA), and a series of complex hybrids from Mexico.Conclusions. The significant number of morphotypes, families, and lines has been developed on the genetic basis of spring wheat varieties with modified growth habit which are of practical value for breeding and being studied in various stages of breeding process at MIW.

Multispectral and Texture Feature Application in Image-Object Analysis of Summer Vegetation in Eastern Tajikistan Pamirs

We tested the Moment Distance Index (MDI) in combination with texture features for the summer vegetation mapping in the eastern Pamir Mountains, Tajikistan using the 2014 Landsat OLI (Operational Land Imager) image. The five major classes identified were sparse vegetation, medium-dense vegetation, dense vegetation, barren land, and water bodies. By utilizing object features in a random forest (RF) classifier, the overall classification accuracy of the land cover maps were 92% using a set of variables including texture features and MDI, and 84% using a set of variables including texture but without MDI. A decrease of the Kappa statistics, from 0.89 to 0.79, was observed when MDI was removed from the set of predictor variables. McNemar’s test showed that the increase in the classification accuracy due to the addition of MDI was statistically significant (p &lt; 0.05). The proposed method provides an effective way of discriminating sparse vegetation from barren land in an arid environment, such as the Pamir Mountains.