Search results for " seed"
showing 10 items of 225 documents
The naturalization of the almond Prunus dulcis in different ecological contexts in the Mediterranean: An underestimated process?
2022
Although Prunus dulcis has been frequently listed in non-native floras all around the world, its naturalization has been rarely studied in the field. Probably, because this species has generally invaded synanthropic habitats. We assessed the density of natural regeneration of almond, biometric parameters (height and basal stem diameter), and the distribution in life stage classes in three different ecological contexts in Sicily (Mediterranean Italy): one natural habitat (maquis), one pine afforestation and two prickly pear orchards. We recorded 236 naturally regenerating almond individuals, with density ranging from 140 individuals per hectare (prickly pear orchard 1) up to 2,400 individual…
Increasing tree survival to facilitate the conversion of conventional systems to agroforestry systems using plant growing aids and plant-plant facili…
2022
Several global commitments have established a compromise to greatly increase the presence of trees in agricultural lands, fostering therefore the adoption of agroforestry systems and the destination of some areas for reforestation. Such tasks are challenging, particularly under the current climate change scenarios, and several studies have demonstrated a high risk of seedling mortality under harsh and extremely variable environmental conditions, calling for solutions that must increase the success and reduce the costs of growing a tree. In this study, inside the project LIFE Desert Adapt, we tested the effects of different types of growing aids such as shelters, mulching and innovative meth…
Plant-animal seed dispersal interactions as key drivers of ecological restoration in a changing world
2022
Many global and European commitments state the need to plant billions of trees and restore millions of hectares of degraded ecosystems to contrast biodiversity loss, desertification and climate change. Seed dispersal is a crucial process promoting vegetation dynamics, and in the Mediterranean, up to 65% of woody plant species need animals for seed dispersal. Therefore, such mutualistic ecological interaction represents a key nature-based solution to help us reaching our commitments. In this presentation first we will report the strong expansion rate and correlated finescale spatio-temporal patterns of woody natural regeneration over a pastureland, using a spatially-explicit framework deploy…
Perspectives of the encapsulation technology in the nursery activity of Citrus
2007
The genetic and phytosanitary certification has to guarantee the quality of the propagation material also in Citrus. Traditional methods can be assisted by the techniques of in vitro culture, which are fundamental for the mass production of high quality plants. The encapsulation technology represents an innovative tool to combine the advantages of micropropagation with handling ease, storability, reduced size of the propagules, mechanization potentiality, transportability of the gamic seeds. In this work somatic embryos obtained from in vitro anther culture of the cultivar Mandarino Tardivo di Ciaculli (Citrus reticulata Blanco) were encapsulated in a sodium alginate matrix and synthetic se…
Preliminary research on conversion of encapsulated somatic embryos of Citrus reticulata Blanco, cv. Mandardino Tardivo di Ciaculli.
2006
Somatic embryogenesis was obtained through anther culture of Citrus reticulata, cv. Mandarino Tardivo di Ciaculli. The work was carried out to evaluate the response of somatic embryos inside a sodium alginate coating to different storage periods, and to the effects of the germicide PPM (1 ml l(-1) stop) and the fungicide Thiophanate-methyl (100 mg l(-1) stop). The effect of these alone or in combination, added to the artificial endosperm on the performance of the encapsulated somatic embryos was tested. After 45 days of culturing, sprouting, root development and conversion were recorded. The encapsulated somatic embryos can be conveniently stored at 4 degrees C, but not for a period longer …
Effects of temperature and desiccation on ex situ conservation of nongreen fern spores
2012
Premise of the study Fern spores are unicellular and haploid, making them a potential model system to study factors that regulate lifespan and mechanisms of aging. Aging rates of nongreen spores were measured to compare longevity characteristics among diverse fern species and test for orthodox response to storage temperature and moisture. Methods Aging of spores from 10 fern species was quantified by changes in germination and growth parameters. Storage temperature ranged from ambient room to -196°C (liquid nitrogen); spores were dried to ambient relative humidity (RH) or using silica gel. Key results Survival of spores varied under ambient storage conditions, with one species dying within …
Dryland vegetation pattern dynamics driven by inertial effects and secondary seed dispersal
2022
This manuscript tackles the study of vegetation pattern dynamics driven by inertial effects and secondary seed dispersal. To achieve this goal, an hyperbolic extension of the classical parabolic Klausmeier model of vegetation, generally used to predict the formation of banded vegetation along the slopes of semiarid environments, has been here considered together with an additional advective term mimicking the downslope motion of seeds. Linear stability analyses have been carried out to inspect the dependence of the wave instability locus on the model parameters, with particular emphasis on the role played by inertial time and seed advection speed. Moreover, periodic travelling wave solution…
Sustainable Energy Supply Based on Sunflower Seed Husk for Oil mills
2019
The use of biomass, including sunflower husk, for in-situ energy generation has undergone a development in Ukraine last decades. Within this work, four combined heat and power technologies based on oil utilization, husk combustion, gasification, and methanization have been investigated. Their electricity and heat potential has been determined. Criteria for techno-economical assessment of CHP technologies have been suggested. Husk biogas and gasification technologies are not mature. CHP plants based on husk combustion are competitive. Steam turbine generators with a nominal electric capacity higher 1.5 MW may be profitable too.
Data from: Inter-annual variation and long-term trends in proportions of resident individuals in partially migratory birds
2016
Partial migration – a part of a population migrates and another part stays resident year-round on the breeding site – is probably the most common type of migration in the animal kingdom, yet it has only lately garnered more attention. Theoretical studies indicate that in partially migratory populations, the proportion of resident individuals (PoR) should increase in high latitudes in response to the warming climate, but empirical evidence exists for few species. We provide the first comprehensive overview of the environmental factors affecting PoR and the long-term trends in PoR by studying 27 common partially migratory bird species in Finland. The annual PoR values were calculated by divid…
Rains of Solitons in a Fiber Laser
2009
We report a novel and intriguing nonlinear dynamics observed in a fiber laser cavity, in which soliton pulses are created from an extended noisy background and drift until they reach a condensed phase comprising several tens of aggregated solitons. This soliton flow can be adjusted with manual cavity tuning, and can even be triggered by the injection of an external low-power cw laser.