Search results for "Cutting"

Scorpiurus muricatus L.: an interesting legume species for Mediterranean forage systems

2017

Scorpiurus muricatus L. (prickly scorpion’s tail) is a legume species widely distributed as a spontaneous plant in Mediterranean pastures. In Sicily, farmers ascribe to this species a very high palatability and galactogogue effect, so that its abundance increases the value of the pasture. However, despite its worthy traits, the use of S. muricatus as a forage within cropping systems has not been well investigated. A field experiment was performed during two growing seasons in a semiarid Mediterranean environment to acquire information on the productivity of S. muricatus in comparison with other forage species grown in Mediterranean areas (e.g. berseem clover, burr medic, subterranean clover…

EFFECT OF CANOPY MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES ON THE NUTRITIONAL QUALITY OF MONTEPULCIANO GRAPEVINE IN PUGLIA (SOUTHERN ITALY)

2012

<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Aims</strong>: Tests were carried out to assess the effects of early defoliation, cluster thinning and cluster cutting on the basic and nutritional composition of musts and wines of <em>Vitis vinifera</em> L. cv. Montepulciano.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Methods and results</strong>: Both production and quality variables of the musts were evaluated. Antioxidant activity was determined on berries and on wines, as were the phenol and anthocyanin concentrations. The wines were compared by sensory evaluation. The results attested to a positive effect of the treatments on grape compositi…

Changes in soil fauna 10 years after forest harvestings: Comparison between clear felling and green-tree retention methods

2009

Abstract We studied the responses of soil decomposer animals to clear felling and alternative, green-tree retention harvesting methods (GRT) in Norway spruce forests in Finland. The study plots which were sampled for immediate treatment effects (up to three years) were resampled after 10 years. We hypothesized that responses of decomposers still depends on the level of GTR. The treatments, in addition to untreated controls (100% retained), were: (1) selection felling (70% dispersed tree retention), (2) and (3) gap felling with and without site preparation, respectively (three small gaps were felled in a 1-ha area and 50% of the stand volume was retained), (4) retention felling (10% of the s…

Short-term responses of soil macroarthropod community to clear felling and alternative forest regeneration methods

2003

Abstract We studied the influence of clear felling and new alternative forest regeneration methods on soil macroarthropods during the first 3 years after the harvesting. We focused on changes in the abundances of functional groups, and community structure at the levels of species (Coleoptera) or higher taxa. The experiment was carried out in central Finland in spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) stands on 1 ha study plots. The following five treatments were used in addition to the untreated controls: (1) selection felling (70% of the stand volume retained), (2) gap felling (0.1–0.2 ha gaps felled), (3) gap felling with site preparation, (4) retention felling (small groups of trees retained on …

On the slabbing of stones through diamond wire cutting operations

2009

Diamond wires are usually used in the cutting operations aimed to obtain slabs of stones. This tool consists of a steel cable on which are mounted annular metal—diamond pearls. The use of this technology expanded all over the world because of its advantages on other slabbing techniques as both technical and economical aspects are considered. It should be observed that with this technology wear phenomena must be properly monitored in order to obtain the best process conditions. In this article, the diamond wire cutting operation is investigated, highlighting the process mechanics and the wear phenomena occurring in the used tools. Furthermore, a modified version of the tool itself is propos…

Use of Unrooted Grafted Vegetable Cuttings: I. Effects of Healing Duration and Transportation Temperature

2013

ogy to overcome soil-borne diseases and pests and to add extra vigor to the plants under various environmental stress conditions. In order to advance the use of grafting in U.S. vegetable production in open fields, key issues to address include 1) increasing the propagation capacity to meet the expected large number of seedlings necessary to supply the demands of typically large farms and 2) reducing production costs. Traditionally, vegetable grafting is a labor-intensive process involving much training and logistics. However, the seasonal nature of nursery operations due to the limitation of transportation of the grafted seedlings is problematic when nurseries are interested in introducing…

The effects of cryogenic cooling on surface integrity in hard machining: A comparison with dry machining

2012

Wilt and Collapse of Cuphea ignea Caused by Phytophthora tropicalis in Italy.

2006

The genus Cuphea (Lythraceae) includes approximately 250 species of annual, evergreen perennials and short shrubs native to Central and South America. During the springs of 2003 and 2004, 10% of the nursery stock of approximately 12,000 potted cigar-flowers (C. ignea A. DC) grown in a screenhouse at a commercial ornamental nursery near Piedimonte Etneo, Sicily, had symptoms of wilt, defoliation, and rapid collapse of the entire plant. These foliar symptoms were associated with a reduced root system, browning of the collar, and dark brown discolored roots. A Phytophthora species was consistently recovered by plating small pieces of rotted roots of symptomatic plants onto selective medium (3…

Un-rooted grafted cuttings for eggplant plug-transplant production and shipping: simulated transportation and healing requirements

2019

Vegetable grafting is one of the most effective eco-friendly techniques to overcome pests and soilborne diseases in modern cropping systems of fruiting vegetables. Due to the increased farmers’ preference for grafted seedlings of high quality and better performance, the use of vegetable grafted plants is rapidly spreading and expanding over the world and intensive researches on new commercial production systems are under way. However, in many areas of the world, due to the high cost of skilled manpower, the use of grafted plug plants is still limited causing a relatively slow development of the grafting nursery industry. The aim of this work was to evaluate a possible use of un-rooted graft…

Collar and root rot of olive trees caused by Phytophthora megasperma in Sicily

2019

Olive (Olea europea L.) is grown on about 154,000 ha in Sicily (southern Italy). In the summer of 1999, a few 3-year-old olive trees with decline symptoms were observed in a recently planted commercial orchard in the Enna province (Sicily). The trees were propagated on wild olive (O. europea L. var. sylvestris Brot.) rootstock. Aerial symptoms, consisting of leaf chlorosis, wilting, defoliation, and twig dieback followed in most cases by plant death, were associated with root rot and basal stem cankers. A Phytophthora sp. was consistently isolated from rotted rootlets and trunk cankers using the BNPRAH (benomyl, nystatin, pentachloronitrobenzene, rifampicin, ampicillin, and hymexazol) sele…