Search results for "forestry"
showing 10 items of 1998 documents
Wildfire effects on extractable elements in ash from aPinus pinasterforest in Portugal
2013
This study was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology, project CGL2006-11107-C02-02/BOS ‘Evaluation of the quality of Mediterranean soils affected by fire in a middle and large term’ and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER). We are also thankful to Serveis Cientifico-Tecnics from the University of Barcelona. The authors would also like to acknowledge FuegoRed (Fire Effects on Soil Properties Network) for financing the projects CGL2007-28764-E/BTE CGL2008-01632-E/BTE y CGL2009-06861-E/BTE, the Lithuanian Research Council for financing the project LITFIRE, Fire effects on Lithuanian soils and ecosystems (MIP-48/2011), the HYDFIRE project (CGL2010-21670-C02-01) a…
Opportunistic Germination Behaviour of Gypsophila (Caryophyllaceae) in Two Priority Habitats from Semi-arid Mediterranean Steppes
2011
Gypsophila tomentosa and G. struthium are closely related species, characteristic of two European priority habitats, salt and gypsum inland steppes, respectively. Germination strategies of the two taxa were investigated in plants from two nearby populations, growing under the same climatic conditions but on different types of soil, and belonging to different plant communities. Their germination patterns were studied at five constant temperatures in darkness: 5oC, 10oC, 15oC, 20oC and 25oC, and the base temperature and the thermal time requirement were calculated. As the distribution area of both species is subjected to a Mediterranean continental climate with significant differences between…
Use of BEST Procedure to Assess Soil Physical Quality in the Baratz Lake Catchment (Sardinia, Italy)
2016
Conversion of Mediterranean maquis and/or natural forest into agro-pastoral lands is a cause of soil degradation in many Mediterranean areas. Indicators of soil physical quality (SPQ) quantitatively linked to soil hydraulic properties are a valuable tool to assess the effect of land use changes. In this investigation, the Beerkan Estimation of Soil Transfer parameters (BEST) procedure for soil hydraulic characterization was used to estimate SPQ indicators. Four areas of the Baratz Lake watershed, Sardinia, Italy, characterized by both typical natural vegetation (holm oak [ Quercus ilex L.] forest and high maquis) and degraded vegetation (grassland established after fire or clearing of the m…
Post-fire soil functionality and microbial community structure in a Mediterranean shrubland subjected to experimental drought.
2016
Fire may cause significant alterations in soil properties. Post-fire soil dynamics can vary depending, among other factors, on rainfall patterns. However, little is known regarding variations in response to post-fire drought. This is relevant in arid and semiarid areas with poor soils, like much of the western Mediterranean. Furthermore, climate change projections in such areas anticipate reduced precipitation and longer annual drought periods, together with an increase in fire severity and frequency. This research evaluates the effects of experimental drought after fire on soil dynamics of a Cistus-Erica shrubland (Central Spain). A replicated (n = 4) field experiment was conducted in whic…
Irrigation Agrosystems in Eastern Spain: Roman or Islamic Origins?
1985
Abstract The long-standing controversy concerning Islamic diffusion of cultivars and irrigation technology to Spain is approached by comparing Roman and Islamic agrosystems at the general, regional, and local levels. We describe the Roman intensification of the older Mediterranean agrosystem and then examine the subsequent agricultural and demographic decline between A.D. 250 and 800. The operation, organization, and evolution of large, intermediate, and small-scale irrigation are analyzed in seven case studies from the Valencia region of eastern Spain. The largest systems were refurbished in Islamic times, but during a period when Berber and Arab settlement was thin and acculturation of th…
A test on Ellenberg indicator values in the Mediterranean evergreen woods (Quercetea ilicis)
2015
The consistency and reliability of Ellenberg’s indicator values (Eiv) as ecological descriptors of the Mediterranean evergreen vegetation ascribed to the phytosociological class Quercetea ilicis have been checked on a set of 859 phytosociological releves × 699 species. Diagnostic species were identified through a Twinspan analysis and their Eiv analyzed and related to the following independent variables: (1) annual mean temperatures, (2) annual rainfall. The results provided interesting insights to disentangle the current syntaxonomical framework at the alliance level demonstrating the usefulness of ecological indicator values to test the efficiency and predictivity of the phytosociological…
The scent of Mare Nostrum : medicinal and aromatic plants in Mediterranean soils
2012
In the Mediterranean area, the simultaneous occurrence of pedological, climatic and economic constraints often sets a limit on the profitability of agriculture, and farmers are forced to grow a reduced number of species, dealing with a secure—albeit low—market income. The introduction of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) inside the current farming systems could represent a useful means to meet the multifunctional role of agriculture: producing safe food, in respect of the environment, and contributing to the development of rural areas. The study of the relationships between MAPs and the soils in which they may be grown may have two approaches: (1) the evaluation of yield and qualitative …
LAND USE CHANGE DETECTION AS A BASIS FOR ANALYSING DESERTIFICATION PROCESSES: A CASE STUDY IN TABERNAS (ALMERIA, SPAIN)
2006
12 paginas, 5 figuras, 1 tabla. Proceedings of the NATO Mediterranean Dialogue Workshop on Desertification in the Mediterranean Region. A Security Issue -- Part III. Assessing land use change relative to anthropogenic and natural cause. Valencia, Spain 2-5 December 2003
A Review of the Most Common and Economically Important Diseases That Undermine the Cultivation of Tomato Crop in the Mediterranean Basin
2021
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), family Solanaceae, has become in the past fifty years one of the most important and extensively grown horticultural crops in the Mediterranean region and throughout the world. In 2019, more than 180 million tonnes of tomato have been produced worldwide, out of which around 42 million tonnes in Mediterranean countries. Due to its genetic properties, tomato is afflicted by numerous plant diseases induced by fungal, bacterial, phytoplasma, virus, and viroid pathogens. Not only is its genetic inheritance of great importance to the management of the numerous tomato pathogens, but equally as important are also the present climate changes, the recently revised phy…
The immediate effectiveness of barley straw mulch in reducing soil erodibility and surface runoff generation in Mediterranean vineyards
2016
Soil and water loss in agriculture is a major problem throughout the world, and especially in Mediterranean areas. Non-conservation agricultural practices have further aggravated the situation, especially in vineyards, which are affected by one of the highest rates of soil loss among cultivated lands. Therefore, it is necessary to find the right soil practices for more sustainable viticulture. In this regard, straw mulching has proven to be effective in other crop and fire affected soils, but, nonetheless, little research has been carried out in vineyards. This research tests the effect of barley straw mulching on soil erosion and surface runoff on vineyards in Eastern Spain where the soil …