Search results for "growing season"
showing 10 items of 100 documents
Sustainable Mixed Cropping Systems for the Boreal-Nemoral Region
2020
Mixed cropping, including intercropping, is the oldest form of systemized agricultural production and involves the growing of two or more species or cultivars of the same species simultaneously in the same field. However, mixed cropping has been little by little replaced by sole crop systems, especially in developed countries. Some of the advantages of mixed cropping are, for example, resource use efficiency and yield stability, but there are also several challenges, such as weed management and competition. The boreal-nemoral region lies within the region 55° to 70° N. In this area, for example in Finland, the length of the thermal growing season varies from less than 105 to over 185 days. …
Sublethal effects of deltamethrin exposure of parental generations on physiological traits and overwintering inLeptinotarsa decemlineata
2013
Although the evolution of insecticide resistance has received a lot of attention, less is known about sublethal effects of insecticide stress experienced by the preceding generations on the performance of pest populations. We investigated whether three generations of parental exposure to a deltamethrin insecticide influences physiological traits and overwintering success of offspring in Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Beetles descending from insecticide-exposed parents had lower adult body mass but higher relative lipid content and resting metabolic rate than those descending from non-insecticide-exposed parents. Also, a higher proportion of beetles descending f…
Effects of different irrigation regimes on a super-high-density olive grove cv. “Arbequina”: vegetative growth, productivity and polyphenol content o…
2016
The effects of multiple irrigation regimes on the relationships among tree water status, vegetative growth and productivity within a super-high-density (SHD) “Arbequina” olive grove (1950 tree/ha) were studied for three seasons (2008–2010). Five different irrigation levels calculated as percentage of crop irrigation requirement using FAO procedures (Allen et al. in Crop evapotranspiration. Guidelines for computing crop water requirements. Irrigation and drainage paper 56. FAO, Rome, 1998) were imposed during the growing season. Periodically during the growing season, daytime stem water potential (Ψ STEM), inflorescences per branch, fruits per inflorescence and shoot absolute growth rate wer…
Reproductive phenology of submerged macrophytes: A tracker of year‐to‐year environmental variations
2019
AIMS: Phenological shifts are useful trackers of climate change effects on species and communities, but few datasets focus on the climate‐driven phenological responses of aquatic ecosystem vegetation. We aimed to analyse the reproductive seasonality of a submerged macrophyte community, the synchrony among coexisting species, and their responses to several environmental factors. LOCATION: A Mediterranean coastal pond in Valencia, Spain. METHODS: We analysed three years of data on a submerged macrophyte community. Plants were collected biweekly or monthly (57 collection dates) to quantify the intensity of flowering/fruiting per species. The reproductive seasonality of the community was tested…
Iodine Biofortification Counters Micronutrient Deficiency and Improve Functional Quality of Open Field Grown Curly Endive
2021
Human iodine (I) shortage disorders are documented as an imperative world-wide health issue for a great number of people. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends I consumption through ingestion of seafood and biofortified food such as vegetables. The current work was carried out to appraise the effects of different I concentrations (0, 50, 250, and 500 mg L−1), supplied via foliar spray on curly endive grown in the fall or spring–summer season. Head fresh weight, stem diameter, head height, and soluble solid content (SSC) were negatively correlated to I dosage. The highest head dry matter content was recorded in plants supplied with 250 mg I L−1, both in the fall and spring–summer se…
Latitudinal clines in the timing and temperature‐sensitivity of photoperiodic reproductive diapause in Drosophila montana
2020
Reproductive diapause is a primary mechanism used by arthropods to synchronize their life cycle with seasonal changes in temperate regions. Our study species, Drosophila montana, represents the northern insect species where flies enter reproductive diapause under short day conditions and where the precise timing of diapause is crucial for both survival and offspring production. We have studied clinal variation in the critical day length for female diapause induction (CDL) and their overall susceptibility to enter diapause (diapause incidence), as well as the temperature sensitivity of these traits. The study was performed using multiple strains from four latitudinal clines of the species – …
Effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on Gazania rigens pot plant cultivation in a Mediterranean environment
2018
Herbaceous plants used in island beds and borders need to be rapid growing, high performing and maintaining good visual quality during the growing season. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi application is acquiring interest for its beneficial effects on ornamental bedding plants. Gazania rigens is a herbaceous ornamental plant grown for its large daisy-like flowers. The species thrives in the coastal areas of the Mediterranean region, particularly in the mild climate of southern Italy and Sicily, where performs well in summer bedding schemes in sea side gardens even in dry and windy conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of inoculation with Rhizophagus irregularis on se…
Adaptation in response to environmental unpredictability
2017
Understanding how organisms adaptively respond to environmental fluctuations is a fundamental question in evolutionary biology. The Mediterranean region typically exhibits levels of environmental unpredictability that vary greatly in habitats over small geographical scales. In cyclically parthenogenetic rotifers, clonal proliferation occurs along with occasional bouts of sex. These bouts contribute to the production of diapausing eggs, which allows survival between growing seasons. Here, we studied two diapause-related traits in rotifers using clones from nine Brachionus plicatilis natural populations that vary in the degree of environmental unpredictability. We tested the hypothesis that …
Glycymeris pilosa (Bivalvia) - A high-potential geochemical archive of the environmental variability in the Adriatic Sea.
2019
Due to its outstanding longevity (decades), the shallow-water bivalve Glycmeris pilosa represents a prime target for sclerochronological research in the Mediterranean Sea. In the present study, we analyzed the microgrowth patterns and the stable carbon (δ13Cshell) and oxygen (δ18Oshell) isotopes of the outer shell layer of live-collected G. pilosa specimens from four different sites along the Croatian coast, middle Adriatic Sea. Combined analysis of shell growth patterns and temporally aligned δ18Oshell data indicated that the main growing season lasts from April to December, with fastest growth rates occurring during July and August when seawater temperatures exceeded 22 °C. Slow growth in…
Role of Soil Organisms in the Maintenance of Species-Rich Seminatural Grasslands through Mowing
2009
To preserve species-rich grasslands, management practices such as mowing are often required. Mowing is known to promote aboveground conditions that help to maintain plant species richness, but whether belowground effects are important as well is not known. We hypothesized that if mowing decreases belowground carbon transfer by reducing root mass, this will reduce the abundance and activity of soil decomposers and lead to diminished nutrient availability in soil. In grasslands, this would provide a means to mitigate the negative effects of nitrogen enrichment on plant species richness. We established experimental plots on grassland with one-third of plots growing untouched, one-third mowed o…