Yes / Wood farming is one of the strategies of agricultural development programs to reform unsustainable exploitation of natural resources. Poplar is one of the known species for wood farming in the country. This species is fast-growing and has numerous Colognes has the ability to adapt to different climatic conditions. Fast growth, good economic returns and traditional agricultural knowledge, favorable habitat to agriculture are advantages of poplar for agricultural development. However, the result of previous studies indicates existing barriers to the development of plantation and its development need strategic planning. What seem essential today are strategies to overcome these obstacles. Accordingly, this present study with a holistic view trying to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of poplar farming. And the most appropriate strategies for the development of poplar farming in Urmia have offered. This research was a Field study and conducted using questionnaires. In this study, strategies were defined using SWOT analysis and the strategies were prioritized using analysis network process. The results showed the history of poplar farming in this region is the most important benefit to development and the many uses for poplar wood is the next priority. Increasingly replacement of poplar farming with alternative cultures is one of the main weaknesses of poplar farming development in this region. After that long return of profitability in poplar farming is the second priority. The most important opportunities for the development were the development of credit specialists to support of poplar farming and the most important threat was lack of annual financing of farmers. Also the results of strategic prioritization showed, Modern irrigation methods to reduce water consumption and planning to teach correct principles of technical planting, farming and harvesting are considered as the most important strategies.

Hybrid poplars are fast-growing trees, well-suited for the production of bioenergy and wood products. They are often planted on marginal agricultural lands where soil fertility is low. The application of nitrogen (N) fertilizers is expected to replenish soil N reserves and support hybrid poplar productivity throughout the short-rotation growth period. The objective of this thesis was to assess the effect of two organic N fertilizers, papermill biosolids and pig slurry, on tree growth, nutrient uptake and soil fertility in a Populus trichocarpa x Populus deltoides hybrid poplar plantation. I also evaluated how these organic amendments influenced N transformation rates and denitrification losses. Hybrid poplar growth was greater when trees were fertilized with mixed biosolids: pig slurry fertilizer treatments compared to biosolids or pig slurry alone. Assessment of foliar nutrition with the critical value approach (CVA) and compositional nutrient diagnosis (CND) methods revealed that foliar N and P concentrations were limiting to tree growth. Vector analysis (VA) reflected growth responses in fertilized trees, relative to an unfertilized control, but may not be useful as a diagnostic tool due to the indeterminate growth habit of hybrid poplars. Nevertheless, surface application of papermill biosolids and pig slurry had the potential to improve soil fertility by increasing soil pH and extractable nutrients in the hybrid poplar plantations. Nutrient use efficiency (NUE) was greater in plots receiving the mixed biosolids:pig slurry treatment than biosolids or pig slurry alone. Laboratory incubations and 15N isotope pool technique revealed that pig slurry was a source of readily-mineralizable N one month after fertilizer application, and stimulated the gross nitrification rate and immobilization, while papermill biosolids contributed to a larger mineral N pools at the end of the season. Our results suggest that denitrification will be greater in biosolids-treated soils, which have a higher extractable Ca concentration and soil pH, as well as more NO3-N and available C for denitrifiers. Further investigation under field conditions would help us to evaluate the N transformations and losses mediated by microbial activities following organic fertilizer application in a hybrid poplar plantation.

No description available.

A method for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of hybrid poplar (Populus alba x P. grandidentata) suspension cultures and regeneration of transformed plants is described. The best protocol was one in which suspension cultures were inoculated with Agrobacterium tumefaciens to a density of 10⁷ cfu's/ml, cocultivated for 48 hours, plated to cellulose acetate filters at a density of 14 colonies/mm², and cultured on medium containing 1 mg/1 2,4-D. Although cefotaxime inhibited callus growth, it was used in the plating medium to suppress proliferation of Agrobacterium. Selection appeared to be more reliable using hygromycin as compared to kanamycin or geneticin (G418). Transgenic plants were regenerated by culturing the calli on media containing thidiazuron, but no shoots could be regenerated using BA. / Graduation date: 1992

Because of widespread availability, low cost, sustainability, and potential supply far greater than that of food crops, lignocellulosic biomass is one of the most promising feedstocks for producing biofuels through fermentation processes. Among lignocellulose choices, poplar wood is appealing because of high energy potential, above-average carbon mitigation potential, fast growth, and high yields. Lignocellulose structural features limit accessibility of enzymes or microorganisms. To overcome these limitations, pretreatment is required. Among several choices of pretreatment, lime pretreatment is preferred because lime is the cheapest alkali, safest to handle, easy to recover, and compatible with oxidants. The main effect of lime pretreatment is to degrade lignin, which occurs with good carbohydrate preservation and is enhanced with oxidants. Among several choices of oxidant, oxygen and air are preferred because of low cost and widespread availability. This study systematically assesses the effects of lime pretreatment on poplar wood using four different modes: long-term oxidative, long-term non-oxidative, short-term constant pressure, and short-term varying pressure. Long-term pretreatments use temperatures between 25 and 65° C, air if oxidant is used, and last several weeks. Short-term pretreatments use temperatures between 110 and 180° C, pressurized oxygen, and last several minutes to hours. Pretreatment was assessed on the basis of 3-day enzymatic digestibility using enzyme loadings of 15 FPU/g glucan in raw biomass. The results were used to recommend pretreatment conditions based on highest overall yield of glucan (after combined pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis) for each pretreatment mode. For each pretreatment mode, kinetic models for delignification and carbohydrates degradation were obtained and used to determine the conditions (temperature, pressure, and time) that maximize glucan preservation subjected to a target lignin yield. This study led to conclude that the most robust, and selective mode of lime pretreatment is varying pressure.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 115-138).

Plant growth and development is largely controlled in regions of totipotential cells around the plant body called meristems. The well characterized shoot and root apical meristems are responsible for vertical growth, in which many key players have been well studied. Lateral (secondary) growth is controlled by the vascular and cork cambiums, which are much less understood. A rapid growth of interest in a new model angiosperm tree, poplar, has facilitated the study of the two cambiums, specifically into their regulation at the genomic and proteomic levels. This study describes recent work carried out to explore the genetic regulation of secondary growth in poplar. Two genes have been identified that were previously not associated with the process of secondary growth. The first, a gene lacking annotation (FM#2), was identified through the investigation of a mutant from an activation-tagged population of poplar. This mutant showed aberrant secondary growth, with an increase in the phloem:xylem ratio. It also developed a thick, rough bark, and was subsequently named corky. Constructs to recapitulate this phenotype have been produced to allow the link between the gene FM#2 and the corky phenotype to be firmly established. The second gene was identified through a reverse genetics strategy to test if the Arabidopsis shoot apical meristem regulator, CLAVATA1 also played a role in the regulation of the vascular cambium. When it was downregulated in Arabidopsis, a significant increase in secondary growth was observed. Antisense and hairpin-RNAi constructs were produced to attempt downregulation of the gene in poplar using both traditional Agrobacterium-mediated transformations, and the recently developed strategy of induced somatic sector analysis. / Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2008-09-23 16:35:26.603

No description available.

Condensed tannins are wide-spread polyphenols with diverse ecological functions, including defense against herbivores and microbial pathogens. In poplar, condensed tannin synthesis is induced by a variety of biotic and abiotic stresses. The objective of this study was to determine the function of the R2R3 MYB transcription factor MYB115 in the regulation of condensed tannin synthesis. MYB115 was shown to be induced by wounding along with tannin biosynthetic genes and shows sequence similarity to characterized regulators of tannin synthesis in grape and persimmon suggesting that it functions in the regulation of condensed tannin synthesis. To analyze the function of MYB115, transgenic plants overexpressing MYB115 were generated and showed enhanced accumulation of condensed tannins and higher expression of flavonoid biosynthetic genes involved in condensed tannin biosynthesis compared to wild-type control plants. In promoter activation assays, MYB115 activated the promoter of a tannin-specific biosynthetic enzyme, anthocyanidin reductase. This suggests that MYB115 acts as a regulator of condensed tannin synthesis. MYB115 overexpressors showed additional changes to phenolic metabolism, including changes in levels of phenolic glycosides and hydroxycinnamic acids. These results indicate an important role of MYB115 in the regulation of the condensed tannin pathway in poplar. / Graduate / 0817 / 0307 / 0487 / frankla@uvic.ca

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 1999. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 101-118). Also available on the World Wide Web.