Glaze damage to canopy trees, gap size and seedling regeneration was surveyed relating to site topographic features after a major glaze storm at Fishburn Forest in the central Appalachian mountain region. The survey sites were stratified according to aspect and landform, and sample plots were randomly assigned to each topographic category. The canopy trees in the plots were tallied and their damage was visually classified. The results demonstrated that different species had different susceptibilities to glaze damage and susceptibility of species varied as topography changed. Virginia pine was the most susceptible species. In general, trees had the greatest damage on steep slopes and eastern aspects, and least damage on toe-slopes. Some species varied greatly in their susceptibility to glaze damage across the topographic categories, such as red maple, while some species varied little, like blackgum. Basal area was reduced 6% and varied due to species and topography. Where glaze damage was severe, gaps in the forest canopy were created. Gap sizes and the effects of gap size and topography on seedling regeneration within gaps caused by glaze damage were assessed. Seedlings were tallied by species and height in microplots within each sample plot and in the nearest gap, where gap size was measured. Gap size varied from 14,000 m2 to less than 20 m2. Average gap size was 255 m2. Canopy tree damage, forest type and topography were the most important factors affecting gap size. Gaps tended to be larger on steep backslopes. Common seedling species in both gaps and understory were sassafras, serviceberry and red maple. Disturbance affected both seedling height and density, as did topography. However gap size had effect only on seedling height. The future forest in this area is unlikely to change significantly, as species composition of seedlings was largely unaffected by the glaze storm damage. / Master of Science

Thickets of Rhododendron maximum (Rm) in the southern Appalachians impose severe limitations on the regeneration of hardwood and coniferous seedlings. Interactions between Rm thickets and ectomycorrhizal colonization were examined to explain seedling inhibition. Experimental blocks were established in and out of Rm thickets in a mature, mixed hardwood/conifer forest in Macon County, North Carolina. Planted seedlings of red oak (Quercus rubra) and hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) were harvested at the end of the first and second growing seasons. Litter manipulation had no effect on total mycorrhizal colonization. Mycorrhizal colonization and ramification index (# mycorrhizae cm-1) were depressed and colonization by Cenococcum geophilum increased in blocks with versus without Rm. After the first year, percent colonization of T. canadensis not in Rm thickets (62 %) was three times higher than in Rm thickets (19%), and the ramification index was increased by more than a factor of four (2.83 versus 0.61). Mycorrhizal colonization levels were correlated with root weight and shoot weight in both hemlock and oak seedlings, but did not explain most of the variation observed. Sporocarps of 69 putatively ectomycorrhizal species were collected on the blocks. Species diversity and overall community structure was similar in and out of Rm thickets. Individual species, i.e. Lactarius speciosus and Russula krombholzii, were significant indicators of forest without Rm thickets. Rhododendron maximum thickets probably affect the process of mycorrhization. The reduced level of mycorrhizal capacity under Rm thickets could be a factor in the increased seedling failure in Rm thickets. / Master of Science

Some of the factors influencing the performance of bromoxynil, 4(2,4-DB), or a companion crop for weed control in seedling alfalfa were studied in the greenhouse and at field locations in Farmington and Logan , Utah. The effect of application rate , stage of growth, temperature, and soil moisture on the phytotoxicity of bromoxynil and 4(2,4-DB) to alfalfa and weeds were studied. Alfalfa yields were increased by 4(2,4-DB) at all rates and stages of application. All rates and stages of bromoxynil treatment except the one-fourth pound per acre three to four trifoliate application resulted in alfalfa yields below that of the control. The use of a companion crop was not conducive to the growth and development of alfalfa although it did control the weeds . Bromoxynil at all rates and at both stages of application resulted in effective mustard control. Mustard control in the 4(2,4- DB) plots was excellent at the early stage of application but required three- fourths pound per acre for control at the later stage of weed growth . Pigweed control was rather ineffective in bromoxynil plots at Logan where moisture was optimum, but effective in plots at farmington where moisture was limited for 18-20 days following application. The density of the pigweed stand in bromoxynil treatments at Logan was attributed to an influx of weed growth following initial control of weeds . Control of pigweed by 4(2 , 4- DB) was in excess of 90 percent at the four to five leaf stage of weed growth.

Using Radioautography 14C simazine, 14C EPTC, 14C 2,4-D, 1414 DCPA and 14C pyrazon absorption by seeds of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), squash (Cucurbita maxima), corn (Zea mays), onion (Allium cepa) and oat (Avena sativa) was studied. Simazine, EPTC, 2,4-D and pyrazon were absorbed through the seed coat of bean, squash, corn and onion, the amount increasing with time. Little DCPA was absorbed by seeds of bean, squash, onion and oat. Distribution and translocation of 14C simazine, 14C EPTC and 14C pyrazon occurred in the young plants of bean, squash, corn and onion. Simazine and pyrazon accumulated in the leaf margins of bean, EPTC and pyrazon were found in the cotyledon margins of squash, and pyrazon was found in the coleoptile tips and leaf tips of corn. The translocation of 14C 2,4-D in bean, onion and squash showed a characteristic fixation along the path of the translocation. Very little translocation or distribution of 14C DCPA were found in bean, squash, onion or oat. In bean leaf, 14C pyrazon was absorbed and moved acropetally in the apoplast. Basipetal movement of 14C pyrazon was limited. Microadioautography was used to determine the tissues involved in the translocation of 14C simazine, 14C EPTC, 14C 2,4-D and 14C pyrazon. Simazine and EPTC were found in the vascular bundle tissues of bean leaf. EPTC was found in the cortex of squash root. 2,4-D was found in the vascular tissues and surrounding the vascular bundle of squash cotyledon and onion hypocotyl. Pyrazon was found intercellularly and intracellularly in bean cotyledon.

I studied the effect of moderate sheep grazing on a shadscale plant community at the Desert Experimental Range, southwestern Utah, USA, using a 61-yr data set with two grazing treatments (yes vs. no), two seasons (spring vs. winter), and two soil types (loamy-skeletal vs. coarse-loamy). I studied precipitation, total species cover, annuals, shrub survival, seedling recruitment, plant succession, and plant spatial relationships./p> Precipitation showed high variability (CV=31%) masking on short-term cycles, resulting in study intervals with average (1935-58), dry (1958-69), driest (1969-75), and wet (1980-94[5]) regimes. Total cover in both grazed and ungrazed pastures increased between 1935 and 1975 before decreasing to 1994. Treatments diverged with time, however, so cover was higher in ungrazed pastures in 1975 and 1994. Individually, Atriplex confertifolia decreased from 1958-94 and Ceratoides lanata from 1975-94. Artemisia spinescens increased in ungrazed pastures from 1935-94, while remaining very low in grazed pastures. Grasses increased from 1935-94 with little grazing effects. Annuals increased from absence in 1935 to 63% frequency in 1994; precipitation may be related to this increase. Grazing and soil type had few long-term or short effects on shrub survival. Similarly, only C. lanata showed a microhabitat effect, with greater seedling survival in vegetated than open patches. Seedling recruitment was positively correlated with precipitation. Only A. confertifolia recruitment responded to grazing; it was higher in grazed pastures. A fuzzy graph analysis showed a moderate grazing effect on succession. Clumped distributions were common and were unaffected by grazing but increased in wet years. Plant establishment occurred disproportionally in sites occupied or formerly occupied by plants, suggesting facilitation. Negative interference, however, was suggested by new recruitment occurring further from larger existing individuals. Moderate grazing had little effect on spatial relationships. In conclusion, the multivariate approach yielded broader conclusions than any individual factors. Although some factors showed more grazing effects than others, grazing could not completely explain observed changes; climate and inherent plant attributes must also be considered. Management at moderate grazing levels may only play a limited role in shadscale communities.

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Denna studie beskriver effekterna beträffande överlevnad och tillväxt hos gran (Picea abeis L. Karst) vid tillsats av superabsorbent Luquasorb 1280R i samband med plantering under olika betingelser. Plantor i form av täckrot och barrot studerades. Tillsats av superabsorbent visade sig ha en positiv inverkan på de studerade parametrarna i jämförelse med referensmaterial utan tillsats av superabsorbent. Detta visade sig särskilt vid extremförsök under tak utan tillgång till vattentillförsel under försöksperioden, förutom vattentillsats i samband med plantering. / This study describes the effects concerning survival and growth of Norway spruce seedelings (Picea abeis L. Karst) by addition of superabsorbent Luquasorb 1280R in connection with planting under differnt conditions. Container seedlings and bare-root seedlings were studied. The addition of superabsorbent showed a positive influence regarding the studied parameters in comparision with reference material without the addition of superabsorbent. This was most obvious at the the extreme test under roof without access to additional water during the test period, except water added in connection with planting.

Despite its long tradition in our country, livestock grazing almost disappeared from Czech landscape. This form of land use has winded down in the middle of 20th century, when compulsory co-operative farming was introduced. Decrease of pasturage is especially visible on fragmented areas of steep slopes and in dry places. These areas are often highly valuable and protected for its nature richness. When a grazing management is introduced, its effects on plant species communities are not clear. Also the exact mechanisms of vegetation changes caused by grazing are often unknown. In 2005, administration of PLA Český kras reinstated grazing management as a mean of preservation of dry grassland ecosystems. As part of this project I studied, how generative regeneration contributes to vegetation changes. The aim of the present study is to ascertain: a) how is seedling recruitment and survival affected by grazing, b) what are limitations of generative reproduction, and c) what is the contribution of soil seed bank to vegetation changes. In 2005, monitoring of seedling recruitment and survival had started, repetitive sowing experiment was performed and species composition of persistent seed bank was analyzed. Grazing had a positive effect on seedling - both numbers of seedling and their species composition....