VEGETATIVE RESCUE AND CUTTINGS PROPAGATION OF Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze

Brazilian pine or araucaria (Araucaria angustifolia) is a coniferous tree with great economic, social and environmental importance in southern Brazil, being exploited for both wood production and for its edible pine nuts. However, no efficient cloning techniques are available and, therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of vegetative rescue methods for cuttings propagation of the species. Shoots/cuttings were generated in two ways: 26 years old trees underwent coppicing and 20 years old trees had the primary branches on the upper third of crown pruned at 2, 20 and 50 cm from the main trunk. Orthotropic shoots were rooted after application of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) at 0, 2, 4 and 6 g.L-1. Coppicing produced 47 cuttings per plant with 90% orthotropic shoots, while pruning resulted in 182 cuttings per plant with 44% orthotropic shoots. Rooting success indexes were low with no influence of IBA, although they are slightly superior to the ones available in the literature for the species, ranging from 12 to 30% for the coppice shoots and from 0 to 28% for the branches shoots. We conclude that both vegetative rescue techniques are viable and have potentially important applications. Coppicing is recommended for the propagation aiming the production of wood, while shoots derived from the side branches of the crown are more appropriate for seeds orchards formation.

SPECIES RICHNESS AND ABUNDANCE OF LOW-TRUNK HERB EPIPHYTES IN RELATION TO HOST TREE SIZE AND BARK TYPE, EASTERN AMAZONIA

ABSTRACTThe composition and structure of the low-trunk epiphytic herb assembly as well as its vertical distribution were studied. DBH of host tree and bark type influence species richness and abundance in a nonlooded lowland tropical rainforest in Eastern Amazonia (1º57’36"S 51º36’55"W). A total of 37 epiphytic herb species were identified, among which 60% were Araceae. Species richness and abundance of epiphytic herbs showed tendency of positive correlation with host tree size and no relationships with bark type. Low positive correlation may be a by-product of the predominance of trees with smaller diameter in our sample rather than a reflection of neutral relationship. The absence of relationships with bark type may be partially explained by the large number of secondary, generalist, hemi-epiphytes and also may reflect the absence of suitable substrate in trees with smaller diameter.

VARIATION OF MICROFIBRIL ANGLE OF Pinus radiata D. Don IN RELATION TO TREE SPACING IN CHILEAN PLANTATIONS

ABSTRACTFour stands of 28-year-old radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don) grown in the eighth region (Biobio) of Chile were sampled to determine the effect of tree spacing on the microfibril angle. The samples were taken at two different stem levels of the tree, 2.5 m and 7.5 m, with increment strip taken in the Nothern direction. The four experimental stands were characterized by the following spacing 2x2, 2x3, 3x4 and 4x4. The microfibril angle was measured by X-ray diffraction with the SilviScan technology at the FP-Innovation-Paprican Division in Vancouver, Canada. The results showed a significant effect of tree spacing on the microfibril angle in both juvenile wood and mature wood as well as at the two stem levels considered. The minimum (9.42º) was reached in 2x2 stand at 7.5 m in mature wood, while maximum microfibril angle (24.54º) was obtained in 2x3 stand at 2.5 m in juvenile wood. Regarding the effect of tree spacing, 4x4 stand had the lowest microfibril angle,except in mature wood at 7.5 m where 4x4 had the highest microfibril angle (11°) of the four stands.

NON-DESTRUCTIVE ANALYSIS OF THE ROOT SYSTEM AND TREE GROWTH PARAMETERS

ABSTRACT The productivity of Eucalyptus at plantations is increasing and has undergone a variety of research studies. Most research is dealing with simple dendrometric variables like the DBH (diameter at breast height) and tree height, or more complex variables including crown parameters or variables concerning photosynthesis. The root systems, however, have not been well analyzed yet. The objective of the study was to analyze the root system with a non-destructive method and to evaluate possible correlations with dendrometric variables of the tree (DBH, height, crown expansion). A small experimental plantation with 39 even-aged, 6-year-old trees of Eucalyptus grandis x urophylla has been investigated within this study. The results of the study show the highest correlation of the root areas with the crown expansion. In general, the root area shows a significantly bigger expansion in the eucalypt plantation than the tree crown, with a more homogeneous development.

CLASSIFICATION OF FOREST ROADS AND DETERMINATION OF ROUTE USING GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM

ABSTRACT Geographic Information System (GIS) is an indispensable software tool in forest planning. In forestry transportation, GIS can manage the data on the road network and solve some problems in transportation, such as route planning. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the pattern of the road network and define transport routes using GIS technology. The present research was conducted in a forestry company in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The criteria used to classify the pattern of forest roads were horizontal and vertical geometry, and pavement type. In order to determine transport routes, a data Analysis Model Network was created in ArcGIS using an Extension Network Analyst, allowing finding a route shorter in distance and faster. The results showed a predominance of horizontal geometry classes average (3) and bad (4), indicating presence of winding roads. In the case of vertical geometry criterion, the class of highly mountainous relief (4) possessed the greatest extent of roads. Regarding the type of pavement, the occurrence of secondary coating was higher (75%), followed by primary coating (20%) and asphalt pavement (5%). The best route was the one that allowed the transport vehicle travel in a higher specific speed as a function of road pattern found in the study.

Laserkeilainperustainen puulajiluokitus - puu- ja metsikkötekijöiden, opetusaineiston koon, laserintesiteetin normalisoinnin sekä keilainmallin vaikutus

Seloste artikkelista: Korpela, I., Ørka, H. O., Maltamo, M., Tokola, T. & Hyyppä, J. / Tree species classification using airborne LiDAR - effects of stand and tree parameters, downsizing of training set, intensity normalization, and sensor type. Silva Fennica 44 (2010) : 2, 319-339.

Effect of trickle irrigation on root development of the wet bulb and 'pera' orange tree yield in the state of São Paulo, Brazil

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different microirrigation designs on root system distribution in wet bulb region, orange orchard yield and quality of orange fruits. The experiment was installed as random blocks with five treatments and four replicates in an orchard of 'Pêra' orange trees grafted on 'Cleopatra' mandarin rootstock. The treatments consisted of: one drip line (T1), two drip lines (T2), four drip lines (T3) per planting row, microsprinkler irrigation (T4) and without irrigation (T5). Irrigation treatments favored yield and ºBrix. The treatment with a single drip line (T1) showed the greatest quantity of roots in relation to the treatments T2 and T3.

Irrigation management in pruned coffee tree crop

It was evaluated the effect of irrigation management on the production characteristics of coffee cultivar Acaiá MG-1474, planted in spacing of 3.00 m x 0.60 m, pruned in 2004, and irrigated by drip since the planting, in 1997. The experimental designed used was of randomized blocks with five treatments and four replications. The treatments consisted of irrigation management strategies, applying or not applying controlled moisture deficit in layer of 0 to 0.4m, in dry seasons of the year: A = no irrigation (control), B = irrigation during all year considering the factor of water availability in the soil (f) equal to 0.75, C = irrigation during all year considering f = 0.25, D = irrigation during all year, but in January /February /March /July /October /November /December with f = 0.25 and April /May /June /August /September with f = 0.75, E = irrigation only during April /May /June /August /September with f = 0.25. From July /2005 to June /2007 the applied water depth was defined based on Class A pan evaporation (ECA) and the period from July/2007 to June/2008 based on readings of matric potential of soil obtained from Watermark® sensors. Each plot consisted of three rows with ten plants per row, considering as useful plot five plants of center line. The results indicated that the E irrigation management was the most suitable for technical reasons.

Identification of croplands of winter cereals in Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, through unsupervised classification of normalized difference vegetation index images

This study aimed to propose methods to identify croplands cultivated with winter cereals in the northern region of Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. Thus, temporal profiles of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from MODIS sensor, from April to December of the 2000 to 2008, were analyzed. Firstly, crop masks were elaborated by subtracting the minimum NDVI image (April to May) from the maximum NDVI image (June to October). Then, an unsupervised classification of NDVI images was carried out (Isodata), considering the crop mask areas. According to the results, crop masks allowed the identification of pixels with greatest green biomass variation. This variation might be associated or not with winter cereals areas established to grain production. The unsupervised classification generated classes in which NDVI temporal profiles were associated with water bodies, pastures, winter cereals for grain production and for soil cover. Temporal NDVI profiles of the class winter cereals for grain production were in agree with crop patterns in the region (developmental stage, management standard and sowing dates). Therefore, unsupervised classification based on crop masks allows distinguishing and monitoring winter cereal crops, which were similar in terms of morphology and phenology.

Technical and economic indicators of the yellow passion fruit tree irrigated with underground water supply

The research aimed to quantify technical and economic indicators of yellow passion fruit tree irrigated with fractions of irrigation with underground source of water, to generate information that helps farmers in decision making on the implementation of investment in irrigated fruit growing (yellow passion fruit). For this purpose, we used the passion fruit crop irrigated with Microjet type irrigation system, with conducting system in simple espaliers. The treatments consisted of five hours of application of the depth of water required by the crop with irrigation frequency of two days. The results showed that the highest yield (16660kg ha-1) was obtained with the fractionation of irrigation twice a day (50% to 7h and 50% to 21h30), which provided an increase in productivity of 54%, demonstrating the financial viability and being highly profitable to the interest rate of 2% per year, with low sensitivity of financial risk to real interest rates above the prevailing market.

Geostatistics and remote sensing methods in the classification of images of areas cultivated with citrus

This study compares the precision of three image classification methods, two of remote sensing and one of geostatistics applied to areas cultivated with citrus. The 5,296.52ha area of study is located in the city of Araraquara - central region of the state of São Paulo (SP), Brazil. The multispectral image from the CCD/CBERS-2B satellite was acquired in 2009 and processed through the Geographic Information System (GIS) SPRING. Three classification methods were used, one unsupervised (Cluster), and two supervised (Indicator Kriging/IK and Maximum Likelihood/Maxver), in addition to the screen classification taken as field checking.. Reliability of classifications was evaluated by Kappa index. In accordance with the Kappa index, the Indicator kriging method obtained the highest degree of reliability for bands 2 and 4. Moreover the Cluster method applied to band 2 (green) was the best quality classification between all the methods. Indicator Kriging was the classifier that presented the citrus total area closest to the field check estimated by -3.01%, whereas Maxver overestimated the total citrus area by 42.94%.