Fluxes of CO(2) above a plantation of Eucalyptus in southeast Brazil

Eddy-covariance measurements of net ecosystem exchange of CO(2) (NEE) and estimates of gross ecosystem productivity (GEP) and ecosystem respiration (R(E)) were obtained in a 2-4 year old Eucalyptus plantation during two years with very different winter rainfall In the first (drier) year the annual NEE GEP and RE were lower than the sums in the second (normal) year and conversely the total respiratory costs of assimilated carbon were higher in the dry year than in the normal year Although the net primary production (NPP) in the first year was 23% lower than that of the second year the decrease in the carbon use efficiency (CUE = NPP/GEP) was 11% and autotrophic respiration utilized more resources in the first dry year than in the second normal year The time variations in NEE were followed by NPP because in these young Eucalyptus plantations NEE is very largely dominated by NPP and heterotrophic respiration plays only a relatively minor role During the dry season a pronounced hysteresis was observed in the relationship between NEE and photosynthetically active radiation and NEE fluxes were inversely proportional to humidity saturation deficit values greater than 0 8 kPa Nighttime fluxes of CO(2) during calm conditions when the friction velocity (u) was below the threshold (0 25 ms(-1)) were estimated based on a Q(10) temperature-dependence relationship adjusted separately for different classes of soil moisture content which regulated the temperature sensitivity of ecosystem respiration (C) 2010 Elsevier B V All rights reserved

The energy and water balance of a Eucalyptus plantation in southeast Brazil

The eddy covariance method was used to measure energy and water balance of a plantation of Eucalyptus (grandis x urophylla) hybrids over a 2 year period. The average daily evaporation rates were 5.4 (+/- 2.0) mm day(-1) in summer, but fell to 1.2 (+/- 0.3) mm day(-1) in winter. In contrast, the sensible heat flux was relatively low in summer but dominated the energy balance in winter. Evaporation accounted for 80% and 26% of the available energy, in summer and winter respectively. The annual evaporation was 82% (1124 mm) and 96% (1235 mm) of the annual rainfall recorded during the first and second year, respectively. Daily average canopy and aerodynamic conductance to water vapour were in the summer 51.9 (+/- 38.4) mm s(-1) 84.1 (+/- 25.6) mm s(-1), respectively; and in the winter 6.0 (+/- 10.5) mm s(-1) and 111.6 (+/- 24.6) mm s(-1), respectively. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Near-surface distributions of soil water and water repellency under three effluent irrigation schemes in a blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus) plantation

Water repellent soils are difficult to irrigate and susceptible to preferential flow, which enhances the potential for accelerated leaching to groundwater of hazardous substances. Over 5 Mha of Australian soil is water repellent, while treated municipal sewage is increasingly used for irrigation. Only if a critical water content is exceeded will repellent soils become wettable. To avoid excessive loss of water from the root zone via preferential flow paths, irrigation schemes should therefore aim to keep the soil wet enough to maintain soil wettability. Our objective was to monitor the near-surface water content and water repellency in a blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus) plantation irrigated with treated sewage. The plantation's sandy soil surface was strongly water repellent when dry. For 4 months, three rows of 15 blue gum trees each received no irrigation, three other rows received 50% of the estimated potential water use minus rainfall, and three more rows received 100%. During this period, 162 soil samples were obtained in three sampling rounds, and their water content (% dry mass) and degree of water repellency determined. Both high and low irrigation effectively wetted up the soil and eliminated water repellency after 2 (high) or 4 (low) months. A single-peaked distribution of water contents was observed in the soil samples, but the water repellency distribution was dichotomous, with 44% extremely water-repellent and 36% wettable. This is consistent with a threshold water content at which a soil sample changes from water repellent to wettable, with spatial variability of this threshold creating a much wider transition zone at the field scale. We characterized this transition zone by expressing the fraction of wettable samples as a function of water content, and demonstrated a way to estimate from this the wettable portion of a field from a number of water content measurements. To keep the plantation soil wettable, the water content must be maintained at a level at which a significant downward flux is likely, with the associated enhanced leaching. At water contents with negligible downward flux, the field is water repellent, and leaching through preferential flow paths is likely. Careful management is needed to resolve these conflicting requirements.

Space dependency of chemical attributes in an area with sugarcane plantation in Pereira Barreto, SP

The behavior of the chemical attributes is directly influenced by superficial flow and water movement inside the soil. This work aimed to study the space dependency of chemical attributes in an area with sugarcane plantation in Pereira Barreto, SP. An area of 530.67 hectares was mapped using an equipment of Global Positioning System and obtaining a Digital Elevation Model. A set of 134 soil samples were collected every seven hectares in the depths of 0-0.25 m and 0.80-1.00 m. The pH, organic matter (OM), Ca, Mg, K, BS, CEC and base saturation (BS) were analyzed. All the chemical attributes presented similar behavior in the superficial and subsuperficial layer of the soil, which provided better visualization and definition of the homogeneous tillage zones.

Biomass and Stand Characteristics of a Highly Productive Mixed Douglas-Fir and Western Hemlock Plantation in Coastal Washington

Aboveground biomass predictive equations were developed for a highly productive 47-year-old mixed Douglas-fir and western hemlock stand in southwest Washington State to characterize the preharvest stand attributes for the Fall River Long-Term Site Productivity Study. The equations were developed using detailed biomass data taken from 31 Douglas-fir and 11 western hemlock trees within the original stand. The stand had an average of 615 live trees per hectare, with an average dbh of 35.6 cm (39.1 cm for Douglas-fir and 33.3 cm for western hemlock) and an average total tree height of 31.6 m (32.8 m for Douglas-fir and 30.2 m for western hemlock). Equations developed were of the form In Y = b(1) + b(2) In dbh, where Y = biomass in kg, dbh = diameter in cm at 1.3 m height, b(1) = intercept, and b(2) = slope of equation. Each tree part was estimated separately and also combined into total aboveground biomass. The total aboveground biomass estimation equations were In Y = -0.9950 + 2.0765 In dbh for Douglas-fir, and In Y = -1.6612 + 2.2321 In dbh for western hemlock. The estimate of the aboveground live-free biomass was of 395 Mg ha(-1) (235 Mg ha(-1) for Douglas-fir and 160 Mg ha(-1) for western hemlock), with 9.5, 29.3, 12.9, 308, and 32.7 Mg ha(-1) in the foliage, live branches, dead branches, stem wood, and stem hark, respectively. When compared with biomass estimates from six other studies, ranging in age from 22 to 110 years and from 96.3 to 636 Mg ha(-1), the biomass of the Fall River site was relatively high for its age, indicating very high productivity.

Distribution and importance of spiders inhabiting a Brazilian sugar cane plantation

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Nutrient cycling in a RRIM 600 clone rubber plantation

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Resource partitioning among epigaeic and hypogaeic ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of a Brazilian cocoa plantation

Patterns of dietary and foraging strata utilization by the ground ant community of a Brazilian cocoa planatation were examined using sugar, meat and flour baits on the surface as well as buried. A total of 49 ant species was recorded, including 10 species of Pheidole. Strong dominance was exercised by Solenopsis geminata at both surface and subterranean strata, and at all food resources. The dissimilarity matrix of the epigaeic ant fauna was much greater than that for the hypogaeic species. At least four guilds were identified: the fungus-growing ants, epigaeic nectivores, epigaeic carnivores, and hypogaeic foragers. Niche breadth reduction, leading to the formation of guilds, permits the coexistence of many species in the this ground ant community from a tropical cocoa plantation. -Authors

Growth and yield analysis in different methods of beet (Cv. 'tall top early wonder') plantation

This objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different methods of red beet seedling production and direct sowing on the development of the plant in field conditions. 'Tall Top Early Wonder' was used as the cultivar. The experimental design was a randomized blocks with 4 replications of each treatment: T1 - seedling produced in trays of 288 cells; T2 - 200 cells; T3 - 128 cells; T4 - 128 cells; T5 - direct sowing and T6 - bare-root seedling. The seedlings produced in trays and bare root seedlings were transplanted in the field 28 DAS with spacing of 0.20 x 0.10m. The mean height of plants, leaf area, leaf dry matter, petiole dry matter, shoot dry matter, root dry matter, relationship between shoot dry matter and root dry matter, absolute growth rate, relative growth rate, net assimilation rate, leaf area ratio and specific leaf area were determined. Storage root fresh matter and mean storage root diameter were determined starting from 77 DAS. Initial growth of the plants were superior for the direct sowing, resulting in smaller RGR and NAR than the other treatments. Independent of the production method, an increase of the cycle of the crop was verified. T6 had larger delay in the initial development. There was no difference for productivity. Method T1, had less expenses with respect to substrate and space in the vegetation home, without reduction in production.

Impact of the timing and duration of weed control on the establishment of a rubber tree plantation

A produção da seringueira é reduzida pelas plantas daninhas que competem por recursos ambientais; portanto, a época e duração do controle de plantas daninhas influencia a interferência das plantas daninhas. Os objetivos deste estudo foram: avaliar o crescimento de plantas de seringueira (Hevea brasiliensis), determinar o período crítico para controle das plantas daninhas e avaliar a recuperação do crescimento das seringueiras que conviveram com plantas daninhas por diferentes períodos de tempo após o plantio. Dois grupos de tratamentos foram estabelecidos em condições de campo, no primeiro ano de investigação: um grupo conteve períodos crescentes de infestação de plantas daninhas, enquanto o outro conteve períodos crescentes de controle das plantas daninhas, também incluindo uma testemunha livre de plantas daninhas e uma testemunha com infestação total de plantas daninhas. No segundo ano da investigação, as plantas daninhas foram totalmente controladas. Urochloa decumbens foi a planta daninha dominante (mais de 90% de cobertura). O crescimento da cultura foi grandemente reduzido devido à interferência de plantas daninhas. A altura de plantas decresceu mais rapidamente que qualquer outra característica. Altura de planta, massa seca de folhas e área foliar decresceram em 99%, 97% e 96%, respectivamente, e foram as características mais reduzidas. A altura de plantas também se recuperou mais rapidamente que qualquer outra característica quando o período de controle das plantas daninhas foi entendido. Contudo, a massa seca do caule aumentou em 750%, fazendo desta a característica mais recuperada. O período crítico para o controle de plantas daninhas foi entre 4 e 9½ meses após o plantio, no primeiro ano; contudo, as seringueiras mostraram expressiva recuperação do crescimento quando as plantas daninhas foram controladas ao longo do segundo ano.

Influence of field slope and coffee plantation age on the physical properties of a red-yellow Latosol

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Atlantic rainforest remnant harbors greater biotic diversity but reduced lepidopteran populations compared to a eucalyptus plantation

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Mites from Cerrado fragments and adjacent soybean crops: does the native vegetation help or harm the plantation?

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

A Sampling Plan for Liriomyza huidobrensis (Diptera: Agromyzidae) on a Potato (Solanum tuberosum) Plantation

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)