Soil Chemical Analysis

Quercus robur L.

Effects of individual and combined effects of salinity and drought on physiological, nutritional and biochemical properties of cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata)

Experimental forest plantations to study biodiversity–ecosystem functioning (BEF) relationships have recently been established in different regions of the world, but subtropical biomes have not been covered so far. Here, we report about the initial survivorship of 26 tree species in the first such experiment in subtropical China. In the context of the joint Sino–German–Swiss Research Unit “BEF-China,” 271 experimental forest plots were established using 24 naturally occurring tree species and two native commercial conifers. Based on the survival inventories carried out in November 2009 and June 2010, the overall survival rate was 87 % after the first 14 months. Generalized mixed-effects models showed that survival rates of seedlings were significantly affected by species richness, the species’ leaf habit (deciduous or evergreen), species identity, planting date, and altitude. In the first survey, seedling establishment success decreased with increasing richness levels, a tendency that disappeared in the second survey after replanting. Though evergreen species performed less well than deciduous species with establishment rates of 84 versus 93 % in the second survey, their planting success exceeded the general expectation for subtropical broad-leaved evergreen species. These results have important implications for establishing mixed-species plantations for diversity conservation and improvement of ecosystem functioning in the Chinese subtropics and elsewhere. Additional costs associated with mixed-species plantations as compared to conventional plantations also demonstrate the potential of upscaling BEF experiments to large-scale afforestation projects.

/pdf/establishment-success-in-a-forest-biodiversity-and-ecosystem-3wmfvzmnkr.pdf

Establishment success in a forest biodiversity and ecosystem functioning experiment in subtropical China (BEF-China)

United States. Army Research Office. Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (Award W911NF-12-1-0509)

/pdf/empowering-women-through-development-aid-evidence-from-a-1dgsqf2t0n.pdf

Empowering Women through Development Aid: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Afghanistan

Comparison of growth, nutrition and soil properties of pure stands of Quercus castaneifolia and mixed with Zelkova carpinifolia in the Hyrcanian forests of Iran

La culture controlee de jeunes arbres forestiers, en limitant les entrees et sorties d'elements mineraux, permet d'evaluer rapidement les effets directs de la fertilisation. Ainsi, le châtaignier est capable de pousser pendant au moins deux ans sur un substrat pauvre et sans amendement, montrant ainsi son aptitude a puiser des elements dans la reserve minerale du sol. Toutefois, une fertilisation, notamment par NPK, ameliore sa croissance. Ces apports modifient la disponibilite des elements dans le sol, y augmentent le pH et provoquent des variations des contenus cationiques dans les arbres : augmentation des teneurs en calcium et en magnesium mais pas en potassium. Cependant, le manganese semble jouer un role important dans la balance cationique, puisqu'il s'accumule dans les arbres non fertilises et qu'un apport de chaux vive provoque l'effet inverse.

https://www.afs-journal.org/articles/forest/pdf/1997/07/AFS_0003-4312_1997_54_7_ART0008.pdf

Growth and mineral content of young chestnut trees under controlled conditions of nutrition

The International Policy Fellowship Program of the Open Society Institute funded this research project in June of 2005 based on a proposal that was submitted by the researcher (author of this paper) in late 2004. After some revision to the proposal, it was mutually agreed that the project would focus on a comparative study of the role of Community Development Councils (CDCs) and Mosques in the socio-political life of Afghan rural communities. One of the main reasons for choosing this objective was the great need of the Afghan government and people for reform of their governance structure . The attempt to establish a modern and effective governance system in the country has been going for many years, particularly since the start up of the post 9/11 administration in Afghanistan, but due to some challenges it never yielded any tangible results. The hypothesis of this project was that there is another governance structure established in the country by religious institutions that is very closely positioned at the village level Therefore, it was the objective of this research to find out if the existence of such a secondary structure can create resistance against governance reform projects in the country. In order to assess the interaction of the two governance systems in the country the researcher and his advisors focused on a comparative study of the role that Community Development Councils (CDCs) play in the sociopolitical life of a village versus that of a mosque. The establishment of Community Development Councils (CDCs) has been one of the most recent and creative approaches of the government and the international community, particularly the World Bank, to reform the governance structure of the country at the grassroots level. The program started with an overall goal of reducing poverty through empowering communities. The program assumes that communities are empowered through improvement of their governance system and an increase of human and economic capital . “The objectives of the program are to: (1) lay the foundations for a strengthening of community-level governance; and (2) support community-managed sub-projects comprising reconstruction and development that improve the access of rural communities to social and productive infrastructure and services.” (Ministry of Rural Development Documents, National Solidarity Program, 2005) In order to begin the comparison of the sociopolitical role of CDCs versus mosques in the village, we came up with some questions that served as a research guide throughout our fieldwork. 1. What is the existing vision of future governance in the country? 2. What are the politics of local governance and power? 3. What is a mosque and how does it function? 4. What services does a mosque provide to the people? 5. How is the power structure formed in a village? 6. Where does CDC fit in the hierarchy of the village power structure ? 7. Can CDCs take the lead in village governance ? 8. What other challenges exist? 9. What practical solutions are available? 10. What possible consequences are expected if no action is taken? The answers to these questions would suggest a set of policy options that require immediate action. Based on those policy options, the author wrote a separate policy recommendation paper that will be submitted together with this report and will provide policy makers with a well thought-out course of policy action. It is also important to note that the research project was implemented during a period of serious security and political challenges in the country, particularly concerning the dilemma of power sharing amongst different players of Afghanistan’s recent politics. Those challenges impacted the overall outcome of the project since most people in the villages were very hesitant to comment on anything related to the power structure. Three decades of religiously motivated war has also radicalized people’s attitude towards the role of religion in the power structure of an Islamic country. The weakening presence of government beyond the capital of the country created a suitable environment for other players, particularly religious leaders, to dominate the power structure in communities and become a very strong competitor for the central government. The research project did not have the time and resources to look at the economic aspects of the power structure, which is another important piece of the puzzle because landlords, poppy growers, and wealthy tribal figures play as important a role in the game of power sharing as religious leaders do. What is the existing vision of future governance in the country? Because of the power-determining nature of the governance reform program, it is highly influenced by the politics of different institutions who are the stakeholders in the governance-reform program of Afghanistan. Some key players include the government institutions, international institutions (with the UN being on the driving seat) and political competitors of the government such as religious institutions, tribal institutions and many wealthy landlords who play a major role in the poppy business. Below is a brief description of the role that each institution plays: Government institutions: Within the cabinet of Afghanistan’s government, the Ministry of Interior has predominantly been in charge of local governance affairs in the country since it supervises all province and district governors and provides them with the required organizational and financial resources to do their job. The structure of the Ministry of Interior for local governance is mainly divided into two levels of administration; the office of the provincial governor and the office of the district governor. The ministry does not have any organizational structure for village level administration and therefore relies on the district level administration for management of the life of any citizen of the country living beyond the level of districts administration. The two levels of organization are best described in the organizational charts below as: 1. Office of Provincial Governor and its functions, and 2. Office of District Governor and its functions Office of Provincial Governor

The role of religious institutions in community governance affairs: how are communities governed beyond the district level?

The effects of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) on growth and physiological characteristics of seedlings Corylus avellana were determined in a forest nursery. For this purpose, in a completely randomized design (CRD) and four replicates, three putative bacteria, including Pseudomonas putida, Bacillus subtilis and Enterobacter cloacae, as alone and mixed, were examined. The greatest height (26.88 cm), collar diameter (7.11 mm), leaf area (23.87 cm 2 )net photosynthesis (17.23μmol CO2 m −2 s −1 ), transpiration rate (3.22 mmol H2O m −2 s −1 (, stomatal conductance (0.189 mol CO2 m −2 s −1 ), water use efficiency (5.33 μmol CO2 mmol −1 H2O) and chlorophyll content (26.16 SPAD) allocated to seedlings inoculated with a combination of three bacteria. The greatest root dry weight (3.98 g), root volume (10.87 cm 3 ), total plant dry weight (9.91g) was detected in seedlings inoculated with P. putida. In total, for the beneficial effects of PGPR on growth and physiological traits of C. avellana seedlings, all three bacteria either as individual or as mixed were found suitable for seedling inoculation. In fact, it is affirmed that inoculation of root with PGPR can be a proper approach to produce healthy and strong seedlings in nursery.

http://ecopersia-old.modares.ac.ir/article_15527_e00b1aafa557ea9f89a72183ea2660b8.pdf

The Effect of Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria on Growth and Physiological Characteristics of Corylus avellana Seedlings

The present research was carried out to determine the influence of different combinations of organic matter as growing media on seed germination, survival, growth, biomass and performance of needle-leaved Arizona cypress (Cupressus arizonica var arizonica Greene) and Medite cypress (C. sempervirens var. horizantalis (Mill.) Gord) seedlings in Koloudeh nursery, located in Amol city (North of Iran). Seeds were sown in plastic pots as randomized completely block design (RCBD) with four replications atfour different soil treatments, including: T1) nursery common soil (control), T2) control soil: cattle manure (5:1), T3) control soil: decomposed litter (5:1), T4) control soil: cattle manure: decomposed litter (5:1:1). The results after one year showed that seedlings of both species grown on T4 obtained better germination percent, survival, shoot height, collar diameter, seedling vigor index and Quality Index (QI). Greatest relative growth rate (RGR) of height and diameter were achieved on organic matter treatments. In most of the studied attributes, response of C. arizonica was better than C. sempervirens, showing the different biological requirements of these species. From the study, it is concluded that the increased of soil nutrient can be useful in seedling production of both species.                                                                                            

	 

	Key words: Biomass, Cupressus arizonica, Cupressus sempervirens, organic matter, quality index, vigor index.

Effects of soil nutritional status on seedling nursery performance of Arizona cypress (Cupressus arizonica var arizonica Greene) and Medite cypress (Cupressus sempervirens var. horizantalis (Mill.) Gord)

Ahmad Rahmani

Papers

Comparison of growth, nutrition and soil properties of pure stands of Quercus castaneifolia and mixed with Zelkova carpinifolia in the Hyrcanian forests of Iran

Growth and mineral content of young chestnut trees under controlled conditions of nutrition

The role of religious institutions in community governance affairs: how are communities governed beyond the district level?

The Effect of Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria on Growth and Physiological Characteristics of Corylus avellana Seedlings

Effects of soil nutritional status on seedling nursery performance of Arizona cypress (Cupressus arizonica var arizonica Greene) and Medite cypress (Cupressus sempervirens var. horizantalis (Mill.) Gord)