Forest Research Institute

About: Forest Research Institute is a facility organization based out in Dehra Dūn, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Forest management. The organization has 5320 authors who have published 7625 publications receiving 185876 citations.

Specialized phloem parenchyma cells in Norway spruce (Pinaceae) bark are an important site of defense reactions.

Abstract: The bark anatomy of Norway spruce clones that were resistant or susceptible to Ceratocystis polonica, a bark-beetle-vectored fungal pathogen, was compared. The major difference concerned the axial parenchyma cells, called polyphenolic parenchyma (PP cells) because of their vacuolar deposits. The phenolic nature of the deposits was indicated by autofluorescence under blue light, and immunocytochemical studies demonstrating PP cells are enriched in phenylalanine ammonia lyase (EC 4.3.1.5), a key enzyme in phenolic synthesis. Susceptible-clone PP cells occurred as single rows filled with dense deposits. The resistant clone had 40% more PP cells, which occurred in rows two cells thick plus as individual cells scattered among the sieve cells and had lighter deposits. Trees inoculated with fungus were analyzed but a distinct fungal response could not be separated from the general wound response. In the resistant clone, phenolic bodies were reduced in size and density or disappeared completely 12 d after wounding, and PP cell size increased. The susceptible-clone phenolics and cell size changed only slightly. These data show that PP cells are active in synthesis, storage, and modification of phenolics in response to wounding, providing an important site of constitutive and inducible defenses.

Regulators of denitrification in an organic riparian soil

Abstract: We investigated microbial denitrification in an organic riparian zone and identified factors which regulated its rate. The riparian zone received nitrate from incoming groundwater draining an upslope forest which was spray irrigated with treated effluent. Soil cores were taken from the riparian zone and the following variables were measured: KCl-extracted nitrate, water soluble carbon concentration, organic matter content, moisture content, denitrifying enzyme activity, on-site denitrification rates and natural N 2 O production. Five sampling surveys were made at a range of field temperatures (12–21°C). The riparian soil was continually water-saturated and contained an average organic matter content of 26%. Nitrate concentration in groundwater entering the upslope edge of the riparian zone was generally greater than 5 mg N l −1 . In combination, these factors resulted in an ideal environment for denitrification. Mean and median denitrification rates were found to be 1.12 and 0.95g N m −2 day −1 ; while mean and median N 2 O production rates were 73 and 84 mg N m −2 day −1 These rates were 1–3 orders of magnitude greater than those reported in previous studies of upland soils. Up to 77% of the variation in on-site denitrification rate could be explained by nitrate concentration and denitrifying enzyme activity. Temperature may also have regulated the rate of denitrification; however, insufficient observations at different temperatures were made to fully establish a temperature effect. N 2 O production was found to be most highly correlated to on-site denitrification rate. Rates of denitrifying enzyme activity were also greater than those generally found in upland soils, the mean and median rates were 810 and 740 ng N g −1 h −1

EUNIS Habitat Classification: expert system, characteristic species combinations and distribution maps of European habitats

Abstract: EUNIS Habitat Classification is a standard classification of European habitats. We developed the classification expert system EUNIS‐ESy, which assigns vegetation plots to EUNIS habitats based on their species composition and geographic location. We classified 1,261,373 vegetation plots from the European Vegetation Archive and determined characteristic species combinations and prepared distribution maps for 199 habitats at Level 3 of EUNIS hierarchy.

Stable transformation and regeneration of transgenic plants of Pinus radiata D. Don

Abstract: A biolistic particle delivery system was used to genetically transform embryogenic tissue of Pinus radiata. The introduced DNA contained a uidA reporter gene under the control of either the tandem CaMV 35S or the artificial Emu promoter, and the npt II selectable marker controlled by the CaMV 35S promoter. The average number of stable, geneticin-resistant lines recovered was 0.5 per 200 mg fresh weight bombarded tissue. Expression of the uidA reporter gene was detected histochemically and fluorimetrically in transformed embryogenic tissue and in derived mature somatic embryos and regenerated plants. The integration of uidA and npt II genes into the Pinus radiata genome was demonstrated using PCR amplification of the inserts and Southern hybridisation analysis. The expression of both genes in transformed tissue was confirmed by Northern hybridisation analysis. More than 150 transgenic Pinus radiata plants were produced from 20 independent transformation experiments with four different embryogenic clones.