Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, P.O. Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802, USA.
Published: June 2008
AI Article Synopsis
Article Abstract
Capped waste sites often are vegetated with commercial turf grasses to increase evapotranspiration and prevent erosion and possible exposure of the barrier. Fertilizer, frequent watering, and mowing may be required to establish the turf grass and prevent invasion by trees and shrubs. Oldfield vegetation of grasses and forbs is a possible sustainable alternative to turf grass communities. To determine if oldfield vegetation can establish on caps, we (1) compared establishment of a dominant oldfield grass and a commercial turf grass under different combinations of new closure cap management: spring or summer planting and presence or absence of amendments to alleviate drought (watering, mulch) or increase soil fertility (fertilizer, lime, a nitrogen-fixing legume); (2) surveyed existing caps to determine if oldfield species establish naturally; and (3) performed a greenhouse experiment to compare growth of two native grasses under low and amended (added water, soil nutrients) conditions. Both the commercial grass and oldfield species established under new cap conditions; fertilizer, water, and mulch improved vegetation establishment in spring or summer, but legumes decreased grass cover. In the greenhouse, both native grasses grew best with amendments; however, substantial stem and root length were obtained with no fertilizer and only once-weekly watering. Existing vegetated caps supported planted grasses and naturally established oldfield species. Overall, the results indicate native grasses can establish on new caps and oldfields can serve as a management model; further work is needed to determine the management strategy to maintain herbaceous vegetation and slow woody species invasion.
Alfalfa ( L.) establishment is an effective strategy for grassland reconstruction in degraded ecosystems. However, the mechanisms underlying vegetation succession in reconstructed grasslands following alfalfa establishment remain elusive.
Background: Conifers, mainly of the genus Pinus, have invaded natural and productive landscapes worldwide. Controlling dense conifer invasions is challenging and requires both effective initial control methods and long-term site management to prevent re-invasion. Broadcast aerial herbicide application is often the preferred treatment method for dense infestations of pines with high rates of complex herbicide mixtures used.
Background: The study of newly formed centromere with stable transmission ability can provide theoretical guidance for the construction of artificial chromosomes. More neocentromeres are needed to study the mechanisms of their formation.
Results: In this study, a minichromosome 7RLmini was derived from the progeny of wheat-rye 7R monosomic addition line.
The regulation of flowering time in plants involves multiple genes, with the focus on a specific gene in bamboo, which exhibits a unique flowering pattern known as monocarpy.
The study revealed that the bamboo gene family has evolved through duplication events, resulting in five copies in the Bambusoideae subfamily, differing from the single copy found in their most recent common ancestor.
Gene expression analysis showed that bamboo genes behave similarly to their rice homologs, and overexpressing certain bamboo genes led to early flowering, highlighting their critical role in flowering regulation.
A checklist of Lesvos Island's non-native vascular flora is presented. Through the literature and a roadside survey, we recorded 187 non-native plant taxa, representing 12% of the total regional flora. A total of 37 taxa were reported for the first time for Lesvos, including three taxa that are also new to the Greek non-native flora.
