Application of the Spores of the Entomopathogenic Fungus Lecanicillium Muscarium for Control of Adelgids on Conifers in the Peter the Great Botanical Garden

This article discusses the possibility of using the entomopathogenic fungus Lecanicillium muscarium R. Zare & W. Gams (Ascomycota: Hypocreales) against the fir adelgid Adelges pectinatae pectinatae (Cholodkovsky, 1888) and Siberian cedar adelgid Pineus cembrae (Cholodkovsky, 1888) on the Siberian fir Abies sibirica Ledeb., and pines Pinus sibirica Du Tour and Pinus banksiana Lamb. The blastospores of the entomopathogenic fungus L. muscarium strain G-033 VIZR, in the concentration of 5x107 spores/ml, showed a high efficiency on both of the species of adelgid. On the 17th day, the mortality of P. cembrae was 73% on P. sibirica and 61% on P. banksiana, and the mortality of the species A. pectinatae pectinatae on A. sibirica was 74%. The effect of the spore application had a prolonged effect over the next month on all treated trees. Keywords: entomopathogenic fungi, Lecanicillium muscarium, adelgid, conifers

Exploration geochemistry of surficial media over the high-grade McArthur River uranium deposit, Saskatchewan, Canada

ABSTRACT An orientation survey using surficial media was performed over the high-grade McArthur River unconformity-related U deposit (Saskatchewan, Canada) to test whether or not secondary dispersion of elements related to the ore body or alteration zone can be detected at the surface more than 500 m above the deposit. Organic-rich Ah-horizon soils, Fe-rich B-horizon soils, C-horizon soils, tree cores of Jack pine (Pinus banksiana), and glacially dispersed boulders of Manitou Falls Formation sandstone that host the U deposit were collected in four sampling grids near the mine site. Two of the grids overlaid the trace of the P2 fault that hosts the deposit and extends nearly to the surface, one grid overlaid both the P2 fault and one of the high-grade ore bodies (Zone 4), and one grid was located 2.5 km away from the ore body surface trace in the barren hanging wall of the P2 fault. The grid overlying the Zone 4 ore body had the highest proportion of samples with elevated U and low 207Pb/206Pb ratios, the latter indicative of radiogenic Pb from a high-U source, measured in two size fractions of Ah-horizon soils using Na pyrophosphate leach, pine tree cores using total digestion, and sandstone boulders using 2% HNO3 leach. A handful of pathfinder elements, such as As, Co, Ni, and Pb, are variably associated with the U and radiogenic Pb. Sandstone boulders with an assemblage of dravite + kaolinite ± illite, determined using shortwave infrared (SWIR) spectroscopy and matching the alteration mineralogy in the Manitou Falls Formation above the U deposit, were prevalent in the grid above the Zone 4 ore body and in the adjacent grid in the direction of glacial dispersion. A coarse fraction of the B-horizon soils, leached with 5% HNO3, highlighted the grid above the Zone 4 ore body to a lesser extent, whereas HNO3 leaches and aqua regia digests of C-horizon soil separates did not highlight the P2 fault or ore body trace due to influence by parent till mineralogy. Results of environmental monitoring at the mine site, which was active at the time of sampling, suggest that dust containing U, Pb, and radionuclides from waste rock piles and a ventilation shaft could influence A-horizon soil geochemistry near the mine site, and that U and radiogenic Pb anomalies in B- and C-horizon soils near the water table are close to a treated mine effluent discharge point. However, older trees that record elevated U and radiogenic Pb in annual rings that pre-date mining activity, and alteration mineralogy and geochemistry of boulders that are less susceptible to the influences of mining activity, add confidence that the geochemical anomaly in diverse surficial media above the Zone 4 ore body represents secondary dispersion from the underlying U deposit.

INTRODUCTION IN THE FAR EAST: PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS

Интродукция лесообразователей на Дальнем Востоке начинается с 1805 г. во владениях Российско-Американской компании, становится масштабной после 1890 г. в Хабаровске, Владивостоке, Уссурийске, Шмаковском монастыре, после 1930 г. – на юге Сахалина. Используются ели европейская, сибирская, колючая и лиственницы японская и Гмелина, сосны Банкса, веймутова, обыкновенная, сибирская, робиния, ясень пенсильванский. Массовое введение интродуцентов начинается после 1936 г. (создана Горнотаёжная станция) и после 1948 г. (организация академического Ботанического сада). Хорошие результаты таёжных пород Европы и Америки получены на Сахалине и отчасти в Приморье. Наиболее перспективен метод подбора интродуцентов по сходству климатов – климатических аналогов. The introduction of forest-forming species in the Far East begins in 1805 in the possession of the Russian-American company, becomes large-scale after 1890 in Khabarovsk, Vladivostok, Ussuriisk, Shmakovsky monastery, after 1930 - in the south of Sakhalin. Are used Picea abies, P. obovata, P. pungens; Larix leptolepis and L. dahurica; Pinus banksiana, P. strobus, P. sylvestris, P. sibirica; Robinia, Fraxinus pennsylvanica. The massive use of the introductions species begins after 1936 (the Gornotezhnaya Station was established) and after 1948 (the organization of the Academic Botanical Garden). Good results for the taiga breeds of Europe and America were obtained on Sakhalin and partly in Primorye. The most promising method for the selection of introduced species by the similarity of climates - of the climatic analogues.

Trade-Offs among Release Treatments in Jack Pine Plantations: Twenty-Five Year Responses

We assessed 27 indicators of plant diversity, stand yield and individual crop tree responses 25 years post-treatment to determine long-term trade-offs among conifer release treatments in boreal and sub-boreal forests. This research addresses the lack of longer-term data needed by forest managers to implement more integrated vegetation management programs, supporting more informed decisions about release treatment choice. Four treatments (untreated control, motor-manual brushsaw, single aerial spray, and complete competition removal) were established at two jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) sites in Ontario, Canada. Our results suggest that plant diversity and productivity in boreal jack pine forests are significantly influenced by vegetation management treatments. Overall, release treatments did not cause a loss of diversity but benefitted stand-scale yield and individual crop tree growth, with maximum benefits occurring in more intensive release treatments. However, none of the treatments maximized all 27 indicators studied; thus, forest managers are faced with trade-offs when choosing treatments. Research on longer term effects, ideally through at least one rotation, is essential to fully understand outcomes of different vegetation management on forest diversity, stand yield, and individual crop tree responses.

Effect of biofuel waste, urea, deer browsing and vegetation control on Pinus banksiana seedling growth on a dry upland site in central Canada

Ash from biofuels and nitrogen fertilizer are increasingly being used as soil amendments. While this can increase tree growth, it can also increase mammalian grazing and competition with vegetation. We applied moderate amounts (1.5 t ha^-1 y^-1) of ash and 74 kg N ha^-1 y^-1 of urea in each of two years to a well-drained site in southeastern Manitoba, planted with <i>Pinus banksiana</i>. Subplots received deer browsing and/or vegetation control. The ash resulted in an increase in pH in the upper 15m of mineral soil from ca. 5.7 to 6.6, and the urea created short-term spikes in soil inorganic N (NH₄ and NO₃) levels. Urea combined with ash significantly increased seedling relative growth rates in the first two years, with seedlings being largest with urea, with or without ash. However, by the fourth year seedling growth and size did not differ between the amendments. Urea application increased browsing damage to 91 %, but only when vegetation was mowed. Browsing guards resulted in seedlings having 1.6 times greater shoot mass by the end of the fourth growing season. These results suggest that on sandy soils in the dry region of central Canada, <i>P. banksiana</i> may get little benefit from ash applications.

Comparative genomics of the chitinase gene family in lodgepole and jack pines: contrasting responses to biotic threats and landscape level investigation of genetic differentiation

The sister species lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelm.) and jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb) face pressures from a multitude of biotic agents, including mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) and their pathogenic fungal associates (e.g. Grosmannia clavigera (Rob.-Jeffr. & R.W.Davidson) Zipfel, Z.W.Beer & M.J.Wingf.), mistletoe (Arceuthobium americanum Nutt.) and the pathogen causing western gall rust (Cronartium harknessii E. Meinecke). Here, we report new stem tissue transcriptome resources developed for lodgepole and jack pines subjected to these biotic stresses. The annotated transcriptomes were compared to determine species-specific responses to the necrotrophic G. clavigera and the biotrophic C. harknessii. We focused on chitinases, a family that includes members with well-documented roles in defense. Putative chitinase family members were identified via annotation, sequence similarity to reference chitinase genes, phylogenetic analyses and in silico motif characterization. RNA-Seq revealed marked differences in the responses of lodgepole and jack pine chitinases to G. clavigera and C. harknessii. Potential for adaptive variation in chitinases was investigated by assessing the level of genetic differentiation between and within lodgepole and jack pines using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within chitinases. These analyses illustrate the potential of combining transcriptomic and genotyping resources to investigate genotype-phenotype correlations for non-model species.

A compilation of North American tree provenance trials and relevant historical climate data for seven species

Tree provenance trials consist of a variety of seed sources (or provenances) planted at several test sites across the range of a species. The resulting plantations are typically measured periodically to investigate provenance performance in relation to abiotic conditions, particularly climate. These trials are expensive and time consuming to establish, but are an important resource for seed transfer systems, which aim to match planting sites with well-adapted (climatically suitable) seed sources. Provenance trial measurements may be underutilized because the data are scattered across publications, conference proceedings, and university theses. Here we document an effort to collect available provenance trial measurements and associated climate data for seven eastern North American tree species (Pinus strobus, Pinus banksiana, Picea glauca, Picea mariana, Quercus rubra, Larix laricina, Betula alleghaniensis). The resulting datasets included a total of 773 provenances and 62 test sites, with 65 historical climate variables appended to each location. We hope this data will support forest managers in making seed transfer decisions, particularly in an era of rapid climate change.

A System to Evaluate Prime Farmland Reclamation Success Based on Spatial Soil Properties

Scholars, governmental agencies, and concerned citizens are interested in developing empirical predictive models to quantitatively assess the vegetative productivity potentials of reconstructed soils (neo- sols). This research presents equations for a northern Michigan mining region in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, based on data derived from the National Resources Conservation Service. We employed principal component analysis to develop models to predict the vegetative productivity of corn, corn silage, oats, alfalfa/hay, Irish potatoes, red maple (Acer rubrum L.), white spruce (Picea glauca [Moench] Voss), red pine (Pinus resinosa Aniton), eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.), jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.), and lilac (Syringa vulgaris L.). Soil attributes that were examined in this research include: available water holding capacity, moist bulk density, % clay, % rock fragments, hydraulic conductivity, % organic matter, soil reactivity, % slope, and topographic position. Four predictive equations based on landscape topography have been developed and are described as an all-mesic woody plant and crop equation, a xeric equation, an equation specific to jack pine, and a wet environment equation. The models were highly significant (p<0.0001) and explained 87.93%, 74.52%, 65.33%, and 87.68% of the variation in site productivity of the respective landscape setting. These equations are intended to assist in efforts to assess the vegetative productivity potentials of reconstructed soils on post-mined landscapes and other disturbed landscapes.