Within a forested watershed at the Uryu Experimental Forest of Hokkaido University in northern Hokkaido, overstory litterfall and related nutrient fluxes were measured at different landscape zones over two years. The wetland zone covered with Picea glehnii pure stand. The riparian zone was deciduous broad-leaved stand dominated by Alnus hirsuta and Salix spp., while the mixture of deciduous broadleaf and evergreen conifer dominated by Betula platyphylla, Quercus crispula and Abies sachalinensis distributed on the upland zone. Annual litterfall averaged 1444, 5122, and 4123 kg·hm⁻²·a⁻¹ in the wetland, riparian and upland zones, respectively. Litterfall production peaked in September–October, and foliage litter contributed the greatest amount (73.4%–87.6 %) of the annual total litterfall. Concentrations of nutrients analyzed in foliage litter of the dominant species showed a similar seasonal variation over the year except for N in P. glehnii and A. hirsuta. The nutrient fluxes for all elements analyzed were greatest on riparian zone and lowest in wetland zone. Nutrient fluxes via litterfall followed the decreasing sequence: N (11–129 kg·hm⁻²·a⁻¹) > Ca (9–69) > K (5–20) > Mg (3–15) > P (0.4–4.7) for all stands. Significant differences were found in litterfall production and nutrient fluxes among the different landscape components. There existed significant differences in soil chemistry between the different landscape zones. The consistently low soil C:N ratios at the riparian zone might be due to the higher-quality litter inputs (largely N-fixing alder).

Four generalised diameter-height equations were developed and compared for pure and even-aged stands of Tecomella undulata in hot arid region of Rajasthan State in India. The data used to fit the equations consisted of 1 540 diameter-height observations collected from the plots laid out in uniformly stocked stands of varying age and density. The performance of four equations was tested by non-linear least squares regression and evaluated using different statistical criteria. Finally, these equations, with the same values of coefficients obtained during the fitting phase, were validated by an independent data set consisting of 854 diameter-height observations. Overall, equation (4) (Hui and Gadow function) was found to perform best for both the fitting data set as well as validation data set.

Multipurpose tree species (MPTs) were studied in an agroforestry arboretum under subtropical humid climate in Northeast India. Out of 12 MPTs planted under agroforestry systems, Acacia auriculiformis in spacing of 2 m × 2 m (2500 stems·hm⁻²) could have the potentiality to meet the timber/fuelwood requirement due to its high wood production of 635 m³·hm⁻² with mean annual increment (MAI) of 2.54×10⁻²·m³·tree¹·a⁻¹ in a short rotation period of 10 years. Thus, A. auriculiformis is a short rotation forest tree species suitable to grow in subtropical humid climate. On the other hand, at 16 years of age, Eucalyptus hybrid and Michelia champaca in spacing of 3 m × 3 m (1111 stems·hm⁻²) produced appreciably high timber volume of 315 m³·hm^–2 and 165 m³·hm⁻² with MAI of 1.77×10⁻² m³·tree⁻¹·a⁻¹ and 0.92×10⁻² m³·tree⁻¹·a⁻¹, respectively. At 16 years of age, Gmelina arborea produced a timber volume of 147 m³·hm⁻² with MAI of 1.47×10^–2 m³·tree⁻¹·a⁻¹ followed by Samania saman (140 m³·hm⁻²), Albizzia procera (113 m³·hm⁻²) and Tectona grandis (79 m³·hm⁻²) with MAI of 1.40, 1.13 and 0.78 × 10⁻² m³·tree⁻¹·a⁻¹, respectively in 4 m × 4 m spacing (625 stems·hm⁻²). Gliricidia maculata and Leucaena leucocephala could be used as live fences around the farm boundary to supply their N-rich leaves for mulch as well as manure to crops. In agroforestry arboretum, direct seeded upland rice (Oryza sativa-variety, AR-11), groundnut (Arachis hypogaea-variety, JL-24) and sesamum (Sesamum indicum-variety, B-67) were grown during the initial period upto 8 years of tree establishment. Under other MPTs, there was a reduction in crop productivity as compared to open space. After 8 years of tree establishment, horti-silvi and silvi-pastoral systems were developed and pineapple (Ananas comosus-variety Queen), turmeric (Curcuma longa-variety RCT-1) and cowpea (Vigna sinensis-variety Pusa Barsati) as forage crop were raised. The productivity of pineapple, turmeric and cowpea was comparatively high under Azadirachta indica. The productivity of horticultural and forage crops in association with trees such as G. arborea, A. procera, S. saman, T. grandis and M. champaca of high timber value could be harnessed as viable agroforestry systems. Changes in soil properties were also monitored. Amelioration of soil acidity, increase in soil organic carbon, and enhanced humification of soil humus, high nutrient availability, low soil erodibility and high surface soil (0–15 cm) moisture availability were noted in soils under MPTs.

A study was conducted to test the correlation between biomass and elevation and the differences in concentration and storks of nutrients among five vegetation types (Felsenmeer alpine tundra vegetation-FA, Lithic alpine tundra vegetation-LA, Typical alpine tundra vegetation-TA, Meadow alpine tundra vegetation-MA, and Swamp alpine tundra vegetation-SA) on alpine tundra of Changbai Mountains, Jilin Province, China in growing seasons of 2003, 2004 and 2005. The biomass of 43 mono-species and soil nutrients in alpine tundra ecosystem were also investigated. Dominant species from Ericaceae (such as Rhododendron chrysanthum and Vaccinium jliginosum var. alpinum) were taken to analyze organ biomass distribution. Result showed that the biomass and elevation had a significant correlation (Biomass=−237.3 ln(Elevation) +494.36; R²=0.8092; P<0.05). No significant differences were found in phosphorus and sulphur concentrations of roots, stems and leaves among the five vegetation types. There were significant differences in nitrogen and phosphorus stocks of roots, stems and leaves and in sulphur stock of stems and leaves among TA, MA, and SA vegetation types (p<0.05). The nutrient stock of five vegetations was averagely 72.46 kg·hm⁻², of which N, P, S were 48.55, 10.33 and 13.61 kg·hm⁻², respectively. Soil N and S concentrations in meadow alpine tundra soil type was significantly higher than those in other four soil types (Cold desert alpine tundra soil, Lithic alpine tundra soil, Peat alpine tundra soil, and Gray alpine tundra soil). Phosphorous concentration in SA type was higher (p<0.05) than in other types. Soil nutrient stock (0–20cm) was averagely 39.59 t·hm⁻², of which N, P, S were 23.74, 5.86, 9.99 t·hm⁻², respectively.

A study was conducted to test the influence of different inorganic fertilizers (phosphorous and potassium) on the nodulation and growth of Dalbergia sissoo grown in the nursery. Before seeds sowing, different combinations of P, K fertilizers were incorporated with the nutrient-deficient natural forest soils, and then amended with cowdung (soil: cowdung = 3:1). Nodulation status (nodule number, shape, fresh weight, dry weight and color) in the roots and the plant growth parameters (length of shoot and root, collar diameter, fresh and dry weight of shoot and root) were recorded 60 days after seeds sowing. Nodulation status and growth of the plants varied significantly (P<0.05) in the soils amended with fertilizers in comparison to the control. The highest nodule number (62), fresh (0.50 g) and dry (0.07 g) weights were recorded with the dose of PK at the rate of 160 kg/hm². Nodule shape and color also varied widely in different treatments. In case of plant growth parameters, shoot and root length, collar diameter, fresh and dry weight of the plants took on a significant difference (P<0.05) among various combination of fertilizers. From the study, it is revealed that PK at the rate of 160 kg/hm² fertilizer with soil and cowdung mixture (soil: cowdung = 3:1) is recommended for optimum growth and nodule formation of D. sissoo in degraded soils at a nursery level.

An experiment was conducted to assess the effect of Phosphorous (P) fertilizer (i.e. TSP or triple super phosphate @ 80 kg/hm²) on seedling growth and nodulation capabilities of three potentially important agroforestry tree species (Acacia auriculiformis, Albizia lebbeck and Albizia procera) of Bangladesh. The study was conducted in nursery beds with six-month-old polybag seedlings of A. auriculiformis, A. lebbeck and A. procera. The effects of P fertilizer on seedling growth and nodulation were compared with that of the seedlings grown in control (i.e. unfertilized soil). The observations revealed that the seedling growth was enhanced significantly with the application of P fertilizer. The growth was found more pronounced in A. auriculiformis, whereas it was not apparent and shows depressed growth in case of A. lebbeck. The study also suggests that the nodulation in terms of nodule number and size was also increased significantly with the application of P fertilizer.

Water is usally thought of a limiting factor for the restoration of semi-arid ecosystem. In the growing season of 2006, a study was conducted to determine the effects of modeling precipitation on seasonal patterns in concentrations of soil-available nitrogen and to describe the seasonal patterns in soil nitrogen availability and seasonal variation in the rates of net nitrogen mineralization of topsoil at Daqinggou ecological station in Keerqin sand lands, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China. Manipulation of water (80 mm) was designed to be added to experiment plots of sandy grasslands in dry season. Water addition (W) treatment and control (CK) treatment were separately taken in six replications and randomly assigned in 12 plots (4 m×4 m for each) with 2-m buffers betweens. Results showed that the content of soil inorganic nitrogen and net nitrogen mineralization rate were not affected by adding water in sandy grassland of Keerqin sand lands. Net nitrogen mineralization rates ranged from 0.5 μg·μg⁻¹·month⁻¹ to 4 μg⁻¹g⁻¹·month⁻¹. The highest values of soil inorganic nitrogen and net nitrogen mineralization occurred on October 15 in control plots. The seasonal changes of soil inorganic nitrogen contents exhibited “V” shape pattern that was related to seasonal patterns of soil ammonium-N (ascending trend) and nitrate-N transformation (descending trend).

A study was conducted to identify the differences in the decompositions of leaf litter, lignin and carbohydrate between coniferous forest and broadleaf forest at 20°C and 30°C in Huangshan Mountain, Anhui Province, China. Results showed that at 20°C mass loss of leaf litter driven by microbial decomposers was higher in broadleaf forest than that in coniferous forest, whereas the difference in mass loss of leaf litter was not significant at 30°C. The temperature increase did not affect the mass loss of leaf litter for coniferous forest treatment, but significantly reduced the decomposition rate for broadleaf forest treatment. The functional decomposers of microorganism in broadleaf forest produced a higher lignin decomposition rate at 20°C, compared to that in coniferous forest, but the difference in lignin decomposition was not found between two forest types at 30°C. Improved temperature increased the lignin decomposition for both broadleaf and coniferous forest. Additionally, the functional group of microorganism from broadleaf forest showed marginally higher carbohydrate loss than that from coniferous forest at both temperatures. Temperature increase reduced the carbohydrate decomposition for broadleaf forest, while only a little reduce was found for coniferous forest. Remarkable differences occurred in responses between most enzymes (Phenoloxidase, peroxidase, β-glucosidase and endocellulase) and decomposition rate of leaf litter to forest type and temperature, although there exist strong relationships between measured enzyme activities and decomposition rate in most cases. The reason is that more than one enzyme contribute to the mass loss of leaf litter and organic chemical components. In conclusion, at a community scale the coniferous and broadleaf forests differed in their temperature-decomposition relationships.

Biomass and net primary productivity (NPP) are two important parameters in determining ecosystem carbon pool and carbon sequestration. The biomass storage and NPP in desert shrubland of Artemisia ordosica on Ordos Plateau were investigated with method of harvesting standard size shrub in the growing season (June–October) of 2006. Results indicated that above-and belowground biomass of the same size shrubs showed no significant variation in the growing season (p>0.1), but annual biomass varied significantly (p<0.01). In the A. ordosica community, shrub biomass storage was 699.76-1246.40 g·m⁻² and annual aboveground NPP was 224.09 g·m⁻²·a⁻¹. Moreover, shrub biomass and NPP were closely related with shrub dimensions (cover and height) and could be well predicted by shrub volume using power regression.

An experiment was conducted to understand the growth inhibitory effects of aqueous extracts derived from Lantana camara L. (a globally recognized invasive alien weed) on six popular agricultural crops of Bangladesh. The test was conducted in sterilized petridishes with a photoperiod of 24 hours and an average temperature of 29°C. The effect of different concentrations of L. camara leaf extracts were recorded and compared with control (i.e., distil water). Result showed different concentrations of aqueous leaf extracts caused significant inhibitory effect on germination, root and shoot elongation and development of lateral roots of receptor crops. Bioassays also indicated that the inhibitory effect was proportional to the concentrations of the extracts and higher concentration had the stronger inhibitory effect whereas the lower concentration showed stimulatory effect in some cases. The inhibitory effect was much pronounced in root and lateral root development rather than shoot and germination.

The dimension lumber (45mm×90mm×3700mm) of plantation Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook.) was graded to four different classes as SS, No.1, No.2 and No.3, according to national lumber grades authority (NLGA) for structure light framing and structure joists and planks. The properties of apparent density was determined at 15% moisture content, bending strength and stiffness were tested according to American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D198-99, and dynamic modulus of elasticity (E_usw) was measured by ultrasonic technique, for predicting the flexural properties of different grade lumbers. The results showed that E_usw was larger than the static MOE. The relationship between E_usw and static MOE was significant at 0.01 level, and the determination coefficients (R²) of the four grade lumbers followed the sequence as R² _No.2 (0.616)> R² _SS (0.567)> R² _No.1 (0.366)> R² _No.3 (0.137). The R² of E_usw and MOR were lower than that of the E_tru and MOR for each grade. The E_usw of all the grade lumbers, except No.3-grade, had significant correlation with the static MOE and MOR, thus the bending strength of those grade lumbers can be estimated by the E_usw. The E_tru values of four grade lumbers followed a sequence as No.2-grade (10.701 GPa) > SS-grade (10.359 GPa) > No.1-grade (9.840 GPa) > No.3-grade (9.554 GPa). For the same grade dimension lumber, its E_usw value was larger than static MOE. Mean values of MOR for four grade lumbers follow a sequence as No.2-grade (48.67 MPa) > SS-grade (48.16 MPa) > No.3-grade (46.55 MPa) > No.1-grade (43.39MPa).

The dynamic and static modulus of elasticity (MOE) between bluestained and non-bluestained lumber of Lodgepole pine were tested and analyzed by using three methods of Non-destructive testing (NDT), Portable Ultrasonic Non-destructive Digital Indicating Testing (Pundit), Metriguard and Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and the normal bending method. Results showed that the dynamic and static MOE of bluestained wood were higher than those of non-bluestained wood. The significant differences in dynamic MOE and static MOE were found between bulestained and non-bluestained wood, of which, the difference in each of three dynamic MOE (E _p, the ultrasonic wave modulus of elasticity, E _m, the stress wave modulus of elasticity and E _f, the longitudinal wave modulus of elasticity) between bulestained and non-bluestained wood arrived at the 0.01 significance level, whereas that in the static MOE at the 0.05 significance level. The differences in MOE between bulestained and non-bluestained wood were induced by the variation between sapwood and heartwood and the different densities of bulestained and non-bluestained wood. The correlation between dynamic MOE and static MOE was statistically significant at the 0.01 significance level. Although the dynamic MOE values of E _p, E _m, E _f were significantly different, there exists a close relationship between them (arriving at the 0.01 correlation level). Comparative analysis among the three techniques indicated that the accurateness of FFT was higher than that of Pundit and Metriguard. Effect of tree knots on MOE was also investigated. Result showed that the dynamic and static MOE gradually decreased with the increase of knot number, indicating that knot number had significant effect on MOE value.

A study was conducted to investigate the effects of high temperature on variations of alkaloid metabolism in C. roseus seedlings in Key Laboratory of Forest Plant Ecology, Northeast Forestry University, Heilongiang, China. 60-day-old C. roseus seedlings with 3–4 pairs of leaves were incubated in chambers with temperature of 30°C and 40°C for short-term heat shock experiment and 20°C, 25°C and 35°C for long-term experiment. The contents of vindoline, catharanthine, vinblastine and vincristine in C. roseus leaves and root were checked at different temperatures in short term (1–6 h) and long term (1–16 d). Results showed that under short-term heat shock, the contents of vindoline, catharanthine and vinblastine in leaves of the seedlings were higher at 40°C than at 30°C, but after 6 h treatment, the contents of vindoline and catharanthine under the two temperatures came to the same level. Catharanthine was exclusively distributed in C. roseus roots and its content was increased by 40% after two hours incubation at 40°C, while increased slowly at 30°C incubation and reached the highest value at 6 h. In the Long-term experiment, concentrations of monomeric alkaloids catharanthine and vindoline were higher at 20°C than at 25°C and had a sharp increase under the condition of 35°C. While for dimeric alkaloid, it showed that the higher the temperature, the earlier the peak value of vinblastine content appears. Vincristine had a continuous enhancement and attained 0.027 mg·g⁻¹ at 16th day under 35°C condition which was higher than those in the other conditions. It was concluded that high temperature could promote the accumulation of different alkaloids in C. roseus and the accumulation characteristic is highly related to treatment time.

UGPase gene related with wood cellulose synthesis was transferred into C. acuminata using the method of Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation, and an efficient transformation system was developed for C. acuminata on the basis of evaluations of several factors affecting Agrobacterium-mediated DNA transfer rate. The highest transformation rate was achieved when pre-cultured leaf explants were infected with an Agrobacterium culture corresponding to OD600 (0.5) for 10 min, and cultured on explant regeneration medium for three days. The results of Southern hybridization showed that genomic DNA of the kanamycin-resistant shoots to an UGPase gene probe substantiated the integration of the transgene. Transformation efficiency (6%) was achieved under the optimized transformation procedure. This system should facilitate the introduction of important useful genes into C. acuminata.

In May 2006, a high intensity wildfire occurred in Songling forest region in Daxing’an Mountains, China. The concentration changes of eight ions (K⁺, Na⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Cl⁻, Br⁻, NO₃ ⁻ and SO₄ ²⁻) were measured in burned and unburned streams after fire from May to Oct., 2006. Results show that the most ions flux were higher in burned stream than that in unburned stream during the sampling period, and the greatest concentrations of most ions transported from burned stream occurred in July. After fire, the most amplitude chemical ion was Ca²⁺, whose average concentration was 5.50 mg·L⁻¹ higher than that in unburned stream, and the total concentration of every chemical ion presents a trend Ca²⁺>SO₄ ²⁻>Na⁺>Mg²⁺>NO₃ ⁻. The average concentrations of Ca²⁺, SO₄ ²⁻, Na⁺, Mg²⁺, NO₃ ⁻ showed an increase trend, but those of K⁺, Cl⁻, Br⁻ had a decreased trend. SO₄ ²⁻ had the largest loss among these anions, followed by NO₃ ⁻. Overall, the increase degree of cation was greater than that of anion after burning.

This paper reports two newly recorded species, Isohypsibius lunulatus Iharos, 1966 and Isohypsibius prosostomus Thulin, 1928, of the genus Isohypsibius (Tardigrada; Hypsibiidae) from China. The specimens of Isohysibius lunulatus were collected from Taibai Mt (34°18′N, 107°42′E) at 2,500 m a.s.l. and those of Isohypsibius prosostomus from Taibai Mt (34°10′N, 107°35′E) at 2,000 m above sea level. All specimens are deposited at the College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, China. A key to the Chinese species of Isohypsibius was also given.