2.7. Soil erosion modeling For this study a model-based approach was used to assess soil erosion risk. The well-known Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) (Wischmeier and Smith, 1978) was used because it is one of the least data demanding erosion models that have been developed and it has been applied widely at different scales. The model is designed to estimate long-term annual erosion rates of agricultural fields. The USLE model as described in Equation 1 was used to predict erosion of each 100…
wetness duration, temperature, age of plant, resistant plant cultivar, pH, nutrient and light. 2.4.1 Inoculum density One of the main factors that facilitate Colletotrichum sp. infection and growth is inoculum density. Up till now, according to Diéguez-Uribeondo et al. (2011), disease severity increased exponentially with increasing concentration of inoculum. For instance, an increase in lesion number and bigger necrotic lesion diameter was observed on cucumber plant as inoculum concentration…
Maidenhair Tree is a totally unique tree. It is the only surviving member of the Ginkgoaceae family and has no living relatives, making it to be completely isolated from the rest of the Plant Kingdom. To get a true sense of how isolated Ginkgo biloba is, this quote from http://www.kew.org/science-conservation/plants-fungi/ginkgo-biloba sums up its situation quite well, “Ginkgo biloba is the only member of its genus, which is the only genus in its family, which is the only family in its order,…
The easiest way to explain transpiration is to think of it as plant evaporation. Transpiration as a whole is the general cycle for water regarding plants, this includes the movement of water throughout the plant itself and the movement of water leaving the organism. However, most definitions of transpiration focus on aerial parts such as the stomata on the leaves. The adhesion and cohesion of water is something very important to life. It is these properties that allow the movement of water…
Which Food Does the Plasmodial SlimeMold, Physarum sp. Prefer to Eat.Introduction: Physarum polycephalum is a slime mold that inhabits shady, cool,moist areas, such as decaying leaves and logs. Like slime molds in general, it issensitive to light; in particular, light can repel the slime mold and be a factor intriggering spore growth. Scientists called to the scene, however, put any fears ofmenacing goo or alien creatures to rest by identifying the mass as an unusually large(46 centimeters or…
variety of plants. The Great Smoky Mountains national park is over 800 square miles, and throughout this vast space is found a large diversity of plants. The national park is over 95% forested, and is sometimes referred to as the “wildflower national park”. While over 12,000 plant species have been discovered in the park, there is evidence that there may be as many as 90,000 unfound species. The range of elevations throughout the Smoky Mountains makes it a suitable habitat for a variety of plant…
In order to properly grow, plants need certain macronutrients and micronutrients. They need the macronutrients: nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, sulfur, magnesium; and the micronutrients: boron, chlorine, manganese, iron, zinc, copper, molybdenum, and nickel. (3). Fertilizer enhances the growth rate of plants. Fertilizer adds nutrients and modifies the water retention and aeration of plants. Fertilizer contains three main macronutrients: nitrogen for leaf growth; phosphorus for the…
Oak trees (genus Quercus) may possess a behavioral defense against acorn predators. Data collected from many oak species shows a common trend that several years of relatively low acorn production are followed by a year with an exceptionally large production of acorns. The term “mast” is used to refer to the amount of acorns produced per year, and the phrase “mast year” is used to describe the year in which acorn production is exceptionally high. Mast years seem to be synchronous within a given…
1 cm to each other, and often 5–25 cm apart, to allow each plant enough room” (Longman, 2003). The thing the author is talking about leaving room for would be germination. For our group’s experiment, we hypothesized that putting a seed next to another seed will have no effect on the rate of germination. Germination can be defined as the development of something, in particular a seed. Basically, whenever you see the first sprout of a plant that means it has germinated. In my group’s experiment,…
his peers who brand it as nothing more than a theory. Specifically, critical like Richard Dawkins believe that the Gaia hypothesis is contradictory to sound sciences such as evolution and natural selection. In other words, Mr. Dawkins believes that plants and animals compete for survival by evolving instead of working with their surroundings for the good of the planet (ENVIRONMENT, 2017).…