Adansonia digitata L. (Baobab) is widely distributed throughout Sub-Saharan Africa stretching from Senegal to Sudan, and from Ethiopia to Natal. Information of phenotypic and genetic variation is a prerequisite for the domestication and improvement of baobab fruits from the wild. A study was done to determine within and between provenance variability in fruit and seed characteristics of five populations selected from four silvicultural zones and assess whether morphometric traits could delineate populations from different zones into land races. Fruits were characterized from 55 trees representing a wide geographical range. Six fruit traits and three individual seed traits were assessed. Results showed highly significant differences (P 0.001) in fruit, pulp, and seed weight, fruit length and width, number of seed, individual seed weight, seed length and width within and between populations. Mean fruit weight ranged from 125.8 ± 3.25 to 162.9 ± 3.25 g, seed weight ranged from 38.6 ± 2.5 to 66 ± 2.01 g and pulp weight ranged from 28.7 ± 1.33 to 41.4 ± 1.33 g. Single seed weight showed pronounced evidence of divergence of populations into ecotypes. The rich diversity found between and within populations is important for domestication purposes and tree improvement through selection and breeding. All populations could be used for seed source but distribution should be consciously done recognizing existence of races.
Tag: phenology
Provenance evaluation of Calliandra calothyrsus meissner in the humid lowlands of Cameroon
Calliandra calothyrsus has been reported to have potential for agroforestry in the humid lowlands of West and Central Africa. Provenance evaluation of the species was initiated in Yaounde, Cameroon with the objective of identifying adapted provenances with desirable traits for inclusion in evaluation of the management of various agroforestry technologies being developed for the humid lowlands of the region. Fifteen provenance seed collections from Central America and southeast Asian sources were included in the trial. Results indicate that enormous genetic variation exists between these provenances. The highest yielding provenance produced 1.8 and 2.5 times, respectively, wood and leaf biomass compared to the lowest yielding provenance. Most of the provenances evaluated flowered during the first six months after establishment while all the provenances (15) flowered by the end of the first year. However, this initial flowering did not result in productive pod development and seed setting. Two years after planting, the trees were cut at a height of 0.05 m above ground level, and more than 80% of the stumps of all the provenances re-sprouted. Leaf nitrogen content ranged between 2.25% and 2.78% of dry weight. Six provenances had above average values in at least five of the six desirable traits considered i.e.: height, growth, stem development, leaf biomass, wood biomass, leaf litter productivity and total nitrogen content of leaves; these are recommended for further testing for inclusion in appropriate technologies for soil fertility improvement.
Chilling and heat requirements for local and foreign almond (Prunus dulcis Mill.) cultivars in a warm Mediterranean location based on 30 years of phenology records
Most temperate fruit and nut trees require fulfillment of chilling and heat requirements during their dormant phase in order to flower regularly and produce economically satisfying yields. Recent and expected temperature increases are cause for concern for many orchard managers, especially in warm growing regions, because they may compromise the trees’ ability to fulfill their climatic needs. To explore temperature responses across different cultivars, we applied Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression to correlate bloom dates of 12 local and 25 foreign almond (Prunus dulcis Mill.) cultivars in Sfax, Tunisia with daily chill and heat accumulation based on more than 30 years of phenology records from 1981 to 2014 and long-term daily minimum and maximum temperatures between 1973 and 2016. We used three chilling models (the Chilling Hours, Utah and Dynamic Models) and one forcing model (Growing Degree Hours; GDH) to quantify climatic needs. Chilling and forcing phases derived from the PLS outputs appeared discontinuous for all almond cultivars and were shorter for the local almond cultivars than for the foreign cultivars. The Dynamic Model provided the most precise estimates of chilling requirements but still appeared to have some shortcomings. According to the Chilling Hours Model, chilling needs were very low, but still higher than for the Utah Model, where the negative chill contributions by high temperatures implied negative chilling requirements. The Chilling Hours and Utah Models therefore do not seem suitable for the climate of the Sfax region. For local almond cultivars, chilling requirements were estimated at between 3.4 and 15.5 Chill Portions (CP) and heat needs between 3962 and 8873 GDH. For foreign cultivars, chilling requirements varied from 6.7 to 22.6 CP and heat needs from 2894 to 10,504 GDH. High temperatures during the chilling phase showed a significant bloom-delaying effect on most of the local and the foreign almond cultivars.
Genetic variability and divergence of seed traits and seed germination of five provenances of Faidherbia albida (Delile) A. Chev
Establishment of Faidherbia albida trees on farm is often difficult despite the plant survival adaptive mechanisms such as drought and disease resistance. Adoption of the tree to agroforestry systems is also limited due to lack of knowledge on genetic variation of its provenances. Morphological charac-terization of F. albida provenances is therefore necessary to screen for natural genetic variation in seeds traits for selection of germplasm for long term agroforestry, timber production, fodder, soil fertility increment and environmental sustainability. In this study, seed traits of five provenances of F. albida: Taveta Wangingombe, Lupaso, Kuiseb and Manapools were examined. Divergent studies were analyzed based on seed morphology and geo-climatic conditions of the provenances. Seed length, width, thickness and weight were analyzed to determine the extent of phenotypic and genotypic variance and heritability. This study revealed significant differences among provenances (P=0.05) for all the studied characters indicating substantial genetic variability. Genetic variance for all seed traits was higher than environmental variance suggesting that the expressions of these traits are under genetic control. This result was supported by high heritability values for seed length (0.92), width (0.99), thickness (0.99) and weight (0.99). Seed germination test involved 4 replicates of 25 randomly selected seeds per provenance. Mean germination percentage among provenances was 83.3% with the highest being 97% and the lowest 71%, P=0.05. Relationships among these variables were analyzed using principal component analysis and cluster analysis resulting in separation of provenances into three distinct clusters. Manapools (760 mm), Lupaso (1165 mm) and Wangingombe (628 mm) with high rainfall were placed in cluster one. Taveta (545 mm) cluster two and Kuiseb (0.5) for all traits suggests that selection based on morphological traits can be made with a high degree of confidence.
Responses of spring phenology in temperate zone trees to climate warming: A case study of apricot flowering in China
The timing of spring phenology in most temperate zone plants results from the combined effects of both autumn/winter cold and spring heat. Temperature increases in spring can advance spring phases, but warming in autumn and winter may slow the fulfilment of chilling requirements and lead to later onset of spring events, as evidenced by recent phenology delays in response to warming at some locations. As warming continues, the phenology-delaying impacts of higher autumn/winter temperatures may increase in importance, and could eventually attenuate – or even reverse – the phenology-advancing effect of warming springs that has dominated plant responses to climate change so far. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated the temperature responses of apricot bloom at five climatically contrasting sites in China. Long-term records of first flowering dates were related to temperature data at daily resolution, and chilling and forcing periods were identified by Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression of bloom dates against daily chill and heat accumulation rates. We then analyzed the impacts of temperature variation during the chilling and forcing periods on tree flowering dates for each site. Results indicated that in cold climates, spring timing of apricots is almost entirely determined by forcing conditions, with warmer springs leading to earlier bloom. However, for apricots at warmer locations, chilling temperatures were the main driver of bloom timing, implying that further warming in winter might cause delayed spring phases. As global warming progresses, current trends of advancing phenology might slow or even turn into delays for increasing numbers of temperate species.
Genotype–environment interaction in Gliricidia sepium: Phenotypic stability of provenances for leaf biomass yield
Limited multi-location testing has been undertaken in Gliricidia sepium and other agroforestry species compared to field crops and plantation forest tree species. Consequently, information on the stability of the various provenances (accessions) of this species is very limited, reducing the efficiency of germplasm deployment. In this study, genotype–environment interaction and phenotypic stability of 14 accessions were investigated for dry matter (DM) leaf biomass yield across five diverse sites in the tropics (Indonesia and Nigeria) and subtropics (Australia, Malawi and Zambia) using nonparametric methods. Results indicated that genotype–environment interaction is present and that some accessions were unstable across these diverse environments implying that blanket recommendation for germplasm deployment may not be efficient. The most unstable accessions for leaf biomass production in this study include the widely used Retalhuleu provenance, which although highly productive, appeared to be better suited to tropical wetter environments. The Belen Rivas and Monterrico provenances were found to combine high phenotypic stability and high DM leaf biomass yield across these diverse sites. Germplasm of these seed sources may be deployed in previously untested sites with perhaps, predictable DM leaf yields. Where further breeding and selection is envisaged, the results of this study could also be used to make selections and constitute breeding populations for either specific environments (Retalhuleu) or for diverse environments (Belen Rivas and Monterrico).
Delayed chilling appears to counteract flowering advances of apricot in southern UK
Temperatures are rising across the globe, and the UK is no exception. Spring phenology of perennial fruitcrops is to a large extent determined by temperature during effective chilling (endo-dormancy) and heataccumulation (eco-dormancy) periods. We used the apricot flowering records of the UK National FruitCollections (NFC) to determine the influence of temperature trends over recent decades (1960–2014) onapricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) flowering time. Using Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression, we determinedthe respective periods for calculating chill and heat accumulation.Results suggested intervals between September 27th and February 26th and between December 31stand April 12th as the effective chilling and warming periods, respectively. Flowering time was corre-lated with temperature during both periods, with warming during chilling corresponding to floweringdelays by 4.82 dC1, while warming during heat accumulation was associated with bloom advancesby 9.85 dC1. Heat accumulation started after accumulating 62.7 ± 5.6 Chill Portions, and floweringoccurred after a further 3744 ± 1538 Growing Degree Hours (above a base temperature of 4C, with opti-mal growth at 26C). When examining the time series, the increase in temperature during the chillingperiod did not appear to decrease overall chill accumulation during the chilling period but to delay theonset of chill accumulation and the completion of the average chill accumulation necessary to start heataccumulation. The resulting delay in heat responsiveness appeared to weaken the phenology-advancingeffect of spring warming. These processes may explain why apricot flowering time remained relativelyunchanged despite significant temperature increases. A consequence of this may be a reduction of frostrisk for early flowering crops such as apricot in the UK.
Global assessment of Vegetation Index and Phenology Lab (VIP) and Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS) version 3 products
Earth observation-based long-term global vegetation index products are used by scientists from a wide range of disciplines concerned with global change. Inter-comparison studies are commonly performed to keep the user community informed on the consistency and accuracy of such records as they evolve. In this study, we compared two new records: (1) Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS) normalized difference vegetation index version 3 (NDVI3g) and (2) Vegetation Index and Phenology Lab (VIP) version 3 NDVI (NDVI3v) and enhanced vegetation index 2 (EVI3v). We evaluated the two records via three experiments that addressed the primary use of such records in global change research: (1) leaf area index (LAI), (2) vegetation climatology, and (3) trend analysis of the magnitude and timing of vegetation productivity. Unlike previous global studies, a unique Landsat 30¯m spatial resolution and in situ LAI database for major crop types on five continents was used to evaluate the performance of not only NDVI3g and NDVI3v but also EVI3v. The performance of NDVI3v and EVI3v was worse than NDVI3g using the in situ data, which was attributed to the fusion of GIMMS and MODIS data in the VIP record. EVI3v has the potential to contribute biophysical information beyond NDVI3g and NDVI3v to global change studies, but we caution its use due to the poor performance of EVI3v in this study. Overall, the records were most consistent at northern latitudes during the primary growing season and southern latitudes and the tropics throughout much of the year, while the records were less consistent at northern latitudes during green-up and senescence, and in the great deserts of the world throughout much of the year. These patterns led to general agreement (disagreement) between trends in the magnitude (timing) of NDVI over the study period. Bias in inter-calibration of the VIP record at northernmost latitudes was suspected to contribute most to these discrepancies. © 2016 Author(s).
Spatiotemporal variability in carbon exchange fluxes across the Sahel
Semi-arid regions play an increasingly important role as a sink within the global carbon (C) cycle and is the main biome driving inter-annual variability in carbon dioxide (CO2) uptake by terrestrial ecosystems. This indicates the need for detailed studies of spatiotemporal variability in C cycling for semi-arid ecosystems. We have synthesized data on the land-atmosphere exchange of CO2 measured with the eddy covariance technique from the six existing sites across the Sahel, one of the largest semi-arid regions in the world. The overall aim of the study is to analyse and quantify the spatiotemporal variability in these fluxes and to analyse to which degree spatiotemporal variation can be explained by hydrological, climatic, edaphic and vegetation variables. All ecosystems were C sinks (average ± total error -162 ± 48 g C m-2 y-1), but were smaller when strongly impacted by anthropogenic influences. Spatial and inter-annual variability in the C flux processes indicated a strong resilience to dry conditions, and were correlated with phenological metrics. Gross primary productivity (GPP) was the most important flux process affecting the sink strength, and diurnal variability in GPP was regulated by incoming radiation, whereas seasonal dynamics was closely coupled with phenology, and soil water content. Diurnal variability in ecosystem respiration was regulated by GPP, whereas seasonal variability was strongly coupled to phenology and GPP. A budget for the entire Sahel indicated a strong C sink mitigating the global anthropogenic C emissions. Global circulation models project an increase in temperature, whereas rainfall is projected to decrease for western Sahel and increase for the eastern part, indicating that the C sink will possibly decrease and increase for the western and eastern Sahel, respectively. © 2016 Elsevier B.V.
Enhancing Accuracy in Historical Forest Vegetation Mapping in Yunnan with Phenological Features, and Climatic and Elevation Variables
Human activities have both positive and negative impacts on forests, altering the extent and composition of various forest vegetation types, and increasing uncertainty in ecological management. A detailed understanding of the historical distribution of forest vegetation is crucial for local conservation efforts. In this study, we integrated phenological features with climatic and terrain variables to enhance the mapping accuracy of forest vegetation in Yunnan. We mapped the historical distributions of five forest vegetation type groups and nine specific forest vegetation types for 2001, 2010, and 2020. Our findings revealed that: (1) rubber plantations can be effectively distinguished from other forest vegetation using phenological features, coniferous forests and broad-leaved forests can be differentiated using visible spectral bands, and environmental variables (temperature, precipitation, and elevation) are effective in differentiating forest vegetation types under varying climate conditions; (2) the overall accuracy and kappa coefficient increased by 14.845% and 20.432%, respectively, when climatic variables were combined with phenological features, and by 13.613% and 18.902%, respectively, when elevation was combined with phenological features, compared to using phenological features alone; (3) forest cover in Yunnan increased by 2.069 × 104 km2 (10.369%) between 2001 and 2020. This study highlights the critical role of environmental variables in improving the mapping accuracy of forest vegetation in mountainous regions.