The objectives of this research are to develop the grafting robots and an acclimatization chamber for watermelon, and tomato seedlings. For watermelon seedlings, a top plug-in robotic grafting system has been developed, which is applicable for grafting a scion into a mature rootstock before the scion’s cotyledons spread. It thus makes the scion to be very tender and greatly different from the r...

A choice test revealed that Hessian fly, Mayetiola destructor (Say) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), adults deposited approximately 3 times more eggs on wheat (Triticum spp.), seedlings than on barley (Hordeum spp.) or rice, Oryza sativa L., seedlings. On a barley seedling, 49.4% of eggs were deposited on either the abaxial leaf surface or the coleoptile and first leaf sheath (C&FLS), where newly hatc...

The tree species Pinus tabulaeformis Carr. (P. tabulaeformis) is commonly planted in China due to its economic and ecological value. In order to identify one or more ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal species for future P. tabulaeformis afforestation, we investigated the effects of five ECM fungal species: Laccaria laccata, Boletus edulis, Gomphidius viscidus, Suillus grevillei, and Suillus luteus on...

In 1996 a questionnaire on seedling production and use of pesticides was sent to 33 forest nurseries in Finland. Twenty-eight nurseries answered the questionnaire; thus the survey covered about 80% of the Finnish production of forest seedlings. According to this study, the Finnish nurseries together are using about 1000 kilograms of pesticides (as active ingredient, a.i.) annually. The most use...

Grafted seedlings are used commonly in commercial vegetable culture in countries such as Korea and Japan, where land use is intensive. Lee (1994) has reviewed the physiological aspects of grafting. The percentage of cultivated area of grafted seedlings in outdoor commercial vegetable culture amounts to 81% in Korea and 54% in Japan (Table 2 in Lee, 1994). In greenhouse cultivation, the percenta...

Effects of phosphorus supply and mycorrhizal status on the response of photosynthetic capacity to elevated CO(2) were investigated in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) seedlings. Seedlings were grown in greenhouses maintained at either 35.5 or 71.0 Pa CO(2) in a full factorial experiment with or without mycorrhizal inoculum (Pisolithus tinctorius (Pers.) Coker & Couch) and with an adequate or a li...

Basal stem rot, caused by the basidiomycete fungus, Ganoderma boninense, is an economically devastating disease in Malaysia. Our study investigated the changes in lignin content and composition along with activity and expression of the phenylpropanoid pathway enzymes and genes in oil palm root tissues during G. boninense infection. We sampled control (non-inoculated) and infected (inoculated) s...

The Pseudomonas syringae type III effector AvrRpt2 promotes bacterial virulence on Arabidopsis thaliana plants lacking a functional RPS2 gene (rps2 mutant plants). To investigate the mechanisms underlying the virulence activity of AvrRpt2, we examined the phenotypes of transgenic A. thaliana rps2 seedlings constitutively expressing AvrRpt2. These seedlings exhibited phenotypes reminiscent of A....

In order to make mechanized planting economically viable, the present spring planting period for Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) seedlings in Scandinavia needs to be extended. To evaluate the possibilities to extend the planting period, six field experiments were established in four years during which frozen-stored, dormant seedlings and actively growing seedlings targeted for spring pl...

Many species are expanding their distributions to higher latitudes due to global warming. Understanding the mechanisms underlying these distribution shifts is critical for better understanding the impacts of climate changes. The climate envelope approach is widely used to model and predict species distribution shifts with changing climates. Biotic interactions between species, however, may also...