We investigated differences in host infection by a desert mistletoe, Phoradendron californicum, and examined one of the processes that contributes to these differences: variation in seed deposition among host individuals and species. In the Sonoran Desert, P. californicum parasitizes the sympatric leguminous trees Olneya tesota, Cercidium microphyllum, Prosopis elutina, Acacia constricta, and A...

The Galápagos are considered a model oceanic archipelago, with unique flora and fauna currently threatened by alien invasive species. Seed dispersal is an important ecosystem function with consequences for plant population dynamics and vegetation structure. Hence, understanding the seed dispersal abilities of the assemblages of frugivores will inform scientists and managers of the dynamics of p...

Plant pathogens present a serious threat to seedling establishment and the potential for plant disease epidemics under greenhouse conditions is great. Hence, pathogen exclusion by detection and elimination of infested seedlots remains a requisite tactic for seedling production and disease management. Unfortunately, the numbers of contaminated seed within a lot may be low and infested seed may b...

agroforestry is one the aspects of sustainable agriculture in which multiple cropping of perennial trees in mixture with crops guarantees the environmental, economical and social sustainability in rural communities. high demands for forage in northern provinces of iran lead to agroforestry in citrus orchards as a potential mean for forage production through agroforestry systems. this research w...

1. Seed dispersal is a critical life stage of plants, yet accurate measurement of dispersal distances has been difficult in natural systems. Genetic techniques for matching dispersed seeds to maternal trees provide valuable data on dispersal events. Questions remain regarding how best to estimate the population seed dispersal distance distributions from such data and how these estimates compare...

This paper is motivated by the need to minimize the payload mass required to establish an extraterrestrial robotic colony. One approach for this minimization is to deploy a colony consisting of individual robots capable of self-reproducing. An important consideration for the establishment of such a colony is the identification of a seed. Since self-reproduction is achieved by the actions of a r...

ABSTRACT- To investigate the effects of bio-chemical and organic fertilizers on yield and seeds NPK contents of pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo var. styriaca), an experiment was conducted at the Research Farm of Kurdistan University in 2009 growing season. Treatments were included 1) control, 2) seeds inoculated with free-living N fixing bacteria (NFB), 3) seeds inoculated with phosphate-solubilizing b...

to study the effects of different fertilizing systems using green manure and zeoponix on grain yield and its components in sunflower, an experiment was conducted at the research farm of collage of agriculture, tarbiat modares university in 2010 and 2011. the experimental treatments were arranged as split plot design on the base of a complete randomized block design with three replications. two ...