The integration of Andrographis paniculata under Pinus roxburghii (Chir pine) plantation has been studied to evaluate the growth and yield for its economic viability and conservation. It was grown on three topographical aspects, namely, northern, north-western, and western, at a spacing of 30 cm × 30 cm, followed by three tillage depths, namely, minimum (0 cm), medium (up to 10 cm), and deep (u...

PREMISE OF THE STUDY Gravitropic movements are unexpected mechanical processes that could disturb tree design allometries derived from the physics of nonliving bodies. We investigated whether the scaling law of gravitropic performance (power of -2 of stem diameter) derived from integrative biomechanical modeling is disturbed by ontogeny or environment, then discuss the silvicultural and dendroe...

on the forests, wildlife, and indigenous people of this area, WWF warns. It is not necessary to use this area as there is already a total of 2.3 million hectares of idle or derelict land available for palm oil plantations in Kalimantan, an area greater than the proposed plantation, WWF points out. In addition, oil palm is not recommended for planting in areas more than 200 metres above sea leve...

Where tropical forests have been cleared and abandoned, forest regrowth is often slow. Because of the increasing extent of such degraded lands and desire for these areas to fulfill conservation and ecosystem functions, it has become important to assess mechanisms that accelerate reforestation. In situations where site conditions limit tree establishment, one option to facilitate reforestation i...

Both soil nematodes and microorganisms have been shown to be sensitive bioindicators of soil recovery in metal-contaminated habitats; however, the underlying processes are poorly understood. We investigated the relationship among soil microbial community composition, nematode community structure and soil aluminum (Al) content in different vegetated aluminum-rich ecosystems. Our results demonstr...

The quantification of biomass carbon pools is important for understanding carbon cycling in forest ecosystems. This study was designed to reveal the effects of stand age on biomass partitioning and carbon storage of Chinese fir plantation stands in Dabie Mountains of Anhui, East China. A total of six even-aged Chinese fir plantation stands along an age-sequence from 10 to 50 years were selected...

Although short-rotation woody crop biomass production technology has demonstrated a promising potential to supply feedstocks for bioenergy production, the water and nutrient processes in the woody crop planation ecosystem are poorly understood. In this study, a computer model was developed to estimate the dynamics of water and nitrogen (N) species (e.g., NH-N, NO-N, particulate organic N, and s...

Plantation and secondary forests form increasingly important components of the global forest cover, but our current knowledge about their potential contribution to biodiversity conservation is limited. We surveyed understory plant and carabid species assemblages at three distinct regions in temperate northeastern China, dominated by mature forest (Changbaishan Nature Reserve, sampled in 2011 an...

In order to understand how carbon storage and allocation patterns vary among plantation types, we estimated carbon allocation between aboveand below-ground compartments in four subtropical plantations and a naturally recovered shrubland (as a control). Results indicated that the carbon storage and allocation pattern varied greatly among forest types and was highly dependent on specific traits o...

This essay examines the use of famine-plot rhetoric in the course of disputes over free trade in the French Atlantic during the late eighteenth century. Seeking to discredit officially sanctioned trade monopolies, French plantation owners frequently suggested that the control exercised by metropolitan merchants over transatlantic commerce was responsible for food shortages among the enslaved po...