The spatial distribution of disturbances in Andean tropical forests and protected areas has commonly been calculated using bi or tri-temporal analysis because of persistent cloud cover and complex topography. Long-term trends of vegetative decline (browning) or improvement (greening) have thus not been evaluated despite their importance for assessing conservation strategy implementation in regi...

This paper describes the results of a survey on farmers’ perceptions of the effect of woody natural vegetation on wind erosion. Sixty farmers were interviewed in three villages in northern Burkina Faso. The farmers mentioned that the presence of woody vegetation between the crops could benefit yield, but feared competition between the natural vegetation and the crop. Vegetation in a field was c...

Manali Biswas1, Sumit Sahoo2,3, Smarajit Maiti2, Sudipta Roy3* 1Department of Molecular biology and Biotechnology, Sripat Singh College, Murshidabad, 742123 2Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Therapeutics Laboratory, Oriental Institute of Science and Technology, Rangamati, Midnapore, 721101 3PG Department of Biotechnology, Oriental Institute of Science and Technology, Rangamati, Mi...

BOOK ONE 1. Since feeling and voluntary motion are peculiar to animals, whilst growth and nutrition are common to plants as well, we may look on the former as effects of the soul and the latter as effects of the nature. And if there be anyone who allows a share in soul to plants as well, and separates the two kinds of soul, naming the kind in question vegetative, and the other sensory, this per...

A new species, Cheilocostus borneensis, is described. Specimens were collected in Sarawak in 1987 and Kalimantan in 2000, but only intensified surveys of gingers in Sarawak in 2002-2004 provided sufficient collections to recognize the new species, which is here described and illustrated. It is closely related to the widespread C. globosus from which it differs by the chocolate-brown sheaths, ab...

Tithonia diversifolia, an alien ornamental plant introduced from Central America, has being naturalized in tropical, southern and central sub-tropical regions in the Yunnan Province of China (Wang et al. 2004). In order to evaluate this ominous alien species, our team has carried out a comprehensive study on its current geographical distribution, natural communities, vegetative proliferation an...

Runoff and interrill erosion were measured on three composted organics applied at 5-cm and 10-cm depths, a topsoil treatment (15-cm application), and the existing soil on a highway embankment with a 3 to 1 slope. Treatments were tested immediately after preparation and six weeks later to allow for the vegetative cover crop to grow. Rainfall simulations were conducted at an average intensity of ...

Tree survival, early fruit production, vegetative growth and alternate bearing were examined in six different olive cultivars (Barnea, Biancolilla, Coratina, Empeltre, Koroneiki and Leccino) under intensive agronomic conditions in southern Atacama Desert, in the Coquimbo Region of Chile. The cultivars were evaluated over four successive years and had a high survival rate (93%) confi rming their...