Phenotypic variation in Phoebe bournei populations preserved in the primary distribution area

Phoebe bournei（Hemsl.） Yang is a rare and protected plant in China. This study was conducted to determine the phenotypic variation in this species and to document phenotypic variation within and among populations of P. bournei. Nested analysis of variance, coefficient of variation, multiple comparisons, principal component analysis（PCA） and correlation analysis were used to analyze ten phenotypic traits in ten natural populations of P.bournei from both the northeastern and the primary region of the range of this species. Significant differences among and within populations were observed in leaf and seed phenotypic traits. Variation among populations（34.92%）was greater than that within populations（26.19%）. The mean phenotypic differentiation coefficient was 53.77% among populations, indicating that variation among populations comprised the majority of the phenotypic variation of P. bournei. The coefficient of variance（CV） of ten traits varied from 6.44 to 18.45%, with an average of 12.03%.The CV of leaf traits among populations（15.64%） was higher than that of seed traits（8.60%）, indicating that seed traits were more stable. The results from CV and PCA indicated that leaf area, leaf length and thousand seed weight were the main factors accounting for the observed phenotypic variations. Significant or highly significant correlations were observed among most leaf and/or in seed phenotypic traits, whereas no significant correlations were observed between phenotypic traits and geographic factors.Based on cluster analysis, the ten populations can be divided into three clusters. These clusters were not a result of geographic distances.

Effect of Reaction-Finished Solution of Hydrochar(HRFS)Application on Rice Grain Yield and Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Saline Soil

We conducted a pot experiment to examine the feasibility of applying a reaction-finished solution of hydrochar(HRFS)to enhance rice production in a saline soil.With this purpose,HRFS was applied(0,10,20,40,60,80 and 100 mL/pot)and rice yield and nitrogen(N)use efficiency(NUE)were determined.HRFS application significantly(P<0.05)increased rice grain yield by 19.6%-30.0%compared to the control treatment(CKU,with N but without HRFS addition).Moreover,HRFS application promoted plant height and straw biomass of rice.Increases of rice yield were mainly achieved by increases in the number of panicles and grains per panicle.Compared with the CKU treatment,the NUE of HRFS amendments significantly(P<0.05)increased by 56.3%-71.7%.This indicated that the improvement of NUE was one of the mechanisms to improve rice grain yield with HRFS amendment.The results of regression analysis showed that there was a positive relationship(R^(2)=0.8332)between rice yield and HRFS application rate within an appropriate range.The highest rice yield was recorded with the HRFS application of 40 mL/pot,but a further increase in HRFS application rate appeared to reduce rice yield.Based on the results of this pot study,HRFS application can increase rice yield in a saline soil by regulating its yield components and enhancing NUE.However,impact of HRFS on these variables showed a“dose effect”.