Control Effect of Slow-release, Long-acting and Multi-functional New Pesticides on Sugarcane Borders and Woolly Aphids

In order to select the long-acting,low toxic,low-risk and multi-functional new pesticides for the control of sugarcane borders and woolly aphids and precise and efficient application technology,the control effect of 10% monosultap · thiamethoxam granular formulation and 1% Bt · clothianidin granular formulation on sugarcane borders and woolly aphids were studied.The results showed that 10% monosultap·thiamethoxam GR and 1% Bt·clothianidin GR had good control effects on sugarcane borders and woolly aphids.They were ideal slow-release,long-acting,low toxic and multi-functional new pesticides used to control sugarcane borders and woolly aphids.They could be used alternately with other pesticides to delay the emergence and development of pest resistance to pesticides.The best dosage of the two pesticides in the field was 45 kg/hm^2.They could be mixed with fertilizer( 1200-1800 kg/hm^2),scattered in sugarcane ditches or at the base of sugarcane plants,and covered with soil or film from January to July.The control effect on dead heart seedlings damaged by borers could be up to above 79.2%,and the control effect on sugarcane woolly aphids could reach more than 98.8%.In comparison with the control group,the actual yield and sugar content of sugarcane increased by above 41 555 kg/hm^2 and 6.5% respectively.The application of slow-release,long-acting,strong systemic and multi-functional new agents with fertilizer around roots is convenient,precise and efficient,labor-saving,time-saving and environmentally friendly,and is worthy of being widely applied in sugarcane areas.

Fuel and vegetation changes in southwestern, unburned portions of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, USA, 2003-2019

Overstory basal area,ericaceous shrub cover(Kalmia latifolia L.and Rhododendron maximum L.),and fuels(i.e.,woody fuel loads and depths and O Horizon thickness) were assessed within Great Smoky Mountains National Park,USA,in 2003-2004.Due to recent wildfire activity within the southern Appalachian Mountain region(including Great Smoky Mountains National Park),the potential spread and expansion of ericaceous shrubs,and the impacts of the hemlock woolly adelgid(Adelges tsugae Annand) on eastern hemlock(Tsuga canadensis(L.) Carrière),these same ecosystem components were again assessed in 2019.Elevation and moisture regime(xeric,intermediate,and mesic) were included in this assessment as potential influential factors.An evaluation of repeated measurements from 40 plots suggested that O Horizon thickness did not change significantly over the 16-year period,but increased as elevation increased,and moisture regime(xeric O Horizon thickness> mesic O Horizon thickness) was a significant,related factor.The sum of 1-,10-,and 100-h fuel loads(fuels less <7.6 cm diameter)increased,whereas woody fuel depth decreased over the16-year period.No significant changes in 1000-h fuel lo ads(>7.6 cm diameter),total woody fuel loads,ericaceous shrub cover,total basal area,or live T.canadensis basal area were observed.Live T.canadensis basal area decreased with increasing elevation.Dead,standing T.canadensis basal area increased from 2003-2019,and that increase was most pronounced as elevation increased on xeric and intermediate sites.Overall,we found that:1.hypothesized increases in total woody fuel loads and ericaceous shrub cover were not present;and 2.elevation and moisture regime were most related to observed changes in vegetation and fuel condition.

Forest Response to the US 1990 Clean Air Act: The Southern Spruce-Fir Ecosystem

The history of the Black Mountains in North Carolina and the southern Spruce-Fir ecosystem has been fraught with widespread forest decline since the mid 1960’s. Balsam Woolly Adelgid attacks and acidic deposition were two of the most recognized causes of decline. Uncertainty arose about the future of these forests, and projections were made regarding the endangerment or extinction of the endemic Fraser fir ([Pursh] Poiret). This study analyzed data sets from a permanent plot network in the Black Mountains dating 1985, 2002, and 2012. Indications that the Fraser fir population is stabilizing from a “boom-bust” cycle of population growth and has entered the stem exclusion stage of forest stand development are evident. Fir live stem density increased more than 250% from 1985 to 2002, and then declined 40% by 2012 at the highest elevations in the forest. Overall, fir appeared to be more impacted on western facing slopes than eastern ones. The population of red spruce experienced a steady decrease in live stem counts, but an increase in live basal area through all years, and at all elevation classes (1675 m, 1830 m, and 1980 m), indicating a normal progression through stand development. Red spruce was also most negatively impacted on western facing slopes. Live stem density was significantly higher (P 0.001) than eastern plots, but live basal area was similar between the two aspects. Atmospheric deposition concentrations of the four main acidic molecules at Mt. Mitchell all peaked in 1998, but decreased by 2012. These reductions, occurring shortly after tightened regulations in the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act may have potential implications for increased forest resilience.

Evaluating Southern Appalachian Forest Dynamics without Eastern Hemlock: Consequences of Herbivory by the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis Carriére) and the Carolina hemlock (Tsuga caroliniana Engelmann) are ecologically important tree species in eastern North America forests that are currently threatened by the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA, Adelges tsugae Annand, Hemiptera: Adelgidae). HWA has spread rapidly from its original introduction site into new areas. Once present, HWA kills its hosts over a period of 4 to 10 years leading to a phenomenon that is known scientifically and colloquially as hemlock decline. To date, quarantine, chemical management, and biocontrol efforts have failed to curb the spread of the HWA. As such, forest management efforts are now being redirected towards developing an understanding of the effects of hemlock removal on vegetation dynamics, changes in forest composition, and changes in ecosystem function. In this study, we parameterize a spatially explicit landscape simulation model LANDIS II for a specific forested region of the southern Appalachians. Parameterization involves defining the life-history attributes of 37 tree species occupying 11 ecological zones and is based on knowledge of: current vegetation composition data, recent historic management and fire regimes, and life-history traits of each species. The parameterized model is used to explore a simple scenario of catastrophic hemlock mortality likely to occur as a result of HWA herbivory. Our results emphasize that hemlock is an important foundation species. When hemlock is removed from the system, forest composition changes considerably with a greater presence of shade intolerant pine and oak species. Additionally, hemlock removal leads to a period of transient, relatively unstable vegetation dynamics as the forest communities restructure.