Public urban greenery greatly contributes to the residential and tourist value of cities in the Gulf Region,but due to the hyper-arid climatic conditions,the cost of irrigation and plant maintenance is very high.Exist...Public urban greenery greatly contributes to the residential and tourist value of cities in the Gulf Region,but due to the hyper-arid climatic conditions,the cost of irrigation and plant maintenance is very high.Existing strategies to reduce the monetary and ecological costs involve the cultivation of native xerophytic plantations,and/or the use of soil improvers to increase water-and nutrient-holding capacity of the sandy soils.Various soil improvers based on mineral,organic,or synthetic materials have entered the United Arab Emirates(UAE)market in recent years,but there is considerable uncertainty about how they should best be used in combination with ornamental plant stands involving xerophytic native plants.The present study investigated the effect of soil amendment and deep pipe irrigation on perennial ornamental plant stands involving native plants(Tephrosia appolinea(Gel.)Link in combination with Aerva javanica(Burm.f.)Juss.ex Schult.)and native-exotic plants(T.appolinea in combination with Ruelia simplex C.Wright)either or not topsoil and subsoil amendment with bentonite and hydrophobic sand under the irrigation water supply of less than 50%of reference evapotranspiration(ET0).After one year of cultivation,T.appolinea and A.javanica(native vs.native)produced high biomass and exhibited high water use efficiency(WUE)as compared with T.appolinea and R.simplex(native vs.exotic)combination given that no significant differences were found under the soil amendment treatments.All stands thrived under irrigation water supply far below what is usually supplied to exotic ornamental stands in public parks of the Al Ain City,the UAE.However,subsoil amendment in combination with deep pipe irrigation reduced the occurrence of weeds and increased the overall plant rooting depth.Our results suggest that subsoil amendment and irrigation up to 60-80 cm depth can potentially control ephemeral weed infestation,which is a great challenge in various plant production systems of the Gulf Region.The results of the present study suggest that the impact of soil amendment on the WUE of exotic plants is marginal and might not be economically justified.Replacing exotic with native ornamental plant species seems to have a far greater water-saving potential than the amendment of the soil,while weeds can be suppressed in the absence of topsoil moisture.展开更多
An investigation was carried out in wharves, inspection yards, processing plants in Beilun Port and the surrounding areas. Five kinds of exotic harmful weeds were discovered and collected, and they were described and ...An investigation was carried out in wharves, inspection yards, processing plants in Beilun Port and the surrounding areas. Five kinds of exotic harmful weeds were discovered and collected, and they were described and analyzed.展开更多
The main goal of this research was to evaluate the growth of nimblewill (Muhlenbergia schreberi), an emerging threat to forage grass. Our initial experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design, with 17 trea...The main goal of this research was to evaluate the growth of nimblewill (Muhlenbergia schreberi), an emerging threat to forage grass. Our initial experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design, with 17 treatments (i.e., weeks) and 4 repetitions. Seventeen growth evaluations (i.e., treatments) were carried out every 7 days, totaling a 119-day cycle, followed by an analysis of the variables such as stolon number, length, number of leaves, dry matter, biological productivity, growth rate, and relative growth rate. A second experiment was conducted over a 5-week period to compare the growth variable between nimblewill plants and pastures. For all variables, the results showed that the weed grass developed slowly within the first 5 weeks after germination, indicating that this would be the best time to implement a chemical or cultural control measure. It was also observed that cultures with a rapid growth in the first 5 weeks after emergence could easily suppress weed growth. At the end of the experiment, stabilization of all variables was observed. However, additional observations are required to obtain more accurate results.展开更多
基金partly funded by the Al Ain MunicipalityNational Water and Energy Center, United Arab Emirates University。
文摘Public urban greenery greatly contributes to the residential and tourist value of cities in the Gulf Region,but due to the hyper-arid climatic conditions,the cost of irrigation and plant maintenance is very high.Existing strategies to reduce the monetary and ecological costs involve the cultivation of native xerophytic plantations,and/or the use of soil improvers to increase water-and nutrient-holding capacity of the sandy soils.Various soil improvers based on mineral,organic,or synthetic materials have entered the United Arab Emirates(UAE)market in recent years,but there is considerable uncertainty about how they should best be used in combination with ornamental plant stands involving xerophytic native plants.The present study investigated the effect of soil amendment and deep pipe irrigation on perennial ornamental plant stands involving native plants(Tephrosia appolinea(Gel.)Link in combination with Aerva javanica(Burm.f.)Juss.ex Schult.)and native-exotic plants(T.appolinea in combination with Ruelia simplex C.Wright)either or not topsoil and subsoil amendment with bentonite and hydrophobic sand under the irrigation water supply of less than 50%of reference evapotranspiration(ET0).After one year of cultivation,T.appolinea and A.javanica(native vs.native)produced high biomass and exhibited high water use efficiency(WUE)as compared with T.appolinea and R.simplex(native vs.exotic)combination given that no significant differences were found under the soil amendment treatments.All stands thrived under irrigation water supply far below what is usually supplied to exotic ornamental stands in public parks of the Al Ain City,the UAE.However,subsoil amendment in combination with deep pipe irrigation reduced the occurrence of weeds and increased the overall plant rooting depth.Our results suggest that subsoil amendment and irrigation up to 60-80 cm depth can potentially control ephemeral weed infestation,which is a great challenge in various plant production systems of the Gulf Region.The results of the present study suggest that the impact of soil amendment on the WUE of exotic plants is marginal and might not be economically justified.Replacing exotic with native ornamental plant species seems to have a far greater water-saving potential than the amendment of the soil,while weeds can be suppressed in the absence of topsoil moisture.
基金Supported by Ningbo Natural Science Foundation(2017A610074)
文摘An investigation was carried out in wharves, inspection yards, processing plants in Beilun Port and the surrounding areas. Five kinds of exotic harmful weeds were discovered and collected, and they were described and analyzed.
文摘The main goal of this research was to evaluate the growth of nimblewill (Muhlenbergia schreberi), an emerging threat to forage grass. Our initial experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design, with 17 treatments (i.e., weeks) and 4 repetitions. Seventeen growth evaluations (i.e., treatments) were carried out every 7 days, totaling a 119-day cycle, followed by an analysis of the variables such as stolon number, length, number of leaves, dry matter, biological productivity, growth rate, and relative growth rate. A second experiment was conducted over a 5-week period to compare the growth variable between nimblewill plants and pastures. For all variables, the results showed that the weed grass developed slowly within the first 5 weeks after germination, indicating that this would be the best time to implement a chemical or cultural control measure. It was also observed that cultures with a rapid growth in the first 5 weeks after emergence could easily suppress weed growth. At the end of the experiment, stabilization of all variables was observed. However, additional observations are required to obtain more accurate results.
