A method for building spatial model of annual weed seed dispersal from experimental data and its application to simulating Bromus sterilis population dispersal

Spatial model of annual weed seed dispersal, in this article, was theoretically derived. According to the requirements of building the spatial model, we designed and done an indoor experiment of weed seed dispersal by wind. In the experiment, the seeds of Bromus sterilis were released at 100 cm height under different wind velocity conditions. Based on the experimental data, the spatial models of seed dispersal of the weed species were built, which were divided into three types according to the coefficient β < 0, β = 0, β > 0. The results showed that dispersal of annual weed seed in any direction obeyed an approximate Gaussian distribution; under the experimental conditions, spatial distribution type of weed seed dispersal changed with variation of wind velocity. Well-known Howard et al.'s model (Howard et al., 1991) of Bromus sterilis seed dispersal is an especial example of the model built in this article. The result of model analysis indicated that the distribution type described by Howard's model was similar to that of seed dispersal of the weed species at the height of 100 cm under the condition of lower wind velocity (about 2.18 m/s). Using CA simulation analysis we found that mean control agent applying to a cell with weed should have a decrease with an increase of wind velocity to prevent weed with the initial configuration from spreading, which implicated less herbicide needs spraying in every cell with weed on average when wind velocity increases.     

Plant colonization of ex-arable fields from adjacent species-rich grasslands: The importance of dispersal vs. recruitment ability

Species-rich semi-natural grasslands have declined drastically in Europe over the last century and occur in modern landscapes as small and isolated fragments. Recreation of these species-rich plant communities and increasing connectivity of remaining grasslands are important goals for nature conservation. Ex-arable fields located adjacent to species-rich grasslands have been suggested as targets for such recreation, but we still lack knowledge about the processes determining colonization from grasslands to ex-arable fields. We examined transects from species-rich semi-natural grasslands to ex-arable fields in a nature reserve located in southeast Sweden, and analysed relationships between observed colonization of ex-arable fields and two characteristics of species: dispersal ability and recruitment ability. Colonization of ex-arable fields was not related to dispersal ability, assessed as adhesive potential to animal coat, wind dispersal potential and seed mass (related to seed production), but was positively related to recruitment ability, assessed by sowing experiment. The same relationships appeared when using a performance index from sowing experiments conducted in the UK. We conclude that recruitment ability is a key factor for colonization of ex-arable fields. In our study, around 50% of semi-natural grassland species were able to colonize adjacent ex-arable field margins spontaneously within a time window of less than 50 years. Seed sowing is however needed to increase the speed of the colonization process, because increasing seed density promotes colonization of species with poor recruitment in ex-arable fields. Actions to increase area and connectivity of species-rich grasslands should consider incorporating ex-arable fields.     

Impact of seed mixture and mowing on food abundance for farmland birds in set-asides

We studied the impact of seed mixtures (grass-clover, less competitive grass vs. meadow plant mixture) and mowing (annual mowing vs. no mowing) on the abundance of seed and insect food for farmland birds in set-aside in a long-term field experiment. In general, seed food was less affected by the treatments than insect food. The impact of seed mixture on the abundance of seed food was dependent on the study year: the highest level recorded in the first year, followed by a substantial decline in the following years. Mowing increased the biomass of seed food. The impact of treatments on insect food abundance differed between the total amount of insect food, and had significant interactions with year. Different insect groups dominated in each year as well as their response to the treatments. For the total amount, the meadow plant seed mixture appeared to be the most beneficial and a slight positive impact of mowing appeared in the last two years of the experiment. The results suggest that the value of set-asides in providing food differs according to food components and declines with increasing age of the set-aside.     

Factors affecting in vitro plant regeneration of the critically endangered Mediterranean knapweed (Centaurea tchihatcheffii Fisch et. Mey)

Habitat destruction has resulted in the extinction of many plant species from the earth, and many more face extinction. Likely, the annual endemic Mediterranean knapweed (Centaurea tchihatcheffii) growing in the Golbasi district of Ankara, Turkey is facing extinction and needs urgent conservation. Plant tissue culture, a potentially useful technique for ex situ multiplication, was used for the restoration of this ill-fated plant through seed germination, micropropagation from stem nodes, and adventitious shoot regeneration from immature zygotic embryos. The seeds were highly dormant and very difficult to germinate. No results were obtained from the micropropagation of stem nodes. However, immature zygotic embryos showed the highest adventitious shoot regeneration on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium, containing 1 mg l⁻¹ kinetin and 0.25 mg l⁻¹ NAA. Regenerated shoots were best rooted on MS medium containing 1 mg l⁻¹ IBA and transferred to the greenhouse for flowering and seed set. As such, the present work is the first record of in vitro propagation of critically endangered C. tchihatcheffii, using immature zygotic embryos, and is a step forward towards conservation of this indigenous species.