Issues

In this article, new data on species diversity of hypogeous macrofungi in Bulgaria are reported.
Three species: Tuber rufum, Gautieria graveolens and Lactarius stephensii were recorded
for first time in the country. New localities of noteworthy fungi Tuber excavatum and Gautieria
morchelliformis are also reported. A DNA sequencing for most studied hypogeous fungi and detailed
phylogenetic analysis for T. excavatum were performed. Results confirmed that representatives
of T. excavatum group have a very high intraspecific genetic variability.
 

The Himalayan Region in India is very unique and globally known for its unique topography,
large altitudinal range, climate and diverse habitats. The pteridophytes are important from evolutionary
point of view, as they show the evolution of vascular system and reflect the emergence
of seed habitat in the plants. Due to rich biodiversity of Himachal Pradesh, the pteridophytic flora
is also interesting in its diversity and distribution, however, little is worked out on the economic
aspects of these plants. Therefore, present communication pertains to the diversity of ferns in the
surroundings and dam submergence areas of three hydroelectric projects of Himachal Pradesh.
Overall, 63 species of pteridophytes, belonging to 15 families and 29 genera, were recorded.
Maximum species (56 spp.) were found in forest habitat, followed by riverine/watercourse (48
spp.), shadymoist (42 spp.), bouldary (21 spp.), dry (17 spp.), degraded (12 spp.), submergence
area (12 spp.), landslide and near crop field/orchards (4 spp. each), waste place/road side (1 sp.).
Large scale deforestation and increasing anthropogenic activities have caused elimination of the
habitats, which is posing a serious threat to the pteridophytes of the Himalayan region. Several
conservation measures and management programmes have been taken up in various regions
for the angiosperms, but very little attention has been given to the conservation of pteridophytes.
Therefore, it is important to formulate and implement a detailed scientific study with aim of conservation
of pteridophytes to ensure their long term conservation.
 

The present study provides the information about medicinal plants in Garhwal Himalaya,
Uttarakhand, India. The objective of the study was to document the available important medicinal
plant species and their use in several different health issues of rural people. Numerous ethnomedicinal
surveys were conducted in the villages of Chamoli, Pauri and Rudraprayag districts
during 2014. Data on different aspects of medicinal plants were collected by interviewing the local
communities, following a simple random sampling method with at least 5 % sampling from each
village. During survey, a total of 66 important plant species were recorded, from most of which
roots (40 %) are used. Maximum number of species was recorded from the family Asteraceae
(5 species). In present study area, due to over exploitation and unsustainable harvesting, several
important commercial medicinal plants are facing great threats and need to be conserved
properly. Moreover, lack in interest of present generation about the use of medicinal plants augments
the threat. Therefore, suitable conservation planning is strongly recommended to conserve
medicinal plants including biomedical research, transfer of technology to harvest the existing
medicinal plants sustainably, organization of educational and awareness programmes among
local communities.
 

The main objective of this study was to investigate the allometry of aboveground dendromass
of both single-stem and coppiced black poplar hybrids at an early growth stage and to examine
the potential of the variables age, growth space and number of sprouts as covariates in diameterbased
(basal, d0 or breast-height, dbh) power form models. Our investigation developed cloneand
tree form-specific equations for the aboveground tree dendromass of the clones 'Agathe',
'I 45/51', 'NNDV' and 'BL', grown in a spacing trial in North-Western Bulgaria. All equations, which
were derived as the best per clone x tree form combination, revealed high accuracy and predictive
power, except for the equation of coppiced 'Agatheâ' trees. The clone-specific aboveground
dendromass models for single-stem saplings showed higher goodness-of-fit than those of the
coppices, where more significant dissimilarity of dendromass trends among the clones was also
noticeable. Honer transformed variable model was the most adequate to describe monostem
'Agathe' and 'BL' biomass, while the simple dbh-based allometric equation was selected for monostem
'NNDV'. A d0-based allometric model, in which the slope parameter was expanded by a
power function of tree age predicted best the dendromass of the single-stem 'I 45/51' saplings. All
models derived for the coppiced poplars included the number of sprouts as a second predictor
variable. The clone-specific dendromass models, which possessed the higher goodness-of-fit
within each tree form category, manifested also significantly improved prediction power as compared
to the generic dendromass models for black poplar hybrids.
 

Irvingia fruit and kernels are valuable socio-economic non-timber forest products in South
Eastern Nigeria. The dried kernels have long been used in the kitchen as a condiment for the
preparation of local dishes and the market continues to expand, because of its contributions to
household income and dietary needs. The study focused on the socio-economics and status of
Irvingia fruits and kernels, in two local government areas (LGAs) within the rainforest of Cross
River State, South Eastern Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed for the study.
Two hundred households in 8 villages were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaire and
other participatory methods for data collection. The data collected were analysed using descriptive
statistics and Likert type scale. The results of study revealed that 78.5 % of the respondents
prioritised the kernels and fruits as a very important source of income and food for their households.
Also, 91.5 % of the respondents claimed that the abundance of the fruit and kernel has
decreased over time due to extreme changes in the environment. The results of the Likert scale
analysis rated perceived effect of changes in the environment on the overall abundance of Irvingia
fruit and kernel economic and culinary value to be high and positive (X = 4.02), which implies that
the sustainable availability of Irvingia fruits and kernels and their contributions to local household
dietary needs and income is not guaranteed. It is imperative to intensify both in-situ and ex-situ
conservation of this valuable tree species.
 

Pinus bungeana Zucc. ex Endl. is a picturesque multi-trunked pine tree native to north-eastern
and central China with symmetrical crown and grey-green, mottled, exfoliating bark. This species
is already introduced into European urban parks, although there is still limited information
about its appearance when full grown. The first P. bungeana tree in Bulgaria was planted in the
arboretum of the University of Forestry in Sofia. The aim of this study is to compare needle gas
exchange in this tree and Pinus sylvestris L. Both experimental trees are at similar age and grow
out of their natural range of distribution. The net photosynthesis (AN) in response to various air
temperatures and light conditions was analyzed in both P. bungeana and P. sylvestris needles.
Temperature and light responses of photosynthesis obtained in this study show insignificant differences
between P. bungeana and P. sylvestris. The established features are sings for higher
tolerance of P. bungeana to shade and cold, than P. sylvestris. Therefore, it can be assumed that
P. bungeana has physiological potential to grow in Bulgarian urban parks, similar to P. sylvestris.
 

A model for leaf area (LA) determination in Common beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) was developed
by using leaves from two different elevation sites. The leaf mass (LM), lamina width (LW),
lamina length (LL), and LA were all measured after excision of leaves from the plants in an open
source software ImageJ. Best subsets regression analysis for relations between LA and different
combinations of LW and LL was performed. The proposed best-fit LA-estimation model is:
LA = 2.40·LL+ 6.65·LW-23.77. The established highly significant relation (R2 = 0.98, P-value

The study has intended to reveal the height structure of relatively even-aged coppice stands
of Hungarian oak (Quercus conferta L.), Sessile oak (Quercus petraea Liebl.) and Turkey oak
(Quercus cerris L.) according to thickness levels in terms of curve forms, and to look for the general
regularities occurring with these. Based on a total of 59 sample plots, the height curves have
been investigated for the three groups of stands according to tree species. The height curves
have been transformed into relative height curves and multiplied by the respective numbers of
trees in order to obtain the complex relative height curves. Due to the numbers of trees, the
complex relative height curves obtain paraboloid shape, and these have been investigated for
finding out their asymmetry in terms of breast-height diameter, i.e. the natural thickness level of
1.0. The complex height curves have been investigated while using a special coefficient of asymmetry
(Cas). As a result of the investigations, the distribution of sample plot numbers according to
height structure asymmetry for the three investigated aggregates is almost the same. The average
curves’ values of the normal numbers have been calculated for the three aggregates through
the natural indicators' method of Douhovnikov (1966), and the average curves have been compared
with the uniform average curve of normal numbers by Tyurin. Extreme similarities of the
curves' aspects have been found, which confirms that the tree species does not have substantial
influence upon the height structure of stands.
 

The recent global climate change has already increased the risk of fire in Mediterranean forests,
including protected natural areas. The adaptation options for fire protection that are related
to forest fires and to climate change contain measures, which are relative to the management of
biomass, the prevention and fighting of fires with proper infrastructure and, above all, with public
sensitization. This research endeavours to examine the current situation of the above measures
and to evaluate the 28 Management Bodies (M.B.) that are responsible for the corresponding
28 protected areas of Greece. As a research tool, the questionnaire method was used, in order
to record and to evaluate the views of the land-use managers and scientists in each of the 28
Protected Areas (P.A.). The survey reveals differences among the various national parks with
regard to fire-protection measures, as well as to the effectiveness of fire-fighting and public commitment,
which were estimated to be more important than the management of fuel biomass. The
results were evaluated in the light of a critical review of measures used in preventing and managing
fires.
 

The present study was conducted to investigate the existing agroforestry system and its component
along altitudes in traditional agroforestry systems in Tehri district Garhwal Himalaya, India.
Three different altitudes were considered: lower (286-1200 m), middle (1200-2000 m) and high
altitude (2000-2800 m). All agroforestry components along altitudes were presented including
trees, fruit trees and crops. The proportion of trees, fruit trees, and crops were 45.8 %, 22.9 %
and 31.2 %, respectively. Total 22 forest tree species, 11 fruit tree species, and 15 crops species
were recorded in the study area. The agri-silviculture, agri-horticulture and agri-hortisilviculture
were the common agroforestry systems recorded in the region.