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Impacts of invasive species are often difficult to quantify, meaning that many invaders are prioritised for management without robust, contextual evidence of impact. Most impact studies for invasive plants compare heavily invaded with non-invaded sites, revealing little about abundance–impact relationships. We examined effects of increasing cover and volume of the non-native herbaceous groundcover Tradescantia fluminensis on a temperate rainforest community of southern Australia. We hypothesised that there would be critical thresholds in T. fluminensis abundance, below which the native plant community would not be significantly impacted, but above which the community’s condition would degrade markedly. We modelled the abundance–impact relationship from 83 plots that varied in T. fluminensis abundance and landscape context and found the responses of almost all native plant indicators to invasion were non-linear. Native species richness, abundance and diversity exhibited negative exponential relationships with increasing T. fluminensis volume, but negative threshold relationships with increasing T. fluminensis cover. In the latter case, all metrics were relatively stable until cover reached between 20 and 30%, after which each decreased linearly, with a 50% decline occurring at 75–80% invader cover. Few growth forms (notably shrubs and climbers) exhibited such thresholds, with most exhibiting negative exponential relationships. Tradescantia fluminensis biomass increased dramatically at > 80% cover, with few native species able to persist at such high levels of invasion. Landscape context had almost no influence on native communities, or the abundance–impact relationships between T. fluminensis and the plant community metrics. Our results suggest that the diversity of native rainforest community can be maintained where T. fluminensis is present at moderate-to-low cover levels.

In semiarid apple (Malus domestica) growing regions, high temperatures and excessive solar radiation can increase the risk of sunburn development. Protective netting is increasingly used as a cultural practice under these conditions to mitigate fruit sunburn losses. However, fruit skin color development can be negatively affected under protective nets due to the reduction in light availability. Reflective groundcovers have been previously reported to increase fruit color development, particularly in the inner parts of the tree canopy. Here, we compared two types of reflective groundcover: a woven polyethylene fabric and a film material with a grassed control without reflective material under a protective netting installation that reduced photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) by 17%. The experiment was conducted in a semiarid climate on a 5-year-old ‘Cameron Select Honeycrisp’ apple orchard near Quincy, WA. Light penetration into the canopy was measured with a PAR sensor. At harvest, fruit quality, yield, and size were assessed. The use of reflective groundcover between the rows significantly increased reflected PAR into the lower canopy. Moreover, reflective groundcovers significantly increased the amount of fruit with greater than 25% skin red color compared with the control. Reflective groundcover did not affect fruit weight, yield, and fruit number. The use of reflective groundcover under protective netting can increase light penetration into the canopy, thereby improving fruit skin red coloration in apple.

In current and next-generation weed control technologies, sequential applications of contact and systemic herbicides for postemergence control of troublesome weeds are needed to mitigate the evolution of herbicide resistance. A clear understanding of the impact auxin herbicide symptomology has on Palmer amaranth groundcover will aid optimization of sequential herbicide applications. Field and greenhouse experiments were conducted in Fayetteville, AR, and a laboratory experiment was conducted in Lonoke, AR, in 2020 to evaluate changes in Palmer amaranth groundcover following an application of 2,4-D and dicamba with various nozzles, droplet sizes, and velocities. Field experiments utilized three nozzles: Extended Range (XR), Air Induction Extended Range (AIXR), and Turbo TeeJet® Induction (TTI), to assess the effect of spray droplet size on changes in Palmer amaranth groundcover. Nozzle did not affect Palmer amaranth groundcover when dicamba was applied. However, nozzle selection did impact groundcover when 2,4-D was applied; the following nozzle order XR > AIXR > TTI reduced Palmer amaranth groundcover the most in both site-years of the field experiment. This result (XR > AIXR > TTI) matches percent spray coverage data for 2,4-D and is inversely related to spray droplet size data. Rapid reductions of Palmer amaranth groundcover from 100% at time zero to 39.4% to 64.1% and 60.0% to 85.8% were observed 180 min after application in greenhouse and field experiments, respectively, regardless of herbicide or nozzle. In one site-year of the greenhouse and field experiments, regrowth of Palmer amaranth occurred 10,080 min (14 d) after an application of either 2,4-D or dicamba to larger than labeled weeds. In all experiments, complete reduction of live Palmer amaranth tissue was not observed 21 d after application with any herbicide or nozzle combination. Control of Palmer amaranth escapes with reduced groundcover may potentially lead to increased selection pressure on sequentially applied herbicides due to a reduction in spray solution contact with the targeted pest.

BACKGROUND Agricultural insecticides are believed to play a role in global pollinator decline. In mass-flowering orchard crops, recommendations to reduce exposure of pollinators to insecticides include spraying at periods when bees aren't foraging, such as dusk and dawn and outside of crop flowering times. However, the presence of flowering weeds within orchards mean pollinators may still be found foraging throughout the growing season, increasing the likelihood that exposure will still occur. We hypothesized that removing these weeds within orchard groundcover may reduce pollinator foraging post-bloom and thus reduce exposure of this group to pesticides. We tested this hypothesis by using herbicide to remove flowering broadleaf weeds in the sod middles ('groundcover') between rows of a nectarine orchard in New Jersey, USA, and assessing the effect on pollinator visitation via three different methods. RESULTS Significantly lower abundance, richness, diversity, and evenness of pollinators were found in plots where herbicide treatment had removed the majority of flowering weeds, compared to untreated plots. This was the case for bees, and for pollinators overall, and was reflected in both visual observations and active sampling through sweep netting. Passive sampling with blue vane traps failed to detect a difference between treatments. CONCLUSION Groundcover management in orchards is often employed as part of integrated pest management programs to remove alternative host plants of insect pests. The findings of this study show that it is also effective in reducing post-bloom pollinator foraging in orchards, thus potentially preventing exposure of these beneficial organisms to harmful insecticides. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Spatial separation of species at sowing has been proposed as a means of managing interspecific competition in mixed swards. This study examined the effect of row configuration on persistence of lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) in pastures and pasture–cover crop mixtures at three sites in the Central West, and in pasture mixtures at three sites in the Riverina, New South Wales, Australia. Lucerne density, taproot diameter, groundcover, and spatial distribution relative to the original drill row were measured at all sites, and plant-available soil water and light interception during spring were assessed at some sites. Row configuration (alternate or mixed drill rows) did not affect lucerne persistence; however, where lucerne seed was concentrated in every third drill row, intraspecific competition led to increased lucerne mortality. This was estimated to occur at densities >28 plants/m drill row. A lucerne density of ~55 plants/m2 in every or alternate drill rows (at row spacings of 250 mm) would likely achieve maximum lucerne production in the semi-arid environments tested, subject to the chance event of favourable conditions in the period after sowing that would maintain that density (e.g. cumulative summer rainfall >100 mm and summer day degrees

Striking a balance between the weed control capacity of living mulches and their competition with the main crop is complex. At rates that avoid severe injury to living mulch, herbicides may reduce their vigor while simultaneously contributing to weed control. In a 2-yr field study carried out in Freeville, NY, we evaluated the effects of various combinations consisting of two herbicides, applied sequentially at reduced rates, on the growth of a sunn hemp living mulch and weeds (including common lambsquarters, common purslane, hairy galinsoga, and Powell amaranth). When a herbicide with primarily POST activity (Type 1; e.g., rimsulfuron, 0.005 to 0.007 kg ai ha−1) was applied first, performance of sunn hemp (1700 to 3900 kg ha−1 dry biomass; 10% to 88% groundcover) was poor and weed growth (25% to 62% groundcover) was high, likely because sunn hemp was severely injured at a young growth stage and was outcompeted by weeds. A follow-up application (approximately 2 wk later) of a herbicide with primarily PRE and residual activities (Type 2; e.g., metribuzin, 0.05 to 0.15 kg ai ha−1), with a surfactant to enhance its POST activity, had little effect on established weeds. However, because sunn hemp was already 20 cm tall at weed emergence, applying a Type 2 herbicide first did not cause severe injury to sunn hemp and reduced weed pressure, thereby also enhancing sunn hemp performance (3,800 to 6,100 kg ha−1 dry biomass; 85% to 94% groundcover). Moreover, the follow-up application of a Type 1 herbicide affected the smaller weeds more (4% to 21% groundcover) than the better-established sunn hemp. Our results demonstrate that an appropriate sequence of herbicides at reduced rates may be important to control weeds while maintaining a healthy living mulch stand.

As a result of urbanization that started with the industrial revolution, high temperatures caused by surface materials in built areas cause the formation of urban heat islands. This situation adversely affects the livability of cities due to the thermal comfort or lack thereof. The surface temperatures of these widely used materials in a park located in the urban area of Iskenderun (Hatay, Turkey) were assessed in this study. The study was conducted in 3 stages in July 2019, one of the hottest months of the year in Iskenderun Community Park (the largest park on the borders of Iskenderun). The city itself is a coastal city with a Mediterranean climate. In the first stage, studies related to the subject were reviewed, and the points to be measured in the area were determined. It was taken into account that the measured points represented different surfaces in the park. In the second stage, the surface temperatures were measured 5 times in total during July using an infrared thermometer (TFA-ScanTemp330) from 12:00–13:00 with 3 repetitions from a height of 150 cm above the surface level. In the third stage, the data obtained was evaluated. The results of this study highlight the importance of the selection of surface materials in the development of healthy and livable cities. In regions where the Mediterranean climate prevails, the importance of increasing the presence of water bodies, grass areas, and plants (trees, bushes, and groundcover) due to their vital roles in reducing urban heat islands and increasing thermal comfort cannot be stressed enough.

Lead (Pb) in the urban environment can have a negative effect on human health, especially children’s health. Reducing elevated Pb exposure in the home landscape is essential. The purpose of this study was to determine which ornamental groundcover landscape plants uptake Pb from contaminated soil. Plants for both shade and sun were selected. Plants for shade [Brake fern (Pteris vittata), Asian Jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum), “Big Blue” Liriope (Liriope muscari), and St. Augustinegrass (Stenotaphrum secundatum)] and sun [Variegated Liriope (Liriope muscari “Variegata”), Asian Jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum), Asparagus Fern (Asparagus setaceus), and Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon)] adapted landscape groundcover plants successfully assimilated Pb grown in soil containing 250 ppm and 500 ppm Pb concentrations. Additionally, soil movement at both 25 mph and 50 mph wind speed was significantly different, with increased soil movement at 50 mph. Therefore, it was determined that landscape plants adapted to both sun and shade can help remove Pb from contaminated soils and stabilize soil particles reducing the movement of soil and be aesthetically pleasing.

Bu çalışmada, Harran Üniversitesi Osmanbey, Eyyübiye, Şairnabi ve Yenişehir kampüslerinde bulunan bitkilerin peyzaj dekoratif özellikleri üzerine değerlendirmeler yapılmıştır. Bu çalışma doğrultusunda tespit edilen bitki türlerinin yörenin ekolojik şartlarına uygun olup olmadığı gözlemlenmiş ve önerilerde bulunulmuştur. Çalışma kapsamında değerlendirilen bitkiler; ibreli ağaçlar, geniş yapraklı ağaçlar, çalılar ve yer örtücü bitkiler şeklinde tasnif edilmiştir. Buna göre, Şanlıurfa merkezdeki Harran Üniversitesi’ne ait 4 farklı kampüslerdeki peyzaj bitkileri 48 familyaya ait 78 cins ve 108 takson olarak değerlendirilmiştir. Alanda %42 oranıyla en fazla ağaççık ve çalılar, %32 geniş yapraklılar, %20 ibreli ve %6 tırmanıclar takip etmektedir. Tespit edilen bitkiler arasında en fazla taksona sahip familyalar Cupressaceae (15), Rosaceae (10), Pinaceae (6), Olecaeae (6), Leguminosae (6) ve Celastraceae (4)’dır. Bitkilerin dendrolojik özellikleri, bilimsel ve yöresel isimleri ile peyzaj değeri hakkında gözlemlere yer verilmiştir. Ayrıca, bu süs bitkilerinin Türkçe ve bilimsel isimleri ile ait oldukları familya belirtilmiştir. Böylece gelecekte yapılması muhtemel olan biyoçeşitlilik, ekolojik ve ekolojik restorasyon gibi çalışmalara katkıda bulunulması amaçlanmıştır. Harran Üniversitesi’ne ait tüm kampüslerdeki peyzaj bitkilerinin değerlendirilmiş olması hem özgünlük açısından önemli hem de bundan sonra yapılacak olan peyzaj çalışmalarına yeni bitkilerin uygulanması açısından önem arz etmektedir.

The movement of plant pathogens between cultivated and natural host communities can result in lost agricultural production and altered microbial or plant biodiversity. Fusarium graminearum incidence was studied in wild grass hosts for 3 years to better understand the ecology of this plant pathogen at the interface of crop fields and nonagricultural environments. Research sites (n = 23) were spread between regions of high and low agricultural production and included both agricultural and nonagricultural fields. Pathogen incidence in living grass spikes and senesced, overwintered stems varied between regions of New York and was lowest in a region with sparser agricultural production (P = 0.001). However, pathogen incidence within regions was similar at both agricultural and nonagricultural sites. The groundcover of crop and wild hosts within 1 km of sample sites were equally effective predictors of pathogen incidence, indicating either host group may drive pathogen spread. Rainfall in the 8 weeks preceding sample collection was strongly correlated with F. graminearum incidence in grasses, as well as an increased prevalence of F. graminearum in Fusarium spp. communities (P = 0.001). Grass species diversity was not associated with a reduction in pathogen incidence, and F. graminearum incidence did not vary among the most well-sampled grasses. These results indicate the pathogen colonizes and spreads in noncultivated grasses in a manner consistent with existing concepts of pathogen epidemiology in cereal crops. Increasing host acreage, whether cultivated or not, could drive the colonization of grasses in remote or protected environments, potentially altering their microbial communities.

The evolution and widespread distribution of glyphosate-resistant broadleaf weed species catalyzed the introduction of dicamba-resistant crops that allow this herbicide to be applied POST to soybean and cotton. Applications of dicamba that are most cited for off-target movement have occurred in June and July in many states when weeds are often in high densities and at least 10 cm or taller at the time of application. For registration purposes, most field studies examining pesticide emissions are conducted using bare ground or very small plants. Research was conducted in Knoxville, TN, in the summer of 2017, 2018, and 2019 to examine the effect of application surface (tilled soil, dead plants, green plants) on dicamba emissions under field conditions. Dicamba emissions after application were affected by the treated surface in all years, with the order from least to most emissions being dead plants < tilled soil < green plant material. In fact, dicamba emissions were >300% when applied to green plants compared to other surfaces. These findings suggest that dicamba applications made to bare ground will likely underestimate what may occur under normal field use conditions when POST applications are made and the crop canopy or weed groundcover is nearly 100% green material. A potential change to enhance the accuracy of current environmental simulation models would be to increase the theoretical findings to allow for the effect of green plant material on dicamba emissions under field conditions.

Construction are increasingly needed in the implementation of projects, especially the existence of services that can control the main demands regarding the accuracy of quality, financial efficiency and time accuracy are very much needed. In implementing the Jumeirah Resort Pecatu Graha Bali Development Project, researchers focused their research on soft landscaping work. The role of project management in controlling the implementation time is to obtain a good way or technique to be applied so that limited resources can be managed so as to obtain effective and efficient results due to well-ordered arrangements.The "S" curve is one of the techniques for controlling project progress by using a combination of the "S" curve and the milestone. After looking at the schedule of plans and comparing with progress in the field, there are very significant delays in work on: (a) Groundcover work, when viewed from February 2019 time schedule groundcover work should have been completed, but progress data in the field in that month only reached 30.92%; (b) Shrubs work, if seen from March 2019 time schedule shrubs work should have been completed, but progress data in the field in that month only reached 35.86%; (c) Palms work, if seen from April 2019 time schedule palms work should have reached the final stage of work, but progress data in the field in that month only reached 43.69%. Factors causing the delay in work based on daily reports include: (a) Land not yet ready for planting because it is still waiting for civil works to be completed; (b) Delay in supply of types of plants: groundcover, shrubs and palms, because plants are imported from Java, especially in Malang areas.

Field studies were conducted in 2017 and 2018 in Arkansas to evaluate the injury caused by herbicides on soybean canopy formation and yield. Fomesafen, acifluorfen, S-metolachlor + fomesafen, and S-metolachlor + fomesafen + chlorimuron alone and in combination with glufosinate were applied to glufosinate-resistant soybean at the V2 growth stage. Soybean injury resulting from these labeled herbicide treatments ranged from 9% to 25% at 2 wk after application. This level of injury resulted in a 4-, 5-, 6-, and 6-d delay in soybean reaching 80% groundcover following fomesafen, acifluorfen, S-metolachlor + fomesafen, and S-metolachlor + fomesafen + chlorimuron, respectively. There was a 2-d delay in soybean reaching a canopy volume of 15,000 cm3 following each of the four herbicide treatments. The addition of glufosinate to the herbicide applications resulted in longer delays in canopy formation with every herbicide treatment except glufosinate + fomesafen. Fomesafen, acifluorfen, S-metolachlor + fomesafen, and S-metolachlor + fomesafen + chlorimuron, each applied with glufosinate, delayed soybean from reaching 80% groundcover by 2, 7, 8, and 9 d, respectively, and delayed the number of days for soybean to reach a canopy volume of 15,000 cm3 by 2, 3, 2, and 2 d, respectively. No yield loss occurred with any herbicide application. A delay in percent groundcover in soybean allows sunlight to reach the soil surface for longer periods throughout the growing season, possibly promoting late-season weed germination and the need for an additional POST herbicide application.

Rapid crop canopy formation is important to reduce weed emergence and selection for herbicide resistance. Field experiments were conducted in 2017 and 2018 in Fayetteville, AR, to evaluate the impacts of PRE applications of flumioxazin on soybean injury, soybean density, canopy formation, and incidence of soil-borne pathogens. Flumioxazin was applied at 0, 70, and 105 g ai ha−1 to predetermined flumioxazin-tolerant and -sensitive soybean varieties. Flumioxazin at 70 g ha−1 injured the tolerant and sensitive varieties from 0% to 4% and 14% to 15%, respectively. When averaged over flumioxazin rates, density of the sensitive variety was only reduced in 2017 when activation of flumioxazin was delayed 7 d. Compared to the tolerant soybean variety, flumioxazin at 70 g ha−1 delayed the sensitive variety from reaching 20%, 40%, 60%, and 80% groundcover by 15, 16, 11, and 5 d, respectively. No delay in canopy closure (95% groundcover) was observed with either variety. Consequently, no yield loss occurred for either variety following a flumioxazin application. Flumioxazin did not impact root colonization of Didymella, Fusarium, Macrophomina, or Rhizoctonia. Pythium colonization of the soybean stem was increased by flumioxazin in 2017, but not in 2018. Increased injury, delays in percent groundcover, and an increase in Pythium colonization of soybean following a flumioxazin application may warrant the need for other soil-applied herbicides at soybean planting. Alternatively, soybean injury and delays in percent groundcover following flumioxazin applications can be mitigated through appropriate variety selection; however, comprehensive screening is needed to determine which varieties are most tolerant to flumioxazin.

Planting native groundcover is often recommended to restore the understory of longleaf pine stands in the southeastern United States, but the effectiveness of such restoration activities remains poorly evaluated. We conducted a study in 25-year-old longleaf pine plantation stands in Georgia, USA, to examine the effects of seeding native groundcover on understory characteristics, fire behavior and soil properties. In 2015, four stands were seeded with five warm-season C4 grasses and a legume and four served as controls. In Fall 2020, we sampled the understory and analyzed soils collected from these stands, and in Spring 2021, fire behavior was evaluated. A total of 120 species were recorded in the understory across the stands, with the seeded species average foliar cover of 15%. There were no significant differences in species richness and Shannon diversity index of the seeded and control stands but understory species composition changed significantly. Soil properties and fire behavior during the prescribed fire also did not differ significantly between treatments, however, mean flame residence time was higher in seeded stands (108 s). Agricultural legacies of elevated soil P and old-field indicator species were prominent across stands. Overall, seeding had a minor effect on longleaf pine ecological characteristics in five years.

Estimates of home-range are reported for the Tasmanian Masked Owl Tyto novaehollandiae castanops using radio-telemetry in a modified agricultural land–forest landscape in south-eastern Tasmania. Home-range sizes for two female Owls were 1991 ha and 1896 ha using the Minimum Convex Polygon method, and 2507 ha and 2320 ha, respectively, using the Kernel Estimator method. The 50% isopleth Kernel estimated a core area of 174 ha and 309 ha for each Owl, respectively. Both Owls used two core areas within their home-range reflecting frequent foraging and roosting sites. The location and configuration of the home-ranges within the landscape, and areas of core use, suggest that Masked Owls are responding to geomorphology, heterogeneity of forest patches, forest structure and abundance and accessibility of prey. Both Owls preferentially foraged at forest edges, riparian zones and small forest patches. Frequently used foraging locations were in open forest with minimal understorey vegetation and a pasture groundcover, which probably reflects increased prey abundance, diversity and accessibility in this habitat type. The diet of both Owls was dominated by locally abundant native and introduced ground-dwelling eutherian mammals and marsupials. The strong association with riparian zones of both Owls in this study highlights the potential importance of retaining streamside vegetation to the conservation of the Tasmanian Masked Owl.

The recent widespread expansion of deciduous shrubs across much of the Arctic has been largely attributed to climate warming. This study investigated decadal growth rates of dwarf birch (Betula glandulosa) across a low Arctic landscape in the continental interior of Canada. Detailed birch cover (100 m2 replicate plots) and individual shrub stature measurement datasets for five representative habitat-types were compared between 2006 and 2016, and evaluated in relation to environmental characteristics. Furthermore, dendrochronologically-based annual growth rates were assessed in relation to the 20-year climate record. Birch height, lateral dimensions, and patch groundcover all increased 20–25% relative to 2006 values, but these increases were similar among the habitat-types. Together, the limited evidence of recent warming at this site, the absence of significant habitat-type growth rate differences, and the lack of correlation between annual climate and stem secondary growth strongly suggest that climate change was not the principal cause. Instead, we propose that release from caribou impacts following the recent severe herd decline may explain the net shrub growth. Individual shrub growth rates were correlated with soil nutrient availability, but the latter was highly variable, suggesting that growth rates are primarily determined by fine-scale rather than habitat-scale spatial heterogeneity in nutrient supply. Together, our results demonstrate that birch growth has been enhanced across a variety of habitat-types in the Daring Lake landscape over the decade since 2006, and suggest that the recent severe caribou herd declines may be at least as significant as climate warming in driving birch shrub expansion in the Canadian central low Arctic. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s10021-019-00474-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

During the 2015, 2016, and 2017 growing seasons, a survey of 63 pastures in Missouri was conducted to determine the effects of selected soil and forage parameters on the density of common annual, biennial, and perennial weed species. Permanent sampling areas were established in each pasture at a frequency of one representative 20-m2 area per 4 ha of pasture, and weed species and density in each area were determined at 14-d intervals for a period from mid-April until late September. The parameters evaluated included soil pH, phosphorus (P), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), sulfur (S), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), and copper (Cu) concentrations, as well as tall fescue density, forage groundcover density, and stocking rate. An increase of 1 unit in soil pH was associated with 146 fewer weeds per hectare, the largest reduction in weed density in response to any soil parameter. Increased soil pH was associated with the greatest reduction in perennial grass weed density, along with an average reduction of 1,410 brush weeds per hectare for each 1-unit increase in soil pH. Common ragweed, a widespread weed of pastures, could be reduced by 3,056 weeds ha–1 when soil pH was 1 unit greater. A 1-ppm increase in soil P was correlated with a decrease of 206 biennial broadleaf weeds per hectare. Perennial broadleaf weed density was reduced in soils with greater concentrations of P, K, and Ca. Additionally, for every 1% increase of tall fescue and forage groundcover, there was a decrease of 18 and 38 perennial broadleaf weeds per hectare. The results from this research indicate that the density of many common weed species can be reduced with higher soil pH and adjustments to soil macro- and micronutrient concentrations, especially P.Nomenclature: Common ragweed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.; tall fescue, Schedonorus arundinaceus (Schreb.) Dumort

To strengthen the exploitation and utilization of groundcover resources of spontaneous vegetation, this study was carried out by using a linear measurement method for species investigation of spont...

Purpose. Find out the common parental components used for creating rose cultivars with a procumbent shrub crown shape in combination with the signs of remontance, as well as develop a generalized pattern of the origin of groundcover rose cultivars from the collection of the M. M. Hryshko National Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NBS).Methods. Analytical and graphic. Genealogies with schemes were drawn according to S. G. Saakov and D. A. Riexta method.Results. It was determined that all the studied cultivars of groundcover roses had species of the Synstylae DC. section as part of the pedigree: Rosa sempervirens L., R. wichurana Creˆp., and (or) R. setigera Michx. Also, the pedigree of all studied remontant cultivars (‘Magic Meidiland’, ‘Anadia’, ‘Candia Meillandeˆcor’, ‘Heideschnee’, ‘Nature Meillandeˆcor’, ‘Red Fairy’, ‘Swany’, ‘Scarlet Meillandeˆcor’, ‘Blanc Meillandeˆcor’) included rose cultivars of Floribunda groups and Muskusnaya rose hybrids, which are absent in non-remontant cultivars (‘Rote Max Graf’, ‘Nozomi’).Conclusions. Among the parental components in the pedigrees of the studied varieties of groundcover roses, which provided a procumbent crown shape specific to them, there were species of the genus Rosa L. of the Synstylae section: R. wichurana; R. sempervirens; R. setigera. All studied cultivars acquire the sign of remontance by crossing with cultivars of the Floribund group, whose origin is associated with the remontant species: R. chinensis Jacq. and R. odorata (Andrews) Sweet section of Chinenis DC. (Indicae Thory); due to R. rugosa Thunb., section of Cinnamomeae DC., with optional repeated flowering, and also due to cultivars of the Hybrid Musk rose group, which origin is associated with the remontant species R. moschata Herrm. Cultivars created from a combination of only non-remontant species R. wichurana, R. setigera, R. sempervirens with R. rugosa were non-remontant (‘Rote Max Graf’,‘Nozomi’). Visualization of relationships between parental components of different hierarchical le­vels and the studied variety is presented in the dendrograms. A generalized scheme of the origin of groundcover roses cultivars has been developed, which allowed to identify the relationship between remontant and non-remontant cultivars through common parental components that provided the key feature of the group – the procumbent shape of the crown of a shrub. The results of the study can be used as a basis for highlighting and granting official status to a group of groundcover roses in the unified International Classification of Roses, which is under development.

Global atmospheric temperatures are predicted to rapidly increase within the next hundred years, consequently altering the microclimates of the sand dune environment where marine turtles lay their eggs. High nest temperatures can increase embryonic mortality, decrease hatchling vigour and size (i.e. quality), and also feminises the sex-ratio of clutches. Sand composition, vegetation cover, rainfall and sun exposure affect the temperature of sand surrounding a nest, however the effect of this variability in the beach environment on the incubation success of a sea turtle clutch is still relatively unknown. We conducted a manipulative study on loggerhead turtle nests at Mon Repos, Queensland, Australia, to investigate the effect of ground-cover vegetation vs bare sand and tree-shade vs no shade on incubation success, hatchling morphology and hatchling locomotor performance. Twenty-four nests were used in a two-factor experimental design, with tree-shade/sun and, ground-cover vegetated/cleared as fixed factors. Sun-exposed nests experienced higher nest temperatures (∼2 °C warmer), shorter incubation periods and poorer incubation success than those in tree-shade. Ground-cover-vegetated nests in tree-shade had lower hatching and emergence success (73%, 66% respectively) than sun-exposed nests placed in sites cleared of ground-cover vegetation (79%, 83% respectively). Hatchlings that emerged from cooler, tree-shaded nests were also larger and crawled faster than hatchlings from sun-exposed nests. We suggest for conservation projects on naturally ‘hot’ beaches, active management strategies such as selective groundcover vegetation removal and increased shading could be implemented to increase high quality hatchling production.

Vegetative groundcover and rootstock selection are popular growth control practices for fruit and nut crops. Theoretically, plant potential growth rate should influence competitive effectiveness; however, it is unclear if rootstock vigor alters crop productivity when groundcover is present. In a humid-climate vineyard we grew young grapevines on low- and medium-vigor rootstocks with and without groundcover. Vegetative growth was determined on dormant stems; yield was determined at harvest. Roots were extracted with soil cores and distribution, morphology, and mycorrhizal colonization were determined. Resource competition was assessed by water and nutrient depletion in vines and soil. Compared to vines on low-vigor rootstocks, vines on medium-vigor rootstocks exhibited greater reductions in vegetative (40% vs 19%) and reproductive (22% vs 0%) growth by presence of groundcover. Irrespective of rootstock vigor, grapevine root systems coped with competition by increasing specific root length, decreasing absorptive root diameter, and redistributing roots deeper. Competition for nutrients was the apparent main cause of growth reductions with groundcover; however, mechanisms for differential rootstock responses remain unclear. This study suggests that in a wet year, young grapevines grafted on low-vigor rootstocks may be more tolerant of groundcover competition than those on medium-vigor rootstocks; however, both rootstocks cope with a similar root response.