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Gonzalez-Andujar JL, Fernandez-Quintanilla C, Bastida F, Calvo R, Gonzalez-Diaz L, Izquierdo J, Lezaun JA, Perea F, Sanchez Del Arco MJ & Urbano JM (2010). Field evaluation of a decision support system for herbicidal control of Avena sterilis ssp. ludoviciana in winter wheat. Weed Research 50, 83–88. Two field studies were conducted in Central and Northern Spain over a total of five seasons to assess the usefulness of a decision support system (AVENA-PC) from agronomic, economic and environmental points of view on herbicidal control of Avena sterilis ssp. ludoviciana in winter wheat. The control treatments evaluated were: (i) AVENA-PC-based recommendations, (ii) full herbicide dose (standard farmer practice), (iii) half herbicide dose and (iv) no herbicide. The herbicide rates used in the AVENA-PC treatment averaged 65% and 30% lower than the full and half dose treatments respectively. AVENA-PC implementation controlled A. ludoviciana with similar efficacy as standard herbicide treatments. Nevertheless, it did support a reduction in relation to the non-herbicide treatment. Yields obtained with AVENA-PC were, in general, not statistically different to those obtained with herbicide treatments and were on average 69% higher than those in the no herbicide application strategy. Comparing AVENA-PC economic performance with the other treatments there were, in general, no significant statistical differences in Central Spain. In Northern Spain, all herbicide treatments had similar net returns, with there being no statistical differences between AVENA-PC and the herbicide treatments. However, there were differences recorded with the non-herbicide treatment. The results of this research indicate that AVENA-PC, due to its flexibility, may recommend less herbicide than the standard farmer practice, providing clear environmental benefits and adequate weed control with maintained crop yield and net returns similar to standard farmer practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dispersal of Avena spp. ( A. fatua and A. sterilis) by natural dissemination and by agricultural operations was studied in four experiments conducted in Spain and Britain. Natural dispersal was very limited, with a maximum dispersal distance of 1.5 m. Dispersal was higher in the geographic direction that was downwind than in any of the other three geographic directions. Although plant movement was very small under no-tillage, an annual patch displacement of 2–3 m in the tillage direction was observed under conventional soil tillage. Ploughing downhill resulted in much larger dispersal distances than ploughing uphill. In the crops studied, combine harvesters dispersed few Avena spp. seeds, because of the fact that the plants had shed most of their seeds (>90%) before harvest. The percentage of seeds available to be dispersed by the combine was dependent on the harvest time. Although combine harvesting may not contribute much to short-distance dispersal, it may play an important role in long-distance dispersal. In our studies, isolated plants were located up to 30 m from the original sources. This small proportion may have a significant effect on the distribution of the weed within a field, acting as foci for new patches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID pandemic has made telematic consultations a basic tool in daily practice., Aims: The main objective of the study is to assess the results of the application of telematic consultations to limit the mobility of patients. The operational objectives are; to propose a consultation plan, to know how attendance limits consultations and to define which pathologies benefit the most from this plan., Methods: A scheme is proposed with the creation of pre-scheduled clinic to assess suitability and the possibility of carrying them out in a single non face-to-face act., Results: Phone call to 5,619 patients were made with a lack of response of 19%. The cases of 74% of the patients that answered were resolved virtually. There is a difference between units, obtaining a higher answering rate from patients appointed to specific clinic units, OR = 0.60, or to general trauma ones, OR = 0.67. The lowest answering rate was obtained from those derived from the emergency department. Twenty per cent of the consultations were not accompanied by complementary tests that would have favored the resolution in a single act. The general trauma consultations, OR = 0.34, postoperative control, OR = 0.49, and specific unit ones, OR = 0.40, were the ones that better met this requirement. Out of the remaining patients, the general trauma consultations, OR = 0.50, and those referred to units, OR = 0.54, were the ones that had a higher resolution rate without in- person consultation., Conclusions: The cases of 74% of the patients who answered the phone call were resolved virtually. Cases of 20% of the patients cannot be solved in a single act because they are derived without complementary tests. Osteosynthesis and postoperative arthroscopic follow-up consultations are the ones that need to be carried out in person the most., (Copyright © 2020 SECOT. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Background and Aims: Plant survival under extreme drought events has been associated with xylem vulnerability to embolism (the disruption of water transport due to air bubbles in conduits). Despite the ecological and economic importance of herbaceous species, studies focusing on hydraulic failure in herbs remain scarce. Here, we assess the vulnerability to embolism and anatomical adaptations in stems of seven herbaceous Brassicaceae species occurring in different vegetation zones of the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, and merged them with a similar hydraulic-anatomical data set for herbaceous Asteraceae from Tenerife., Methods: Measurements of vulnerability to xylem embolism using the in situ flow centrifuge technique along with light and transmission electron microscope observations were performed in stems of the herbaceous species. We also assessed the link between embolism resistance vs. mean annual precipitation and anatomical stem characters., Key Results: The herbaceous species show a 2-fold variation in stem P50 from -2.1 MPa to -4.9 MPa. Within Hirschfeldia incana and Sisymbrium orientale, there is also a significant stem P50 difference between populations growing in contrasting environments. Variation in stem P50 is mainly explained by mean annual precipitation as well as by the variation in the degree of woodiness (calculated as the proportion of lignified area per total stem area) and to a lesser extent by the thickness of intervessel pit membranes. Moreover, mean annual precipitation explains the total variance in embolism resistance and stem anatomical traits., Conclusions: The degree of woodiness and thickness of intervessel pit membranes are good predictors of embolism resistance in the herbaceous Brassicaceae and Asteraceae species studied. Differences in mean annual precipitation across the sampling sites affect embolism resistance and stem anatomical characters, both being important characters determining survival and distribution of the herbaceous eudicots., (© The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company.)

Islands harbour a spectacular diversity and unique species composition. This uniqueness is mainly a result of endemic species that have evolved in situ in the absence of mammal herbivores. However, island endemism is under severe threat by introduced herbivores. We test the assumption that endemic species are particularly vulnerable to generalist introduced herbivores (European rabbit) using an unprecedented dataset covering an entire island with enormous topographic, climatic and biological diversity (Tenerife, Canary Islands). With increasing endemism, plant species are more heavily browsed by rabbits than non-endemic species with up to 67% of endemics being negatively impacted by browsing, indicating a dramatic lack of adaptation to mammal herbivory in endemics. Ecosystems with high per cent endemism are most heavily browsed, suggesting ecosystem-specific vulnerability to introduced herbivores, even within islands. Protection of global biodiversity caused by disproportionally high endemism on oceanic islands via ecosystem-specific herbivore control and eradication measures is of utmost importance.