Search

The study was conducted to investigate the comparatively the browsing levels of Honamli, Hair, and Saanen goats on saplings in a new forest plantation site for six months. Several treatments (fishing net, shading, food coloring, and raffia) were applied to saplings. Two years old 30 goats including 10 animals for each breed were used. There was a statistically significant difference among the breeds in terms of their browsing on untreated saplings (p < 0.05). While the effect of measurement month was statistically significant (p < 0.05) for both all treated saplings and untreated saplings, the observation time did not have a statistically significant effect (p < 0.05) except for saplings treated with shading. The maximum browsing was observed in saplings treated with raffia (89.28%), which was followed by those treated with food coloring (75.79%) and fishing net (75.39%), respectively. Additionally, damage rate of the saplings with shading (17.85%) in particular was significantly lower (p < 0.05) compared to the other treated saplings. It was thought that results of this study would make contribution for issues of goat, sapling and forest from a different viewpoint. Considering that forest and goat are not alternative to each other and evaluating goats as a part of ecosystem will be useful to solving this problem.

The effects of low pH or excess Al on the root morphology and nutritional status of Japanese red cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) saplings were separately examined using glass beads as a medium. We also compared the effects of pH or Al determined by the glass-beads methodwith those determined by soil-acidification treatment using brown forest soil. An increased number of branching roots, reduced root length and decreased concentrations of Ca and Mg in the white roots were the common symptoms induced by low pH and excess Al. Browning and reduction of K were specific symptoms in white roots subjected to low-pH treatment. The effects of excess Al were characterized by an increaseof root diameter and increased concentrations of P and Al in the white roots. Moreover, the effects of Al were very similar to those resulting from exposure to pH 2.0 solution in brown forest soil. These results suggest that the root morphology of the saplings was adversely influenced not by low pH but by excess Al in brown forest soil, indicating that this type of soil may have the potential for producing a decline in the root systems of Japanese red cedar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]