Search Results (2)

In view of global climate and environmental challenges, exploring sustainable urban vegetation management and development is crucial. This study aims to investigate the design strategies of urban road green space plants under the guidance of the dual theories of carbon sequestration and cooling eco-efficiency and aesthetics. In this study, Yangling, a representative small- and medium-sized city, was selected as the study area, and road green space plants were identified as the research objects. The assimilation method was employed to ascertain the carbon sequestration and oxygen release, as well as the cooling and humidification capacities of the plants. The aesthetic quality of the plants was evaluated using the Scenic Beauty Estimation and Landscape Character Assessment. Finally, we propose design strategies for landscapes with higher aesthetic and carbon sequestration and cooling benefits. The results demonstrate a clear nonlinear positive correlation. The carbon sequestration and cooling benefits of plants and the aesthetic quality, with correlation coefficients of 0.864 and 0.922, respectively. Across the same sample points, the rankings of standardized values for carbon sequestration, cooling benefits, and aesthetic quality vary minimally. This indicates that eco-efficient plants with harmonious colors and elegant forms can boost the aesthetic appeal and ecological function in road green spaces. Furthermore, the Sophora japonica Linn., Ligustrum lucidum Ait., Koelreuteria paniculata Laxm., Prunus serrulata Lindl., Prunus cerasifera Ehrhar f., Ligustrum sinense Lour., Photinia × fraseri Dress, Ligustrum × vicaryi Rehder, Sabina chinensis (L.) Ant. cv. Kaizuca, and Ophiopogon japonicus (L. f.) Ker Gawl. are proved to be ecologically dominant plants. They can be employed as the principal selected species for plant design. This study summarizes applicable design strategies for three types of green spaces: avenue greenbelts, traffic separation zones, and roadside greenbelts. The nonlinear regression model developed here provides a reference for scientifically assessing and optimizing urban planting designs. Full article

American plum line pattern virus (APLPV) is the most infrequently reported Ilarvirus infecting stone fruit trees and is of sufficient severity to be classified as an EPPO quarantine A1 pathogen. In late spring, yellow line pattern symptoms were observed on leaves in a few flowering cherries (Prunus serrulata Lindl.) grown in a public garden in Northwest Italy. RNA extracts from twenty flowering cherries were submitted to Ilarvirus multiplex and APLPV-specific RT-PCR assays already reported or developed in this study. One flowering cherry (T22) with mixed prunus necrotic ringspot virus (PNRSV) and prune dwarf virus (PDV) infection also showed infection with APLPV. Blastn analysis of PCR products of the full coat protein (CP) and movement protein (MP) genes obtained from flowering cherry T22 showed 98.23% and 98.34% nucleotide identity with reference APLPV isolate NC_003453.1 from the USA. Then, a LAMP-specific assay was designed to facilitate the fast and low-cost identification of this virus either in the laboratory or directly in the field. The developed assay allowed not only the confirmation of APLPV (PSer22IT isolate) infection in the T22 flowering cherry but also the identification of APLPV in an asymptomatic flowering cherry tree (TL1). The LAMP assay successfully worked with crude flowering cherry extracts, obtained after manually shaking a single plant extract in the ELISA extraction buffer for 3–5 min. The developed rapid, specific and economic LAMP assay was able to detect APLPV using crude plant extracts rather that RNA preparation in less than 20 min, making it suitable for in-field detection. Moreover, the LAMP assay proved to be more sensitive in APLPV detection in flowering cherry compared to the specific one-step RT-PCR assay. The new LAMP assay will permit the estimation of APLPV geographic spread in the territory, paying particular attention to surrounding gardens and propagated flowering cherries in ornamental nurseries. Full article