Browsing by Subject "maanmuokkaus"

Couch grass is one of the most common perennial weeds that cause significant yield losses in temperate regions. In conventional farming, glyphosate has been commonly used to control couch grass. As attitudes and regulations are tightening towards the use of herbicides, it is necessary to find effective alternatives to replace herbicides, especially glyphosate. This master’s thesis aimed to examine the efficacy of different mechanical methods to control couch grass. The second aim was to study how these methods affect the spring cereal yield and its quality. The hypothesis was that with mechanical control methods couch grass can be controlled as effectively as with glyphosate. Data was collected from two field trials located in Inkoo and Ruukki in 2020-2021. The study plan included seven treatments: direct drilling, ploughing (in two treatments), tine cultivation, a combination of tine cultivation and ploughing, Kvickfinn cultivator, and fallowing. The coverage of couch grass was visually estimated before tillage and before harvest. Field trials were photographed with drones before harvest. The density of couch grass was defined from direct drilling plots before sowing. Biomass samples of couch grass and barley were collected from every plot for one square meter in Ruukki at harvest timing. Spring barley was harvested, and grain yield and its quality were analyzed. The coverage of couch grass was lower with Kvickfinn and fallowing than with direct drilling in Inkoo. There was no difference in yield and quality between mechanical control methods and direct drilling. In Ruukki the infestation of couch grass was more abundant and more even than in Inkoo. The coverage and biomass of couch grass were highest in direct drilled plots in Ruukki. The yield and quality of spring barley were the lowest and poorest in direct drilled plots. Couch grass was almost totally controlled with fallowing. It has to be taken into account that the results base on the data of only one growing season. Therefore, the long-term effects or the effects of weather are still uncertain. Based on the data, it is possible to conclude that fallowing is the most effective method to control couch grass. It seems that with mechanical control methods, couch grass can be controlled as effectively as with glyphosate. With mechanical control methods the spring cereal yield and quality were better than with direct drilling. It is important to control couch grass because it limits crop growth and yield formation.

The goal of this study was to estimate the success of natural regeneration of Scots pine, on unscarified strip cut areas on forestry-drained dwarf shrub peatland sites, as to find the explanatory factors affecting regeneration. The sites were in Southern Finland and the seedling inventory was conducted 3–4 growing seasons after the cutting. On two sites the seedling densities were satisfactory (3000–6300 ha-1) but the spatial distribution was uneven, as the share of empty plots was 41–57 %. On the remaining two sites the regeneration had either failed or was unsatisfactory, with seedling densi-ties 600–1000 ha-1. The most important variables explaining seedling density were the soil scarification-effect of the logging trails and the water table level. The seedling density on the logging trails was 3–21 fold, depending on the site, compared to surfaces outside the trails. The small spots of bare peat were remarkably well-stocked. The explanatory value of variables for the water table level were weakened by the limited number of dipwells. However, it seems the development of seedlings on a clear-cut strip would require an average water table level deeper than 30 cm from the ground level, during growing sea-son. Of the vegetation groups, dwarf shrubs clearly had a negative impact on seedling density. In relation to the cover per-centage of the forest floor, bog mosses hosted more seedlings than upland mosses. The abundance of cotton grass raised seedling density and the longest seedlings grew in the vicinity of cotton grass. The reason was assumed to be the early colonization of the logging trails by both species. A thicker humus layer lowered the seedling density. Among other variables growing season temperature seemed to explain seedling emergence better than seed years. In addition to Scots pine seedlings, regression models are also presented for seedlings of broad leaves and conifer germinants. Common denominators for the occurrence of different groups of seedlings were the positive effect of log-ging trails and bare peat and the negative effect of dwarf shrub cover. According to the results some level of soil prepa-ration seems necessary to achieve a satisfactory level of natural regeneration. The thesis also proposes a forecast model for the occurrence of Scots pine seedlings, which is derived from the rela-tionship between the features of the uncut stand and the seedling densities of the clear-cut strips. According to the forecast model of the average water table level, the water table level preceding a strip cut should be at least -42 cm and preferably deeper, as a prerequisite for strip cutting. The sphagnum moss model states that sphagnum mosses should not cover far more than 5 percent of the forest floor. A higher water table level or a wider sphagnum cover on uncut strips, predicts a water table level too high for the development of Scots pine seedlings on clear-cut strips.

Tukkimiehentäi (Hylobius abietis) on merkittävä metsänuudistamisvaiheen tuhohyönteinen Pohjois- Euroopassa. Se aiheuttaa syönnillään tuhoa etenkin istutetuille havupuun taimille. Näin ollen Suomen istutusta suosiva metsätalous on erityisen herkkä tukkimiehentäituhoille. Tukkimiehentäituhojen torjuntaan on perinteisesti käytetty kemiallisia kasvinsuojeluaineita, joilla taimet on käsitelty ennen istutusta. Torjunta-aineilla on saatu helposti ja edullisesti vähennettyä taimien tukkimiehentäituhoja. Torjunta-aineisiin liittyvien ympäristö- ja terveysriskien takia niiden käyttö on kuitenkin kyseenalaistettu tai jopa kielletty monissa maissa viime aikoina. Vaihtoehtoisten torjuntatapojen kehitys ja tutkimus on noussut yhä tarpeellisemmaksi. Maanmuokkauksen tukkimiehentäituhoja pienentävä vaikutus on todistettu useaan otteeseen aikaisemmissa tutkimuksissa. Tässä tutkimuksessa tavoitteena oli selvittää, voisiko maanmuokkaus olla sellainen metsänhoitotoimenpide, joka laadukkaasti tehtynä suojaisi taimia tukkimiehentäituhoilta niin, että torjunta-aineilla tehtävää suojausta ei tarvittaisi lainkaan. Laadukkaan maanmuokkauksen ja torjunta-ainekäsittelyn vaikutuksia tukkimiehentäituhoihin tutkittiin keväällä 2012 perustetulla maastokokeella. Koe koostui 11:sta uudistusalasta. Uudistusaloille istutettiin torjunta-aineella käsiteltyjä ja käsittelemättömiä yksivuotiaita kuusen paakkutaimia laikkumättäisiin. Torjunta-ainekäsittely tehtiin 0,75 % Karate Zeon tukkimiehentäin torjunta-aineliuoksella, jossa oli tehoaineena lambda-syhalotriini. Taimia seurattiin yhden kasvukauden ajan siten, että istutuksen jälkeisenä syksynä taimien kasvu, kunto ja tukkimiehentäin syönti kartoitettiin. Lisäksi mitattiin taimien maatakertuma, etäisyys hakkuutähteisiin ja etäisyys humusreunaan. Näin voitiin tutkia maanmuokkauksen ja torjunta-ainekäsittelyn lisäksi myös muiden mahdollisten ympäristötekijöiden vaikutuksia tukkimiehentäituhoihin. Ensimmäisen kasvukauden jälkeen kaikista taimista laskettu tukkimiehentäin kokonaissyönti oli 12 % ja tukkimiehentäin syönnin seurauksena vakavasti syötyjä taimia oli 3 % (kuolleita tai vakavasti heikentyneitä taimia). Sekä kokonaissyönnissä että vakavassa syönnissä käsittelemättömiä taimia oli syöty enemmän kuin käsiteltyjä taimia. Vakavasti syötyjä oli käsittelemättömistä taimista 5 % ja käsitellyistä taimista 1 %. Kun taimen etäisyys humusreunaan kasvoi syönnin todennäköisyys laski. Myös taimen runkoon tarttunut maa, maatakertuma, pienensi tukkimiehentäin syönnin todennäköisyyttä. Tutkimuksen perusteella tyydyttävä uudistamistulos voidaan saada aikaan Keski-Suomen ilmasto-oloissa ilman torjunta-aineiden käyttöä, kun taimet istutetaan laadukkaisiin kivennäismaapintaisiin mättäisiin tarpeeksi etäälle humusreunasta.

The idea of preparatory cutting is to improve possibilities for natural regeneration. Seed tree cutting is done usually about ten years after preparatory cutting. Preparatory cuttings as a forestry practice method has been known already for a long, but it is not yet commonly used in Finnish forestry. Preparatory cuttings is a recommended method in Finnish forestry guidelines even it is not well studied. The aim of study is to find out effects of different factors for the establishment of pine seedlings in natural regeneration. The main aim is to find out effects of stem density to the number and the height of seedlings. In old forestry literature site preparation does not include to forestry practices when preparatory cutting is a main method. In this study site preparation is examined, because it is known to increase the amount of seedlings when seed tree method is used. Site preparation can be done also under quite dense seed tree cover without essentially damaging trees staying on stand (e.g. Norokorpi 1983). Effects of ground and field layer vegetation are also examined. Data was recorded on study sites of Natural resources institute of Finland. Study sites locate in Northern Finland and eastern part of middle Finland. Experimental plots were thinned to densities of 50, 150 and 250 stems per hectare in 2004 –2008 and each site had also non-thinned control plots. To study effects of site preparation each study site had also plots that were thinned to densities 50 and 150 stems per hectare and prepared. Data is measured during seven years. To statistically test the effects of stem densities and site preparation on the number and height of seedlings four linear mixed effect models were constructed. More seedlings were recorded on stands thinned to density 50 stems per hectare than on non-thinned stands. However, the amount of seedlings in all stem densities was inadequate for successful regeneration. Density of 50 stems per hectare was best for height growth of seedlings. Site preparation increased significantly the amount of seedlings, but it didn’t have statistically significant effect on the height of seedlings. According to the results of the present study preparatory cutting without site preparation does not increase the amount of seedlings to the level required. Statistical models showed that vegetation had often a negative impact to number of seedlings. Logging waste had also a negative impact to the number of seedlings. Spot of germination had statistically significant effect to height of seedlings, but not to number of seedlings. The border zone between the exposed mineral soil and humus was the most favourable spot for the height growth of seedlings.