{"id":718,"date":"2021-06-15T16:38:05","date_gmt":"2021-06-15T14:38:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogsdev.sun.ac.za\/eucxylo\/?p=718"},"modified":"2021-06-15T16:38:05","modified_gmt":"2021-06-15T14:38:05","slug":"handheld-device-gives-wood-scientists-an-edge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/eucxylo\/2021\/06\/15\/handheld-device-gives-wood-scientists-an-edge\/","title":{"rendered":"[:en]Handheld device gives wood scientists an edge[:]"},"content":{"rendered":"

[:en]<\/p>\n

Post authored by Engela Duvenage<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018Pacman\u2019 is keeping those part of the Hans Merensky Research Chair in Advanced Modelling of Eucalypt Wood Formation<\/strong> quite busy these days. It\u2019s not all fun and games, though, but in the name of plant science. \u2018Pacman\u2019 is the nickname given by Stellenbosch University<\/a> students to the top of the range Licor 600 porometer<\/a> they use to study the influence of aspects such as seasonality and droughts on wood formation in Eucalyptus<\/em> trees.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\" Photo<\/strong>: Chris Tonkin<\/a>, one of the M.Sc. students, using the Licor 600. He is co-supervised by Dr Dave Drew<\/a> and Prof Guy Midgley<\/a> of the SU Department of Botany and Zoology<\/a>. Tonkin is studying the carbon allocation strategies that two different eucalypt varieties use. Photo by Engela Duvenage.<\/p>\n

The nickname, which hints at a gobbling video game character, was given in reference to the shape of the device\u2019s \u201cmouth\u201d in which a researcher can place a leaf to take a reading. The method is non-destructive.<\/p>\n

Most of the contingent of eleven postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows associated with the EucXylo<\/span> Chair have or will use it in their research work. The Chair recently acquired the device in partnership with Prof Guy Midgley<\/a> of the Department of Botany and Zoology<\/a>, who studies matters related to climate change.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have the 18th<\/sup> unit sold worldwide. As far as we are aware, we are the first research group in South Africa who are working with it other than for demonstration purposes,\u201d says EucXylo<\/span> research leader, Dr Dave Drew<\/a>, a senior lecturer in the SU Department of Forestry and Wood Science.<\/a><\/p>\n

Based in the Department of Wood and Forestry Science<\/a> at Stellenbosch University<\/a>, EucXylo<\/span> is funded by the Hans Merensky Foundation<\/a>. Its focus is on understanding and interpreting wood formation in plants known as the eucalypts, a commercially significant group of hardwoods widely used within the South African forestry sector. Funding made available to the Chair has already allowed for the co-funding of such equipment as the Licor 600 porometer<\/a>, new laboratory facilities in the Department of Forestry and Wood Science<\/a> and the appointment of a new technical staff member.<\/p>\n

Dr Drew says the handheld, battery-operated instrument makes it easier for students to take rapid measurements in the field or in other places where they would like to monitor plant responses to environmental conditions, such as in our outdoor nursery.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt helps us to make a multitude of measurements within minutes under natural or ambient conditions. It works extremely fast compared to other pieces of equipment. This significantly improves data collection”, says Alta Saunders<\/a>, who is pursuing a Ph.D. in Forestry Science. Saunders uses the Licor 600 as part of her efforts to build models with which to understand how Eucalyptus<\/em> trees respond to drought situations, how they recover and the role of stomatal conductance in all of this.<\/p>\n

Stomatal conductance in plants refers to the degree to which the tiny stomatal openings on especially leaves are open (or not). Plant scientists use it as a measure of a plant\u2019s water status. That\u2019s because the stomata in leaves close in times of drought to curb gas exchange through its CO2<\/sub> uptake and water loss.<\/p>\n

Other students in the Chair use the Licor\u2019s built-in fluorometer to pick up fluorescence emitted from the chlorophyll in plants. This tells scientists a great deal about how plants produce energy during the process of photosynthesis.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy measuring stomatal conductance and chlorophyll fluorescence we are able to understand better how plants respond to changes in environmental conditions. It also gives us insight as to whether the plant is experiencing any stress,\u201d explains Saunders.<\/p>\n

It is helping M.Sc. student Chris Tonkin<\/a> gain insight into how carbon sequestration is influenced by drought. That is because stomatal responses also reflect how plants sequester carbon and how this is affected by drought.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is especially important in light of climate change, since eucalypts could potentially be a valuable part of the solution for removing CO2<\/sub> from the atmosphere. Drought frequencies and\/or intensities are, however, expected to increase due to climate change and it is important to understand how carbon uptake (gas exchange) and production is affected by drought,\u201d adds Saunders.<\/p>\n

In related work, Ph.D. student Rafael Keret<\/a> is looking at wood formation and the genes being expressed during drought. The Licor 600 is helping him determine how severe the drought treatments are that he is applying to the plants he is tending at the on-site nursery at the Department of Forestry and Wood Science<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As part of his Ph.D. in Forestry Science and Natural Resources Sciences, Mpilo Khumalo<\/a> is using it in his comparative study of the wood properties of four Eucalyptus<\/em> varieties, and how aspects such as seasonality and sap flow influence wood formation.<\/p>\n

See the EucXylo<\/span> \u2018projects\u2019 page<\/a> to learn more about the respective student’s ongoing projects.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[:]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[:en] Post authored by Engela Duvenage \u2018Pacman\u2019 is keeping those part of the Hans Merensky Research Chair in Advanced Modelling of Eucalypt Wood Formation quite busy these days. It\u2019s not all fun and games, though, but in the name of plant science. \u2018Pacman\u2019 is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10084,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/eucxylo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/718","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/eucxylo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/eucxylo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/eucxylo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10084"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/eucxylo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=718"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/eucxylo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/718\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/eucxylo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/eucxylo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=718"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/eucxylo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}