PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

The carbon footprint of flowering trees

Life cycle assessment shows positive economic, environmental benefits of trees in landscapes

2014-06-30
(Press-News.org) COLLEGE STATION, TX – Why is it important to understand a tree's carbon footprint? The authors of a new study say this vital information can help consumers appreciate the true benefits of planting trees in landscapes, and can also help differentiate horticultural products in the marketplace. According to researchers Charles R. Hall and Dewayne Ingram, authors of a study in the May 2014 issue of HortScience, a plant's carbon footprint is an "impact indicator of primary interest" to growers and consumers because it quantifies the global warming potential of the product.

The carbon footprint of plants and trees, a measure of all greenhouse gases emitted in a product's life cycle, is expressed in units of tons (or kilograms) of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e). "Knowing the carbon footprint of production and distribution components of field-grown trees will help nursery managers understand the environmental costs associated with their respective systems and evaluate potential system modifications to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," Ingram and Hall noted. They added that product differentiation is an increasingly important business strategy for burgeoning green industry businesses, and promoting products that offer environmental benefits can be one way to differentiate horticultural products in a competitive marketplace.

The researchers designed a study to capture the economic costs of component horticultural systems while conducting a "life cycle assessment" of the flowering tree 'Forest Pansy' (Cercis canadensis L.) The study incorporated partial budgeting modeling procedures to measure the sensitivity of related costs and potential benefits associated with short-run changes in cultural practices such as transport distance, postharvest activities, fertilization rates, and plant mortality. Analyses showed that total farm-to-gate-gate variable costs (the seedling, liner, and field production phases combined) was $37.74 per marketable tree; $9.90 for labor, $21.11 for materials, and $6.73 for equipment use, respectively. However, postharvest costs such as transportation, transplanting, take-down, and disposal costs added another $33.78 in labor costs and $27.08 in equipment costs, yielding a total cost from seedling to end-of-life of $98.60. Of the total variable cost, $43.68 was attributed to labor, $21.11 was spent on materials, and $33.81 on equipment use during the life cycle of each marketable tree.

Hall and Ingram say that the study shows life cycle assessment is an effective tool for helping nursery growers understand the inputs, outputs, and impacts of systems producing field-grown trees. "Our findings validate those of previous studies that found that input costs of production processes (machinery, water, fertilizers, pesticides, and energy) are a significant portion of the nursery variable operation costs. Thus, a more efficient use of these environmentally sensitive inputs cannot only reduce production costs for the nursery, but reduce their environmental risks or impacts as well."

INFORMATION: The complete study and abstract are available on the ASHS HortScience electronic journal web site: http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/49/5/622.abstract

Founded in 1903, the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) is the largest organization dedicated to advancing all facets of horticultural research, education, and application. More information at ashs.org


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Common herbal supplement can cause dangerous interactions

2014-06-30
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – June 30, 2014 – St. John's wort, the leading complementary and alternative treatment for depression in the United States, can be dangerous when taken with many commonly prescribed drugs, according to a study by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. The researchers reported that the herbal supplement can reduce the concentration of numerous drugs in the body, including oral contraceptive, blood thinners, cancer chemotherapy and blood pressure medications, resulting in impaired effectiveness and treatment failure. "Patients may have a ...

Cellular team players

Cellular team players
2014-06-30
This news release is available in German. As in a successful football match, all actors in a cell must play in perfect coordination. A typical example for this kind of cooperation can be seen in the heat shock protein Hsp90, which controls the proper folding of other proteins. Together with a second molecule, the co-chaperone P23, it splits the energy source ATP to release the energy it needs to do its work. However, while normal enzyme reactions often are easy to follow because the involved proteins alter their conformations clearly, the interaction between ...

Progress in the fight against tuberculosis

2014-06-30
Leading immunologists expect to see some clear advances in the fight against tuberculosis, an infectious disease that is widespread the world over. Professor Stefan Kaufmann, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin, echoed these sentiments at today's launch of the scientific programme for the 64th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting at Lindau, Germany. "In the past ten years, numerous attempts have been made to develop an improved vaccine. We are now justified in hoping that our vaccine will be effective," explained Professor Kaufmann. The vaccine ...

Artificial enzyme mimics the natural detoxification mechanism in liver cells

2014-06-30
Scientists at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in Germany have discovered that molybdenum trioxide nanoparticles oxidize sulfite to sulfate in liver cells in analogy to the enzyme sulfite oxidase. The functionalized Molybdenum trioxide nanoparticles can cross the cellular membrane and accumulate at the mitochondria, where they can recover the activity of sulfite oxidase. Sulfite oxidase is a molybdenum containing enzyme located in the mitochondria of liver and kidney cells, which catalyzes the oxidation of sulfite to sulfate during the protein and lipid metabolism ...

The chemistry of fireworks: Fourth of July science (video)

The chemistry of fireworks: Fourth of July science (video)
2014-06-30
WASHINGTON, June 30, 2014 — The Fourth of July is just days away, and that means millions of Americans will soon enjoy eye-popping fireworks displays around the country. These dazzling light shows are actually carefully crafted chemical reactions. This week's Reactions episode features John Conkling, Ph.D., the professor who literally wrote the book on pyrotechnics. In the video, Conkling explains the chemistry that creates those amazing fireworks displays. The video is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPHegSulI_M. Subscribe to the series at Reactions YouTube, ...

Study finds low hand hygiene compliance rates during anesthesia administration

2014-06-30
Washington, DC, June 30, 2014 – Anesthesia providers are missing opportunities to clean their hands during surgical procedures, according to a study published in the July issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). In the study, researchers at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center used video observation to map patterns of anesthesia provider hand contact with anesthesia work environment surfaces to assess hand hygiene compliance. Researchers observed an average ...

Forelimb bone data predicts predator style

Forelimb bone data predicts predator style
2014-06-30
At the start of their research, paleobiologists Christine Janis and Borja Figueirido simply wanted to determine the hunting style of an extinct marsupial called Thylacine (also known as the "marsupial wolf" or the "Tasmanian tiger"). In the end, the Australian relic, which has a very dog-like head but with both cat- and dog-like features in the skeleton, proved to be uniquely unspecialized, but what emerged from the effort is a new classification system that can capably predict the hunting behaviors of mammals from measurements of just a few forelimb bones. "We realized ...

A key component of cell division comes to light

A key component of cell division comes to light
2014-06-30
VIDEO: This is a video of the study about the dynamics of microtubule minus ends in the human mitotic spindle. Click here for more information. The division of a cell in two requires the assembly of the mitotic spindle, an extremely complex structure, which is the result of the coordinated action of a multitude of proteins and a finely tuned balance of their activities. A large part of the time that a cell requires to divide is devoted to assembling the mitotic spindle, which, ...

Study: Four Habits Model prepares pediatric nurses for emotionally difficult discussions

Study: Four Habits Model prepares pediatric nurses for emotionally difficult discussions
2014-06-30
INDIANAPOLIS -- A child's illness and hospitalization are extremely stressful for both the child and the parents. A new study reports that the Four Habits Model of Highly Effective Clinicians, a core set of communication skills developed to help physicians communicate with patients, can successfully prepare inexperienced nurses for emotionally difficult conversations with parents of pediatric patients. The evidence-based Four Habits Model was co-developed 20 years ago by Regenstrief Institute investigator Richard Frankel, Ph.D., a sociologist and medical educator whose ...

Potential drug target for PTSD prevention

2014-06-30
Scientists at Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University have identified a drug that appears to make memories of fearsome events less durable in mice. The finding may accelerate the development of treatments for preventing PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). The drug, called osanetant, targets a distinct group of brain cells in a region of the brain that controls the formation and consolidation of fear memories. The results were published in the journal Neuron. "Potentially, drugs that act on this group of cells could be used to block fear memory ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Youngest in class at higher risk of mental health problems

American Heart Association announces new volunteer leaders for 2025-26

Gut microbiota analysis can help catch gestational diabetes

FAU’s Paulina DeVito awarded prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

Champions for change – Paid time off initiative just made clinical trials participation easier

Fentanyl detection through packaging

Prof. Eran Meshorer elected to EMBO for pioneering work in epigenetics

New 3D glacier visualizations provide insights into a hotter Earth

Creativity across disciplines

Consequences of low Antarctic sea ice

Hear here: How loudness and acoustic cues help us judge where a speaker is facing

A unique method of rare-earth recycling can strengthen the raw material independence of Europe and America

Epilepsy self-management program shows promise to control seizures, improve mood and quality of life

Fat may play an important role in brain metabolism

New study finds no lasting impact of pandemic pet ownership on human well-being

New insights on genetic damage of some chemotherapies could guide future treatments with less harmful side effects

Gut microbes could protect us from toxic ‘forever chemicals’

Novel modelling links sea ice loss to Antarctic ice shelf calving events

Scientists can tell how fast you're aging from a single brain scan

U.S. uterine cancer incidence and mortality rates expected to significantly increase by 2050

Public take the lead in discovery of new exploding star

What are they vaping? Study reveals alarming surge in adolescent vaping of THC, CBD, and synthetic cannabinoids

ECMWF - delivering forecasts over 10 times faster and cutting energy usage by 1000

Brazilian neuroscientist reveals how viral infections transform the brain through microscopic detective work

Turning social fragmentation into action through discovering relatedness

Cheese may really be giving you nightmares, scientists find

Study reveals most common medical emergencies in schools

Breathable yet protective: Next-gen medical textiles with micro/nano networks

Frequency-engineered MXene supercapacitors enable efficient pulse charging in TENG–SC hybrid systems

Developed an AI-based classification system for facial pigmented lesions

[Press-News.org] The carbon footprint of flowering trees
Life cycle assessment shows positive economic, environmental benefits of trees in landscapes