Deficiencies in postharvest technology and the attack of phytopathogens cause horticultural products, such as tomatoes to have a very short shelf life. In addition to the economic damage, this can also have negative effects on health and the environment. The objective of this work is to evaluate an active coating of sodium alginate in combination with eugenol-loaded polymeric nanocapsules (AL-NP-EUG) to improve the shelf life of tomato. Using the nanoprecipitation technique, NPs with a size of 171 nm, a polydispersity index of 0.113 and a zeta potential of −2.47 mV were obtained. Using the HS-SPME technique with GC-FID, an encapsulation efficiency percentage of 31.85% was determined for EUG. The shelf-life study showed that the AL-NP-EUG-treated tomatoes maintained firmness longer than those without the coating. In addition, the pathogenicity test showed that tomatoes with AL-NP-EUG showed no signs of damage caused by the phytopathogen Colletotrichum gloesporoides. It was concluded that the formulation of EUG nanoencapsulated and incorporated into the edible coating presents high potential for its application as a natural nanoconservative of fruit and vegetable products such as tomato.

In the past three decades, nanotechnology has attracted extensive attention. People have many expectations on the utilization of nanotechnology in medicine, but unfortunately, these expectations are unlikely to be realized. In the field of nanotechnology, the niche for building commercial products has not been developed yet. However, metal nanoparticles have attracted people’s attention since ancient times because of their optical properties, which are very different from those of bulk metals. By understanding the origin of these optical properties and using current technology, these nanoparticles can be manipulated to build a palette. Using micro measurement equipment, the palette can be printed with very good resolution.

Objective: The influence of climate on forest stands cannot be ignored, but most of the previous forest stand growth models were constructed under the presumption of invariant climate and could not estimate the stand growth under climate change. The model was constructed to provide a theoretical basis for forest operators to take reasonable management measures for fir under the influence of climate. Methods: Based on the survey data of 638 cedar plantation plots in Hunan Province, the optimal base model was selected from four biologically significant alternative stand basal area models, and the significant climate factors without serious covariance were selected by multiple stepwise regression analysis. The optimal form of random effects was determined, and then a model with climatic effects was constructed for the cross-sectional growth of fir plantations. Results: Richards formula is the optimal form of the basic model of stand basal area growth. The coefficient of adjustment  was 0.8355; the average summer maximum temperature  and the water vapor loss  in Hargreaves climate affected the maximum and rate of fir stand stand growth respectively, and were negatively correlated with the stand growth. The adjusted coefficient of determination  of the fir stand area break model with climate effects was 0.8921, the root mean square error (RMSE) was 3.0792, and the mean relative error absolute value (MARE) was 9.9011; compared with the optimal base model,  improved by 6.77%, RMSE decreased by 19.04%, and MARE decreased by 15.95%. Conclusion: The construction of the stand cross-sectional area model with climate effects indicates that climate has a significant influence on stand growth, which supports the rationality of considering climate factors in the growth model, and it is important for the regional stand growth harvest and management of cedar while improving the accuracy and applicability of the model.

Forest transition is a trend change process from decreasing to increasing forest area in a country or region. Since the 1990s, ecological and environmental problems such as climate change and loss of biodiversity have received constant attention. The research theory and method of forest transformation has gradually become the frontier and hot topic pursued by international academic circle. With forest transformation as the theme, on the basis of introducing the origin of forest transformation research, along the development vein and internal logic of forest transformation research, this paper reviews the research progress of forest transition theory from the perspectives of Kuznets curve of forest environment and forest transition path, and summarizes the major issues in forest transformation research. The main direction of future research is proposed, including the impact of economic globalization on forest transition, the refinement of research units and the analysis of forest quality transition.

Knowledge of the state of fragmentation and transformation of a forested landscape is crucial for proper planning and biodiversity conservation. Chile is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots; within it is the Nahuelbuta mountain range, which is considered an area of high biodiversity value and intense anthropic pressure. Despite this, there is no precise information on the degree of transformation of its landscape and its conservation status. The objective of this work was to evaluate the state of the landscape and the spatio-temporal changes of the native forests in this mountain range. Using Landsat images from 1986 and 2011, thematic maps of land use were generated. A 33% loss of native forest in 25 years was observed, mainly associated to the substitution by forest plantations. Changes in the spatial patterns of land cover and land use reveal a profound transformation of the landscape and advanced fragmentation of forests. We discuss how these patterns of change threaten the persistence of several endemic species at high risk of extinction. If these anthropogenic processes continue, these species could face an increased risk of extinction.

In November 2018, the sample plot survey method was used to analyze the population characteristics of Lithocarpus polystachyus in the natural secondary forest with different disturbance intensity in Jianning, Fujian Province, and compile its population static life table. The results showed that the number of individuals in the population was small, but it was clustered. With the increase of interference intensity, the first and second age seedlings and young trees decreased. The population types affected by human disturbance are all lacking level V trees, and the population type belongs to primary population (N₁); The undisturbed population lacks level I and II seedlings and young trees, but there are level V trees, and the population type belongs to medium decline population (S₂). In general, all populations of L. polystachyus are unstable and belong to the transitional type. In the static life table, the mortality of level I and II seedlings and young trees is high, the survival rate has a small peak in level III and IV, and then the survival rate decreases rapidly, and the average life expectation of level II is the highest. It shows that artificial conservation measures and appropriate space re-lease are needed to maintain the stability of the population.