Another pointless thread

I posted those in March... link

Palatability of weeds from different European origins:

As part of a study on the significance of seed provenances in schemes to enhance biodiversity in agricultural habitats, juvenile plants of Cichorium intybus, Daucus carota, Leucanthemum vulgare and Silene alba of different European origins were exposed to grazing by two slug species, Deroceras reticulatum and Arion lusitanicus. Living plants were offered in trays, either in a glasshouse (Deroceras) or outdoors (Arion). The amount of herbivory was origin-dependent, with higher losses for all four species from German and Hungarian provenances compared with English and Swiss plants. The main trend was similar for both slug species except in the case of Daucus, and there was a significant �rigin × plant species�interaction. We found strong correlations between provenance-specific herbivory and certain climatic characteristics of the corresponding regions, i.e. winter minimum temperatures, and dryness in spring and late summer, which are crucial for the development of slugs. The results can be interpreted in terms of a SW-NE European climatic gradient and may be a consequence of differences in the need for plant defences against herbivory by slugs. Additionally, the data on palatability were compared with susceptibility towards two parasites which occurred in a field experiment, a leaf miner on Leucanthemum vulgare and a rust fungus on Silene alba. While specific leaf mining frequencies on Leucanthemum contrasted with the palatability of the different provenances to slugs, the rust infection on Silene was low on local and German plants, and higher on the more distant provenances from England and Hungary.

Thanks for that Pol...............................and I flippin` well read it !!

Slug photos will phollow

Tony

Did you photoshop out the blurred tumble weed blowing past the fence.

It's a fair cop Guv, go easy on me will ya?

It`s still not rained here - hosepipe ban since 6-00am - amazing after the amount of water that is lost by leaking pipes and we get effectively fined !
So much for OFWAT - another Quango wasting public money.

Jo gone to a hen night - don`t ask ! - The Shiraz is flowing pleasantly

Tony

Ha - come up here

Scottish Open is on

T in the Park is on

2 huge open air events - so what do we get ??

Rain rian and more rain!!!!!

Just turned the TV on, Raoul Moat (the gunman in Rothbury) has shot himself.

Well, probably the best outcome in the circumstances. He was clearly a troubled man, and had nothing to look forward to.

The gulf between unrealistic expectations fuelled by the trash media and the reality of broken homes, sink estates, and poor, badly-targeted, education grows ever wider.

I wonder how many more Moats there will be as British society continues to crumble.

G

Not being qualified to comment on your society but my first thought when reading this was, has there not been an overall improvement since my UK ancestor left the slums of Bermondesy in 1820.

Greg

Too philosophical for a pointless thread.

To put things back on track after derailing the pointlessness, the sun is now shining.

I think there was an improvement, but that a peak was reached probably in the sixties, and then the consequences of the "all rights, no obligations" society began to be felt.

G

PS: I won't ask what your ancestor did to qualify for a free passage to Australia.

There's nothing more pointless than pointless lives and pointless deaths.

G