Manuel Fernández

• PhD
• Professor at University of Huelva

La influencia de la especie forestal sobre el estado nutricional de los suelos es una cuestión planteada en los foros de discusión ambiental. Se atribuyen a especies de crecimiento más rápido, como pinos y eucaliptos, efectos negativos sobre los suelos forestales, mientras que otras cubiertas forestales reciben una consideración mejoradora. Se ha s...

Sustainable production of lignocellulosic biomass for energy use can contribute to climate change mitigation. This work aims to compare the biomass production of twelve fast-growing woody taxa belonging to the Eucalyptus, Casuarina, Populus and Paulownia genera, the quality of their biomass for energy use and its valorizing through transformation i...

The use of wood and residual biomass from forestry works is a CO2 emission-neutral source of energy that also contributes to reducing the risk of spreading forest fires, especially under Mediterranean climate. The forest stands of stone pine (Pinus pinea L.) occupies about 0.7 million hectares in the Mediterranean basin. In this study, the commerci...

We assess how the age of Pinus sylvestris mother trees influences seed size, seed viability, germination capacity and later offspring seedling survival under greenhouse conditions. Thirty trees ranging from 30 to 219 years old were selected in the north facing slopes in the Sierra de Guadarrama, where we could find the oldest Pinus sylvestris trees...

Plant communities can undergo drastic changes in their composition if the ecosystem is severely altered by human actions or climate change. These changes endanger any vulnerable species, mainly if it lives in a small area, as is the case of Picris willkommii (Schultz Bip.) Nyman. Therefore, it is essential to know how an ecosystem alteration could...

Climate change threatens many native species from the Amazon Forest. Among the endangered species is the Açaí (Euterpe oleracea), which is a species with great national and international interest, due to the nutritional benefits and medicinal properties of its fruits. However, there is still no information on the ecophysiological responses of Açaí...

Non-native forest tree species have been introduced in Europe since the 16th century, but only in the second half of the 20th century the significance of the seed source origin for their economic use was recognized, resulting in the establishment of numerous provenance trials at a national, regional, European and International level, as those led b...

The climate change endangers many species of the Amazon Forest. An example, in the endangered medicinal species Pilocarpus microphyllus (popularly known as jaborandi). The jaborandi is a natural source of alkaloids used for serious diseases, essential for medical use. However, the potential impacts of climate change on this species are still unknow...

The steadily increasing demand for energy and concerns about climate change have prompted countries to promote the use of renewable energy sources, including lignocellulosic biomass. In this context, this work aims to assess the biomass production for energy purposes in crops with short rotation, as well as its effect on soil properties. Deciduous...

The use of woody nitrogen-fixing plant species as multipurpose and energy crops aims to enhance biomass yield while improving soil properties. Yet, the effectiveness of this option is still under debate especially the use of short rotation cropping in water and nutrient limited environments. This study investigated whether short rotation coppicing...

Background and Objectives. Water stress is a major constraining factor of Eucalyptus plantations’ growth. Within a genetic improvement program, the selection of genotypes that improve drought resistance would help to improve productivity and to expand plantations. Leaf characteristics, among others, are important factors to consider when evaluating...

Containerized ornamental plant production is facing several environmental challenges. One of them is to replace the widely used, but with questionable sustainability, peat based substrates and another is to avoid water contamination by chemicals leaching from the nursery. Therefore, as have been verified that petunia and pelargonium plants can be p...

Key message We sampled Pinus nigra cones in 29 trees in an age range of 90 to 725 years. The mother tree age did not significantly influence the pinecone or pine seed size, seed germination capacity, or plant size or vigor displayed during the first year of growth in the nursery. Context Pinus nigra Arn. ssp. salzmannii is a long-lived Mediterrane...

Litterfall plays a key role in the dynamic of forest ecosystems, ultimately determining forest productivity and carbon and nutrient cycling. Increasing our understanding on the role of structural and environmental factors controlling litterfall amount and seasonality is of paramount importance for modelling and estimating soil carbon sequestration...

Identifying options of climate change mitigation is of global interest to researchers. Whereas wide range of techniques of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and carbon sequestration have been studied in row crops and forest systems, little research has been done on the ornamental horticulture. The ornamental industrial sector has indeed some...

Eucalyptus species are widely used in productive plantations, but freezing temperatures limit their geographic distribution and reduce crop productivity. Therefore, it is important to understand how nursery fertilisation could affect the frost tolerance and field performance of plants after transplanting. To this end, the effect of two mineral nutr...

Identifying options of climate change mitigation are of a global interest to researchers. Whereas wide range of techniques of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and carbon sequestration have been studied in row crops and forest systems; little research has been done on the ornamental horticulture. The ornamental industrial sector has indeed so...

Peat moss is the most used soilless substrate in the production of container plants in floriculture. Nevertheless, the drainage of peat bogs due to the peat extraction has increased the necessity of seeking products that could replace the peat that is used in plant production. Therefore, a comparative study was conducted to evaluate the effect of a...

Diversification of genetic plant material in forest plantations is viewed as a promising strategy to promote forest adaptation and resilience to ongoing climate change. However, there is an intense debate about whether foreign populations might outperform local ones under new climatic conditions. Unfortunately , long-term experiments using contrast...

Lignocellulosic biomass derived from energy crops, a renewable energy source, must be boosted in order to mitigate climate change effects. For this reason, vegetative growth and biomass production of Eucalyptus x urograndis, under a Mediterranean climate, was studied for three years. At the second and the third planting years, 12 treatments were ap...

Vermicompost is a product derived from the accelerated biological degradation of organic wastes by earthworms and microorganisms. Biochar is a by-product of the C-negative pyrolysis technology for bio-energy production from organic materials. Containerized plant production in floriculture primarily utilizes substrates such as peat moss. Environment...

O objetivo deste estudo foi comparar clones monoespecíficos e híbridos de Eucalyptus a idade precoce (plantas de viveiro menores de 1 ano de idade) em distintas épocas do ano, mediante avaliação de aspectos relacionados com o consumo de água, da área foliar específica e da taxa de transpiração com estômatos abertos e fechados em condições de labora...

El estrés hídrico es uno de los principales limitantes del desarrollo en las plantaciones de Eucalyptus. El objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar aspectos de la morfología foliar relacionados con el consumo de agua en clones de Eucalyptus procedentes de programas de mejora genética. Se utilizaron cinco clones de E. globulus y cuatro clones de híbrid...

In the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula, Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands is causing irreversible damage to populations of the two most common species of Quercus, the holm oak (Quercus ilex L.) and the cork oak (Quercus suber L.). Although the symptoms are similar in the two species, the mortality rates are different. We found significant differences...

El biochar (B) es un subproducto de la pirólisis para la producción de bio-energía a partir de materiales orgánicos. Vermicompost (V) es un producto derivado de la degradación biológica acelerada de residuos orgánicos por lombrices de tierra y microorganismos. La producción de plantas en contenedores en floricultura utiliza principalmente sustratos...

El biochar es un subproducto de la tecnología de la pirólisis C-negativa para la producción de bio-energía a partir de materiales orgánicos. La producción de plantas en contenedores en la floricultura utiliza principalmente sustratos basados en turba. El debate medioambiental por el drenaje de turberas ha aumentado el interés en la investigación de...

Biochar is a by-product of the C-negative pyrolysis technology for production of bio-energy from organic materials. Vermicompost is a product derived from the accelerated biological degradation of organic wastes by earthworms and microorganisms. Containerized plant production in floriculture primarily utilizes soilless substrates such as peat moss....

En un terreno de suelo franco-arenoso, bajo clima mediterráneo con influencia atlántica, se estudió, durante dos años, la producción de biomasa de un clon de Eucalyptus x urograndis, cultivado a una densidad de 2500 pies ha-1. Partiendo de plantas de un año de edad, de diámetro 63.4  8 mm y altura 4.6  0.5 m, en un diseño factorial completo, se a...

El uso de fuentes de energía limpia y renovable, como la biomasa lignocelulósica, puede ayudar a paliar el efecto sobre el cambio climático, reducir la contaminación y la dependencia energética, así como ayudar a recuperar terrenos degradados y a potenciar las economías rurales. En este trabajo se realizaron ensayos, durante cuatro años, de cultivo...

The sickle bush (Dichrostachys cinerea (L.) Wight & Arn.) comprises a woody legume shrub which is widely distributed throughout of the tropical areas of Africa, Asia and Oceania, being found as well in Cuba where it represents a difficult to control invasive plant. It holds great silvopasture and energy crop potentials. In southwestern Spain a two...

Biochar is defined as a by-product of the C-negative pyrolysis technology for production of bio-energy from organic materials. Containerized plants production in floriculture primarily utilizes soilless substrates such as peat moss. Environmental concerns about peat bogs have given rise to research on complementary products that can be added to pea...

Key message There were trade-offs between acorn production and stem growth in individuals of Quercus ilex , and these occurred with annual and intra-annual periods. The costs of reproduction differed significantly between two study sites. Abstract Reproduction in trees often requires significant resources, and previous studies have documented tr...

Context The spatial heterogeneity of soil resources affects the structure and functioning of the different plant communities on ecosystems. In Mediterranean oak woodlands, the scattered trees play a key role in this spatial heterogeneity and might strongly influence ecosystem functioning and its productivity. Aims To assess the influence of the spa...

The hydraulic conductivity and gas exchange parameters of holm oak trees (Quercus ilex ssp. ballota (Desf.) Samp.) from an open woodland ecosystem in southwestern Spain were determined in young shoots (≤1 year old) over the course of 3 years, at 6–7 week intervals. Acorn production (AP) was also determined. Specific hydraulic conductivity (K s), le...

Resumen: La adición de compost puede aumentar la fertilidad de suelos degradados. Además la revege-tación en estas áreas evita la pérdida del suelo y restituye la calidad ambiental. Así, el uso combinado compost y árboles de crecimiento rápido puede ser una alternativa para aumentar la fertilidad de sue-los y pueden suponer un beneficio económico:...

Key message The intra-annual stem girth increment of Quercus ilex is mainly driven by water availability and secondly by temperature. Tree size and competition modulate the growth response to climate. Abstract Holm oak (Quercus ilex ssp. ballota [Desf.] Samp.) is the most widespread species in the Iberian peninsula, being one of the most represe...

We assessed the accuracy of a visual survey method for quantification of acorn production in Holm oak in two plots located in the Huelva province of southwestern Spain during three acorn dissemination periods from 2007 to 2010. At the end of September during each period, visual surveys were used to estimate acorn numbers. Four seed traps were place...

Holm oak (Quercus ilex ssp. ballota [Desf.] Samp.) is the most widespread species in the Iberian peninsula, being one of the most representative trees in forests and open woodlands. The analysis of stem girth increment of holm oak may provide valuable information about how Mediterranean ecosystems will respond to the forecasted climate changes. How...

Forest restoration projects with Holm oak (Quercus ilex) have had limited success, mostly due to water stress after planting and poor plant quality. Recent studies indicated that large and nutrient rich plants perform better in Mediterranean areas, suggesting that late-season fertilization may improve plant quality and field performance. The purpos...

Litterfall is a key process in forests which is sensitive to climatic conditions like precipitation and temperature, and management practices. Therefore, knowledge about litterfall patterns and its associated variables is important for the conservation of Mediterranean ecosystems under conditions of climate change. We aimed to quantify the temporal...

El déficit energético en la Unión Europea, las emisiones de contaminantes y CO2 por el consumo de combustibles fósiles, el abandono de terrenos agrícolas marginales y el despoblamiento rural pueden dar un nuevo impulso al cultivo de biomasa lignocelulósica para su uso como fuente de energía renovable. No obstante, las limitaciones hídricas del ambi...

El déficit energético en la Unión Europea, las emisiones de contaminantes y CO2 por el consumo de combustibles fósiles, el abandono de terrenos agrícolas marginales y el despoblamiento rural pueden dar un nuevo impulso al cultivo de biomasa lignocelulósica para su uso como fuente de energía renovable. No obstante, las particularidades edafoclimátic...

El desfronde es un proceso clave en el funcionamiento de los ecosistemas forestales. Este proceso tiene un marcado componente estacional y es muy sensible a los cambios en las condiciones ambientales, especialmente aquellas relacionadas con la precipitación, así como con el manejo de las masas. Por tanto, el conocimiento de cómo estas variables pue...

La encina es una de las especies más extendidas y emblemáticas de la cuenca mediterránea. La irregularidad interanual y la limitación hídrica estival son características comunes del Clima Mediterráneo que dificultan la gestión de los sistemas vegetales que ahí habitan. Sin embargo aún no se conoce en profundidad cuáles son las necesidades hídricas...

Leucaena leucocephala and L. diversifolia produced high biomass with regrowths of a year, 30-35 (max. 50) TDM ha-1 yr-1. After 10 years of study and up to 6 short ,in some cases, the plants continue to show vigorous regrowth and soil have evolved favourably in N, OM and enzymatic activities. However, it would be necessary phosphorus fertilization t...

espino negro, ciruelo borde, bruñera, marañon (La Rioja), briñón (Liébana), arañon, arto negro (Aragón), gruño (Navarra), arán (Vitoria); cat.: aranyó, aranyoner, arç nègre, escanya-gats, abreñoné (Lleida), oronyer, prunyoner (Baleares); gall. Prunus spinosa L. es una mata alta o arbusto caducifolio que normalmente se eleva hasta 1-2 m de altura, p...

El quejigo pertenece a la familia Fagaceae, género Quercus y subgénero Lepidobalanus. Es un árbol que puede alcanzar portes que sobrepasan los 30 m en buenas estaciones, si bien, en sitios de menor calidad o donde la herbivoría es intensa sólo llegará a los 10-12 m. El porte es robusto y regular en los montes bien tratados, ramificado a bastante al...

Eucalyptus globulus Labill. es una especie ampliamente utilizada en plantaciones comerciales y adaptada a vivir sobre suelos pobres y bajo clima mediterráneo. Durante 32 meses se estudió la evolución del crecimiento diametral diario de cuatro clones de la especie, tres de ellos de la generación de mejora F1 (C, O, T) y un clon de referencia de la F...

Los programas de restauración forestal con encina en la Península Ibérica presentan generalmente una elevada mortandad, atribuida al estrés hídrico. Sin embargo no ha sido una práctica común la selección de material vegetal más resistente a la sequía, incluso cuando algunos estudios sugieren que existe diferencia en la tolerancia al estrés hídrico...

Lignocellulosic material from Leucaena leucocephala was subjected to a two-stage fractionation process to obtain a valorized effluent containing hemicellulose derivatives and a solid phase for producing cellulose pulp by conventional soda-anthraquinone delignification. This solid phase allows the production of cellulose pulp, under less rigorous co...

Forest restoration programs using Holm oak (Quercus ilex ssp. ballota [Desf.] Samp.) have had limited success. The effect of plant provenance on plantation success is uncertain, although some previous studies suggest that some provenances may be better able to tolerate stress. We studied the tolerance to drought in seedlings from two Spanish proven...

Despite evidences that Holm oak has a high plasticity and great adaptability, there is limited or contradictory knowledge of the morphological and physiological variability of this species. Holm oak has been widely used for reforestation projects in Mediterranean areas, but has frequently shown poor field performance. We hypothesized that Holm oak...

El desfronde representa un aspecto importante de la ecología del alcornoque al transferir biomasa y nutrientes al suelo forestal y estando principalmente influenciado por las condiciones climáticas, aunque otros aspectos como las prácticas selvícolas pueden también modificarlo. Por ello, desde el punto de vista de la gestión, es importante analizar...

Los programas de restauración forestal con encina han obtenido un éxito limitado, debido a su vulnerabilidad a las condiciones de estrés ambiental y a la deficiente calidad de la planta usada. Una de las herramientas para la modificación de la calidad de planta producida en vivero es la manipulación de la disponibilidad de nutrientes. Por ello hemo...

El desfronde juega un papel muy importante en los ecosistemas forestales, siendo punto de inicio en el reciclado de los nutrientes. El desfronde está principalmente influenciado por las condiciones climáticas, por lo que es necesario conocer los distintos patrones de desfronde a lo largo del año de las distintas especies mediterráneas y cómo las va...

The effect of orientation, location, year, and pruning treatment on mean acorn mass in two open woodland experimental locations (Huelva, South-Western Spain) of Holm Oak (Quercus ilex L. subsp. ballota [Desf.] Samp.) was analyzed during 2001–2006. Data were analyzed by using a mixed linear model, where the covariates were tree size parameters (circ...

Forest restoration programs using Holm oak have enjoyed only limited success. The vulnerability to stress and the low plant quality seem to be the main factors that limit plantation success. In addition the effect of using inappropriate provenances in plantation success is still unknown and previous studies about phenotypic plasticity in this speci...

Holm oak (Quercus ilex ssp. ballota [Desf.] Samp) is one of the most important species in forest communities of the western Mediterranean Basin, but is very vulnerable to environmental stress during the first years of its life. In particular, summer drought and winter frosts limit the distribution, survival, and growth of Holm oak. These two stress...

• Background The Holm oak (Quercus ilex ssp. ballota [Desf.] Samp.) is an evergreen tree widely distributed in the western Mediterranean Basin. Forest restoration programs using this species have enjoyed only limited success, and knowledge concerning the effect of fertilization on plant quality and post-transplantation response is sparse. • Method...

A selection of the best wood raw materials for cellulose pulp and papermaking from five varieties of the Leucaena has been made (Leucaena diversifolia, Leucaena collinsii and three varieties of Leucaena leucocephala) with growth periods of one, two and three years. In accordance with biomass production and the features of the raw materials and cell...

In order to identify fast growing species utilizable for olygomer and monomer production, five fast growing species (Paulownia fortunei, Chamaecytisus proliferus, Arundo donax, Leucaena.diversifolia and Sesbania grandiflora) were tested. Concurrently, the biomass productivity of these species was also tested on a field scale. The biomass producti...

The knowledge of the cycle of nutrients is fundamental for the correct comprehension of the tree–soil relationship and for an adequate forest management. In order to analyse the nutrients return from leaves and litterfall in a Mediterranean cork oak forest in southwestern Spain, 12 trees were randomly selected and litterfall collected for 2years. S...

Este artículo presenta un estudio sobre la biodiversidad y el estado de ocho Zonas de Alto valor de Conservación en la provincia de Huelva (localizada en el suroeste de la Península Ibérica), colindantes a plantaciones de especies de crecimiento rápido (Eucalyptus globulus). El estudio se incluye en el marco de un proceso de certificación forestal....

Eucalyptus globulus Labill. es una especie ampliamente utilizada en plantaciones para producción de madera. Está adaptada a vivir sobre suelos pobres y bajo clima mediterráneo pero suave y con influencia oceánica. Soporta cierto grado de estrés hídrico pero le van mal temperaturas extremas que sobrepasen 40 ºC ó -5 ºC. Su cultivo en la provincia de...

El presente trabajo pretende validar para Quercus ilex ssp. ballota el método descrito por KOENIG et al. (1994) para la cuantificación de la producción de bellota en Quercus californianos. Este método se aplica en dos dehesas de la provincia de Huelva durante los períodos de diseminación 2007-2008 y 2008-2009. En estas parcelas se seleccionaron un...

Durante tres años consecutivos, se estudiaron las características hidráulicas de ramillas de Quercus ilex ssp. ballota en una dehesa de la provincia de Huelva, suroeste de España, sometida a tratamientos de suelo (laboreo, laboreo-siembra y un testigo sin tratar). La producción de bellota de cada período se determinó mediante el método de contenedo...

Durante tres años consecutivos, se estudiaron las características hidráulicas de ramillas de Quercus ilex ssp. ballota en una dehesa de la provincia de Huelva, suroeste de España, sometida a tratamientos de suelo (laboreo, laboreo-siembra y un testigo sin tratar). La producción de bellota de cada período se determinó mediante el método de contenedo...

Para garantizar el éxito de las repoblaciones de encina, Quercus ilex ssp. ballota, es necesaria la producción en viveros de brinzales de alta calidad, modificando convenientemente las técnicas de cultivo. Entre esas técnicas la fertilización otoñal demostró mejorar el posterior comportamiento en campo de algunas especies. Se ensayaron distintos tr...

El conocimiento del ciclo biogeoquímico en ecosistemas forestales tiene gran importancia ya que permite realizar una gestión forestal basada en criterios técnicos y científicos. Dentro del ciclo biogeoquímico el desfronde está asociado con la transferencia de energía y nutrientes entre el árbol y el suelo siendo el punto de partida para el reciclad...

Acorn production patterns and the annual evolution of water relations parameters of Quercus ilex ssp. ballota (Desf.) Samp. in a dehesa (an open woodland forest) subject to various soil treatments (ploughing, ploughing+sowing, control) were studied in southwest Spain from June 2006 to December 2008. The effects of soil water holding capacity and ef...

Forestry plantations with evergreen broadleaf species in Mediterranean climate sites usually perform poorly in the field. Holm oak (Quercus ilex ssp. ballota (Desf.) Samp.), cork oak (Quercus suber L.), wild olive tree (Olea europaea L. ssp. europaea var. sylvestris) and lentisk tree (Pistacia lentiscus L.) are extensively used for such plantations...

Se describió la evolución anual del estado hídrico y la producción de bellota de Quercus ilex ssp. ballota en una parcela de la provincia de Huelva, suroeste de España, en relación a distintos tratamientos de suelo. Para ello se obtuvieron parámetros hídricos derivados de curvas presión-volumen y transpiración cuticular. Junto a ello se describió l...

In order to identify faster-growing non-woody species usable for biomass and paper production, four Leucaena species (L.diversifolia, L. colinsii, L. salvadorensis and three varieties of L. leucocephala) were tested. All the Leucaena species showed a good soil and climatic adaptation to Spain Southwest except for L. salvadorensis. Studied Leucaena...

Acorn production by Quercus ilex L. ssp. ballota (Desf.) Samp. in SW Spain was assessed, and variations between years and the influence of pruning on it were examined. To this end, an experimental study was conducted at two different sites (Calañas and San Bartolomé, in the province of Huelva) where trees were subjected to traditional (light, moder...