A new method to quantify the impact of soil carbon management on biophysical soil properties: the example of two apple orchard systems in New Zealand

A new method to diagnose the environmental sustainability of specific orchard management practices was derived and tested. As a significant factor for soil quality, the soil carbon (C) management in the topsoil of the tree-row of an integrated and organic apple orchard was selected and compared. Soil C management was defined as land management practices that maintain or increase soil C. We analyzed the impact of the soil C management on biological (microbial biomass C, basal respiration, dehydrogenase activity, respiratory quotient) and physical (aggregate stability, amount of plant-available water, conductive mean pore diameter near water saturation) soil properties. Soil in the alley acted as a reference for the managed soil in the tree row. The total and hot-water-extractable C amounts served as a combined proxy for the soil C management. The soil C management accounted for 0 to 81% of the degradation or enhancement of biophysical soil properties in the integrated and organic system. In the integrated system, soil C management led to a loss of C in the top 0.3 m of the tree row within 12 yr, causing a decrease in microbial activities. In the tree row of the organic orchard, C loss occurred in the top 0.1 m, and the decrease in microbial activities was small or not significant. Regarding physical soil properties, the C loss in the integrated system led to a decrease of the aggregate stability, whereas it increased in the organic system. Generally, the impact of soil C management was better correlated with soil microbial than with the physical properties. With respect to environmental soil functions that are sensitive to the decrease in microbial activity or aggregate stability, soil C management was sustainable in the organic system but not in the integrated system.     

Hunger, poverty and food aid in Sub-Saharan Africa: Retrospect and potential

Frustrations and failures will continue to mount if we do not immediately summon the courage to revise the ways we think and take action-as well as maintaining essential services to support life and health … Saving hundreds of thousands … who are at risk of dying from malnutrition or infection is an immediate imperative. But it must be only one stage in the progress toward other activities, and one element in the truly comprehensive approach… The main intent of this paper is to explore aspects of the nature and evolution of poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa with special reference to food and hunger and their interaction with macro-economic policy. An attempt is made to outline the overall context within which food aid needs to be used in order to have a greater developmental impact. Following an Introductory Section I, Section II provides a sketch map of how recession and lagging food production - with cyclical weather crises superimposed - affect the human condition of poor people. Section III reviews die interaction between "standard" IMF stabilization and World Bank structural adjustment strategies and poverty/hunger. Improvements in the design of stabilization and adjustment programmes, and of the inter-relationship with them of emergency programmes, can be identified. A number turn on the broadened and more innovative or catalytic use of food aid. Section IV reviews aspects of facing a continuing series of emergencies and of designing life support programmes to facilitate rehabilitation of the households directly affected as well as of the national economies. From this base it explores a series of elements in achieving renewed development. The concluding Section seeks to explore the strengths, limitations and potentials of food aid in the context set by the previous sections. The standard criticisms of food aid appear to be overstated and/or to relate to particular modalities or approaches rather than to anything intrinsic. A number of criteria for improving the effectiveness of food aid - especially in respect to rehabilitation, recovery and renewed development - are set out.     

土壤中单甲脒挥发的研究

在实验室模拟条件下初步研究了农药单甲脒从本身纯物质及土壤表面的挥发行为．实验表明，挥发通量的对数与温度的倒数呈线性关系；单甲脒从有机质含量低的土壤中挥发较其从有机质含量较高的土壤中挥发要快；在一定范围内，土壤中单甲脒的挥发通量随着土壤中农药的浓度增加、温度的上升和风速的增加而增加；土壤水分的增加最初促进单甲脒挥发，继续增加则可能使挥发减慢．     

我国红树林净化污水研究进展

红树林具有净化污水的潜能,我国在20世纪80年代中期开始以污染生态学为理论依据进行红树林净化污水的研究.国内红树林净化污水研究主要包括两方面内容,一是研究污水排放对红树林的影响,包括重金属污水、含油废水、生活污水等不同类型污水排放对红树林生长、生理生态、红树林沉积物、林区藻类等的影响;二是研究红树林净化污水的效能,包括红树林累积、吸收和对污水中污染物的净化能力、净化效果的研究.主要从以上两个方面,综述了国内红树林净化污水的研究进展,以期为红树林净化污水的进一步研究和应用提供参考.     

我国城市污泥中醚类和卤代烃类有机污染物的初步研究

应用GC／MS联机检测技术对我国大陆和香港共11个城市污泥中4种醚类和4种卤代烃类化合物进行分析。结果表明，醚类化合物的总含量在0－7．743mg/kg之间，以双（2－氯异丙基）醚为主，主要分布在兰州污泥和广州污泥中；卤代烃类化合物的总含量在0．007－3．237mg/kg之间，以六氯环戊二烯为主，主要分布在兰州污泥、佛山污泥和沙田（香港）污泥中。污泥中醚类和卤代烃类化合物的种类及其含量与污水来源、污水处理方式、污泥类型、化合物的结构和理化性质等因素有关。     

改性稻草吸附铜离子的动力学机理

研究表明稻草改性后吸附铜离子的能力得到很大提高。研究表明吸附相当好地符合假二级吸附速率模型,测定了在4个温度下(15℃,27℃,37℃,50℃)的吸附速率常数。吸附平衡可用Langmiur吸附模型和Freundlich吸附模型处理。讨论了pH对吸附的影响。