Impact of variable nitrogen fertilisation on arthropods in cotton in Georgia, USA

Reducing fertiliser applications can reduce production costs for cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) growers, as well as nitrogen (N) leaching into the soil and contamination of surface and ground water. But altered N fertilisation may also affect pests and their natural enemies. In this study, plots with four different levels of fertiliser input (0, 45, 90 and 135 kg ha⁻¹ N) were used to investigate the influence of N on cotton pest and beneficial arthropod populations, and on cotton yield in Tifton, GA, USA. We predicted that (1) N fertilisation will correlate positively with cotton plant growth; (2) increased N fertilisation will increase pest populations because plants with more N will be more nutritious for and attractive to herbivores; (3) populations of beneficial arthropods and predation of pests will decline with increased N fertilisation because of reduced plant signaling; (4) increased N fertilisation will increase pest mortality due to parasitoids because of increased host quality. Cotton plant growth was enhanced by N fertilisation but yield was unaffected. N fertilisation significantly affected some pest arthropods but inconsistently. Mirids were most abundant in the high N treatment in 1 year of the study and cotton aphids were most abundant in the highest N treatment in the other year of the study. Arthropod predators were generally more abundant in the high N treatment but only spiders and Geocoris spp. were significantly affected by N treatment, with highest numbers present in the highest N treatment but the significant differences were each only in a single year. The greatest mortality of sentinel pest eggs (Spodoptera exigua) due to predation occurred under low N conditions. N fertilisation had no significant effects on parasitism of feral or sentinel caterpillars.     

紫外线辐射对小麦和燕麦竞争性平衡的影响--小麦和燕麦生物量结构与冠层结构

在模拟１５％臭氧层减薄条件下讨论了紫外线辐射增强对大田中小麦和燕麦在单独种植与混合种植时的生物量结构和冠层结构的影响。紫外辐射使两物种的生物量减少，使节间缩短，叶片着生高度下降，但使根冠比和单株有效穗数增加。两物种在单种和混种时对紫外辐射的反应有所不同，种间竞争有时加强紫外辐射的影响，但有时则又能抵消其作用。紫外辐射使竞争性平衡向有利于小麦的方向发展，这一改变可以部分地由两物种的生物量及冠层结构对     

Occurrence of phytophagous insects on wild Vigna sp. and cultivated cowpea: comparing the relative importance of host-plant resistance and millet intercropping

The effects of host-plant resistance on cowpea phytophagous insects and their natural enemies under pure and mixed crop conditions was evaluated at Minjibir, Kano State, Nigeria, in 1992–1994 crop seasons. Cowpea Vigna unguiculata cv ‘IT86D-715' (susceptible to insect pests) and a wild Vigna line Vigna vexillata ‘TVnu 72' (resistant to most insect species) were planted alone and in mixtures with millet (Pennisetum glaucum) in plots of 25×25 m.Mixed cropping had limited effect on major insects and natural enemies. Colonies of Aphis craccivora were significantly smaller and there were more adults of Maruca vitrata in crop mixtures than in monocultures. However, flower and raceme infestation by larval M. vitrata, Megalurothrips sjostedti, and Sericothrips sp. were similar in crop mixtures and monocultures. Empoasca sp. populations and seedling infestation by beanfly Ophiomyia phaseoli were also similar in mixtures and monocultures as well as pod damage by M. vitrata and populations of Clavigralla tomentosicollis. Parasitization rates of M. vitrata, C. tomentosicollis and O. phaseoli and predator–prey ratios of spiders and Orius sp. were similar across cropping systems. Host-plant resistance in TVnu 72 drastically reduced insect populations and damage. Grain yield per hill was high in cowpea IT86D-715 and was not affected by intercropping with millet. Grain yield of TVnu 72 was poor and reflected the low yield potential of this accession.Host-plant resistance is an effective means of controlling insect pest damage in cowpea and there is no evidence that high levels of resistance reduced natural biological control.     

黄淮平原不同多熟模式生产力特征与资源利用效率研究

对黄淮平原一麦三玉米、一麦二玉米和一麦一玉米三种多熟模式的产量、资源利用及经济效益状况进行了比较分析。结果表明，三种模式年亩产均超过吨粮，说明在集约栽培条件下黄淮平原亩产吨粮的现实性。三种模式产量梯度差异表明，在水肥供应基本充足的情况下，通过集约多熟种植并配合以合理调控技术是在高产基础上进一步提高产量的有效途径。一麦三玉米最高产量达２２０１ｔ／ｈm₂（亩产１４６７ｋｇ），是在现有技术条件下接近与突破亩产吨半粮的有效种植模式之一。全年玉米总穗数增加是增产的关键。一麦三玉米模式通过接茬移栽等综合措施的有效配合，能维持较高的同化功能，光热资源利用效率提高。经济效益上表现为高投入高产出，但部分产投经济指标有下降的趋势。从综合考虑公顷产量与公顷纯收入及物质费用、用工等因素上综合评判，一麦三玉米模式总体上表现优势。     

黄淮平原不同多熟模式生产力特征与资源利用效率研究

对黄淮平原一麦三玉米、一麦二玉米和一麦一玉米三种多熟模式的产量、资源利用及经济效益状况进行了比较分析。结果表明，三种模式年亩产均超过吨粮，说明在集约栽培条件下黄淮平原亩产吨粮的现实性。三种模式产量梯度差异表明，在水肥供应基本充足的情况下，通过集约多熟种植并配合以合理调控技术是在高产基础上进一步提高产量的有效途径。一麦三玉米最高产量达２２０１ｔ／ｈｍ２（亩产１４６７ｋｇ），是在现有技术条件下接近与突破亩产吨半粮的有效种植模式之一。全年玉米总穗数增加是增产的关键。一麦三玉米模式通过接茬移栽等综合措施的有效配合，能维持较高的同化功能，光热资源利用效率提高。经济效益上表现为高投入高产出，但部分产投经济指标有下降的趋势。从综合考虑公顷产量与公顷纯收入及物质费用、用工等因素上综合评判，一麦三玉米模式总体上表现优势。     

锌冶炼-氯碱复合污染区昆虫中的重金属

采集葫芦岛草地中14种昆虫（植食性、杂食性、肉食性）及蚯蚓,测定生物体内汞、镉、铅含量,研究生物体内重金属污染情况.植食性昆虫汞、镉、铅平均含量分别为0.168、 9.19、 12.58 mg·kg^-1;杂食性昆虫汞、镉、铅平均含量分别为0.375、 24.43、 17.71 mg·kg^-1;肉食性昆虫汞、镉、铅平均含量0.928、 29.78、 18.39 mg·kg^-1;蚯蚓平均汞含量为1.923 mg·kg^-1,葫芦岛生物体内重金属污染严重.不同种类昆虫对重金属的富集能力差异较大,蜗牛、蜻蜓对汞的富集能力较高;蜘蛛对镉、铅的富集能力较高.昆虫体内重金属含量顺序为汞<铅<镉.汞、镉、铅含量由低到高的顺序均为植食性昆虫<杂食性昆虫<肉食性肉昆虫,杂食性昆虫与肉食性昆虫平均镉、铅含量之间较为接近.昆虫体内镉、铅含量之间极显著相关,而汞与镉、汞与铅含量之间的相关性较差.表明昆虫体内镉铅具有同一来源,而汞的来源较为复杂.     

Wheat volatile emissions modified by top-soil chemical characteristics and herbivory alter the performance of neighbouring wheat plants

Plant emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has a significant impact on arthropods and plants and alters important functions in the agroecosystems. Three field source–sink microcosm experiments evaluated variation in wheat plants volatile emissions and its impact on neighbouring wheat plants’ performance caused by genotype, aphid herbivory and soil nutrient availability due to different cropping histories. An electronic nose detected qualitative differences in volatile emissions. Two of the experiments established the source–sink relationships forcing the volatiles through pipes. In these experiments wheat genotype was introduced as a variable of the source plants. In the third experiment, the emissions of volatiles dispersed naturally affecting the neighbourhood only by proximity and wheat genotype was a controlled factor. Plant genotype, aphid attack and soil chemical changes caused by different cropping histories affected wheat volatile emissions despite independent variations in plant biomass or resource allocation. This is the first report of changes in distant plant biomass according to neighbouring plant genotype and agricultural history. Wheat VOCs emissions were associated with changes in soil organic C, Ca, Mg, total nitrogen and cation exchange capacity caused by the different cropping histories of the soils tested. Variability in total biomass and resource allocation increased due to changes in VOCs emissions promoted by longer cropping history or aphid feeding in two genotypes. When volatiles were naturally dispersed into the neighbourhood, tiller weight in the sink individuals depended on plant genotype and cropping history of its neighbours (i.e. VOCs source). These findings highlight that ecological and environmental consequences of agricultural practices are more complex than normally thought.     

新农药单甲脒对棉花的生态生理影响

两年的研究结果表明：单甲脒推荐浓度－稀释１０００倍对棉花的生理机能有些促进作用，其水分利用效率正常；其他处理浓度对光合速率也无不良影响，对气孔开度、蒸腾速率仅在施药初期略有抑制，半衰期后抑制消失，稀释５００倍以下各处理水分利用效率受到不同程度的抑制。单甲脒在棉叶残留量最多，伴随着叶片的Ｎ、Ｐ含量也略增加，可认为适量的施用单甲脒不仅能防治虫害、且能促进棉花的光合速率从而提高了干物质生产。     

Insecticide and tillage effects on pest and non-pest arthropods in corn agroecosystems

Effects of carbamate and organophosphate insecticides, tillage and previous cropping history on pest and non-target soil arthropods in corn are reported. Also, degradation patterns of organophosphate insecticide were quantified in plowed and no-tillage systems. Overall, tillage and cropping sequence had greater effects on arthropod communities than did insecticide treatments. Rootworm (Diabrotica sp.) damage was less in no-tillage than in plowed systems. There was no significant difference between insecticides in affecting rootworm damage. The organophosphate-treated corn had less black cutworm (Agrostis ipsilon) damage than did the carbamate-treated corn. Cryptostigmata mite density was highest in no-tillage systems. In contrast, non-cryptostigmata mite density was highest in fallow—plowed systems. The carbamate insecticide had a greater negative effect on overall mite density than did the organophosphate compound. With respect to soil macroarthropods, herbivore numbers were highest in plowed systems and lowest in no-tillage systems. Spider numbers were highest in the no-tillage systems. The organo-phosphate insecticide degraded more rapidly in the no-tillage compared to the plowed systems; however, this difference did not appear to affect arthropod numbers.     

Shade tree management affects fruit abortion, insect pests and pathogens of cacao

The mortality of cacao fruits caused by early fruit abortion or insect and pathogen attacks was investigated in differently managed agroforestry systems in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Nine agroforestry systems shaded by three different types of tree stands were selected, which represented a decrease in structural heterogeneity: forest remnants, diverse planted trees and one or two species of planted leguminose trees. After standardized manual cross-pollination, the development of 600 fruits on 54 trees (6 trees per agroforest) was followed during 18 weeks of fruit development. In total, 432 of all fruits were lost before maturity, which seriously undermined yields. The proportion of harvested fruits per tree (overall average: 27 ± 4%) was not affected by canopy type. Although shade cover did not have a significant effect, losses due to fruit abortion were most likely under forest shade, where nitrogen-fixing leguminose shade trees were absent. Fruit losses due to pathogenic infections and insect attacks increased with the homogenization of the agroforests, supporting the hypothesis that agricultural homogenization increases risks of pest outbreaks. In conclusion, shade management may be improved to increase yields from cacao using highly diversified natural shade agroforestry systems.     

甘肃省作物布局演变及其对区域气候变暖的响应

根据甘肃省1985-2005年的气候资料和同时期主要作物播种面积等统计资料,利用快速聚类分析方法分析了气候变暖背景下甘肃省主要作物的种植格局和种植界限演变情况。结果表明:过去20 a里特别是进入20世纪90年代,在河西地区,玉米和棉花播种范围扩张趋势明显,种植面积比重显著增加,春小麦种植面积比重快速降低,种植范围大幅向祁连山浅山区退缩,种植结构的这种调整使玉米和棉花逐渐取代小麦成为河西主要作物,并最终导致该区主要作物种植格局从以小麦为主转变为以玉米和棉花为主;在中部地区,春小麦面积逐年缩小,冬小麦和杂粮种植扩张,玉米的种植比例逐年上升,马铃薯种植逐渐形成规模,形成了以小麦和玉米为主的种植格局;在东南部地区,春小麦和冬小麦面积逐年缩小,玉米、冬油菜和其他喜温的经济作物种植比例逐年上升。相关分析表明,上述作物种植格局的变化与气候变暖带来的积温增加及积温带北移东扩密切相关。     

江苏省丹阳市水稻土自然生产潜力的初步研究

本文借助作物生长模型与模糊数学的方法对江苏省丹阳市的两种种植制度的土壤自然生产潜力进行了初步的分析研究。结果表明,模拟的小麦/玉米-晚稻种植制度的气候生产潜力比小麦-单季稻高3000kg/ha 左右。指出丹阳的小麦生产应以挖掘、提高土壤自然生产潜力为主,而单季稻的生产则应以提高品种的气候生产潜力为方向。     

The ecological basis of boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis Boheman) management

The boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis Boheman), generally considered to be native to Mexico or Central America, spread into the southern United States of America in the late 1800s and seriously threatened the cotton industry. As there were no effective alternatives, pest control specialists studied the insect's ecology and advocated cultural practices that would disrupt its environment and maximize the benefits of natural biological and environmental controls. An ecologically orientated pest management scheme founded on cultural practices emerged well before suitable chemical control technology became available and allowed farmers to live with the weevil problem.Despite the ingenuity of the early management scheme, it frequently did not provide satisfactory boll weevil control gauged by present standards. Control of the pest thus shifted largely from an ecological to a chemical approach as effective synthetic organic insecticides became available after World War II. The chemical approach was successful for a number of years, but problems of insecticide-resistant strains of pests, secondary pest outbreaks, environmental quality, and increased costs of the insecticides have forced pest control specialists to re-emphasize the nonchemical techniques used widely against the boll weevil before World War II and to revive the ecological approach to weevil management.This article examines boll weevil ecology as related to management of the insect and reviews the status and prospects of ecologically-based weevil management techniques in the United States.     

Rural vulnerability to environmental change in the irrigated lowlands of Central Asia and options for policy-makers: A review

Climate change, land degradation and drought affect millions of people living in drylands worldwide. With its food security depending almost entirely on irrigated agriculture, Central Asia is one of the arid regions highly vulnerable to water scarcity. Previous research of land and water use in the region has focused on improving water-use efficiency, soil management and identifying technical, institutional and agricultural innovations. However, vulnerability to climate change has rarely been considered, in spite of the imminent risks due to a higher-than-average warming perspective and the predicted melting of glaciers, which will greatly affect the availability of irrigation water. Using the Khorezm region in the irrigated lowlands of northwest Uzbekistan as an example, we identify the local patterns of vulnerability to climate variability and extremes. We look at on-going environmental degradation, water-use inefficiency, and barriers to climate change adaptation and mitigation, and based on an extensive review of research evidence from the region, we present concrete examples of initiatives for building resilience and improving climate risk management. These include improving water use efficiency and changing the cropping patterns that have a high potential to decrease the exposure and sensitivity of rural communities to climate risks. In addition, changes in land use such as the afforestation of degraded croplands, and introducing resource-smart cultivation practices such as conservation agriculture, may strengthen the capacity of farmers and institutions to respond to climate challenges. As these can be out-scaled to similar environments, i.e. the irrigated cotton and wheat growing lowland regions in Central Asia and the Caucasus, these findings may be relevant for regions beyond the immediate geographic area from which it draws its examples.     

小麦/苜蓿套作条件下菲污染土壤理化性质的动态变化

土壤理化性质是影响污染土壤植物修复效果和修复后土壤适耕性的重要因素.以菲为多环芳烃(PAHs)代表物,采用植物土培和室内分析试验探讨了菲污染土壤小麦/苜蓿套作修复过程中土壤理化性质的动态变化.结果表明,种植植物明显提高了菲污染土壤pH,最大升高幅度可达0.61;相同菲污染水平条件下,套作处理土壤pH与单作处理差异不显著...     

Arthropod populations,yield and damage in monocultures and polycultures of corn,beans and tomatoes

This study involved an examination of a polyculture system (corn-bean-tomato) for specific interactions that may be useful in the development of agronomic systems that are less susceptible to pest attack. The data show that the arthropods generally prefer (are found in) one cultivar more than the others, even in polycultural situations. For example Trichogramma sp. are much more active on tomatoes than on corn, while Coccinellidae are much more common on corn than on tomatoes. The data do not, for the most part, demonstrate any significant differences in insect populations, yield or damage that resulted from interplanting the various cultivars. The role of diversity in agricultural systems is also discussed.     

Human population and the global environment

A stable ecosystem resists large, rapid changes in the sizes of its constituent populations which upset the orderly flow of energy and nutrients. An early example of such alteration was the conversion to desert of the rich Tigris and Euphrates valleys through erosion and salt accumulation resulting from faulty irrigation practices that caused the downfall of the great Mesopotamian civilization. Overgrazing and poor cultivation practices have contributed over the millennia to the expansion of the Sahara Desert. Attempts to cultivate too intensively the fragile soil of tropical rainforest areas are suspected of being in part responsible for the collapse of the Mayan civilization. The 19th century Irish potato famine because of heavy reliance of the Irish population on a single, highly productive crop led to 1.5 million deaths when the potato monoculture, a simple agricultural ecosystem, fell victim to a fungus. Modern agriculture's desire to maximize yields per acre are worrisome ecologically (increases in the use of pesticides and inorganic fertilizers). The liabilities include that as larger land areas are farmed the tracts available for reservoirs of species diversity and for natural ecosystems become smaller. Pressure to expand agriculture to steep hillsides unsuitable for cultivation has led to serious erosion in Indonesia, and increasing slash-and-burn practices are destroying tropical forests in the Philippines. The enormous expansion of wheat or rice monoculture has increased the probability of epidemic crop failure from insects or disease. 37% of the world's population is under 15 years of age which means that population will grow for 50-70 years more before leveling off. Despite a declining growth rate population would still increase 30% or more during the transition to stability. Zero global population growth is required for a prosperous and environmentally sustainable civilization.     

Effects of manure and chemical fertilizers on insect pest populations on collards

Advocates of organic agriculture often assert that plants supplied exclusively with nutrient from biological materials are more resistant to insects than those grown using chemical fertilizer. This proposition was examined using collards grown in five treatments: two with fresh manure at two levels (12 and 220 ha⁻¹); one with ‘sheet composted’ manure at 220 ha⁻¹; a chemical fertilizer treatment (785 kg ha⁻¹ of 13:13:13 NPK); and a control treatment with no added nutrients. Population densities of two flea beetles and two lepidopteran pests were monitored weekly during a growing season. Plant size and foliar levels of reduced nitrogen (N), nitrate nitrogen (NO₃⁻-N), water and total glucosinolates were also measured four times during the season. During population peaks, flea beetle densities were significantly higher on plants receiving chemical fertilizers than on plants receiving similar amounts of macronutrients from manure. Flea beetle, imported cabbage worm and diamondback moth densities were significantly higher on untreated plants than on plants receiving any added nutrients. Flea beetle densities were also significantly higher on plants grown with ‘sheet composted’ manure than on those grown with fres manure. The nutrient treatments affected plant size, reduced N, NO₃⁻-N, water and glucosinolate content. These differences were not clearly associated with differences in insect population sizes but some patterns in the data are discussed. Although the potential exists for manipulating soil amendment regimes to affect pest insect populations in collards, an understanding of the mechanisms involved will require further investigation.     

Predation by soil inhabiting arthropods in intercropped and monoculture agroecosystems

Experiments were carried out to determine effects of intercropping on macroarthropod predator activity, both diurnal and seasonal, and on relative consumption of lepidopteran pest larvae during a two-year study. Maize (corn, Zea mays) was intercropped into a grass-legume mixture and compared to monoculture maize. There was significantly more predator activity (number of attacks by predators on pest larvae) and predation (number of larvae consumed) in the intercropped system compared with the monocultured treatment during both years of the study. Predator activity and consumption of larvae were greatest at night in both systems and least during the day. However, the intercropped system had significantly more predator activity during each observation over a 24-h period than did the monocultured system. Predator activity and predation did not fluctuate appreciably over the early part of the growing season until August when there was a significant increase in both parameters. Carabid beetle larvae and spiders were the major predators in June, however, in July and August large carabid adults (> 15 mm) became the dominant predators. Significant correlations were found among carabid beetle activity, density estimates of macroarthropods and the number of lepidopteran larvae consumed in these corn agroecosystems. These correlations between techniques and endemic predatory arthropods indicate that predation is a significant factor in reducing pest populations in intercropped agroecosystems.     

Alternative cropping systems for sustainable water and nitrogen use in the North China Plain

Serious water deficits and excessive nitrogen (N) applications are threatening the sustainability of intensive agriculture in the North China Plain (NCP). This study examined the possibility of replacing the conventional system (Con.W/M) of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and summer maize (Zea mays L.), with an optimized double cropping system (Opt.W/M), a 2-year system (winter wheat/summer maize-spring maize, W/M-M), and a monoculture system (spring maize, M) based on optimal water and N management strategies. From 2004 to 2010, a long-term field experiment conducted in the NCP showed that although >70 mm of irrigation water can be saved with Opt.W/M compared with Con.W/M, annual net groundwater use under Opt.W/M was still 250 mm, 65-90% of which was consumed during the winter wheat season. When wheat production was decreased, 35% and 61% of irrigation water could be reduced in W/M-M and M compared to Con.W/M, respectively. As a result, annual groundwater use was decreased to 190 mm in W/M-M and 94 mm in M. Meanwhile, the N fertilizer rate was reduced 59% and 72% in W/M-M and M compared to Con.W/M, respectively. There were no significant differences in net economic returns between Con.W/M and W/M-M across the 6-year period. In the 6 years, no significant economic loss was observed between Con.W/M and M except in the 2008-2010 rotation. The W/M-M and M systems showed great potential to reduce water and N application and achieve groundwater use balance, and thus should be considered for economic and sustainable agricultural development in the NCP.