Effects of soil properties, mulch and NPK fertilizer on maize yields and nutrient budgets on ferralitic soils in southern Benin

Four on-farm experiments examined whether modest applications of fertilizers in combination with prunings from native agroforestry trees would be an alternative to maintain the fertility of ferralitic soils in Benin. An application of about 1.9 t ha⁻¹ dry matter of mulch of Senna siamea combined with 30 kg N ha⁻¹, 22 kg P ha⁻¹ and 25 kg K ha⁻¹ as compound fertilizer was compared with (1) 60 kg N ha⁻¹, 43 kg P ha⁻¹ and 50 kg K ha⁻¹ as compound fertilizer alone, (2) mulch of S. siamea alone (about 3.2 t ha⁻¹ dry matter), and (3) a control treatment. Criteria were soil properties, yields, nutrient uptakes, and nutrient budgets. Application of sole mulch had no significant effects (P>0.05) on maize yields, while combined application of prunings and NPK fertilizers or sole NPK increased yields significantly (P<0.05). The most limiting nutrient was P. The local maize cultivar was efficient in P uptake, but not in internal nutrient utilization efficiency; mulch increased significantly the internal P utilization efficiency (P<0.05). Soil properties were interpreted with the QUEFTS (quantitative evaluation of the fertility of tropical soils) computer program. The predicted and measured yields were almost the same for maize without NPK. The measured responses to NPK were much lower than the responses calculated by QUEFTS. The calculated nutrient budgets were split into balances for available nutrients and for those not immediately available (NIA). Nutrient budgets were negative for the control and sole mulch treatments, and positive for the NPK treatments. Mulch improved the balances of NIA nutrients. The present experiment could not prove that combining NPK with mulch is the best option for sustainable agriculture. It may be more economical to apply lower rates of fertilizer to local maize than those applied in the two NPK treatments in the present study.     

Competition between maize and pigeonpea in semi-arid Tanzania: Effect on yields and nutrition of crops

Productivity of maize–pigeonpea cropping systems is dependent on facilitative and competitive interactive effects on resource availability. Controlling these interactions may benefit farmers through increased productivity associated with optimized crop yields. Previous research on maize–pigeonpea culture in Sub-Saharan Africa has focused on yield and soil fertility, but provided inadequate information on the mechanisms of possible interspecific competition. We employed a factorial field experiment to examine yield and nutritional responses of maize and pigeonpea to cropping systems (sole maize, intercropping, and improved fallow), N and P fertilizer additions, and cattle manure additions in Dodoma, Tanzania. The study objectives were to assess competition between crops and to determine how manure or fertilizer inputs may mitigate such interactions to improve yields. Intercropping enhanced maize yield over sole maize only when fertilized, reflecting probable nutrient competition. Improved fallows alone or with fertilizers (1.2–1.6 Mg ha⁻¹) increased maize yields over sole maize (0.6 Mg ha⁻¹). These increases were attributed to pigeonpea facilitation through soil nutrient replenishment, reduced competition associated with sequential cropping arrangements, and added nutrients from fertilization. Combined fertilizer and manure applications also improved maize and pigeonpea yields. Plant nutrient diagnosis indicated primary and secondary P and Ca deficiencies, respectively associated with P-fixation and leaching of cations due to high soil acidity and exchangeable Al. Maize competed strongly in mixture suppressing biomass and grain yields of the unfertilized pigeonpea by 60% and 33%, respectively due to limited soil nutrients and/or moisture. These yield reductions suggest that the intercropped pigeonpea did not recover from competition after maize harvesting that reduced competition. Optimizing yields of both maize and pigeonpea would require the addition of prescribed fertilizer when intercropped, but applications can be reduced by half under the improved fallow system due to alleviating interspecific competition.     

CO2 emissions from tropical drained peat in Sumatra,Indonesia

With the increasing use of tropical peatland for agricultural development, documentation of the rate of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions is becoming important for national greenhouse gas inventories. The objective of this study was to evaluate soil-surface CO₂ fluxes from drained peat under different land-use systems in Riau and Jambi Provinces, Sumatra, Indonesia. Increase of CO₂ concentration was tracked in measurement chambers using an Infrared Gas Analyzer (IRGA, LI-COR 820 model). The results showed that CO₂ flux under oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) plantations ranged from 34?±?16 and 45?±?25 Mg CO₂ ha^–1 year^–1 in two locations in Jambi province to 66?±?25 Mg CO₂ ha^–1 year^–1 for a site in Riau. For adjacent plots within 3.2 km in the Kampar Peninsula, Riau, CO₂ fluxes from an oil palm plantation, an Acacia plantation, a secondary forest and a rubber plantation were 66?±?25, 59?±?19, 61?±?25, 52?±?17 Mg ha^–1 year^–1, respectively, while on bare land sites it was between 56?±?30 and 67?±?24 Mg CO₂ ha^–1 year^–1, indicating no significant differences among the different land-use systems in the same landscape. Unexplained site variation seems to dominate over land use in influencing CO₂ flux. CO₂ fluxes varied with time of day (p?<?0.001) with the noon flux as the highest, suggesting an overestimate of the mean flux values with the absence of night-time measurements. In general, CO₂ flux increased with the depth of water table, suggesting the importance of keeping the peat as wet as possible.     

Impacts of earthworms on soil nutrients and plant growth in soybean and maize agroecosystems

The objective of this experiment was to determine the effects of earthworms on soil N pools and plant growth in soybean and maize agroecosystems. The species and number of individuals in earthworm communities were manipulated in plot-scale field enclosures (2.4 m × 1.2 m) by first reducing earthworm populations within enclosures with carbaryl pesticide, and then adding earthworm treatments to the enclosures. Soybean was grown in the enclosures in the first year and stover maize in the second year.The success of earthworm manipulations in field enclosures was affected by climate conditions and available food resources. The endogeic earthworm species Aporrectodea caliginosa was dominant in all enclosures, while introduced anecic Lumbricus terrestris earthworms had poor survival. In the first season, when climate conditions were favourable for earthworm survival and growth, there was a significant (P < 0.05) linear increase in soil mineral-N and microbial biomass N concentrations in the 0–15 cm depth of enclosures with more earthworms. Similarly, soybean grain and grain-N yield was significantly (P < 0.05) greater in enclosures with the largest earthworm populations than the control which had no earthworms added. In the second season, when climate conditions were less favourable, there was no effect of earthworms on soil N pools or maize plants, probably due to poor survival of introduced earthworms.     

Effects of plant density on the photosynthetic and chloroplast characteristics of maize under high-yielding conditions

The Science of Nature - Knowledge on animal personality has provided new insights into evolutionary biology and animal ecology, as behavioural types have been shown to affect fitness. Animal...     

Southwestern corn borer damage to maize: Influence of plant age at time of larval infestation

A maize (Zea mays L.) hybrid was infested with 30 southwestern corn borer [Diatraea grandiosella (Dyar)] larvae per plant at 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 weeks after planting in a three-year study conducted at Mississippi State, Mississippi. Visual ratings of leaf feeding damage were highest when plants were infested 5 weeks after planting. Plant height increased linearly with the age of plants at infestation. Height of infested plants was significantly less than uninfested plants only when infestations were made 4 weeks after planting. The relationship between age of plants at infestation and yield was curvilinear. Yields were significantly reduced at all infestation times; however, the least yield reduction occurred when plants were infested 6 weeks after planting. To evaluate resistance to southwestern corn borer damage, infestation at 4 or 5 weeks after planting appeared to be most satisfactory. Yield reductions following infestation at 7 and 8 weeks after planting indicated that, when infestations are late, leaf feeding damage ratings alone may not be satisfactory indicators of plant damage.     

Estimating the magnitude of morphoscapes: how to measure the morphological component of biodiversity in relation to habitats using geometric morphometrics

Ecological indicators are currently developed to account for the different facets of loss of biological diversity due to direct or indirect effects of human activities. Most ecological indicators include species richness as a metric. Others, such as functional traits and phylogenetic diversity, account for differences in species, even when species richness is the same. Here, we describe and apply a different indicator, called morphoscape dimension, accounting for morphological variability across habitats in a geographical region. We use the case of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in four different habitats in the Po Plain in Northern Italy to exemplify how to quantify the magnitude of the morphological space (i.e. the dimension of the morphoscape) occupied by the species in each habitat using geometric morphometrics. To this aim, we employed a variety of metrics of morphological disparity related to univariate size, and more complex multivariate shape and form. Our ‘proof of concept’ suggests that metrics assessing size and form might largely tend to simply mirror the information provided by species richness, whereas shape morphoscape disparity may be able to account for non-trivial differences in species traits amongst habitats. This is indicated by the woodland morphoscape being on average bigger than that of crops, the most species-rich habitat, despite having almost 20% less species. We conclude suggesting that the analysis of morphoscape dimension has the potential to become a new additional and complimentary tool in the hands of conservation biologists and ecologists to explore and quantify habitat complexity and inform decisions on management and conservation based on a wide set of ecological indicators.     

Spectral characteristics of plant communities from salt marshes:A case study from Chongming Dongtan,Yangtzeestuary,China

The spectral reflectance of recently formed salt marshes at the mouth of the Yangtze River, which are undergoing invasion by Spartina alterniflora, were assessed to determine the potential utility of remotely sensed data in assessing future invasion and changes in species composition. Following a review of published research on remote sensing of salt marshes, 53 locations along three transects were sampled for paired data on plant species composition and spectral reflectance using a FieldSpec™ Pro JR Field Portable Spectroradiometer. Spectral data were processed concerning reflectance, and the averaged reflectance values for each sample were reanalysed to correspond to a 12-waveband bandset of the Compact Airborne Spectral Imager. The spectral data were summarised using principal components analysis (PCA) and the relationships between the vegetation composition, and the PCA axes of spectral data were examined. The first PCA axis of the reflectance data showed a strong correlation with variability in near infrared reflectance and ‘brightness’, while the second axis was correlated with visible reflectance and ‘greenness’. Total vegetation cover, vegetation height, and mudflat cover were all significantly related to the first axis. The implications of this in terms of the ability of remote sensing to distinguish the various salt marsh species and in particular the invasive species S. alterniflora were discussed. Major differences in species with various physiognomies could be recognised but problems occurred in separating early colonising S. alterniflora from other species at that stage. Further work using multi-seasonal hyperspectral data might assist in solving these problems.     

Estimating net primary production and annual plant carbon inputs, and modelling future changes in soil carbon stocks in arable farmlands of northern Japan

Soil C sequestration in croplands is deemed to be one of the most promising greenhouse gas mitigation options for Japan's agriculture. In this context, changes in soil C stocks in northern Japan's arable farming area over the period of 1971-2010, specifically in the region's typical Andosol (volcanic ash-derived) and non-Andosol soils, were simulated using soil-type-specific versions of the Rothamsted carbon model (RothC). The models were then used to predict the effects, over the period of 2011-2050, of three potential management scenarios: (i) baseline: maintenance of present crop residue returns and green manure crops, as well as composted cattle manure C inputs (24-34 Mg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ applied on 3-55% of arable land according to crop), (ii) cattle manure: all arable fields receive 20 Mg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ of composted cattle manure, increased C inputs from crop residues and present C inputs from green manure are assumed, and (iii) minimum input: all above-ground crop residues removed, no green manure crop, no cattle manure applied. Above- and below-ground residue biomass C inputs contributed by 8 major crops, and oats employed as a green manure crop, were drawn from yield statistics recorded at the township level and crop-specific allometric relationships (e.g. ratio of above-ground residue biomass to harvested biomass on a dry weight basis). Estimated crop net primary production (NPP) ranged from 1.60 Mg C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ for adzuki bean to 8.75 Mg C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ for silage corn. For the whole region (143 × 10³ ha), overall NPP was estimated at 952 ± 60 Gg C yr⁻¹ (6.66 ± 0.42 Mg C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹). Plant C inputs to the soil also varied widely amongst the crops, ranging from 0.50 Mg C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ for potato to 3.26 Mg C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ for winter wheat. Annual plant C inputs to the soil were estimated at 360 ± 45 Gg C yr⁻¹ (2.52 ± 0.32 Mg C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹), representing 38% of the cropland NPP. The RothC simulations suggest that the region's soil C stock (0-30 cm horizon), across all soils, has decreased from 13.96 Tg C (107.5 Mg C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) in 1970 to 12.46 Tg C (96.0 Mg C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) in 2010. For the baseline, cattle manure and minimum input scenarios, soil C stocks of 12.13, 13.27 and 9.82 Tg C, respectively, were projected for 2050. Over the period of 2011-2050, compared to the baseline scenario, soil C was sequestered (+0.219 Mg C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) by enhanced cattle manure application, but was lost (−0.445 Mg C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) under the minimum input scenario. The effect of variations of input data (monthly mean temperature, monthly precipitation, plant C inputs and cattle manure C inputs) on the uncertainty of model outputs for each scenario was assessed using a Monte Carlo approach. Taking into account the uncertainty (standard deviation as % of the mean) for the model's outputs for 2050 (5.1-6.1%), it is clear that the minimum input scenario would lead to a rapid decrease in soil C stocks for arable farmlands in northern Japan.     

Climatic and genetic controls of yields of switchgrass, a model bioenergy species

The U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard calls for 136 billion liters of renewable fuels production by 2022. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) has emerged as a leading candidate to be developed as a bioenergy feedstock. To reach biofuel production goals in a sustainable manner, more information is needed to characterize potential production rates of switchgrass. We used switchgrass yield data and general additive models (GAMs) to model lowland and upland switchgrass yield as nonlinear functions of climate and environmental variables. We used the GAMs and a 39-year climate dataset to assess the spatio-temporal variability in switchgrass yield due to climate variables alone. Variables associated with fertilizer application, genetics, precipitation, and management practices were the most important for explaining variability in switchgrass yield. The relationship of switchgrass yield with climate variables was different for upland than lowland cultivars. The spatio-temporal analysis showed that considerable variability in switchgrass yields can occur due to climate variables alone. The highest switchgrass yields with the lowest variability occurred primarily in the Corn Belt region, suggesting that prime cropland regions are the best suited for a constant and high switchgrass biomass yield. Given that much lignocellulosic feedstock production will likely occur in regions with less suitable climates for agriculture, interannual variability in yields should be expected and incorporated into operational planning.     

农田氮淋溶的减少及相关成本的估算

欧盟水框架指令将要求各国制定流域管理计划,以获得良好的生态状况以及找到最经济的减少氮淋溶的措施.从这一点来说,基于模型模拟的详细情景计算具有重要价值.本文对基于模拟模型SOILNDB的一种系数方法进行了介绍,并且应用该方法对农田的氮淋溶量进行了研究,并就各种削减情景对瑞典南部伦讷(R(o)nne(a))河流域(1900km2)的影响进行了预测.对不同措施的成本也进行了计算.结果表明,单一措施--种植遮盖作物、春耕、牧草晚收、休耕和春季施农家肥--只能使氮淋容量减少5%～8%.如果采取以上所有的措施,同时将冬季作物用它们的春季品种替换,氮淋容量将有可能降低21%.然而,这就要求采取以上全部措施.     

Estimating changes in flood risks and benefits of non-structural adaptation strategies - a case study from Tyrol,Austria

Flood damage has increased significantly and is expected to rise further in many parts of the world. For assessing potential changes in flood risk, this paper presents an integrated model chain quantifying flood hazards and losses while considering climate and land use changes. In the case study region, risk estimates for the present and the near future illustrate that changes in flood risk by 2030 are relatively low compared to historic periods. While the impact of climate change on the flood hazard and risk by 2030 is slight or negligible, strong urbanisation associated with economic growth contributes to a remarkable increase in flood risk. Therefore, it is recommended to frequently consider land use scenarios and economic developments when assessing future flood risks. Further, an adapted and sustainable risk management is necessary to encounter rising flood losses, in which non-structural measures are becoming more and more important. The case study demonstrates that adaptation by non-structural measures such as stricter land use regulations or enhancement of private precaution is capable of reducing flood risk by around 30 %. Ignoring flood risks, in contrast, always leads to further increasing losses—with our assumptions by 17 %. These findings underline that private precaution and land use regulation could be taken into account as low cost adaptation strategies to global climate change in many flood prone areas. Since such measures reduce flood risk regardless of climate or land use changes, they can also be recommended as no-regret measures.     

Determination of the non-linearity parameter for liquids from optical measurements

The Science of Nature -     

工业聚集区规划环评中废水量估算问题的探讨

根据作者在参与工业园区规划环境影响评价报告编制及评审中的实际经验,针对不同评价单位在环评报告中对工业园区规划实施后可能产生的废水排放量,采用的不同估算方式进行了分析,提出了作者认为较为合理的估算方式。     

Continuous measurements of hydrogen peroxide,formaldehyde, calcium and ammonium concentrations along the new grip ice core from summit,Central Greenland

A new deep core drilling operation started in 1990 central Greenland and in 1992 reached the bottom at a depth of 3028 m.b. surface. Taking advantage of recent developments in the analytical technique of chemical trace species, continuous high resolution measurements of H₂O₂, HCHO, NH₄⁺ and Ca²⁺ concentrations were performed directly on the ice core in the field. During the 1991 season all four components were measured simultaneously between 1300 m.b. surface and 2300 m.b. surface, corresponding to the time interval between 8000 and 38,000 years B.P. In this paper an overview of the results and our first interpretations in terms of climatic changes are given.     

Reproductive toxicity of organic extracts from petrochemical plant effluents discharged to the Yangtze River, China

Water pollution of the Yangtze River in China became one of challenges that the government is facing today. Increasing numbers of petrochemical plants were built along the river in past decades, and numbers of organic chemicals were discharged into the river. Our goal was to establish in vitro system on rat sertoli cells, spermatogenic cells and leydig cells to investigate the reproductive toxicity potential induced by organic extracts from petrochemical effluents. Our results showed that the organic extract depressed the viability (p < 0.01) and destroyed the plasma membrane integrity of sertoli cells and spermatogenic cells to a certain degree. Accordingly, proportion of early apoptotic sertoli cells and late apoptotic spermatogenic cells increased significantly. Although significant morphological changes were not detected for leydig cells, the extract was observed to inhibit their testosterone production (p < 0.01). Sertoli cells and spermatogenic cells appeared to be more sensitive and maybe the main targets of the key toxins. These results suggested that the in vitro system on rat testicular cells may be useful to predicate reproductive toxicity potential of organic extracts from petrochemical effluents. More attention should be paid to the petrochemical effluents, because long-term accumulation of these organic compounds in organisms may cause spermatogenesis malfunction and testosterone reduction.     

Transfer of potentially toxic elements from biosolid-treated soils to maize and wheat crops

There is widespread concern about the risk of potentially toxic elements (PTE) soil and crops accumulate but most studies with biosolids have shown different and even contradictory results. Under field conditions we studied: (i) the accumulation of PTE by maize (Zea mays L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) from biosolid treated soils and (ii) the ability of total or EDTA extraction to represent the availability of PTE. We sampled plots from nine experiments with maize from controls and biosolid doses up to 45 t DM/ha and four experiments with wheat to biosolid doses up to 30 t DM/ha. The studies were carried out in the Northwest of Buenos Aires province, Argentina. Top soils and plants (shoot and grain) were sampled. Soils were digested with acids or extracted with EDTA. Shoots were digested with acids. Cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, nickel and zinc were determined by ICPES. Boron, cobalt, manganese and molybdenum in maize were also determined in two experiments. The concentrations of PTE in biosolid were below regulatory concentrations but its application increased some PTE concentration in the soil. Crop yields increased when biosolid were applied in high doses and most PTE concentrations were within normal values. Correlations between total manganese and EDTA extractable copper in soils and in maize, and total copper, lead and zinc in soils and in wheat were found. Application of biosolids increased some PTE concentration in soils, but there is no correlative increase in PTE concentration in maize and wheat shoot or grains. The PTE extraction using EDTA does not represent better PTE crop availability than the total extraction.