An architectural model of spring wheat: Evaluation of the effects of population density and shading on model parameterization and performance

ADELwheat is an architectural model that describes development of wheat in 3D. This paper analyzes the robustness of the parameterization of ADELwheat for spring wheat cultivars in relation to plant population density and shading. The model was evaluated using data from two spring wheat experiments with three plant population densities and two light regimes. Model validation was done at two levels of aggregation: (a) by comparing parameterization functions used as well as parameter values to the data (leaf and tiller appearance, leaf number, blade dimensions, sheath length, internode length) and (b) by comparing ground cover (GC) and leaf area index (LAI) of simulated virtual wheat plots with GC and LAI calculated from data. A sensitivity analysis was performed by modulating parameters defining leaf blade dimensions and leaf or tiller appearance rate.In contrast to population density, shading generally increased phyllochron and delayed tiller appearance. Both at the level of the organ and at the level of the canopy the model performed satisfactorily. Parameterization functions in the model that had been established previously applied to independent data for different conditions; GC and LAI were simulated adequately at three population densities. Sensitivity analysis revealed that calibration of phyllochron and blade area needs to be accurate to prevent disproportional deviations in output.The robustness of the model parameterization and the simulation performance confirmed that the model is a complete architectural model for aboveground development of spring wheat. It can be used in studies that require simulation of spring wheat structure, such as studies on plant–insect interaction, remote sensing, and light interception.     

林丹在作物和土壤中的残留及其消解

通过不同施药方法,探讨了林丹在小麦、玉米中的残留水平。结果表明,林丹在作物中的残留量随施药量的增加而递增。采用喷雾,4(a.i.)g/亩,林丹在小麦中的残留为0.0073ppm;土壤处理,100(a.i.)g/亩,林丹在小麦中的残留为0.0134ppm;撒颗粒剂,0.015(a.i.)g/株,林丹在玉米中的残留为0.0600ppm.林丹在土壤中消解很快,当土壤处理[200(a.i.)g/亩],林丹在土壤中的半衰期为23.7～25.2d,消解99％需160d左右。作者认为,在我国部分害虫防治中起用林丹不可能对生态环境构成威胁。      

Assessment of yield losses in tropical wheat using open top chambers

The present study deals with the evaluation of effects of ambient gaseous air pollution on wheat (Triticum aestivum L. var. HUW-234) growing in a suburban area situated in eastern Gangetic plain of India, using open top chambers. Eight hourly air monitoring was conducted for ambient concentrations of SO₂, NO₂ and O₃ in filtered chambers (FCs), non-filtered chambers (NFCs) and open plots (OPs). Various morphological, physiological and biochemical parameters were assessed during different developmental stages and finally yield parameters were quantified at the time of harvest.Mean concentrations of SO₂, NO₂ and O₃ were 8.4, 39.9 and 40.1 ppb, respectively during the experiment in NFCs. Concentrations of SO₂, NO₂ and O₃ reduced by 74.6%, 84.7% and 90.4%, respectively in FCs as compared to NFCs. Plants grown in FCs showed higher photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, chlorophyll content and Fv/Fm ratio as compared to the plants in NFCs and OPs. Lipid peroxidation, proline, total phenol and ascorbic acid contents and peroxidase activity were higher in plants grown in NFCs. There were improvements in morphological parameters of plants growing in FCs as compared to those in NFCs and OPs. Yield of plants also increased significantly in FCs as compared to those ventilated with ambient air (NFCs) or grown in OPs. During the vegetative phase, NO₂ concentrations were higher than O₃, but O₃ became dominant pollutant during the time of grain setting and filling. The study concludes that O₃ and NO₂ are the main air pollutants in the sub-urban areas causing significant yield reductions in tropical wheat plants.     

Improved Cu and Zn sorption on oxidized wheat lignocellulose

We studied the effect an oxidizing treatment of a lignocellulosic substrate, extracted from wheat bran, on the sorption of Cu and Zn. Oxidizing agents, such as potassium permanganate (KMnO₄) or sodium periodate (NaIO₄), creates oxygenated functions, e.g. alcohol and carboxylic acid, which increase the density of functional sites and the binding capacity of lignocellulose towards copper and zinc. We found that the treatment with KMnO₄ is the most efficient, with an increase of about 30–40% metal ion binding, compared to 15–25% using NaIO₄. The investigation of the oxidation process shows that the efficiency of KMnO₄ can be attributed to its affinity towards insaturated double bonds of lignin entities. Oxidized lignocellulose is thus a promising, efficient, and cheap biomaterial for the decontamination of wastewater.     

SO2污染的次生作用--促进粘虫的生长

将3龄幼虫接种在暴露于低浓度SO_2的小麦植株上自由取食12d,研究SO_2污染对粘虫生长的影响;对照组小麦用经过活性炭过滤的空气处理。结果表明,随着SO_2浓度升高,幼虫历期逐渐缩短,幼虫期的平均相对生长速率依次增大。用人工饲料进行的类似试验结果,排除了SO_2污染直接促进粘虫生长的可能性。根据对食料植物水解氨基酸含量的测定结果,可以假设在非污染条件下生长的麦叶中,蛋氨酸和精氨酸含量偏低使粘虫处于亚最适生长状态,SO_2污染增加了食料中这两种限制性氨基酸的浓度,导致幼虫转入最佳生长状态。     

Persistence and Movement of the Herbicide Propoxycarbazone-Sodium in Winter Wheat Crops

The new herbicide propoxycarbazone (sodium methyl 2-[[[(4,5-dihydro-4-methyl-5-oxo-3-propoxy-1H-1,2,4-triazole-1-yl)carbonyl]amino]sulfonyl]benzoate, 1 ) has been measured in the soil of winter wheat crops. In the soil extract, propoxycarbazone was separated from its potential soil metabolites by repeated TLC. Propoxycarbazone was methylated with diazomethane. In the GC and GC-MS apparatus, the N -methylpropoxycarbazone 2 (methyl 2-[[[(4,5-dihydro-4-methyl-5-oxo-3-propoxy-1H-1,2,4-triazole-1-yl)carbonyl]methylamino]sulfonyl]benzoate) generated N -methylsaccharin 4 (1-dioxy-2- N -methyl-3-keto-1,2-benzisothiazol) which was measured. Propoxycarbazone has been applied in the spring at the rate of 70 g ha m 1 post-emergence on winter wheat crops grown in several sites different as to their soil texture and composition. In the 0-10 cm surface soil layer of the winter wheat crops grown on sandy loam (Melle) or on clay loam (Zevekote) soils, the half-life of propoxycarbazone was 54 days. In the winter wheat crop grown on loam soil (Cortil-Noirmont), the propoxycarbazone soil half-life was 31 days. The difference between the propoxycarbazone soil half-lives at the different sites was related to the organic fertilizer treatments applied in the past. After the winter wheat harvest at the end of August, the concentration of propoxycarbazone in soil was very low at Cortil-Noirmont; at the end of September, propoxycarbazone was no more detected. At Melle and Zevekote, the concentration of propoxycarbazone in soil was very low in September, and disappeared completely at the end of October. Since the treatment and until the end of October, propoxycarbazone was not detected in the 10-15 and 15-20 cm surface soil layers of the three trials.     

Effects of Metsulfuron-Methyl on the Microbial Population and Enzyme Activities in Wheat Rhizosphere Soil

The effects of metsulfuron-methyl, a sulfonylurea herbicide, on the wheat soil microorganisms were evaluated by the methods of microbial inoculation culture, and the activities of three enzymes were measured using the colorimetric method. The tolerant microorganisms that can resist 500 μ g·g^?1 metsulfuron-methyl in the counting culture medium were studied specially. Metsulfuron-methyl distinctly inhibited the common aerobic heterotriphic bacteria, but the effects on common fungi and common actinomycete were not evident. In the meantime, the number of tolerant fungi increased greatly in the rhizosphere after the application of metsulfuron-methyl in contrast to the significant decrease of the amount of tolerant actinomycete. It indicates that fungi might turn into the dominant microbial type and actinomycete is the sensitive factor in the soil polluted by sulfonylurea residues. The population of aromatic compounds–decomposing bacteria, aerobic azotobacter, and nitrite bacteria all increased in the earlier period, but the aerobic azotobacter decreased rapidly in number 30 days later, and the amount of nitrite bacteria also showed a temporary decrease with time 15 days later. However, the denitrifying bacteria just began to increase significantly after the crops had grown for 50 days. The amount of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria gradually decreased with the growth of crops, and so were the sulfate-reducing bacteria after metsulfuron-methyl application. To all types of microorganisms, there were more microbes in rhizosphere samples than those in nonrhizosphere except aerobic azotobacter. It means the growth of wheat root system can stimulate the growth of most microorganisms. The activities of hydrogen peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase in soil samples after metsulfuron-methyl application were notably lower than those in the control, and the difference of the activities between the samples of rhizosphere and nonrhizosphere was evident. On the contrary, the activity of dehydrogenase was not inhibited by the application of metsulfuron-methyl, and the rhizosphere effect was not obvious either.     

Biosorption of Cu(II) and Zn(II) onto a lignocellulosic substrate extracted from wheat bran

We studied the removal of copper and zinc ions from aqueous solutions using a lignocellulosic substrate obtained by an acido-basic treatment of wheat bran. The sorption capacity of this material was investigated through batch and column experiments. Batch experimental results showed that the retention capacity of the lignocellulosic substrate was 0.20×10^–3 mol g^–1 at pH 4.5 for copper(II) and 0.24×10^–3 mol g^–1 at pH 6.5 for zinc(II). Column experiments showed a reduced sorption capacity for both ions compared to batch experiments. Batch and column data were analysed using the Langmuir equation in order to determine the affinity constant and the binding capacity of the sorbent and to compare both retention processes.     

Growth, yield and elements content of wheat (Triticum aestivum) grown in composted municipal solid wastes amended soil

A commercial formulation of composted municipal solid wastes (MSW) was used for amending soil at 0, 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 kg ha⁻¹ in which wheat had been grown (field experiments) and element residues of amended soil and plant parts were enumerated. MSW amendment caused a significant improvement in soil quality. Growth (shoot length, leaf number, leaf area, tiller number, plant dry weight and chlorophyll contents of leaves) and yield (length of panicle, number of panicles per plant and grain yield per plant) of wheat increased gradually up to the MSW-amendment level of 200 kg ha⁻¹. Elements, Ni, Zn, Cu, Cd, Cr, and Pb accumulated in plants from MSW amended soil, but the degree of metal accumulation was the least in seeds in comparison to other plant parts (root, stem and leaf). Moreover, Ni, Zn, Cd and Pb, were in high concentration in all plant parts. It is recorded that the level of 200 kg ha⁻¹ MSW amendment caused better growth and yield of wheat, but progressive levels of metal accumulation in plant parts were recorded due to increase in amendment levels. Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

碱法麦草浆漂白废水脱色白腐菌的筛选及脱色研究

从腐木上采集,经多次分离纯化筛选出2株具有较高漂白废水脱色能力的菌株F7、F9,与Phanerochaete Chrysosporium在相同的条件下处理碱法麦草浆CE段混合漂白废水,培养4d脱色率分别为74．44％,46．67％和62．22％。延长培养时间至第8d,F7菌脱色效果不明显,而F9菌脱色可增至67．58％。