Herbaceous Covers to Control Tree Invasion in Rights-of-Way: Ecological Concepts and Applications

In northeastern America, thousands of kilometers of utility rights-of-way (ROWs) have to be managed to prevent the establishment of a tall vegetation cover that does not comply with safety and maintenance regulations. Recent decades have seen the emergence of ecologically based vegetation control strategies to reduce environmental impacts as well as maintenance costs. One such strategy is to take advantage of competitive herbaceous covers to limit tree invasion. This approach, however, as well as its fundamental underlying principles, has been little scrutinized. In this article, (1) we present the main ecological concepts supporting the use of a herbaceous cover to limit tree invasion, emphasizing naturally forested ecosystems of northeastern America. They include reported evidence of stable plant communities and an overview of potential underlying mechanisms of inhibition. (2) We then review field applications, specifically testing the ability of seeded herbaceous covers to control tree invasion in ROWs. (3) We discuss unresolved issues relevant to management and research. The available evidence suggests that seeding herbaceous covers in ROWs can help control tree invasion, but many issues still limit broad-scale applications. The various interactions that govern plant community dynamics are far from being fully understood, so selecting species still largely depends on an empirical approach. Patterns of resistance to tree invasion must be investigated over a wide range of spatial, historical, and environmental contexts to determine effective management and seeding practices that will lead to broad-scale applications. We suggest establishing communities rather than single dominant species and using as much as possible native species to limit risks of invasion.Published online     

资源工程体系建设探讨——以三峡库区坡地资源开发保护体系建设为例

资源工程是实现社会经济发展的基本途径。资源开发体系和保护体系建设是构成资源工程体系的主要内容。文章阐述了如何设计一个资源开发和保护体系的总体思路（包括原则、目标、内容、行动、效益评估）,并以长江三峡库区坡地资源利用保护为例,通过植物篱农林复合技术,使水土流失和环境退化基本得到了控制,经济产出比纯柑桔系统和纯粮食作物系统分别高出１／５和１／４,成为开发与保护融为一体、经济和生态相互促进的技术。这一技术值得在中国东部湿润半湿润区域推广。     

global climate change: processes and products – an overview

Our knowledge of global climate change has many uncertainties.Whether global air temperature will increase, by how much, and when,are subject to debate, but there is little doubt that troposphericconcentrations of several trace gases are increasing. While possibleincreases in the average air temperature is a product of these changes,the increases in the trace gases alone will have an effect on agriculture.Increases in the ambient concentrations of carbon dioxide are expectedto have a positive net effect on crop production. In contrast, anyincreases in the penetration of surface-level ultraviolet-B (280–320 nm)radiation, and known increases in surface ozone concentrations, areconsidered to have adverse effects on certain crops. Our presentknowledge of the joint effects on crops of elevated levels of carbondioxide, ultraviolet-B radiation and ozone, and possible alterations in airtemperature and precipitation patterns, is virtually zero. Therefore, anypredictions of the effects of global climate change on agriculture aresubject to significant uncertainties. In contrast, coupling of climatechange (only temperature and precipitation) models to crop productionhas led to a number of future scenarios. In spite of theirpresent limitations, results from these efforts can be useful in planningfor future agriculture.     

气候变暖对黑龙江省作物生产的影响及其对策

黑龙江省在未来30年和50年内气温分别增高1.9℃和2.4℃的情景下,积温带将向北推移近5个纬距,至2050年,原第一积温带将北移至大兴安岭北部,其余4个积温带将基本消失.模拟结果显示,未来水稻将减产9%,主栽区将北移至黑龙江流域;小麦应压缩耕作面积,未来产量变化不大,应逐步扩大冬小麦试种区域,最后达到规模生产;气候变暖使玉米生育期缩短11.3天,产量减少2.7%,应发展早熟玉米、饲料玉米、经济玉米,提高经济效益;气候变暖对大豆生产极为有利,高产区北移,产量可提高70%～80%,在黑龙江流域松嫩和三江平原北部,特别垦区发展大豆生产优势很大;喜凉经济作物受到一定影响,应向北发展.提出了未来适应性农业的6项对策,特别要安排好主要作物的结构调整及区域分布.     

A SUCCESSFUL WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAM IN A SEMIARID REGION OF NEBRASKA1

ABSTRACT: Ground water irrigation pumpage of the High Plains Aquifer is controlled at the state level in Texas and Oklahoma but at the regional level in Kansas and Nebraska. Critical declines in the aquifer that threatened the reliability of local public water supply wells prompted Nebraska's Upper Republican Natural Resources District (URNRD) to mandate water restrictions in 1978. Under current regulations, irrigators may not extract more than 1,842 millimeters of water per certified hectare (ha) in any five‐year period. Meter monitoring ensures that irrigators comply with restrictions. Farmers now incorporate irrigation scheduling into their cropping practices in order to meet URNRD controls. This study examines whether irrigators are using ground water efficiently while complying with pumpage limits. Crop irrigation requirements (CIR) from 1986 to 1999 were derived from a water balance approach incorporating Penman‐Monteith evapotranspira‐tion (ET) calculations from weather data supplied by the High Plains Climate Center automated weather station network. A ratio of average water pumped per well to the CIR was developed to verify irrigation efficiency. Results indicate that irrigation applications were less than CIR during most irrigation seasons. Irrigation efficiency increases can be attributed to crop rotations, favorable growing season precipitation, use of ET estimates to schedule irrigation, and water allocations limited to less than all certified hectares.     

我国农作物秸秆综合利用概况

农作物秸秆是一种宝贵的生物质资源，但是长期以来由于传统的观念和条件的限制，综合利用程度不高。随着石化资源的日趋枯竭和环境问题的日益突出，以及人们对可持续发展、保护环境和循环经济的追求，农作物秸秆的资源化利用日益成为农业、能源、建材、化工等领域的聚焦点，各种综合利用技术不断被开发并投入产业化。     

稀土元素对富营养化水体中藻类增长的影响

利用藻类生长潜力测试方法,在太湖五里湖区水样中分别添加不同浓度轻,中、重３种稀土元素、Ｇｄ（Ⅲ）、Ｙ（Ⅲ）与３种稀土混合物,研究稀土元素对富营养化水体中藻类增长的影响。     

1961-2000年干旱对我国冬小麦产量的影响

假定在目前条件下的冬小麦作物品种、耕种措施和土壤特性不变,利用WOFOST作物模型,模拟了1961-2000年干旱对我国冬小麦产量的影响。模拟结果显示:1961-1980年干旱对我国冬小麦产量影响较为严重,干旱使整个麦区冬小麦平均减产4．6%,使北方麦区冬小麦平均减产12%。1981 -2000年,干旱对冬小麦产量的影响明显减轻。总体上,1961-2000年虽然冬小麦生育期内降水量持续减少,但干旱对冬小麦产量的影响没有加重的趋势。通过分析发现,我国北方地区冬小麦生育期内的降水和干旱与产量并没有显著相关关系,但春季降水和干旱则与产量显著相关,揭示了我国北方春季降水量对冬小麦产量影响的重要性。     

施氮对稻麦轮作系统综合增温潜势的影响

采用典型区域田间试验结合生物地球化学模型（DNDC模型）,以上海市崇明岛为例对稻麦轮作系统作物产量和温室气体排放进行了模拟研究。结果表明：DNDC模型能较好地模拟田间实测到的稻麦轮作系统温室气体排放通量。在常规用量的80%~150%之间增施氮肥对作物产量无显著增加,但稻麦轮作系统综合温室效应呈递增趋势。东滩农业园区稻麦轮作系统最优施氮量为常规用量的6298%,此时单位产量增温潜势（Global Warming Potential,GWP）最小,作物产量为12 8775 kg/(hm2〖DK〗·a),综合温室效应较常规施氮降低3670%。长江下游地区稻麦两熟制农业生态系统能够通过合理控制农田氮肥用量减少温室气体排放净通量,降低作物单位产量GWP     

Spatial and temporal projected distribution of four crop plants in Egypt

This study focuses on the management of the local agroecosystems in order to adapt planting or sowing practices for the projected climate change scenarios. It is projected that there will be increased air temperature throughout all four seasons in the coming 100 years, from the southern towards the northern parts of Egypt. The objective of this study is to investigate the influence of that increased air temperature on the spatial and temporal distribution of four of the major economic crops in Egypt. The study species are cotton (Gossypium barbadense L., cv. Giza 89), wheat (Triticum aestivum L., cv. Gemiza 9), rice (Oryza stiva L., cv. Sakha 101) and maize (Zea mays L., cv. Hybrid 10). Optimum air temperature allowing maximum growth for each of the study crop cultivars and the current and projected air temperature patterns in the future years were used for projection of the seasonal and crop distribution maps in the years 2005, 2025, 2050, 2075 and 2100. Results showed that sowing dates of a target crop may be managed in order to allow maximum predicted planting area in the same region. The current maximum area suitable for planting the Cotton crop in Egypt (104 thousand Fadden/year; one Fadden = 0.96 hectare or 0.42 acre) showed few variations over the coming hundred years. In this case, the sowing dates should be changed from the hotter months (February to April) to the cooler months (January to February). Alternatively, a great reduction in the area planted by Wheat crop was predicted in the coming 100 years. Despite the early planting, a reduction of about 147 thousand Fadden/year was projected by the year 2075. On the other hand, with earlier sowing dates, the maximum areas that are planted by Rice and Maize may not be greatly affected by the projected increase in air temperature.