滨海滩涂围垦对土壤团聚体分布及其有机碳富集的影响——以江苏省如东县垦区为例

有机碳是土壤质量的重要组成部分,团聚体在土壤有机碳固持方面扮演着重要的角色。海岸带土壤质量低下,随着滩涂围垦的不断深入,自然滩涂围堤挡水围垦后土壤的理化环境发生了明显的变化,由原先的还原环境向氧化环境转变,这一改变会直接影响土壤中团聚体及其有机碳的演变过程。本研究通过对江苏省如东县1951年和2007年围垦时期的垦区及自然滩涂的土壤样品采集,研究不同围垦时期滨海围垦对土壤有机碳含量、土壤团聚体及其有机碳分布的特征和变化过程。结果表明:研究区垦区表层土壤(0~20 cm)有机碳含量在0.2%~1.13%之间,均值为0.58%。亚表层土壤(20~40 cm)有机碳含量在0.22%~0.85%之间,均值为0.41%。从全国土壤有机碳的平均水平来看,研究区明显偏低。相比于围垦初期土壤有机碳(SOC)出现明显的下降,长期围垦可以显著增加土壤表层的SOC。滨海垦区土壤团聚体质量比从大到小分别为53~250μm、250μm、53μm团聚体。随着围垦时间的增加,250μm和53μm团聚体都呈明显的先减少后增加的趋势,53~250μm团聚体随着围垦时间的增加呈现先增加后减少的趋势。53~250μm团聚体土壤有机碳含量最低,其次为53μm团聚体,而250μm团聚体土壤有机碳含量最高。因此,围垦后广泛开展利于大团聚体形成的农业管理措施有利于围垦土壤质量的快速提升。     

不同施肥措施对滨海盐渍土有机碳含量的影响

通过在滨海典型盐渍区开展的田间试验,研究不同施肥措施对土壤有机碳以及土壤EC、p H、体积质量、全氮含量的影响。结果表明,与对照相比,不同施肥措施均能显著提高0~30 cm土层土壤的有机碳含量及密度。农家肥、商品有机肥和无机肥的施用均能显著增加作物生物量和产量,并能明显改善盐渍化农田的理化特性,具体表现在能明显降低表层土壤的p H和体积质量,提高土壤全氮含量,但农家肥和商品有机肥的施用使表层土壤的EC值有所升高。经过相关性分析表明,土壤有机碳含量与土壤EC、全氮、C/N比和作物生物量呈极显著正相关关系,与p H、体积质量呈极显著负相关。     

华北土石山区油松和元宝枫人工林土壤有机碳特征

森林生态系统土壤有机碳的储量及时空变化是制定森林生态系统可持续经营管理措施的重要依据,对全球碳循环与碳平衡的研究具有十分重要的理论价值.以华北土石山区不同密度油松和元宝枫人工林为研究对象,对不同林地类型的土壤密度、pH值以及全氮、速效钾、有机碳的质量分数等参数进行测定,对比分析不同林地类型土壤有机碳的质量分数、土壤有机碳密度、储量及垂直分布特征,探讨土壤有机碳质量分数与土壤理化性状的相关关系.结果表明:元宝枫林的平均土壤有机碳质量分数和有机碳密度均大于油松林的;土壤有机碳质量分数和有机碳密度在土壤表层(0 ～ 10 cm)为最高值并随土壤深度的增加而降低;土壤有机碳质量分数表现为2种林分密度下的元宝枫林无显著差异,而有机碳密度则表现为高密度元宝枫林＞低密度元宝枫林;在油松林中土壤有机碳质量分数、有机碳密度均表现为中密度油松林＞高密度油松林和低密度油松林.油松林和元宝枫林土壤有机碳质量分数与土壤密度均呈显著负相关,而全氮、速效钾与其呈显著正相关,油松林土壤有机碳质量分数与pH值呈显著相关,而元宝枫林土壤有机碳质量分数与pH值不相关.综上所述,华北土石山区元宝枫林较油松林具有更大的固碳潜力,而且土壤的有机碳质量分数及有机碳密度受树种和林分密度影响较大.     

施用牛粪对沿海泥质滩涂土壤原始肥力驱动及黑麦草幼苗生长的影响

【目的】沿海滩涂土壤属于滨海盐土类型,由于长期受海洋潮汐的影响,盐渍化作用导致土壤盐分含量偏高、 土体发育不明显、 理化性状差、 肥力水平低下,且滩涂面积还在以一定的速度增长,同时可耕地面积的逐年递减和淡水资源的日益遗乏,滩涂盐土的开发利用越来越受到人们的关注。本文研究牛粪不同用量驱动新围垦滩涂土壤原始肥力并为绿肥植物黑麦草幼苗生长提供养分的作用,以期为滩涂盐土的改良提供一条可行的途径。【方法】采用田间小区随机区组试验,探讨了牛粪不同施用量(0、 30、 75、 150、 300 t/hm2)对滩涂土壤0.25 mm水稳性团聚体、 盐分、 pH、 有机碳、 氮磷养分含量等肥力因子及黑麦草幼苗生物量、 生长状况的影响。 【结果】滩涂0—10和10—20 cm土层土壤0.25 mm水稳性团聚体的数量随牛粪施用量的增加呈逐渐增加趋势。与对照相比,牛粪用量150和300 t/hm2处理的滩涂0—10和10—20 cm土层土壤0.25 mm水稳性团聚体差异均达到显著水平; 施用牛粪各处理滩涂土壤有机碳分别比对照增加17.4%、 32.6%、 55.0%、 205.8%; 与对照相比,施用牛粪各处理显著降低了滩涂土壤盐分含量,降幅分别达25.2%、 75.8%、 76.0%、 75.9%; 施用牛粪对滩涂土壤pH值降低不明显; 随牛粪施用量的增加,滩涂土壤全氮、 全磷、 碱解氮、 有效磷含量均呈逐渐上升趋势; 施用牛粪增加了黑麦草幼苗地上部和根系干重; 施用牛粪各处理黑麦草幼苗株高分别比对照增加52.6%、 46.1%、 74.2%、 56.2%(P＜0.05); 牛粪施用量达150 t/hm2时可显著增加黑麦草幼苗的分蘖数; 随牛粪施用量的增加,黑麦草根系总根长、 平均直径、 根表面积、 根体积均呈逐渐上升趋势。【结论】施用牛粪改善了滩涂土壤的初始肥力特性,促进了绿肥植物黑麦草地上部及根系的生长,并提高了黑麦草幼苗的生物量,因此,牛粪可作为改良新围垦滩涂土壤的“原始肥力驱动剂”。利用牛粪进行滩涂土壤的改良还有效地处理了畜禽粪便,是滩涂土壤改良和畜禽粪便合理利用一举两得的新途径。     

杭州湾南岸不同围垦年限农田土壤有机碳及其活性组分变化

采集杭州湾南岸围垦农田土壤样品(0-10,10-20,20-30,30-40,40-50cm),分析不同围垦时期(10,40,60,120a以上)农田土壤有机碳、水溶性有机碳、易氧化碳和轻组有机质的变化特征。结果表明:各有机碳活性组分变化规律总体上与土壤有机碳相近但亦有不同之处。随围垦时间增加,土壤有机碳及其活性组分呈增加趋势,但围垦40a以上,其含量均趋于相对稳定水平;其中0-10cm土层,土壤有机碳、水溶性有机碳、易氧化碳和轻组有机质含量增幅依次为40.43%,14.23%,25.47%,13.68%。土壤有机碳及其活性组分含量主要分布在0-20cm土层,但水溶性有机碳略有差别。水溶性有机碳分配比例随围垦年限增加而减小,易氧化碳则相反。土壤有机碳与其活性组分之间均显著正相关,各组分与土壤全氮、土壤含水量呈显著正相关。综上表明,随围垦年限延长土壤有机碳含量增加但其稳定性有所下降,有机碳活性组分能够敏感地反映土壤有机碳动态特征。     

半干旱区不同围封年限对草地土壤和微生物碳氮含量的影响

[目的]探究半干旱区草地根际土壤碳氮及土壤微生物量碳氮对不同封禁年限响应特征,为半干旱草地生态系统物质循环研究以及生态系统养分限制判定等提供依据,并为确定合理围封年限提供科学参考。[方法]以宁夏回族自治区固原市云雾山国家级自然保护区半干旱草原为研究对象,应用生态化学计量学方法对比分析放牧地与围封10,25,35 a样地根际土壤有机碳、全氮、硝态氮、铵态氮和土壤微生物量碳氮含量及其化学计量特征变化过程与规律。[结果]围封显著增加了土壤碳氮含量,其最大值出现在封育25 a样地,随后下降。围封10,25 a和35 a样地土壤有机碳含量分别是放牧样地的1.37,1.83倍和1.38倍;总氮含量分别是放牧样地1.34,1.52倍和1.24倍。但土壤C:N随围封年限增加基本保持稳定,其值与土壤有机碳含量存在极显著相关,而与土壤总氮无明显相关性。与放牧样地相比,围封样地铵态氮含量随封育年限无明显变化,硝态氮含量和硝态氮:铵态氮比值则普遍下降,在围封25 a时最低。围封增加了土壤微生物量碳氮含量,围封10,25,35 a样地土壤微生物量碳含量较放牧地分别提高了20.5%,45.7%和15.1%;微生物量氮含量分别提高了24.7%,60.5%和40.9%。而微生物量C:N则随围封年限延长而下降,微生物量碳占土壤有机碳百分比对围封年限无响应。围封10,25 a样地与放牧地相比,微生物量氮占土壤总氮百分比和化学计量不平衡性(即土壤C:N与微生物量C:N比值)均无显著差异,但其值却在围封35 a样地显著增加。[结论]围封措施能够显著提高半干旱退化草地土壤碳、氮养分,促进土壤微生物活动,有利于退化草地恢复,但封育时间过长则可能产生负效应,封育25 a是草地长期封育措施中一个较为合理的围封年限。     

黄土丘陵区柠条人工林土壤有机碳动态及其影响因子

以黄土丘陵区柠条人工林为研究对象,采用野外调查与室内分析相结合的方法,探讨柠条生长过程中土壤有机碳储量的变化规律。结果表明:1)土壤有机碳主要分布在0～20 cm土层,占0～50 cm土层总储量的49%～63%;2)相对于对照地,柠条林地土壤有机碳储量随柠条生长年限的增加先减小再升高最后趋于稳定,10、26、40、50 a柠条林地土壤总有机碳储量分别为1.555、3.236、2.775、2.444 kg/m2,26 a林地土壤有机碳储量最高,随林龄增大其变化趋于稳定;3)相关性分析结果表明,土壤有机碳质量分数与土壤密度之间呈显著负相关关系,各林地土壤密度随柠条生长年限的增加而减小,说明柠条可以通过改变土壤性质间接增加土壤总有机碳储量,土壤有机碳质量分数与根系生物量、土壤全氮质量分数之间呈极显著正相关关系,说明柠条的根系生长和固氮特性有助于有机碳的积累。     

江苏沿海典型滩涂围垦区土壤有机碳时空异质性

应用地统计学方法研究了如东县4个滩涂围垦区以及光滩不同土层(0～10、10～20、20～30、30～40、40～60 cm)剖面土壤有机碳含量时空变异特征。结果表明:土壤有机碳含量随着围垦时间的增加呈上升趋势;Kriging插值结果显示各层土壤有机碳含量均呈现自沿海向内陆增加的趋势,并且不同土层呈现出不同的局部效应,随着剖面深度的增加有机碳含量下降;不同深度土壤有机碳含量的主控因素不同,表层土壤有机碳比深层土壤有机碳更多地受地表活动控制;从不同的土地利用方式来看,土壤有机碳含量呈现出耕地大于养殖水体;研究区土壤有机碳含量同土壤细颗粒特别是粒径在0.002～0.02 mm范围内的粉粒含量呈显著正相关关系,同土壤pH及总盐呈负相关关系。研究结果表明围垦加剧了土壤有机碳的时空异质性,对于后续指导滩涂合理有序的开发利用具有重要意义。     

功能微生物与生物炭对海滨锦葵生长及滨海盐土地力的影响

为实现盐碱地的长效生态改良与可持续性发展,研究了盐碱胁迫条件下生物炭与功能微生物对滨海盐土养分含量及盐生植物海滨锦葵生长的影响。利用室内盆栽试验,在盐碱胁迫条件下设置了单独接种功能微生物丛枝菌根真菌(arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi,AMF)、解磷真菌(Apophysomyces sp. SM-1)、单独添加生物炭(Biochar,BC)及3者联合接种等共计8个处理对滨海盐土部分养分指标及盐生植物海滨锦葵生长的影响。结果表明,功能微生物和生物炭均能够显著影响滨海盐土改良的进程及海滨锦葵的生长。在土壤pH值方面,功能微生物和生物炭均能促进盐土降低pH值,其中AMF与BC联合施用处理的土壤pH值最低,而BC处理土壤pH相对较高。在土壤含水量方面,除AMF、SM-1及BC联合施用处理之外,其他处理均能不同幅度地提升盐土含水量,其中接种SM-1处理中土壤含水量的提升效果较为显著,较对照组提高了90.7%。在土壤养分含量方面,BC能够显著提升土壤有机碳、碱解氮和有效磷含量,AMF及SM-1单独接种时对土壤有机碳、碱解氮和有效磷含量有一定的提升作用,但效果并不显著。AMF与SM-1混合接种对土壤有效磷含量的提升效果优于BC处理,较对照增加了17.99%。AMF、SM-1与BC三者联用对土壤有机碳、碱解氮和有效磷含量的提升效果最佳,分别比对照增加了58.33%、4.83%及23.09%。同时在盐土中接种AMF、SM-1以及添加BC可明显提高海滨锦葵植株的株高、主根长、主根粗以及植株干重,其中AMF和SM-1对盐碱胁迫下海滨锦葵的促生效果优于生物炭,而BC更有助于海滨锦葵植株干物质的积累。因此,室内盆栽试验条件下,AMF、SM-1和BC均能影响滨海盐土的理化性质及海滨锦葵的生物量,BC对盐土地力提升的效果较好,而AMF及SM-1则对耐盐植物的促生效果更佳,并且三者联合施用可积极推动滨海盐土改良,促进盐生植物生长。     

秸秆生物炭对水稻生长及滩涂土壤化学性质的影响

为改善滨海滩涂土壤结构和性质,提高其保肥供肥能力。本研究单施秸秆生物炭,并按滩涂土壤湿质量的5%、10%、15%和20%的比例将生物炭与滩涂土壤混匀,连续两年考察一次性施用生物炭以及生物炭改良滩涂土壤的效果。调查了两个稻季的水稻产量和谷草比,并监测了两个稻季土壤性质的动态变化。结果表明:适宜地添加秸秆生物炭增加了水稻产量、提高了谷草比;增加了土壤电导率(EC)和阳离子交换量(CEC);提高了土壤碳、氮含量,但在稻季休闲期,土壤中碳、氮会发生矿化而引起碳、氮含量减少;生物炭的添加对滩涂土壤pH没有显著影响。研究表明,滩涂土壤施加秸秆生物炭可以改善土壤结构,培肥地力,在消化大量农作物秸秆的同时为粮食产区的发展分担压力。     

“绿色革命”以来大气CO2浓度升高对C3作物营养品质的影响

自20世纪60年代"绿色革命"以来,育种技术和农耕技术的发展促进了农作物产量的大幅提升,然而作物的营养品质出现下降趋势。在相似的遗传背景下,大气CO_2浓度升高会使单位体积农作物产品的营养元素含量下降,因此"绿色革命"至今,农作物产品的营养元素下降可能受大气CO_2浓度升高影响。通过植物生长箱模拟"绿色革命"初期和目前的大气CO_2浓度水平(310μmol/mol和400μmol/mol),针对主要C_3作物水稻、小麦和大豆,研究"绿色革命"以来大气CO_2浓度升高对其籽粒的C、N、Fe、Zn元素含量的影响,结果表明:CO_2浓度升高对3种作物籽粒的C元素含量几乎没有影响,变化幅度在±1.5%之间;籽粒的N、Fe、Zn元素含量普遍呈现下降趋势,但均未达到显著水平。     

Potential of wild species for genetic enhancement of some semi-arid food crops

Discovery and incorporation of genes from wild species provide means to sustain crop improvement, particularly when levels of resistance in the cultigens are low and virulent strains of pests and pathogens overcome the host plant resistance. The extent of utilization and the potential of the wild genepool for genetic enhancement were reviewed in five important food crops viz. sorghum, pearl millet, chickpea, pigeonpea and groundnut grown in the semi-arid tropics. Introgression from compatible wild germplasm in the primary gene pool resulted in transfer of new cytoplasmic male sterility systems in pearl millet and pigeonpea, development of high protein, cleistogamous flower and dwarf pigeonpea lines and foliar disease resistant groundnut cultivars. Utilization of wild species in secondary and tertiary gene pools has been generally limited due to sterility, restricted recombination or cross incompatibility. Nevertheless, these species are extremely important as they contain high levels of resistance to several important biotic and abiotic stresses. Several of them, like those belonging to the Parasorghum section and the rhizomatous Arachis species are sources of multiple resistances and hold great promise to sustain crop productivity.     

Faculty positions:Center for Agricultural Resources Research,Chinese Academy of Sciences

正The Center for Agricultural Resources Research(CARR),the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology(IGDB),Chinese Academy of Sciences,invites applicants for several research group leader positions.CARR is one of the research organizations in Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS).We seek nominations and applications     

Soil-profile distribution of primary and secondary plant-available nutrients under conventional and no tillage

Nutrient distributions under no tillage (NT) compared with conventional disk-and-bed tillage (CT) management in the warm, humid region of the southeastern USA need to be assessed so that future placement, quantity, and type of fertilizers can be altered, if necessary, to efficiently match crop demands. We determined soil-profile distributions of pH, N, P, S, K, Ca, Mg, Na, Zn, Fe, Mn, and Cu to a depth of 0.9 m at the end of 8.5 years of continuous CT and NT management on a Weswood silty clay loam (fine, mixed, thermic Fluventic Ustochrept) in southcentral Texas. Most dramatic changes occurred within the 0–0.05 m depth, where soil under NT had lower pH, Fe, and Cu than under CT, but greater P, K, Zn, and Mn. Greater P and K under NT than under CT also occurred below the till-zone (0.15–0.3 m). At a depth of 0–0.3 m, soil under NT contained greater amounts of extractable P, K, Zn, Fe, Mn, and Cu than under CT. Nitrogen fertilization had little effect on nutrient distributions, except resulting in greater extractable K at 0–0.05 m and greater nitrate at 0–0.15 m. Few changes in soil-profile distributions were observed for extractable S, Ca, Mg, and Na. Long-term continuous use of NT on this fine-textured, high-fertility (except for N) soil had no apparent adverse effects on nutrient distributions relative to CT, but enhanced conservation and availability of P, K, Zn, Fe, Mn, and Cu near the soil surface where crop roots proliferate.     

Assessing the effectiveness of conservation measures: Resolving the “wicked” problem of the Steller sea lion

“Wicked” problems are those that are complex and that change when solutions are applied. Many conflicts in conservation fall into this category. The study approached the problem of how to constrain the apparent wickedness of a problem in the conservation management of a species by using simple empirical indicators to carry out iterative assessment of the risk to a population and to document how this risk evolves in relation to the addition of new data and the implementation of management actions. Effects of high levels of uncertainty within data and also concerning population structure were examined through stochastic simulation and by exploration of scenarios. Historical trends in the example used, the Steller sea lion, showed rapid declines in abundance in some regions during the 1980s. The current total population is 130,000-150,000 Steller sea lions through Alaska and British Columbia and this number has been stable since about 1990 in spite of regional differences in population dynamics. Regional differences in the sequence of changes in the number of pups and non-pups, suggested that an internal re-distribution of juveniles could have happened between 1980 and 1990. Current productivity also appears close to the long-term mean. Stochastic population projection using various scenarios showed that, based upon this history, the risk of extinction for the population has declined and is below reasonable thresholds for considering the population to be endangered. The trends in risk suggest that management actions taken since 1990 have probably been effective. Consequently, the conservation management objectives for the Steller sea lion are probably being met. The approach provides a mechanism, based upon experience and scenario analysis, for exploring future policy options and may help to constrain the debate amongst stakeholders about the cost-benefit trade-offs associated with different options.     

Collection and preliminary evaluation of native turfgrass accessions in Italy

Despite a raising interest on turfs in Italy, all theavailable varieties of this kind in the Country are of foreign origin, and areoften poorly adapted to the prevailing climatic conditions. This prompted tobegin a collection activity of indigenous turfgrass species, with the ultimategoal of identifying promising materials for future breeding based on localgenetic resources. The collection was carried out in three areas of Italy, viz.the northern Po Plain, the coastal region of Liguria, and the island of Sardiniathat are characterised, respectively, by subcontinental, warm temperate, andtypical Mediterranean climate. Altogether, 141 sites were visited, yielding 226accessions belonging to eight species of potential interest for turfs:Poa pratensis, Poa trivialis,Festuca rubra, Festuca arundinacea,Lolium perenne, Agrostis stolonifera,Agrostis tenuis, and Cynodon dactylon,this last being a warm-season grass. Poa pratensis andCynodon dactylon were mostly collected in northern Italyand Sardinia, respectively, whereas Festuca arundinacea andLolium perenne were rather ubiquitous. The collection sitesranged from 0 to 1040 m asl, but sites over 750 m wereonly visited in the inner part of Sardinia. All the accessions, collected aswhole plants, were transplanted at Lodi, northern Italy, where they are beingevaluated. Their preliminary evaluation for traits of importance for turf use,such as sward colour and overall quality, highlighted the great variation andthe occurrence of interesting accessions in all species. Other characters wererecorded, bearing specific importance in individual species, and in all casespromising accessions were identified. The germplasm of Festucarubra, Festuca arundinacea, and Loliumperenne proved highly infected by endophytic (symbiotic) fungi of thegenus Neotyphodium.     

Enhanced establishment and growth of giant cardon cactus in an eroded field in the Sonoran Desert using native legume trees as nurse plants aided by plant growth-promoting microorganisms and compost

To evaluate the feasibility of long-term desert reforestation technology of mixed vegetation, cardon cactus (Pachycereus pringlei) seedlings from indoor and outdoor nurseries were planted in the field adjacent to one seedling of potential legume nurse trees: mesquite amargo (Prosopis articulata), yellow palo verde (Parkinsonia microphylla), and blue palo verde (Parkinsonia florida). Some of the planting holes were also supplemented with common dairy compost. Additionally, the combinations of legume tree–cactus were inoculated with either a consortium of desert arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB; the diazotroph Azospirillum brasilense Cd, and the phosphate solubilizer Paenibacillus sp.), or a mixture of all. The field experiments were evaluated periodically during 30 months for survival and growth. Cardons reared in an outdoor screen house survived better in the field than those reared in a controlled growth chamber and hardened later outdoors. Association with any legume nurse tree increased survival and enhanced growth of untreated cardons. For cardons growing alone, application of either compost, AM fungi, and all the treatments combined increased survival. For these plants, no treatment affected plant growth during the first 3 months after transplanting. Later, all treatments, except for AM fungi, enhanced plant growth. However, only 2 years after transplanting the enhanced growth effect of AM fungi was also significant. In the presence of the legume nurse trees, transient positive effects on cardon growth were recorded. General evaluation after 30 months of cultivation showed that the treatments positively affected cardon growth when growing alone or in combination only with mesquite amargo but not with the other two legume trees. This study proposes that young legume trees have the capacity to enhance survival and growth of cardon cactus, depending on the legume cactus combination. Additional treatments such as compost or PGPB can either amplify the effect or else attenuate it.     

Karyotypic and genome size variation in Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp. (pigeonpea) and some wild relatives

Detailed karyotypes and 4C DNA amounts have been studied in five cultivars of Cajanus cajan and 20 species belonging to Cajanus, Rhynchosia, Dunbaria, Flemingia and Paracalyx. C. cajan shows intraspecific variability and its karyotype is most similar to that of C. cajanifolius (sect. Cajanus) in the morphology and number of satellite chromosomes and the lack of any correlation between chromosome size within the complement and asymmetry. Karyotypes of C. lineatus and C. sericeus belonging to sect. Atylia are similar with respect to maximum r-index and the ratio of longest and shortest chromosomes in their respective complements. C. acutifolius (sect. Frutocosa) is distinct in having a very low ratio (1.44) between the longest and the shortest chromosomes, while in C. albicans, C. goensis, C. scarabaeoides (sect. Cantharospermum) there is no chromosome pair with r-index >2.0. C. mollis and C. volubilis (sect. Volubilis) show similarity with regard to ratio between the longest and the shortest chromosomes and a distinct chromosome pair with an arm ratio of 2.7 and C. platycarpus is distinct (sect. Rhynchosoides) in having the smallest ratio (1.36) between the longest and the shortest chromosomes. 4C DNA amounts in Cajanus and Rhynchosia vary between 3.28 pg to 11.69 pg and 4.92 pg to 11.13 pg respectively, while in Dunbaria, Flemingia and Paracalyx these vary between 4.70 and 7:06 pg. In the genus Cajanus karyotypic features and 4C DNA amounts agree with the sectional classification and bring out a close relationship between C. cajan and C. cajanifolius. This is supported by studies based on seed protein patterns, isozyme analysis, trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitor patterns, RFLP and RAPD data and crossability relationships. A clear relation between DNA amount and abnormalities effecting the extent of pairing and recombination in interspecific hybrids shows the importance of this study in developing future breeding programme involving C. cajan and its wild relatives that are of potential value.     

Effect of some fungicide seed treatments on the survival of Bradyrhizobium japonicum and on the nodulation and yield of soybean [Glycine max. (L) Merr.]

Several commercial fungicide seed treatments were evaluated for their possible effect on the survival of Bradyrhizobium japonicum on seeds and on the nodulation and yield of soybeans in a greenhouse and a field experiment. quinolate Pro (carbendazim and oxine copper), Vitavax 200FF (carboxin and thiram), and Monceren (pencycuron) had a small effect or no effect on the survival of B. japonicum and on the nodulation and yield of soybeans. They can thus be considered compatible with soybean seed inoculation. Germipro UFB (carbendazim and iprodione), Apron 35J (metalaxyl), and Tachigaren (hymexazol) decreased B. japonicum survival and the nodulation and yield of soybeans and thus cannot be considered compatible with soybean seed inoculation.     

Leaf position and genotype differences for mineral element concentrations in sorghum grown on tropical acid soil 1

Mineral element deficiencies and toxicities are common problems associated with sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] production on acid soils. To better understand some of the mineral element problems and the analysis of plant tissue of sorghum plants grown on acid soils, four sorghum genotypes were grown on an acid Oxisol at Carimagua, Colombia limed with dolomite at 2 and 6 Mg ha^‐1.

Samples for mineral element analyses were obtained from leaves at different positions on the four genotypes. Concentrations of P and Mg were highest in the flag leaf (Leaf No. 1) and decreased as the position on the plant declined from the top of the plant for plants grown at 2 Mg lime ha^‐1. Similar decreases in P, Mg, K, and Zn concentrations occurred in plants grown with 6 Mg lime ha^‐1. Concentrations of Ca, S, Si, Mn, Fe, Cu, and Al increased as leaf position declined from the flag leaf for plants grown at 2 and 6 Mg lime ha^‐1. The higher lime supply enhanced Ca and reduced Mn and Fe concentrations in leaves. Differences in mineral element concentrations for the four genotypes used were fairly extensive. The elements to show the greatest range among genotypes were Al and Si and the elements to show the least range among genotypes were P, K, and S. Care should be used in collecting leaf samples for plant analysis and genotypic differences for accumulation of mineral elements should be considered in interpretation of results.