双背景光自适应融合与透射图精准估计水下图像复原

针对水下图像普遍存在低对比度、低亮度和颜色失真,以及现有的水下图像复原方法恢复结果不自然、亮度不均和主体色调偏红等问题。该文提出了双背景光自适应融合与透射图精准估计水下图像方法。采用基于水下光衰减特性和背景光平坦性的双背景光自适应融合策略以提高估算的融合背景光准确度,通过新型水下暗通道先验、反向饱和图和三通道光谱衰减系数估算出更加精准的水下图像透射图,最后将估算出的融合背景光与精准透射图应用于水下成像模型得到复原后的水下图像。在广东罗非鱼良种场水产养殖数据集和水下图像增强基准数据集的试验结果表明：对比暗通道先验、最大强度先验、基于模糊和光吸收、蓝绿通道去雾、基于背景光统计模型和透射图优化5种水下图像复原方法,在主观恢复效果评价中,该文方法能有效纠正水下图像失真、亮度偏暗和主体色调偏红等问题;在7个客观评价指标中,该文方法在6个指标中取得最好值,其中全参考图像质量评价指标中的峰值信噪比、结构相似性、均方误差和视觉信息保真度等数值比次好水下图像复原方法分别提升了0.52%、2.1%、3.4%和0.86%;无参考图像质量评价指标中的自然图像质量评价指标和水下图像质量评价数值比次好水下图像复原方法分别提升了2.4%和7.4%。该文方法在解决传统水下图像复原方法中存在的亮度不均和颜色偏红等问题具有一定优势,可以为水下图像复原方法提供技术借鉴。     

基于空间特征谱聚类算法的含噪苹果图像优化分割

为了减少噪声对苹果采摘机器人的目标识别所带来的影响,对含噪苹果图像的分割方法进行了研究。该研究设计一种针对噪声具有鲁棒性的苹果图像分割方法,首先计算苹果图像的三维空间特征点的紧致性函数,用以构造邻近点的相似矩阵实现苹果图像的去噪效果;再利用离群点矩阵拆分并由其他剩余列向量线性表示,对相似矩阵进行离群点调优实现聚类优化,进而提出基于空间特征的谱聚类含噪苹果图像分割的优化算法,旨在提高分割算法的效率和识别准确率。通过对两幅苹果图像添加不同程度的高斯和椒盐噪声（方差分别为0.01、0.05和0.1的高斯噪声和概率为0.01、0.05和0.1的椒盐噪声）进行试验,分别求出谱聚类方法、基于空间特征的谱聚类方法和该文优化方法的苹果目标图像的分割图,并计算三类方法的分割准确率。该文优化方法对于单个苹果受不同噪声影响下的分割准确率均在99%以上,对于重叠苹果的分割准确率均在98%以上,对于所选取的30幅苹果图在方差为0.05的高斯噪声和概率为0.01的椒盐噪声影响下的平均分割准确率为99.014%。结果表明：谱聚类方法受噪声的影响较大;基于空间特征的谱聚类方法的分割效果受噪声的影响较小,但在边界区域仍然有很多错分的像素;优化方法在边界区域的分割要优于基于空间特征的谱聚类方法;在设定的试验条件下,其分割结果准确率相对于基于空间特征的谱聚类方法和传统的谱聚类方法可分别提高5%～6%和9%～25%。在分割效率方面,该文优化方法的分割时间低于传统的谱聚类算法,且与基于空间特征谱聚类方法接近。研究结果为苹果采摘机器人的快速目标识别提供参考。     

通过图像增强与改进Faster-RCNN网络的重叠鱼群尾数检测

利用目标检测获取水下鱼类图像中的生物信息,对于实现水产养殖信息化、智能化有重要意义。受到成像设备与水下拍摄环境等因素的影响,重叠鱼群尾数检测仍为水下目标检测领域的难点之一。该研究以水下重叠鱼群图像为研究对象,提出了一种基于图像增强与改进Faster-RCNN网络的重叠鱼群尾数检测模型。在图像预处理部分,该研究利用MSRCR算法结合自适应中值滤波算法进行水下图像增强;在Faster-RCNN网络的改进部分,该研究采用ResNeXt101网络作为模型主干网络、增加带有CBAM（Convolution Block Attention Module）注意力机制的Bi-PANet（Bilinear-Path Aggregation Network）路径聚合网络、使用PAM（Partitioning Around Medoids）聚类算法优化网络初始预测框的尺度和数量、以Soft-NMS（Soft Non-Maximum Suppression）算法替代NMS（Non-Maximum Suppression）算法。通过以上措施提高模型对于重叠鱼群尾数的检测精度。通过消融试验可得,改进后的模型对水下重叠鱼群图像的平均检测精度和平均召回率分别为76.8%和85.4%,两项指标较Faster-RCNN模型分别提高了8.4个百分点和13.2个百分点。通过对多种模型的实际试验结果进行对比可知,改进后的模型的平均准确率相较于YOLOv3-spp、SSD300和YOLOv5x6分别高出32.9个百分点、12.3个百分点和6.7个百分点。改进后的模型对重叠数量为2～5尾的鱼群进行数量检测时,成功率分别为80.4%、75.6%、65.1%和55.6%,明显高于其他目标检测算法,可为重叠鱼群尾数检测提供参考。     

采用注意力机制与改进YOLOv5的水下珍品检测

海胆、海参、扇贝等水下珍品在渔业中具有重要意义和价值,最近,利用机器人捕捞水下珍品成为发展趋势。为了探测水下珍品的数量及分布情况,使水下机器人获得更加可靠的数据,该研究提出基于注意力机制与改进YOLOv5的水下珍品检测方法。首先,使用K-means匹配新的锚点坐标,增加多个检测尺度提升检测精度;其次,将注意力机制模块融入特征提取网络Darknet-53中获得重要特征;然后,利用Ghost模块的轻量化技术优势,引入由Ghost模块构成的Ghost-BottleNeck代替YOLOv5中的BottleNeck模块,大幅度降低网络模型的参数与计算量;最后,将IOU_nms修改为DIOU_nms以优化损失函数。采用基于实际水下环境建立的数据集,样本数量为781幅图像,按照9∶1的比例随机划分训练与测试集,对改进的网络进行验证。结果表明,该研究算法可获得95.67%平均准确率,相比YOLOv5算法可提升5.49个百分点,试验效果良好,研究结果可以为水下珍品的检测捕捉提供更加准确快捷的方法。     

基于EM-PCNN的果园苹果异源图像配准方法

针对果园环境下双目采集系统采集的飞行时间（Time of Flight,ToF）与可见光异源图像间匹配精度差的问题,该研究提出一种基于局部峰值的目标显著区域提取策略及最大期望算法的脉冲耦合神经网络分割的ToF与可见光果园苹果图像配准方法。首先,利用高斯差函数计算可见光图像中显著性区域,对可见光图像的红绿分量进行预处理;然后,以图像局部灰度值的二维正态分布作为目标分量,使用Otsu提取具有固定阈值的前景作为局部峰值提取策略,对ToF与可见光图像初步筛选特征区域,利用最大期望算法改进脉冲耦合神经网络（Pulse Coupled Neural Network,PCNN）动态阈值,使用局部图像梯度计算链接强度计算链接强度,利用图像区域方差改进终止条件,提出一种基于最大期望的脉冲耦合神经网络（Pulse Coupled Neural Network based on Expectation Maximization,EM-PCNN）算法对预选区域进行精细化分割;接着计算连通区域不变矩,利用不变矩特征原理寻找目标中心同名点,进一步筛选特征区域;最后,同名点进行随机抽样一致算法（Random Sample Consensus,RANSAC）提纯,将提纯后的同名点坐标代入变换模型计算模型参数,完成配准。在不同光照条件下均方根误差达3.05～4.75,配准点达3～5。EM-PCNN算法对两组ToF置信图像分割的准确率分别为96.62%和73.84%。试验结果表明该方法对双目采集系统采集的ToF与可见光异源果园苹果图像可实现较好配准效果,且对图像平移、旋转、缩放均具有可抗性。研究结果对ToF与可见光异源图像在果园环境下自动配准提供了技术参考。     

基于改进型模糊边缘检测的小麦病斑阈值分割算法

针对小麦病斑分割不准确、噪声大以及病斑边缘不清晰等问题,结合传统的作物病斑分割方法,提出一种基于改进的模糊边缘检测的图像阈值分割算法。图像预处理方面,在分析了传统模糊边缘检测缺点的同时对算法作了两个方面的改进,使用梯度倒数加权平均滤波方法去除小麦病斑噪声,然后对多层次模糊算法进行数值分层改进,增强病斑边缘信息;最后对传统的阈值分割方法进行了算法改进,采用一种改进的最大类间方差比阈值分割方法,在增强图像边缘的基础上进行阈值分割,改进阈值选取方法,在模糊增强后的小麦病斑图像上进行阈值分割提取出小麦病斑形状特征。对在大田环境下获取的小麦病害图像进行边缘增强和阈值分割试验,与传统固定阈值分割算法试验对比得出,基于改进的模糊边缘增强与阈值分割相结合的改进算法正确分割率达98.76%,相比传统固定阈值分割算法提高了8.35个百分点,漏检比增加了1.29个百分点,噪声比为1.86%,相比减少了8.36个百分点,在运算时间上减少了0.331 s,不仅突出病斑边缘信息,而且分割效率高、噪声小,可为图像分割方法的研究提供了可参考依据。     

利用近红外高光谱图像技术快速鉴别西瓜种子品种

为了研究采用近红外高光谱图像技术对西瓜种子品种快速无损鉴别的可行性,该文采用近红外高光谱图像技术,通过提取西瓜种子的光谱反射率,结合Savitzky-Golay (SG)平滑算法,经验模态分解算法（empirical mode decomposition,EMD）和小波分析（wavelet transform,WT）对提取出的光谱数据进行去除噪声处理,采用连续投影算法（successive projections algorithm,SPA）和遗传-偏最小二乘法（genetic algorithm-partial least squares, GA-PLS）进行特征波长选择。基于全波段光谱建立了偏最小二乘判别分析（partial least squares-discriminant analysis,PLS-DA）,基于特征波长建立了反向传播神经网络（back-propagation neural network,BP NN)判别模型和极限学习机（extreme learning machine,ELM）判别模型。试验结果表明,基于特征波长的BPNN模型和ELM模型的结果优于基于全部波长的PLS-DA模型,基于SG预处理光谱提取的特征波长建立的ELM模型取得最优的判别效果,建模集和预测集的判别正确率均为100%。结果表明应用近红外高光谱成像技术对西瓜种子品种鉴别是可行的,为西瓜种子的品种快速鉴别提供了一种新方法。     

基于数据融合的玉米种子内部机械裂纹检测方法

为深入研究玉米种子脱粒和输送等环节中产生的内部裂纹机理和检测技术,该文在体视显微检测基础上提出了基于融合技术的边缘检测方法。该方法采用改进的数学形态学方法和传统Sobel边缘检测算子对损伤玉米种子图像进行边缘检测,建立相应的融合规则,将2种方法检测出来的图像边缘进行基于小波变换的融合处理,并从新图像中提取玉米种子内部机械损伤的特征信息。结果表明,该检测方法结合了2种边缘检测方法的优点,有效提高了边缘检测准确性,在准确提取玉米种子内部裂纹特征同时能有效降低噪声,较单一边缘检测算法有更好的效果。     

改进烟花算法和概率神经网络智能诊断齿轮箱故障

针对复杂环境下农机设备的齿轮箱系统在故障诊断时存在易受现场噪声干扰和故障识别率低等问题,提出了一种基于改进的烟花算法和概率神经网络的齿轮箱智能故障诊断方法。为提高现有概率神经网络模式分类方法的性能,定义了一项样本相似度衡量指标以提高建模过程中训练样本的质量。将烟花算法与概率神经网络技术有机融合提出了一种改进的烟花算法-概率神经网络模式分类方法,利用烟花算法优化概率神经网络的平滑参数以确定网络参数的最优值,提高模式分类与识别精度。将改进的烟花算法-概率神经网络模式分类方法用于噪声环境下齿轮箱的故障诊断建模,构建故障特征参量与齿轮箱工作状况间的复杂非线性映射关系。应用结果表明,与基于BP神经网络、GABP(genetic algorithm back propagation)神经网络和概率神经网络的故障诊断模型相比,在不同程度噪声影响下烟花算法-概率神经网络模型均具有最高故障识别率。当噪声控制系数为0.01、0.02、0.04和0.06时,模型的故障识别率分别为100%、95.83%、93.33%和88.33%。该研究可为非线性复杂系统的故障诊断提供了一种可行的解决方案。     

基于时序图像跟踪的葡萄叶片病害动态监测

为提高自然成像条件下的酿酒葡萄图像中病害识别的可靠性,对时序叶片图像作连续病害检测并监测病斑变化情况。首先,在每一天利用Faster R-CNN算法对摄像机视场中葡萄叶片进行检测,对检测到的叶片采用改进卡尔曼滤波法进行跟踪,以获得叶片正面图像。为了实现多叶片跟踪和解决由遮挡而造成的跟踪失败问题,该文在卡尔曼滤波和匈牙利算法基础上,结合运动测度和深度外观信息对跟踪目标进行匹配,运动匹配时采用马氏距离,外观匹配方面采用最小余弦距离。其次,将不同日期的叶片正面图像做SIFT(scale-invariant feature transform)匹配,找到同一叶片按日期排列的一组序列图像,并在序列图像中通过深度学习技术进行病害识别。最后,通过监测叶片序列图像上病斑相对面积变化或病斑数量是否增加来确认病害的存在。该文对提出的跟踪算法、叶片匹配算法和序列图像上病害识别的精度进行了测试,试验表明:跟踪算法平均多目标跟踪准确度为73.6%,多目标跟踪精度为74.6%,基于判别模型颜色特征的传统跟踪算法两指标分别为14.3%和61.3%;基于SIFT特征的叶片匹配在识别同一叶片时的精度达到了90.9%;病害监测方面,虚警综合排除率(马修斯相关系数)达到了84.3%。该文的方法可以排除一些虚假病害,病害监测的可靠性有所提高,可适用于自然条件下葡萄病害的连续在线监测。     

“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.