Impact of grassland contract policy on soil organic carbon losses from alpine grassland on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau

Carbon storage in the soils on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau plays a very important role in the global carbon budget. In the 1990s, a policy of contracting collective grasslands to smaller units was implemented, resulting in a change from the traditional collective grassland management to two new management patterns: a multi‐household management pattern (MMP: grassland shared by several households without enclosures) and a single‐household management pattern (SMP: grassland enclosed and used by only one household). In 2016, 50 MMP and 54 SMP winter pastures on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau were sampled to assess the differences in soil organic carbon (SOC) between the two management patterns. Results showed that average SOC was significantly greater under MMP than under SMP, with an estimated 0.41 Mg C/ha/yr lost due to SMP following the new grassland contract. Based on the government's grassland policy, four grassland utilization scenarios were developed for both summer and winter pastures. We found that if the grassland were managed under SMP, likely C losses ranged between 0.31 × 10⁷ and 6.15 × 10⁷ Mg C/yr across the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau relative to MMP, which more closely resembles pre‐1990s grassland management. Previous estimates of C losses have only considered land use change (with cover change) and ignored the impacts driven by land management pattern changes (without cover change). The new data suggest that C losses from the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau are greater than previously estimated, and therefore that the grassland contract policy should be reviewed and SMP households should be encouraged to reunite into the MMP. These findings have potential implications for land management strategies not only on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau but also other grazing regions globally where such practices may exist.     

Do cover crops change the lability of phosphorus in a clayey subtropical soil under different phosphate fertilizers?

Plants have developed different mechanisms to absorb and solubilize phosphorus (P) in the soil, especially in environments with low P availability. This study evaluated the effects of different winter cover crops on soil P availability in a clayey subtropical (Hapludox) soil receiving soluble P fertilizer and a rock phosphate applied to the summer crop, under no‐tillage. The experiment was carried out over 3 yrs (2009–2011) with five different cover crop species: common vetch, fodder radish, ryegrass, black oat, white clover and fallow as control. The soil was sampled after the third year of cover crop cultivation and analysed for inorganic and organic P forms according to the well‐established Hedley fractionation procedure. Phosphate fertilizers promoted accumulation of both labile and nonlabile P pools in soil in the near surface layer, especially under rock phosphate. Fertilizer applications were not able to change P fractions in deeper layers, emphasizing that the Brazilian clayey soils are a sink of P from fertilizer and its mobility is almost nil. Although the cover crops recycled a great amount of P in tissue, in a short‐term evaluation (3 yrs) they only changed the content of moderately labile P in soil, indicating that long‐term studies are needed for more conclusive results.     

Cohort‐specific variation in juvenile coho salmon habitat use

In this study, we examined summer and fall freshwater rearing habitat use by juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in the quickly urbanising Big Lake drainage in south‐central Alaska. Habitat use was assessed by regressing fish count data against habitat survey information across thirty study sites using generalised linear mixed models. Habitat associations were examined by age‐0 and age‐1+ cohorts separately, providing an opportunity to compare habitat use across different juvenile coho salmon life stages during freshwater rearing. Regression results indicated that the age‐0 cohorts were strongly associated with shallow, wide stream reaches with in‐stream vegetation, whereas age‐1+ cohorts were associated with deeper stream reaches. Furthermore, associations between fork length and habitat characteristics suggest cohort‐specific habitat use patterns are distinct from those attributable to fish size. Habitat use information generated from this study is being used to guide optimal fish passage restoration planning in the Big Lake drainage. Evidence for habitat use partitioning by age cohort during freshwater juvenile rearing indicates that pooling age cohorts into a single “juvenile” stage for the purposes of watershed management may mask important habitat use dynamics.     

亏缺灌溉对南疆棉花生长和水分利用的影响

针对南疆地区水资源短缺、作物水分利用效率低等问题,以棉花为试验材料进行田间小区试验,在棉花现蕾期、开花期以及结铃期分别设置3个亏缺灌溉水平(W₁:50%ET_c,W₂:65%ET_c,W₃:80%ET_c,ET_c为作物蒸发蒸腾量),以全生育期100%ET_c灌溉处理为对照(CK),研究膜下滴灌条件下,不同生育期亏缺灌溉对棉花生长、产量、氮素吸收和水分利用效率的影响.结果表明:现蕾期亏水对棉花株高、叶面积指数、地上干物质生长、氮素吸收和产量有不同程度的抑制效应,但复水后补偿效应显著,其中轻度亏水(W₃)在籽棉产量减少3.48%的条件下,WUE高达1.57 kg/m³,显著高于CK的1.48 kg/m³;开花期亏水,棉花的各项生长指标均有显著降低,复水后补偿效应不显著,不利于棉花生长发育;结铃期亏水对棉花地上干物质累积、氮素吸收和产量均有显著的抑制效应,但在W₂和W₃水平下,WUE均达1.51 kg/m³.综合考虑在保证棉花产量的同时达到节水增产的目的,可在棉花蕾期进行80%ET_c灌水,其他生育阶段实施充分灌溉,来控制营养生长,促进生殖生长,获得更高的水分利用效率.     

Influence of soil phosphorus status,texture, pH and metal content on the efficacy of amendments to pig slurry in reducing phosphorus losses

Cost‐effective strategies for using chemically amended organic fertilizers need to be developed to minimize nutrient losses in surface and groundwater. Coupling specific soil physical and chemical characteristics with amendment type could increase their effectiveness. This study investigated how water‐extractable phosphorus (P) was affected by chemical amendments added to pig slurry and how this effect varied with soil properties. A 3‐month incubation study was conducted on 18 different mineral soils, stored at 10 °C and 75% humidity and treated with unamended and amended slurry which was incorporated at a rate equivalent to 19 kg total P (TP )/ha. The amendments examined were commercial‐grade liquid alum, applied at a rate of 0.88:1 [Al:TP ], and commercial‐grade liquid poly‐aluminium chloride (PAC ), applied at a rate of 0.72:1 [Al:TP ]. These amendments were previously identified by the authors as being effective in reducing incidental losses of P. The efficacy of the amendments varied with the soil test P, the degree of P saturation (DPS ) and the Mehlich aluminium, iron and calcium, but not soil texture. Chemical amendments were most effective in soils with DPS over approximately 20%. Due to their high cost, the incorporation of amendments into existing management practices can only be justified as part of a holistic management plan where soils have high DPS .     

Soil protection for a sustainable future: options for a soil monitoring network for Ireland

The increased recognition of the importance of soil is reflected in the UN Post‐2015 Development Agenda with sustainable development goals that directly and indirectly relate to soil quality and protection. Despite a lack of legally binding legislation for soil protection, the European Commission remains committed to the objective of soil protection. However, the achievement of a legally binding framework for soil protection relies on the implementation of a soil monitoring network (SMN) that can detect changes to soil quality over time. As beneficiaries do not pay for the provision of soil information, the options for soil monitoring are limited. The use of existing data sets should be considered first. Using Ireland as an example, this research explored the opportunities for a SMN for Ireland considering three existing national data sets. The options for a SMN are considered in terms of their spatial and stratified distribution, the parameters to be measured and an economic analysis of the options proposed. This research finds that for Ireland, either a 10 or a 16 km² grid interval stratified by land use and drainage class offers the best potential in relation to the spatial distribution of existing data sets to reflect local data at a national level. With existing data, the stratified SIS data using the 16 km² grid offers the best value for money, with baseline costs for analysis, excluding field costs, of between €706 481 and €2.8 million. Acknowledging the impossibility of measuring all parameters with ideal frequency, this study proposes a two‐tier system for optimized monitoring frequency. Parameters must anticipate future policy requirements. Finally, the implementation of a SMN must be accompanied by standardized methods, defined thresholds and action mandates to maintain soil quality within allowable limits.     

Ionic Ratios and Crop Performance: II. Effects of Interactions amongst Vanadium, Phosphorus, Magnesium and Calcium on Soybean Yield

Because vanadium (V) is easily reduced to a cationic form within plant cells, data from resin-extraction of soil were analysed for evidence of interactions between V and the resin-extractable concentrations of magnesium (Mg) and calcium (Ca) on soybean seed yield. Three varieties, 9091, 9061 and 704, were grown over a 3-year period in a corn–soybean–wheat rotation. Surface soil samples (0–15 cm) were extracted with ion-exchange resins, extracts were analysed by inductively coupled plasma methods (ICP), and the results were regressed against seed yield using SAS PROC STEPWISE analysis using forward selection, backward elimination and maximum R² routines. The seed yield of each variety showed a correlation with a unique set of resin-extractable concentrations of V, phosphorus (P), Mg and Ca, and the V:(V + P), Mg:(Mg + Ca), Mg:(Mg + 1000 V) and Ca:(Ca + 1000 V) ratios. Variety 9091 was most sensitive to the Mg:(Mg + Ca) ratio. Variety 9061 was most sensitive to extractable V and to the V:(V + P) ratio. Variety 704 was sensitive to extractable P, V and Ca and the Mg:(Mg + 1000 V) ratio. For variety 9091, Mg fertilization (not currently practised) may be an economical practice, whereas P fertilization of 704 may not be economical. Each regression technique varied slightly in identification of important factors in seed yield. Concentrations and ratios of resin-extractable elements in soil provide insights into optimal genotype selection and possible management alternatives for a given soil.     

磷对奶牛红细胞膜脂质的影响

对１５例临床上有明显低磷血症的奶牛血清磷、红细胞膜脂质成分进行了测定。结果表明，低磷血症奶牛血清磷、红细胞膜磷脂明显降低；红细胞膜胆固醇及膜胆固醇／磷脂摩尔比值（ｎｃｈ／ｎｐｌ）明显升高，与健康对照组牛相比差异极显著（Ｐ＜０．０１）；直线相关分析表明，血清磷与红细胞膜磷脂之间呈极显著正相关（ｒ＝０．９１７，ｙ＝１０．８５２ｘ＋３．１９６，Ｐ＜０．０１）；与红细胞膜胆固醇以及ｎｃｈ／ｎｐｌ之间分别呈显著负相关（ｒ＝－０．９４０，ｙ＝２．８５０ｘ－１．０７２，Ｐ＜０．０１；ｒ＝－０．９２０，ｙ＝１．９６８ｘ－１．４０１，Ｐ＜０．０１）。此外，红细胞膜微粘度与膜磷脂之间呈显著负相关（ｒ＝－０．９５４，ｙ＝１９．１２２ｘ－４．３８４，Ｐ＜０．０１），而与膜胆固醇以及ｎｃｈ／ｎｐｌ之间呈显著正相关（ｒ＝０．９８８，ｙ＝０．９２７ｘ＋０．９６４，Ｐ＜０．０１；ｒ＝０．９７８，ｙ＝－０．２９３ｘ＋１．１１３，Ｐ＜０．０１）。结果表明，磷是红细胞膜脂质成分改变的先决因素，而后者又是红细胞膜流动性及膜结构、功能发生变化并导致膜损伤的一个重要因素。     

祁连山水源涵养林综合效能的计量研究

以马克思级差地租理论,建立了祁连山水源涵养林综合效能的评价模型:E=E_d+E_e+E_s;以E与生产投资I的比值为计量水源林的效能指数T,T=E/I。并以祁连山寺大隆森林生态定位研究站实测资料和社会调查数据为计量评价参数,确定其经济评价指标体系和计量系统。结果表明:祁连山水源涵养林综合效能指标为11.93;其中生态效能和社会效能分别是直接经济效能的4.51倍和6.05倍。说明祁连山水源涵养林现行的保护、发展和综合利用的经营方针是正确的。建议河西各受益部门应按水资源效能总收入的0.5％缴作水源林再生产费,以确保国民经济建设的长远发展。     

An evaluation of the pesera soil erosion model and its application to a case study in Zakynthos, Greece

Abstract. The Pan‐European Soil Erosion Risk Assessment (pesera ) model was evaluated using existing soil erosion data collected under various types of climate, vegetation, landscape and soil conditions. The data used represent a variety of typical Mediterranean land uses such as winter wheat, vines, olives and bare, stony land prevailing in hilly areas. Using this data, the model was calibrated for sediment transport by overland flow and results compared to measured soil erosion values from runoff plots and a watershed on a monthly basis. The performance of the model was assessed statistically, showing that it can be satisfactorily used for predicting soil erosion rates under the conditions included in the study. The overall model estimate including all the available experimental data was 0.69 t ha^?1 yr^?1 with a maximum error of 1.49 t ha^?1 yr^?1. After validation, the model was applied to a small watershed (60 ha) of great ecological importance for the sea turtle Caretta caretta. For this purpose, soil and vegetation maps were compiled from all the necessary data for applying the model. The model was run for three years using daily data from an existing nearby meteorological station. The predicted and measured soil erosion rates for a 7‐month period were 0.31 t and 0.18 t, respectively. Application of the model to each mapping unit showed the over‐riding importance of land use for sediment generation under the given climatic conditions. Bare land, occupying 5.5% of the watershed area, generated up to 69% of the total sediments estimated for the watershed. It is concluded that the pesera model can be used as a regional diagnostic tool under a range of soil, topographic and climatic conditions for identifying the best land use type and vegetation cover to protect hilly areas from soil erosion. The calculated overall root mean square error for the model is 0.06 t ha^?1 yr^?1, compared to a soil erosion rate of 0.04 t ha^?1 yr^?1, which can be tolerated for protecting the area for the sea turtle.