Adopters,testers or pseudo-adopters? Dynamics of the use of improved tree fallows by farmers in western Kenya

Although there has been increasing research on the adoption of agroforestry technologies over the last decade, few such studies have assessed uptake over a long period and many are based on a single snapshot in time. Furthermore, most of these studies have mainly looked at non-adopters and adopters: only recently have social scientists considered testers. A further category of users neglected in adoption studies has been re-adopters of technologies. Studying this group provides an interesting and more nuanced understanding of adoption and re-adoption. Methodologically, most adoption studies use quantitative methods and fail to link their findings to wider socio-economic, political and institutional settings. This paper presents a study of the dynamics of improved tree fallow use by farmers in Siaya and Vihiga districts of western Kenya over a period of eight years. It uses both qualitative and quantitative data to critically discuss the motivations of adopters, testers/rejecters and re-adopters. The results show that the process of adoption is highly dynamic and variable with farmers planting improved fallows and discontinuing or re-adopting them due to a whole range of factors, of which soil fertility improvement is just one. These factors included incentives from projects, the tying of adoption to credit programmes, prestige, participation in seminars/tours and the availability of a seed market from projects promoting improved fallows. Farmers planting improved fallows for such reasons may be termed ‘pseudo-adopters’. There were significant differences in adoption between the two districts, with more farmers in Siaya planting improved fallows than in Vihiga. A majority of farmers in Vihiga (53%) who were given seed never planted improved fallows, even though they had been exposed to the technology. Some 40% of farmers in Siaya and 38% in Vihiga planted improved fallows but later rejected them. This has some important implications for research and development. For improved fallow technologies to be attractive to farmers, they must provide other tangible economic benefits besides soil fertility improvement. This presents a challenge to researchers who must better attune themselves to the needs and demands of farmers if they wish to see their research findings widely adopted.     

遗传算法在离心泵叶片优化设计中的应用

对遗传算法在流体机械优化设计中的应用现状作了较为全面的总结；提出了将遗传算法应用于离心泵叶片优化设计中，分析了遗传算法在离心泵优化设计中应用的可行性以及存在的问题；对离心泵优化设计的发展提出了一些新建议和尝试。     

悬架橡胶件对汽车平顺性影响的多体动力学分析

应用有限元分析了汽车减振器橡胶支撑件的弹性特性,在此基础上,应用SIM PACK软件建立了整车多体动力学模型,分析了橡胶支撑件的刚度、阻尼对汽车行驶平顺性的影响。分析结果表明：在车身共振区,橡胶件对地板加速度功率谱影响较小,但在4-13Hz中频区,即人体比较敏感的范围内,橡胶件可以使地板加速度功率谱峰值减小6.5%-25.4%,因此悬架橡胶件对汽车行驶平顺性有明显的改善。此外,还得出对于刚度较大的橡胶件应选取较小阻尼,对于较软的橡胶件,可以忽略阻尼影响的结论。     

宁夏荒漠草原不同土地利用方式对土壤活性有机碳的影响

以宁夏荒漠草原不同土地利用方式(耕地、弃耕地、草地和柠条地)的土壤为研究对象,测定了不同土层土壤有机碳和活性有机碳含量,分析了土壤活性有机碳占有机碳的比例,以期探寻不同土地利用方式对土壤活性有机碳的影响。结果表明:不同土地利用方式土壤总有机碳含量范围在1.78~6.17 g·kg^-1,具体表现为弃耕地>柠条地>草地>耕地。表层(0~5 cm)土壤有机碳含量显著高于深层(10~60 cm),说明荒漠草原土壤有机碳主要富集在表层;4种土地利用方式土壤易氧化有机碳含量为0.57~1.38 mg·g^-1,变化趋势具体表现为柠条地>草地>耕地>弃耕地,且柠条地在每个土层都高于其它3种土地利用方式;土壤可溶性有机碳含量范围为6.8~11.1 mg·kg^-1,变化趋势表现为草地>耕地>柠条地>弃耕地。土壤易氧化有机碳含量占有机碳的比例范围为13.7%~43.1%,大小排序为柠条地>耕地>草地>弃耕地;土壤可溶性有机碳含量占有机碳的比例范围为0.11%~0.48%,比例大小为耕地>草地>柠条地>弃耕地,耕地和草地中土壤可溶性有机碳含量占有机碳比例随着土壤深度的增加而减小,这与有机碳在耕地和草地中变化趋势一致。土地利用变化可以显著影响土壤活性有机碳的含量与分布,能够敏感的反映土壤碳库的变化,可以作为评价宁夏荒漠草原土壤质量和肥力的指标之一。     

复配剂中霜脲氰在马铃薯和土壤中残留动态研究

采用田间试验方法，研究了霜脲氰在马铃薯及土壤中的残留动态，应用液相色谱法测定了霜脲氰在马铃薯和土壤中的残留量。结果表明，霜脲氰在马铃薯和土壤中消解较快，半衰期分别为2．26d和5．75d，施药3240g ai·hm^-23次时，末次施药距收获间隔28d，霜脲氰的残留量在马铃薯中低于0．0098mg·kg^-1，在土壤中为ND-0．0100mg·kg^-1。该药属易分解农药（％〈30d），按推荐使用剂量使用是安全的。     

Legume–barley intercropping stimulates soil N supply and crop yield in the succeeding durum wheat in a rotation under rainfed conditions

Legume–cereal intercropping is increasingly being appreciated in dryland areas, where severe climatic conditions and intensive agricultural practices, generally dominated by continuous cereal cultivation, determine depletion of soil nutrient resources and decline of soil fertility. This research aimed to assess whether and to what extent a newly introduced legume-based intercropping system is able to ameliorate the biological fertility status of an arable soil in a way that is still noticeable during the succeeding durum wheat cropping season in terms of changes in bacterial community structure, soil C and N pools, and crop yield. A field experiment was carried out under rainfed conditions in Southern Italy on a sandy clay loam soil cultivated with durum wheat following in the rotation a recently established grain legume (pea, faba bean)–barley intercropping. Soil chemical, biochemical and eco-physiological variables together with compositional shifts in the bacterial community structure by LH-PCR fingerprinting were determined at four sampling times during the durum wheat cropping season. Soil fertility was estimated by using a revised version of the biological fertility index. Results showed that even though the microbial biomass was significantly altered, the preceding legume intercrops stimulated C-related functional variables thus leading to an increased release of mineral N, which was larger in crop treatments succeeding pea-based than faba bean-based intercropping. The increased N made available in soil enabled the succeeding durum wheat to achieve an adequate grain yield with a reduced N-fertilizer use. Soil type and environmental conditions rather than crop treatments were major determinants of bacterial community structure. The biological fertility status was not varied, suggesting that in intensively managed rainfed areas long-term crop rotations with intercropped legumes are needed to consistently ameliorate it.     

Is Discrimination of 13C in Potato Leaflets and Tubers an Appropriate Trait to Describe Genotype Responses to Restrictive and Well‐Watered Conditions?

Selection for drought tolerance entails prioritizing plant traits that integrate critical physiological processes occurring during crop growth. Discrimination against ¹³C (?) in leaflets (?_leaflet) and tubers (?_tuber) was compared under two water regimes in two potato‐improved varieties selected to maintain yield under drought conditions (Unica and Sarnav) and one drought susceptible European cultivar (Désirée). In the control treatment, soil water content was kept at field capacity over the whole growth cycle, while in the drought treatment water supply was restricted after tuber initiation (50 % of field capacity). Gas exchange and N content per unit leaf area (N_area) as well as ? were assessed at different stages. Sarnav showed the highest tuber yield in both water conditions, suggesting that yield in the water restriction treatment was largely driven by yield potential in this genotype. Higher stomatal conductance (g_s) and N_area and lower ?_leaflet in well‐watered Sarnav suggested higher photosynthetic capacity. Under water restriction, Sarnav maintained higher g_s indicating that carbon diffusion was a key factor for biomass accumulation under water restriction. Our results suggest the use of ? determined after tuber initiation as an indirect selection indicator for tuber yield under both well‐watered and restricted soil water availability conditions.     

广东三岭山森林公园主要人工林碳汇功能及其经济价值评价

本文以广东三岭山森林公园的马尾松、尾叶桉、大叶相思人工林为研究对象，研究对比它们的碳储量和碳汇经济价值，为评价广东的3个优势造林树种的碳汇能力及为广东的造林选择提供依据。结果表明：3种人工林树种单位碳储量由大到小排列次序为：尾叶桉(166.89 t·hm-2)＞大叶相思(128.72 t·hm-2)＞马尾松(70.12 t·hm-2)。3种人工林平均碳汇经济价值按大小排列次序为：尾叶桉(45611.04元·hm-2)＞大叶相思(35179.18元·hm-2)＞马尾松(19163.80元·hm-2)。尾叶桉是这3种人工林中碳储量的主要部分，对广东三岭森林公园发挥着巨大的碳汇功能并具有强大的碳汇经济价值。因此，可以考虑在广东省碳汇造林时选择尾叶桉种植。     

Late nitrogen fertilization affects carbohydrate mobilization in wheat

An experiment was carried out to determine how the late application of nitrogen (N) fertilizer affects the use of pre‐anthesis carbon reserves during the grain‐filling period of pot‐grown wheat with no water shortage. Increasing doses (equivalent to 0, 140, and 180 kg N ha^–1) of N fertilizer were applied, either in two amendments (stages GS20 and GS30) or in three amendments (stages GS20, GS30, and GS37, according to Zadoks scale). The management of fertilizer by combining an increased N rate with late N application was able to stimulate canopy development, to raise photosynthetic capacity and carbohydrate accumulation during the vegetative stages, and to increase grain yield. Based on the dynamics of carbohydrate accumulation in the ear, three phases were differentiated during the grain‐filling period, whose temporary pattern remained stable regardless of the fertilizer management. The net remobilization of carbohydrates started 12 d after anthesis from the leaves and 28 d after anthesis from roots and stems. The increase of the N dose with late N application allowed on one hand a lower use of the pre‐anthesis carbon reserves in favor of greater de novo photosynthesis during the grain‐filling period, and on the other hand greater relative contribution of the leaf and ear C reserves to remobilization towards the grain. Further splitting the dose increased only the relative contribution of ear C reserves. The stem contribution seemed to be independent of N applied whereas the root contribution tended to diminish with late N application.     

The effect of gamma‐radiation on the release of carbon dioxide from fresh soil

Abstract

The release of CO₂ from fresh soil at medium moisture was examined for 14 days after the application of gamma‐radiation over the range 0.025 ‐ 10 Mrad. All doses stimulated the release of CO₂ compared with non‐irradiated soil, but there was no extra yield of gas between 4 and 10 Mrad. Rapid evolution occurred during irradiation and over the next 24 hours, but towards the end of incubation both irradiated and untreated soil produced CO₂ at similar rates.

Studies to elucidate the origin of CO₂ indicated that the contribution from enzymes was predominant up to 2 Mrad, but at 10 Mrad, 45% of the gas could be formed by radiolytic decarboxylation of soil organic matter. Consequently, heavy irradiation of soil cannot stop production of CO₂, and if high concentrations do interfere with the application of radiation to specific soil research investigations, the gas should be displaced or allowed to diffuse from the sample.