Corn (Zea mays L.) Grain and Stover Yield as Affected by Soil Residual Mineral Nitrogen

Evaluation of nitrogen (N) dynamic in soil using regression equations is important for proper determination of N fertilization. A 3-year field experiment was conducted to (1) develop the best-fitted regression model relating corn grain and stover yield to soil residual ammonium (NH₄)-N and nitrate (NO₃)-N for corn yield prediction and (2) evaluate how such a model can be beneficial to the health of ecosystem by predicting the appropriate rates of N fertilization for corn production. Soil NH₄-N and NO₃-N were determined at corn harvest at the depths of 0–30 and 30–60 cm. Nitrogen fertilizer rates and soil mineral N accounted for a maximum of 93% variation in corn grain yield. Soil mineral N enhanced corn yield more than N fertilizer. Totals of 63.1 and 14.1 kg/ha of soil residual NO₃-N and NH₄-N were found in the 0- to 60-cm depth, indicating the importance of performing soil N tests.     

Evaluation of a hand held reflectometer for rapid quantitative determination of nitrate

Abstract

An inexpensive hand held reflectometer was used to estimate NO₃ concentration with Merckoquant NO₃ indicator strips. For KNO₃ solutions a fourfold improvement in precision was obtained over the visual method of colour comparison. The instrument calibration was stable over several days and not affected by temperature in the range 8–34^o C. The reflectometer showed quantitatively that increasing temperature (8–34^oC) reduced the optimal time for reading the strips from 120s to 40s. With standard NO₃ solutions a simple hyperbolic transformation of the reflectometer readings produced a linear calibration of good fit (r²=0.99). NO₃ could be estimated in different soil types within half an hour. The results agreed well with values from ion chromatography (r² =0.97, slope=1.07). Plant sap analysis was moderately precise (r² =0.92) but inaccurate and underestimated by more than 60% values obtained by ion chromatography. This discrepancy was not caused by the reflectometer but seemed to be due to factors within the plant sap that interfered with the NO₃ colour reaction in the Merckoquant strips.     

Co-incorporation of biodegradable wastes with crop residues to reduce nitrate pollution of groundwater and decrease waste disposal to landfill

Return of high nitrogen (N) content crop residues to soil, particularly in autumn, can result in environmental pollution resulting from gaseous and leaching losses of N. The EU Landfill Directive will require significant reductions in the amounts of biodegradable materials going to landfill. A field experiment was set up to examine the potential of using biodegradable waste materials to manipulate losses of N from high N crop residues in the soil. Leafy residues of sugar beet were co‐incorporated into soil with materials of varying C:N ratios, including molasses, compactor waste, paper waste, green waste compost and cereal straw. The amendment materials were each incorporated to provide approximately 3.7 t C per hectare. The most effective material for reducing nitrous oxide (N₂O) production and leaching loss of NO₃^? was compactor waste, which is the final product from the recycling of cardboard. Adding molasses increased N₂O and NO₃^? leaching losses. Six months following incorporation of residues, the double rate application of compactor waste decreased soil mineral N by 36 kg N per hectare, and the molasses increased soil mineral N by 47 kg N per hectare. Compactor waste reduced spring barley grain yield by 73% in the first of years following incorporation, with smaller losses at the second harvest. At the first harvest, molasses and paper waste increased yields of spring barley by 20 and 10% compared with sugar beet residues alone, and the enhanced yield persisted to the second harvest. The amounts of soil mineral N in the spring and subsequent yields of a first cereal crop were significantly correlated to the lignin and cellulose contents of the amendment materials. Yield was reduced by 0.3–0.4 t/ha for every 100 mg/g increase in cellulose or lignin content. In a second year, cereal yield was still reduced and related to the cellulose content of the amendment materials but with one quarter of the effect. Additional fertilizer applied to this second crop did not relieve this effect. Although amendment materials were promising as tools to reduce N losses, further work is needed to reduce the negative effects on subsequent crops which was not removed by applying 60 kg/ha of fertilizer N.     

Organoclays for controlled release of the herbicide fenuron

Organoclays were assayed as matrices in which to associate herbicides, with the aim of decreasing product losses that could give rise to water contamination from agricultural activities. Fenuron was selected as model of a very mobile and highly water-soluble herbicide. Two different organoclays of high (A-HDT) and low (H-C18) reversible fenuron sorption were selected. Herbicide-organoclay complexes were prepared from the two organoclays and with two different fenuron contents (20 and 40 g AI kg-1) and two different mixing times, so as to form a series of weak and strong complexes. The release of fenuron from those complexes into water and water/soil suspensions gave values of T50 (time to release 50% of the fenuron content) ranging from 0.3 min to 2400 h. The total fenuron released in these closed systems ranged from 48 to 80% of the fenuron in the complex. The organoclay type (high or low sorptivity) had the greatest influence on fenuron release, followed by the strong or weak complex, suggesting that herbicide-organoclay interactions are the main factors controlling release. Soil column leaching experiments showed fenuron-organoclay complexes to be effective in reducing the peak herbicide concentration in the leachate to a half (6 microns) or a quarter (3 microns) of that obtained from the free technical compound (12 microns). Herbicide lost through leaching was reduced from 78% for the free technical fenuron to 50-30%, depending on the organoclay used as carrier and the strength of the complex. Bioassay with ryegrass showed that the weak fenuron/H-C18 complex (40 g AI kg-1) gave the same herbicidal activity as technical fenuron. The potential suitability of low-sorptive organoclays for conferring slow-release properties on the fenuron complex has been demonstrated.     

二百方子沼泽湿地无机氮的垂直运移规律

以二百方子湿地为对象,模拟研究了沼泽湿地硝态氮和铵态氮在一定水位条件下的垂直运移过程。结果表明:沼泽湿地土壤中硝态氮的穿透曲线具有不对称的多峰结构,而铵态氮的穿透曲线均具有偏峰型结构,且有明显的拖尾现象;各层土壤中硝态氮和铵态氮的穿透曲线最高峰出现的时间及其峰值高低均存在显著差异。     

一种溶质运移数学模型的应用研究

土壤中溶质运移的过程、规律和机理是土壤溶质运移研究的主要内容。本文的目的是对模拟非饱和介质中水分和溶质迁移的二维数值模型SWMS－2D进行研究和验证。以硝酸盐形式存在的溶解氮是地下水中最常见的污染物，将硝态氮视为土壤溶质，考虑其根系吸收、生物固持、吸附、解吸、硝化和反硝化等作用，土壤表面即上边界条件用大气边界条件描述，下边界条件定为第一类边界条件，在田间条件下对模型作了检验。     

SILVER IMPREGNATION IN SITU

In evaluating radiographs of the limb joints and head, students encounter difficulty where superimposition occurs. By replacing calcium with silver salts in the bone, enhanced radiopacity can be produced. In this study, silver impregnation was used to increase the radiopacity of individual carpal and tarsal bones, selected bones of the skull and the sinuses, and guttural pouch of the horse. This provides an interpretation aid for teaching radiographic anatomy of these regions.     

Sensitivity analyses for four pesticide leaching models

Sensitivity analyses using a one-at-a-time approach were carried out for leaching models which have been widely used for pesticide registration in Europe (PELMO, PRZM, PESTLA and MACRO). Four scenarios were considered for simulation of the leaching of two theoretical pesticides in a sandy loam and a clay loam soil, each with a broad distribution across Europe. Input parameters were varied within bounds reflecting their uncertainty and the influence of these variations on model predictions was investigated for accumulated percolation at 1-m depth and pesticide loading in leachate. Predictions for the base-case scenarios differed between chromatographic models and the preferential flow model MACRO for which large but transient pesticide losses were predicted in the clay loam. Volumes of percolated water predicted by the four models were affected by a small number of input parameters and to a small extent only, suggesting that meteorological variables will be the main drivers of water balance predictions. In contrast to percolation, predictions for pesticide loss were found to be sensitive to a large number of input parameters and to a much greater extent. Parameters which had the largest influence on the prediction of pesticide loss were generally those related to chemical sorption (Freundlich exponent nf and distribution coefficient Kf) and degradation (either degradation rates or DT50, QTEN value). Nevertheless, a significant influence of soil properties (field capacity, bulk density or parameters defining the boundary between flow domains in MACRO) was also noted in at least one scenario for all models. Large sensitivities were reported for all models, especially PELMO and PRZM, and sensitivity was greater where only limited leaching was simulated. Uncertainty should be addressed in risk assessment procedures for crop-protection products.     

镧对巴西虫草生长的影响

冬虫夏草是一种名贵的滋补品,虫草中含有的多糖、虫草酸、虫草素及各类氨基酸等具有扩张气管、镇静、抗各类细菌、降血压的功效。1988年,广东省农业科学院蚕业与农产品加工研究所的研究人员在广东某自然保护区采集到了6种虫草野生株,从中筛选到一株可以感染家蚕的虫草菌,经鉴定     

氮素对辣椒产量和硝酸盐积累的影响

在施等量有机肥的前提下,随着施氮量的增加,辣椒营养生长旺盛,株高株幅增加;辣椒产量在一定范围的施氮量内逐步增加,超过一定施氮量反而下降;随着施氮量的增加,辣椒果实和叶片的硝酸盐含量均随之上升,其中以叶片中积累量最高,其次是果皮,果肉中硝酸盐的含量最低;各处理对辣椒亚硝酸盐的积累没有影响。