System for quasi‐continuous simultaneous measurement of oxygen diffusion rate and redox potential in soil

Oxygen diffusion rate (ODR) and redox potential (E_H) are quantitative indices representing oxygen availability and redox status in soils, which is valuable information for better understanding causes and effects of soil aeration. Because these indices are spatially and temporally highly variable, continuous measurements and adequate numbers of repetitions are essential for accurate in situ monitoring. Here, we present a new, fully automated recording system for in situ measurements where ODR and E_H are measured at the same platinum electrode. The conflict between electrode polarization for ODR and the resulting biased E_H readings is solved by reducing the polarization time and introducing a recovery interval between two consecutive measurement cycles. The shorter polarization time ensures accurate E_H readings. It also results in moderately overestimated ODR readings, but this can be corrected before data analysis. The recovery interval restricts temporal resolution of the E_H‐ODR data pairs to 8 h. We illustrate the use of the system with measurements in a field experiment in Zürich, Switzerland. ODR curves at different depths ran roughly parallel to the corresponding curves of O₂ concentration in soil air but ODR was much more sensitive to precipitation. Low ODR was a necessary but not a sufficient condition for declining E_H. E_H ran parallel to O₂ concentration in soil air rather than to ODR. The fully automated system allows for time series of replicate measurements in multifactorial field studies with reasonable labor requirements. It may be particularly suitable for studies examining the effects of soil tillage, compaction, and irrigation, where structure‐related soil properties such as porosity, gas permeability, and soil aeration play a dominant role.     

砂田甜瓜套作向日葵系统的养分利用研究

2010—2013年在庄浪县进行的砂田甜瓜套作向日葵系统的养分利用研究的结果表明,无论在甜瓜的初花期、座果期、膨大期套作食葵或油葵,套作系统比单作明显提高了作物的吸氮量、吸磷量和吸钾量。氮吸收量比单作增加50%~59%,磷吸收量比单作增加12%~41%,钾吸收量比单作增加33%~68%。     

Comparative study on the effects of buckwheat by roasting: Antioxidant properties,nutrients, pasting,and thermal properties

The increasing need to prolong the shelf life of buckwheat has prompted the use of roasting techniques in buckwheat processing. For effective roasting, the responses of common buckwheat (CB) and tartary buckwheat (TB) to the process should be explored. Herein, the antioxidant properties, nutrients, pasting, and thermal properties of raw and roasted buckwheat flours (roasted at 200 °C for 50 s) from two CB and three TB varieties were investigated. Results showed that roasting considerably reduced the total flavonoid content (TFC) and total phenolic content (TPC) of TB. The TPC of CB was significantly improved by roasting, whereas the TFC significantly decreased. The total antioxidant capacities were consistent with the TPCs. Additionally, the colour deepened as the amount of antioxidant compounds increased. Unexpectedly, roasting enhanced the protein and fat contents of CB and decreased those of TB. Roasting improved the nutritional quality and antioxidant capacity of CB, and opposite results were obtained in TB. In conclusion, CB was more suitable to the development of roasted specialty products with nutritional applications than TB. We suggest that differences among varieties should be considered first in the buckwheat roasting process.     

基于格网的石漠化地区生态系统服务与经济空间耦合

[目的]分析石漠化地区生态系统服务价值与经济的空间耦合关系,为石漠化地区生态环境保护与社会经济协调发展提供依据。[方法]以贵州省盘州市为例,基于格网尺度,计算了研究区生态服务价值(ESV)与国内生产总值GDP,并利用耦合协调模型,对两者间的耦合协调发展程度进行定量评估。[结果]①盘州市ESV热点区主要分布在东北部的几个少数民族乡镇,冷点区主要分布在经济发展较快且城市化率较高的区域;②盘州市GDP在空间上呈现出局部高的特点,高值区主要集中在石桥镇、亦资街道、翰林街道等工业镇和政治、经济、文化中心;③盘州市ESV与GDP耦合协调度值较低,空间上存在明显的自相关性,耦合协调度较低的区域主要分布在盘州市东南部、北部以及中部;④盘州市ESV与GDP耦合协调度类型以严重失调衰退经济损益型为主,占区域总面积的79.95%。[结论]盘州市ESV与GDP在空间上存在一定矛盾,耦合协调度较低,兼顾生态环境保护与经济发展有助于提升协调度。     

Mass balanced based LCA of a common carp-lettuce aquaponics system

An aquaponics system (AS) is an integrated system that combines a recirculating aquaculture system and a hydroponics system (HS). It is designed to recover nutrients released from fish and transfer them to plants to provide a system more environmentally-friendly than the two systems working separately. As a result, several AS are under development, but little information is available about their overall performances. The aim of this study was to assess nutrient-use efficiency and environmental impacts of an AS, specifically a common carp-lettuce AS located in a greenhouse. Nutrient budgets of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) were calculated and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was performed for the AS and for a lettuce Individual Hydroponics System (IHS), similar to the HS of the AS, operating in the greenhouse at the same time. The experiment was performed over a 52-day cycle, which corresponds to the growing time required to harvest marketable lettuce. The nutrient budgets were well balanced, with 24.6% of the N unaccounted-for, most likely due to N2 gas emission, and 6.6% of the P unaccounted-for, most likely due to having underestimated the quantity of sediment. At the beginning of the experiment, N represented 55.9%, 37.1% and 0.1% of the total N input in the formulated feed, stocked fish and lettuce seedlings, respectively. At the end of the experiment, N represented 47.6% and 0.4% of the total N input in the harvested fish and lettuce, respectively. At the beginning of the experiment, P represented 56.94%, 40.20% and 0.03% of the total P input in the formulated feed, stocked fish and lettuce seedlings, respectively. At the end of the experiment, P represented 51.52% and 0.42% of the total P input in the harvested fish and lettuce, respectively. LCA clearly indicated two environmental impact hotspots: the origin of nutrients and energy use. One kg of lettuce growth in the AS clearly had lower environmental impacts than that in the IHS for climate change, acidification, eutrophication, land competition and cumulative energy demand; however, a decrease in water dependence was not observed. The indicator for net primary production use highlighted the dependence of the AS on natural resources, especially fish meal and fish oil. Compared to the use of chemical nutrients in the IHS, the use of nutrients from formulated feed in the AS decreased climate change impact but increased the use of natural resources.     

养分专家系统推荐施肥对冬小麦产量、养分转运及肥料利用的影响

为探究冬小麦科学施肥技术,明确养分专家系统推荐施肥对冬小麦产量、养分积累转运与利用的影响,于2018—2019年分别在河南省鹤壁市和新乡市以冬小麦(鹤壁、新乡试验品种分别为‘郑麦7698’和‘郑麦366’)为试验材料,设置7个处理[农民习惯施肥(FP)、当地推荐施肥(ST)、养分专家系统推荐施肥(NE)、在NE基础上配施缓控释氮肥(RNE)、在NE基础上不施氮肥(NE-N)、在NE基础上不施磷肥(NE-P)、在NE基础上不施钾肥(NE-K)],探究不同施肥处理对冬小麦氮、磷、钾养分转运分配规律和肥料利用效率的影响。结果表明,冬小麦氮、磷、钾施肥量NE较FP处理分别降低16.2%、43.3%、-13.2%(鹤壁)和19.5%、48.0%、-57.9%(新乡);冬小麦产量NE与FP处理无显著性差异,RNE与FP处理存在显著性差异;NE、RNE较FP处理分别增产4.7%～6.6%、5.5%～9.6%(P0.05)。进一步研究表明,NE、RNE处理可显著增加地上部植株养分含量和积累量(P0.05),其花后干物质积累量较FP处理增加9.2%～14.0%、11.9%～18.6%;花前氮、磷素转运量和钾素转运对籽粒钾素积累贡献率均有提高,基于养分专家系统推荐施肥的氮、磷、钾肥平均利用效率分别为42.1%、19.2%、46.6%,平均农学效率分别为11.5kg·kg~(-1)、13.2 kg·kg~(-1)、13.3 kg·kg~(-1)。综上可知,小麦养分专家系统指导优化了氮、磷、钾肥的施用量和施用方法,促进了小麦对氮、磷、钾养分的吸收利用,提高了肥料利用率,具有良好的增产效果,可以在河南地区推广应用。     

Can arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi improve competitive ability of dill + common bean intercrops against weeds?

Competition for soil resources plays a key role in the crop yield of intercropping systems. There is a lack of knowledge on the main factors involved in competitive interactions between crops and weeds for nutrients uptake. Hence, the purpose of this work was to compare the effects of arbuscular mycorrhial fungi (Funneliformis mosseae) colonization in interspecific competitive relations and its effect on nutrients uptake and weed control in dill and common bean intercropping. Two field experiments were carried out with factorial arrangements based on randomized complete block design with three replications during 2013–2014. The factors were cropping systems including a) common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) sole cropping (40 plants m⁻²), b) dill (Anethum graveolens L.) sole cropping at different densities (25, 50 and 75 plants m⁻²) and c) the additive intercropping of dill + common bean (25 + 40, 50 + 40 and 75 + 40 plants m⁻²). All these treatments were applied with (+AM) or without (-AM) arbuscular mycorrhiza colonization. In both cropping systems, inoculation with F. mosseae increased the P, K, Fe and Zn concentrations of dill plants by 40, 524, 57 and 1.0 μg kg⁻¹ DW, respectively. Intercropping increased Mn concentration in common bean (4.0 μg kg⁻¹ DW) and dill (3.0 μg kg⁻¹ DW), and also seed yields of both crops (198 g m⁻² and161 g m⁻², respectively). AM colonization improved seed yields of dill and common bean by 169 and 177 g m⁻² in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Moreover, AM application enhanced competitive ability of dill + common bean intercrops against weeds at different intercropping systems. Intercropping significantly changed weed density compared to sole cropping, as weed density was decreased in the dill + common bean intercropping. Diversity (H), Evenness (E) and richness of weed species of weeds for intercrops were higher than those for sole crops.     

Evaluation of direct and indirect phosphorus limitation of methanogenic pathways in a calcareous subtropical wetland soil

The effect of phosphorus (P) and carbon (C) on methanogenesis was investigated in a low-P (130 mg P kg⁻¹ soil) wetland within Everglades National Park. Soil was amended with C substrates (acetate, formate, butyrate, and glucose) with or without P, and CO₂ and CH₄ production was monitored. Production of CH₄ increased with P addition although no effect on CO₂ was observed. Methane production was stimulated by all C substrates except for butyrate. No effect of C on CO₂ production was observed except for stimulation following glucose addition. Production of CH₄ following formate addition was not affected by P, suggesting hydrogenotrophic methanogens may be substrate, not P, limited. Addition of P to all other C substrates heightened CH₄ production and lowered the CO₂–C:CH₄–C ratio relative to the corresponding C only treatment, suggesting that P may have limited acetoclastic methanogens and fermentation.     

The optimal nutrition of maize in the hungarian national long‐term field experimental network

In Hungary, maize is grown on 1 million ha and occupies more than 20% of the arable land. The rich assortment of maize cultivars of different vegetation periods and different responses to nutritional effects, water supply etc. gives the growers the possibility to choose the cultivars suiting best the site characteristics (Jolânkai et al. 1999). Among the cereals maize has the highest genetical potential. To utilize its yield and quality potential, soil types of high nutrient content and regular nutrient supply are required (Gyõrffy, 1979). Both over‐ and under‐fertilization have an unfavourable effect on the yield and quality of maize (Debreczeni, 1985). Crops can be supplied with the appropriate nutrient amounts only with the knowledge of soil characteristics in the different agro‐ecological regions (nutrient content, water supply, soil compactness, pH, nutrient supplying capacity etc.). In Hungary, a network of long‐term field fertilization trials with uniform fertilizer treatments has been maintained at nine experimental sites representing different agro‐ecological regions of the country. This experimental network gives a basis to test the nutrient responses of our main crops and calibrate their optimal nutrient supply (Kismányoky, 1991).     

Effects of soybean raffinose on growth performance,digestibility,humoral immunity and intestinal morphology of growing pigs

There are appreciable does of raffinose in soybean, but the impacts of raffinose on pigs are poorly investigated. We used 2 experiments to investigate the influence of soybean raffinose on growth performance, digestibility, humoral immunity and intestinal morphology of growing pigs. In Exp. 1, a total of 30 crossbred (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire) barrows (21.93 ± 0.43 kg) were randomly divided into 3 groups, and were fed with the control diet, the control diets supplemented with 0.2% and 0.5% raffinose, respectively, for 21 d. Results showed that the addition of 0.2% or 0.5% raffinose reduced (P < 0.05) average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG) and nutrient digestibility, and dietary 0.5% raffinose increased the ratio of feed to gain (P < 0.05). For serum indexes, dietary 0.5% raffinose decreased growth hormone and increased glucagon-like peptide-2, immunoglobulin G, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 concentration (P < 0.05). In Exp. 2, a total of 24 crossbred barrows (38.41 ± 0.45 kg) were randomly divided into 3 groups, and were fed with the control diet (ad libitum), the raffinose diet (0.5% raffinose, ad libitum), and the control diet in the same amount as the raffinose group (feed-pair group) for 14 d, respectively. Compared with the control diet, dietary 0.5% raffinose decreased ADFI (P < 0.05). Intriguingly, the raffinose group had lower ADG than the feed-pair group, lower nutrient digestibility, lower amylase activity in duodenum, lower amylase, lipase and trypsin activities in jejunum and higher TNF-α concentration in serum compared with the other 2 groups, and a higher ratio of villus height to crypt depth compared with the control group (P < 0.05). These results showed that soybean raffinose could reduce feed voluntary intake and body gain while improving intestinal morphology without a significant negative influence on immunity. Taken together, dietary raffinose could decrease growth performance by reducing both feed intake and nutrient digestibility while inducing humoral immune response of growing pigs.