Management strategies for forage rape (Brassica napus L. cv Goliath): Impact on dry-matter yield,plant reserves,morphology and nutritive value

Limited information is available on the grazing management principles of forage rape (Brassica napus L.), particularly in relation to grazing height and intensity and the impact of these on dry-matter (DM) yield and nutritive value. A glasshouse study was undertaken to investigate the effect of three defoliation heights (plant height at harvest; DH: 40, 70 and 90 cm; L, M and H DH respectively) and three defoliation intensities (height at which plants were cut; DI: 5, 20 and 35 cm of residual height; H, M and L DI respectively) on forage rape (cv Goliath) yield and nutritive value at two harvests (harvest 1, H1 and harvest 2, H2), and the impact of nitrogen (N) and water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) reserves on regrowth. Increasing DH from L to H increased estimated total DM yield (H1 plus H2) from 0.5 to 4.6 t DM/ha but DI did not affect yield. Dry-matter yield was optimized at 90 cm DH, but greater nutritive value was achieved by harvesting at lower levels of DH. Despite high in vitro DM digestibility (IVDMD; 852–889 g/kg), harvesting at 90 cm DH could not meet the protein requirement of lactating dairy cows and harvesting at lower levels risks nitrate poisoning. Our results indicate the optimum DH may be between 70 and 90 cm DH, and 20 and 35 cm DI, which requires further studies.     

黄土高原人工灌草系统不同立地条件土壤种子库特征

本研究通过野外调查取样与室内试验相结合，连续两年对黄土高原人工灌草系统不同坡向、坡位进行取样，以期对该区土壤种子库的物种组成、密度特征及其物种多样性进行初步了解。研究结果表明：该人工灌草生态系统土壤种子库共有9科，15种，其组成因坡位、坡向以及年份而异；坡向、坡位均显著影响土壤种子库物种多样性指数、丰富度指数与土壤种子库密度（P<0.05），土壤种子库密度为3 218～5 492粒·m^-2，总体呈现为阴坡显著高于阳坡（P<0.05），下坡位显著高于上坡位（P<0.05）；坡位和坡向均对物种均匀性系数无显著影响；年份对土壤种子库无显著影响。上述研究可为黄土高原人工灌草系统的可持续利用与恢复提供参考依据。     

滴灌水肥一体化下施氮量对小麦氮素吸收及土壤硝态氮含量的影响

为探明华北地区山前平原水肥一体化条件下小麦合理的氮肥运筹。于2013-2015年2个小麦生长季,设置4个滴灌施氮量(N0-不施氮、N1-120 kg/hm~2、N2-240 kg/hm~2、N3-360 kg/hm~2)处理,研究滴灌水肥一体化下施氮量对小麦氮素吸收积累和土壤硝态氮含量的影响。结果表明:施氮量N1、N2和N3处理的小麦干质量及产量较处理N0显著增加,N1、N2和N3处理间无显著差异;施氮量对小麦茎秆的氮含量影响较大,但对籽粒氮含量的影响差异不显著;处理N3的小麦总吸氮量分别显著高于处理N0、N1和N2,但处理N1和N2之间无显著差异;氮肥收获指数以N2处理最高,氮肥当季回收利用率、氮肥农学效率、氮肥生产效率和氮肥利用效率均表现出随施氮量增加而降低的趋势;施氮量超过240 kg/hm~2,土壤硝态氮含量增加,且随种植年限的延长更加明显。采用一元二次方程拟合,获得小麦最高产量的施氮量为238.46~250.78 kg/hm~2,经济施氮量为174.28~207.18 kg/hm~2。综合考虑经济效益和生态效益,该条件下小麦滴灌经济施氮量以174~207 kg/hm~2为宜。     

Impact on soil physical properties of using large-grain legumes for catch crop cultivation under different tillage conditions

In Central Europe, various plant species including large-grain legumes and their mixtures are grown as catch crops, particularly between grains harvested early and subsequent summer crops. This article investigates the question of how soil structure in the topsoil is influenced when catch cropping with large-grain legumes (experimental factor A: without catch crop, with catch crop) under different ploughless tillage conditions during catch crop seeding (experimental factor B: deep tillage/25–30 cm, shallow tillage/8–10 cm). Five one-year trials were performed using standard machinery at various sites in Germany. Soil core samples extracted from the topsoil in the spring after catch crop cultivation served to identify air capacity, saturated hydraulic conductivity and precompression stress. The above-ground and below-ground biomass yields of the catch crops were also determined at most of the sites. In addition, the soil compaction risk for the working steps in the experiments was calculated using the REPRO model.The dry matter yield of the catch crops varied considerably between the individual trial sites and years. In particular, high levels of dry matter were able to form in the case of early seeding and a sufficient supply of precipitation. The soil structure was only rarely affected positively by catch crop cultivation, and catch crops did not contribute in the short term to loosening already compacted topsoils. In contrast, mechanical soil stresses caused by driving over the ground and additional working steps used in cultivating catch crops often led to lower air capacity in these treatments. This is consistent with the soil compaction risks calculated using the REPRO model, which were higher in the treatments with catch cropping. Catch crop cultivation also only resulted in improved mechanical stability at one location. The positive effect of deep ploughless tillage on air capacity and saturated hydraulic conductivity, however, became more clearly evident regardless of catch crop cultivation. In order for catch crop cultivation with large-grain legumes to be able to have a favourable impact on soil structure, it is therefore important that cultivating them does not result in any new soil compaction. In the conditions evaluated, deep tillage was more effective at loosening compacted topsoil than growing catch crops.     

土壤肥料学云南省省级精品课程教学改革与实践

为适应高等农业教育改革和推进素质教育的要求,针对云南农业大学涉农专业的基本特点,结合土壤肥料学云南省省级精品课程的建设和云南省土壤与肥料方面的基本情况,以培养学生的创新精神与实践能力为根本目的,在教学内容、教学条件、教学方法等方面进行了该课程教学改革与实践,收到显著成效.     

绿洲膜下滴灌调亏对马铃薯土壤环境及产量的影响

为测定膜下滴灌调亏马铃薯全生育期内不同调亏水平土壤养分、土壤水热动态、生长动态、产量效应和水分利用效率,于2016年在河西荒漠绿洲灌区民乐县益民灌溉试验站开展了马铃薯不同生育阶段水分调亏灌溉的试验研究,结果表明,马铃薯膜下滴灌调亏土壤水热变化均匀且利用率高,有利于马铃薯对土壤养分的充分吸收和利用;土壤养分是土壤肥力的核心,是植物在生长发育过程中不可或缺的重要因素,膜下滴灌调亏栽培能有效减少土壤速效养分的流失,并提高马铃薯对土壤速效养分的利用效率;不同生育阶段马铃薯耗水量受水分调亏程度影响较大,其耗水量随调亏程度增大而显著减少(P0.05),水分调亏处理马铃薯全生育期总耗水量均低于全生育期充分灌水CK处理。块茎形成期轻度水分亏缺马铃薯水分利用效率、灌溉水利用效率、生物量均达到最大,较全生育期充分灌水显著提高29.04%,35.61%。因此,块茎形成期轻度水分亏缺灌溉方式能使马铃薯根区土壤始终保持湿润状态,有效减少渗漏损失和植株间无效蒸发损失,改善土壤水、肥和热量状况,有利于提高作物水分利用效率,且不显著降低马铃薯最终产量。     

免耕和稻草还田对稻田土壤肥力和水稻产量的影响

为了明确稻草还田和免耕等保护性耕作措施对土壤肥力和水稻产量的影响,自2008年于广西大学农学院科研基地进行长期定位试验,设置免耕（NT）、免耕+稻草覆盖还田（NT-SMR）、常规耕作+稻草覆盖还田（CT-SMR）、常规耕作（CT）和常规耕作+稻草翻压还田（CT-SR）5个处理,于2018年水稻成熟期测定产量,水稻收获后分层（0~5、5~10和10~20cm）测定土壤肥力。结果表明,稻田不同土层肥力指标均存在显著性差异,总体上表现为0~5、5~10和10~20cm土层的有机碳、全氮、碱解氮、有效磷和速效钾含量依次下降。NT-SMR处理显著提高了0~5cm土层的有机碳、全氮、碱解氮和有效磷含量,但降低了土壤速效钾含量。在5~10和10~20cm土层,稻草还田处理的有机碳、全氮、碱解氮、有效磷和速效钾含量均优于无稻草还田处理。水稻产量与土壤肥力呈显著正相关。2016年CT-SR处理水稻产量在早季分别比NT和CT处理显著提高了8.52%和7.99%,在晚季分别显著提高了12.12%和7.55%;2018年NT-SMR处理的水稻产量在早季分别比NT和CT处理显著提高了17.78%和10.30%,在晚季分别显著提高了13.88%和19.39%。因此,免耕和稻草还田能明显提高稻田耕作层土壤肥力,增加稻谷产量。     

黄河故道区域不同种植模式及秸秆还田方式对土壤的改良效果

由于长期受到流水冲击,黄河故道区域农田以中低产田为主,因此本区域农田质量提升成为黄河中下游平原绿色发展的重要研究课题。在河南濮阳清丰地区秸秆还田方式的基础上,选取黄河故道区域广泛种植的小麦、玉米和花生三大主要农作物,于2009年进行4种种植模式长期定位试验：小麦-玉米、小麦-花生、小麦-玉米-小麦-花生和单季花生,其中小麦和玉米秸秆全部还田,花生秸秆不还田,探究不同种植模式对土壤理化性质和微生物群落结构的影响。结果表明,秸秆还田量越多,土壤有机质含量提高越多,小麦-花生、小麦-玉米-小麦-花生种植模式下土壤有机质含量最高,且其土壤含水量也显著高于其他处理,上层土壤容重有所降低,显著改善了土壤砂质化,提升了土壤的蓄水能力;秸秆还田量较大的种植模式的养分保持能力明显提高,养分含量显著增加;微生物群落结构对不同种植模式响应结果为,花生可以显著提升微生物丰度,微生物群落多样性随种植作物类型的增加而增加。因此,小麦-玉米-小麦-花生种植模式较为适宜濮阳清丰黄河故道区域,有利于土壤改良和区域农业的可持续发展。     

Organic farming fosters agroecosystem functioning in Argentinian temperate soils: Evidence from litter decomposition and soil fauna

Benefits of organic farming on soil fauna have been widely observed and this has led to consider organic farming as a potential approach to reduce the environmental impact of conventional agriculture. However, there is still little evidence from field conditions about direct benefits of organic agriculture on soil ecosystem functioning. Hence, the aims of this study were to compare the effect of organic farming versus conventional farming on litter decomposition and to study how this process is affected by soil meso- and macrofauna abundances. Systems studied were: (1) organic farming with conventional tillage (ORG), (2) conventional farming with conventional tillage (CT), (3) conventional farming under no-tillage (NT), and (4) natural grassland as control system (GR). Decomposition was determined under field conditions by measuring weight loss in litterbags. Soil meso- and macrofauna contribution on decomposition was evaluated both by different mesh sizes and by assessing their abundances in the soil. Litter decomposition was always significantly higher after 9 and 12 months in ORG than in CT and NT (from 2 to 5 times in average), regardless decomposer community composition and litter type. Besides, mesofauna, macrofauna and earthworm abundances were significantly higher in ORG than in NT and CT (from 1.6 to 3.8, 1.7 to 2.3 and 16 to 25 times in average, respectively for each group). These results are especially relevant firstly because the positive effect of ORG in a key soil process has been proved under field conditions, being the first direct evidence that organic farming enhances the decomposition process. And secondly because the extensive organic system analyzed here did not include several practices which have been recognized as particularly positive for soil biota (e.g. manure use, low tillage intensity and high crop diversity). So, this research suggests that even when those practices are not applied, the non-use of agrochemicals is enough to produce positive changes in soil fauna and so in decomposition dynamics. Therefore, the adoption of organic system in an extensive way can also be suggested to farmers in order to improve ecosystem functioning and consequently to achieve better soil conditions for crop production.     

Impact of soil engineering by two contrasting species of earthworms on their dispersal rates

By burrowing galleries and producing casts, earthworms are constantly changing the structure and properties of the soils in which they are living. These changes modify the costs and benefits for earthworms to stay in the environment they modify. In this paper, we measured experimentally how dispersal behaviour of endogeic and anecic earthworms responds to the cumulative changes they made in soil characteristics. The influence of earthworm activities on dispersal was studied in standardised mesocosms by comparing the influence of soils modified or not modified by earthworm activities on earthworm dispersal rates.The cumulative use of the soil by the earthworms strongly modified soil physical properties. The height of the soil decreased over time and the amount of aggregates smaller than 2 mm decreased in contrast to aggregates larger than 5 mm that increased. We found that: (i) earthworm activities significantly modified soil physical properties (such as bulk density, soil strength and soil aggregation) and decreased significantly the dispersal rates of the endogeic species, whatever the species that modified the soil; (ii) the decreasing in the dispersal proportion of the endogeic species suggests that the cost of engineering activities may be higher than the one of dispersal; (iii) the dispersal of the anecic species appeared to be not influenced by its own activities (intra-specific influences) or by the activities of the endogeic species (inter-specific influences). Overall these results suggest that the endogeic species is involved in a process of niche construction, which evolved jointly with its dispersal strategy.