Cultivation effects on soil texture and fertility in an arid desert region of northwestern China

In arid desert regions of northwestern China, reclamation and subsequent irrigated cultivation have become effective ways to prevent desertification, expand arable croplands, and develop sustainable agricultural production. Improvement in soil texture and fertility is crucial to high soil quality and stable crop yield. However, knowledge on the long-term effects of the conversion of desert lands into arable croplands is very limited. To address this problem, we conducted this study in an arid desert region of northwestern China to understand the changes in soil physical-chemical properties after 0, 2, 5, 10, 17, and 24 years of cultivation. Our results showed that silt and clay contents at the 17-year-old sites increased 17.5 and 152.3 folds, respectively, compared with that at the 0-year-old sites. The soil aggregate size fraction and its stability exhibited an exponential growth trend with increasing cultivation ages, but no significant change was found for the proportion of soil macroaggregates (>5.00 mm) during the 17 years of cultivation. The soil organic carbon (SOC) content at the 24-year-old sites was 6.86 g/kg and increased 8.8 folds compared with that at the 0-year-old sites. The total (or available) nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium contents showed significant increasing trends and reached higher values after 17 (or 24) years of cultivation. Changes in soil physical-chemical properties successively experienced slow, rapid, and stable development stages, but some key properties (such as soil aggregate stability and SOC) were still too low to meet the sustainable agricultural production. The results of this long-term study indicated that reasonable agricultural management, such as expanding no-tillage land area, returning straw to the fields, applying organic fertilizer, reducing chemical fertilizer application, and carrying out soil testing for formula fertilization, is urgently needed in arid desert regions.     

Effects of genes increasing the number of spikelets per panicle,TAW1 and APO1, on yield and yield-related traits in rice

The genes TAWAWA1 (TAW1) and ABERRANT PANICLE ORGANIZATION1 (APO1) increase the number of spikelets per panicle (SN). In the present study, we examined the effects of these genes on morphological traits, yield, and yield-related traits including yield components using the near-isogenic lines (NILs) in the genetic background of a japonica rice variety, Koshihikari – NIL-taw1, NIL-apo1-D3, and NIL-apo1-D4 – in a field experiment. The SN and total number of spikelets per area of the three NILs were larger than those of Koshihikari. However, the yield of the three NILs did not exceed that of Koshihikari due to their low filling ability. Interestingly, our field experiments indicated that TAW1 did not affect the diameter of internodes and the PN, whereas APO1 decreased the PN and increased the diameter of internodes. These results suggest that TAW1 and APO1 differently affect yield-related traits.     

Determination of critical nitrogen dilution curve based on leaf area index for winter wheat in the Guanzhong Plain,Northwest China

Excessive use of nitrogen(N) fertilizers in agricultural systems increases the cost of production and risk of environmental pollution. Therefore, determination of optimum N requirements for plant growth is necessary. Previous studies mostly established critical N dilution curves based on aboveground dry matter(DM) or leaf dry matter(LDM) and stem dry matter(SDM), to diagnose the N nutrition status of the whole plant. As these methods are time consuming, we investigated the more rapidly determined leaf area index(LAI) method to establish the critical nitrogen(N_c) dilution curve, and the curve was used to diagnose plant N status for winter wheat in Guanzhong Plain in Northwest China. Field experiments were conducted using four N fertilization levels(0, 105, 210 and 315 kg ha-1) applied to six wheat cultivars in the 2013–2014 and 2014–2015 growing seasons. LAI, DM, plant N concentration(PNC) and grain yield were determined. Data points from four cultivars were used for establishing the N_c curve and data points from the remaining two cultivars were used for validating the curve. The N_c dilution curve was validated for N-limiting and non-N-limiting growth conditions and there was good agreement between estimated and observed values. The N nutrition index(NNI) ranged from 0.41 to 1.25 and the accumulated plant N deficit(N_(and)) ranged from 60.38 to –17.92 kg ha~(-1) during the growing season. The relative grain yield was significantly affected by NNI and was adequately described with a parabolic function. The N_c curve based on LAI can be adopted as an alternative and more rapid approach to diagnose plant N status to support N fertilization decisions during the vegetative growth of winter wheat in Guanzhong Plain in Northwest China.     

不同施肥处理对枳及柠檬容器苗生长的影响

研究9个不同施肥处理对枳及柠檬容器苗生长的影响。结果表明:不同施肥处理对枳容器苗的苗高、地径、分枝高度及嫁接后柠檬苗的发芽率、株高、茎粗、分枝数及生物量都存在显著差异;不同施肥处理对枳及柠檬容器苗综合表现最好的为T4(撒施柠檬专用肥1.6 g)处理,其次是T2(撒施尿素0.6 g)、T3(撒施柠檬专用肥0.8 g)处理,表现最差的是T8(浇施5%柠檬专用肥)和T7(浇施3%柠檬专用肥)处理。在一定施肥浓度范围内,施肥对嫁接后柠檬容器苗的生物量积累有明显促进作用。柠檬容器苗培育时建议采用在基质中撒施柠檬专用肥1.6 g。     

青霉菌发酵液对大豆幼苗生长及生理特性的影响

采用室内生理检测及生物化学方法,研究了青霉菌发酵液对大豆幼苗生长及生理特性的影响。结果表明:用一定浓度的青霉菌发酵液对大豆浸种和茎叶处理,大豆幼苗的生长呈明显上升趋势,处理后大豆的株高、根长、株鲜重和根鲜重均明显得到了提高,且生长状态好于对照,不同浓度处理间具有明显差异,在发酵液浓度为5 g·L-1时,效果最佳。尤其是对根鲜重的影响,促进率最高可达56.21%,同时增强了幼苗根系活力,最大可以提高57.82%,浸种和茎叶处理后,分别提高了叶绿素含量41.25%和15.40%;超氧化物歧化酶活性12.20%和11.70%;过氧化物酶31.33%和29.95%;过氧化氢酶活性42.8%和20.0%,这为发酵液在大豆田推广应用、提高大豆产量提供了重要理论依据。     

Mapping the spatial distribution of shade provision of street trees in Boston using Google Street View panoramas

Street trees provide shade and increase human thermal comfort during hot summer. In this study, we investigated the spatial distribution of shade provision of street trees in Boston, Massachusetts. The sky view factor (SVF), which influences the solar radiation to the ground and affects human thermal comfort, was used to indicate the contribution of street trees on shade provision. Google Street View (GSV) panoramas were used to calculate the photographic method based SVF (SVF_P), with the consideration of all kinds of obstructions within street canyons. A building height model was used to calculate the simulation based SVF (SVFs), with consideration of obstruction of building blocks only. Considering the fact that street trees and building blocks are the two major obstructions of radiation within street canyons, therefore, the difference between the two SVF estimation results can be considered as the shade provision of street trees. The results show that street trees help to decrease the SVF by 24.61% in Boston, Massachusetts. The shading level varies spatially in the study area. Generally, the southwestern area has much higher shading level than the north and the east. We further explored the shading variation among different socioeconomic groups in the study area. Result shows that Hispanics tend to live in neighborhoods with lower shading level. This study can help to provide a reference for future urban greening projects for global climate change adaption.     

养猪场沼渣制备包膜缓释肥理化性质表征

文章以分散式养猪场沼渣为应用研究对象,以8%聚乙烯醇为包膜材料,改性斜发沸石为肥料载体和缓控释材料调理剂,通过添加不同沸石量制备3种复混包膜缓释肥。利用红外光谱、扫描电镜及三维荧光对3种缓释肥的进行表征。结果表明:添加改性沸石的复混包膜肥除了增加显著的沸石红外特征谱外,其余红外光谱图差异不明显,表明添加沸石对有机质(富里酸和腐殖酸)结构和化学键型并未产生明显的影响,即不影响沼渣理化性质;添加改性沸石可以使聚乙烯醇完整的覆盖在肥料表面,膜壳更加平整光滑,膜层更加致密;三维荧光光谱显示复混包膜肥Ⅰ浸出富里酸和腐殖酸浓度最大,复混包膜肥Ⅲ浓度最低,表明添加沸石有减缓肥料养分释放的效果。该研究对于利用养猪场沼渣制备包膜缓释肥有一定的参考价值。     

不同基因型燕麦苗期耐盐碱性分析 及其鉴定指标的筛选

为探讨不同基因型燕麦苗期的耐盐碱性，筛选适宜松嫩平原种植的燕麦品种，本研究采用Hoagland营养液水培法，以250 mmol·L^-1高浓度NaHCO₃胁迫模拟松嫩平原盐碱环境，对49份来自国内外不同地区的主栽燕麦品种进行研究。试验测定了250 mmol·L^-1 NaHCO₃胁迫下燕麦的株高（X₁）、根长（X₂）、地上部鲜重（X₃）、地下部鲜重（X₄）、地上部干重（X₅）、地下部干重（X₆）、地上部含水量（X₇）、地下部含水量（X₈）、根冠比（X₉）9个指标，以各单项指标的耐盐碱系数(SATC) 作为衡量耐盐碱性的依据，利用多元分析方法对不同燕麦品种耐盐碱能力进行了综合评价。结果表明：通过对各指标的耐盐碱系数进行主成分分析，得到X₄、X₇、X₈ 3个综合指标，涵盖了全部数据86.155%的信息量；通过隶属函数分析和聚类分析将49份燕麦品种分为3类，其中草莜1号、张燕7、T7等3个品种为耐盐碱品种，HLJ 1、白燕2号等41个品种为中度耐盐碱品种，三分三、坝莜13号等5个品种为盐碱敏感品种。     

Impact of land‐use intensity on the relationships between vegetation indices,photosynthesis and biomass of intensively and extensively managed grassland fens

Vegetation indices are widely used as model inputs and for non‐destructive estimation of biomass and photosynthesis, but there have been few validation studies of the underlying relationships. To test their applicability on temperate fens and the impact of management intensity, we investigated the relationships between normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), leaf area index (LAI), brown and green above‐ground biomass and photosynthesis potential (PP). Only the linear relationship between NDVI and PP was management independent (R² = 0·53). LAI to PP was described by a site‐specific and negative logarithmic function (R² = 0·07–0·68). The hyperbolic relationship of LAI versus NDVI showed a high residual standard error (s.e.) of 1·71–1·84 and differed between extensive and intensive meadows. Biomass and LAI correlated poorly (R² = 0·30), with high species‐specific variability. Intensive meadows had a higher ratio of LAI to biomass than extensive grasslands. The fraction of green to total biomass versus NDVI showed considerable noise (s.e. = 0·13). These relationships were relatively weak compared with results from other ecosystems. A likely explanation could be the high amount of standing litter, which was unevenly distributed within the vegetation canopy depending on the season and on the timing of cutting events. Our results show there is high uncertainty in the application of the relationships on temperate fen meadows. For reliable estimations, management intensity needs to be taken into account and several direct measurements throughout the year are required for site‐specific correction of the relationships, especially under extensive management. Using NDVI instead of LAI could reduce uncertainty in photosynthesis models.