Autochthonous halotolerant plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria promote bacoside A yield of Bacopa monnieri (L.) Nash and phytoextraction of salt-affected soil

Phytoremediation is a promising approach for reclamation of salt-affected soil. Phytoextraction is the most commonly used process, which exploits plants to absorb, immobilize, and accumulate salt in their shoots. In this study, halotolerant plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) were isolated from the rhizosphere of wild grasses growing naturally in salt-affected areas of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (India) and were tested for their efficacies of salt-tolerance and plant growth-promoting (PGP) abilities. Based on 16S rRNA sequences, the most efficient halotolerant isolates possessing PGP traits were identified as Pseudomonas plecoglossicida (KM233646), Acinetobacter calcoaceticus (KM233647), Bacillus flexus (KM233648), and Bacillus safensis (KM233652). Application of these isolates as bio-inoculants significantly (P < 0.05) increased the growth and bacoside A yield of a medicinal plant, Bacopa monnieri (L.) Nash, grown on natural salt-affected soil. The phytoremediation of salt-affected soil was evident by the substantial increase in shoot Na⁺:K⁺ ratio of bio-inoculant-treated plants. When compared to un-inoculated control plants, the soil physico-chemical properties of bio-inoculant-treated plants were improved. The shoot and root biomass (fresh and dry weights), soil enzymes, and soil nutrient parameters showed significant positive correlations with the shoot Na⁺:K⁺ ratio. Consequently, the halotolerant PGPR screened in this study could be useful for the reclamation of saline soils concomitant with improved plant growth and bacoside A yield.     

水盐胁迫下根系提水作用对土壤盐分与番茄产量的影响

为探究水盐胁迫下番茄根系发生提水作用的可能性及其对土壤盐分分布和番茄产量的影响,利用上下桶分根装置,设定上桶不同水分(W1、W2、W3表示土壤含水率为田间持水率的60%～70%、50%～60%、40%～50%)和盐分条件(S0、S1、S2表示Na Cl添加量分别为干土质量的0、0.2%、0.4%),监测分析了水盐胁迫下根系提水量、上桶盐分分布及番茄产量。结果表明:随着生育期的推进,根系提水量呈现先增加后减小的趋势,其中盐分对番茄根系提水量影响显著,在相同水分处理条件下,盐分含量越高,根系提水量越大;水盐胁迫下,上桶盐分含量与根系提水量呈线性正相关,除W1S0处理外,上桶土壤电导率在提水量达到最大时有所增加;与对照处理W1S0相比,水盐抑制了根系生长,使根系活性显著下降,同一水分处理下,随着盐分的增加,根长、根表面积及根体积减小;盐分对番茄水分生产率有显著影响,在相同水分条件下,盐分越大,水分生产率越大,7种处理中W2S2水分生产率达到最大,而其产量较对照并未显著减小,生育期提水量占需水量的17.73%。本研究对进一步理解作物在"上干下湿"的土壤水盐胁迫下充分利用土壤剖面深层水分来维持上层根系生存和提高水分生产率具有科学价值。     

我国部分省份秸秆利用情况调查

为了解我国秸秆资源利用情况,通过实地考察、问卷、走访等形式,对我国部分省份的秸秆品种、产量及其利用情况进行了调查。结果表明:在调查的省份内,农民因为受到时间、经济等因素的影响,焚烧和废弃是处理秸秆的首选方法。农民愿意接受新能源,促进秸秆再利用。我国秸秆利用途径不多,方法陈旧。受调查人员中有96.6%对秸秆新能源利用持支持态度,80%受调查人员希望能综合利用秸秆,减少环境污染。最后综合调查结果提出合理利用秸秆的建议。     

Linking watershed and microhabitat characteristics: effects on production of Atlantic salmonids (Salmo salar and Salmo trutta)

The spatial scale of environmental factors influencing population dynamics ranges from microhabitat to continental or even global scales. Integration of multiple spatial scales is important in order to understand links between environmental variation and population processes. In the present study, we investigate how multiscale drivers influence the production of stream‐rearing Atlantic salmonids (Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L. and brown trout, Salmo trutta L.) measured in terms of abundance. Variation in juvenile production was studied using data from single‐pass electrofishing surveys (measured as biomass per m²) from nine rivers. These data were combined with habitat data ranging from an important in‐stream microhabitat variable (shelter availability) to properties of the catchment. Variation in productivity within and among rivers was affected by both properties of in‐stream habitat and catchment properties. Shelter availability and the proportion of the catchment consisting of cultivated land and lakes influenced biomass positively, while catchment area had the opposite effect. For a different set of rivers (N = 20), river gradient and catchment area were shown to positively affect the amount of shelter. Finally, the variables identified in the two preceding analysis were included in the analysis of population productivity using catch statistics from 160 rivers. The proportion of cultivated land and lakes, estimated shelter availability were found to have positive effects. In addition, temperature had a positive effect, while river width had a negative effect. This study shows that combining multiple‐scale environmental factors can explain a substantial proportion of variation in population productivity among and within the populations of Atlantic salmonids.     

珠三角河网初级生产力时空差异及其影响因素

为评价珠三角河网初级生产力,于2015年3月、6月、9月、12月对其进行取样调查,采用多元统计方法研究初级生产力时空差异及其与环境因素关系。结果表明,珠三角河网初级生产力(碳,C)为98.81~927.21mg·(m~2·d)~(-1),均值为346.51 mg·(m~2·d)~(-1)。调查区域初级生产力季节变化明显,总体上表现为春季冬季夏季秋季。各站位初级生产力均值以珠江桥站位最高[600.61 mg·(m~2·d)~(-1)],市桥站位最低[232.60 mg·(m~2·d)~(-1)]。初级生产力与透明度、氮磷营养盐、叶绿素a呈正相关关系(P0.01,n=52),与硅酸盐呈负相关关系(P0.01,n=52),与水体富营养化综合指数(EI)呈线性相关关系。珠三角河网以中营养、富营养为主体,与其他水域相比,初级生产力较低,污染程度较严重,需防止其向富养化发展。     

The positive relationship between soil quality and crop production: A case study on the effect of farm compost application

In order to ensure sustainable agriculture, and for evaluating the effects of management practices on soil processes, tools for assessing soil quality are required. The development and use of a multiparameter index, which includes a wide range of soil properties, have been tested and found useful by several studies. However, soil quality measurements are ‘stand-alone’ tools unless they are either linked to important soil functions, used to characterize (agro)ecosystems or used to predict sustainability or productivity. In our study, the relationship between crop production and soil quality was assessed in a six year old field experiment studying the effect of farm compost (FC) amendment in a crop rotation of potato, fodder beet, forage maize and Brussels sprouts. To justify the hypothesis that repeated FC amendment results in both improved soil quality and consequently higher crop yields, a wide range of chemical, biological and physical soil properties were measured and integrated into a soil quality index (SQI). Next, crop yields were used as a functional goal to verify the causal relationship between SQI and crop production. Our results showed that there were significant changes in chemical, physical and biological soil quality as a result of repeated FC amendment. This was evidenced for example by a remarkable increase in both soil organic carbon (SOC) and total N content. Microbial biomass, the relative amount of bacterivorous nematodes and earthworm number were significantly increased as well and, together with SOC and total N, indicated as the dominant factors in assessing soil quality. The integration of these key indicators into the SQI revealed higher SQI values when FC was applied. In addition, crop yields were increased in all FC treated plots by which SOC was pointed out as the most important indicator influencing crop production. Finally, a causal relationship was observed between soil quality and the yield of potato and fodder beet. We conclude that our SQI may be a promising and useful tool to compare different (soil) management practices in relation to a strategic, regional goal, e.g., sustainable high yields. Before generalizing, we recommend a thorough validation of our SQI in other long-term field experiments.     

Crop and cattle production responses to tillage and cover crop management in an integrated crop–livestock system in the southeastern USA

Integrated crop–livestock systems can help achieve greater environmental quality from disparate crop and livestock systems by recycling nutrients and taking advantage of synergies between systems. We investigated crop and animal production responses in integrated crop–livestock systems with two types of winter cover cropping (legume-derived N and inorganic fertilizer N), two types of tillage [conventional disk (CT) and no tillage (NT)], and whether cover crops were grazed by cow/calf pairs or not. The 13-ha field study was a modification of a previous factorial experiment with four replications on Ultisols in Georgia, USA. Recurring summer drought severely limited corn and soybean production during all three years. Type of cover crop had little influence and grazing of cover crops had minor influence on crop production characteristics. Cattle gain from grazing of winter cover crops added a stable component to production. No-tillage management had large positive effects on corn grain (95 vs. 252 g m⁻² under CT and NT, respectively) and stover (305 vs. 385 g m⁻²) production, as well as on soybean grain (147 vs. 219 g m⁻²) and stover (253 vs. 375 g m⁻²) production, but little overall effect on winter wheat grain (292 g m⁻²) and stover (401 g m⁻²) production. Our results suggest that robust, diversified crop–livestock systems can be developed for impoverished soils of the southeastern USA, especially when managed under no tillage to control environmental quality and improve resistance of crops to drought.     

Climate change impacts and potential benefits of drought and heat tolerance in chickpea in South Asia and East Africa

Using CROPGRO-Chickpea model (revised version), we investigated the impacts of climate change on the productivity of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) at selected sites in South Asia (Hisar, Indore and Nandhyal in India and Zaloke in Myanmar) and East Africa (Debre Zeit in Ethiopia, Kabete in Kenya and Ukiriguru in Tanzania). We also investigated the potential benefits of incorporating drought and heat tolerance traits in chickpea using the chickpea model and the virtual cultivars approach. As compared to the baseline climate, the climate change by 2050 (including CO₂) increased the yield of chickpea by 17% both at Hisar and Indore, 18% at Zaloke, 25% at Debre Zeit and 18% at Kabete; whereas the yields decreased by 16% at Nandhyal and 7% at Ukiriguru. The yield benefit due to increased CO₂ by 2050 ranged from 7 to 20% across sites as compared to the yields under current atmospheric CO₂ concentration; while the changes in temperature and rainfall had either positive or negative impact on yield at the sites. Yield potential traits (maximum leaf photosynthesis rate, partitioning of daily growth to pods and seed-filling duration each increased by 10%) increased the yield of virtual cultivars up to 12%. Yield benefit due to drought tolerance across sites was up to 22% under both baseline and climate change scenarios. Heat tolerance increased the yield of chickpea up to 9% at Hisar and Indore under baseline climate, and up to 13% at Hisar, Indore, Nandhyal and Ukiriguru under climate change. At other sites (Zaloke, Debre Zeit and Kabete) the incorporation of heat tolerance under climate change had no beneficial effect on yield. Considering varied crop responses to each plant trait across sites, this study was useful in prioritizing the plant traits for location-specific breeding of chickpea cultivars for higher yields under climate change at the selected sites in South Asia and East Africa.     

Italian ryegrass establishment by self-seeding in integrated crop-livestock systems: Effects of grazing management and crop rotation strategies

We evaluated the re-establishment of an Italian ryegrass pasture by self-seeding on a no-till integrated crop-livestock systems (ICLS) in the southern region of Brazil. This work is part of a long-term experimental protocol initiated in 2003. We tested the effects of various management practices, such as summer crop systems (soybean vs. maize–soybean rotation), stocking methods (continuous vs. rotational) and grazing intensities (low vs. moderate), on Italian ryegrass pasture establishment. In addition, we tested resilience of the system by testing pasture's ability to re-establish following a year without seed head production. The experiment consisted in the rotation, on the same area, of Italian ryegrass pasture grazed by sheep during the winter and up to the end of the grass production cycle, and soybean or soybean-maize grain crops rotation cultivated during the summer. The pasture established itself by self-seeding since 2005. Data were collected in 2011 and 2012 stocking season. The soybean summer crop, continuous stocking and low grazing intensity, all positively affected the production of reproductive tillers in 2011. Grazing intensity in 2011 strongly influenced early vegetative tiller densities (before crop harvest) in 2012. However, none of the grazing intensity or the stocking method treatments affected herbage mass at the end of pasture establishment in 2011 or 2012. On the other hand, the soybean summer crop positively affected pasture establishment, both in term of tiller densities and herbage mass at the end of pasture establishment. The removal of all seed heads in 2011 (preventing seed production) resulted in the total failure of pasture establishment in 2012. Overall, Italian ryegrass establishment by self-seeding relies on the annual replacement of the soil seed bank. This experiment demonstrated that under various stocking methods, moderate grazing intensity and maize or soybean summer crop, Italian ryegrass pasture establishment by self-seeding remains successful even when the stocking periods extended up to the end of the grass production cycle. Self-seeding with moderate grazing intensity ensures successful pasture establishment, reduces labour and costs and allows to increase the stocking period and so animal live weight gain over the grazing season.     

南繁区稻瘟病菌遗传多样性和群体遗传结构的AFLP分析

【目的】为了明确南繁区稻瘟病菌(Magnaporthe oryzae)的遗传分化情况,【方法】采用AFLP分子标记技术对南繁核心区(三亚、乐东和保亭)和非核心区(琼中、屯昌和定安)共60个稻瘟病菌菌株的遗传多样性和群体遗传结构进行了比较分析。【结果】聚类分析表明,几乎所有菌株都聚在同一个谱系里,并且该谱系没有明显的亚群;群体遗传结构分析表明,核心区群体的多态性位点百分率、Shannon信息指数和基因流分别为87.89%、0.2738和4.2897,高于非核心区群体的81.37%、0.2703和3.5892;然而,核心区群体的Nei基因多样性指数和基因分化系数分别为0.1657和0.1044,低于非核心区群体的0.1662和0.1223。【结论】这些结果表明核心区和非核心区菌株都存在丰富的遗传多样性,不同群体间均存在较多的基因交流,但遗传变异均主要来自群体内;相比之下,核心区菌株的遗传多样性和遗传分化程度较高。