Agricultural soils are important sources of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Soil properties and environmental factors have complex interactions which influence the dynamics of these GHG fluxes. Four arable and five grassland soils which represent the range of soil textures and climatic conditions of the main agricultural areas in the UK were incubated at two different moisture contents (50 or 80% water holding capacity) and with or without inorganic fertiliser application (70 kg N ha−1 ammonium nitrate) over 22 days. Emissions of N2O, CO2 and CH4 were measured twice per week by headspace gas sampling, and cumulative fluxes were calculated. Multiple regression modelling was carried out to determine which factors (soil mineral N, organic carbon and total nitrogen contents, C:N ratios, clay contents and pH) that best explained the variation in GHG fluxes. Clay, mineral N and soil C contents were found to be the most important explanatory variables controlling GHG fluxes in this study. However, none of the measured variables explained a significant amount of variation in CO2 fluxes from the arable soils. The results were generally consistent with previously published work. However, N2O emissions from the two Scottish soils were substantially more sensitive to inorganic N fertiliser application at 80% water holding capacity than the other soils, with the N2O emissions being up to 107 times higher than the other studied soils. 相似文献
A multidisciplinary team undertook a six-year investigation on the agro-ecological and socio-economic aspects of the dehesa system in the Sierra Norte area, a part of the Sierra Morena of the Sevilla Province, Western Andalusia, Spain. This paper summarizes its findings on the various agro-ecological features of the system and evaluates the system's functional aspects vis-a-vis the trends and developments in land use in the region over the past few centuries. The synergistic effects of tree cover on understorey grassland vegetation is discussed in terms of soil fertility build-up and favourable micro-climatic and hydrological features, and the potential use of this information in future research and development programmes to improve the dehesa system in the Mediterranean region is outlined. 相似文献
The relationship between soil air volume and CH4 consumption in brown forest soils was investigated. The CH4 consumption was negatively affected when the soil air volume decreased in experiments carried out bothin situ and in the laboratory. A strong dependence of the CH4 consumption on the soil air volume was found in the laboratory experiment. These results indicate the possibility that the
soil air volume is the primary rate-limiting factor for the CH4 consumption in forest soil. Thus our work suggests that the other factors by which CH4 consumption might be affected should be examined under the same air volume condition in the soil. To obtain accurate data,
we need to be careful not to change the air volume by trampling or disturbing during the measurement of the natural methane
fluxin situ. 相似文献
Steeply sloping lands are widespread in the tropics. An estimated 500 million people practice subsistence agriculture in these
marginal areas. Continued population growth has led to the intensified cultivation of large areas of the sloping lands, exacerbating
the problem of soil erosion. Although research shows that alley cropping and other contour agroforestry systems can stabilize
the sloping lands, these systems have not been widely adopted by farmers.
The Framework for Evaluating Sustainable Land Management (FESLM) has been tested in sloping land areas in the Philippines.
Sustainable land management must be productive, stable, viable, and acceptable to farmers, while protecting soil and water
resources. Farms on which contour hedgerow intercropping has been adopted meet the multifaceted requirements of FESLM, whereas
the farmers' current practice does not. Appropriate land management measures for particular locations depend on a complex
suite of social, economic, and biophysical factors, and need to be developed in participation with farmers.
The role of agroforestry in sustainable management of sloping lands is the subject of networks coordinated by the International
Board for Soil Research and Management (IBSRAM) in seven countries in Asia (ASIALAND) and four countries in the Pacific (PACIFICLAND).
We review selected outcomes from a wealth of network data. From these results the following conclusions about the sustainability
of various agroforestry systems for sloping lands can be drawn:
• In the Pacific, soil loss from sloping lands due to water erosion under farmers' current practices is episodic, unpredictable,
and possibly not severe;
• Agroforestry systems that utilize legume shrubs, fruit trees, coffee (Coffea spp.) or rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) provide
useful economic returns, but are not an essential component in terms of soil protection because grass or pineapple (Ananas
comosus) planted on the contour are equally effective in reducing erosion;
• Agricultural intensification will lead to nutrient mining, reduction of aboveground biomass, declining yields, and less
soil protection unless external sources of nutrients are used;
• nitrogen can be effectively supplied using legumes;
• Cash derived from hedgerow trees and/or shrubs may providean incentive for their adoption by farmers, as well as funds to
purchase external inputs such as fertilizers;
• Labor may be a major constraint to the adoption of complex agroforestry systems.
We also discuss the information management systems required to effectively manage and utilize the extensive sets of experimental
and indigenous data being accumulated. We believe such information systems can facilitate technology transfer across and between
regions, and improve the efficiency of research into agroforestry and other land-management approaches.
This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date. 相似文献
Eight woody fodder species adapted to the highlands of Rwanda were evaluated in terms of dry matter intake in one experiment. Animals were offered a daily diet comprising 4.0 of fresh matter of Setaria splendida grass supplemented with or without one of the eight fodder species tested. In all cases, total daily feed intake was increased by the addition of woody fodder. Daily intake of the woody fodder was high for Acacia koaia, Mimosa scabrella and Acacia koa at 43.7, 42.6 and 41.9 g/kg BW0.75, respectively. The dry matter intake of the other five species (Alnus acuminata, Chamaecytisus palmensis, Hagenia abyssinica, Acacia mearnsii and Acacia melanoxylon) ranged from 18.9 to 30.1 g/kg BW0.75 per day. In another experiment, a basic daily diet of 4.0 kg of fodder (in fresh weight) was given to each animal. This ratio comprised S. splendida supplemented with M. scabrella and incorporated at 0 (control), 45% and 66% (fresh weight basis) of the total daily diet. Improved weight gain was obtained when setaria was supplemented with M. scabrella with daily weight gain of 31, 47 and 51 g/animal for 0, 45 and 66% M. scabrella, respectively. 相似文献
Relatively little is known about soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics in montane ecosystems of the semi-arid western U.S. or the stability of current SOC pools under future climate change scenarios. We measured the distribution and quality of SOC in a mosaic of rangeland-forest vegetation types that occurs under similar climatic conditions on non-calcareous soils at Utah State University's T.W. Daniel Experimental Forest in northern Utah: the forest types were aspen [Populus tremuloides] and conifer (mixture of fir [Abies lasiocarpa] and spruce [Picea engelmannii]); the rangeland types were sagebrush steppe [Artemisia tridentata], grass-forb meadow, and a meadow-conifer ecotone. Total SOC was calculated from OC concentrations, estimates of bulk density by texture and rock-free soil volume in five pedons. The SOC quality was expressed in terms of leaching potential and decomposability. Amount and aromaticity of water-soluble organic carbon (DOC) was determined by water extraction and specific ultra violet absorbance at 254 nm (SUVA) of leached DOC. Decomposability of SOC and DOC was derived from laboratory incubation of soil samples and water extracts, respectively.
Although there was little difference in total SOC between soils sampled under different vegetation types, vertical distribution, and quality of SOC appeared to be influenced by vegetation. Forest soils had a distinct O horizon and higher SOC concentration in near-surface mineral horizons that declined sharply with depth. Rangeland soils lacked O horizons and SOC concentration declined more gradually. Quality of SOC under rangelands was more uniform with depth and SOC was less soluble and less decomposable (i.e., more stable) than under forests. However, DOC in grass-forb meadow soils was less aromatic and more bioavailable, likely promoting C retention through cycling. The SOC in forest soils was notably more leachable and decomposable, especially near the soil surface, with stability increasing with soil depth. Across the entire dataset, there was a weak inverse relationship between the decomposability and the aromaticity of DOC. Our data indicate that despite similar SOC pools, vegetation type may affect SOC retention capacity under future climate projections by influencing potential SOC losses via leaching and decomposition. 相似文献