Effects of in situ freezing on soil net nitrogen mineralization and net nitrification in fertilized grassland of northern China

Effects of soil freezing on nitrogen (N) mineralization have been the subject of increased attention in the ecological literature, though fewer studies have examined N mineralization responses to successive mild freezing, severe freezing and cyclic freeze–thaw events. Even less is known about relationships of responses to soil N status. This study measured soil N mineralization and nitrification in the field along an experimental N gradient in a grassland of northern China during the dormant season (October 2005–April 2006), a period in which freezing naturally occurs. Net N mineralization exhibited great temporal variability, with nitrification being the predominant N transformation process. Soil microbial biomass C and N and extractable NH₄ ⁺ pools declined by 40, 52, and 56%, respectively, in April 2006, compared with their initial concentrations in October 2005; soil NO₃^– pools increased by 84%. Temporal patterns of N mineralization were correlated with soil microbial biomass C and N. N mineralization and nitrification increased linearly with added N. Microbial biomass C in treated soils increased by 10% relative to controls, whereas microbial N declined by 9%. Results further suggest that freezing events greatly alter soil N dynamics in the dormant season at this site, with considerable available N accumulating during this period.     

Freeze tolerance of forage bermudagrasses

The ability to survive harsh winters is one of the primary factors limiting bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) distribution, especially those used for forage. Consequently, improved stress tolerance has been a goal of programmes for breeding bermudagrasses. While significant progress has been made in developing and evaluating freeze tolerance of turfgrasses, information on forage bermudagrasses is limited. Our objective was to evaluate freeze tolerance of recently released forage bermudagrasses compared with standard cultivars. Plants were established and acclimated in growth chambers and exposed to sub‐freezing temperatures in a programmable freeze chamber. Plant responses to low‐temperature exposures were quantified by regrowth mass. Freeze tolerance of Tifton 44 and Coastal was not significantly different from Midland, the reference cultivar. Coastcross, Tifton 85 and Tifton 68 were more susceptible to low‐temperature injury than Midland, while Hardie, Goodwell, Midland 99 and Ozark were more freeze tolerant than Midland. Ozark, Midland 99, Goodwell and Hardie are less likely to sustain winterkill than Coastcross, Tifton 85 and Tifton 68 in areas that frequently experience low temperatures. Cultivars with one or more parents originating in Kenya had poor freeze tolerance, while germplasm from Yugoslavia and Afghanistan produced plants that were more freeze tolerant.     

Improving in-season nitrogen recommendations for maize using an active sensor

An active crop canopy reflectance sensor could be used to increase N-use efficiency in maize (Zea mays L.), if temporal and spatial variability in soil N availability and plant demand are adequately accounted for with an in-season N application. Our objective was to evaluate the success of using an active canopy sensor for developing maize N recommendations. This study was conducted in 21 farmers’ fields from 2007 to 2009, representing the maize production regions of east central and southeastern Pennsylvania, USA. Four blocks at each site included seven sidedress N rates (0–280 kg N ha⁻¹) and one at-planting N rate of 280 kg N ha⁻¹. Canopy reflectance in the 590 nm and 880 nm wavelengths, soil samples, chlorophyll meter (SPAD) measurements and above-ground biomass were collected at the 6th–7th-leaf growth stage (V6–V7). Relative amber normalized difference vegetative index (ANDVI_relative) and relative SPAD (SPAD_relative) were determined based on the relative measurements from the zero sidedress treatment to the 280 kg N ha⁻¹ at-planting treatment. Observations from the current study were compared to relationships between economic optimum N rate (EONR) and ANDVI_relative, presidedress NO₃ test (PSNT), or SPAD_relative that were developed from a previous study. These comparisons were based on an absolute mean difference (AMD) between observed EONR and the previously determined predicted relationships. The AMD for the relationship between EONR and ANDVI_relative in the current study was 46 kg N ha⁻¹. Neither the PSNT (AMD = 66 kg N ha⁻¹) nor the SPAD_relative (AMD = 72 kg N ha⁻¹) provided as good an indicator of EONR. When using all the observations from the two studies for the relationships between EONR and the various measurements, ANDVI_relative (R² = 0.65) provided a better estimate of EONR than PSNT (R² = 0.49) or SPAD_relative (not significant). Crop reflectance captured similar information as the PSNT and SPAD_relative, as reflected in strong relationships (R² > 0.60) among these variables. Crop canopy reflectance using an active sensor (i.e. ANDVI_relative) provided as good or better an indicator of EONR than PSNT or SPAD_relative, and provides an opportunity to easily adjust in-season N applications spatially.     

Assessment of genetic divergence in salt tolerance of soybean (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Glycine max</Emphasis> L.) genotypes

A large number of soybean (Glycine max L.) genotypes of diverse growth habit and adaptive characters were used in the experiment. Soil salinity-induced changes in nine morpho-physiological characters of 30-day-old seedlings of 170 soybean genotypes were compared in the study. The first and second principal components (PC) of principal component analysis (PCA) results accounted for 97 and 2.5%, respectively, of the total variations of soybean genotypes. The variation for the first PC was composed mainly of relative total dry weight (DW), relative shoot dry weight, as well as petiole dry weight. There were four clusters distinguished in the cluster analysis. The genotypes in cluster IV performed better in respect to relative total dry weight and relative shoot dry weight and hence having salt tolerance. The genotypes clusters III performed very poorly and those of clusters II and I were moderate to poor. D2 analysis indicated that the clusters differed significantly from each other. Discriminant function analysis (DFA) again asserts strongly that more than 92% of the genotypes were correctly assigned to clusters. Both PCA and DFA confirmed that the relative total DW followed by shoot and petiole DW were the major discriminatory variables, and the root DW were the secondary important variables to distinguish genotypes into groups. In this study, multivariate analyses were used in identifying the soybean genotypes of desirable traits for salt tolerance.     

生长延缓剂对槟榔苗期叶绿素含量与叶绿素荧光参数的影响

为探讨生长延缓剂对槟榔苗期矮壮的光合特性。于2006年6-11月以移栽45天后海南槟榔为材料,通过喷施250mg/L与500mg/L多效唑、40mg/L和80 mg/L烯效唑及清水5个处理,研究其对槟榔苗期叶绿素含量及叶绿素荧光参数的影响。结果表明：喷施多效唑与烯效唑均能显著增加苗期槟榔叶绿素含量,且使叶绿素荧光参数Fv/Fo,Fv/Fm,qP显著增加,而降低qN、NPQ非光化学猝灭系数,并以250mg/L多效唑处理效果较明显。说明适当浓度的多效唑处理可增加PSII反应中心开放比例,推动光合电子传递,提高槟榔叶片光合性能,起到壮苗目的。     

长江上游退化天然林恢复重建的生态对策

综述长江上游退化天然林的干扰体系、退化特征及恢复重建的研究现状,分析长江上游退化天然林恢复重建面临的主要问题,基于生态恢复重建的理论基础,阐述并拓展封山育林的传统概念.退化天然林恢复重建的基本对策是:依据自然演替的规律,仿拟天然老龄林的物种组成和群落结构,充分利用和启动自然调节机制,并根据自然演替的关键环节采用功能群替代或目的物种导入等辅助的人工措施,促进土壤和群落功能的修复,跨越或缩短某些演替阶段,加快恢复演替进程,尽可能利用乡土树种定向恢复以大径级、高经济价值林木为目标的森林群落.根据长江上游退化天然林的现状、类型及其特点,提出4种恢复重建的组合模式:1)封禁保护原始老龄林;2)封育重建严重退化生境;3)封育调整天然次生林群落结构与定向恢复调控;4)封育改造低效人工纯林.     

A solar-powered wireless cell for dynamically monitoring soil water content

In various agricultural activities, such as irrigation scheduling, tillage operation and nutrient management, soil water content is regarded as an essential parameter. For the demand of monitoring soil water dynamics at field scale, this study presents a solar-powered wireless cell that contained a water content sensor, two temperature sensors, an optical sensor, a communication module and a data-logger. To evaluate its feasibility in the field, three cells were independently installed in a bare plot, a maize plot and a sugarbeet plot in the summer of 2008. By a heavy rain event (20 mm, 6 h) during the experimental period, different responses of soil water content sensors were dynamically recorded and then analyzed under each canopy condition. In addition, to explore the possibility of reducing the dimensions of the cell under the condition of sufficient energy supply, various sizes of the solar panel were tested. The experimental results showed that the cell is promising to become a node of wireless network in the field.     

生长延缓剂对槟榔苗期叶绿素含量及叶绿素荧光参数的影响

为探讨生长延缓剂对槟榔苗期矮壮的光合特性.于2006年6-11月以移栽45天后海南槟榔为材料,通过喷施250 mg/L与500 mg/L多效唑、40 mg/L和80 mg/L烯效唑及清水5个处理,研究其对槟榔苗期叶绿素含量及叶绿素荧光参数的影响.喷施多效唑与烯效唑均能显著增加苗期槟榔叶绿素含量,且使叶绿素荧光参数Fv/Fo,Fv/Fm,qP显著增加,而降低qN、NPQ非光化学猝灭系数,并以250mg/L多效唑处理效果较明显.适当浓度的多效唑处理可增加PSII反应中心开放比例,推动光合电子传递,提高槟榔叶片光合性能,起到壮苗目的.     

Enhanced resistance to common scab of potato through somatic cell selection in cv. Iwa with the phytotoxin thaxtomin A

A somatic cell selection approach, developed using thaxtomin A as a positive selection agent, recovered 113 potato cell colonies of cv. Iwa from which 39 regenerated plants within a single subculture period. In glasshouse pathogenicity trials, 13 of these regenerated variants exhibited significantly greater resistance to common scab disease than the unselected parent cultivar, both in mean tuber surface coverage with lesions and the proportion of disease free tubers. The best variant had on average an 85–86% lower disease score (or 91–92% less estimated tuber surface cover) than the unselected parent cultivar. The disease-resistant variants varied in their response to thaxtomin A in detached leaflet and tuber slice bioassays. This suggested that the cell selection procedure and thaxtomin A screening had limited success in selecting for toxin tolerance, and that thaxtomin A tolerance was not necessarily the driving factor for induction of disease resistance observed. Variation in relative necrosis scores between leaflet and tuber assays for individual variants possibly suggests differential expression of thaxtomin A tolerance in the different tissues. Yield estimates from the glasshouse grown potatoes showed the majority of disease-resistant variants had tuber yields equivalent to the unselected parent cultivar. This suggests that selection for disease resistance was not associated with negative tuber yield attributes and that these variants may have commercial merit and are worthy of further agronomic testing.     

液态地膜覆盖下种植方式对土壤水分和玉米生长的影响

于2013—2014年间采用大田试验方法,探讨了平地无覆盖种植(CK)、平地全液态地膜覆盖种植(YM1)、垄覆液态地膜沟种植(YM2)及连垄全液态地膜覆盖种植(YM3)4种种植方式对土壤水分变化和夏玉米产量的影响。结果表明,不同覆盖种植方式下,2 a土壤储水量变化趋势基本一致,随着播种后天数的增加呈现"先升高再降低,再升高再降低"的波浪起伏状态;前期降水16.1 mm后,YM1、YM2、YM3处理雨后土壤储水量分别比CK对照高出1.23%、4.29%、4.79%,且差异显著(P0.05),后期雨后储水量均与CK无显著差异;对土壤0~200 cm总储水量和耗水量研究发现,YM1、YM2、YM3处理收获后2 a平均储水量分别较CK增加了2.74%、2.87%、9.79%,2 a平均耗水量均比CK对照减少了1.26%、2.03%、8.17%,其中覆盖YM3处理与CK对照差异显著(P0.05)。与CK对照相比,覆盖YM1、YM2和YM3处理2 a平均增产1.88%、11.32%、21.96%,2 a平均水分利用效率较CK对照提高3.17%、13.51%、32.67%,其中,覆盖处理YM3增产保水效果显著(P0.05),处理YM1与CK无显著差异。研究认为,液态地膜与连垄全覆盖种植方式结合(YM3)更有利于发挥液态地膜的效果,促进产量的增加和水分利用效率的提高。