Systematic landscape restoration using integer programming

In some agricultural regions, reservation of remnant natural lands will not maintain the natural biodiversity and large-scale ecological restoration is required. Geographic planning for restoration is essential to obtain the maximum ecological benefit from the limited resources available for landscape restoration. In this paper, we present a proof-of-concept that implements principles of systematic conservation planning, such as adequacy, representativeness, efficiency and flexibility, within an integer programming framework to identify geographic priorities for landscape restoration in a small catchment in South Australia. Integer programming ensures maximally efficient solutions that meet conservation targets in the form of minimum proportions (30%) and minimum areas (15 ha) of each environment type. However, the optimum solution identifies a system of scattered sites with an inadequate and impractical landscape structure. We propose a system of impedance surfaces that prioritise the spatial location of restoration towards improving landscape structure. Different options for systematic landscape restoration are assessed and the costs of spatial prioritisation of areas is found to be either optimal or very near optimal regardless of the impedances used. Thus, the cost of spatial prioritisation of sites for restoration in the landscape is negligible. We suggest the proposed methodology fits within a broader plan for landscape restoration and natural resource management.     

A GIS based approach to modelling the effects of land-use change on soil erosion in New Zealand

Abstract. The problem of soil erosion is particularly evident in New Zealand, given the combination of coarse-textured soils, steep relief, high rainfall, and intensification of agriculture. A study was undertaken to assess the effects of land use change on soil erosion and sediment transport for the Ngongotaha catchment in New Zealand's North Island, using a GIS based decision support and modelling system. Model simulations considered the effect of increased catchment area under deer farming and forestry on the amount of sediment delivered to the catchment outlet, averaged over a period of six years. The simulations predicted that sediment loss from land under deer farming was considerably greater than from land under other livestock or forestry. Further model simulations testing best management practices demonstrated that sediment yield could be halved if deer farming was restricted to slopes under 20%.     

Variable-timing,fixed-rate application of cattle biogas effluent to rice using a leaf color chart: microcosm experiments in Vietnam

ABSTRACT

Livestock production plays a leading role in agricultural land-use change. Producing biogas from livestock waste and subsequently using the biogas effluent as fertilizer for crops is a promising option to solve environmental problems resulting from expanding livestock production. However, it is difficult to promptly and accurately measure the nitrogen (N) concentration of effluent for farmers in developing countries, making precise N management difficult. The objectives of the current study were (1) to evaluate the feasibility of variable-timing, fixed-rate application of cattle biogas effluent using a leaf color chart (LCC) for rice (Oryza sativa L.) and (2) to determine the optimum LCC threshold for grain yield. We conducted two microcosm experiments in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam in 2018 using eight treatments of N-fertilizer application. In the Zero treatment, we applied no N. In the Estd treatment, we split-applied N as effluent (E) at fixed rate and timing as the standard method. In E2.75, E3.00, E3.25, E3.50, and E3.75, we applied effluent whenever the LCC value went below 2.75, 3.00, 3.25, 3.50, and 3.75, respectively. In U3.25, we applied N as urea (U) whenever the LCC value fell below 3.25. The total effluent-N application rate ranged from 90 to 210 kg N ha^?1 season^?1. Rice growth was normal but there was a substantial yield gap between the two microcosm experiments due to the seasonal difference in solar radiation. Rice yield tended to increase with increasing LCC threshold. There was a positive linear relationship between LCC and chlorophyll content (SPAD) values (R ² = 0.73–0.79). Grain yield was well explained (R ² = 0.70–0.89) by the seasonal mean LCC or SPAD value. Plant total N uptake increased with increasing LCC threshold, but the three calculated indices of N use efficiency (NUE) – apparent N recovery, agronomic NUE, and internal NUE – were not always improved with a higher LCC threshold. Our results showed that the tested variable-timing, fixed-rate strategy for the application of cattle biogas effluent was feasible and the optimum LCC threshold for grain production was 3.75 under the current microcosm conditions.     

Displacement imaging in porous media using the line scan NMR technique

Displacement imaging is a recent, powerful NMR method with which distributions of displacements can be acquired of e.g. fluids within a porous medium. Both motion parallel and perpendicular to the flow direction may be observed within a time window of a few milliseconds to several seconds. By combining displacement imaging with the line scan technique, one-dimensionally resolved measurements with a high temporal resolution ( < 1 min) of the spatial dependency of motion can be obtained. Here we present displacement images of flow through two simple model systems for soil: an unconsolidated glass bead water system and a sintered glass bead filter. It is demonstrated that the combination of displacement imaging and spatial resolution along a line is important to access both bulk displacement and local displacements in relation to the local porosity.     

Maintaining Genetic Resources of Peach Palm (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Bactris gasipaes</Emphasis> Kunth): The Role of Seed Migration and Swidden-fallow Management in Northeastern Peru

Knowledge of the effects of farmer practices on population genetic parameters of peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) is relevant to the improvement and conservation of the palm’s genetic resources. Microsatellite markers were used to assess genetic diversity and population structure of peach palm in swidden-fallow agroforestry systems in northeastern Peru. The study covered eight communities, comprising two study areas 160 km apart – one occupied by indigenous Amerindians and the other by mixed race campesinos. Simultaneous analysis of an ex situ peach palm germplasm collection provided a means to compare population genetic parameters. Farmers who were surveyed on seed selection practices for peach palm reported that an average of only four palms (4.3 for campesino and 1.5 for indigenous populations) were used to provide seed for the establishment of the forest gardens sampled. As expected, inbreeding coefficients observed within communities were relatively high (f = 0.105 − 0.210), however, observed heterozygosities within communities were also high (0.625–0.741). A metapopulation approach was used to describe migration within and among regions, implying a hierarchical structure of gene flow which maintains relatively high levels of genetic diversity. Seed migration was found to occur over longer distances (≤600 km) and at a higher frequency (46% of palms sampled) in the indigenous study area, and a proportionally greater number of alleles was found (49 vs. 43 over three loci) with twice as many private alleles occurring only in the indigenous populations. The farmers’ practice of preserving remnant palms through successive swidden generations may have contributed to the maintenance of alleles by reducing the severity of founder effects. Although the campesino study area exhibited a significant (20% of the variation; p < 0.01) isolation-by-distance relationship across 35 km distance, in general, both study populations had relatively limited genetic structure (θ = 0.012–0.03), which is believed to have resulted from the exchange of seeds over long distances and periods of time.     

混合动力汽车下坡辅助电-液复合制动控制方法

为提高混合动力汽车下坡辅助控制中电、液复合制动的综合性能,该文提出一种综合考虑整车安全及经济性的电、液复合制动控制方法。通过对混合动力汽车下坡辅助制动转矩变化过程及各辅助制动系统特性的分析,拟定了以安全性为基础、以经济性为目标的下坡辅助制动转矩分配原则,利用前馈加反馈的控制方法制定了电机辅助制动系统及液压辅助制动系统的转矩协调控制策略。并通过仿真及试验平台对以上算法进行了验证,结果表明该方法可以有效地减小液压系统启动延时,保证了液压辅助制动系统的响应速度及下坡辅助系统整体的响应精度。该研究提高了整车控制的安全性和经济性,也为电动车辆复合制动进一步研究提供了思路。     

耕作方式对滨海盐渍土有机碳含量及团聚体特性的影响

为探明不同耕作措施对滨海盐渍土耕层土壤有机碳含量和团聚体特征的影响,本研究在江苏省东台市滨海滩涂农田区开展田间试验,选择玉米-大麦的旱-旱轮作方式,采用传统翻耕、深翻、少耕和免耕4种耕作方式,分别对耕层土壤的有机碳含量、土壤体积质量(容重)、水稳性团聚体含量和稳定性进行测定。结果表明:与传统翻耕相比,免耕措施利于促进土壤有机碳的积累,免耕能使土壤有机碳含量增加18%~32%;少、免耕措施能使0~10 cm土层0.25 mm团聚体增加10%~31%,并且能显著增加0~20 cm土层土壤平均重量直径和几何平均直径值;团聚体中有机碳含量表现为,除0.25~0.5 mm团聚体外,在5 mm至0.5~1 mm粒径之间,粒径愈小,有机碳含量愈高。     

Effect of tillage and residue management on enzyme activities in soils

Recent interest in soil tillage and residue management has focused on low-input sustainable agriculture. In this study we investigated the effect of three tillage systems (no-till, chisel plow, and moldboard plow) and four residue placements (bare, normal, mulch, and double mulch) on the activities of four amidohydrolases (amidase, L-asparaginase, L-glutaminase, and urease) in soils from four replicated field-plots. Correlation coefficients (r) for linear regressions between the activities of each of the enzymes and organic C or pH and between all possible paired amidohydrolases were also calculated. The results showed that the effects of tillage and residue management on pH in the 28 surface soil (0–15 cm) samples were not significant. The organic C content, however, was affected significantly by the different tillage and residue-management practices studied, being the greatest in soils with notill/double mulch treatment, and the least with no-till/bare and moldboard/normal treatments. Within the same tillage system, mulch treatment resulted in greater organic C content compared with normal or bare treatment. The activities of the amidohydrolases studied were generally greater in mulch-treated plots than in non-treated plots, and were significantly correlated with organic C contents of soils, with r values ranging from 0.70^*** to 0.90^***. Linear regression analyses of enzyme activities on pH values (in 0.01 M CaCl₂) of the 28 surface soils showed significant correlations for L-asparaginase, L-glutaminase, and urease, with r values of 0.74^***, 0.77^***, and 0.72^***, respectively, but not for amidase (r=0.24). The activities of the four amidohydrolases studied in the 40 soil samples tested were significantly intercorrelated, with r values ranging from 0.72^*** to 0.92^***. The activities of the four amidohydrolases decreased with increasing soil depth of the plow layer, and were accompanied by a decrease in organic C content.     

城郊农田生态环境质量预警体系研究及应用——以郑州市为例

在深刻剖析土壤污染物来源、深入理解土壤污染复杂性的基础上，根据研究地区的特殊性（城市郊区），构建了包括评价模型、预测模型、预警模型的农田生态环境质量预警体系，通过社会环境系统对土壤污染胁迫强度的变化间接反映土壤环境质量变化趋势，并运用此预警体系对郑州市郊区农田进行了动态预警实证研究，获得重要结果：（1）郑州市郊区农田生态环境质量经历了“迅速恶化-达到相对最差-趋于好转”的发展过程，这说明了社会环境系统对土壤环境胁迫强度经历了“增大-最大-趋缓”的变化过程；（2）郑州市郊区农田生态环境总体上不容乐观，必须全面掌握和控制土壤污染的影响因素，减少外部环境对农田土壤环境的胁迫作用，做好土壤污染的预警与防治工作。     

Hierarchical classification of environmental factors and agricultural practices affecting soil fauna under cropping systems using Bt maize

The population dynamics of soil organisms under agricultural field conditions are influenced by many factors, such as pedology and climate, but also farming practices such as crop type, tillage and the use of pesticides. To assess the real effects of farming practices on soil organisms it is necessary to rank the influence of all of these parameters. Bt maize (Zea mays L.), as a crop recently introduced into farming practices, is a genetically modified maize with the Cry1Ab gene which produces a protein toxic to specific lepidopteran insect pests. To assess the effects of Bt maize on non-target soil organisms, we conducted research at a field site in Foulum (Denmark) with a loamy sand soil containing 6.4% organic matter. The study focused on populations of springtails (Collembola) and earthworms (Oligochaeta) from samples taken at the beginning and at the end of the maize crop-growing season during 2 consecutive years. Farming practices, soil parameters, the biological structure of soil communities, and the type and age of the crop at the time of sampling, were used as attributes to predict the total abundance of springtails and biomass of earthworms in general and the abundance or biomass for specific functional groups (epigeic, endogeic and anecic groups for earthworms, and eu-, eu to hemi-, hemi-, hemi to epi- and epiedaphic groups for Collembola). Predictive models were built with data mining tools, such as regression trees that predict the value of a dependent variable from a set of independent variables. Regression trees were constructed with the data mining system M5′. The models were evaluated by qualitative and quantitative measures of performance and two models were selected for further interpretation: anecic worms and hemi-epiedaphic Collembola. The anecic worms (r²=0.83) showed preferences for less clay and more silt soil with medium pH but were not influenced directly by farming practices. The biomass of earthworms was greater in early autumn than in spring or late autumn. Biomass of hemi-epiedaphic Collembola (r²=0.59) increased at the end of the maize growing season, while higher organic matter content and pH tended to increase their biomass in spring. Greater abundance of Collembola was also noted in early autumn if the crop was non-Bt maize. The models assessed by this research did not find any effects of the Bt maize cropping system on functional groups of soil fauna.