Influence of soil phosphorus status,texture, pH and metal content on the efficacy of amendments to pig slurry in reducing phosphorus losses

Cost‐effective strategies for using chemically amended organic fertilizers need to be developed to minimize nutrient losses in surface and groundwater. Coupling specific soil physical and chemical characteristics with amendment type could increase their effectiveness. This study investigated how water‐extractable phosphorus (P) was affected by chemical amendments added to pig slurry and how this effect varied with soil properties. A 3‐month incubation study was conducted on 18 different mineral soils, stored at 10 °C and 75% humidity and treated with unamended and amended slurry which was incorporated at a rate equivalent to 19 kg total P (TP )/ha. The amendments examined were commercial‐grade liquid alum, applied at a rate of 0.88:1 [Al:TP ], and commercial‐grade liquid poly‐aluminium chloride (PAC ), applied at a rate of 0.72:1 [Al:TP ]. These amendments were previously identified by the authors as being effective in reducing incidental losses of P. The efficacy of the amendments varied with the soil test P, the degree of P saturation (DPS ) and the Mehlich aluminium, iron and calcium, but not soil texture. Chemical amendments were most effective in soils with DPS over approximately 20%. Due to their high cost, the incorporation of amendments into existing management practices can only be justified as part of a holistic management plan where soils have high DPS .     

Effects of Dietary Protein and Lipid Levels with Different Protein‐to‐Energy Ratios on Growth,Feed Utilization,and Plasma Biochemical Parameters of Dianchi Golden‐line Barbell,Sinocyclocheilus grahami

An 8‐wk feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of varying dietary protein and lipid levels with different protein‐to‐energy (P/E) ratios on growth, feed utilization, and plasma biochemical parameters of Sinocyclocheilus graham. Nine experimental diets were formulated to contain three protein levels (35, 40, and 45%), and each with three lipid levels (4, 8, and 12%), to produce a range of P/E ratios from 71.31 to 98.64 mg protein/kcal. Each diet was randomly assigned to triplicate groups of 25 fish. Fish grew best when fed the diet containing 45% protein and 12% lipid. However, fish fed the diet with 40% protein and 8% lipid had similar weight gain and specific growth rate as those fed the above diet but showed relatively better feed conversion ratio, protein efficiency ratio, and protein and energy retentions. Additionally, plasma total amino acids and blood urea nitrogen contents and γ‐glutamyltransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase activities in fish fed the diet containing 40% protein and 8% lipid were relatively low among the dietary treatments. These results may indicate that a diet containing 40% protein and 8% lipid with P/E ratio of 84.05 mg protein/kcal would be suitable for the optimal growth, feed utilization, and health of S. graham.     

Do cover crops change the lability of phosphorus in a clayey subtropical soil under different phosphate fertilizers?

Plants have developed different mechanisms to absorb and solubilize phosphorus (P) in the soil, especially in environments with low P availability. This study evaluated the effects of different winter cover crops on soil P availability in a clayey subtropical (Hapludox) soil receiving soluble P fertilizer and a rock phosphate applied to the summer crop, under no‐tillage. The experiment was carried out over 3 yrs (2009–2011) with five different cover crop species: common vetch, fodder radish, ryegrass, black oat, white clover and fallow as control. The soil was sampled after the third year of cover crop cultivation and analysed for inorganic and organic P forms according to the well‐established Hedley fractionation procedure. Phosphate fertilizers promoted accumulation of both labile and nonlabile P pools in soil in the near surface layer, especially under rock phosphate. Fertilizer applications were not able to change P fractions in deeper layers, emphasizing that the Brazilian clayey soils are a sink of P from fertilizer and its mobility is almost nil. Although the cover crops recycled a great amount of P in tissue, in a short‐term evaluation (3 yrs) they only changed the content of moderately labile P in soil, indicating that long‐term studies are needed for more conclusive results.     

Effects of supplementary feeds with different protein levels on growth and economic performances of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) cultured in a rain-fed rice–fish ecosystem

This study investigated the effects of supplementary feeds with different crude protein (CP) levels on the growth and economic performances of sex-reversed Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) reared in a rain-fed rice–fish ecosystem for a period of 120 days. There were four treatments—namely, traditional feed (21% CP), formulated feed (26% CP), commercial feed (30% CP), and control (no feed was used)—with three replicates per treatment. Fish (30.04 g) were stocked in ditches at a rate of 0.5 fish m^?2 considering the total area and fed one of the tested feeds twice daily at the rate of 2%–5% of body weight. Water-quality parameters of the ditches were monitored fortnightly, and these parameters were found suitable for fish farming. Organic matter, total nitrogen, and available phosphorous in soil were increased significantly (P < 0.05) in the feed treatments after fish cultivation. Highly significant weight gain and SGR were observed with fish fed the commercial feed as compared with other treatments. The highest benefit-cost ratio (2.15) was found in the control, followed by formulated feed (1.90), but in the case of numerical net return, it was the opposite. However, commercial feed showed the lowest benefit-cost ratio (1.67) due to higher feed cost than other supplementary feeds. Therefore, this study suggests that fish fed with a formulated feed (26% CP) produced significantly higher net economic return in the rice–fish farming system.     

甘蔗叶不同还田方式对土壤养分的影响

为减轻秸秆焚烧所带来的环境问题和充分利用甘蔗叶资源,在大田环境下动态监测甘蔗叶粉碎、焚烧和深埋3种还田方式对土壤养分的影响。结果表明:甘蔗叶粉碎还田和深埋还田有利于甘蔗叶中有机碳及氮、磷、钾养分的缓慢释放;甘蔗叶焚烧还田提高了土壤碱解氮含量5.6~20.9 mg/kg和速效磷含量0.8~4.0 mg/kg,促进土壤中氮磷向有效态转化,焚烧还田初期显著增加了土壤速效钾的含量12.3~18.3 mg/kg,但焚烧会损失部分甘蔗叶中碳氮元素,也造成环境污染。综合分析认为甘蔗叶粉碎还田是比较省工、方便的处理方式。     

水稻均衡营养肥对杂交稻生长发育的影响及养分吸收特性

研究了水稻均衡营养肥对杂交稻生长发育的影响及养分吸收特性,以为精准施肥及秸秆还田养分循环利用提供必要的科学参数。结果表明,水稻均衡营养肥处理的株高、总粒数、实粒数、结实率、穗质量和产量均高于常规施肥处理,稻谷中的总钾、S~(6+)和Fe~(2+)含量均高于常规施肥处理,但总磷、Ca~(2+)和Mg~(2+)的含量低于常规施肥处理,总氮含量则基本相同;常规施肥处理的秸秆中总氮、总钾、Mg~(2+)和S~(6+)含量均高于水稻均衡营养肥处理,总磷、Ca~(2+)和Fe~(2+)含量基本相同。均衡营养肥处理氮、磷、钾利用率分别为67.8%、60.0%和95.5%,农民常规施肥处理分别为32.3%、86.0%和100%。可见,水稻均衡营养肥能均衡的为杂交稻生长提供必需的养分,大幅度提高肥料利用率。     

Effects of the dietary protein to energy ratio on growth,feed utilization and body composition in Macrobrachium nipponense

Oriental river prawn (Macrobrachium nipponense) has been widely cultured in Asian countries. However, its nutritional studies are very limited. In the present 8‐week study, we investigated the effects of dietary protein to energy ratio (P/E ratio) on the growth, feed utilization and body composition in juvenile M. nipponense (initial weight 0.302 ±0.03 g). Two‐factor experiment was designed and nine semi‐purified diets were formulated to contain three lipid levels (20, 80 and 140 g kg^?1) and three protein levels (330, 380 and 430 g kg^?1), producing P/E ratios from 16.5 to 23.4 mg KJ^?1 protein. The results indicated that the growth, survival rate and protein efficiency were dose dependently improved by the increased dietary lipid, but not dietary protein content. Increased dietary lipid content and/or protein content increased lipid accumulation in whole body, hepatopancreas and muscle, but did not change the feed intake and hepatopancreas weight. In conclusion, our present study indicated that M. nipponense is a species with relatively high‐energy requirement. It could utilize dietary lipid content up to 140 g kg^?1, while the dietary protein with more than 330 g kg^?1 would not promote growth and protein efficiency. Taken together, 330 g kg^?1 dietary protein and 140 g kg^?1 dietary lipid level with P/E ratio 16.49 could be optimum for M. nipponense.     

A new lean no time test baking method with improved discriminating power

In response to customer concerns related to gluten strength in commercial baking, the Canadian Grain Commission assessed whether the Canadian Short Process (CSP) test bake method was generating useful data related to intrinsic strength of wheat varieties. Assessment of CSP loaf volume data for Canadian variety trials spanning 2003 to 2013 showed very little correlation with dough strength parameters as measured by farinograph and extensigraph. A lean no time (LNT) test baking method was developed that can better discriminate genotypes and provide objective indicators of the effect of intrinsic dough strength on baking quality. From early method development, through method validation and verification using diverse sets of samples targeting different Canadian wheat classes and grown in three different crop years, results showed the LNT method to be more discriminating and easily adopted by other laboratories. In 2015, the LNT method was adopted as the method of choice in future Canadian variety registration trials. The LNT method is fast, simple and well-suited to high throughput test baking conditions encountered in the evaluation of large numbers of breeder lines. A new objective parameter, loaf top ratio, was also introduced and found to correlate well with dough strength and dough handling properties.     

Utilizing a DUALEM‐421 and inversion modelling to map baseline soil salinity along toposequences in the Hunter Valley Wine district

In the oldest commercial wine district of Australia, the Hunter Valley, there is the threat of soil salinization because marine sediments underlie the area. To understand the risk requires information about the spatial distribution of soil properties. Electromagnetic (EM) induction instruments have been used to identify and map the spatial variation of average soil salinity to a certain depth. However, soils vary with depth dependent on soil forming factors. We collected data from a single‐frequency and multiple‐coil DUALEM‐421 along a toposequence. We inverted this data using EM4Soil software and evaluated the resultant 2‐dimensional model of true electrical conductivity (σ – mS/m) with depth against electrical conductivity of saturated soil pastes (EC_p – dS/m). Using a fitted linear regression (LR) model calibration approach and by varying the forward model (cumulative function‐CF and full solution‐FS), inversion algorithm (S1 and S2), damping factor (λ) and number of arrays, we determined a suitable electromagnetic conductivity image (EMCI), which was optimal (R² = 0.82) when using the full solution, S2, λ = 3.6 and all six coil arrays. We conducted an uncertainty analysis of the LR model used to estimate the electrical conductivity of the saturated soil‐paste extract (EC_e – dS/m). Our interpretation based on estimates of EC_e suggests the approach can identify differences in salinity, how these vary with parent material and how topography influences salt distribution. The results provide information leading to insights into how soil forming factors and agricultural practices influence salinity down a toposequence and how this can guide soil management practices.     

基于Meta分析评价秸秆覆盖对我国北方半干旱区不同生态区域小麦产量的影响

为了明确秸秆覆盖对我国北方半干旱区不同降雨量和积温条件下小麦产量的影响,利用Meta定量分析方法分析秸秆覆盖和不同秸秆覆盖量对我国北方半干旱区不同降雨量和积温条件下小麦产量的影响。以“半干旱区”、“秸秆覆盖”和“小麦产量”为关键词搜集、筛选并整理1970-2019年公开发表的相关文献,建立综合文献数据库。分析秸秆覆盖、不同秸秆覆盖量、不同年均降雨量和不同年均积温与小麦产量的关系。结果表明,秸秆覆盖可以增加北方半干旱区不同降雨量和积温区域的小麦产量,主要通过增加有效穗数使小麦平均增产12.77%;当秸秆覆盖量为6 000~9 000kg/hm ²时,小麦增产率最高,为14.49%（9.01%~20.52%,CI>95%）;当年均降雨量为200~400mm时,小麦增产率最高,为19.36%（9.86%~28.49%,CI>95%）;当年均积温为0℃~3 000℃时,小麦增产率最高,为19.56%（16.36%~22.39%,CI>95%）。此研究结果可为我国北方半干旱区不同降雨量和积温区域采用秸秆覆盖技术栽培小麦提供理论依据。