Are all three components of conservation agriculture necessary for soil conservation in the Sudan Savanna?

ABSTRACT

Conservation agriculture (CA) as recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations consists of three components: minimum soil disturbance, soil cover, and crop rotation/association. CA was expected to become an effective countermeasure against water erosion in the Sudan Savanna, but it has not been adopted by local smallholder farmers. As markets for grain legumes (including cowpea) have not been developed in the Sudan Savanna, crop rotation/association should be considered impractical for these farmers. Therefore, we examined whether legume intercropping as a crop rotation/association component is necessary for preventing soil erosion in the Sudan Savanna. Three-year field experiments were conducted in runoff plots at Institute of Environment and Agricultural Research Saria station. The four treatments were conventional practice (full tillage, no sorghum residue mulching, and no intercropping), two-component CA (minimum tillage (MT) and sorghum residue mulching without intercropping), and three-component CA with velvet bean (VB) or pigeon pea (PP) intercropping. It was revealed that: (1) MT and sorghum residue mulching (without intercropping) effectively reduced the annual soil loss by 54% mainly due to the improvement of soil permeability by the boring of termites and wolf spiders found under the sorghum stover mulch; (2) intercropping in combination with MT and crop residue mulching had no effect on soil erosion control mainly because: (a) PP did not survive the long dry season; (b) VB did not serve effectively as a cover crop since soil loss was concentrated at the beginning of the rainy season when VB was still too small; (c) unexpectedly, in combination with MT and crop residue mulching, intercropping with VB did not increase mulch biomass, especially sorghum biomass which prompts the boring of termites and wolf spiders. These results demonstrate that the third component of CA, namely legume intercropping, is not always necessary; rather, the two remaining components – minimum soil disturbance and soil cover – are sufficient for soil conservation in the Sudan Savanna. This finding lightens the burden of adopting CA and thus facilitates its future promotion to the smallholder farmers in the Sudan Savanna.     

Response of Ugandan common bean varieties to Pseudocercospora griseola and Angular leaf spot disease development in varietal mixtures

Angular leaf spot (ALS) is one of the most economically important bean diseases in Africa. One promising control option for the disease is the use of mixtures of resistant and susceptible varieties. This research evaluated (1) the reaction of farmer preferred bean varieties to ALS in the screenhouse and on-station and (2) the effect of different spatial arrangements of resistant and susceptible bean varieties on ALS disease development. For the latter, five mixture combinations and two controls were laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design having three replicates. Analysis of variance and least significant differences (LSDs) were used to compare disease levels in both studies above. Varietal screening showed significant differences in varietal reaction to ALS. Screenhouse disease scores ranged between 0 and 5, compared to 0.7–3.9 in the field. For the varietal mixture trial, the lowest disease levels and the highest mixture efficiencies were observed for the combination of equal proportions of the susceptible and resistant varieties randomly mixed (even mixture) prior to planting. We conclude that even mixtures reduce the amount of ALS disease that develops in the season.     

Examining Human Perception of Elephants and Large Trees for Insights Into Conservation of an African Savanna Ecosystem

African elephants (Loxodonta africana) and large trees have ecological and human value, but elephant impact on large trees may influence conservation strategies. We used a self-administered questionnaire to examine perceptions of elephants, large trees, and elephant management endeavors among tourists and residents in the Associated Private Nature Reserves, South Africa to inform management approaches. The questionnaire included photographs of different elephant types and of vegetation with varying degrees of elephant-impact. Respondents reported high attractiveness rankings for all elephant types, but they scored non-impacted trees higher than photos of trees with visible elephant impact. Results also revealed a significant positive correlation between elephant types known to cause high tree impact and attractiveness of non-impacted trees. Residents favored more intrusive elephant management methods, with environmental manipulation representing the most supported and balanced option for both interest groups. Respondents advocated management that focuses on ecosystem functioning more so than elephant population control.     

Adoption decision and use intensity of soil and water conservation measures by smallholder subsistence farmers in Dedo District,Western Ethiopia

Soil degradation in the highlands of Ethiopia is a serious problem that threatens the sustainability of agriculture. Although efforts have been made to develop and promote several soil conservation technologies, their adoption has not been widespread. This study, based on responses from a sample of 101 households which operate on 204 plots in Western Ethiopia, interviewed in 2003 cropping year, employed a Tobit model to identify the main factors influencing farmers' decision to adopt and intensify the use of improved and indigenous soil and water conservation (SWC) measures. The results suggest that area of cultivated land, land/labour ratio, age and education level of household head and distance of the plot from home and slope of the plot provided statistically adequate predictive power on the use and intensity of SWC measures. These results are discussed and their implications for conservation programs are presented in the conclusion. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Land degradation assessment in Southern Africa: integrating local and scientific knowledge bases

Recent attempts to address land degradation have seen calls for greater integration of scientific expertise with local knowledges. In this paper we investigate the potential for such combined understandings to enhance the accuracy, coverage and relevance of land degradation assessment. We followed a participatory approach, using methods from a variety of disciplines, to elicit potential land degradation indicators from communities in Botswana and Swaziland. These indicators were then assessed according to local and scientific understandings. We noted a significant overlap between scientific and local knowledges about land degradation in most instances. Where discrepancies occurred, the integrated participatory approach we used allows appropriate explanation to be reached, supporting the case that such an iterative process can lead to both accurate and relevant monitoring of land degradation. However, the incorporation of integrated knowledges into national policy has not been widespread in either country, suggesting that much greater efforts are required to institutionalise participatory land degradation assessment methodologies. Powerful, often neo‐Malthusian narratives of degradation continue to dominate policy discourse and limit the extent to which hybrid combined local and scientific knowledges can enhance land degradation assessment on a national and regional scale. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

非洲鸵鸟食管组织学观察

应用常规石蜡切片,H—E染色,对非洲鸵鸟食管组织结构进行观察并与家禽和哺乳动物的食管进行比较．结果表明：非洲鸵鸟食管黏膜上皮为复层扁平上皮,但角质化不明显,固有膜内食管腺丰富,由腺细胞围成的管泡状腺直接开口于黏膜上皮,分泌大量黏液．食管肌层非常发达,分为内环肌、中纵肌、外环肌3层,环肌很厚,与纵肌的比例约为3：1、外膜是一层薄的纤维膜,内含丰富的血管．淋巴组织和神经.     

非洲主要林业国家木材资源概况

概述了非洲森林资源及木材加工现状,并对非洲主要的8个森林资源大国的森林资源分布、主要树种、珍贵木材、出口等方面做了介绍。非洲森林资源丰富,类型多样,经济价值高,木材径级及蓄积量大,在我国木材进口市场中的地位日渐凸显。     

全球水稻生产现状与制约因素分析

【目的】分析全球水稻生产现状及其制约水稻生产的主要因子,探讨提高水稻产量的主要途径。【方法】采用全球水稻生产资料定量分析水稻面积和单产变化及其对总产贡献,及制约水稻生产的主要因素。【结果】全球水稻生产自1961年至2006年,由于复种指数提高,面积增长32%,年均增长0.61%。单产提高1.21倍,年均增长1.82%,单产提高主要依靠矮杆品种和杂交稻及其配套栽培技术的推广,灌溉设施改善和化肥施用。总产增长1.92倍,年均增长2.46%。水稻总产增长中,由面积增长贡献27%,由单产提高贡献73%。20世纪60年代以来全球水稻面积年增长率呈现逐年下降趋势。近年来水稻单产的增长率逐年变小,20世纪80、90年代和2000年以来分别为2.58%、0.98%和1.16%。面积下降和单产增长率变小导致总产增长率下降,20世纪80、90年代和2000年以来总产年均增产率分别为2.73%、1.48%和0.88%。制约水稻生产的主要因子是,水稻生产技术对单产提高的贡献率下降,病虫草危害及自然灾害频繁,多熟制生产系统水稻单产下降,水稻生产效益低。【结论】提高水稻产量的主要技术对策是改良水稻品种和扩大杂交稻应用,在非洲推进非洲新水稻应用,推广水稻集成栽培技术弥合水稻产量差异,发展水稻机械化生产技术及政府加大对水稻生产的政策支持。     

非洲菊组织培养及快速繁殖试验简报

在培养基中加入不同浓度、不同种类的植物激素影响非洲菊试管苗的分化和生根。结果表明诱导分化的培养基为MS 6 -BA 0 5mg L NAA 0 2mg L ,生根诱导培养基 1 2MS IBA 0 5mg L为宜。     

气候变化对非洲水资源和农业的影响

尽管非洲是世界上温室气体排放总量或人均排放量最少的地区,但在承受气候变化造成的恶劣影响方面首当其冲。气候变化已经给非洲的水资源、农业、生物多样性、人类健康和国家安全等带来诸多严重影响,粮食生产和水资源一直是非洲长期面临的两大难题,也是深受气候变化影响的两大领域还较欠缺,需要在未来的研究中进一步加强,以探寻减缓气候变化对非洲水资源和农业不利影响的有效途径。本文系统梳理了气候变化对非洲水资源系统和农业生产影响的研究成果和不足,以期为非洲气候变化影响评估工作提供一定参考和借鉴。已有的观测结果表明,气候变化导致非洲许多山脉冰川面积正在大范围缩减、大部分地区降水量有所减少,降雨的年际间分布也更为不稳定,通过水文模型的模拟预测,未来气候变化将进一步影响降水量和非洲部分地区河流的径流量,导致非洲水资源供给压力加大。同样,气候变化也给非洲农业生产带来了巨大的挑战,无论是观测结果分析,还是统计模型和作物模型等对不同气候情景和时间尺度下非洲农业的模拟研究,都显示气候变化对非洲农业以负面影响为主,导致非洲干旱加剧、生长季改变和粮食产量下降,并可能危及非洲的粮食安全。然而,现有研究结果还存在较多不确定性,其主要集中在未来气候情景数据、研究方法、数据的质量和数量等方面。与世界其它地区相比,非洲气候变化影响研究无论是研究的深度和广度都