Assessing the effectiveness of manure export plus intensive silage cropping for lowering the Olsen‐P status of P‐enriched grassland

A substantial proportion of farmed grassland soils in Northern Ireland (NI) are overly enriched with P and pose a risk to water quality. To address this problem, manure could be exported rather than recycled to P‐enriched land and the latter intensively cropped with grass silage to deplete soil P. To assess the efficacy of such a strategy, a P‐ and K‐enriched grassland site was intensively cropped over a 6‐yr period with fertilizer N alone supplied to support silage growth. By year 6, soil P had declined from index 5 to index 3, and it was estimated that two more years of this management may bring it into the target index 2 range. Soil K, however, declined rapidly from index 4 to index 1 in just 4 yr, with the result that grass production became limited by K deficiency. It was concluded that nonrecycling of manure to P‐enriched grassland under silage management is probably the most effective strategy for lowering soil P status, but care must be taken to prevent K deficiency occurring.     

Effects of Addition of Three Types of Biochar on the Soil Nitrogen Balance and Cotton Yield

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of biochar addition on the soil N balance and cotton yield in a drip-irrigated cotton field. The experiment included four soil amendments: control, cotton straw biochar, corn cob biochar, and poultry manure biochar. The biochar was applied at a rate of 4.5 t·hm^－2 except control. The results showed that all three types of biochar significantly reduced both the apparent soil N loss and the N surplus. The effect of cotton straw biochar treatment was most significant, relative to the control. Plant nitrogen uptake differed significantly between the different treatments, decreasing in the order cotton straw biochar > poultry manure biochar > corn cob biochar. Cotton yield also differed significantly between the different treatments, decreasing in the order poultry manure biochar > corn cob biochar, and cotton straw biochar.     

Nitrogen use efficiency of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) as influenced by wheat–cotton cropping systems

Wheat–cotton rotations largely increase crop yield and improve resources use efficiency, such as the radiation use efficiency. However, little information is available on the nitrogen (N) utilization and requirement of cotton under wheat–cotton rotations. This study was to determine the N uptake and use efficiency by evaluating the cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) N use and the soil N balances, which will help to improve N resource management in wheat–cotton rotations. Field experiments were conducted during 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 growing seasons in the Yangtze River region in China. Two cotton cultivars (Siza 3, mid-late maturity with 130 days growth duration; CCRI 50, early maturity with 110 days growth duration) were planted under four cropping systems including monoculture cotton (MC), wheat/intercropped cotton (W/IC), wheat/transplanted cotton (W/TC) and wheat/direct-seeded cotton (W/DC). The N uptake and use efficiency of cotton were quantified under different cropping systems. The results showed that wheat–cotton rotations decreased the cotton N uptake through reducing the N accumulation rate and shortening the duration of fast N accumulation phase as compared to the monoculture cotton. Compared with MC, the N uptake of IC, TC and DC were decreased by 12.0%, 20.5% and 23.4% for Siza 3, respectively, and 7.3%, 10.7% and 17.6% for CCRI 50, respectively. Wheat–cotton rotations had a lower N harvest index as a consequence of the weaker sink capacity in the cotton plant caused by the delayed fruiting and boll formation. Wheat–cotton rotations used N inefficiently relative to the monoculture cotton, showing consistently lower level of the N agronomic use efficiency (NAE), N apparent recovery efficiency (NRE), N physiological efficiency (NPE) and N partial factor productivity (NPFP), particularly for DC. Relative to the mid–late maturity cultivar of Siza 3, the early maturity cultivar of CCRI 50 had higher N use efficiency in wheat–cotton rotations. An analysis of the crop N balance suggested that the high N excess in preceding wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in wheat–cotton rotations led to significantly higher N surpluses than the monoculture cotton. The N management for the cotton in wheat–cotton rotations should be improved by means of reducing the base fertilizer input and increasing the bloom application.     

Achieving legislation requirements with different nitrogen fertilization strategies: Results from a long term experiment

The Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC, Anonymous, 1991) was developed in Europe to limit environmental threats from intensive livestock farming and N fertilizer applications to crops. It imposed several rules on farmers and public bodies, one of which was nutrient fertilization plan adoption. Here we use results from the Tetto Frati (Northern Italy) Long-Term Experiment to verify the terms and coefficients in the official Italian guidelines and evaluate the limitations imposed to organic fertilization amounts. For this purpose, we mined long-term experimental data of crop yield, N uptake, N use efficiency, and soil organic matter content from miscellanea cropping systems fertilized with farmyard manure (FYM) and bovine slurry (SLU), typical of a dairy farm in Northern Italy. N fertilization efficiency indicators (Removal to Fertilizer ratio, Apparent Recovery and Nitrogen Fertilizer Replacement Value) indicated that in the long run, FYM behaved similarly to urea, and better than SLU. Even N supply rates as high as 250 kg N ha⁻¹ were justified by high rates of crop removal. In fact, among the terms of the mass-balance equation, SOM mineralization was found to be most relevant, followed by meadow rotation residual effects. We conclude that a revised Nitrates Directives application scheme could be more relaxed in its application limit of manure-N, but should be more ambitious in setting efficiency coefficients for manure fertilization.     

Growth,partial energy balance,mantle and digestive gland lipid composition of Octopus vulgaris (Cuvier, 1797) fed with two artificial diets

Effects of two binders (gelatine and alginate) were tested on growth, survival, partial energy balance and lipid composition of mantle and digestive gland (DG) of Octopus vulgaris. The three diets tested were given as follows: CON, (Loligo gahi) as control, GEL, composed of squid paste (L. gahi) (300 g kg^?1), fish hydrolyse CPSP^® (100 g kg^?1) and fish meal (500 g kg^?1), agglutinated with 100 g kg^?1 of gelatine and ALG, composed of squid paste (L. gahi) (300 g kg^?1), fish hydrolyse CPSP^® (100 g kg^?1) and fish meal (500 g kg^?1), all agglutinated with 100 g kg^?1 of alginate. Growth rates were 13.7 ± 2.1, 2.1 ± 2.8 and ?2.4 ± 2.9 g kg^?1 bw day^?1, for octopuses fed CON, GEL and ALG diets, respectively. DGs of octopuses had higher concentrations of fatty acids (FA) than the mantle. DG of animals fed CON had higher concentrations of FAs than those fed the artificial diets. Energetic balance demonstrated that physiologically useful energy for maintenance E(B) was affected by type of diet, with negative values of E(B) in animals fed ALG and positive (85 and 154 kJ kg^?1 day^?1) in octopuses fed GEL and CON, respectively. The ALG diet did not cope with the physiological requirements for octopus growth.     

北方旱地土壤氮素平衡

北方大部分地区的旱地土壤中,农业氮素一般表现亏损,平衡强度约87%;园田土壤氮素略有盈余,平衡强度约123%.~(15)示踪研究表明,旱地土壤主要作物氮素利用率平均为27.04%,土壤残留24.79%,亏缺损失48.17%.园田主要蔬菜氮素和用率平均为29.11%,土壤残留22.67%,亏缺损失48.23%,其间差异很小.北方旱地施用铵态氮化肥主要损失是氨的挥发.影响氨挥发的因素有风速、温度、土壤水分、土壤质地、化肥品种.氮肥深施是防止氨挥发的有效方法.     

河川基流分割法在山丘区地下水资源量评价中的运用

山丘区河川基流分割方法很多，采用不同方法的分割成果不尽相同。在地下水资源评价中，根据云南省自然地理独特，气候复杂多样，降水量丰沛，洪水频繁，河川径流过程线普遍呈连续多峰型的特性，寻求一种既能满足水资源综合规划要求，又符合云南实际分割河川基流量的方法，是地下水资源评价中的重要内容。采用适宜水均衡法和直线斜割法的径流资料分割河川基流量，求出两种方法之间的换算系数，修正水均衡法的分割成果，一是达到了以直线斜割法统一分割河川基流量的目的；二是提高了山丘区地下水资源量评价的精度，为探索山丘区地下水资源量及时空分布规律提供技术支撑。     

太湖平原水田区灌溉回归水分析

江苏太湖平原地区灌溉水源丰富,排水通畅,但由于年际水量分配不均,干旱仍时有发生。根据这一情况,对灌溉水的利用问题进行了研究。在大、小区水量平衡的基础上,提出了灌溉水的回归系数和回归水的重复利用系数,以及灌溉水的重复利用系数。为本区水利规划、用水管理和供水规划提供了可靠的依据。     

Heart Rate Variability in Horses Engaged in Equine-Assisted Activities

Although there has been a recent surge in using horses to treat mental and emotional human health issues, the consequences of horse-assisted interventions on the stress response of horses have not been well documented. Assessment of the autonomic nervous system and its regulation of cardiovascular function has been used as an indicator of acute and chronic stress in human beings and horses. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a noninvasive measurement that has been used to assess autonomic nervous system regulation of cardiovascular function. There is evidence to suggest that several factors including the genotype, behavior, environment, temperament, and nutritional status of the horse play a key role in the large inter-individual variations in basal HRV. The present study determined whether 24-hour HRV recordings in horses currently working in equine-assisted therapy (EAT) differ from those previously shown in Thoroughbred horses. Findings from the present study found that in contrast to previous studies in Thoroughbred horses, diurnal and nocturnal low frequency and high frequency powers were not significantly different in horses that are currently engaged in EAT. Future studies are needed to determine the short- and long-term consequences of horses participating in EAT programs. Findings from this study will provide the basis for the development of a physiological/behavioral assessment criteria to determine the consequences of EAT on the well-being of horses as well as to help EAT Centers to improve the beneficial effects of EAT in human beings.     

甘南牧区草畜供求动态变化与调控——以阿孜畜牧试验场为例

甘南牧区不仅是我国重要的畜牧业生产基地,而且是黄河上游的重要水源涵养地.过牧超载导致天然草地退化,严重影响牧区的可持续发展.以甘南州玛曲县的阿孜畜牧试验场为例,分析了2008和2009年天然草地的可食牧草产量、放牧家畜承载量等方面的动态变化.研究结果表明,2009年阿孜畜牧试验场产草量有所增加,月均产草量较2008年提...