Water management options based on rainfall analysis for rainfed maize (Zea mays L.) production in Rushinga district, Zimbabwe

Maize (Zea mays L.), the dominant and staple food crop in Southern and Eastern Africa, is preferred to the drought-tolerant sorghum and pearl millet even in semi-arid areas. In semi-arid areas production of maize is constrained by droughts and poor rainfall distribution. The best way to grow crops in these areas is through irrigation, but limited areal extent, increasing water scarcity, and prohibitive development costs limit the feasibility of irrigation. Therefore, there is need for a policy shift towards other viable options. This paper presents daily rainfall analysis from Rushinga district, a semi-arid location in Northern Zimbabwe. The purpose of the rainfall analysis was to assess opportunities and limitations for rainfed maize production using 25 years of data. Data was analysed using a variety of statistical methods that include trend analysis, t-test for independent samples, rank-based frequency analysis, Spearman's correlation coefficient and Mann-Whitney's U test. The results showed no evidence of change in rainfall pattern. The mean seasonal rainfall was 631 mm with a standard deviation (SD) of 175 mm. December, January and February consistently remained the major rainfall months. The results depicted high inter-annual variability for both annual and seasonal rainfall totals, a high incidence of droughts ≥3 out of every 10 years and ≥1 wet year in 10 years. Using the planting criteria recommended in Zimbabwe, most of the plantings would occur from the third decade of November with the mode being the first decade of December. This predisposes the rainfall to high evaporation and runoff losses especially in December when the crop is still in its initial stage of growth. On average 5 to more than 20 days dry spells occupy 56% of the rainy season. Seasonal rainfall exhibited negative correlation (P < 0.001; R = −0.746) with cumulative dry spell length, and wet years were free from dry spells exceeding 20 days. The most common dry spells (6-10 days), are in the range in which irrigated crops survive on available soil water. Therefore, they can be mitigated by in situ rainwater harvesting (RWH) and water conservation. The potential evapotranspiration of a 140-day maize crop was estimated to be 540 mm. Consequently, short season maize cultivars that mature in less than 140 days could be grown successfully in this area in all but drought years. However, sustainable maize production can only be achieved with careful management of the soil as a medium for storing water, which is essential for buffering against dry spells. To this end soil restorative farming systems are recommended such as conservation farming, in situ RWH techniques for dry spell mitigation and a cropping system that includes drought-tolerant cereal crops as for example sorghum and pearl millet, and perennial carbohydrate sources as for example cassava to provide stable crop yields.     

机械设备等间距大修费的季节周期预测法

根据机械设备等间距大修的特点。研究提出适用于该类机械设备维修费预测的新方法，即季节周期预测法。示例计算表明，运用此法对等间距大修维修费进行预测，具有较高的精度。     

围栏封育对环湖地区高寒草原植物群落地上生物量的影响

研究了围栏封育对环湖地区高寒草原植物群落地上生物量的影响,结果表明：在牧草的整个生长季,总生物量呈单峰曲线变化,生育初期地上生物量最小,到8月上旬生物量达到最大,为267.1g/m2。围栏封育有利于优良牧草（禾草＋莎草）的生长,提高优良牧草的百分比组成;抑制阔叶草（豆科＋杂草）的生长,降低其百分比组成。     

冷季藏系羊补饲的效果观察

通过对20头2岁母藏系羊补饲,在补饲期间期中增重3.32kg,增重率为14.46%。期末增重0.91kg,增重率为3.81%。试验组羊总增重4.23kg,增重率为17.20%。对照组羊在期中增重-0.69 kg,增重率为-3.51%。对照组羊总增重-3.36kg,总增重率为-19.83%。补饲结束后在6月份增重2.65kg,增重率为9.99%。7月份增重8.03kg,增重率为23.24%。8月份增重5.18kg,增重率为13.04%。9月份增重8.73kg,增重率为17.42%。夏秋总增重21.59kg,增重率为44.88%。对照组羊在6月份增重0.29kg,增重率为1.70%。7月份增重3.74kg,增重率为17.92%。8月份增重2.13kg,增重率为9.26%。9月份增重6.22kg,增重率为21.22%。对照组羊在夏秋草场总增重12.09kg,增重率为41.88%。     

哈尔滨市三种冷季型草坪草滞尘能力的研究

草坪草作为城市绿化的构建材料,不仅在美化环境方面具有极高的应用价值,在改善城市生态环境方面也挥着重要的作用。以哈尔滨市道路绿化常用草种中的草地早熟禾、多年生黑麦草和紫羊茅为对象,对3种草种叶面解剖结构和滞尘能力进行测定,通过比较分析,发现不同草种间的滞尘能力与叶面结构形态的关系密切;在相同种植密度和面积的草坪上,滞尘量由高到低依次是多年生黑麦草、紫羊茅、草地早熟禾;滞尘量随时间增加呈现有限增长的趋势。     

山西太岳山油松林木非生长季树干液流研究

2009年9月到2010年3月,在山西沁源县灵空山林场建设观测塔,用TDP探针对塔周围的不同胸径的ll棵油松林木在非生长季的树干液流速率及环境因子进行连续监测,研究油松林木树干液流变化规律。结果表明：非生长季的油松树干液流并没有停滞,正午的峰值逐渐消失,液流主要在夜间进行,最大值为16．11cm·h^-1,最小值为5．109×10^-5cm·h^-1,平均值为3．29cm·h^-1。在属于生长季末期的10月,不时有和生长季相同的单峰曲线出现,11月下旬后,白天和夜间的树干液流并无明显差异,趋于平稳。阴天则无峰或多峰。影响油松树干液流的环境因子主要有光合有效辐射、空气温度和相对湿度,三者都与液流速率既有显著正相关关系,又有显著负相关关系。土壤湿度与油松树干液流速率呈正相关关系。与太岳山生态站2005年所做的油松林木夏季的树干液流速率研究成果相结合,可以比较完整地反映油松林木树干液流速率全年的变化规律。     

放牧季节及放牧强度对高寒草地植物多样性的影响

在海北高寒草地进行了7年轻度放牧、中度放牧和重度放牧试验,并用围栏控制放牧进行对照.试验显示,物种丰富度和均匀度在夏季牧场和冬季牧场出现不同的变化.在夏季牧场,物种丰富度随着放牧强度的增强而增强,而均匀度则随着放牧强度的增强而下降;在冬季牧场,物种丰富度和放牧之间呈现驼峰反应模式,说明植物的丰富度在中度放牧强度时达到最大.不同牧场生物多样性变化的模式说明夏季牧场放牧强度不足.     

Carbon stocks, soil respiration and microbial biomass in fire-prone tropical grassland, woodland and forest ecosystems

A thorough understanding of the role of microbes in C cycling in relation to fire is important for estimation of C emissions and for development of guidelines for sustainable management of dry ecosystems. We investigated the seasonal changes and spatial distribution of soil total, dissolved organic C (DOC) and microbial biomass C during 18 months, quantified the soil CO₂ emission in the beginning of the rainy season, and related these variables to the fire frequency in important dry vegetation types grassland, woodland and dry forest in Ethiopia. The soil C isotope ratios (δ¹³C) reflected the 15-fold decrease in the grass biomass along the vegetation gradient and the 12-fold increase in woody biomass in the opposite direction. Changes in δ¹³C down the soil profiles also suggested that in two of the grass-dominated sites woody plants were more frequent in the past. The soil C stock ranged from being 2.5 (dry forest) to 48 times (grassland) higher than the C stock in the aboveground plant biomass. The influence of fire in frequently burnt wooded grassland was evident as an unchanged or increasing total C content down the soil profile. DOC and microbial biomass measured with the fumigation-extraction method (C_mic) reflected the vertical distribution of soil organic matter (SOM). However, although SOM was stable throughout the year, seasonal fluctuations in C_mic and substrate-induced respiration (SIR) were large. In woodland and woodland-wooded grassland C_mic and SIR increased in the dry season, and gradually decreased during the following rainy season, confirming previous suggestions that microbes may play an important role in nutrient retention in the dry season. However, in dry forest and two wooded grasslands C_mic and SIR was stable throughout the rainy season, or even increased in this period, which could lead to enhanced competition with plants for nutrients. Both the range and the seasonal changes in soil microbial biomass C in dry tropical ecosystems may be wider than previously assumed. Neither SIR nor C_mic were good predictors of in situ soil respiration. The soil respiration was relatively high in infrequently burnt forest and woodland, while frequently burnt grasslands had lower rates, presumably because most C is released through dry season burning and not through decomposition in fire-prone systems. Shifts in the relative importance of the two pathways for C release from organic matter may have strong implications for C and nutrient cycling in seasonally dry tropical ecosystems.     

不同早稻品种灌浆期高温胁迫后根系生理差异研究

试验研究不同早稻品种灌浆期高温胁迫后根系生理差异结果表明,高温对不同水稻品种根系超氧化物歧化酶、过氧化物酶、过氧化氢酶活性均有影响,但对耐热型品种的影响显著小于热敏感品种,耐热型品种在高温胁迫后保护酶活性能较快恢复并接近对照水平;高温胁迫对耐热型水稻品种根系α-萘胺氧化力无影响,但热敏感品种根系氧化力明显下降,故根系α-萘胺氧化力可作为根系耐热指标之一。