Effect of sheep, deer and cattle dung on herbage production and soil nutrient content

A field experiment compared the effects of sheep, deer and cattle dung on pasture growth and soil nutrient status. Sheep and deer dung pellets degraded rapidly within three to eight weeks, while it was 12 months before all visible cattle dung had gone from the soil surface. The cattle dung initially reduced herbage yield owing to smothering. However, after 40 days, herbage around the edges of the dung patch responded positively to the dung and more dry matter was produced in this patch than in the control patch during the first 12 months. There was no measurable herbage response to sheep dung, but deer dung significantly increased herbage production. While the rate of nutrient application per unit area was similar for sheep and deer dung, the latter was more evenly spread within the patch area. Consequently, a greater percentage of pasture plants in the patch received nutrient additions from the deer dung and a measurable response was recorded. Twelve months after dung application, soil nitrate, phosphate and organic C were higher in dung patches than in the control patches. In cattle dung patches, this response was accompanied by higher microbial biomass C levels, arylsulphatase and arylphosphatase activities. Some residual effect on organic C levels was still evident three years after cattle dung application.     

Contribution of white clover varieties to total sward production under typical farm management

White clover varieties, potentially suitable for inclusion in seed mixtures for mixed stock-rearing farm systems, were evaluated when growing with S23 perennial ryegrass under rotational sheep grazing with a silage cut in late May or early June, as practiced on farms. Monoculture grass swards were also included to enable the direct and indirect contribution of white clover to total sward production to be evaluated.
White clover increased total sward production during all three years of the trial by an average of 50%. Although clover content of swards were similar, large differences occurred in their grass content, especially in the third year, when difference in total yields of swards based on large–leaved clover varieties was 2 t ha ⁻¹ while difference in clover yield was only 0-6 to ha^–1 The indirect contribution of white clover, namely the extra grass resulting from N transfer, was greater in the spring than in the autumn. It was also greater for Nesta than for other varieties. and exceptional for this variety in that the increase in grass yield above that of grass monoculture was maintained over three harvest years.     

Potential seed yield of white clover varieties

Fifteen varieties of white clover were sown in order to assess the seed yielding ability of new and potential varieties and to examine those plant factors which affect seed yield. Counts were made on number of inflorescences m^-2, proportion of ripe inflorescences and other inflorescence and seed characters. The data were used to compute potential seed yields.
Average potential seed yields were 276 and 76 kg ha^-1 in the first and second year, respectively. The decrease in the second year seed yields underlines the overriding effect of adverse weather conditions during the critical June to August period. The major effect was a reduction in the number of inflorescences produced, the number of florets per inflorescence and seeds per floret.
Some of the new listed varieties have a significantly higher seed potential than SI00, e.g. Menna (+ 38%) and Olwen (+28%), and this should facilitate the production of adequate seed supplies of British bred varieties.     

A comparison of grass/white clover and grass silages offered to dairy cows as the sole feed

Two diets were compared: perennial ryegrass ( Lolium perenne L.) silage and perennial ryegrass/white clover ( Trifolium repens L.) silage, in each case fed ad libitum , without supplementation, to lactating dairy cows. The comparison was made with silages cut on each of four dates. The crops were wilted to a dry matter content of at least 256g kg^-1 and no additives were used.
The grass/clover silages were well preserved at all four cuts. The grass was well preserved at three cuts, but, at a May cut, the grass silage was less well preserved and less digestible than the grass/clover silage. When the May silages were fed, milk yield was higher with grass/clover than with grass. Taking the experiment as a whole, however, milk yield and composition were similar on the two diets. The grass/clover silages had a lower proportion of cell wall and their intake by dairy cows was consistently higher than that of the grass silages.
It is concluded that perennial ryegrass/white clover crops can be ensiled successfully and fed successfully, with high intake, to lactating dairy cows, but it should not be assumed that cows will give more milk than when fed equivalent all-grass silage.     

GIS支持下1985-2000年北京林地数量、质量演变与驱动分析

在收集、研究1985年、1995年、2000年北京土地覆盖类型的图像和矢量数据的基础上,提取不同时间段北京林地相关的数据信息,并从多个角度分析研究区内各类林地与其它土地覆盖类型之问相互转化和各类林地之间的演替情况,得出2000年北京各类林地面积总量与1985年相比有少量增加,但林地总体质量水平却有下降趋势;并从经济社会发展以及国家及北京的生态环保政策等方面,对林地演变的驱动因子进行分析.     

生物结皮对高寒退化草地植物群落的影响

生物结皮在各类生态系统中扮演着重要的角色,具有调控土壤水分,养分含量与侵蚀敏感性等作用,并可直接或间接地影响地上植物群落,但对植物群落发展存在促进还是抑制作用尚不清楚。本研究于2017年在青海贵南县森多镇高寒草原,设置大样方,对生物结皮种类和分布格局进行调查。结果表明：在青藏高原高寒退化草地生态系统中,生物结皮的存在显著影响了植物的群落结构,降低了杂草的比例;苔藓生物结皮的盖度与草本植物盖度在初级发育阶段的生物结皮（地衣和苔藓共存）的样方中呈显著正相关关系（P<0.05）,在高级发育阶段的生物结皮（仅有苔藓结皮存在）的样方中正相关关系极显著（P<0.01）。由此可见,生物结皮是高寒草地生态系统的重要组成部分,有调节高寒退化植物群落的结构和功能的作用。     

梯度扩散薄膜技术(DGT)的理论及其在环境中的应用Ⅱ:土壤与沉积物原位高分辨分析中的方法与应用

从吸附膜的设计、采样装置的设计和分析方法三个方面系统介绍了梯度扩散薄膜技术(DGT)在土壤和沉积物介质中原位高分辨研究的方法学,并回顾了DGT自诞生以来在根际土壤和沉积物中原位高分辨应用所取得的重要研究成果,最后探讨了DGT在原位高分辨研究中的发展前景。DGT技术在沉积物和土壤中对污染物微界面机制的原位高分辨率研究,能够揭示控制重金属污染的关键过程,为针对性地做出管理控制方案提供了重要理论支持,从而推动我国对土壤、沉积物污染的防治和粮食安全的控制。