Direct Measurement of CO2 Retention in Arable Soils with pH Above 6.5 During Barometric Process Separation Incubation

The barometric process separation(BaPS)technique is a well-established incubation method to simultaneously measure gross nitrification and respiration rates in soil.Its application,however,is still critical in soils with pH above 6.5.Here,a substantial part of microbial CO_2 production is retained in soil solution(CO_2,aq)due to shifts in the carbonate equilibrium.This may lead to substantial errors in gas balance calculation.Yet,utilization of the BaPS technique is only reliable if the critical term is adequately quantified.We present an easy,inexpensive,and direct method,the sterilization-CO_2-injection(SCI)method,to measure CO_2 retention during soil incubation.Sterilized soil was incubated in the BaPS system,and defined volumes of CO_2 were injected to stepwise increase CO_2partial pressure(p CO_2)inside the chamber and to analyse the physicochemical equilibration process.Five exemplary agricultural soils from Northeast China and Southwest Germany were used for method establishment,presenting pH values between 4.4 and 7.6 and carbonate contents between 0% and 3.9%.We observed that in soils with pH6.5,70%–90% of the injected CO_2 was taken up by the soil until the equilibrium inside the chamber was re-established.As expected,in soils with low pH(6.5),measured CO_2 retention was low.CO_2 retention patterns were sensitive to incubation temperature with tri-fold dissolution capacity at 5~?C compared to 25?C,but insensitive to variations in soil water content.The resulting soil-specific relationship between p CO_2 and CO_2,aq concentration allowed the quantification of CO_2,aq concentration as a function of headspace p CO_2.     

Estimating decomposition rate constants for European tree species from literature sources

Coarse woody debris (CWD) is an important substrate in forests, provides habitat for a multitude of organisms and is also a sink and a source for nutrients and carbon. To assess the dynamics of this substrate equations to describe the course of decomposition have been developed. They can also be used to describe the release of carbon from dead wood into the atmosphere. Unfortunately few equations have been parameterised for European conditions, although there is a need to estimate the dynamics of CWD in this region. Therefore, a method (termed the LB-method) was invented to estimate suitable decomposition rate constants (DRC) from sources published in the CWD Global Database by systematically comparing features and conditions of the area and species of interest with the information given with the published equations. The DRC were weighed according to these comparisons and then sorted by the weight assigned to them. From the resulting distribution a plausible DRC for the region and species of interest was estimated. The LB-method was compared to results from a study on Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) decomposition in Thuringia, Germany, and to results from an expert elicitation on DRC for Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in the Federal State of Brandenburg, Germany. In both cases the method gave results within the confidence interval of the respective study used for comparison. Both methods are suitable for the estimation of preliminary DRC until more accurate constants can be derived by research. While the focus in this study was on density loss the method can be applied to other dead wood features (e.g. volume), and should be applicable to other regions of the world where information is also scarce.     

The changing Himalayan landscape: pine-oak forest dynamics and the supply of ecosystem services

This review summarizes the current state of knowledge on pine and oak forest dynamics in the mid-montane central Himalayan forest and the ecosystem services associated with these vegetation types. Forest ecosystems play a crucial role in the livelihood of the central Himalayas as well as the adjacent plains, providing a number of tangible and intangible ecosystem services, at each stage of succession. The successional sequence starts from warm temperate grasslands, followed by early successional pine forests, mid-successional pine-oak mixed forests and eventually culminating in a late successional oak community. This successional sequence is considerably influenced by disturbances like fire, grazing, and lopping, which maintain the vegetation types in their current form and can act as potential drivers of change. Fire and grazing in grasslands and pine forests inhibit the successional process by hindering the establishment of pioneer and late successional species, respectively. Potential land-cover changes with forest succession can lead to changes in ecosystem services supply. We found that the number of ecosystem services associated with these vegetation types increase from early to late successional community. Current management approaches fail to include the dynamic nature of vegetation, which is essential for maintenance of ecosystem service supply. In conclusion, the trade-offs between ES of global (biodiversity and carbon) and local importance (fuel wood and fodder) have to be examined carefully in order to have effective conservation and management plans for the region.     

Synthesis and fungicidal activity of tubulin polymerisation promoters. Part 1: pyrido[2,3‐b]pyrazines

BACKGROUND: The excellent fungicidal activity of [1,2,4]triazolo[1,5‐a]pyrimidines suggested the search for further analogues with improved properties. RESULTS: A series of novel trisubstituted pyrido[2,3‐b]pyrazines has been designed and prepared as 6,6‐biheterocyclic analogues of related 5,6‐bicyclic [1,2,4]triazolo[1,5‐a]pyrimidines. Their fungicidal activity was evaluated against the plant pathogens Puccinia recondita Rob. ex Desm. f. sp. tritici (Eriks.) CO Johnston (wheat brown rust), Mycosphaerella graminicola (Fuckel) Schroter (Septoria tritici Rob., leaf spot of wheat) and Magnaporthe grisea (Hebert) Barr (Pyricularia oryzae Cav., rice blast). Structure–activity relationship studies revealed the advantage of a fluoro substituent in position 6 and of a secondary amine in position 8. CONCLUSION: 8‐Amino‐7‐aryl‐6‐halogen‐substituted pyrido[2,3‐b]pyrazines have been prepared as 6,6‐biheterocyclic analogues of similarly substituted triazolopyrimidine fungicides. A concise four‐step synthesis route has been worked out to prepare these novel compounds from commercially available starting materials. [(R)‐(1,2‐Dimethylpropyl)]‐[6‐fluoro‐7‐(2,4,6‐trifluorophenyl)pyrido[2,3‐b]pyrazin‐8‐yl]amine showed excellent activity against three economically important phytopathogens. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

作物品种稳定性分析不同模型的比较

为确定应用不同稳定性分析模型在作物品种特性评价中的效果,基于SAS PROC MIXED程序,选取稳定性方差模型、Finlay-Wilkinson回归模型、Eberhart-Russell回归模型、加性主效乘式互作模型(AMMI)和环境方差模型等5种常用稳定性分析模型,对10套不同的作物品种区域试验资料进行分析.结果表明,每种模型都可以得出其对试验数据拟合的信息量指标值、一种品种稳定性序列和品种均值差异显著性检验的结果.这些模型在数据拟合效果、品种稳定性评判和品种均值差异检验等方面存在明显的差异;没有一个模型对所有试验资料的拟合效果均最佳,而是与具体分析的试验数据有关.不同稳定性分析模型适用于不同的试验数据,模型选择对品种稳定性评价和品种效应差异显著性检验有较大的影响.为提高对作物品种特性评价的准确性, 应针对具体的试验数据,利用Akaike信息量准则选用最佳的分析模型.     

Potato Shoot Tip Cryopreservation. A Review

Potato is one of the most important crops worldwide. Genetic resources of potato (Solanum tuberosum L. ssp. tuberosum) and related cultivated species are conserved through storage of tubers, in vitro plants and in cryopreservation. Cryopreservation, storage in or above liquid nitrogen, is the best option to maintain vegetatively propagated plants in the long term. The present review gives comprehensive information about various cryopreservation techniques for potato published from 1977 until the present. It discusses factors that affect the process and success of cryopreservation, such as donor culture conditions, preculture, cooling, warming and post-culture treatments. Studies are presented that analyse the histological and ultrastructural changes after different cryopreservation steps and the morphological pathways during regeneration of plants after rewarming. The maintenance of genetic stability in potato after cryopreservation has also been demonstrated by various phenotypic and molecular methods. The first thermal analyses on potato shoot tips are presented using differential scanning calorimetry to analyse the state of water during cooling and warming. Biochemical analyses of different compounds, such as soluble sugars and proteins, have been performed to understand and improve existing cryogenic methods. Potato is an example where successful virus elimination has been obtained via cryopreservation of shoot tips (cryotherapy). There are already cryopreserved collections of potato shoot tips in Germany, Peru, Czech Republic, South Korea and USA, but additional experiments on fundamental aspects of potato cryopreservation will help to improve understanding of the different cryopreservation methods, start new collections in other countries and also build up existing cryocollections of potato.     

Variance–covariance structure and its influence on variety assessment in regional crop trials

The primary method used to analyze regional crop variety trials is based on the analysis of variance (ANOVA), which requires a homogenous variance–covariance of data. While other models are available, the problem of how the models should be assessed and which model is more suitable for a given trial's data has not been solved. This restricts the applicability of the models. Therefore, a mixed linear model with flexible variance–covariance structures is proposed. Relationships are introduced for various variance–covariance structures of mixed models, and other models for analyzing crop regional trials. Using data from regional corn trials in northeastern and northern China, an assessment was made of the information criterion and likelihood-ratio-test, along with the goodness of fit of variance–covariance structures. This regional trial data facilitated comparison between an ANOVA model and a mixed linear model with an optimal variance–covariance structure. The results showed that the variance–covariance of varietal effects over environmental influences was not homogeneous, as is required in the ANOVA model. Instead, it was found to be heterogeneous in all trials considered. On average, the ratio of significant varietal differences for the same variety was only 86% when comparing the ANOVA model and the optimal mixed linear model. Also, there were obvious differences in the yield ranking of varieties between the two models. The mean standard error of a difference of varietal effects in the optimally-fitted mixed linear model was smaller than that in the ANOVA model.     

Allometric equations for biomass estimations in Cameroon and pan moist tropical equations including biomass data from Africa

Moist tropical forests in Africa and elsewhere store large amounts of carbon and need accurate allometric regressions for their estimation. In Africa the absence of species-specific or mixed-species allometric equations has lead to broad use of pan moist tropical equations to estimate tree biomass. This lack of information has raised many discussions on the accuracy of these data, since equations were derived from biomass collected outside Africa.     

Growth performance and RNA/DNA ratio of noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) and narrow‐clawed crayfish (Pontastacus leptodactylus) fed fish waste diets

New and viable species for aquaponics and integrated multi‐trophic aquaculture (IMTA) in freshwater systems can improve yields and sustainability of aquaculture. Freshwater crayfish species such as Astacus astacus and Pontastacus leptodactylus are omnivorous feeders and considered candidates for feeding on faecal matters in existing aquaculture systems. Feeding trials were conducted to determine growth response and RNA/DNA ratio in freshwater crayfish fed fish waste. Carapace length and wet weight were measured to determine the growth response. Juvenile A. astacus was fed faeces of hybrid striped bass (Morone chrysops × Morone saxatilis) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), while adult P. leptodactylus was fed with two commercial pellet diets and pikeperch (Sander lucioperca) faeces. The nutritional composition of hybrid striped bass faeces was close to optimal diet composition of A. astacus, and crayfish showed significantly higher carapace growth, weight gain and weight gain per moult as the group fed rainbow trout faeces. The growth of P. leptodactylus was significantly lower in terms of weight gain and weight gain percentage per moult for crayfish fed on pikeperch faeces. Thus, this study can recommend a co‐cultivation of hybrid striped bass and A. astacus within one system, but cannot recommend co‐cultivation of P. leptodactylus with pikeperch. Additionally, this study showed controversial results of RNA/DNA ratio and weight gain of both crayfish species. Thus, RNA/DNA ratio cannot be approved for investigations on crayfish physiological status in controlled feeding experiments if animals are fed with an inadequate diet.