Closing the nitrogen use efficiency gap and reducing the environmental impact of wheat-maize cropping on smallholder farms in the Guanzhong Plain,Northwest China

A high crop yield with the minimum possible cost to the environment is generally desirable. However, the complicated relationships among crop production, nitrogen (N) use efficiency and environmental impacts must be clearly assessed. We conducted a series of on-farm N application rate experiments to establish the linkage between crop yield and N₂O emissions in the Guanzhong Plain in Northwest China. We also examined crop yield, partial factor productivity of applied N (PFPN) and reactive N (Nr) losses through a survey of 1 529 and 1 497 smallholder farms that grow wheat and maize, respectively, in the region. The optimum N rates were 175 and 214 kg ha^–1 for winter wheat and summer maize, respectively, thereby achieving the yields of 6 799 and 7 518 kg ha^–1, correspondingly, with low N₂O emissions based on on-farm N rate experiments. Among the smallholder farms, the average N application rates were 215 and 294 kg ha^–1 season^–1, thus producing 6 490 and 6 220 kg ha^–1 of wheat and maize, respectively. The corresponding PFPN values for the two crops were 36.8 and 21.2 kg N kg^–1, and the total N₂O emissions were 1.50 and 3.88 kg ha^–1, respectively. High N balance, large Nr losses and elevated N₂O emissions could be explained by the overdoses of N application and low grain yields under the current farming practice. The crop yields, N application rates, PFPN and total N₂O for wheat and maize were 18 and 24% higher, 42 and 37% less, 75 and 116% higher, and 42 and 47% less, correspondingly, in the high-yield and high-PFPN group than in the average smallholder farms. In conclusion, closing the PFPN gap between the current average and the value for the high-yield and high-PFPN group would increase crop production and reduce Nr losses or the total N₂O emissions for the investigated cropping system in Northwest China.     

不同生态退化类型的水土保持生态修复对策

根据我国水土流失的特点以及水土保持生态修复工程的实施现状,结合对生态修复的理解,从理念、方法、原理、重点、关键、目标、适宜区域和实质等方面阐述生态修复的内涵。在综合分析生态退化和水土流失成因与驱动因子的基础上,归纳出造成水土流失的5种生态退化类型,揭示不同生态退化类型水土流失的原因,并提出不同生态退化类型的水土保持生态修复对策。     

浙江省低丘缓坡区水土流失及其对策

浙江省低丘缓坡区有土地资源3万8235km^2,对浙江省经济建设与社会发展具有重要意义。阐述浙江省低丘缓坡区土地资源开发利用的主要领域及发展趋势,分析低丘缓坡土地资源开发利用中水土保持存在的主要问题,提出水土流失综合治理的对策。     

矿山开采水土流失现状与治理措施

为减少矿产资源开采过程中造成的水土流失,掌握矿区水土流失规律,探索矿区恢复治理模式,在分析矿山开采水土流失概况及其原因的基础上,总结相应的工程措施、植物措施、土地整治和复耕措施等治理措施,同时提出治理过程中严格执行"三同时"的原则.     

翻耕与压实对坡地土壤溶质迁移过程的影响

采用田间模拟降雨试验方法,研究地表翻耕与压实处理对坡地产流产沙及溶质迁移特征的影响。结果表明：与压实处理比较,翻耕坡地初始产流时间延长近3倍,降雨向土壤水转化率提高10％以上,产沙量增加67％;翻耕处理明显降低溶解态磷（DP）和泥沙浸提态磷（SEP）的流失量,但磷素流失形态（DP与SEP的比值）并未显著变化,始终以颗粒态形式流失为主;翻耕处理显著改变了溴的流失形态,溶解态溴（Br）与泥沙浸提态溴（SBr）流失量比值减少了72％;翻耕处理提高了溴（或硝态氮）的淋失概率,增大污染地下水体的潜在危险。因此,合理配置坡地免耕或翻耕措施,有机结合其他农艺耕作措施,对减少坡地水土及养分流失具有重要实践意义。     

Gaseous and leaching nitrogen losses from no-tillage and conventional tillage systems following surface application of cattle manure

Previous studies have demonstrated inconsistent results on the impact of tillage systems on nitrogen (N) losses from field-applied manure. This study assessed the impact of no-tillage (NT) and conventional tillage (CT) systems on gaseous N losses, N₂O:N₂O + N₂ ratios and NO₃⁻-N leaching following surface application of cattle manure. The study was undertaken during the 2003/2004 and 2004/2005 seasons at two field sites in Nova Scotia namely, Streets Ridge (SR) in Cumberland County and the Bio-environmental Engineering Centre (BEEC) in Truro. Results showed that the NT system had higher (p < 0.05) NH₃ losses than CT. Over the two seasons, manure incorporation in CT reduced NH₃ losses on average by 86% at SR and 78% at BEEC relative to NT. At both sites and during both seasons, denitrification rates and N₂O fluxes in NT were generally higher than in CT plots, presumably due to higher soil water and organic matter content in NT. Over the two seasons, mean denitrification rates at SR were 239 and 119 g N ha⁻¹ d⁻¹, while N₂O fluxes were 120 and 64 g N ha⁻¹ d⁻¹ under NT and CT, respectively. At BEEC mean denitrification rates were 114 and 71 g N ha⁻¹ d⁻¹, while N₂O fluxes were 52 and 27 g N ha⁻¹ d⁻¹ under NT and CT, respectively. Conversely, N₂O:N₂O + N₂ ratios were lower in NT than CT suggesting more complete reduction of N₂O to N₂ under NT. When averaged across all soil depths, NO₃⁻-N was higher (p < 0.05) in CT than NT. Nitrate-N decreased with depth at both sites regardless of tillage. In most cases, NO₃⁻-N was higher under CT than NT at all soil depths. Similarly, flow-weighted average NO₃⁻-N concentrations in drainage water were generally higher under CT. This may be partly attributed to higher denitrification rates under NT. Therefore, NT may be a viable strategy to remove NO₃⁻-N from the soil, and thus, reduce NO₃⁻-N contamination of groundwater. However, it should be noted that while the use of NT reduces NO₃⁻-N leaching it may come with unintended environmental tradeoffs, including increased NH₃ and N₂O emissions.     

Nutrient losses through prescribed burning of aboveground litter and understorey in dry dipterocarp forests of different fire history

Anthropogenic burning in dry dipterocarp forests has become a common practice throughout Thailand. It is feared, that too frequent fires may result in a loss of soil fertility and thus ecosystem productivity. The aim of this study was to quantify aboveground nutrient pools in fine fuels and nutrient losses during prescribed fires applied to plots of different fire frequency histories in the Huay Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand. Fire frequency was determined from satellite images and ranged from frequent, infrequent, rare and unburned with fire occurrences of 7, 2, 1 and 0 out of the past 10 years, respectively. Element losses were calculated as the difference between nutrient pools in the fuel before burning and the post-burning residues comprising ash, charcoal, and unburned matter, which were recovered quantitatively using aluminium trays. The percent nutrient loss was highest at sites that had undergone frequent burning in the past and was lowest at infrequently burned sites. When viewed over a ten-year period, nutrient losses from a fire regime with one fire per decade had much lower losses than the more frequent fire occurrences. Frequent fires in these forests promoted a grassy understorey, and there appeared to be a positive feedback of fire frequency on nutrient losses, because the fine fuel consumption through fire was higher in the grassy understorey than in previously less frequently burned understoreys. A comparison between estimates of ecosystem nutrient inputs and fire-related losses of N, P, Ca, and K associated with burning regimes representing 7, 3, and 1 fire per decade showed that the frequent recurrence of fire will lead to a long-term depletion of P, Ca, and K, and probably also N. Owing to the relatively low fine fuel accumulation following fire, which reached a maximum of ca. 12 t ha^− 1 after ca. 10 years, prescribed fires can be carried out at longer intervals such as once per decade in a safe manner to conserve nutrients on site.     

不同降雨强度对营养盐垂向迁移过程和淋失量的影响

云南抚仙湖流域农田面源污染日益严重,土壤污染物主要随地表径流进入湖泊,使湖泊受到污染。但目前的现场观测表明,农田区浅层地下水也已受到污染,地下水已成为污染物输移的路径之一。通过四组不同降雨强度作用下的室内土柱试验模拟土壤污染物向地下水的淋失迁移量,对降雨入渗过程中总氮、总磷、铵态氮和硝态氮的垂向迁移过程进行了分析,通过分时段处理来对各组实验中营养盐累积淋失量进行了计算。结果表明,硝态氮的垂向迁移能力和出流浓度均大于铵态氮,总氮和总磷的累积淋失量与累积降雨量呈自然对数关系;降雨强度对总氮的淋失作用明显,对总磷淋失量的影响则相对较弱。实验结果有助于揭示抚仙湖流域降雨作用下农田土壤中污染物的垂向迁移过程及其对农田浅层地下水的污染机制,并为污染物垂向迁移的数学模拟提供数据基础。     

Effect of land use on some soil properties related to the risk of loss of soil phosphorus

Although land use clearly modifies soil properties, the intensity of the modifications depends on the management procedures and also on the soil properties themselves. To enable construction of models that describe soil nutrient losses, extensive databases corresponding to soils under different land use must be made available. Analysis of 404 samples of soils (from Galicia, NW Spain), under different types of use revealed that most of the soil properties underwent changes in the following order: forest use (least modified) ‐ grassland ‐ arable (most modified). Decreases in the contents of organic matter, extractable oxides and P‐adsorption capacity followed the same order, as did increases in the contents of available P (total, inorganic and organic), P desorbed with distilled water, and degree of P saturation. In general, in all of the soils, independently of their use, the amount of P desorbed (whether total P, molybdate reactive P or particulate P) was more closely related to the degree of P saturation than to the levels of P extracted with bicarbonate. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Efficiency of wheat straw mulching in reducing soil and water losses from three typical soils of the Loess Plateau,China

Mulching the soil surface with a layer of plant residue is considered an effective method of conserving water and soil because it increases water infiltration into the soil, reduces surface runoff and the soil erosion, and reduces flow velocity and the sediment carrying capacity of overland flow. However, application of plant residues increases operational costs and so optimal levels of mulch in order to prevent soil and/or water losses should be used according to the soil type and rainfall and slope conditions. In this study, the effect of wheat straw mulch rate on the total runoff and total soil losses from 60-mm simulated rainstorms was assessed for two intensive rainfalls (90 and 180 mm h⁻¹) on three slope gradients typical conditions on the Loess Plateau of China and elsewhere. For short slopes (1 m), the optimal mulch rate to save water for a silt loam and a loam soil was 0.4 kg m⁻². However, for a clay loam soil the mulch rate of 0.4 kg m⁻² would be optimal only under the 90 mm h⁻¹ rainfall; 0.8 kg m⁻² was required for the 180 mm h⁻¹. In order to save soil, a mulch rate of 0.2 kg m⁻² on the silt loam slopes prevented 60%–80% of the soil losses. For the loam soil, mulch at the rate of 0.4 kg m⁻² was essential in most cases in order to reduce soil losses substantially. For the clay loam, 0.4 kg m⁻² may be optimal under the 90 mm h⁻¹ rain, but 0.8 kg m⁻² may be required for the 180 mm h⁻¹ rainstorm. These optimal values would also need to be considered alongside other factors since the mulch may have value if used elsewhere. Hence doubling the optimal mulch rate for the silt loam soil from 0.2 kg m⁻² or the clay loam soil under 90 mm h⁻¹ rainfall from 0.4 kg m⁻² in order to achieve a further 10% reduction in soil loss needs to be assessed in that context. Therefore, Optimal mulch rate can be an effective approach to virtually reduce costs or to maximize the area that can be treated. Meantime, soil conservationist should be aware that levels of mulch for short slopes might not be suitable for long slopes.