Making Tropical Succession and Landscape Reforestation Successful

Forests are dynamic ecosystems, spatial mosaics of localized disturbances and regenerating vegetation. Following forest conversion to human land uses, expanding forest cover follows four different modes of reforestation: (a) spontaneous natural regeneration; (b) assisted natural regeneration; (c) agroforestry; and (d) commercial tree plantations. Natural regeneration fundamentally depends on the alignment of ecological and social factors at landscape scales. A deeper socioecological understanding of reforestation in the tropics will lead to the development of effective policies and governance structures that enhance forest cover and ecosystem services, protect biodiversity, and improve forest-dependent livelihoods.     

Fuelwood Resources and Forest Regeneration on Fallow Land in Uganda

Abstract

East African forests have been largely converted to agriculture. The remaining forests hold many endangered species but are threatened by the heavy local demand for fuelwood. Here we evaluate fallow land in western Uganda as an alternate fuel source to diverse forests. We quantify the regeneration process on fallows, calculate tree bio-mass increases, and measure grass and woody herb biomass over 44 months. The biomass values we measured were typical or slightly below the average from 11 studies elsewhere in the tropics. Variation in biomass between our neighboring study sites exceeded that between sites on different continents, indicating the sensitivity of vegetation regeneration to local land use. Tree regeneration was extremely slow (0.46 g/m²/year); however, the woody herbs and grasses on a 4 year old fallow of ～0.5 ha can provide much of a family's domestic fuel. Fallow land is generally abundant in western Uganda and can partially alleviate pressure on forests for domestic fuels. Fallows cannot however provide the trees demanded by charcoal, brick, and gin manufacturers. In the future, conserving forests while meeting fuelwood demands will require improving local land tenure security, enhancing the productivity of cultivated and abandoned land, promoting more efficient stoves, stills and kilns, and curtailing illicit, inefficient charcoal manufacture.     

Environmental Education in the Condor Bioreserve

Abstract

Effective conservation rests on an educated population. This chapter describes the status of environmental education programs in the Condor Bioreserve (CBR), Ecuador and makes recommendations for expansion of educational efforts. The major programs that are currently in place include the community park guard system, the Andean Bear Project, and workshops and networks established by the US Department of Interior and The Nature Conservancy. Most environmental education in the CBR is focused on community participation in natural resource management, and there is a relatively small amount of attention devoted to programs for teachers and children. Major recommendations include defining common goals, increasing environmental education efforts in schools, offering teacher training, developing monitoring and assessment protocols, and expanding educational efforts outside of the CBR. The paper links recommendations for improvements in environmental education in the CBR to lessons learned through research and education programs elsewhere in the world.     

Plant availability and leaching of 15N-labelled mineral fertilizer residues retained in agricultural soil for 25 years: A lysimeter study

Background

A high use-efficiency of fertilizer N remains essential to sustain high crop productivity with low environmental impact. However, little is known on the long-term lability of mineral fertilizer N.

Aims

To quantify crop uptake and leaching of ¹⁵N-labelled mineral fertilizer that has been retained in an agricultural soil for 25–30 years in crops with variable growing season.

Methods

A field plot received ¹⁵N-labelled mineral fertilizers over a period of 5 years and was then kept under arable cropping for 12 years. After relocation to 16 lysimeters, the topsoil grew set-aside grassland for the next 13 years. Then crop uptakes and leaching losses of ¹⁵N remaining in soil was tested over a 2-year period by either converting set-aside grass to production grassland, or by replacing it with spring barley (+/− autumn cover crop) or vegetation-free fallow. All treatments received unlabelled mineral N fertilizers.

Results

Crop uptake and leaching of ¹⁵N were generally highest in the first test year after termination of the set-aside. The leaching of residual ¹⁵N in soil declined in the order: vegetation-free soil (4.7%), spring barley (1.9%), spring barley + cover crop (0.7%) and production grassland (0.2%). Corresponding losses for the second leaching period were 2.7%, 0.9%, 0.4% and 0.06%. There was a fixed relationship between leaching losses of ¹⁵N and total N.

Conclusions

After residing in soil for 25–30 years, the lability of labelled mineral N fertilizer residues appeared slightly higher than the lability of bulk soil N. Autumn vegetation was crucial for reducing leaching losses.     

生物质流化床气化与结渣特性中试试验

为优化生物质流化床气化工艺,该研究在中试规模流化床实验台上进行了成型树皮和成型秸秆的空气气化试验,研究了空气当量比、气化温度与送风温度对成型树皮和成型玉米秸秆气化特性的影响,同时采用电子探针显微分析仪与X射线光谱分析仪对气化过程中结渣的微观结构与成分进行了分析。结果表明:气化效果随着空气当量比增大先升后降,空气当量比较佳值在0.24左右,此工况下树皮与秸秆合成气热值分别为5.66和3.92 MJ/m~3,气化效率分别为59.62%与33.92%;气化温度增加促进气化效果提升,气化温度从700℃升高至800℃,树皮合成气热值与气化效率分别提升了1.01 MJ/m~3与14.28%;一次风温度的提升对气化效果无显著影响(P0.05),但明显提升了炉膛底部温度,容易导致结渣,不利于设备稳定运行。2种生物质都有明显结渣现象,其表面呈现熔融玻璃状。结渣主要由KAl(SiO3)、K2MgSi_5O_(12)等复杂化合物与SiO_2组成。导致结渣的原因主要是生物质中K、Mg等碱金属元素在床料中富集,与石英砂床料反应形成低熔点熔融盐;树皮含有较多Ca,气化中形成高熔点的CaSO_4进而抑制结渣,而秸秆成灰率高,含有较多的K,导致结渣更为严重。     

Screening of 18 agroforestry species for highly acid and aluminum toxic soils of the humid tropics

A screening trial involving 18 agroforestry species were initiated on highly acidic and Al toxic soils of Nkoemvone, Southern Cameroon, with the objective of identifying fast growing species that can be suitable for improving short fallows. Selected growth parameters evaluated were plant height, stem and crown diameter, number of stems at 3, 12 and 20 months after planting (MAP), and biomass yield at the first pruning (20 MAP). Then 9 months regrowths were evaluated for the same parameters. Outstanding height and stem diameter were observed for Indigofera zollingeriana, Inga edulis, Grewia mollis and Pterocarpus santalinoides. They reached between 6 and 9 m height and between 8 and 10 cm diameter. The best height was correlated to the best stem diameter for I. zollingeriana (8.7, 8.6), I. edulis (7.7, 10.1) and P. santalinoides (6.4, 10.3). The same four species developed a crown of more than 5 m diameter and easily out competed weed in the alley. G. mollis, Glyphea brewis, Dactiladenia barteri and I. zollingeriana had a shrubby architecture; G. mollis had up to 17 stem before the first pruning. Inga edulis and G. mollisproduced the highest total biomass, with respectively 61 and 39 t/ha dry matter. Other species with more than 20 t/ha total mass were I. zollingeriana, P. santalinoides, and Xylia xylocarpa. The first pruning stimulated shoot development, and the response of the species was similar to before the first pruning. Therefore I. edulis, P. santalinoides, G mollis and I. zollingeriana had the best growth performances and can be recommended for introduction in short fallows provided their contribution to soil fertility processes is assessed. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

资源环境硬约束下中国耕地休耕优先区识别

为厘清全国耕地资源环境本底并识别中国休耕优先区,该研究从生态保护红线、土壤污染状况、地下水超采和耕地质量等级等4个维度,运用生态保护红线划定、内梅罗综合污染指数、地下水水位变幅等方法系统分析中国耕地资源环境胁迫因子空间格局及分异特征,并构建多准则休耕规则识别不同情景下中国休耕规模及优先区的空间分布。结果表明：1）中国北方划入生态保护红线范围内耕地面积远高于南方,划入一级生态保护红线范围内耕地占3.57%;2）中国耕地重、中度污染面积分别占1.23%和2.31%,南方整体污染高于北方且南方呈局部分散、北方呈点状集聚格局;3）地下水超采区集中于河北、河南、吉林和江苏,重度超采区仅占0.68%;4）耕地质量总体一般,劣等、低等耕地面积分别占3.69%和14.0%,北方明显高于南方且大范围分散分布。依据多准则休耕规则综合评判,划入休耕优先区占全部耕地的23.70%,比食品安全优先、产能损失最小和生态保护优先3种情景分别高8.40%、4.18%和3.12%,其中禁植必休区、限植休耕区和重点轮休区分别为1.95%、4.71%和6.18%。因此,必须从源头治理视角厘清耕地资源环境本底,权衡休耕的迫切性,为国家层面上休耕规划有效落地、污染休耕治理和耕地保护创新提供技术支撑。     

休闲期耕作对旱地小麦籽粒蛋白质形成及其相关酶活性的影响

为给旱地小麦高产优质栽培提供理论依据,通过大田试验研究了旱地小麦休闲期不同时间深翻、深松对0～300 cm土壤蓄水量、小麦籽粒蛋白质形成及其与氮代谢相关酶活性关系的影响.结果表明,休闲期深翻或深松均可提高旱地小麦播前0～300 cm土壤蓄水量,且欠水年效果明显,以前茬小麦收获后45 d深翻效果较好.休闲期耕作均显著提高了小麦蛋白质产量.耕作时间对籽粒蛋白质含量的影响因降雨年型不同而异,欠水年的休闲期耕作均显著降低了籽粒蛋白质含量;丰水年在麦收后15d耕作显著降低了籽粒蛋白质含量,而麦收后45 d耕作则显著提高了籽粒蛋白质含量,尤其显著提高了醇溶蛋白和麦谷蛋白含量,从而改善了品质.此外,丰水年麦收后45 d耕作可提高花后旗叶和籽粒谷氨酰胺合成酶(GS)活性、旗叶和籽粒谷氨酸合成酶(GOGAT)活性,降低花后旗叶和籽粒谷氨酸脱氢酶(GDH)活性;籽粒蛋白质的累积在麦收后15d耕作条件下与籽粒GDH活性关系密切,而麦收后45 d耕作条件下与旗叶GS和GOGAT活性相关性较大.总之,旱地小麦休闲期耕作在不同降雨年型下均可起到良好的蓄水保墒作用,且欠水年效果较明显;耕作时间对土壤水分、小麦氮代谢酶活性、籽粒蛋白质及其组分含量具有较大的调控效应,休闲期雨后耕作有利于籽粒蛋白质形成,且深翻效果较好.     

Influence of water regime on growth,yield, and nitrogen uptake of rice

Abstract

Greenhouse and field experiments were conducted to study the effects of water regime on growth of rice. The greenhouse experiment investigated the effects of two water regimes‐continuous flooding and flooding with soil drying between crops for 2 to 3 weeks on the growth of rice during six cropping (for six week each) on seven soils varying widely in total N contents (0.07 to 0.35%). The results averaged for the 7 soils indicated that the drymatter production or N uptake of rice was not affected by the water regimes during the six croppings.

The field experiment conducted during the dry season for two consecutive years (1976 and 1977) on a near neutral clay soil studied the effects of three water regimes (continuous flooding alternate flooding and soil drying every 2 weeks, and continuous flooding with 2 weeks mid season soil drying after 6 weeks of transplanting) and three levels of fertilizer N (0, 100 and 200 kg N/ha as urea) on grain yield and N uptake of rice. The results confirmed the absence of any significant reduction in grain yield or N uptake as a result of any of the soil drying treatments during the growing season on the unfertilized plots carrying a rice crop. On the plots fertilized with 100 or 200 kg N/na, alternate flooding and drying resulted in a significant depression in both grain yield and N uptake. Soil analysis supported heavy losses of N in the fertilized plots that underwent alternate flooding and soil drying apparently by nitrification and denitrification reactions.

The results of this study suggest that alternate flooding and drying of soils in the presence of established rice plants itiay not cause a significant loss of nitrogen in unfertilized plots although in plots fertilized with high rates of N the losses may be large as indicated by the performance of rice crop.