Soil protection for a sustainable future: options for a soil monitoring network for Ireland

The increased recognition of the importance of soil is reflected in the UN Post‐2015 Development Agenda with sustainable development goals that directly and indirectly relate to soil quality and protection. Despite a lack of legally binding legislation for soil protection, the European Commission remains committed to the objective of soil protection. However, the achievement of a legally binding framework for soil protection relies on the implementation of a soil monitoring network (SMN) that can detect changes to soil quality over time. As beneficiaries do not pay for the provision of soil information, the options for soil monitoring are limited. The use of existing data sets should be considered first. Using Ireland as an example, this research explored the opportunities for a SMN for Ireland considering three existing national data sets. The options for a SMN are considered in terms of their spatial and stratified distribution, the parameters to be measured and an economic analysis of the options proposed. This research finds that for Ireland, either a 10 or a 16 km² grid interval stratified by land use and drainage class offers the best potential in relation to the spatial distribution of existing data sets to reflect local data at a national level. With existing data, the stratified SIS data using the 16 km² grid offers the best value for money, with baseline costs for analysis, excluding field costs, of between €706 481 and €2.8 million. Acknowledging the impossibility of measuring all parameters with ideal frequency, this study proposes a two‐tier system for optimized monitoring frequency. Parameters must anticipate future policy requirements. Finally, the implementation of a SMN must be accompanied by standardized methods, defined thresholds and action mandates to maintain soil quality within allowable limits.     

Cannibalism facilitates gigantism in a nine‐spined stickleback (Pungitius pungitius) population

Cannibalism is a taxonomically widespread phenomenon that can fundamentally affect the structure and stability of aquatic communities, including the emergence of a bimodal size distribution (“dwarfs” and “giants”) in fish populations. Emergence of giants could also be driven or facilitated by parasites that divert host resources from reproduction to growth. We studied the trophic ecology of giant nine‐spined sticklebacks (Pungitius pungitius) in a Finnish pond to evaluate the hypotheses that gigantism in this population would be facilitated by cannibalism and/or parasitic infections by Schistocephalus pungitii cestode. Stomach content analyses revealed an initial ontogenetic dietary shift from small to large benthic invertebrates, followed by cannibalism on 10–20‐mm‐long conspecifics by giant individuals. However, stable nitrogen isotopes (δ¹⁵N) indicated a concave relationship between fish size and trophic position, with relatively low trophic position estimates suggesting only facultative cannibalism among giants. The unexpectedly high trophic position of the intermediate‐sized fish may reflect substantial, but temporary, predation on eggs or young‐of‐the‐year conspecifics, but may also partly result from starvation caused by S. pungitii infection. However, it seems implausible that parasitic infections (i.e. castration) would explain gigantism among nine‐spined sticklebacks because all >100‐mm giants were unparasitised. Hence, the present results suggest that an ontogenetic niche shift from an invertebrate diet to intercohort cannibalism may facilitate the occurrence of gigantism in nine‐spined sticklebacks.     

The effectiveness of consistent roguing in managing banana bunchy top disease in smallholder production in Africa

The removal of infected individuals is a common practice in the management of plant disease outbreaks. It minimizes the contact between healthy individuals and inoculum sources by reducing the infectious window of contaminated individuals. This requires early detection and consistent removal at landscape scale. Roguing of mats with symptoms of banana bunchy top disease (BBTD) in Cavendish banana production systems has been tested in Australia, using trained personnel, but has never been tested in smallholder systems. We studied the effectiveness of long-term consistent roguing in prolonging the productivity of banana orchards under smallholder farming systems in highland banana and plantain dominated production systems in Africa. We assessed the possibility of low-risk seed sourcing from the managed plots. Roguing reduced BBTD incidence to 2% in managed farmer fields and to 10% in experimental field plots, while a nonmanaged field eventually collapsed in the same period. With roguing, new infections decreased monthly compared to an exponential increase in a nonmanaged field. The emergence of new infections in both managed and nonmanaged farms followed a seasonal cycle. BBTD managed plots were a source of low-risk seed for replacing the rogued mats in the same fields, but perhaps not safe for use in nonendemic areas. We conclude that it is possible for smallholder farmers to recover and maintain banana productivity with rigorous roguing, which would entail early identification of symptoms and early removal of diseased mats. Studies are needed on the intensity of roguing under different disease and production conditions.     

利用酵母双杂交膜系统筛选与小麦蓝矮植原体免疫膜蛋白互作的异沙叶蝉蛋白

正小麦蓝矮病(Wheat blue dwarf,WBD)是我国西北麦区一种重要植原体病害,在我国西部地区危害严重。该病害由异沙叶蝉(Psammotettix alienus L.)专化性传播,介体传毒成为病害流行的重要中心环节[1]。本实验室前期通过免疫荧光标记研究发现WBD植原体免疫膜蛋白(immunodominant membrane protein, IMP)与介体异沙叶蝉肌动蛋白互作,说明IMP在植原体传播和致病过程中起关键作用。     

How do hedgerows influence soil organic carbon stock in livestock‐grazed pasture?

Hedgerows have the potential to influence ecosystem function in livestock‐grazed pasture. Despite this, they are often ignored when quantifying farmland ecosystem service delivery. In this study, we assess the contribution of hedgerows to the ecosystem function of carbon (C) storage, with a particular emphasis on soil organic carbon (SOC). We measured SOC stock (kg C m^?2), on an equivalent soil mass basis, at 0–0.15 m depth in pasture adjacent to 38 hedgerows (biotic) and 16 stone walls or fences (abiotic controls) across ten farms in the county of Conwy, Wales, UK. Pasture SOC stock (~7 kg C m^?2) was similar adjacent to biotic and abiotic field boundaries, positively associated with soil moisture and negatively with soil bulk density (BD). For biotic boundaries, two further variables were significantly associated with SOC stock, distance from hedgerow (decrease in SOC stock) and slope orientation (upslope SOC stock greater than downslope). For pasture adjacent to hedgerows, a model combining the aforementioned variables (BD, soil moisture, distance from hedgerow, slope orientation) explained 78% of variation in SOC stock. This study demonstrates that whilst hedgerows do have subtle positive effects on SOC stock in adjacent pasture, SOC storage adjacent to field boundaries is influenced more by soil moisture content and BD than field boundary type.