Optimizing nutrient availability and potential carbon sequestration in an agroecosystem

The uniformity, low cost and ease of application associated with inorganic fertilizers have diminished the use of organic nutrient sources. Concern for food safety, the environment and the need to dispose of animal and municipal wastes have focused attention on organic sources of N such as animal-derived amendments, green manures, and crop rotations. Managing organic N sources to provide sufficient N for crop growth requires knowledge of C and N decomposition over several years, particularly where manure and compost are applied. We report a comparison of compost and chemical fertilizer, use of a corn-corn-soybean-wheat rotation compared to continuous corn and the use of cover crops. Nitrogen (150 d) and C incubations (317 d) were conducted to determine the effect of cropping system and nutrient management on: N mineralization potential (NMP), the mineralizable organic N pool (N_o), the mean residence time (MRT) of No, C mineralization (C_min), and soil organic carbon (SOC) pool sizes and fluxes. Compost applications over 6 y increased the resistant pool of C by 30% and the slow pool of C by 10%. The compost treatment contained 14% greater soil organic C than the fertilizer management. Nitrogen was limiting on all compost treatments with the exception of first year corn following wheat fallow and clover cover crop. The clover cover crop and wheat-fallow increased inorganic N in both nutrient managements. We recommend that growers adjust their N fertilizer recommendation to reflect the quantity and timing of N mineralized from organic N sources and the N immobilization that can be associated with compost or other residue applications. Proper management of nutrients from compost, cover crops and rotations can maintain soil fertility and increase C sequestration.     

Reproductive Biology in Wild and Silvicultural Managed Populations of Escontria chiotilla (Cactaceae) in the Tehuacán Valley, Central Mexico

Reproductive biology of the columnar cactus Escontria chiotilla was analysed in wild and silvicultural managed populations in the Tehuacán Valley, Central Mexico, where this cactus is under domestication because of its edible fruits. Anthesis is diurnal, flowers opening between 8:00 and 17:00 h, the period between 12:00 and 13:00 appearing to be crucial in pollination success since at this time the maximum opening of flowers, turgidity of stigma, and activity of flower visitors, as well as the highest nectar production and pollen release occur. The bees Apis mellifera, Bombus pensylvanicus and Xylocopa mexicanorum, and the hummingbirds Amazilia violiceps, Cynanthus sordidus and Cynanthus latirostris were the most frequent flower visitors during the crucial period, and were observed contacting both stamens and stigma of E. chiotilla. No differences were found in anthesis nor in flower visitors among both population types. Distances separating the populations studied and bridges of individuals of E. chiotilla between them are within the radius that bees and hummingbirds may travel, indicating that spatial barrier to pollen flow are unlikely. Breeding system is self-incompatible. Production of flowers occurs during the whole year in both population types, allowing continual pollen flow among them. This observation confirms reports of high gene flow among the populations studied in previous population genetics studies. The high pollen flow among wild and managed population explains that however the occurrence of artificial selection, the process of domestication is in incipient stages presumably because gene flow counteracts effects of artificial selection.     

Soil erosion potential of organic versus conventional farming evaluated by USLE modelling of cropping statistics for agricultural districts in Bavaria

Abstract. Organic agriculture (OA) aims to identify a production regime that causes less environmental problems than conventional agriculture (CA). We examined whether the two systems differ in their susceptibility to soil erosion by water. To account for the large heterogeneity within the rotations practised on different farms, we chose a statistical evaluation which modelled erosion using the USLE method from the cropping statistics for 2056 districts in Bavaria (70 547 km²; 29.8% arable). Physical conditions of erosion were determined in a rectangular grid yielding 13 125 grid-cells of c. 5 km² each. For validation, erosion was measured in 10 sub-watersheds on two neighbouring OA and CA farms over 8 years (287 erosive events). On average, about 15% less erosion on arable land was predicted for OA than for CA due to the larger area of leys, although OA occupies areas that are susceptible to erosion more often than CA. The same conclusions could be drawn from the validation data. These data also demonstrated that erosion could be reduced considerably below 1 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ with best management practices under both farming systems. In contrast, at the countrywide scale, cropping did not change adequately with site conditions favouring erosion. The need for erosion control seems not to influence crop rotation decisions on erosion-prone sites.     

Effect of tillage and contour diking on sorghum establishment and yield on sandy clay soil in Sudan

Sandy clay soils locally known as gardud are less arable despite their better production potential than other infertile and exhausted sand soil in western Sudan due to surface physical constraints such as low infiltration and workability. Field experiments were, therefore, conducted on these soils to determine effect of two relatively new tillage systems to the area and two widely practised systems on soil bulk density, porosity, water storage and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) plant growth and yield. Contour diking at specified spacings was superimposed on the four tillage treatments for impounding surface runoff. These systems were (1) chisel ploughing, (2) broadbed and furrow, (3) ridge-furrow, and (4) traditional no-till (control). Distances of the contour diking were at four levels: zero, 5, 10 and 20 m. Soil bulk density, porosity and water content were significantly affected by the different tillage systems and contour diking. Combined analysis of three successful seasons out of five seasons showed that plant establishment and growth were highly significant. Yield component data (percent of plants reaching physiological maturity, grain and straw) indicated significant differences among treatments tested for the three seasons of the experiment. The 3-year mean grain yield for chisel plowing pooled over the four contour diking distances produced 1448 kg/ha which was greater by 72%, 107% and 384% than broadbed and furrow, ridge-furrow and no-till, respectively. Similarly, the 10-m contour-diking-distance mean grain production (917 kg/ha) over the tillage systems was 16%, 5% and 30% for more than zero, 5-m and 20-m distances, respectively. These results indicate that chisel and 10-m contour diking are appropriate and suitable for gently sloping compacted sandy clay soils of western Sudan, and superior to widely practised ridge-furrow and no-till surface configuration.     

华北寒旱区作物轮作的生产效应

To understand mechanisms of crop adaptability to various previous crop croppings, evaluate crop performance on the croppings, and identify suitable crop combinations for rotation of major crops in the cold and arid region of Northern China. A five-year field experiment was conducted using five crops from 2015 to 2019, including potato (Solanum tuberosum), faba bean (Vicia faba), forage maize (Zea mays), oat (Avena sativa), and beet (Beta vulgarwas). Yields of potato, oat, and beet in rotation were 1.30-1.68, 1.28-1.48, and 1.25-1.48 times of those in continuous cropping of single crops, respectively. Yield of faba bean on beet cropping was 10.58% lower than that of continuous faba bean while yield of forage maize on oat or beet stubble was 9.10%-15.42% lower than that of continuous forage maize. The LERr of 10 crop combinations was 1.09-1.68, indicating positive effects of rotation. Combinations of oat → potato, beet → potato, forage maize → potato and faba bean → potato had higher LERr, indicating faba bean and forage maize might be more durable of continuous cropping. In terms of productivity, suitable crop combinations for rotation in the area were oat → potato, beet → potato, forage maize → potato, faba bean → potato and oat → beet.     

长期施用有效微生物肥对冬小麦-夏玉米生长和产量的影响

在多年连续定位试验研究的基础上,研究了不同施肥方式对冬小麦、夏玉米生长和产量的影响。结果表明:EM微生物堆肥能明显增加冬小麦和夏玉米的产量。EM微生物堆肥处理的年均总产比等量传统堆肥增产8.3%~8.9%,其中冬小麦增产8.3%,夏玉米增产8.2%~9.4%。EM微生物堆肥能在一定程度降低土壤容重,增加土壤含水量,改善作物的生长环境。EM微生物堆肥处理的冬小麦、夏玉米总光合势比等量传统堆肥分别高5%~36%,5.2%~14.3%,比化肥处理分别高19%~72%,19.6%~46.4%,随EM微生物堆肥施用量的增加差异更明显。EM微生物堆肥比较高的光合势加快了干物质的积累速度,从而提高了冬小麦、夏玉米的群体生长速率。     

长期施肥对作物产量及褐潮土有机质变化的影响研究

通过北京昌平“国家褐潮土土壤肥力和肥料效益监测基地”的长期定位试验（1991-2004年）,研究了褐潮土条件下长期施肥对土壤有机质状况的影响,与对照不施肥或单施氮肥比较,氮磷长期配合施用极显著增加冬小麦和夏玉米的生物产量和籽粒产量,冬小麦增产4倍以上,夏玉米增产1倍以上;单施氮肥、或磷钾配合、或氮钾配合增产效果均不明显;氮磷长期配合施用各处理比较,冬小麦和夏玉米产量均表现NPK＋有机肥或秸杆〉NPK〉NP。氮磷钾配合施用有机肥耕层土壤有机质含量明显高于单施化肥;与对照不施肥比较,NPK＋秸秆以及NPK＋有机肥土壤有机质含量分别增加7.90%和14.56%,氮磷钾配合和氮磷配合分别比对照增加6.51%和5.89%,而单施氮肥仅增加2.56%。可见NPK平衡施用及其配施有机肥对增加作物产量和土壤有机质含量具有重要作用。     

Evaluating SHOOTGRO 4.0 as a potential winter wheat management tool in the Czech Republic

Improving current cultural practices often involves more precise timing of the management activity based on crop development. Using crop simulation models to predict crop development and phenology has several problems. First, most existing models do not simulate sufficient developmental and phenological detail required to optimize selected management practices. Second, crop models normally emphasize the cultivars and conditions for the region in which they were developed, and may not generate satisfactory results when applied in new regions. Lastly, when users apply these models to new regions they often lack the specific data and knowledge of the model to adequately determine the crop parameters. Our objective was to assess whether the simulation model SHOOTGRO 4.0, which had the necessary level of developmental and phenological detail required for use as a management decision aid, could be easily and adequately parameterized to simulate winter wheat phenology and grain yield in the Czech Republic. We found that only a few parameters from the generic winter wheat cultivar used for the Central Great Plains in the USA needed to be changed, and the information needed to determine these few parameters were readily obtainable. The result was that the dates of anthesis and physiological maturity and final grain yield were predicted well at sites within the three major crop production regions of the Czech Republic. Sensitivity analysis also showed that the most sensitive management practices and initial conditions in SHOOTGRO are relatively easy to determine (e.g. sowing date, N fertilizer rate and timing, daily temperature), while it is not overly sensitive to those variables more difficult to determine (e.g. initial soil water in the profile). Based on this study, farmers and scientists needing wheat development information to increase the efficacy of their management practices can use SHOOTGRO 4.0 as a tool.     

Intragenic vectors for gene transfer without foreign DNA

The intragenic vector system involves identifying functional equivalents of vector components from the genome of a specific crop species (or related species to which it can be hybridised) and using these DNA sequences to assemble vectors for transformation of that plant species. This system offers an attractive alternative to current genetic engineering strategies where vectors are based on DNA sequences that usually originate from bacteria. The construction of intragenic vectors enables the well-defined genetic improvement of plants with all transferred DNA originating from within the gene pool already available to plant breeders. In this manner genes can be introgressed into elite cultivars in a single step without linkage drag and without the incorporation of foreign DNA. The resulting plants are non-transgenic, although they are derived using the tools of molecular biology and plant transformation. The use of intragenic vectors for the transfer of genes from within the gene pools of crops may help to alleviate some of the major public concerns over the deployment of GM crops in agriculture, notably the ethical issue associated with the transfer of DNA across wide taxonomic boundaries. This paper reviews the progress toward the development and use of intragenic vectors and the implications of their use for the genetic improvement of crops. Dedicated to the late Hans Sandbrink for his enthusiasm in helping to develop intragenic vectors     

An estimation of homogeneity in crop plants,with special reference to genetic vulnerability in the dry bean,Phaseolus vulgaris L.

Summary A general method of quantitatively assessing genetic similarity among a set of cultivars of a given crop is proposed, and its application to dry beans in the United States is demonstrated. The method is based upon the multi-variate technique of Principal Components Analysis. Using this method it was possible to calculate a distance metric between any two cultivars in the set and to show that such distances were highly inversely correlated with genetic relationship estimated from a knowledge of breeding ancestry.On the basis of distances among cultivars within given production regions (states in the US in this case) and knowledge of the acres of each cultivar grown in the region, an average weighted distance metric appropriate to each was calculated. Each derived distance metric serves as an index of genetic homogeneity for the crop in that region. Arguments are presented for relating the degree of vulnerability to a disease epidemic to the distance index. Indexes are calculated for nine of the major bean producing states in the US from which it is concluded that, from the standpoint of genetic vulnerability, Colorado is most vulnerable and California least vulnerable to a region-wide epidemic affecting the bean crop. It is suggested that the method demonstrated here is of nearly universal applicability, and particularly meaningful with respect to self-fertilizing crops.