Development of Core Subset of Finger Millet Germplasm Using Geographical Origin and Data on 14 Quantitative Traits

Finger millet [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.] is an important cereal food crop in Africa and South Asia. It is a hardy crop that can be grown in very diverse environments from almost at sea level to about 2400 m.a.s.l. Finger millet has an excellent food value as its seeds contain protein ranging from 7 to 14% and are particularly rich in methionine amino acid, iron, and calcium. Despite all these merits, this crop has been neglected from the main stream of crop improvement research. One of the means to boost its production and productivity is to enhance utilization of finger millet germplasm to breed superior varieties. Keeping this objective in view, a core subset of finger millet germplasm (622 accessions) based on origin and data on 14 quantitative traits was developed from the entire global collection of 5940 accessions held in the genebank at ICRISAT, Patancheru, India. The comparison of means, variances, frequency distribution, Shannon-Weaver diversity index (H′) and phenotypic correlations indicated that the core subset represents the entire collection. These tests indicated that sampling was optimal and the diversity has been captured very well in the core subset. The correlation analysis indicated that panicle exsertion and longest finger length could be given lower priority in the future germplasm evaluation work of finger millet.     

Effects of Ammonium Nitrate and Monosodium Glutamate in Waste Water on the Growth,Antioxidant Activity,and Nitrogen Assimilation of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)

It has been hypothesized that the uptake of organic as opposed to inorganic nitrogen compounds found in wastewater can be properly substituted for plant nutrients. The objective of this study was to compare effects of applying monosodium glutamate wastewater (MGW) and ammonium nitrate (NH₄NO₃) (AN) on nitrogen metabolism and growth of lettuce. The results showed that while NH₄NO₃ (AN), NO₃^-, nitrite content and NR activity increased the protein content of lettuce. Applying MGW with a high concentration of 17 amino acids and macro- and microelements improved the fresh weights of shoot and root as well as the protein content of lettuce. Antioxidant activities were not affected by AN and MGW, and their interaction effects only increased POD after 8 weeks. In conclusion, substituting a portion of the chemical fertilizers with MGW improved lettuce growth, but did not increase NO₃^- accumulation in leaves.     

不同有机材料覆盖对土壤保水效果的影响

[目的]研究不同有机材料覆盖对土壤水分蒸发量、土壤含水量的影响,并筛选出保水效果最佳的材料。[方法]以木片、树皮及经过堆腐的园林废弃物为研究对象,进行模拟蒸发及桶装控制试验。[结果]不同粒径的园林废弃物覆盖均能降低土壤水分日蒸发量,日蒸发量从大到小依次为CK,3～5 cm粒径(M_3)、0～1 cm粒径(M_1)、1～3 cm粒径(M_2)。在连续蒸发14 d后,M_2,M_1,M_3和CK的土壤水分累积蒸发量分别为193.0,269.5,304.0和1 037.0 g,与CK相比,分别减少了81.4%,74.0%,70.7%;不同有机材料覆盖均能提高土壤含水量。除了雨季之外,不同土层土壤含水量从高到低依次表现为:木片覆盖(M_4)树皮覆盖(M_5)1～3 cm粒径园林废弃物覆盖(M_2)CK。土壤含水量的年变化整体呈现出双峰趋势,一年中4—5月含水量较低,6—8月含水量较高,不同土层土壤含水量的年变化趋势基本一致。M_4,M_5,M_2和CK的0—40 cm土层土壤年平均含水量分别为32.9%,30.3%,27.4%,26.8%。[结论]木片为保水效果最好的有机材料,其次是树皮和园林废弃物。     

砂姜黑土长期定位施肥对小麦生长及土壤养分含量的影响

砂姜黑土10年定位试验结果表明:施肥是砂姜黑土小麦增产的关键,N肥增产贡献率为69.4%,P肥增产贡献率为23.3%,K肥为7.3%。P、K肥的肥效随时间的推移逐渐提高。凡施肥处理土壤有机质含量都有所提高,施P处理土壤速效P含量提高幅度较大,每年每公顷施135kg K2O尚不能满足一年两季作物的高产需求,应适当提高K肥用量。     

高直链淀粉含量早籼组合优I315的选育与应用

优I315是用高异交率优质不育系优IA为母本，与自选恢复系测315配组而成的杂交水稻早籼组合。该组合具有产量高、直链淀粉含量高（26．8%）、制种产量高等特点，可作为米粉加工型专用稻利用。该组合于2003年2月通过广西壮族自治区农作物品种审定委员会审定。文章介绍了其选育经过、特征特性及其应用技术。     

黄土半干旱区不同土壤水分条件下刺槐蒸腾速率的研究

2004年夏在山西方山北京林业大学试验基地,采用L I-1600稳态气孔仪,对不同土壤水分条件下盆栽刺槐的生理指标进行了观测。比较分析了不同水势梯度下、不同时间段刺槐蒸腾耗水速率的变化规律,结果表明:刺槐的蒸腾速率tη(μg/(s.cm2))与生理辐射强度I(μm ol/(s.m2))成幂函数关系;蒸腾速率tη(μg/s.cm2))、气孔阻力Rs/(s.cm2)和土壤体积含水量(W%)之间存在着密切的关系;蒸腾速率一般随光强的增强和土壤水分的提高而增大,刺槐蒸腾速率与土壤水分含量的相关系数平均可达0.882 5。通过研究不同土壤水分条件下刺槐蒸腾速率的差异,提出了刺槐水分利用效率的合理供水范围在10%~15%之间,为干旱半干旱地区提高林木的水分利用效率提供了理论依据。     

Bulk density by Proctor test as a function of texture for agricultural soils in Maputo province of Mozambique

Soil degradation processes may be of various kinds, including soil compaction. The present study was carried out with the objective of assessing the sensitivity of agricultural or recently abandoned soils in Maputo province of Mozambique to compaction. The assessment is based on the maximum of bulk density attained using the Proctor test (MBD).

In this study the soil texture is expressed by silt plus clay (S + C) or clay (C). The relations between the soil texture and MBD, and between soil texture and critical water content (CWC—soil water at which MBD is attained) were determined. Selected soils range from 10 to 74% of S + C and 9 to 60% of C.

The results suggest there is a relationship between the considered parameters, being that between S + C and MBD or CWC, the best. For MBD the relationship is represented by two quadratic equations with the boundary in between these being a S + C value of 25% and C value of 20%.

Based on the obtained results, one can conclude that the selected parameters may be a useful basis for estimation of the sensitivity to compaction of the Maputo province's soils. It is recommended that similar studies be carried out for soils under forest land and for soil of other provinces to establish the national physical degradation hazard as a function of soil parameters determined routinely and at low cost. The suggested parameters are texture and soil organic matter (SOM).     

Contribution of Parker and Product indexes to evaluate weathering condition of Yellow Brown Forest soils in Japan

Soil weathering is recognizable through study on physico-chemical characteristics of soil. In this study, Parker, ([(Na)_a / 0.35] + [(Mg)_a / 0.9] + [(K)_a / 0.25] + [(Ca)_a / 0.7]) × 100, and Product, [SiO₂ / (TiO₂ + Fe₂O₃ + SiO₂ + Al₂O₃)] × 100, weathering indexes, originally developed for study on rocks, were tested on Yellow Brown Forest soils from two different regions in Japan. The results showed that the contribution of the mentioned indexes can be used for study on soils weathering. In other word, in a two-dimensional coordination system where the axes are Parker and Product indexes, regarding to the chemical bases of the indexes, initial and lateral products of weathering can be tracked at the same time.

Additionally, the indexes relations with soil color were studied after exposing the samples at a high temperature. Remarkable relationships between a* / b* ratio–parameters of psychometric chromaticness of color in CIE color standard system–and these two weathering indexes demonstrated that a* / b* ratio can be applied reliably to estimate the quantities of Parker and Product indexes in Yellow Brown Forest soils.     

土壤有机质空间变异与农用地自然质量关系研究

该文以广州市花都区赤坭镇为试验区，根据典型农用地类型的土壤采样基于Cokriging方法进行土壤有机质精确插值与空间变异分析，并将结果与农用地分等成果进行相关分析。结果表明，以土壤有机质和农用地类型为协因子的球状模型Cokriging总体插值精度最高，试验区内土壤有机质分布格局是四周丘陵和水库区含量较低，巴江河两岸的平原地区、西南角的山前冲积平原含量较高，这也是灌溉水田密集的区域；试验区内土壤有机质含量菜地分布比较均匀、空间相关性很强，而水浇地分布差异较大、空间变异性较高；土壤有机质分布在南北、东北-西南两个方向相关性较强具有各向同性特征，在东南-西北、东西方向具有各向异性特征，受到随机因素的影响变异性较大。土壤有机质Cokriging插值结果与试验区内农用地自然质量等指数的相关性很显著，菜地与农用地自然质量等指数相关性最强，灌溉水田其次，旱地最差。     

Litter decomposition and faunal activity in Mediterranean forest soils: effects of N content and the moss layer

Accumulation of soil carbon is mainly controlled by the balance between litter production and litter decomposition. Usually In Mediterranean forests there are contrasting conditions in the distribution of faunal activity and the moss layer that may have different effects on litter decomposition. Decomposition and faunal activity were studied by exposing litter of contrasting quality (Pinus halepensis Mill. and Quercus ilex L.) for 3.5 yr in three Mediterranean pine forests of the eastern Iberian Peninsula. The effects of mosses on decomposition and on faunal activity were studied by exposing P. halepensis litter either on moss patches or directly on the forest floor. Faecal pellet production was used as an indication of faunal activity. Water availability or soil characteristics seem to limit faunal activities in the drier sites. Faecal pellets were not found during the first stages of decomposition and in all sites they appeared when about a 30% of the initial litter had decomposed. Under wet conditions faecal pellet production was very high and a mass balance suggested that soil faunal activity may result in a net flow of organic matter from the lower organic horizons to the surface Oi horizon. Mosses slightly increased mass loss of pine litter probably as a consequence of high potentially mineralizable nitrogen in the Oa horizon of moss patches and also, perhaps, as a consequence of the higher moisture content measured in the Oi horizon needles sampled among the mosses. In contrast, moss patches reduced faunal activity. The effect of litter quality on mass loss was not always significant, suggesting an interaction between litter quality and site conditions. During the first stages of decomposition there was N immobilisation in P. halepensis litter (poorer in N) and N release from Q. ilex litter (richer in N). In conclusion, in these forests soil microclimate and/or N availability appear to be more important controlling litter decomposition than the distribution of faunal activity.