Effect of farm management on topsoil organic carbon and aggregate stability in water: A case study from Southwest England,UK

There are few reliable data sets to inspire confidence in policymakers that soil organic carbon (SOC) can be measured on farms. We worked with farmers in the Tamar Valley region of southwest England to select sampling sites under similar conditions (soil type, aspect and slope) and management types. Topsoils (2–15 cm) were sampled in autumn 2015, and percentage soil organic matter (%SOM) was determined by loss on ignition and used to calculate %SOC. We also used the stability of macroaggregates in cold water (WSA) (‘soil slaking’) as a measure of ‘soil health’ and investigated its relationship with SOC in the clay‐rich soils. %SOM was significantly different between management types in the order woodland (11.1%) = permanent pasture (9.5%) > ley‐arable rotation (7.7%) = arable (7.3%). This related directly to SOC stocks that were larger in fields under permanent pasture and woodland compared with those under arable or ley‐arable rotation whether corrected for clay content (F = 8.500, p < .0001) or not (F = 8.516, p < .0001). WSA scores were strongly correlated with SOC content whether corrected for clay content (SOC_adj R² = .571, p < .0001) or not (SOC_unadj R² = 0.490, p = .002). Time since tillage controlled SOC stocks and WSA scores, accounting for 75.5% and 51.3% of the total variation, respectively. We conclude that (1) SOC can be reliably measured in farmed soils using accepted protocols and related to land management and (2) WSA scores can be rapidly measured in clay soils and related to SOC stocks and soil management.     

基于经济效益的农业新型经营主体小麦玉米全程机械化农机配备研究

因山东省旱作灌溉区种植模式多样、技术模式不统一，规模化生产下的机械效能未能充分发挥，存在动力机械与机具配套比低、农机动力与资金浪费问题，在对小麦玉米周年轮作下全程机械化技术模式调研后，总结小麦玉米全程机械化技术路线，构建以作业成本最小为目标的农机装备优化配备模型。通过对平度市某小麦玉米种植合作社进行计算，作业成本较实际情况下降10.9%；总动力优化配备结果为23.712 kW，下降51.36%；农机配套比提高50%。研究结果可为山东省旱作灌溉区小麦玉米全程机械化技术模式优选、农机农艺深度融合、农业合作社的农机配备等方面提供技术参考。     

移动互联网环境下农机企业危机沟通的思考*

从危机沟通的渠道、危机沟通的具体策略、危机沟通的后续行动三个方面,为中国农机企业的危机沟通提供可行建议。以形象修护理论为基础,结合移动互联网环境传播特点以及中国农业机械化发展的实际情况,分析新浪新闻手机客户端、今日头条手机客户端上的两条农机质量纠纷视频。推荐农机企业使用的8条具体策略包括:否认事件不实部分;表明事件的意外属性;阐明自身出发点;阐明自己的贡献及所做出的努力;提出物质补偿;提出改进措施;承担有错部分;主动向用户征询意见。提出危机沟通应在线上、线下两种渠道进行,危机沟通应与具体行动相结合。     

Do tillage and conversion of grassland to cropland always deplete soil organic carbon?

ABSTRACT

Conversion of grassland to cropland is widely reported to deplete soil organic carbon (SOC) largely due to tillage effects on the decomposition of SOC. However, most studies report on long-term changes in SOC following the conversion and little is known about the changes in the short term. Net ecosystem carbon budget (NECB) measures the difference between total C input (i.e., manure, above- and below-ground plant residues) and C loss through heterotrophic respiration (RH). However, most studies that report temporal SOC do not report other components of the NECB like RH, total C inputs and often do not include the cumulative annualized change of these components. This review evaluated the change in C input, RH, NECB and SOC after conversion of permanent/continuous grassland to cropland within 5 years after the conversion. We also reviewed and compared no-tillage and conventional tillage on SOC storage and accumulation. Total C input was higher in grassland than cropland largely due to high root biomass, as opposed to aboveground residue, and therefore grassland tended to have higher NECB. Despite higher NECB in grassland, the SOC stocks in cropland (cornfield) converted from grassland were greater than that in continuous grassland within first 2–3 years of conversion. The combination of manure C addition and tillage in cropland showed potential to maintain NECB and increase SOC. Within the continuous grassland C addition alone increased NECB but did not result in a corresponding increase in SOC. Residue retention and manure addition are recognized as good practices for increasing SOC, this study however, shows that combining them with occasional tillage, especially in managed grasslands, could increase the rate of SOC storage in soils.     

Strip-till as a means of decreasing spatial variability of winter barley within a field scale

The tillage system, which joins soil tillage, fertilisation, and seed sowing in one pass of a machine, is rarely used in cereal cultivation. This research aimed to study whether strip-till and conventional tillage (post-harvest ripping and mixing of stubble, ploughing, pre-sowing fertilisation, and seedbed preparation) differ in plant density, yield components, and grain yield of winter barley cultivated on Cambisol in a region with low rainfall, the annual average is about 500?mm. To reach this aim, a two-year, large-plot experiment was conducted in a production field. The soil within the field was spatially variable in texture, moisture, and chemical and biological properties, CV 2.3% do 29.6%. Strip-till had lower within-field spatial variability of winter barley grain yield than conventional tillage. The standard deviation was 0.36?t?ha^?1, 0.67?t?ha^?1 in the first year and 0.12?t?ha^?1, 0.30?t?ha^?1 in the second year, respectively. During the period of limited rainfall, strip-till had greater uniformity of plants after emergence; after the winter with low air temperature and a low amount of snow, it had greater plant density. Thus, strip-till can reduce variability of plants and their yield within a field, especially in adverse environmental conditions.     

基于倾斜摄影的玉米种粒三维参数同步测量装置

为解决脱穗之后的玉米种粒三维特征的获取和分析这个重要而又困难的问题,该研究基于机器视觉技术开发了一种融合三维特征的玉米种粒考种装置。装置通过2块相互垂直的标定板来保留倾斜影像中的空间信息和标定数据,并据此计算三维数据。基于装置的标定数据,用图像处理的方法获取玉米种粒的长度、宽度和厚度数值。通过透视变换,从倾斜摄影图像分别得到水平正摄和垂直正摄的图像;玉米种粒轮廓的长轴和短轴以旋转盘的直径为参考进行计算;玉米种粒的厚度以垂直方向棋盘格标定数据为参考进行计算。按照10帧/s的帧率和1 280×720的图像分辨率启动图像记录系统。选取180粒不同品种的玉米种粒进行试验。种粒长轴、短轴和厚度测量的均方根误差分别为1.86、1.28和0.741 mm;决定系数分别是0.849 6、0.869 3和0.846 2。使用该装置并配合相应的方法能较为准确的一次性测量玉米种粒的三维参数,该研究可为玉米种粒的精细化考种提供参考。     

Tillage and crop straw methods affect energy use efficiency,economics and greenhouse gas emissions in rainfed winter wheat field of Loess Plateau in China

Data from a field experiment conducted in China's Loess Plateau (2013–2015) were used to determine the energy balance of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) as affected by tillage and straw treatments. Tillage treatments included chisel plow, no tillage, and mouldboard plow. Crop straw levels included straw returning and straw removed. The energy balance was evaluated by comparing the following parameters: net energy, energy profitability, energy use efficiency, and energy intensity. The yield parameters were significantly influenced by the tillage treatments and revealed that the chisel plow entailed fewer field operations and lower energy requirements with a higher yield than mouldboard plowing tillage. The highest proportion of energy input came from a nitrogen fertiliser, followed by diesel fuel. The total energy input applied per hectare increased with an increase in the tillage intensity, and the lowest energy input was required for the no tillage case with the straw returning treatment, and the highest for the case of mouldboard plow with the straw returning treatment. The lowest average energy intensity was recorded for the no tillage case, followed by the case of chisel plow tillage in both cropping seasons. Moreover, in the case of mouldboard plough tillage, the maximum energy intensity was recorded in both cropping seasons. In the cases of the chisel plow tillage and the no tillage, we observed the maximum energy gain, while in the no tillage case, we observed the maximum energy use efficiency. The net return and the benefit/cost ratio were higher in the case of straw returning than those in the case of no straw treatment. We concluded that no tillage and chisel plow tillage with straw returning could improve the energy use efficiency and the benefit/cost ratio of winter wheat production systems.     

Are all three components of conservation agriculture necessary for soil conservation in the Sudan Savanna?

ABSTRACT

Conservation agriculture (CA) as recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations consists of three components: minimum soil disturbance, soil cover, and crop rotation/association. CA was expected to become an effective countermeasure against water erosion in the Sudan Savanna, but it has not been adopted by local smallholder farmers. As markets for grain legumes (including cowpea) have not been developed in the Sudan Savanna, crop rotation/association should be considered impractical for these farmers. Therefore, we examined whether legume intercropping as a crop rotation/association component is necessary for preventing soil erosion in the Sudan Savanna. Three-year field experiments were conducted in runoff plots at Institute of Environment and Agricultural Research Saria station. The four treatments were conventional practice (full tillage, no sorghum residue mulching, and no intercropping), two-component CA (minimum tillage (MT) and sorghum residue mulching without intercropping), and three-component CA with velvet bean (VB) or pigeon pea (PP) intercropping. It was revealed that: (1) MT and sorghum residue mulching (without intercropping) effectively reduced the annual soil loss by 54% mainly due to the improvement of soil permeability by the boring of termites and wolf spiders found under the sorghum stover mulch; (2) intercropping in combination with MT and crop residue mulching had no effect on soil erosion control mainly because: (a) PP did not survive the long dry season; (b) VB did not serve effectively as a cover crop since soil loss was concentrated at the beginning of the rainy season when VB was still too small; (c) unexpectedly, in combination with MT and crop residue mulching, intercropping with VB did not increase mulch biomass, especially sorghum biomass which prompts the boring of termites and wolf spiders. These results demonstrate that the third component of CA, namely legume intercropping, is not always necessary; rather, the two remaining components – minimum soil disturbance and soil cover – are sufficient for soil conservation in the Sudan Savanna. This finding lightens the burden of adopting CA and thus facilitates its future promotion to the smallholder farmers in the Sudan Savanna.     

巨菌草高温快速干燥设备设计与试验

为了解决巨菌草含水率高、不易贮藏,以及自然晾晒中人工劳动强度大、营养损失大的问题,设计了一套大型高秆禾草高温快速干燥设备。基于传热传质理论,进行了关键参数计算与关键部件的设计,通过力学分析与FLUENT流体仿真进行优化,并对控制单元进行了设计。以最终含水率、水活度、色泽度、粗蛋白含量、酸性洗涤纤维含量和中性洗涤纤维含量为评价指标,进行了设备的干燥试验,并与新鲜物料、自然晾晒干燥进行对比分析。结果表明:高温快速干燥后,巨菌草的最终含水率为(16±1.82)%,水活度为0.564 8,生产率为2.73 t/h;与新鲜物料相比,亮度值L和蓝黄值b均无显著性差异,红绿值a增加了1.43;粗蛋白含量与酸洗中洗纤维含量均无显著性变化,粗蛋白质量分数较新鲜物料下降0.6个百分点。与自然晾晒相比,高温快速干燥后巨菌草的粗蛋白质量分数增加了0.63个百分点,且具有较好的表观质量。试验结果表明,该套设备改善了干燥后巨菌草的表观质量和品质,满足了巨菌草干燥的要求。     

微耕机配套的玉米免耕播种机防堵开沟部件设计与试验

【目的】为解决我国西南地区土壤黏重,田块面积相对较小,现有免耕播种机作业时机具通过性差,播种质量难以保证等问题,设计一种微耕机配套的圆盘刀式玉米免耕播种机。【方法】应用圆盘刀与限深轮行走装置具备的破茬开沟、限深防滑功能,研究对比播种机平面、波纹与缺口圆盘刀作业时对破茬、牵引阻力和油耗等的影响;通过LS-DYNA对3种类型圆盘刀切割土壤过程进行仿真模拟,并实现关键参数的设计。【结果】田间试验结果表明,配置平面圆盘刀的免耕播种机土壤扰动量、油耗较波纹圆盘刀分别低4.03%和14.64%;较缺口圆盘刀分别低1.15%和7.51%;牵引阻力在0.54 m·s~(–1)时最低,为1.20 k N;使用3种类型圆盘刀的种肥深度合格率达85%以上,粒距合格指数为90.3%。【结论】本研究可为西南地区圆盘刀破茬的免耕播种机设计提供依据。