Source of mycorrhizal inoculum influences growth of Faidherbia albida seedlings

Poor land use management and practice inhibit the growth and establishment of tree seedlings in dryland areas.We assessed arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi(AM)status of Faidherbia albida(Del.)A.Chev.trees grown on different land uses.We quantified the growth and nutrient uptake of F.albida seedlings inoculated with AM from different sources.These efforts were based on soil and fine root samples from the rhizosphere soils of F.albida trees.AM root colonization was determined using the gridline intersect method.Spores were extracted by the wet sieving and decanting method and identified to genus level.The seedling experiment had a completely randomized onefactorial design with four treatments and five replications.Faidherbida albida seedlings were grown in a greenhouse.All in situ F.albida trees were colonized by AM fungi.AM root colonization of F.albida trees was significantly higher(P<0.0086)in area exclosures than on lands used for grazing or cultivation.Spore abundance was significantly higher(P<0.0014)in area exclosures followed by cultivated land and grazing land.Glomus was the dominant genus in all land-uses.AM-inoculated F.albida seedlings grew better(P<0.05)than non-inoculated controls.Seedlings inoculated with AM from area exclosure had significantly(P<0.05)higher growth and nutrient uptake than those inoculated with AM from grazing and cultivated land.This emphasizes the importance of the native soil AM potential for better establishment of seedlings to achieve optimum plant growth improvement and assist in rehabilitation of degraded arid lands.     

The ecosystem services concept: a new Esperanto to facilitate participatory planning processes?

Landscape Ecology - Several case studies investigated the role of ecosystem services in participatory planning processes. However, no systematic study exists that cuts across a large number of...     

Is Pile Seeding Wyoming Big Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata subsp. wyomingensis) an Effective Alternative to Broadcast Seeding?

Sagebrush plays an important role in the ecological functions of sagebrush steppe plant communities and is a necessary component of habitat for a variety of wildlife including greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). At lower elevations, increased fire frequency associated with exotic annual grass invasion has heightened the need for effective sagebrush restoration strategies, but existing techniques have been largely ineffective. Our objective was to evaluate “pile seeding” (placing mature seed heads on the ground) of Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata subsp. wyomingensis) as an alternative to broadcast seeding. We used a randomized block design (n = 5) replicated in 2 yr at two contrasting ecological sites in southeastern Oregon. Treatments applied to 100 × 1.5 m plots included 1) pile seeding (four mature seed heads · pile^--1 × 10 piles · plot^-1), 2) broadcast seeding (0.5 kg pure live seed [PLS] · ha^-1), and 3) natural recovery (i.e., nonseeded). Planting occurred in fall 2008 and 2009, and plots were monitored for seedling establishment for three or two growing seasons postplanting. Seedling density was estimated at the plot scale within a 50-cm radius of each seed head pile (“island scale”). In the year following planting, sagebrush seedling density at the plot scale was up to 60-fold higher (P ≤ 0.05) in pile-seeded plots compared to natural recovery and broadcast plots. Seedling mortality was high (up to 98% reduction in density) for pile-seeded plots between the first and second growing seasons postplanting and differences between broadcast and pile-seeded plots dissipated by 2–3 yr postplanting. Although pile-seeding had higher initial density than broadcast seeding, neither technique had sufficient multiyear survival to suggest restoration efficacy at the plot scale. Seedling density at the island scale suggests that pile-seeding may be useful for establishing sagebrush islands, depending on year conditions. Research is needed to determine strategies capable of increasing long-term sagebrush seedling survival.     

Developing the framework for a risk map for mite vectored viruses in wheat resulting from pre-harvest hail damage

There is a strong economic incentive to reduce mite-vectored virus outbreaks. Most outbreaks in the central High Plains of the United States occur in the presence of volunteer wheat that emerges before harvest as a result of hail storms. This study provides a conceptual framework for developing a risk map for wheat diseases caused by mite-vectored viruses based on pre-harvest hail events. Traditional methods that use NDVI were found to be unsuitable due to low chlorophyll content in wheat at harvest. Site-level hyperspectral reflectance from mechanically hailed wheat showed increased canopy albedo. Therefore, any increase in NIR combined with large increases in red reflectance near harvest can be used to assign some level of risk. The regional model presented in this study utilized Landsat TM/ETM+ data and MODIS imagery to help gap-fill missing data. NOAA hail maps that estimate hail size were used to refine the area most likely at risk. The date range for each year was shifted to account for annual variations in crop phenology based on USDA Agriculture statistics for percent harvest of wheat. Between 2003 and 2013, there was a moderate trend (R² = 0.72) between the county-level insurance claims for Cheyenne County, Nebraska and the area determined to be at risk by the model (excluding the NOAA hail size product due to limited availability) when years with low hail claims (<400 ha) were excluded. These results demonstrate the potential of an operational risk map for mite-vectored viruses due to pre-season hail events.     

Farm salinity appraisal with water reuse

The need for a better understanding of the interaction between irrigation practices and the elevation and quality of the water table is of paramount importance for developing irrigation management strategies to ameliorate the regional problems of elevated saline water tables in the San Joaquin Valley, California. An area of approximately 3000 ha which includes portions of the Diener Ranch and the adjacent University of California, Westside Research and Extension Center, located south of Five Points in the Westlands Water District on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley was chosen for extensive field measurements. Field work consisted of four main activities namely, field instrumentation, collection of records of field activities, periodic data collection, and analyses of field data. Field measurements of water table carried out during 1994 indicated that the water table elevation was sensitive to the irrigation practices. There was a general increase in the area with a water table close to the surface during the irrigation season, and a return to water table elevations similar to the starting conditions at the end of the season. During the study period, the surface water quality deteriorated more in areas irrigated with reuse water and persisted through the end of the season. Depth averaged electrical conductivity for the study area over 6.5 m decreased between December 1993 and December 1994. Vertical hydraulic gradients in the saturated zone, were found to be an order of magnitude larger than horizontal gradients. The direction of vertical gradients changed, with downward gradients following pre-irrigations and upward gradients later in the season, when crop water requirements increased. Based on the results of the field study, it can be concluded that the irrigation management practices have a direct effect on local water table response as well as on water quality. Therefore, irrigation practices that promote less deep percolation losses may be helpful in controlling the water table rise.     

Strategies for reducing subsurface drainage in irrigated agriculture through improved irrigation

The traditional approach ofinstalling subsurface drainage systems tosolve shallow ground water problems is notfeasible along the west side of the SanJoaquin Valley of California because of thelack of drain water disposal methods thatare economical, technically feasible, andenvironmentally friendly. Thus, optionssuch as drainage reduction through improvedirrigation and drain water reuse are beingexamined as methods for coping with thesubsurface drainage problem. This paperdiscusses options for reducing subsurfacedrainage through improved irrigationpractices. Options are discussed forimproving irrigation system design such asupgrading existing irrigation methods andconverting to systems with higher potentialirrigation efficiencies. Methods forimproving water management are alsopresented. Case studies on upgradingexisting systems or converting to otherirrigation methods are presented along with study results of the effect of variouspolicies on reducing subsurface drainage.     

Soil N and salinity leaching after the autumn irrigation and its impact on groundwater in Hetao Irrigation District,China

Soil water and salinity are crucial factors influencing crop production in arid regions. An autumn irrigation system employing the application of a large volume of water (2200–2600 m³ ha⁻¹) is being developed in the Hetao Irrigation District of China, since the 1980s with the goal to reduce salinity levels in the root zone and increase the water availability for the following spring crops. However, the autumn irrigation can cause significant quantities of NO₃⁻ to leach from the plant root zone into the groundwater. In this study, we investigated the changes in soil water content, NO₃–N and salinity within a 150 cm deep soil profile in four different types of farmlands: spring wheat (F_W), maize (F_M), spring wheat–maize inter-planting (F_W–M) and sunflower (F_S). Our results showed that (1) salt losses mainly occurred in the upper 60 cm of the soil and in the upper 40 cm for NO₃–N; (2) the highest losses of salt and NO₃–N could be observed in F_W, whereas the lowest losses were found in F_W–M.NO₃–N concentration, pH and electrical conductivity (EC) in the groundwater were also monitored before and after the autumn irrigation. We found that the autumn irrigation caused the groundwater concentration of NO₃–N to increase from 1.73 to 21.6 mg L⁻¹, thereby, exceeding the standards of the World Health Organization (WHO). Our results suggest that extensive development of inter-planting tillage might be a viable measure to reduce groundwater pollution, and that the application of optimized minimum amounts of water and nitrogen to meet realistic yield goals, as well as the timely application of N fertilizers and the use of slow release fertilizers can be viable measures to minimize nitrate leaching.     

黄土坡面土壤性质随退耕时间的动态变化研究

退耕还林还草是控制水土流失和防治土壤退化的关键措施,黄土高原退耕还林还草从试验到推广已有几十年历史。该文通过对黄土高原地区退耕区的实地调查,测定不同地区不同退耕年限植被恢复区表层土壤的理化性质,分析黄土坡面土壤理化性质随退耕时间的动态变化规律。结果表明:随着退耕植被恢复时间的增长,土壤物理结构将日趋改善,土壤养分含量水平将逐渐的提高,并主要集中在植被恢复10~20年期间,20年后,尤其是30年后,土壤理化性质较为稳定,而且,植被维护的好坏往往影响其稳定性。同时,水热条件较好的安塞地区土壤理化性质随退耕时间的改善程度更明显,而水热条件较差的皇甫川流域土壤理化性质随植被类型和植被恢复程度的影响更为显著。结果可为退耕的环境影响评价预测以及土地利用的调控提供科学依据。