Public perceptions and attitudes toward green infrastructure on buildings: The case of the metropolitan area of Athens,Greece

As the impact of green space shrinkage in urban centers becomes obvious, local and regional authorities must adopt environmental planning policies that can help create new green areas to ensure a good quality of life for citizens, along with the rehabilitation of the natural environment. One approach is the promotion of green infrastructure on buildings, including multi-dwelling apartment buildings. In order to effectively promote green infrastructure on buildings, it is essential to comprehend public attitudes toward green infrastructure, so that suitable and effective strategies can be implemented by policy makers. In this study, eight hundred respondents were asked to provide their views on green infrastructure on buildings, on construction that should take place on blocks of apartments in order to accommodate green infrastructure and on the related benefits that may arise from creating green spaces on buildings. A structured questionnaire and stratified sampling were used for the interviews, which were conducted with apartment owners in two regional units of Athens. The results showed that most citizens are willing to proceed with the installation of a green roof, trellis or vertical garden, in order to improve the aesthetics and functionality of the building they live in. Most of the respondents are not familiar with the energy savings that may occur from the installation of a green roof, vertical trellis or garden and wish for a subsidy from the state in order to implement green building solutions. To conclude, the participants in our study are not environmentally aware, since they are not interested in energy conservation but only about the aesthetics of their building; furthermore, they expect to receive financial support from the state in order to make any changes to their home.     

Trickle and sprinkler irrigation of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) in the Middle Anatolian Region in Turkey

The potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is widely planted in the Middle Anatolian Region, especially in the Nigde-Nevsehir district where 25% of the total potato growing area is located and produces 44% of the total yield. In recent years, the farmers in the Nigde-Nevsehir district have been applying high amounts of nitrogen (N) fertilizers (sometimes more than 900 kg N ha⁻¹) and frequent irrigation at high rates in order to get a much higher yield. This situation results in increased irrigation and fertilization costs as well as polluted ground water resources and soil. Thus, it is critical to know the water and nitrogen requirements of the crop, as well as how to improve irrigation efficiency. Field experiments were conducted in the Nigde-Nevsehir (arid) region on a Fluvents (Entisols) soil to determine water and nitrogen requirements of potato crops under sprinkler and trickle irrigation methods. Irrigation treatments were based on Class A pan evaporation and nitrogen levels were formed with different nitrogen concentrations.The highest yield, averaging 47,505 kg ha⁻¹, was measured in sprinkler-irrigated plots at the 60 g m⁻³ nitrogen concentration level in the irrigation treatment with limited irrigation (480 mm). Statistically higher tuber yields were obtained at the 45 and 60 g m⁻³ nitrogen concentration levels in irrigation treatments with full and limited irrigation. Maximum yields were obtained with about 17% less water in the sprinkler method as compared to the trickle method (not statistically significant). On the loam and sandy loam soils, tuber yields were reduced by deficit irrigation corresponding to 70% and 74% of evapotranspiration in sprinkler and trickle irrigations, respectively. Water use of the potato crop ranged from 490 to 760 mm for sprinkler-irrigated plots and 565–830 mm for trickle-irrigated treatments. The highest water use efficiency (WUE) levels of 7.37 and 4.79 kg m⁻³ were obtained in sprinkle and trickle irrigated plots, respectively. There were inverse effects of irrigation and nitrogen levels on the WUE of the potato crops. Significant linear relationships were found between tuber yield and water use for both irrigation methods. Yield response factors were calculated at 1.05 for sprinkler methods and 0.68 for trickle methods. There were statistically significant linear and polynomial relationships between tuber yield and nitrogen amounts used in trickle and sprinkler-irrigated treatments, respectively. In sprinkler-irrigated treatments, the maximum tuber yield was obtained with 199 kg N ha⁻¹. The tuber cumulative nitrogen use efficiency (NUE_cu) and incremental nitrogen use efficiency (NUE_in) were affected quite differently by water, nitrogen levels and years. NUE_cu varied from 16 to 472 g kg⁻¹ and NUE_in varied from 75 to 1035 g kg⁻¹ depending on the irrigation method. In both years, the NH₄-N concentrations were lower than NO₃-N, and thus the removed nitrogen and nitrogen losses were found to be 19–87 kg ha⁻¹ for sprinkler methods and 25–89 kg ha⁻¹ for trickle methods. Nitrogen losses in sprinkler methods reached 76%, which were higher than losses in trickle methods.     

Impact of high temperatures on the marketable tuber yield and related traits of potato

A rapid warming of 2.8–5.3 °C by the end of this century is expected in South Korea. Considering the current temperature during the spring potato growing season (emergence to harvest; ca. 18 °C), which is near the upper limit of the optimum temperature for potato yield, the anticipated warming will adversely affect potato production in South Korea. The present study assessed the impact of high temperature on the marketable tuber yield and related traits of cv. Superior (which makes up 71% of the annual potato production in South Korea) in four temperature-controlled plastic houses and an outdoor field (37.27°N, 126.99°E) during 2015–2016. The target temperatures of the four plastic houses were set to ambient (AT), AT+1.5 °C, AT+3.0 °C, and AT+5.0 °C. The marketable tuber yield was significantly reduced by 11% per 1 °C increase over a temperature range of 19.1–27.7 °C. The negative impact of high temperature was associated not only with the yield loss of total tubers, which was mostly explained by the slower tuber bulking rate, but also the reduced marketable tuber ratio under temperatures above 23 °C, which was mainly attributed to the reduced number of marketable tubers (r = 0.79***). Under moderate temperatures below 23 °C, the source limited the number of marketable tubers without reducing the marketable tuber ratio. In contrast, the number of marketable tubers was limited by the marketable tuber set at the early growth stage rather than the source under the higher temperatures, which resulted in the reduction in the marketable tuber ratio below 56%. These results suggest that the objectives of breeding and agronomic management for adapting to the rapid warming in South Korea should include maintaining the ability to form tubers at the early growth stage under high temperatures, as well as the photosynthetic capacity and sink strength of the tubers.     

Modeling of thin layer drying of tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus L.)

The drying behavior of tarragon leaves as well as chopped plants were evaluated at air temperatures ranging from 40 to 90 °C, at various air relative humidities and a constant air velocity of 0.6 m/s. The experimental data was fitted to a number of thin layer drying equations. The equations were classified to select the more relevant one. Three equations were selected and the coefficients of the equations were compared by three statistical parameters as residual sum of squares, standard error of estimate and mean relative deviation. The effect of temperature on the coefficients of the three selected equations was evaluated by nonlinear regression. The results show that higher temperature cause shorter drying time. Separated leaves have shorter drying time compared to chopped plants. Although the Diffusion approach equation showed the best fit, the Page equation was selected, since it had almost a similar performance but the equation is simpler with two parameters instead of three. Then a function was derived describing the relationship between the two parameter values and drying temperature.     

Yield and water consumption characteristics of wheat/maize intercropping with reduced tillage in an Oasis region

Higher irrigation quota for conventional farming causes substantial conflicts between water supply and demand in agriculture, and wind erosion near soil surface is one of the major causes of farmland degradation and desertification in arid areas. This research investigated the effect of the amounts of irrigation in combination with tillage practices on soil evaporation (E), water consumption (ET) characteristics, and grain yield performance and water use efficiency (WUE) for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) intercropped with maize (Zea mays L.) in strip planting in an Oasis region. The field experiment, conducted at Wuwei station during 2008–2010, had two tillage systems (reduced tillage with wheat stubble retention vs. conventional tillage without stubble retention), and three (low, medium, and high) levels of irrigation, in a randomized complete block design. Averaged across three years, soil evaporation with medium and high levels of irrigation was 6.8% and 5.4% greater than that with low level of irrigation, respectively. Total water consumption of wheat/maize crops under the medium and high irrigation levels was 8.5% and 18.5% greater, respectively, than that under low irrigation. However, grain yields were similar under the medium and high levels of irrigation, so was WUE. The effect of tillage on the wheat/maize intercropping was inconsistent across years or among treatments: soil moisture at harvest was 3.0–7.6% greater in the fields with reduced tillage compared with those with conventional tillage in 2008 and 2009, but no difference was found in 2010; the E/ET ratio of reduced tillage was 9% lower than the ratio under conventional tillage in 2008, 3% higher in 2010, but no difference between the two tillage systems in 2009. Across three years, there was a general trend that the WUE of the wheat/maize intercropping system with reduced tillage was greater (by 4–11%) than that with conventional tillage. We conclude that a medium level of irrigation is sufficient to achieve crop yields and WUE equivalent to those under high level of irrigation, provided that a reduced tillage practice is applied to the wheat/maize intercropping in Oasis areas.     

Quantifying production potentials of winter wheat in the North China Plain

The North China Plain (NCP) is one of the major winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) producing areas in China. Current wheat yields in the NCP stabilize around 5 Mg ha⁻¹ while the demand for wheat in China is growing due to the increase in population and the change in diet. Since options for area expansion of winter wheat are limited, the production per unit of area need to be increased. The objective of this study is to quantify the production potential of winter wheat in the NCP taking into account the spatial and temporal variability caused by climate. We use a calibrated crop growth simulation model to quantify wheat yields for potential and water-limited production situations using 40 years of weather data from 32 meteorological stations in the NCP. Simulation results are linked to a Geographic Information System (GIS) facilitating their presentation and contributing to the identification of hotspots for interventions aimed at yield improvements. In the northern part of the NCP, average simulated potential yields of winter wheat go up to 9.7 Mg ha⁻¹, while average water-limited yields only reach 3 Mg ha⁻¹. In the southern part of the NCP, both average potential and water-limited yields are about 7.5 Mg ha⁻¹. Rainfall is the limiting factor to winter wheat yields in the northern part of the NCP, while in the southern part, the joint effect of low radiation and high temperature are major limiting factors. Temporal variation in potential yields throughout the NCP is low in contrast with the temporal variation in water-limited yields, which is especially great in the northern part. The study calls for the collection of location-specific and disaggregated irrigated and rainfed wheat yield statistics in the NCP facilitating the identification of hotspots for improvement of current wheat yields.     

Response of soil micro- and mesofauna to diversity and quality of plant litter

The abundance and functional structure of soil micro- (nematodes) and mesofauna (collembolans and mites) in relation to species diversity and initial C:N ratio of plant litter were studied in a field mesocosm experiment. A total of five litter treatments were applied to generate an increasing diversity of plant species (one, three and 12 species) and/or differences in initial C:N ratio of the litter (low, intermediate and high ratio). Samples were taken 3, 6 and 24 months after the litter exposure. On each sampling date litter and underlying sand samples were taken. Our results showed that litter quality, but not litter diversity was the factor which affected the three animal groups under study. The effect of litter was dependent on the time of litter exposure. Nematode fauna colonized litter earlier than the two mesofaunal groups. Nematodes responded apparently to litter quality gradient at early stages of litter decomposition. Three months after the start of the experiment the highest density of nematodes was noticed in single species litter of Trifolium pratense. Bacterial-feeding nematodes dominated in all litter treatments; on the first sampling date their percent share in Trifolium litter reached even 99.9%. Opposite to nematodes at late stages of litter decomposition the two mesofaunal groups seemed to show some preferences for low quality litter of Festuca rubra. Collembolan and nematode diversity was affected in similar way by the litter quality; the lowest diversity of the animal communities was found in the litter of the lowest initial C:N ratio. Maturity index of nematode communities was found to be a good index to differentiate between litters of different quality. The abundance and community structure of the three animal groups in underlying sandy soil was not significantly influenced by experimental conditions.     

植物修复农田退水氮、磷污染研究进展

水环境污染是造成全球水资源水质性紧缺非常重要的因素。农业面源污染则是继工业源污染实施清洁生产得到有效治理之后水体污染主要的贡献者,特别是地表水中过量氮、磷的主要来源,受到越来越多的关注和重视。植物修复技术因其可以对受污染水体进行原位修复和避免二次污染等特点,逐渐被人们应用到污染水体的治理中。本文从植物修复农田退水氮、磷污染视角,综述了农田退水氮、磷在主要去除途径与影响因素方面所取得的研究进展,并针对植物修复农田退水实践中存在的问题,提出了继续强化植物组合对水污染负荷消减能力的研究,进一步扩展对植物的经济利用价值、生态景观价值和社会效益开展研究,以及深化植物修复从室内模拟到野外小区域示范、再到大区域的推广应用研究等建议,以期为进一步提升治理农田面源污染效果提供技术支撑。     

区域气候模式PRECIS对中国气候的长期数值模拟试验

利用欧洲中心ERA40再分析资料驱动区域气候模式PRECIS,对中国地区进行了50km水平分辨率、40a(1961-2000年)时间长度的连续积分,并对模拟的温度和降水与观测资料进行了比较分析。结果表明:模式对中国地区温度和降水的年、季空间分布型态均具有一定的模拟能力,对温度和降水的年际变化也有较好的模拟效果,尤其对于20世纪80年代后期出现的暖冬以及1998年的夏季极端降水都有较好的体现。但模式不足在于区域内普遍存在模拟的气温略高于实况的系统性暖偏差,幅度一般在1~3℃;内蒙古和东北地区年降水量比观测值明显偏多,长江以南地区和四川盆地的降水中心范围都明显偏大,位置偏南。总体来看,无论是空间分布还是年际变化,模式对温度的模拟能力明显优于降水。     

Interspecific facilitation between intercropped millets and peanuts: insights from root proteomics analysis

Intercropping is practised globally because of its advantages in terms of productivity and resource use efficiency. However, our knowledge on the molecular mechanisms underlying belowground interspecific interactions in intercropping systems is still very limited. Pot experiments involving both intercropped millet and peanut were conducted to quantify the differentially expressed proteins in each component crop under conditions of complete, partial and no interspecific interactions based on tandem mass tag (TMT) labelling. The results showed that the yields of both crops in the intercropping system increased in response to complete root interactions due to increases in nutrient acquisition as well as increases in root length and surface area. There were 73 differentially expressed proteins in the millet roots and 41 in the peanut roots, most of which were involved in C metabolism, N metabolism, transport and signal transduction. Additional bioinformatic analyses revealed that root interactions improved N and P assimilation via relatively high amounts of proteins such as urease and inorganic phosphate transporter in the millet roots and malate dehydrogenase increased P assimilation related proteins in the peanut roots. These results would contribute to a comprehensive understanding at molecular level in cereal/legume intercropping systems in response to interspecific root interactions.