Phosphorus availability and farm structural factors: examining scarcity and oversupply in north‐east Germany

Assessing factors influencing phosphorus (P) availability in soils is important in preventing its overexploitation and excessive application in agricultural systems. Despite high historical P applications in the federal state of Brandenburg (Germany), county data on soil test P (STP) reveal considerable disparities in soil available P. In addition, negative soil balances as a result of small mineral P and manure inputs have been observed, raising questions about the factors leading to this situation. Our work focused on identifying possible causes operating at the farm management level by conducting a letter survey in two administrative districts of Brandenburg, the counties Barnim and Uckermark, linking farm management factors (ownership type, farm size, land tenure, animal husbandry with or without grassland and its intensity, presence of a biogas plant and organic production) to farmers’ self‐indicated levels of STP. Small‐ to medium‐sized individual farms tended to have (very) high STP, while large partnership farms and companies/cooperatives were sensitive to factors resulting in low STP. Farms with low shares of land ownership, the presence of grassland, extensive cattle farming and stockless organic farming had lower STP. On the other hand, biogas plants, partly in combination with intensive livestock (cattle) farming, were associated with larger STP. It was concluded that more care should be devoted to the design of agricultural policies and that further (inter‐ and transdisciplinary) research on this topic is needed.     

Comparison of Salt and Drought‐Stress Effects on Maize Growth and Yield Formation with Regard to Acid Invertase Activity in the Kernels

The long‐term effects of salt stress (11 dS m^?1) and drought stress (35 % WHC) were investigated for two maize genotypes, focusing on the relation between metabolic changes around the time of pollination and the impact on yield determinants at maturity. The relatively salt‐resistant hybrid Pioneer 3906 and the relatively drought‐resistant hybrid Fabregas were compared. The experiments were conducted in large plastic containers in a vegetation hall in two consecutive years (2011 and 2012). Plant height and leaf area were significantly reduced under both stress conditions. The transpiration rate was only slightly reduced under drought stress; but under salt stress, a significant reduction occurred 40–53 days after sowing. As a significant increase in sucrose concentrations was observed in the salt‐treated maize kernels 2 days after pollination, the availability of assimilates was not limiting and the plants could afford to save water by reduced stomatal opening. Although under both stress conditions the soluble acid invertase activity was reduced 2 days after pollination, concomitantly, an increase in hexose concentrations was observed. Thus, in these experiments, the delivery of hexoses by acid invertase activity did not limit kernel development. Differences in grain yield at maturity between salt and drought stress were most likely caused by salt‐specific effects (Na⁺ toxicity), Fabregas being more affected than Pioneer 3906.     

Effects of organic matter addition on phosphorus availability to flooded and nonflooded rice in a P‐deficient tropical soil: a greenhouse study

Addition of organic matter (OM) to flooded soils stimulates reductive dissolution of Fe(III) minerals, thereby mobilizing associated phosphate (P). Hence, OM management has the potential to overcome P deficiency. This study assessed if OM applications increases soil or mineral fertilizer P availability to rice under anaerobic (flooded) condition and if that effect is different relative to that in aerobic (nonflooded) soils. Rice was grown in P‐deficient soil treated with combinations of addition of mineral P (0, 26 mg P/kg), OM (0, ~9 g OM/kg as rice straw + cattle manure) and water treatments (flooded vs nonflooded) in a factorial pot experiment. The OM was either freshly added just before flooding or incubated moist in soil for 6 months prior to flooding; blanket N and K was added in all treatments. Fresh addition of OM promoted reductive dissolution of Fe(III) minerals in flooded soils, whereas no such effect was found when OM had been incubated for 6 months before flooding. Yield and shoot P uptake largely increased with mineral P addition in all soils, whereas OM addition increased yield and P uptake only in flooded soils following fresh OM addition. The combination of mineral P and OM gave the largest yield and P uptake. Addition of OM just prior to soil flooding increased P uptake but was insufficient to overcome P deficiency in the absence of mineral P. Larger applications of OM are unlikely to be more successful in flooded soils due to side effects, such as Fe toxicity.     

Contribution of incident solar radiation on leaves and pods to soybean seed weight and composition

The weight and composition of soybean seeds (Glycine Max L. Merrill) depend on changes in carbon and nitrogen assimilate supply during grain filling. Soybean pods and seeds are green, evidencing their capacity to capture light. However, the current physiological knowledge does not consider any effect of incident solar radiation reaching the pods on seed weight and composition. The objective of this work was to investigate the response of seed weight and composition to changes in assimilate supply from leaves, to the incident solar radiation reaching the pods and to the combination of both, changes in assimilate supply from the leaves and incident solar radiation on pods of soybean plants. Field experiments were performed during two growing seasons at Balcarce, Argentina. Treatments modified the amount of assimilates supplied by the leaves (plant shading, defoliation), the solar radiation reaching the pods (pod shading) or both (defoliation and pod shading) during seed filling. Plant shading and defoliation reduced seed weight, oil concentration and oil and protein content and increased the concentration of saturated and poli-unsaturated fatty acids while reduced oleic acid percentage. Pod shading increased the concentration of stearic acid and reduced the concentration of linolenic acid. When pods were shaded on defoliated plants, seed weight and oil and protein content decreased while fatty acid composition was similar to values obtained under defoliation treatment. Based on these results, a conceptual model that considers photoheterotrophic nature of reproductive structures of soybean is proposed. Seed weight, oil and protein content and oil fatty acid composition depended on assimilate availability for the seeds. The response of oil and protein content to assimilate supply depended on whether leaves were present or not. The effect of solar radiation incident on pods depended on the amount of assimilates available for the seeds: (i) when carbon allocated was low (defoliation treatments), pods contributed to seed carbon economy but solar radiation incident on them did not affect fatty acid composition; (ii) when carbon allocated to the seeds was high (intact plants), contribution of pods to seed carbon economy was not significant, but the amount of solar radiation incident on pods produced significant changes in fatty acid composition.     

A Study on the Method of Time-Resource Optimization of Engineering Projects

This paper investigates the coordinated operation of the progress planning with the resource planning when carrying out engineering projects and puts forward a method of "RSM" under the resource limit conditions. Then, the "RSM" was improved to avoid complicated calculation. This method not only reduces the calculating work by hand but saves computer's memory as well, making the time-resource optimization work more quick and convenient.     

The effect of salinity on corn yield using the CERES-maize model

In most cases, when calculating soil water availability, only thewater content is considered. The effect of salinity on the wiltingpoint is neglected. The objective of this work is to use asimulation model (CERES-maize) in order to predict cornyields as a function of water salinity under severalenvironmental, agrotechnical, and plant characteristics. A modelis presented in which the wilting point is a function of the soilsalt content. At high salinity, the water content at wilting pointis higher than at low salinity, resulting in an insufficient amountof available water and, therefore, a reduced yield. The modelwas used to simulate several theoretical and experimentalsituations for forage corn and grain corn. Simulation resultsshowed that nitrogen fertilization increases the salinity thresholdvalue and the yield sensitivity (rate of yield reduction per unitof salinity). The also showed that forage corn is more sensitiveto salinity than grain corn. If the soil is not leached, a heaviersoil texture has a higher salinity threshold value. On the otherhand, if the soil is leached, the soil texture has no influence onthe salinity threshold value and the yield is less sensitive tosalinity in sandy soils. The determination coefficient (r²= 0.75) indicated that the results of the simulations were in goodagreement with the field data.     

改性木质素对砖红壤磷素有效性的影响

磷肥施入砖土壤后，土壤速效磷随着时间的推移，呈现下降的趋势。利用改性木质素缓释磷铵，可以有效地络合土壤活性钵，降低其活性，从而阻止土壤速效磷被固定，使土壤磷素维持在较高的水平。土壤中交换性钙和交换性镁对土壤速效磷的影响不大。     

Effect op foliar sprays of sulphuric acid with and without elemental sulphur in the prevention of chlorosis In Peanut (Arachis hypogaea. L.)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted on an alkaline calcareous soil of Agronomy farm of the College of Agriculture, University of Udaipur to study the effect of sulphur on crop yield, leaf elemental composition, chlorophyll synthesis and activities of haematin enzymes. Application of elemental sulphur 21 days before planting with and without 0.1 per cent foliar sprays of H₂SO₄. increased crop yield by 137 to 197 per cent. Application of all these treatnents had no effect on nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content of leaves but sulphur content was signficantly increased. Iron content of green leaves was decreased significantly 4 to 5 times together with an increase in the activity of catalase and peroxidase enzymes. Chlorosis in these soils appears to be on account of a reduced physiological availability of iron after absorption.     

祁连山林区土壤水分条件的分析与评价

通过对祁连山林区云杉林、圆柏林、灌丛林和牧草地等4种主要植被类型土壤水分动态进行长期定位研究,揭示出生长季节内各植被类型的土壤水分动态变化规律.从土壤水分的变化特征,土壤水分有效性等几个方面对祁连山林区主要植被类型的土壤水分条件进行了分析与评价,表明祁连山林区主要植被类型的土壤水分垂直变化可分为土壤水分弱利用层、土壤水分利用层、土壤水分调节层;林地土壤水分的季节变化可分为土壤水分消耗期、土壤水分补偿期、土壤水分消退期、土壤水分稳定期4个时期.根据土壤水分对植物的有效性,将土壤水分划分为易效水、中效水和难效水三种状态,评价土壤水分有效性认为云杉林水分供应状况最好.     

不同肉鸡用植物性饲料总磷真利用率的测定

本试验利用无磷原料配制无磷饲粮,选择低磷原料配制基础饲粮,用一定比例待测植物性饲料替代基础饲粮配制待测饲粮,通过平衡试验法测定了35日龄艾维茵肉仔鸡对玉米、豆粕、麦麸3种饲料原料的总磷真利用率。结果表明:在控制饲粮含磷量低于肉仔鸡的磷需要量,研究饲料磷的最大利用率时,肉仔鸡的内源磷排出量为(44.84±3.14)mg/d。玉米、豆粕和麦麸的总磷真利用率分别为(16.42±3.36)%、(28.34±4.90)%和(46.48±4.29)%。利用总磷含量的1/3和非植酸磷含量估计肉鸡饲料有效磷并不准确。因麦麸本身含有高活性的植酸酶,肉仔鸡可部分利用其植酸磷。