A checklist of the cultivated plants of Yunnan (PR China)

Based on literature sources and the authors’ field surveys in the past 20 years (particularly in 2008 and 2009), a checklist of cultivated plants of Yunnan (Southwest China) was compiled. It contains 1,701 taxa belonging to 1,562 different species, 837 genera and 190 families. The alphabetically ordered articles for the taxa contain the botanical name, the plant family, Chinese name and folk names, details of plant uses, information about the plant’s regional distribution, places of origin, and references to relevant, mostly Yunnan literature sources. The checklist provides a useful tool for the exploration of plant genetic resources and may be equally interesting for agronomists, horticulturists, botanists, ethnobotanists and others who are interested in cultivated plants.     

Intravarietal level of aluminum resistance in cereal crops

The relative growth parameters of seedlings of some oat (Avena sativa L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) varieties from different intravarietal seed fractions in the absence or presence of 1–2 mM aluminum (Al) sulfate were investigated in several experiments using the solution‐paper culture technique. There were statistically significant differences in Al‐resistance level of seeds, which differ by its weight, place on ear, place, and year of reproduction and rate of germination. The data suggest that the level of Al resistance/susceptibility is not determined by genotype exactly, but may be modified by some endogenous chemical and biochemical factors (for example, content of seed storage proteins, inhibitors of germination, natural plant growth regulators, etc.). Such non‐uniformity of seeds within cultivars may be used for investigation of plant Al‐resistance mechanisms.     

Growth responses of cereal crops to organic nitrogen in the field

Eleven rice varieties differing in grain size were grown under controlled environmental conditions during the grain-filling period. The grain weight of upper grains in a panicle was examined at successive stages of growth during the grain-filling period. The effect of temperature on the rate and the duration of the period of grain-filling was determined using Khao Lo, a large-grain variety, and Bom Dia, a small-grain variety. Both the grain-filling rate and duration of the period of grain-filling differed among rice varieties and were positively and significantly correlated with the grain size. The duration of the grain-filling period from flowering to the time when almost maximum grain weight was attained ranged from 12 days at 32/24°C in Bom Dia to 36 days at 20/12°C in Khao Lo. The grain-filling rate was low in small-grain varieties, and generally increased with increasing grain size.

By lowering the temperature, the grain-filling rate decreased, the duration of the grain-filling period increased but the grain weight was almost constant.

Weight per grain was closely correlated with hull size. No relationship was found between weight per grain and nitrogen percentage of brown rice.     

锌肥不同施用方式及施用量对我国主要粮食作物增产效果的影响

【目的】施用锌肥是改善作物缺锌、 提高产量和籽粒锌含量的重要措施。锌肥的施用效果受多种因素的影响,通过总结自70年代以来锌肥施用对我国主要粮食作物小麦、 玉米、 水稻产量的影响,分析不同年代、 锌肥施用方式、 锌肥用量对这三大作物产量影响的进程,探讨锌肥的适宜用量和施用方式。【方法】利用万方数据库、 中国知网,查阅了1970至2013年间,我国主要粮食作物水稻、 小麦和玉米锌肥施用相关的田间试验文献333篇,剔除文献中没有产量数据、 没有具体施肥相关信息如施肥量、 施肥方式等文献,有效样本数总计为1656个。采用相关分析、 方差分析等统计分析方法,Microsoft Excel 2010软件分析。【结果】锌肥增产效果受锌肥施用方式、 施用量、 年代的影响,具体结果如下, 1)锌肥施用方式土壤施用、 叶面喷施和种子处理在小麦上的平均增产率分别为11.3%、 10.0%和11.1%; 在玉米上的平均增产率分别为13.7%、 12.7%和12.1%; 水稻上的平均增产率分别为15.0%、 9.8%和9.7%。与叶面喷施和种子处理相比,无论是小麦、 玉米还是水稻,土施锌肥的增产效果最好。2)锌肥施用量小麦、 玉米和水稻的增产率随土施锌肥量增加而增加,当施锌量达到一定量后,随施肥用量的进一步增大,增产率有所降低。小麦、 玉米和水稻土施锌肥的合适用量分别为1545 kg /hm2、 2030 kg/hm2、 2030 kg/hm2。小麦增产率与喷施锌肥的浓度关系不明显,叶面喷施浓度在0.4%~0.5% ZnSO47H2O时增产效果最佳; 而玉米、 水稻增产率和叶面喷施锌肥的浓度变化趋势与土施锌肥变化趋势一致。过去40年玉米和水稻适宜喷施锌肥浓度分别是0.1%~0.3%、 0.2%~0.4% ZnSO47H2O。3)施肥年代随着年代的变化,不同作物施用锌肥的增产幅度不同。随着年代的推进,同一锌肥施用方式在小麦上增产率呈逐渐增高的趋势; 锌肥土施和叶面喷施在玉米上的增产率呈下降趋势; 锌肥土施在水稻上的增产率呈下降趋势,而叶面喷施在水稻的增产率呈先降低后增加的趋势; 种子处理方式在水稻和玉米上的增产率随年代的变化不明显。【结论】施用锌肥能有效提高小麦、 玉米和水稻的产量,但是其增产效果受锌肥施用方式、 施用量、 年代的影响。因此,今后在锌肥施用方面,农户应根据作物、 土壤、 环境等条件,选择恰当的施肥方式及锌肥用量,来提高锌肥的增产效果。     

三大粮食作物产量潜力与产量差研究进展

产量潜力和产量差的研究对揭示未来粮食增产潜力,有针对性地制定提高作物产量的措施具有重要意义。通过总结近年发表的64篇经典文献,本文总结了世界三大粮食作物小麦、水稻和玉米的产量潜力和产量差的研究进展,并对定量产量潜力和产量差的4种常用方法进行了比较分析。研究表明:1)当前全世界小麦、水稻、玉米的平均产量潜力分别为6.7 t-hm-2、8.1 t-hm-2、11.2 t-hm-2,农户产量分别实现了产量潜力的60%、60%、53%。2)模型模拟是目前定量评估产量潜力最为有效的方法之一,综合使用模型模拟和高产纪录两种方法进行比较分析产量潜力结果会更加可靠;试验产量和高产农户产量一般会低于模型模拟产量潜力,对探索农户短期内增产潜力具有重要意义。3)优化栽培管理措施比如应用土壤-作物综合管理系统等方法是缩小产量差的有效途径。因此,当前三大粮食作物具有较大增产潜力,如何有效缩小产量差、提高作物产量、保证粮食安全是未来需要关注的重点。     

Transport of cadmium from soil to grain in cereal crops: A review

Due to rapid urbanization and industrialization, many soils for crop production are contaminated by cadmium(Cd), a heavy metal highly toxic to many organisms. Cereal crops such as rice, wheat, maize, and barley are the primary dietary source of Cd for humans, and reducing Cd transfer from soil to their grains is therefore an important issue for food safety. During the last decade, great progress has been made in elucidating the molecular mechanisms of Cd transport, particularly in rice. Inter-and intraspecific variations in Cd accumulation have been observed in cereal crops. Transporters for Cd have been identified in rice and other cereal crops using genotypic differences in Cd accumulation and mutant approaches. These transporters belong to different transporter families and are involved in the uptake, vacuolar sequestration, root-to-shoot translocation, and distribution of Cd. Attempts have been made to reduce Cd accumulation in grains by manipulating these transporters through overexpression or knockout of the transporter genes, as well as through marker-assisted selection breeding based on genotypic differences in Cd accumulation in the grains. In this review, we describe recent progress on molecular mechanisms of Cd accumulation in cereal crops and compare different molecular strategies for minimizing Cd accumulation in grains.     

Spatial variability of topsoils and vegetation in a grazed steppe ecosystem in Inner Mongolia (PR China)

It is not clear from the literature how the spatial distribution of topsoil and vegetation properties is affected by grazing cessation. Thus, the objective of this study was to elucidate if long‐term grazing exclosure increases spatial heterogeneity of topsoil and vegetation properties in a steppe ecosystem in NE China. Variograms and crossvariograms were calculated for bulk density, organic carbon (OC), total N, and total S concentration, δ¹³C, pH, Ah horizon thickness, vegetation cover, and aboveground biomass. Five sites with different grazing intensities (ungrazed since 1979, ungrazed since 1999, winter grazing, continuously grazed, heavily grazed) were sampled with two different grid sizes, allowing the exploration of scale effects. Small grids (15 m spacing, 5 m nested sampling) exhibited a different spatial structure compared to large grids (50 m spacing, 10 m nested sampling). Spatial distribution in small grids changed with grazing intensity. Generally, heterogeneity of topsoil properties increased with decreasing grazing intensity from a homogeneous to a patchy distribution. We attribute this to vegetation recovery/succession and deposition of windblown material in ungrazed areas. The plot ungrazed since 1999 showed different spatial dependencies than continuously and heavily grazed plots, but has not yet reached the high variability of the plot which was ungrazed since 1979. Large grid sampling did not detect small‐scale variability or grazing impacts, but showed spatial dependencies that were attributed to topography or soil erosion/deposition. Low OC concentration and low Ah thickness were associated with hilltop and shoulder positions, resulting in lower OC stocks at these topographic units.     

Nitrogen uptake kinetics of key staple cereal crops in different agro-ecological regions of the world

The study was undertaken to assess the effect of environmental, management, and stress factors on nitrogen uptake patterns through the crops’ growth cycle and to associate temporal patterns of N uptake with biomass and grain yields. Existing complete experimental data, provided by several institutional databases and through an extensive literature review, were utilized together with crop simulation models (CSMs) to synthesize yield and N uptake profiles of the key staple cereal crops in selected agro-ecologies. Approximately 465 observations were identified for combined maize grain yield and plant N uptake: 156 for rice and 254 for wheat. The Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT), which comprises CSMs and data that integrate capabilities on soils, daily weather, crops, and management, was used in combination with field information to first validate the CERES-maize, -rice, and -wheat models. The most noteworthy results from synthesis of the data set for the three key cereals were as follows: (a) N uptake continued to increase with time until physiological maturity with adequate N supply; (b) significant effect of soil N status on N uptake kinetics was observed at zero N; (c) N uptake profile was also influenced by the planting date, with the summer planting showing higher uptake than other planting dates; (d) field methods of N application influenced N uptake kinetics: a one-time injected or subsurface-applied urea continued to provide an adequate amount of N throughout the crop growth phase that was comparable or even higher than with broadcasting multiple splits; (e) N uptake was also dependent on crop cultivars, including stages of vegetative and reproductive phases, with shorter vegetative and longer reproductive phases showing continuous N uptake and lesser dependence on N remobilization; and (f) predictions suggested that modest changes in ambient temperature and atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentrations would not significantly alter the N uptake kinetics, with the uptake rate expected to increase under future climate change scenarios. The combined data suggest that no one N uptake kinetic pattern fits all crops under all environments and management practices.     

Ex situ genetic conservation of endangered Vatica guangxiensis (Dipterocarpaceae) in China

RAPD polymorphisms were applied to check the efficiency of ex situ genetic conservation of endangered Vatica guangxiensis X. L. Mo. endemic to southwestern China. Low level of genetic variation was revealed in three remaining natural populations. Twenty random primers, each with 10 base pairs, generated 231 bands with 53.68% being polymorphic, and with an average of 32.46% being polymorphic in each natural population. Strong population differentiation was revealed by AMOVA (analysis of molecular variance) and Gst value was 0.3764. The population ML ex situ conserved in the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden contained an intermediate genetic variation compared with natural populations, with 30.74% bands being polymorphic. Of the total 231 bands generated in V. guangxiensis, 204 bands were also detected in population ML, indicating that 88.31% of the total genetic variations of this species were conserved in ex situ population. If only the alleles with moderate to high frequency (P>0.05) were considered, 204 out of 209 bands (97.61%) occurred in ex situ population ML. RAPD analysis also detected one exclusive band in natural population NS, and five in natural population NP, three of these exclusive bands were generated in every samples of natural population (NP), and other three had moderate to high frequencies. While none of these exclusive bands were detected in ex situ conserved population ML. Our conclusions are that the ex situ conserved population ML contains representative genetic variation to maintain long-term survival and evolutionary process of V. guangxiensis, and that more extensive ex situ sampling in natural population NS and NP is needed to conserve more exclusive alleles in ex situ population. The tropical area in the Botanical Garden would play a more important role in the ex situ conservation of rare and endangered plants.     

Current status and conservation of white-headed langur (Trachypithecus leucocephalus) in China

The white-headed langur is classed as a category I species under the Wild Animal Protection Law in China. It is distributed only in Karst hills in four counties (Longzhou, Ningming, Chongzuo and Fusui), in the southern Guangxi province of China. The Mingjiang River and the Zuojiang River form its southern, western and northern boundaries, and the Shiwandashan Mountains restrict its range in the east. Population surveys conducted in the 1980s showed that there were a total of 630 individuals in Guangxi, including 244 in Longzhou and Ningming counties, 117 in six fragments of Chongzuo County and 272 in nine patches of Fusui County. Surveys conducted by our group and Guangxi Forestry Bureau indicated that a total of 580-620 white-headed langurs still live in the above four counties, including 210-240 in Longzhou and Ningming, 90-100 in Chongzuo and 250 in Fusui. According to our statistics, only about 200 km² of habitat remains within the current range of the white-headed langur and this is separated as a total of 16 patches in 13 townships. Shangjin and Xiangshui in Longzhou county and Tingliang and Tuolu in Ningming, form the largest patch of the range, with total area of 68 km², while in Chongzuo and Fusui County, the habitat is heavily fragmented with six patches of 43.5 km² in Chongzuo and nine patches of 88 km² in Fusui. At present, the white-headed langur is still suffering from heavy habitat deterioration and human disturbance such as cultivation, tree-cutting for firewood, and poachings even though the government has made many efforts to protect this endangered species, such as putting it as a category I species for protection and designating the nature reserve and stations.     

The effects of shelter for cereal crops in an exposed area of Cleveland, North-East England

Abstract. Plots of spring barley, winter wheat and winter barley were sheltered with netting in a coastal area of North-East England. Crop height, yield components and grain yield were measured and compared with unsheltered crops receiving the same agronomic treatments. Plant height, ears m^-2, 1000 grain weight and grain yield were increased by shelter in seasons with windy, dry weather during the tillering and stem extension phases. Negligible response was found in a wet season. One experiment suggests that greater applications of nitrogen fertilizer can counteract the effects of exposure.     

Yam (Dioscorea ssp.) domestication by the Nago and Fon ethnic groups in Benin

Guinea yams (Dioscorea cayenensis-rotundata complex; D. rotundata Poir. and D. cayenensis Lam.) have been described as resulting from a process of domestication of wild yams of the section Enantiophyllum by African farmers. Although currently practised by few farmers, the process of yam domestication is still on-going in Benin. In order to document the practices used and the indigenous knowledge maintained by Nago and Fon farmers, 27 villages were surveyed. In total, 57 farmers domesticating yam were identified, and 68 yams newly domesticated (or in domestication) were collected. Fon and Nago farmers domesticate yam mainly to widen the genetic basis of the existing diversity or for simple curiosity. Among the three wild yams species (D. abyssinica Hochst. ex Kunth, D. praehensilis Benth. and D. burkilliana J. Miège) used, D. praehensilis is the most important and the most exploited. Tuber of the wild yams are collected either in the bush (most often near the village) or in the forests (far from the village) during hunting. The domestication process consists of bringing into cultivation selected individuals which go through intense vegetative multiplication and selection procedures (over a lengthy but variable period of time) that induce morphological and biochemical changes in the plant mainly at the tuber level. Individuals resulting from these manipulations were found to be, either similar or identical to known landraces or completely new based on both morphological and isozyme analysis. Because it leads to some new cultivars, this process of domestication has potential in yam breeding and appears to be a strategy that could be useful to breeders, while developing a methodology for participatory breeding of yam.     

Measurement of radioactivity in contaminated crops (Part 1)

It is a prerequisite to settle down how to subtract the counts based on natural radio-potassium in crops, finding out an accurate and efficient method. Considerable effort has been made so far with the investigations which have been conducted In various parts of Japan in accordance with this purpose. The writers wish to present a tentative method for measuring the radioactivity, reporting on the results obtained in comparison of this method with here-to-fore methods.     

Pesticide use on cereal crops and changes in the abundance of butterflies on arable farmland in England

A survey of butterfly numbers on two plots of arable farmland in southern England in 1984 was carried out using the transect method of Pollard et al. (1975). On one plot the field edges were left unsprayed with pesticides (herbicides, fungicides and insecticides) from 1 January and on the other all fields were fully sprayed in accordance with normal farming practice. Sprayed and unsprayed transect sections were paired up according to adjacent field boundary habitat type.A total of 868 butterflies were recorded on the unsprayed plot compared to 297 on the sprayed plot. Of the 17 species recorded on more than one survey section, 13 were significantly more abundant on the unsprayed treatment. Butterfly species whose larval host plants occurred in unsprayed field edges showed slightly larger differences in number between treatments than species less able to breed in weedy cereal crops.The results suggest that pesticide use on cereal crops may reduce butterfly numbers and that arable farmland is a habitat in need of further study for butterfly conservation.     

Nature conservation in Sri Lanka (Ceylon)

Sri Lanka (Ceylon) was once part of an Indo-Malayan and Afro-Madgascan complex, and has three peneplains. These circumtances are reflected in her fauna and flora, of which 28·5 per cent of the vascular plants and 16 per cent of the land vertebrates are endemic, inhabiting mostly the central montane and southwestern regions. Such figures could provide indices or coefficients of insularity of islands of the nature of Sri Lanka and Madagascar. The parasites of the endemics and relicts could also point to the relationships of the hosts and the antiquity of the geographical regions. Nearly all the wildlife reserves are in the dry northern and eastern halves of the island, in areas of monsoon scrub-jungle, monsoon forest, or grassland. Further strict natural reserves are urgently needed in the montane and southwestern rain-forest and grassland areas. Significant conservation measures have been taken since 1885 by the Government and by what in 1971 was renamed the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Ceylon. Constitutional changes have also had their impact, while human population increase has affected land utilization and the extents of nature reserves. Twenty-seven mammal, 340 bird, 7 reptile, and 9 plant, species are absolutely protected. Despute such efforts, conservation science and practice, based on ecological studies, have lagged behind, but some progress is being made through the work of foreign and local scientists, and the new interest taken by Government and the universities. That Sri Lanka is well suited to effective nature conservation is shown also by the ethos of her people, as shaped by Buddhist teachings and by the concern of kings during her long history.     

Orientation behaviour of earthworms (Lumbricidae) towards different crops

Summary In an outdoor experiment the distribution of earthworms (Lumbricus spp., Allolobophora spp.) under different plant species was studied. Earthworms avoid uncovered areas, but show different reactions under vegetation. This effect reappears in the same manner every year. A particular preference was shown for clover whereas onion was least preferred. Possible reasons for this behaviour are the extent of covering, the moisture regime and exudates of the plants. According to the results obtained the deciding factor seems to be the extent of cover whereas odorous substances are of secondary importance.Dedicated to the late Prof. Dr. M.S. Ghilarov     

The effect of zinc (Zn) application on uptake of cadmium (Cd) in some cereal species

It is widely accepted that plants absorb more Cd when they suffer from Zn deficiency, as the Zn deficiency is a critical problem in the world. The effect of increased Cadmium (Cd) application (0 and 15 mg kg^-1 Cd) on growing and Cd concentration in some cereal species was investigated at the increasing rate of Zinc (Zn) applications (0 and 15 mg kg^-1 Zn). The experiment was carried out under greenhouse conditions using a Zn deficient soil. According to the results, that increased Cd applications severely reduced dry matter production of plants. Dry matter production decreased in the following order: bread wheat > oat > maize > barley. These decreases were determined to be statistically significant (P < 0.01). Cd concentration of cereal species increased with the application of increasing rate of Cd, with a similar trend to that of the dry matter. Dry matter production of plants increased and Cd concentrations of plants decreased with the application of increasing rate of Zn. These results show that Cd accumulation of plant increase in Zn deficient soils. Cd accumulation in plants is hindered with the application of Zn.