Drought Tolerance and Water‐Use Efficiency of Biogas Crops: A Comparison of Cup Plant,Maize and Lucerne‐Grass

The cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum L.) is discussed as an alternative energy crop for biogas production in Germany due to its ecological benefits over continuously grown maize. Moreover, a certain drought tolerance is assumed because of its intensive root growth and the dew water collection by the leaf cups, formed by fused leaf pairs. Therefore, the aim of this study was to estimate evapotranspiration (ET ), water‐use efficiency (WUE ) and the relevance of the leaf cups for the cup plant's water balance in a 2‐year field experiment. Parallel investigations were conducted for the two reference crops maize (high WUE ) and lucerne‐grass (deep and intensive rooting) under rainfed and irrigated conditions. Root system performance was assessed by measuring water depletion at various soil depths. Transpiration‐use efficiency (TUE ) was estimated using a model approach. Averaged over the 2 years, drought‐related above‐ground dry matter reduction was higher for the cup plant (33 %) than for the maize (18 %) and lucerne‐grass (14 %). The WUE of the cup plant (33 kg ha^?1 mm^?1) was significantly lower than for maize (50 kg ha^?1 mm^?1). The cup plant had a lower water uptake capacity than lucerne‐grass. Cup plant dry matter yields as high as those of maize will only be attainable at sites that are well supplied with water, be it through a large soil water reserve, groundwater connection, high rainfall or supplemental irrigation.     

四家动物园观赏肉食动物消化道寄生虫感染情况调查

为了解哈尔滨北方森林动物园、佳木斯水源山公园、齐齐哈尔龙沙动植物园和鸡西动物园观赏肉食动物寄生蠕虫的感染情况,于2015年3~6月采用饱和盐水漂浮法和水洗沉淀法对四家动物园的5科94只观赏肉食动物的粪便进行了虫卵检查,结果有18只动物检出虫卵,阳性率为19.2%(18/94),蛔虫卵为常见虫种。本调查为四家动物园肉食动物消化道寄生虫病防治提供了科学依据。     

Effect of wilting,silage additive,PEG treatment and tannin content on the distribution of N between different fractions after ensiling of three different sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) varieties

Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) is a tanniniferous, leguminous plant that has potentially beneficial effects on protein utilization in ruminants. As ensiling causes protein breakdown and elevated levels of buffer soluble N (BSN), we studied the distribution of N before and after ensiling sainfoin. Three varieties of sainfoin were either direct‐cut and frozen directly or wilted and frozen before later ensiling in mini‐silos with and without acidification with Promyr (PM; an acidifying commercial mixture of propionic and formic acid) and with or without polyethylene glycol (PEG). Extractable tannins (ET) and protein‐bound tannins (PBT) were measured with an HCl/butanol method in an attempt to correlate tannin levels to N fractions. The sainfoin silages showed good ensiling characteristics and had relatively high concentrations of undegraded protein. The effect of wilting on BSN levels (g/kg N) was dependent on sainfoin variety (P < 0·001). PEG increased and PM decreased the level of BSN in the silages (P < 0·001). PM treatment also produced less non‐protein N and ammonia‐N (P < 0·05) as compared with no additive. Addition of PEG to the silage increased the BSN‐proportion 1·8‐ and 2·6‐fold for both DM stages. A strong tannin‐protein binding effect is, therefore, confirmed in sainfoin. However, correlations between tannin levels (ET and PBT) and BSN were poor in the (non‐PEG) silages, indicating either that the HCl/butanol method is unsuitable for measuring tannin in silages or that qualitative attributes of tannins are more relevant than quantitative. The HCl/butanol method seems therefore not to be useful to predict degradation of protein in sainfoin silages.     

不同单酶制剂混合检测对比研究

试验以木聚糖酶、纤维素酶、淀粉酶和酸性蛋白酶为对象,首先研究了酸性蛋白酶分别和其他3种单酶进行混合后酶活测定值变化情况,结果表明,酸性蛋白酶对其他3种单酶的检测结果没有影响;试验第二部分研究了4种单酶整体混合在一起后各单酶测定值的变化情况,结果表明,木聚糖酶测定值出现很大偏高,其他3种单酶测定结果未出现显著偏差;进行进一步论证试验表明,淀粉酶可能是使木聚糖酶测定结果偏高的原因。     

A review of the role of excess soil moisture conditions in constraining farm practices under Atlantic conditions

The Less Favoured Area (LFA) scheme is a major element of the EU Rural Development Policy, aimed at supporting farming in areas with natural handicaps or low soil productivity. It has been in place since 1975 and accounts for 14% of total Community funding. In 2003, the European Court of Auditors recommended that the socio‐economic criteria on which the current scheme is based be replaced by biophysical criteria. Reviews of the proposals suggest that in Atlantic climates of Northwest Europe, the new criteria do not delineate adequately areas where agricultural productivity is constrained by the biophysical environment and that such areas are instead demarcated by the occurrence of excess soil moisture conditions. In this paper, we review the impact of excess soil moisture conditions on the sustainability of farming systems and their role in constraining strategic and tactical farm management practices. In particular, we review the scientific evidence on the impact of excess soil moisture conditions on herbage growth, herbage utilization, farm operations and environmental sustainability. On the basis of this, we propose an additional biophysical criterion for the new delineation of LFAs, namely the length of time that soil water is in excess of field capacity (‘field capacity days’). While there is no clear threshold for field capacity days above which agricultural sustainability is acutely constrained, the evidence reviewed in this paper suggests that the sustainability of intensive livestock farming and tillage systems is particularly challenging in scenarios where the 80 percentile of field capacity days exceeds 220–230 days.     

Contrasting population demographics and reproductive investment of white crappie in three eutrophic reservoirs

Abstract White crappie, Pomoxis annularis Rafinesque, provides important sport fisheries across North America but sometimes exhibits slow growth and fails to reach sizes acceptable to anglers. Three dissimilar white crappie populations were studied to assess whether differences in growth were associated with size and age at maturity and subsequent larval production. Similar to other species, female white crappie matured at younger ages and smaller sizes and contained larger ovaries in the population with the slowest growth; this population also had the lowest annual mortality. Larval production (number m^?3) in this population was intermediate to that of the other populations. Attempts to improve growth of white crappie in the slow‐growing population will probably be hindered by these individuals’ greater reproductive investment, which reduces the amount of energy available for somatic growth.     

A new Barbus minnow (Pisces,Cyprinidae) from the eastern Cape Province,South Africa

A new cyprinid minnow taken from a tributary of the Kei River system, eastern Cape Province, Barbus amatolicus sp. nov., is described. The Amatola barb is most similar to the widespread and sympatric chubbyhead barb (Barbus anoplus) and the redtail barb (Barbus gumeyl) but differs most clearly in male secondary sexual characteristics (breeding colours and nuptial tubercles).     

The Standardization of an Apparatus for the Mixing of Soil Samples for Nematode Extractions

Quantitative determination of nematode populations in soils frequently necessitates the mixing of representative soil samples to form a homogeneous, compound sample from which the nematodes are extracted. A mixing apparatus was developed and standardized with the aid of a spectrophotometric technique by which the dispersion of a dye through the soil during mixing could be determined. It was found that the mixer is most suitable for use on sandy loam soils. Optimal mixing is obtained at a speed of 15 rpm for 2 minutes. Under these conditions mechanical damage to nematodes during mixing is minimal.     

Effects of Municipal Solid Waste Compost on Soil Properties and Vegetables Growth

ABSTRACT

This work investigates the impact of municipal solid waste compost (MSW-compost) application (0, 50, and 100 t/ha) on the growth, and on nutrient and trace elements content in lettuce and tomato plants grown in large, 40-L pots. Our findings showed inhibition of plants’ growth with increasing dose of MSW-compost, compared to plants receiving conventional fertilization. Growth inhibition was associated with a sharp decrease in soil NO₃–N content. On the other hand, a slower decrease in soil NO₃–N content occurred in non-planted pots amended with MSW-compost. These findings provide evidence that N immobilization and/or decreased N mineralization were responsible for inhibited growth by constraining N availability. With regard to the other macro-nutrients, K, P, Mg, Ca, and Fe, their contents in leaves of both crops were maintained at optimum levels. Higher zinc and copper content was measured in leaves of both crops but they did not exceed the optimum range for growth. No accumulation of trace elements was found in the fruits. The content of heavy metals in the tissues of plants grown in MSW-compost amended soil, remained at levels similar to those of the non-amended soil, suggesting that they do not pose a significant risk either for plant growth or public health. The findings of our study suggest that further emphasis should be given on the investigation of the factors regulating N mineralization and availability in order to avoid reductions in crop yield.