The effect of tillage,crop rotation and residue management on maize and wheat growth and development evaluated with an optical sensor

Crop growth and development as well as yield are the result of the efficiency of the chosen agricultural management system within the boundaries of the agro-ecological environment. End-of-season yield results do not permit the evaluation of within-season management interactions with the production environment and do not allow for full understanding of the management practice applied. Crop growth and development were measured during the 2004, 2006 and 2008 crop cycles with an optical handheld NDVI sensor for all plots of the different management treatments of a long-term (since 1991) sustainability trial in the highlands of Mexico. Cropping systems varying in (1) tillage (conventional vs. zero tillage); (2) residue management (retention vs. removal); (3) rotation (monocropping vs. a maize [Zea mays L.]/wheat [Triticum aestivum L.] rotation) were compared. The NDVI-handheld sensor was evaluated as a tool to monitor crop growth and development and was found to be an excellent tool for this purpose. There was a strong relation between NDVI and biomass accumulation of maize and wheat. The measurement with the handheld sensor was non-destructive and fast so that a representative plot area could be measured easily and time-efficiently. Zero tillage induced different crop growth dynamics over time compared to conventional tillage. Zero tillage with residue retention is characterized by a slower initial crop growth, compensated for by an increased growth in the later stages, positively influencing final grain yield. Also crop rotation influenced early crop growth, with lower NDVI values for crops sown after wheat than crops after maize. Zero tillage with residue removal had low NDVI values throughout the growing season. Zero tillage with retention of crop residues results in time efficient use of resources, as opposed to conventional tillage, regardless of residue management, and zero tillage with residue removal. The results indicated that different tillage, rotation and residue management practices influence crop growth and development. It is important to monitor and understand crop growth under different management systems to select the right varieties and adjust timing and practice of input supply (fertilizer, irrigation etc.) in a holistic way in each cropping system.     

A minimum data set for soil quality assessment of wheat and maize cropping in the highlands of Mexico

The objective was to establish a minimum soil quality dataset for a long-term tillage, residue management and rotation trial for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and maize (Zea mays L.) production systems. Based on this soil quality evaluation, sustainable management practices could be selected for transferring technologies to farmers in the region. A long-term experiment was conducted with 16 different crop management practices varying in: (1) rotation (continuous maize or wheat and both phases of the rotation of maize and wheat), (2) tillage (conventional and zero) and (3) crop residue management (full retention or removal for fodder). Superior soil quality was considered to represent the maintenance of high productivity without significant soil or environmental degradation. The pertinent, minimum soil quality data set included the following physical indicators: time-to-pond, aggregate stability, permanent wilting point, and topsoil penetration resistance. Chemical indicators were: soil C, N, K and Zn concentrations, measured in the 0–5 cm topsoil and C, N concentration in 5–20 cm. Multivariate analysis grouped the treatments into clusters: (1) zero tillage with retention of residue, (2) zero tillage with residue removal and (3) conventional tillage. Zero tillage combined with crop residue retention improved chemical and physical conditions of the soil. In contrast, zero tillage with removal of residues, led to high accumulation of Mn in the topsoil, low aggregate stability, high penetration resistance, surface slaking resulting in low time-to-pond values and high runoff. Finally, soil quality under conventional tillage was intermediate (irrespective of residue management), especially reflected in the physical status of the soil. The results provide a strong justification to promote zero tillage technology combined with appropriate residue management to farmers in the volcanic highlands of Central Mexico and other similar regions. The minimum data set and associated tools for careful monitoring and observation, will be essential for evaluating soil quality in farmer's fields.     

Conservation agriculture as a sustainable option for the central Mexican highlands

Tropical highlands of the world are densely populated and intensively cropped. Agricultural sustainability problems resulting from soil erosion and fertility decline have arisen all over this agro-ecological zone. Based on selected soil quality indicators, i.e. time-to-pond, aggregate distribution and stability (expressed as the mean weight diameter (MWD) for dry and wet sieving, respectively) and soil moisture, from a representative long-term sustainability trial initiated in 1991 in Central Mexico (2240 masl; 19.31°N, 98.50°W; Cumulic Phaeozem), some insights into the feasibility of conservation agriculture (CA) as part of a sustainable production system in the tropical highlands are given. Zero tillage plots with crop residue removal showed low aggregate distribution (average MWD = 1.34 mm) and stability (average MWD = 0.99 mm) resulting in top layer slaking, increased erosion and low time-to-pond values. Retaining the residue in the field with zero tillage avoided the above-mentioned negative evolution for both aggregate distribution as stability (average MWD = 2.77 and 1.51 mm, respectively) and even improved the physical conditions of the soil as compared to conventional practice. Throughout the growing season the lowest soil moisture content was found in zero tillage without residue (average over the entire growing season = 20.5% volumetric moisture content), the highest in zero tillage with residue retention (average = 29.7%) while conventional tillage had intermediate soil moisture values (average = 27.4%). Zero tillage without residue retention had most days of soil moisture values under permanent wilting point, while zero tillage with residue retention had the least. Taking into account these results, zero tillage with residue retention can clearly be a part of an integrated watershed management scheme towards sustainable agriculture in the tropical highlands. It is clear that to develop new management practices to improve water use, reduce erosion and enhance human labor/animal power focus must be on the use of conservation agriculture both for rainfed as well as irrigated production systems and be fine tuned for each system.     

The structure-activity relationship of DDT analogs in crayfish giant axons

The effects of 14 DDT analogs on the resting and action potentials of the crayfish giant axon were investigated using the intracellular microelectrode technique. These analogs can be classified into three groups, excitatory, blocking, and dualist. An excitatory analog tends to increase the excitability of the axonal membrane, and has hydrophobic side chains on the para positions whose optimal size equals that of the ethoxy group. A blocking analog suppresses the action potential without affecting the resting potential, and has hydrophilic side chains capable of forming hydrogen bonds. A dualist has both excitatory and blocking actions, and the latter may be related to restriction in rotation imposed by the grouping on the benzylic carbon. However, the dividing lines between these categories are not sharp, the compounds tending to fall along a spectrum between pure excitatory and pure blocking activity.     

Effect of the Host and Temperature on the Formation of Defective RNAs Associated with Broad bean mottle virus Infection

ABSTRACT Previously, we demonstrated that Broad bean mottle virus (BBMV), a member of the genus Bromovirus, could accumulate RNA 2-derived defective interfering (DI) RNAs during infection. In this work, we study how host and environmental factors affect the accumulation of DI RNAs. Serial passages of BBMV through selected plant species reveal that, with low-multiplicity inocula, some systemic hosts (Vicia faba, Nicotiana clevelandii, and N. tabacum cv. Samsum) support DI RNA accumulation after the first passage cycle but other hosts (Phaseolus vulgaris, Pisum sativum, and Glycine max) do not. However, several passages with the high-multiplicity inocula can generate DI RNAs in pea plants. Local lesion hosts (Chenopodium quinoa, C. amaranticolor, and C. murale) remain free of the DI RNA components. The size of the de novo-formed DI RNAs depends on the host and on environmental conditions. For instance, broad bean plants cultivated in a greenhouse or in a growth chamber at 20 degrees C accumulated DI RNAs of 2.4 or 1.9 kb in size, respectively. A reverse trend was observed in pea plants. Lower temperatures greatly facilitated the formation of DI RNAs in broad bean and pea hosts after the first passage. The importance of these findings for the studies on DI RNAs are discussed.     

Pedosedimentary and climatic reconstruction of the last interglacial and early glacial loess–paleosol sequence in South Tadzhikistan

The thick loess–paleosol-sequences in Tadzhikistan, which indirectly record the environmental changes from the Upper Pliocene to the present-day, have been extensively described from a chronostratigraphical and archaeological point of view. The genesis of the soil-sedimentary complexes and their implications for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction in Tadzhikistan, however, have been considered only relatively recently [Bronger, A., Winter, R., Derevjanko, O., Aldag, S., 1993. Loess–paleosol sequences in Tadjikistan as a palaeoclimatic record of the Quaternary in Central Asia. Quaternary Proceedings 4, 69–81; Lomov, S.P., Tursina, T.V., Zhou, L.P., 1996. Magnetic susceptibility of soils: Micromorphology and possible reconstructions of climate. In: Soil micromorphology. Studies in Soil Diversity, Diagnostics, Dynamics, 10th International Working Meeting on Soil Micromorphology. Moscow, Russia, July 8–13, 1996, p. 145]. The pedocomplex of Last Interglacial and Early Glacial age (Oxygen Isotope Stage 5) in the Tagidjar and Darai Kalon sections near the town of Khovaling is represented by three major stages of soil formation. The soil characteristics have been micromorphologically analysed. The distinction between primary and secondary carbonates is of major importance to understand the soil forming processes. The relative distribution of needle fibre calcite (NFC), micritic infillings (M), hypocoatings (CHC), coarse calcitic grains (CCG) and calcified root cells (CRC) provides detailed insights into the environmental conditions prior, during and following pedogenesis. The abundance of coprolitic aggregates (CA) and pupal chambers gives a clear indication of the rate of biological activity which prevailed during the last two soil forming stages. Void pseudomorphs after gypsum crystals (gypsum pseudomorphs) are frequently observed beneath the Cca horizons of the paleosols. Using the present-day climate and soilscape as a reference base, the obtained pedosedimentary events detected in the Tadzhikistan sections provide a detailed palaeoenvironmental record. Indeed, glacial and interglacial climates and soils respond to contemporaneous climatic schemes and soil forming processes, which are still active in the region today. The amount and the seasonal variability of precipitation, mostly, are at the origin of the variable soils formed during glacial and interglacial ages.     

Students’ Preferences in Selecting Information Resources Used to Find Scholarly Information: A Comparative Study Between Undergraduate and Graduate Students

This study compares undergraduate and graduate students’ preferences for information sources. It found that the largest percentage of undergraduates ranked Google Scholar, a scholarly database, as their 1st or 2nd choice for an information source, followed by Google, library scholarly databases, the library catalog, and library staff. The largest percentage of graduate students ranked library scholarly databases as their 1st or 2nd preference, followed by Google Scholar, the library catalog, Google, and library staff. There seems to be a connection between attendance in a library instruction session and the choice of library scholarly online databases.     

Targeted screening of contaminants and physico-chemical behaviors in permanent grass vegetation soils and agricultural soils from Eastern Slovakia

Journal of Soils and Sediments - To evaluate the ecological risk, physico-chemical properties, and the impact of anthropogenic sources on permanent eighteen samples of grass vegetation soils (PGVS)...     

A survey on biosecurity and management practices in selected Belgian cattle farms

The shift from cure towards prevention in veterinary medicine involves the implementation of biosecurity, which includes all measures preventing pathogens from entering a herd and reducing the spread of pathogens within a herd. In Belgium no studies have considered the implementation of biosecurity measures in the daily management of cattle farms. Therefore the aim of the study was to map the current application of biosecurity measures in Belgian cattle farms in the prevention of disease transmission within and between farms.