THE INFLUENCE OF SAMPLE SIZE AND NUMBER ON THE PRECISION OF ESTIMATES OF HERBAGE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION IN TWO GRAZING EXPERIMENTS

Estimates of forage production and consumption were made, using dry-weight differences between samples from protected and grazed areas. Two sizes of cage for protecting areas from grazing were compared in four forages: brome grass (Bromus inermis Leyss.)/Iucerne (Medicago sativa L.); crested wbeatgrass (Agropyron crista-tum L.)/lucerne; intermediate wbeatgrass (A. intermedium (Host.) Beauv.)/Iucerne; and Russian wild-rye (Elymus junceus Fisch.). Production, over a three-year period, ranged from 1985 to 6286 kg/ha when estimated from 0.84 m² cages. Consumption ranged from 1584 to 5878 kg/ha. Yield estimates wben using 2.51 m² cages averaged 8% less than estimates from 0.84 m² cages. The number of caged sites needed in each plot to estimate a 95% confidence interval for annual production were 14 for four replicates, and over 30 for fewer replicates. Requirements for consumption estimates were similar. To estimate production within a 90% confidence interval 19, 10 and 4 caged sites were required from two, three, and four replicates, respectively. Consumption estimates within tbis confidence interval required 22, 10, and 5 samples from two, tbree, and four replicates, respectively. Caging requirements were tbe same for all combinations of plot size and forage species. Large cages increased precision sligbtly wben used on Russian wild-rye, probably because the forage was in rows 0.91 m apart.     

Collaborative study of the analysis of mestranol in combination with norethindrone or norethynodrel

A collaborative study of the analysis of mestranol in combination with norethindrone or norethynodrel by column chromatography and ultraviolet determination is presented. The study consisted of 4 samples which were a commercial norethindrone tablet, a synthetic norethindrone mixture, a commercial norethynodrel tablet, and a synthetic norethynodrel mixture. The samples were analyzed by 13 collaborators. Average mestranol recoveries were 100.4, 99.9, 98.7, and 101.2%, respectively.     

A COMPARISON OF THE EFFECT OF ITALIAN RYEGRASS AND TALL FESCUE MIXTURES ON THE FOLLOWING CROPS OF KALE AND BARLEY

The effects of preeropping with Italian ryegrass and tall fescue mixtures on marrow-stem kale (1st test crop) and barley (2nd test crop) were measured. Application of N to the grass/clover swards reduced the yield of DM, P, K, Na, Mg, crude protein and also the percentage crude protein in the kale test-crop. Following the tall fescue swards, the yield of DM, P, Na, Ca, Mg and E, crude protein and percentage crude protein in the kale were lower than after the Italian ryegrass swards. These effects were particularly evident in the kale stem. Interactions occurred which involved the method used to establish the herbage mixtures, the application of N to the swards and of fertilizers to the kale. These effects were complex, but the method of sward establishment could clearly affect the following kale crop grown several years later. The influence of grass swards on the second test-crop (spring barley) was much smaller than on kale. Precropping with Italian ryegrass or using a cover crop during grassland establishment reduced 1000-grain weight of barley. The crude protein percentage in barley grain was reduced by the compound fertilizer applied to the previous kale crop, particularly when no cover crop had been used during establishment of the herbage mixtures. The converse of these effects was recorded in the crude-protein percentage of the straw of the barley test-crop.     

Changes in enzymic activity and distribution of acid-soluble,amino acid-nitrogen in soil during nitrogen immobilization and mineralization

During a period of immobilization of nitrate-¹⁵N and mineralization of organic N in a sandy-loam, changes were recorded in: (a) the concentration of an added carbon source, glucose-¹⁴C: (b) evolution of ¹⁴CO₂: (c) bacterial populations; (d) distribution and concentration of newly-synthesized, acid-soluble, amino acid-¹⁵N; and (e) distribution and activities of several oxidative and hydrolytic enzyme systems.Added glucose-¹⁴C was rapidly metabolized by the soil microflora. After 1.5 day's incubation, when only 3.6 per cent of the added glucose was present, 68 per cent of the ¹⁴C remained in the soil-microbial system. During this period there was a marked increase in viable bacterial numbers and an almost complete immobilization of nitrate-¹⁵N. On continued incubation, microbial metabolites were oxidized at decreasing rates, the more rapid phase corresponding to a period of net decline in the viable bacterial population.Soil was fractionated by a relatively mild procedure into components containing: (a) extractable proteins; (b) extractable amino acids and peptides; (c) particulate material containing microbial cells, cell debris and material bound to larger soil particles; and (d) microbial metabolites mainly bound to soil colloids. Although the total, acid-soluble, amino acid-¹⁵N remained relatively constant for about 50 days, there were marked changes in their concentration in different fractions, especially in the extracts and in the fraction containing fine colloidal material. However, the relatively large decline in labelled, acid-soluble, amino acid-¹⁵N occurred during the active phase of oxidation of microbial metabolites when little net mineralization of labelled compounds occurred.Increases in enzymic activities generally coincided with increased viable bacterial populations although there were some exceptions, notably casein and benzoyl arginine amide-hydrolysing enzymes. The stabilities of the newly-formed enzymes varied markedly. The greatest relative changes in activity occurred with the casein-hydrolysing enzymes. Their activity reached a maximal value after the main flush of bacterial growth, was short-lived and was to a large extent extractable. The formation and disappearance of this extracellular proteolytic activity coincided approximately with that of a secondary peak of extractable, newly-synthesized, protein-¹⁵N. In general however, changes in enzymic activity could not be identified with changes of protein-¹⁵N concentrations of the different fractions.     

Some vegetation patterns in the Republic of the Sudan - a discussion

The distinction between vegetation arcs and vegetation patterns is discussed. Some patterns are distinguished which are the result of ancient dune-building processes. These occur on an ancient series of aeolian sands.