Digital mapping of soil carbon sequestration potential with enhanced vegetation cover over New South Wales,Australia

Digital soil maps of soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration potential resulting from a hypothetical 10% relative increase in long-term vegetation cover are presented at 100-m resolution across the state of New South Wales (NSW) in southeast Australia. This land management outcome is considered realistically achievable for many land managers, using strategies such as revegetation, grazing management or crop residue management. A mean state-wide potential increase of 5.4 Mg ha⁻¹ over the 0- to 30-cm depth interval was derived. Assuming a 20-year period of re-equilibration, this equates to an average SOC increase of 0.27 Mg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. Sequestration potential is systematically influenced by a combination of climate, soil parent material and current vegetation cover, for example only 1.6 Mg ha⁻¹ SOC under dry conditions in sandy, infertile soil material with sparse vegetation cover, compared with 15.9 Mg ha⁻¹ under wet conditions in clay-rich, fertile soil material with moderate–high vegetation cover. The outputs could be used to identify locations of highest sequestration potential and thereby help prioritize areas and inform decisions on sequestration programmes. Future application of the method at field scale with high levels of accuracy, together with strategic sampling, may provide statistically reliable estimates of carbon sequestration, for application in carbon trading schemes such as Australia's Emissions Reduction Fund. The modelling involved a conceptually transparent ‘space-for-time substitution’ process. Multiple linear regression (MLR) and random forest (RF) modelling techniques were applied, but only MLR gave consistently meaningful results. The apparent failing of RF in this application warrants further examination.     

Fusarium miscanthi and other Fusarium species as causal agents of Miscanthus × giganteus rhizome rot

In 2010, Miscanthus × giganteus rhizomes were collected from Belgian fields showing emergence reduction and were analyzed for detection and identification of fungal species. All rhizomes were infected by at least one Fusarium species, of which F. culmorum, F. miscanthi, F. crookwellense and F. graminearum were the most abundant. Results of the pathogenicity tests by soil inoculation demonstrate the ability of F. miscanthi, F. culmorum and F. avenaceum to cause rhizome rot disease under greenhouse conditions. This is the first report of F. miscanthi and other Fusarium species isolated from M. × giganteus rhizomes in Belgium.     

A model to evaluate the economic merits of dry season feeding of growing/fattening cattle in the sub-humid tropics

The economic effect of increased stocking rate permitted by the introduction of dry season feedin is evaluated with reference to the growing/fatening system of beef production in the sub-humid tropics. A widely applicable model is derived which requires few input variables, all of which will be easily obtainable in a specific location. The economic break-even point in terms of feeding cost and dry season length can be determined in order to assess the value of local diets or attempt the formulation of new ones. Increae in profitability due to dry season feeding is assessed taking into account increase in stocking rate, seasonal de-stocking practices, length of dry season, growth rates, feed costs and beef price. The model is appropriate for use in developing countries and can be employed manually to determine rapidly those management options worthy of more detailed consideration.     

A geographical approach to identify phosphorus-efficient genotypes among landraces and wild ancestors of common bean

Cultivars of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) capable of yielding well at low levels of native or added phosphorus (P) are highly desirable in many tropical production systems. The objective of the present study was to identify geographical regions which might be sources of such genotypes. A total of 364 landraces, cultivars and wild genotypes, drawn from a broad geographic range, were divided on the basis of growth habit into four field trials, each comprising two levels of P, stressed and unstressed, on an infertile Andosol in Popayan, Colombia. The regression relationship between grain yield per plant in the presence and in the absence of stress was determined, and each genotype's deviation from this relationship was used as a measure of P-efficiency. There was highly significant variation in efficiency among genotypes in all growth habits, and in climbing beans there were consistent regional differences, superior genotypes being identified with greater frequency among those from Bolivia, West Mexico and South Mexico-West Guatemala. The latter region was promising for prostrate bush genotypes also. Wild beans in general performed relatively poorly; it appears that P-efficiency traits in P. vulgaris have been acquired during or after domestication. These results confirm that genetic differences in P-efficiency exist among common bean genotypes and suggest that these are related to geographic origin. Furthermore, the use of a representative sample of germplasm can help to identify segments of the gene bank that are especially promising as sources of desirable traits. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Integration of multiple soil parameters to evaluate soil quality: a field example

Development of a method to assess and monitor soil quality is critical to soil resource management and policy formation. To be useful, a method for assessing soil quality must be able to integrate many different kinds of data, allow evaluation of soil quality based on alternative uses or definitions and estimate soil quality for unsampled locations. In the present study we used one such method, based on non-parametric geostatistics. We evaluated soil quality from the integration of six soil variables measured at 220 locations in an agricultural field in southeastern Washington State. We converted the continous data values for each soil variable at each location to a binary variable indicator transform based on thresholds. We then combined indicator transformed data for individual soil variables into a single integrative indicator of soil quality termed a multiple variable indicator transform (MVIT). We observed that soil chemical variables, pools of soil resources, populations of microorgansims, and soil enzymes covaried spatially across the landscape. These ensembles of soil variables were not randomly distributed, but rather were systematically patterned. Soil quality maps calculated by kriging showed that the joint probabilities of meeting specific MVIT selection were influenced by the critical threshold values used to transform each individual soil quality variable and the MVIT selection criteria. If MVIT criteria adequately reflect soil quality then the kriging can produce maps of the probabilty of a soil being of good or poor quality.     

Chiral fiber gratings

Chiral gratings with double helix symmetry were produced by twisting glass optical fiber with a noncircular core cross section as it passed through a miniature oven. We observed polarization-selective transmission in chiral fibers with pitches of tens of micrometers. Two modes of optical interaction were differentiated. In chirallong-period gratings, dips in transmission were observed at wavelengths associated with scattering into distinct cladding modes mediated by the chiral grating. In chiral intermediateperiod gratings, a broad scattering band was observed. These gratings can be used to produce sharp or broad polarization-selective filters.