Evaluating the influence of surface soil moisture and soil surface roughness on optical directional reflectance factors

Fine‐scale information on soil surface roughness (SSR) is needed for calculating heat budgets, monitoring soil degradation and parameterizing surface runoff and sediment transfer models. Previous work has demonstrated the potential of using hyperspectral, hemispherical conical reflectance factors (HCRFs) to retrieve the SSR of different soil crusting states. However, this was achieved by using dry soil surfaces, generated in controlled laboratory conditions. The primary aim of this study was therefore to test the impact that in situ variations in surface soil moisture (SSM) content had on the ability of directional reflectance factors to characterize SSR conditions. Five soil plots (20 cm × 20 cm in area) representing different agricultural conditions were subjected to different durations of natural rainfall to produce a range of different levels of SSR. The values of SSM varied from 8.7 to 20.1% across all soil plots. Point laser data (4‐mm sample spacing) were geostatistically analysed to give a spatially‐distributed measure of SSR, giving sill variance values from 3.2 to 23.0. The HCRFs from each soil state were measured using a ground‐based hyperspectral spectroradiometer for a range of viewing zenith angles from extreme forward‐scatter (θ_r = ?60°) to extreme back‐scatter (θ_r = +60°) at a 10° sampling resolution in the solar principal plane. The results showed that despite a large range of SSM values, forward‐scattered reflectance factors exhibited a very strong relationship with SSR (R² = 0.84 at θ_r = ?60°). Our findings demonstrate the operational potential of HCRFs for providing spatially‐distributed SSR measurements, across spatial extents containing spatio‐temporal variations in SSM content.     

Carbon distribution and losses: erosion and deposition effects

Because of concerns about the eventual impact of atmospheric CO₂ accumulations, there is growing interest in reducing net CO₂ emissions from soil and increasing C storage in soil. This review presents a framework to assess soil erosion and deposition processes on the distribution and loss of C in soils. The physical processes of erosion and deposition affect soil C distribution in two main ways and should be considered when evaluating the impact of agriculture on C storage. First, these processes redistribute considerable amounts of soil C, within a toposequence or a field, or to a distant site. Accurate estimates of soil redistribution in the landscape or field are needed to quantify the relative magnitude of soil lost by erosion and accumulated by deposition. Secondly, erosion and deposition drastically alter the biological process of C mineralization in soil landscapes. Whereas erosion and deposition only redistribute soil and organic C, mineralization results in a net loss of C from the soil system to the atmosphere. Little is known about the magnitude of organic C losses by mineralization and those due to erosion, but the limited data available suggest that mineralization predominates in the first years after the initial cultivation of the soil, and that erosion becomes a major factor in later years. Soils in depositional sites usually contain a larger proportion of the total organic C in labile fractions of soil C because this material can be easily transported. If the accumulation of soil in depositional areas is extensive, the net result of the burial (and subsequent reduction in decomposition) of this active soil organic matter would be increased C storage. Soil erosion is the most widespread form of soil degradation. At regional or global levels its greatest impact on C storage may be in affecting soil productivity. Erosion usually results in decreased primary productivity, which in turn adversely affects C storage in soil because of the reduced quantity of organic C returned to the soil as plant residues. Thus the use of management practices that prevent or reduce soil erosion may be the best strategy to maintain, or possibly increase, the worlds soil C storage.     

Quantifying uncertainty in the wild‐caught fisheries goal of the Ocean Health Index

Sustainability indices are proliferating, both to help synthesize scientific understanding and inform policy. However, it remains poorly understood how such indices are affected by underlying assumptions of the data and modelling approaches used to compute indicator values. Here, we focus on one such indicator, the fisheries goal within the Ocean Health Index (OHI), which evaluates the sustainable provision of food from wild fisheries. We quantify uncertainty in the fisheries goal status arising from the (a) approach for estimating missing data (i.e., fish stocks with no status) and (b) reliance on a data‐limited method (catch‐MSY) to estimate stock status (i.e., B/B_MSY). We also compare several other models to estimate B/B_MSY, including an ensemble approach, to determine whether alternative models might reduce uncertainty and bias. We find that the current OHI fisheries goal model results in overly optimistic fisheries goal statuses. Uncertainty and bias can be reduced by (a) using a mean (vs. median) gap‐filling approach to estimate missing stock scores and (b) estimating fisheries status using the central tendency from a simulated distribution of status scores generated by a bootstrap approach that incorporates error in B/B_MSY. This multitiered approach to measure and describe uncertainty improves the transparency and interpretation of the indicator and allows us to better understand uncertainty around our OHI fisheries model and outputs for country‐level interpretation and use.     

Terraclor (PCNB) for control ofRhizoctonia solani. II. PCNB residues in tubers

Terraclor (PCNB) applied to soils by broadcast and row slightly reduced the incidence ofRhizoctonia solani but did not increase yield or per cent of U. S. No. 1 tubers either by weight or numbers. Residues of PCNB in tubers grown in treated soils increased as the rate per acre of PCNB increased. Almost all of the residues were in the tuber peel.     

Clonal production and organization of inhibitory interneurons in the neocortex

The neocortex contains excitatory neurons and inhibitory interneurons. Clones of neocortical excitatory neurons originating from the same progenitor cell are spatially organized and contribute to the formation of functional microcircuits. In contrast, relatively little is known about the production and organization of neocortical inhibitory interneurons. We found that neocortical inhibitory interneurons were produced as spatially organized clonal units in the developing ventral telencephalon. Furthermore, clonally related interneurons did not randomly disperse but formed spatially isolated clusters in the neocortex. Individual clonal clusters consisting of interneurons expressing the same or distinct neurochemical markers exhibited clear vertical or horizontal organization. These results suggest that the lineage relationship plays a pivotal role in the organization of inhibitory interneurons in the neocortex.     

Methods of overcoming interspecific barriers in Trifolium

Summary Barriers to interspecific hybridization in Trifolium were investigated by manipulation of mentor pollen treatments, ploidy levels, and compatibility and male sterility systems. Crosses involving the addition of mentor pollen produced fewer seeds and hybrids than crosses involving normal pollination. Lower seed set with mentor pollen was deduced to result from the use of less viable pollen, approximately half the pollen having been killed by alcohol. Pollinations at the diploid level resulted in more hybrids than at the tetraploid level, perhaps because genes for male sterility produced higher female sterility in the tetraploids. The self-compatible stock produced more seeds, mostly selfs, than the self-incompatible stock, but produced more hybrids only in one cross, T. pratense L. × T. diffusum Ehrh. The use of male-sterile female parents reduced selfing but produced fewer hybrids than male-fertile female parents. Techniques of this study were designed to affect prefertilization barriers, but the lack of effect may indicate that postfertilization barriers in Trifolium are of greater importance.Journal Article No. 98-3-208 of Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station. Published with approval of the Director.     

Investigation of the nutritional requirements of Australian snapper Pagrus auratus (Bloch & Schneider 1801): digestibility of gelatinized wheat starch and clearance of an intra-peritoneal injection of d-glucose

Two experiments were performed to investigate the digestibility and utilization of carbohydrate sources by Australian snapper Pagrus auratus. In the first experiment, snapper of two different size classes (110 and 375 g) were fed a reference diet containing no starch (REF) or diets containing 150 (PN15), 250 (PN25), 350 (PN35) or 450 g kg^?1 (PN45) of 100% gelatinized wheat starch to investigate the interactive effects of fish size and starch inclusion level on apparent organic matter (OM) or gross energy (GE) digestibility (ADC), post‐prandial plasma glucose concentration, hepatosomatic index (HSI) and liver or tissue glycogen content. A second experiment used a 72 h time course study to investigate the ability of larger snapper (300–481 g) to clear an intra‐peritoneal injection of 1 g d ‐glucose kg^?1 body weight (BW). Organic matter and GE ADCs declined significantly in both fish sizes as the level of starch increased (PN45energy small fishenergy large fish). There was no interaction between fish size and inclusion level with respect to GE or OM ADCs. Gross energy ADC for both sized fish was described by the linear function GE ADC=104.97 (±3.39)–0.109 (±0.010) × inclusion level (R²=0.86). Hepatosomatic index, liver and muscle glycogen concentrations were significantly elevated in both small and large snapper‐fed diets containing gelatinized starch compared with snapper fed the REF diet. Three‐hour post‐prandial plasma glucose concentrations were not significantly affected by fish size, inclusion level or the interaction of these factors (REF=PN15=PN25=PN35=PN45), and ranged between 1.60 and 2.5 mM. The mean±SD resting level of plasma glucose (0 h) was 2.4±1.1 mM. Circulating levels of plasma glucose in snapper peaked at 18.9 mM approximately 3 h after intra‐peritoneal injection and fish exhibited hyperglycaemia for at least 12–18 h. There were no significant differences between the plasma glucose concentrations of snapper sampled 0, 18, 24, 48 or 72 h after injection (0=18=24=48=72<12< 1<3=6 h), indicating snapper required almost 18 h to regulate their circulating levels of glucose to near‐basal concentrations. Australian snapper are capable of digesting moderate levels of gelatinized wheat starch; however, increasing the dietary content of starch resulted in a reduction in OM and GE digestibility. Smaller snapper appear to be less capable of digesting gelatinized starch than larger fish, and levels above 250 and 350 g kg^?1 of diet are not recommended for small and large fish respectively. Snapper subjected to an intra‐peritoneal injection of d ‐glucose have prolonged hyperglycaemia; however, the post‐prandial response to the uptake of glucose from normally digested gelatinized starch appears to be more regulated.     

牧草新品种黔草1号高羊茅的选育

黔草1号高羊茅是利用贵州地方野生资源作亲本,采用改良混合选择法,经10余年的选育研究育成的新品种。该品种抗逆性强、适应性广、坪用性好、耐践踏、持续性好、绿期长,返青期比引进品种凌志提前7 d,枯黄期晚3 d;种子成熟期集中,种子平均产量比对照品种高20%以上。适应我国长江中下游低山、丘陵等地区种植,是运动场草坪、环境绿化、生态治理的优良草种。     

Assessment of Biogas use as an Energy Source from Anaerobic Digestion of Brewery Wastewater

Energy recovery from a crossflow ultrafiltration (UF) membraneunit employed in order to improve the performance of an anaerobic contact digester for the treatment of brewery wastewater was assessed. The performance of the pilot-scale anaerobic UF membrane system was studied for over 15 months. At steady-state conditions, an organic loading rate of 28.5 kg COD m^-3 d^-1, a hydraulic retention time of 4.2 days and overall COD and BOD removal efficiencies of 99% and almost 100% were achieved, respectively. Percent methane in biogas was found to be in a range of 67–79% with the corresponding methane yield of 0.28–0.35 m³ CH₄ kg^-1 COD_removed. The potential energy recovery from the system treating brewery wastewater at an OLR of 28.5 kg COD m^-3 d^-1 was 87 MJ d^-1 which would enable to maintain all energy requirements of the feed pump, mixing and heating of the reactor contents. In addition to this, 71% of the energy requirement for recirculating the reactor content through the membranes would also be recovered.