Crop residues exacerbate the negative effects of extreme flooding on soil quality

Extreme flood events are predicted to have a negative impact on soil quality. Currently, there is a lack of information about the effect of agricultural practices on soil functioning and microbial processes under these events. We hypothesized that the impact of flooding on soil quality will be exacerbated when crop residues are present in the soil as they will induce more extreme anaerobicity. A spring extreme flood event (10 °C, 9 weeks) was simulated in mesocosms containing an arable sandy-loam soil low in nutrients. The main treatments were (1) with and without flooding and (2) with and without maize residue addition (8 Mg ha^?1). We monitored changes in soil chemical quality indicators (e.g. pH, salinity, Fe³⁺, P, C, NH₄ ⁺, NO₃ ^? and organic N), greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (CO₂, CH₄, N₂O) and soil microbial community composition (PLFAs) during a prolonged flood period (9 weeks) and an 8-week “recovery” period after flooding. In comparison to the other treatments, flooding in the presence of crop residues resulted in a dramatic drop in soil redox potential. This was associated with the enhanced release of Fe and C into solution and an increase in CH₄ emissions. In contrast, maize residues reduced potential nitrate losses and N₂O emissions, possibly due to complete denitrification and microbial N immobilization. Both flooding and maize residues stimulated microbial growth and promoted a shift in microbial community composition. Following floodwater removal, most of the soil quality indicators returned to the levels of the control treatment within 5 weeks. After this short recovery phase, no major impact of flooding could be observed on plant growth (maize pot-grown). Overall, we conclude that both extreme flooding and management regime negatively impact upon a range of soil quality indicators (e.g. redox, GHG emissions); however, the soil showed high resilience and recovered quickly after floodwater removal. Further work is required to investigate the impact of repeated extreme flood events on soil quality and function over longer timescales.     

Effects of prostaglandin F2 alpha on prolactin secretion in the fowl

The plasma concentration of prolactin in immature cockerels was increased between 10 and 40 min after the intravenous administration of prostaglandin (PG) F2 alpha (200 micrograms/kg body weight). Lower doses had no effect on plasma prolactin concentration. The addition of PGF2 alpha (10(-9) to 10(-6) M) to incubation media had no effect on the basal release of pituitary prolactin but reduced the release of prolactin from pituitary-hypothalamus co-incubations. The addition of noradrenaline (10(-7) M), serotonin (10(-7) M), acetylcholine (10(-6) M) or histamine (10(-6) M) to the co-incubation increased the hypothalamus-induced prolactin release, although these effects were not observed in the presence of 10(-7) M PGF2 alpha. The in vitro release of pituitary prolactin was increased by adding chicken hypothalamic extract in the presence or absence of PGF2 alpha. These results suggest a dual effect on PGF2 alpha of prolactin secretion in the fowl; its stimulation in vivo may result from a peripheral action.     

Circulating growth hormone and prolactin concentrations in turkeys and chickens infected with histomonas meleagridis

1. Histomonas meleagridis was inoculated into young chickens and turkeys and the effect of the infection (blackhead) on circulating growth hormone (GH) and prolactin concentrations determined.

2. During the course of the infection in turkeys there was a marked increase in plasma GH concentration which correlated with the severity of the disease, as judged by liver and caecal characteristics. The infection was less severe in chickens and no correlation between plasma GH and the degree of infection was observed.

3. The concentration of plasma prolactin was increased in the chicken, but not in the turkey, during the invasive period of infection.     

From atopy to zinc-responsive dermatosis

Anthony Chadwick, winner of the 1997 Frank Beattie Travel Scholarship, reports on his study trip to the USA, where he attended a veterinary dermatology conference in Nashville, Tennessee, and spent two weeks at the dermatology unit of Cornell University     

京郊畜禽粪肥资源现状及其替代化肥潜力分析

随着都市型规模化养殖业快速发展,畜禽粪尿废物大量排放因缺乏足够面积土地消纳所带来的环境压力很大,而粪尿中的氮磷钾养分与化肥一样对作物同等重要,如何合理利用这些废物资源决定了都市化农业的可持续发展。该文针对京郊养殖业和农用地面积现状,结合调研、收集畜禽养分排泄系数和农田养分需求等参数,估算京郊固液粪便养分资源现状及其替代化肥的潜力。结果表明:京郊畜禽固液粪便中N、P、K养分量分别为58.7×103、21.3×103、29.8×103 t,其中固体粪便N、P、K养分分别为43.1×103、20.3×103和19.7×103 t,京郊畜禽固液粪便可分别满足农田N、P、K养分需求量的99.3%、185.2%、62.7%。大部分区县粪肥中P养分产生量超过作物P需求量,粮田秸秆还田可带入的N、P、K养分分别为11.0×103、1.6×103和15.0×103 t,情景分析表明在秸秆还田条件下,按照磷素平衡原则估算本地区所能消纳的粪肥所带入N、P和K养分数量分别为18.3×103、9.9×103和10.3×103 t,同时需要补充N、K化肥分别为29.8×103和22.2×103 t,其余粪肥则需经过堆肥化处理并输往外地。经过堆肥处理,固体粪肥可提供的N、P、K养分分别下降了23%、11%和12%,外输固体粪肥堆肥可进一步减少农田氮磷负荷以及可能的环境风险。