Water Deficit Reduced Fertility of Young Microspores Resulting in a Decline of Viable Mature Pollen and Grain Set in Rice

Pollen formation in rice ( Oryza sativa L.) is highly vulnerable to environmental stresses such as heat, chilling and drought. In rice plants exposed to drought during male reproductive development, the most obvious damage often observed is a decline in the number of engorged pollen and grain set. This has been well characterized in rice under chilling and to a lesser extent under drought stress. Moreover, detailed literature on the immediate effects of drought on developing young microspores in rice is still limited. Here, we report findings from experiments on rice plants exposed to water deficit for three consecutive days during early stages of anther development. When the osmotic potential of the growing medium was equal to or less than −0.5 MPa, as induced by polyethylene glycol, the leaf water potential was significantly lowered and grain set was reduced. A strong correlation between grain set and viable young microspores (P < 0.001, r² = 0.8223) indicates that water deficit immediately reduced fertility of rice plants at the time of exposure. This result suggests a new underlying mechanism of water deficit-induced pollen abortion in rice.     

石油降解混合菌剂的筛选及降解条件研究

为了获得石油高效降解混合菌剂及优化的降解条件,从油污土壤、含油废水及原油中经富集驯化分离得到细菌68株、真菌15株,放线菌6株;将所分离的菌株通过初筛、复筛及两两混合拮抗实验,筛选得到Y-4与Y-12及Y-4与Y-37两组石油高效降解混合菌剂,其对石油的降解率均超过60%。同时研究了不同的初始条件对各混合菌剂降解率的影响。结果表明,Y-4与Y-12组合在初始pH 8.0、转速160 r/min、种子液以1:1接种0.5 mL、30~35℃培养7天,Y-4与Y-37组合在初始pH 7.5、转速130~160 r/min、种子液以1:1接种0.5 mL、35℃培养7天,加入的初始原油量越少,基质营养越丰富,其降解率越高。通过实验可知,在适宜的条件下2种混合菌剂的降解率均较高,并且混合菌剂对石油的降解率要高于单菌剂。     

PG99S智能型喷灌机的调试及维护

在蔬菜、花卉的工厂化育苗生产中,准确控制肥水的浓度和喷洒的均匀性显得尤为重要,而喷灌设备作为智能型连栋育苗温室的主要浇灌设备,被广泛应用于现代化育苗温室中。该设备自动作业,水量控制精准。本文就PG99S型智能喷灌机介绍其调试方法和故障维修。     

Short-term carbon and nitrogen dynamics in soil,litterfall and canopy of a suburban native forest subjected to prescribed burning in subtropical Australia

Purpose

This study aimed to understand the mechanisms of the variations in carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools and examine the possibility of differentiating the burning effects from seasonal and pre-existed N limitations in a native suburban forest ecosystem influenced by prescribed burning in subtropical Australia.

Materials and methods

Soil and litterfall samples were collected from two study sites from 1 to 23 months since last burnt. Soil labile C and N pools, soil C and N isotopic compositions (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N), litterfall mass production (LM), and litterfall total C, total N, δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N were analysed. In-situ gas exchange measurements were also conducted during dry and wet seasons for Eucalyptus baileyana and E. planchoniana.

Results and discussion

The results indicated that labile C and N pools increased within the first few months after burning, with no correlations with climatic factors. Therefore, it was possible that the increase was due to the burning-induced factors such as the incorporation of ashes into the soil. The highest values of soil and litterfall δ¹⁵N, observed when the study was commenced at the experimental sites, and their high correlations with climatic factors were indicative of long-term N and water limitation. The ¹³C signals showed that soil N concentrations and climatic factors were also two of the main factors controlling litterfall and foliage properties mainly through the changes in photosynthetic capacity and stomatal conductance.

Conclusions

Long-term soil N availabilities and climatic factors were the two of the main driving factors of C and N cycling in the studied forest sites. Further studies are needed to compare soil and litterfall properties before and after burning to profoundly understand the effects of prescribed burning on soil labile C and N variations.

     

基于SRTM_DEM的泾河流域特征信息提取研究

流域特征信息的提取对于水文地理信息分析、模拟技术和水文模型建立具有重要意义。基于STRM_DEM数据,在ArcGIS9．3环境下,提取泾河流域坡度、坡向等地形特征,以及河网、流域边界和面积等水文要素,并划分子流域。分析表明,当闽值取5000（40．5km^2）时,生成的流域河网能够较好地反映该地区水系。根据河网分级、低级集水区域生成结果和流域地形特征,可划分为32个子流域,为流域分布式水文模型的构建提供了基础地理信息。SRTM_DEM提取泾河和部分支流流域面积误差均较小,说明提取结果与实际非常接近。结果表明,SRTM_DEM数据和ArcGIS9．3提取流域特征信息方便快捷,具有较高的精度和准确性,应用前景广阔。     

Towards sustainable farming systems: Effectiveness and deficiency of the French procedure of sustainable agriculture

There is a widespread consensus about the importance of sustainable agriculture. In France, the Farming Orientation Law of July 1999 has set down a precise procedure for the implementation of sustainable agriculture: the contrat territorial d’exploitation – or territorial farm contract (TFC). This paper aims to analyse the TFC effectiveness. An analysis has been made of the TFCs signed in the Midi-Pyrenees Region in south-western France, using statistical analysis and qualitative surveys of a sample of farms. The results show that the most valuable effects have been mainly economic. Effects regarding social and environmental aspects were very limited. But from the point of view of an integrated approach, indirect effects of TFCs can be observed on social and environmental aspects. These results are explained, on the one hand, by farmers’ motivations guided by economic objectives, and on the other hand, by the dominance of professional farming organisations in the implementation of TFC’s procedure. Given these results, two ways of improving the elaboration procedure for TFCs are proposed. Firstly, technical improvements can be made to the diagnostic assessment of farms, and to the choice of actions addressed by the contract. Secondly, organisational improvements can be applied to TFCs elaboration and implementation process, in order to adopt a participatory approach which would involve all rural stakeholders.     

Growth and wood basic density of acacia hybrid clones at three locations in Vietnam

Field trials testing a total of 27 clones of the interspecific hybrid Acacia mangium × A. auriculiformis and seedling controls of the parental species were established at Ba Vi and Yen Thanh in the north of Vietnam and Long Thanh in the south. At both Ba Vi and Yen Thanh there were significant (P < 0.001) differences in height and diameter at breast height (DBH) among 22 tested clones at 4 years. At Long Thanh, twelve hybrid clones did not differ significantly in DBH at age 3 years, but did (P < 0.001) at age 5 years. At the two northern sites the acacia hybrid clones had significantly greater DBH than control seedlots of the parental species. At Long Thanh, DBH of the hybrid clones and A. mangium was similar, with a genetically improved seedlot of A. mangium displaying the best DBH. Mean wood basic density at breast height of the acacia hybrid clones was 539 kg m⁻³ at Yen Thanh at age 8 years, and 473 kg m⁻³ at Long Thanh at age 5 years; density for A. mangium at Long Thanh was only slightly lower than the hybrid clones at 461 kg m⁻³. Linear regressions of Pilodyn penetration (PP) at breast height on wood basic density explained 60% of the variance in density of treatments (clones and control seedlots) at Yen Thanh and 36% at Long Thanh. There were significant differences between hybrid clones in PP at all three trial sites. Clonal DBH performance was not strongly correlated across the three trial sites; Pearson correlations of clone mean DBH between pairs of sites ranged from −0.47 to 0.20. Clonal rankings for PP were more stable, with Pearson correlations between pairs of sites ranging from r = 0.71 to 0.78.     

越南安息香的低温半致死温度与抗寒适应性

以越南河内(Hanoi)、江西吉水(Jishui)、湖南资兴(Zixing)3个产地1年生越南安息香幼苗为试材,采用人工模拟低温处理技术进行低温处理,测定电解质外渗率,并配合Logistic方程对不同产地枝条的半致死温度(LT50)进行了拟合;测定低温处理下各产地越南安息香的MDA含量、根系活力,并观察不同产地越南安息香1年生幼苗的恢复情况.结果表明,3个产地越南安息香耐低温能力差异显著,半致死温度值LT50在-14.93～-9.48℃之间,抗寒性强弱排序依次为:Zixing＞ Jishui＞ Hanoi;幼苗叶片MDA含量、根系活力及抽条指数均反映出产地抗寒性强弱与半致死温度基本一致.     

Aboveground biomass increment and stand dynamics in tropical evergreen broadleaved forest

Forest ecosystems can modify the atmospheric CO₂ through biomass accumulation mostly in tree stems with diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 10 cm. Aboveground biomass increment (ΔAGB), and changes in stand AGB, no. stems and basal area (BA) were calculated from mortality, recruitment, and growth data of tree stems in tropical evergreen broadleaved forest, Central Highland Vietnam. Data were derived from ten 1-ha permanent plots established in 2004, where all stems with DBH ≥ 10 cm were tagged, identified to species, and measured for DBH in 2004 and 2012. In an 8-year duration, the increment was 53 ± 10 stems ha^–1, 7.8 ± 0.3 m² ha^–1 for BA and 86.0 ± 4.6 Mg ha^–1 for AGB. The stem mortality rate was 0.9% year^–1 and the stem recruitment rate was 2.2% year^–1. Annual ΔAGB was 10.8 Mg ha^–1 year^–1, equaling to 5.4 Mg C ha^–1 year^–1. Of which, tree stems of 35–80 cm DBH classes accounted for 65%. The results indicated that the forest is in stage of carbon sequestration. Any disturbances causing death of 35–80 cm DBH tree stems will much reduce carbon sequestration capacity and it will take a long time for AGB to return to pre-disturbance stage.     

A Synthesis of the Available Evidence to Guide the Design of Mixed-Species Forest Plantings for Smallholder and Community Forestry

There is growing interest in using multi-species plantation systems when undertaking reforestation for timber production. Such plantations can have ecological and socio-economic advantages over those of traditional monocultures. Despite increasing evidence about the functional advantages of increasing species richness in reforestation, there are few silvicultural guidelines to assist in the design and management of multi-species plantings. This paper presents the results of a systematic assessment of previous studies of mixed-species plantings with a particular focus on their advantages and disadvantages for meeting the needs of rural smallholders and communities in tropical regions. Research on mixed-species plantations has increased in recent years. Many earlier studies were concerned with the capacity of mixed-species plantings to improve productivity or the nutritional impacts of mixtures. Many of these studies emphasised young plantations and mixtures of a few relatively fast-growing Acacia, Eucalyptus and Pinus species. More recent studies have explored a wider range of outcomes arising from using mixtures including on the supply of ecosystem services. Issues deserving further study concern the economic advantages or disadvantages of mixed-species plantations, how these plantations might be designed to suit various environmental and socio-economic situations, and how to manage older mixed-species plantations where the interactions between species may be different to those in younger plantations. There is also a need to explore how increased species richness may affect the capacity of new plantations to withstand damage from insect pests or disturbances such as storms or wildfire.