Field variability and vulnerability index to identify regional precision agriculture opportunity

Innovations in precision agriculture (PA) have created opportunities to achieve a greater understanding of within-field variability. However, PA adoption has been hindered by uncertainty about field-specific performance and return on investment. Uncertainty could be better addressed by using innovative analyses that provide insights into variability among fields and across a region. The objectives of this research were to: (1) generate a within-field soil clay-content variability index (VI_c), (2) create a regional-scale growing-season precipitation variability index (VI_p), and (3) integrate the soil and weather indices with the USDA NRCS soil erosion vulnerability index (SVI) to produce a final index that incorporated both variability and vulnerability (VVI). The interpretation of the outcomes represented by each objective supports unique decisions that land managers may consider for reducing uncertainty about implementing PA. All indices were derived using publically available information for Missouri, USA. The VI_c was the ratio between the maximum and minimum clay content within fields. The VI_p was calculated as the standard deviation of the total growing-season precipitation from 2006 to 2015. Significant clustering of VI_c and VI_p were observed along the Missouri River corridor, northeast and northwest Missouri. Fields with high VVI were mostly in the claypan soil region of northeast Missouri, and along a portion of the Missouri River dominated by loess soils on steep slopes. Southeast Missouri displayed the greatest diversity in soil and weather variability, but had low vulnerability. This research could be used as a decision-support tool to aid producers and PA service and product providers in determining where PA opportunities exist.     

Isolation of Nanocellulose from Water Hyacinth Fiber (WHF) Produced via Digester-Sonication and Its Characterization

The successful isolation and characterization of water hyacinth fiber (Eichornia crassipes) (WHF) nanocellulose is presented in this study. The novelty was in exploring a wider range of properties of highly purified samples of WHF after each stage of production in more depth. The isolation was accomplished by pulping in a digester and sonication. Morphological changes before and after treatment were demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The lignin and hemicellulose content decreased during chemical treatment. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and particle size analyzer (PSA) were used to determine the morphology of WHF after sonication for 1 h. TEM shows that the diameter and length of nanocellulose WHF were 15.61 and 147.4 nm, respectively. The crystallinity index and crystalline domain area significantly increased after chemical treatment. The highest crystallinity index was 84.87 % after an acid hydrolysis process. The increase in crystallinity leads to good thermal stability. Moisture absorption tests of WHF were carried out before and after treatment. The lowest moisture absorption was in the cellulose fiber after sonication (nanocellulose).     

Effects of ionic surfactants on the aggregate stability and water repellency of silt loam soil

Purpose

With the increase of surfactant usages, more and more concerns were paid on their effects on the physicochemical characteristics of soils. Up to now, only few researches have examined the effects of ionic surfactants on the stability of soil structure and soil water repellency.

Materials and methods

Cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as cationic surfactant and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as anionic surfactant were adopted to investigate their effects on the aggregate stability and water repellency of a silt loam soil which was sampled in Corn High-Tech Park, Huang-Huai-Hai region, China. (1) Aggregate stability: 50 g soil was mixture with 100 mL surfactant solution in a beaker. The concentrations of surfactant solutions were 0 (the blank), 200, 400, 600, 800, 1000, and 2000 mg L^?1, respectively. After 30 min, the soil was sieved and divided into four fraction aggregates. (2) Soil water repellency: the concentrations of surfactant solutions were the same as experiment 1. Forty grams of soil was blended with 80 mL surfactant solution in an aluminum specimen. Drying the water by oven of 40 °C firstly and then by air, the whole period was about 1 week. After that, soil water infiltration and sorptivity were measured.

Results and discussion

Compared to the blank, surfactants increased the amounts of 2–0.25 and <0.053 mm aggregates of the soil and decreased the amounts of 0.25–0.053 mm aggregates of the soil. Surfactants also increased the mean weight diameter (MWD) of the soil. Except the 200 mg L^?1 treatment, CTAB promoted the soil water infiltration. All SDS treatments impeded the soil water infiltration. The soil repellency factor (R) value of the blank was 1.22, lower than the critical value of 1.95, which implied that the soil of blank treatment was free of soil water repellency. For CTAB, only 200 and 400 mg L^?1 treatment’s R were higher than 1.95 while for SDS, all the treatment’s R were higher than 1.95.

Conclusions

Surfactants improved the stability of soil aggregates. Soil treated with CTAB did not show the repellency, whereas SDS treatment resulted in intense water repellency compared with the wettable blank soil. Findings of this study can be used to explain the role of ionic surfactants on soil structure stability as well as on the development of water repellency in lower soil depths.

     

Effect of nitrogen levels on photosynthetic parameters,morphological and chemical characters of saplings and trees in a temperate forest

Exploring the response differences of leaf physiology parameters to enhanced nitrogen deposition between saplings and trees is vital for predicting the variations of terrestrial ecosystem structure and function under future global climate change. In this study, the ecophysiological parameters of saplings and trees of Fraxinus mandshurica Rupr. were measured at different levels of nitrogen addition in a temperate forest. The results show that ecophysiological parameters maximum net photosynthetic rate(P_(max)), apparent quantum efficiency(a), dark respiration(R_d), light saturation point(L_(sp)), photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency(PNUE),specific leaf area(SLA)and stomatal conductance under saturated light intensity(G_(smax)) were higher in saplings than in trees. These physiological parameters and not N_(leaf)(leaf nitrogen content)led to relatively lower P_(max) and R_d in trees. For both saplings and trees, low and median nitrogen addition(23 and 46 kg ha~(-1)a~(-1)) resulted in significant increases in Pmax, Rd, Lsp, Chl, PNUE, SLA and Gsmax. These parameters tended to decline under high additions of nitrogen(69 kg ha~(-1)a~(-1)),whereas Nleaf was always enhanced with increasing nitrogen. Variations in Pmax and Rd with increasing nitrogen were attributed to variations in the strongly related parameters of, Lsp, Chl, PNUE, SLA and Gsmax. Overall, the response sensitivity of physiological parameters to enhanced nitrogen levels was lower in trees compared with saplings.     

Sprouting characteristics of a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest following clear-cutting in Okinawa,Japan

This study explores the sprouting characteristics of an evergreen broad-leaved forest after clear-cutting based on a survey of 1,893 stumps of 62 tree species in Okinawa, Japan. The sprouting capabilities of the stumps varied among tree species. The stumps of 60 species could produce sprouts, while those of the other two species could not. In 10 of the sprouting species, the mean sprout-stem number was higher than 4.0 stems per stump; nine sprouting species showed low sprouting capabilities. Additionally, Castanopsis sieboldii and Schima wallichii, the dominant species, exhibited high sprouting capabilities. Further, the sprouting capabilities varied with stump diameter at breast height (DBH). Stumps with a larger DBH tended to have a higher mean number of sprout stems per stump, higher DBH, and higher tree height than the smaller stumps. The forest stands regenerated by sprouting might recover into a tree community similar to that before clear-cutting.     

Woody species composition,diversity and structure of riparian forests of four watercourses types in Burkina Faso

Riparian forests are classified as endangered ecosystems in general,particularly in sahelian countries like Burkina Faso because of human-induced alterations and civil engineering works.The modification of this important habitat is continuing,with little attention being paid to the ecological or human consequences of these changes.The objective of this study is to describe the variation of woody species diversity and dynamic in riparian forests on different type of watercourse banks along phytogeographical gradient in Burkina Faso.All woody species were systematically measured in 90 sample plots with sides of 50 m × 20 m.Density,dominance,frequency and species and family importance values were computed to characterize the species composition.Different diver-sity indices were calculated to examine the heterogeneity of riparian forests.A total of 196 species representing 139 genera and 51 families were recorded in the overall riparian forests.The species richness of individuals with dbh ≥ 5cm increased significantly from the North to the South along the phytogeographical gradient and varied significantly between the different types of riparian forests.Similarity in tree species composition between riparian forests was low,which indicates high beta diversity and reflects differences in habitat conditions and topography.The structural characteristics varied significantly along the phyto-geographical gradient and between the different types of riparian forests.The diameter class distribution of trees in all riparian forests showed a reverse "J" shaped curve except riparian forest of stream indicating vegetation dominated by juvenile individuals.Considering the ecological importance of riparian forest,there is a need to delineate and classify them along watercourses throughout the country.     

Environmental Risk Assessment of Emerging Contaminants Using Degradation Data

The degradation behavior of an emerging contaminant is a key factor in its environmental risk assessment. Existing risk assessment methods based on EC degradation data commonly neglect the time-varying volatility of the degradation, the possible correlations in degradation between different ECs, and the estimation errors. To fill the gaps, this paper proposes an EC risk assessment framework based on the Wiener process. We first focus on degradation data from competitive experiments, which are adopted to evaluate a useful risk indicator, i.e., the bimolecular rate constant of a degradation reaction. A two-dimensional Wiener process model is developed to capture the degradation behaviors of the target EC and a reference contaminant in the experiment. Point and interval estimations of desired quantities, including the rate constant and the degradation half-life, are developed. We further extend the model to the multivariate case, which is applicable to waste water treatment where multiple ECs degrade in a mixed solution. A risk indicator for the mixed solution is proposed, based on which a minimal treatment time can be determined. Both point and interval estimation procedures of the risk indicator and the minimal treatment time are proposed. Two EC degradation datasets are used to demonstrate the proposed methodologies.   Supplementary materials accompanying this paper appear on-line.     

Characteristics of nucleotides and amino acids in cDNA sequence of xyloglucan endotransglycosylase cloned from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anthocephalus chinensis</Emphasis>

Xyloglucan endotransglycosylase is an identified relaxation factor with functions of easing and extending of plant cell walls.Its activities are directly related to plant growth and elongation of organisms.Anthocephalus chinensis is a tall and fast growing evergreen tree species.We cloned the full cDNA sequence of AcEXT genes which is abundantly expressed in the cambium of A.chinensis.The sequence analysis of nucleotides and amino acids revealed the presence of a 1396 bp full cDNA sequence,including a 960 bp complete open reading frame(ORF) encoding a 320 amino acid protein.The deduced amino acid sequence of AcXET was homologous to the other known XET proteins and contained the conserved EIDFE catalytic site which was specific to all the XETs.Our data should serve as a foundation for further insight into AcXET gene molecular mechanisms during wood formation and cell wall engineering of woody plants.     

东北地区龟甲属五个新纪录种及中国一个新记录种记述

本文记述了东北地区龟甲亚科龟甲属五个新记录种,分别是Cassida mandli Spaeth, Cassida nobilis Linnaeus, Cassida piperata Hope, Cassida velaris Weise, Cassida amurensis (Kraatz),和中国一个新记录种Cassida flaveola Thunberg.所采标本全部存放在东北林业大学昆虫收藏室.本文编写了东北地区龟甲属检索表.     

Effects of silviculture treatments in a hurricane-damaged forest on carbon storage and emissions in central Hokkaido,Japan

Hurricanes cause abrupt carbon reduction in forests, but silviculture treatment can be an effective means of quickly regenerating and restoring hurricane-damaged sites. This study assessed how silviculture treatments affect carbon balance after hurricane damage in central Hokkaido, Japan. We examined carbon storage in trees and underground vegetation as well as carbon emissions from silviculture operations in 25-year-old stands, where scarification and plantation occurred just after hurricane damage. The amount of carbon stored varied according to silviculture treatment. Among three scarification treatments, a scarified depth of 0 cm (understory vegetation removal) led to the largest amount of carbon stored (64.7 t·ha-1 C). Among four plantation treatments, the largest amount of carbon was stored in a Larix hybrid (L. gmelinii var. japonica × L. kaempferi) plantation (80.3 t·ha-1 C). The plantation of Abies sachalinensis was not successful at accumulating carbon (40.5·ha-1 C). The amount of carbon emitted from silviculture operations was 0.05-0.14 t·ha-1 C, and it marginally affected the net carbon balance of the silviculture project. Results indicate that silviculture treatments should beperformed in an appropriate way to effectively recover the ability of carbon sequestration in hurricane-damaged forests.