Identification of double/twin bolled and bicolor unit ‘cluster’ in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gossypium hirsutum</Emphasis> L. cotton

Cultivated tetraploid Gossypium hirsutum L. (Malvaceae) cotton has been characterized as having one flower at a primordia. In a strain (CSH-13) of Gossypium hirsutum cotton, four plants out of 103 had two to three double bolls or twin bolls/plant during 2003–2004 crop season at CICR regional station, Sirsa, Haryana, India. Progeny evaluation in 2004 and 2005 crop seasons indicated that plants raised from seeds harvested from double bolls/twin bolls produced plants bearing double bolls only and plant progeny raised from the seed of single bolls from these mutant plants produced two to three double bolls per plant similar to the parent. Progeny testing revealed that double boll formation is the result of spontaneous mutation and environment does not influence its expression. The mutant is early in maturity by 10–15 days, naked seeded and possesses comparable agronomic characters with normal plants. Another spontaneous mutant of Gossypium hirsutum having more than three appendages originating from primordia.: four bolls one leaf, three bolls one leaf, two bolls two leaves, one boll three leaves were obtained from the population of CISV-13 strain in crop season 2003. These appendage groups have been described as bicolor unit by Clemens Bayer, [Zur Infloreszenzmorphologie der Malvales. Dissertations Botany 212 (1994)] and cluster mutant by Russell and Luther [J Cott Sci 6 (2002) 115]. One to three bolls in a cluster or bicolor unit were observed without formation of seeds and lint. About one-third of the total bolls on the mutant plant were of this type. In progeny testing during 2004 and 2005 crop seasons, this mutant produced plants exclusively with more than three appendages revealing that plants identified in 2003 were due to spontaneous mutation. This mutant was also early and naked seeded. Many of the other characters of the mutant plants were comparable with the wild type plants of the strain. Both the mutants were observed having economic impact due to their better yielding ability as compare to respective parents.     

Diversity in White Lupin (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lupinus albus</Emphasis> L.) Landraces from Northwest Iberianplateau

All the accessions (35) of white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) landraces collected from northwest Iberian plateau and maintained at the Spanish germplasm collection (CRF of INIA), were studied with the general objective of assessing the biodiversity of these landraces and to ascertain their value as genetic resources for the development of germplasm adapted to the areas where they were collected with long and chilly winters. The characterization study comprised 51 qualitative and 50 quantitative characters. Quantitative parameters were analyzed by Principal Components Analysis (PCA). The 2-dimensional plot (49.3% of cumulative variability) formed a main group of accessions and 4 outliers (#1, #9, #27 and #28) separated in the first PC. The characters with a higher contribution to the first PC were inflorescence length, leaf petiole length and leaf central foliole area. The presence of alkaloids, the percentage of plants killed by soil borne fungal diseases, the phenology, the yield per plant and yield components were also assessed. Twenty six accessions (the main group in the PCA plot) showed high homogeneity, with the following highlights: bitterness, indeterminate growth habit, early ripeness and spring sowing with the exception of #18, in which seeding date is unknown and it had a later phenology. By contrast accessions #9 and #27 were bitter of autumn sowing with determinate growing habit and they had the longest values of primary inflorescence length and a later phenology when they were sown in spring. Average values for yield and yield components showed a broad range of variation between accessions. The main yield component was the number of pods per plant. Accession #22 had the highest mean seed mass, although this had not significant influence in yield. Accession #17 showed the highest yield and #1 the lowest. This last also had the lowest values of inflorescence length, leaf petiole length and leaf central foliole area. No significant differences of resistance to soil-borne fungi were found between accessions. The year had a significant effect in the phenology, yield and yield components except for number of seeds per pod. The studied material might be of interest for the development of spring sowing germplasm adapted to north Iberian peninsula.     

Changes in soil chemistry associated with the establishment of forest gardens on eroded,acidified grassland soils in Sri Lanka

Topsoil properties were determined in forest gardens established about 20 years ago on eroded grassland soils (abandoned tea lands) in the wet zone of the Sri Lankan highlands. They were compared with adjacent, eroded grasslands (abandoned tea lands) on strongly weathered soils vs soils at earlier stages of pedogenic development in a two-way analysis of variance. Soil pH in forest gardens was, on average, 6.1, nearly one unit higher than in the adjacent grasslands. In the garden soils, the cation exchange capacity (CEC measured at pH 4.8) was nearly double, exchangeable calcium concentrations five times and exchangeable magnesium three times as high as in the grasslands soils. Total soil N content was found to be nearly 40% higher in the gardens. Topsoil gravel contents in the gardens were less than half as high as in the grasslands. The increases in exchangeable bases and N in gardens, relative to grasslands, were attributed to increased nutrient retention and acquisition. Higher retention was partly due to the higher CEC_pH4.8, and probably to reduced erosion and increased, continuous fine root density in the garden topsoils. Higher field CEC in gardens was likely to result from generally higher C contents and from the reversal of acidification, presumably caused by base accumulation and decomposition processes. Our results suggest that forest garden establishment on degraded grasslands can lead to accumulation of mobile nutrients in the topsoil, probably due to increased nutrient retention, subsoil uptake and litter input exceeding nutrient uptake by the standing biomass.     

便携式作物生长监测诊断仪的设计与试验

为了解决当前作物生长信息实时、快速、无损测量手段瓶颈问题,研发了一种基于多光谱传感器的便携式作物生长监测诊断仪。该仪器由多光谱传感器系统、处理器系统及附属机构组成,能实时无损地获取作物叶层氮含量、叶层氮积累量、叶面积指数、生物量等主要生长指标。对水稻的试验结果表明,便携式作物生长监测诊断仪测得的DVI值与水稻叶层氮含量、氮积累量、叶面积指数、叶干重的决定系数R2分别为0.711,0.8231,0.7698,0.7212。该仪器结构简单,集成度高,性价比好,携带方便,易于田间操作。     

履带式稻(麦)联合收割机液压——机械式行走系统的研究

液压行走系统因其结构简单、操纵方便、转向灵活等特点已广泛在联合收割机中采用。该文分析了液压一机械式联合收割机行走系统的工作过程，并以某联合收割机为例，对液压行走系统的配置方案、液压元件的选型、液压系统主要参数的确定、液压系统的性能验算和实测等方面进行了研究。研究结果表明，此液压行走系统的设计是合理的、可行的，完全可以满足联收机实际使用条件和较恶劣的工况。这为我国联合收割机液压行走系统的设计和配置提供重要的参考价值。     

采用广义回归神经网络建立酪蛋白乳化性与疏水性关系

为了研究琥珀酰化修饰后酪蛋白乳化性与疏水性关系,该文以琥珀酰化牦牛乳酪蛋白为研究对象,分析了不同酰化程度酪蛋白乳化性及疏水性变化趋势,采用广义回归神经网络建立了牦牛乳酰化酪蛋白乳化性与疏水性关系模型。结果显示,琥珀酰化牦牛乳酪蛋白乳化性和疏水性均与酰化程度、pH值有关,pH值为5以上,随着酰化程度的增加,酪蛋白乳化活性增大;等电点附近,酪蛋白乳化活性较差,等电点之后乳化活性迅速增大。pH值介于2-6时,所有酪蛋白乳化稳定性较强,pH值介于6-11之间时,酪蛋白乳化稳定性差异较小,pH值为12时乳化稳定性有所增加。酪蛋白内荧光与1-苯胺基萘-8-磺酸(1-aniline napthalene-8-sulfonic acid,ANS)外源荧光最大荧光强度和最大发射波长随酰化程度及pH值变化表现出较为复杂的关系。通过广义回归神经网络(generalized-regression-neu-network,GRNN)建立了牦牛乳酪蛋白疏水性参数、pH值、酰化程度与乳化性关系,网络模型对乳化性的预测相对误差小于10%,预测结果良好。研究结果为酪蛋白乳化性研究提供了参考依据。     

基于核函数支持向量回归机的耕地面积预测

科学预测耕地保有量是耕地保护的基础,对缓解用地矛盾、保证粮食安全具有重要指导意义。为探讨不同核函数支持向量回归机(support vector regression,SVR)对耕地面积预测的影响,该文以惠州市为例,分别采用多元回归、BP神经网络及3种不同核函数SVR建立耕地面积预测模型并进行对比试验。预测结果精度分析显示,RBF核函数SVR预测结果平均相对误差为0.54%,均方根误差为0.007,精度最高;Sigmoid核函数SVR预测结果对应误差分别为1.12%及0.012,精度次之;多项式核函数SVR预测结果对应误差为分别为2.71%及0.032,高于BP神经网络模型,但低于多元回归模型。研究表明,在现有3种常用核函数SVR耕地面积预测模型中,基于RBF核函数SVR模型预测能力最强,其次是sigmoid核函数;而多项式核函数则效果较差。     

鸡蛋壳膜分选装置相似设计及设计程序开发

鸡蛋壳膜分选装置用来分选分离后的鸡蛋壳膜混合物,目前在实验室中已经完成了壳膜分选装置的研究和设计,达到了很好的分选效果。为了使研究结果具有普遍适用性,便于工厂化应用,缩短设计周期,基于相似理论,以已研制的鸡蛋壳膜分选装置为模型,提出一种鸡蛋壳膜分选装置的相似设计方法。当固体负荷率分别为6、12、18、24 kg/s时,对根据该方法设计的装置进行仿真,同时进行了比例尺为1.2倍的原型试验,验证了相似设计方法的正确性和可行性。运用Visual Basic 6.0对CATIA、AutoCAD进行二次开发,编写程序,可直接获得三维模型、二维图纸及工作参数,提高了鸡蛋壳膜分选装置的设计效率,降低了成本,实现了分选装置的快速设计。     

Development of a joint system using a compressed wooden fastener I: evaluation of pull-out and rotation performance for a column—sill joint

Compressed wooden plates and dowels were used to connect members in post-and-beam structures as a substitute for a steel fastener. In order to take advantage of the characteristic properties of compressed wood and to achieve optimum joint performance, two compressed wooden plates were used in each joint to give multiple shear planes for each compressed wooden dowel. Consequently, this type of joint showed very good properties in pull-out and momen-trotation performance, and its engineering design could be further optimized. This joint is expected to be introduced to many kinds of structural systems, including long-span frame structures made of domestic timber found in Japanese residential houses.     

Vulnerability of Community-Based Forest Management to Climate Variability and Extremes: Emerging Insights on the Contribution of REDD+

Climate change spurs havoc on social-ecological system. People and places vulnerable to climate change have been the focus of many discussions. However, in the forestry sector, limited studies have been conducted that link human vulnerability to recent initiatives, such as reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation or REDD+, especially in highly vulnerable countries. Using case studies from the Philippines, this paper focuses on the vulnerability of two community-based forest management (CBFM) organizations, with and without REDD+ readiness intervention, to show the impacts of climate variability and extremes. Two balance-weighted approaches, the livelihood vulnerability index and the IPCC-framework, were used in the vulnerability assessments. Results revealed high vulnerability of both CBFM organizations, although Malitbog Upland Developers for Sustainable Association (MUDSA) livelihood vulnerability is largely aggravated by its exposure to disaster, climate variability and extremes, accessibility to health facilities and water supply. The long history of CBFM implementation in both organizations have minimal contribution in enhancing the adaptive capacity of members to cope with and adapt to climate change impacts. REDD+ (readiness), does not insure reduced vulnerability to climate change, unless sustainable livelihood is achieved. As the State controls forest resources, the rights of CBFM-organizations to commercially benefit from these resources are limited, a disincentive to the development of new and viable development programs in CBFM areas, such as REDD+. This also constrains the achievement of climate resiliency.