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.

     

考虑种养平衡的黄淮海小麦-玉米模式下畜禽承载量估算

黄淮海地区作为中国种植业与养殖业优势区,随着国家对农作物秸秆和畜禽粪便所带来农村环境问题的日益重视,研究该区域"以种定养"、实现种养业废弃物资源化利用、践行绿色发展理念显得尤为重要。以区域种植业实际生产情况为基础,确定典型种植模式下可施用畜禽粪便类有机肥量,经推导计算后确定区域畜禽养殖种类与数量。该文选取河北、河南和山东为黄淮海地区典型代表,在保障粮食产量和满足农田环境风险评估的基础上,研究小麦-玉米生产模式中,畜禽粪便类有机肥每年可施用量,经推导得到高温好氧堆肥处理前的畜禽粪污资源量,进而计算得到每年可承载的不同种类畜禽养殖量。这样既可满足种植业生产的肥料需求,也能缓解养殖业粪污带来的环境压力。研究结果表明:黄淮海地区小麦-玉米生产模式中,每公顷农田每年可利用6头奶牛或18头肉牛或47～51头生猪或731～789只蛋鸡或8 062～8 705只肉鸡粪便N量。在实际生产中,土壤肥力和土壤微生物等多因素影响有机肥可施用量,不同种类畜禽的农田承载量还需进一步优化。该研究为促进黄淮海地区种养结合提供一定的理论基础。     

湿式离合器温度场特性仿真分析

针对湿式离合器摩擦副热失效问题,以摩擦钢片为研究对象,借助AcuSolve仿真分析软件,开展了离合器接合过程钢片瞬态温度场仿真分析研究。通过仿真分析获得了起步工况时主、从动端转速差、接合时间及入口流速等因素对钢片温度场影响规律。仿真结果表明:沿摩擦盘径向,钢片表面温度随着半径值的增加而上升,高温聚集在半径较大处;主、从动转速差越大,摩擦钢片的温度梯度越大;增加接合时间会导致钢片表面温度升高;增大入口流速可小幅降低摩擦副的表面温度。     

Stem elongation in Pennisetum purpureum results from a fixed pattern of vegetative development potentially enhanced by the initiation of flowering

The characterization of stem elongation is of fundamental importance in C4 tropical grasses as it affects forage quality and determines optimal management practices. The objectives of this study were to analyse the determinants of stem elongation and leaf area production in shoots of Pennisetum purpureum cv. Napier (elephant grass) using unstressed isolated plants. Three experiments were conducted in Brazil during the spring, summer and autumn seasons. Regular measurements of leaf and pseudostem length were performed on the main and primary axes. Ten destructive measurements were also performed during each experiment to monitor apical meristem height, internode length and the number of initiated leaves. The onset of stem elongation occurred at the same vegetative stage (i.e., appearance of leaf 13) irrespective of the seasons and experiments. The first internode to elongate belonged to phytomer 8, and a constant lag of five phyllochrons was systematically observed between internode production and its rapid elongation period. Higher stem and internode elongation rates were observed during the reproductive phase (autumn) versus the vegetative phase (summer and spring group). Maximal internode length reached 8–10 cm in summer and spring and 20 cm in autumn, at approximately phytomers 12–13. A similar pattern was reported for all primary axes irrespective of the experiments, the position of the first internode to elongate descending regularly down the main axis. These results provide key elements to predict the onset of stem elongation in the field from simple measurements. They could contribute to improving crop models for perennial tropical C4 grasses.     

Variation in rate of phenological development and morphology between red clover varieties: Implications for clover proportion and feed quality in mixed swards

Red clover (Trifolium pratense) grown in mixtures with grasses often constitutes a lower proportion of total yield in spring than in summer growth. A more even red clover proportion between the harvests would benefit forage quality and management at feeding. We investigated whether inclusion of early versus late‐maturing red clover varieties could reduce this disproportionality. In a two‐year field trial harvested three times per season, each of six red clover varieties was grown in two grass mixtures. Rate of phenological development did not differ during spring growth, but did so in regrowth after first and second cuts. Here, the earliest varieties constituted the highest proportion. At all harvests, the early varieties had lower crude protein concentrations and a higher content of neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and indigestible NDF than the late varieties. Clover proportion was higher in swards with a mixture of timothy and meadow fescue than in swards with perennial ryegrass during the first year and lower in the second year. It is concluded that developmental rate should be explored further as a key character for red clover competiveness in spring growth of rapidly elongating grasses.