Long-term isovolumetric leaching of aluminum from rocks during weathering: Implications for the genesis of saprolite

Isovolumetric geochemical analyses of 26 weathering profiles (saprolites) on crystalline rocks in Brazil and South Carolina indicate that, on average, Si and Al are leached from rocks in a long-terms molar ratio of 8.3. Hewever, with the exception of the Rio Negro River, the molar ratio of Si to Al in rivers draining these regions is about 100. If saprolites are still forming, the large discrepancy in Al mobilization between the saprolite record and modern river chemistry may be due to degassing of dissolved CO₂ from soil water entering streams with attendant increase in pH and Al precipitation. If saprolites are relic, the Rio Negro basin may be a model for the environmental conditions under which they form. These conditions are 1) low relief, 2) abundant rainfall and intense leaching and 3) organic rich soils which produce large concentrations of CO₂ and dissolved organic acids in the soil. Abundant rainfall maintains dilute soil water; large CO₂ pressure lowers pH; dissolved organic matter complexes Al (and Fe) and thus enhances the solubility of secondary clays. All of these effects hinder the precipitation of secondary weathering products and thus promote rock dissolution that is more nearly congruent. The problem with the Rio Negro model is to reconcile the low relief of the basin (which inhibits rapid groundwater movement) with the short contact time indicated by the diluteness of its chemistry.     

Contribution to the taxonomy ofVicia species belonging to the sectionFaba

Summary Vicia faba belongs to the sectionFaba. While the other species of the sectionV. narbonensis, V. johannis andV. bithynica cross enough well each other,V. faba seems to be strongly isolated from them. In addition the chromosome morphology ofV. faba differs from the other species of the section which among themselves are enough homogenous in this respect.To contribute to a wider knowledge on the taxonomical position ofV. faba in its section, electrophoretical and karyological analysis of 500 individuals belonging to 50 populations of different origin were carried out.The analyzed species were:V. faba, V. narbonensis, V. serratifolia, V. bithynica, V. galilaea andV. johannis.

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Beitrag zur Taxonomie derVicia-Arten der SektionFaba

Zusammenfassung Vicia faba gehört zur sect.Faba. Während andere Arten der Sektion (V. narbonensis, V. johannis undV. bithynica) untereinander relativ gut kreuzbar sind, istV. faba von ihnen deutlich isoliert. Darüberhinaus unterscheidet sichV. faba in der Morphologie seiner Chromosomen von den anderen Arten der Sektion, die in dieser Hinsicht eine relativ einheitliche Merkmalsausprägung zeigen. Um zu einer besseren Kenntnis der systematischen Stellung vonV. faba innerhalb der Sektion beizutragen, wurden chromatographische und karyologische Analysen von 500 Individuen aus 50 Populationen verschiedener Herkunft durchgeführt. Analysiert wurdenV. faba, V. narbonensis, V. serratifolia, V. bithynica, V. galilaea undV. johannis.

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Vicia, Faba

Vicia faba Faba. (V. narbonensis, V. johannis, V. bithynica) ,V. faba ë . ,V. faba , . V. faba , 500 50 . :V. faba, V. narbonensis, V. serratifolia, V. bithynica, V. galilaea, V. johannis.

     

Diagnostic imaging of a renal adenoma in a Red Oscar (Astronotus ocellatus Cuvier, 1829)

This case report describes the radiographic, ultrasonographic and computed tomographic (CT) examination of an abdominal swelling in a Red Oscar (Astronotus ocellatus Cuvier, 1829). While radiography only demonstrated caudoventral compression of the swimbladder, ultrasonography found a huge tumor-like parenchyma in the caudal abdomen. CT studies detected a possible connection between the tumor and the kidneys. Necropsy and pathohistology were performed. A papillary-cystic adenoma of the kidney was diagnosed.     

Bericht über die Reise nach Südwest-Spanien zur Sammlung kultivierter und wild wachsender Leguminosen im Jahre 1978

Zusammenfassung Im Jahre 1978 wurde gemeinsam mit Mitarbeitern der Banco de Germoplasma des Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agrarias (INIA) eine Reise zur Sammlung von autochthonen Landsorten von Ackerbohnen, Erbsen und Lupinen sowie ihrer verwandten Wildarten in Südwest-Spanien durchgeführt. Diese Sammelreise war Bestandteil des Mediterranean Programme des International Board for Plant Genetic Resources. In ihrem Verlauf wurden 286 Samenmuster von Leguminosen (sowie 58 von anderen Kultur- und Wildpflanzen) gesammelt. Die Proben der Leguminosenpopulationen werden in der Banco der Germoplasma des INIA und im Kulturpflanzenweltsortiment des Zentralinstituts für Genetik und Kulturpflanzenforschung erhalten und weiter bearbeitet.

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Report on the expedition to South-west Spain for the collection of cultivated and wild growing pulses in 1978

Summary In South-west Spain a joint expedition with staff members of the Banco de Germoplasma of the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agrarias (INIA) has-been realized for the collection of indigenous land-races of broad beans, peas and lupines as well as their wild relatives in 1978. This exploration and collection mission was a part of the Mediterranean Programme of the International Board for Plant Genetic Resources. 286 seed samples of pulses (and additional 58 samples from other cultivated and wild plants) have been collected. The accessions of the pulse-populations will be maintained for further evaluation in the Banco de Germoplasma of the INIA and in the Gatersleben gene bank.

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ë - 1978

Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agrarias (INIA) 1978 . , , - . « », International Board for Plant Genetic Resources. 286 ( 58 ). INIA .

     

Literatur über archäologische Kulturpflanzenreste (1978/1979)

Zusammenfassung In Fortsetzung von Bibliographien über archäologische Kulturpflanzenreste wurde die einschlägige Literatur der Jahre 1978/1979 zusammengestellt und der Inhalt der erfaßten 115 Arbeiten kurz kommentiert.

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Literature on archaeological remains of cultivated plants (1978/1979)

Summary The publications of 1978 and 1979 on archaeological remains of cultivated plants were put together and the contents of the 115 references briefly discussed.

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(1978/1979)

. 1978 1979 . 115 .

     

Delayed harvest of reed canary grass translocates more nutrients in rhizomes

Abstract

Two field experiments, one in large plots and the other in small framed plots, were conducted in Umeå, northern Sweden. The objectives were (1) to examine the seasonal patterns of rhizome growth and nutrient dynamics of the energy crop reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) in ley I and II, and (2) to evaluate the roles of soil type (mineral vs. organic), fertilisation level (0, 50, and 100 kg N ha^?1s), and season/harvest time (Oct-96, May-97, and Aug-97) on the rhizome growth and nutrient dynamics by means of a factorially designed experiment. The general pattern of rhizome growth was that biomass was low in June during initiation of shoot growth, but increased steadily during the growing season, reached a peak in late autumn, and remained high until next spring. The N and P accumulation in rhizomes followed a similar pattern. During ley years I and II, reed canary grass rhizome growth was less dependent on soil type, and more dependent on fertilisation and season, with fertilisation being the most important predictor of growth. The season/harvest time, followed by soil type, was the most important factor for both concentrations and therefore total uptake of N, P, and K in rhizomes. Soil type affected N content in rhizomes significantly, and also interacted with season and enhanced the effect on N, P, and K content in rhizomes. The seasonal dynamics of the nutrient content in rhizomes indicate a remobilisation of the nutrients from rhizomes to the regrowth of shoots and roots in spring and relocation/storage from aboveground shoots to rhizomes during late summer and autumn. The results of this study suggest that delaying the harvest to later than October would result in considerably more energy and nutrient resources being translocated from aboveground shoots to rhizomes for growth in the next season.     

Nutrients in the West African Sudano-Sahelian zone: Losses,transfers and role of external inputs

Crop growth on acid sandy soils of the Sudano-Sahelian zone is primarily limited by the low amounts of organic matter and available mineral nutrients in the topsoil. The shortening of fallow periods with population growth, the exploitation of fire wood, spatial nutrient transfers by wind and water and net nutrient exports with crop yields in the order of 15 kg nitrogen (N) 2 kg phosphorus (P) and 15 kg potassium (K) ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ for traditional fields planted to pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) in the southern Sahel have exhausted these resources. Large productivity declines in the prevailing agro-pastoral systems are the consequence. Data are presented to show bow nutrient exports at the level of individual fields, through grain yields and biomass removal as forage, firewood, construction material, and also through run-off, wind and water erosion, leaching and volatilisation, are either losses for the ecosystem or sources of nutrients transferred within the ecosystem. Livestock is a vector of nutrients from rangelands to manured fields through forage intake and excretion and helps to shortcut nutrient cycles, but it is also a net consumer of organic matter and minerals. Through the effects of trampling on the soil and of grazing on the vegetation composition and production, livestock also indirectly affects the cycling and transfer of nutrients. Net nutrient inputs by heavy rains causing overland flow, dust deposition and through biological nitrogen fixation, are also unequally distributed and thus aggravate the fertility gradient from large nutrient ‘source’ areas such as rangelands to small ‘sink’ areas such as fallows, low lands, temporary lakes and river benches. At a finer resolution, shrubs and trees with their alternating periods of nutrient storage and recycling in leaves and wood, micro-depressions, termite mounts and ant nests become localised points of nutrient concentration and high crop productivity. To balance losses of nutrients in these integrated systems and to obtain sustainable increases in production, external inputs of nutrients are necessary. These may be introduced by two different pathways, either via mineral fertilisers applied to croplands or via externally produced supplements fed to livestock. These pathways are complementary and each one has direct effects on the other. Fertiliser application to croplands affect livestock through the increase in available forage and crop residue feed, whereas feed supplementation affects crop production through higher amounts and better quality of manure. The adoption of either strategy by farmers requires a high nutrient use efficiency at low cost. Data from regional field trials revealed increases in total dry matter (TDM) of cereals with broadcast annual P application at 13 kg ha⁻¹ ranging across three years from 19 to 88% for rockphosphate and from 34 to 102% for single superphosphate (SSP). Still, a low-external input approach seemed more advantageous to farmers. The placement of NPK fertiliser at 4 kg P ha⁻¹ with the seed at or shortly after planting caused average TDM increases of 70% for millet, sorghum, maize, cowpea and groundnut and showed an up to three-fold higher phosphorus use efficiency than broadcast P. On the other hand, late dry season supplementation of grazing steers with millet bran not only decreased animal weight losses but also increased N and P concentrations in the faeces. The larger nutrient concentrations in the manure increased millet grain yield by 28% and stover yield by 21% on a field manured at a rate of 3 t DM ha⁻¹. However, even with such approaches the current trends of declining soil productivity can only be reversed, if local policy makers are willing to support agricultural change through better terms of trade for agricultural products.     

Impact of Biofertilizers on grain yield in spring wheat under varying fertility conditions and wheat-cotton rotation

High nitrogen fixing and phytohormone producing diazotrophs such as Azotobacter were isolated, identified and used as bioinoculants on wheat and cotton with varying doses of nitrogen under field conditions. The impact of bio-inoculants was determined on the basis of their effect on yield, dry weight and survival rate of bacteria at different days of plant growth under field conditions in two consecutive seasons (2000–01 and 2001–02). Pronounced effects were seen by the use of bio-inoculants in wheat crop. The effects were more visible in the second year as the level of bio-inoculants was maintained in the soil. A net saving of 25–30?kg nitrogen was observed using chosen bio-inoculants for wheat crop.     

Compatibility of the ammonium lactate (AL) and sodium bicarbonate (Olsen) methods for determining available phosphorus in Swedish soils

Abstract

Plant-available P was first extracted in soils 114 years ago and a number of different analytical methods have since been developed, but for good reasons none of these methods has been adopted as a standard for all soils. With increasing cooperation within research, there is a need to harmonise the interpretation of analytical data for fertiliser recommendations, research, and environmental control. This paper evaluates the compatibility of the Swedish standard ammonium lactate (P_AL) method and the widely used Olson's sodium bicarbonate (P_Ols) method in 82 topsoil samples taken from Swedish long-term soil fertility field trials. The P_AL-values were usually larger than P_Ols, with a mean P_AL/P_Ols quotient of 2.30±1.04 (0.67–6.58). The P_AL and P_Ols means and ranges were 126±89 (5–360) and 55.1±33 (3.1–122.8) mg P kg^?1 dry soil, respectively. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between P_AL and P_Ols and how this relationship was affected by clay content, pH, and soil organic carbon content (SOC). After statistical transformation, it emerged that the square root of clay content (17.4%±13.82, range 1–54.4) and pH (6.45±0.54, range 5.5–7.7) significantly affected the relationship at partial R ²-values of 2 and 12%, respectively, while ln(SOC) (2.54%±1.21, range 1–6.03) did not, apparently due the narrow range. The regressions of predicted vs. measured values explained 95 and 94% of the variation in P_AL and P_Ols, respectively. The mean deviation of predicted compared with measured values was 21.3 and 8.3 mg P kg^?1 dry soil for P_AL and P_Ols, respectively, corresponding to 20 or 19% of the measured values. We conclude that a data set consisting of P_AL-values can be converted into P_Ols-values and vice versa with reasonably high accuracy when accounting for clay content and pH.