Modelling carbon dynamics in mixed grass–red clover swards

Growth and carbon dynamics in mixed grass–red clover leys were simulated using a growth model for pure stands based on radiation use, allocation within plant and loss of biomass. The model and its parameter values were taken from previous applications of the model to pure swards of grass and red clover grown in the same experiment at the same sites and years.     

Short‐term degradation of semiarid grasslands—results from a controlled‐grazing experiment in Northern China

The assessment of grassland degradation due to overgrazing is a global challenge in semiarid environments. In particular, investigations of beginning steppe degradation after a change or intensification of the land use are needed in order to detect and adjust detrimental land‐use management rapidly and thus prevent severe damages in these sensitive ecosystems. A controlled‐grazing experiment was established in Inner Mongolia (China) in 2005 that included ungrazed (UG) and heavily grazed plots with grazing intensities of 4.5 (HG4.5) and 7.5 (HG7.5) sheep per hectare. Several soil and vegetation parameters were investigated at all sites before the start of the experiment. Topsoil samples were analyzed for soil organic C (SOC), total N (N_tot), total S (S_tot), and bulk density (BD). As vegetation parameters, aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP), tiller density (TD), and leaf‐area index (LAI) were determined. After 3 y of the grazing experiment, BD increased and SOC, N_tot, S_tot, ANPP, and LAI significantly decreased with increasing grazing intensity. These sensitive parameters can be regarded as early‐warning indicators for degradation of semiarid grasslands. Vegetation parameters were, however, more sensitive not only to grazing but also to temporal variation of precipitation between 2006 and 2008. Contrary, soil parameters were primarily affected by grazing and resistant against climatic variations. The assessment of starting conditions in the study area and the application of defined grazing intensities is essential for the investigation of short‐term degradation in semiarid environments.     

Atmospheric Mercury Fluxes in a Southern Boreal Forest and Wetland

Total gaseous mercury (TGM) fluxes from the forest floor and a boreal wetland were measured by a flux chamber technique coupled with an automatic mercury vapour analyser. The fluxes were measured at three sampling sites in southern Finland, 61°14′ N, 25°04′ E in summer 2007, with additionally in situ TGM concentrations in the air at one of the sites and mercury bulk deposition at another. Most of the flux data were collected during the daytime. At one of the sites, diurnal flux behaviour was studied, and a clear cycle with an afternoon maximum and a night minimum was observed. The highest emissions (up to 3.5 ng m⁻² h⁻¹) were observed at the forest floor site having a moss and grass cover. At the wetland and litter-rich forest floor sites, the emissions were below 1 ng m⁻² h⁻¹ and sometimes negative (down to −1.0 ng m⁻² h⁻¹), indicating mercury uptake. The measured average fluxes in August were 0.9 ± 1.1 and 0.2 ± 0.3 ng m⁻² h⁻¹ for the forest floor sites and wetland sites, respectively. The flux data were compared with the mercury bulk deposition, which proved to be of the same magnitude, but opposite in sign. At the mossy forest floor site, the extrapolated TGM emissions were 130% of the Hg deposition in August 2007. Comparison with other studies showed that the fluxes in background areas are relatively uniform, regardless of measurement site location and method used. Airborne TGM remained at the background level during the study, with an average value of 1.3 ± 0.2 ng m⁻³; it frequently showed a diurnal cycle pattern.     

干旱胁迫下冬小麦产量结构与生长、生理、光谱指标的关系

通过控制生育期水分条件形成不同程度的干旱胁迫,对冬小麦生长、产量及生理指标和冠层高光谱反射率对干旱胁迫的反应进行监测,建立冬小麦减产率与生长、生理及冠层光谱反射率的相关模型。研究结果表明:不同生育期冬小麦干物质积累速度随水分胁迫程度的增大而减小;叶绿素含量与水分条件的关系不同于其他参数,表现为中等水分条件下叶绿素含量最大,严重水分胁迫下叶绿素含量最低;不同水分条件下光合速率呈两种不同日变化特征,且正常供水处理的光合速率明显高于严重干旱处理。光合速率和增强植被指数(EVI)同冬小麦减产率相关性较强,能够建立较好的关系模型用于小麦产量预测。     

Genetic mapping of loci determining long glumes in the genus Triticum

Elongated glumes are present in thetetraploid wheat species T.polonicum, T. turanicum, T.durum convar. falcatum and in thehexaploid species T. petropavlovskyi.Inheritance of glume length was studiedwith the aim to map the respective lociusing wheat microsatellite markers. In T. polonicum and T. petropavlovskyiloci conferring long glume were mapped nearthe centromere on chromosome 7A. These twoloci are designated P-A ^pol 1 andP-A ^pet 1, respectively. It isshown that both are probably homoeoallelicto each other and to the P gene ofT. ispahanicum on chromosome 7B. The loci determining elongated glumes in T. turanicum and T. durum conv. falcatum are not homoeologous to the P loci in the centromeric region of thegroup 7 chromosomes.     

Dispersal of woody plants in forest edges and hedgerows in a Southern Swedish agricultural area: the role of site and landscape structure

The distribution of woody vegetation was studied in forest edges and hedgerows in a 28 km² southern Swedish agricultural area, characterised by species-rich edge zones. The occurrence of 21 selected woody species (taxa) was related to differences in both edge structure and landscape structure. All the species studied were represented in both edge types, but a higher frequency of animal-dispersed species was found in hedgerows.Animal dispersed species were more affected by edge width and density than wind dispersed species. A higher number of wind-dispersed species were more frequent in forest edges, in hedgerows near to forest, or with a high proportion of forest within 500 m. A clear relationship was found between the number of physically connected elements in hedgerow networks and increasing frequency of occurrence for Corylus avellana, Crataegus spp., Euonymus europaeus, and Quercus robur; which indicate the ecological significance of connectedness for certain animal dispersed species. The study supports the general principle that woody species distribution and landscape structure are linked in a positive feedback loop. The results match findings from studies in other countries and are interpreted in the context of landscape processes and the ecological characteristics of woody plant species. We emphasise the importance of understanding dispersal mechanisms of woody species for the design and improvement of edge habitats in agricultural landscapes.     

Seasonal Changes of Shoot Carbohydrates and Growth Characteristics of ‘Trakya İlkeren’ Grape Variety (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Vitis vinifera</Emphasis> L.)

This research was conducted to determine the changes in the seasonal carbohydrates of annual shoots and growth characteristics of 10 years old ‘Trakya ?lkeren’ grape variety. Grapevines are grafted on 5BB and 5C rootstocks and they were grown in heavy clay soil conditions. In the study, changes of sugar, starch and total carbohydrates were determined from bud burst to dormancy. While sugar, starch and total carbohydrates showed significant differences (P < 0.01) there were no differences between rootstocks. Although sugar, starch and total carbohydrates of shoots decreased from bud burst to blooming, they increased thereafter until vegetative growth stopped. Total carbohydrates of annual shoots have been found to accumulate in period from blooming to harvest. Total and mean leaf area, shoot length and diameter, total chlorophyll and chlorophyll a/b ratio showed significantly variation among rootstocks and phenological stages (P < 0.01). Whereas the highest chlorophyll contents were found in the blooming, it was found at the lowest through to harvest. Overall mean and total leaf area, shoot length and shoot diameter, total chlorophyll content and chlorophyll a/b ratio were significantly higher on 5BB grafted vines. In the study, 5BB rootstocks are found suitable in terms of shoot carbohydrate accumulation and growth characteristics for ‘Trakya ?lkeren’ grape variety.     

Influence of temperature,humidity duration and growth stage on the infection and mycotoxin production by Fusarium langsethiae and Fusarium poae in oats

High occurrence of Fusarium poae (FP) and Fusarium langsethiae (FL) and their mycotoxins nivalenol (NIV) and T-2/HT-2 have been observed in Swiss oats. Early prediction of mycotoxin levels is important for farmers and the cereal industry to minimize the risk of contaminated food and feed. Therefore, climate chamber experiments were conducted to investigate the influence of different temperatures (10, 15, 20 °C) and durations (4, 8, 12 h) at 99% relative humidity (RH) on the infection of oats with FP and FL. In addition, to discover the most susceptible period of oats, artificial FL inoculations were conducted at different growth stages. Field experiments were performed to observe the dispersal of these fungal species within the field and to investigate the weather conditions that influence the dispersal. The climate chamber experiments revealed higher contamination with NIV and T-2/HT-2 in the 10 °C treatments and with a prolonged humidity duration of 12 h 99% RH. Inoculations of oat plants at early (DC 61) and mid (DC 65) anthesis, led to higher FL infection and T-2/HT-2 accumulation in the grains compared with treatments at earlier growth stages, which might be due to an increased susceptibility during anthesis. No indication for spore dispersal was observed in the field experiments. The results obtained, together with the cropping factors that influence infection and mycotoxin production, could be used as a first step in developing forecasting models to predict the contamination of oats with the mycotoxins NIV and T-2/HT-2.     

Yield and soil system changes from conservation tillage in dryland farming: A case study from North Eastern Tanzania

Yield levels in smallholder farming systems in semi-arid sub-Saharan Africa are generally low. Water shortage in the root zone during critical crop development stages is a fundamental constraining factor. While there is ample evidence to show that conservation tillage can promote soil health, it has recently been suggested that the main benefit in semi-arid farming systems may in fact be an in situ water harvesting effect. In this paper we present the result from an on-farm conservation tillage experiment (combining ripping with mulch and manure application) that was carried out in North Eastern Tanzania from 2005 to 2008. Special attention was given to the effects of the tested treatment on the capacity of the soil to retain moisture. The tested conservation treatment only had a clear yield increasing effect during one of the six experimental seasons (maize grain yields increased by 41%, and biomass by 65%), and this was a season that received exceptional amounts of rainfall (549 mm). While the other seasons provided mixed results, there seemed to be an increasing yield gap between the conservation tillage treatment and the control towards the end of the experiment, and cumulatively the yield increased with 17%. Regarding soil system changes, small but significant effects on chemical and microbiological properties, but not on physical properties, were observed. This raises questions about the suggested water harvesting effect and its potential to contribute to stabilized yield levels under semi-arid conditions. We conclude that, at least in a shorter time perspective, the tested type of conservation tillage seems to boost productivity during already good seasons, rather than stabilize harvests during poor rainfall seasons. Highlighting the challenges involved in upgrading these farming systems, we discuss the potential contribution of conservation tillage towards improved water availability in the crop root zone in a longer term perspective.