Innovative agricultural extension value chain-based models for smallholder African farmers

The value chain extension strategy of Sasakawa Africa Association focuses on improving the capacity of national agricultural extension systems and follows various thematic areas along the value chain to address key challenges accountable for low income households and poverty in Africa. Farmer learning platform is a model designed to increase crop productivity and encompasses demonstration plots where technological packages demonstrated significantly outperformed other technology plots in crop productivity and average profit margins. Enterprise-oriented production, postharvest and trading centers are value adding models designed to improve the effectiveness of extension and adoption of postharvest and agricultural processing technologies by producers. The use of the above along with necessary capacity building has facilitated the development of profitable business linkages of smallholder farmers with financial institutions and reliable market opportunities. The community association trader-trainer model is a market-oriented business approach applied in combination with other extension models. In 2018, 297 community-based commodity association trader-trainers were mobilized and capacitated to improve farmer group dynamics and developed collective input and output access and cluster aggregation centers at community level where various agricultural produces were mobilized and collectively aggregated, and valued at about 3.9 million USD. The supervised enterprise project model is an innovative agricultural extension model developed along with above models for capacity development of extension agents and transfer of technologies to smallholder farmers. Over 6000 supervised enterprise projects have been introduced into 27 universities in 12 African countries for training front-line extension officers and extension delivery to farming communities.     

壳聚糖与硅藻土调理市政污泥

以污泥比阻为评价指标,综合考虑脱水率、泥饼含水率及过滤时间因素,研究使用壳聚糖与硅藻土对污泥单独调理的最佳条件及联合调理改善污泥脱水性能的效果,并与聚丙烯酰胺调理污泥的效果进行了对比。结果表明,先投加0.5 g/g硅藻土调理污泥,再投加5 mg/g壳聚糖以30 r/min搅拌反应150 s,污泥比阻下降了95.43%,脱水率上升至91.02%,泥饼含水率降至83.13%,过滤时间降至29.5 s。壳聚糖与硅藻土联合调理的效果明显优于壳聚糖或硅藻土单独调理的效果,且其联合调理改善污泥脱水综合性能的效果优于聚丙烯酰胺调理污泥的效果。     

Methane oxidation activity and bacterial community composition in a simulated landfill cover soil is influenced by the growth of Chenopodium album L.

Oxygen availability in landfill cover soil is a major limitation to the growth and activity of methanotrophs as methane oxidation is an aerobic microbial process. Plants tolerant to high concentrations of landfill gas (LFG) may play an important role in improving methane oxidation within landfill cover soil and reducing emission of methane, a greenhouse gas, from it. In this study, the effect of an LFG tolerant plant Chenopodium album L. on methane oxidation activity (MOA) and bacterial community composition in landfill cover soil was investigated. Soil samples from four simulated lysimeters with and without LFG and plant vegetation were taken at 4 stages during the plant's development cycle. Results showed that the total number of culturable bacteria in soil could be significantly increased (P < 0.05) by the growth of C. album. The total number of methanotrophs and MOA in soils with LFG was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than in soils without LFG on sampling days 90, 150 and 210. The total number of methanotrophs and MOA in lysimeters with LFG added increased in the presence of C. album when the plant entered the seed setting stage. Polymerase chain reaction and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) gel patterns of 16S rDNA gene fragment and band sequencing analyses showed apparent differences in soil bacterial communities in the presence of LFG and plant vegetation. Members of the genus Methylosarcina were found to be the active and dominant methanotrophs in rhizosphere soil of C. album with LFG, while Methylococcus, Methylocystis, and Methylosinus were the primary methanotroph genera in LFG soil without C. album. Thus, C. album appears to select for specific methanotrophic bacteria in the presence of LFG. Soil MOA and microbial diversity can also be significantly affected by the presence of this plant.     

Sorption and genotoxicity of sediment-associated pentachlorophenol and pyrene influenced by crop residue ash

Purpose  

The bioavailability and potential toxicity of sediment-associated organic compounds are affected by sorption processes. The particulate matter (ash) from field burning of crop residues is one of the primary sources for environmental black carbon, which is regarded as supersorbent for organic contaminants and may reduce their ecotoxicity. This study aimed to investigate the influence of ash on sediment-associated organic pollutants’ potential toxicity.     

外源胡敏酸对土壤有机质组分变化的影响及其与茶树铅有效性的关系

盆栽试验分析了胡敏酸输入土壤6个月后茶树根际和非根际土壤有机质SOM及其组分,包括水溶性物质WSS、富啡酸FA、胡敏酸HA以及土壤微生物生物量SMB的变化,并对不同土壤有机质组分碳含量和茶树不同组织铅含量作了相关性分析。外源胡敏酸设置3个浓度水平（0、300、600 mg kg-1）,铅设置2个浓度水平（0、300 mg kg-1）,试验共有6个处理。茶苗置于温室培养,6个月后分新叶、老叶、新茎、老茎、根收获。结果表明：根际并非总是富含有机质,未加铅处理根际SOM含量低于非根际;而加铅处理根际SOM含量高于非根际。HA加入土壤能够显著增加根际和非根际SOM和SMB的含量,但是加铅处理和不加铅处理增加幅度不同。高浓度HA显著增加了根际FA的含量,可能是HA部分裂解所致。非根际有机质各组分与茶树铅含量无显著相关关系;根际SOM、HA和茶树不同组织铅含量没有显著相关关系。根际WSS、FA与茶树嫩叶、老叶、嫩茎、老茎以及根部铅含量均存在显著或极显著正相关关系;而根际SMB与茶树各个组织铅含量存在显著负相关关系。总之,胡敏酸施入土壤改变了土壤有机质及其各个组分的含量,而根际某些土壤有机质组分的改变又显著影响了茶树不同组织铅的吸收和分布。     

城市林业发展史回顾

城市林业从其产生、发展直到今天 ,将其划分为萌芽、建立和巩固与发展等 3个阶段 ,城市林业的发展具有明显的阶段性、显著的加速性和区域的不平衡性。城市林业兴起于社会经济需要 ,也必将服务于社会经济需要     

浑河上游4种典型水源林土壤物理性质及其水源涵养功能

采用环刀法对浑河上游4种典型水源涵养林的土壤物理性质及其水源涵养功能进行了研究。结果表明:混交林的土壤物理性质和水源涵养功能明显好于日本落叶松(Larix kaempferi)纯林和辽东栎(Quercus liao-tungensis)天然次生林。4种林分不同土层的土壤总孔隙度为48.41%～69.07%,土壤总孔隙度平均值由大至小的顺序为核桃楸(Juglans mandshurica)—色木槭(Acer mono Maxim.)—花曲柳(Fraxinus rhynchophylla)混交林(65.22%)>冷杉(Abies holophylla Maxim.)—白桦(Betula platyphylla)—怀槐(Maackia amurensis Rupr.et Maxim.)混交林(61.45%)>日本落叶松纯林(53.90%)>辽东栎天然次生林(50.89%)。不同林分土壤平均最大持水量、平均毛管持水量和平均非毛管持水量大小依次为核桃楸—色木槭—花曲柳混交林(1 304.45、908.78、395.67 t.hm-2)>冷杉—白桦—怀槐(1 252.51、905.26、347.26 t.hm-2)>日本落叶松纯林(1 136.15、832.12、304.04 t.hm-2)>辽东栎天然次生林(1 057.27、817.88、239.40 t.hm-2)。研究表明,核桃楸—色木槭—花曲柳混交林、冷杉—白桦—怀槐混交林土壤的总孔隙度和最大持水量高于辽东栎天然次生林和日本落叶松纯林,多树种混交增加了土壤持水能力,提高了土壤水源涵养功能。     

农艺与物联网下的智慧农业

农业物联网在大棚控制系统中的运用实现了农作物增产、改善品质、调节生长周期和提高经济效益的目的。从物联网出发,结合农艺技术和物联网技术,提出了智慧农业系统结构总体框架,为用户实时监控农田并进行信息决策提供了技术支持,真正实现了农业管理的智能化,符合现代农业的发展。      

棉铃虫蛋白酶体β5基因Habeta5的克隆与序列分析(英文)

[Objective] Using molecular biotechnology to clone the proteasome β5 gene from cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera), this research aimed to provide basis for further research on the function of proteasome β5 gene in cotton bollworm. [Method] Total RNA was extracted from midgut of cotton bollworm. The full length cDNA of Habeta5 gene was cloned by using rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) technology, then sequence analysis was carried out. [Result] The full length cDNA sequence was successfully cloned and isolated, named as Habeta5. It was 947 bp in length, contained an ORF (843 bp) and encoded 280 amino acid residues, with the predicted mass of 30.87 kD and isoelectric point(pI) of 9.60. In the deduced amino acid sequence, a proteasome β5 subunit domain lies between 74th to 261st amino acid residues. It has more than 62% identity to other insects such as Drosophila melanogaster. The proteasome β5 subunit conservative regions were very similar with each other. Molecular evolution by Neighbor Joining method indicated that Habeta5 was homologous with other proteasome β5 subunit of species. [Conclusion] Sequence alignment shows that the cloned fragment is a proteasome β5 subunit gene (GenBank accession number: FJ358434).