农用柔性底盘偏置轴转向机构联动耦合控制策略及试验

针对农用柔性底盘前轮转向时两偏置轴转向机构难以保持联动关系而影响顺利转弯的问题,基于阿克曼转向几何与交叉耦合控制原理,设计了偏置轴转向机构联动耦合控制策略,采用模糊PID控制算法对两转向轮转角联动轮廓误差进行补偿,并依据方向盘信号大小和变化率对电磁摩擦锁PWM控制信号占空比进行调节,以匹配偏置电动轮转向的角速度,使两转向机构形成耦合而保持期望联动关系;基于MATLAB/Simulink对控制策略进行了仿真,且在硬化路面上实施了阶跃转向、蛇行转向及随机转向3种运动方式的试验验证,并对比分析了转角分配控制下的前轮转向效果。试验结果表明:耦合控制方法下柔性底盘前轮阶跃转向响应均在0.8 s内,左、右侧转角最大超调为1.3°;电磁摩擦锁的开闭可较好匹配电动轮的转向;左、右前轮对于各自目标角具有良好的跟踪性能;3种转向方式下最大与平均跟随误差值均小于分配控制方法;两轮联动的最大与平均转角轮廓误差分别为:阶跃转向1.2°与0.6°、蛇行转向1.1°与0.6°、随机转向1.0°与0.5°;耦合控制下仿真与试验转角的轮廓误差变化趋势一致,最大误差为2.2°,证明仿真模型合理有效。耦合控制下偏置轴转向机构联动控制效果优于转角分配控制,转向效果良好,该文提出的柔性底盘偏置轴转向机构联动耦合控制策略有效且可行。     

杉木种子园促花试验

为筛选出杉木种子园最佳的促花方法,为杉木生产提供更多的优良种子,设拉枝法、断顶法、环扎法、环割法4个处理,1个对照,重复4次。结果表明:4种处理方法的球花形成值均明显高于对照值,其中以环扎法最佳,球花形成值高于对照值的1.15倍;环割法、拉枝法及断顶法3个处理值分别高于对照值的0.60、0.36、0.35倍;从雄、雌球花形成分析看,环扎法的雄球花形成值高于对照1.64倍,而雌球花形成值仅高于对照0.65倍;环割法、断顶法的雌球花形成值分别高于对照的0.82、0.71倍。     

濒危植物毛柄小勾儿茶生境特征研究

通过对小勾儿茶Berchemiella wilsonii的变种毛柄小勾儿茶Berchemiella wilsonii(Schneid.)Nakai var.pubipetiolata H.Qian的实地调查,对其分布概况、生境特性以及种群生存概况等方面进行了分析。结果表明:(1)毛柄小勾儿茶主要分布于安徽省霍山县马家河、舒城县万佛山和浙江省临安市湍口乡、临安市马啸乡等地。常见分布于沟边、路边、悬崖峭壁的向阳面。(2)毛柄小勾儿茶对水分及光照的要求较高,喜温暖湿润气候,成年植株主要分布在群落最高层,其幼苗耐荫性差,难以在郁闭度高的林内生长。(3)毛柄小勾儿茶种子大都落在树旁,缺乏有效传播方式,且种子未熟先落,95%无活性,导致极其缺乏幼苗。毛柄小勾儿茶生态位十分狭窄,是群落的伴生种或偶见种,缺乏群落竞争力。毛柄小勾儿茶数量已极其稀少,建议加大保护力度,加快对种子成熟生理机制的研究,提高种子活性。或是探索有效的规模化繁育技术,进行人工抚育小苗,扩大种群数量。     

Micromorphological evidence of black carbon in colluvial soils from NW Spain

Biomass burning produces a residue called black carbon (BC). Black C is generally considered to be highly resistant against biodegradation and has a potential role in the global C cycle, but is difficult to identify and quantify when subjected to prolonged degradation in terrestrial sediments. The colluvial soils from Campo Lameiro (NW Spain), also known as ‘Atlantic rankers’, are rich in organic matter (up to 140 g C kg^?1 soil). A micromorphological study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that a large proportion of the organic matter was derived from BC formed during Holocene wildfires (up to > 6000 years ago). As roughly estimated from image analysis of 12 thin sections, the volumetric BC contribution ranged between 10 and 60% (26% on average) of the organic matter. This is a conservative estimate as additional morphologically unrecognizable BC was present in the microgranular matrix of coalesced excrement. We conclude that (i) currently unknown quantities of BC are stored in Atlantic rankers and (ii) analysis of thin sections is an effective tool to identify BC.     

Restoration of woodpasture on former agricultural land: The importance of safe sites and time gaps before grazing for tree seedlings

Woodpastures (open, grazed woodlands with a mosaic of grassland, shrub and tree patches) are of high biological and cultural value and have become a threatened ecosystem in Europe. Spontaneous tree regeneration in the presence of large herbivores, is an essential process for management and restoration of this structurally diverse habitat. We examined the suitability of five vegetation types (grasslands, ruderal vegetations, tall sedges, rush tussocks and bramble thickets), grazed by large herbivores, for tree regeneration. We hypothesized that bramble thickets and tall herb communities operate as safe sites for palatable tree species through the mechanism of associational resistance. We set up a field experiment with tree seedlings in grazed and ungrazed conditions and recorded mortality and growth of seedlings of two palatable tree species (Quercus robur and Fraxinus excelsior) during three growing seasons. In the same experiment, we studied the effect of a two year’s initial time gap before grazing.Bramble thickets were suitable safe sites for survival and growth of seedlings of both species. Tall sedges, soft rush tussocks and ruderal vegetations with unpalatable or spiny species provided temporal protection, allowing seedlings to survive. Tree regeneration in livestock grazed grassland was highly constrained. Rabbits may undo the nursing effects of bramble thickets. The first year’s survival is of major importance for the establishment of trees. Subsequent grazing affects growth rather than survival. A two year’s initial time gap before grazing, had positive effects on survival, but did not enhance outgrowth of unprotected trees.     

Coppice management effects on experimentally established populations of three herbaceous layer woodland species

Traditional coppice management creates a temporal release of resources. We determined how this affected three herbaceous species (Cardamine pratensis, Primula elatior and Geum urbanum) and if it was suitable for their conservation within woodland given their differing phenologies and habitat affinities for woodland.Reproductive adults were transplanted and their fate, i.e. survival and counts of leafs and flowers, plus the fate of their progeny, were monitored for three years following cutting of coppice shoots (three light levels) or yearly autumn mowing.Cardamine pratensis and P. elatior produced more flowers with increasing light availability. Mowing increased flower and leaf production with time for P. elatior. Seedling numbers followed a similar trend. Geum urbanum initially produced more flowers with increasing light and when mown, but the effect disappeared and did not increase seedling numbers. Its basal leaves showed the opposite pattern. Population growth rates (λ), calculated for P. elatior and G. urbanum, confirmed the strong treatment effects on the former and the absence of effects on the latter. Yet, decomposition of treatment effects, showed considerable flexibility in life history of G. urbanum, except for contributions of fecundity. The latter, however, contributed most to positive effects on λ for P. elatior.Early flowering species with an affinity for open habitats (C. pratensis > P. elatior) benefited more from temporal resource release than the later flowering, typical woodland species. Coppice management thereby maintains both typical forest herbs and herbs with affinity for more open habitats. This is an important conservation tool especially in intensively managed landscapes.     

A multiple regression approach to assess the spatial distribution of Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) at the regional scale (Flanders,Belgium)

Estimates of the amount of Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) at the regional scale are important to better understand the role of the SOC reservoir in global climate and environmental issues. This study presents a method for estimating the total SOC stock using data from Flanders (Belgium). More than 6900 SOC measurements from the national soil survey (database ‘Aardewerk’) are combined with a digital land use map and a digital soil map of Flanders. The spatial distribution of the SOC stock is studied in its relation to factors such as soil texture, soil moisture (drainage class) and land use. The resulting map with a resolution of 15 m consists of different classes forming a combination of these environmental factors. The results show that the lowest SOC amount (kg m^? 2) is stored under cropland whereas the highest amount is found under grassland. Regarding the effect of soil properties, a significant correlation between SOC stock and depth of the ground water table is observed. Sandy loam soils stock the lowest SOC amount (kg m^? 2), whereas clay soils retain the highest SOC amount. First, the mean SOC amounts of the land use–soil type classes are calculated and assigned to the corresponding cells in order to obtain a total SOC stock with its spatial distribution for Flanders. Then, a multiple regression model is applied to predict the SOC value of a particular land use–soil type class on the map. This model is based on the observed relationships between SOC and land use–soil type characteristics, using the entire dataset. The first approach does not allow to obtain a (reliable) SOC value for all land use–soil type classes due to a lack of samples in some classes. A major advantage of the regression model approach is the attribution of class specific SOC values to each land use–soil type class, regardless of the number of observations in the classes. Consequently, by applying the model approach instead of the mean approach, the area for which a reliable SOC estimate could be obtained increased by 8.1% (from 9420 km² to 10179 km²) and the total predicted SOC stock increased by 10.1% (from 88.7 ± 5.6 Mt C to 97.6 ± 1.1 Mt C).     

Upgrading a 1/20,000 soil map with an apparent electrical conductivity survey

Despite their shortcomings, choropleth soil maps remain the most widespread source of information on soil resources. Since most nationwide soil surveys were conducted in the second half of the previous century, a need for upgrading emerges. We evaluated the potential of detailed observations made by a mobile, non-invasive proximal soil sensor to upgrade a part of the 1/20,000 choropleth soil map of Belgium. This study was conducted on a 14 ha area which had been mapped twice in the 1950s: first, during the national soil survey yielding a 1/20,000 soil map, and second, during a detailed investigation resulting in a 1/5000 map. The first map failed to identify the presence of a Tertiary clay substratum at variable depths, while the second map indicated this substratum to be present within 1.2 m below the soil surface for about a third of the area. A recent survey with the EM38DD soil sensor provided 9192 measurements of the apparent electrical conductivity (EC_a) within the study area. The depth of the substratum (D_ts) was noted at 60 calibration locations by augering and the relationship between EC_a and D_ts was modelled by an exponential curve with an R² of 0.80. This allowed the detailed mapping of D_ts by regression kriging. The predictions were validated using 46 independent observations of D_ts indicating a reasonable average error of 0.24 m and a very good correlation coefficient between observed and predicted values of 0.94. A map accuracy assessment indicated that even after classification, the D_ts classes were better predicted by the sensor data than the 1/5000 map which was based on many more auger observations. Finally an upgraded 1/20,000 soil map was presented, illustrating the potential of combining existing soil maps with proximal soil sensing technology.     

Key soil and topographic properties to delineate potential management classes for precision agriculture in the European loess area

Recent advances in on-the-go soil sensing, terrain modelling and yield mapping have made available large quantities of information about the within-field variability of soil and crop properties. But the selection of the key variables for an identification of management zones, required for precision agriculture, is not straightforward. To investigate a procedure for this selection, an 8 ha agricultural field in the Loess belt of Belgium was considered for this study. The available information consisted of: (i) top- and subsoil samples taken at 110 locations, on which soil properties: textural fractions, organic carbon (OC), CaCO₃ and pH were analysed, (ii) soil apparent electrical conductivity (EC_a) obtained through an electromagnetic induction based sensor, and (iii) wetness index, stream power index and steepest slope angle derived from a detailed digital elevation model (DEM). A principal component analysis, involving 12 soil and topographic properties and two EC_a variables, identified three components explaining 67.4% of the total variability. These three components were best represented by pH, EC_a that strongly associated with texture and OC. However, OC was closely related to some more readily obtainable topographic properties, and therefore elevation was preferred. A fuzzy k-means classification of these three variables produced four potential management classes. Three-year average standardized yield maps of grain and straw showed productivity differences across these classes, but mainly linked to their landscape position. In the loess area with complex soil-landscape interactions pH, EC_a and elevation can be considered as key properties to delineate potential management classes.