Nitrogen uptake of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) from tree mulch and mineral fertilizer under high leaching conditions estimated by nitrogen-15 enrichment

 The effects of applying either inorganic fertilizer or leaf mulch of Acacia saligna (Labill.) H.L. Wend. on yields of Sorghum bicolor (L.) were compared with an unfertilized control under the high leaching conditions of runoff irrigation in a dry tropical environment. The N use efficiency and transfer from ¹⁵N-labelled (NH₄)₂SO₄ or acacia leaves to the sorghum differed in quantity and quality. Only 6% of the applied mulch N was retrieved in the crop, in contrast to 21% of the fertilizer N. The proportions of N in the crop derived from the fertilizers were small, amounting to 7% and 28%, respectively, in the mineral fertilizer and mulch treatments. However, the application of inorganic fertilizer and mulch significantly increased crop grain yield (P<0.05 and P<0.1, respectively), biomass production and foliar N contents (P<0.05). The inorganic fertilizer improved crop yields to a larger extent than mulching. At the same time, more N was lost by applying (NH₄)₂ SO₄ than leaf mulch: only 37% of the N of applied (NH₄)₂ SO₄ was found in the crop and the soil (0–0.3 m), but 99% of the mulched N. High NO₃ ^– contents in the topsoil of the inorganic fertilized sorghum treatments indicated the risk of N leaching. However, more important may have been gaseous N losses of surface-applied NH₄ ⁺. From a nutrient conservation point of view, mulches should be given preferance to inorganic fertilizers under high soil pH and leaching conditions, but larger improvements of crop yields could be achieved with mineral fertilizers. Received: 29 July 1998     

江苏淤泥质海岸带农林复合经营类型及模式择优

通过面上调查、走访农户、查阅资料的方法,归纳总结了江苏淤泥质海岸带农林复合经营类型,选择优化了农林复合经营模式。研究结果表明：江苏淤泥质海岸带农林复合经营类型主要有生态型、经济型和复合型3种,不同经营类型含有形式多样的经营模式;根据江苏淤泥质海岸带区域特征,建议选择林农、林果、林牧、林渔等复合经营模式作为该地区推广应用的优化模式,其主栽树种以杨树、水杉,农林比例以5：1、林带结构以复合配置为宜。     

Adopters,testers or pseudo-adopters? Dynamics of the use of improved tree fallows by farmers in western Kenya

Although there has been increasing research on the adoption of agroforestry technologies over the last decade, few such studies have assessed uptake over a long period and many are based on a single snapshot in time. Furthermore, most of these studies have mainly looked at non-adopters and adopters: only recently have social scientists considered testers. A further category of users neglected in adoption studies has been re-adopters of technologies. Studying this group provides an interesting and more nuanced understanding of adoption and re-adoption. Methodologically, most adoption studies use quantitative methods and fail to link their findings to wider socio-economic, political and institutional settings. This paper presents a study of the dynamics of improved tree fallow use by farmers in Siaya and Vihiga districts of western Kenya over a period of eight years. It uses both qualitative and quantitative data to critically discuss the motivations of adopters, testers/rejecters and re-adopters. The results show that the process of adoption is highly dynamic and variable with farmers planting improved fallows and discontinuing or re-adopting them due to a whole range of factors, of which soil fertility improvement is just one. These factors included incentives from projects, the tying of adoption to credit programmes, prestige, participation in seminars/tours and the availability of a seed market from projects promoting improved fallows. Farmers planting improved fallows for such reasons may be termed ‘pseudo-adopters’. There were significant differences in adoption between the two districts, with more farmers in Siaya planting improved fallows than in Vihiga. A majority of farmers in Vihiga (53%) who were given seed never planted improved fallows, even though they had been exposed to the technology. Some 40% of farmers in Siaya and 38% in Vihiga planted improved fallows but later rejected them. This has some important implications for research and development. For improved fallow technologies to be attractive to farmers, they must provide other tangible economic benefits besides soil fertility improvement. This presents a challenge to researchers who must better attune themselves to the needs and demands of farmers if they wish to see their research findings widely adopted.     

红壤丘陵区农林复合生态系统研究与展望

本文针对红壤丘陵区农林复合生态系统存在的问题,分析了红壤农林复合生态系统现状、结构功能与结构演替规律;提出了红壤农林复合生态系统的五级分类系统;初步建立了红壤地区农林复合生态系统评价指标体系框架,并对典型县域复合生态系统进行了评价;在此基础上,提出了红壤丘陵区农林复合生态系统的优化调控措施以及资源持续利用对策,并对该区农林复合生态系统的后继研究进行了展望。     

杨树、水杉林带枯落物对土壤微生物C、N的影响

杨树 (Ｐｏｐｕｌｕｓｓｐｐ .)、水杉 (Ｍｅｔａｓｅｑｕｏｉａｇｌｙｐｔｏｓｔｒｏｂｏｉｄｅｓ)是我国亚热带滨海盐土的重要造林树种 ,它们生长快且能耐轻度盐碱 ,因此常被作为这一地区复合农林业的理想树种 (钟哲科等 ,1 996 )。由于滨海地区处于陆地和海洋的交界处 ,自然环境较为恶劣 ,自然灾害频繁 ,因此复合农林业系统的研究和应用已成为保障这一地区农业持续稳定发展的重要措施。关于林木对小气候调节、改善生态环境等研究已有不少报道 ,但关于林木枯落物在复合农林业系统中对土壤微生物的作用 ,研究仍很少。植物枯落物是复合农林…     

Effect of successive cuttings on uptake and partitioning of 15N among plant parts of Leucaena leucocephala

Summary We studied the effect of three successive cuttings on N uptake and fixation and N distribution in Leucaena leucocephala. Two isolines, uninoculated or inoculated with three different Rhizobium strains, were grown for 36 weeks and cut every 12 weeks. The soil was labelled with 50 ppm KNO₃ enriched with 10 atom % ¹⁵N excess soon after the first cutting. Except for the atom % ¹⁵N excess in branches of K28 at the second cutting, both the L. leucocephala isolines showed similar patterns of total N, fixed N₂, and N from fertilizer distribution in different parts of the plant at each cutting. The Rhizobium strain did not influence the partitioning of ¹⁵N among the different plant parts. Significant differences in ¹⁵N enrichment occurred in different parts. Live nodules of both isolines showed the lowest atom % ¹⁵N excess values (0.087), followed by leaves (0.492), branches (0.552), stems (0.591), and roots (0.857). The roots contained about 60% of the total plant N and about 70% of the total N derived from fertilizer over the successive cuttings. The total N₂ fixed in the roots was about 60% of that fixed in the whole plant, while the shoots contained only 20% of the fixed N₂. We conclude that N reserves in roots and nodules constitute another N source that must be taken into account when estimating fixed N₂ or the N balance after pruning or cutting plants. ¹⁵N enrichment declined up to about fivefold in the reference and the N₂-fixing plants over 24 weeks following the ¹⁵N application. The proportion and the amounts of N derived from fertilizer decreased, while the amount derived from N₂ fixation increased with time although its proportion remained constant.     

辽西林农复合经营模式下玉米产量影响因素探讨

[目的]分析辽西地区林农复合经营模式下影响玉米产量的主要因素,为选择适合该地区的高产玉米种植方式提供参考。[方法]通过试验方法研究了影响玉米产量的主要因素(玉米品种、种植密度、有机肥施用量、耕作方式),利用Matlab软件中的anova1函数对试验数据进行单因素方差分析。[结果]通过试验测得不同因素在不同设置下的玉米产量和生物产量数据,将数据带入Matlab软件计算得到试验数据的方差分析结果。[结论]玉米品种、种植密度、有机肥施用量均对玉米产量影响显著,在实际生产中应进行适当选择;耕作方式对玉米产量影响不大,可以在玉米种植中适当减少耕作次数。     

荒漠绿洲区临泽小枣及枣农复合系统需水规律研究

在大田环境下,通过建造2m×2m×2m的封底观测池,利用水量平衡法,研究了甘肃省河西走廊中部黑河中游绿洲临泽小枣、春小麦、紫花苜蓿单作及临泽小枣/春小麦、临泽小枣/紫花苜蓿间作复合系统的需水规律。结果表明,内部绿洲和边缘绿洲的临泽小枣从根系开始活动到落叶的需水量分别为497.2mm和859.2mm,春小麦从播种到收获需水量分别为447.9mm和809.9mm,紫花苜蓿从返青到霜降需水量分别为583.7mm和945.7mm,临泽小枣/春小麦复合系统需水量分别为647.7mm和1009.7mm,临泽小枣/紫花苜蓿复合系统需水量分别为980.3mm和1342.3mm。边缘绿洲临泽小枣/春小麦复合系统增加的需水量为枣树需水量的17.5%,小麦需水量的24.7%;临泽小枣/紫花苜蓿复合系统增加的需水量为枣树需水量的56.2%,紫花苜蓿需水量的41.9%。内部绿洲临泽小枣春季(4月25日~5月31日)需水量为84.6mm,夏季(6月1日~8月31日)为351.3mm,秋季(9月1日~10月5日)为61.3mm;7月份需水强度最大,为4.8mm·d-1,6月份次之,为4.3mm·d-1,生长期平均需水强度为3.1mm·d-1。临泽小枣灌溉应保证4个关键水,即花前水、果实膨大水、丰果水和越冬水,灌水定额为1200m3·hm-2。     

Soil organic carbon and aggregation under poplar based agroforestry system in relation to tree age and soil type

The poplar based agroforestry system improves aggregation of soil through huge amounts of organic matter in the form of leaf biomass. The extent of improvement may be affected by the age of the poplar trees and the soil type. The surface and subsurface soil samples from agroforestry and adjoining non-agroforestry sites with different years of poplar plantation (1, 3 and 6 years) and varying soil textures (loamy sand and sandy clay) were analyzed for soil organic carbon, its sequestration and aggregate size distribution. The average soil organic carbon increased from 0.36 in sole crop to 0.66% in agroforestry soils. The increase was higher in loamy sand than sandy clay. The soil organic carbon increased with increase in tree age. The soils under agroforestry had 2.9–4.8 Mg ha⁻¹ higher soil organic carbon than in sole crop. The poplar trees could sequester higher soil organic carbon in 0–30 cm profile during the first year of their plantation (6.07 Mg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹) than the subsequent years (1.95–2.63 Mg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹). The sandy clay could sequester higher carbon (2.85 Mg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹) than in loamy sand (2.32 Mg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹). The mean weight diameter (MWD) of soil aggregates increased by 3.2, 7.3 and 13.3 times in soils with 1, 3 and 6 years plantation, respectively from that in sole crop. The increase in MWD with agroforestry was higher in loamy sand than sandy clay soil. The water stable aggregates (WSA >0.25 mm) increased by 14.4, 32.6 and 56.9 times in soils with 1, 3 and 6 years plantation, respectively, from that in sole crop. The WSA >0.25 mm were 6.02 times higher in loamy sand and 2.2 times in sandy clay than in sole crop soils.     

Local knowledge and management of simpukng (forest gardens) among the Dayak people in East Kalimantan,Indonesia

Among the Dayak people in East Kalimantan, simpukng (“forest gardens”) are an important component of their traditional farming systems. Simpukng is managed secondary forests in which selected species of fruits, rattan, bamboo, timber and other plants are planted. While most are owned by families and passed down from one generation to the next, some are managed on a communal basis. Complex customary Dayak rules exist that control the use and inheritance of these forests that help to avoid over-exploitation of resources. There is clear gender division of labour among Dayak in the management of simpukng that provide a range of products – for household consumption and sale and for customary rituals – fruits, vegetables, medicines, fire wood, honey, rattan, bamboos, and timber. Local knowledge about the more highly valued species are discussed. These indigenous forest garden systems are currently under threat from large-scale mining and logging activities; conflicts between local and external agencies are unfortunately frequent. This paper examines the development and management of simpukng in four Dayak villages in East Kalimantan and their implications on sustainable management of natural resources, with particular emphasis on the role of local knowledge of some of the more highly valued species and the current challenges faced by these communities in maintaining their traditional agroforest management practices.