Carbon Depletion by Plowing and its Restoration by No‐Till Cropping Systems in Oxisols of Subtropical and Tropical Agro‐Ecoregions in Brazil

The continuous use of plowing for grain production has been the principal cause of soil degradation. This project was formulated on the hypothesis that the intensification of cropping systems by increasing biomass‐C input and its biodiversity under no‐till (NT) drives soil restoration of degraded agro‐ecosystem. The present study conducted at subtropical [Ponta Grossa (PG) site] and tropical regions [Lucas do Rio Verde, MT (LRV) site] in Brazil aimed to (i) assess the impact of the continuous plow‐based conventional tillage (CT) on soil organic carbon (SOC) stock vis‐à‐vis native vegetation (NV) as baseline; (ii) compare SOC balance among CT, NT cropping systems, and NV; and (iii) evaluate the redistribution of SOC stock in soil profile in relation to soil resilience. The continuous CT decreased the SOC stock by 0·58 and 0·67 Mg C ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ in the 0‐ to 20‐cm depth at the PG and LRV sites, respectively, and the rate of SOC sequestration was 0·59 for the PG site and ranged from 0·48 to 1·30 Mg C ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ for the LRV site. The fraction of C input by crop residues converted into SOC stock was ~14·2% at the PG site and ~20·5% at the LRV site. The SOC resilience index ranged from 0·29 to 0·79, and it increased with the increase in the C input among the NT systems and the SOC sequestration rates at the LRV site. These data support the hypothesis that NT cropping systems with high C input have a large potential to reverse the process of soil degradation and SOC decline. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

6种灌木不同器官生物量及其碳、氮含量的分配特征

通过研究晋北地区草地黄刺玫、沙棘、荆条、酸枣、绣线菊和柠条等6种常见灌木的叶片、新生枝、老龄枝生物量及其碳、氮含量的分配特征,旨在为草地准确估算草地植物碳、氮循环提供依据。结果表明:黄刺玫的地上生物量最大,是酸枣的7倍。沙棘叶片生物量占地上生物量的比例最大;黄刺玫新生枝生物量占地上生物量的比例最大;柠条老龄枝生物量占地上生物量的比例最大。黄刺玫、沙棘和荆条的地上部分各器官生物量分配特征相似,由高到低表现为叶片、老龄枝、新生枝;绣线菊、酸枣和柠条的地上部分各器官生物量分配特征相似,由高到低表现为老龄枝、叶片、新生枝。6种灌木地上部分各器官碳含量差异不显著,氮含量分布由高到低为叶片、新生枝、老龄枝。     

生物质气化发电技术相关问题的研究

随着我国经济的高速发展,能源短缺和环境污染问题日益严峻.生物质能作为一种理想的可再生能源,由于其在燃烧过程中二氧化碳净排放量近似于零,可有效地减少温室效应和环境污染,因而越来越受到世界各国的关注.为此,重点讨论了生物质气化发电技术的相关问题-气化炉的选取、焦油的处理、系统投资和运行成本,并进行了财务分析,从而得出生物质气化技术是生物质能最有效、最经济和最洁净的利用方式.     

北固山湿地野生虉草生物量的研究

对北固山湿地野生虉草的株高、茎高、叶龄、生物量等进行了研究,结果表明,虉草的株高和茎高的变化呈现出近“S”型的生长曲线,叶龄与株高和茎高均呈一元线性显著的正相关关系,生物量的变化与生育期关系密切。     

Enhancement of revegetation on construction fill by fertilizer and topsoil application: Effect on mycorrhizal infection

The influence of topsoil and fertilizer application on denuded road construction sites was evaluated to assess its contribution to improvement of vegetation re-establishment. the study sites were within a mixed hardwood and conifer forest on crushed, unweathered subsurface material with low fertility and low biological activity. Topsoils were removed from the site, stockpiled and reapplied to the site after construction. the effect of topsoil amendment on plant growth, soil fertility, mycorrhizal infection and an index of microbial biomass were measured in field and greenhouse experiments. Plant growth on the topsoil amended field plots were greatly increased relative to treatments with fertilizer but no topsoil. Three years after establishment, dry weight production on the plots without topsoil treatment was about 40 per cent of the plots treated with topsoil. Greenhouse experiments were designed to compare fresh, dried and stockpiled topsoil. These experiments indicated that storage of the harvested topsoil for five months in a stockpile had minor effects on plant growth, soil fertility, mycorrhizal infection and microbial biomass. Topsoil volumes had to exceed 20 per cent of the total soil volume to achieve statistically significant benefits and higher ratios showed greater benefit. the percentage of mycorrhizal infection was greatest in topsoil treatments without fertilizer. the addition of fertilizer increased growth but reduced the percentage of roots forming mycorrhizae. When the total weight of infected roots was calculated, however, infection was found to be greatest with a moderate level of fertilizer (equivalent to approximately 27 kg N ha⁻¹ and 39 kg P ha⁻¹), and was less in both higher fertilizer treatments and in unfertilized treatments. Topsoil amendment increased microbial biomass nitrogen but fertilizer treatment did not.     

木荷幼苗在林窗不同生境中的形态响应与生物量分配

对从林窗边缘到林窗中央环境梯度上3种不同生境的木荷幼苗的主要形态因子和生物量进行了测定,结果表明,3种生境下木荷幼苗的形态数量指标表现出极显著的差异,从林窗边缘到林窗中央,随着光照等环境条件的改善,其生长量和生物量逐渐增加。生物量的分配格局基本相似,但叶和主茎生物量表现出显著的差异,林窗边缘处,木荷幼苗将生物量相对多地分配到地上叶构件上,林窗中央处,则相对多地分配到地上主茎上。研究显示,木荷幼苗具有喜光能耐阴的特性。运用非线性幂函数拟合了不同生境木荷幼苗生物量模型,回归模型较好地反映了生物量随苗高、地径的变化趋势,可作为环境条件类似的木荷幼苗生物量预测的依据。     

Community structure and carbon and nitrogen storage of sagebrush desert under grazing exclusion in Northwest China

Overgrazing is regarded as one of the key factors of vegetation and soil degradation in the arid and semi-arid regions of Northwest China.Grazing exclusion(GE)is one of the most common pathways used to restore degraded grasslands and to improve their ecosystem services.Nevertheless,there are still significant controversies concerning GE’s effects on grassland diversity as well as carbon(C)and nitrogen(N)storage.It remains poorly understood in the arid desert regions,whilst being essential for the sustainable use of grassland resources.To assess the effects of GE on community characteristics and C and N storage of desert plant community in the arid desert regions,we investigated the community structure and plant biomass,as well as C and N storage of plants and soil(0-100 cm depth)in short-term GE(three years)plots and adjacent long-term freely grazing(FG)plots in the areas of sagebrush desert in Northwest China,which are important both for spring-autumn seasonal pasture and for ecological conservation.Our findings indicated that GE was beneficial to the average height,coverage and aboveground biomass(including stems,leaves and inflorescences,and litter)of desert plant community,to the species richness and importance values of subshrubs and perennial herbs,and to the biomass C and N storage of aboveground parts(P<0.05).However,GE was not beneficial to the importance values of annual herbs,root/shoot ratio and total N concentration in the 0-5 and 5-10 cm soil layers(P<0.05).Additionally,the plant density,belowground biomass,and soil organic C concentration and C storage in the 0-100 cm soil layer could not be significantly changed by short-term GE(three years).The results suggest that,although GE was not beneficial for C sequestration in the sagebrush desert ecosystem,it is an effective strategy for improving productivity,diversity,and C and N storage of plants.As a result,GE can be used to rehabilitate degraded grasslands in the arid desert regions of Northwest China.     

Long-term consequences of topsoil mining on select biological and physical characteristics of two New Zealand loessial soils under grazed pasture

Soil chemical, biochemical, biological and structural properties were measured in two New Zealand loessial soils that were topsoil-mined 10 and 25 years ago respectively. Measurements at the 10-year site were compared to some earlier measurements made at this site and the data combined in a chronological sequence for analysis. Topsoil mining had a large, detrimental impact on the soil microbial biomass, the earthworm populations, easily mineralizable N and soil enzyme activities. However, most of these properties substantially recovered, to 80-90 per cent of the levels in unmined soils, within 10-25 years of restoration under pasture. In contrast, while total soil C and N were less affected by topsoil mining, their recovery was much slower. Stabilities of macro-aggregates of soil had fully recovered within 10-25 years after topsoil mining. The apparent changes in all the measured properties between 10 and 25 years of restoration were small in comparison with changes between 0-10 years of restoration after topsoil mining. The total C content of both soils under pasture appeared unlikely to attain the levels present in unmined soils. In soils undergoing restoration, the ratio of microbial C/total soil C may be a useful index of soil ‘biological stability’. Sulphatase activity may reflect the recovery of pasture production.     

Effect of the L-D1 alleles on leaf morphology,canopy structure and photosynthetic productivity in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

One of the most important objectives for breeders is to develop high-yield cultivars.The increase in crop yield has met with bottlenecks after the first green revolution,and more recent efforts have been focusing on achieving high photosynthetic efficiency traits in order to enhance the yield.Leaf shape is a significant agronomic trait of upland cotton that affects plant and canopy architecture,yield,and other production attributes.The major leaf shape types,including normal,sub-okra,okra,and su...     

土壤水分胁迫对紫花苜蓿光合特性及其生物量的影响

紫花苜蓿是我国重要的豆科牧草,具有较强的抗旱能力,而水分亏缺是影响其产量的主要逆境因子之一。通过大田试验对不同水分胁迫下紫花苜蓿的光合特性及产量进行研究,结果表明:①土壤水分胁迫对紫花苜蓿光响应参数影响显著(P<0.05),随着水分胁迫的加剧,最大净光合速率、表观量子效率、光饱和点逐渐降低,暗呼吸速率、光补偿点逐渐升高,从而直接影响紫花苜蓿光合作用对弱光的吸收和转化效率。②随着水分胁迫的加剧紫花苜蓿叶片的净光合速率(Pn)和蒸腾速率(Tr)呈显著的下降趋势,气孔导度(Gs)呈先下降后上升的趋势,表明轻度水分胁迫下气孔因素是Pn下降的主要因素,中度和重度水分胁迫下非气孔因素是Pn降低的主要因素。③当光合有效辐射(PAR)为1200μmol·m^-2·s^-1时,轻度水分胁迫的水分利用效率(WUE)显著大于充分灌溉的WUE(P<0.05),表明适度水分胁迫可提高紫花苜蓿叶片的水分利用效率。④轻度水分胁迫与充分灌溉干草产量之间无显著差异,表明轻度水分胁迫能达到高产节水的目的。