Organic input quality is more important than its quantity: C turnover coefficients in different cropping systems

Annual C input to soil is a major factor affecting soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics. However different types of C-sources can have different behaviour, in relation to their chemical characteristics and how they interact with soil. Root-derived C, in particular, should be more efficient than other organic materials as a result of the physicochemical and biological characteristics of the surrounding environment, leading to a reduction in the C decomposition rate.To test this hypothesis, we considered a long-term experiment underway in Northern Italy since 1962, comparing permanent meadow and 6 different crop rotations over a wide range of nutrient inputs, in both organic and inorganic forms. C inputs from amendments were measured and those from crops were calculated using allometric functions and crop and residues yields. The time evolution of SOC was studied through a single-pool, first-order kinetic model, allowing the estimation of humification coefficients for residues, roots, farmyard manure and cattle slurries.The highest value of the humification coefficient was estimated for farmyard manure, which confirmed its high efficiency in stabilising SOC content. Root C presented a humification coefficient 1.9 times higher than above-ground plant materials while slurries were intermediate, with a humification coefficient roughly half that of farmyard manure and even lower that of roots.The quality of C input thus seems of fundamental importance for evaluating the sustainability of different cropping systems in terms of SOC dynamics.     

某高铁隧道小口径井抽水试验探讨

指出了在某高铁隧道勘察中采用小口径抽水试验方法,具有操作简单便捷,成本低的优势。通过小口径井抽水试验查明场地的水文地质条件,得出了水文地质原始数据资料,根据单孔稳定流承压水非完整井的水文地质实际情况,选取合适的公式分别计算出了隧道岩层渗透系数及影响半径,为高铁隧道的勘察设计及顺利施工提供参考。     

湖南粮食生产区域布局优化战略

在综合分析资源禀赋、技术条件、市场区位、生产规模、产业基础及布局指向等方面因素，兼顾相对集中连片原则，结合粮食生产现状、市场前景与产业发展趋势的基础上，提出了将湖南划分为“一区一圈两带”的粮食生产区域布局优化战略。对“一区一圈两带”4个片区的粮食生产特征进行了总结，并提出了各片区的功能定位和主攻方向。     

Italian ryegrass establishment by self-seeding in integrated crop-livestock systems: Effects of grazing management and crop rotation strategies

We evaluated the re-establishment of an Italian ryegrass pasture by self-seeding on a no-till integrated crop-livestock systems (ICLS) in the southern region of Brazil. This work is part of a long-term experimental protocol initiated in 2003. We tested the effects of various management practices, such as summer crop systems (soybean vs. maize–soybean rotation), stocking methods (continuous vs. rotational) and grazing intensities (low vs. moderate), on Italian ryegrass pasture establishment. In addition, we tested resilience of the system by testing pasture's ability to re-establish following a year without seed head production. The experiment consisted in the rotation, on the same area, of Italian ryegrass pasture grazed by sheep during the winter and up to the end of the grass production cycle, and soybean or soybean-maize grain crops rotation cultivated during the summer. The pasture established itself by self-seeding since 2005. Data were collected in 2011 and 2012 stocking season. The soybean summer crop, continuous stocking and low grazing intensity, all positively affected the production of reproductive tillers in 2011. Grazing intensity in 2011 strongly influenced early vegetative tiller densities (before crop harvest) in 2012. However, none of the grazing intensity or the stocking method treatments affected herbage mass at the end of pasture establishment in 2011 or 2012. On the other hand, the soybean summer crop positively affected pasture establishment, both in term of tiller densities and herbage mass at the end of pasture establishment. The removal of all seed heads in 2011 (preventing seed production) resulted in the total failure of pasture establishment in 2012. Overall, Italian ryegrass establishment by self-seeding relies on the annual replacement of the soil seed bank. This experiment demonstrated that under various stocking methods, moderate grazing intensity and maize or soybean summer crop, Italian ryegrass pasture establishment by self-seeding remains successful even when the stocking periods extended up to the end of the grass production cycle. Self-seeding with moderate grazing intensity ensures successful pasture establishment, reduces labour and costs and allows to increase the stocking period and so animal live weight gain over the grazing season.     

涂饰工艺对木质体育地板表面滑动摩擦系数的影响研究

采用正交试验法,研究涂饰工艺对木质体育地板表面滑动摩擦系数的影响,试验因素为面漆涂饰次数、涂料种类和面板砂光目数,试验测试指标为表面滑动摩擦系数。方差分析结果表明,涂料种类与测试指标呈极为显著的影响关系,水性面漆涂饰的试件表面滑动摩擦系数相对较高;其他2个因素与测试指标之间无显著影响关系。砂光目数极可能对表面滑动摩擦系数有一定影响,但这一影响关系被底漆涂饰工艺所覆盖,因此所有试件的表面滑动摩擦系数全部达到了国家标准的要求。     

南京市能见度变化趋势及其影响因素

利用1980~2013年南京国家基本气象站的地面常规气象要素和能见度观测资料,剔除相对湿度和天气现象对能见度的影响,采用等级分析法、"非常好"能见度出现频率法、累积百分率法、Ridit中值分析等方法,分析了南京地区大气能见度的年际和季节变化趋势;并利用偏相关分析法分析了能见度与气温、气压、平均风速和相对湿度的相关关系。结果表明,能见度有明显日变化和季节变化,一天中,8:00最差,14:00最好;一年之中,能见度夏季最好,冬季最差。1980~1984年南京能见度呈上升趋势,1985~2004年呈波动下降趋势,2005~2013年则呈缓慢上升趋势;"较差"和"一般"能见度出现频率呈现上升趋势,"较好"能见度出现频率则明显下降。能见度水平逐年代下降但降幅减小;能见度等级分布的季节差异逐年代减小。能见度与平均风速呈正相关,与相对湿度呈负相关。由于南京地区气候条件的影响,能见度与气压和气温均存在季节性差异,能见度与气压在冬季呈较好的正相关,与气温夏季呈正相关、冬季呈负相关。     

Interactions between crop biomass and development of foliar diseases in winter wheat and the potential to graduate the fungicide dose according to crop biomass

Foliar pathogens such as Zymoseptoria tritici and Puccinia striiformis causing septoria leaf blotch and yellow rust respectively can cause serious yield reduction in winter wheat production, and control of the diseases often requires several fungicide applications during the growing season. Control is typically carried out using a constant fungicide dose in the entire field although there may be large differences in crop development and biomass across the field. The objective of the study reported in this paper was to test whether the fungicide dose response curve controlling septoria leaf blotch and other foliar diseases in winter wheat was dependent on crop development and biomass level. If such a biomass dependent dose response was found it was further the purpose to evaluate the potential to optimize fungicide inputs in winter wheat crops applying a site-specific crop density dependent fungicide dose. The study was carried out investigating fungicide dose response controlling foliar diseases in winter wheat at three biomass densities obtained growing the crop at three nitrogen levels and using variable seed rates. Further the field experiments included three fungicide dose rates at each biomass level, an untreated control, and 75%, 50% and 33% of the recommended fungicide dose rate and the experiments were replicated for three years. Crop biomass had a significant influence on occurrence of septoria and yellow rust with greater disease severity at increasing crop biomass. In two of three years, the interaction of crop biomass and fungicide dose rate had a significant influence on disease severity indicating a biomass-dependent dose response. The interaction occurred in the two years with high yield potential in combination with severe disease attack. If the variation in crop density and biomass level obtained in the study is representative of the variation found cultivating winter wheat in heterogeneous fields, then there seems to be scope for optimizing fungicide input against foliar diseases site-specific adapting the dose according to crop density/biomass.     

Performance of DSSAT-Nwheat across a wide range of current and future growing conditions

Crop models are widely used in agricultural impact studies. However, many studies have reported large uncertainties from single-model-based simulation analyses, suggesting the need for multi-model simulation capabilities. In this study, the APSIM-Nwheat model was integrated into the Decision Support System for Agro-technology (DSSAT), which already includes two wheat models, to create multi-model simulation capabilities for wheat cropping systems analysis. The new model in DSSAT (DSSAT-Nwheat) was evaluated using more than 1000 observations from field experiments of 65 treatments, which included a wide range of nitrogen fertilizer applications, water supply (irrigation and rainout shelter), planting dates, elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentrations, temperature variations, cultivars, and soil types in diverse climatic regions that represented the main wheat growing areas of the world.DSSAT-Nwheat reproduced the observed grain yields well with an overall root mean square deviation (RMSD) of 0.89 t/ha (13%). Nitrogen applications, water supply, and planting dates had large effects on observed biomass and grain yields, and the model reproduced these crop responses well. Crop total biomass and nitrogen uptake were reproduced well despite relatively poor simulations of observed leaf area measurements during the growing season. The low sensitivity of biomass simulations to poor simulations of leaf area index (LAI) were due to little changes in intercepted solar radiation at LAI >3 and water and nitrogen stress often limiting photosynthesis and growth rather than light interception at low LAI.The responses of DSSAT-Nwheat to temperature variations and elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentrations were close to observed responses. When compared with the two other DSSAT-wheat models (CERES and CROPSIM), these responses were similar, except for the responses to hot environments, due to different approaches in modeling heat stress effects.The comprehensive evaluation of the DSSAT-Nwheat model with field measurements, including a comparison with two other DSSAT-wheat models, created a multi-model simulation platform that allows the quantification of model uncertainties in wheat impact assessments.     

Herbicide options for effective weed management in dry direct-seeded rice under scented rice-wheat rotation of western Indo-Gangetic Plains

Farmers' participatory field trials were conducted at Madhuban, and Taraori, the two participatory experimental sites/locations of the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA), a collaborative project of IRRI and CIMMYT in Karnal district of Haryana, India, during Kharif (wet season) 2010 and 2011. This research aimed to evaluate preemergence (PRE) and postemergence (POST) herbicides for providing feasible and economically viable weed management options to farmers for predominant scented rice varieties. Treatments with pendimethalin PRE fb bispyribac-sodium + azimsulfuron POST had lower weed biomass at 45 days after sowing (DAS). At Madhuban, highest grain yield of scented basmati rice (3.43 t ha⁻¹) was recorded with the sequential application of pendimethalin PRE fb bispyribac-sodium + azimsulfuron POST. However, at Taraori, yields were similar with pendimethalin or oxadiargyl PRE fb bispyribac-sodium and/or azimsulfuron POST. Applying oxadiargyl by mixing with sand onto flooded field was less effective than spray applications in non-flooded field. The benefit-cost ratio of rice crop was higher with herbicide treatments at both sites as compared with the non-treated weed-free check except single PRE and POST applications and sequential application of oxadiargyl PRE fb oxadiargyl PRE. In a separate experiment conducted at Nagla and Taraori sites, scented rice cultivars' ('CSR 30′ and 'Pusa 1121′) tolerance to three rates of azimsulfuron (15, 25, and 35 g ai ha⁻¹) was evaluated over two years (2010 and 2011). CSR 30 (superfine, scented) was more sensitive to higher rates (35 g ai ha⁻¹) of azimsulfuron as compared to Pusa 1121 (fine, scented). Crop injuries were 8 and 28% in case of CSR 30; 5 and 15% in Pusa 1121 when applied with azimsulfuron 25 and 35 g ai ha⁻¹, respectively. Azimsulfuron applied at 35 g ai ha⁻¹ reduced yield in both cultivars but in CSR 30 yield reduction was twofold (11.5%) as that of Pusa 1121 (5.2%).