Morphological responses of bedding plants to three greenhouse temperature regimes

Seedling crops of gazania, geranium, marigold, mimulus, pansy, verbena and vinca were grown to 60% anthesis in three greenhouse temperature regimes: (a) 26 °C day/6 ± 3 °C night (LT), with a 16.5 °C mean daily temperature (MDT), (b) 26 °C day/17 ± 4 °C night, with a 21 °C MDT, and (c) variable day/night temperatures in response to heating and cooling by a phase change material energy storage module (PCM) with an 8 ± 2 °C night and a 16 °C MDT. Crops bloomed from 2 to 17 days earlier in the 26 °C/17 °C greenhouse. The morphological characteristics of all cultivars of gazania, mimulus, pansy and verbena, geranium and vinca were similar regardless of greenhouse temperature regime. Marigold diploid and triploid cultivars and mimulus were morphologically more variable than the other bedding plant species. Crops grown in the PCM and LT greenhouses had virtually identical morphological characteristics and bloomed in about the same number of days. Plant height was not affected by DIF environments in the greenhouses. The PCM and LT greenhouses had a similar MDT, but the distribution of numbers of hours of mean daily temperatures was different.     

小尾寒羊泌乳期母羊能量需要量及代谢规律研究

选择有代表性的小尾寒羊泌乳母羊6只，分成哺育单羔和双羔两组，每组3只，分泌乳前期（1～30天），泌乳中期（31～60天）和泌乳后期（61～90天）3个阶段进行饲养试验、消化代谢试验、呼吸测热试验及屠宰试验等研究。两组试羊均按NRC（1978）推荐的绵羊泌乳期哺育双羔母羊能量需要量供给代谢能和其它养分。结果表明，在本研究条件下，小尾寒羊泌乳母羊（包括哺育单、双羔者）在整个泌乳期内的平均日干物质（DM）、有机物质（OM）、代谢能（ME）和泌乳量分别为1689g，1571g，19．893MJ和653g。DM、OM和总能（GE）表观消化率分别为70.71％，72．58％和70．34％，代谢率（MEI／DEI）为84．89％。甲烷能占GEI的9．18％。每日畜体产热量（HP）为625．5KJ／kgW0.75。研究还表明：小尾寒羊泌乳母羊的每日维持代谢能和净能需要量分别为582．6和460KJ／kgW0.75，每户1kg原乳需要10802KJ的代谢能。维持效率为0．790泌乳效率为0．479，HI占GEI的18．10％。分析结果证明，试羊的泌乳量、采食量、畜体产热量和能量转化效率在单、双羔之间均无显著差异（P＞0．05）。小尾寒羊泌乳母羊的代谢能总需要量（MER）可用下式估计：羊羔：MER＝576．9W0.75＋10810M；双羔：MER＝588．2W0.75＋10794M；平均：MER＝582．6W0.75＋1     

营养水平对肉鸡肌肉组织学的影响

试验设计了 9种能量或蛋白质水平不同的饲粮 ,研究了不同营养水平对肉鸡胸肌组织学的影响。结果表明 :饲粮能量或蛋白质水平增加 ,肉鸡胸肌纤维密度减小、直径增大 (P <0 0 1 )。所有处理中 ,高能中蛋白组试鸡胸肌纤维密度最小、直径最大 ,低能低蛋白组试鸡胸肌纤维密度最大 ,高能低蛋白组试鸡胸肌纤维直径最小。     

肉用仔鸡主要营养、环境因素产量函数模型的研究

利用二次回归通用旋转组合设计对500只印第安河肉鸡生产的主要营养、环境因素进行了研究,建立了肉鸡生产函数模型,探讨了印第安河肉鸡日粮中粗蛋白质、代谢能水平及饲养密度等主要营养、环境因素及其相互效应和增重的关系,寻求了肉鸡增重最佳饲养管理措施组合方案和最优化的生产条件,为我国肉鸡生产技术的规范化提供了科学依据。肉鸡生产函数模型。y=2105.57+101.35X_1+42.93X_2-16.68X_3-16.3X_1X_2-99.47X_1~2-54.91X_2~2-51.16X_3~2。各因素对产量贡献大小顺序为粗蛋白质>代谢能>饲养密度。预测56日龄增重达1900克和净收入高于2.20元/只以上时,前期日粮需粗蛋白质21.55～22.37％,代谢能12.199～12.597MJ/kg,饲养密度32.9～34.4只/m~2;后期依次为19.55～19.76％,12.46～12.85MJ/kg,16.7～17.9只/m~2。蛋白质和代谢能存在交互作用。     

Role of PPARα/PGC-1α in doxorubicin induced mouse dilated cardio-myopathy

AIM: To investigate the changes of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR)α/peroxisome proliferator activated receptor coactivator 1 alpha (PGC-1α) in doxorubicin (DOX) induced dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and its effect on the energy metabolism and myocardial function in mice. METHODS: Forty mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: control group, DOX group, PPARα inhibitor group and PPARα agonist group. The DCM model was established by injection of DOX. The protein levels of PPARα/PGC-1α were detected. The PPARα inhibitor and PPARα agonist were used 2 weeks beforeinjection of DOX. The contents of adenine acid and phosphocreatine (Pcr) in the mitochondria were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The ANT activity was analyzed by the atractyloside-inhibitor stop technique. The changes of the echocardiography and hemodynamics were also observed. RESULTS: DOX induced DCM model was successfully established. The protein levels of PPARα and PGC-1α in control group were significantly higher than those in DOX group (P<0.05). Both of the high-energy phosphate contents and the transport activity of ANT were decreased in DOX group (P<0.05), and the hemodynamic parameters were disordered (P<0.01). Compared with DOX group, PPARα inhibitor pre-treatment significantly reduced the PPARα/PGC-1α expression. Meanwhile, high-energy phosphate contents in the mitochondria and the ANT transport activity of the mitochondria decreased, as well as the left ventricular function (P<0.05). On the other hand, PPARα agonist significantly increased the expression of PPARα and PGC-1α, and improved the transport activity of ANT. In addition, the hemodynamic parameters were ameliorated, but the high-energy phosphate contents of the mitochondria did not significantly change. CONCLUSION: PPARα/PGC-1α plays an important role in the regulation of ANT transport activity in dilated cardiomyopathy induced by DOX, and the activation of PPARα/PGC-1α has protective effects on the DCM induced by DOX.     

阿克苏地区农业生态系统的物质与能量流动

以阿克苏地区为对象研究了该区农业生态系统中能量流动和物质循环的一般特征。结果显示,在能流方面,阿克苏地区农田生态系统的能量产出水平和效率都处于较低水平;在物流方面,农田肥料投入单一,主要以化肥为主,并且化肥使用量已超出最适施肥量范围,造成土壤养分严重失衡。今后应改善投能结构,优化种植业结构,促进系统持续、稳定、高效的发展。     

Modeling trophic pathways, nutrient cycling, and dynamic stability in soils

Soil communities are compartmentalized into pathways of trophic interactions and nutrient flows that originate from plant roots, bacteria and fungi. The pathways differ in terms of the organisms that comprise them, the habitats that the organisms occupy and the rates by which the organisms process and transfer material and energy. The fungi, nematodes and arthropods within the fungal pathway live in air-filled pore spaces and water films, while the bacteria, protozoa, and nematodes within the bacterial pathway occupy water-filled pore spaces and water films. Organisms within the fungal pathway have longer generation times and process matter at slower rates than those within the bacterial pathway. Empirical studies have shown that under natural conditions the pathways co-exist in a stable manner. The relative sizes (indexed by the densities of organisms) and activities (indexed by nutrient-flow rates, excretion rates and respiration rates) of the pathways may change seasonally and in response to minor disturbances, but they persist. However, large anthropogenic and natural disturbances induce shifts in the relative sizes and activities of the pathways. Coincident with these shifts are reports of changes in the aboveground plant community and the availability and retention of plant limiting nutrients. We developed simple models of the bacterial and fungal pathways to explore the consequences of the observed shifts on the dynamic stability of the system. The more stable configurations occurred when there was a balance in the flow of nutrients between the two pathways. Large shifts in nutrient cycling and community structure towards either the fungal pathway or toward the bacterial pathway resulted in less stable or unstable configurations.     

Can conservation tillage and residue management enhance energy use efficiency and sustainability of rice-pea system in the Eastern Himalayas?

ABSTRACT

Low productivity and energy use efficiency (EUE) of rice farming are the major concerns for agricultural sustainability in the Eastern Himalayan region of India. A field experiment on rice (Oryza sativa L.)-pea (Pisum sativum L) system was conducted for three consecutive years during 2012–15 in lowland ecosystem to assess the direct and residual impact of tillage and residue management (RM) practises on productivity and sustainability. Significantly higher grain yield of rice was achieved under no-till (NT) than minimum tillage (MT) and conventional tillage (CT). Among RM practises, 50% NPK + green leaf manure, 50% NPK + weed biomass and 50% NPK + in-situ residue retention recorded significantly higher mean grain yields than application of 50% NPK and 100% NPK without residues. Residual effect of MT in preceding rice gave significantly higher green pod yield of succeeding pea than NT and CT. The system EUE was significantly higher under MT (rice)-NT (pea) compared to those of NT-NT and CT-NT systems. The sustainable yield index of rice and pea was maximum under MT-NT followed by NT-NT. Thus, NT/MT with suitable RM practises is a pertinent strategy for sustainable productivity of rice-pea system in the Eastern Himalayas and in similar adjoining regions.     

Comparison of modeling approaches to quantify residue architecture effects on soil temperature and water

RZ-SHAW is a hybrid model, comprised of modules from the Simultaneous Heat and Water (SHAW) model integrated into the Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM) that allows more detailed simulation of different residue types and architectures that affect heat and water transfer at the soil surface. RZ-SHAW allows different methods of surface energy flux evaluation to be used: (1) the SHAW module, where evapotranspiration (ET) and soil heat flux are computed in concert with a detailed surface energy balance; (2) the Shuttleworth–Wallace (S–W) module for ET in which soil surface temperature is assumed equal air temperature; and (3) the PENFLUX module, which uses a Penman transformation for a soil slab under incomplete residue cover. The objective of this study was to compare the predictive accuracy of the three RZ-SHAW modules to simulate effects of residue architecture on net radiation, soil temperature, and water dynamics near the soil surface. The model was tested in Akron, Colorado in a wheat residue-covered (both standing and flat) no-till (NT) plot, and a reduced till (RT) plot where wheat residue was incorporated into the soil. Temperature difference between the soil surface and ambient air frequently exceeded 17 °C under RT and NT conditions, invalidating the isothermal assumption employed in the S–W module. The S–W module overestimated net radiation (R_n) by an average of 69 Wm⁻² and underestimated the 3-cm soil temperature (T_s3) by 2.7 °C for the RT plot, attributed to consequences of the isothermal assumption. Both SHAW and PENFLUX modules overestimated midday T_s3 for RT conditions but underestimated T_s3 for NT conditions. Better performances of the SHAW and PENFLUX surface energy evaluations are to be expected as both approaches are more detailed and consider a more discretized domain than the S–W module. PENFLUX simulated net radiation slightly better than the SHAW module for both plots, while T_s3 was simulated the best by SHAW, with a mean bias error of +0.1 °C for NT and +2.7 °C for RT. Simulation results for soil water content in the surface 30 cm (θ_v30) were mixed. The NT conditions were simulated best by SHAW, with mean bias error for θ_v30 within 0.006 m³ m⁻³; RT conditions were simulated best by the PENFLUX module, which was within 0.010 m³ m⁻³.     

Enhancing the Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEB) approach for estimating landscape ET: Validation with the METRIC model

Evapotranspiration (ET) can be derived from satellite data using surface energy balance principles. METRIC (Mapping EvapoTranspiration at high Resolution with Internalized Calibration) is one of the most widely used models available in the literature to estimate ET from satellite imagery. The Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEB) model is much easier and less expensive to implement. The main purpose of this research was to present an enhanced version of the Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEB) model and to evaluate its performance using the established METRIC model. In this study, SSEB and METRIC ET fractions were compared using 7 Landsat images acquired for south central Idaho during the 2003 growing season. The enhanced SSEB model compared well with the METRIC model output exhibiting an r² improvement from 0.83 to 0.90 in less complex topography (elevation less than 2000 m) and with an improvement of r² from 0.27 to 0.38 in more complex (mountain) areas with elevation greater than 2000 m. Independent evaluation showed that both models exhibited higher variation in complex topographic regions, although more with SSEB than with METRIC. The higher ET fraction variation in the complex mountainous regions highlighted the difficulty of capturing the radiation and heat transfer physics on steep slopes having variable aspect with the simple index model, and the need to conduct more research. However, the temporal consistency of the results suggests that the SSEB model can be used on a wide range of elevation (more successfully up 2000 m) to detect anomalies in space and time for water resources management and monitoring such as for drought early warning systems in data scarce regions. SSEB has a potential for operational agro-hydrologic applications to estimate ET with inputs of surface temperature, NDVI, DEM and reference ET.