Soil aggregate formation and stability induced by starch and cellulose

Soil aggregate (SA) can be formed and stabilized when soil organic matter (SOM) is decomposed in the soil. However, the relationships between the SA dynamics and SOM with different decomposition rates have not been clarified. Therefore, this study examined the effects of the addition of polysaccharides to soil on SA formation and stability. A Japanese tropical soil was incubated for 99 d at 30 °C in a dark environment following the addition of 0.5% (w/w) starch or cellulose. The decomposition rates of the amendments, and SA formation and stability were evaluated by measuring soil respiration rates, and distribution fractions of soil aggregate sizes and mean weight diameter (MWD) of SA, respectively. The cumulative soil respirations with all treatments rapidly increased until Day 12 of the incubation. The initial slope of the cumulative soil respiration in the soil with starch was significantly higher than that in the soil with cellulose. In either soil with starch or cellulose, the fractions of macro-aggregates (>1000 μm in diameter) significantly increased, respectively, compared with control soil. However, the fractions of meso-aggregates (250–1000 μm) and nano-aggregate (<20 μm) in the soil with starch significantly decreased, while those fractions in the soil with cellulose fluctuated until Day 6. The MWDs reached the maximum on Day 6, indicating the SA formation in the soils with starch or cellulose. The increasing rate of the SA formation in the starch-amended soil was greatly higher than that in the cellulose-amended soil. After Day 6, the MWDs in the soils with either polysaccharide decreased with similar trends with no significant differences between treatments, indicating similar stability of the SA in both treatments. This study showed that the different decomposability of the organic amendments might influence the SA formation differently, but not the SA stability.     

Impact of Land Use and Land Cover Changes on Organic Carbon Stocks in Mediterranean Soils (1956–2007)

During the last few decades, land use changes have largely affected the global warming process through emissions of CO₂. However, C sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems could contribute to the decrease of atmospheric CO₂ rates. Although Mediterranean areas show a high potential for C sequestration, only a few studies have been carried out in these systems. In this study, we propose a methodology to assess the impact of land use and land cover change dynamics on soil organic C stocks at different depths. Soil C sequestration rates are provided for different land cover changes and soil types in Andalusia (southern Spain). Our research is based on the analysis of detailed soil databases containing data from 1357 soil profiles, the Soil Map of Andalusia and the Land Use and Land Cover Map of Andalusia. Land use and land cover changes between 1956 and 2007 implied soil organic C losses in all soil groups, resulting in a total loss of 16·8 Tg (approximately 0·33 Tg y⁻¹). Afforestation increased soil organic C mostly in the topsoil, and forest contributed to sequestration of 8·62 Mg ha⁻¹ of soil organic C (25·4 per cent). Deforestation processes implied important C losses, particularly in Cambisols, Luvisols and Vertisols. The information generated in this study will be a useful basis for designing management strategies for stabilizing the increasing atmospheric CO₂ concentrations by preservation of C stocks and C sequestration. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于低碳与成本约束的机电产品包装概念设计

机电产品的包装需要耗费大量的原木,对环境造成了极大的影响,也增加了机电产品的生产经营成本。文章从低碳和成本约束的角度,对机电产品包装概念设计的模型进行了分析和探讨。     

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。     

放牧管理对西藏高寒沼泽植物群落结构和土壤碳氮的影响

对西藏当雄县3种不同放牧管理模式(冬季放牧、冬春季放牧和全年放牧)下的高寒沼泽的植物群落结构和土壤碳氮进行了调查。调查发现,3种放牧管理模式下的高寒沼泽植物群落总盖度差异不显著,而优势物种藏嵩草的高度和盖度差异显著;放牧管理对沼泽群落结构和物种多样性影响较大,随着放牧强度的增加,物种丰富度增加;放牧利用显著降低了高寒沼泽湿地群落优势物种藏嵩草的高度和盖度,其优势度也显著降低,使得高寒沼泽逐渐退化。冬季放牧、冬春季放牧和全年放牧沼泽地上生物量和地下生物量依次降低。同时,随着放牧强度的增加,高寒沼泽表层土壤有机碳氮的含量也显著降低,且高寒沼泽表层土壤碳氮与地上和地下生物量显著正相关。通过对比分析,冬季放牧是当前西藏高寒沼泽较好的放牧管理模式。     

Comparison of emission estimates for non‐CO2 greenhouse gases from livestock and poultry in Korea from 1990 to 2010

It has often been claimed that non‐carbon dioxide greenhouse gases (NCGGs), such as methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated greenhouse gases, are significant contributors to climate change. Here we nvestigate emission estimates of methane and nitrous oxide from livestock and poultry production, which is recognized as a major source of those NCGGs, in Korea over the period of 1990 through 2010. Based on the data on livestock and poultry populations, emission estimates of methane and nitrous oxide are first derived based on the Tier 1 approach. Then, the Tier 2 approach is adopted to obtain emission estimates of methane and nitrous oxide from cattle, which are known to be the largest sources of these NCGGs and account for about 70% of emissions from livestock and poultry in Korea. The result indicates that the Tier 2 estimates of methane and nitrous oxide emissions from enteric fermentation and manure management are significantly different from the Tier 1 estimates over the analysis period.     

Formulation challenges of organic poultry diets with readily available ingredients and limited synthetic methionine

Organic agriculture has increased greatly over the past several years as consumer demand for these products has risen. Organic meat production, including poultry, has grown especially quickly, resulting in increasingly stringent guidelines being put in place to ensure safe, uniform, and ideal products for these consumers. Feed formulation and manufacturing for organic poultry in the United States are strictly regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture National Organic Program. Currently, no synthetic amino acids are allowed to be used in organic poultry diets in the United States except for limited quantities of synthetic methionine since it is typically considered the first or second limiting amino acid in corn and soybean meal based poultry diets and it is a critical nutrient for maintaining bird growth and productive performance, especially regarding egg size in laying hens. The aim of the review herein is to discuss the impacts that current organic regulations on synthetic methionine have on diet formulation when using readily available ingredients. High levels of crude protein must be used to meet bird methionine requirements with this restriction in place, which both increases feed costs and can have negative impacts on bird health and on air quality and the surrounding environment due to increased ammonia emissions. Atypical feed formulation strategies have been explored to address this issue, including such methods as feeding alternative ingredients and providing forage materials. Another possibility would be to use an average lifetime maximum inclusion rate for synthetic methionine, which may allow for better flexibility to provide sufficient methionine throughout various phases of growth and production since the requirements of the bird change with age.     

Rearing conditions affected responses of weaned pigs to organic acids showing a positive effect on digestibility,microflora and immunity

Three experiments were conducted to assess the response of weaned pigs to organic acid SF3, which contains 34% calcium formate, 16% calcium lactate, 7% citric acid and 13% medium chain fatty acids. Dietary treatments had no effect on growth performance of piglets (21‐day weaning) fed the commercial prestart diet for 1 week before receiving the experimental diets supplemented with SF3 at 0, 3 or 5 g/kg diet (Exp. 1), whereas diarrhea frequency averaged across a week was decreased by SF3 supplementation (5 g/kg diet) in piglets fed the experimental diets immediately after weaning (Exp. 2). In Exp. 3, piglets (28‐day weaning) were fed the control (containing pure colistin sulfate and enramycin, respectively, at 20 mg/kg diet) for 1 week and then were fed the control or SF3‐supplemented (5 g/kg diet) diet for 2 weeks. The SF3‐fed piglets had greater apparent ileal digestibility of calcium and dry matter, while also demonstrating greater overall gross energy, up‐regulated jejunal expression of sodium‐glucose cotransporter‐1 and transforming growth factor‐β, down‐regulated jejunal expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α, higher ileal Lactobacillus, with lower total bacteria content, lower plasma TNF‐α but higher IgG levels than the control‐fed piglets. Collectively, SF3 consumption improved diarrhea resistance of weaned pigs by improving nutrient digestibility, piglet immunity and intestinal bacteria profile. © 2016 Japanese Society of Animal Science     

Herd characteristics influence farmers’ preferences for trait improvements in Danish Red and Danish Jersey cows

The aim of this study was to characterize preferences of farmers for breeding goal traits with Danish Red (DR) or Danish Jersey (DJ) cows. A breed-specific survey was established to characterize farmers’ preferences for improvements in 10 traits, by means of pairwise rankings using the online software 1000Minds. These pairwise rankings were based on equal economic worth of trait improvements. The DR survey was filled in by 87 farmers and the DJ survey by 76 farmers. Both DR and DJ farmers gave the highest preference to improvements in mastitis, and the lowest to calving difficulty. By means of a cluster analysis, three distinct clusters of farmers were identified per breed. Comparisons of herd characteristics between clusters suggest that farmers choose to improve traits that are problematic in their herds. This study shows that heterogeneity exists in farmers’ preferences for trait improvements and that herd characteristics influence these preferences in DR and DJ.