Integrated disease management of ascochyta blight in pulse crops

Ascochyta blight causes significant yield loss in pulse crops worldwide. Integrated disease management is essential to take advantage of cultivars with partial resistance to this disease. The most effective practices, established by decades of research, use a combination of disease-free seed, destruction or avoidance of inoculum sources, manipulation of sowing dates, seed and foliar fungicides, and cultivars with improved resistance. An understanding of the pathosystems and the inter-relationship between host, pathogen and the environment is essential to be able to make correct decisions for disease control without compromising the agronomic or economic ideal. For individual pathosystems, some components of the integrated management principles may need to be given greater consideration than others. For instance, destruction of infested residue may be incompatible with no or minimum tillage practices, or rotation intervals may need to be extended in environments that slow the speed of residue decomposition. For ascochyta-susceptible chickpeas the use of disease-free seed, or seed treatments, is crucial as seed-borne infection is highly effective as primary inoculum and epidemics develop rapidly from foci in favourable conditions. Implemented fungicide strategies differ according to cultivar resistance and the control efficacy of fungicides, and the effectiveness of genetic resistance varies according to seasonal conditions. Studies are being undertaken to develop advanced decision support tools to assist growers in making more informed decisions regarding fungicide and agronomic practices for disease control.     

拱棚辣椒——大球盖菇轮作改良土壤试验

为解决拱棚蔬菜种植连作障碍问题,进行了辣椒—大球盖菇轮作试验。结果表明:通过轮作,土壤有机质含量增加0.41%,pH值提高0.46,容重减少0.06 g/cm3,化肥投入量减少约30%,农药使用量降低约50%;辣椒根腐病发病率减少7.5%,667 m~2产量增加523 kg。综合来看,辣椒与大球盖菇轮作可改良土壤,防控土传病害,提高产量,有利于绿色食品的生产。     

紫花苜蓿与草地早熟禾轮作模式对其农艺性状和营养品质的影响

为研究紫花苜蓿（Medicago sativa,本试验中记为A）与草地早熟禾（Poa pratensis,本试验中记为K）轮作对其农艺性状和营养品质的影响,本试验以种植5年的紫花苜蓿（A）和草地早熟禾（K）为前茬,在2块草地上分别种植紫花苜蓿（A）和草地早熟禾（K）,即形成AA,AK,KA,KK 4种种植模式,以AK和KA为轮作处理,AA和KK为连作对照。研究了轮作对紫花苜蓿和草地早熟禾各刈割茬次的株高、干草产量、干鲜比、茎叶比、粗蛋白（Crude protein,CP）、中性洗涤纤维（Neutral detergent fiber,NDF）和酸性洗涤纤维（Acid detergent fiber,ADF）等指标变化的影响。结果表明：第1~3茬,AK轮作草地早熟禾的株高较KK连作提高6.31%~9.47%,且在第2茬差异显著（P<0.05）。KA轮作紫花苜蓿的株高较AA连作提高6.72%~9.02%,且在第2茬差异显著（P<0.05）。AK轮作的草地早熟禾年干草产量较KK连作提高8.54%,KA轮作的紫花苜蓿年干草产量较AA连作提高11.57%。AK轮作草地早熟禾的干鲜比较KK连作在3茬间差异显著（P<0.05）,且增加幅度大于KA比AA的增加幅度。不同轮作模式对茎叶比的提高在后2茬差异明显。AK轮作下,草地早熟禾的粗蛋白含量比KK提高14.16%~15.95%,增长幅度优于KA比AA的增加幅度。AK轮作和KA轮作的中性洗涤纤维含量和酸性洗涤纤维在不同茬次较KK连作和AA连作模式差异显著（P<0.05）。紫花苜蓿与草地早熟禾轮作可以提高后茬牧草的株高、干草产量、茎叶比和干鲜比以及粗蛋白含量;并且降低后茬的酸性洗涤纤维和中性洗涤纤维。本试验旨在通过探究紫花苜蓿与草地早熟禾轮作下牧草农艺性状和营养成分的变化情况,为今后豆-禾牧草轮作、草种搭配以及模式排布提供借鉴依据。     

Promoting old-growth characteristics and long-term wood production in Douglas-fir forests

Trade-offs among wood production, wood quality and ecological characteristics in the management of harvested forest stands are explored through model simulation of various silvicultural regimes. Long-term production of merchantable wood, production of various types of high-quality wood, and the level of certain quantitative ecological indicators are projected for coniferous forests of Pacific Northwestern USA. The set of ecological indicators used is based on the species composition and physical structure of old, unlogged forest stands. Simulations are performed with an ecological model of forest stand dynamics that tracks the fate of live and dead trees. Short rotations (<50 years) produce the least amount of high-quality wood over the multi-century simulation period. They also fail to generate ecological attributes resembling those of old forest stands. Production of high-quality wood is moderate to high under all rotations of 80 years or more; however, most ecological indicators require longer rotations unless alternatives to clearcutting are applied. Alternatives examined include retention of 15% cover of live tree canopy at each harvest in combination with artificial thinning between harvests. Thinning from below can expedite the development of large live and dead trees, and canopy height diversity without greatly diminishing wood quantity or quality. Proportional thinning retains understory stems, thereby expediting the recruitment of shade-tolerant trees. A possible drawback to thinning, particularly proportional thinning, is the diminished production of clean-bole wood at rotations of 150 and 260 years. It is concluded that most wood quantity, wood quality and ecological objectives can be met with long rotations (ca. 260 years). Certain objectives can be met with shorter rotations (80–150 years) when treatments of thinning and canopy tree retention are applied.     

轮伐期对杉木人工林地力维护的影响

通过对全国杉木中心产区不同发育阶段杉木人工林生长及生物量的调查,研究轮伐期对杉木人工林生物量及养分分布规律的影响,结果表明：不同轮伐期经营的杉木林林分生物量及其养分分配规律存在差异,随年龄阶段的提高,杉木枝、叶、根、边材及林冠所占比例逐年下降,干、皮和心材比例逐年增加,边材／心材及林冠／树干比例下降,轮伐期越短,每采伐单位杉木干物质所带走的养分越多,对地力的消耗越严重;同时短轮伐期还造成采伐、炼山     

木工平刨床空气动力性噪声产生机理的研究

从气体声学理论入手，论述空气动力性噪声形成的原理，分析了木工刨床空气动力性噪声形成的机理，通过实验对木工平刨床的空气动力性噪声进行了分析研究．     

Long-Term Experiments with cropping systems: Case studies on data analysis

Data analysis for Long-Term Experiments (LTEs) with cropping systems requires some careful thinking, especially for the most complex designs, characterised by rotations with different durations and/or a different number of test-crops per rotation cycle. This paper takes an example-based approach, built upon a number of datasets, covering the main types of LTEs, with increasing levels of complexity. A procedure is outlined to build statistical models for data analysis that is useful for all LTEs characterised by the simultaneous presence of all rotation phases in all years, together with within-year replication. This procedure is based on the assumption that correct analyses can be performed separately for each year. The use of mixed models and REML estimation is advocated for model fitting with all LTEs, due to the fact that most designs are non-orthogonal, as plots may not produce data for the test-crop under study in all years. Mixed models are also useful to account for the autocorrelation of residuals over time and hints are given for the selection of an appropriate variance-covariance structure. For all our examples, variances were not constant across years and compound symmetry correlation structures with variance heterogeneity of years proved to be the best compromise between parsimony and statistical accuracy. Methods are outlined to test for the need of other more complex correlation structures and examples are also given on how to test for fixed effects, model fertility trends and assess the long-term stability of cropping systems.     

Rotated object recognition in four domestic horses (Equus caballus)

Horses were tested for recognition of objects under various rotations to better understand how they perceive stimuli. Four horses learned to discriminate positive and negative stimuli for three sets of “real-life” three-dimensional objects always presented in one particular orientation (front to left, top up). When the horses reliably performed at an above chance criterion of 80% correct responses for two consecutive runs of 20 trials (P = .0046), the objects were rotated in depth and/or turned upside down, for example, front to right, top to horse; back to horse, bottom up. Overall performance on rotated trials, as well as Trial 1 scores on novel presentations, indicated that the horses were capable of recognizing objects under all rotational conditions. However, there was a degree of individual variation, with some horses performing better than others on certain rotations. Moreover, objects rotated in certain positions were more easily recognized than others. The most significant effect was seen when rotations with the top of the objects visible were compared with those with the bottom visible—the former being more recognizable than the latter. This suggests that the horses were using certain features of the objects on which to base their decisions. These findings provide new information on object perception in horses and address one common belief about why horses startle at objects that should be familiar to them.     

Usefulness and limitations of decision support systems for improving irrigation scheme management

SIMIS (the FAO Scheme Irrigation Management Information System) is a decision support system that integrates tools and performance indicators to facilitate the planning and management of irrigation schemes. The authors used SIMIS to compute performance indicators in an irrigation scheme in Southern Spain that were used to identify distribution system constraints affecting the flexibility of water deliveries and to identify scheme sectors where deliveries could not meet the predicted crop water demands. Applying SIMIS, the authors and the irrigation scheme manager evaluated measures to overcome the constraints for future irrigation campaigns, and to refine the water orders made every 2 weeks to the basin authority. On the other hand, SIMIS presented limitations to the evaluation of on-demand delivery schedules. To overcome these limitations, an external model, developed outside SIMIS, showed that the current distribution network of the scheme has the capacity to deliver water on-demand only if a slight water deficit is accepted during the peak demand period. The analysis showed that by relaxing the stringency of the quality of operation of on-demand systems, rotation systems may be transformed into on-demand systems without changing their structures. This analysis could also be done using Clément's hypothesis, but doing so resulted in overestimates of the quality of operation and of the relative irrigation supply.     

春甘蓝-玉米-冬甘蓝轮作制下氮肥施用量研究

 【目的】探讨土壤无机氮含量对春甘蓝-玉米-冬甘蓝轮作甘蓝获得最高产量的施氮量和氮肥利用率的影响及施用氮肥与甘蓝产量和品质的关系，为该轮作制高产优质安全的氮肥施用技术提供依据。【方法】采用田间定位试验研究0、90、180、270、360、450 kg•ha-1 6个施氮水平在两种无机氮含量土壤上春甘蓝、玉米、冬甘蓝产量、氮肥利用率及甘蓝水溶性糖、Vc、硝酸盐含量的变化。【结果】供试土壤无机氮含量显著影响第一季春甘蓝获得最高产量的施氮量，土壤无机氮含量高，春甘蓝最大施氮量降低，土壤无机氮含量对后茬冬甘蓝影响减弱，表明土壤无机氮变化活跃，只对当季作物施肥具有指导意义。当地习惯施氮量高出甘蓝获得最大产量施氮量的1.8～3.2倍，已引起地下水NO3--N的富积。施氮量和土壤剖面中无机氮含量均影响甘蓝氮肥利用率，甘蓝套玉米有利于高氮处理的氮肥利用率的提高。氮肥用量低时（用量在90 kg•ha-1以内时），可同时提高甘蓝的产量和品质；氮肥用量进一步提高时，甘蓝产量还可进一步提高，但品质下降；当氮肥用量过高时，则甘蓝产量品质均下降。因而在生产上要获得优质蔬菜产品，需要减少氮肥用量降低产量来获得。【结论】土壤无机氮含量与当季甘蓝获得最高产量的氮肥用量和氮肥利用率密切相关。砂姜黑土氮肥后效明显，甘蓝与玉米轮作能提高高氮处理氮肥利用率。氮肥用量影响甘蓝产量和品质，要获得较好品质的蔬菜，必须减少氮肥用量降低产量来获得。