Optimum Nutrient Concentrations and CND Scores of Mature White Spruce Determined Using a Boundary-Line Approach and Spatial Variation of Tree Growth and Nutrition

ABSTRACT

Standards of optimum nutrition are not readily available for mature trees of the Canadian boreal forest. The objective of this study was to determine foliar nutritional standards for white spruce for all major nutrients [nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and manganese (Mn)] using critical values (CVA) and compositional nutrient diagnosis (CND). Trees were sampled at two locations in Ontario and Quebec to cover a gradient of soil fertility levels. A boundary-line approach was used in combination with quadratic regression models to estimate the relationship between growth and foliar-nutrient concentrations or CND scores when free of the effects of interacting environmental factors. White spruce optimum nutrition ranges were computed from significant relationships (P ≤ 0.10) for N, P, K, Ca, and Mn concentrations and for N, P, and K CND scores. Optimum concentrations for first-year needles were 12.3, 1.9, 7.3, 6.5, and 0.39 mg g^?1 for N, P, K Ca, and Mn, respectively, whereas optimum CND scores were 0.17, ?1.65, ?0.40, and ?0.30 for N, P, K, and Ca, respectively. Samples from a broader range of environmental conditions will be required in order to establish standards for all major nutrients and to ascertain toxicity levels of most nutrients.     

DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF CVA,DRIS, AND CND NORMS FOR THREE HYBRIDS OF POPULUS MAXIMOWICZII PLANTED IN SOUTHERN QUEBEC

Plantations of hybrid poplars adapted to relatively poor soils and cold conditions are being established in abandoned fields and forest sites in southern Quebec. Hybrids of Populus maximowiczii are well adapted to these sites but little is known about their nutritional requirements. The objectives of this study were to develop nutritional norms (CVA, DRIS, CND) for three of these hybrids: 915508, Populus euramericana or canadensis X Populus maximowiczii; 3729, Populus nigra X Populus maximowiczii; and 915303, Populus maximowiczii X Populus balsamifera, and to apply the norms on some sites recently planted in southern Quebec. Six plantations (two per clone) were used for the determination of nutritional norms. In each plantation, individual trees were fertilized with nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg) according to a factorial design with three levels of application for each nutrient (3⁵ = 243 treatments). Tree diameter and height, unit foliar mass and foliar chemistry (N, P, K, Ca, and Mg) of each tree were determined two years after fertilization. CVA, DRIS and CND norms were determined using a boundary-line approach with each plantation. Nutritional norms could be established for most combinations of clones and nutrients. CVA, DRIS and CND indices produced with published optimum nutrient concentrations for hybrid poplars closely related to P. maximowiczii were generally in agreement with the ones developed in our study. Differences in nutritional norms among P. maximowiczii hybrids/clones were small but hybrid/clone specific norms could provide more precise estimates of tree nutrition. The application of the norms on some representative sites of southern Quebec revealed more frequent nutrient imbalances than true nutrient deficiencies with generally excessive Ca and Mg, and limiting N, P, and K.     

Identification of a diverse mini‐core panel of Indian rice germplasm based on genotyping using microsatellite markers

Identification of a small core germplasm set representing the available genetic diversity is essential for its proper evaluation and subsequent utilization in rice improvement programmes. For constituting a small diverse mini‐core panel of Indian rice germplasm, a representative set of 6912 accessions drawn based on their geographic origin from the whole rice germplasm collection available in the National Gene Bank was genotyped using 36 microsatellite markers. Automated fragment analysis of amplicons yielded a total of 435 alleles, with an average 12.4 and range of 3–29 alleles per locus. Polymorphism information content (PIC) ranged from 0.08 (RGNMS190) to 0.86 (RM552) with an average of 0.528. Based on genotyping data, a mini‐core consisting of 98 genotypes was identified. Ninety‐four per cent of the alleles present in the core set were present in the mini‐core. The identified small but diverse panel will be useful for further intensive trait‐specific evaluation and utilization in allele mining.     

Formalizing agro-ecological engineering for future-oriented land use studies

Agriculture faces an array of interrelated problems that call for development of new and revision of existing cropping systems towards the multiple needs of the 21st century. Agro-ecological engineering approaches aimed at design and exploration of alternative land use systems at various scales may support the identification of appropriate land use options. Engineering approaches are based on mathematical representations of well-founded agro-ecological principles while taking into account available resources and prevailing land-related objectives. The goal of this paper is to contribute to the development of a formalized approach to engineer cropping systems at the land unit level that can be used as building blocks for systematic explorations of land use options at farm or regional scale. The approach for engineering cropping systems at the land unit level consists of three steps: (i) goal-driven design of cropping systems, (ii) quantification of biophysical production targets and (iii) definition of the optimal mix of inputs required to realize production targets. This paper describes the approach and illustrates it with examples from the Sudano-Sahelian zone of Mali. Explicit attention is paid to the required numerical tools and their application to analyze consequences of uncertainty in the performance of engineered cropping systems. Using numerical tools, uncertainty is made explicit with the aim to better manage or reduce it. Identification of uncertainty at the designer's desk allows taking uncertainty into account before applying engineered land use systems in regional model studies or testing such systems in practice. Problems related to the application of numerical tools are discussed, including the future role of agro-ecological engineering as independent discipline within agricultural science.     

河套灌区套种模式下综合作物系数的试验研究

依据FAO56作物需水量指南提供的作物系数计算方法,分别计算了内蒙古河套灌区磴口试验站小麦套种覆膜玉米、小麦套种未覆膜玉米、小麦套种油料向日葵3种套种模式下的综合单、双值作物系数。结果表明,3种套种模式下的作物在全生育期内均可迎来2次综合需水高峰;共生阶段的作物系数,单值方法高于双值方法的计算结果,而单一作物独立生长阶段,双值方法高于单值方法的计算结果;无论单值计算还是双值计算的套种作物田间综合ET,当单一作物处于独立生长期时差别不大,而2种作物共同生育阶段的差别较大;将3种作物在套种模式下的生育阶段划分的更加详细并分别命名,为套种模式下作物蒸散量提供更准确的计算依据。     

基于自适应模拟退火算法的HEV能量管理优化

基于iSight和ADVISOR联合仿真平台,采用自适应模拟退火算法对混合动力汽车的能量管理策略进行优化,主要对模糊控制策略的隶属度函数进行了优化,从而克服了基于专家经验进行参数选择的弊端.在ADVISOR中对UDDS工况进行了仿真对比.优化结果表明,所设计的模糊控制器和自适应模拟退火算法合理有效,车辆的燃油经济性和排...     

基于环境互作的加性-显性-加加上位性模型的多环境指数选择(英文)

适应性和稳定性是优良品种所必须具备的基本条件。在多个环境下对多个性状进行选择一直是一个悬而未决的难题。基于加性-显性-加加互作以及它们和环境互作的遗传模型,本文提出了两类选择指数:普通选择指数和考虑基因型与环境互作的选择指数(环境互作选择指数)。其中普通选择指数可用于具有广泛适应性品种的选择,环境互作选择指数则可用于具有特定环境适应性的基因型的选择。对于自花授粉作物,本文提出了两类育种值,即普通育种值和基因型与环境互作育种值。其中,普通育种值包括上位性效应和加加上位性效应,基因型与环境互作育种值包括加性、加加上位性与环境的互作效应。应用混合线性模型估算选择指数构建中涉及的方差-协方差分量。以一组陆地棉双列杂交设计试验作为实例,演示了所提出的选择指数的构建过程。本文提出的指数选择方法可望为多环境下多个性状同步选择提供一条有效的途径。     

引入因素分析法的神经网络在洪水

因素分析法是一种多元统计法，可以通过线性变换，将原有数据转换成彼此不相关且维数较少的数据，本文将因素分析法引入洪水预报神经网络的输入单元精简过程，详细介绍了建模和神经网络训练过程中包括STA训练控制在内的一些关键技术问题，并通过实例评价了此应用方法的效果，通过分析，表明此方法可以在不损失或较小损失的前提下方便有效的对洪水预报神经网络结构进行精简，大大缩减了神经网络的规模，提高了效率，具有很高的实用价值。     

大型排灌工程项目后评价理论及方法

大型排灌工程项目后评价是大型排灌工程项目科学管理的重要环节。根据大型排灌工程的具体特点 ,讨论项目后评价的理论基础和评价方法 ,分析了大型排灌工程项目后评价的特点、内容、基本原则和程序 ,提出了后评价的指标体系及各种指标的计算方法。     

防抱死制动系统滑模变结构控制研究

针对滑模变结构控制方法能较好地解决汽车防抱死制动系统的非线性问题,以及其固有的抖动会影响控制效果的问题,本文采用一种基于指数趋近律的滑模控制方法,设计了两轮车辆的防抱死制动系统滑模控制器,并在Matlab/S imu link里进行了仿真。仿真结果表明了该控制策略可以有效地抑制传统滑模控制系统的抖动现象,达到更好的控制效果。