Modelling optimal timing and frequency of insecticide sprays for knockdown in preparation for other control measures

A modelling investigation was conducted into optimizing the number of sprays and inter-spray interval to reduce an insect population to a low level, for example, prior to pheromone trapping or the release of sterile males. The model population was age-structured and density-dependent. If spray mortality is 100% for each spray, then the ideal spraying schedule is easily determined from the durations of the various life stages. For spray mortality of less than 100%, a simulation was used to determine optimal spraying schedules. Relative length of the larval period, fertility rate and age to first oviposition were found to be the most important biotic parameters for this determination. Their importance is magnified as spray mortality decreases. The stage targeted by sprays and the percent mortality caused by each spray are also important in determining the required number of sprays. Using medfly (Ceratitis capitata Wiedmann) biotic parameters as an example when the spray targets adults, it appeared that neither the stage at which density-dependent mortality takes effect, nor the form of the adult survivorship curve are important in determining the optimal spray schedule.     

生长年限对苜蓿和柠条光合特征及土壤水分的影响

为了探究生长年限对衰败期苜蓿和中老龄柠条的叶片光合生理特征及土壤水分的影响,在2014年于地处黄土高原水蚀风蚀交错带强烈侵蚀中心的神木六道沟小流域,测定了不同生长年限苜蓿（ALF₁₀、ALF₁₃、ALF₃₃和ALF₄₉）和柠条（KOP₁₀、KOP₂₅、KOP₄₃和KOP₇₃）的叶片光合参数、叶结构性状参数以及0~400 cm土层土壤体积含水量（SWC_0-400）。结果表明：对于衰败期苜蓿,ALF₁₀和ALF₁₃叶片净光合速率（P_n）差异不显著（P>0.05）,而后随生长年限的延长逐渐降低,ALF₃₃和ALF₄₉比ALF₁₃叶片的P_n（24.01 μmol·m^-2·s^-1）分别降低了2.32 μmol·m^-2·s^-1和7.76 μmol·m^-2·s^-1。相比ALF₁₀,随生长年限延长SWC_0-400恢复至10.88%（ALF₁₃）,而后随着生长年限延长降低至8.81%（ALF₃₃）和6.12%（ALF₄₉）。土壤水分对ALF₃₃的限制作用不明显,水分胁迫使ALF₄₉非气孔限制值比ALF₃₃增大了0.340。对于中老龄期柠条,叶片P_n随生长年限的延长先升高后降低,KOP₂₅和KOP₄₃叶片P_n最大且两者差异不显著（P>0.05）,比KOP₁₀（6.62 μmol·m^-2·s^-1）分别增大了6.57 μmol·m^-2·s^-1和7.66 μmol·m^-2·s^-1,KOP₇₃比KOP₄₃叶片P_n降低了4.95 μmol·m^-2·s^-1。对于同为黄绵土生长的KOP₁₀、KOP₄₃和KOP₇₃,SWC_0-400随生长年限延长逐渐上升,分别为8.50%、9.06%和10.71%。土壤水分恢复使KOP₄₃叶片气孔及非气孔限制值比KOP₁₀柠条降低了0.185和2.180。此外,柠条叶片相对叶绿素含量（SPAD）与P_n呈极显著正相关（P<0.001）,相关系数为0.514。研究结果表明衰败期苜蓿和中老龄期柠条叶片光合性能呈波动式变化,这与土壤水分的相互作用有关。     

春玉米叶片光合生理参数对土壤水分的阈值响应及其生产力分级

试验设正常灌水处理和干旱胁迫处理,讨论春玉米叶片的光合生理参数对土壤水分的阈值响应并进行生产力分级。结果表明:正常灌水处理的叶片光合速率(Pn)、蒸腾速率(Tr)和气孔导度(Gs)呈单峰曲线变化,胞间CO2浓度(Ci)和气孔限制值(Ls)对水分变化具有相反的响应变化。干旱胁迫处理下叶片的Pn、Tr在进行控水后明显下降,灌浆以前Pn下降主要是由气孔限制引起的。随着水分胁迫的加剧,光合结构受损,Pn下降,主要受非气孔因素限制。短期干旱胁迫会适当降低玉米的水分利用效率(WUE),但是下降程度不显著,WUE能达到中等水平。长期严重的水分胁迫后,WUE下降明显,与正常灌水处理相比差异极显著。以光合生理参数为指标对玉米土壤水分有效性及生产力进行分级与评价,确定当36.8%<土壤相对湿度(RWC)<42.7%时为低产低效水;42.7%相似文献   

CO2浓度升高和磷素亏缺对黑麦草气孔特征及气体交换参数的影响

为深入理解未来大气CO2浓度升高背景下草地生态系统结构与功能响应土壤磷亏缺的潜在机理,该研究利用可精准控制CO2浓度的大型人工气候室,探讨了正常CO2浓度400 μmol/mol、升高CO2浓度800 μmol/mol和磷素供应水平（0.004、0.012、0.02、0.06、0.1和0.5 mmol/L）对黑麦草气孔特征及其气体交换过程的影响。结果表明,CO2浓度升高使供磷水平0.1和0.5 mmol/L的气孔密度增加约35%（P=0.012）和25%（P<0.001）,但却减小气孔开度13%（P=0.002）和12%（P=0.005）,且导致供磷水平为0.06 mmol/L的黑麦草气孔分布更加规则。同时,CO2浓度升高还导致供磷水平0.1和0.5 mmol/L的净光合速率显著增加8.6%（P=0.002）和15.8%（P<0.001）,从而提高黑麦草的水分利用效率。另外,不同供磷水平明显改变了植株生物量及其分配,且高浓度CO2对较高磷水平时地上生长产生更强的施肥效应。研究结果将为深入理解草地生态系统对大气CO2浓度升高和土壤磷素亏缺的响应机理提供理论依据和数据支撑。     

生物炭添加对矿区压实土壤水力特性的影响

中国黄土高原大型露天煤矿开采导致土壤质量下降,生物炭作为环境友好型土壤改良剂,在改善农田土壤质量中应用广泛,但在有关矿区压实土壤改良的研究中不够深入。为此,该研究通过室内试验分析不同粒径的生物炭在不同添加量下对矿区排土场压实土壤水力特性的影响。试验采用4种粒径（>1～2、>0.25～1、0.10～0.25、<0.10 mm）与4种添加量（0、4、8、16 g/kg）的生物炭,设计5种压实条件（容重分别为1.3、1.4、1.5、1.6、1.7 g/cm3）,并利用van Genuchten模型（VG模型）拟合土壤水分特征曲线。结果表明,添加生物炭后土壤水分特征曲线的相关系数均在0.960以上,标准差均小于0.015,说明VG模型适用于拟合添加生物炭后的土壤水分特征曲线。随着生物炭添加量的增加,土壤孔隙分布明显改变,形成了大量大孔隙和中孔隙,土壤的持水能力提高。在低容重（1.3、1.4 g/cm3）条件下,生物炭粒径越大（0.25～2 mm）添加量越高（8、16 g/kg）,土壤持水、保水效果越明显;在高容重（1.5、1.6、1.7 g/cm3）条件下,小粒径（<0.25 mm）和较低的生物炭添加量（4、8 g/kg）则表现出较好的持水能力。对于不同压实条件的排土场土壤,有针对性地施用生物炭,将有效提高土壤持水保水能力,提高土壤中植物的有效利用水分。     

不同干燥方式对红托竹荪干燥特性和品质的影响

为提高红托竹荪干燥品质并获得最佳干燥工艺,采用真空红外干燥（vacuum infrared drying,VID）、气流冲击干燥（air impingement drying,AID）、控湿干燥（moisture control drying,MCD）等不同干燥方式对红托竹荪进行对比研究,以热风干燥（hot air drying,HAD）作为对照组,研究不同干燥方式及温度对红托竹荪干燥品质的影响。试验结果表明不同干燥方式对竹荪宏观品质产生了显著影响,其中MCD可获得最小的色差?E和收缩率,AID则能够保证较高的复水比;干燥速率方面,MCD在前期能够获得较高的干燥速率,但后期干燥速率会放缓,而AID在整个干燥过程都具有较高的干燥速率,干燥时间较短;在成分保留上,MCD可以保留较高含量的多糖、三萜和黄酮,而采用VID可以有效保护多酚。单位能耗随干燥温度的升高明显降低,不同方式下VID的干燥能耗值整体偏大,MCD的单位能耗最低（18.82 kW·h/kg）。通过主成分分析法,上述干燥方式对红托竹荪综合评分后得到的结果排序为：MCD>AID>VID>HAD,MCD干燥方式中采...     

淀山湖湖水氮与叶绿素的时间格局转变研究

采用STARS（sequential t-test analysis of regime shifts）,以淀山湖湖水中TN、NH3-N、Chl-a和SD为指标,研究了淀山湖湖水氮与叶绿素在1991-2006年间的格局转变规律,分析了转变前后氮与叶绿素的格局特点。结果得出：1991-2006年间,淀山湖湖水中NH3-N和TN含量均存在两种格局,一次转变,发生转变的时间均在2000年;格局转变前NH3-N平均含量为0.649 mg•L-1,转变后为2.014 mg•L-1,是转变前的3.1倍;湖水TN的平均含量格局转变前为2.550 mg•L-1,转变后3.726 mg•L-1,是转变前的1.5倍。淀山湖湖水中Chl-a含量和SD也均存在两种格局,转变均发生在2001年。格局转变前湖水中Chl-a平均含量9.341ug•L-1,转变后19.713ug•L-1,是转变前的2.1倍;湖水SD在转变前平均62 cm,转变后降低为43 cm。2000年的格局转变指数（RSI）2.185,其中NH3-N的RSI 1.038,TN的1.147;2001年的RSI为1.341,其中Chl-a的0.318,SD的为1.023。     

Analysis of flowering,stigmas yield and qualitative traits of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) as affected by environmental conditions

Saffron is well known for its use as a condiment spice, as a dye and traditional medicine. Saffron is experiencing an increasing interest mainly due to its peculiar and manifold properties of the metabolic pool of its stigmas, mainly crocetin esters and picrocrocin. This species is cultivated in environments with very different climatic conditions and with very different corm rates from place to place, passed down over the centuries. The aim of this study was therefore the evaluation of the influence of rainfall, temperature and corm density on flower phenology, stigmas yield and main compositional characteristics of two saffron corms provenience. Flowering beginning in saffron seems to be influenced by the combination of temperature and soil moisture, whilst its flowering calendar proves independent of corm provenance, environment and plant density. On the contrary, the studied factors exert a strong effect on both total stigmas yield and qualitative characteristics: colder environment resulted in a higher flower production, but lower quality of stigmas. Flower number was positively correlated with the stigmas yield, but negatively with its unitary weight. The content of crocetin esters and picrocrocin has been evaluated according to the spectrophotometric ISO normative, which ranked the samples into three qualitative decreasing categories (I–III). The spectrophotometric data showed positive correlation with the unitary stigmas weight and negative with stigmas production.     

Tomato yield, biomass accumulation, root distribution and irrigation water use efficiency on a sandy soil, as affected by nitrogen rate and irrigation scheduling

Florida is the largest producer of fresh-market tomatoes in the United States. Production areas are typically intensively managed with high inputs of fertilizer and irrigation. The objectives of this 3-year field study were to evaluate the interaction between N-fertilizer rates and irrigation scheduling on yield, irrigation water use efficiency (iWUE) and root distribution of tomato cultivated in a plastic mulched/drip irrigated production systems. Experimental treatments included three irrigation scheduling regimes and three N-rates (176, 220 and 230 kg ha⁻¹). Irrigation treatments included were: (1) SUR (surface drip irrigation) both irrigation and fertigation line placed right underneath the plastic mulch; (2) SDI (subsurface drip irrigation) where the irrigation line was placed 0.15 m below the fertigation line which was located on top of the bed; and (3) TIME (conventional control) with irrigation and fertigation lines placed as in SUR and irrigation being applied once a day. Except for the “TIME” treatment all irrigation treatments were controlled by soil moisture sensor (SMS)-based irrigation set at 10% volumetric water content which was allotted five irrigation windows daily and bypassed events if the soil water content exceeded the established threshold. Average marketable fruit yields were 28, 56 and 79 Mg ha⁻¹ for years 1-3, respectively. The SUR treatment required 15-51% less irrigation water when compared to TIME treatments, while the reductions in irrigation water use for SDI were 7-29%. Tomato yield was 11-80% higher for the SUR and SDI treatments than TIME where as N-rate did not affect yield. Root concentration was greatest in the vicinity of the irrigation and fertigation drip lines for all irrigation treatments. At the beginning of reproductive phase about 70-75% of the total root length density (RLD) was concentrated in the 0-15 cm soil layer while 15-20% of the roots were found in the 15-30 cm layer. Corresponding RLD distribution values during the reproductive phase were 68% and 22%, respectively. Root distribution in the soil profile thus appears to be mainly driven by development stage, soil moisture and nutrient availability. It is concluded that use of SDI and SMS-based systems consistently increased tomato yields while greatly improving irrigation water use efficiency and thereby reduced both irrigation water use and potential N leaching.