Seeding and mulching + seeding effects on post‐fire runoff,soil erosion and species diversity in Galicia (NW Spain)

The effects of two different soil rehabilitation treatments on runoff, infiltration, erosion and species diversity were evaluated in a shrubland area in Galicia (NW Spain) after an experimental fire by means of rainfall simulations. The treatments compared were: seeding, seeding + mulching and control (untreated). Rainfall simulations were conducted 9 months after fire and the application of soil rehabilitation treatments. A rainfall rate of 67 mm h⁻¹ was applied for 30 min to each runoff plot. Seeding significantly increased plant species richness in the treated plots relative to the control plots, although it had no effect on diversity or evenness. Rehabilitation treatments did not significantly increase soil cover or affect runoff and infiltration. Soil losses were low in all cases, varying from 75·6 kg ha⁻¹ in the seeded + mulched plots to 212·1 kg ha⁻¹ in the untreated plots. However, there were no significant differences in sediment yields between treatments. The percentage of bare soil appeared to be a critical variable in controlling runoff and erosion. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of N2‐fixing bacterial inoculations on yield of sugar beet and barley

Drawbacks of intensive farming practices and environmental costs of N fertilizers have renewed interest in bio‐fertilizers. This study was conducted in order to investigate the effectiveness of 7 N₂‐fixing bacterial isolates from various sources in sugar beet and barley production under field conditions in the higland plateau of Erzurum, Turkey (29° 55′ N and 41° 16′ E with an altitude of 1950 m) in 1999 and 2000. Seeds were inoculated with five bacterial strains of Bacillus; BA‐140, BA‐142, M‐3, M‐13, and M‐58, a strain of Burkholderia (BA‐7) and Pseudomonas (BA‐8). The bacterial strains had been demonstrated to grow in N‐free basal medium. The experiment also included applications of mineral nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and NP‐fertilizer as well as a control treatment without inoculation and fertilizer application. Two years of trials under field conditions showed that seed inoculation with bacterial strains significantly affected yield, yield components, and quality parameters both in sugar beet and barley. On an average of both years, seed inoculation of sugar beet with BA‐140, BA‐142, M‐58, BA‐7, BA‐8, M‐13, and M‐3 increased root yield by 13.0, 12.6, 10.5, 9.2, 8.1, 6.1, and 6.5% as compared to the control and sugar yield by 7.8, 6.3, 5.1, 4.0, 3.2, 2.3, and 5.3%, respectively. N, P, and NP applications, however, increased root yield up to 13.6, 5.3, and 21.4% and sugar yield by 6.1, 4.0, and 14.8%, respectively. Of the bacteria tested, BA‐140 and BA‐142 had yields equal to N application. All bacterial inoculations also gave higher seed and total biomass yields in barley than control plots. BA‐140 and BA‐142 were top yielding strains. In conclusion, bacterial seed inoculations especially with BA‐140 and BA‐142 may satisfy nitrogen requirements of sugar beet and barley under field conditions even in upland areas.     

几种保护性耕作措施在黄土高原旱作农田的实践

自2001年起,甘肃农业大学的研究者在甘肃省定西市安定区李家堡镇布设了不同保护性耕作措施下春小麦→豌豆和豌豆→春小麦轮作系统的定位试验,以研究免耕不覆盖(NT)、传统耕作秸秆还田(TS)、免耕秸秆覆盖(NTS)、传统耕作地膜覆盖(TP)和免耕地膜覆盖(NTP)等保护性耕作措施在黄土高原旱作农田生态系统中的效应。本文就近10年依托该试验获取的相关研究结果进行综述,重点阐述特定土壤、气候、农作制度下土壤理化性状、土壤微生物及其酶活性、土壤温室气体排放、作物生理生态等对上述几种保护性耕作措施的响应。初步得到免耕秸秆覆盖措施有助于形成良好的土壤结构、减少土壤侵蚀、改善土壤持水特性、提高土壤养分利用效率、改善土壤微生物区系、增强作物光合效能、增加作物产量等结论,对筛选出当地适宜的耕作模式、改善区域土壤质量、促进农业可持续发展有重要意义。在此基础上,提出目前该项研究存在的问题和今后重点关注的方向:1)保护性耕作土壤碳循环机理;2)覆盖方式的创新;3)温室气体排放测量方法的改进与完善。     

Reduced tillage in temperate organic farming: implications for crop management and forage production

To promote conservation tillage in organic farming systems, weed control and ley removal within arable-ley rotations need to be optimized. A long-term field trial was thus established in Frick, Switzerland in 2002 on a clayey soil and with a mean precipitation of 1000 mm/year. The tillage experiment distinguished between conventional tillage with mouldboard ploughing (CT, 15 cm depth) and reduced tillage (RT), including a chisel plough (15 cm) and a stubble cleaner (5 cm). Results of a 2-year grass-clover ley (2006/2007) and silage maize (2008) are presented. Due to dry conditions, mean grass-clover yields were 25% higher in RT than in CT, indicating better water retention of RT soils. Clover cover and mineral contents of the fodder mixture were also higher in RT. The ley was successfully removed in autumn 2007 in RT plots, and a winter pea catch crop was sown before maize. In CT, ploughing took place in spring 2008. Maize yields were 34% higher in RT than in CT, despite a two- to three-fold higher but still tolerable weed infestation. Maize in RT plots benefited from an additional 61.5 kg of easily decomposable organic N/ha incorporated into the soil via the pea mulch. Measurement of arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization of maize roots indicated a similar mechanical disturbance of the topsoil through the reduced ley removal system compared with ploughing. It is suggested that RT is applicable in organic farming, even in arable-ley rotations, but long-term effects need further assessment.     

Future productivity of fallow systems in Sub-Saharan Africa: Is the effect of demographic pressure and fallow reduction more significant than climate change?

In this century climate change is assumed to be the major driver for changes in agricultural systems and crop productivity at the global scale. However, due to spatial differences in cropping systems and in the magnitude of climatic change regional variations of climate change impact are expected. Furthermore, the recent climate projections are highly uncertain for large parts of West Africa. In particular with respect to annual precipitation and variability the projections vary between trends with decreasing precipitation and trends with slightly increasing precipitation within the next decades. On the other hand, the extensive fallow systems in this region suffer from increasing population pressure, which compromises soil fertility restoration. In the Republic of Benin, the demographic projections for the first half of this century indicate a continuous growth of the population with a narrow interval of confidence. Thus, in the absence of an adequate soil fertility management with judicious use of mineral fertilizers, the soil degradation process with decreasing crop yields is expected to continue. The objective of this paper was, therefore, to quantify the regional effect of future population growth on crop yields in West Africa and to compare it with the potential effects of climate change scenarios. Three land use scenarios (L1, L2 and L3) for the Upper Ouémé catchment where derived from different demographic projections combined with assumptions regarding future road networks and legal frameworks for forest protection using the CLUE-S modeling approach. The fallow-cropland ratio decreased in the three scenarios from 0.87 in the year 2000 to 0.66, 0.48 and 0.68 for L1, L2 and L3, respectively in 2050. Based on the projected ratio of fallow and cropland, trends of maize yield for the three land use scenarios were calculated using the EPIC (Environmental Policy Integrated Climate) model coupled with a spatial database. Maize yields followed the decreasing trend of the fallow-cropland ratio and estimated yield reductions amounted to up to 24% in the period 2021-2050. This trend was compared with the impact of the SRES climate scenarios A1B and B1 based on the output of the GCM ECHAM5 downscaled with the REMO model and the A1B scenario output of the GCM HADC3Q0 downscaled with the RCMs SMHIRCA and HADRM3P. The yield reductions due to the projected climate change in the three models accounted for a yield decrease of up to 18% (REMO A1B scenario) in the same period. Taking into account the smaller uncertainties in the scenario assumptions and in the model output of the land use scenarios, it is concluded that, in low input fallow systems in West Africa, land use effects will be at least as important as climate effects within the next decades.     

The impact of sowing density of small grains on rill and ephemeral gully erosion in concentrated flow zones

Despite the fact that soil erosion by water causes considerable on-site and off-site problems, farmers in Europe are reluctant to adopt prevention and control measures when such measures require additional labour and material inputs. This paper documents the impact of multiple sowing of small grains on concentrated flow erosion rates and grain production for a winter triticale field (X Triticosecale Wittmack ex. A. Camus) in the Belgian loess belt. Multiple sowing refers to drilling more than once in zones of concentrated flow erosion in order to increase the total root mass in this zone. Multiple sowing strongly altered the morphology of erosion channels and reduced soil loss significantly. Statistical analysis confirmed that differences in channel dimensions could be explained by the seedling density. Doubling the root mass in the topsoil by multiple sowing, resulted on average in a reduction of soil loss by 42% for the whole growing season. For the winter period, soil loss reduction, mainly attributed to the triticale roots, amounted even to 53%, showing the tremendous impact of seedling roots on soil erosion by concentrated overland flow in the early stages of vegetation growth. Furthermore, total grain yield in the multiple drilled zones was not significantly smaller compared to the conventionally drilled parts of the field. Grain size of cereals was slightly smaller. The results of this case study indicate that double sowing in concentrated overland flow zones may be a viable soil erosion control technique.     

基于暗管埋设的农田生态工程对运东滨海盐碱地的改良原理与实践

我国具有丰富的盐碱地资源,滨海盐碱地是其重要组成。运东滨海平原盐碱地具有地下水埋深浅,土壤盐分重,土壤水盐季节性变化强烈等特点。基于上述特点,该区域农作物限制因子为盐分胁迫、干旱和涝渍害。针对限制因子总结了各种农田生态工程手段的实施及原理。通过对当地常见作物3种胁迫的敏感时期分析,结合农田生态工程原理,在河北省南大港管理区的荒地进行了农田生态工程改良盐碱地实践研究。结果显示,棉花、玉米的产量可分别达到2.23~3.98 t·hm-2和4.6~6.7 t·hm-2,接近当地耕地的平均水平。小麦-玉米一年两熟粮食总产量可达9.6~10.8 t·hm-2,小麦-谷子一年两熟粮食总产量达到9.1~11.9 t·hm-2。农田生态工程显著地增加了作物的种植适宜性,使多种轮作制度成为可能。但是单项的生态工程技术都有一定的局限性,如咸水结冰灌溉会增加土壤盐分,暗管工程会降低土壤养分含量和有效性,因此农田生态工程应系统化和体系化。多种技术手段互补,最终实现调整盐碱地土壤水分、盐分季节性分配,使作物避开盐分、水分胁迫敏感期,使作物生长与土壤水盐季节变化耦合,完成作物生命周期并形成产量,最后在周年内达到土壤积盐与排盐平衡。暗管工程必将取代明沟作为盐碱地区排水的基础,也是各项生态工程的基础。而农田生态工程技术的多样化、系统化和体系化是未来改良盐碱地的发展趋势。     

地膜覆盖作物农田光温效应研究

试验研究地膜覆盖作物农田光温效应结果表明 ,夏季作物旺长期 (棉花开花～吐絮期、玉米抽雄穗～乳熟期、大豆开花～结荚期 )地膜覆盖作物枝叶茂盛 ,白天所截留的太阳总辐射量多 ,作物中下部光照强度小于对照地 ,且地膜覆盖作物农田土壤温度低于对照地 ,其中白天地面最高温度降温较明显 ,棉花、玉米与大豆农田土壤温度比对照分别降低 3 1℃、2 7℃和 2 5℃ ,其光温效应可有效减轻夏季高温对作物的危害而利于增产     

土层置换对草甸土理化性状及作物产量的影响

研究旨在探讨土层置换对土壤物理性质和化学性质的变化及对作物产量的影响,这对作物高产具有重要意义。试验地点选在黑龙江省宝清县草甸土上,以玉米绥玉7、马铃薯克新13和甜菜德国KWS3418为材料,设置土层置换和浅翻深松2个处理,分析不同处理对土壤含水率、硬度、土壤三相、速效养分及产量的影响。结果表明:与浅翻深松处理相比,土层置换处理后2年内,明显改善土壤物理性质,0~40 cm土层土壤含水率分别提高3.7%和3.0%;土壤硬度分别下降17.6%和21.6%。20~40 cm土壤固相分别降低0.3%和0.7%;液相分别提高3.7%和1.1%;气相分别提高2.0%和4.2%。进而容重降低,提高土壤通透性。土层置换处理改善20~40 cm土层土壤化学性质,提高土壤速效养分。20~40 cm土层平均养分变化为:碱解氮分别提高48.4%和46.0%;速效钾分别提高12.9%和38.9%;速效磷分别提高11.9%和15.6%。土壤不同层次物理和化学性质的改变能够提高作物产量,与浅翻深松处理相比,2011年、2012年玉米分别增产31.6%、17.9%,马铃薯分别增产70.5%、25.0%,甜菜分别增产12.4%和38.9%,差异达到显著水平。综合以上分析表明,土层置换处理后土壤2个作物生育期内能够改善心土层土壤物理性状、化学性状,从而提高作物产量。因此土层置换技术可为低产土壤改良及作物高产提供理论依据和技术支持。     

发展农田秸秆菌业的技术集成与资源循环利用管理对策

本文分析了我国草生菌业的生产实际, 深入探讨了农田秸秆菌业循环生产体系的主要环节和优化构建, 并详细阐述了各个环节的管理对策.通过对秸秆堆制发酵、优质高产栽培管理、菌渣循环利用和环境生态监测等关键环节的有效链接与整合优化, 建立"稻草(秸秆)-食用菌-菌渣-农田(园地)再循环-资源再利用"的农田秸秆菌业循环生产新体系的运作模式, 并展望了农田秸秆菌业的推广和开发前景.