The Effect of Nitrogen and Phosphorus Fertilization on the Nitrogen Absorption by Sunflowers

Little is known about the effect of fertilization on the N uptake of sunflowers. A 4² factorial trial with 0, 60, 120 and 180 kg N ha⁻¹ and 0, 15, 30 and 45 kg P ha⁻¹ was conducted over three years. The N content and concentration of leaves, stems and capitula were determined at three growth stages. High N levels increased the N content and concentration of all plant parts at all growth stages sharply. High P levels increased the N content of all plant components through better growth. P has an inconsistent effect on N concentration but tended to decrease it. After flowering the crop assimilated 20 to 25 % of the total N. This implies that N applied can still be applied and utilized by the crop at a late stage. This should be substantiated by further research.     

Die Wurzelentwicklung von Zuckerrübenpflanzen auf einem Sandlöß-Standort und ihre Bedeutung für die Stickstoffernährung

Root development of sugar beet plants on a sandy loess site with regard to nitrogen nutrition.
Root development of sugar beet plants in a sandy loess soil (Haplic Phaeozem) was observed from the early seedling stage up to harvest by measuring at first the greatest vertical and lateral extension of the root systems of single plants and later the rooting density of the whole plant stands (auger method, profile wall method).
During the seedling stage not only the subsoil, but also large parts of the topsoil between the plants remained unoccupied by the root systems. In this phase the greatest lateral extension of single roots reaches nearly the length of the greatest leaf of the plant. With the closure of the canopy the rooting density in the topsoil accounts to 1–2 cm cm⁻³.
In summer roots penetrate to a depth of 100–150 cm with rooting densities of 0.1 to 1 cm - cm⁻³. Thus, the plants gain not only access to water reserves, but sometimes meet remarkable amounts of nitrate which under the relatively dry conditions of the region tends to accumulate in 60–120 cm depth and – when taken up by the beet plants in the late stage of growth – affects crop quality negatively.     

Effect of Nitrogen Rate and Stubble Height on Dry Matter Yield,Crude Protein Content and Crude Protein Yield of a Sorghum–Sudangrass Hybrid[Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench × Sorghum sudanense (Piper) Stapf.] in the Three‐Cutting System

In this study, the effects of nitrogen (N) rate (60, 120, 180 and 240 kg N ha^?1 applied in three equal dressings at seeding and after the first and second cuttings) and stubble height (7, 14 and 21 cm) on the dry matter (DM) yield, crude protein (CP) content, and CP yield of a sorghum–sudangrass hybrid [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench × Sorghum sudanense (Piper) Stapf., cv. Pioneer 988] in the three‐cut system was investigated. The N rate had no significant effect in the first and third cuttings, but in the second cutting DM yields increased significantly with increase in N rate. The highest yield of 9.1 t ha^?1 was obtained with 80 kg N ha^?1 for the average of 2 years at the second cutting, but no significant difference was found among the 40, 60 and 80 kg N ha^?1 rates. CP content and yield were not significantly affected by N rate at the first and third cuttings, but CP content and yield were significantly affected by application of N at the second cutting. Stubble height had a significant effect on CP content at the third cutting. However, it had no significant effect on CP content at the first and second cuttings. Stubble height had a significant effect on the CP yield at the first cutting, but no significant effect on CP yield at the second and third cuttings.     

Effect of Integration of Fertilizer and Green Manure Nitrogen on Yield Attributes, Nitrogen Uptake and Yield of Lowland Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Field experiments were conducted at Tamil Nadu Rice Research Institute, Aduthurai, India, during the wet seasons of 1992 and 1993 to study the effect of full and partial substitution of fertiliser N with green manure N (Sesbania rostrata) on nitrogen uptake, yield attributes and yield of rice. The experiment consisted of eight treatments with two levels of N (100 and 200 kg ha⁻¹) and three sources of N application viz., fertilizer, integrated (1:1 fertilizer and green manure N) and green manure N compared to the recommended practice (150 kg fertilizer plus 6.25 t ha⁻¹ (72 kg N) green manure) and a no N control. Nitrogen application markedly increased the N uptake. Combined use of the two N sources at 200 and 222 kg N ha⁻¹ and of single fertilizer N at 200 kg N ha⁻¹ recorded the maximum N uptake, increased the yield attributes such as number of panicles per unit area, weight per panicle, number of total and filled grains per panicle and test weight. At 200 kg N ha⁻¹ full substitution of N by green manure reduced the grain yield but only partial substitution of N by green manure resulted in almost similar yield as single fertilizer N. Thus 200 kg N ha⁻¹ applied in equal proportions of fertilizer and green manure N can be recommended for medium duration rice cultivars.     

Differences in Wheat Cultivar Response to N Supply. I: Differences in Grain Yield Formation

Two-year field trials with winter wheat cultivars Batis and Toronto were conducted in Southern Bavaria, Germany, to investigate the possible causes of cultivar differences in response to N supply varying in total amount and time of application. Cultivar-related differences in grain yields were observed in treatments with low and medium N supply. High doses of N supply resulted in grain yield adjustment or grain yield advantage for cv. Toronto. The results of this study revealed a consistent, genotypic pattern in response to N fertilization in spite of strong seasonal effects. Systematic modifications in canopy growth rates in response to N supply were of particular relevance and a main factor for differences in tillering intensity resulting in modified stand densities. In the present study, cultivar differences in spike development and interactions with N supply related more to abortion than to initiation processes for number of spikelets and number of flowers per spikelet. High grain density (grains per m²) of cv. Toronto was evident during reproduction stages even under conditions of medium N supply. However, decreased growth rates during the later part of grain filling in combination with low 1000 grain weight, which was barely modified by N fertilization, allowed only partial utilization of this potential. It is assumed that sink limitations were of particular relevance for grain yield development in cv. Toronto, while cv. Batis combined a less intense response to N supply with more stability in the development of grain yield components.     

温度和砷对不同品种水稻幼苗生长和砷吸收的影响

为明确温度和外源砷对水稻生长发育的影响,选取江苏地区常见的8个水稻品种为试验材料,通过添加不同浓度外源砷[0(As0)、0.5(As0.5) 和1 mg?L-1(As1)]和模拟不同温度[白天/夜晚分别为30 ℃/25 ℃（T0）和35 ℃/30 ℃（T1）],在人工气候箱内进行了发芽和苗期培养试验,并分析了8个品种水稻种子萌发、幼苗生长及砷含量状况。结果表明,外源砷对水稻的芽长和活力指数具有抑制作用,与对照（T0As0）相比,T0As1处理使不同品种水稻的芽长和活力指数分别降低13.69%~43.34%和28.14%~52.88%。 而温度对水稻种子萌发的影响与水稻品种有关。在T1处理下,盐两优1618的发芽率、芽长和活力指数均优于其他品种。温度和外源砷的共同作用显著降低了不同品种水稻的芽长（P<0.05）。与T0As0相比,T1As1使水稻芽长显著降低5.66%~43.34%。水稻根长和根系活力显著受到温度和外源砷的单一因素的影响。与T0As0相比,T0As1处理使水稻根系活力降低3.01%~58.21%。温度和外源砷的共同作用抑制了水稻根长和根系活力,其中T1As1使水稻根系活力显著降低53.80%~89.01%。不同品种水稻的苗高和根系活力在相同温度或外源砷处理下具有显著差异（P<0.05）,其中盐两优888的苗高和根系活力均处于较高水平。水稻茎叶砷含量在外源砷处理下显著增加,在增温处理下却降低。与单一的砷处理相比,温度和外源砷的共同作用降低了水稻茎叶的砷含量。综上可知,温度和外源砷影响水稻的生长及砷吸收,但水稻生长状况具有明显的品种间差异,其中盐两优888和盐两优1618在增温和外源砷共存条件下的种子萌发和生长状况优于其他水稻品种。     

Decomposition Dynamics and Nutrient Release Pattern from Leaf Litters of Five Commonly Occurring Homegarden Tree Species in Mizoram,India

Leaf litter decomposition and nutrient release patterns from five common multipurpose tree species—viz., Artocarpus heterophyllus, Mangifera indica, Areca catechu, Citrus sp., and Tamarindus indica, found in homegardens of Mizoram—were evaluated using a litter bag technique. The result of the study indicates a varying pattern of decomposition and nutrient release (N&P) among the species. Citrus sp. and T. indica were found to be the most labile species with comparatively much higher decay constant and faster nutrient release. Initial nitrogen concentration, lignin content, and lignin/N ratio of foliage litter showed significantly higher (p < .01) correlation with the decay coefficient and were found to be the important determinants in the decay process. The initial slow release and immobilization of N in A. heterophyllus and M. indica leaf litter reflect their potential as a source of nitrogen storage and effective mulching material. While litter from T. indica and Citrus sp. can provide the short-term nutrient need, foliage for the other three species may supply the long-term nutrient requirement for the understory crops in such agroforestry systems.     

植物氮同位素组成与其影响因子的关系研究进展

植物氮同位素组成(δ¹⁵N)能够综合反映氮循环特征,研究植物δ¹⁵N与其影响因子的关系,有助于理解气候变化对生态系统氮循环的影响。通过概述菌根类型、叶片N含量、氮源、温度、降水、大气CO₂浓度、土壤N有效性等生物和非生物因素对植物氮同位素组成(δ¹⁵N)的影响以及植物δ¹⁵N随海拔的变化趋势,指出目前研究中存在的不足,提出在群落水平上,采用野外调查和控制试验相结合的方法,研究环境因素(尤其是大气CO₂浓度)对植物δ¹⁵N的影响规律及机理将是今后该领域的研究重点。     

利用反向遗传技术拯救H9N2重组病毒

为研制高效特异的H9N2亚型AI疫苗,选取我国具有代表性的毒株A/chicken/Shanghai/10/01(H9N2)(简称SH10),以12质粒系统为基础,利用反向遗传操作技术构建了1株表面基因由SH10提供、内部基因由12质粒系统提供的重组病毒SH/PR8,为新型疫苗的研制提供了新的毒株。     

Multiple amino acid substitutions are involved in the adaptation of H9N2 avian influenza virus to mice

To explore adaptation of avian influenza virus to mice we previously performed serial lung-to-lung passages of the influenza A/Chicken/Jiangsu/7/2002 (H9N2) strain, resulting in the isolation of a variant influenza strain lethal for mice. We now report that virulence correlates with improved growth characteristics on mammalian cells and extended tissue tropism in vivo. Sequencing of the complete genomes of the wild-type and mouse-adapted viruses revealed 25 amino acid substitutions. Some were found to reiterate known substitutions in human and swine H9N2 influenza isolates. Functions affected include nuclear localization signals and sites of protein and RNA interaction, while others are known determinants of pathogenicity and host specificity such as the viral polymerase PB2 E627K substitution. These observations suggest that enhanced growth characteristics and modified cell tropism may contribute to increased virulence in mice. We conclude that multiple amino acid substitutions are likely to be involved in the adaptation of H9N2 avian influenza virus to mice.