Interference by the weed Parthenium hysterophorus L. with grain sorghum: Influence of weed density and duration of competition

Two sets of field experiments were conducted at two sites (lowland and intermediate altitude) for 2 years in eastern Ethiopia to determine the influence of parthenium weed ( Parthenium hysterophorus ) density and duration of competition on grain yield of sorghum. In the first set of experiments, target weed densities of 0, 3, 7, 13, 27, 53 and 100 plants m -2 were used. Yield loss was severely affected by parthenium weed density, peaking at 97% at the lowland site in 2000. At this site, even very low density (e.g. three plants m -2 ) resulted in a high yield loss (69%). Owing to differences between sites and years, however, it was not possible to specify meaningfully the threshold densities for weeding. In the critical weed-free period experiments, four parthenium weed-infested and four weed-free periods from emergence to harvesting of sorghum were maintained by hand hoeing. The critical periods for weed control, i.e. the period over which weeding had the greatest benefit on yield, were 19 - 69 and 40 - 57 days from emergence of sorghum in 1999 and 2000, respectively, at the intermediate altitude (assuming an acceptable loss of 10%). In the lowland, however, it ranged directly from emergence to 61 and 66 days, indicating more severe competition at this site. The substantial variation in yield and yield loss between sites and years illustrates the problems of attempting to give well-established, accurate recommendations for threshold densities and critical periods in small-scale, rain-fed agriculture.     

云南昆明明清时期寺庙部分园林艺术分析研究

以昆明市明清时期的主要寺庙为研究对象,从寺庙园林的选址、空间布局2个方面对昆明市明清时期寺庙园林的艺术特征进行研究,总结出昆明市明清时期的寺庙园林艺术特征,以期对昆明市寺庙园林的保护和开发提出具有一定参考性和建设性的意见。     

Duration of vegetative and generative development phases in oat cultivars released since 1921

Genetic yield improvements in oat (Avena sativa L.) cultivars grown at high latitudes have resulted from marked changes in harvest index and yield components. This study was designed to investigate whether such changes have entailed alterations in duration of different developmental phases: vegetative, generative and grain filling phases and pre-anthesis generative sub-phases such as pre-fertile, pre-abortion, fertile pre-abortion, fertile and abortion sub-phases. We tested 14 oat cultivars released between 1921 and 1988 and 6 breeding lines. Ten randomly sampled plants of each oat entry were collected every 3–4 d (18 times) from seedling emergence until pollination, and apical developmental stages were determined on the most advanced spikelet. Cumulated degree-days (Cdd) for each critical developmental stage and component phases were determined (5 °C as a base temperature). At each measurement the number of leaves, green leaves and tillers on main shoot, apex length (mm) and height to the uppermost node, and stipule (cm) were recorded. Phyllochron (°C d leaf⁻¹) and relative elongation rates (RER) for height characterising traits were calculated. Grain filling was the only period altered by breeding, while no consistent effects on duration of vegetative and generative pre-anthesis phases and sub-phases were detected. Different developmental phases were interrelated: in some cases cultivars with similar duration of pre-anthesis phase, however, differed in duration of some pre-anthesis sub-phases. Their duration was not, however, consistently associated with measured growth and yield parameters. Likely long days that make the northern growing conditions exceptional and unique, substantially narrowed the differences among oat entries in duration of different developmental phases, thereby making their role also less critical in yield determination contrary to the situation in the main global temperate cereal production regions.     

奶牛围产期低血钙症的发生及营养调控措施

文章介绍了围产期奶牛的生理状况及低血钙症的发生机理、危害、影响因素等,提出通过营养调控手段预防奶牛围产期疾病发生、改善奶牛健康状况的措施.通过合理的营养调控手段可以降低奶牛围产期低血钙症的发生几率,促进奶牛健康,提高奶牛养殖的经济效益.     

Diversity of leaf unfolding dynamics among tree species: New insights from a study along an altitudinal gradient

Leaf unfolding is a key ecosystem parameter controlling carbon and water fluxes and affecting forest dynamics. This parameter is highly sensitive to temperature and, consequently, often used as an indicator of global change. In this paper, we analyzed weekly leaf unfolding dynamics for seven temperate species (Fagus sylvatica L., Acer opalus Mill., Sorbus aria L., Quercus pubescens Willd. Abies alba Mill., Pinus sylvestris L., Pinus nigra Arnold). The effects of temperature on leaf unfolding were studied in situ using several methods and proxies. First, in a spatial approach, leaf unfolding dates were measured along two altitudinal gradients situated on the north and south face of the Mont Ventoux to test altitudinal and slope effects. Second, in a temporal approach, the year effect was analyzed on the north face by comparing two contrasted years (2006 and 2007). Finally, the role of temperature was investigated directly by linking leaf unfolding patterns and temperatures recorded during the leaf unfolding process itself.Two major conclusions were obtained. First, three distinct leaf unfolding patterns were revealed: a rapid sigmoid pattern for the deciduous species group, a slow kinetic pattern for the pines and an intermediate pattern for A. alba. Second, we found an unexpected pattern of variation in the response to spatial or temporal variation of temperature. The more sensitive a species was to temperature variations between years, the less sensitive it was to temperature variations due to altitude. Finally, we discuss that these results can be correlated to two major life history traits: evergreen vs. deciduous and shade tolerant vs. shade intolerant.     

Correlation between temperature and phenology prediction error in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

For rice (Oryza sativa L.), simulation models like ORYZA2000 and CERES-Rice have been used to explore adaptation options to climate change and weather-related stresses (drought, heat). Output of these models is very sensitive to accurate modelling of crop development, i.e. phenology. What has to date received little attention in phenology calibration is the temperature range within which phenological models are accurate. Particularly the possible correlation between temperature and phenology prediction error has received little attention, although there are indications that such correlation exists, in particular in the study by Zhang et al. (2008). The implication of such correlation is that a phenology model that is accurate within the calibration temperature range can be less accurate at higher temperatures where it can systematically overestimate or underestimate the duration of the phase from emergence to flowering. We have developed a new rice phenology calibration program that is consistent with ORYZA2000 concepts and coding. The existing calibration program DRATES of ORYZA2000 requires an assumption of default cardinal temperatures (8, 30 and 42 °C) and then calculates cultivar specific temperature sums and development rates. Our new program estimates all phenological parameters simultaneously, including the cardinal temperatures. Applied to nine large datasets from around the world we show that the use of default cardinal temperatures can lead to correlation between temperature and phenology prediction error and temperature and RMSE values in the order of 4-18 days for the period from emergence to flowering. Our new program avoids such correlation and reduces phenology prediction errors to 3-7 days (RMSE). Our results show that the often made assumption of a rapid decrease in development rate above the optimal temperature can lead to poorer predictions and systematic errors. We therefore caution against using default phenological parameters for studies where temperatures may fall outside the range for which the phenological models have been calibrated. In particular, this applies to climate change studies, were this could lead to highly erroneous conclusions. More phenological research with average growing season temperatures above the optimum, in the range of 32-40 °C, is needed to establish which phenological model best describes phenology in this temperature range.     

草本植物物候及其物候模拟模型的研究进展

草地生态系统在全球变化过程中具有不容忽视的作用。为深入了解草本植物物候与气候因素间的相互作用机制,建立精确的草地植被物候动态模型,更好地模拟和预测天然草地生态系统对气候变化的响应,本文对国内外草本植物物候及有关草本植物物候模型研究进行了回顾。已有的研究表明物候变化能在一定程度上反映出气候变化的趋势,且温度、光照和水分等环境因素作为物候的主要驱动力在不同的时期发挥着重要的作用。植物物候模型从简单统计模型,逐渐向可描述生长与环境相互作用过程的动态机理模型发展。但可用于天然草地植被物候模拟的模型较少,仍存在物种单一、适用范围小、缺少机理性研究等问题。针对目前的研究现状,只有加强对天然草地植被物候与非生物因子关系的分析,特别是水分对物候的影响研究,努力探索各个物候期的生理特征,不断验证完善已有物候模型,才能建立起精确的草地植被物候模型服务于全球气候变化的研究。     

吉林省主要园林树木开花历

对吉林省长春、四平、吉林等城市主要园林树木的花期、花色进行了多年的观测。依据其开花时间的先后顺序排列成园林树木开花历,为我省园林绿地设计、树种选择及配置提供参考依据。     

“十一五”我国农业装备制造业自主创新战略研究

论文分析了新时期我国农业装备业发展面临的机遇和存在的制约因素,提出实施自主创新战略,振兴农业准备制造业的总体思路是“重点突破、总体提升;增强能力,保障供给”,研究确立了农业装备自主创新战略的四大目标、五大重点领域,并从农业装备技术创新体系建设、技术创新模式选择、技术创新服务支撑体系建设等方面,提出相应的措施与建议。     

Responses of Lowland,Upland and Aerobic Rice Genotypes to Water Limitation During Different Phases

Rice yield reduction due to water limitation depends on its severity and duration and on the phenological stage of its occurrence. We exposed three contrasting rice genotypes, IR64, UPLRi7 and Apo (adapted to lowland, upland and aerobic conditions, respectively), to three water regimes (puddle, 100% and 60% field capacity) in pots during the vegetative (GSI), flowering (GSII) and grain filling (GSIII) stages. Stress at all the three stages significantly reduced yield especially in lowland genotype IR64. Effect of water limitation was more severe at GSII than at the other two stages. Stress at GSI stage reduced both source activity (leaf area and photosynthetic rate) and sink capacity (tiller number or panicle number per pot). When stress was imposed at GSII, spikelet fertility was most affected in all the three genotypes. In both GSII and GSIII, although leaf area was constant in all the three water regimes, estimated relative whole-plant photosynthesis was strongly associated with yield reduction. Reduced photosynthesis due to stress at any given stage was found to have direct impact on yield. Compared to the other genotypes, Apo had deeper roots and maintained a better water relation, thus, higher carbon gain and spikelet viability, and ultimately, higher biomass and productivity under water-limited conditions. Therefore, screening for these stage-dependent adaptive mechanisms is crucial in breeding for sustained rice production under water limitation.