Influence of amount and frequency of protein supplementation to ruminants consuming low-quality cool-season forages: efficiency of nitrogen utilization in lambs and performance of gestating beef cows

We evaluated the influence of amount and crude protein (CP) supplementation frequency (SF) on nitrogen (N) use by wethers and the performance of late-gestation beef cows. In exp. 1, seven Western whiteface wethers (31.8 ± 1.4 kg) were used in an incomplete 7 × 4 Latin square to evaluate intake and N use. Wethers received one of the seven treatments in a 2 × 3 factorial design containing two levels of supplemental soybean meal offered at a rate of 100% (F) or 50% (H; 50% of F) of the estimated CP requirement daily, once every 5, or once every 10 d, plus a non-supplemented control (CON). Low-quality cool-season forage (4.9 % CP; dry matter [DM] basis) was provided daily for ad libitum intake. Experimental periods lasted 30 d. In exp. 2, 84 Angus × Hereford cows (560 ± 35 kg) were stratified by age, body condition score (BCS), and expected calving date and allocated to 1 of the 21 feedlot pens (three pens per treatment). Pens were randomly assigned to receive the same treatments as in exp. 1 and cows had free access to low-quality cool-season forage (2.9% CP; DM basis). Cow body weight (BW) and BCS were measured every 14 d until calving and within 24 h after calving. In exp. 1, supplementation did not alter total DM and organic matter (OM) intake (P ≥ 0.26), but both parameters linearly decreased as SF decreased (P = 0.02). Supplementation increased DM, OM, and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility (P ≤ 0.02). Additionally, F feeding linearly increased DM, OM, and NDF digestibility as SF decreased (P ≤ 0.04). Digestibility of N, N balance, and digested N retained were greater with supplementation (P < 0.01), and N digestibility linearly increased as SF decreased (P = 0.01). Mean plasma urea-N concentration was not only greater (P < 0.01) for supplemented vs. CON wethers but also greater (P = 0.03) for F vs. H. In exp. 2, pre-calving BCS change was greater (P = 0.03) for supplemented cows. A linear effect of SF × supplementation rate for pre-calving BCS change was noted (P = 0.05), as F-supplemented cows lost more BCS compared with H as SF decreased. When considering supplementation intervals greater than 5 d, reducing the quantity of supplement provided, compared with daily supplementation, may be a feasible management strategy to maintain acceptable nutrient use and animal performance while reducing supplement and labor costs.     

长株潭城市群土地利用变化现状及策略分析

文章通过对长株潭城市群土地利用现状剖析,结合相关的理论提出相应的策略：以循环经济理念指导土地利用,优化土地利用结构与布局。     

河川基流分割法在山丘区地下水资源量评价中的运用

山丘区河川基流分割方法很多，采用不同方法的分割成果不尽相同。在地下水资源评价中，根据云南省自然地理独特，气候复杂多样，降水量丰沛，洪水频繁，河川径流过程线普遍呈连续多峰型的特性，寻求一种既能满足水资源综合规划要求，又符合云南实际分割河川基流量的方法，是地下水资源评价中的重要内容。采用适宜水均衡法和直线斜割法的径流资料分割河川基流量，求出两种方法之间的换算系数，修正水均衡法的分割成果，一是达到了以直线斜割法统一分割河川基流量的目的；二是提高了山丘区地下水资源量评价的精度，为探索山丘区地下水资源量及时空分布规律提供技术支撑。     

Study on the Relations between Water Resource and Prataculture Development in Five Mail Pastoral Areas in China

通过对五大牧区草原区草原资源现状及其分布、草原生产力及载畜能力以及水资源现状及开发利用潜力分析,按照国民经济发展和增加农牧民收入要求,预测2010年五大牧区草原区草业发展对水资源的需求。研究结果表明,2010年五大牧区草原区农牧民人均纯收入为3400元,其中人均畜牧业纯收入2584元,需要养殖牲畜总数16413万羊单位,饲草料需求量1198.2亿kg。牧区产草总量可达1003亿kg,载畜能力13705万羊单位。尚有2708万羊单位,年需要饲料约195亿kg,需要发展灌溉饲草料地来解决,对水资源的需求量将达到     

面向MC提升企业柔性的概念模型分析

大规模定制(简称MC)是应对目前市场激烈竞争的一种有效方式,它对企业的柔性能力提出了更高的要求。本文基于资源和能力角度,建立了面向MC提升企业柔性的整体模型,通过分析企业需要向MC转变的程度以及企业已具备的柔性与企业的理想柔性之间的差距,确定企业提升柔性的途径,并利用系统动力学方法给出了相应的因果关系结构图。     

增加投入实现引黄灌溉良性发展

引黄灌溉经济效益显著,但是灌区管理单位的财务收益却入不敷出。根据经济效益分析与水费收交情况,作者认为应加强水费回收,多方面集资以及深化水费改革等,以利于灌溉事业的良性发展。     

咸水灌溉下土壤水盐变化的试验研究

2002年在内蒙古河套灌区红卫节水示范园进行了咸水灌溉试验,分析试验结果得出:咸水灌溉下的土壤经过秋浇后含盐量可以降到咸水灌溉前水平。以荷兰Wageningen农业大学等单位开发的土壤水分大气作物系统模拟软件SWAP为工具,应用示范园的土壤、水、盐分试验资料对模型的参数进行了率定和验证,模型模拟结果和田间试验结果符合较好。     

Subsurface drip irrigation of onions: Effects of drip tape emitter spacing on yield and quality

Improved irrigation water use efficiency is an important component of sustainable agricultural production. Efficient water delivery systems such as subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) can contribute immensely towards improving crop water use efficiency and conserving water. However, critical management considerations such as choice of SDI tube, emitter spacing and installation depth are necessary to attain improved irrigation efficiencies and production benefits. In this study, we evaluated the effects of subsurface drip tape emitter spacing (15, 20 and 30 cm) on yield and quality of sweet onions grown at two locations in South Texas—Weslaco and Los Ebanos. Season-long cumulative crop evapotranspiration (ETc) was 513 mm in Weslaco and 407 mm at Los Ebanos. Total crop water input (rain + irrigation) at Weslaco was roughly equal to ETc (92% ETc) whereas at Los Ebanos, water inputs exceeded ETc by about 35%. Onion yields ranged from 58.5 to 70.3 t ha⁻¹ but were not affected by drip tube emitter spacing. Onion pungency (pyruvic acid development) and soluble solids concentration were also not significantly influenced by treatments. Crop water use efficiency was slightly higher at Weslaco (13.7 kg/m³) than at Los Ebanos (11.7 kg/m³) partly because of differences in total water inputs resulting from differences in irrigation management. The absence of any significant effects of drip tape emitter spacing on onion yield may be due to the fact that irrigation was managed to provide roughly similar irrigation amounts and optimum soil moisture conditions in all treatments.     

Irrigation and food security in the 21st century

Global food projections indicate that food prices in the next threedecades will likely be stable or decline, but progress inreducing malnutrition in developing countries will be slow. Smallshortfalls in crop productivity growth would lead to rising foodprices and worsening malnutrition. Increased food production fromirrigation is essential, and will require expansion of irrigatedarea and water supplies, and improved efficiency of use of existingwater supplies. Neither of these growth factors will prove easy, andboth will require complex institutional and policy reforms. Failureto meet food production needs through efficient expansion andintensification of irrigated agriculture would increase pressure onland resources and hasten the process of environmental degradation.Irrigation and water development strategies have been hampered bya lack of understanding of the links between water scarcity, foodproduction, food security, and environmental sustainability.Research to improve this understanding would have high payoffs.     

Effect of water deficit in different growth stages on stem sap flux of greenhouse grown pear-jujube tree

The effects of water deficit in different fruit growth stages on the variation of stem sap flux of 6-year old greenhouse-grown pear-jujube trees were investigated. Treatments included sufficient water supply during the whole fruit-growing period (T₁), mild water deficit during the flowering–fruit setting stage (T₂), moderate water deficit during the fruit rapid growth stage (T₃) and severe water deficit during the fruit maturing stage (T₄). Results showed that significant compensation effect on stem sap flux after re-watering was observed in T₂, but not in T₃ and T₄ stages. At the end of rapid growth stage, the diurnal variation of stomatal conductance generally had a similar trend as that of stem sap flux, but with a distinct midday depression from 12:00 to 14:00 p.m. In addition, a linear relationship between the relative available soil water content (RAWC) and the ratio of daily stem sap flux to that of sufficient water treatment was observed (R² = 0.4489).