Past, present and future criteria to breed crops for water-limited environments in West Africa

Asia's Green Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s has largely bypassed West Africa, and “modern” (high-yielding, input responsive) germplasm for staple crops has found comparatively little adoption, except for systems that are have good access to markets and sufficient water resources. It is unlikely, however, that breeding objectives conserving traditional crop characteristics as found in extensive systems would have been more successful. The authors identify systems caught in the agricultural transition from subsistence to intensified, market-oriented production as the most important target for crop improvement, and provide examples of new breeding objectives for cowpea, sorghum and upland rice. In each of these cases, breeders, with the help of physiologists, have developed innovative plant-type concepts that combine improved yield potential and input responsiveness with specific traditional crop characteristics that remain essential during the agricultural transition. In the case of cowpea, dual-purpose varieties were developed that produce a good grain yield due to an erect plant habit, then produce new leaves enabling a second harvest of green foliage. For upland rice systems that are limited by labour (mainly needed to control weeds that abound due to shortened fallow periods), a weed competitive plant type was developed from Oryza sativa × Oryza glaberrima crosses. Lastly, sorghum breeders who had previously deselected photoperiod sensitivity are now re-inserting sensitivity into plants having “modern” architecture, in order to allow for flexible sowing dates while maintaining an agro-ecologically optimal time of flowering near the end of the wet season. The ecophysiological basis of these plant types, their place in current and future cropping systems, as well as the problem of under-funding for their realisation, are discussed.     

基于交角的林木竞争指数

建立基于交角的林木竞争指数(u_a_CIi),该指数能够同时表达出竞争木对对象木的上方遮盖和侧翼挤压。该指数取值范围为[0,1),无量纲,指数值越大,表明树体越小,所承受的竞争压力越大,清晰直观地表达林木在林分中所处的相对竞争态势。从理论上阐明大的竞争邻体比小的竞争邻体对对象木有更大影响,不仅反映在上方的遮盖也体现在侧方的挤压中。该指数与林木大小的相关性明显高于常用的HEGYI竞争指数。在测量技术飞速发展的今天,该竞争指数将具有很大的应用前景。     

基于竞争势的林分生长量分配模型研究

以湖南省攸县黄丰桥林场杉木林分2008年至2011年每木检尺调查结果为数据源,开展对开阔比数模型fo,简单竞争因子模型fH和竞争压力指数模型fCSI的研究,提出一个新的林木综合竞争因子即竞争势模型fC=1/(fo+fH+fCSI),计算结果经过残差分析方法剔除异常,以竞争势为依据将林分总体生长量分配到林木个体,构建林分生长量分配模型.为了验证模型的准确性,对比分别以fC、fH、fCSI三个模型为依据的林分生长量分配结果,计算通过模型分配到个体的生长量与个体实际生长量之间的相关指数分别为0.6,0.44,0.29.分析结果表明竞争势模型可以作为林分生长可视化模拟中林分生长量向个体分配的一个依据,为林分生长可视化模拟提供有效支持.     

Root distribution ofDactyladenia (Acioa) barteri andSenna (Cassia) siamea in alley cropping on Ultisol. I. Implication for field experimentation

Root observations were carried out on a typic Paleudult in the humid forest zone of south eastern Nigeria in an alley cropping trial usingDactyladenia (Acioa) barteri andSenna (Cassia) siamea as hedgerow trees and the interrow space planted to maize/cassava intercrop. Rooting depth ofD. barteri andS. siamea exceeded 1.6 m. Lateral root propagation ofS. siamea was 15 m, and ofD. barteri was 5 m from the hedgerows. The whole no-tree control plot was within the range of roots of the adjacent hedgerows. Rooting density and depth ofS. siamea in the no-tree control plot was generally higher than of cassava.S. siamea and cassava root density were inversely correlated. Assuming radial symmetry of root propagation, water and nutrients were available from an area 6.1 and 2.3 times larger than the allocated plot size ofS. siamea andD. barteri, respectively. Data obtained in alley cropping trials, not considering lateral root propagation, can be invalidated through exploitation of the no-tree control treatment and nutrient acquisition by hedgerow species from a larger area than allocated, thus underestimating and overestimating the performances of the respective treatments. Possible alternative measures for avoiding root interference are discussed but no good solution can be given.     

The vertical distribution of fine roots of five tree species and maize in Morogoro,Tanzania

In order to assess the possibility of root competition in agroforestry, the vertical distribution of fine roots (< 2 mm in diameter) of five tree species in pure two-year-old stands was compared to that of mature maize.Cassia siamea, Eucalyptus tereticornis, Leucaena leucocephala andProsopis chilensis had a rooting pattern similar to that of maize, i.e. a slow decline in fine root mass from 0–100 cm soil depth.Eucalyptus camaldulensis had its roots evenly distributed down to 100 cm. On an average, the fine root biomass of the tree species was roughly twice as that of the maize. We conclude that the studied tree species are likely to compete with maize and other crops with a similar rooting pattern for nutrients and water.     

The role of competitors for <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chrysomela lapponica</Emphasis>, a north Eurasian willow pest,in pioneering a new host plant

The Palaearctic leaf beetle Chrysomela lapponica usually feeds upon willows in the northern region of its occurrence. However, in Central Europe, some populations are known that have specialised on birch. In this study, we investigated the significance of other herbivores occurring together on the same host plants as possible exploitative competitors of C. lapponica. Two populations were studied: a population from Finland specialised on the willow Salix borealis, and a population from the Czech Republic, specialised on the birch Betula pubescens. Abundances of folivorous and suctivorous insects on both host plants were recorded at both population sites. The willow leaf beetle Phratora vitellinae was the most abundant herbivorous insect at both study sites on willow. A field study was conducted to examine the effects of P. vitellinae on the performance of C. lapponica. The presence of P. vitellinae larvae on the same twig upon which C. lapponica larvae were feeding did not affect increase of body weight in C. lapponica larvae. Thus, the high resource availability of both willows and birches suggest that interspecific competition is unlikely to be a selection factor driving the evolution of host shift in C. lapponica.     

基于W_V_Hegyi竞争指数的杉木竞争生长模型研究——以湖南省福寿国有林场杉木生态公益林为例

根据湖南省福寿国有林场杉木生态公益林(幼龄林、中龄林、近熟林)复测数据,通过研究Hegyi,V_Hegyi,W_V_Hegyi三种竞争指数与胸径的相关性,选择相关性最强的W_V_Hegyi竞争指数,构建单木竞争生长模型。以此为基础,用加权平均树高作为胸径生长量的权重,重新构建了单木竞争生长模型,并对W_V_Hegyi竞争指数分布规律进行分析,利用回归分析方法构建径阶竞争指数预估模型和径阶生长模型。通过基于加权胸径生长量与W_V_Hegyi竞争指数构建径阶生长模型,以期为林木从单木到林分的模拟提供新途径。     

小兴安岭红松针阔混交林林分空间结构分析

用角尺度、混交度、大小比数3个空间结构参数对黑龙江省凉水自然保护区的红松针阔混交林进行分析,用Hegyi竞争指数分析种内种间竞争关系,为制定合理的森林保护措施提供依据。分析结果表明:林木分布格局为随机分布;总体来看该林分处于强度混交向极强度混交过渡的状态,单一树种聚集在一起的情况较少,大多与其它不同树种混交;各树种在林木大小分化程度上存在很大差异,针叶树种较占优势,阔叶树种则分化严重,既有占优势树种又有受压树种;林分的种内竞争大于种间竞争。     

林木竞争对臭冷杉生物量分配的影响

用不同高度树干直径建立并比较臭冷杉各器官生物量方程,分析林木竞争对臭冷杉地上、地下生物量分配的影响。结果表明:臭冷杉不同高度树干直径中,胸径是预测各器官生物量的最可靠变量;利用不同高度树干直径建立各器官生物量方程均会高估小个体样木(直径≤10cm)的生物量,并且随着直径增大,预测误差也随之增大;臭冷杉地上生物量与地下生物量的比值(T/R)与树木年龄、单株生物量、整株生物量年均生长率及树高年均生长率间均没有显著相关性(P>0.05);随着竞争增强,臭冷杉树干生物量占单株生物量的比例逐渐减小,枝叶生物量比例逐渐增大,而粗根生物量比例则基本保持不变;胸径年均生长率、树高年均生长率及单株生物量年均生长率均随着竞争强度增大逐渐减小,而T/R值并不受林木竞争的影响。     

近自然生态条件下千年桐竞争关系的研究

以近自然生态条件下千年桐直播造林林分为研究对象,研究其种内种间竞争关系。结果表明：直播造林林分中千年桐胸径＜8 cm时,千年桐种内竞争较弱,胸径在8～13 cm时,其竞争指数增长特别快,种内竞争非常大;当胸径＞13 cm时,种内竞争指数逐渐减少;其种间竞争中与杉木的竞争最为强烈。千年桐种内竞争与距离的关系表现为当其距离＜1.0 m时,其竞争指数最高,种内竞争最为激烈;距离在2.0～3.5 m时,种内竞争指数较为稳定;当其距离超过3.5 m后,千年桐种内竞争指数逐渐变小,竞争强度逐渐减弱。