Future of land use in Australia: An economic perspective

It is proposed that the standard economist's model of optimum land use is extended to include the interaction with land cover and land condition. Such a model allows consideration of the influence of market factors and government policies and programmes on land use patterns and management practices, and the feedback effect on land cover and land condition. Recent developments in the approach to modelling land condition, which include the joint consideration of economic factors and physical processes, are discussed. Factors affecting the pattern of agricultural land use in Australia are then reviewed. The importance of considering economic and physical interactions when assessing land use patterns is increasingly being recognized in research and policy development. If research is to meet the needs of land managers in the future then economists and physical scientists will need to integrate their data modelling capabilities in order to address natural resource management issues.     

Amelioration of a highly degraded tropical alfisol by planting I. Changes in soil physical and chemical properties 1989-91

This paper examines soil amelioration by planting 15 leguminous and graminaceous plant species, including herbaceous annuals, perennials and biennials, and woody perennials and biennials. Disturbed and undisturbed natural regrowth were planted with leguminous species, in some cases with fertilizer applied at planting (400 kg ha⁻¹ of 15:15:15 NPK). The studies were made on two highly degraded sites in southwestern Nigeria which had been subjected to intensive mechanized cropping for a period of 10 years. Changes in soil physical and chemical properties were monitored from 1989 to 1991. Acacia difficilis, Brachiaria lata and Mucuna utilis had the lowest survival rates by the following growing season. Soil fertility and compaction levels differed between sites. Planting had no effect on the latter. The decreases in compaction (i.e. macroporosity) between 0.00 and 0.10 m depth at both sites one month before and five and 17 months after planting were 43, 59 and 61 per cent, respectively were attributed to exclusion of heavy machinery from the sites. Large decreases in fertility occurred at both sites and were attributed to a combination of nutrient extraction and to leaching. Between fallow species, exchangeable Ca, pH and the cation-exchange capacity (CEC) were greater and total acids lower for herbaceous cover compared with woody perennials, and was attributed to a higher Ca demand by the latter. Highest and lowest values of Ca, CEC and pH occurred in plots where plant material was returned to the soil (i.e. by cutting or die-back) and in cropped plots, respectively. Natural regrowth was as effective or better than planted species in improving soil physical and chemical properties. Therefore the use of exotic plant species for ameliorating highly degraded alfisols is unnecessary. Amelioration of highly degraded alfisols may be best effected by allowing natural regrowth to occur while excluding all mechanized traffic from the site.     

Control of lettuce big-vein disease by application of fungicides and crop covers

One of the economically important diseases of lettuce is lettuce big-vein disease (LBVD), which leads to severe yield losses. LBVD is associated with a complex of two viruses, Lettuce big-vein associated virus (LBVaV) and Mirafiori lettuce big-vein virus (MLBVV). These viruses are transmitted by motile zoospores of Olpidium spp. fungi, which persist in the soil for decades through resting spores. In greenhouse and field experiments, this study tested whether changing plant and soil temperatures together with fungicide application would have a significant effect on controlling LBVD in lettuce. Soil fumigation with metam sodium was not effective at controlling the disease, as opposed to treatment with chloropicrin and methyl bromide. Moreover, the fungicides carbendazim and fluazinam were effective in reducing the incidence of Olpidium virulentus. Nevertheless, control of the fungal vector did not seem to be sufficient to control the disease due to the transition ability of the virus under low vector abundance. Crop covers, which affect the favourable environmental conditions for the viruses by lowering soil temperature and raising air temperature, reduced the disease symptoms. Combining fungicides with crop cover had a synergistic effect on reducing disease symptoms, thus providing a sustainable solution for LBVD.     

覆盖栽培模式对冬小麦花后旗叶 光合特性及产量的影响

为探究旱地小麦秸秆带状覆盖栽培增产的光合特性和干物质积累转运的特征,在甘肃省半干旱雨养农业区以“陇中2号”为材料,研究了秸秆带状覆盖栽培（BS）、地膜覆盖栽培 （PF）和无覆盖露地栽培（CK）3种栽培模式下冬小麦花后旗叶光合特征、叶绿素荧光动力参数、干物质积累转运及产量的差异。结果表明：与CK相比,BS和PF显著提高了花后旗叶光合势、叶绿素和类胡萝卜素含量及叶绿素/类胡萝卜素比率,且BS在生育后期优于PF。BS整个生育期的净光合速率、气孔导度均高于CK,而PF仅生育前期发挥正效应,生育中、后期出现了负效应。BS生育前中期胞间CO₂浓度、生育中后期旗叶瞬时水分利用效率均高于PF和CK,前者分别高出2.8%~8.2%和6.7%~11.3%,后者分别高出30.3%~44.8%和27.5%~39.3%。PF在灌浆中期以前,BS在整个花后生育期显著提高了小麦花后旗叶F_v/F_m、F′_v/F′_m、ΦPSⅡ、qP、ETR,降低了NPQ。BS较PF和CK显著提高了花后干物质输入籽粒量和对籽粒粒重的贡献率,2个指标分别增加2.6%、1.0%和14.2%、8.6%。BS显著增加了单位面积穗数,提高了产量,较CK增产35.4%。说明秸秆带状覆盖能显著改善旱地冬小麦花后光合效率,促进干物质积累转运,从而达到增产的效果。     

填闲作物腐解过程及其对后茬冬小麦产量的影响

研究了渭北旱塬地区不同填闲作物（长武怀豆（S）、黑麦草（R）及两者1∶1混合（M））翻压和氮肥水平（0、60、120 kg N·hm^-2）双因素处理下,填闲作物的腐解规律、碳氮释放动态及对后茬冬小麦产量的影响,并对腐解速率与Olsen模型进行了拟合。结果表明：各填闲作物翻压后腐解规律及碳氮释放特征均表现为“前期快-中期慢-后期加快”,填闲作物腐解规律符合Olsen模型,在第276天各处理累积腐解率均达70%以上。在第0~35天,同一施氮处理下,累积腐解率和腐解速率均表现为S>M>R（P<0.05）;第35天,S、M和R各处理干物质累积腐解率分别达到61.9%、55.5%和47.5%;在0~35 d,施氮对S、M的腐解影响不显著,对R影响显著,35 d后氮肥效应逐渐减弱;填闲作物的腐解同时伴随其碳、氮的快速释放,在第21天,S、M和R碳氮残留率分别达到40%、50%和60%左右。平均来看,S的碳氮释放速率显著高于R,与M无显著差异。与裸地对照相比,翻压填闲作物能够显著提高后茬冬小麦产量,其籽粒产量增加10%~35% （P<0.05）,其中翻压长武怀豆低氮处理和混合翻压低氮处理效果最佳。     

基于MODIS数据的2001—2016年内蒙古积雪分布及其变化趋势

积雪融水是干旱区重要的水资源之一,积雪分布变化的监测对区域雪冰资源的合理利用及灾害防治至关重要。基于内蒙古地区2001-2016年MOD10A2积雪数据对研究区进行分带提取,分析不同海拔高度积雪年内年际变化特征,结合气温和降水气象因素,分析其分布变化原因。研究表明:积雪面积、积雪覆盖率年内分布呈单峰形,10个海拔带的积雪期为9月到次年5月,峰值出现在冬季,积雪覆盖率增减的临界高度在952~1 114 m;不同高程带的积雪面积在春季、夏季、秋季整体上呈现出"增加-减少-增加-减少"的年际变化规律,冬季整体上表现出"减少-增加-减少"的变化规律;积雪面积受降水量和气温相互的影响,其中海拔高度可能起到间接作用。内蒙古地区春季、冬季积雪覆盖率均与冬季降水量呈显著正相关,各季节积雪覆盖率基本与温度呈负相关关系。     

桁杆虾拖网捕捞脊腹褐虾网囊网目选择性试验

采用套网试验法在长江口渔场对25 mm桁杆虾拖网网囊网目的选择性进行了试验。结果表明:当网囊网目内径为25 mm时,网囊与套网内脊腹褐虾的体长范围在30~80 mm之间,其中网囊内虾的优势体长在46~70 mm之间,套网内虾的优势体长在41~60 mm之间;50%选择体长L0.5为50.53 mm,选择范围SR为9.86 mm;逃逸虾的平均存活率为96.25%。     

Logging pattern and landscape changes over the last century at the boreal and deciduous forest transition in Eastern Canada

Forestry practices associated with the industrial era (since ~1900) have altered the natural disturbance regimes and greatly impacted the world’s forests. We quantified twentieth century logging patterns and regional scale consequences in three sub-boreal forest landscapes of Eastern Canada (117,000, 49,400 and 92,300 ha), comparing forestry maps depicting age and forest cover types for early industrial (1930) and present-day (2000) conditions. Results were similar for the three landscapes, indicating large-scale forest change during the twentieth century. In 1930, previous logging activities had been concentrated in the lowlands and along the main hydrographical network, as compared to a more even distribution over the landscapes in 2000, reflecting a decreasing influence of the environmental constraints on forest harvesting. In 1930, old-aged forests (>100 years) accounted for more than 75% of the unlogged areas of the three landscapes, as compared to less than 15% for the present-day conditions. Logging practices have thus inverted the stand age distribution of the landscapes that are currently dominated by young and regenerating stands. The 1930 forest cover types showed a clear relationship with elevation, with conifers located in the lowlands and mixed and deciduous stands restricted to the upper slopes. Between 1930 and 2000, 58–64% of the conifer areas transformed to mixed and deciduous forests, such that no clear altitudinal relationships remained in 2000. We conclude that twentieth century logging practices have strongly altered the preindustrial vegetation patterns in our study area, to the point that ecosystem-based management strategies should be developed to restore conifer dominance, altitudinal gradients, as well as the irregular structure inspired from old forest stands.     

地被植物在南京仙林大学城景观规划中的应用

阐述园林地被植物的概念、生态习性,调查研究南京仙林大学城绿地中常见的多年生草本地被植物,同时对地被植物在景观规划中的配置应用及存在的问题进行探讨。     

Water use of spring wheat to raise water productivity

In semi-arid environments with a shortage of water resources and a risk of overexplotation of water supplies, spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a crop that can reduce water use and increase water productivity, because it takes advantage of spring rainfall and is harvested before the evaporative demands of summer. We carried out an experiment in 2003 at “Las Tiesas” farm, located between Barrax and Albacete (Central Spain), to improve accuracy in the estimation of wheat evapotranspiration (ETc) by using a weighing lysimeter. The measured seasonal ETc averages (5.63 mm day⁻¹) measured in the lysimeter was 417 mm compared to the calculated ETc values (5.31 mm day⁻¹) calculated with the standard FAO methodology of 393 mm. The evapotranspiration crop coefficient (Kc) derived from lysimetric measurements was Kc-mid: 1.20 and Kc-end: 0.15. The daily lysimeter Kc values were fit to the evolution linearly related to the green cover fraction (fc), which follows the crop development pattern. Seasonal soil evaporation was estimated as 135 mm and the basal crop coefficient approach was calculated in this study, Kcb which separates crop transpiration from soil evaporation (evaporation coefficient, Ke) was calculated and related to the green cover fraction (fc) and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) obtained by field radiometry in case of wheat. The results obtained by this research will permit the reduction of water use and improvement of water productivity for wheat, which is of vital importance in areas of limited water resources.