Effect of recent cropping history and herbicide use on the degradation rates of isoproturon in soils

Five soil samples were taken from each of five fields with different crop management histories. Three of the fields were in an arable rotation, the fourth field was temporary grassland, and the final field was under permanent grass. Of the three arable fields, two had been cropped with winter wheat in three of the preceding 6 years, and the third had last been cropped with winter wheat once only, 6 years previously. With one exception, the winter wheat had been sprayed with the herbicide isoproturon. The rate of isoproturon degradation in laboratory incubations was strongly related to the previous management practices. In the five soils from the field that had been treated most regularly with isoproturon in recent years, <2.5% of the initial dose remained after 14 days, indicating considerable enhancement of degradation. In the soils from the field with two applications of the herbicide in the past 6 years, residues after 27 days varied from 5% to 37% of the amount applied. In soils from the other three sites, residue levels were less variable, and were inversely related to microbial biomass. In studies with selected soils from the field that had received three applications of isoproturon in the previous 6 years, kinetics of degradation were not first‐order but were indicative of microbial adaptation, and the average time to 50% loss of the herbicide (DT₅₀) was 7.5 days. In selected soils from the field that had received just one application of isoproturon, degradation followed first‐order kinetics, indicative of cometabolism. Pre‐incubation of isoproturon in soil from the five fields led to significant enhancement of degradation only in the samples from the two fields that had a recent history of isoproturon application.     

华北农牧交错带退化草地土壤种子库动态变化

对华北农牧交错带不同退化演替阶段土壤种子库的数量和物种组成及与地上植被的关系进行了初步的研究,结果表明:农牧交错带草地在刈割和放牧等干扰下,发生逆行演替,土壤种子库中植物种类及种子数量呈递减的趋势,轻度退化类型土壤种子库物种组成最高,有23种植物,种子数量最多,有4 303粒,禾本科所占比例较大,为32.3%;而极度退化草地物种组成最低,有14种植物,种子数量仅有1 156粒,禾本科只占8.4%.草地逆行演替过程中植被与土壤种子库在物种组成上存在一定差别,中度退化阶段差别最大,有18种植物未在种子库中出现,极度退化阶段差别最小,有2种未在种子库中出现.     

植物化感作用影响因素的再认识

土壤养分、酶、微生物、本底特性,根茬还田、水分、植物根系、种植体系和种植模式与化感作用的互作关系,表明这些因子可通过对土壤养分有效性、微生物种群结构、土壤酶活性和化感物质浓度的影响而对化感作用产生直接或间接影响,这些可为通过化感作用途径构建高效农田生态系统提供新的思路.     

几种牧草对河西走廊盐渍化土壤改土培肥的效应研究

在河西走廊盐渍化土地上种植老芒麦、扁穗冰草、碱茅和紫花苜蓿4种优质牧草,对盐渍化程度均有一定的改良效果.其中碱茅对盐渍化土壤的改土培肥效果最好,建植3年后的碱茅,与对照比较,0～20 cm土层中自然含水量增加125.99 g/kg,总孔度增加16.14%,容重降低0.27 g/cm3,pH值由8.43降到8.10,全盐含量降低52.90 g/kg,脱盐率达到76.12%,有机质增加3.67 g/kg,碱解氮含量增加18.63 mg/kg,速效磷和钾亦随之增加.     

禽网状内皮组织增生病病毒和马立克氏病病毒共感染对鸡的致肿瘤作用

用禽网状内皮组织增生病病毒(REV)和马立克氏病病毒(MDV)共感染肉鸡，研究这2种病毒对鸡的致瘤作用，结果表明肉鸡共感染MDV和REV后13d即可发生死亡．接种后100d死亡率达84％。死亡鸡的肝脏、脾脏、肾脏和心脏等可以形成2种外观明显不同的散在的大肿瘤结节和弥漫性的小肿瘤结节。取发病鸡的肝脏、脾脏、肾脏、心脏和腺胃等组织样品做连续石蜡切片，HE染色后发现这些脏器均存在2种不同类型的肿瘤细胞增生。对这些连续切片分别用MDV和REV的单克隆抗体进行间接荧光试验，则同1份样品存在可以与REV和MDV分别呈现阳性反应的肿瘤细胞团，结果表明REV和MDV可以在感染鸡的体内分别诱发形成肿瘤。在接种后14、21、28和42d随机采集3只鸡的全血分离MDV和REV，均可以同时分离到MDV和REV。表明REV和MDV的共感染延长了病毒血症的时间。     

Distribution of alpha‐neoendorphin,ACTH (18–39) and beta‐endorphin (1–27) in the alpaca brainstem

Using an immunocytochemical technique, we have studied in the alpaca brainstem the distribution of immunoreactive structures containing prodynorphin (alpha‐neoendorphin)‐ and pro‐opiomelanocortin (adrenocorticotrophin hormone (18–39) (ACTH), beta‐endorphin (1–27))‐derived peptides. No peptidergic‐immunoreactive cell body was observed. Immunoreactive fibres were widely distributed, although in most of the brainstem nuclei the density of the peptidergic fibres was low or very low. In general, the distribution of the immunoreactive fibres containing the peptides studied was very similar. A close anatomical relationship occurred among the fibres containing alpha‐neoendorphin, ACTH or beta‐endorphin (1–27), suggesting a functional interaction among the three peptides in many of the brainstem nuclei. The number of fibres belonging to the prodynorphin system was higher than that of the pro‐opiomelanocortin system. A moderate/low density of immunoreactive fibres was observed in 65.11% (for alpha‐neoendorphin (1–27)), 18.18% (for ACTH) and 13.95% (for beta‐endorphin) of the brainstem nuclei/tracts. In the alpaca brainstem, a high density of immunoreactive fibres was not observed. The neuroanatomical distribution of the immunoreactive fibres suggests that the peptides studied are involved in auditory, motor, gastric, feeding, vigilance, stress, respiratory and cardiovascular mechanisms, taste response, sleep‐waking cycle and the control of pain transmission.     

Genetic risk factors for osteochondrosis in various horse breeds

Osteochondrosis (OC) is an injury to cartilage canals with a following necrosis in the growth cartilage, from there it can develop to osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD). Due to its high impact in the equine industry, new insights into predisposing factors and potential high‐risk genetic variants are warranted. This article reviews advancements in quantitative and molecular genetics in refining estimation of genetic parameters and identifying predisposing genetic loci. Heritabilities were highest for hock OC with estimates at 0.29–0.46 in Hanoverian warmblood and Norwegian trotters, whereas in Thoroughbreds only very low genetic variation seemed to be present in hock OC lesions. Whole genome scans using the Illumina Equine SNP50 or SNP70 Beadchip were performed in Thoroughbred, Standardbred, French and Norwegian trotter, Hanoverian and Dutch warmblood. Validation studies in Spanish Purebred and Hanoverian warmblood horses corroborated OC risk loci on ECA 3, 14, 27 and 29. Particularly, a strong association with hock‐OCD was found for a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) on horse chromosome (ECA) 3 upstream to the LCORL gene. Gene expression and microRNA analyses may be helpful to understand pathophysiological processes in equine OC and to connect OCD‐associated genomic regions with potential candidate genes. Furthermore progress in elucidating the underlying genetic variants and pathophysiological changes in OC may be expected from whole genome DNA and RNA next‐generation sequencing studies.