Yield decrease in sugar beet caused by reduced tillage and direct drilling

In a long-term series of on-farm tillage trials (10 loessial sites in southern and eastern Germany; annual mouldboard ploughing 0.25–0.3 m deep, mulching with a rigid-tine cultivator 0.1–0.15 m deep, direct drilling with no tillage except seedbed preparation for sugar beet solely) sugar beet yield was significantly decreased by direct drilling compared to ploughing. This study was conducted to (i) show that the lower plant density caused by mulching and direct drilling contributes to yield decrease but explains effects just partially, and (ii) determine the relation between soil structural properties and sugar beet yield. In 2003–2005 plant density experiments (53,000, 65,000 and 82,000 plants ha^?1) were introduced to tillage plots on five selected environments. Yield and soil structural properties of four layers representing 0–0.43 m soil depth were determined.White sugar yield (WSY) significantly declined with direct drilling compared to ploughing treatment, whereas mulching treatment diminished WSY less pronounced. Moreover, decreasing plant density significantly lowered WSY. No interactions between tillage and plant density occurred, revealing that both factors additively affected WSY.Decreasing tillage depth increased penetration resistance (PR) and dry bulk density (DBD), and diminished air filled pore volume (AFPV) in the topsoil down to 0.27 m depth. Several soil structural parameters were closely correlated with each other as well as WSY. Variation of single parameters explained up to 60% of WSY variance attributed to tillage. Combining DBD from 0.03 to 0.07 m depth, average PR from 0.03 to 0.27 m and AFPV from 0.03 to 0.18 m soil depth explained 77% of the tillage effect. Nevertheless, multi-collinearity of soil physical parameters allowed no clear conclusions on the cause-and-effect mechanisms.Conclusively, lowered plant density and soil structure degradation due to reduced tillage may independently decrease sugar beet yield. When grown on loessial soils this crop requires mechanical loosening down to 0.15–0.20 m depth to produce high yields.     

Weed control with selected herbicides in acetolactate synthase-resistant sorghum

The recent development of grain sorghum hybrids with resistance to acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibiting herbicides has allowed for the use of several post-emergence applied (POST) ALS-inhibitors to control weeds in the crop. Field experiments were conducted at four sites in Kansas in 2008 to evaluate the efficacy of nicosulfuron and nicosulfuron + rimsulfuron applied alone or in combination with dicamba, metsulfuron methyl, and atrazine. All POST treatments slightly injured sorghum 2 weeks after treatment (WAT) at Garden City and Hesston, whereas at Hays and Manhattan, only treatments that included dicamba caused injury. Nicosulfuron + rimsulfuron applied alone provided 41, 83, 74, and 93% control of grasses 4 WAT at Garden City, Hays, Hesston, and Manhattan, respectively. However, to obtain the highest level broadleaf weed control, nicosulfuron or nicosulfuron + rimsulfuron need to be applied with other broadleaf herbicides. POST treatment of nicosulfuron + metsulfuron methyl + dicamba + atrazine provided 90% or greater control of all broadleaf weeds at sorghum flowering. Sorghum grain yield was greater following all herbicide treatments compared with the weedy check. The POST treatment that provided the highest yield at Garden City was nicosulfuron + rimsulfuron + atrazine, whereas in Hesston and Manhattan, nicosulfuron + metsulfuron methyl + dicamba + atrazine provided the highest yields. This research showed that many grasses can be effectively controlled with POST applications of nicosulfuron or nicosulfuron + rimsulfuron in ALS-resistant sorghum. The research also indicated that broadleaf weed control is greater when nicosulfuron or nicosulfuron + rimsulfuron are applied with other broadleaf-control herbicides such as dicamba, metsulfuron methyl, and atrazine.     

生物动力学品质检测技术简介——图像成形法

<正>在上世纪20年代一些测试方法开始发展,这些方法现在被统称为图像成形法(Picture forming methods)。其中最具代表意义的是氯化铜结晶法(copper chloride crystal-     

Evaluation of environmental and management effects on Fusarium head blight infection and deoxynivalenol concentration in the grain of winter wheat

During the past decade European wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) crops were increasingly affected by Fusarium head blight (FHB) infection and high deoxynivalenol (DON) concentration in the grain. This is discussed to be primarily caused by the application of conservation tillage practices and, simultaneously, enhanced cultivation of host crops such as maize and wheat.

This study investigated the effect of several environmental and management factors on DON formation and, particularly, interactions between factors. Moreover, a methodology was developed to quantify the relative effect of single factors, and combinations of two or more management factors on the DON concentration in order to evaluate management strategies with regard to their potential effect on DON formation.

In 2001 and 2002, FHB infection of wheat and DON concentration in the grain was determined on eight sites of a long-term on-farm tillage experiment located in southern and eastern Germany. In addition, three-factorial plot trials varying tillage, cultivar, and fungicide application were conducted at Goettingen, Lower Saxony, in 2001 and 2002.

Based on these data, the severity of the effect of year, preceding crop, tillage, wheat cultivar and fungicide application was calculated as follows: mean DON value of the treatment with the highest DON concentration obtained in the study divided by the lowest treatment mean value. For each influencing factor the calculation was done on average of the other factors included. The following ranking order was obtained: annual variation of rainfall during wheat anthesis (4.4) = Fusarium infection/susceptibility of the preceding crop (wheat versus sugar beet, 4.3) = Fusarium susceptibility of the wheat cultivar grown (4.3–5.6) > soil tillage applied to cultivate wheat (1.3–3.4) ≥ fungicide application at anthesis of wheat (2.1). The relative effect of combinations of two or more management factors on the DON concentration can be calculated by multiplying severity factors. Limitations of this method are due to strong interactions between some of the factors (e.g. cultivar × fungicide application, cultivar × tillage). Within tillage treatments shallow mixing conservation tillage increased the DON concentration only slightly compared to conventional mouldboard ploughing, if previous wheat straw soil cover was reduced to about 30%. In this case, the severity of the effect of tillage was much smaller compared to year, preceding crop, and cultivar. Data also reveal that FHB infection values counted in the field do not give a reliable prediction of the DON concentration.

It is concluded, that choosing a resistant cultivar is a powerful tool to ensure a low DON concentration in wheat grain even under highly infectious conditions. This strategy enables farmers to make use of the benefits of conservation tillage and, simultaneously, produce high quality wheat grain.     

Rapid determination of the attenuation limit of beer using middle-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy and a multivariate model

A new approach for the determination of the attenuation limit of beer samples using the specific fingerprint region of middle-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy in combination with multiple regression by partial least-squares (PLS) was developed using an attenuated total reflectance (ATR) module. A specific spectral region between 1200 and 800 cm(-1) was identified as highly informative for the quantification of the limit of attenuation. The absorptions in this region are induced by vibrational bands of ethanol (1080, 1040, and 880 cm(-1)) and dissolved extract, in majority maltotriose (1160-1140 and 1040-980 cm(-1)). The multivariate calibration results in a root mean squared error of calibration (RMSEC) of 0.40% and a validation procedure with independent samples results in a root mean squared error of validation (RMSEV) of 0.50%. A repeatability test, concerning the precision of the developed MIR method as well as the reference method, was analyzed using Student's t test. The test has shown no significant difference between the two random samples.     

Grain sorghum response and Palmer amaranth control with postemergence application of fluthiacet-methyl

Palmer amaranth is a problematic weed in grain sorghum production in central United States. Due to limited herbicide options available and ever increasing herbicide-resistant weed species, there is a demand for new mode-of-action herbicides for use in grain sorghum. Fluthiacet-methyl is a relatively new active ingredient that inhibits the enzyme protoporphyrinogen oxidase in target plants. Field studies were conducted at three sites in central United States in 2010 and 2011 to evaluate crop response and Palmer amaranth control with postemergence application of fluthiacet-methyl in grain sorghum. Treatments included fluthiacet-methyl at 4.8 and 7.2 g active ingredient (a.i.) ha^?1 alone and tank-mixed with 2,4-D amine at 260 g acid equivalent (a.e.) ha^?1 or atrazine at 840 g a.i. ha^?1. Carfentrazone at 8.8 g a.i. ha^?1, atrazine at 840 g ha^?1, and a non-treated control were also included. Fluthiacet-methyl treatments caused 9–38% crop injury at 4 ± 1 days after treatment. Tank-mixing atrazine with fluthiacet-methyl seldom affected crop injury, while mixing 2,4-D with fluthiacet-methyl often reduced crop injury. Generally, injury caused by fluthiacet-methyl alone or in combination with atrazine or 2,4-D disappeared within 3 weeks after treatment. Grain yields were reduced in one trial, when 2,4-D mixed with 4.8 or 7.2 g ha^?1 of fluthiacet-methyl caused 18% and 13% plant lodging and 24% and 14% grain yield loss, respectively. Across site-years, fluthiacet-methyl alone at 4.8 or 7.2 g ha^?1 provided 55–95% control of Palmer amaranth. Greater Palmer amaranth control (≥75%) with fluthiacet-methyl alone was achieved when weeds were small or density was low at the time of spraying. Tank-mixing atrazine with fluthiacet-methyl increased Palmer amaranth control and sorghum yields considerably. Tank-mixing 2,4-D with fluthiacet-methyl also increased Palmer amaranth control, but to lesser extent and less consistently than with atrazine. Results indicated that fluthiacet-methyl has potential for use in grain sorghum to combat weeds resistant to acetolactase synthase-inhibitors, triazines, and synthetic auxin herbicides. Tank-mixing atrazine or 2,4-D with fluthiacet-methyl is desirable for effective Palmer amaranth control.     

Efficacy of postemergence herbicides tankmixes in aryloxyphenoxypropionate-resistant grain sorghum

The development of aryloxyphenoxypropionate (APP)-resistant grain sorghum could provide additional opportunities for postemergence herbicide grass control in grain sorghum. Field experiments were conducted in Texas (Bushland, and Yoakum), Kansas (Dodge City, Garden City, Hays, Manhattan, Colby, Ottawa, and Tribune), and South Dakota (Highmore) to evaluate the efficacy of quizalofop tank mixes in APP-resistant grain sorghum. Quizalofop was applied alone or in combination with dicamba, 2,4-D, prosulfuron, 2,4-D + metsulfuron methyl, or halosulfuron methyl + dicamba. Herbicides were applied when sorghum was 12–50 cm in height. Overall weed control was greater when quizalofop was applied with other herbicides than when applied alone. At 2 and 4 weeks after treatment (WAT), large crabgrass [Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop.], giant foxtail (Setaria faberi Herrm.), and green foxtail [Setaria viridis (L.) Beauv.] control were greater than 90% when quizalofop was applied alone or in combination with dicamba, halosulfuron methyl + dicamba, or prosulfuron. Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S. Wats.), puncturevine (Tribulus terrestris L.), and tumble pigweed (Amaranthus albus L.) control were greater than 90% in all treatments except when quizalofop was applied alone. Herbicide treatments, except those that included 2,4-D, caused slight to no sorghum injury. Grain sorghum yield was greater for all herbicide treatments compared to the weedy check. This research showed that application of quizalofop in combination with broadleaf weed herbicides provided excellent weed control in sorghum.