Effect of crop density on competition by wheat and barley with Agrostemma githago and other weeds

The effect of Agrostemma githago L. and other naturally occurring weeds on biomass production and grain yield was studied in winter wheat and winter barley. Naturally occurring weeds had only a negligible effect on barley, but reduced wheat grain yield by 10% at a quarter of normal crop density. The interaction between the cereals and A. githago was studied in additive series employing different crop densities. Growth of this weed species was strongly dependent on crop density, which was more important for controlling weed growth than it was for obtaining a normal grain yield. Wheat and especially barley had a better competitive ability than A. githago. Wheat and A. githago utilized resources for growth better when grown in mixture than when grown in pure stands as the relative yield totals were significantly larger than unity.     

A synopsis of smolt production in cages in a coastal freshwater lake in Norway

Abstract. Fish farming activities based on salmonid smolt production in cages were monitored in a coastal freshwater lake in western Norway. Yearly ongrowth in the fish farm increased from 350kg in 1979 to 15150kg in 1985, while maximum biomass of standing stock increased to nearly 14000kg in the same period. Maximum daily mortality observed was 0·37% of total stock in August 1983 due to an Ichthyobodo necator infection.
Except for 1983, between 61 and 73% of annual amount of feed was used in the second half of the year. Total feed amount used in 1979–85 was 77750kg. The phosphorous effluents decreased from 88 to 90% of the feed content to 80·4% in 1984–85.
A set of easily calculated parameters for judging management possibilities and success in cage farming is proposed: annual heat sum; mortality rate; growth rate; feed conversion; and phosphorous retention in fish.     

High-Pressure Iron-Sulfur Compound, Fe3S2, and Melting Relations in the Fe-FeS System

An iron-sulfur compound (Fe3S2) was synthesized at pressures greater than 14 gigapascals in the system Fe-FeS. The formation of Fe3S2 changed the melting relations from a simple binary eutectic system to a binary system with an intermediate compound that melted incongruently. The eutectic temperature in the system at 14 gigapascals was about 400°C lower than that extrapolated from Usselman's data, implying that previous thermal models of Fe-rich planetary cores could overestimate core temperature. If it is found in a meteorite, the Fe3S2 phase could also be used to infer the minimum size of a parent body.     

Review of morphological and behavioural differences between reared and wild individuals: Implications for sea-ranching of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua L., and European lobster, Homarus gammarus L.

Abstract The main question which must be raised when planning to enhance natural populations through sea ranching is whether reared organisms are fit for a life in the wild, or more specifically, whether there are differences between reared and naturally resident individuals. The causes and effects of these differences are reviewed, and results from the Norwegian enhancement programme, which compared reared and wild individuals of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua L., and European lobster, Homarus gammarus L., are discussed with emphasis on morphological and behavioural differences. It was concluded that exposure to an artificial rearing environment during ontogeny can affect both the phenotype and the behaviour of the reared individuals, and thereby, their potential for survival after release into the wild as well. Suggestions are made as to how to diminish observed differences, and thereby, improve the survival potential.     

Phosphorus accumulation and leaching risk of greenhouse vegetable soils in Southeast China

Over-fertilization has caused significant phosphorus(P) accumulation in Chinese greenhouse vegetable production(GVP) soils. This study, for the first time, quantified profile P accumulation directly from soil P measurements, as well as subsoil P immobilization, in three alkaline coarse-textured GVP soil profiles with 5(S5), 15(S15), and 30(S30) years of cultivation in Tongshan, Southeast China. For each profile, soil samples were collected at depths of 0–10(topsoil), 10–20, 20–40, 40–60, 60–80, and 80–100 cm. Phosphorus accumulation was estimated from the difference in P contents between topsoil and parent material(60–100 cm subsoil). Phosphorus mobility was assessed from measurements of water-soluble P concentration(PSol). Finally, P sorption isotherms were produced using a batch sorption experiment and fitted using a modified Langmuir model. High total P contents of 1 980(S5), 3 190(S15), and 2 330(S30) mg kg~(-1) were measured in the topsoils versus lower total P content of approximately 600 mg kg~(-1) in the 80–100 cm subsoils. Likewise, topsoil PSol values were very high, varying from 6.4 to 17.0 mg L~(-1). The estimated annual P accumulations in the topsoils were 397(S5), 212(S15), and 78(S30) kg ha~(-1) year~(-1). Sorption isotherms demonstrated the dominance of P desorption in highly P-saturated topsoils, whereas the amount of adsorbed P increased in the 80–100 cm subsoils with slightly larger P adsorption capacity. The total P adsorption capacity of the 80–100 cm subsoils at a solution P concentration of0.5 mg L~(-1) was 15.7(S5), 8.7(S15), and 6.5(S30) kg ha~(-1), demonstrating that subsoils were unable to secure P concentrations in leaching water below 0.5 mg L~(-1) because of their insufficient P-binding capacity.     

Duration of the persistent activity of moxidectin against Haemonchus contortus in sheep

SUMMARY Weaned lambs were infected with Haemonchus contortus 35,28,21,14 and 7 days after treatment with moxidectin at 0.2 mg/kg and 35 and 14 days after treatment with ivermectin at the same dose rate. Worm counts 14 days after infection showed that moxidectin prevented the establishment of over 99% of infective larvae for 28 days and reduced the establishment rate at 35 days by 96%, relative to ivermectin. There was no difference in the protective efficacy of ivermectin at 14 or 35 days. The persistence of moxidectin is likely to provide advantages in nematode control, particularly when used as a strategic early summer treatment or as a pre-lambing treatment to ewes. Implications of the persistent activity of moxidectin for the development of resistance during the decay phase are discussed.