Direct and Residual Contributions of Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation by Legumes to the Yield and Nitrogen Uptake of Maize (Zea mays L.) in the Nigerian Savannah

Field experiments were conducted to determine the direct and residual contributions of legumes to the yield and nitrogen (N) uptake of maize during the wet seasons of 1994 and 1995 at the University Farm, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Nigeria, located in the Northern Guinea savannah of Nigeria. Nodulating soybean, lablab, green gram and black gram contributed to the yield and N uptake of maize either intercropped with the legumes or grown after legumes as a sole crop. Direct transfer of N from the nodulating soybean, lablab, green gram and black gram to the intercropped maize was 24.9–28.1, 23.8–29.2, 19.7–22.1 and 18.4–18.6 kg N ha^–1, respectively. However, the transfer of residual N from these legumes to the succeeding maize crop was 18.4–20.0, 19.5–29.9, 12.0–13.7 and 9.3–10.3 kg N ha^–1, respectively. Four years of continuous lablab cropping resulted in yields and N uptake of the succeeding maize crop grown without fertilizer N that were comparable to the yields and N uptake of the succeeding maize crop supplied with 40–45 kg N ha^–1 and grown after 4 years of continuous sorghum cropping. It may therefore be concluded that nodulating soybean, lablab, green gram and black gram may be either intercropped or grown in rotation with cereals in order to economize the use of fertilizer N for maize production in the Nigerian savannah.     

Studies on mutlispecific resistance of gastrointestinal nematodes to benzimidazoles on dairy-goat farms

Multispecific resistance to benzimidazoles was studied in three selected farms. These farms had bred dairy goats for more than 15 years. The helminths were introduced with the goats at the establishment of the farms which afterwards remained isolated. Nematode resistance could then be related to their own management practices. Faecal egg count tests and egg hatch assays were performed to assess intensity of resistance. The generic (infective larvae in faecal cultures) and specific richness (adult worms) were assessed. The resistant species were Trichostrongylus colubriformis, Teladorsagia circumcincta, Haemonchus contortus and Oesophagostomum venulosum. Faecal egg count reduction tests and egg-hatch assays did not match exactly. Faecal larval counts after treatments gave a distorted picture of multispecific resistance: Haemonchus and Oesophagostomum were very largely over represented. The number of species found in the three farms was relatively low compared with other reports in goat farms of the area. This reduction of diversity might also be due in part to characteristics of breeding management and history (use of permanent pasture and introduction of goats at the establishment of farm).     

海南半干旱地区芒果间作柱花草及作物效益初探

1998～2001年在海南东方干旱半干旱燥红土芒果与柱花草及作物间作示范区的实践表明，在芒果园间作扁豆、柱花草、番薯和花生可显著提高芒果挂果率，芒果收入比芒果单种分别增加97．79％、98．53％、54．41％和48．28％，果园综合收入比芒果单种分别增加108．55％、98．53％、97．98％和91．58％，同时，果园间作可显著提高果园土壤有机质、全氮、速效磷的含量和土壤pH值，间作扁豆使土壤有机质含量增加53．3％，间作柱花草使土壤全氮增加43．92％，速效磷增加78．16％，从而达到了以短养长、增加农民收入、提高土壤肥力和持续管理利用的目的。     

金针菇品种比较试验

１９９１年１０月至１９９３年７月，笔者用Ｃｏ－２７等１２个菌株做了四批十二次金针菇品种比较试验，菌株Ｃｏ－２７比优良品种三明一号，Ｆ９０８分别增产１４．２６％和１２．３９％，差异显著性测验表明，它们之间的差异均达到了显著程度；Ｃｏ－２６，Ｃｏ－１４，Ｃｏ－２３，Ｃｏ－１５，Ｃｏ－２４，Ｃｏ－１３等菌株与两个对照品种相比，其产量都有不同程度的提高，除Ｃｏ－２５之外，各菌株之间菌丝生长速度没有表现出显     

Approach of allelopathy study with Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Hevnh. and Neurospora crassa

Allelopathy in Arabidopsis seeds was investigated in the present study because there are few available reports of allelopathy studies regarding the early development stage of the plant life cycle, and because Arabidopsis is widely used as a model plant for molecular biology. When cockscomb ( Celosia cristata ) was incubated together with Arabidopsis seeds, the growth of cockscomb was promoted by Arabidopsis seeds. Exudate of Arabidopsis seeds showed a promotive activity on the growth of cockscomb and Arabidopsis itself. A new method for studying allelopathic mechanisms involving the interaction of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Hevnh. and the fungus Neurospora crassa was suggested. Arabidopsis seed exudate and the water-soluble fraction of the exudate promoted Arabidopsis growth and reduced fungal germination, indicating that the seed exudate has a species-selective activity. Conversely, the ethylacetate-soluble fraction inhibited growth of all tested materials in the current study. These results demonstrate that the water-soluble substance(s) released from Arabidopsis seeds have species-selective activity on growth of both plants and microorganisms.     

Soil solarization as a substitute for methyl bromide fumigation in greenhouse tomato production in Cyprus

Preplant soil fumigation with methyl bromide (MB) is presently standard practice in greenhouse tomato production. Since this compound is scheduled to be phased out by 2005, the possibility of using solarization as an alternative soil disinfestation method was examined in four greenhouse tomato trials. Solarization was applied for 8 weeks in July-August, using transparent polyethylene sheets for soil mulching, and compared with MB fumigation applied in September, before planting, at 80 g/m². Solarization raised the maximum soil temperature by 9°C and reduced the population density ofFusarium spp. in soil by 91–98%. Similar reductions of soil inoculum (95–99%) were obtained with MB fumigation. Both methods provided effective control of Fusarium wilt, Verticillium wilt and corky root rot on tomato plants. MB fumigation was in addition highly effective against root-knot nematodes, whereas nematode control with solarization did not exceed 50%. Both treatments resulted in similar fruit yield increases, ranging within 90–140% compared with plants grown in untreated soil. During the second cropping season following soil treatment, solarization exhibited two times higher residual effectiveness against vascular wilt diseases compared with MB fumigation. The latter treatment, however, was superior to solarization in its residual effectiveness against root-knot nematodes and to a lesser extent against corky root rot. Fruit yields from solarized and MB-fumigated soil during the second cropping season were higher than those obtained from untreated soil by approximately 35% and 60%, respectively. In Cyprus, solarization appears to be an effective alternative to MB fumigation in greenhouse tomato production, especially if integrated with other approaches enabling more effective nematode control.     

油茶炭疽菌携带病毒种类鉴定及多样性分析

 炭疽菌是重要的植物病原真菌,能够引起多种植物炭疽病。真菌病毒广泛存在于植物病原菌中,侵染炭疽菌属真菌的病毒资源有待挖掘。本文利用宏病毒组测序技术,对分离自我国南部6个省份不同油茶园的40株油茶炭疽菌中的病毒进行了鉴定。经过同源比对分析,发现10种基因组类型均为正义单琏RNA的新病毒。它们分属于减毒病毒科(Hypoviridae)、裸露病毒科(Narnaviridae)、线粒体病毒科(Mitoviridae)和葡萄孢欧尔密病毒科(Botourmiaviridae)。本研究是我国南方油茶炭疽病菌携带病毒的首次报道。研究结果丰富了炭疽菌属所携带的病毒基因组信息,可为深入分析炭疽菌真菌病毒的多样性和分子特性奠定基础。