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.     

Impact of pig slurry on soil properties, water salinization, nitrate leaching and crop yield in a four-year experiment in Central Spain

Abstract. The repeated application of pig slurry to agricultural soils may result in an accumulation of salts and a risk of aquifer pollution due to nitrate leaching and salinization. Under Mediterranean conditions, a field experiment on a sandy loam soil (Typic Xerofluvent) was performed with maize (Zea mays) in 1998, 1999 and 2001 to study the effects of applying optimal (P1) and excessive rates (P3) of pig slurry on soil salinization, nitrate leaching and groundwater pollution. The rate of pig slurry was established considering the optimal N rate for maize in this soil (170, 162 and 176 kg N ha^?1 for 1998, 1999 and 2001, respectively). Pig slurry treatments were compared to an optimal N rate supplied as urea (U) and a control treatment without N fertilizer (P0). The composition of the slurries showed great variability between years. Mean NO₃^? leaching losses from 1998 to 2001 were 329, 215, 173 and 78 kg N ha^?1 for P3, P1, U and P0 treatments, respectively. The amount of total dissolved salts (TDS) added to the soil in slurry application between 1998 and 2001 was 2019 kg TDS ha^?1 for the P1 treatment and 6058 kg TDS ha^?1 for the P3 treatment. As a consequence, the electrical conductivity (EC) of the slurry‐treated soils was greater than that of the control soil. The EC correlated significantly with the sodium concentration of the soil solution. Over the entire experimental period, 2653, 2202 and 2110 kg Na ha^?1 entered the aquifer from the P3, P1 and P0 treatments, respectively. The P3 treatment did not significantly increase grain production in 1999 and 2001 compared with that achieved with the optimal N rate treatment (P1). This behaviour shows the importance of establishing application guidelines for pig slurry that will reduce the risk of soil and groundwater pollution.     

Effect of Nitrogen Rate and Stubble Height on Dry Matter Yield,Crude Protein Content and Crude Protein Yield of a Sorghum–Sudangrass Hybrid[Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench × Sorghum sudanense (Piper) Stapf.] in the Three‐Cutting System

In this study, the effects of nitrogen (N) rate (60, 120, 180 and 240 kg N ha^?1 applied in three equal dressings at seeding and after the first and second cuttings) and stubble height (7, 14 and 21 cm) on the dry matter (DM) yield, crude protein (CP) content, and CP yield of a sorghum–sudangrass hybrid [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench × Sorghum sudanense (Piper) Stapf., cv. Pioneer 988] in the three‐cut system was investigated. The N rate had no significant effect in the first and third cuttings, but in the second cutting DM yields increased significantly with increase in N rate. The highest yield of 9.1 t ha^?1 was obtained with 80 kg N ha^?1 for the average of 2 years at the second cutting, but no significant difference was found among the 40, 60 and 80 kg N ha^?1 rates. CP content and yield were not significantly affected by N rate at the first and third cuttings, but CP content and yield were significantly affected by application of N at the second cutting. Stubble height had a significant effect on CP content at the third cutting. However, it had no significant effect on CP content at the first and second cuttings. Stubble height had a significant effect on the CP yield at the first cutting, but no significant effect on CP yield at the second and third cuttings.     

The effects of stubble burning and tillage on soil carbon sequestration and crop productivity in southeastern Australia

Abstract. In Australia, stubble burning and tillage are two of the major processes responsible for the decline of soil organic carbon concentration in cropped soils, and the resulting soil degradation. However, the relative importance of these two practices in influencing the soil organic carbon concentration and the long-term impact on soil quality and productivity are not clear. The effects of stubble burning as practised by farmers in southeastern Australia were evaluated in two field trials, one of 19 years duration, the other of 5 years. Conventional tillage (three tillage passes) led to greater loss of soil organic carbon than stubble burning. Loss of total soil organic carbon attributed to stubble burning in the 0–10 cm layer was estimated to be 1.75 t C ha⁻¹ over the period of the 19-year trial, equivalent to 29% of that lost due to tillage. In the 5-year trial, no change in soil organic carbon due to stubble burning was detectable. Changes in soil quality associated with stubble burning detected in the longer trial included a reduction in macro-aggregate stability, and increases in pH and exchangeable K⁺. Only the latter two were detected in the shorter trial. A higher mean wheat yield (average 0.15 t ha⁻¹) following stubble burning was observed in the 19-year trial but not in the 5-year trial. Research to monitor the longer term effects of stubble burning is needed, and to identify conditions where loss of soil organic carbon is minimized.     

The rates of maize growth and lignin biosynthesis change after root-applied chalcone

The effects of root-applied chalcone at 0.15 mmol L⁻¹ on the growth and lignin biosynthesis in maize were investigated. The contents of 4-coumarate: CoA ligase (4CL, EC 6.2.1.12) substrates in maize shoots were increased more rapidly in the samples with chalcone application than in the control and the increase occurred at ≤ 3 h after the application (HAA). The lignin content was reduced by chalcone at ≤ 6 HAA. The shoot growth was suppressed by chalcone at ≤ 9 HAA. Consequently, the results suggest that chalcone suppressed maize growth by inhibiting monolignol biosynthesis.     

Parasitoid community of the loreyi leaf wormMythimna (Acantholeucania) loreyi: Novel host-parasitoid associations and their efficiency in the eastern mediterranean region of Turkey

The loreyi leaf worm,Mythimna (Acantholeucania) loreyi Duponchel (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), is a pest of gramineous crops and causes significant economic damage to maize. In field surveys on maize to determine the parasitoid community and its impact on the pest in the eastern Mediterranean region of Turkey, nine parasitoid species were found associated with immature stages ofM. loreyi: The hymenopteran (Braconidae and Ichneumonidae) parasitoidsCotesia (=Apanteles) ruficrus (Haliday),Chelonus oculator Panzer,Meteorus ictericus Nees,Hyposoter didymator (Thunberg),Sinophorus sp.; and the dipteran (Tachinidae) parasitoidsPseudogonia rufifrons Wiedeman,Exorista rossica Mesnil,Gonia picea (Robineau-Desvoidy) andLinnaemya vulpina (Fallen) — the last three recorded for the first time as parasitoids ofM. loreyi in Turkey.C. ruficrus was the dominant parasitoid species, being recovered from 38.5% of the larvae collected and was also the most prevalent species, existing in 91.0% of the fields in whichM. loreyi was found. Total parasitism levels achieved by braconid species was 41.4%, by ichneumonid parasitoids 4.8%, and by tachinid parasitoids 1.9%. In a separate field experiment, seasonal population fluctuations and natural efficiency ofC. ruficrus onM. loreyi were found to be 35.1% and 42.4%, respectively. Population levels ofC. ruficrus were closely related to fluctuations in the population ofM. loreyi, with parasitism ranging between 0 and 77.3% during the study. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting Aug. 28, 2005.     

华北地区夏玉米田马唐治理的生态经济杀除阈期研究

作者于1992～1994年研究夏玉米田马唐(Digitaria sanguinalis L.)治理的生态经济阈期,借助计算机进行数学模拟,建立夏玉米的相对产量与马唐的相对干扰生长时间、相对出苗时间的函数关系。苗后马唐干扰生长的相对时间即相对天数(Xu)与夏玉米相对产量(Yu)的关系式为: Yu=101.5/{1.0 0.01756EXP[—(—0.0876Xu 0.0004888Xu~2)]}…………(1)苗后马唐出苗的相对时间与玉米相对产量的关系式为: Yd=100.73/{1.0 0.96EXP[—(0.06346Xd-0.00006859Xd~2)]}……………(2) 根据生态经济杀除阈期的定义和(1)、(2)两公式计算可知:夏玉米田马唐防除的生态经济杀除阈期的始期应从夏玉米苗后生育期总天数的11.8％开始,结束于夏玉米苗后生育期总天数的53.9％。例如华北地区夏玉米全生育期总天数一般是95天,夏玉米苗后生育期总天数(T)约为88天,故夏玉米田马唐防除的生态经济杀除阈期约在夏玉米苗后10.6—47.5天之间。     

国内一种玉米新病害--玉米黑腐病

1999年7月云南省元谋县城郊玉米地发现一种玉米新病害,发病面积大约70hm2.其典型症状表现为植株矮化,节间缩短,叶片密集簇生,叶片上有黄绿相间的条斑.叶鞘上有坏死或腐烂病斑,幼穗腐烂,不实,严重者绝产,颗粒无收.从坏死或腐烂的叶鞘和果穗上可镜检到分生孢子及分生孢子梗.纯化培养后,并按柯赫氏法则进行接种试验,病原鉴定为柔弱无枝孢Acladium tenellum(Berk.& Curt.)Subram.comb.nov..本文对病害症状、病原形态、发病情况等进行了详细研究,确定该病为玉米一种新病害.     

杂交玉米品种黔玉3号耐旱和耐盐能力的鉴定

分别用不同浓度的PEG-6000和NaCl溶液模拟干旱和盐胁迫,以常规玉米品种农大108为对照,从水分状况、膜伤害、光合速率、渗透势和离子吸收等生理指标对杂交玉米品种黔玉3号幼苗的耐旱和耐盐能力进行了比较和鉴定.结果表明,供试两玉米品种受胁迫后,地上部相对含水量、叶片净光合速率(Pn)和 PSⅡ最大光化学效率(Fv/Fm)都降低,叶片相对电解质渗漏率及盐胁迫下植株的Na /K 值都升高,农大108的变幅大于黔玉3号;叶片渗透势都降低,在盐胁迫下植株SRK,Na值都升高,但农大108的变幅小于黔玉3号.通过上述指标的综合评价表明,黔玉3号的耐旱、耐盐能力大于农大108.     

施锌对盐碱地玉米生理特性及籽粒锌含量的影响

为研究不同施锌水平对盐碱地玉米生理特性及籽粒锌含量的影响,以科河699为供试材料,采用随机区组设计进行田间试验,根据不同施锌肥方式设置6个处理：T0(0 kg·hm^-2)、T1(7.5 kg·hm^-2)、T2(15 kg·hm^-2)、T3(22.5 kg·hm^-2)、T4(30 kg·hm^-2)、T5(37.5 kg·hm^-2),测定不同处理下玉米生理特性、籽粒锌含量及产量。结果表明,施锌降低了盐碱地玉米叶片相对电导率、脯氨酸含量、丙二醛含量,灌浆期T3处理的叶片相对电导率、脯氨酸含量、丙二醛含量分别较T0处理降低了22.3%、24.7%、15.9%;施锌提高了玉米叶片保护性酶活性,大喇叭口期T3处理的超化物歧化酶(superoxide dismutase,SOD)、过氧化物酶(peroxidase,POD)和过氧化氢酶(catalase,CAT)活性分别较T0处理提高了68.7%、152.1%和72.6%;同时,玉米籽粒锌含量和产量随施锌量的增加呈先增加...