Seasonal growth and diet of juvenile chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in demonstration channels and the main channel of the Waitaki River, New Zealand, 1982–1983

Abstract– Juvenile chinook salmon in the Waitaki River, New Zealand and demonstration channels, living at about 16°C, increased in length by 0.32 mm day⁻¹ between 4 November and 4 March. They gained weight quickly, accumulated large visceral fat deposits and had high conditions factors. At 1600 h, stomachs averaged half full. The number of prey tended to decline as the fish grew and consumed larger items. Initially the diet was based mainly on chironomid larvae, but by December it included a diversity of prey in more equal proportions. These included Deleatidium in the Waitaki; amphipods in the demonstration channels; various trichopterans, hemipterans, elmid beetles, zooplankton. terrestrial dipterans and a variety of other prey. There were significant differences between sites in numbers of prey consumed and these probably reflected differences in the benthos. Diets in the Waitaki differ from those in the Rakaia River and the food of juvenile salmon appears closely linked to the availability of a diverse range of possible prey.     

Genetic Engineering Approaches to Pig Production*

Modern biotechnology promises a number of new applications in animal breeding and production. Although conventional pig breeding has achieved a high level of efficiency and productivity numerous problems have been encountered with animal health and the loss of meat quality. Selection based on phenotypic performance data of individual animals does not take into account the importance of specific genes and their relevance within a complex regulatory system. In most cases it is therefore difficult to trace back the genetic origins of clinically important disorders. The application of genetic engineering techniques in pig production will facilitate diagnosis, improvement of productivity, and animal health by allowing direct genetic manipulation. Attention must be focussed on the physical and genetic analysis of the procine genome. The isolation and characterisation of genes, DNA-markers, polymorphic DNA-fragments, and their chromosomal assignment will be important prerequisites and tools for the elucidation of genetic disorders. Especially the detection of heterozygous carriers of recessive disorders and their elimination from the breeding stock will increase selection accuracy and decrease the generation intervals. But also the rapid and simple detection of infectious diseases, which is sometimes difficult if not impossible at present, will improve animal health and welfare. Although the production of transgenic animals either by DNA-microinjection into zygotes or the use of embryonal stem cells manipulated in vitro is less straightforward than DNA-based diagnosis it will play an important role in the direct manipulation of the porcine genome and genes. Breeding programmes including the use of transgenic livestock have already been developed. There is no doubt that genetic engineering has reached a degree of practical feasibility, allowing it to play an important role in pig breeding in particular and animal production in general.     

海涂实行草地农业的综合生态学方法

依据海涂独特的自然属性确定开发利用方案是保证土地资源持续生产的关键。采用降低土壤盐分、实行保护性耕作、用植物残余物覆盖地面、种植牧草防止土壤侵蚀和促使生草层土的发育，保证了以潜在形式集中的富含必需营养元素的腐殖质在土壤中聚积，改善土壤结构，提高土壤水分和养分的利用效率，并以牧草饲养家畜的土地经营活动形成了成功的草地农业生产。     

The effect of sowing date, stale seedbed, row width and mechanical weed control on weeds and yields of organic winter wheat

Three field experiments were carried out in organically grown winter wheat in Denmark. The treatments were sowing time (normal or late sowing) and false seedbed, row width (12 and 24 cm) and weed control method [untreated; mechanical weed control (weed harrowing at 12 cm supplemented with inter‐row hoeing at 24 cm); and herbicide weed control]. Weed biomass in midsummer was greatest on plots sown at the normal sowing time (compared with delayed sowing) and was reduced by mechanical or chemical weed control (compared with untreated plots). Row width alone had no influence on weed biomass, but in the experiment with high weed pressure, the more intensive mechanical weed control used at a row width of 24 cm reduced weed biomass. Normal sowing time tended to give higher yields, but this was only statistically significant in one of the three experiments. Wide rows gave a yield decrease in the experiment with low weed pressure. The effect of weed control on yield was dependent on the weed pressure. At low weed pressure, mechanical weed control caused a yield decrease compared with untreated or herbicide treated. At intermediate weed levels there were no differences, whereas at high weed pressure, mechanical weed control and herbicide treatment caused a yield increase compared with untreated. False seedbeds were shown to contribute to a decrease in the soil seed reserve.     

抗旱救灾农作制度的建立

在分析甘肃省中东部黄土高原旱作区当前干旱灾害和农业生产现状的基础上,进一步分析了干旱灾害和农业生产模式以及二者的互作效应对农田系统抵御干旱灾害能力的影响.认为抗旱减灾农作制度必须以科学轮作的作物体系、耕地质量保育和自然降水高效利用的栽培技术体系为支撑点.只有建立基于多样化的作物体系、秸秆还田、科学轮作、垄沟种植、二元覆盖和少免耕技术的农作制度,协调农田生产和生态之间的关系,才能够实现甘肃省中东部黄土高原旱作农田水土资源的可持续利用,达到抗旱救灾和农田生产力持续提高的目标.     

半干旱黄土丘陵区小流域横断面土壤水分生态特征

在半干旱地区甘肃榆中北部中连川流域取一横断面,根据地形部位与利用条件布设11个测点,用土钻法监测土壤水分剖面分布与动态,测深到5m。各立地条件年内4月到12月土壤水分动态趋势多样。流域横断面的土壤湿度均较低,2～5m平均值一般都小于10％,其中以坡地苜蓿与半阳坡柠条林地最干燥。该地区土壤干燥化层是普遍存在的,不仅存在于人工植被,也存在于天然植被。径流富集叠加可显著改善土壤水分状况,隔坡水平梯田是其重要途径。退耕还草中要考虑各类草地的比例、苜蓿种植的适宜规模及其持续性问题。     

岩溶地区岩溶水资源的脆弱性及可持续发展

对西南岩溶地区岩溶水的脆弱性进行了定量分析研究.结果表明,随着养殖业和榨菜加工业的发展,岩溶水环境遭到破坏,水中各项指标都在急剧恶化,特别是龙洞湾点,短短5个月就发生了很大的变化.说明岩溶水是相当敏感和脆弱的,实现其可持续发展非常必要.     

基于农作制分区的1985—2015年中国小麦生产时空变化

Comparing spatio-temporal variation characteristics of China’s wheat production, yield, sown area and yield-area-contribution in different farming zones in the past 30 years could help improving wheat planting layout and adjusting planting structure. Concentration index, rate of change, moving of gravity and resolution of yield-area-contribution were used to analyze spatio-temporal changes of China’s wheat production and yield-area-contribution based on county wheat production statistics including sown area, production and yield from 1985 to 2015. The wheat sown area decreased obviously in Northeast farming region, Northwest farming region and South farming region and increased rapidly in Huang-Huai-Hai farming region and Yangtze Plain farming region. In Huang-Huai-Hai farming region, the concentration indexes of Haihe Plain farming region, Huang-huai Plain farming region and Fenwei Basin farming region reached to 20.64%, 25.77%, and 21.65% respectively in 2015. Wheat production increased significantly by more than 48 milliontons in Huang-Huai-Hai farming region, and nearly 8 million tons Yangtze Plain farming region but decreased by more than 2.6 million tons in Northeast farming region. In Huang-Huai-Hai farming region, wheat production was concentrated in Haihe Plain farming region, Huang-huai Plain farming region and Yuxi Hill farming region. The average wheat yield continuously improved during the study period, Huang-Huai-Hai farming region and Northwest farming region had the yield increase up to 103.5 kg hm ^-2 and 92.9 kg hm ^-2 each year. Wheat yield in Yuxi Hill farming region, Fenwei Basin farming region and Haihe Plain farming region was relatively high in Huang-Huai-Hai farming region. The yield-reduced area was mainly caused by the decreasing of sown area, while the yield-area-contribution rate was different in yield-increased area. Yield-dominant counties were reduced, area-dominant counties were increased and yield-area-dominant counties were relatively steady. In production increased area, yield-dominant and yield-area-dominant counties were the main types in Huang-Huai-Hai Farming region, area-dominant and yield-area-dominant counties were the main types in Yangtze Plain farming region. Chinese wheat production was increasingly concentrated in Huang-Huai-Hai farming region which has high and rapid increase of wheat yield over the past three decades. Haihe Plain farming region, Huang-huai Plain farming region and Fenwei Basin farming region were the most concentrated areas in Huang-Huai-Hai farming region for wheat production during this period. Wheat yield and sown area jointly promoted the increase of wheat production in Huang-Huai-Hai farming region, wheat sown area was the crucial factor to increase wheat production in Yangtze Plain farming region, especially in the north of Jiangsu, Anhui province and greater part of Xinjiang.     

Immunohistochemical study on changes in gill Na+/K+-ATPase α-subunit during smoltification in the wild masu salmon, Oncorhynchus masou

Changes in immunoreactivity of Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase -subunit in gill sections of wild masu salmon (Oncorhynchus masou) during the parr-smolt transformation (smoltification) were compared with changes in gill Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase specific activity. Gill Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase specific activity increased from April and peaked in May. Immunohistochemical analysis, using an antiserum against a synthetic oligopeptide based on the conserved region of the Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase -subunit, revealed that immunoreactivity was confined to chloride cells in the surface layer of primary lamellae and the proximal end of secondary lamellae. The size and number of these cells increased gradually from February to May; however, the number of chloride cells of the secondary lamellae decreased in May. These data suggest that the synthesis of Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase and the proliferation of chloride cells occur prior to the elevation of enzyme activity. Moreover, it is likely the proliferation and hypertrophy of chloride cells on primary lamellae prepare smolts for entry into seawater and migration in the ocean.     

Arbuscular mycorrhizae in a long-term field trial comparing low-input (organic, biological) and high-input (conventional) farming systems in a crop rotation

 Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) root colonization was studied in a long-term field trial in which four farming systems currently in use in Switzerland were continuously applied to a randomized set of plots at a single field site from 1978 till 1993. There were two low-input farming systems (organic and bio-dynamic) and two high-input (conventional) farming systems (according to Swiss guidelines of integrated plant production with and without farmyard manure). The systems had an identical 7-year crop rotation and tillage scheme and differed essentially only in the amount and type of fertilizer supplied and in plant protection management. The percentage of root colonization by AM fungi was determined in field samples 2–3 times over the growing season in crops in the rotation, namely in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Sardona), vetch-rye and grass-clover. We found the percentage of root length colonized by AM fungi to be 30–60% higher (P≤0.05) in the plants grown in soils from the low-input farming systems than in those grown in conventionally farmed soils. Approximately 50% of the variation of AM root colonization was explained by chemical properties of the soils (pH, soluble P and K, exchangeable Mg), the effect of soluble soil P being most pronounced. The potential of the field soils from the differently managed plots to cause symbiosis with AM fungi was tested in a glasshouse experiment, using wheat as a host plant. Soils from the low-input farming systems had a greatly enhanced capacity to initiate AM symbiosis. The relative differences in this capacity remained similar when propagules of the AM fungus Glomus mosseae were experimentally added to the soils, although overall root colonization by AM fungi was 2.8 times higher. Received: 27 August 1999