A parsimonious software sensor for estimating the individual dynamic pattern of methane emissions from cattle

Large efforts have been deployed in developing methods to estimate methane emissions from cattle. For large scale applications, accurate and inexpensive methane predictors are required. Within a livestock precision farming context, the objective of this work was to integrate real-time data on animal feeding behaviour with an in silico model for predicting the individual dynamic pattern of methane emission in cattle. The integration of real-time data with a mathematical model to predict variables that are not directly measured constitutes a software sensor. We developed a dynamic parsimonious grey-box model that uses as predictor variables either dry matter intake (DMI) or the intake time (IT). The model is described by ordinary differential equations.Model building was supported by experimental data of methane emissions from respiration chambers. The data set comes from a study with finishing beef steers (cross-bred Charolais and purebred Luing finishing). Dry matter intake and IT were recorded using feed bins. For research purposes, in this work, our software sensor operated off-line. That is, the predictor variables (DMI, IT) were extracted from the recorded data (rather than from an on-line sensor). A total of 37 individual dynamic patterns of methane production were analyzed. Model performance was assessed by concordance analysis between the predicted methane output and the methane measured in respiration chambers. The model predictors DMI and IT performed similarly with a Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) of 0.78 on average. When predicting the daily methane production, the CCC was 0.99 for both DMI and IT predictors. Consequently, on the basis of concordance analysis, our model performs very well compared with reported literature results for methane proxies and predictive models. As IT measurements are easier to obtain than DMI measurements, this study suggests that a software sensor that integrates our in silico model with a real-time sensor providing accurate IT measurements is a viable solution for predicting methane output in a large scale context.     

Spectral Engineering of Semitransparent Polymer Solar Cells for Greenhouse Applications

In this study, a wavelength selective semitransparent polymer solar cell (ST‐PSC) with a proper transmission spectrum for plant growth is proposed for greenhouse applications. A ternary strategy combining a wide bandgap polymer donor with a near‐infrared absorbing nonfullerene acceptor and a high electron mobility fullerene acceptor is introduced to achieve PSCs with power conversion efficiency (PCE) over 10%. The addition of PC₇₁BM into J52:IEICO‐4F binary blend contributes to the suppressed trap‐assisted recombination, enhanced charge extraction, and improved open‐circuit voltage simultaneously. ST‐PSC based on the J52:IEICO‐4F:PC₇₁BM ternary blend shows an optimized performance with PCE of 7.75% and a defined crop growth factor of 24.8%. Such high‐performance ST‐PSC is achieved by carefully engineering the absorption spectrum of the light harvesting materials. As a result, the transmission spectra of the semitransparent devices are well‐matched with the absorption spectra of the photoreceptors, such as chlorophylls, in green plants, which provides adequate lighting conditions for photosynthesis and plant growth, and therefore making it a competitive candidate for photovoltaic greenhouse applications.     

Greenhouse gas mitigation potential in crop production with biochar soil amendment—a carbon footprint assessment for cross‐site field experiments from China

Biochar soil amendment (BSA) had been advocated as a promising approach to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in agriculture. However, the net GHG mitigation potential of BSA remained unquantified with regard to the manufacturing process and field application. Carbon footprint (CF) was employed to assess the mitigating potential of BSA by estimating all the direct and indirect GHG emissions in the full life cycles of crop production including production and field application of biochar. Data were obtained from 7 sites (4 sites for paddy rice production and 3 sites for maize production) under a single BSA at 20 t/ha^?1 across mainland China. Considering soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration and GHG emission reduction from syngas recycling, BSA reduced the CFs by 20.37–41.29 t carbon dioxide equivalent ha^?1 (CO₂‐eq ha^?1) and 28.58–39.49 t CO₂‐eq ha^?1 for paddy rice and maize production, respectively, compared to no biochar application. Without considering SOC sequestration and syngas recycling, the net CF change by BSA was in a range of ?25.06 to 9.82 t CO₂‐eq ha^?1 and ?20.07 to 5.95 t CO₂‐eq ha^?1 for paddy rice and maize production, respectively, over no biochar application. As the largest contributors among the others, syngas recycling in the process of biochar manufacture contributed by 47% to total CF reductions under BSA for rice cultivation while SOC sequestration contributed by 57% for maize cultivation. There was a large variability of the CF reductions across the studied sites whether in paddy rice or maize production, due likely to the difference in GHG emission reductions and SOC increments under BSA across the sites. This study emphasized that SOC sequestration should be taken into account the CF calculation of BSA. Improved biochar manufacturing technique could achieve a remarkable carbon sink by recycling the biogas for traditional fossil‐fuel replacement.     

Greenhouse gas budget of a poplar bioenergy plantation in Belgium: CO2 uptake outweighs CH4 and N2O emissions

Biomass from short‐rotation coppice (SRC) of woody perennials is being increasingly used as a bioenergy source to replace fossil fuels, but accurate assessments of the long‐term greenhouse gas (GHG) balance of SRC are lacking. To evaluate its mitigation potential, we monitored the GHG balance of a poplar (Populus) SRC in Flanders, Belgium, over 7 years comprising three rotations (i.e., two 2 year rotations and one 3 year rotation). In the beginning—that is, during the establishment year and during each year immediately following coppicing—the SRC plantation was a net source of GHGs. Later on—that is, during each second or third year after coppicing—the site shifted to a net sink. From the sixth year onward, there was a net cumulative GHG uptake reaching ?35.8 Mg CO₂ eq/ha during the seventh year. Over the three rotations, the total CO₂ uptake was ?51.2 Mg CO₂/ha, while the emissions of CH₄ and N₂O amounted to 8.9 and 6.5 Mg CO₂ eq/ha, respectively. As the site was non‐fertilized, non‐irrigated, and only occasionally flooded, CO₂ fluxes dominated the GHG budget. Soil disturbance after land conversion and after coppicing were the main drivers for CO₂ losses. One single N₂O pulse shortly after SRC establishment contributed significantly to the N₂O release. The results prove the potential of SRC biomass plantations to reduce GHG emissions and demonstrate that, for the poplar plantation under study, the high CO₂ uptake outweighs the emissions of non‐CO₂ greenhouse gases.     

Integration in a depot‐based decentralized biorefinery system: Corn stover‐based cellulosic biofuel

The current or “conventional” paradigm for producing process energy in a biorefinery processing cellulosic biomass is on‐site energy recovery through combustion of residual solids and biogas generated by the process. Excess electricity is then exported, resulting in large greenhouse gas (GHG) credits. However, this approach will cause lifecycle GHG emissions of biofuels to increase as more renewable energy sources (wind, solar, etc.) participate in grid‐electricity generation, and the GHG credits from displacing fossil fuel decrease. To overcome this drawback, a decentralized (depot‐based) biorefinery can be integrated with a coal‐fired power plant near a large urban area. In an integrated, decentralized, depot‐based biorefinery (IDB), the residual solids are co‐fired with coal either in the adjacent power plant or in coal‐fired boilers elsewhere to displace coal. An IDB system does not rely on indirect GHG credits through grid‐electricity displacement. In an IDB system, biogas from the wastewater treatment facility is also upgraded to biomethane and used as a transportation biofuel. The GHG savings per unit of cropland in the IDB systems (2.7–2.9 MgCO₂/ha) are 1.5–1.6 fold greater than those in a conventional centralized system (1.7–1.8 MgCO₂/ha). Importantly, the biofuel selling price in the IDBs is lower by 28–30 cents per gasoline‐equivalent liter than in the conventional centralized system. Furthermore, the total capital investment per annual biofuel volume in the IDB is much lower (by ~80%) than that in the conventional centralized system. Therefore, utilization of biomethane and residual solids in the IDB systems leads to much lower biofuel selling prices and significantly greater GHG savings per unit of cropland participating in the biorefinery system compared to the conventional centralized biorefineries.     

Efficacy of Spodoptera exigua multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus as a biological insecticide for beet armyworm control in greenhouses of southern Spain

Chemical control measures targeted at Spodoptera exigua in greenhouse sweet pepper crops in Spain have resulted in pest resistance to virtually all commercially available insecticidal products. A multicapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus (SeMNPV), isolated from diseased S. exigua in Spain, was produced in laboratory reared larvae, tested for insecticidal activity in a laboratory bioassay, and was then applied in eleven commercial greenhouses planted with sweet pepper. Virus occlusion bodies (OBs) were applied on two occasions, at an interval of ～7 days, at a rate of 5×10⁸ OBs/L of spray in a volume of ～600 L/ha, depending on crop phenology and greenhouse area. The percentage of plants showing recent (<48 h old) feeding damage fell dramatically in greenhouses with high infestations of S. exigua; the same pattern was observed, although less dramatically, in greenhouses with low infestations. Average mortality of larvae collected from treated plants at 4 days after each application, and reared in the laboratory until death, was high (70–89%) and was not significantly affected by the degree of crop infestation. In a separate trial, the rate of acquisition of infection was examined in larvae that fed on plants treated with 1×10⁸ or 5×10⁸ OBs/L of spray. Of the 27 and 60% of larvae, respectively, that acquired infection in the 48 h period after spraying, about half became infected in the first 6 h post-application, irrespective of application rate. Acquisition of infection proceeded more slowly during the night-time compared to the daytime period, underlining the advantages of early morning applications of the virus. We conclude that the Spanish SeMNPV isolate merits registration as a biological insecticide for use in greenhouse crops in this region.     

眼蕈蚊属害虫危害金线莲的首次报道(英文)

兰科Orchidaceae植物金线莲Anoectochilus roxburghii(Wall.)Lindl是一种在中国广泛使用的中草药.本文首次报道两种迟眼蕈蚊属害虫危害金线莲,即Bradysia impatiens(Johannsen,1912)和Bradysia ocellaris(Comstock,1882).这一发现提醒昆虫学家和农民应当注意金线莲和其他兰科植物上的潜在害虫,具有重要的经济意义.     

耕作和培肥对豫中区小麦-玉米轮作系统土壤氮平衡和温室气体排放的影响

豫中区作为黄淮海平原粮食的主产地,节能、减排和增效是该区农业发展的重要方向。本研究基于2010年耕作与培肥定位试验,在2018—2019年探究了3种耕作方式(深耕、浅耕和免耕)和2种培肥模式(氮肥和氮肥+有机肥)对土壤氮平衡和温室气体排放的影响。结果表明: 增施有机肥能增加土壤全氮积累量;在小麦和玉米成熟期,0～60 cm土层土壤全氮积累量在浅耕+有机肥处理下最高,分别为8058.53和8299 kg N·hm^-2,较其他处理高3.2%～27.4%和4.3%～7.2%。分析土壤氮素投入与输出可知,增施有机肥处理氮素均表现为盈余,浅耕+有机肥处理盈余量最高,为13.57 kg N·hm^-2,比深耕+有机肥和免耕+有机肥分别高9.52和0.18 kg N·hm^-2;氮损失以硝态氮淋溶为主,占总损失的73.4%～76.9%,其中深耕+有机肥处理硝态氮淋溶量最高,为48.37 kg N·hm^-2,较其他处理高18.9%～35.1%。2018—2019周年全球增温潜势在深耕+有机肥处理下最高,为33070 kg N·hm^-2,较其他处理高6.6%～26.8%;增施有机肥增加了N₂O和CO₂的排放,降低了CH₄的吸收。作物周年产量在深耕+有机肥处理下最高,较其他处理高5.0%～17.1%;但作物收获指数在浅耕+有机肥处理下最高。综上,在保证作物产量、维持氮素平衡和降低温室气体排放方面,推荐的种植模式为浅耕+增施有机肥。     

温室内大花植物对天敌丰度及其控害功能的影响

【目的】大花植物(花粉和花蜜)能否为特殊的寒地温室内各种昆虫的成虫期补充营养,提供食物来源进而影响温室内天敌的控害功能是当前保护地内防控害虫的关键的科学问题之一。【方法】本实验连续两年选择调查了哈尔滨市郊区(寒地,北纬45o)三栋大型玻璃温室的花卉作物栽培引入情况并用粘虫板连续监测了温室内各种节肢动物丰度动态,分析了温室内大花植物栽培比例对各类(种)优势害虫丰度,寄生性天敌及捕食性天敌丰度的影响,探讨了不同天敌类群丰度的关系及害虫多样性与总丰度等关系。【结果】研究表明:较高比例的大花植物栽培整体上能提高害虫的多样性指数,抑制各种害虫种群的暴发,但单一种类的大花植物也会导致较为严重的害虫发生;影响寄生性天敌类群的环境因素与影响捕食性天敌的因素相似,而捕食性天敌(体型较大)对化学农药的喷洒相对更为敏感。【结论】研究结果可为田间生物控害工程的"功能植物"筛选提供信息,为设施农业害虫生物防治提供科学依据。     

Patterns in CH4 and CO2 concentrations across boreal rivers: Major drivers and implications for fluvial greenhouse emissions under climate change scenarios

It is now widely accepted that boreal rivers and streams are regionally significant sources of carbon dioxide (CO₂), yet their role as methane (CH₄) emitters, as well as the sensitivity of these greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to climate change, are still largely undefined. In this study, we explore the large‐scale patterns of fluvial CO₂ and CH₄ partial pressure (pCO₂, pCH₄) and gas exchange (k) relative to a set of key, climate‐sensitive river variables across 46 streams and rivers in two distinct boreal landscapes of Northern Québec. We use the resulting models to determine the direction and magnitude of C‐gas emissions from these boreal fluvial networks under scenarios of climate change. River pCO₂ and pCH₄ were positively correlated, although the latter was two orders of magnitude more variable. We provide evidence that in‐stream metabolism strongly influences the dynamics of surface water pCO₂ and pCH₄, but whereas pCO₂ is not influenced by temperature in the surveyed streams and rivers, pCH₄ appears to be strongly temperature‐dependent. The major predictors of ambient gas concentrations and exchange were water temperature, velocity, and DOC, and the resulting models indicate that total GHG emissions (C‐CO₂ equivalent) from the entire network may increase between by 13 to 68% under plausible scenarios of climate change over the next 50 years. These predicted increases in fluvial GHG emissions are mostly driven by a steep increase in the contribution of CH₄ (from 36 to over 50% of total CO₂‐equivalents). The current role of boreal fluvial networks as major landscape sources of C is thus likely to expand, mainly driven by large increases in fluvial CH₄ emissions.