Comprehensive evaluation of multiple cropping systems on upland red soil

According to the principles and methods of ecology and system engineering, we set up an evaluation indicator system for multi-component and multiple cropping systems, evaluated the comprehensive benefits of multi-component and multiple cropping systems using grey relation clustering analysis and screened out the optimized model based on research done in the upland red soil in Jiangxi Agricultural University from 1984 to 2004. The results show that the grey relation degree of “cabbage/potato/maize — sesame” was the highest among 23 multi-component and multiple cropping systems and was clustered into the optimized system. This indicates that “cabbage/potato/maize — sesame” can bring the best social, economic and ecological benefits, increase product yield and farmers’ income and promote sustainable development of agricultural production. Therefore, it is suitable for promotion on upland red soil. The grey relation degree of “canola/Chinese milk vetch/maize/mung bean/maize” was second, which is suitable for implementation at the city outskirts. In conclusion, these two planting patterns are expected to play important roles in the reconstruction of the planting structure and optimization of the planting patterns on upland red soil. __________ Translated from Acta Ecologica Sinica, 2006, 26(8): 2532–2539 [译自: 生态学报]     

Comprehensive evaluation of multiple cropping systems on upland red soil

According to the principles and methods of ecology and system engineering,we set up an evaluation indicator system for multi-component and multiple crop-ping systems,evaluated the comprehensive benefits of multi-component and multiple cropping systems using grey relation clustering analysis and screened out the opti-mized model based on research done in the upland red soil in Jiangxi Agricultural University from 1984 to 2004.The results show that the grey relation degree of "cabbage/ potato/maize-sesame" was the highest among 23 multi-component and multiple cropping systems and was clustered into the optimized system.This indicates that "cabbage/potato/maize - sesame" can bring the best social,economic and ecological benefits,increase product yield and farmers' income and promote sustainable development of agricultural production.Therefore,it is suitable for promotion on upland red soil.The grey rela-tion degree of "canola/Chinese milk vetch/maize/mung bean/maize" was second,which is suitable for imple-mentation at the city outskirts.In conclusion,these two planting patterns are expected to play important roles in the reconstruction of the planting structure and optimiza-tion of the planting patterns on upland red soil.     

长期不同施肥方式对稻油轮作制水稻田杂草群落的影响

为揭示长期不同施肥方式下农田生态系统中杂草群落的变化规律,于2006年10月在太湖地区一个长期肥料试验定位监测田,运用群落生态学方法研究了7种长期不同施肥处理持续20a后对水稻-油菜轮作制水稻田杂草群落的影响.试验区共记录到杂草11种,隶属于6个科.其中,节节菜(Rotala indica)、陌上菜(Lindernia procumbens)、鸭舌草(Monochoria vaginalis)、异型莎草(Cyperus difformis)等4种杂草在所有施肥处理区发生密度较大.莎草科杂草牛毛毡(Eleocharis yokoscensis)只在不施肥区和纯氮肥区出现,而球穗扁莎(Pycreus globosus)和萤蔺(Scirpus juncoides)仅在不施肥区出现.长期不同施肥措施下,田间杂草群落的物种多样性有明显差异:全年秸秆区的物种丰富度(7.3种)最小,不施肥区(10.7种)最大;不施肥区、常规区、秋季秸秆区Shannon-Wiener指数显著大于其他处理区;不施肥区和常规区Simpson指数显著小于其他处理区;不施肥区和纯氮肥区Pielou均匀度指数显著小于其他处理区.田间杂草群落的优势种组成也发生了一定变化, Whittaker指数表明,与不施肥处理相比,单施化肥、化肥配施猪粪对杂草群落结构及物种组成的影响最显著,化肥配施油菜秸秆和化肥配施油菜水稻秸秆次之,而纯施氮肥和化肥配施水稻秸秆的影响较小.Srensen群落相似性指数及聚类分析结果也得到相似的结论.结果表明,单施化肥(平衡施用N、P、K肥)、化肥配施猪粪、化肥配施夏季、秋季和全年秸秆处理均能显著改变田间杂草群落的组成,改变某些杂草在群落中的优势地位,从而抑制其发生危害程度.     

The potential of cropping systems and soil amendments for carbon sequestration in soils under long-term experiments in subtropical India

An understanding of the dynamics of carbon (C) stock in soils, as impacted by management strategies, is necessary to identify the pathways of C sequestration in soils and for maintaining soil organic C (SOC) at a level critical for upkeeping soil health and also for restraining global warming. This is more important in tropical and subtropical region where soils are inherently low in organic C content and the production system is fragile. We evaluated the long‐term role of crop residue C inputs to soil in SOC sequestration and also the critical value of C inputs for maintenance of SOC across five different rice‐based cropping systems and four soil management practices including a fallow (no cultivation since initiation of the experiments) using five long‐term (7–36 years) fertility experiments in subtropical India. Cropping per se always caused a net depletion of SOC. Such depletion was inversely proportional to the amount of crop residue C incorporated into the soils (r=−0.92, P=0.001). Balanced fertilization with NPK, however, caused an enrichment (9.3–51.8% over the control) of SOC, its extent being influenced by the cropping systems. Long‐term application of organic amendments (5–10 Mg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) through farmyard manure (FYM) or compost could increase SOC hardly by 10.7% constituting only 18% of the applied C, the rest getting lost through oxidation. The total quantity of soil C sequestered varied from −11.5 to 14.5 Mg C ha⁻¹ and was linearly related (r²=0.40, P=0.005) with cumulative crop residue C inputs to the soils. On an average, the rate of its conversion to SOC came out to be 6.4%. This was more in presence of added organics (6.9%) than in its absence (4.2%). For sustenance of SOC level (zero change due to cropping) we found that a minimum quantity of 2.9 Mg C is required to be added per hectare per annum as inputs. The cropping systems and the management practices that could provide C input higher than the above critical level are likely to sustain the SOC level and maintain good soil health in the subtropical regions of the Indian subcontinent.     

酚酸物质对黄瓜幼苗及枯萎病菌菌丝生长的影响

研究了不同连作年限大棚土壤中酚酸物质的种类、含量及其对黄瓜幼苗和枯萎病菌菌丝生长的影响。结果表明:土壤中香草酸、对羟基苯甲酸及阿魏酸随黄瓜连作年限增加而呈现积累趋势;在连作7年的大棚土壤中3种酚酸类物质总量达29.8mg.kg-1干土,显著高于连作1年和3年土壤中的含量;酚酸物质可使黄瓜幼苗根长及茎粗显著降低,使株高及干物质量略有下降。与对照相比,酚酸物质使黄瓜幼苗体内过氧化物酶(POD)活性在短期内升高,5d后又呈下降趋势;对超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)活性的影响也表现出先升高后下降的变化趋势。高浓度酚酸使黄瓜幼苗丙二醛(MDA)含量持续升高。枯萎病菌菌丝生长测定表明:42h内,低浓度(≤50mg.L-1)酚酸对枯萎病菌丝生长有刺激作用;酚酸浓度高于50mg.L-1时,对菌丝生长有抑制作用;随酚酸处理时间延长,枯萎病菌对酚酸物质的耐受性增强,对高浓度酚酸的生长抑制作用表现不明显。     

Effects of Allelochemicals on Root Growth and Pod Yield in Response to Continuous Cropping Obstacle of Peanut

Continuous cropping (CC) obstacle is a major threat in legume crops production; however, the underlying mechanisms concerning the roles allelochemicals play in CC obstacle are poorly understood. The current 2-year study was conducted to investigate the effects of different kinds and concentrations of allelochemicals, p-hydroxybenzoic acid (H), cinnamic acid (C), phthalic acid (P), and their mixtures (M) on peanut root growth and productivity in response to CC obstacle. Treatment with H, C, P, and M significantly decreased the plant height, dry weight of the leaves and stems, number of branches, and length of the lateral stem compared with control. Exogenous application of H, C, P, and M inhibited the peanut root growth as indicated by the decreased root morphological characters. The allelochemicals also induced the cell membrane oxidation even though the antioxidant enzymes activities were significantly increased in peanut roots. Meanwhile, treatment with H, C, P, and M reduced the contents of total soluble sugar and total soluble protein. Analysis of ATPase activity, nitrate reductase activity, and root system activity revealed that the inhibition effects of allelochemicals on peanut roots might be due to the decrease in activities of ATPase and NR, and the inhibition of root system. Consequently, allelochemicals significantly decreased the pod yield of peanut compared with control. Our results demonstrate that allelochemicals play a dominant role in CC obstacle-induced peanut growth inhibition and yield reduction through damaging the root antioxidant system, unbalancing the osmolytes accumulation, and decreasing the activities of root-related enzymes.

     

Phosphorus availability under alley cropping and mulched and unmulched sole cropping systems in Costa Rica

Phosphorus availability was measured in soils under five cropping systems: alley cropping with Erythrina poeppigiana, alley cropping with Gliricidia sepium, sole cropping with Erythrina poeppigiana mulch applied, sole cropping with Gliricidia sepium mulch applied, sole cropping with no mulch. The following parameters were measured: 1) plant-available soil P assessed by P uptake of maize and bean bioassay plants; 2) phosphate desorbable by anion exchange resin; 3) adsorption of added P into isotopically exchangeable and non-exchangeable pools.In the bioassay, P uptake of beans declined in the order: mulched sole-cropped>unmulched sole-cropped>alley-cropped soils. For maize the relative uptake was: mulched sole-cropped>unmulched sole-cropped = alley-cropped soils. These results suggest trees had not incorporated a significant quantity of P into the system after seven years and, probably, there was a decrease in available soil P due to the sequestration of P in the tree biomass. Potentially resin-desorbable P was higher in alley-cropped and mulched sole-cropped soils than in unmulched sole-cropped soils. The adsorption and desorption of added P into and from exchangeable and non-exchangeable pools did not differ between alley-cropped and unmulched sole-cropped soils.Crop yield and crop N, P and K uptake were all higher in the alley crops than in the unmulched sole crop. The supply of P to the crop under alley cropping seems to be dependent on P cycled and released from the mulch. The P cycle in alley cropping appears to be self-sustaining at least under conditions of moderate P fertiliser input.     

Management of Heterodera glycines by Cropping and Cultural Practices

Heterodera glycines was identified in North Carolina in 1954, although symptoms of the disease were noted in the state at least 8 years earlier. Crop rotation experiments designed to develop management systems were initiated in 1956. Two or more years in production of a nonhost crop resulted in decreases of the nematode to low or undetectable levels with acceptable subsequent yields of soybean (Glycine max). Because of almost complete dependence on resistant cultivars and (or) nematicides for nematode control, crop rotation experiments were not conducted from 1962 to 1980. Research on control of H. glycines, beginning in 1981, emphasized biological and ecological aspects of the nematode in order to determine cropping systems that restrict the nematode to nondamaging levels. Mortality during embryogenesis was high at temperatures above 30 C. Hatching of eggs occurs readily in May and June. Postinfection development takes 2-3 weeks at weekly mean temperatures of 22-29 C and is slow above and below those temperatures. Egg production is high during the late growing season. Some cultural practices such as planting early maturing cultivars in mid-to-late June and rotation with a nonhost effectively keeps populations at low levels.     

Development of Meloidogyne arenaria on Peanut and Soybean under Two Temperature Cycles

Florunner peanut and three soybean cultivars, Centennial, Gasoy 17, and Wright, were inoculated with 48-hour age cohorts of Meloidogyne arenari race 1 second-stage juveniles and placed in a growth chamber set to simulate early season (low temperature) and midseason (high temperature) conditions. Percentages of the initial inoculum penetrating roots 4 and 8 days after inoculation were 2-3 times higher in soybean cultivars than in peanut; 25% on susceptible soybean and 9% on peanut. Penetration and early development of M. arenaria were greater in the higher temperature environment. Penetration percentages were expressed as a function of cumulative degree-days by regression models. Development of M. arenaria 10, 20, and 30 days after inoculation was more rapid on peanut than on soybean. The resistant soybean cultivar Wright had slower development rates than did the other two soybean cultivars. Nematode growth and development were dependent on temperature. In greenhouse experiments, production of eggs by M. arenaria was more than 10 times greater on peanut than on susceptible soybean. The reproductive factor for Wright soybean was less than one, but plant growth parameters indicated that this cultivar was intolerant of M. arenavia.