Environmental assessment of maize production alternatives: Traditional,intensive and GMO-based cropping patterns

The evolution of maize production patterns in Argentina is evaluated over the last 25 years to compare costs, benefits, environmental performance and sustainability as well as to identify the main driving sources and improvement potential. Results from Argentina cropping systems are compared to other systems worldwide in order to put the Argentina results in a broader context. The study focuses on three farming categories: (1) traditional, low-intensity systems, (2) conventional, high-intensity systems, and (3) GMO-based cropping systems. Low input intensity systems include traditional cropping patterns with seed selection by farmers and conventional hybrid seed coupled to plowing and crop-animal rotation techniques; high input intensity systems use conventional hybrid seeds and recommended chemicals, irrigation and machinery with important soil erosion consequences; and GMO-based cropping systems use herbicide resistant transgenic hybrids, pesticides, higher fertilizer rates, and no-till practices. In each of the three cases, input flows are compared to the achieved yield (in mass and income terms) to better understand relative efficiencies and options for improvement. The study of GMO systems required a preliminary investigation of GMO seed production by seed companies, where a large investment in terms of prior knowledge and high-tech laboratory research is required. The assessments used the Emergy Accounting (EMA) approach. EMA includes material, energy, labor, money, and knowledge flows into the assessment and expands its focus over larger time and spatial scales than conventional economic and cumulative energy demand methods. Emergy-based environmental indicators of grain production for high-intensity hybrid and GMO systems both show a lower performance than low-intensity, traditional patterns in terms of resource return, renewability and sustainability. The fraction of renewability in low-intensity systems is between 28% and 63%, while it is between 8% and 26% for high-intensity hybrid and GMO systems. Calculated indicators also show that GMO-based maize production patterns do not guarantee the expected improvement over conventional high-intensity cropping systems or low-intensity systems in terms of performance and sustainability. Strong reliance on nonrenewable resources and technology, as well as role of direct and indirect labor costs are important factors in determining long-term sustainability and environmental stability of maize production systems.     

Fishes, their biology and fisheries management in Lake Peipsi

The management of aquatic weeds in an irrigation scheme is constrained by the agro-economic system in relation to scheme layout, the nature and ecology of the aquatic weeds, agricultural practice, irrigation and drainage requirements, and the available resources for maintenance. The way in which the ecology, engineering and economics of irrigation and drainage channels interact to produce a pattern of management is investigated for the Mwea Irrigation Settlement Scheme, Central Province, Kenya. This is used to develop a simple model which enables the economic implications of varying the aquatic weed management practice to be identified. The model brings the selection of a weed control programme within the principles of engineering economy.     

Environmental factors function as constraints on soil nitrous oxide fluxes in bioenergy feedstock cropping systems

Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is a potent greenhouse gas and major component of the net global warming potential of bioenergy feedstock cropping systems. Numerous environmental factors influence soil N₂O production, making direct correlation difficult to any one factor of N₂O fluxes under field conditions. We instead employed quantile regression to evaluate whether soil temperature, water‐filled pore space (WFPS), and concentrations of soil nitrate () and ammonium () determined upper bounds for soil N₂O flux magnitudes. We collected data over 6 years from a range of bioenergy feedstock cropping systems including no‐till grain crops, perennial warm‐season grasses, hybrid poplar, and polycultures of tallgrass prairie species each with and without nitrogen (N) addition grown at two sites. The upper bounds for soil N₂O fluxes had a significant and positive correlation with all four environmental factors, although relatively large fluxes were still possible at minimal values for nearly all factors. The correlation with was generally weaker, suggesting it is less important than in driving large fluxes. Quantile regression slopes were generally lower for unfertilized perennials than for other systems, but this may have resulted from a perpetual state of nitrogen limitation, which prevented other factors from being clear constraints. This framework suggests efforts to reduce concentrations of in the soil may be effective at reducing high‐intensity periods—”hot moments”—of N₂O production.     

不同大豆连作年限对黑土细菌群落结构的影响

大豆连作导致作物产量下降、病原微生物富集和土壤退化等问题日趋严重。然而,目前关于大豆连作对土壤细菌群落结构组成及多样性分布的影响及发生机制尚不清楚。采用高通量测序技术,对大豆连作(不同年限)和大豆-玉米轮作下的黑土细菌16S rRNA基因进行测序分析。结果表明:轮作5年(CR5)和13年长期连作(CC13)处理显著增加了土壤pH、全氮(TN)、全磷(TP)和速效养分(AN、AP和AK)含量。与短期连作相比,CR5和CC13处理均提高了细菌群落的OTUs数量、PD值、Chao1指数和Shannon指数。聚类分析图谱结果显示细菌群落结构组成受到轮作和连作年限的双重影响,而土壤pH、TN、TP、AN、AP和AK是细菌群落结构发生变化的主要驱动因子(P0.05)。此外,VPA分析发现上述土壤因子中,土壤pH对细菌群落结构变化的贡献度最大。本研究证明大豆长期连作提高了土壤养分含量和细菌群落的丰富度和多样性指数,从分子生物学的角度证实大豆长期连作在一定程度上改善了土壤环境,为大豆连作障碍的研究提供了理论依据。     

鄱阳湖流域长期施肥下双季稻田的土壤基础地力

为探讨鄱阳湖流域不同施肥措施的土壤基础地力变化规律,基于长期施肥定位试验(始于1981年),采集定位30年时的不施肥(CK)、施用氮磷钾肥(NPK)和氮磷钾肥与有机肥配施(NPKM)土壤,于2012—2014年进行连续3年的施肥和不施肥试验,分析水稻产量和土壤基础地力贡献率的差异及关键影响因子.结果表明:不论施肥与否,3年的水稻产量均表现出NPKM处理显著高于NPK和CK处理,尤其是在不施肥条件下,NPKM处理的年产量分别比CK和NPK处理增加37.7%～143.9%和20.8%～66.7%.3年间,CK、NPK和NPKM处理的土壤基础地力贡献率分别为41.8%～53.1%、45.2%～62.6%和59.1%～88.1%,且NPKM处理的土壤基础地力贡献率均显著高于NPK和CK处理.进一步分析发现,土壤有机质和有机碳平衡量与土壤基础地力贡献率呈显著正相关.总之,在鄱阳湖流域的双季稻田,长期有机无机肥配施有利于该地区土壤基础地力的提升,且土壤有机质和有机碳平衡是土壤基础地力变化的关键因子.     

双季稻田冬季种植模式对土壤有机碳和碳库管理指数的影响

为探讨冬季覆盖作物还田对稻田土壤碳库的影响,通过冬季种植油菜、紫云英、黑麦草、马铃薯,并以冬闲为对照进行大田试验,测定了不同冬季作物模式下早稻和晚稻的土壤有机碳、活性有机碳含量,并计算了稳态碳、碳库活度、活度指数、碳库指数和土壤碳库管理指数.结果表明:冬季作物还田增加了土壤有机碳含量,早稻和晚稻后的土壤有机碳含量比对照分别提高了1%～8%和3%～18%;油菜、黑麦草和紫云英还田均促进了土壤活性有机碳含量的增加,早稻后增加16.2%～84.2%,晚稻后增加24.4%～28.1%;冬季作物还田增加了土壤碳库管理指数,增加幅度为1.4%～41.8%.综上所述,冬种作物还田有利于提高土壤的固碳效应,并提升土壤质量,以种植黑麦草、紫云英的综合效果较佳.     

青海高原复种绿肥毛叶苕子对土壤微生物生物量碳、氮的影响

通过在小麦收获后复种绿肥毛叶苕子研究绿肥的培肥效应。在复种绿肥毛叶苕子的情况下,研究后茬作物小麦生育期土壤微生物生物量碳、氮的时空变化。结果表明,小麦生育期0～20 cm土层土壤微生物生物量碳、氮均表现为有毛叶苕子处理高于无毛叶苕子处理,其中施肥70%化肥+毛苕子翻压还田处理的土壤微生物生物量碳、氮最高。小麦苗期土壤微生物生物量碳、氮含量最低,至抽穗期土壤微生物生物量碳、氮含量达到最高,成熟期又有所降低。微生物熵在各时期的变化与微生物生物量碳一致,绿肥处理表现出明显较高的微生物熵。     

Effects of climate change on the delivery of soil‐mediated ecosystem services within the primary sector in temperate ecosystems: a review and New Zealand case study

Future human well‐being under climate change depends on the ongoing delivery of food, fibre and wood from the land‐based primary sector. The ability to deliver these provisioning services depends on soil‐based ecosystem services (e.g. carbon, nutrient and water cycling and storage), yet we lack an in‐depth understanding of the likely response of soil‐based ecosystem services to climate change. We review the current knowledge on this topic for temperate ecosystems, focusing on mechanisms that are likely to underpin differences in climate change responses between four primary sector systems: cropping, intensive grazing, extensive grazing and plantation forestry. We then illustrate how our findings can be applied to assess service delivery under climate change in a specific region, using New Zealand as an example system. Differences in the climate change responses of carbon and nutrient‐related services between systems will largely be driven by whether they are reliant on externally added or internally cycled nutrients, the extent to which plant communities could influence responses, and variation in vulnerability to erosion. The ability of soils to regulate water under climate change will mostly be driven by changes in rainfall, but can be influenced by different primary sector systems' vulnerability to soil water repellency and differences in evapotranspiration rates. These changes in regulating services resulted in different potentials for increased biomass production across systems, with intensively managed systems being the most likely to benefit from climate change. Quantitative prediction of net effects of climate change on soil ecosystem services remains a challenge, in part due to knowledge gaps, but also due to the complex interactions between different aspects of climate change. Despite this challenge, it is critical to gain the information required to make such predictions as robust as possible given the fundamental role of soils in supporting human well‐being.     

内生真菌对花生残茬腐解及土壤酚酸含量的影响

土壤中花生残茬是导致连作障碍的原因之一。为了探讨施加内生真菌Phomopsis liquidambari(B3)对加速花生残茬腐解、改善连作花生土壤环境、缓解花生连作障碍的作用及其可能机理,通过向土壤中添加花生(Archis hypogaea)残体,利用盆栽试验探讨了施加B3对花生残茬腐解率、土壤部分酚酸物质和酶活性的影响。结果表明:与CK相比,在萌发期和苗期,添加B3处理显著加快残茬腐解,提高纤维素木质素降解率,增加土壤中对羟基苯甲酸、香草酸和香豆酸的含量;在花生整个生育期,施加B3显著调节了土壤中漆酶、锰过氧化物酶(Manganese peroxidase,Mn P)、木质素过氧化物酶(Lignin peroxidase,Li P)和多酚氧化酶(Polyphenol oxidase,PPO)活性的动态变化,这种变化有利于花生残茬快速腐解和酚酸类化感物质的及时转化。开花期之后施加B3处理土壤酚酸含量显著降低,花生荚果增产19.9%。实时定量PCR结果表明内生真菌B3在土壤中30 d内可以被检测,并对复杂多样的酚酸类物质具有广谱高效的降解能力。由此说明,施加内生真菌B3可以显著加快连作土壤中花生残茬腐解,进而通过减少土壤酚酸含量来缓解由残茬腐解引起的连作障碍。     

甘肃省中部沿黄灌区轮作和连作马铃薯根际土壤真菌群落的结构性差异评估

甘肃省中部沿黄灌区是西北地区乃至全国重要的加工型马铃薯生产基地,然而因集约化种植带来的连作障碍问题已经严重影响到当地马铃薯种植业的可持续发展。采用大田试验与PCR-DGGE(Polymerase Chain Reaction-Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis)技术相结合的方法,并通过真菌的18S r DNA序列分析,评估轮作(未连作)和连作条件下马铃薯根际土壤真菌群落在组成结构上的差异,以期为甘肃省中部沿黄灌区马铃薯连作的土壤障碍机理研究提供新证据。结果表明,同轮作相比,连作显著降低了马铃薯块茎产量和植株生物量,并且随着连作年限的延长,连作障碍也愈加严重。长期连作(6a)也导致马铃薯根冠比显著增加和植株收获指数的显著下降。在根际土壤真菌的种群数量和多样性上,连作和轮作间无显著差异,但在群落组成结构上差异明显。真菌18S r DNA测序分析进一步表明,马铃薯连作较轮作相比增加了Fusarium sp.和Fusarium solani以及Verticillium dahliae的种群或个体数量,而这些真菌是导致马铃薯土传病害的主要致病菌类型。根际土壤真菌群落组成结构的改变特别是与土传病害有关的致病菌滋生可能是导致当地马铃薯连作障碍的重要原因。