Effects of land preparation and maize cultivar on efficiency of N-fertilizer applied at different times and by different methods in maize—mungbean association using15N

Summary A field experiment was conducted using¹⁵N-labelled urea on a Reddish Brown Lateritic (Peleustult) soil. Growing two crops on flat land and on soil ridges of 15 cm height produced similar comparative effects from fertilizer on maize. However, fertilizer applied by broadcasting on maize with a 50 cm effective band followed by incorporating was more useful to mungbean than that applied by banding below the cereal seed rows when crops were grown on flat land. The reverse was observed when crops were grown on ridges. It was deduced that the maize cultivar was not likely to affect comparative efficiencies of fertilizer. For fertilizer application at sowing, broadcasting in 50 cm maize effective band followed by incorporating was slightly superior to banding below maize seed rows. Side-dressing of fertilizer to maize at 4 weeks after sowing was superior to application at sowing. Evenly-split application, at sowing and at 4 weeks after sowing, was either only slightly superior or comparable to non-split application by banding below maize seed rows at sowing, depending on placement method of the first application. Soil moisture status as a possible factor rendering discrepancy in the comparative efficiencies obtained by different authors is discussed.     

Relations between the potash requirements of crops and meteorological conditions

Summary Significant correlations have been found between the response of potatoes, spring wheat, and to some extent canary grass to applications of potash and the number of rainless days during the growing period.The influence of applications of potash on the tuber yield of potatoes was higher, on the depression of the under-water-weight of the tubers was less, and on the K₂O content of the tubers was lower, in dry years thereby indicating a decreased availability of soil potash in these years.The positive effect of applications of potash on the grain yield of wheat was highest in dry years. Ample applications of potash were found to depress yields in wet years which is also an indication of higher availability of potash in wet years.In the case of canary grass greater increases in the K₂O content of the straw after applications of potash were found in wet years.No significant correlations were found in the case of bean crops.The influence of weather conditions on the response to potash is probably greatest during emergence and the early phases of growth. In later periods the influence is slight.     

Manganese-phosphate reactions in aqueous systems and the effects of applications of monocalcium phosphate,on the availability of manganese to oats in an alkaline fen soil

Summary Electrometric titrations and chemical analyses of aqueous systems containing manganese sulphate and phosphoric acid showed that the compositions of manganese phosphates formed at various pH values depended on initial manganese concentrations and Mn : P molar ratios. The results show how phosphate benefits crops on soils containing toxic levesl of manganese.A pot experiment measured the effects of monocalcium phosphate, in the presence or absence of extra manganese, on the availability to oats of manganese in an alkaline manganese-deficient soil. On such a soil, phosphate equivalent to 750 or 1500 pounds of superphosphate per acre is unlikely to enhance manganese availability; such dressings may lessen grain yields considerably.Neutral and alkaline manganese-deficient fen soils were incubated with monocalcium-phosphate with and without added manganese salts. The phosphate dressings had only small effects on soil pH and on exchangeable and readily reducible manganese.     

Quantitative relationships for the dependence of growth rate of arable crops on their nitrogen content,dry weight and aerial environment

Summary Quantitative relationships for growth rate and its dependence on plant nitrogen concentration are developed from the results of experiments on potatoes, cereals and vegetables. The relationships appear to be of general applicability and most coefficients in them are similar for widely different crops.It is argued that during the main growing period (May–August inclusive) in Western Europe growth of crop dry matter may be limited by self regulatory mechanisms within the plant and is little affected by variations in the aerial environment when there is ample water and nutrients. Under these conditions both growth rate and the critical % N in the dry matter (the minimum % N at which growth rate is maximum) are simple functions of plant dry weight.It is deduced that when account is taken of the effect of plant weight on % N in the dry matter, growth rate is, as a close approximation, linearly related to % N until this reaches the critical value and constant at higher values.A computer simulation model based on these relationships enabled estimates to be made of the influence of measured plant-N concentrations on the increase, throughout the season, in the dry weight of potatoes and cereals grown with different levels of N fertilizer. There was good agreement between the estimates made in this way and the results of numerous field experiments.     

The Influence of the Application of Mineral Fertilizers with the Biopreparation Supresivit ( Trichoderma Harzianum ) on the Health and the Yield of Different Crops

The biopreparation Supresivit based on spores from the fungus Trichoderma harzianum was applied as a dressing mixed with mineral fertilizers: NPK, LAV (ammonium nitrate with limestone) and DASA (ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulphate). Our experimental plots with spring barley, winter wheat, winter oil rape, maize and potatoes were fertilized with the mixtures of the biopreparation (1 g, 0.5 g and 0.1 g per 1 kg of fertilizer). There were two check variants, the first variant without any fertilization and without biopreparation, the second with fertilizer and without biopreparation. We observed the infestation of plants with pathogenic fungi and yield parameters. In our experiments it was indicated that Trichoderma harzianum suppresses pathogenic fungi at the concentration 0,5 g of Supresivit per 1 kg of the fertilizer and higher ones. The plants from treated plots had lower infestation - decreasing about 5-15% superficial infestation: tan spot of barley - yellow leaf spot on cereals and leaf blotch of barley, winter wheat - leaf spot of wheat, tan spot of wheat, take-all etc., winter oil-seed rape - black leg and collar rot, potatoes - blight fungus etc. Simultaneously the effect on higher yields was observed.     

Comparative Mycotoxin Profiles of Gibberella zeae Populations from Barley, Wheat, Potatoes, and Sugar Beets

Gibberella zeae is one of the most devastating pathogens of barley and wheat in the United States. The fungus also infects noncereal crops, such as potatoes and sugar beets, and the genetic relationships among barley, wheat, potato, and sugar beet isolates indicate high levels of similarity. However, little is known about the toxigenic potential of G. zeae isolates from potatoes and sugar beets. A total of 336 isolates of G. zeae from barley, wheat, potatoes, and sugar beets were collected and analyzed by TRI (trichothecene biosynthesis gene)-based PCR assays. To verify the TRI-based PCR detection of genetic markers by chemical analysis, 45 representative isolates were grown in rice cultures for 28 days and 15 trichothecenes and 2 zearalenone (ZEA) analogs were quantified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. TRI-based PCR assays revealed that all isolates had the deoxynivalenol (DON) marker. The frequencies of isolates with the 15-acetyl-deoxynivalenol (15-ADON) marker were higher than those of isolates with the 3-acetyl-deoxynivalenol (3-ADON) marker among isolates from all four crops. Fusarium head blight (FHB)-resistant wheat cultivars had little or no influence on the diversity of isolates associated with the 3-ADON and 15-ADON markers. However, the frequency of isolates with the 3-ADON marker among isolates from the Langdon, ND, sampling site was higher than those among isolates from the Carrington and Minot, ND, sites. In chemical analyses, DON, 3-ADON, 15-ADON, b-ZEA, and ZEA were detected. All isolates produced DON (1 to 782 μg/g) and ZEA (1 to 623 μg/g). These findings may be useful for monitoring mycotoxin contamination and for formulating FHB management strategies for these crops.     

The nitrogen fertilization of spring barley

Summary From 1971 to 1979 field trials with increasing rates of fertilizer nitrogen on spring barley with sugar beet as the preceding crop were conducted on a farm on sandy loam in the south western part of The Netherlands. Prior to sowing and fertilizing soil samples were taken and analysed for mineral nitrogen (N_min). The average yield increase through application of fertilizer nitrogen was only 750 kg of grain per ha per year, the maximum yield being about 5 tonnes per ha. In the case of a fixed rate of fertilizer nitrogen per annum it can be derived from the response curves that 60 kg of N would have given the smallest average yield deficit (170 kg grain per ha) in comparison with maximum yields. With an N-advisory system based on soil analysis the average yield deficit would be at a minimum (163 kg of grain per ha) with a value for mineral soil nitrogen+fertilizer nitrogen totalling 120 kg N per ha.No relationship was found between optimum rate of fertilizer nitrogen and the amount of mineral soil nitrogen at the end of the winter. This was ascribed to the relatively small variation in mineral soil nitrogen and the weak response of the crop to fertilizer nitrogen.Promising results from nitrogen fertilizing systems based on soil analysis can be expected from more responsive crops like winter wheat, sugar beets and potatoes.With the average yield deficit compared with maximum yield as a characteristic, the usefulness of any N-advisory system can be compared, taking a fixed rate of nitrogen system as a standard.Seconded by the Agricultural Bureau of the Netherlands Fertilizer Industry (LBNM).     

Integrated response of intercropped maize and potatoes to heterogeneous nutrients and crop neighbours

Background and Aims

In communities, plants often simultaneously interact with intra- and inter-specific neighbours and heterogeneous nutrients. How plants respond under these conditions and then affect the structure and function of communities remain important questions.

Methods

Maize (Zea mays L.) was intercropped with potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.). In the field experiment, we applied fertilizer both homogeneously and heterogeneously under monocropping and intercropping conditions. The heterogeneous nutrient treatment in intercropping was designed with different fertilizer placements, at intraspecific and interspecific rows, respectively. In the pot experiment, crops were grown under both homogeneous and heterogeneous nitrogen conditions with single plant, intraspecific and interspecific competition. Shoot and root biomass and yield were measured to analyse crop performance.

Results

In the field experiment, the heterogeneous nitrogen, compared with the homogenous one, enhanced the performance of the intercropped crop. Importantly, this effect of heterogeneous nitrogen was greater when fertilizer was applied at interspecific rows, rather than at intraspecific rows. Moreover, in pot experiments, the root foraging precision of the two crops was increased by interspecific neighbours, but only that of potatoes was increased by intraspecific neighbours.

Conclusions

The integrated responses of plants to heterogeneous neighbours and nutrients depend on the position of nutrient-rich patches, which deepen our understanding of the function of plant diversity, and show that fertilizer placement within multi-cropping systems merits more attention. Moreover, the enhanced utilization of heterogeneous nitrogen could drive overyielding in multi-cropping systems.     

Effect of cropping systems on cereal stemborers in the cool‐wet and semi‐arid ecozones of the Amhara region of Ethiopia

1 Field experiments were conducted on maize and sorghum at three locations in the Amhara state of Ethiopia to determine the effects of mixed cropping on stemborer infestation, borer natural enemies and grain yields. In the cool‐wet ecozone of western Amhara, sole maize was compared with maize intercropped with faba bean, mustard, potatoes and cowpea. In the semi‐arid ecozone of eastern Amhara, the trial was conducted on both maize and sorghum with the companion crops haricot bean, sesame, cowpea and sweet potatoes. 2 The results showed that the predominant borer species in western and eastern Amhara were, respectively, Busseola fusca and Chilo partellus. In Addis Zemen, western Amhara, maize intercropped with mustard and potatoes had significantly lower pest numbers and percent tunnelling than other intercrops and the maize monocrop during the vegetative stage. In eastern Amhara, the cropping system did not significantly affect pest densities but damage to stem, ear or heads tended to be greatest when cereals were intercropped with sweet potatoes. 3 Parasitism of C. partellus by the braconid Cotesia flavipes was greater on maize than sorghum, and on maize it was greater with sweet potatoes than in other intercrops or sole maize. Cocoon mass number per plant did not vary significantly between treatments. 4 There were significant differences between treatments in yields of both sorghum and maize (per plant and per unit area) with the lowest yields observed when they were intercropped with a tuber crop. 5 The results suggest that simultaneous planting of the crop species selected has little advantage over monocropped maize.     

磷肥施用方式及类型对冬小麦产量和磷素吸收的影响

采用田间微区试验研究不同磷肥施用方式和种类对冬小麦生长和当季磷素吸收的影响.磷肥种类为磷酸二氢钙(MCP)和磷酸氢二铵(DAP),施用方式包括表面撒施,种子正下方5 cm条施,种子下方5 cm、偏3 cm条施,种子下方5 cm、偏10 cm条施,种子正下方20%土体混施5种.结果表明: 种子正下方5 cm条施对小麦的增产效果最高,其中磷酸二氢钙的产量达到7.63 t·hm^-2,磷酸氢二铵的产量达到7.99 t·hm^-2,分别较农民习惯撒施方式增产10.3%和10.7%.在5种施磷方式中,偏10 cm条施的小麦产量最低(6.60～6.77 t·hm^-2).种子正下方5 cm条施和20%土体混施处理的小麦总吸磷量均处于较高水平(34.4～35.6 kg·hm^-2),偏10 cm条施在小麦各生长阶段的吸磷量均显著低于其他施磷方式,但磷酸氢二铵偏10 cm条施的小麦总吸磷量较磷酸二氢钙高11.9%.表明将磷肥近距离集中施用于种子附近为该地区较为合理的施磷方式,在偏远距离条施下磷酸氢二铵对小麦的磷素吸收利用效果优于磷酸二氢钙.     

The role of biotechnology for agricultural sustainability in Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa could have a shortfall of nearly 90Mt of cereals by the year 2025 if current agricultural practices are maintained. Biotechnology is one of the ways to improve agricultural production. Insect-resistant varieties of maize and cotton suitable for the subcontinent have been identified as already having a significant impact. Virus-resistant crops are under development. These include maize resistant to the African endemic maize streak virus and cassava resistant to African cassava mosaic virus. Parasitic weeds such as Striga attack the roots of crops such as maize, millet, sorghum and upland rice. Field trials in Kenya using a variety of maize resistant to a herbicide have proven very successful. Drought-tolerant crops are also under development as are improved varieties of local African crops such as bananas, cassava, sorghum and sweet potatoes.     

Biogas plant slurry as an alternative to chemical fertilizers

The effectiveness of biogas plant slurry in combination with chemical fertilizers was studied for the production of various crops. Replacement of nitrogenous fertilizer with slurry decreased the yields of major crops, i.e. wheat, bajra, jawar and mustard. Application of slurry to replace half the nitrogenous fertilizer gave better yields in vegetable crops while replacement of the total nitrogenous fertilizer gave better yields in fodder crops.     

Nodulation and growth ofLeucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit as affected by inoculation and N fertilizer

Leonard jar, pot and field experiments examined the effects of inoculation and the influence of nitrogen fertilizer on nodulation, nitrogen fixation and growth ofLeucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit at IITA, Ibadan, Nigeria. Leucaena responded to both inoculation and/or nitrogen application. Shoot growth and total N and P of inoculated plants were comparable to those of the highest N treatment, and the values were about 55% greater than those of uninoculated ones. Field data indicated that toal N yields of inoculated leucaena were increased by 50% with 40 or 80 kg ha^–1 of N fertilizer. However, N fertilizer depressed N fixation by 56% as was expected from nodule mass data. N-fixation was delayed for about 8 weeks in the plots without N. Application of small amounts of N starter (20 ppm) proved to be beneficial to satisfy the plant need during the early stage of leucaena growth. The rhizobial strains IRc 1045 and IRc 1050 were effective, competitive and survived well in the field one year after their establishment.     

Control of potato cyst-nematode, Heterodera rostochiensis, in sandy, peaty and silt loam soils by dazomet and Telone applied in different ways

Dazomet applied in the ridges in autumn or in spring, before potatoes were planted in them, controlled potato cyst-nematode (Heterodera rostochiensis), British pathotype A, better in sandy loam and peaty loam than Telone (1,3-dichloropropene mixture). In sandy loam dazomet controlled potato cyst-nematode as well when applied in spring as when applied in autumn and as well when the soil was ridged after treatment as when it was not. Telone was as effective when applied to ridges in autumn as when applied to ridges in spring. In peaty loam potato cyst-nematodes were least abundant after a crop of Maris Piper potatoes. The yields of King Edward potatoes were greatly increased and nematode multiplication was greatly reduced by dazomet incorporated in the ridges in autumn. Two equal doses of dazomet, one incorporated in the topsoil before, the other after ploughing, controlled potato cyst-nematode as well and increased the yield of King Edward potatoes more than an equivalent amount of dazomet applied after ploughing. Dazomet applied to silt loam soil in two dressings, one before, the other after, ploughing, controlled potato cyst-nematode better than an equal amount applied as a single dressing after ploughing. The nematode was controlled best by two large dressings of dazomet or by a combined treatment of dazomet and Telone.     

Heavy-metal uptake by crops from polluted river sediments covered by non-polluted topsoil

Crop uptake of heavy metals from polluted river clay soils is shown to be reduced by covering the polluted soil with a layer of unpolluted clay soil. Plant experiments have been performed to determine the thickness of such a layer required either to comply with permissible levels for metal concentrations in foods and feeds, or to exclude any effect on plant metal levels. The experiments included cover layers up to 0.7 m and 1.6 m, respectively. Crops grown included cereals, potatoes, sugar beet, maize and various vegetables. Protection of all food crops tested against exceeding permissible levels for cadmium requires a clean topsoil of over 1.6 m; for individual crops ranging from zero (no cover layer required) for red cabbage, leek, onion, potato) to 1.2 m–1.6 m for celery tuber and leaf. Results for feed crops were variable: required topsoil depths for maize range from 0.25–1.2 m, and for wheat straw from 0.55 to 1.6 m. No-effect depths calculated for Cd, Cu and Zn demonstrate that inmany experiments the effect of the polluted soil may be observed at all topsoil depths tested. Heavy-metal concentrations in the soil profile, measured after completion of the experiments, showed no significant migration of metals from the polluted soil into the cover soil.     

THE CONTROL OF WIREWORM BY GAMMA BENZENE HEXACHLORIDE: THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SEED DRESSING FOR CEREALS

Gamma benzene hexachloride has been used successfully as a seed dressing in field trials for wireworm control. For application to cereals at 2 oz./bushel, the optimum concentration of γ-isomer was 20–30 % in a dressing which advantageously included an organomercurial seed disinfectant.
Risks to germination and plant growth were thoroughly explored in the field. The 20 and 30 % dressings were safe; over-strength dressings containing 50 or 70 %γ-B.H.C. did not reduce grain yields significantly.
Seed dressed with 20 or 30 %γ-B.H.C. germinated normally after storage for 12 months. When seed was dressed at 4 oz./bushel with 35 %γ-B.H.C. and 1 % mercury as organomercurial, germination was delayed but total emergence was not affected.     

Development of biofilters to treat the pesticides wastes from spraying applications

Several studies carried out in Europe showed the importance of direct losses to the contamination of surface water by pesticides. These pesticides losses can occur at the farm site when the sprayer equipment is filled with the pesticide formulation (spills, overflowing, leaking) and during the clean-up (rinsing) of the sprayer after the treatment. In Belgium studies are carried out on biofilters to treat in an efficient way effluents containing pesticides. The biofilter substrate is elaborated from a homogenised mixture of local soil, chopped straw and peat or composted material, able to absorb or degrade the active substances. Biofilters consist in systems of 2 or 3 units depending on the spray equipment of the farmer and on the configuration of the farmyard. Each unit is made from a 1 m3 plastic container and the different units are stacked in a vertical pile and connected between them using plastic valves and pipes. Eight pilot systems were installed in March 2002 in seven farms and in one agricultural school, all selected in the loamy region of Belgium specialised in arable crops such as cereals, sugar beets and vegetables. The efficacy (yield) of the systems was determined by measuring the balance of the inputs and outputs of the pesticides. Results were expressed in percent of pesticide retained on the biofilters. The results obtained after two years with 5 tracer pesticides (atrazine, carbofuran, diuron, lenacil and simazine) brought on the biofilter installations are very satisfactory since the percentage of retention is generally higher than 95% of the amount applied. In the beginning of 2004, ten new pilot biofilters were installed in several farms or agricultural technical centres (producing cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, vegetables, fruits or ornamental plants), and in a municipal maintenance service. Some biofilters were installed in duplicate in order to compare the efficacy of different substrates. The efficacy of the biofilters was studied for the 5 classical tracer pesticides but also for other chemical classes of herbicides (sulfonylurea, aryloxyalcanoic acids, chloroacetanilides), insecticides (pyrethroids, carbamates) and fungicides (dicarboximides, phenylamides, triazoles and strobilurines). To monitor these pesticides in elutes and substrates, two analytical methods were developed, optimised and validated : the first one by Gas Chromatography with Mass Spectrometry Detection (GC-MS), and the second one by High Performance Liquid Chromatography with UV Diode Array Detection (HPLC-DAD). The micro-organisms activity in the substrate was also measured in some situations.     

Effects of Plant Nutrition on Susceptibility of Potato Leaves to Phytophthora infestans

A complete NPK fertilizer applied at planting, but not at later times, influenced the resistance of potato leaves to infection by Phytophthora infestans and the subsequent growth of lesions. Lesion size (7 days after inoculation) and lesion growth rate (between 7 and 9 days after inoculation) increased linearly with increasing fertilizer rates. Increasing rates of phosphate or potash, applied separately, did not significantly affect the development of blight lesions but a linear increase in lesion size was associated with increasing application rates of nitrogen.     

Investigation of the Effects of Phosphate Fertilizer Application on the Heavy Metal Content in Agricultural Soils with Different Cultivation Patterns

The use of phosphate fertilizers is essential in agriculture, because they supply farmland with nutrients for growing plants. However, heavy metals might be included as impurities in natural materials and minerals, so heavy metals can also be present in phosphate fertilizers or other chemical fertilizers. The aim of this work was to assess the heavy metal content and contamination status of agricultural soils in the Hamadan province of Iran used for the cultivation of different crops, including cucumber, potatoes, and sugar beet. Surface soil samples were collected and analyzed to determine the total concentration of specific elements (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn), before the pollution index was calculated for each element. Soils used for the cultivation of the three types of crop were not contaminated with As, Cr, Cu, Pb, or Zn. However, the pollution indices for Cd were 1.1, 4.4, and 3.8 in cucumber, potato, and sugar beet fields, respectively, which indicated moderate, high, and high levels of contamination, respectively. Soils from potato and sugar beet fields were heavily contaminated with Cd, which may have resulted from long-term overuse of phosphate fertilizers.     

Effects of increasing weed-beet density on sugar-beet yield and quality

Weed beets are an increasing problem in many sugar-beet crops in many countries. At present about one sugar-beet field in four in England is infested with weed-beet seed. Control in other crops can be achieved using selective herbicides but in sugar beet the weed beets, many of which are of annual habit, are not easily controlled and often compete with the crop. Experiments were done to quantify the yield loss caused by weed beet in sugar-beet crops. Transects were laid out across three fields in 1985 and 1986 and plots located thereon to include the range of weed-beet densities found in the field. Weed beet did not affect the concentration of sugar (sucrose), potassium, sodium, α amino nitrogen or invert sugar in the crop beets. Root and sugar yields were progressively reduced by increasing densities of weed beet. A rectangular hyperbola described the data slightly better than an asymptotic model. There was no indication of a threshold density of weed beet below which there was no yield loss, which averaged 11.7% for each weed beet plant/m². This corresponds to an average 0.6% sugar yield loss for each 1% of bolted weed beet in the root crop up to 100%, which is similar to the reported losses resulting from bolters in the root crop.