Influence of added limestone and fertilizers upon the micro-nutrient content of forage tissue and soil

Summary Five rates of limestone and 4 rates of fertilizers were used in a split-plot design to study their effects under field conditions on Mo, Cu, B, Mn, and Zn levels in mixed forage tissue and soil, and on the forage yield. An increase in soil pH resulted in an increase in Mo and Cu content of plant tissue while B, Mn, and Zn decreased. The micro-nutrient content of the tissue increased as the harvesting season progressed. Increasing rates of applied fertilizer did not affect the micro-nutrient content of the forage tissue or soil. Liming to a pH of 5.6 and above reduced the availability of Mn and Zn in the soil. In general, the available B was low at pH values greater than 6.1. Lime did not affect the quantities of Mo and Cu in the soil. Manganese is supplied in large quantities by limestone and is not apt to be deficient in limed soil. However, addition of B and Zn may be required on the high pH soils of Eastern Canada in future. Molybdenum was adequate where the soil was limed to a pH of 6.1 or greater. The dry-matter yield of forage increased significantly with successive increases in lime up to pH 6.6 and with each increment of fertilization. Contribution No.226, Research Branch, Research Station, P.O. Box 1210, Charlottetown, P.E.I. and No.166, Experimental Farm, Nappan, N.S.     

Effects of aluminum,manganese, and lime on toxicity symptoms,nutrient composition,and yield of barley grown on a podzol soil

Summary Aluminum toxicity resulted in abnormal root development with many short thick roots and was found at pH 4.3 with or without added Al. The toxicity of Mn was found with no added Mn, and with 50 and 100 ppm added Mn at pH values ranging from 4.0 to 4.7 and appeared as dark spots on the leaves. At pH values ranging from 5.8 to 6.0, no toxicity symptoms were recorded in the absence of added Mn. Al was more detrimental to seedling development than was Mn.No kernels developed at 25 and 50 ppm added Al at pH4.1. Such toxicity was associated with Al contents of 9.6 to 28.5 g/ml of saturated extract of soil. The highest kernel yields were recorded at pH 5.8 to 6.0 and were associated with 116 to 296 ppm Mn in tissue and of less than 0.1 g/ml of Al in the saturated extract. Increased rates of Mn and Al resulted in increased concentrations of Ca, Mg, and K in the saturated extract of soil. The results indicated that Al toxicity can be eliminated by liming to soil pH values of greater than 5.5; however, Mn toxicity may occur at pH values as high as 5.8 in the presence of large quantities of Mn.Contribution no. 274, Research Branch, Research Station, P. O. Box 1210, Charlottetown, P. E. I.     

The effect of limestone,molybdenum and incubation upon the extractable molybdenum in soils of eastern Canada

Summary An incubation experiment was conducted on 3 soils with 3 levels of lime-stone and 2 levels of Mo in the laboratory. There was no change in the amount of exchangeable Mo in Culloden and O'Leary soils as affected by the various pH levels after different incubation periods. On Acadia soil, the amount of exchangeable Mo increased after 4 weeks; however, the lime levels had no effect. There was an increase in extractable Mo in response to added Mo. Contribution No.206, Research Branch, Canada Department of Agriculture, Box 1210, Charlottetown, P. E. I., Canada.     

Influence of iron and pH on the yield and iron,manganese, zinc,and sulfur concentrations of carrots grown on sphagnum peat soil

Summary In two greenhouse experiments, sphagnum peat, adjusted to various pH levels, was used to study the effect of various levels of Fe on the growth of carrots (Daucus carota L., var. sativa D.C.). The Fe was added to the medium as sequesterine 330 chelate. Maximum carrot root and top tissue yields were obtained at soil pH 6.6 and 7.1. At soil pH 5.2 and 7.8 the yields were in the intermediate range. The yields were low at pH 4.3, 4.5 and 8.1 and at pH 8.4 the carrots did not grow. The chlorotic symptoms on carrot leaves, accom-panied by reduced yields, were associated with 39 to 82 ppm Fe and > 332 ppm Mn in the leaf and were likely due to Mn toxicity. Toxic levels of Mn in tissue were found even at soil pH 8.1 and were associated with reduced carrot yields. The leaf tissue concentrations of Fe and Mn decreased as the pH of soil increased; however, at pH 5.2, 7.8, and 8.1 the tissue Mn concentration increased. The added Fe had no effect on the Fe concentration but decreased the Mn and Zn concentration of leaf tissue and increased carrot root yields. There was a significant interaction between added lime and Fe, whereby the decrease in leaf tissue Mn concentration and increases in root yields with added Fe were much greater at pH 4.5 and 5.2 than at pH values of 6.6 and 7.8. The S concentration in the leaf tissue decreased with added Fe and lime. The leaf tissue Zn concentrations of 184 to 490 ppm and S concentrations of 0.32 to 0.63%, as found here, are considered to be high but not in the toxic range.Contribution No. 321, Research Station, Charlottetown, P.E.I. and No. 1534, Research Station, Kentville, N.S.Contribution No. 321, Research Station, Charlottetown, P.E.I. and No. 1534, Research Station, Kentville, N.S.     

Influence of various organic materials on the recovery of molybdenum and copper added to a sandy clay loam soil

Summary In most cases, the lowest percentage recoveries of added Mo and Cu were obtained after 0 weeks. The highest recoveries of Mo were found after 12 weeks except in the case of peat, where it was after 8 weeks; and of Cu after 4 to 12 weeks of incubation. The exch. Mo content of soil was lower when organic materials and Mo were added than from soil where only Mo was added. However, in the absence of added Mo, the exch. Mo content was higher in soils where O.M. was added. Addition of peat resulted in lowest quantities of exch. Mo. Exch. Cu was higher in the presence of added organic materials, with or without the addition of Cu, when compared with soils without added O.M. The largest quantities of exch. Cu were obtained where F.Y.M. was used as a source of O.M., with or without added Cu. Contribution No.201, Research Branch, Research Station, P.O. Box 1210, Charlottetown, P.E.I., Canada.     

Comparison of frequency distributions of doubled haploid and single seed descent lines in barley

Summary Both doubled haploid (DH) and single seed descent (SSD) methods were used to derive homozygous lines from two crosses of barley. The frequency distributions of grain yield, heading date, and plant height of the DH and SSD lines were compared by the Mann-Whitney U test, Kolmogorov-Smirnov twosample test and Wald-Wolfowitz runs test. It was found that the DH lines distributed in the same manner as the SSD lines with respect to the three characters. The results indicated that although the SSD method had more opportunity for recombination than the DH method, it did not produce a sample of recombinants which differed significantly from the DH sample; thus both methods were equally efficient for use in deriving homozygous lines from F₁ hybrids in a relatively short time.Contribution no. 455 Charlottetown Research Station, Agriculture Canada, P.E.I. (Canada)     

Field calibration of liming responses of four crops using soil pH,Al and Mn

Liming trials were conducted at 28 sites in the western Great Plains of Canada for barley, rape, red clover and alfalfa. Yield increases from liming correlated with soil pH and Al but not with Mn. When all sites were included, yield increases from liming correlated closely (r=0.86 to 0.94) with exchangeable Al, percent Al saturation and 0.02M CaCl₂-Al for barley, rape and red clover, these responses having correlated less well (R=0.56 to 0.72) with soil pH. Alfalfa yield responses gave low correlations with both pH and the Al measurements. When only the sites with soil pH≥5 were used, the yield responses to lime of barley and rape still correlated better with the Al measurements than with pH even though the correlations, in general, were much lower than when all sites were included. For the sites with soil pH>-5, the correlations were highest for yield responses of barley and rape with 0.02M CaCl₂-Al. It is suggested that the use of toxic Al and Mn for routinely diagnosing the limiting factor by soil acidity could improve on the economy of liming. Contribution Number 653.     

Habitat use and home range size of red foxes in Prince Edward Island (Canada) based on snow-tracking and radio-telemetry data

There is a lack of information regarding the ecology and behaviour of red foxes that can be used to elaborate effective management programs for this species on Prince Edward Island (Canada). The main goal of this study was to provide baseline information on habitat selection and home range size of red foxes on Prince Edward Island. Data were collected from snow-tracking and radio-telemetry sessions conducted in two study sites (including one site within Prince Edward Island National Park). Our results indicated that red foxes selected for roads and human-use areas during both the breeding and the kit-rearing seasons in the park. Outside the park, however, the data failed to conclusively show that foxes have a unique preference for human-use habitats or roads. Forests were selected against in both study sites. Although roads are frequently visited by foxes during the kit-rearing season in the park, each individual fox typically stays in this habitat only for short periods of time (< 15 min). This finding suggests that foraging efficiency along the roads is very high possibly reflecting the abundance of anthropogenic food sources. Overall, we present the largest amount of data on habitat selection ever collected for red foxes in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Our results show that food sources in human-use areas and roads are altering the selection and/or use of habitats of red foxes in some areas of Prince Edward Island.     

Reproduction ofChondrus crispus Stackhouse (Rhodophyta,Gigartinales) in sublittoral Prince Edward Island,Canada

The influence of size (as biomass), morphology and depth on reproductive patterns was examined in populations ofChondrus crispus in the sublittoral zone of Prince Edward Island, Canada. Fronds of ≥ 10 mg wet wt were considered, and a minimum biomass could not be related to reproduction. However, as frond biomass increased, the frequency of reproductive structures also increased. Reproductive maturity was related to the number of dichotomies. Fronds with less than two dichotomies were only occasionally reproductive, while those with two or more dichotomies could bear sori. Depth in the Prince Edward Island environment had no apparent influence on reproductive maturity, and there was no apparent relationship between depth and the vertical distribution of cystocarpic or tetrasporic fronds.     

Relationship between cover of Chondrus crispus (Gigartinales,Rhodophyta) and Phymatolithon (Corallinales,Rhodophyta) on friable rock substrata

Field observations in sublittoral Prince Edward Island, Canada, indicated that on a friable sandstone substratum Chondrus crispus was more commonly associated with Phymatolithon sp. than with bare rock. Thus, a substantial proportion of the population of Irish moss along the coast of Prince Edward Island occurs on this encrusting coralline. These observation may be explained on the basis of the relative stability of the substratum in contrast to other studies in which sloughing of epithallial cells by species of both Phymatolithon and Lithothamnium has been reported to limit epiphytism by fleshy macrophytes.Issued as NRCC 31426.     

Reversal of adverse effects of heavy ammonium sulphate application on growth and nutrient status of a kikuyu pasture

Summary Adverse effects resulting from fertilization with high rates of ammonium sulphate were determined on a kikuyu grass (Pennisetum clandestinum) pasture grown on a krasnozem in a sub-tropical environment. Corrective fertilizer practices using lime and phosphorus were evaluated.Ammonium sulphate application (336 kg N/ha/annum for 4 years followed by 672 kg N/ha/annum for 2 years) decreased soil pH from 5.0 to 4.0. Under these conditions, soluble Al in the soil increased, while exchangeable Ca, Mg, and K decreased. Concentrations of Ca, Mo, and P in the kikuyu tops were lowered, while concentrations of Mn were raised. Liming to pH 5.5 promoted growth more at 672 kg N/ha/annum than at 134 kg N/ha/annum, while generally little further yield response occurred as soil pH was raised to about 6.0. Liming increased the concentrations of P, Ca, N, and Mo but decreased Mn in kikuyu tops.Phosphorus application decreased soluble aluminium in the soil in all nitrogen treatments, but only increased kikuyu yield where 672 kg N/ha/annum was applied. It did not alter plant chemical composition, except for an increase in P concentration.Yield increases to liming and P were attributed to the alleviation of Al toxicity in the high N treatments. Lime responses in low N treatments were due to improved N nutrition resulting from mineralization of organic N.Lime application reduced the amount of N fertilizer required for maximum growth of kikuyu from 672 kg N/ha/annum on the unlimed soil to 134 kg N/ha/annum, while maintaining an adequate level of nutrients in the herbage and avoiding the problems of excess soil acidity. re]19760622     

Effects of P,K, and liming on soil pH,Al, Mn,K, and forage barley dry matter yield and quality for a newly-cleared Cryorthod

Forage barley dry matter yield and quality, as well as soil pH, Al, and Mn were monitored in response to P, K, and lime application on a newly cleared Typic Cryorthod (Orthid Podzol). The overall yearly yield level was affected by precipitation. Without liming soil acidification occurred after three years of production. The liming rate of 2.2 Mg.ha⁻¹ was found optimal for maintaining initial pH levels (5.66) and increasing forage barley yields. It was also found optimum for K and P utilization for these first years of production. Soil pH dropped an average of 0.33 units over the three years on unlimed P plots and 0.46 units over 4 years on K plots. Phosphorus and K fertilization increased N utilization and resulted in decreased soil acidification. Phosphorus availability was greater in the first year of cropping than in subsequent years, this was likely due to the effects of higher available moisture, liming release of native P, and effects of initial fertilization. There was a 148% increase in total dry matter yield and an 85% increase in protein yield of forage barley with P application. Liming increased total forage barley yields an average of 69% and total protein yields 48%. Reduced barley yields in unlimed plots were due to low soil pH. After two years of cultivation, unlimed plots contained exchangeable Al and soluble Mn levels reported toxic for other soils. The higher liming rates of 4.4 and 6.6 Mg.ha⁻¹ reduced soluble Mn to near critically low levels. soil Al and Mn were highly correlated to pH. Soil exchangeable Al, Mn, and soluble Mn along with tissue Al were inversely correlated to percentage yield. The average yield respone to three levels of applied K, increased from zero initially to 67% by the fourth year. Total dry-matter production increased 32% and total protein yield increased an average of 32% and total protein yield increased an average of 15% with K fertilization over four years. About 60% of the yield response occurred between the 0 and 22kg K.ha⁻¹ rates. Initial soil exchangeable K levels were not maintained even at the highest 66kg K.ha⁻¹ treatment. Soil exchangeable Al and soluble Mn were elevated with dropping pH. Soil K reserves and resupply of exchangeable K in these soils over the long term will be an important factor in crop production.     

Effect of ATC,N-Serve 24 E and thiourea nitrification inhibitors on yield and N uptake of barley fertilized with fall-applied N1

Solution urea and aqua NH₃ were injected in bands 9 cm deep and spaced 45 cm apart with and without nitrification inhibitors during October in 10 field experiments in north-central Alberta. ATC (4-amino-1,2,4-triazole hydrochloride), N-Serve 24 E (2-chloro-6-trichloromethyl-pyridine) and thiourea were used in two experiments, ATC only in another six experiments, and N-Serve 24 E only in another two experiments. Yield and apparent recovery of applied N in barley grain were determined. In the two experiments where fall treated plots were soil sampled in the following spring, 44% of the fall-applied N was recovered in the soil when inhibitors were not used. But where the inhibitors were added to the fall-applied N as NH₄−N in May was 4% and 31% without and with addition of inhibitors, respectively. Likewise, in experiments where three inhibitors were used, the treatments with inhibitors increased the yield and N recovery in grain by more than 50% compared to fall application without inhibitors. In the other experiments, fall-applied ATC or N-Serve 24 E did not always increase yield or N recovery in grain. Considering all experiments with ATC, the average recovery of applied N in barley grain was 28, 40 and 57% for fall banding, fall banding with ATC and spring application, respectively. In view of this and previous work in north-central Alberta, inhibitors injected in bands in the fall slowed nitrification and improved yield, but nests or large granules of urea were more effective. Scientific paper No 553, Lacomba Research Station, Research Branch, Agriculture Canada.     

Studies on the O-phenanthroline method for determining iron in plant materials

Summary A method of determining Fe from plant materials using O-phenanthroline is described.The absorbance of the Fe(C₁₂H₈N₂) ₃ ⁺⁺ complex from pure iron solutions or from extracts of different plant materials did not vary over a pH range of 2 to 5. Maximum absorbance was obtained after a period of 2 hours of color development and was constant for at least 24 hours. The standard curves prepared by a procedure described elsewhere⁶ were quite similar to the ones obtained by the method described in this paper.A comparison of 3 methods of extracting Fe from the ash indicated that HCl + H₂O₂ gave higher results than either of the other methods. The Fe content obtained by this procedure was very similar to the values obtained by AAS.A high percentage of the Fe added to plant tissues and peats was recovered when extracted by HCl + H₂O₂ and that the reproducibility was good. This is recommended as a simple and satisfactory procedure for accurate determination of Fe.Contribution No. 162. Research Branch, Research Station, P.O. Box 1210, Charlottetown, P.E.I.     

Burrow densities and nest site preferences of petrels (Procellariidae) at the Prince Edwards Islands

Summary The nest-site preferences of six burrowing petrel species, Salvin's prion Pachyptila vittata salvini, blue petrel Halobaena caerulea, great-winged petrel Pterodroma macroptera, Kerguelen petrel Pterodroma brevirostris, soft-plumaged petrel Pterodroma mollis and white-chinned petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis, in the northeastern part of Marion Island (Prince Edward Island group, southern Indian Ocean) were analyzed by step-wise multiple regression. The nest-site characteristics measured were slope angle, soil depth and moisture content, percentage cover by stones or boulders and percentage cover by each of seven major plant species. The major nest-site preferences were: exposed areas with shallow soil (Salvin's prion); steep coastal slopes (blue petrel); sheltered well-drained slopes with deep soil (great-winged petrels); wet areas along drainage lines (Kerguelen petrel); steep slopes (soft-plumaged petrel); and areas with deep soil (white-chinned petrel). Similar species showed no significant avoidance of nest sites where there were burrows of potential competitors but did tend to nest spread out over different habitats. Burrow densities were determined in six habitat and seven vegetation types. Salvin's prion was the most abundant species (81% of burrows, with a maximum density of 279 burrows ha^-1) and used both burrows and natural cavities for nesting. For all species combined, burrow densities at Marion Island were lower than in comparable habitats and vegetation types at neighbouring Prince Edward Island. Depredation by feral house cats Felis catus, absent from Prince Edward Island, is assumed to be largely responsible for this difference.     

Effect of Compost and Manure Soil Amendments on Nematodes and on Yields of Potato and Barley: A 7-Year Study

A 7-year study located in Prince Edward Island, Canada, examined the influence of compost and manure on crop yield and nematode populations. The compost used in this study consisted of cull waste potatoes, sawdust, and beef manure in a 3:3:1 ratio, respectively. No plant-parasitic nematodes were detected in samples collected from windrow compost piles at 5- and 30-cm depths prior to application on field plots. Low population densities of bacterial-feeding nematodes were recovered from compost windrows at the 5-cm depth. Field plots of potato (Solanum tuberosum cv. Kennebec) received compost applied at 16 metric tonnes per hectare, or beef manure applied at 12 metric tonnes per hectare. An adjacent trial with barley (Hordeum vulgare cv. Mic Mac) received only the compost treatment. In both trials the experimental design was a complete randomized block with four replicates. Data averaged over seven growing seasons indicated that population levels of root-lesion nematodes (primarily Pratylenchus penetrans) were higher in root-zone soil in potato plots treated with either compost or manure compared to the untreated control plots. The soil amendments did not affect root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne hapla) population densities in the potato plots, but clover-cyst nematodes (Heterodera trifolii) were more numerous in the root-zone soils of barley treated with compost compared to the untreated plots. Numbers of bacterial-feeding nematodes (primarily Diplogaster lheritieri) were greater in soil in potato plots treated with manure and in soil around barley roots than in untreated plots. Total yields of potato tubers averaged over seven growing seasons increased by 27% in the plots treated with either compost or manure. Grain yields of barley also were increased by 12% when compost was applied. These results indicated that organic amendments increased crop yields, but the impacts on different nematode species varied and usually increased soil population levels.     

Mutant allele frequencies among domestic cats in some eastern areas of Canada: regional homogeneity of factors in Canadian Atlantic Provinces and the French colony of Saint Pierre.

Surveys to determine mutant allele frequencies in domestic cats of the Canadian Atlantic Provinces (Halifax, Nova Scotia; Fredericton, New Brunswick; Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; St. John's Newfoundland) and the French colony of Saint Pierre, Saint Pierre et Miquelon, reveal a general regional homogeneity for most factors. Despite diverse historical patterns of settlement, a strong common component of origin is indicated. This is tentatively identified as late 18th and early 19th century British. One mutant, polydactyly, which is of New England origin appears to have been distributed largely by loyalist refugees from New England at the time of the American Rebellion. No elements of a specific Acadian (French) character have yet been identified. Siamese cats have been "introduced" to the region in recent years and are now so abundant that they will undoubtedly cause a significant change in some mutant allele frequencies over the next few decades. Interregional exchanges of cats no doubt are contributing to homogenizing the populations of the area, but the practice of sterilization of pets offsets this to some degree.     

Studies on fertilization of field-grown irrigated alfalfa

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) yields of 20–25 ton/ha are obtainable in a Mediterranean climate, with 8–9 harvests each year. These high yields demand a large supply of potassium from the soil. Plant uptake of potassium reached 540 kg K ha, the majority being derived from the exchangeable form. A safety level of 2.5% K in the whole plant is needed to prevent yield declines. Fertilization with potassium chloride gave higher yields than with potassium sulfate. Splitting the K application over period of two cuts is recommended for sandy loam soils with a low cation exchange capacity.Contribution from the Agricultura Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, Israel. 1975 Series, No.186-E.     

Relationships of soil chemical properties to composition of five barley cultivars,and relationships between constituents of whole plants and of grain

Summary No differences were found among the five cultivars studied in the relationships between soil chemical properties and crop concentrations or uptake of macro and micro nutrient cations. Soil pH was significantly correlated with both the concentration and yield of most of the cations from grain of all cultivars with no differences between cultivars determined. None of the cultivars showed significant relationships between the concentration of a nutrient element in the whole plant or in the grain and the available nutrient determined from the soil. The degree of association between the concentration of a given cation in the whole plant and in grain was generally small and, in many cases insignificant. Those cations showing strong relationships were Na, Mn, and Zn. These relationships were not found to differ between cultivars.Stepwise regression analysis showed pH to be the dominant factor determining the composition of whole plants and grain. Addition of soil available nutrients to the equation resulted in slight reductions in the sums of squares.Scientific Paper No. 489, Lacombe be Research Station, Research Branch Agriculture Canada.