Review of recent research on navy beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) in the United Kingdom

Navy beans are the raw material for ‘baked beans’. Since the 1960's a number of workers have attempted to introduce the crop to the United Kingdom. The paper reviews the results of research to date. In favoured areas of the United Kingdom yields of 300 g seed/m² may be expected in small-plot trials. The optimum plant spacing is between 20 and 30 plants/m² and dressings of about 150 kg/ha of N fertiliser are required for maximal yield. The nitrogen fertiliser may be dispensed with, at the cost of a small reduction in yield, if the seed is inoculated with an elite strain of Rhizobium phaseoli. In the United Kingdom the potential diseases of the crop include halo-blight (Pseudomonas syringae pV. phaseolicola), bean common mosaic virus, and anthracnose (Colletotrichum lindemuthianum). Genetic sources of resistance have been identified, and they are incorporated in some of the UK-bred material. It seems likely that the varieties with improved adaptation and disease resistance that are now available from the UK work will be useful to farmers in continental Europe. For the UK itself, some improvements in cold-tolerance and yield stability may still be required. The paper concludes with a discussion of the lessons to be learned from the project.     

Spatial and temporal distribution patterns of drifting pupal exuviae of Chironomidae (Diptera) in streams of tropical northern Australia

1. Periodic collecting of floating cast pupal cuticles of chironomids (exuviae) in two tropical northern Australian streams demonstrates (i) spatial heterogeneity in species composition across a wide stream, (ii) temporal heterogeneity in the maximum abundance of each species, and that (iii) species accumulate as a function of sample size and duration of sampling, 2. Spatial heterogeneity is ascribed to variation in larval microhabitat across the wide stream, combined with short exuvial drift duration and restricted upstream mixing. 3. Temporal heterogeneity is ascribed to diel periodicity in adult emergence and, as with spatial heterogeneity, to the short floating life. 4. The consequences of spatial and temporal variation for the sampling of exuvial drift are discussed in relation to the objectives of particular programmes. Thus, if the objective is assessment of chironomid species composition for inventory purposes such as faunistics or conservation, the large sample sizes attained by 24-h sampling are necessary and appropriate. However, for rapid assessment that requires comparable samples at different sites, species numbers may be optimized by temporally and spatially restricted sampling of the maximal emergence period, which in this study is at dusk, or by subsampling from a 24-h sample.     

鼠李糖乳杆菌LV108及其发酵乳免疫调节作用的比较

目的探讨鼠李糖乳杆菌LV108及其发酵乳对免疫抑制小鼠免疫功能的调节作用。方法将BALB/c小鼠随机分为5组,每组10只,即空白组(正常小鼠)、模型组(免疫抑制小鼠)、药物组(免疫抑制小鼠食物中添加左旋咪唑)、LV108菌悬液组(免疫抑制小鼠食物中添加LV108菌悬液)和LV108发酵乳组(免疫抑制小鼠食物中添加LV108发酵乳),除空白组外其余组构建免疫抑制小鼠模型。干预4周后,分别测定各组小鼠体质量和脏器指数,血清中白细胞介素2(IL2)、肿瘤坏死因子α(TNFα)和免疫球蛋白G(IgG)含量,血清溶血素含量、耳肿胀度和肝、脾巨噬细胞吞噬能力。结果相比模型组,LV108菌悬液组和LV108发酵乳组小鼠体质量增长速度、脏器指数、血清IL2与IgG水平、血清溶血值、耳肿胀度和巨噬细胞吞噬能力显著升高(均P<0.05);在脾脏指数、血清IL2与TNFα水平、血清溶血素含量和耳肿胀度免疫指标上,LV108菌悬液组与LV108发酵乳组之间比较差异具有统计学意义(均P<0.05)。结论LV108菌体及发酵乳对免疫抑制小鼠具备较全面的免疫调节作用,均可提高小鼠的自身免疫力;LV108发酵乳对小鼠的免疫调节作用强于LV108菌体。     

中国环境管理分区:方法与方案

我国生态环境可持续性及其影响因素的区域差异显著,各地区环境管理面临的主要挑战和需要优先解决的生态环境问题不同。进行环境管理分区,根据各地区生态环境特征及其影响因素的差异性,制定有针对性的环境管理政策,将有效促进我国区域生态环境的整体优化。采取定性和定量分析相结合的方法进行我国环境管理分区。首先,在我国3大自然区的基础上,根据我国的自然地理格局和已有的相关区划成果,把我国划分为4个环境管理大区,包括:南部季风区、北部季风区、西北干旱区和青藏高寒区。其次,通过建立的包含13个指标的环境管理分区指标体系,采用一维化欧式距离法分析各环境管理大区下相邻省级行政区环境特征的相似性,把环境特征相似性大的相邻地区划分到同一分区,得到以省级行政区为基本单元的我国环境管理分区方案。然后,结合地区间历史渊源和区域未来发展趋势分析,对基于相似性分析的初步分区方案进行调整,把我国划分为8个以省级行政区为基本单元环境管理区。最后,根据相关调整原则和方法,对以省级行政区为基本单元的分区方案的边界线进行调整,得到以地级行政区为基本单元的分区方案,把我国划分为东北地区、华北平原区、华北山地与高原区、东南沿海地区、长江流域中游地区、西南地区、西北干旱区和青藏高寒区8个环境管理区。     

An analysis of the seasonal variation in the dry seed yields of eleven cultivars of Phaseolus vulgaris

Nine determinate and two indeterminate-bush dry seed cultivars of P. vulgaris were grown in trials for four successive years. Mean annual yield of air dry seed (15% moisture content) varied between 222 and 398 g/m². Most of the annual variation in yield was accounted for by differences in the quantity of nitrogen fertiliser applied and in the duration of bright sunshine during August. The annual mean harvest date varied between 20 September and 9 October. There was a significant negative correlation between the mean harvest date and the number of Ontario heat units accumulated between 20 May and 20 July. There were significant interactions between genotype and environment for both yield and harvest date; joint regression analysis of the interactions showed that five of the cultivars, which had previously been identified as cold tolerant in laboratory tests, all showed greater stability of yield and of maturity date than standard navy bean types. Environmental variation in the yield components of the cold tolerant selections tended to be compensatory, while that of the standard navy beans was additive in its effects on yield.     

Genotypic and environmental correlations between leaf growth and bulb size in onions

Populations of onion breeding lines were grown in five field trials over 2 years. Measurements were made of leaf length, number of leaves produced during July and August, date of foliage collapse, plant density and bulb yield. Correlations and partial correlations between these attributes, separated where possible into genetic and environmental components, gave similar results from all trials. The genetic and environmental components of leaf length and earliness of foliage collapse were positively associated with yield. Partial correlations showed that short-leaved plants were lower yielding and later maturing than long-leaved selections, but that the effects were not attributable to correlations with plant density.     

Tropical acid streams – the chironomid (Diptera) response in northern Australia

1. Chironomidae, sampled by interception of drifting cast pupal exuviae, responded to inputs of acid, heavy metal-rich waters in a seasonally flowing tropical stream in northern Australia.
2. Responses included gain of distinctive (indicative) taxa, loss of some species typical of pristine conditions, and increase in species richness.
3. Experimental manipulation (upstream diversion) of a mine adit entry showed that these responses were the result of change in water quality.
4. The higher species richness at low pH, which is contrary to temperate studies, may be explained by the large tropical (Australian and south-east Asian) pool of species tolerant of naturally occurring acidic aquatic habitats.
5. The structure and responses of the exuvial-assessed chironomid community matched long-term larval data.