Nitrogen use efficiency by maize as affected by a mucuna short fallow and P application in the coastal savanna of West Africa

Maize is the primary food crop grown by farmers in the coastal savanna region of Togo and Benin on degraded (rhodic ferralsols), low in soil K-supplying capacity, and non-degraded (plinthic acrisols) soils. Agronomic trials were conducted during 1999–2002 in southern Togo on both soil types to investigate the impact of N and P fertilization and the introduction of a mucuna short fallow (MSF) on yield, indigenous N supply of the soil, N recovery fraction and internal efficiency of maize. In all plots, an annual basal dose of 100 kg K ha^–1 was applied to the maize crop. Maize and mucuna crop residues were incorporated into the soil during land preparation. Treatment yields were primarily below 80% of CERES-MAIZE simulated weather-defined maize yield potentials, indicating that nutrients were more limiting than weather conditions. On degraded soil (DS), maize yields increased from 0.4 t ha^–1 to 2.8 t ha^–1 from 1999 to 2001, without N or P application, in the absence of MSF, with annual K application and incorporation of maize crop residues. Application of N and P mineral fertilizer resulted in yield gains of 1–1.5 t ha^–1. With MSF, additional yield gains of between 0.5 and 1.0 t ha^–1 were obtained at low N application rates. N supply of the soil increased from 10 to 42 kg ha^–1 from 1999 to 2001 and to 58 kg N ha^–1 with MSF. Application of P resulted in significant improvements in N recovery fraction, and greatest gains were obtained with MSF and P application. MSF did not significantly affect internal N efficiency, which averaged 45 kg grain (kg N uptake)^–1. On non-degraded soils (NDS) and without N or P application, in the absence of MSF, maize yields were about 3 t ha^–1 from 1999 to 2001, with N supply of the soil ranging from 55 to 110 kg N ha^–1. Application of 40 kg P ha^–1 alone resulted in significant maize yield gains of between 1.0 (1999) and 1.5 (2001) t ha^–1. Inclusion of MSF did not significantly improve maize yields and even reduced N recovery fraction as determined in the third cropping year (2001). Results illustrate the importance of site-specific integrated soil fertility management recommendations for the southern regions of Togo and Benin that consider indigenous soil nutrient-supplying capacity and yield potential. On DS, the main nutrients limiting maize growth were N and probably K. On NDS, nutrients limiting growth were mainly N and P. Even on DS rapid gains in productivity can be obtained, with MSF serving as a means to allow farmers with limited financial means to restore the fertility of such soils. MSF cannot be recommended on relatively fertile NDS.     

海绵钛的生产及应用

介绍了海绵钛的主要特点、用途、质量及生产方法。     

Agroecological analysis and economic benefit of organic resources and fertiliser in till and no-till sorghum production after a 6-year fallow in semi-arid West Africa

A field experiment was conducted in Gampela (Burkina Faso) in 2000 and 2001 to assess the impact of organic and mineral sources of nutrients and combinations thereof in optimising crop production in till and no-till systems and to assess the economic benefit of these options. The study showed that under conditions of rainfall deficiency, the use of a single organic resource at an equivalent dose of 40 kg N ha⁻¹ better secured crop yield than the application of an equivalent amount as urea-N, while a combination of organic resources and fertiliser was better in increasing crop yield than the application of the same N amount in the form of urea. In a year of rainfall deficiency, a mix of organic resources and fertiliser in both till and no-till systems increased crop water use efficiency, with the result that the farmer was able to purchase only half of the normal quantity of N fertiliser to obtain a higher yield that he would have done when all of the N was supplied in the form of urea. Under conditions where soil N is deficient, an economic benefit was achieved when urea was combined with easily decomposable organic material (e.g. sheep dung); mixing the urea at a dose of 40 kg N ha⁻¹ with maize straw was not sufficient in alleviating the negative interaction due to the enhanced N immobilisation. The results demonstrate that the use of N fertiliser alone was risky and that a higher yield, with the accompanying economic benefit, was scarcely achieved under the prevailing rainfall conditions. The application of soil and water conservation measures can contribute greatly to increasing the economic benefit of mineral, organic or combined organic and mineral-derived nutrient application under semi-arid conditions.     

Dynamics in input and output coefficients for land use studies: a case study for nitrogen in crop rotations

Increasingly, model-based approaches play a role in the design and development of new land use systems. Simulation modeling may play a role in the generation of land use systems for land units, and optimization modeling (e.g. linear programming – LP) may be used in the upscaling to farm and region. In the quantification of new land use systems for land units, often equilibrium conditions with respect to soil resources are assumed, following a so-called target-oriented approach. This facilitates ex ante computation of inputs and emissions of nutrients and allows their use in static optimization models based on LP. The condition of equilibrium in soil resources is often not met, nor is it the ultimate aim. Hence, the dynamics in new systems are insufficiently dealt with. This paper presents an approach for the design of land use systems (crop rotations) and their quantification in terms of input and output coefficients, using particular yields and dynamics in soil resources as targets. Interactions between N input and output of succeeding crops are explicitly taken into account. A simple N-balance model is used describing major processes affecting soil N-dynamics. For the Koutiala region in Mali five crop rotations are evaluated that differ in target crop yield, crop choice, crop residue management and external N source. Modeled crop rotations aiming at high yields, in combination with incorporation of crop residues and legumes, result in depletion of soil N stock. Only in crop rotations aiming at high yields and with incorporation of crop residues combined with a supply of large quantities of animal manure, soil N depletion can be prevented. Four approaches are presented of how to use the dynamic input–output coefficients of these systems in land use studies using LP: (i) use of average coefficients, (ii) use of discounted coefficients, (iii) use of pessimistic estimates of coefficients in an optimization of the land use allocation followed by a recalculation of the objective values for the optimized land use with optimistic coefficients, and (iv) a combined use of systems characteristics, i.e. cumulative N-inputs of land use systems over the time horizon and the magnitude of the soil N pool at the end of the time horizon, which can be used as filters for land use systems. Though none of the approaches completely captures the dynamics in input–output coefficients, they enable a well-founded consideration of the consequences of dynamics in, for instance, soil N stocks in static optimization approaches for farm and regional studies.     

提高炼厂气综合利用水平的途径

公司将进行催化裂化装置、气体分馏装置改造。预计改造后的丙烯产量将达到5．0万t／a，丁烯等C4产品大大增加。聚丙烯是公司目前丙烯化工利用的唯一产品，年产量2万t，C4的化工利用尚属空白。因此开辟过剩丙烯利用新途径，带动C4产业发展，形成化工产业链，提高公司炼厂气的综合利用水平，具有重要意义。合成异丙醇或环氧丙烷，就是这样一个突破口。     

Beauty is more than screen deep: Improving the web survey respondent experience through socially-present and aesthetically-pleasing user interfaces

Web surveys are rapidly becoming standard issue in many researchers’ toolkits; however, measurement error has been shown to affect web surveys to a greater extent than paper-and-pencil surveys (Couper, 2000, Manfreda and Vehovar, 2002). Principles of aesthetic design and social presence have been applied to web surveys to reduce the prevalence of such error with promising results, which were further investigated in this research. A sample of 181 first-year psychology undergraduate students participated in this study. Participants were randomly allocated to view one of eight web survey interfaces, which varied by aesthetic quality and social presence. Exploratory structural equation modeling using the partial least squares method revealed that classical aesthetic quality and social presence were both positively related to perceived ease of use of the web survey interface and positive state affect; social presence and perceived ease of use were positively related to trust in the web survey researcher; classical aesthetic quality was negatively related to negative state affect; and, expressive aesthetic quality was negatively related to perceived ease of use and positively related to positive state affect. Interestingly, expressive aesthetic quality was also positively related to negative state affect. These relationships between aesthetic quality and social presence should inform best practice web survey design recommendations, and future empirical work should extend and test the generalizability of these findings.     

水力喷射抽真空装置在尿素生产系统的应用

介绍了采用水力喷射抽真空装置代替原蒸汽喷射装置的改造方案及流程。实际运行情况证明,该装置不仅运行稳定、经济效益显著,而且可以减轻对环境的污染。     

A low-cost real time virtual system for postural stability assessment at home

Background and objective

The degeneration of the balance control system in the elderly and in many pathologies requires measuring the equilibrium conditions very often. In clinical practice, equilibrium control is commonly evaluated by using a force platform (stabilometric platform) in a clinical environment.In this paper, we demonstrate how a simple movement analysis system, based on a 3D video camera and a 3D real time model reconstruction of the human body, can be used to collect information usually recorded by a physical stabilometric platform.

Methods

The algorithm used to reconstruct the human body model as a set of spheres is described and discussed. Moreover, experimental measurements and comparisons with data collected by a physical stabilometric platform are also reported. The measurements were collected on a set of 6 healthy subjects to whom a change in equilibrium condition was stimulated by performing an equilibrium task.

Results

The experimental results showed that more than 95% of data collected by the proposed method were not significantly different from those collected by the classic platform, thus confirming the usefulness of the proposed system.

Conclusions

The proposed virtual balance assessment system can be implemented at low cost (about 500$) and, for this reason, can be considered a home use medical device. On the contrary, astabilometric platform has a cost of about 10,000$ and requires periodical calibration. The proposed system does not require periodical calibration, as is necessary for stabilometric force platforms, and it is easy to use. In future, the proposed system with little integration can be used, besides being an emulator of a stabilometric platform, also to recognize and track, in real time, head, legs, arms and trunk, that is to collect information actually obtained by sophisticated optoelectronic systems.     

Effects of timing of nitrogen and sulphur fertilizers on yield, nitrogen, and sulphur contents of Tef (Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter)

Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of tef, a major staple crop in Ethiopia, is very low, either caused by untimely use of nitrogen (N) fertilizers or lack of other essential nutrients like sulphur (S). The average grain yield of this crop is low, averaging <0.8 Mg ha⁻¹ in farmer’s fields of the semi-arid conditions. Therefore, the present study was conducted to see the effect of the timing of combined N and S fertilization on the yield, yield components, and N and S concentration in the plant parts of the crop. A factorial combination of three rates of N (0, 70, and 105 kg ha⁻¹) with four rates of S (0, 16, 32, and 48 kg ha⁻¹) was applied in randomized complete blocks in three replications. The experiment was carried out in the 2004 and 2005 cropping seasons in the Cambisols of the semi-arid area of Ethiopia. The crop responded significantly (P < 0.05) to both split (one-third at planting and two-thirds at late tillering) and whole (all at planting) N and S applications and years. Combined N and S fertilization increased the dry matter (DM) and grain yields on average by 1.7 and 0.3 Mg ha⁻¹, compared with the control. Similarly, S fertilization increased the NUE of the tef crop by 36%. Nitrogen concentration of shoots was found to significantly increase with S application (P < 0.05), with strong positive interactions both in the split and whole applications. The sulphur increase in grains was significant with N rates for both applications, with significant interaction effects observed for the split application in both cropping seasons. Split application resulted in 0.9 and 0.3 Mg ha⁻¹ significant increase in DM and grain yields, averaged for both years and treatments compared with the whole application. Similar significant increases were observed for panicle yield, NUE, and shoot and grain N and S concentrations. The average N:S ratio in grains was 10.6:1. Significant (P < 0.05) yearly variations were also observed. Dry matter and grain yields of 2005 were higher on average by 2.10 and 0.32 Mg ha⁻¹ than those of the 2004 cropping season. The percentage of N and S concentrations of grains, averaged for both applications, were higher by 13 and 9% in 2004; even though the N and S uptakes of 2005 were higher on average by 5.0 and 0.5 kg ha⁻¹ than those of the 2004 cropping season. This work showed that the yield response and NUE of the tef crop could be improved with split N and S fertilizer applications, with tef-producing farmers benefitting from the application of S-containing N fertilizers to soils deficient in these nutrients.