From a critical zone perspective, the present paper aims to present the magnitude of groundwater recharge under different agricultural land-use types, reveal the process of water and solute transport in thick vadose z...From a critical zone perspective, the present paper aims to present the magnitude of groundwater recharge under different agricultural land-use types, reveal the process of water and solute transport in thick vadose zone, evaluate the "time lag" effect of recharge, and underscore the role of thickening vadose zone in recharge. The results indicated that different agricultural land-use types need to be further considered in recharge rate estimate. Under the typical irrigation condition in the piedmont plain, the recharge rate under flood irrigated winter wheat and summer maize(W/M_F), maize(M), non-cultivation(NC), native vegetation(NV), vegetables(V), and orchards(O) is 206.4, 149.7, 194.1, 46.4, 320.0, and 48.6 mm/yr, respectively. In the central plain, the value under W/M_F, M, NC, V, and cotton(C) is 92.8, 50.8, 85.0, 255.5, and 26.5 mm/yr, respectively. Soil water residence time(several years) and groundwater level response time(several months) should be distinguished to further understand the processes of groundwater recharge, because the soil water displacement velocities range from 0.2 to 2.2 m/yr while the rate of wetting front propagation is approximately 47 m/yr in the piedmont plain. The thickening vadose zone would prolong residence time of soil water and contaminant, which could postpone the time of or alleviate groundwater pollution, but have no significant influence on the magnitude of recharge in a long time scale. Recharge coefficient based on shorter time span(e.g. 2 or 3 years) should be used with caution as a parameter for groundwater resources evaluation, because it varies with total water input and target soil depth. Uncertainties in evapotranspiration and other water balance components should be evaluated in recharge estimation and the impact of land-use types on recharge should be emphasized. The critical zone science would greatly improve the understanding of groundwater recharge processes. The results of the present study will be helpful in sustainable groundwater resources management.展开更多
The European Union （EU） Wild Birds Directive recognises that the most serious threats to wild birds＇ conservation in Europe are habitat loss and degradation, and hence, habitats of threatened and migratory species ...The European Union （EU） Wild Birds Directive recognises that the most serious threats to wild birds＇ conservation in Europe are habitat loss and degradation, and hence, habitats of threatened and migratory species must be protected with the establishment of the network of the special protection areas （SPAs） for migratory and endangered bird species in the EU member states. The major European population of the lesser kestrel Falco naumanni, a migratory falcon listed in Annex I of the Birds Directive, occurs in low-input farming systems in the Mediterranean basin, including Greece. The aim of this study was to identify foraging habitats of lesser kestrels and relate them to the delimited SPAs in the agro-ecosystems of Greece, where the stronghold of the species population for Greece occurs. Foraging habitat preferences were assessed using Poisson regression models （PRMs）. SPAs were examined on whether they can effectively protect foraging habitats for breeding lesser kestrels in the study area. Foraging lesser kestrel abundance was positively associated with grasslands and non-irrigated land （dry cereals）, and negatively associated with irrigated land （wet cotton）, scrubland and woodland. Electricity facilities were used as foraging perches by lesser kestrels. The current SPAs cover a small percentage of the species＇ foraging sites and cannot be considered coherent enough to support and protect the foraging habitats of lesser kestrels and other priority species in the agro-ecosystems of the study area. Proposals for effective conservation of low-input farming systems, supporting priority species, are also presented.展开更多
A research project on interaction between agroecosystems and global change has been accepted as a Category Ⅰ contribution to IGBP-GCTE (International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme-Global Change & Terrestrial Ecos...A research project on interaction between agroecosystems and global change has been accepted as a Category Ⅰ contribution to IGBP-GCTE (International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme-Global Change & Terrestrial Ecosystems) Core Research, the highest-level support GCTE has offered to an individual research project so far. This was confirmed by Prof. Noble, GCTE Chairman, in a letter to Prof. Peng Shaolin, Principal Investigator of展开更多
Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS) is an incentive-based program established in Canada to pay farmers for their voluntary delivery of ecosystem services (ES). All seven ALUS programs across the country were examined...Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS) is an incentive-based program established in Canada to pay farmers for their voluntary delivery of ecosystem services (ES). All seven ALUS programs across the country were examined using a standardized case-study approach based on site visits, reading internal documents, attending program meetings, and engaging in semi-structured interviews with program administrators, participating farmers, and advisory board members. Direct content analysis was used to highlight recurrent themes and emerging lessons in relation to the salient particulars of program physical location, administration framework, delivery of ES, and development and receipt by communities. Our three major findings are: 1) Overall, ALUS has been judged by participants to be a very successful program, whose strength is that it is completely voluntary, non-permanent, and readily adaptable to each location’s environmental conditions, economic funding base, and cultural milieu. 2) One serious shortcoming of all ALUS programs is a general lack of quantifiable data on their ability to increase ES. Instead, environmental benefits are either assumed or based on the idea that the areal extent of enrolled land is the sole measure of its environmental worth. 3) It may be that the social impact of ALUS is its greatest success. In this regard, for farmers, it is the process of engaging in land-use decision making and the recognition of their role as environmental stewards that is a bigger motivation for participating in an ALUS program than the modest financial incentives which they receive.展开更多
[Objective] To analyze the efficiency of Hunan agro-ecosystem in 1980- 2010. [Method] This paper adopts the emergy methods to evaluate the emergy input and output. [Result] The growth of total emergy input was mainly ...[Objective] To analyze the efficiency of Hunan agro-ecosystem in 1980- 2010. [Method] This paper adopts the emergy methods to evaluate the emergy input and output. [Result] The growth of total emergy input was mainly caused by the auxiliary factors in this phase. The proportion of the nonrenewable purchased emergy input to the total auxiliary emergy input increased from 21.80% in 1980 to 33.04% in 2010. In 1980-2010 the total emergy output of the system increased by 2.43 times, the proportions of the stock farming emergy output and fishery emergy output to the total emergy output increased sharply, while those of the planting emergy output and forestry emergy output showed a considerable decline. [Conclusion] The emergy yield ratio of this system was improved but its sustainability was worrying.展开更多
To accurately evaluate the carbon sequestration potential and better elucidate the relationship between the carbon cycle and regional climate change, using eddy covariance system, we conducted a long-term measurement ...To accurately evaluate the carbon sequestration potential and better elucidate the relationship between the carbon cycle and regional climate change, using eddy covariance system, we conducted a long-term measurement of CO 2 fluxes in the rain-fed winter wheat field of the Chinese Loess Plateau. The results showed that the annual net ecosystem CO 2 exchange （NEE） was （-71.6±5.7） and （-65.3±5.3） g C m-2 y-1 for 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 crop years, respectively, suggesting that the agro-ecosystem was a carbon sink （117.4-126.2 g C m-2 yr-1）. However, after considering the harvested grain, the agro- ecosystem turned into a moderate carbon source. The variations in NEE and ecosystem respiration （R eco ） were sensitive to changes in soil water content （SWC）. When SWC ranged form 0.15 to 0.21 m3 m-3, we found a highly significant relationship between NEE and photosynthetically active radiation （PAR）, and a highly significant relationship between R eco and soil temperature （T s ）. However, the highly significant relationships were not observed when SWC was outside the range of 0.15-0.21 m3 m-3. Further, in spring, the R eco instantly responded to a rapid increase in SWC after effective rainfall events, which could induce 2 to 4-fold increase in daily R eco , whereas the R eco was also inhibited by heavy summer rainfall when soils were saturated. Accumulated R eco in summer fallow period decreased carbon fixed in growing season by 16- 25%, indicating that the period imposed negative impacts on annual carbon sequestration.展开更多
Nitrification and denitrification are two key links of nitrogen flow cycle in soil.N2O and N2,generated from biochemical process of nitrogen,can cause not only the nitrogen losses and reduction of nitrogen use efficie...Nitrification and denitrification are two key links of nitrogen flow cycle in soil.N2O and N2,generated from biochemical process of nitrogen,can cause not only the nitrogen losses and reduction of nitrogen use efficiency,but also the boosted concentration of greenhouse gases,severely endangering the environment.Accordingly,nitrification-denitrification has been more and more concerned from whether an agricultural view,or an environmental one.Referring to the related literatures published at home and abroad in recent years,we overviewed the denitrification-caused N loss and N2O emission in various agro-ecosystems,and based on which we put forward countermeasures to reduce the denitrification-caused N loss and N2O emission and its research prospects in the future.展开更多
Research on carbon cycling has attracted attention from both scientists and policy-makers. Based on material flow analysis, this study systematically budgets the carbon inputs, outputs and balance from 1980 to 2013 fo...Research on carbon cycling has attracted attention from both scientists and policy-makers. Based on material flow analysis, this study systematically budgets the carbon inputs, outputs and balance from 1980 to 2013 for China＇s agro-ecosystem and its sub-systems, including agricultural land use, livestock breeding and rural life. The results show that from 1980 to 2013, both the carbon input and output were growing gradually, with the carbon input doubling from 1.6 Pg C/year in 1980 to 3.4 Pg C/year in 2013, while carbon output grew from 2.2 Pg C/year in 1980 to 3.8 Pg C/year in 2013. From 1980 to 2013, the crop production system in China has remained a carbon source, and the agricultural land uses were also almost all carbon sources instead of carbon sinks. As soil carbon stock plays a very important role in deciding the function of China＇s agro-ecosystem as a carbon sink or source, practices that can promote carbon storage and sequestration will be an essential component of low carbon agriculture development in China.展开更多
On the basis of 'The Statistical Data of Guangdong Province in 1981' and the 14 selected original variables, 107 counties and suburbs in Guangdong are classified. In the classification, cluster analysis is app...On the basis of 'The Statistical Data of Guangdong Province in 1981' and the 14 selected original variables, 107 counties and suburbs in Guangdong are classified. In the classification, cluster analysis is applied, and the cluster hierarchy of the agro-ecosystem is achieved with a computer. According to output level, planting structure, and input level of energy, there is an evident regionalism in the agro-ecosystem of Guangdong, which presents approximately concentric circles centralized by Guangzhou City.展开更多
Using the emergy analysis method,we conduct trend analysis of changes in the total emergy,input and output structure,various emergy indicators of agro-ecosystem in Hunan Province during the period 1999-2008.The result...Using the emergy analysis method,we conduct trend analysis of changes in the total emergy,input and output structure,various emergy indicators of agro-ecosystem in Hunan Province during the period 1999-2008.The results show that during the study period,total emergy input basically remained stable,but the emergy input structure was constantly optimized,of which the input of non-renewable industrial assistant emergy increased by 38.4%,from 4.00E +22 sej to 5.53E +22 sej,and the input of renewable organic emergy declined from 1.32E +23 sej to 1.20E + 23 sej;total emergy yield and yield efficiency of this system were promoted dramatically,and in 2008,the total emergy yield reached 1.69E +23 sej,increasing by 23.8% as against that in 1999,the net emergy yield ratio rose from 0.79 to 0.96;since the environmental loading ratio also tended to rise constantly,from 1.12 to 1.79,the sustainability index of this system also experienced the slow downward trend,from 0.71 to 0.54,always less than 1,indicating that the agriculture in Hunan Province is the high consumption-driven ecosystem in general,with obvious features of extensive development.展开更多
Soil has been identified as a possible carbon （C） sink for sequestering atmospheric carbon dioxide （CO2）. However, soil organic carbon （SOC） dynamics in agro-ecosystems is affected by complex interactions of var...Soil has been identified as a possible carbon （C） sink for sequestering atmospheric carbon dioxide （CO2）. However, soil organic carbon （SOC） dynamics in agro-ecosystems is affected by complex interactions of various factors including climate, soil and agricultural management practices, which hinders our understanding of the underlying mechanisms. The objectives of this study were to use the Agricultural Production Systems simulator （APSIM） model to simulate the long-term SOC dynamics under different management practices at four long-term experimental sites, Zhengzhou and Xuzhou with double cropping systems and Gongzhuling and Urtimqi with single cropping systems, located in northern China. Firstly, the model was calibrated using information from the sites and literature, and its performance to predict crop growth and SOC dynamics was examined. The calibrated model was then used to assess the impacts of different management practices, including fertilizer application, irrigation, and residue retention, on C dynamics in the top 30 cm of the soil by scenario modelling. Results indicate a significant SOC sequestration potential through improved management practices of nitrogen （N） fertilizer application, stubble retention, and irrigation. Optimal N fertilization （Nopt） and 100% stubble retention （R100） increased SOC by about 11.2%, 208.29%, and 283.67% under irrigation at Gongzhuling, Zhengzhou, and Xuzhou, respectively. Soil organic carbon decreased rapidly at lJriimqi under irrigation, which was due to the enhanced decomposition by increased soil moisture. Under rainfed condition, SOC remained at a higher level. The combination of Nopt and R100 increased SOC by about 0.46% under rainfed condition at /Jr/imqi. Generally, agricultural soils with double cropping systems （Zhengzhou and Xuzhou） showed a greater potential to sequester C than those with single cropping systems （Gongzhuling and Urumqi）.展开更多
Sufficient food production for a growing human population has become an issue of global concern. Almost all of the world’s fertile land is currently in use and arable land areas cannot be expanded significantly. The ...Sufficient food production for a growing human population has become an issue of global concern. Almost all of the world’s fertile land is currently in use and arable land areas cannot be expanded significantly. The global challenge is to secure high and quality yields and to make agricultural production environmentally compatible. Insects have been hugely successful in terms of both species richness and abundance. Insects make up the most numerous group of organisms on earth, around 66% of all animal species, and being good dispersers and exploiters of virtually all types of organic matter, can be found almost everywhere, forming an important part of every ecosystem and are vital within our food supply chains performing valuable ecosystem services. Insects have been predominantly perceived as competitors in the race for survival. Herbivorous insects damage 18% of world agricultural production. Despite this damage less than 0.5 percentage of the total number of the known insect species are considered pests. Insect pests are created through the manipulation of habitats by humans, where crops are selected for larger size, higher yields, nutritious value, and are cultivated in monocultures for maximum production. This provides a highly favourable environment for the population increase of herbivorous insects. To ensure stable crop yields we need to change the management strategies of agroecosystems. We need to manage these systems in such a way that insects performing valuable ecosystem services are also incorporated into the system. This will ensure stable, resilient and sustainable systems in a constantly changing environment and will go a long way to ensure future food security. This paper examines the important role that insects generally play in ecosystems and how the services that insects provide can improve agricultural ecosystems.展开更多
The excessive expansion of urbanized areas has resulted in haphazard land utili- zation, immoderate consumption of superior agricultural land and water resources, significant fragmentation of agricultural landscape, a...The excessive expansion of urbanized areas has resulted in haphazard land utili- zation, immoderate consumption of superior agricultural land and water resources, significant fragmentation of agricultural landscape, and gradual deterioration of the agro-ecological en- vironment. Combined, these factors cause poor land use efficiency. Under these circum- stances, comprehensively assessing land use efficiency for urban agriculture is a key issue in land use research. Currently, evaluation methods for agricultural land use efficiency narrowly concentrate on aspects of economic input and output. However, urban agro-ecosystems can provide diverse economic, social, and ecological services and functions. In particular, the social and ecological services and functions originating from agricultural land, which have a higher value than economic services, play a significant role in ensuring regional social, eco- logical, and environmental security. However, recent research has rarely taken these benefits into consideration. Therefore, land use value has been greatly underestimated, which has resulted in mishandled and poor land use policies. In this study, we apply Landsat imagery and social and economic statistical data for the Xi＇an metropolitan zone （XMZ） to investigate agricultural multi-functionality. We develop an evaluation framework for urban agricultural land use efficiency and identify agro-ecosystem services and functions as important outputs from agricultural land. The land use efficiency of urban agriculture is then evaluated using ecosystem services models, providing a mechanism for assessing spatial-temporal changes in land use efficiency in the XMZ from 1999 to 2015. Four important conclusions are reached from this analysis. First, the rapid urbanization and agricultural transformation from traditional cereal cultivation to modern urban agriculture has resulted in steadily increasing costs, out- puts, and land use efficiency of urban agriculture. The total output value increased 41% and land use efficiency per hectare increased by 33.13% on average. Second, the spatial patterns of comprehensive output and land use efficiency were dominated by economic outputs from agricultural land. Areas near cities, which are dominated by orchard and arable land, provide more economic functions. These areas support and regulate services due to the transforma- tion from extensive cereal production to intensive modern urban agriculture; therefore, they have higher output value and land use efficiency. In contrast, areas distant from cities, towns, and high traffic roads, namely, remote rural areas, provide more support and regulating ser- vices, but have relatively lower economic function due to inaccessibility tO urban markets and slow agricultural transformation. Therefore, these areas have lower output value and land use efficiency. The spatial change in agricultural output and land use efficiency in urban areas is strongly dependent on the degree of urbanization and agricultural transformation. Third, the total output value and land use efficiency of urban agriculture measured with our approach are much higher than evaluations using traditional methods. However, the spatial patterns measured using the two approaches are in agreement. The evaluation framework integrates ecological services and economic and social functions into a comprehensive output from agricultural land. This approach is more methodical and accurate for evaluating the compre- hensive efficiency of land use based on quantities and spatial scale because they are at the pixel scale. Finally, the evaluation results have important implications for enhancing current agricultural subsidies and even implementing ecological payment policies in China. Most importantly, they can be directly applied to agricultural transformation regulations, decision-making, and guidance for rational land utilization.展开更多
Soil freeze-thaw cycles play an important role in all aspects of agro-ecosystems, such as crop productivity, the evolution of the soil matrix, including trace-gas emissions. In regions that experience synoptic weather...Soil freeze-thaw cycles play an important role in all aspects of agro-ecosystems, such as crop productivity, the evolution of the soil matrix, including trace-gas emissions. In regions that experience synoptic weather conditions throughout the winter, freeze-thaw cycles generally occur in one of two categories;seasonal or winter cycles. Current soil vegetation atmosphere models (SVAT’s) often include a heat-transport soil freeze-thaw algorithm, but lack detail on complex interactions between the main driving variables. Boundary conditions for these models are often based only on a few climate variables and typically lack regional context. A nested statistical analysis was applied to identify the optimal set of environmental variables (via a stepwise regression selection procedure) to track soil freeze-thaw dynamics. Historical data collected between the years 2006-2009, for 17 long-term climate stations distributed across southern Alberta Canada was utilized. Cross-correlation between wind speed and maximum air temperature identified Chinook-driven freeze-thaw events, with such interaction varying significantly across the region and by soil depth. Climate-soil interactions were most significant predictors of soil temperature during winter months. The seasonal freeze-thaw cycle is estimated to vary between 112 - 131 days, consisting of 12 - 20 winter cycles (1 cm depth), and 1-5 winter cycles (5 cm depth) with average lag time of 26 - 112 days. Freeze-thaw prediction was greatly improved when higher-order climate interaction terms were considered. Our findings highlight the importance for soil-water and more complex ecosystem, SVAT models to better resolve regional-driven climatic trends. Alongside improved representation of regional trends aimed at reducing model-based uncertainty, such efforts are expected to, in tandem, help advance the geostatistical design, and implementation of agroenvironmental monitoring systems that combine in-situ and satellite/remote-sensing derived estimates of near-surface soil moisture.展开更多
This study examined the nitrogen cycling associated with agricultural production and environmental load in central Hokkaido. The nitrogen (N) budget analysis model offers a new set of tools for evaluating N cycling in...This study examined the nitrogen cycling associated with agricultural production and environmental load in central Hokkaido. The nitrogen (N) budget analysis model offers a new set of tools for evaluating N cycling in agro-ecosystems. The cycling index (CI) is a useful tool for estimating optimal N flows in farmlands. The fertilization index (FI) is a useful indicator for characterizing the N flows related to farms. Using these parameters, we analyzed all farm systems to estimate the optimal N cycling for minimizing N pollution in groundwater and maximizing agricultural production in mountain regions of Japan. The results showed that the critical N application rate (chemical fertilizer + manure) was 143.3 kg N ha-1 y-1. The critical inter-system input (chemical fertilizer N, imported food and feed N, and natural supplied N) was 169.2 kg N ha-1 y-1.展开更多
Although the southeast Fujian Province has favorable bio-climatic conditions, traditional farming models are limited in effective exploitation of agriculture related resources and have deteriorated the agricultural en...Although the southeast Fujian Province has favorable bio-climatic conditions, traditional farming models are limited in effective exploitation of agriculture related resources and have deteriorated the agricultural environment. After analyzing the conditions at Maping town, we designed a three-dimensional model, special ecological agricultural system (SEAS), at Maping town. The SEAS has been practiced for three years and results show that the SEAS more efficiently utilizes local time and space resources and gains more econo- mic, ecological and social benefits. Thus, the SEAS has been considered as an optimal model for sustainable utilization of agricultural resources.展开更多
[ Objective] The reseamh aimed to discuss eco-efficiency of the agro-ecosystem in Dongting Lake area of Hunan. [ Method] By referring to emergy reseamh method, emergy structure, function and efficiency of the system w...[ Objective] The reseamh aimed to discuss eco-efficiency of the agro-ecosystem in Dongting Lake area of Hunan. [ Method] By referring to emergy reseamh method, emergy structure, function and efficiency of the system were analyzed according to emergy input -output data of the system in 2009. [ Result] The system had developed economy, and mechanization and modernization degrees were higher. Emergy output of the system was unbalanced, and market pricing of the agricultural product was significantly lower, especially farming product. Seen from sustainable development index and environmental loading ratio of the system, the system was full of vitality and development potential. The pressure of natural resources and environment was not very great, but the system accommodated too many populations. [ Conclusion] Basic direction of the agricultur- al policy in the zone was further shortening industrial and agricultural price scissors, continuing to implement price protection of the farming product, adjusting agricultural and product structures and transferring surplus labor.展开更多
The purpose of this study was to identify the drivers of the shift of traditional agro-ecosystems and their implication on catchment resources management of Eastern Arc Catchments of Tanzania. Lower Mngeta and Upper Z...The purpose of this study was to identify the drivers of the shift of traditional agro-ecosystems and their implication on catchment resources management of Eastern Arc Catchments of Tanzania. Lower Mngeta and Upper Zigi water catchments are situated within Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania. Household questionnaire, key informant interviews and focus group discussion were used for collecting primary data. The findings indicated that most of the participants (85.9% and 90.4% in Lower Mngeta and Upper Zigi catchments respectively) depend on subsistence rain-fed agriculture for their livelihoods. However, there are significant changes in production as a result of land fertility deteriorating and negative climatic changes (seasonal shift). This has become a major challenge for most of the farmers. To cope with agro-ecosystem dynamics, farmers in the study areas use both traditional and modern strategies as illustrated in the results section. While tradition always reported to be inexpensive, some modern agro-ecosystem practices reported to cause siltation, killing of fish and herbal plants, easy rotting of seeds (for maize) and bad aroma (for rice)in spite of having a high rate of return. It was also reported that depletion of traditions and norms of conduct, accelerated by multi-cultural interaction from immigrants, have led to deterioration of traditional agriculture practices. Moreover, arrival of agriculture companies and introduction of spice farming was reported to have caused manpower imbalance, unequal distribution of natural resources and less diversity of indigenous plants. The study concludes that communities are much into economic opportunity derived from agro-ecosystem than stewarding it. The study recommends that the effort restoring catchment ecosystem should come from both traditional and modern strategies so as to harmonize and accommodate environmental, economic and traditional values.展开更多
Heavy metals status of agricultural soils should be monitored in order to prevent soil-plant pollution. This study evaluates the effect of season, agronomic practice and soil mineral composition on the levels of some ...Heavy metals status of agricultural soils should be monitored in order to prevent soil-plant pollution. This study evaluates the effect of season, agronomic practice and soil mineral composition on the levels of some heavy metals (Pb, Mn, Ni, Fe, and Zn) in the arable and oil palm soils of three Farm Settlements in Ogun-State Southwest, Nigeria. Soil samples were collected in two consecutive seasons between 2010 and 2012 and digestion was carried out using Standard Wet Acid Digestion method. Total heavy metals in the digest were determined using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (FAAS). The total levels of heavy metals (in mg/kg) found in the sampled soils were as follows: in the rainy season Mn (28.4 - 34.2), Fe (1599.7 - 2013.2), Pb (11.0 - 16.9), Zn (100.5 - 112.9) and Ni (11.3 - 13.8) and in the dry season Mn (32.1 - 40.1), Fe (1701.4 - 2455.5), Pb (13.0 - 18.7), Zn (105.7 - 110.4) and Ni (15.5 - 16.3). Levels of the heavy metals found in the sampled soils were significantly lower (p < 0.05) than their permissible levels in agricultural soils. Although the levels of heavy metals determined in dry season were higher than those of the rainy season, the only seasonal difference was that of Fe in Sawonjo soil significant at p = 0.05. The level of heavy metals in oil palm soils was significantly higher than the level in arable soils (p < 0.05). At present, pollution level of heavy metals in the sampled soils is low and poses no environmental risk, yet, they have to be regularly monitored before they bio-accumulate into toxic. Government should therefore set up soil monitoring agency and provide irrigation facilities to encourage dry season farming.展开更多
基金National Key Research and Development Plan,No.2016YFC0401403National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.41877169
文摘From a critical zone perspective, the present paper aims to present the magnitude of groundwater recharge under different agricultural land-use types, reveal the process of water and solute transport in thick vadose zone, evaluate the "time lag" effect of recharge, and underscore the role of thickening vadose zone in recharge. The results indicated that different agricultural land-use types need to be further considered in recharge rate estimate. Under the typical irrigation condition in the piedmont plain, the recharge rate under flood irrigated winter wheat and summer maize(W/M_F), maize(M), non-cultivation(NC), native vegetation(NV), vegetables(V), and orchards(O) is 206.4, 149.7, 194.1, 46.4, 320.0, and 48.6 mm/yr, respectively. In the central plain, the value under W/M_F, M, NC, V, and cotton(C) is 92.8, 50.8, 85.0, 255.5, and 26.5 mm/yr, respectively. Soil water residence time(several years) and groundwater level response time(several months) should be distinguished to further understand the processes of groundwater recharge, because the soil water displacement velocities range from 0.2 to 2.2 m/yr while the rate of wetting front propagation is approximately 47 m/yr in the piedmont plain. The thickening vadose zone would prolong residence time of soil water and contaminant, which could postpone the time of or alleviate groundwater pollution, but have no significant influence on the magnitude of recharge in a long time scale. Recharge coefficient based on shorter time span(e.g. 2 or 3 years) should be used with caution as a parameter for groundwater resources evaluation, because it varies with total water input and target soil depth. Uncertainties in evapotranspiration and other water balance components should be evaluated in recharge estimation and the impact of land-use types on recharge should be emphasized. The critical zone science would greatly improve the understanding of groundwater recharge processes. The results of the present study will be helpful in sustainable groundwater resources management.
文摘The European Union （EU） Wild Birds Directive recognises that the most serious threats to wild birds＇ conservation in Europe are habitat loss and degradation, and hence, habitats of threatened and migratory species must be protected with the establishment of the network of the special protection areas （SPAs） for migratory and endangered bird species in the EU member states. The major European population of the lesser kestrel Falco naumanni, a migratory falcon listed in Annex I of the Birds Directive, occurs in low-input farming systems in the Mediterranean basin, including Greece. The aim of this study was to identify foraging habitats of lesser kestrels and relate them to the delimited SPAs in the agro-ecosystems of Greece, where the stronghold of the species population for Greece occurs. Foraging habitat preferences were assessed using Poisson regression models （PRMs）. SPAs were examined on whether they can effectively protect foraging habitats for breeding lesser kestrels in the study area. Foraging lesser kestrel abundance was positively associated with grasslands and non-irrigated land （dry cereals）, and negatively associated with irrigated land （wet cotton）, scrubland and woodland. Electricity facilities were used as foraging perches by lesser kestrels. The current SPAs cover a small percentage of the species＇ foraging sites and cannot be considered coherent enough to support and protect the foraging habitats of lesser kestrels and other priority species in the agro-ecosystems of the study area. Proposals for effective conservation of low-input farming systems, supporting priority species, are also presented.
文摘A research project on interaction between agroecosystems and global change has been accepted as a Category Ⅰ contribution to IGBP-GCTE (International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme-Global Change & Terrestrial Ecosystems) Core Research, the highest-level support GCTE has offered to an individual research project so far. This was confirmed by Prof. Noble, GCTE Chairman, in a letter to Prof. Peng Shaolin, Principal Investigator of
文摘Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS) is an incentive-based program established in Canada to pay farmers for their voluntary delivery of ecosystem services (ES). All seven ALUS programs across the country were examined using a standardized case-study approach based on site visits, reading internal documents, attending program meetings, and engaging in semi-structured interviews with program administrators, participating farmers, and advisory board members. Direct content analysis was used to highlight recurrent themes and emerging lessons in relation to the salient particulars of program physical location, administration framework, delivery of ES, and development and receipt by communities. Our three major findings are: 1) Overall, ALUS has been judged by participants to be a very successful program, whose strength is that it is completely voluntary, non-permanent, and readily adaptable to each location’s environmental conditions, economic funding base, and cultural milieu. 2) One serious shortcoming of all ALUS programs is a general lack of quantifiable data on their ability to increase ES. Instead, environmental benefits are either assumed or based on the idea that the areal extent of enrolled land is the sole measure of its environmental worth. 3) It may be that the social impact of ALUS is its greatest success. In this regard, for farmers, it is the process of engaging in land-use decision making and the recognition of their role as environmental stewards that is a bigger motivation for participating in an ALUS program than the modest financial incentives which they receive.
基金Supported by Hunan Provincial Situation and Decision Consultation Project (2012BZZ16)National Social Science Fund of China(11BJY029)Youth Fund Project of Central South University of Forestry and Technology(2011ZB003)~~
文摘[Objective] To analyze the efficiency of Hunan agro-ecosystem in 1980- 2010. [Method] This paper adopts the emergy methods to evaluate the emergy input and output. [Result] The growth of total emergy input was mainly caused by the auxiliary factors in this phase. The proportion of the nonrenewable purchased emergy input to the total auxiliary emergy input increased from 21.80% in 1980 to 33.04% in 2010. In 1980-2010 the total emergy output of the system increased by 2.43 times, the proportions of the stock farming emergy output and fishery emergy output to the total emergy output increased sharply, while those of the planting emergy output and forestry emergy output showed a considerable decline. [Conclusion] The emergy yield ratio of this system was improved but its sustainability was worrying.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31171506 and 31071375)
文摘To accurately evaluate the carbon sequestration potential and better elucidate the relationship between the carbon cycle and regional climate change, using eddy covariance system, we conducted a long-term measurement of CO 2 fluxes in the rain-fed winter wheat field of the Chinese Loess Plateau. The results showed that the annual net ecosystem CO 2 exchange （NEE） was （-71.6±5.7） and （-65.3±5.3） g C m-2 y-1 for 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 crop years, respectively, suggesting that the agro-ecosystem was a carbon sink （117.4-126.2 g C m-2 yr-1）. However, after considering the harvested grain, the agro- ecosystem turned into a moderate carbon source. The variations in NEE and ecosystem respiration （R eco ） were sensitive to changes in soil water content （SWC）. When SWC ranged form 0.15 to 0.21 m3 m-3, we found a highly significant relationship between NEE and photosynthetically active radiation （PAR）, and a highly significant relationship between R eco and soil temperature （T s ）. However, the highly significant relationships were not observed when SWC was outside the range of 0.15-0.21 m3 m-3. Further, in spring, the R eco instantly responded to a rapid increase in SWC after effective rainfall events, which could induce 2 to 4-fold increase in daily R eco , whereas the R eco was also inhibited by heavy summer rainfall when soils were saturated. Accumulated R eco in summer fallow period decreased carbon fixed in growing season by 16- 25%, indicating that the period imposed negative impacts on annual carbon sequestration.
基金Supported by Key Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province(2008J0120)Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province(2006J0009)+1 种基金Non-profit Program from Science and Technology Department of Fujian Province(2009R10032-1 and 2010R1024-2)Special Fund for the Establishment of S&T Innovation Teams in Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences from Financial Department of Fujian Province(STIF-Y01)
文摘Nitrification and denitrification are two key links of nitrogen flow cycle in soil.N2O and N2,generated from biochemical process of nitrogen,can cause not only the nitrogen losses and reduction of nitrogen use efficiency,but also the boosted concentration of greenhouse gases,severely endangering the environment.Accordingly,nitrification-denitrification has been more and more concerned from whether an agricultural view,or an environmental one.Referring to the related literatures published at home and abroad in recent years,we overviewed the denitrification-caused N loss and N2O emission in various agro-ecosystems,and based on which we put forward countermeasures to reduce the denitrification-caused N loss and N2O emission and its research prospects in the future.
基金supported by the National Science & Technology Pillar Program during the 12th Five-year Plan Period (No. 2013BAD11B03)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 71573260,71273153,and 71525007)the Basic Scientific Research Fund (No. BSRF201311) for National Nonprofit Institutes from Ministry of Agriculture(MoA),China
文摘Research on carbon cycling has attracted attention from both scientists and policy-makers. Based on material flow analysis, this study systematically budgets the carbon inputs, outputs and balance from 1980 to 2013 for China＇s agro-ecosystem and its sub-systems, including agricultural land use, livestock breeding and rural life. The results show that from 1980 to 2013, both the carbon input and output were growing gradually, with the carbon input doubling from 1.6 Pg C/year in 1980 to 3.4 Pg C/year in 2013, while carbon output grew from 2.2 Pg C/year in 1980 to 3.8 Pg C/year in 2013. From 1980 to 2013, the crop production system in China has remained a carbon source, and the agricultural land uses were also almost all carbon sources instead of carbon sinks. As soil carbon stock plays a very important role in deciding the function of China＇s agro-ecosystem as a carbon sink or source, practices that can promote carbon storage and sequestration will be an essential component of low carbon agriculture development in China.
文摘On the basis of 'The Statistical Data of Guangdong Province in 1981' and the 14 selected original variables, 107 counties and suburbs in Guangdong are classified. In the classification, cluster analysis is applied, and the cluster hierarchy of the agro-ecosystem is achieved with a computer. According to output level, planting structure, and input level of energy, there is an evident regionalism in the agro-ecosystem of Guangdong, which presents approximately concentric circles centralized by Guangzhou City.
基金Supported by National Social Science Foundation (11BJY029)Hunan Social Science Fund Project (2010YBB348)+1 种基金Open Fund for Hunan University Innovation Platform (10K080)Key Project of Soft Science in Hunan Province (2011ZK2046)
文摘Using the emergy analysis method,we conduct trend analysis of changes in the total emergy,input and output structure,various emergy indicators of agro-ecosystem in Hunan Province during the period 1999-2008.The results show that during the study period,total emergy input basically remained stable,but the emergy input structure was constantly optimized,of which the input of non-renewable industrial assistant emergy increased by 38.4%,from 4.00E +22 sej to 5.53E +22 sej,and the input of renewable organic emergy declined from 1.32E +23 sej to 1.20E + 23 sej;total emergy yield and yield efficiency of this system were promoted dramatically,and in 2008,the total emergy yield reached 1.69E +23 sej,increasing by 23.8% as against that in 1999,the net emergy yield ratio rose from 0.79 to 0.96;since the environmental loading ratio also tended to rise constantly,from 1.12 to 1.79,the sustainability index of this system also experienced the slow downward trend,from 0.71 to 0.54,always less than 1,indicating that the agriculture in Hunan Province is the high consumption-driven ecosystem in general,with obvious features of extensive development.
基金Supported by the National Basic Research Program(973 Program)of China(No.2010CB950604)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.41075108)
文摘Soil has been identified as a possible carbon （C） sink for sequestering atmospheric carbon dioxide （CO2）. However, soil organic carbon （SOC） dynamics in agro-ecosystems is affected by complex interactions of various factors including climate, soil and agricultural management practices, which hinders our understanding of the underlying mechanisms. The objectives of this study were to use the Agricultural Production Systems simulator （APSIM） model to simulate the long-term SOC dynamics under different management practices at four long-term experimental sites, Zhengzhou and Xuzhou with double cropping systems and Gongzhuling and Urtimqi with single cropping systems, located in northern China. Firstly, the model was calibrated using information from the sites and literature, and its performance to predict crop growth and SOC dynamics was examined. The calibrated model was then used to assess the impacts of different management practices, including fertilizer application, irrigation, and residue retention, on C dynamics in the top 30 cm of the soil by scenario modelling. Results indicate a significant SOC sequestration potential through improved management practices of nitrogen （N） fertilizer application, stubble retention, and irrigation. Optimal N fertilization （Nopt） and 100% stubble retention （R100） increased SOC by about 11.2%, 208.29%, and 283.67% under irrigation at Gongzhuling, Zhengzhou, and Xuzhou, respectively. Soil organic carbon decreased rapidly at lJriimqi under irrigation, which was due to the enhanced decomposition by increased soil moisture. Under rainfed condition, SOC remained at a higher level. The combination of Nopt and R100 increased SOC by about 0.46% under rainfed condition at /Jr/imqi. Generally, agricultural soils with double cropping systems （Zhengzhou and Xuzhou） showed a greater potential to sequester C than those with single cropping systems （Gongzhuling and Urumqi）.
文摘Sufficient food production for a growing human population has become an issue of global concern. Almost all of the world’s fertile land is currently in use and arable land areas cannot be expanded significantly. The global challenge is to secure high and quality yields and to make agricultural production environmentally compatible. Insects have been hugely successful in terms of both species richness and abundance. Insects make up the most numerous group of organisms on earth, around 66% of all animal species, and being good dispersers and exploiters of virtually all types of organic matter, can be found almost everywhere, forming an important part of every ecosystem and are vital within our food supply chains performing valuable ecosystem services. Insects have been predominantly perceived as competitors in the race for survival. Herbivorous insects damage 18% of world agricultural production. Despite this damage less than 0.5 percentage of the total number of the known insect species are considered pests. Insect pests are created through the manipulation of habitats by humans, where crops are selected for larger size, higher yields, nutritious value, and are cultivated in monocultures for maximum production. This provides a highly favourable environment for the population increase of herbivorous insects. To ensure stable crop yields we need to change the management strategies of agroecosystems. We need to manage these systems in such a way that insects performing valuable ecosystem services are also incorporated into the system. This will ensure stable, resilient and sustainable systems in a constantly changing environment and will go a long way to ensure future food security. This paper examines the important role that insects generally play in ecosystems and how the services that insects provide can improve agricultural ecosystems.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China, No.41271550 Humanities and Social Sciences Project of Ministry of Education in the West and the Frontier Areas, No. 12XJC790003
文摘The excessive expansion of urbanized areas has resulted in haphazard land utili- zation, immoderate consumption of superior agricultural land and water resources, significant fragmentation of agricultural landscape, and gradual deterioration of the agro-ecological en- vironment. Combined, these factors cause poor land use efficiency. Under these circum- stances, comprehensively assessing land use efficiency for urban agriculture is a key issue in land use research. Currently, evaluation methods for agricultural land use efficiency narrowly concentrate on aspects of economic input and output. However, urban agro-ecosystems can provide diverse economic, social, and ecological services and functions. In particular, the social and ecological services and functions originating from agricultural land, which have a higher value than economic services, play a significant role in ensuring regional social, eco- logical, and environmental security. However, recent research has rarely taken these benefits into consideration. Therefore, land use value has been greatly underestimated, which has resulted in mishandled and poor land use policies. In this study, we apply Landsat imagery and social and economic statistical data for the Xi＇an metropolitan zone （XMZ） to investigate agricultural multi-functionality. We develop an evaluation framework for urban agricultural land use efficiency and identify agro-ecosystem services and functions as important outputs from agricultural land. The land use efficiency of urban agriculture is then evaluated using ecosystem services models, providing a mechanism for assessing spatial-temporal changes in land use efficiency in the XMZ from 1999 to 2015. Four important conclusions are reached from this analysis. First, the rapid urbanization and agricultural transformation from traditional cereal cultivation to modern urban agriculture has resulted in steadily increasing costs, out- puts, and land use efficiency of urban agriculture. The total output value increased 41% and land use efficiency per hectare increased by 33.13% on average. Second, the spatial patterns of comprehensive output and land use efficiency were dominated by economic outputs from agricultural land. Areas near cities, which are dominated by orchard and arable land, provide more economic functions. These areas support and regulate services due to the transforma- tion from extensive cereal production to intensive modern urban agriculture; therefore, they have higher output value and land use efficiency. In contrast, areas distant from cities, towns, and high traffic roads, namely, remote rural areas, provide more support and regulating ser- vices, but have relatively lower economic function due to inaccessibility tO urban markets and slow agricultural transformation. Therefore, these areas have lower output value and land use efficiency. The spatial change in agricultural output and land use efficiency in urban areas is strongly dependent on the degree of urbanization and agricultural transformation. Third, the total output value and land use efficiency of urban agriculture measured with our approach are much higher than evaluations using traditional methods. However, the spatial patterns measured using the two approaches are in agreement. The evaluation framework integrates ecological services and economic and social functions into a comprehensive output from agricultural land. This approach is more methodical and accurate for evaluating the compre- hensive efficiency of land use based on quantities and spatial scale because they are at the pixel scale. Finally, the evaluation results have important implications for enhancing current agricultural subsidies and even implementing ecological payment policies in China. Most importantly, they can be directly applied to agricultural transformation regulations, decision-making, and guidance for rational land utilization.
文摘Soil freeze-thaw cycles play an important role in all aspects of agro-ecosystems, such as crop productivity, the evolution of the soil matrix, including trace-gas emissions. In regions that experience synoptic weather conditions throughout the winter, freeze-thaw cycles generally occur in one of two categories;seasonal or winter cycles. Current soil vegetation atmosphere models (SVAT’s) often include a heat-transport soil freeze-thaw algorithm, but lack detail on complex interactions between the main driving variables. Boundary conditions for these models are often based only on a few climate variables and typically lack regional context. A nested statistical analysis was applied to identify the optimal set of environmental variables (via a stepwise regression selection procedure) to track soil freeze-thaw dynamics. Historical data collected between the years 2006-2009, for 17 long-term climate stations distributed across southern Alberta Canada was utilized. Cross-correlation between wind speed and maximum air temperature identified Chinook-driven freeze-thaw events, with such interaction varying significantly across the region and by soil depth. Climate-soil interactions were most significant predictors of soil temperature during winter months. The seasonal freeze-thaw cycle is estimated to vary between 112 - 131 days, consisting of 12 - 20 winter cycles (1 cm depth), and 1-5 winter cycles (5 cm depth) with average lag time of 26 - 112 days. Freeze-thaw prediction was greatly improved when higher-order climate interaction terms were considered. Our findings highlight the importance for soil-water and more complex ecosystem, SVAT models to better resolve regional-driven climatic trends. Alongside improved representation of regional trends aimed at reducing model-based uncertainty, such efforts are expected to, in tandem, help advance the geostatistical design, and implementation of agroenvironmental monitoring systems that combine in-situ and satellite/remote-sensing derived estimates of near-surface soil moisture.
文摘This study examined the nitrogen cycling associated with agricultural production and environmental load in central Hokkaido. The nitrogen (N) budget analysis model offers a new set of tools for evaluating N cycling in agro-ecosystems. The cycling index (CI) is a useful tool for estimating optimal N flows in farmlands. The fertilization index (FI) is a useful indicator for characterizing the N flows related to farms. Using these parameters, we analyzed all farm systems to estimate the optimal N cycling for minimizing N pollution in groundwater and maximizing agricultural production in mountain regions of Japan. The results showed that the critical N application rate (chemical fertilizer + manure) was 143.3 kg N ha-1 y-1. The critical inter-system input (chemical fertilizer N, imported food and feed N, and natural supplied N) was 169.2 kg N ha-1 y-1.
文摘Although the southeast Fujian Province has favorable bio-climatic conditions, traditional farming models are limited in effective exploitation of agriculture related resources and have deteriorated the agricultural environment. After analyzing the conditions at Maping town, we designed a three-dimensional model, special ecological agricultural system (SEAS), at Maping town. The SEAS has been practiced for three years and results show that the SEAS more efficiently utilizes local time and space resources and gains more econo- mic, ecological and social benefits. Thus, the SEAS has been considered as an optimal model for sustainable utilization of agricultural resources.
基金Supported by National Social Science Fund Project,China(11BJY029)Key Project of Soft Science in Hunan Province,China(2011ZK2046)+1 种基金Social Science Fund Project of Hunan Province,China(2010YBB348)Science Research Project of Department of Education in Hunan Province,China(12C0465)
文摘[ Objective] The reseamh aimed to discuss eco-efficiency of the agro-ecosystem in Dongting Lake area of Hunan. [ Method] By referring to emergy reseamh method, emergy structure, function and efficiency of the system were analyzed according to emergy input -output data of the system in 2009. [ Result] The system had developed economy, and mechanization and modernization degrees were higher. Emergy output of the system was unbalanced, and market pricing of the agricultural product was significantly lower, especially farming product. Seen from sustainable development index and environmental loading ratio of the system, the system was full of vitality and development potential. The pressure of natural resources and environment was not very great, but the system accommodated too many populations. [ Conclusion] Basic direction of the agricultur- al policy in the zone was further shortening industrial and agricultural price scissors, continuing to implement price protection of the farming product, adjusting agricultural and product structures and transferring surplus labor.
文摘The purpose of this study was to identify the drivers of the shift of traditional agro-ecosystems and their implication on catchment resources management of Eastern Arc Catchments of Tanzania. Lower Mngeta and Upper Zigi water catchments are situated within Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania. Household questionnaire, key informant interviews and focus group discussion were used for collecting primary data. The findings indicated that most of the participants (85.9% and 90.4% in Lower Mngeta and Upper Zigi catchments respectively) depend on subsistence rain-fed agriculture for their livelihoods. However, there are significant changes in production as a result of land fertility deteriorating and negative climatic changes (seasonal shift). This has become a major challenge for most of the farmers. To cope with agro-ecosystem dynamics, farmers in the study areas use both traditional and modern strategies as illustrated in the results section. While tradition always reported to be inexpensive, some modern agro-ecosystem practices reported to cause siltation, killing of fish and herbal plants, easy rotting of seeds (for maize) and bad aroma (for rice)in spite of having a high rate of return. It was also reported that depletion of traditions and norms of conduct, accelerated by multi-cultural interaction from immigrants, have led to deterioration of traditional agriculture practices. Moreover, arrival of agriculture companies and introduction of spice farming was reported to have caused manpower imbalance, unequal distribution of natural resources and less diversity of indigenous plants. The study concludes that communities are much into economic opportunity derived from agro-ecosystem than stewarding it. The study recommends that the effort restoring catchment ecosystem should come from both traditional and modern strategies so as to harmonize and accommodate environmental, economic and traditional values.
文摘Heavy metals status of agricultural soils should be monitored in order to prevent soil-plant pollution. This study evaluates the effect of season, agronomic practice and soil mineral composition on the levels of some heavy metals (Pb, Mn, Ni, Fe, and Zn) in the arable and oil palm soils of three Farm Settlements in Ogun-State Southwest, Nigeria. Soil samples were collected in two consecutive seasons between 2010 and 2012 and digestion was carried out using Standard Wet Acid Digestion method. Total heavy metals in the digest were determined using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (FAAS). The total levels of heavy metals (in mg/kg) found in the sampled soils were as follows: in the rainy season Mn (28.4 - 34.2), Fe (1599.7 - 2013.2), Pb (11.0 - 16.9), Zn (100.5 - 112.9) and Ni (11.3 - 13.8) and in the dry season Mn (32.1 - 40.1), Fe (1701.4 - 2455.5), Pb (13.0 - 18.7), Zn (105.7 - 110.4) and Ni (15.5 - 16.3). Levels of the heavy metals found in the sampled soils were significantly lower (p < 0.05) than their permissible levels in agricultural soils. Although the levels of heavy metals determined in dry season were higher than those of the rainy season, the only seasonal difference was that of Fe in Sawonjo soil significant at p = 0.05. The level of heavy metals in oil palm soils was significantly higher than the level in arable soils (p < 0.05). At present, pollution level of heavy metals in the sampled soils is low and poses no environmental risk, yet, they have to be regularly monitored before they bio-accumulate into toxic. Government should therefore set up soil monitoring agency and provide irrigation facilities to encourage dry season farming.
