Comparing Eight Computing Algorithms and Four Consensus Methods to Analyze Relationship between Land Use Pattern and Driving Forces

Although many computing algorithms have been developed to analyze the relationship between land use pattern and driving forces (RLPDF), little has been done to assess and reduce the uncertainty of predictions. In this study, we investigated RLPDF based on 1990, 2005 and 2012 datasets at two spatial scales using eight state-of-the-art single computing algorithms and four consensus methods in Jinjing rive catchment in Hunan Province, China. At the entire catchment scale, the mean AUC values were between 0.715 (ANN) and 0.948 (RF) for the single-algorithms, and from 0.764 to 0.962 for the consensus methods. At the subcatchment scale, the mean AUC values between 0.624 (CTA) and 0.972 (RF) for the single-algorithms, and from 0.758 to 0.979 for the consensus methods. At the subcatchment scale, the mean AUC values were between 0.624 (CTA) and 0.972 (RF) for the single-algorithms, and from 0.758 to 0.979 for the consensus methods. The result suggested that among the eight single computing algorithms, RF performed the best overall for woodland and paddy field;consensus method showed higher predictive performance for woodland and paddy field models than the single computing algorithms. We compared the simulation results of the best - and worst-performing algorithms for the entire catchment in 2012, and found that approximately 72.5% of woodland and 72.4% of paddy field had probabilities of occurrence of less than 0.1, and 3.6% of woodland and 14.5% of paddy field had probabilities of occurrence of more than 0.5. In other words, the simulation errors associated with using different computing algorithms can be up to 14.5% if a probability level of 0.5 is set as the threshold. The results of this study showed that the choice of modeling approaches can greatly affect the accuracy of RLPDF prediction. The computing algorithms for specific RLPDF tasks in specific regions have to be localized and optimized.

Soil phosphorus availability and rice phosphorus uptake in paddy fields under various agronomic practices

Agronomic practices affect soil phosphorus(P) availability, P uptake by plants, and subsequently the efficiency of P use. A field experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of various agronomic practices(straw incorporation, paddy water management, nitrogen(N) fertilizer dose, manure application,and biochar addition) on soil P availability(e.g., soil total P(STP), soil available P(SAP), soil microbial biomass P(SMBP), and rice P uptake as well as P use efficiency(PUE)) over four cropping seasons in a rice-rice cropping system, in subtropical central China. Compared to the non-straw treatment(control,using full dose of chemical N fertilizer), straw incorporation increased SAP and SMBP by 9.3%–18.5% and 15.5%–35.4%, respectively;substituting half the chemical N fertilizer dose with pig manure and the biochar application increased STP, SAP, and SMBP by 10.5%–48.3%, 30.2%–236.0%, and 19.8%–72.4%,respectively, mainly owing to increased soil P and organic carbon inputs;adding a half dose of N and no N input(reduced N treatments) increased STP and SAP by 2.6%–7.5% and 19.8%–33.7%, respectively, due to decreased soil P outputs. Thus, soil P availability was greatly affected by soil P input and use. The continuous flooding water regime without straw addition significantly decreased SMBP by 11.4% compared to corresponding treatments under a mid-season drainage water regime. Total P uptake by rice grains and straws at the harvest stage increased under straw incorporation and under pig manure application, but decreased under the reduced N treatments and under biochar application at a rate of 48 t ha-1, compared to the control. Rice P uptake was significantly positively correlated with rice biomass, and both were positively correlated with N fertilizer application rates, SAP, SMBP, and STP. Phosphorus use efficiency generally increased under straw incorporation but decreased under the reduced N treatments and under the manure application(with excessive P input), compared to the control. These results showed that straw incorporation can be used to increase soil P availability and PUE while decreasing the use of chemical P fertilizers. When substituting chemical fertilizers with pig manure, excess P inputs should be avoided in order to reduce P accumulation in the soil as well as the environmental risks from non-point source pollution.

ZmOST1 mediates abscisic acid regulation of guard cell ion channels and drought stress responses

The phytohormone abscisic acid(ABA) is an important mediator in the drought response, participating in, among other processes, stomatal movements. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the serine/threonine protein kinase,OST1, regulates this response, but the function of its maize homolog has yet to be established. Here, we isolated ZmOST1 and show that its encoded protein indeed acts to regulate guard cell movement. ZmOST1 was ubiquitously expressed throughout the plant, being highly expressed in guard cells, and inducible both by exogenous ABA and water stress. Transient expression of a ZmOST1-GFP fusion protein, in maize mesophyll protoplasts, indicated its subcellular localization in the cytoplasm and nucleus. A Zmost1 loss-of-function mutant exhibited reduced sensitivity to ABA-activated slow anion channels in maize guard cells, and reduced drought tolerance. Constitutive expression of ZmOST1, in an A. thaliana ost1-1 mutant rescued the phenotype with respect both to the sensitivity of guard cell slow anion currents to ABA treatment and stomatal closure. Our findings indicate a positive regulatory role for ZmOST1 in guard cell ABA signaling and drought response in maize plants.

Contribution of atmospheric nitrogen deposition to diffuse pollution in a typical hilly red soil catchment in southern China

Atmospheric nitrogen （hi） deposition is currently high and meanwhile diffuse N pollution is also serious in China. The correlation between N deposition and riverine N export and the contribution of N deposition to riverine N export were investigated in a typical hilly red soil catchment in southern China over a two-year period. N deposition was as high as 26.1 to 55.8 kg N/（ha-yr） across different land uses in the studied catchment, while the riverine N exports ranged from 7.2 to 9.6 kg N/（ha-yr） in the forest sub-catchment and 27.4 to 30.3 kg N/（ha.yr） in the agricultural sub-catchment. The correlations between both wet N deposition and riverine N export and precipitation were highly positive, and so were the correlations between NH-N or NO2-N wet deposition and riverine NH4-N or NO3-N exports except for NH-N in the agricultural sub-catchment, indicating that N deposition contributed to riverine N export. The monthly export coefficients of atmospheric deposited N from land to river in the forest sub-catchment （with a mean of 14%） presented a significant positive correlation With precipitation, while the monthly contributions of atmospheric deposition to riverine N export （with a mean of 18.7% in the agricultural sub-catchment and a mean of 21.0% in the whole catchment） were significantly and negatively correlated with precipitation. The relatively high contribution of N deposition to diffuse N pollution in the catchment suggests that efforts should be done to control anthropogenic reactive N emissions to the atmosphere in hilly red soil regions in southern China.

SOIL NITROGEN CYCLING AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS IN THE SUBTROPICAL HILLY REGION OF CHINA: EVIDENCE FROM MEASUREMENTS AND MODELING

The subtropical hilly region of China is a region with intensive crop and livestock production,which has resulted in serious N pollution in soil,water and air.This review summarizes the major soil N cycling processes and their influencing factors in rice paddies and uplands in the subtropical hilly region of China.The major N cycling processes include the N fertilizer application in croplands,atmospheric N deposition,biological N fixation,crop N uptake,ammonia volatilization,N_(2)O/NO emissions,nitrogen runoff and leaching losses.The catchment nutrients management model for N cycle modeling and its case studies in the subtropical hilly region were also introduced.Finally,N management practices for improving N use efficiency in cropland,as well as catchment scales are summarized.