Effects of deficit irrigation on daily and seasonal variations of trunk sap flow and its growth in Calligonum arborescens

Water deficit in arid and semiarid regions affects whole-plant sap flow and leaf-level water relations. The objectives of this study were to clarify how sap flow of Calligonum arborescens responds to different drought stress conditions and to understand its acclimation mechanism to drought environments. A field experiment was conducted for C. arborescens during the growing season to evaluate the effects of deficit irrigation on the daily and seasonal variations of trunk sap flow in the shelterbelt along the Tarim Desert Highway, Xinjiang, China. Three dif- ferent water regimes （2,380, 1,960 and 1,225 m3/hm2） were applied at different stages of plant growth. From 1 May to 30 October 2007, a heat-balance stem flow gauge was used to monitor the sap flow dynamics of C. arborescens under different water regimes. Atmospheric evaporation demand and soil moisture conditions for differentially irri- gated C. arborescens were also monitored. The result showed that sap flow exhibited a clear diurnal pattern re- gardless of treatments; the diurnal patterns of sap flow and vapour pressure deficit were very similar under different water regimes and growing seasons, while the slope of the linear regression of this correlation confirmed an in- creasing water regime. The sap flow decreased under reduced water regimes and there was nocturnal sap flow regardless of water regimes, which was mainly contributed to nocturnal transpiration and water recharge. The sap flow peaked before midnight and dropped afterwards with obviously higher values in summer than in other seasons. It is speculated that the water consumption of C. arborescens during the day can be supplemented through the sap flow at night, which increased with increasing irrigation amount. Net radiation was the most significant correlated factor that influenced sap flow velocity and transpiration under different water regimes （R2〉0.719）. Compared with the commonly practiced water regime, the growth of C. arborescens was significantly slower in the stress deficit irrigation, but not significantly different from that in the moderate deficit irrigation. The moderate deficit irrigation would not affect the stability of the shelterbelt and was a more efficient use of water resources compared with the current watering amount.

Soil physical properties change in the process of oasisization

Oasisization is a process of converting a natural desert into a man-made oasis in order to satisfy social needs under certain economical and technical conditions. This paper substitutes space for time in order to study physical property changes of oasis soil along the oasisization in about a 1,000-year period. This research focuses on providing the bases for better understanding the process of oasisization. The results show: (1) In about 1,000-year chronological scale, the bulk density and the saturated soil hydraulic conductivity of the surface layer (0-20 cm) significantly reduced with the increase of land reclamation time, while soil porosity, stability of aggregates, and silt content significantly increased. The soil bulk density of the unreclaimed filed (0 year) and the reclaimed field (about 1,000 years) in the surface layer (0-20 cm) are 1.51 g/cm3 and 1.35 g/cm3, the total porosity are 43.16% and 49.27%, the capillary porosity are 38.73% and 47.10%, the water-stable aggregate (】0.25 mm) content are 24.60% and 49.59%, the sand content are 85.42% and 61.56%, the clay content are 3.93% and 4.80%, the specific surface area are 128 cm2/g and 231 cm2/g, and the saturated hydraulic conductivity are 0.74 cm/h and 0.34 cm/h, respectively. (2) In the first 30 years of the oasis reclamation, the changes are relatively fast, and the rates of the saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, dry aggregate (】0.25 mm), water-stable aggregate (】0.25 mm) content, and specific surface area are 0.01 cm/h·yr, 0.58%/yr, 0.50%/yr, and 1.48 cm2/g yr, respectively.

Ecological adaptation of Reaumuria soongorica root system architecture to arid environments

The architectural parameters of Reaumuria soongorica root system in different habitats of Gansu Province, China were analyzed to examine its ecological adaptability to arid environments. Results show that： （1） Topological indices of R. Soongorica root sys- tem are small in all habitats, and root branching pattem tends to be dichotomous. Also, the indices gradually increase in the Min- qin windblown sand region and the Zhangye Gobi region in Hexi Corridor, which indicates that drought tends to produce her- ringbone-like root branching pattems. （2） Fractal dimension values ofR. Soongorica root system are small and not obvious in the Minqin windblown sand region and the Zhangye Gobi region in Hexi Corridor, with values of 1.1778 and 1.1169, respectively. Fractal dimension values are relatively large in Jiuzhoutai semi-arid hilly and gully region of the Loess Plateau, which indicates that the R. Soongorica root system has better fractal characteristics in this region than in the other regions. （3） Total branching ra- tios of the R. Soongorica root system in arid regions of Hexi Corridor are smaller than that in the Jiuzhoutai semi-arid hilly and gully region of the Loess Plateau. This shows that root branching ability in the semi-arid region is stronger, and it decreases to some degree with increased drought. （4） The root connection lengths of R. soongorica root system are long in all habitats, but there are significant length differences between the different habitats. The root connection length at the Minqin windblown sand region is the longest. It is concluded that R. soongoriea adapts to arid environments by decreasing root branching, decreasing root overlap and increasing root connection length, which makes its root branching pattern tend to be herringbone-like to reduce com- petition in root internal environment for nutrients and to enhance root absorption rate of nutrients, and ensure effective nutrition space. Thus the roots can absorb enough water and nutrients in resource-poor settings to ensure normal physiological requirements.

昆虫病原真菌感染昆虫宿主的机制和宿主昆虫的防御策略研究进展

昆虫病原真菌是寄生于昆虫而引起昆虫死亡的一类真菌,具有高杀虫效力且对环境的影响较小,常被用作生物杀虫剂来控制害虫,具有重要的应用价值。本文对昆虫病原真菌的分类信息进行了归纳总结,系统阐述了真菌侵染宿主的过程以及在感染过程中对宿主行为的改变及孢子传播的机制。随后梳理了昆虫在面对感染时采取相应抵抗感染的策略,主要包括体壁防御和自身免疫系统的防御以及行为上避免真菌病原体。在此基础上讨论了真菌对昆虫的致病机制以及与昆虫的防御机制二者联系紧密的协同进化关系。最后我们对未来的研究方向进行了展望,强调应该依据传染病传播动力学的基本模型探究昆虫虫口密度与环境中的孢子浓度对传染病暴发的影响,研究真菌传播规律以指导田间应用。