Effects of deep vertical rotary tillage on the grain yield and resource use efficiency of winter wheat in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain of China

Tillage represents an important practice that is used to dynamically regulate soil properties,and affects the grain production process and resource use efficiency of crops.The objectives of this 3-year field study carried out in the Huang-Huai-Hai(HHH) Plain of China were to compare the effects of a new deep vertical rotary tillage (DVRT) with the conventional shallow rotary tillage (CT) on soil properties,winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grain yield and water and nitrogen use efficiency at different productivity levels,and to identify a comprehensive management that optimizes both grain yield and resource use efficiency in the HHH Plain.A split-plot design was adopted in field experiments in the winter wheat growing seasons of 2016–2017 (S1),2017–2018 (S2) and 2018–2019 (S3),with DVRT (conducted once in June 2016) and CT performed in the main plots.Subplots were treated with one of four targeted productivity level treatments (SH,the super high productivity level;HH,the high productivity and high efficiency productivity level;FP,the farmer productivity level;ISP,the inherent soil productivity level).The results showed that the soil bulk density was reduced and the soil water content at the anthesis stage was increased in all three years,which were due to the significant effects of DVRT.Compared with CT,grain yields,partial factor productivity of nitrogen (PFP_(N)),and water use efficiency (WUE) under DVRT were increased by 22.0,14.5 and 19.0%.Path analysis and direct correlation decomposition uncovered that grain yield variation of winter wheat was mostly contributed by the spike numbers per area under different tillage modes.General line model analysis revealed that tillage mode played a significant role on grain yield,PFP_(N) and WUE not only as a single factor,but also along with other factors(year and productivity level) in interaction manners.In addition,PFP_(N) and WUE were the highest in HH under DVRT in all three growth seasons.These results provided a theoretical basis and technical support for coordinating the high yield with high resource use efficiency of winter wheat in the resource-restricted region in the HHH Plain of China.

Optimization of water and nitrogen management for surge-root irrigated apple trees in the Loess Plateau of China

The Loess Plateau is one of the main regions for growing apple trees in China, but a shortage of water resources and low utilization of nitrogen have restricted its agricultural development. A 2-year field experiment was conducted which included three levels of soil water content(SWC), 90–75%, 75–60%, and 60–45% of field capacity, and five levels of nitrogen application(N(app)), 0.7, 0.6, 0.5, 0.4 and 0.3 kg/plant. The treatments were arranged in a strip-plot design with complete randomized blocks with three replications. For both years, the water and N(app) had significant(P<0.05) effects on leaf area index(LAI), yield, water use efficiency(WUE) and nitrogen partial factor productivity(NPFP) while the interaction effect of water and N(app) on yield, WUE and NPFP was significant(P<0.05) in 2018, and not in 2017. For the same SWC level, WUE first increased, then decreased as N(app) increased, while NPFP tended to decrease, but the trend of LAI with different N(app) was closely related to SWC. At the same N(app), the LAI increased as SWC increased, while the WUE and NPFP first increased, then decreased, but the yield showed different trends as the SWC increased. The dualistic and quadric regression equations of water and N(app) indicate that the yield, WUE and NPFP cannot reach the maximum at the same time. Considering the coupling effects of water and N(app) on yield, WUE and NPFP in 2017 and 2018, the SWC level shall be controlled in 75–60% of field capacity and the N(app) is 0.45 kg/plant, which can be as the suitable strategy of water and N(app) management for the maximum comprehensive benefits of yield, WUE and NPFP for apple trees in the Loess Plateau and other regions with similar environments.

Exploring the Forest Cover Changes and Influential Factors of Dongsithouane National Production Forest Area, Savannakhet Province, Lao PDR

The Dongsithouane National Production Forest (DNPF) is one of the largest natural forest areas in Savannakhet, Lao PDR, which has been a vital support for the local community’s livelihood, Recently, significant changes in land use and land cover (LULC) have been observed in this area, leading to a reduction of natural forests. There were two separate methods of this study: firstly, to identify LULC changes across three different periods, spectral imagery from the Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) for the years 2001 and 2011, and the Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) for 2021 were used as the primary data sources. The satellite images were preprocessed for various forest classes, including pretreatment of the top of atmosphere reflectance by using QGIS software’s semi-automatic classification plug-in (SCP), and ArcGIS was used for post-classification. A supervised classification approach was applied to the satellite images from 2001, 2011, and 2021 to generate diverse maps of LULC. Secondly, a household survey dataset was used to investigate influential factors. Approximately 220 households were interviewed in order to collect socio-economic information (including data on population growth, increased business activities, location of the area, agriculture land expansion, and need for settlement land). Household survey data was analyzed by using SPSS. Descriptive statistics, including frequency distributions and percentages, were applied to observe characteristics. Additionally, a binary logistic regression model was used to analyze the socioeconomic factors related to LULC change in DNPF. Key findings indicated a decline in natural forest areas within the study site. Specifically, both dry dipterocarp forest (−11.35%) and mixed deciduous forest (−0.18%) decreased from 2001 to 2021. The overall accuracy of the LULC maps was 94%, 86%, and 89% for the years 2001, 2011, and 2021 respectively. In contrast, agricultural land increased significantly by 155.70%, while built-up land, and water bodies increased by 65.54% and 35.33%, respectively. The results also highlighted a significant increase in construction land, up to 65.54%. Furthermore, the study found a correlation between agricultural expansion and a reduction of forest areas, along with an increase in built-up land along the forest areas’ boundaries. Timber exploitation and charcoal production also contributed to the decline in forest cover. The logistic regression model identified significant determinants of LULC change, including the area’s location, agricultural land expansion, increased business activity, and the need for settlement land. These factors have influenced the management of DNPF. Urgent sustainable management practices and actions, including forest ecosystem protection, village agricultural zoning, water source and watershed protection and public awareness, are required to preserve the forest areas of DNPF.

Total Factor Productivity in China's Manufacturing Sector in the Aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis

This paper improves the estimation of firm-level total factor productivity(TFP)by considering energy use and including small-and medium-sized enterprises using data from the Chinese National Tax Survey Database(2008-2011).It analyzes the production efficiency of Chinese manufacturing firms using the improved TFP data and finds that(i)the TFP data frequently used in previous studies overestimated firms'real production efficiency;(i)the TFP of manufacturing firms decreased from 2008 to 2011 due to declines in both technical efficiency and allocation efficiency,(ii)the lower capacity utilization of production factors led to lower technical efficiency;and(iv)allocation efficiency decreased more in provinces and industries with higher shares of state-owned enterprises.The findings have policy implications for enhancing growth potential in the long run.

Varied previous crops on improving oilseed flax productivity in semiarid Loess Plateau in China

To investigate the effects of crop rotation on oilseed flax growth and yield,three season experiments were carried out in semi-arid area of Dingxi,Gansu from 2017 to 2019.The designed 6 rotational systems were FFF(flax-flaxflax),PFF(potato-flax-flax),WPF(wheat-potato-flax),FPF(flax-potato-flax),PWF(potato-wheat-flax)and FWF(flax-wheat-flax).Flax growth and yield investigation results showed that crop rotation increased leaf area duration,dry matter accumulation,seed nitrogen accumulation,water and nitrogen used efficiency,compared with continuous cropping of flax.Flaxseed yields in rotation systems were 22.23%–44.11%greater than those of continuous cropping system.Those in wheat and potato stubbles had higher tiller number(21.43%and 29.46%),more branches(14.24%and 6.97%),effective capsules(26.35%and 28.79%),higher water use efficiency(40.26%and 33.5%),higher nitrogen partial factor productivity(33.85%and 31.46%)and dry matter(41.98%and 25.47%)than those in oilseed flax stubble.It concluded that crop rotation system was an effective measure for oilseed flax productivity in semi-arid area by improving yield components and promoting biomass.

关于“生产要素按贡献参与分配”的几个问题

生产要素按贡献参与分配,是经济学领域中的一个新课题,它与马克思的劳动价值论并不相悖。在实践上,它与我国当前的多种所有制形式和市场经济相适应,是由非劳动生产要素在社会生产中不可替代的作用决定的,也是发展社会生产力,提高国际竞争力的需要。生产要素按贡献参与分配时,应坚持效率优先、兼顾公平,正确处理反对平均主义与防止收入悬殊的关系;正确处理个人分配中提倡奉献精神与落实分配政策之间的关系,从而完善社会主义初级阶段的分配制度。

论合作社资本报酬上限的立法设置

迄今为止,中外合作社“资本报酬有限原则”立法的通行模式,是给资本报酬设置一个“数值”上限,但该模式的突出弊端是不利于合作社融资。从应然角度看,由于合作社资本的基本角色是充当合作社生产要素,合作社资本报酬在性质上属于合作社使用这种“生产要素”需要付出的“市场对价”,因此,合作社资本报酬的水平在任何情况下都不可能突破“生产要素使用对价”。这就为立法按“生产要素使用对价”设置资本报酬上限提供了内在根据。进一步看,立法按“生产要素使用对价”设置上限同样可以贯彻“资本报酬有限原则”,方便合作社支付市场化报酬以吸引投资,且一个合作社支付的资本报酬是否高于“生产要素使用对价”也存在有评判的客观标准。基于此,我国合作社“资本报酬有限”原则立法应当以“生产要素使用对价”上限模式取代“数值”上限模式,即限制合作社资本报酬的数额超出合作社使用资本这种“生产要素”需要付出的“市场对价”。

完善生产要素按贡献参与分配的哲学反思——兼谈初次分配中兼顾效率与公平的历史内涵

社会主义市场经济体制改革的不断深入,意味着可以合法支配生产要素的资本力量而非政府行政力量将在财富生产以及与这一生产结构相匹配的初次分配中占据主导地位。而由此出现在财富初次分配领域的贫富差距问题,则又促使我们在对市场经济背景下各生产要素的历史属性进行归类后,进一步反思各生产要素如何按贡献参与分配的原则。具体来说就是技术、管理等生产要素若用复杂劳动来加以衡量,其收益是可以纳入按劳动要素分配范畴的;但劳动内涵再丰富、外延再扩大,也不能将资本纳入其中。因此必须在考察如何完善劳动要素按贡献参与分配的基本原则外,单独考察资本要素按贡献参与分配的基本原则,以此来回应中国特色社会主义初次分配中必须兼顾效率与公平的应有内涵。