Nitrogen Flow in the Rural Ecosystem of Mikasa City in Hokkaido, Japan

This study of Mikasa City in 2001, which analyzed N flow between N production and N load in seven agricultural and settlement subsystems, i.e., paddy, onion, wheat, vegetable, dairy, chicken, and citizen subsystems, aimed to compare N flow in each subsystem, to determine the main sources of the N load, and to evaluate the influence of agricultural production and food consumption on N cycling in a rural area. The results showed that in Mikasa city, 38.5% of the N load came from point sources and the remainder from non-point sources with intensive vegetable farming imparting a serious N load. Because of the internal N cycling in the dairy subsystem, chemical fertilizer application was reduced by 70.2%, and 23.72 Mg manure N was recycled to the field; therefore, the N utilization efficiency was raised from 18.1% to 35.1%. If all the manure N in the chicken subsystem was recycled, chemical fertilizer application would be reduced by 8.1% from the present level, and the point sources of N pollution would be reduced by 20.8%.

A preliminary study on the effects of line and selective thinning on bird communities in Hokkaido, northern Japan

In Japan, selective thinning is a common thinning method, though line thinning receives much attention because of its economic merits. In this study, we examined effects of the two thinning methods on bird communities in Todo fir （Abies sachalinensis） plantations in Hok- kaido, Japan. We surveyed bird species in forests under four different management types - unthinned, selectively thinned, line-thinned planta- tion, and naturally regenerated forest （here after referred to as natural forest） stands - using a line-transect method. We also investigated vege- tation structure （canopy tree and understory） of these stands. Bird species richness did not differ between natural forests and plantations, while bird total abundance was greater in plantations than in natural forests. Bird species richness and total abundance were comparable among the three management types for plantations. Abundances of 10 bird species were different among the four management types, and five species were more abundant in line-thinned plantations. However, two species were more abundant in selectively thinned stands than in line-thinned stands, and they frequently appeared in natural forests. There were no distinct differ- ences in vegetation structure among the management types for planta- tions. Our results suggest that line thinning could be beneficial for some bird species in plantations.

Regulation of the growth of sprouting roots of black locust seedlings using root barrier panels

How can we regulate an invasive alien species of high commercial value?Black locust(Robinia pseudoacacia L.)has a unique capacity for seed dispersal and high germination.Field surveys indicate that black locust increases its growing area with sprouting roots and the elongation of horizontal roots at a soil depth of 10 cm.Therefore,a method to regulate the development of horizontal roots could be eff ective in slowing the invasiveness of black locust.In this study,root barrier panels were tested to inhibit the growth of horizontal roots.Since it is labor intensive to observe the growth of roots in the fi eld,it was investigated in a nursery setting.The decrease in secondary fl ush,an increase in yellowed leafl ets,and the height in the seedlings were measured.Installing root barrier panels to a depth of 30 cm eff ectively inhibit the growth of horizontal roots of young black locust.

Nitrous oxide fluxes from upland soils in central Hokkaido,Japan

Nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes from soils were measured using the closed chamber method during the snow-free seasons (middle April to early November),for three years,in a total of 11 upland crop fields in central Hokkaido,Japan.The annual mean N2O fluxes ranged from 2.95 to 164.17 μgN/(m2·h),with the lowest observed in a grassland and the highest in an onion field.The instantaneous N2O fluxes showed a large temporal variation with peak emissions generally occurring following fertilization and heavy rainfall eve...

Soil Aggregation and Its Relationship with Organic Carbon of Purple Soils in the Sichuan Basin,China

The interaction of soil aggregate dynamics with soil organic carbon is complex with varied spatio-temporal processes in macro-and micro-aggregates. This paper is to determine the aggregation of soil aggregates in purple soils （Regosols in FAO Taxonomy or Entisols in USDA Taxonomy） for four types of land use, cropland [corn （Zea mays L.）], orchard （citrus）, forestland （bamboo or cypress）, and barren land （wild grass）, and to explore their relationship with soil organic carbon in the Sichuan basin of southwestern China. Procedures and methods, including manual dry sieving procedure, Yoder＇s wet sieving procedure, pyrophosphates solution method, and Kachisky method, are used to acquire dry, wet, and chemically stable aggregates, and microaggregates. Light and heavy fractions of soil organic carbon were separated using 2.0 g·mL^-1 HgI2-KI mixed solution. The loosely, stably, and tightly combined organic carbon in heavy fraction were separated by extraction with 0.1 M NaOH and 0.1 M NaOH-0.1M Na4P2O7 mixed solution （pH 13）. The results show that the contents of dry and wet macroaggregates 〉0.25 mm in diameter were 974.1 and 900.0 g·kg^-1 highest in red brown purple soils under forestland, while 889.6 and 350.6 g·kg^-1 lowest in dark purple soil and lowest in grey brown purple soils under cropland, respectively. The chemical stability of macroaggregates was lowest in grey brown purple soil with 8.47% under cropland, and highest in red brown purple soil with 69.34% under barren land. The content of microaggregates in dark purple soils was 587g·kg^-1 higher than brown purple soils, while 655g·kg^-1 in red brown purple soils was similar to grey brown purple soils （651g·kg^-1）. Cropland conditions, only 38.4% of organic carbon was of the combined form, and 61.6% of that existed in light fraction. Forestland conditions, 90.7% of organic carbon in red brown purple soil was complexed with minerals as a form of humic substances. The contents and stability of wet aggregates 〉 0.25 mm, contents and stability of chemically stable aggregates 〉0.25 mm, contents of microaggregates 〉 0.01 mm, contents of aggregated primary particle （d〈0.01 mm） and degree of primary particles （d 〈0.01 mm） aggregation were closely related to the concentrations of total soil organic carbon, and loosely and tightly combined organic carbon in heavy fraction. Soil microaggregation could be associated with organic carbon concentration and its combined forms in heavy fraction. There was a direct relationship between microaggregation and macroaggregation of soil primary particles, because the contents of wet aggregates 〉 0.25 mm and its water stability of aggregates were highly correlated with the contents of aggregated primary particle （d 〈 0.01 mm） and the degree of primary particles （d 〈 0.01 mm） aggregation.

Modeling the biomass of energy crops：Descriptions, strengths and prospective

The assessment of the biomass of energy crops has garnered widespread interest since renewable bioenergy may become a substantial proportion of the future energy supply, and modeling has been widely used for the simulation of energy crops yields. A literature survey revealed that 23 models have been developed or adapted for simulating the biomass of energy crops, including Miscanthus, switchgrass, maize, poplar, willow, sugarcane, and Eucalyptus camaldulensis. Three categories（radiation model, water-controlled crop model, and integrated model with biochemical and photosynthesis and respiration approaches） were addressed for the selected models according to different principles or approaches used to simulate biomass production processes. EPIC, ALMANAC, APSIM, ISAM, MISCANMOD, MISCANFOR, SILVA, DAYCENT, APEX and SWAT are radiation models based on a radiation use efficiency approach（RUE） with few empirical and statistical parameters. The Aqua Crop model is a typical water-crop model that emphasizes crop water use, the expression of canopy cover, and the separation of evapotranspiration to soil evaporation and plant transpiration to drive crop growth. CANEGRO, 3PG, Crop Syst and DSSAT are integrated models that use photosynthesis and respiration approaches. SECRETS, LPJm L, Agro-BGC, Agro-IBIS, and WIMOVAC/Bio Cro, DNDC, DRAINMOD-GRASS, and Ag TEM are integrated models that use biochemical approaches. Integrated models are mainly mechanistic models or combined with functional models, which are dynamic with spatial and temporal patterns but with complex parameters and large amounts of input data. Energy crop models combined with process-based models, such as EPIC in SWAT and CANEGRO in DSSAT, provide good examples that consider the biophysical, socioeconomic, and environmental responses and address the sustainability and socioeconomic goals for energy crops. The use of models for energy crop productivity is increasing rapidly and encouraging; however, relevant databases, such as climate, land use/land cover, soil, topography, and management databases, arescarce. Model structure and design assumptions, as well as input parameters and observed data, remain a challenge for model development and validation. Thus, a comprehensive framework, which includes a high-quality field database and an uncertainty evaluation system, needs to be established for modeling the biomass of energy crops.

Characteristics of Agricultural Development on the Sanjiang Plain： Case Study of Irrigation and Drainage Development of State Farm

The Sanjiang Plain, formed with confluence of the Amur River, Ussuri River and Songhua River, is one of the three major stretches of wetland in the world. The large-scale agricultural development on the Sanjiang Plain started at the end of the 40s of the 20th century. The low-lying terrain and frequent floods caused a lot of difficulties to the agricultural development in the area. Water conservancy program has always been the kernel in agricultural development on the Sanjiang Plain in its history. The entities involved in its development project from different levels, including the state, state farms and farmers. Thus far, we have used the findings of their analysis of the paddy field development process at one state farm to take a microscopic approach to shed light on the development of paddy fields by farms and farmers and their roles in subsequent rice production. Because paddy field management on the Sanjiang Plain is very broad, but its rice producing techniques and economic structure have a certain definite form, the microscopic approach to understanding the paddy field development process and rice fanning management structure on the level of farmers could be considered a success. This paper is intended to elucidate from a macroscopic perspective the characteristics of the rapid development of irrigation and drainage systems and paddy fields on the Sanjiang Plain. Sanjiang Plain is a flood plain, and so major infrastructure development was required, thereby necessitating this national project for flood control. As politics and an economic integrated body, state farms also contributed to the promotion of agricultural development. As principals for the development, the state and state farms are taken by this paper as the main objects of our analysis.

Impact of MgCl₂Modified Biochar on Phosphorus and Nitrogen Fractions in Coastal Saline Soil

Biochar application is claimed to improve nutrient availability in many problem soils;however, pristine biochars are often reported to produce inconsistent results. Therefore, appropriate biochar modification techniques are required to retain soil nutrients at an optimum level. To increase Nitrogen (N) and Phosphorus (P) availability in coastal saline soil, two slow pyrolyzed biochars viz domestic organic waste (DWB) and farmyard manure (FMB) were modified with MgCl2. Ten different treatments comprising the biochars (pristine and modified) with and without the recommended fertilizer were applied (2% w/w) to the soil and incubated for ninety days. The soils were analyzed for pH, EC, available , and different phosphorus fractions sequentially extracted by NH4Cl, NaHCO3, NaOH, and HCl. During the incubation period, biochar treatments increased all phosphorus and nitrogen fractions than the control and recommended fertilizer treatment. The application of FMB significantly (p < 0.05) increased NH4Cl, NaHCO3, and NaOH extractable P fractions from DWB, while HCl soluble fraction was enhanced (p > 0.05) by DWB. The increased Al and/or Fe bound phosphate after 60 days of incubation had significant correlations to decreasing soil pH and NaHCO3-P, indicating reduced availability with time. Further Mg modification slightly increased P availability only after 60 days of incubation. The modification also improved both nitrogen fractions but significantly (p < 0.05) increased the NO3-N content which could be the result of electrostatic attraction between Mg2+ and ions. Overall, Mg-modified biochar may retain both phosphates and nitrates in soil. However, the magnitude of retention will vary depending on biochar type, nutrient species, and aging in soil.

Isolation and Expression Profiling of a CONSTANS-Like Gene and Two FLOWERING LOCUS T-Like Genes from Spinacia oleracea L.

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) develops leaf rosettes under short-day conditions, and starts reproductive growth including bolting and flowering under long-day conditions. Japanese people prefer Oriental spinach that bolts easily with a shorter photoperiod than European spinach. This is one of the main reasons that Oriental spinach is difficult to grow year-round. In order to understand spinach flowering mechanisms and obtain knowledge for spinach breeding, we isolated one CONSTANS-like (COL) and two FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) homologs, which are key components of photoperiodic regulation of flowering time, from a Japanese cultivar. The expression of SoCOL1 showed diurnal rhythm with the highest expression at the end of the dark cycle. This diurnal rhythm is similar to the expression of BvCOL1 from sugar beet (Beta vulgaris), whose flower-promoting effect was observed when overexpressed in Arabidopsis. Phylogenetic analysis showed that SoCOL1 is the closest homolog of BvCOL1, suggesting that SoCOL1 is an ortholog of BvCOL1. SoFT1 and SoFT2 are closely related to BvFT1 and BvFT2, respectively. The expression of SoFT1 and SoFT2 were induced in advance of flower bud formation after changing the photoperiod, but the expression level of SoFT1 was much lower than SoFT2. Currently, we are speculating that SoFT2 is a flower-promoting factor of spinach, and that SoFT1 has a role in light signaling because the expression of SoFT1 showed a diurnal rhythm.

Quantitative Determination of Click Reaction in the Presence of Glycine Derivatives and in Dilute Solution

The click reaction is one of the latest techniques for the functional analysis of bioactive compounds and the analysis makes novel concepts and strategies for medicinal chemistry. N-methylated glycine derivatives have inhibitory activity for the click reaction in direct Cu(I) system because of decrease of Cu(I) concentration. The Cu(I) concentration recovered effectively by sodium ascorbate. Quantitative determination of click reaction at various ligand concentrations revealed that the decrease in reaction yields was observed in a substrate concentration-dependent manner.

Polyvinylalcohol Stabilizes Anthocyanins of Red Wine in the Solid Phase but Not in the Aqueous Phase

Monomeric anthocyanins exhibit color variations at different pH, but they are highly unstable at physiological pH. To improve the stability, the effects of polyvinylalcohol on the anthocyanins of young red wine prepared from Cambell Early grapes were examined in aqueous solution and in the solid phase on a cotton swab? and inert materials. Cyanidin-3-glucoside and mal-vidin-3-glucoside represented approximately 43.6% of total anthocyanins in the red wine. The anthocyanins decreased to 11.3% of the initial amount in aqueous solution at physiological pH after storage for 60 days at room temperature. On the other hand, from 66.9% to 87.2% remained in the solid phase on a cotton swab? and polypropylene membrane in the presence of polyvinylalcohol. The stability of the anthocyanins increased with the concentration of polyvinyl-alcohol in the solid phase but not in the aqueous solution. The anthocyanins were found to be condensed and immobilized in the complexes of anthocyanins and polyvinylalcohol on the poly-propylene membrane by phase-contrast microscopy analysis. The anthocyanins in the cotton swab? displayed color variations when dipped into different pH buffer solutions. These results suggest that anthocyanins from red wine stabilized in the solid phase by polyvinylalcohol can be used as a visual indicator of pH.

Effects of puddling on percolation and rice yields in rainfed lowland paddy cultivation: Case study in Khammouane province, central Laos

We investigated the effects of puddling on percolation and rice yields in rainfed lowland paddy cultivation. We selected a study village in Khammouane province, central Laos, and set up non-puddling and puddling plots from high to low positions. Even when puddling was conducted carefully, the ponding water in the plots disappeared in the case of little rainfall. Further, percolatifons during the later periods of rice growth increased drastically. Therefore, it is difficult to overcome drought stresses only by conducting puddling. We also compared the water conditions in the non-puddling and puddling plots. In the puddling plots at high position and low position along a stream, the number of days without ponding water in the puddling plots was less than that in the non-puddling field in July, suggesting the possibility of a different transplanting date. We tried to estimate the effects of transplanting date on the rice yields and found that transplanting 15 days earlier leads to an increase of 0.5 t/ha in the rice yields. Moreover, the profits from the increased yields exceed the puddling costs considerably, leading to a definite increase in income. Because the transplanting date has no effects in the fields with high ground water, puddling is effective in paddy fields where ponding does not occur to a significant degree.

Precocious In-Vitro Flowering of Perennial Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) Regenerants with a Chemical Inducer

A precocious flowering system of regenerants in asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) was achieved by treatment with a chemical inducer. Somatic embryos withered completely by being processed for 8 - 12 days with 200 μM n-propyl N-(3,4-dichloro-phenyl)carbamate that had been dissolved in distilled water. In contrast, precocious flowering occurred at an extremely low rate (3.4%) when somatic embryos were processed in carbamate dissolved in Murashige and Skoog’s liquid medium. To encapsulate the female and male embryos, we surveyed the optimum conditions of viscosity and concentration of sodium alginate for encapsulating the seeds, and we screened the values of 80 - 120 cps and 2% - 3%, respectively. The synthetic seeds produced also withered when they were processed with the carbamate dissolved in distilled water. However, when Murashige and Skoog’s liquid medium was used for the solvent, the flowering frequency of the synthetic seeds was enhanced (13.3%). Based on our morphological and histological observations, female and male regenerants that were processed with the carbamate solution produced individual flower organs. The conversion of sex expression did not occur. A precocious flowering system would allow a significant reduction in the time required for perennial seedlings to flower and can, therefore, save time required for further experiments that employ floral homeotic mutants.

Spatial Distribution of CO2 Concentration over South America during ENSO Episodes by Using GOSAT Data

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the most important greenhouse gases;its concentration and distribution have important implications on climate change. The El Ni?o Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the Earth’s strongest climate fluctuation on inter-annual time scales and has global impacts. However, to date, there is no research on how ENSO affects the spatial distribution of CO2 concentration. In this study, we used spatial CO2 data from the ENVIronmentSATellite (ENVISAT) and the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT), the long duration monthly mean atmospheric CO2 from Mauna Loa Observatory, Multivariate ENSO Index (MEI) from Earth System Research Laboratory to analyze the way that ENSO affects spatial distribution of CO2 concentration in South America, which is affected by ENSO seriously. Our research revealed that monthly CO2 growth rate has a moderate, positive correlation relationship with MEI. We used geostatistics to predict and simulate the spatial distribution of CO2 and found that in south of 12°S, CO2 concentration of ENSO warm episode is lower than the one of ENSO cold and neutral episodes. ENSO impacts CO2 spatial distribution mainly in November, December, January and February;moderate-high concentration zone of ENSO warm episode more concentrates in the northern part of South America.

Genetic Diversity and Structure in Japanese Populations of the Osprey (<i>Pandion haliaetus</i>), Based on mtDNA

Osprey is a type of bird of prey that lives almost all over the world. In Japan, it is designated as a near-threatened species because it has less than 1000 individuals. In recent years, it inhabits more inland than in coastal areas. In this study, we conducted a population genetic analysis focusing on what kind of genetic structure Japanese Osprey retains and whether there are differences between coastal and inland populations. We also performed genetic diversity assessments. We sequenced about 2.3 kb of mtDNA for 27 individuals in Japan, and phylogenetic analysis, network analysis, neutrality test and mismatch distribution analysis were performed. Eighteen haplotypes were detected in 27 individuals, indicating that genetic diversity was sufficiently high. Both unique and common haplotypes were detected between inland and coastal populations, suggesting gene flow between the two populations. Phylogenetic analysis results show no genetic differentiation in the Japanese Osprey population. From the results of network analysis, neutrality test and mismatch distribution analysis, it was inferred that the Japanese Osprey had a population expansion in the past. This study indicated that the dispersion of Japanese Osprey was random and there were no restrictions on the breeding area. The information presented here can be used towards implementing future conservation actions.

葛枣猕猴桃组织培养中的器官形成与植株再生

以葛枣猕猴桃(Actinidiapolygama)的叶柄为外植体,通过愈伤组织的形成产生不定芽从而建立了高效的再生系统。在附加蔗糖(30g/L),琼脂(8g/L)和植物生长调节物质IBA(0、0.01、1、10μmol/L)与CPPU(0、0.1、1μmol/L)的全组合培养基中,IBA和CPPU对愈伤组织的形成有促进作用。不定芽从叶柄形成的愈伤组织表层分化出来,CPPU对不定芽的分化有良好的促进效果,而高浓度的IBA对不定芽的分化有抑制作用。将分化的枝芽转移至含有1μmol/LNAA的BW培养基上,40d后发根率为100%,并长成健康植株。

Ozone disrupts the communication between plants and insects in urban and suburban areas:an updated insight on plant volatiles

Plant-insect interactions are basic components of biodiversity conservation.To attain the international Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs),the interactions in urban and in suburban systems should be better understood to maintain the health of green infrastructure.The role of ground-level ozone(0_(3)) as an environmental stress disrupting interaction webs is presented.Ozone mixing ratios in suburbs are usually higher than in the center of cities and may reduce photosynthetic productivity at a relatively higher degree.Consequently,carbon-based defense capacities of plants may be suppressed by elevated 0_(3) more in the suburbs.However,contrary to this expectation,grazing damages by leaf beetles have been severe in some urban centers in comparison with the suburbs.To explain differences in grazing damages between urban areas and suburbs,the disruption of atmospheric communication signals by elevated 0_(3) via changes in plant-regulated biogenic volatile organic compounds and long-chain fatty acids are considered.The ecological roles of plant volatiles and the effects of 0_(3) from both a chemical and a biological perspective are presented.Ozone-disrupted plant volatiles should be considered to explain herbivory phenomena in urban and suburban systems.

Findings through the AsiaFlux network and a view toward the future

The preliminary results of long-term CO_(2)flux measurements at forest sites in East Asia are explained and compared with each other.The features of seasonal variation of CO_(2)fluxes are different among deciduous-broadleaf,evergreen-coniferous,deciduous-coniferous and tropical forests in East Asia,and the causes of difference are discussed.The integrated yearly NEP(net ecosystem production)estimated from the CO_(2)flux by eddy covariance method in various forests of East Asia has a notable difference in the range of 2 to 8 tC ha^(-1)yr^(-1).The main factors of this difference are the annual mean temperature and tree species.Furthermore,the remaining issues are discussed,such as the quantitative estimation of the CO_(2)flux by the eddy covariance method and the synthetic analysis of the carbon budget under collaborations with biological survey.

Chemometric Amylose Modeling and Sample Selection for Global Calibration Using Artificial Neural Networks

Chemometric amylose modeling for global calibration,using whole grain near infrared transmittance spectra and sample selection,was used in an artificial neural network(ANN) ,to assess the global and local models generated,based on samples of newly bred Indica,Japonica and rice. Global sample sets had a wide range of sample variation for amylose content(0 to 25.9%) . The local sample set,Japonica sample,had relatively low amylose content and a narrow sample variation(amylose;12.3% to 21.0%) . For sample selection the CENTER algorithm was applied to generate calibration,validation and stop sample sets. Spectral preprocessing was found to reduce the optimum number of partial least squares(PLS) components for amylose content and thus enhance the robustness of the local calibration. The best model was found to be an ANN global calibration with spectral preprocessing;the next was a PLS global calibration using standard spectra. These results pose the question whether an ANN algorithm with spectral preprocessing could be developed for global and local calibration models or whether PLS without spectral preprocessing should be developed for global calibration models. We suggest that global calibration models incorporating an ANN may be used as a universal calibration model.

Gene Tagging by Activating DNA Transposon nDart in Indica Rice

As International Rice Genome sequencing Project (2005) demonstrated, the rice genome contains various transposons and about 13% of the genome is occupied by DNA transposons. So far, only a few DNA