N2-fixation and residual N effect of four legume species and four companion grass species

Inclusion of forage legumes in low-input forage mixtures improves herbage production and soil fertility through addition of nitrogen (N) from N2-fixation. The impact of different grass-legume mixtures on the N contribution of the forage mixture has rarely been investigated under comparable soil and climatic conditions. We conducted a field experiment on a sandy soil at two nitrogen levels with seven two-species forage mixtures: alfalfa, bird’s-foot trefoil, red clover, or white clover in mixture with perennial ryegrass, and white clover in mixture with meadow fescue, timothy, or hybrid ryegrass. We found high N2-fixation of more than 300 kg N ha-1 from both red clover and alfalfa even when the two mixtures received 300 kg total-N ha-1 in cattle slurry. The addition of cattle slurry N fertilizer lowered N2-fixation for white clover and red clover as expected, but for bird’s-foot trefoil and alfalfa no changes in the proportion of N derived from N2-fixation was observed. We conclude that the competition for available soil N from perennial ryegrass in mixture was an important factor for the proportion of N in alfalfa, white clover, and bird’s-foot trefoil obtained from N2-fixation. White clover had a high proportion of N derived from atmosphere for all companion grasses despite significant differences in white clover proportion. Although the perennial ryegrass-alfalfa mixture in the grass phase yielded more than twice the N from N2-fixation compared to white clover in the perennial ryegrass mixture, this did not in the following year lead to higher residual N effects of alfalfa. Both in terms of N yield in the grass phase and N yield in the subsequent spring barley red clover contributed most to the improvement of soil N fertility

Genetic, physiological and anatomical analyses of a wilty mutant in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill, cv Large Plum)

Large Plum\u27, a tomato cultivar carrying a wilty mutation (LP-wilty), was characterized genetically, physiologically, and anatomically. Inheritance, complementation, and mapping studies of LP-wilty were performed. The mutation was found to be inherited as a single dominant gene, distinct from other wilty alleles, and was mapped to the long arm of chromosome six. Measurements were taken of stomatal conductance, root conductance, shoot water potential, and leaf water potential for \u27Large Plum\u27 and normal plants. Results suggest that both stomatal conductance and root conductance rates are reduced in the wilty mutants. In addition, shoot and leaf water potentials are more negative in \u27Large Plum\u27 than in normal plants, indicating greater water deficit stress. All of these physiological tendencies are inherited in wilty F\sb1 plants derived from crosses between \u27Large Plum\u27 and \u27Nova\u27, a normal cultivar. Anatomical comparisons were made between \u27Large Plum\u27 and \u27Nova\u27. \u27Large Plum\u27 was found to have a reduced leaf hair density, abnormal root hairs, reduced leaf thickness, and altered relative volumes of cell types and air space within the leaf. All of these physical features were associated with wilting in F\sb1 and/or F\sb2 generations from crosses between \u27Large Plum\u27 and \u27Nova\u27

Forage herbs improve mineral composition of grassland herbage

Provision of an adequate mineral supply in the diets of ruminants fed mainly on grassland herbage can present a challenge if mineral concentrations are suboptimal for animal nutrition. Forage herbs may be included in grassland seed mixtures to improve herbage mineral content, although there is limited information about mineral concentrations in forage herbs. To determine whether herbs have greater macro- and micromineral concentrations than forage legumes and grasses, we conducted a 2-year experiment on a loamy-sand site in Denmark sown with a multi-species mixture comprised of three functional groups (grasses, legumes and herbs). Herb species included chicory (Cichorium intybus L.), plantain (Plantago lanceolata L.), caraway (Carum carvi L.) and salad burnet (Sanguisorba minor L.). We also investigated the effect of slurry application on the macro- and micromineral concentration of grasses, legumes and herbs. In general, herbs had greater concentrations of the macrominerals P, Mg, K and S and the microminerals Zn and B than grasses and legumes. Slurry application indirectly decreased Ca, S, Cu and B concentrations of total herbage because of an increase in the proportion of mineral-poor grasses. Our study indicates that including herbs in forage mixtures is an effective way of increasing mineral concentrations in herbage

Evidence for Widespread AGN Activity among Massive Quiescent Galaxies at z ~ 2

We quantify the presence of Active Galactic nuclei (AGN) in a mass-complete (M_* >5e10 M_sun) sample of 123 star-forming and quiescent galaxies at 1.5 < z < 2.5, using X-ray data from the 4 Ms Chandra Deep Field-South (CDF-S) survey. 41+/-7% of the galaxies are detected directly in X-rays, 22+/-5% with rest-frame 0.5-8 keV luminosities consistent with hosting luminous AGN (L_0.5-8keV > 3e42 ergs/s). The latter fraction is similar for star-forming and quiescent galaxies, and does not depend on galaxy stellar mass, suggesting that perhaps luminous AGN are triggered by external effects such as mergers. We detect significant mean X-ray signals in stacked images for both the individually non-detected star-forming and quiescent galaxies, with spectra consistent with star formation only and/or a low luminosity AGN in both cases. Comparing star formation rates inferred from the 2-10 keV luminosities to those from rest-frame IR+UV emission, we find evidence for an X-ray excess indicative of low-luminosity AGN. Among the quiescent galaxies, the excess suggests that as many as 70-100% of these contain low- or high-luminosity AGN, while the corresponding fraction is lower among star-forming galaxies (43-65%). The ubiquitous presence of AGN in massive, quiescent z ~ 2 galaxies that we find provides observational support for the importance of AGN in impeding star formation during galaxy evolution.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, 3 tables; Accepted for publication in ApJ. Minor editing changes and a few references added. Matches published versio

Lithostratigraphy of the Upper Oligocene - Miocene succession of Denmark

This paper presents a revised lithostratigraphic scheme for the uppermost Upper Oligocene – Miocene succession of Denmark. The marine Oligocene Brejning Clay Member is upgraded to formation status and includes the Sydklint Member and the Øksenrade Member (new). The shallow marine and deltaic deposits of mainly Early Miocene age are included in the Ribe Group (new) while the fully marine Middle and Upper Miocene clay-rich deposits are referred to the Måde Group (new). The Ribe Group is subdivided into 6 formations: the Vejle Fjord Formation is revised and includes the Skansebakke Member,the Billund Formation (new) includes the Addit and Hvidbjerg Members (new), the Klintinghoved Formation is redefined formally and includes the Koldingfjord Member (new), the Bastrup Formation(new) includes the Resen Member (new), the Vandel Member is a new member in the Arnum Formation (revised), the Odderup Formation is redefined and includes the Stauning Member (new) and the coalbearing Fasterholt Member. The Måde Group is subdivided into the Hodde, Ørnhøj (new), Gram and Marbæk (new) Formations. Subdivision of the Upper Oligocene – Miocene succession into two groups, the Ribe and Måde Groups, is compatible with the North Sea lithostratigraphic framework where they correlate with the upper part of the Hordaland Group and the Nordland Group, respectively. The revised lithostratigraphic framework correlated in three dimensions provides rigorous constraints on the palaeogeographic interpretation of the Late Oligocene – Miocene period. Three major deltaic units (Billund, Bastrup and Odderup Formations) prograded from the north and north-east into the North Sea Basin during the Early – early Middle Miocene. Delta progradation was punctuated by deposition of marine clay and silt associated with minor transgressive events (Vejle Fjord, Klintinghoved and Arnum Formations). During the Middle–Late Miocene, marine depositional conditions dominated (Hodde, Ørnhøj and Gram Formations). A fourth and final progadational event (Marbæk Formation) commenced in the latest Tortonian heralding the emergence of present-day Denmark (including the North Sea sector)

The Billund delta: a possible new giant aquifer in central and western Jutland

The search for new, deep-seated drinking water resources in Denmark has increased significantly during the past five years as a result of the discovery of excessive amounts of nitrate, pesticides and other pollutants in shallow groundwater boreholes (e.g. Nygaard et al. 2004, this volume). To find and map these aquifers, a multidisciplinary sequence stratigraphic approach has successfully been applied to the Miocene deposits of southern Jutland, where especially the Odderup and Ribe Formations are known as a main aquifer for drinking water from several test wells (Rasmussen et al. 2002). Recently, a more systematic study of the Miocene succession in central and western Jutland has been initiated by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) under contract with local authorities. It includes detailed sedimentological descriptions of outcrops, sedimentological and log-interpretations of new stratigraphic boreholes and interpretation of new high-resolution seismic data (Fig. 1). A number of outcrops and wells have been studied palynologically, resulting in a detailed dinoflagellate cyst stratigraphy and in palynofacies interpretations. The results of these studies have been integrated in the regional geological and stratigraphic model (Fig. 2). Two new aquifers have been discovered: the Bastrup sand and the Billund sand. The Bastrup sand has already been exploited as a main aquifer in central and southern Jutland, and has been referred to either the Ribe or Odderup Formations. However, new stratigraphic results reveal that the Bastrup sand is a separate unit in the Miocene succession. The Billund sand is a deep-seated aquifer located more than 100 m and often more than 150 m deep, and is therefore not penetrated by standard water supply wells which rarely reach c. 100 m. The Billund sand was first revealed by multichannel seismic data deriving from former oil-exploration carried out in the Billund area (Fig. 3A). The resolution of these seismic data is very poor, but one interpretation of the dipping reflectors (clinoforms) seen in Fig. 3A was of a delta complex. This agrees with outcrop studies along the fjords of eastern Jutland which suggest that a spit complex was deposited in this area during the Early Miocene. The Billund sand was tested by the Vandel Mark well in 2001, which penetrated c. 40 m of sand at a depth of 200 m. The presence of a regional major sand body was later confirmed by new high-resolution seismic data and by the Billund and Løvlund wells in 2002. The Billund well penetrated 50 m of medium- to coarse-grained sand, and chemical tests of the water quality were good. However, a water supply well at Fjand in western Jutland has had problems with so-called ‘brown water’ – water enriched in organic matter (humus). Saline water may also be expected close to older deep-seated faults. This paper summarises the results of a mapping programme of the Billund sand initiated in the summer of 2003

SImulator of GAlaxy Millimetre/submillimetre Emission (SIGAME): CO emission from massive z=2 main-sequence galaxies

We present SIGAME (SImulator of GAlaxy Millimetre/submillimetre Emission), a new numerical code designed to simulate the 12CO rotational line emission spectrum of galaxies. Using sub-grid physics recipes to post-process the outputs of smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) simulations, a molecular gas phase is condensed out of the hot and partly ionized SPH gas. The gas is subjected to far-UV radiation fields and cosmic ray ionization rates which are set to scale with the local star formation rate volume density. Level populations and radiative transport of the CO lines are solved with the 3-D radiative transfer code LIME. We have applied SIGAME to cosmological SPH simulations of three disc galaxies at z=2 with stellar masses in the range ~(0.5-2)x10^11 Msun and star formation rates ~40-140 Msun/yr. Global CO luminosities and line ratios are in agreement with observations of disc galaxies at z~2 up to and including J=3-2 but falling short of the few existing J=5-4 observations. The central 5 kpc regions of our galaxies have CO 3-2/1-0 and 7-6/1-0 brightness temperature ratios of ~0.55-0.65 and ~0.02-0.08, respectively, while further out in the disc the ratios drop to more quiescent values of ~0.5 and <0.01. Global CO-to-H2 conversion (alpha_CO) factors are ~=1.5 Msun*pc^2/(K km s/1), i.e. ~2-3 times below typically adopted values for disc galaxies, and alpha_CO increases with radius, in agreement with observations of nearby galaxies. Adopting a top-heavy Giant Molecular Cloud (GMC) mass spectrum does not significantly change the results. Steepening the GMC density profile leads to higher global line ratios for J_up>=3 and CO-to-H2 conversion factors [~=3.6 Msun*pc^2/(K km/s)].Comment: 28 pages, 20 figures. Accepted for Publication in MNRAS. Substantial revisions from the previous version, including tests with model galaxies similar to the Milky Way. Improved figures and added table