Maize and soybean root front velocity and maximum depth in Iowa, USA

Quantitative measurements of root traits can improve our understanding of how crops respond to soil and weather conditions, but such data are rare. Our objective was to quantify maximum root depth and root front velocity (RFV) for maize (Zea mays) and soybean (Glycine max) crops across a range of growing conditions in the Midwest USA. Two sets of root measurements were taken every 10–15 days: in the crop row (in-row) and between two crop rows (center-row) across six Iowa sites having different management practices such as planting dates and drainage systems, totaling 20 replicated experimental treatments. Temporal root data were best described by linear segmental functions. Maize RFV was 0.62 ± 0.2 cm d−1 until the 5th leaf stage when it increased to 3.12 ± 0.03 cm d−1 until maximum depth occurred at the 18th leaf stage (860 °Cd after planting). Similar to maize, soybean RFV was 1.19 ± 0.4 cm d−1 until the 3rd node when it increased to 3.31 ± 0.5 cm d−1 until maximum root depth occurred at the 13th node (813.6 °C d after planting). The maximum root depth was similar between crops (P \u3e 0.05) and ranged from 120 to 157 cm across 18 experimental treatments, and 89–90 cm in two experimental treatments. Root depth did not exceed the average water table (two weeks prior to start grain filling) and there was a significant relationship between maximum root depth and water table depth (R2 = 0.61; P = 0.001). Current models of root dynamics rely on temperature as the main control on root growth; our results provide strong support for this relationship (R2 \u3e 0.76; P \u3c 0.001), but suggest that water table depth should also be considered, particularly in conditions such as the Midwest USA where excess water routinely limits crop production. These results can assist crop model calibration and improvements as well as agronomic assessments and plant breeding efforts in this region

Snow stratigraphy and oxygen isotope variations in the glaciological pit of King Baudouin station, Queen Maud Land, Antarctica

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Geographical variations of oxygen-18/oxygen-16 ratio in surface snow and ice from Queen Maud Land, Antarctica

THE work recorded here is a continuation of that reported in Nature 1,2 on the isotopic composition of Antarctic snows. © 1963 Nature Publishing Group.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Soybean nitrogen fixation dynamics in Iowa, USA

The rainfed US Midwestern region has deep, fertile soils and leads the US in soybean [Glycine max, (L.) Merr.] production. Biological nitrogen (N) fixation (BNF) contributes a portion of the soybean N requirement, but variability in BNF is poorly understood and estimates of BNF for this region are rare. We established experiments in Iowa, USA to gain a better understanding of BNF and increase its predictability. We collected in-season BNF measurements accompanied by high temporal resolution soil and plant growth measurements. Across two years, two locations and two planting dates, we found that BNF contributed 23-65% of total aboveground N accumulation in soybean. The BNF rate was maximized at the early seed-filling period and varied from 1 to 3 kg N ha-1day-1. During seed filling period, the rate of BNF was related to crop growth rate (carbon (C) supply) but not to N accumulation by the reproductive organs (N demand). We found that a minimum crop growth rate of 135 kg dry matter ha-1day-1 is required to sustain maximum BNF rates. In contrast to BNF, the soil inorganic N uptake rate was related to seed N demand but not to C supply. Biomass production was the best predictor of total soybean BNF (R2 > 0.83). On average, 0.013 kg N was fixed per kg biomass produced. Across all trials, the N exported via seed was greater than the N imported via BNF, which suggests that Midwest US soybeans may reduce soil organic matter. We concluded that future research efforts should focus on increasing C – rather than N – availability during the seed filling period towards improving both grain yields and environmental sustainability.This is a manuscript of an article published as Córdova, S. Carolina, Michael J. Castellano, Ranae Dietzel, Mark A. Licht, Kaitlin Togliatti, Rafael Martinez-Feria, and Sotirios V. Archontoulis. "Soybean nitrogen fixation dynamics in Iowa, USA." Field Crops Research 236 (2019): 165-176. doi:10.1016/j.fcr.2019.03.018. Posted with permission. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License

Maize and soybean root front velocity and maximum depth in Iowa, USA

Quantitative measurements of root traits can improve our understanding of how crops respond to soil and weather conditions, but such data are rare. Our objective was to quantify maximum root depth and root front velocity (RFV) for maize (Zea mays) and soybean (Glycine max) crops across a range of growing conditions in the Midwest USA. Two sets of root measurements were taken every 10–15 days: in the crop row (in-row) and between two crop rows (center-row) across six Iowa sites having different management practices such as planting dates and drainage systems, totaling 20 replicated experimental treatments. Temporal root data were best described by linear segmental functions. Maize RFV was 0.62 ± 0.2 cm d−1 until the 5th leaf stage when it increased to 3.12 ± 0.03 cm d−1 until maximum depth occurred at the 18th leaf stage (860 °Cd after planting). Similar to maize, soybean RFV was 1.19 ± 0.4 cm d−1 until the 3rd node when it increased to 3.31 ± 0.5 cm d−1 until maximum root depth occurred at the 13th node (813.6 °C d after planting). The maximum root depth was similar between crops (P \u3e 0.05) and ranged from 120 to 157 cm across 18 experimental treatments, and 89–90 cm in two experimental treatments. Root depth did not exceed the average water table (two weeks prior to start grain filling) and there was a significant relationship between maximum root depth and water table depth (R2 = 0.61; P = 0.001). Current models of root dynamics rely on temperature as the main control on root growth; our results provide strong support for this relationship (R2 \u3e 0.76; P \u3c 0.001), but suggest that water table depth should also be considered, particularly in conditions such as the Midwest USA where excess water routinely limits crop production. These results can assist crop model calibration and improvements as well as agronomic assessments and plant breeding efforts in this region

Reformas e reformismo: "democracia progressiva" e políticas sociais (ou "para uma teoria política da reforma sanitária")

Na introdução deste artigo, o autor parte de uma preocupação com o debate atual em torno do processo de tentativa de inovação política setorial que vem sendo designado entre nós pela expressão "Reforma Sanitária". Chama a atenção para os diferentes sentidos em que, a seu ver, esta expressão tem sido utilizada no Brasil E se dispõe a deter-se, particularmente, em um destes sentidos: o que se aproxima da formulação italiana de mesmo nome (a "Riforma Sanitária"). Esta discussão o leva, no corpo do artigo propriamente dito, a tratar, centralmente, da relação entre as características assumidas pela ordenação política liberal contemporânea e a estratégia gramsci-togliattiana de transição no socialismo, no que tange ao tema das chamadas "Políticas Públicas" e, mais particularmente, das "Políticas Sociais". O artigo termina com um esboço inicial de um projeto de investigação comparativa nesta área.<br>In the introduction, the author discusses the current debate on the "Reforma Sanitária"; a proposal to innovate health policy. The author draws attention to the different meanings that can be attributed, in his opinion, to the use of this term in Brazil. He focusses particularly on the meaning closer to that of the Italian proposal of the same name ("Riforma Sanitaria"). The discussion leads the author to question the relationship between the characteristics of the contemporary political liberal organization and the Gramsci-Togliattian strategy of the transition in socialism, within the field of "Public Policies" and more specifically ''Social Policies". The article ends with a preliminary outline a comparative investigation in this field