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To objectively evaluate and compare the stability and sustainability of different planting patterns of typical watersheds in Loess Plateau of China after the Grain for Green Project, this paper used the emergy analysis method to quantify the emergy inputs and outputs of three watersheds with different planting patterns, i.e., both grains and fruit trees (Gaoxigou watershed), mainly grains (Wuliwan watershed) and mainly fruit trees (Miaozuigou watershed). In addition, an emergy analysis system was established to evaluate the suitability of the three patterns from the perspectives of natural resources pressure as well as social and economic development levels. More than 75% of the total emergy inputs of all the three watersheds were purchased, and nonrenewable emergy inputs had a much larger contribution than renewable emergy inputs, indicating the characteristic of low emergy self-sufficient ratio and considerable high environmental loading ratio. The pattern of planting grains had high emergy inputs but low emergy outputs, while the patterns of planting fruit trees and planting both had high emergy inputs and outputs. The energy densities of all three patterns reached two times of the average of agricultural systems in China. Especially, the net emergy of planting grains pattern was the lowest while that of planting both grains and fruit trees was the highest. The environmental sustainability index (ESI) of planting grains pattern was less than 1 and both emergy and ESI were much lower than national averages. The ESI of planting both grains and fruit trees pattern was the highest. In summary, comparison of the three patterns showed that planting both grains and fruit trees had better sustainability and high stability and the emergy production efficiency was high. Thus, it was suggested to change the agricultural development from watershed based units to multi-industry integrated mode.

Taking a large standard runoff plot on a red soil slope in Qiyang County, southern Hunan Province as a case, this paper studied the surface soil phosphorus loss characteristics in the hilly red soil regions of southern Hunan under eight ecological planting patterns. The phosphorus loss from wasteland (T1) was most serious, followed by that from natural sloped cropping patterns (T2 and T3), while the phosphorus loss amount from terrace cropping patterns (T4-T8) was the least, only occupying 9.9%, 37%, 0.7%, 2.3%, and 1.9% of T1, respectively. The ecological planting patterns directly affected the forms of surface-lost soil phosphorus, with the particulate phosphorus (PP) as the main lost form. Under the condition of rainstorm (daily rainfall > 50 mm), rainfall had lesser effects on the phosphorus loss among different planting patterns. However, the phosphorus loss increased with increasing rain intensity. The surface soil phosphorus loss mainly occurred from June to September. Both the rainfall and the rain intensity were the factors directly affected the time distribution of surface soil phosphorus loss in hilly red soil regions of southern Hunan.

Biochar, as a new type of soil amendment, has been obtained considerable attention in the research field of environmental sciences worldwide. The studies on the effects of biochar in improving soil physical and chemical properties started quite earlier, and already covered the field of soil microbial ecology. However, most of the studies considered the soil physical and chemical properties and the microbial ecology separately, with less consideration of their interactions. This paper summarized and analyzed the interrelationships between the changes of soil physical and chemical properties and of soil microbial community after the addition of biochar. Biochar can not only improve soil pH value, strengthen soil water-holding capacity, increase soil organic matter content, but also affect soil microbial community structure, and alter the abundance of soil bacteria and fungi. After the addition of biochar, the soil environment and soil microorganisms are interacted each other, and promote the improvement of soil microbial ecological system together. This review was to provide a novel perspective for the in-depth studies of the effects of biochar on soil microbial ecology, and to promote the researches on the beneficial effects of biochar to the environment from ecological aspect. The methods to improve the effectiveness of biochar application were discussed, and the potential applications of biochar in soil bioremediation were further analyzed.

Zoning seasonal drought based on the study of drought characteristics can provide theoretical basis for formulating drought mitigation plans and improving disaster reduction technologies in different arid zones under global climate change. Based on the National standard of meteorological drought indices and agricultural drought indices and the 1959-2008 meteorological data from 268 meteorological stations in southern China, this paper analyzed the climatic background and distribution characteristics of seasonal drought in southern China, and made a three-level division of seasonal drought in this region by the methods of combining comprehensive factors and main factors, stepwise screening indices, comprehensive disaster analysis, and clustering analysis. The first-level division was with the annual aridity index and seasonal aridity index as the main indices and with the precipitation during entire year and main crop growing season as the auxiliary indices, dividing the southern China into four primary zones, including semi-arid zone, sub-humid zone, humid zone, and super-humid zone. On this basis, the four primary zones were subdivided into nine second-level zones, including one semi-arid area-temperate-cold semi-arid hilly area in Sichuan-Yunnan Plateau, three sub-humid areas of warm sub-humid area in the north of the Yangtze River, warm-tropical sub-humid area in South China, and temperate-cold sub-humid plateau area in Southwest China, three humid areas of temperate-tropical humid area in the Yangtze River Basin, warm-tropical humid area in South China, and warm humid hilly area in Southwest China, and two super-humid areas of warm-tropical super-humid area in South China and temperate-cold super-humid hilly area in the south of the Yangtze River and Southwest China. According to the frequency and intensity of multiple drought indices, the second-level zones were further divided into 29 third-level zones. The distribution of each seasonal drought zone was illustrated, and the zonal drought characteristics and their impacts on the agricultural production were assessed. Accordingly, the drought prevention measures were proposed.

Based on a long term field experiment, this paper studied the effects of different multiple cropping systems on the weed community composition and species diversity under paddy-upland rotation. The multiple cropping rotation systems could significantly decrease weed density and inhibited weed growth. Among the rotation systems, the milk vetch-early rice-late maize --> milk vetchearly maize intercropped with early soybean-late rice (CCSR) had the lowest weed species dominance, which inhibited the dominant weeds and decreased their damage. Under different multiple cropping systems, the main weed community was all composed of Monochoia vaginalis, Echinochloa crusgalli, and Sagittaria pygmae, and the similarity of weed community was higher, with the highest similarity appeared in milk vetch-early rice-late maize intercropped with late soybean --> milk vetch-early maize-late rice (CSCR) and in CCSR. In sum, the multiple cropping rotations in paddy field could inhibit weeds to a certain extent, but attentions should be paid to the damage of some less important weeds.

The worldwide cultivation of transgenic crops not only provides tremendous economic benefits, but also induces the concern about the potential risks of transgenic crops on soil ecosystem in which microorganisms are involved. The potential effects of transgenic crops on soil microorganisms include the direct effects of the transgenic proteins on non-target soil microorganisms, and the indirect effects of the unintentional changes in the chemical compositions of root exudates induced by the introduction of the exogenous transgenic proteins. Most of the studies on transgenic crops suggested that transgenic crops could affect the quantity and structure of soil microbial populations. However, the perceivable effects on the soil microorganisms are inconsistent, with some in significant and others in non-significant, or some with persistent and others with non-persistent. This paper summarized the effects of different transgenic crops on soil microorganisms, and discussed the factors affecting the assessment reliability, including the species of transgenic crops and the experimental technologies and principles. Some issues needed to be paid special attention to in the future studies were put forward.

By using Penman-Monteith model and Hurst index model, this paper analyzed the spatiotemporal variation patterns of potential evapotranspiration (ET0) in the five provinces of Northwest China in 1960-2011. In the meantime, the dominant factors driving the variations of the ET0 were quantitatively analyzed by using sensitivity analysis method. In 1960-2011, the ET0 in the five provinces presented an overall decreasing trend, with a drop rate of -0.72 mm x a(-1), but the ET0 increased gradually after 1993. An obvious spatial difference was shown in the annual average ET0. The average ET0 in the five provinces was 1158 mm (675-2282 mm), wit the maximum (2282 mm) in Qijiaojing of Xinjiang and the low values (>800 mm) in Qinba Mountains in south Shaanxi. Except in spring, the ET0 in other seasons showed a decreasing trend. In the analysis of future trend, the ET0 in most areas (81.4%) of Northwest China would present a trend from decrease to increase. Therefore, under the background of global warming, the warm and wet degree in Northwest China would be somewhat weakened, but the ET0 in the middle part of Xinjiang would be decreased continuously. Wind speed was the main factor affecting the ET0 in Northwest China at both annual and monthly scales, but the affecting extent of wind speed differed with seasons and areas. The spatial extent affected by the wind speed in winter expanded across the entire five provinces of Northwest China, while the spatial extent affected by the wind speed in summer included the entire Xinjiang and the northwest of Gansu and Qinghai.

The environmental pollution and food safety problems caused by phthalic acid esters (PAEs) have been attracted 'extensive attention around the world. As a large PAEs producer and consumer, China is facing severe PAEs environmental pollution problems. This paper reviewed the present pollution status of six PAEs classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as the priority pollutants in China farmland soils, analyzed the sources of these six PAEs in this country, and discussed the absorption and accumulation characteristics of the PAEs in different crops as well as the bio-toxic effects of PAEs pollutants. The PAEs concentrations in China farmland soils are significantly higher those in the farmland soils of the United States and European countries. The main sources of PAEs in China farmland soils are atmospheric deposition, agricultural films, sewage sludge application, and wastewater irrigation. There exist significant differences in the characteristics of PAEs absorption, accumulation, and distribution among different crops. PAEs not only have negative effects on soil quality, crop growth, and crop physiological and biochemical properties, but also possess bio-accumulative characteristics. The weaknesses in current researches were pointed out, and the suggestions for the further researches were given, e. g., to expand the scope of PAEs pollution survey, to explore the toxic mechanisms of PAEs on crops, and to develop the techniques for in situ remediation of PAEs-polluted soils.

Evapotranspiration (ET) is an important component of ground surface energy balance and water balance, and closely related to water cycle. By using eddy covariance technique, this paper studied the ET characteristics of agroecosystems in the semi-arid area of Loess Plateau in growth season (from April to September), 2010, and analyzed the relationships between crop coefficient and environmental factors. During the observation period, the diurnal variation of latent heat flux (LE) in each month was similar to single-peak curve, and the peak value (151.4 W x m(-2)) occurred in August. The daytime energy partitioning manner showed a significant seasonal variation, with LE/R(n) < H/R(n) (R(n) was net radiation, and H was sensible heat flux) from April to June, and LE/R(n) > H/R(n) from July to September. The daily ET rate also showed a significant seasonal variation, with the maximum of 4.69 mm x d(-1). The wind speed (W(s)), relative humidity (RH), soil water content (theta), and atmospheric vapor pressure deficit (D) were the major factors affecting the crop coefficient K(c) which was exponentially decreased with increasing W(s), exponentially increased with increasing RH and theta, and linearly decreased with increasing D.

To study the surface soil moisture spatial variability and its scale effect is of significance to understand the real variability of soil moisture and to objectively provide a reference for constructing a logical sampling scheme. By using "re-sampling" method, this paper studied the scale-dependency of the spatial variability of soil surface moisture in the woodland and farmland in the oasis ecological system in the middle reaches of Heihe River. The results showed that the variation degree of the surface soil moisture in the test woodland and farmland increased with increasing soil moisture content, and the coefficient of variation (CV) became closer to the true value when the sampling scale increased. Under both dry and moist conditions, and when the sampling amplitude increased within a definite range, the CV, Moran's I index, nugget, and sill of soil moisture in the woodland and farmland as well as the variation range in the woodland all increased, while the variation range in the farmland under arid condition did not show a stable regular pattern. When the sampling density increased within a definite range, the nugget and variation range increased, but the CV, Moran's I index, and sill showed less change.

Based on the land cover datasets of Poyang Lake region in 1980, 2005, and 2010, and by using GIS, RS, and landscape ecology approaches, this paper studied the land cover and landscape pattern changes in this region from 1980 to 2010, and quantitatively analyzed the land cover types change degree, patch area index, patch shape index, margin density index, and landscape diversity index. In 1980-2010, the main land cover types in this region were paddy field, inland water, evergreen broadleaf forest, and urban built-up area, and their areas and spatial patterns varied dramatically. Overall, the areas of inland water and urban built-up area had a significant increase, while those of paddy field and dry farmland decreased somewhat. Due to the effects of population growth and economic development, the landscape fragmentation degree and landscape diversity index presented a decreasing trend, but the decrement was small, which implied that the previous environmental management of this region had exerted important roles, but a long term challenge was still faced with between the regional environmental protection and sustainable development.

Soil phosphorus (P) availability directly determines cropland productivity. Based on the long-term fertilization experiments in different climatic zones of China, this paper summarized the P content, its availability, and the factors affecting the P transformation in China cropland soils. The total and available P contents in different types of China cropland soils were 0.31-1.72 g x kg(-1) and 0.1-228.8 mg x kg(-1), respectively. Soil parent material, soil physical and chemical prosperities, and fertilization practices were the main factors affecting the soil P availability. It was suggested that more attentions should be paid on the mixed application of organic manure and chemical fertilizers to improve the P availability of cropland soils and on the potential environmental impacts of this fertilization.

Based on a long-term experiment of using hedgerow to control soil and water loss, this paper studied the composition and stability of soil aggregates in a hedgerow-crop slope land. Compared with those under routine contour cropping, the contents of > 0.25 mm soil mechanical-stable and water-stable aggregates under the complex mode hedgerow-crop increased significantly by 13.3%-16.1% and 37.8% -55.6%, respectively. Under the complex mode, the contents of > 0.25 mm soil water-stable aggregates on each slope position increased obviously, and the status of > 0.25 mm soil water-stable aggregates being relatively rich at low slope and poor at top slope was improved. Planting hedgerow could significantly increase the mean mass diameter and geometric mean diameter of soil aggregates, decrease the fractal dimension of soil aggregates and the destruction rate of > 0.25 mm soil aggregates, and thus, increase the stability and erosion-resistance of soil aggregates in slope cropland. No significant effects of slope and hedgerow types were observed on the composition, stability and distribution of soil aggregates.

Based on the data from 94 experiments of straw returning in Anhui, Jiangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Guangxi, Sichuan, and Chongqing, and by using mathematic modeling approach, this paper evaluated the effects of straw returning on the soil fertility and crop yield in southern China. Obvious regional differences were observed in the soil fertility index (SFI) and crop yield response. In study area, the croplands with the SFI of Grade III and Grade IV were predominant, occupying 69.1% and 21.3% of the total, respectively. Averagely, straw returning increased the SFI and crop yield by 6.8% and 4.4%, respectively, as compared with the control (no straw returning). The SFI was significantly linearly correlated with rice yield, and could well reflect the integrated soil fertility in study area. At present, straw returning with decomposing agent added is one of the most important measures to improve the integrated soil fertility in southern China, which should be widely popularized.

Land use change has significant effects on vegetation biomass via altering ecosystem structure. By adopting a spatially explicit land use change model, this paper simulated the spatiotemporal pattern of land use change in China till 2030, based on the historical scenario (in this scenario, the land use trend in 1988-2005 was extrapolated to obtain the area of each land use type in the future) and the planned scenario (in this scenario, the area of each land use type in the future was based on the national scale land use planning). On the basis of this simulation and using a biomass density approach, the spatial pattern of vegetation biomass change in China was estimated. The simulation showed that under the historical scenario, the forest area would be decreased but the forest age would be in adverse, and accordingly, the forest biomass density would have an increase. Till 2030, the overall vegetation biomass in China would be 14619 Tg, with an increase of 251.19 Tg as compared to the situation in 2005. Under the planned scenario, the forest area would be increased, and the overall vegetation biomass in 2030 would be 15468 Tg, with an increase of 1100 Tg as compared to the situation in 2005. In the planned scenario, the planted forest area would be larger while the forest age would be younger, resulting in a much lower vegetation biomass density in 2030 than that in the historical scenario, and thus, the China's vegetation in the planned scenario would have a higher potential to act as a carbon sink.

Based on the 1959-2008 precipitation data from 262 meteorological stations in southern China, this paper analyzed the change characteristics of seasonal precipitation trend coefficient, precipitation variability, and annual and decadal precipitation standardized anomalies in this region. In the study period, there was a great difference among the trend of quarter precipitation. In most parts of the region, the precipitation in spring and autumn presented a decreasing trend but that in summer and winter was in adverse; only in southwest part, a slightly different trend was observed. In the whole region, the probability of spring drought decreased, but that of summer drought, autumn drought, and winter drought increased. Spring drought often occurred in south and southwest parts, summer drought and autumn drought often occurred in south part and the middle, lower reaches of Yangtze River, and winter drought expanded from south part to south part and the middle, lower reaches of Yangtze River. The precipitation in spring and autumn was below the normal level after the 1980s, while that in summer and winter was below the normal level before the 1990s, above the normal level in the 1990s, and below the normal level since the 21st century. The decadal change of the seasonal precipitation standardized anomaly in each part of the region was basically consistent, i. e., decreased in autumn and increased in summer and winter.

Based on the multi-disciplinary researches, and in terms of the transformation efficiency of surface water to soil water, availability of cropland soil water, crop canopy structure, total irrigation volume needed on a given area, and crop yield, this paper discussed the water-saving mechanisms of intercropping system in improving cropland water use efficiency. Intercropping system could promote the full use of cropland water by plant roots, increase the water storage in root zone, reduce the inter-row evaporation and control excessive transpiration, and create a special microclimate advantageous to the plant growth and development. In addition, intercropping system could optimize source-sink relationship, provide a sound foundation for intensively utilizing resources temporally and spatially, and increase the crop yield per unit area greatly without increase of water consumption, so as to promote the crop water use efficiency effectively.

By using the MSS images in 1976, TM images in 1989 and 2010, and ETM+ images in 2000, in combining with GIS and landscape ecological methods, this paper analyzed the changes of land use/cover and landscape patterns in Yumen County at the middle reaches of Shule River from 1976 to 2010. In the study period, the major patterns of land use change in the County were the conversions from grassland and Gobi to farmland, from farmland to construction land, and from grassland to Gobi. Such a land use change underwent a process of 'slow - tremendous - obvious', during which, the landscape density increased, the largest path index decreased after an initial increase, the weighted area index increased, and the landscape shape became irregular. In the meantime, the nearest distances between patches and the separation among different patches decreased, the patches became more complex, and the landscape diversity and evenness increased after an initial decrease. The increased landscape diversity and fragmentation also showed that the land uses became more complex. The growth of agricultural population and the development of economy were the most direct driving forces of the land use/cover change in Yumen City, whereas the climatic and policy factors also had important effects on the land use change in the study area.

Shelterbelt system is one of the main components of cultivated slope land in rolling hill black soil region of Northeast China, which plays an important role in the control of gully erosion. Based on the Quickbird high-resolution remote sensing image and the digital elevation model (DEM), and combining with field survey data, this paper analyzed the effects of shelterbelt system in a small watershed of rolling hill black soil region in Heshan Farm of Heilongjiang Province on the control of gully erosion in the cultivated slope land, and put forward an optimized scheme for gully erosion control based on the features of gully erosion in the cultivated slope land and their relations with the distribution of the shelterbelt system. In the study area, the current distribution of the shelterbelt system promoted the occurrence and development of shallow gully and gully directly and indirectly. The proposed scheme for optimizing the distribution of the present shelterbelts included the adjustment of the direction of the shelterbelt perpendicular to the aspect of slope, the enhancement of the maintenance and regeneration of the shelterbelts to reduce the gaps of the shelterbelts, the increase of the shelterbelt number, and the decrease of the distances between shelterbelts. A method for calculating the shelterbelt number and the distances between the shelterbelts was also given. This study could provide scientific basis for the gully erosion control and the shelterbelts programming in the cultivated slope land of rolling hill black soil region.

By adopting gradient analysis combining with the analysis of urban land use degree, this paper studied the spatial layout characteristics of residential and industrial lands in new Yinzhou Town, and explored the location characters of various urban land use by selecting public green land, public facilities, and road as the location advantage factors. Gradient analysis could effectively connect with the spatial layout of urban land use, and quantitatively depict the spatial character of urban land use. In the new town, there was a new urban spatial center mostly within the radius of 2 km, namely, the urban core area had obvious location advantage in the cross-shaft direction urban development. On the south of Yinzhou Avenue, the urban hinterland would be constructed soon. In the future land use of the new town, the focus would be the reasonable vicissitude of industrial land after the adjustment of industrial structure, the high-efficient intensive use of the commercial land restricted by the compulsive condition of urban core area, and the agricultural land protection in the southeastern urban-rural fringe.

Based on the 1961-2007 ground surface meteorological data from 558 meteorological stations in China, this paper analyzed the differences of agricultural climate resources in China different regions, and compared the change characteristics of the agricultural climate resources in 1961-1980 (period I) and 1981-2007 (period II), taking the year 1981 as the time node. As compared with period I, the mean annual temperature in China in period II increased by 0.6 degrees C, and the > or = 0 degrees C active accumulated temperature in the growth periods of chimonophilous crops and the > or = 10 degrees C active accumulated temperature in the growth periods of thermophilic crops increased averagely by 123.3 degrees C x d and 125.9 degrees C x d, respectively. In 1961-2007, the mean annual temperature increased most in Northeast China, and the > or = 10 degrees C active accumulated temperature in the growth periods of thermophilic crops increased most in South China. The whole year sunshine hours and the sunshine hours in the growth periods of chimonophilous crops and of thermophilic crops in period II decreased by 125.7 h, 32.2 h, and 53.6 h, respectively, compared with those in period I. In 1961-2007, the annual sunshine hours decreased most in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River, while the sunshine hours in the growth periods of chimonophilous crops and of thermophilic crops decreased most in North China and South China, respectively. In the whole year and in the growth periods of chimonophilous and thermophilic crops, both the precipitation and the reference crop evapotranspiration in this country all showed a decreasing trend, with the largest decrement in the precipitation in the whole year and in the growth periods of chimonophilous and thermophilic crops in North China, the largest decrement in the reference crop evapotranspiration in the whole year and in the growth periods of thermophilic crops in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River, and the largest decrement in the reference crop evapotranspiration in the growth periods of chimonophilous crops in Northwest China. In 1961-2007, the climate in China in the whole year and in the growth periods of thermophilic crops showed an overall tendency of warm and dry, and the climate in the growth periods of thermophilic crops became warm and dry in Southwest China, North China, and Northeast China, but warm and wet in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River, Northwest China, and South China, whereas the climate in the growth periods of chimonophilous crops became warm and dry in North China, but became warm and wet in Northwest China.

By the method of substituting temporal serial with spatial serial, and taking five abandoned cultivated lands with different ages (1, 4, 9, 12, and 20 years) in desert steppe region as test objects, this paper studied the change characteristics of plant community biomass and soil nutrients during vegetation succession. With the increasing abandoned years, the plant community aboveground biomass on the abandoned lands increased after an initial decrease, whereas the total nitrogen, total phosphorus, organic carbon contents, and carbon density in 0-60 cm soil layer increased first, decreased then, and increased again, with the maximum values of soil total nitrogen and phosphorus contents appeared on the abandoned lands with the ages 4 and 20 years. During vegetation succession, the effects of soil total nitrogen and organic carbon on plant community biomass were greater than those of soil total phosphorus and soil bulk density.

By using ultrasonic method and GC/ECD, this paper analyzed the distribution and composition of 8 kinds of organochlorine pesticides (alpha-HCH, beta-HCH, gamma-HCH, delta-HCH, op'-DDE, pp'-DDD, alpha-endosulfan, and chlorothalonil) in farmland top soils (0-20 cm) in 19 districts of Anhui Province, East China. The total concentration of the pesticides in the top soils ranged from 0 to 23.75 microg x kg(-1), among which, pp'-DDD and gamma-HCH were the major pollutants, with the mean concentration being 13.83 and 13.49 microg x kg(-1), respectively. As compared with the analyses in 1990, the present mean concentration of HCH had an obvious decreasing trend, but was still higher than that in the top soils in other regions of China and in other countries. The mean concentrations of OCPs, HCHs and pp'-DDD in the test top soils were 48.58, 28.64 and 13.83 microg x kg(-1), respectively, not surpassed the first grade level (< 50 microg x kg(-1)) of the China National Soil Environmental Quality Standards (GB 15618-1995), suggesting that the farmland top soils in these districts of Anhui Province were less polluted.

By the method of site-specific observation, and selecting 27 field plots with 7 planting patterns in Shaoxing county of Zhejiang Province as test objects, this paper studied the characteristics of nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) runoff losses, loads, and their affecting factors in the croplands with different planting patterns in riverine plain area of the Province under natural rainfall. The mean annual runoff loads of total P, dissolved P, and particulate P from the field plots were 4.75, 0.74 and 4.01 kg x hm(-2), respectively, and the load of particulate P was much higher than that of dissolved P. The mean annual runoff loads of total N, dissolved total N, dissolved organic N, NH4(+)-N, and NO3(-)-N were 21.87, 17.19, 0.61, 3.63 and 12.95 kg x hm(-2), respectively, and the load of different fractions of dissolved total N was in the sequence of NO3(-)-N > NH4(+)-N > dissolved organic N. As for the field plots with different planting patterns, the runoff loads of total N, dissolved total N, dissolved organic N, and NO3(-)-N were in the sequence of fallow land < nursery land < single late rice field < double rice field < rape (or wheat)-single late rice field < wheat-early rice-late rice field < vegetable field, while those of total P and particulate P were in the sequence of fallow land < nursery land < single late rice field and double rice field < wheat-early rice-late rice field < rape (wheat)-single late rice field < vegetable field. No significant difference was observed in the load of water-dissolved P among the test plots with different planting patterns. The runoff losses of N and P mainly occurred in crop growth period, and the proportions of N and P losses in the growth period increased with increasing multiple crop index. The runoff losses of total N, dissolved N, and NO3(-)-N were mainly related to the application rate of N fertilizer, and soil NO3(-)-N content also had obvious effects on the runoff losses of total N and dissolved N. The runoff loss of dissolved organic N was related not only to N application rate, but also to soil total N and organic carbon. The runoff loss of NH4(+)-N was mainly related to soil available NH4(+)-N, but not related to N application rate. The runoff losses of total P and particulate P were related to both P application rate and soil available P, while the runoff loss of water dissolved P was less related to P application rate but had relations to soil total P and available P.

Eukaryota, bacteria and archaea are the three domains of life. As the third domain of life, archaea has been found not only in extreme environments such as high-temperature, high-saline, and extremely acid habitats, but also in moderate environments including ocean, lake and soil, which implies that archaea may contribute greatly to various ecosystems. By targeting the 16S rRNA gene with real-time PCR approaches, this paper studied the abundance of archaea, crenarchaea and bacteria from two agricultural soil profiles and two long-term fertilization stations Qiyang (QY) and Fengqiu (FQ). The 16S rRNA gene copy number of crenarchaea was 1-2 orders of magnitude lower than that of archaea, and the order of these three groups was crenarchaea < archaea < bacteria. The ratios of both archaea and crenarchaea to bacteria increased with soil depth. The abundance of archaea and crenarchaea had significantly different responses to different fertilization treatments. In QY station, the copy numbers of archaeal and bacterial 16S rRNA gene had significant positive correlations with soil pH (r = 0.850, P < 0.01 and r = 0.676, P < 0.05, respectively); in FQ station, all the 16S rRNA gene copy numbers of archaea, crenarchaea and bacteria had no significant correlations with soil pH, but significantly correlated with soil organic matter (r = 0.783, P < 0.05; r = 0. 827, P < 0.05; r = 0.767, P < 0.05, respectively). To understand the distribution of archaea and crenarchaea in agricultural soil could provide important information to evaluate their ecological functions in soil ecosystem and element cycling.

Based on the investigation data of land use change and the services values of terrestrial ecosystems in China, this paper analyzed the variations of ecosystem services values and their differences at different scales in Shaanxi Province, and approached the effects of the requisition-compensation balance of cultivated land and the program of conversing cropland into forestland on the ecosystem services values as well as their dynamic variations in the Province from 2001 to 2006. In the study period, the total ecosystem services value in the Province had an overall increasing trend. The ecosystem services value of forestland accounted for more than 76.5%, and its increment occupied 97.5% of the total; whereas the ecosystem services values of arable land, grassland, and unused land decreased, and the decrement of the ecosystem services value of cultivated land accounted for 81.7% of the total. The services values of urban ecosystems in the Province in 2001-2006 all increased to some extent, with the largest increment in Yan' an City, followed by in Yulin City, and the smallest in Yangling District. The ecosystem services value in the Loess Plateau increased most obviously, with the increment accounted for 61.2% of the total, followed by in the Qinba Mountains, and the least in the Guanzhong Plain. The requisition-compensation balance of cultivated land in the Province did well, with the ecosystem services value presented an increasing trend. The program of conversing cropland into forestland increased the ecosystem services value most in the Loess Plateau whereas the least in the Guanzhong Plain.

The increasing concentration of atmospheric CO2 and the nutritional quality of human diets are the two important issues we are facing. At present, the atmospheric CO2 concentration is about 380 micromol mol(-1), and to be reached 550 micromol mol(-1) by 2050. A great deal of researches indicated that the quality of agricultural products is not only determined by inherited genes, but also affected by the crop growth environmental conditions. This paper summarized the common methods adopted at home and abroad for studying the effects of CO2 enrichment on the quality of agricultural products, and reviewed the research advances in evaluating the effects of elevated CO2 on the quality of rice, wheat, soybean, and vegetables. Many experimental results showed that elevated CO2 concentration causes a decrease of protein content in the grains of staple food crops and an overall decreasing trend of trace elements contents in the crops, but improves the quality of vegetable products to some extent. Some issues and future directions regarding the effects of elevated CO2 concentration on the quality of agricultural products were also discussed, based on the present status of related researches.

Based on the TM images, social-economic data, and field investigation data in 1990, 2000, and 2009, and by adopting redundancy analysis (RDA) and principal component analysis (PCA), this paper analyzed the contribution rates of landscape driving forces in coastal area of Fengxian reclamation zone at Yangtze Estuary. Kappa index was used to validate the simulation effectiveness of CLUE-S model. In the study area, anthropogenic landscape driving factors had a higher contribution rate than natural landscape driving factors (57.1% vs. 42.9%). The prediction accuracy rate of CLUE-S model was above 82%, the Kappa index of the main landscape types (farm land, unutilized land, and breeding ponds) was greater than 0.75, the simulation results were acceptable, and the landscape driving forces selected could better simulate the spatial distribution patterns of the abrupt transformation of the main landscape types.

By using soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) model, this paper simulated the surface runoff intensity and the export loadings of sediment particulates and nutrients via non-point source hydrological pathway in Tiaoxi watershed, and integrated with the simulation results, analyzed the temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of non-point source pollution in the watershed in 2008. In the study area, the per unit area non-point source pollution was stronger in northern region than in southern region and in eastern region than in western region, and the weakest in central region. Among the land utilization types, farmland had the biggest contribution to the sediment loading. There were significantly positive correlations between the loadings of surface runoff and associated sediment particulates and the rainfall intensity. The export loadings of nutrients through surface runoff were higher in rainy season (from June to September) than in dry season (from December to next March), and there existed significant correlations between the surface runoff loadings of sediment particulates, organic nitrogen, and nitrate and the average gradient of lands.

Agricultural land consolidation is a strong disturbance to farmland ecosystem. In traditional agricultural land consolidation, the main technical and economic indices for the design of ditches include the convenience for production and transportation, the allocation of water resources, and the improvement of water utilization, but short of ecological consideration, which has already affected the spread of agricultural species, caused the degradation of bio-habitat, and given obvious negative effects on the bio-competition mechanism, buffering and compensation capacity, and insect pests-resistance of farmland ecosystem. This paper summarized the functions of ecological ditches, and introduced the recent progress on the formations and construction designs of ecological ditches, tests of ecological engineering methods, and technologies and methods of choosing correct ecological materials. It was suggested that the future research should focus on the different functional requirements and specifications for different roads and ditches, and the characteristics and habitats of all the organisms and animals should be considered by the designers and constructors. Moreover, a comprehensive design which meets the ecological demands for the ditches' formations, structures, and regulatory sizes should be taken into account to solve the most of the problems listed above.

Based on the 1961-2007 ground observation data from 55 meteorological stations in arid and semi-arid region of Tibetan Plateau, and by using 5-day moving average method and ArcGIS-IDW module, this paper analyzed the spatiotemporal change characteristics and climatic trend rates of agricultural climate resources in the region in 1961-1980 (period I) and 1981-2007 (period II). In 1961-2007, the sunshine duration during the growth season of chimonophilous crops in the study region changed less, while that during the growth season of thermophilic crops increased but with little spatial change. Comparing with those in period I, the average value of accumulated temperature in period II showed an increasing trend, and the area with > or = 1500 degrees C x d during the growth season of thermophilic crops increased by 33.9%. The precipitation decreased gradually from southeast to northwest. During the growth season of chimonophilous crops, the precipitation in the southeast in the two periods reached 800 mm, but the climatic trend in other areas was positive or negative, and the change rate was small. The area with precipitation > or = 400 mm during the growth season of thermophilic crops in period II expanded by 40%, as compared in period I. The reference crop evapotranspiration (ET0) generally increased slightly, and shared the similar spatial distribution pattern with sunshine duration and accumulated temperature. During the growth season of thermophilic crops, the area with ET0 > or = 400 mm in period II expanded by 35.7%, compared with that in period I. In the study period, the heat and precipitation resources during crop growth seasons in Tibet Plateau increased in a certain degree, which was very beneficial to the agriculture-stock production. However, the increase of reference crop evapotranspitation indicated the increase of potential evaporation. Thereby, the researches about the possible effects of climate change on agriculture-stock production should be further strengthened.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are rich in diversity in agricultural ecosystem, playing a vital role based on their unique community structure. Host plants and environmental factors have important effects on AM fungal community structure, so do the agricultural practices which deserve to pay attention to. This paper summarized the research advances in the effects of agricultural practices such as irrigation, fertilization, crop rotation, intercropping, tillage, and pesticide application on AM fungal community structure, analyzed the related possible mechanisms, discussed the possible ways in improving AM fungal community structure in agricultural ecosystem, and put forward a set of countermeasures, i.e., improving fertilization system and related integrated techniques, increasing plant diversity in agricultural ecosystem, and inoculating AM fungi, to enhance the AM fungal diversity in agricultural ecosystem. The existing problems in current agricultural practices and further research directions were also proposed.

Based on the 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008 statistical data of Guangzhou City, and by the methods of marketing valuation, shadow price, afforestation cost, carbon tax, and industrial oxygen-producing, this paper calculated the related service values of various agroecosystems in Guangzhou, and assessed the changes of agroecosystem service value during the rapid urbanization of the City. In 1996-2008, though the service values of farmland, grassland, and water ecosystems had somewhat increase, the overall agroecosystem service value of Guangzhou decreased, mainly due to the more decrease of forest ecosystem service value which occupied more than 90% of the total service value each year. Over the studied period, the proportion of each individual functional service value to the total service value changed little, and the contribution of each individual functional service value was in the order of climate regulation > gases regulation > product service > waste treatment > soil conservation > biodiversity conservation > recreation and culture > water source retention and storage. The sum of climate regulation and gases regulation service values took over 91% of the total agroecosystem service value. There was a significant negative correlation (R = -0.905, P < 0.01)between urbanization rate and total agroecosystem service value, suggesting that the increase of urbanization rate would lead to a decrease of agroecosystem service value. Therefore, it requires an appropriate reservation of various agroecosystems to maintain the regional sustainable development during urbanization.

This paper determined the contact-killing and fumigant activities of natural plant product bisdemethoxycurcumin (BDMC) on the important phytophagous mite Tetranychus cinnabarinus (Acari:Tetranychidae) at its different life stages, and studied the repellency effects of BDMC on the mite larvae, nymphs, and adults, and the inhibition efficiency of BDMC on the female mite oviposition under the conditions of 26 degrees C +/- 1 degree C, 60%-80% RH, and light cycle 14L : 10D h. The median lethal concentration (LC50) of BDMC at 48 h against female adults determined by slide-dip method was 0.433 mg x mL(-1). At concentration 0.883 mg x mL(-1) (LC70), the contact-killing activity of BDMC against different life stage T. cinnabarinus was in the order of larva > nymph > adult > egg, and the corrected mortality of larvae at 24 h and 48 h was 60.0% and 83.3%, respectively. BDMC had no obvious fumigant activity against different life stage T. cinnabarinus, and the corrected mortality was all less than 3% after treatment 24 h and 48 h. BDMC had stronger repellency activity against the mite, with the repellency rate against larvae at different treatment times all above 85%, followed by against nymphs, and that against adults after 72 h being only 47.8%. BDMC had obvious oviposition inhibition activity against female adults, with the inhibition rate after 120 h reached 89.3%. All the results suggested that the main action modes of BDMC against T. cinnabarinus were contact-killing, repellency, and oviposition inhibition.

Taking the four typical fruit-crop intercropping models, i.e., walnut-peanut, walnut-soybean, apple-peanut, and apple-soybean, in the Loess Region of western Shanxi Province as the objects, this paper analyzed the crop (peanut and soybean) photosynthetic active radiation (PAR), net photosynthetic rate (P(n)), yield, and soil moisture content. Comparing with crop monoculture, fruit-crop intercropping decreased the crop PAR and P(n). The smaller the distance from tree rows, the smaller the crop PAR and P(n). There was a significantly positive correlation between the P(n) and crop yield, suggesting that illumination was one of the key factors affecting crop yield. From the whole trend, the 0-100 cm soil moisture content had no significant differences between walnut-crop intercropping systems and corresponding monoculture cropping systems, but had significant differences between apple-crop intercropping systems and corresponding monoculture cropping systems, indicating that the competition for soil moisture was more intense in apple-crop intercropping systems than in walnut-crop intercropping systems. Comparing with monoculture, fruit-crop intercropping increased the land use efficiency and economic benefit averagely by 70% and 14%, respectively, and walnut-crop intercropping was much better than apple-crop intercropping. To increase the crop yield in fruit-crop intercropping systems, the following strategies should be taken: strengthening the management of irrigation and fertilization, increasing the distances or setting root barriers between crop and tree rows, regularly and properly pruning, and planting shade-tolerant crops in intercropping.

Based on the 1961-2009 weather data from 21 meteorological stations in Ningxia, this paper analyzed the spatiotemporal variation trend of regional agricultural climate resources in Ningxia, Northwest China. In 1961-2009, the air temperature in Ningxia increased gradually from south to north, with the mean annual temperature increased by 0.4 degrees C x (10 a)(-1) , while the annual precipitation in most regions decreased gradually, with a decrement 4.26 mm x (10 a)(-1). Both the frost-free period and the duration of crop growth season prolonged. The regions with > or = 10 degrees C accumulated temperature being > or = 3200 degrees C x d extended southwardly, and thereby, the regions adaptive for planting mid and late rice increased. In 2001-2009, most regions were adaptive for plating winter wheat, and the whole Ningxia was adaptive for plating spring wheat. In the southern mountain regions, the region with mean temperature in July being < or = 20 degrees C decreased gradually, and accordingly, the regions adaptive for planting potato decreased.

Taking the primary forest land (PF), natural restoration land (NR), grazing grassland burned annually in winter (GB), and maize-sweet potato cropland (MS) in Karst regions of Northwest Guangxi as test objects, this paper studied the soil aggregates content and their organic C stability in the four ecosystems under different human disturbance patterns. The soil water-stable aggregates (>0.25 mm) content in PF, NR, and GB accounted for more than 70%, while that in MS was only 37%. The destruction rate of soil aggregates structure in the four ecosystems decreased in the sequence of MS (54.9%) > GB (23.2%) > NR (9.8%) and PF (9.6%), with significant differences among them (P<0.05). With increasing incubation time, the mineralization rate of soil aggregate organic C decreased after an initial increase and kept stable after 20 days, and increased with decreasing aggregate size. In the same size aggregates, the mineralization rate of organic C in the four ecosystems increased in the sequence of MS < GB and NR < PF. In PF, the mineralization ratio of soil organic C was 1.7% - 3.8%, being significantly higher than that in NR, GB, and MS. The cumulative mineralization amount of soil organic C had the same change trend with the mineralization rate. The contents of soil organic C and aggregate organic C were significantly positively correlated with the mineralization rate and cumulative mineralization amount of organic C, respectively, and significantly negatively correlated with the mineralization ratio of organic C.

By using the 1961-2007 daily weather data from 78 meteorological stations in Northwest Arid Area, this paper analyzed the spatiotemporal characteristics of agricultural climate resources, i.e., heat, light, and precipitation, in the area, both in the whole year and in temperature-defined growth seasons of chimonophilous and thermophilic crops. In 1961-2007, the mean annual temperature in the area had an increasing trend, and the climate tendency rate was 0.35 degrees C x (10 a)(-1). The accumulated temperature in temperature-defined growth seasons of both chimonophilous and thermophilic crops also had an increasing trend, and the climate tendency rate was 67 and 50 degrees C d x (10 a)(-1), respectively. The annual sunshine hours in most stations of the research area had an obvious decreasing trend, but the sunshine hours during the temperature-defined growth seasons of chimonophilous and thermophilic crops had an increasing trend, except that in most regions of Xin-jiang and east Ningxia Plain. The annual reference evapotranspiration in most regions of the study area tended to decrease, while the reference evapotranspiration during temperature-defined growth seasons of chimonophilous and thermophilic crops tended to decrease in the west but increase in the east. Compared with that in 1961-1980, the precipitation both in the whole year and in temperature-defined growth seasons of chimonophilous and thermophilic crops in 1981-2007 increased, and the increment reduced progressively from the northwest to the southeast.

Based on the 1961-2007 ground observation data from 88 meteorological stations in Southwest China, and by using statistical methods and GIS software, this paper analyzed the spatiotemporal change characteristics of agricultural climate resources in this region in the whole year and during temperature-defined growth period. In 1961-2007, the annual mean temperature in the region showed an increasing trend, with the increment averaged 0.18 degrees C x (10 a)(-1). The > or = 10 degrees C and > or = 15 degrees C accumulated temperature during temperature-defined growth period also showed an increasing trend, with the increment averaged 55.3 degrees C x d x (10 a)(-1) and 37 degrees C x d x (10 a)(-1), respectively. The annual sunshine hours decreased gradually from west to east, and the decreasing trend was more significant in eastern than in western region. The sunshine hours during temperature-defined growth period showed an overall increasing trend, and the spatial difference was great. The precipitation resource had an overall decrease, with the decrement in whole year and during temperature-defined growth period averaged 10 mm x (10 a)(-1) and 8 mm x (10 a)(-1), respectively. The annual reference crop evapotranspiration generally decreased, but the decrement was less than that of annual precipitation. The reference crop evapotranspiration during temperature-defined growth period within about 53% meteorological stations decreased.

In order to understand the landscape pattern gradient dynamics and desakota features in rapid urbanization area, this paper took the rapidly urbanizing Panyu District of Guangzhou City as a case, and analyzed its land use and land cover data, based on four Landsat TM images from 1990 to 2008. With the combination of gradient analysis and landscape pattern analysis, and by using the landscape indices in both class and landscape scales, the spatial dynamics and desakota feature of this rapidly urbanizing district were quantified. In the study district, there was a significant change in the landscape pattern, and a typical desakota feature presented along buffer gradient zones. Urban landscape increased and expanded annually, accompanied with serious fragmentation of agricultural landscape. The indices patch density, contagion, and landscape diversity, etc., changed regularly in the urbanization gradient, and the peak of landscape indices appeared in the gradient zone of 4-6 km away from the urban center. The landscape patterns at time series also reflected the differences among the dynamics in different gradient zones. The landscape pattern in desakota region was characterized by complex patch shape, high landscape diversity and fragmentation, and remarkable landscape dynamics. The peaks of landscape indices spread from the urban center to border areas, and desakota region was expanding gradually. The general trend of spatiotemporal dynamics in desakota region and its driving forces were discussed, which could be benefit to the regional land use policy-making and sustainable development planning.

The canal-lining project in Hetao Irrigation District (HID) for water-saving irrigation has been implemented for many years. By using statistical method, ordinary Kriging, and software ArcGIS 9.0, this paper analyzed the spatiotemporal variation of groundwater table depth and salinity in HID in September, 2001 and 2009. In the meantime, the vegetation distribution on the both shores of the lining part and non-lining part of Yangjiahe channel was also investigated. After the many years implementation of the project, the water diversion amount in HID in 2009 was reduced to 44.5 x 10(8) m3. The region area of groundwater table with a depth of 2.5-3.0 m was increased from 1.2 x 10(4) hm2 in 2001 to 9.11 x 10(4) hm2 in 2009. The region area of groundwater table with a depth of 2.0-2.5 m in 2009 took 80% of the total area of HID. In the northwestern region of HID, the groundwater salinity had reduced from 5000-10000 mg x L(-1) to 3000-5000 mg x L(-1). In Wulate irrigation region, the areas of salt water belt and half-salt water belt were increasing. After the canal-lining of Yangjiahe channel, the plant species and diversity index on both shores reduced, and some herbaceous plants with shallow roots showed degradation signs. The implementation of the project and the reduction of water diversion for irrigation did not exert negative effects on the maintenance of water surface area of Wuliangsuhai Lake.

Based on a 20-year experiment of fertilization with organic and chemical fertilizers on a Fluvo-aquic soil under wheat-corn cropping system, this paper studied the relationships between Olsen-P concentration in plough layer and crop yields as well as the accumulation and vertical translocation of Olsen-P in soil profile. The results showed that when the Olsen-P concentration in plough layer maintained at 10-40 mg x kg(-1), the grain yields of wheat and corn were higher, whereas when the concentration of Olsen-P in plough layer was higher than 40 mg x kg(-1), it started to leach, which meant that in light loam Fluvo-aquic soil, the threshold value for P leaching might be 40 mg x kg(-1). In the treatments of chemical fertilization (NPK) and corn straw returning (SNPK) with the P application rate of 77-90 kg x hm(-2), the Olsen-P concentration in plough layer was increased by 0.63-0.72 mg x kg(-1) per 100 kg x hm(-2) of applied P, with an annual increment of 0.49-0.65 mg x kg(-1) and needed 45-60 years for reaching the threshold value for P leaching. In the treatments of chemical fertilization combined with manure application (MNPK, MNPK2, and 1.5MNPK), the formula of Olsen-P accumulation in 0-20 cm soil layer were Y(MNPK) = 3.1097x + 6.9615 (R2 = 0.8562), Y(MNPK2) = 2.4765x + 13.563 (R2 = 0.9307), and Y1.5MNPK = 4.506x + 6.4464 (R2 = 0.8862). It might take 8 years to reach the threshold value for Olsen-P leaching when the P application rate in treatment 1.5MNPK was 210 kg x hm(-2), 11 years when the P application rate in treatments MNPK2 and MNPK was 125 and 140 kg x hm(-2). Organic fertilization combined with chemical fertilization increased the Olsen-P accumulation rate being 2.5 times higher than chemical fertilization. Excessive application of organic fertilizer could increase the accumulation and leaching of Olsen-P in soil profile.

Taking the cultivated soils in typical black soil region of Northeast China as test objects, and by using dye tracer and double-ring infiltrometer techniques and photograph interpretation method, this paper measured and analyzed the dye-stained width and dye-stained coverage of soil transverse and longitudinal sections as well as the field maximum dye-stained depth, aimed to approach the water flow movement pattern and distribution characteristics in test soils. At soil depth 0-15 cm, matrix flow was the main soil water flow movement pattern; at depth 15-20 cm, lateral flow was observed, and the average dye-stained width and dye-stained coverage reached their maximum, being 23 cm and 20.73%, respectively. At depth 20-67 cm, the main soil water flow movement pattern was macro-pore flow, with cracks and macro-pores as the main preferential routes. The cracks at depth 20-35 cm made the preferential flow have distinct surrounding characteristics, and the macro-pores at depth 40-67 cm were the main preferential routes. Due to the existence of the preferential routes of cracks and macro-pores, the migration velocity of water in soil increased by 4.5 times, which could not only cause water loss, but also accelerate the migration of pesticides to ground water. It was suggested that these preferential routes should be decreased or eliminated during the cultivation and management on cultivated typical black soils.

This paper simulated the spatial patterns of cultivated land in China under the future scenario by using the Dynamics of Land System (DLS) model, and then estimated the cultivated land productivity at the grid pixel dimensions based on the Estimation System of Land Production (ESLP). In addition, the spatial patterns of cultivated land productivity in each of China agro-ecological zones were analyzed. On this basis, this paper predicted the impacts of cultivated land conversion on the cultivated land production in China in 2000-2020, and identified the major affecting factors on the cultivated land production. The research results indicated that the impact of improving the cultivated land productivity on the cultivated land production would be wunch more remarkable than that from the magnitude of cultivated land conversion in regions where there were high potential to imrprove the cultivated land productivity. However, in the regions with nearly no room to improve the productivity, cultivated land conversion would produce more apparent impacts on the total cultivated land production. In this sense, it was of significance for the national food security in China to adjust the cultivated land conversion to ensure the 0.12 billion hm2 of cultivated land, and to increase investment and improve management level to increase per unit grain yield.

Based on the 2011-2050 A2 climate scenario derived from the regional climate model PRECIS and the daily data of 1961-1990 baseline climate condition, this paper analyzed the possible changes of the agricultural thermal resources in China from 2011 to 2050. Comparing with the baseline climate condition in 1961-1990, the average frost-free periods in most parts of China in 2011-2050 under A2 climate scenario would have an obvious extension, mainly manifested in the advance of last frost date and the postpone of first frost date. The days with the daily average temperature stably passing 0 degrees C would also prolong significantly, and extend from 1 day to 14 days in most parts of the country. Especially from 2041 to 2050, the days with the daily average temperature stably passing 0 degrees C in most regions of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River, and western and southwestern regions of Gansu and Xinjiang could be extended by 49 days. The > or = 0 degrees C accumulated temperatures in most parts of the country would have increasing trends. In order to meet the future change trend of our agricultural thermal resources and to realize the sustainable development of agriculture in China, some countermeasures should be formulated, e.g., further adjusting agricultural cropping system, optimizing agricultural production distribution, developing biotechnology, and so on.

By using Ripley's K function, an important method of point pattern analysis, and taking the TM remote sensing images of 1987, 1996 and 2007 as data source, this paper studied the characteristics and changes of landscape pattern in Wuhan City. The results showed that in 1987 - 2007, farmland was the landscape matrix in Wuhan, while water body, forestland, grassland, urban and rural built-up land, and unutilized land types were the patches or corridors, which spatially clumped significantly in all scales. The landscape aggregation of water bodies was inferior to that of forestland, grassland, and urban and rural built-up land. The farmland clumped spatially in fine scales, but became random or uniform in coarse scales. Meantime, the areas of forestland and urban and rural built-up land increased largely, while water body, grassland, and farmland decreased greatly. In addition, the landscape spatial characteristics of all landscape types changed variously. On the whole, the landscape aggregation of forestland and urban and rural built-up land decreased, and became more uniform. Meanwhile, the water body, grassland, and farmland took on a more uneven and clumped landscape pattern. To analyze the landscape pattern through sample points had the advantages of conciseness, accuracy, and easiness-to-use, in comparison with the methods of quadrat and sample line (or transect). Ripley's K function was proved to be an efficient means for analyzing landscape pattern in different scales, and fit for the supplement and support of landscape metrics.

By using the 1961-2007 daily weather data from 66 meteorological stations all over South China, this paper studied the spatiotemporal change characteristics of agricultural climate resources, including heat, light, and precipitation, in this region on the scales of whole year and temperature-defined growth season. In 1961-2007, the mean annual air temperature in this region tended to be increased by 0.20 degrees C x (10 a)(-1), and the climatic trend of > or = 10 degrees C accumulated temperature in temperature-defined growth season increased gradually from north to south, with an average of 98 degrees C x d x (10 a)(-1). Comparied with those in 1961-1980, the areas of the accumulated temperature zone of 6200-7500 degrees C x d and 7500-8000 degrees C x d in 1981-2007 increased by 1.5 x 10(4) and 4.7 x 10(4) km2, respectively. In 1961-2007, the sunshine hours on the scales of whole year and temperature-defined growth season decreased by -57 h x (10 a)(-1) and -38 h x (10 a)(-1), respectively, and the areas with sunshine hour > or = 1800 h on the two scales tended to be decreased, compared with those in 1961-1980. The precipitation on the two scales increased slightly, and the increment varied obviously in different parts of the region. There were 62% and 52% of the stations where the reference crop evapotranspiration on the scales of whole year and temperature-defined growth season was in negative, respectively. In 1981-2007, the high-value area of reference crop evapotranspiration decreased, while the low-value area increased, compared with those in 1961-1980. The mean climatic trend of annual humidity index was 0.01 x (10 a)(-1), and 70% of the stations showed an increasing trend. Comparing with that in 1961-1980, the humidity index on the scale of temperature-defined growth season in 1981-2007 was increased by 0. 02, with 53% of the stations showed positive. On the whole, the change characteristics of climate in South China in 1961-2007 showed a tendency of warming and wetting, which would impact the cropping system, yield, and agricultural structure in the region.

This paper studied the characteristics of soil nematode community following the conversion of native sandy desert soil to irrigated farmland in a marginal oasis of the middle reaches of Heihe River basin, aimed to approach the bioindicating function of soil nematodes in soil evolution process. A total of 27921 soil nematode individuals were captured, belonging to 25 families and 34 genera. The total number of nematodes increased gradually with increasing age of cultivation. At all sampling sites, bacterivores and plant parasites were the dominant trophic groups, and made up the main parts of nematode community in oasis farmland. Through the analysis of the evenness index (J) and dominance index (lambda) of nematode community, the ecosystems were found to be fragile for the farmlands having cultivated for 0, 10, and > 50 years. The maturity index MI2-5 and MMI decreased with increasing cultivation age, suggesting that the practice of agricultural use enhanced the disturbance on farmland. The soil properties changed significantly after 10 years of cultivation, which was at a significant change stage for the structure stability of soil ecosystems. The characteristics of soil nematode community could be used as the bioindicator of soil evolution following the conversion of native desert soil to irrigated farmland.

Through vegetation investigation and soil analysis, this paper studied the evolvement of soil quality during natural vegetation succession and after farmland reclamation in the Yancheng coastal wetland of Jiangsu Province. Along with the process of vegetation succession, the soil physical, chemical, and biological properties in the wetland improved, which was manifested in the improvement of soil physical properties and the increase of soil nutrient contents, microbial biomass, and enzyme activities. Different vegetation type induced the differences in soil properties. Comparing with those in salt marshes, the soil salt content in reclaimed farmlands decreased to 0.01 - 0.04%, the soil microbial biomass and enzyme activities increased, and the soil quality improved obviously. The soil quality index (SQI) in the wetland was in the order of mudflat (0.194) < Suaeda salsa flat (0.233) < Imperata cylindrica flat (0.278) < Spartina alterniflora flat (0.446) < maize field (0.532) < cotton field (0.674) < soybean field (0.826), suggesting that positive vegetation succession would be an effective approach in improving soil quality.

By using geostatistics and GIS, this paper studied the spatial distribution of soil nitrogen in the croplands in Shuangliu County of Sichuan Province, China, and analyzed the related affecting factors. There was a moderate spatial correlation between the contents of total nitrogen (TN) and available nitrogen (AN) in the cropland soils, and the spatial correlation distance was 15480 m for TN and 26980 m for AN. The regions with higher soil TN content were mainly in the north of the County, i. e., Jiujiang and Xinxing towns, while those with lower soil TN content were mainly in the southeast of the County, i. e., Hejiang and Sanxing towns. The soil AN content decreased obviously from north to south. The TN and AN contents in the soils developed from grey alluvium were significantly higher than those developed from purplish rock saprolith and old alluvium. Paddy soil had significantly higher contents of TN and AN than yellow soil and purple soil. Terrain condition affected the soil TN and AN contents to different degree, and hilly region had the lowest contents of soil TN and AN. Paddy fields had significantly higher contents of soil TN and AN, compared with dryland and orchards; and the regions with higher soil nitrogen content were applied with obviously higher amount of N fertilizer, compared to the regions with lower soil nitrogen content.