Effects Of Long-term Management Research Articles

Sustainable Soil Management for Climate Resilience: Long-Term Management Effects on Soil Carbon Sequestration and Nitrogen Dynamics in a Semi-Arid Tropical Inceptisol of India

Sustainable Soil Management for Climate Resilience: Long-Term Management Effects on Soil Carbon Sequestration and Nitrogen Dynamics in a Semi-Arid Tropical Inceptisol of India

The Impact of Non-Point Source (NPS) Management on Non-Point Source Reduction and Water Cycle Improvement in an Urban Area

Suwon, the capital and largest city of Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, was designated as a non-point source management area in 2010. The management period ended in 2020, so follow-up measures are needed. In this study, we investigated several projects implemented in Suwon for urban water cycle improvement and non-point source pollution reduction, and the long-term management effects were analyzed to suggest policy directions such as the revision of designation notices. During the 10-year management period in Suwon, the population and lot area continued to increase, and the non-point source-based annual Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) discharge loads also increased by approximately 25% at the half sub-basins Hwangguji-cheon and Woncheonri-cheon in 2020 compared to 2010. Even under these conditions, statistical analyses show that the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Total Phosphorus (TP) concentrations monitored at the outlet of basin were decreased due to the promotion of a large-scale sewer management project as well as non-point source pollution reduction projects. Also, the field monitoring data-based Load Duration Curve (LDC) analysis results indicate that the loads decreased in the high-flow period of 2020 compared to 2015. Also, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values calculated using satellite images since 2017 tended to increase slightly during the period when the impervious area estimated using the land registration map increased. It is assumed that using the current calculation method for impervious areas has limitations regarding its ability to reflect changes in the small-scale Low-Impact Development (LID) facility and in ecological/landscape areas. On the other hand, the annual variation in direct runoff estimated at the outlet using three hydrograph separation methods did not show any improvement with regard to storm water retention during the management period. These results reveal that the effects on urban water cycle improvement, such as peak flow reduction and base flow increase, may not be noticeable despite some progress in reducing non-point source pollution and increasing green area. Therefore, additional efforts directed towards non-point source pollution management focused on water cycle improvement are required in the city, especially in the sub-basins with higher pollution loads such as Hwangguji-cheon and Seoho-cheon.

Interactive effects of long-term management of crop residue and phosphorus fertilization on wheat productivity and soil health in the rice–wheat

In the context of degradation of soil health, environmental pollution, and yield stagnation in the rice–wheat system in the Indo-Gangetic Plains of South Asia, an experiment was established in split plot design to assess the long-term effect of crop residue management on productivity and phosphorus requirement of wheat in rice–wheat system. The experiment comprised of six crop residue management practices as the main treatment factor with three levels (0, 30 and 60 kg P2O5 ha–1) of phosphorus fertilizer as sub-treatments. Significant improvement in soil aggregation, bulk density, and infiltration rate was observed under residue management (retention/incorporation) treatments compared to residue removal or residue burning. Soil organic carbon (SOC), available nutrient content (N, P, and K), microbial count, and enzyme activities were also significantly higher in conservation tillage and residue-treated plots than without residue/burning treatments. The residue derived from both crops when was either retained/incorporated improved the soil organic carbon (0.80%) and resulted in a significant increase in SOC (73.9%) in the topsoil layer as compared to the conventional practice. The mean effect studies revealed that crop residue management practices and phosphorus levels significantly influenced wheat yield attributes and productivity. The higher grain yield of wheat was recorded in two treatments, i.e. the basal application of 60 kg P2O5 ha–1 without residue incorporation and the other with half the P-fertilizer (30 kg P2O5 ha–1) with rice residue only. The grain yield of wheat where the rice and wheat residue were either retained/incorporated without phosphorus application was at par with 30 and 60 kg P2O5ha–1. Phosphorus levels also significantly affected wheat productivity and available P content in the soil. Therefore, results suggested that crop residue retention following the conservation tillage approach improved the yield of wheat cultivated in the rice–wheat cropping system.

Effects of Long-Term Management on Soil Organic Carbon in Tropical Peatlands

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Histosols management on soil organic matter (SOM) characteristics. Theoretical framework: Histosols are soils that provide ecosystem services, especially carbon stocks. Among the environments in which these soils are formed, peatlands stand out. The conversion of these areas into agricultural systems requires soil drainage. This practice causes reductions in carbon content and changes in the structure of the SOM. Methodology: The study was conducted in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The soils were classified as Histosols. Three areas were selected: a) cassava (Manihot esculenta) cultivation for 80 years; b) forest fragment for 20 years; c) consortium of coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) and cassava for 20 years. Total organic carbon (TOC); particulate organic carbon (COP); organic carbon associated with minerals (COam); fulvic acid fraction carbon (CAF); humic acid fraction carbon (CAH) and; humin fraction carbon (CHUM) were determined. Solid-state spectroscopy (UV-vis, ATR-FTIR and 13C NMR CP/MAS) was carried out to characterize the structure of the SOM. Results and conclusion: The results showed that management and drainage have an impact on the TOC content, fractions and chemical structure of the SOM. The management adopted in the cassava area had an impact on the labile and humified fractions of the SOM. Spectroscopy showed that labile structures were lost in the humic acids (HA), while in the forest area only recalcitrant structures were preserved. Research implications: The conversion of Histosols to agricultural production using the drainage technique promotes quantitative and qualitative changes in SOM in the long term. In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it is necessary to use techniques that promote carbon stocks in the soil. Originality/value: This study uses spectroscopic and chemometric techniques to highlight the effects of long-term soil management on the chemical structure of the SOM and to quantify the total carbon content and SOM fractions.

Rapid shift of soil fungal community compositions after clear-cutting in hemiboreal coniferous forests

Clear-cutting is the main forest management method in boreal and hemiboreal forests, but recently its implementation has raised concerns due to its effects on biodiversity, including the soil fungal biota. Forest soil fungi have an important role as mycorrhizal symbionts, decomposers of organic material and root pathogens. There is conflicting information about the effect of clear-cutting and related management practices on fungal assemblages. We aimed to assess the factors that affect the assemblages of major fungal functional guilds (ectomycorrhizal, saprotrophic, pathogenic and yeast fungi) and the changes in soil fungal diversity and community composition after clear-cutting in Norway spruce and Scots pine (retention trees > 5 m3 per ha) stands, and compared the outcomes with alongside control sites (uncut stands). In addition, we tested the effect of the size of the clear-cut area, soil scarification and the forest regeneration method (planting and sowing) on soil fungi. The samples were collected from 50 different clear-cut sites and 50 control sites on two repeated sampling occasions: recently (0–6 months) cut and one year after clear-cutting. Based on high-throughput Illumina sequencing soil fungal communities were affected immediately after clear-cutting, resulting in significantly different fungal structure composition. Soil fungal diversity in both spruce and pine stands increased after one year post-cut compared to control sites, except the richness of ectomycorrhizal fungi in spruce sites. However, the fungal communities showed the highest similarity between control and one year post-cut sites based on principal coordinates (PCO) and Permanova analyses. Nonetheless, relative abundance of ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungi declined, whereas that of saprotrophs and pathogens increased. In spruce sites, saprotrophic fungi were negatively affected by soil scarification, but this was not evident in pine sites. Forest regeneration by planting after clear-cutting in pine sites resulted in higher ectomycorrhizal fungal richness compared to sowing. Size of the clear-cut area (ranging from 0.4 to 3.1 (5.0) ha) did not affect soil fungal diversity in spruce- and pine-dominated sites. We demonstrated that fungal community composition may recover within one year after clear-cutting in pine- and spruce-dominated hemiboreal forest stands. However, understanding the long-term effects of management on patterns and shifts in fungal biota needs a long-term study.

Plant richness increases with surrounding habitat and management burns over 30-years in suburban forest understories

Forests within and adjacent to cities are important habitats for native species and provide vital ecosystem services to cities and their residents. Herbaceous plants represent over 80% of all plant species in these forests, yet little is known about the long-term effects of management and landscape context on the understory of suburban forests. In this study, we used a 30-year dataset to fill this knowledge gap and evaluate the effect of prescribed burns on native forest herbs in suburban forest preserves of DuPage County, Illinois, USA. We also evaluated how the amount and configuration of forest habitat at multiple spatial scales affects native herb richness, gains, and losses in these forests over 30 years. We found that forests managed with prescribed burns increased in native herb richness over time, while unburned forests did not. Managed forests now have more native herb species than unburned forests. We also found that habitat amount in the surrounding landscape, but not the configuration of that habitat, had a positive effect on native herb richness and species gains over 30 years. Overall, we conclude that prescribed burns are effective in maintaining native forest herb richness in suburban forests. However, additional management actions such as seed augmentation may be required in areas with little surrounding forest herb habitat, as both overall richness and species gains over time are reduced in isolated forests.

Abstract WP175: Cardiovascular And Cerebrovascular Disease Risk Assessment Amongst Patients With Status Migrainosus And Migraine With Aura - A Nationwide Study

Introduction: Headache disorders have been linked with enhanced atherosclerosis, cortical spreading depression, endovascular dysfunction, vasoconstriction, neurogenic inflammation, hypercoagulability, and cervical artery dissection. We aimed to evaluate the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disorders amongst patients with status migrainosus and migraine with aura. Methods: We planned a cross-sectional observational study from nationwide inpatient data from 2016-2018. Patients with status migrainosus with intractable migraine, migraine with aura, migraine without aura (simple migraine) were identified and compared with population without no migraine (control) using ICD-10-CM codes. Chi-square test) and mix-effect multivariate survey logistic regression analysis adjusted for vascular events were performed to identify prevalence and risk of association between cerebrovascular and cardiovascular disorders and migraine. Results: We identified 1184130 migraineurs out of which 60140 had status migrainosus with intractable migraine, 45285 had migraine with aura, and 16860 had migraine without aura. Prevalence of identified acute ischemic stroke (AIS) (5.5% vs no-migraine: 1.71%), transient ischemic attack (TIA) (3.99% vs 0.38%), subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) (0.13% vs 0.08%), angina (0.07% vs 0.06%) was higher in patients with migraine with aura compared to non-migraineurs. (p<0.0001) In regression analysis, migraine with aura was associated with higher odds of AIS (aOR: 3.7, 95%CI 3.4-4.1) and TIA (11.8, 10.5-13.2). In risk adjusted effect modification analysis, patients with AIS (1.5, 1.2-1.9) and TIA (3.0, 2.1-4.3) had higher odds of severe and extreme disability (APR DRG Severity) in patients with migraine with aura compared to patients with intractable migraine. Conclusion: We found that the patients with migraine with aura had higher risk of stroke than patients with intractable or simple migraine. More prospective studies should be planned to evaluate the effect of long-term management of migraine with aura to mitigate the burden of cerebrovascular events and associated disability. Further studies should be directed towards identifying the relationship between migraine and cardiovascular disorders.

Long-Term Management of Endometriosis Based on Third Party Platform

Objective: To explore the effect of long-term management of endometriosis (EMs) patients based on third-party platform. Methods: From June 2019 to December 2020, 200 endometriosis patients who were admitted to the gynecology clinic and ward of Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital were selected. Among them, 100 patients who voluntarily used the third-party platform and regularly visited the hospital were selected as the experimental group, and 100 patients who were followed up for routine outpatient service were selected as the control group. The pain numerical rating scale (NRS), self-rating depression scale (SDS), self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), cyst diameter and EMS disease cognition were compared between the two groups, which were collected every three months. Results: The data at each time point (NRS score, SDS score, SAS score, cyst diameter, EMS disease cognition) of experimental group and control group after management were significantly decreased compared with those before management and at the previous time point, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05), however, there was significant difference in the on-time follow-up rate between the two groups (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The use of third-party platforms can significantly improve the long-term management effect of EMs patients.

Chronic Blockade of NMDAR Subunit 2A in the Hypothalamic Paraventricular Nucleus Alleviates Hypertension Through Suppression of MEK/ERK/CREB Pathway

N-methyl-D-aspartate Receptor (NMDAR) in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) plays critical roles in regulating sympathetic outflow. Studies showed that acute application of the antagonists of NMDAR or its subunits would reduce sympathetic nerve discharges. However, little is known about the effect of long-term management of NMDAR in hypertensive animals. PEAQX, the specific antagonist of NMDAR subunit 2A (GluN2A) was injected into both side of the PVN of two-kidney, one clip (2K1C) renal hypertensive rats and control (normotensive rats) for three weeks. Three weeks of PEAQX infusion significantly reduced the blood pressure of the 2K1C rats. It managed to resume the balance between excitatory and inhibitory neural transmitters, reduce the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species in the PVN, and reduce the level of norepinephrine in plasma of the 2K1C rats. PEAQX administration also largely reduced the transcription and translation levels of GluN2A and changed the expression levels of NMDAR subunit 1 and 2B (GluN1 and GluN2B). In addition, NMDAR was known to function through activating the extracellular regulated protein kinases (ERK) or phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) pathways. In our study we found that in the PVN of 2K1C rats treated with PEAQX, the phosphorylation levels of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK), ERK1/2 and cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB) significantly reduced, while the phosphorylation level of PI3K didn't change significantly. Chronic blockade of GluN2A alleviates hypertension through suppression of MEK/ERK/CREB pathway.

Effects of Management and Hillside Position on Soil Organic Carbon Stratification in Mediterranean Centenary Olive Grove

The short- and medium—long-term effects of management and hillside position on soil organic carbon (SOC) changes were studied in a centenary Mediterranean rainfed olive grove. One way to measure these changes is to analyze the soil quality, as it assesses soil degradation degree and attempts to identify management practices for sustainable soil use. In this context, the SOC stratification index (SR-COS) is one of the best indicators of soil quality to assess the degradation degree from SOC content without analyzing other soil properties. The SR-SOC was calculated in soil profiles (horizon-by-horizon) to identify the best soil management practices for sustainable use. The following time periods and soil management combinations were tested: (i) in the medium‒long-term (17 years) from conventional tillage (CT) to no-tillage (NT), (ii) in the short-term (2 years) from CT to no-tillage with cover crops (NT-CC), and (iii) the effect in the short-term (from CT to NT-CC) of different topographic positions along a hillside. The results indicate that the SR-SOC increased with depth for all management practices. The SR-SOC ranged from 1.21 to 1.73 in CT0, from 1.48 to 3.01 in CT1, from 1.15 to 2.48 in CT2, from 1.22 to 2.39 in NT-CC and from 0.98 to 4.16 in NT; therefore, the soil quality from the SR-SOC index was not directly linked to the increase or loss of SOC along the soil profile. This demonstrates the time-variability of SR-SOC and that NT improves soil quality in the long-term.

Canopy Cover Loss of Mediterranean Oak Woodlands: Long-term Effects of Management and Climate

Although forest areas have been growing in Europe, some forest types have been declining regionally. Since the 1980 s, there have been reports of defoliation and mortality in evergreen oak woodlands of the Iberian Peninsula. However, long-term and large-scale trends of Iberian oak decline are still poorly understood. We quantified trends in canopy cover for cork oak (Quercus suber) and holm oak (Q. rotundifolia) woodlands in mainland Portugal for a 50 year period (1965 to 2015). We considered loss of canopy cover a proxy of forest degradation and asked how it changed over time, in association with human activity and climate. Between 1965 and 2015, both cork oak and holm oak canopy cover showed declining trends (57.9% and 71.1% of sampling points, respectively). Canopy cover dynamics, however, differed across time. Between 1965 and 1990, canopy cover gains (over 35% of sampling points) prevailed over losses (under 20%), with larger differences for cork oak than holm oak. Between 1990 and 2015, canopy cover losses (over 70% of sampling points) were much higher than gains (under 9%). Oak canopy cover decrease was associated with flatter areas (usually having more intensive land use) for both oak species, higher cattle numbers (holm oak only) and higher mean temperature (cork oak only). Contrastingly, loss of holm oak canopy cover seems to have occurred in less hot and dry regions that enable more intensive land uses. Active restoration is urgently needed to reverse the current decline in canopy cover in Mediterranean evergreen oak woodlands.

Simple Soil Tests for On-Site Evaluation of Soil Health in Orchards

Standard commercial soil tests typically quantify nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, pH, and salinity. These factors alone are not sufficient to predict the long-term effects of management on soil health. The goal of this study was to assess the effectiveness and use of simple physical, biological, and chemical soil health indicator tests that can be completed on-site. Analyses were conducted on soil samples collected from three experimental peach orchards located on the Utah State Horticultural Research Farm in Kaysville, Utah. All simple tests were correlated to comparable lab analyses using Pearson’s correlation. The highest positive correlations were found between Solvita® respiration, and microbial biomass (R = 0.88), followed by our modified slake test and microbial biomass (R = 0.83). Both Berlese funnel and pit count methods of estimating soil macro-organism diversity were fairly predictive of soil health. Overall, simple commercially available chemical tests were weak indicators of soil nutrient concentrations compared to laboratory tests. Modified slake tests, Solvita® respiration and soil organism biodiversity counts may be efficient and cost-effective tools for monitoring soil health on-site.

The effect of the twin block compared with trigger point injections in patients with masticatory myofascial pain: a pilot study.

The twin block, a novel nerve block that blocks the deep temporal and masseteric branches of the trigeminal nerve, has been shown to be effective in the short-term management of masticatory myofascial pain. However, little is known about its effectiveness in long-term management. The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of the twin block in comparison with trigger point injections for the treatment of masticatory myofascial pain. Forty-eight patients age 18 to 89 years were randomly assigned to the twin block group (n = 23) or the trigger point injection group (n = 25). The final analysis was based on a total number of 40 patients. Mean numerical pain intensity at baseline was 6.54 ± 1.90 for the trigger point injection group and 6.47 ± 2.23 for the twin block group. At the 6th month visit, it was 1.85 ± 1.85 for the trigger point injection group and 1.85 ± 1.94 for the twin block group. There were no statistically significant differences in pain intensity between the 2 groups at baseline (P = .64) and at the 6th month follow-up (P = .45). The twin block is effective in the long-term management of masticatory myofascial pain compared with trigger point injections. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03870191.

Soil phosphorus bioavailability as influenced by long-term management and applied phosphorus source

Soil phosphorus (P) availability may be impacted by management practices, thereby affecting plant P uptake and plant response to P amendments. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of long-term management on soil P pools and to assess the response of P bioavailability, plant growth, and P uptake to mineral versus manure P treatments. Soils were collected from plots under organic (ORG), organic with composted manure (ORG + M), conventional (CONV), and restored prairie (PRA) management. Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum L.) seedlings were grown in the greenhouse for 106 d in soils amended with various rates of manure or mineral P. The ORG soil had lower concentrations of labile P (resin-P and NaHCO3-P) compared with the CONV and PRA soils, as determined by sequential P fractionation prior to planting. Ryegrass biomass (root + shoot) and shoot P uptake from soils receiving no P were significantly lower for the ORG than all other management systems. Although apparent P use efficiency of the whole plant was increased by low P rate in the ORG management system, the source of applied P, manure &gt; mineral, only influenced Olsen test P.

Long-term Management Effects and Temperature Sensitivity of Soil Organic Carbon in Grassland and Agricultural Soils

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is integral to soil health and agroecosystem resilience. Despite much research, understanding of temperature sensitivity of SOC under long-term agricultural management is very limited. The main objective of this study was to evaluate SOC and nitrogen (N) dynamics under grasslands and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L)-based crop rotations in the inland Pacific Northwest (IPNW), USA, and measure SOC mineralization under ambient and elevated incubation temperatures. Soil samples were collected from 0–10 and 10–20 cm depths from an undisturbed grassland (GP), winter wheat-pea (Pisum sativum L) rotations under conventional tillage (WP-CT) and no-tillage (WP-NT), and winter wheat-fallow rotation under conventional tillage (WF-CT) and analyzed for SOC and N pools. Soil samples were incubated at 20 °C and 30 °C for 10 weeks, and SOC mineralization rates were estimated using the first order kinetic model. The GP had the greatest amounts of SOC, total N (TN), and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and WP rotations had higher inorganic N content than other treatments. The SOC mineralization at elevated incubation temperature was 72–177% more than at the ambient temperature, and the greatest effect was observed in GP. The SOC storage under a given management did not have consistent effects on soil carbon (C) and N mineralization under elevated temperature. However, soil disturbance under WP-CT and WF-CT accelerated SOC mineralization leading to soil C loss. Reducing tillage, integrating legumes into crop rotations, and growing perennial grasses could minimize SOC loss and have the potential to improve soil health and agroecosystem resilience under projected climate warming.

The Long-Term Effects of Management and Technology Transfers

This paper examines the long-run causal effects of management on firm performance. Under the United States Technical Assistance and Productivity Program (1952–1958), the United States organized management training trips for Italian managers to US firms and granted technologically advanced machines to Italian companies. I exploit an unexpected budget cut that reduced the number of participating firms and find that, compared to businesses excluded by the budget cut: performance of Italian firms that sent their managers to the United States increased for at least fifteen years after the program; performance of companies that received new machines increased, but flattened out over time; management and new machines were complementary. (JEL F23, L25, M16, M54, N34, N64, O33)

A multi model evaluation of long-term effects of crop management and cropping systems on nitrogen dynamics in the Canadian semi-arid prairie

Process-based biogeochemical models such as the DeNitrification-DeComposition (DNDC) and DayCent models can provide reliable estimations of components of the nitrogen (N) cycle but have rarely been evaluated for a more complete N balance. This is important in order to assess the long-term effects of management practices on soil and environmental quality. Using published data collected from a long term study in the Canadian semi-arid prairie, the Canadian DNDC version (DNDC v.CAN) and DayCent models were evaluated for their ability to simulate the long term nitrogen dynamics and budgets as well as nitrogen use efficiencies (NUEs) in a loam/silt loam soil for three distinct spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cropping systems. Both DNDC v.CAN and DayCent models predicted the spring wheat grain yields, above-ground plant biomass and nitrogen uptake well. The predicted NUEs in DNDC v.CAN, calculated using two approaches with respect to grain yield and grain N concentration, indicated good correlations to the observed values with r≥0.70 and low biases and average relative errors. The N balances were also simulated well in the two models, however DayCent showed a higher estimate of the deficit between N inputs and outputs, termed ‘Unaccounted N’, in all three systems compared to DNDC v.CAN. For both model simulations and the observed data, N outputs in the form of grain N uptake and N losses (nitrogen leaching, N gas emissions) were greater than N inputs except in the ContW (NP) system. In general, a multiple linear regression for estimations of NUEs with respect to N balance and N inputs across all three cropping systems showed that, DNDC v.CAN correlated better with the observed data compared to DayCent. Thus, based on model performance in this study, DNDC v.CAN as a process-based model offers promise as a tool for analyzing different cropping systems with varying N rates in terms of N dynamics and subsequent environmental impacts and benefits.

Improved quality of life in asthma patients under long-term therapy: Assessed by AHQ-Japan.

Assessment of the effects of long-term management on patient quality of life (QOL) would be extremely useful for determining asthma treatment strategies. However, no studies have evaluated QOL over an extended period of time. This study evaluated the changes in QOL, drug management and disease severity in the same asthma patients at an interval of approximately 9 years. We re-surveyed asthma patients enrolled in a survey conducted in 2004 to evaluate the effects of approximately a decade of treatment on disease severity and QOL assessed by the Japanese Asthma Health Questionnaire (AHQ-JAPAN). A total of 2179 patients were enrolled in the study from 93 centres, and 1332 patients were included in the per-protocol analysis. Usage rates of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) for treatment of stable asthma were over 90% at both time points. The AHQ-JAPAN total score improved significantly from 22.2±19.7 in 2004 to 19.7±19.9 in 2013 (P<.001). Significant improvements were also observed in 5 of 6 subscales of AHQ-JAPAN, with Social Activity constituting the sole exception. Asthma severity declined and QOL assessed by AHQ-JAPAN improved, which is considered as a reflection of improved asthma control at least partly attributable to widespread use of anti-inflammatory drugs as represented by ICS. The study also revealed the presence of those with poor QOL, especially in patients with concomitant respiratory diseases, and an increase in severe persistent asthma cases, warranting further long-term efforts at improving QOL. UMIN 000010483.

The effects of long-term management on patterns of carbon storage in a northern highbush blueberry production system.

Perennial crops potentially provide a sink for atmospheric carbon. However, there is a poor understanding of how perennial crops differ in their carbon allocation patterns, and few studies have tested how agronomic practices such as fertilization influence long-term patterns of carbon allocation in actual production systems. In this study, we report results of a long-term field experiment that tested the individual and combined effects of organic matter incorporation and nitrogen fertilization on carbon allocation. The mature (nine-year-old) blueberry plants in this study had an average standing carbon stock of 1147gCm-2 and average annual Net Primary Production (NPP) of 523gCm-2yr-1, values that are similar to those reported for other woody crops. Forty-four percent of blueberry annual NPP was sequestered in persistent biomass, 19% was exported as harvested fruit, and 37% entered the detrital pathway. Nitrogen applied at rates typical for blueberry production throughout the span of the study had no significant effect on total plant or soil C. However, pre-planting organic matter incorporation and periodic mulching with sawdust significantly increased both soil organic matter and soil C. Pre-planting organic matter incorporation also increased total standing plant C nine years later at maturity. At the field scale, we estimate that fields receiving pre-planting organic matter incorporation would have 4.8% (4.5Mgha-1) more standing C relative to non-amended fields, although the difference is within the range of uncertainty of the estimated values. These results suggest that blueberry production can provide a valuable medium-term carbon store that is comparable in magnitude to that of temperate tree crops, but overall carbon budgets are influenced by management practices over the first decade after planting.

Long-term management effects on soil P, microbial biomass P, and phosphatase activities in prairie soils

Understanding factors that regulate P cycling and dynamics in soil ecosystems is important in developing management practices that sustain and enhance ecosystem function. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of long-term (more than 30 years) land management practices on the P pool sizes and phosphatase activities in semiarid prairie soils of Oklahoma, USA. The treatments included undisturbed, abandoned from cultivation, heavily grazed, moderately grazed, and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Total, organic, labile, and microbial P were quantified as well as activities of acid and alkaline phosphomonoesterase, phosphodiesterase, and inorganic pyrophosphatase. Neither cultivation nor grazing lead to a significant change in soil total P. Phosphatase activities were affected more by wheat cultivation than by grazing. When compared to the undisturbed treatment, grazing did not alter the size and composition of the tested P pools or lessen the capacity of the soil to cycle P. On the contrary, continuous wheat cultivation reduced the capacity of soil to cycle P and led to accumulation of organic and plant available P. Overall, cultivation led to the development of a microbial community with significantly reduced P use efficiency, grazing maintained a soil microbial community with relatively high P use efficiency, and removal from cultivation allowed the soil ecosystem to evolve towards the P cycling capacity of the native soil.