Nutrient flow and distribution in conventional cage, enriched colony, and aviary layer houses.

This study was carried out to measure the mass flow and distribution of nutrients (N, C, S, P, and K) as well as solids and moisture in conventional cage (CC), enriched colony (EC), and aviary (AV) laying-hen houses with Lohmann LSL lite hens located on a commercial laying-hen farm in Iowa. The weight of consumed feed and water, and amounts of eggs and manure production were collected weekly from each house for 2 entire flocks for a total of 28 mo. Samples of feed, egg, manure, litter, and hens were regularly taken and analyzed for total solids and nutrients (N, C, S, P, and K).

[Soil respiration variations in winter wheat field in different previous crops and its influencing factors].

This study was to define the Variations of soil respiration, the response of influence factors to soil respiration and carbon sink in the total growing season, in winter wheat field of different previous crops. The results showed that: (1) as soil depth increases, the response of temperature to soil respiration rate also increased with a lag; (2) the soil respiration rate was quadric to soil moisture, phosphorus, potassium, soil urease activity, soil temperature, soil moisture as the main factors had an effect on soil respiration rate; soil temperature had the stronger effect on soil respiration rate when potassium had the weaker effect on soil respiration rate; (3) the average carbon emission rate in wheat filed of different previous crops showed as follow: Pepper of previous crops > celery of previous crops > corn of previous crops > eggplant of previous crops. The intensity of carbon "sink" displayed as follow: eggplant of previous crops > celery of previous crops > corn of previous crops > pepper of previous crops.