Yields,growth and water use under chemical topping in relations to row configuration and plant density in drip-irrigated cotton

Background Water deficit is an important problem in agricultural production in arid regions.With the advent of wholly mechanized technology for cotton planting in Xinjiang,it is important to determine which planting mode could achieve high yield,fiber quality and water use efficiency(WUE).This study aimed to explore if chemical topping affected cotton yield,quality and water use in relation to row configuration and plant densities.Results Experiments were carried out in Xinjiang China,in 2020 and 2021 with two topping method,manual topping and chemical topping,two plant densities,low and high,and two row configurations,i.e.,76 cm equal rows and 10+66 cm narrow-wide rows,which were commonly applied in matching harvest machine.Chemical topping increased seed cotton yield,but did not affect cotton fiber quality comparing to traditional manual topping.Under equal row spacing,the WUE in higher density was 62.4%higher than in the lower one.However,under narrow-wide row spacing,the WUE in lower density was 53.3%higher than in higher one(farmers’practice).For machine-harvest cotton in Xinjiang,the optimal row configuration and plant density for chemical topping was narrow-wide rows with 15 plants m-2 or equal rows with 18 plants m-2.Conclusion The plant density recommended in narrow-wide rows was less than farmers’practice and the density in equal rows was moderate with local practice.Our results provide new knowledge on optimizing agronomic managements of machine-harvested cotton for both high yield and water efficient.

Hexavalent Chromium Cr (VI) Removal from Water by Mango Kernel Powder

Metal trace elements (MTE) are among the most harmful micropollutants of natural waters. Eliminating them helps improve the quality and safety of drinking water and protect human health. In this work, we used mango kernel powder (MKP) as bioadsorbent material for removal of Cr (VI) from water. Uv-visible spectroscopy was used to monitor and quantify Cr (VI) during processing using the Beer-Lambert formula. Some parameters such as pH, mango powder, mass and contact time were optimized to determine adsorption capacity and chromium removal rate. Adsorption kinetics, equilibrium, isotherms and thermodynamic parameters such as ΔG˚, ΔH˚, and ΔS˚, as well as FTIR were studied to better understand the Cr (VI) removal process by MKP. The adsorption capacity reached 94.87 mg/g, for an optimal contact time of 30 min at 298 K. The obtained results are in accordance with a pseudo-second order Freundlich adsorption isotherm model. Finally FTIR was used to monitor the evolution of absorption bands, while Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) were used to evaluate surface properties and morphology of the adsorbent.

Form and Mechanism of Sulfate Attack on Cement-based Material Made of Limestone Powder at Low Water-binder Ratio under Low Temperature Conditions

The development of strength and the form of attack of cement-based material made of limestone powder at low water-binder ratio under low-temperature sulfate environment were studied. The results indicate that when water-binder ratio is lower than 0.40, the cement-based material with limestone powder has insignificant change in appearance after being soaked in 10% magnesium sulfate solution at low temperature for 120 d, and has significant change in appearance after being soaked at the age of 200 d. Expansion damage and exfoliation occur on the surface of concrete test cube at different levels. When limestone powder accounts for about 28 percent of cementitious material, with the decrease of water-binder ratio, the compressive strength loss has gradually decreased after the material is soaked in the magnesium sulfate solution at low temperature at the age of 200 d. After the specimen with the water-binder ratio of less than 0.4 and the limestone powder volume of greater than 20% is soaked in 10% magnesium sulfate solution at low temperature at the age of 200 d, gypsum attack-led destruction is caused to the concrete test cube, without thaumasite sulfate attack.

Effects of Groundwater with Various Salinities on Evaporation and Redistribution of Water and Salt in Saline-sodic Soils in Songnen Plain,Northeast China

Groundwater mineralization is one of the main factors affecting the transport of soil water and salt in saline-sodic areas.To investigate the effects of groundwater with different levels of salinity on evaporation and distributions of soil water and salt in Songnen Plain,Northeast China,five levels of groundwater sodium adsorption ration of water(SARw)and total salt content(TSC mmol/L)were conducted in an oil column lysimeters.The five treated groundwater labeled as ST0:0,ST0:10,ST5:40,ST10:70 and ST20:100,were prepared with NaCl and CaCl2 in proportion,respectively.The results showed the groundwater evaporation(GWE)and soil evaporation(SE)increased firstly and then decreased with the increase of groundwater salinity.The values of GWE and SE in ST10:70 treatment were the highest,which were 2.09 and 1.84 times the values in the ST0:0 treatment with the lowest GWE and SE.There was a positive linear correlation between GWE and the Ca^(2+)content in groundwater,with R^(2)=0.998.The soil water content(SWC)of ST0:0 treatment was significantly(P<0.05)less than those of other treatments during the test.The SWC of the ST0:0 and ST0:10 treatments increased with the increase of soil depth,while the other treatments showed the opposite trend.Statistical analysis indicated the SWC in the 0–60 cm soil layer was positively correlated with the groundwater TSC and its ion contents during the test.Salt accumulation occurred in the topsoil and the salt accumulation in the 0–20 cm soil layer was significantly(P<0.05)greater than that in the subsoil.This study revealed the effects of the salinity level of groundwater,especially the Ca^(2+)content and TSC of groundwater,on the GWE and distributions of soil water and salt,which provided important support for the prevention and reclamation of soil salinization and sodificaton in shallow groundwater regions.

Assessment of water quality suitability for agriculture in a potentially leachate-contaminated region

Dump sites pose a significant threat to groundwater resources due to the possibility of leachate leakage into the aquifer.This study investigated the impact of leachate on groundwater quality in the southwest region of Zanjan City,Iran,where groundwater is utilized for drinking,agricultural,and industrial purposes.We analyzed 18 parameters of dump site leachate,including physicochemical,heavy metals,and bacterial properties,alongside 13 groundwater samples.Sampling was conducted twice,in November 2020 and June 2021,within a five-kilometer radius of the Zanjan dump site.We utilized the Leachate Pollution Index(LPI)to evaluate potential groundwater contamination by leachate leakage from nearby dumpsite.Additionally,due to the predominant agricultural activities in the study area,various indices were employed to assess groundwater quality for agricultural purposes,such as Sodium Adsorption Ratio(SAR),Soluble Sodium Index(SSI),Kelly Ratio(KR),and Permeability Index(PI).Our analysis revealed no observed contamination related to leachate in the study area according to the LPI results.However,with the persistent pollution threat,implementing sanitary measures at the dump site is crucial to prevent potential impacts on groundwater quality.Moreover,the assessment of groundwater quality adequacy for irrigation yielded satisfactory results for SAR,KR,and PI indices.However,during both the dry(November 2020)and wet seasons(June 2021),the SSP index indicated that 80%of the samples were not classified as excellent,suggesting groundwater may not be suitable for agriculture.Overal,our qualitative study highlights the significant impact of the dry season on groundwater quality in the study area,attributed to elevated concentration levels of the investigated parameters within groundwater sources during the dry season.

Application of pre-alloyed powders for diamond tools by ultrahigh pressure water atomization

Copper, iron and cobalt based pre-alloyed powders for diamond tools were prepared by ultrahigh pressure water atomization（UPWA） process. Pre-alloyed powders prepared by different processes including UPWA, conventional water atomization （CWA） and elemental metal mechanical mixing （EMMM） were sintered to segments and then compared in mechanical properties, holding force between matrix and diamond, fracture morphology of blank and sintering diamond section containing matrix. The results showed that the pre-alloyed powder prepared by UPWA exhibits the best mechanical properties including the relative density, the hardness and the bending strength of matrix sinteredsegment. Sintered segments fractography of UPWA pre-alloyed powder indicatesmechanical mosaic strength and chemical bonding force between the pre-alloyed powder and the diamond, leading to the great increase in the holding force between matrix and diamond. The mechanical performance andthe service life of diamond tools were greatly improved by UPWA pre-alloyed powders.

Effect of Water Control before Transplanting and Rooting Powder Treatment on Tobacco Seedling Quality and Physiological Properties at Green Stage

Cultivating strong seedlings is an important guarantee for the production of high-quality flue-cured tobacco, while there are many disadvantages in tobacco floating system that is commonly adopted in China. To improve the tobacco floating system, with Xiangyan No.3 as experimental material, the effects of water control before transplanting and rooting powder treatment on tobacco seedling quality and physiological properties at green stage were investigated. The results showed that： （1） water control showed small influence on tobacco seedling quality, while rooting powder treatment and water control ＋ rooting powder treatment showed great influence on tobacco seedling quality, mainly represented by reduced plant height, thickened stem and increased dry matter accumulative amount; （2） water control before transplanting and rooting powder treatment all improved leaf chlorophyll content and root vigor of tobacco seedlings, and the effect of water control ＋ rooting powder treatment was best, followed by rooting powder treatment and water control; （3） all treatments increased the nitrate reductase and invertase activity, and reduced the MDA content of tobacco seedlings, and the effect of water control ＋ rooting powder treatment was best, followed by rooting powder treatment and water control. Mean- while, the treatment effect 10 d before the transplanting was better than that 5 d before the transplanting. In overall, the improvement effects of water control 10 d before transplanting ＋ rooting powder treatment on tobacco seedling quality and physiological properties at green stage were the best.

In situ Detection of Amide A Bands of Proteins in Water by Raman Ratio Spectrum

The amide A band of protein is sensitive to the hydrogen bands of amide groups of proteins. However, it is hard to distinguish the amide A band of aqueous protein in situ directly, since it overlaps with O-H stretching vibration of water. In this work, we presented a new analytical method of Raman ratio spectrum, which can extract the amide A band of proteins in water. To obtain the Raman ratio spectrum, the Raman spectrum of aqueous protein was divided by that of pure water. A mathematical simulation was employed to examine whether Raman ratio spectrum is effective. Two kinds of protein, lysozyme and （^-chymotrypsin were employed. The amide A bands of them in water were extracted from Raman ratio spectra. Additionally, the process of thermal denaturation of lysozyme was detected from Raman ratio spectrum. These results demonstrated the Raman ratio spectra could be employed to study the amide A modes of proteins in water.

Drinking water production by uitrafiltration of Songhuajiang River with PAC adsorption

In recent years, membrane ultrafiltration （UF） of surface water for drinking water treatment has become a more attractive technology worldwide as a possible alternative treatment to conventional clarification. To evaluate the performance of ultrafiltration membranes for treatment of surface water in North China, a 48-m^2 low pressure hollow fiber membrane ultrafiltration pilot plant was constructed. Ultrafiltration was operated in cross-flow and with powdered activated carbon （PAC） adsorption. Turbidity was almost completely removed to less than 0.2 NTU （below Chinese standard 1 NTU）. It was found that PAC addition enhanced organic matter removal. The combined process of PAC/UF allowed to 41% removal of CODMn, 46% removal of DOC and 57% decrease in UV254 absorbance. The elimination of particles, from average 12000/ml in the raw water to approximately 15/ml in the permeated, was observed. When PAC concentration was below 30 mg/L, backwashing could recovery the membrane flux with backwash interval/backwashing duration of 1/30.

Solvent de binding of water soluble binder in powder injection moulding

The solvent debinding of water soluble binder in powder injection moulding (MIM) was investigated systematically, including the effects of solvent types, temperature and the thickness of green parts on the solvent debinding rate. After studying the debinding of a green part with a thickness of 4.26 mm, it was found that, the debinding rate of polyethylene glycol(PEG) in water and alcohol was high initially, and then decreased; however, it would increase with temperature increasing. At room temperature, the dissolution rate of PEG in water was higher than that in alcohol, but the latter would be much faster with temperature increasing because the debinding activation energy in alcohol was 51.44 kJ·mol -1 ·K -1 , much higher than 24.23 kJ·mol -1 ·K -1 in water. With a green part thickness larger than 4.26 mm, the debinding was controlled by diffusion; but with that smaller than 2.36 mm, the debinding was controlled by both dissolution and diffusion.

Effects of elevated CO_2 concentration on growth and water usage of tomato seedlings under different ammonium/nitrate ratios

Increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration is generally expected to enhance photosynthesis and growth of agricultural C3 vegetable crops, and therefore results in an increase in crop yield. However, little is known about the combined effect of elevated CO2 and N species on plant growth and development. Two growth-chamber experiments were conducted to determine the effects of NH4^＋/NO3^- ratio and elevated CO2 concentration on the physiological development and water use of tomato seedlings. Tomato was grown for 45 d in containers with nutrient solutions varying in NH4^＋/NO3^- ratios and CO2 concentrations in growth chambers. Results showed that plant height, stem thickness, total dry weight, dry weight of the leaves, stems and roots, G value （total plant dry weight/seedling days）, chlorophyll content, photosynthetic rate, leaf-level and whole plant-level water use efficiency and cumulative water consumption of tomato seedlings were increased with increasing proportion of NO3- in nutrient solutions in the elevated CO2 treatment. Plant biomass, plant height, stem thickness and photosynthetic rate were 67%, 22%, 24% and 55% higher at elevated CO2 concentration than at ambient CO2 concentration, depending on the values of NH4^＋/NO3^- ratio. These results indicated that elevating CO2 concentration did not mitigate the adverse effects of 100% NH4^＋-N （in nutrient solution） on the tomato seedlings. At both CO2 levels, NH4^＋/NO3^- ratios of nutrient solutions strongly influenced almost every measure of plant performance, and nitrate-fed plants attained a greater biomass production, as compared to ammonium-fed plants. These phenomena seem to be related to the coordinated regulation of photosynthetic rate and cumulative water consumption of tomato seedlings.

A numerical study on water diversion ratio of the Changjiang(Yangtze)estuary in dry season

We studied the flood, ebb and tidal averaged along (net) water diversion ratio (WDR) during dry season in the Changjiang (Yangtze) estuary, China, along with the effects of northerly wind, river discharge, tide and their interactions on WDR using the improved version of three-dimensional numerical model ECOM. Using data for annual mean wind speed and river discharge during January, we determined that the flood, ebb, net WDR values in the North Branch of the estuary were 3.48%, 1.68%,-4.06% during spring tide, and 4.82%, 2.34%,-2.79% during neap tide, respectively. Negative net WDR values denote the transport of water from the North Branch into the South Branch. Using the same data, the corresponding ratios were 50.09%, 50.92%, 54.97%, and 52.33%, 50.15%, 43.86% in the North Channel and 38.56%, 44.78%, 103.96%, and 36.92%, 43.17%, 60.97% in the North Passage, respectively. When northerly wind speed increased, landward Ekman transport was enhanced in the North Branch, increasing the flood WDR, while the ebb WDR declined and the net WDR exhibited a significant decrease. Similarly, in the North Channel, the flood WDR is increased, the ebb WDR reduced, and the net WDR showed a marked decrease. In the North Passage, the flood WDR also increased while the ebb and net WDR declined. As the river discharge increased, the flood and ebb WDR of the North Branch increased slightly and the net WDR increased markedly. In the North Channel the flood and ebb WDR changed very slightly, while the net WDR declined during spring tides and increased during neap tides. The WDR in the North Passage changed slightly during flood and ebb tides while the net WDR showed a marked increase. The WDR values of different bifurcations and the responses to northerly wind, river discharge, and tide are discussed in comparison with variations in river topography, horizontal wind-induced circulation, and tidal-induced residual current.

Water modeling of mold powder entrapment in slab continuous casting mold

The optimal parameters were determined by the water modeling of slab casting. It was found that there are mainly three types of mold powder entrapment in slab continuous casting, i.e., the entrapment caused by the shearing flow near the narrow face of mold, the entrapment caused by vortexes around the submerged entry nozzle （SEN）, and the entrapment caused by the Ar bubbling. Both the velocity of the surface flow and the level fluctuation of the liquids are enlarged with increasing the casting speed, reducing the submersion depth of SEN, decreasing the downward angles of the nozzle outlets, and increasing the Ar flowrate, all of which increase the tendency of mold powder entrapment. Among the four above-mentioned factors, casting speed has the largest effect.

Effect of carbon and nitrogen ratio control on Artemia growth, water quality, biofloc microbial diversity under high salinity and zero-water exchange culture condition

Biofloc technology has been applied successfully in the intensive aquaculture of several fish and shrimp species. The growth of heterotrophic microorganisms can be stimulated through adding extra carbon, which reduces the nitrogen level in the water and provides microbial protein to the animals. However, most of the studies and practical applications have been conducted in freshwater and marine environment. This paper focused on brine shrimp Artemia that lives in high salinity environment together with other halophilic or halotolerant microorganisms. The effect of carbon supplementation on Artemia growth, water quality, and microbial diversity of biofl ocs was studied in the closed culture condition without any water exchange. The salinity of the culture medium was 100. A 24-d culture trial was conducted through supplementing sucrose at carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio of 5, 15, and 30 (Su5, Su15, and Su30), respectively. The culture without adding sucrose was used as a control. Artemia was fed formulated feed at a feeding ration of 60% recommended feeding level. The results showed that sucrose supplementation at higher C/N ratio (15 and 30) signifi cantly improved the Artemia survival, growth and water quality ( P <0.05). Addition of sucrose at C/N ratio of 15 and 30 significantly increased biofloc volume (BFV)( P <0.05). The Illumina MiSeq sequencing analysis showed that supplementing carbon at C/N ratio of 15 had a better total bacterial diversity and richness, and shaped the microbial composition at genera level. This study should provide information for studying the mechanism of biofloc technology and its application in high salinity culture conditions.

Water Deficit Stress Effects on Corn (<i>Zea mays</i>, L.) Root:Shoot Ratio

A study was conducted at Akron, CO, USA, on a Weld silt loam in 2004 to quantify the effects of water deficit stress on corn (Zea mays, L.) root and shoot biomass. Corn plants were grown under a range of soil bulk density and water conditions caused by previous tillage, crop rotation, and irrigation management. Water deficit stress (Dstress) was quantified by the number of days when the water content in the surface 0.3 m deviated from the water content range determined by the Least Limiting Water Range (LLWR). Root and shoot samples were collected at the V6, V12, and R1 growth stages. There was no significant correlation between Dstress and shoot or root biomass at the V6 growth stage. At the V12 and R1 growth stages, there were negative, linear correlations among Dstress and both root biomass and shoot biomass. The proportional decrease of shoot biomass was greater than the proportional decrease in root biomass, leading to an increase in the root:shoot ratio as water deficit stress increased at all growth stages. Determining restrictive soil conditions using the LLWR may be useful for evaluating improvement or degradation of the soil physical environment caused by soil management.

Effect of Hydration Aging and Water Binder Ratio on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Sprayed Concrete

In order to study the durability of sprayed concrete （shotcrete）, effects of different hydration aging and water-binder ratio （w/b） on the microstructure of cement paste and basic mechanical properties of test specimens were investigated. The phase composition, mass percentage of ettringite and portland in hydration production and microstructure were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, thermo gravimetry-differential scanning calorimetry （TG-DSC） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, respectively. The experimental results showed that changes in phase composition was more significant than those of water-binder ratio. With hydration aging and water-binder ratio increased, the mass percentage of ettringite and portland was decreased from 4.42%, 1.49% to 3.31%, 1.35%, respectively and the microstructure of paste was significantly compacted. Likewise, the mechanical properties including cubic compressive strength and splitting tensile strength were rised obviously.

Effects of Volume Ratios of Water Phase to Oily Phase on Morphology and Releasing Performance of Emulsion Electrospun Fibers

Emulsion electrospinning as a novel process in spinning core-sheath fibers shows a promising potential in drug release control. The volume ratio of water phase to oily phase is one of the critical parameters in forming core-sheath fibers. In this study, water phase was presented by hydrophilic tetracycline hydrochloride and oily phase by hydrophobic poly （E-caprolactone） （PCL）. The effects of volume ratios of water phase to oily phase on fiber morphology and in vitro drug release were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy （ SEM ）, transmission electron microscopy （ TEM）, and eonfoeal laser scanning microscopy（CLSM） were used to observe the morphology, core.sheath structure of the fibers and drug loading in the fibers, respectively. Samples of three different volume ratios of water phase to oily phase, 1： 25, 1：15, and 1：10, were prepared with the same concentration of drug solution. Experiment results showed that, with an increase in the volume ratios of water phase to oily phase, the fiber diameter increased and diameter distribution scattered. The drug entrapment efficiency of the fibers reduces with the increase in volume ratios, L e. , from 73.48 % in the ratio of 1 ： 25, 62.23 % in 1 ： 15, down to 45.63 % in 1：10. In vitro release tests showed that a higher volume ratio of water phase to oily phase would lead to a lower release rate resulted from thicker fiber sheath.

Effects of Water/Binder Ratio on the Properties of Engineered Cementitious Composites

The effects of water/binder ratio （w/b） on the toughness behavior, compressive strength and flexural strength of engineered cementitious composites （ECC） were investigated. The w/b ratios of 0.25, 0.31, 0.33 and 0.37 were selected and the specimens were tested at the ages of 7 d and 28 d. The experimental results showed that there was a corresponding increase in first cracking strength, modulus of rupture, compressive strength and flexural strength with the decrease of w/b. Within the w/b range of 0.25-0.37, higher w/b was found to have improved effects on deflection, strain hardening index and toughness index of ECC. In the permission of meeting the requirement of compressive strength grade, selecting higher w/b in mix design will help to obtain robust ECC.

Determination of water equivalent ratio for some dosimetric materials in proton therapy using MNCPX simulation tool

The water equivalent ratio(WER) was calculated for polypropylene(PP), paraffin, polyethylene(PE), polystyrene(PS), polymethyl methacrylate(PMMA), and polycarbonate materials with potential applications in dosimetry and medical physics. This was performed using the Monte Carlo simulation code, MCNPX, at different proton energies. The calculated WER values were compared with National Institute of Standards and Technology(NIST) data, available experimental and analytical results,as well as the FLUKA, SRIM, and SEICS codes. PP and PMMA were associated with the minimum and maximum WER values, respectively. Good agreement was observed between the MCNPX and NIST data. The biggest difference was 0.71% for PS at 150 MeV proton energy. In addition, a relatively large positive correlation between the WER values and the electron density of the dosimetric materials was observed. Finally, it was noted that PE presented the most analogous Depth Dose Characteristics to liquid water.

Effect of water absorption ratio on tensile strength of red sandstone and morphological analysis of fracture surfaces

Brazilian disc tests were undertaken on a number of red sandstone samples with different water absorption ratios.The tensile strength of the red sandstone decreases as the water absorption ratio increases.The fracture surfaces of failed red sandstone discs were scanned by Talysurf CLI 2000.With the aid of Talymap Gold software,based on ISO25178,a set of statistical parameters was obtained for the fracture surfaces.The maximum peak height(S_p),maximum pit height(S_v) and maximum height(S_z) of the fracture surfaces exhibited the same decreasing trend with increasing water absorption.Sa and Sku values for the fracture surfaces showed a downward trend as the water absorption ratio increased.The fractal dimensions of fracture surfaces were calculated and found to decrease as the water absorption ratio increased.Through analysis of PSD curves,the smallest dominant wavelength was observed to reflect the roughness of the fracture surfaces.Additionally,the results suggest that the roughness of fracture surfaces becomes small as the water absorption ratio increases.