Effect of Limited Single Irrigation on Yield of Winter Wheat and Spring Maize Relay Intercropping

A field experiment was conducted during the 2002/2003 cropping season of winter wheat （Triticum aestivum） and spring maize （Zea mays） to evaluate the effect of limited single drip irrigation on the yield and water use of both crops under relay intercropping in a semi-arid area of northwestern China. A controlled 35 mm single irrigation, either early or late, was applied to each crop at a certain growth stage. Soil water, leaf area, final grain yield and yield components such as the thousand-grain weight, length of spike, fertile spikelet number, number of grains per spike, and grain weight per spike were measured, and water use efficiency and leaf area index were calculated for the irrigated and non-irrigated relay intercropping treatments and sole cropping controls. The results showed that yield, yield components, water use efficiency, and leaf area index in the relay intercropping treatments were affected by limited single drip irrigation during various growth stages of wheat and maize. The total yields in the relay intercropping treatment irrigated during the heading stage of wheat and the heading and anthesis stage of maize were the highest among all the treatments, followed by that irrigated during the anthesis stage of wheat and silking stage of maize; so was the water use efficiency. Significant differences occurred in most yield components between the irrigated and non-irrigated relay-intercropping treatments. The dynamics of the leaf area index in the relay-intercropped or solely cropped wheat and maize showed a type of single-peak pattern, whereas that of the relay intercropping treatments showed a type of double-peak pattern. Appropriately, limited single irrigation and controlled soil water content level could result in higher total yield, water use efficiency, and leaf area index, and improved yield components in relay intercropping. This practice saved the amount of water used for irrigation and also increased the yield. Therefore, heading stage of wheat and heading and anthesis stage of maize were suggested to be the optimum limited single irrigation time for relay-intercropped wheat and maize in the semi-arid area.

Development and Extension of Seawater Desalination by Reverse Osmosis

Seawater desalination has been peoples fond dream since ancient times, the dream is now becoming a reality. This paper presents a brief development history of reverse osmosis. Much attention was paid to innovative development in membranes, modules, equipments and applied technology, including asymmetric and composite membranes, spiral-wound element and hollow fiber module, energy recovery equipments and different technological processes. The extension of reverse osmosis, such as desalination, pre-concentration, integrated processes and nanofiltration, is also briefly mentioned.

Photochemical degradation of crude oil in seawater

Photochemical degradation of crude oil in seawater is an important issue in marine environ- mental protection and is studied in this work. Results showed that petroleum hydrocarbons could be ef- fectively degraded by the irradiation of high-pressure mercury light or natural sunlight. Photochemical reaction was controlled by various factors including light source, aquatic medium, heavy metal ion and photo-sensitizer. The rate of photo-degradation was fast at the initial stage of exposure, exhibiting a first-order reaction kinetic behavior. However, after irradiation for a few hours, the concentration of wa- ter-soluble fraction (WSF) of petroleum hydrocarbons stabilized. For all experimental conditions, the range of the photo-degradation rate is from 0.001 3 to 0.005 7/min.

A Sand Control and Development Model in Sandy Land Based on Mixed Experiments of Arsenic Sandstone and Sand: A Case Study in Mu Us Sandy Land in China

Serious desertification caused by human activity and climate change,in addition to water loss and soil erosion related to arsenic sandstone in the Mu Us Sandy Land,lead to severe scarcity of soil and water resources,which causes worse local agricultural conditions accordingly.Many physical properties of arsenic sandstone is complementary with that of sand,arsenic sandstone is therefore supposed to be blended to enhance water productivity and arability of sandy land.Container experiments are carried out to study the enhancement of water holding capacity of the mixture,the blending ratio of arsenic sandstone and sand,and the proper size of the arsenic sandstone particles,respectively.The results of the experiments show that particle size of 4 cm with a ratio of 1∶2 between arsenic sandstone and sand are the proper parameters on blending.Both water content and fertility increase after blending.Water use efficiency in the mixture is 2.7 times higher than that in sand by the water release curves from experiments.Therefore,a new sand control and development model,including arsenic sandstone blending with sand,efficient water irrigation management and reasonable farming system,is put forward to control and develop sandy land so that water-saving agriculture could be developed.Demonstration of potato planting about 153.1 ha in area in the Mu Us Sandy Land in China indicates that water consumption is 3018 m3/ha in the whole growth period.It means that about 61%of irrigation water can be saved compared with water use in coarse sand without treatment.Recycle economic mode and positive feedback of sand resource-crop planting-soil resource are constructed,which changes sand into arable soil and make it possible to develop water-saving agriculture on it.The proposed model will be helpful for soil-water resources utilization and management in the Mu Us Sandy Land.

Experimental Investigation of a Vertical Tubular Desalination Unit Using Humidification-Dehumidification Process

A vertical tubular desalination unit with shell and tube structure was built to perform humidification and dehumidification simultaneously on the tube and shell side of the column, respectively. The effects of several operating conditions on the productivity and thermal efficiency of the column were investigated. The results show that both the productivity and thermal efficiency of the column enhance with the elevation of the inlet water temperature. The flow rates of water and carrier gas both have optimal operating ranges, which are 10-30 kg·h^-1 and 4-7kg·h^-1 for the present column, respectively. Meanwhile, the increase of external steam flow rate will promote the productivity of the column but reduce its thermal efficiency.

Numerical simulation of seepage flow field in groundwater source heat pump system and its influence on temperature field

Energy utilization in the aquifers is a new technology closely related to development of heat pump technique. It is significant for the flow distribution to be predicted in the aquifer surrounding the Groundwater Source Heat Pump System （GSHPS）. The authors presented a new concept of ＂flow transfixion＂ by analyzing general features of aquifers, and then discussed interaction of the flow transfixion with the beat transfixion, which has practical significance to projects. A numerical model of groundwater flow was established based on the basic tenets of water-heat transferring in the aquifer. On this basis the flow field and the temperature field of GSHPS for a site in Shenyang City were numerically simulated. The basis of the flow transfixion was obtained; it was discussed for the influence of the flow transfixion on the heat transfixion. To a certain extent, the study offers some reference for the projects＇ design of GSHP in the studied area.

Water Use and Growth in Three Populations of Red Cedar （Cedrela odorata L.） and Associated Crops in Mexico

The association between the growth and water-use efficiency in three populations of C. odorata in Veracruz Mexico （La Antigua, Misantla and Catemaco） from two agroforestry system sites was studied, one in association with corn and another with pipiain. TRP （transpiration）, gs （stomatal conductivity）, CO2A （CO2 assimilation）, WUE （water use efficiency）, height, coverage and stem diameter were measured. The populafon of La Antigua associated with pipian presented the highest WUE （7.13 μmol CO2 m2-sl/mmol H20 m2.sl）, while the population of Catemaco reached high values （10 μmol CO2 m2 sl/mmol H20 m2-s1） in the site associated with corn, the populations established with corn presented a great growth in height and stem diameter. Based on the physiological responses and growth of the studied populations, the towns of La Antigua and Catemaco may be recommended for the establishment of commercial plantations.

Role of hydro-geochemical functions on karst critical zone hydrology for sustainability of water resources and ecology in Southwest China

Focusing on sustainability of water resources and ecology in the complex karst critical zone, we illustrated functions of the hydro-geochemical analysis on hydrology from the aspects of connection and interaction among hydrology–vegetation–soils/rock fractures along the karst subsurface profile. We reviewed isotopic and geochemical interpretations on tracing water sources for plant uptake, quantifying watershed outlet flow composition and residence times, and evaluating long-term evolution among climate–landscape–hydrology in the karst critical zone. In this paper, the application of the hydro-geochemical analysis on the above aspects in the karst areas of southwest China was summarized.