The effects of deficit irrigation on nitrogen consumption,yield,and quality in drip irrigated grafted and ungrafted watermelon

The aim of this study is to determine the effects of deficit irrigation on nitrogen consumption,yield,and quality in grafted and ungrafted watermelon.The study was conducted in Cukurova region,Eastern Mediterranean,Turkey,between 2006 and 2008,and employed 3 irrigation rates（full irrigation（l_（100）） with no stress,moderate irrigation（Dl_（70））,and low irrigation（Dl_（50））;Dl_（70） and Dl_（50） were considered deficit irrigation） on grafted（CTJ,Crimson Tide＋Jumbo） and the ungrafted（CT,Crimson Tide） watermelon.The amount of irrigation water（IR） applied to the study plots were calculated based on cumulative pan evaporation that occurred during the irrigation intervals.Nitrogen consumption was 16%lower in CTJ plants than in CT plants.On the other hand,consumption of nitrogen was 28%higher in Dl_（50） plants than in Dl_（70） plants while it was 23%higher in Dl_（50） plants than in l_（100） plants.By grafting,the average amount of nitrogen content in seeds,pulps and peels for CTJ was 30,43 and 56%more than those of CT,respectively.The yield and the quality were not significantly affected by the deficit irrigation.In this respect,grafting of watermelon gave higher yield,but,it had a slight effect on fruit quality.The highest yield values of 16.90 and 19.32 kg plant^（-1） in 2008 were obtained with l_（100）and in CTJ plants,respectively.However,Dl_（50） treatment could be taken into account for the development of reduced irrigation strategies in semiarid regions where irrigation water supplies are limited.Additionally,the yield increased by applying CTJ treatment to the watermelon production.

Biodegradation of Medicinal Plants Waste in an Anaerobic Digestion Reactor for Biogas Production

Glycyrrhiza glabra,Mint,Cuminum cyminum,Lavender and Arctium medicinal are considered as edible plants with therapeutic properties and as medicinal plants in Iran.After extraction process of medicinal plants,residual wastes are not suitable for animal feed and are considered as waste and as an environmental threat.At present there is no proper management of waste of these plants and they are burned or buried.The present study discusses the possibility of biogas production from Glycyrrhiza Glabra Waste(GGW),Mentha Waste(MW),Cuminum Cyminum Waste(CCW),Lavender Waste(LW)and Arctium Waste(AW).250 g of these plants with TS of 10%were digested in the batch type reactors at the temperature of 35℃.The highest biogas production rate were observed to be 13611 mL and 13471 mL for CCW and GGW(10%TS),respectively.While the maximum methane was related to GGW with a value of 9041 mL(10%TS).The highest specific biogas and methane production were related to CCW with value of 247.4 mL.(g.VS)-1 and 65.1 mL.(g.VS)-1,respectively.As an important result,it was obvious that in lignocellulose materials,it cannot be concluded that the materials with similar ratio of C/N has the similar digestion and biogas production ability.

The Establishment and Development of Finite Element Model of Human Cervical Vertebra and Its Application Example

The incidence rate of cervical spondylosis is high,and due to the complicacy of cervical vertebra structure,irregularity of shapes and non-uniformity of components,sometimes it’s difficult to achieve planned objectives by experiments in vitro through stress and strain analysis. Besides,the biomechanical factors are of vital significance in the cause of spinal disorders. In this paper the author makes a summary of the present modeling of human cervical vertebra and describes the major methods of establishing the finite element model of human cervical vertebra through several self-constructed models. With the advance of computer technology,the finite element methods have been rapidly developed in cervical vertebra biomechanical researches and have became a major approach for biomechanical researches to simulate more and more clinical conditions.

Determinants of Adaptation to Climate Change:A Case Study of Rice Farmers in Western Province,Iran

The decisions made by agricultural households to adjust to climate change(CC)in Iran are not well known.This study is intended to investigate the influence of perceptions and socioeconomic,institutional features on farmers’adaptation decisions about CC,which constitute the hypothetical statements of the study.We undertook a survey of 200 farm householders from 31 villages of Ilam Province,situated in the western Iran,as randomly selected.The result discloses that the proposed discriminant model matches the dataset well,with a strong effect size of partial eta-squared(η^(2)=0.38).The analysis further signals that adapters are younger and more welleducated than non-adapters.Adapters are also knowledgeable about CC risks and institutional policy barriers.The adapters have subsidiary work,better access to credit,and have good contacts with expansion agents and specialists.The paper concludes that government authorities should provide farmers with the enriched capabilities and competencies enabling them to adapt to CC.

Infestation of Diatraea saccharalis(Fabr.)during Five Consecutive Cycles of Sugarcane Crop Succeeding Leguminous Crops

The area cultivated with sugarcane in Brazil is expanding, and increasingly using legumes cover crop in new deployed areas and in those which were reformed. Long-term trials were carried out in Piracicaba, Sao Paulo, Brazil, to evaluate the effect of leguminous green manure on the natural infestation of Diatraea saccharalis (Fabr.) during five cropping cycles of sugarcane “IAC 87-3396”. This study was carried out from October 1999 to October 2005 in Piracicaba, Sao Paulo, Brazil, at coordinates 22°42''S and 47°38''W, 560 m above sea level, in soil classified as Typic Paleudult. Green manure crops were assigned to five treatments: peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.) (cultivar “IAC-Tatu” and “IAC-Caiapó”), sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.) (cultivar “IAC 1”) and velvet-bean [Mucuna aterrima (Piper & Tracy) Holland] (cultivar “common”). A treatment without any green manure or weed was used as the control. The previous sugarcane crop was destroyed and the soil was prepared in a conventional way (using plow and harrow) before the leguminous crops were sowed. Thirty days after the sowing, weeds were removed and, 120 days later, the crops were cut and its biomass was deposited on the soil surface without incorporation. Experimental plots comprised five rows of sugarcane, each one measuring 10 m long and spaced 1.40 m apart. The sugarcane was harvested 18 months after biomass deposit, on October 25th, 2001 and its stalks were collected at intervals of approximately 12 months in: 07/09/2002, 08/01/2003, 11/07/2004 and 10/06/2005. At harvest, the masses were determined from a sample of sugarcane, cut from three rows (2 m long) in the center of the plot. The losses caused by the sugarcane borer were estimated by the intensity of the infestation by randomly observing and collecting sugarcane stems from each plot. A great reduction in the number of stalks and in the yield was noted proportionally to the intensity of the infestation of the borer in the sugarcane crop grown after the velvet-bean. The sugarcane-velvet-bean rotation should be regarded considering the intensity of sugarcane borer infestation. No influence of the other green manure crops was observed on the intensity of the infestations. However, the harvest seasons of the sugarcane seemed to influence the borer infestation.

Using texture synthesis in fractal pattern design

Traditional fractal pattern design has some disadvantages such as inability to effectively reflect the characteristics of real scenery and texture. We propose a novel pattern design technique combining fractal geometry and image texture synthesis to solve these problems. We have improved Wei and Levoy (2000)’s texture synthesis algorithm by first using two-dimensional autocorrelation function to analyze the structure and distribution of textures, and then determining the size of L neighborhood. Several special fractal sets were adopted and HSL (Hue, Saturation, and Light) color space was chosen. The fractal structure was used to manipulate the texture synthesis in HSL color space where the pattern’s color can be adjusted conveniently. Experiments showed that patterns with different styles and different color characteristics can be more efficiently generated using the new technique.

Recent Developments to Mitigate Selenium Deficiency in Agricultural Eco-Systems

Under changing climate,trace elements like selenium(Se)have emerged as vital constituent of agro-ecosystems enabling crop plants to off-set the adverse effects of suboptimal growth conditions.The available form of selenium is important for boosting its bioavailability to crop plants having varied agro-botanical traits and root architectural systems.As compared to selenite,the selenate has a weaker soil bonding,higher absorption in the soil solution which results in a comparatively absorption by plant roots.Various factors including dry climate,high pH,optimal ambient air temperature,less accumulation of water,and low concentration of organic matter in the soil tend to boost the selenate ratio in the soil.The use of selenium pelleted seeds has emerged as an interesting and viable alternative to alleviate selenium deficiency in agricultural eco-systems.Similarly,the co-inoculation of a mixture of Selenobacteria and Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi represents an evolving promising strategy for the bio-fortification of wheat plants to produce selenium-rich flour to supplement human dietary needs.Furthermore,in-depth research is required to assure the effectiveness of biological fertilization procedures in field conditions as well as to explore and increase our understanding pertaining to the underlying main mechanisms and channels of selenium absorption in plants.The focus of this review is to synthesize the recent developments on Se dynamics in soil-plant systems and emerging promising strategies to optimize its levels for crop plants.Recent developments regarding the use of micro-organisms as a biotechnological mean to enhance plant nutrition and crop quality have been objectively elaborated.The study becomes even more pertinent for arid and semi-arid agro-ecosystems owing to the potential role of selenium in providing stress tolerance to crop plants.Moreover,this review synthesizes and summarizes the recent developments on climate change and bioavailability,and the protective role of selenium in crop plants.

Energy use efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions(GHG)analysis of garlic cultivation in Turkey

This study has been conducted with the purpose of determining energy use efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions of garlic cultivation during the 2020-2021 cultivation season in Adıyaman province of Turkey.Questionnaires,observations and field works were performed in 134 garlic farms in the region through simple random method.In garlic cultivation,energy input was calculated as 32103.20 MJ/hm^(2)and energy output was calculated as 30096 MJ/hm^(2).With regards to the three highest inputs in garlic production,46.66%of the energy inputs consisted of chemical fertilizers energy(14979.26 MJ/hm^(2)),11.29%consisted of farmyard manure energy(3625.71 MJ/hm^(2))and 10.48%consisted of human labour energy(3363.36 MJ/hm^(2)).Energy use efficiency,specific energy,energy productivity and net energy in garlic cultivation were calculated as 0.94,1.71 MJ/kg,0.59 kg/MJ,and−2007.20 MJ/hm^(2),respectively.The total energy input consumed in garlic cultivation was classified as 27.19%direct energy,72.81%indirect energy,35.17%renewable energy and 64.87%nonrenewable energy.Total GHG emissions and GHG ratio were calculated as 8636.60 kg CO_(2)-eq/hm^(2)and 0.46 kg CO_(2)-eq/kg,respectively.

Effect of microcystin-LR on protein phosphatase 2A and its function in human amniotic epithelial cells

Due to their toxicity,the increased distribution of microcystins(MCs) has become an important worldwide problem.MCs have been recognized as inhibitors of protein phosphatase 2A(PP2A) through their binding to the PP2A catalytic subunit.However,the exact mechanism of MC toxicity has not been elucidated,especially concerning the cellular response and its autoregulation.To further dissect the role of PP2A in MC-induced toxicity,the present study was undertaken to determine the response of PP2A in human amniotic epithelial(FL) cells treated with microcystin-LR(MCLR),one of the MC congeners.The results show that a low-dose treatment of MCLR in FL cells for 6 h induced an increase in PP2A activity,and a high-dose treatment of MCLR for 24 h decreased the activity of PP2A,as expected.The increased mRNA and protein levels of the PP2A C subunit may explain the increased activity of PP2A.Furthermore,MCLR altered microtubule post-translational modifications through PP2A.These results further clarify the underlying mechanism how MCLR affects PP2A and may be helpful for elucidating the complex toxicity of MCLR.

Evaluating spectral indices for determining conservation and conventional tillage systems in a vetch-wheat rotation

Conservation tillage(CT)systems,which consist of reduced and no-tillage systems,retain considerable quantities of crop residues on the soil surface.These crop residues perform as a barrier to wind and water to decrease soil erosion and evaporation.The use of remote sensing technology provides fast,objective and effective tool for estimating and measuring any agricultural event.The challenge is to differentiate the tillage systems by the crop residue cover on the soil surface.Spectrally derived normalized difference tillage index(NDTI),Shortwave infrared normalized difference residue index(SINDRI),cellulose absorption index(CAI)and Lignin-cellulose absorption index(LCA)were examined to distinguish their value as remote sensing methods for identifying crop residue cover in conventional and conservation tillage systems.Tillage treatments included conventional tillage(MD:Mouldboard plow+Disk harrow),reduced tillage(CD:Chisel plowþDisk harrow),minimum till(MT:Stubble cultivator),and no-tillage(NT_(1) and NT_(2):with standing stubble and standing stubble plus threshing residue,respectively).CAI had a linear relationship with crop residue cover,which the comparative intensity of cellulose and lignin absorption features near 2100 nm can be measure by it.Coefficients of determination(r^(2))for crop residue cover as a function of CAI and LCA were 0.89 and 0.79 respectively.Absorption specifications near 2.1 and 2.3 mm in the reflectance spectra of crop residues in minimum and no-tillage systems were related to cellulose and lignin.These specifications were not evident in the spectra of conventional tillage system.In this study the best index to use was CAI,which showed complete separation tillage systems,followed by LCA and NDTI.Four tillage intensity classes,corresponding to intensive(<6%residue cover),reduced(10–20%cover)minimum(25–40%)and no-tillage(>60%cover)tillage,were recognized in this study.