Ash and biochar amendment of coarse sandy soil for growing crops under drought conditions

Appropriate soil amendments may increase plant available water and crop yields on coarse sandy soils under drought conditions. In this study, we applied straw ash or straw biochar from gasification to a Danish coarse sandy subsoil to assess the effects on soil water retention, evapotranspiration and crop yields. Spring barley (2016, 2017) and winter wheat (2018) were grown over three years in columns containing 25cm of organic matter-rich topsoil, 80 cm of amended coarse sandy soil (1.5%, 3%, 6% wt. ash or 1% wt. biochar or control soil) and 45 cm of un-amended subsoil. Precipitation, evaporative demands and soil moisture were recorded across the growth seasons, with 2018 having severe drought conditions. This year evapotranspiration levels increased with increasing ash and biochar content (by 54% and 33% for the 6% ash- and 1% biochar-amended soils, respectively), and plant dry matter increased by 18% in both the 1% biochar- and 6% ash-treated soils compared to the untreated control. A linear relationship was established between in situ field capacity and ash dosage (R² = .96), showing an increase of 2.2% per percentage (wt.) of ash added, while the 1% biochar treatment increased the capacity by 3.5%, indicating a higher efficiency than for ash. However, we did not find significant positive effects on grain yields. The results show that ash and biochar have the potential to significantly increase soil water retention, evapotranspiration and total dry matter yield in drought conditions, but that this may not correspond to an increase in grain yield.     

Tracking Anthropogenic Inputs in Barigui River, Brazil Using Biomarkers

The Barigüi River watershed is located in the metropolitan region of Curitiba, Southern Brazil, passing through several neighboring counties. In recent years, due to growth and disorderly occupation along the river, in addition to lack of sanitation, the Barigüi River suffered a very large inflow of untreated domestic wastewater. Current programs to monitor the watershed use traditional physical–chemical parameters. Here, the presence of some molecular tracers found in domestic effluents was investigated, such as caffeine and coprostanol at some selected sites in Barigüi River. Caffeine is highly soluble in water and its presence in water bodies is due to the disposal of untreated sewage. Caffeine is eliminated in the urine (approximately 0.5% to 10% of the consumption). The samples were collected in three campaigns, two in dry weather and another during a week in the rainy season. The results showed that caffeine concentration ranged between zero and 753.5 μg g^?1. Higher values were found on rainy days. Caffeine showed a positive correlation between BOD and nitrate; it also showed a positive correlation with coprostanol, a fecal biomarker. Finally, caffeine has been shown to be a good parameter to determine the contamination by domestic wastewater.     

Effects of Plant and Soil Factors on Growth of Young Apple and Blackcurrant Plants

Abstract

Shoot growth as affected by plant size at planting, peat application in the planting hole, pruning, drip-irrigation and, for apple, specific apple replant disease (SARD) was investigated in apple (cv. Elstar) and blackcurrant (cvs Ben Lomond and Ben Nevis), using a multifactorial design. In the first year after planting, peat application and drip-irrigation enhanced shoot growth in both species, with a further interactional increase when both treatments were applied. The extension growth of apple, in contrast to blackcurrant, was positively related to plant size, and the strength of the relationship was distinctly improved when growth conditions were good. Pruning had only small effects on total shoot growth, with a trend towards an increase when growth conditions were poor.     

Seasonal modulation of puberty and the postpartum anestrus in cattle: A review

While cattle are not usually considered seasonal breeders, both age at puberty and length of the postpartum anestrus can be modified by season. Specifically, autumn and winter environments during the first six months of life hasten puberty, while the same conditions after six months delay puberty. Cows calving in the winter have delayed resumption of estrous cycles compared with summer-calving cows. Effects of season interact in a complex manner with other environmental factors affecting reproduction, including breed, nutrition, level of milk production and suckling. While some seasonal variation is undoubtedly caused by variations in management, effects of season on puberty and the postpartum anestrus can be mimicked by altering day length, suggesting that photoperiod is one of the environmental stimuli responsible for seasonal effects. The physiological mechanisms by which season alters reproduction in cattle are unclear, but may include changes in folliculogenesis, secretion of luteinizing hormone and growth rate. Based on studies of prolactin secretion, photoperiodic signals are probably transmitted via the retina and pineal. It is suggested that the existence of seasonal effects on reproduction may create the propensity for spring and summer calving.     

The occurrence of summer mastitis in Jutland (Denmark) in relation to meteorological factors

Data for incidence of summer mastitis in 14 veterinary practices in Jutland (Denmark) were related to meteorological factors using statistical methods. A correlation and regression analysis showed that summer mastitis occurred earlier in years with high temperature and precipitation in early summer. The annual number of cases markedly increased over the years 1953 to 1980. This increase was described by applying a linear increase with with year to a logarithmic transformation of the annual incidence.Analysis of 10-day incidences from the veterinary practices and daily incidence from a test site at St. Vildmose (Jutland) showed that incidence of summer mastitis could be related to temperature and wind velocity within the previous 10 days. High temperature and low wind velocity in this period increase the incidence. This indicates that the incubation period of summer mastitis is at maximum about 10 days. The activity of the fly (Hydrotaea irritans Fall), which acts as mechanical vector for the bacteria is influenced by temperature and wind velocity. This may explain the variation in incidence of summer mastitis during the season and from year to year.     

Flower induction in seedlings of Aster novi-belgii and selection before and after vegetative propagation

Bolting and flowering of Aster novi-belgii seedlings as well as correlations between characteristics within seedling populations and between seedlings and their vegetatively propagated offspring were investigated in order to improve breeding efficiency. In seedlings of A. novi-belgii, flower induction was observed without vernalization. Seedlings initially formed a rosette, but bolting was a prerequisite for development of a normal flowering shoot. Bolting was promoted by long photoperiods as compared to short days. The shortest time from sowing to anthesis was recorded when plants were grown under long photoperiods until the main stem was at least 5 cm long, and then moved to short photoperiods. A large variation in time to anthesis, plant height, branching ability, and flower size and color was found among the seedlings within all crosses. Magnitude and significance of correlations between some characteristics varied among crosses. The more consistent correlations seem mainly to be due to natural courses of plant growth and development. High correlations between seedling characteristics and their vegetatively propagated offspring were only found for flower hue. Lower, but significant correlations were found for flower color intensity, plant height and branching ability. There were no significant correlations for the time-to-anthesis between the two groups of plants. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Using colour image analysis for quantitative assessment of powdery mildew on cucumber

Summary Visual assessment, black & white image analysis and colour image analysis of the severity of powdery mildew (Sphaerotheca fuliginea) infection on leaves of cucumber (Cucumis sativus) were compared. The extent of infection with powdery mildew was expressed as the number of spores per cm². Statistical treatment of the data showed colour image analysis to be superior to the other two methods of evaluation. Major veins, light reflections and variations in the colour of leaves can degrade the accuracy of colour image analysis somewhat. These problems are, however, surmountable. Colour image analysis qualifies as a valuable new tool for accurate, objective, reproducible and detailed quantitative assessment of disease on leaves of plants.Abbreviations H hue - I intensity - IA image analysis - PM powdery mildew - S saturation     

Effect of high-pressure hot-water washing treatment on fruit quality, insects, and disease in apples and pears: Part I. System description and the effect on fruit quality of ‘d’Anjou’ pears

A manually operated high-pressure hot-water washing system consisting of a boiler, hot-water mixing tank, contact loop, heat exchanger, spray mixing tank, high-pressure hot-water washing manifold, low-pressure fresh water rinse manifold, and pressure pump was constructed and installed in a packingline. The system developed 20–50 °C washing water at pressures up to 980 kPa. ‘d’Anjou’ pears (Pyrus communis L.), shortly after harvest, and after storage for 3 and 4 months in regular air (RA) or for 4, 7 and 8 months in controlled atmosphere (CA) at −1 °C were washed through the packingline with different wetting agents (0.1% Silwet, 0.01 and 0.1% Defoamer, and water), water pressures (regular and high-pressure (210–980 kPa)), water temperatures (control (tap water, 4–22 °C), 40 °C, and 50 °C), and brushes (soft and firm), respectively. The effect of the washing conditions on fruit quality was investigated after 1 month of storage at −1 °C to simulate shipping condition, and then again after 1 week at 20 °C to simulate marketing condition. Hot-water caused severe heat scald. When nozzle temperature was 50 °C, the incidence of heat scald increased to over 50% for the fruit stored in RA for 3 months. Combined with hot-water, 540 kPa high-pressure washing increased the incidence of friction discoloration. There were lower incidences of friction discoloration and heat scald for fruit stored in CA for 7 months, in comparison to that in RA for 3 months. However, those fruit did not ripen properly as indicated by a high extractable juice content. Fruit washed at harvest had minor incidences of friction discoloration regardless of different brushes, water pressures, and wetting agents. Fruit washed after storages in either 4 months RA or 4 or 8 months CA suffered a high incidence of friction discoloration including scuffing symptoms and pressure marking. The firm brushes caused a higher incidence of friction discoloration mainly because of scuffing symptoms. However, no differences were found between different water pressures and wetting agents with respect to friction discoloration. Fruit stored for 4 months RA suffered 26–28% friction discoloration in comparison to 16–18% in CA stored fruit with firm brush washing. Extended CA storage increased friction discoloration even with soft brush washing. The results suggest that a washing system with high-pressure spray, <30 °C warm water, wetting agent Defoamer and rotating soft brushes were significantly effective in removing surface pests and decay control without causing internal or external damage of fruit.