SW—Soil and Water: Climate Change and Water Resources Management in Arid and Semi-arid Regions: Prospective and Challenges for the 21st Century

The overgrowing population and the recent droughts are putting water resources under pressure and calling for new approaches for water planning and management if escalating conflicts are to be avoided and environmental degradation is to be reversed. As countries are using their water resources with growing intensity, poor rainfall increasingly leads to national water crises as water tables fall and reservoirs, wetlands and rivers empty. Global warming could cause further changes, further variability and further uncertainty. The UK Hadley Centre's global climate model was run at a spatial scale of 2·5 by 3·75° (latitude and longitude) grid squares to simulate the global climate according to scenarios of greenhouse gas concentration emission. Runs of the model assuming the emission scenario proposed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 1995 are analysed here for the 2050s time horizon. Outputs provide estimations of climate variables, such as precipitation and temperature, at a monthly time step. Those results, assumed representative of future climatic conditions, are compared to mean monthly values representative of the current climate and expressed in terms of percentage change. The results show that, for the dry season (April–September), by the 2050s, North Africa and some parts of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Syria, Jordan and Israel, are expected to have reduced rainfall amounts of 20–25% less than the present mean values. This decrease in rainfall is accompanied by a temperature rise in those areas of between 2 and 2·75°C. For the same period, the temperature in the coastal areas of the Mediterranean countries will rise by about 1·5°C. In wintertime, the rainfall will decrease by about 10–15% but would increase over the Sahara by about 25%. Given the low rainfall rate over the Sahara, the increase by 25% will not bring any significant amount of rain to the region. In wintertime, the temperature in the coastal areas will also increase but by only 1·5°C on average, while inside the region it will increase by 1·75–2·5°C.In southern Africa (Angola, Namibia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana and South Africa), results suggest an increase of the annual average temperature ranging between 1·5 and 2·5°C in the south to between 2·5 and 3°C in the north. The summer range is between 1·75 and 2·25°C in the south, and increases towards the north to between 2·75 and 3·0°C while the winter range is between 1·25 and 2°C in the south, and increases towards the north to between 2·5 and 2·75°C. On the other hand, the annual average will decrease by 10–15% in the south and by 5–10% in the north. The annual average decrease is 10%. However, some places will have an increase i.e. by 5–20% in South Africa in wintertime. In the Taklimakan region (Tarim Basin) west of China, the annual average temperature is shown to increase by 1·75–2·5°C. Annual average rainfall should increase by 5–>25% in most of the region but decrease by 5–10% in some small parts. In summer, an increase by 5–15% is indicated in most of the region, and an increase by up to 25% or more during the wintertime.In the Thar Desert (India–Pakistan–Afghanistan), estimations suggest that the annual average increase in temperature ranges from 1·75 to 2·5°C, ranging from 1·5 to 2·25°C in winter and from 2 to 2·5°C in summer. Annual average precipitation is shown to decrease by 5–25% in the region. The winter will have values closer to the annual average but the summer will have more decrease and most of the region will see a decrease closer to 25%.In the Aral Sea basin (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan), estimates suggest an annual average increase in temperature ranging from 1·75 to 2·25°C, higher in summer (between 2 and 2·75°C) than in winter (between 1·5 and 2°C). Rainfall should increase by 5–20% annually, in summer increasing by 5–10% in the north but decreasing by up to 5% in the south, while in wintertime, both south and north should undergo increases of 5–10% and 20–25%, respectively.In Australia, results indicate an increase in the annual average temperature ranges of 1–1·5°C in the south to 2·5–2·75°C in the north, slightly higher during the summer than in the winter. The summer range is between 1 and 2°C in the south and increases towards the north to 2·5–3·0°C while the winter range is between 1 and 1·5°C in the south, and increases towards the north to between 2 and 2·25°C. Rainfall annual average is shown to decrease by 20–25% in the south and by 5–10% in the north.Given the above-mentioned facts, in order to meet the water demands in the next century, some dams and water infrastructure will be built in some countries and a new paradigm by rethinking the water use with the aim of increasing the productive use of water will have to be adopted. Two approaches are needed: increasing the efficiency with which current needs are met and increasing the efficiency with which water is allocated among different uses. In addition, non-conventional sources of water supply such as reclaimed, recycled water and desalinated brackish water or seawater is expected to play an important role.     

The frontier of microplastics and nanoplastics: Soil health and carbon neutrality

<正>Microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) in soil have drawn increasing concerns about their potential threats to soil ecosystems due to their ubiquitous occurrence and persistence. The interactions of MNPs with soil components, microbial community, plants, and fauna determine their impacts on soil biogeochemical processes and food security. However, they are not largely explored. Further research is also needed to develop reliable and standardized techniques and methods to characterize the...     

Crop yield—nitrate‐n and total n and k concentration relationships: Corn and fescuegrass

Abstract

Six greenhouse pot experiments were conducted in which yield and nutrient uptake responses of corn (Zea mays L.) or tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Shreb) to N, P, K, lime, or temperature variables were measured. This paper describes yield—NO₃‐N and total N concentration trends in these experiments. Crop concentrations of total N and NO₃‐N during early growth increased consistently with amount of applied N. These concentrations usually decreased (by dilution and assimilation) with time of growth and yield response to other growth‐limiting nutrients and other factors. Concentrations of K also increased in corn with amount of applied K, and high K was associated with higher concentrations of NO₃‐N during early growth in some experiments. This was usually true only for early crop growth periods during which rates of nutrient uptake exceeded growth rate. High K concentrations may have retarded growth and NO₃‐N reduction and assimilation.     

Potassium sources,microorganisms and plant nutrition: Challenges and future research directions

Until recently, potassium(K) has not received considerable attention because of the general belief that soils contain ample amounts of this element. In addition, low rates of K fertilizer application in agriculture have led to rapid depletion of K in the rhizosphere soil in many underdeveloped countries. This results in various negative impacts, including preventing optimum utilization of applied nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers. To compensate for these losses,massive use of K fertilizers in ...     

Reactions between β-lactoglobulin and genipin: kinetics and characterization of the products

In this paper, we present the first detailed study of the reaction kinetics and the characterization of the products from the endothermic reactions between β-lactoglobulin and genipin. The effects of the concentration, temperature, and pH were investigated. In the temperature range studied, the reaction was approximately a pseudo-first-order with respect to genipin and 0.22-order and -0.24-order with respect to β-lactoglobulin for pH 6.75 and 10.5 with corresponding activation energy (E(a)) estimated to be 66.2 ± 3.8 and 9.40 ± 0.36 kJ/mol, respectively. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis studies, validated by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry, showed the presence of oligomeric, i.e., di-, tri-, quadri-, and pentameric, forms of cross-linked β-lactoglobulin by genipin at neutral but not alkaline pH; however, an extensive cross-linked network was not observed, consistent with the atomic force microscopy images. It was demonstrated that the reaction temperature and the concentration of genipin but not that of β-lactoglobulin positively affected the extent of the cross-linking reactions.     

PM—Power and Machinery: Development and Evaluation of Kenaf Harvesting Technology

Laboratory and field tests have demonstrated that a component approach to harvesting kenaf and separating the fibre and core has a lot of potential. Machines used for harvesting kenaf required only minor, if any, modification. The straw-walker from a combine harvester proved to work very well to separate the kenaf fibre and core. More work needs to be performed to expand the prototype separator into a production unit. Transportation of the whole stalk material from field sites to the processing facility proved to be expensive due to the low density of the material. In-field separation could reduce this cost by 50 per cent.     

Ten Years and Counting: Preserving and Sharing Colorado’s Agricultural History Online

Colorado State University Libraries (CSUL) support the preservation of agricultural history, as evidenced by their participation in the Preserving the History of United States Agriculture and Rural Life: State and Local Literature, 1820–1945 project, administered by Cornell University. This article reviews CSUL’s work on this preservation project, including digitization of historical agriculture-related documents. CSUL’s latest effort to keep agricultural literature relevant and accessible includes moving the Colorado Agriculture Bibliography website to Springshare’s LibGuides platform (https://libguides.colostate.edu/agbib). Advantages and challenges of using the LibGuides platform for the promotion and sharing of such collections are discussed.     

Statistical power and sea turtle nesting beach surveys: How long and when?

Identifying long-term population trends is essential for the conservation of species of concern. With money and personnel often in short supply, the success of a monitoring program to provide an estimate of population trend requires an efficient survey design that can detect biologically important changes within some prescribed budgetary framework. In this paper we illustrate how costs can be reduced while maintaining an efficient design using a nesting beach survey of female hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) in the Eastern Caribbean as a specific example. We compared the statistical power of the current, intensive protocol with those of shorter duration and differing start date to generate general guidelines on sampling. Counts of individual turtles from 1987-2003 were analyzed using Poisson log-linear regression and models with both fixed and random effects describing the temporal variability were explored. We estimate that the current 20 week saturation-tagging survey design could detect a 3% per annum growth with acceptable statistical power (>0.8) in less than 14 years. However, by changing the current survey start date and counting for only 10 weeks, it is possible to detect similar trends with little loss of power while reducing monitoring costs by 25-50%. Our analyses indicate that the statistical power of surveys for hawksbills is influenced by the timing and duration of the survey because of their effect on the proportion of the annual number of nesting females that the survey captures. This simplifies estimating the power of a prospective survey program.     

Iron and zinc deficiencies in China: what is a feasible and cost-effective strategy?

In order to prioritise interventions for micronutrient deficiencies in China, the populations affected by iron and zinc deficiencies were assessed based on data from the 2002 China National Nutrition and Health Survey. The costs and cost-effectiveness of supplementation, food diversification and food fortification were estimated using the standard World Health Organization ingredients approach. Results indicated that 30% of children (60 years), pregnant and lactating women, and 20% of women of reproductive age were anaemic, some 245 million people. Approximately 100 million people were affected by zinc deficiency (zinc intake inadequacy and stunting), the majority living in rural areas. Among interventions on iron and zinc deficiency, biofortification showed the lowest costs per capita, I 0.01 (international dollars), while dietary diversification through health education represented the highest costs at I 1148(international dollars). The cost-effectiveness of supplementation, food fortification and dietary diversification for iron deficiency alone was I 179(international dollars) , I 66 and I 103 (international dollars) per disability-adjusted life-year (DALY), respectively. Data for biofortification were not available. For zinc deficiency, the corresponding figures were I 399(international dollars), I 153(international dollars) and I 103(international dollars) per DALY, respectively. In conclusion, iron and zinc deficiencies are of great public health concern in China. Of the two long-term intervention strategies, i.e. dietary diversification and biofortification with improved varieties, the latter is especially feasible and cost-effective for rural populations. Supplementation and fortification can be used as short-term strategies for specific groups.     

Wet and dry deposition of sulphates and nitrates in Eastern Canada: 1979–1982

Daily air and precipitation chemistry observations at six rural locations in eastern Canada were analyzed to obtain wet and dry deposition. Dry deposition was calculated from air concentrations using deposition velocities originating from a recent literature review and synthesis exercise involving land use types. Total annual deposition ranges for \({\text{SO}}_{\text{4}}^{\text{ = }} \) from 10 to 86 mmol m^?2 and for \({\text{NO}}_{\text{3}}^{\text{ - }} \) excluding N0₂ contributions to dry deposition from 13 to 62 mmol m^?2. Dry deposition accounts for an estimated 22 and 21% of the total \({\text{SO}}_{\text{4}}^{\text{ = }} \) and \({\text{NO}}_{\text{3}}^{\text{ - }} \) deposition, respectively. For \({\text{NO}}_{\text{3}}^{\text{ - }} \) , this fraction increases to 30% if N0₂ concentration to dry deposition is included. There is a marked seasonal variation in total \({\text{SO}}_{\text{4}}^{\text{ = }} \) deposition but not in that of \({\text{NO}}_{\text{3}}^{\text{ - }} \) . Both wet and dry deposition are episodic. 20% of daily events deliver between 47 and 70% of the deposition.     

PH—Postharvest Technology: Palm Kernel and Shell Separator

Based on relevant physical properties of palm kernels and shells, a separator was designed to remove the palm kernels from the shells. The separator has two sections: one to remove and collect the shells; and a second to collect the kernels. The separator is power-driven and can reciprocate at three different crank speeds of 93, 120 and 200 min⁻¹ and five crank radii of 20, 25, 35, 40 and 45 mm. At the crank speed of 93 min⁻¹ and crank radius of 35 mm, kernel purity was 82%, kernel recovery 86·2% and separation efficiency 82·1%. The capacity of the separator is 446 kg h⁻¹ against a manual hand-picking rate of 60 kg h⁻¹ that characterize the dry method of separation in local palm kernel oil mills in Nigeria.     

Folate status and mood: is there a relationship?

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between subjective mood, folate status and homocysteine in healthy individuals. DESIGN: Subjective mood assessments were completed twice daily over the course of one week using the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS). The PANAS is a validated scale which considers mood state on two distinct continua, one reflecting positive mood and the other negative mood, each requiring response to 10 adjectives on a Likert scale. A blood sample was taken on one occasion at the start of the week during which subjective mood was assessed and analysed for red-blood-cell (RBC) folate, serum folate and plasma homocysteine concentrations. SUBJECTS: Male volunteers aged 19-47 years (n = 58) were recruited from local industries. RESULTS: High concentrations of RBC folate were associated with less variability (lower standard deviation) in negative mood (P = 0.023). Subjective mood, however, was not related to serum folate or homocysteine. CONCLUSIONS: This study appears to be the first to uncover an association between long-term folate status and subjective mood (employing the PANAS) in healthy males. More research is needed to further explore the relationship between nutritional status and mood.     

Desertification and drylands development: what can be done?

By analysing the concept of desertification and the evolution of its definitions, five main themes were selected. The perception of the causes of desertification has shifted from blaming colonization to climate change and finally to the traditional land-use systems. In the 1960s in Africa, the trend was to attribute land degradation to sectorial development during colonization. During the 1970s, essentially because of UNEP efforts, middle-term climate changes and short-term droughts were considered as causes of desertification, while distinguishing meteorological, hydrological, edaphic and agricultural droughts. The consensus view of the last decades now is that desertification is primarily human induced: among them the effects of traditional indigenous land management and of imported exogenous land management can be distinguished. To separate climate-induced, short-term environmental changes from land degradation induced by human activities is impossible. What can be achieved in drylands? It is obviously erroneous to propose dry ecosystem development on the model of highly mechanized developed countries. Drylands development requires much more input, leading to accelerated waste production. It cannot follow the same scheme as in temperate or in wet-tropical ecosystems. They need higher investment and risk more irreversible land degradation. The drylands are financial sinks. Rehabilitation of the environment together with demographic control should have priority. Finally, preference should be given to small projects of irrigation rather than huge complex plans. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

β-cyclodextrin and caffeine complexes with natural polyphenols from olive and olive oils: NMR, thermodynamic, and molecular modeling studies

Complexes of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and caffeine (Caf) with biophenols present in olive and olive oil (tyrosol, hydroxytyrosol, homovanillic acid, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, and protocatechuic acid) were investigated by NMR spectroscopy and thermodynamical-molecular dynamic studies to verify the formation of supermolecular aggregates. The obtained results indicated that the investigated biophenols form inclusion complexes with β-CD in a molar ratio of 1:1 in aqueous solution having binding constant values from 10- to 40-fold bigger than those of the corresponding complexes with Caf. Then, β-CD preferentially encloses the biophenol molecule, decreasing its bitter taste and, at the same time, preserving it against chemical and physical decomposition reactions that occur during storage.     

Sulphur fertilizer effect on cotton: I. Nitrogen and sulphur status and petiole nitrate‐nitrogen

Abstract

The effect of S fertilization on S and N status and petiole NO₃ ^?‐N in cotton was observed during the growing seasons of 1980 and 1981. Four sites representing 2 soil subgroups were studied using a randomized complete block design with 4 replications. Leaf and petiole sampling began one week prior to bloom initiation and continued weekly for eight weeks. Leaf samples were analyzed for S and N and the petioles for NO₃ ^?‐N. Levels of leaf‐S varied directly with amounts of applied S. Leaf‐N and petiole NO₃ ^?‐N varied directly with amounts of applied N. Though not always significant, petiole NO₃ ^?‐N and leaf‐N showed negative correlations with leaf‐S. These results suggest that knowledge of the cotton plant S status may be necessary to interpret petiole NO₃ ^?‐N for N fertilization of cotton.     

Fruit and vegetable availability: a micro environmental mediating variable?

OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between fruit and vegetable (F&V) availability and consumption, the possible influences on this association, research gaps, and implications for developing strategies to increase F&V consumption. DESIGN: Systematic review of studies that have examined associations between F&V availability and consumption. RESULTS: Qualitative studies conducted among children and adults indicated that greater availability was associated with greater consumption. This finding was supported by cross-sectional studies among children. Availability was associated with dietary psychosocial variables such as preferences, and it appears that availability may moderate the relationship between these psychosocial variables and consumption. Intervention studies attempting to increase availability have resulted in increased consumption, and availability has predicted change in consumption over an 18-month period. DISCUSSION: Availability appears to be a key proximal determinant of consumption, especially of F&V, and thereby provides a target for change. However, the mechanisms that relate these variables are unclear and there is a need to clarify the direction of causality. We suggest that the possible causal mechanisms may include: (1) availability simply facilitates increased consumption; (2) the visual cues of available food may stimulate consumption; and (3) available food exposure may increase preference, which leads to increased consumption. Each of these possibilities requires close examination, as do policy-level interventions. CONCLUSION: F&V availability is associated with increased consumption. Research that elucidates the mechanisms between availability and intake, and tests policy-level interventions, is needed to advance increased availability as a public health procedure.     

A Review of “World Food: Production and Use”

The credibility, reliability, and adequacy of information sources are cardinal to adoption of technologies that increase agricultural productivity. Date palm production in Nigeria is low and, considering its high demand, makes the country a net importer of date to meet local demands.

This study assessed the sources of information on date palm in Dutse Local Government Area of Jigawa State. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 115 date palm farmers. The results show that friends and relatives, extension agents, and radio are the preferred sources of information. The frequency and adequacy of use follow a similar pattern of preference.     

Carotene and novel apocarotenoid concentrations in orange-fleshed Cucumis melo melons: determinations of β-carotene bioaccessibility and bioavailability

Muskmelons, both cantaloupe (Cucumis melo Reticulatus Group) and orange-fleshed honeydew (C. melo Inodorus Group), a cross between orange-fleshed cantaloupe and green-fleshed honeydew, are excellent sources of β-carotene. Although β-carotene from melon is an important dietary antioxidant and precursor of vitamin A, its bioaccessibility/bioavailability is unknown. We compared β-carotene concentrations from previously frozen orange-fleshed honeydew and cantaloupe melons grown under the same glasshouse conditions, and from freshly harvested field-grown, orange-fleshed honeydew melon to determine β-carotene bioaccessibility/bioavailability, concentrations of novel β-apocarotenals, and chromoplast structure of orange-fleshed honeydew melon. β-Carotene and β-apocarotenal concentrations were determined by HPLC and/or HPLC-MS, β-carotene bioaccessibility/bioavailability was determined by in vitro digestion and Caco-2 cell uptake, and chromoplast structure was determined by electron microscopy. The average β-carotene concentrations (μg/g dry weight) for the orange-fleshed honeydew and cantaloupe were 242.8 and 176.3 respectively. The average dry weights per gram of wet weight of orange-fleshed honeydew and cantaloupe were 0.094 g and 0.071 g, respectively. The bioaccessibility of field-grown orange-fleshed honeydew melons was determined to be 3.2 ± 0.3%, bioavailability in Caco-2 cells was about 11%, and chromoplast structure from orange-fleshed honeydew melons was globular (as opposed to crystalline) in nature. We detected β-apo-8'-, β-apo-10', β-apo-12'-, and β-apo-14'-carotenals and β-apo-13-carotenone in orange-fleshed melons (at a level of 1-2% of total β-carotene). Orange-fleshed honeydew melon fruit had higher amounts of β-carotene than cantaloupe. The bioaccessibility/bioavailability of β-carotene from orange-fleshed melons was comparable to that from carrot (Daucus carota).     

Interaction of curcumin and bixin with β-cyclodextrin: complexation methods, stability, and applications in food

This work aimed to compare methods for the formation of complexes of bixin and curcumin with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and to evaluate the stability of the complexes formed by these methods and their food applications. The stoichiometric relationship between curcumin and β-CD was 1:2 and that between bixin and β-CD was 1:1. Curcumin-β-CD and bixin-β-CD complexes formed by kneading, coprecipitation, and simple mixing were evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), or nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR-H). For both curcumin and bixin, the best method of complexation was coprecipitation. Complexation of colorants with β-CD promoted an intensification of color and increased water solubility; however, stabilization in the presence of light occurred only for bixin. Application of curcumin-β-CD in cheese and yogurt and bixin-β-CD in the curd did not alter the initial characteristics of the products, which were sensorialy well accepted. Therefore, the complexation of these natural colorants with β-CD favors their use in low-fat foods, broadening the field of industrial application.     

SW—Soil and Water: Construction of an Artificial Perched Watertable,Part 1: Air Permeability of Soils and Aspects of Soil Failure

The annual precipitation in the Three-river Plain of the People's Republic of China is only 500–600 mm and, besides, the rainfall is uneven; 60–70% of the annual precipitation occurs in July and August and there is almost no rainfall in the winter and spring seasons. Experiments were conducted to form the artificial perched watertable where the runoff caused in summer could preferably be held, by injecting high-pressure air into the soil. A horizontal soil cavity is required, so this paper deals with the determination of the air permeability of soils and the difference in the soil failure mechanisms due to the different air permeabilities.The results show that the air permeability k of 10 m² s⁻¹ MPa⁻¹ defined the situation between the fluidization and the V-shaped soil failure. When the value of k was from 10 to 0·1 m² s⁻¹ MPa⁻¹, the V-shaped soil failure took place and when it was less than 0·1 m² s⁻¹ MPa⁻¹, the soil cavity production took place. In order to produce the soil cavity in the B horizon of the planosol or Cg1 horizon of the meadow soil by air injection, the value of k for these soils should be less than 0·1 m² s⁻¹ MPa⁻¹ and the soil water content of these soils should be more than 30% d.b.