Relationships of saturation and B horizon colour patterns in soils of three hydrosequences in south-central Michigan, USA

Abstract. Relationships between soil colour patterns and depth and duration of water tables were studied using piezometers in three soil hydrosequences. A colour index was developed to quantify matrix colour, size and colour of mottles, and continuity and colour of clay films. It correlated well with duration of saturation when above 5°C ( r = 0.88) and with duration of total saturation ( r = 0.87). The colour index is useful to evaluate soils for various land uses.     

Animal-based organic nutrition induces comparable fruit quality to that of inorganic fertigation in soilless-grown grape tomato

The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of animal-based organic nutrition and environmental parameters on tomato fruit quality, as well as to establish relations among colour and morphological values performed by the Tomato Analyzer (TA) software application. Organic tomato fruits produced by three organic nutrient solutions, which consisted of different mixtures of several OMRI certified nitrogen fertilizers and one inorganic nutrient solution (Steiner’s solution) as the control, were evaluated for their polyphenol and carotenoid content. We used Tomato Analyzer (TA) to evaluate fruit size and shape. Moreover, we implemented a digital image analysis tool, Color Test (CT), as part of the TA software application to collect and analyse fruit colour parameters. The application of organic fertilizers positively affected the total hydrolysable and condensed polyphenols of tomato fruits compared to the control. The high air temperature (>30°C) and sub-optimal light intensity negatively affected the carotene content of tomato fruits, as well as their morphological and colour attributes. Plants fed with organic solutions containing ASA + ASB + NK2SO4 showed comparable morphology and fruit colour attributes to those of the control plants that received Steiner’s nutrient solution. The results indicated that the application of organic fertilizers positively affected the total hydrolysable and condensed polyphenols of tomato fruits compared to the control. Plants fed with the Steiner’s nutrient solution exhibited the highest carotenoid content in tomato fruits. Organically produced tomatoes through animal-based fertilizer application displayed similar fruit morphology and colour attributes compared to conventionally produced tomatoes.     

Estimation of the Influence of Soil Moisture on Soil Colour

Soil colour was expressed in terms of chromaticity coordinates instead of traditional Munsell notations which facilitated correlation with the moisture content of soils. Spectral reflectance of twenty-one soil samples was measured in the visible region from saturation to air-dryness from which the colour coordinates for each soil at various moisture levels were calculated. The data were transformed to metric lightness, metric chroma and Munsell values using the tables of Wyszecki and Stiles (1982). All the colour coordinates, metric lightness, metric chroma and Munsell value were negatively correlated with the moisture content. For dark soils, the rate of change of colour parameters with moisture is less compared to red and light coloured alluvial soils. An interesting feature of the study is that all the colour parameters converged to a characteric value for a group of soils at zero moisture level (intercept), which will be useful to assess the moisture status of a soil in that group from the regression equations, if the colour of soil is estimated in terms of spectral parameters.     

Metalliferous Constituents of Rhizosphere Soils Contaminated by Zn–Pb Mining in Southern Poland

Industrial soils near Zn–Pb mines and metallurgical plants in the vicinity of Olkusz (southern Poland) are exposed to high environmental stress related to heavy metal pollution (Zn, Pb, Cd, Mn, Fe, Tl and As) from waste disposal sites and primary ores. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive spectrometry analyses (EDS) and Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) were used to analyse rhizosphere soil samples from the area. The mineral composition of the rhizosphere soils was determined. Carbonates of lead, cadmium and zinc, arsenic–lead sulphosalts and other minerals occurring on the root epiderm are described. Mineral aggregates of secondary origin include polymineralic spherules containing high concentrations of Zn (up to 2.3%), Pb (up to 0.7%), Fe (up to 23%), Cd (up to 427 mg kg^?1) and Tl (up to 139 mg kg^?1). Processes on the rhizoplane, and in the zone where plant-root exudation solutions are active, promote the crystallization of metalliferous minerals. ESEM is recommended as an efficient method for examining alteration occurring in the rhizosphere environment.     

Soil colour: its measurement and its designation in models of uniform colour space

The principles of colour perception are outlined and applied to the problems of soil colour measurement using ‘Munsell Soil Color Charts’. As care is needed in using these charts to make an accurate assessment of soil colour, recommendations for the correct methods for soil colour measurement are outlined. The three soil colour characteristics of Munsell Hue, Value and Chroma are commonly used in multivariate analyses as orthogonal, equi-dimensional, linear variables that describe perceived colour space. Such an approach may be inappropriate because the angular separation of Hue and an approximately 2.5:1 scaling relationship between Value and Chroma should be accounted for in any model of perceived colour space. An appropriate and simple polar transformation of Munsell colour data is compared with some other coordinate systems for representing colour space, including the CIELAB system. This polar transformation is recommended for processing colour data in multivariate analyses.     

Quantifying the effects of aggregation, particle size and components on the colour of Mediterranean soils

Aggregation, particle size, and chemical composition affect the colour of the soil. We have attempted to quantify and understand these effects in 12 Mediterranean soils. We measured the CIELAB colour variables h_ab, L*, and C*_ab in aggregated and dispersed soil samples, and also in coarse sand, fine sand, silt, and clay samples before and after sequential removal of organic matter, carbonates, and Fe oxides. Grassmann's colour‐mixing equations adjusted by regression analysis described the colour of the dispersed soil from its particle‐size fractions with an error of 1% for h_ab, 4% for L*, and 9% for C*_ab. This suggests that the contribution of each fraction to the colour of the dispersed soil can be accurately calculated by its colorimetric data weighted by its content and a regression coefficient, which was greatest for clay. We inferred the influence of a component within each fraction by measuring the colour changes after its removal. Iron oxides reduced h_ab of the silicated substrate by 19%, reduced L* by 12%, and increased C*_ab by 64% in all particle‐size fractions. Carbonates and organic matter had little influence: the former because they impart little colour to the silicates and the latter because there was little of it. The CIELAB colour‐difference between dispersed and aggregated soil (mean ΔE*_ab = 15.3) was due mainly to ΔL* (?14.7). Aggregation contributed to diminishing L* of dispersed soil by 34%. Scanning electron microscopy showed that Fe oxides and organic coatings cover the surface of aggregates thereby influencing soil colour.     

The effects of visual apparency on bias in butterfly recording and monitoring

A basic assumption in conservation is that comparable data are available for species to facilitate risk assessment of extinction. However, the capacity for carrying out cross-species comparisons for abundances and distributions among butterflies depends on the absence of bias in recording and monitoring or the existence of appropriate techniques for removing bias. Here, we investigate potential bias in cross-species comparisons for the apparency of butterfly adults (wing colour, size and behaviour) in three pivotal UK datasets: dates of discovery, Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (BMS) transect measures of abundance and Butterflies for the New Millennium (BNM) national recording scheme. Bias is found in all three datasets. Discovery date is affected by wing colour and size, BNM recording by adult behaviour and wing colour and BMS monitoring by adult behaviour. The nature and degree of bias differs between uncorrected cross-species comparisons and those with the application of phylogenetic contrasts. The findings urge caution in using these datasets for cross-species analysis without improvements and standardisation of recording and monitoring and the development of techniques to adjust for biases, in particular the use of suitable comparative techniques. The latter requires the construction of a molecular phylogeny for butterflies.     

Influence of chemical characteristics in the development of soil colour

Factors responsible for the development of colour in reddish-brown basaltic soils of Malwa Plateau, India, were studied with the aid of multiple regression correlation analysis between the soil Munsell colour parameters and the chemical characteristics. Titanium and ferrous iron for soil “hue”, clay and organic matter for soil “value” were found to influence the development of colour in these soils. Partial regression analysis was carried out to assess the relative importance of individual factors in soil colour.     

利用计算机视觉识别小麦叶色的光照模型研究

计算机图像识别技术的研究与应用是农业信息技术领域的重要分支之一。为更好的将其应用到虚拟作物中，用RGB系统表示叶色，利用虚拟现实技术中的光照技术，将太阳光分为环境光、漫射光和镜面光3部分，分别研究了这3部分光对叶色的影响，并根据颜色和太阳光的内在联系，建立了小麦叶片颜色的识别模型。检验表明，模型具有较高的准确性和较强的预测性。     

Effect of genotype and storage time on stability of colour,phenolic compounds and ascorbic acid in red raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) jams

Changes in colour, phenolic composition and ascorbic acid (AA) concentrations in jams made from eight, floricane fruiting, red raspberry genotypes stored for six months at 20°C were investigated. Additionally, the relationship between genotypes and quality parameters was assessed. On average for all genotypes, 83% AA degradation was observed during the first three months of storage. After six months, the concentrations of anthocyanins, total quercetin glycosides and lambertianin C decreased by 80%, 13% and 7%, while ellagic acid conjugates and total phenolics increased by 47% and 8%, respectively. The anthocyanins detected in highest concentrations in fresh jams, that is, cyanidin-3-(2^g-glucosylrutinoside), cyanidin-3-sophoroside, cyanidin-3-glucoside and cyanidin-3-rutinoside showed the highest stability during storage, that is, 28%, 21%, 12% and 11% left after six months of storage, respectively. A significant decrease in colour (lightness, chroma and hue) was also observed during storage. The colour changes of stored jams, however, were much slower than the pigment degradation. On average, lightness, chroma and hue decreased by 13%, 29% and 18% during six months of storage, respectively. The lowest anthocyanin degradation was observed in jams characterised by red-bluish colour and high initial anthocyanin content, that is, ‘Veten’, ‘RU024 01003’ and ‘RU974 07002’ with 72–78% degradation after storage for six months, while the highest losses (82–93%) were observed in jams characterised by saturated red-orange colour, high ellagitanin and low initial anthocyanin contents, that is, ‘Glen Magna’, ‘Malling Hestia’ and ‘Octavia’. The results indicate that the genotypes ‘RU024 01003’ and ‘RU974 07002’ might have the potential to replace ‘Veten’, the main cultivar for jam processing in Norway, as new cultivars for industrial processing provided good cultivation qualities and satisfactory taste and flavour of the products.     

Comparison of a Neural Network and a Non-parametric Classifier for Grain Kernel Identification

The performances of a four-layer backpropagation neural network and a non-parametric statistical classifier were compared for classification of barley, Canada Western Amber Durum wheat, Canada Western Red Spring wheat, oats, and rye. A total of 230 features (51 morphological, 123 colour, and 56 textural) from the high-resolution images of kernels of the five grain types were extracted and used as input features for classification. Different feature models, viz. morphological, colour, texture, and a combination of the three, were tested for their ability to classify these cereal grains. To make the classification process fast, the number of input features were reduced to 60 and 30. A set of features consisting of an equal number of morphological, colour, and textural features gave the best classification accuracies. The neural network classifier outperformed the non-parametric classifier in almost all the instances of classification.     

Spectrophotometric determination of organic carbon in soil

Abstract

A detailed study was made of the well‐known organic carbon determination that is based on measuring the absorbance of the green chromium(III) complex generated when organic matter is oxidized by potassium dichromate in acidic medium. The green chromic colour proved to be unstable, turning slowly to a violet colour. It was also found that chromic sulphate exerts a catalytic influence on the decomposition of excess dichromate. Based on this work, a modified method was developed which is simple, rapid, and very accurate when working under carefully controlled conditions.     

BIOLOG法测定土壤微生物群的一些局限性

Reduction of Cr(VI)to Cr(Ⅲ）were studied in a fresh wheat rhizosphere soil(Kuroboku,high humicandosol) pretreated with a basal fertilizer consisting of (NH4)2SO4,P2O5 and KH2PO4 and with K2Cr2O7 by using a rhizobox system.It was found that rhizosphere exerted a positive effect on Cr(VI) reduction.Part of the reason was the decrwease of pH in the rhizosphere due to application of (NH4)2SO4,implying that application of physiologically acid fertilizers would reduce Cr(VI) toxicity to plants.     

玉米高压糊化淀粉的老化特性和变色性质

研究了玉米淀粉高压糊化后的冻融稳定性和色泽变化，并和热糊化淀粉的老化特性和色泽变化做了比较。高压完全糊化淀粉糊没有与热加工糊化淀粉糊相同的老化现象。同时，高压不象热加工使玉米淀粉的颜色变黄。     

Charred organic carbon in German chernozemic soils

Burning vegetation produces partly charred plant material which subsequently could contribute to the highly refractory proportion of soil organic matter. The presence of charred organic carbon (COC) was investigated in 17 horizons originating from nine soils from Germany and the Netherlands using a suite of complementary methods (high-energy ultraviolet photo-oxidation, scanning electron microscopy, solid-state ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance, lignin analysis by CuO oxidation). Charred organic carbon could not be detected in the A horizons of an Alisol and a Gleysol, but it contributed up to 45% of the organic carbon and up to about 8 g kg^–1 of the soil in a range of grey to black soils (Cambisol, Luvisol, Phaeozem, Chernozem and Greyzem). All these soils have chernozemic soil properties (dark colour, A–C profile, high base saturation, bioturbation). A 10-km colour sequence of four chernozemic soils, which were very similar in chemical and physical properties, showed a strong relation between colour and the content of COC. This suggests that the COC affects mainly soil colour in the sequence studied. Finely divided COC seems to be a major constituent of many chernozemic soils in Germany. These results suggest that besides climate, vegetation and bioturbation, fire has played an important role in the pedogenesis of chernozemic soils.     

核桃果皮的组织解剖学研究

研究表明核桃果皮(果壳)结构可分为外、中、内果皮3层,其发育阶段可分为前后2个时期。外果皮由数层细胞组成,前期表皮细胞密布腺毛,后期发育出角质层和气孔构造。不同品种及果实不同部位间果点亦有差异。中果皮为果肉的大部分,细胞大,中间散生有多束维管束。前期3层果皮界限不明显,进入后期后维管束数目增加,类型增多且出现分叉。前期内果皮细胞小而透明,与中果皮界限不明显,后期则迅速木质化而形成硬壳,逐渐转化为坚硬的木质化石细胞层,其外的维管束组织高度发达呈网络状。     

美人蕉(Canna.L)的辐射诱发突变

本工作用60~(Co)γ射线及快中子处理美人蕉(Canna.L)休眠根茎,研究其辐射诱变规律,结果表明,γ射线处理的大花红美人蕉(Canna generalis Bai-ley)在VM_1代辐射效应十分明显,花色突变频率较高,其幅度在3.45—6％,适宜剂量为9.2—36.8Gy,不同基因型品种其辐射敏感性有明显差异。γ射线对美人蕉的诱变效果优于快中子,但连续几代重复照射的突变频率较低。应用γ射线处理大花红美人蕉共获得九个花色突变体,从中选育出三个花色各具特点的优良突变系,已繁育推广。     

A comparison of two colorimetric assays,based upon Lowry and Bradford techniques,to estimate total protein in soil extracts

Soil extracts usually contain large quantities of dissolved humified organic material, typically reflected by high polyphenolic content. Since polyphenols seriously confound quantification of extracted protein, minimising this interference is important to ensure measurements are representative. Although the Bradford colorimetric assay is used routinely in soil science for rapid quantification protein in soil-extracts, it has several limitations. We therefore investigated an alternative colorimetric technique based on the Lowry assay (frequently used to measure protein and humic substances as distinct pools in microbial biofilms). The accuracies of both the Bradford assay and a modified Lowry microplate method were compared in factorial combination. Protein was quantified in soil-extracts (extracted with citrate), including standard additions of model protein (BSA) and polyphenol (Sigma H1675-2). Using the Lowry microplate assay described, no interfering effects of citrate were detected even with concentrations up to 5 times greater than are typically used to extract soil protein. Moreover, the Bradford assay was found to be highly susceptible to two simultaneous and confounding artefacts: 1) the colour development due to added protein was greatly inhibited by polyphenol concentration, and 2) substantial colour development was caused directly by the polyphenol addition. In contrast, the Lowry method enabled distinction between colour development from protein and non-protein origin, providing a more accurate quantitative analysis. These results suggest that the modified-Lowry method is a more suitable measure of extract protein (defined by standard equivalents) because it is less confounded by the high polyphenolic content which is so typical of soil extracts.     

Collection and Characterisation of Malabar Tamarind [Garcinia cambogia (Gaertn.) Desr.]

A collaborative crop specific exploration and collection mission to collect the germplasm and to study the population size of male and female/hermaphrodite trees of Malabar tamarind [Garcinia cambogia (Gaertn.) Desr.] in the area of its diversity was undertaken during July 2002 in Kerala and Karnataka. A total of 56 accessions of Malabar tamarind were collected. Two collections of Malabar tamarind were found to be very specific because of the uncommon fruit colour, which is pinkish red. All the collected accessions are grown at National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) Regional Station, Thrissur for characterisation and conservation. Extensive range of variability was found in fruit colour, shape, size and nature of branching and canopy of trees. Characterisation of 13 fruit and five seed characters was done for 51 accessions. The variability was found to be maximum for nipple length (74.8%) and minimum for fruit girth (12.8%). Two promising accessions were identified based on mean fruit weight (161 g) in IC 354028 and mean rind thickness (15 mm) and mean rind weight (125 g) in IC 354019.