Quantifying interactions between compound properties and macropore flow effects on pesticide leaching

The objective of this study was to investigate the interactions between compound properties and macropore flow effects on pesticide leaching. To this end, the dual‐porosity MACRO model was used to simulate leaching of 60 hypothetical compounds with widely differing sorption and degradation characteristics using a pre‐calibrated scenario from Lanna, south‐west Sweden, representing a structured clay soil. The model predicts that, in the worst case, macropore flow increases leaching by more than four orders of magnitude for moderately to strongly sorbed compounds with relatively short half‐lives. However, it was also notable that leaching of some very mobile compounds is actually reduced by macropore flow. For pesticides leaching between 0.0001 and 10% of the applied dose (without macropore flow), the impact of pesticide properties on leaching is markedly reduced. This suggests that reductions in applied dose become a relatively more attractive and effective means of decreasing leaching from structured soils. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry     

Prediction of nitrate leaching losses from arable land under different fertilization intensities using the SOIL-SOILN models

Abstract. The ability of the SOIL-SOILN models to predict nitrate leaching rates from arable land under different fertilizer inputs is tested. The SOIL model predicts water and temperature conditions in a layered soil profile and provides driving variables for the SOILN model which describes nitrogen inputs, transformations and losses. SOILN model predictions were compared with measurements of nitrate leaching at application rates of zero, 100 and 200 kg N per hectare (NO, N100 and N200) in a long-term field experiment in south-west Sweden. Large discrepancies between model predictions and measurements of nitrate leaching were found in some years (up to 100%) and were attributed to important soil processes which are either not included in the model (macropore How) or are difficult to model satisfactorily (partitioning between surface runoff and infiltration during snowmelt periods, crop nitrogen uptake). Nevertheless, long-term mean yearly leaching losses at the different nitrogen application rates (3, 6 and 46 kg per hectare at NO, N100 and N200, respectively) were reasonably well estimated by the model.     

Simulating the impact of irrigation management on the water and salt balance in drained marsh soils (Marismas, Spain)

Abstract. Using the simulation model MACRO, this paper investigates the likely consequences of reduced irrigation inputs on the water and salt balance and crop growth in a drained, saline clay in a Mediterranean climate (Marismas, SW Spain). The model was first successfully validated against field measurements of the soil water and chloride balance, water table depths and drain outflows in the 1989 growing season. Three-year simulations were then performed assuming two different irrigation applications (60 and 75% reductions from the 1989 amount) and two different frequencies (12 or 6 irrigations per growing season). The model predictions suggested that reduced irrigation may lead to up to a 15%) increase in the chloride content of the soil profile after 3 years. Also, despite overall reductions in water discharge, slight increases in chloride leaching via field drains ( c. 4 to 8%) were predicted. The model demonstrated that encroachment of salt into the soil profile may he exacerbated by the non-equilibrium nature of water flow and solute transport ('by-passing flow') in structured clays. With reduced water supply for irrigation, more frequent applications may give marginally better crop yields for the same quantity of irrigation but at the expense of slightly increasing salt concentration in the root zone.     

Endotoxin-induced platelet aggregation in heparinised equine whole blood in vitro

Endotoxaemia is a leading cause of death among horses. Thrombocytopenia is a common finding in clinical and experimentally-induced cases of endotoxaemia and can lead to coagulopathies, including disseminated intravascular coagulopathy which is usually fatal. In this study it was shown that endotoxin (3 ng ml⁻¹ to 25 μg ml⁻¹) can aggregate equine platelets in heparinised whole blood in vitro. The endotoxin-induced aggregation (EIA) was shown to be dependent on the presence of leucocytes in the blood and did not occur when detoxified endotoxin was used, suggesting that lipid A was necessary for the response. Aspirin (1 mmol litre⁻¹) had no effect on EIA whereas apyrase (40 μg ml⁻¹) completely abolished it and CV3988 (3 to 30 μmol litre⁻¹) (a competitive antagonist of platelet-activating factor) inhibited the response in a concentration-dependent manner. It is concluded that endotoxin activates equine platelets at low concentrations through an indirect mechanism that involves calcium, leucocytes, adenine nucleotides and platelet-activating factor.     

Effect of high PaCO2 and time on cerebrospinal fluid and intraocular pressure in halothane-anesthetized horses

The effects of different arterial carbon dioxide tensions (PaCO2) on cerebrospinal fluid pressure (CSFP) and intraocular pressure (IOP) were studied in 6 male halothane-anesthetized horses positioned in left lateral recumbency. Steady-state anesthetic conditions (1.06% end-tidal halothane concentration) commenced 60 minutes following anesthetic induction with only halothane in oxygen. During atracurium neuromuscular blockade, horses were ventilated, and respiratory rate and peak inspiratory airway pressure were maintained within narrow limits. The CSFP and IOP were measured at 3 different levels of PaCO2 (approx 40, 60, and 80 mm of Hg). The PaCO2 sequence in each horse was determined from a type of switchback design with the initial PaCO2 (period 1), established 30 minutes after the commencement of steady-state anesthesia, being repeated in the middle (period 3) and again at the end (period 5) of the experiment. Measurements taken from the middle 3 periods (2, 3, and 4) would form a Latin square design replicated twice. The interval between each period was approximately 45 minutes. Data from periods 2, 3, and 4 indicated that CSFP (P less than 0.05) and mean systemic arterial pressure increased significantly (P less than 0.05) with high PaCO2. Mean central venous pressure, heart rate, and IOP did not change significantly during these same conditions. Measurements taken during periods 1, 3, and 5 were compared to assess the time-related responses to anesthesia and showed a significant increase in CSFP, a significant decrease in mean central venous pressure, and a small (but not statistically significant) increase in mean systemic arterial pressure.     

The prevalence of lice (Bovicola ovis) infested sheep flocks in Western Australia (1987–1993)

SUMMARY The proportion of wool bale brands with a positive test for sheep lice in baled wool decreased from 29.5% in 1987/88 to 23.2% in 1990/91 before increasing to 38.2% in 1992/93. Changes in the proportion of wool bale brands with a positive test for lice were highly correlated with changes in the Wool Market Price Indicator. The increase in the proportion of positive lice tests since 1990/91 was associated with an increase in failures to eradicate lice from flocks. These failures were partly a consequence of the reduced use of lousicidal treatments, the development of resistance to synthetic pyrethroid chemicals and an increase in the transmission of lice between flocks.