Effects of water table management on soil salinity and alfalfa yield in a semi-arid climate

A lysimeter experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of water table management (WTM) on distribution of soil salinity and annual alfalfa (Medicago scutellata) yield. Subirrigations with three levels of water table namely, 0.5 (WT0.5), 0.7 (WT0.7), and 1.0 m (WT1.0) and a free drainage (FD) conventional irrigation treatment were selected for this study. All treatments were arranged in a complete randomized block design with three replicates. The results of this study indicated that the average soil electrical conductivity of the saturated extract (ECe) in the root zone gradually increased and exceeded the designated crop threshold value (4 dS/m) after the first forage harvest in subirrigated lysimeters. A higher salt accumulation was observed at the WT0.5 treatment. The average dry matter yield of annual alfalfa in WT0.5 and WT0.7 treatments was found to be 52 and 73% higher compared with the control treatment, respectively.     

Effects of spatial,temporal, and spectral resolutions on the estimation of wheat and barley leaf area index using multi- and hyper-spectral data (case study: Karaj,Iran)

Precision Agriculture - Leaf area index (LAI) is a key parameter for the calculation of crop biophysical and biochemical processes. Therefore, the accurate estimates of LAI has been always of great...     

Modeling paddy field subsurface drainage using HYDRUS-2D

All of steady and non-steady subsurface drainage equations were developed mostly based on water flow pattern in an ordinary field conditions. However, subsurface drainage in a paddy field is quite different from subsurface drainage in an ordinary field. Thus, it is necessary to develop new equations and mathematical models to design subsurface drainage system in a paddy field. The objective of this study was to apply the HYDRUS-2D model, based on the Richard’s equation, to simulate water flow under subsurface drainage in a paddy field for various drain depths (0.5, 0.75 and 1.0 m) and spacings (7.5 and 15.0 m), surface soil textures (clay loam and silty clay loam) and crack conditions. Simulation results were compared with two well-known drainage equations. The maximum drainage rate was obtained under 7.5-m spacings and 1-m depth. With increasing drain spacings, the drainage rate decreased. Drain spacings had more effect on drainage rate and water pressure head as compared to drain depth. Drainage rates calculated by the Hooghoudt’s and Murashima and Ogino’s equations were much lower than those calculated by the Richard’s equation. The Hooghoudt’s equation, developed for ordinary fields, did not perform well for paddy fields. This study also proved the importance of cracks in subsurface drainage system of paddy fields. HYDRUS-2D stands as a robust tool for designing subsurface drainage in a paddy field.     

Rare structural variants disrupt multiple genes in neurodevelopmental pathways in schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a devastating neurodevelopmental disorder whose genetic influences remain elusive. We hypothesize that individually rare structural variants contribute to the illness. Microdeletions and microduplications >100 kilobases were identified by microarray comparative genomic hybridization of genomic DNA from 150 individuals with schizophrenia and 268 ancestry-matched controls. All variants were validated by high-resolution platforms. Novel deletions and duplications of genes were present in 5% of controls versus 15% of cases and 20% of young-onset cases, both highly significant differences. The association was independently replicated in patients with childhood-onset schizophrenia as compared with their parents. Mutations in cases disrupted genes disproportionately from signaling networks controlling neurodevelopment, including neuregulin and glutamate pathways. These results suggest that multiple, individually rare mutations altering genes in neurodevelopmental pathways contribute to schizophrenia.