Experimental Seasons Research Articles

Effects of a multifactorial injuries prevention program in young Spanish football players.

The high injury rate in football has highlighted the need to research strategies that allow the modification of the dynamic risk factors. Most of the preventive proposals have focused on standardized protocols. However, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a multifactorial injuries prevention program (MC-7) in Spanish football players. A total of 219 Spanish football male players aged 16-23 were enrolled. The study was conducted over two consecutive seasons (2012-2013, 2013-2014). The first season was the control season (SC) and the second one was the experimental season (ES). Injuries were recorded prospectively during the two seasons in accordance with the criteria established by the consensus statement. During CS the injuries were just observed, while during ES, the players participated in the MC-7: training methodology, specific warm-up protocol (FIFA 11+), basic injury recovery strategies, continuous training of coaches, conferences for parents/family and education sessions for players. The frequency of injuries was significantly reduced by 63.8% in the ES. Muscle-tendon and joint injuries were reduced by 65% and 56.7% respectively, with a significant decrease in the lower-limbs injuries. The incidence of injuries was reduced by 71.4%, with significant differences in the typology, location and severity of injuries. The rate of injury in football is reduced when multifactorial strategies are applied. Reducing the frequency and severity of injuries allowed players to greatly increase their available for sports practice.

Production Technology for In Vitro Induced Micro-rhizomes of Ginger in High-Tech Poly-house

The production technology for the commercial cultivation of ginger using in vitro produced (tissue culture generated) and hardened micro-rhizomes, under the high-tech greenhouse conditions is detailed. From two season's experiments, it was found that yield realized with the fertigation schedule of 75:50:50 kg NPK/ ha has yielded the highest yield of 700 g fresh rhizome per plant. Yield was best in the planting done with single bud rhizome (650 g) compared to the microrhizome (630 g) and conventional rhizome with 20 g size (575 g). Among the varieties, Athira, Karthika and Aswathy, experimented, Karthika gave the highest yield of 651 g/ plant. It was also found from the experiments that there is no yield advantage in ginger with higher amount of seed material. Potting mixture with 1:1:1 ratio of sand, soil and cow-dung will be best.

Field Use of a Simple Technique for Identifying Silver Iodide Particles as Snow Crystal Nuclei

A procedure is presented for identifying those silver iodide particles in ice crystals that have behaved as snow crystal nuclei. The new technique is based on the principle that any submicron particle can act as a nucleus in its own superstaurated solution, and can grow to any desired crystal size (the final size depending on time of exposure to the supersaturated solution). For the procedure presented here, an aqueous solution of 30% potassium iodide supersaturated with silver iodide is used. Application of the technique in a weather modification field research project is described. A case-study example is presented, and results of the season's experiments are discussed with emphasis on contributions of the nuclei identification data. It is concluded that the technique has considerable practical utility in qualitative determination of effects from cloud seeding.

Experimental methods with cotton. III. Sulphuric acid treatment of cotton seed, and its effects on germination, development and yield

1. For experimental purposes the treatment of cotton seed with sulphuric acid, prior to planting, has always been the custom at Barberton. In view of the doubts about the benefits of this treatment which were expressed by Christidis (1936), experiments were carried out at Barberton in the 1938–9 and 1939–40 seasons, to provide concrete proof, if possible, of the advantages which it was believed resulted from it.2. A series of stand counts made soon after germination revealed definite benefits with acid treatment, in all experiments in both seasons. The seedlings emerged considerably earlier than those from untreated seeds, and the stands recorded at the final counts revealed a significant advantage for acid-treated seed, throughout the experiments. The second season's experiments gave a greater advantage for acid treating when meteorological conditions were bad than when they were good, but the advantage even with ideal weather was still significant. The benefit of acid treatment was shown to be greater, too, with poor samples of seed than with good, and with the smaller seed rate than with the greater.

The Efficiency of Tar Distillate Sprays in Controlling San Jose Scale in 1932

Results of the second season's experiments with sprays containing coal tar distillates of English and American origin confirm the results of 1931. The higher concentrations may give control of San Jose scale ( Aspidiotus perniciosus ) comparable to that obtained with a standard petroleum oil spray of 3% oil. A combination of coal tar oil and petroleum oil against aphis eggs and scale in the dormant season is suggested.

Oriental peach moth experiments

Results are given of the season's experiments with twenty insecticides to control the oriental peach moth. Partial reduction of infestation was secured in all cases. A report of the third season's work in colonizing Macrocentrus ancylivora Rohwer is included. The area previously colonized showed a parasitism of 54.54 per cent, a 390 per cent increase over that of last year.