High Rate Applications Research Articles

Effects of zinc-enriched amino acids on rice plants (Oryza sativa L.) for adaptation in saline-sodic soil conditions: Growth, nutrient uptake and biofortification of zinc

Soil salinization and its associated problems are becoming a potential threat to the sustainability of agriculture. Deficiency of micronutrients like zinc (Zn) is a common growth limiting factor in salt-affected soils. The current study aimed to evaluate the effects of Zn enriched amino acids (ZnAAC) on the growth, nutrient uptake, and Zn fortification in rice plants under salt stress. Different ZnAAC including Zn glycine (ZnGly), Zn methionine (ZnMet), Zn tryptophan (ZnTrp) and conventional ZnSO4 were applied at the rates of 8, 10, and 12 mg/kg with three replicates. The results of the current experiment revealed that ZnTrp applied at 12 mg/kg showed the maximum increase in root, shoot, and paddy weight (g/pot), which remained 12.9, 49.0, and 33.9, respectively. Maximum chlorophyll contents, photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, and sub-stomatal carbon dioxide were with the application of ZnTrp to rice grown on salt affected soil. Maximum increase in Zn concentration in soil (391.3 %), roots (251.8 %), shoots (232.9 %), and paddy (287.8 %) were increased with the application of ZnTrp at 12 mg/kg compared to that with control. Maximum decrease in phytic acid in rice paddy was observed with the application of ZnTrp at higher application rate. It is concluded that the application of ZnTrp is an effective remedy to enhance the growth response and Zn fortification in rice grown on salt affected soil.

Effect of Enhanced Organic Material Addition during Reductive Soil Disinfestation on Disease Resistance, Yield Increase, and Microbial Community in Flue-Cured Tobacco

The addition of organic materials is pivotal for the efficacy of reductive soil disinfestation (RSD). However, data on the influence of varying amounts of organic matter during RSD on soil-borne disease mitigation, yield increase, and rhizosphere microecological health in the current flue-cured tobacco season remain limited. This study analyzed various organic material addition rates (CK, G0.8, G1.0, and G1.2) at two experimental sites (K and Y). The results indicated that increasing the application of organic material improved the soil physicochemical properties (pH, AN, AP, AK, OM, and C/N), mitigated the severity of black shank and Fusarium root rot, and amplified the tobacco yield. The K/YG1.2 treatment significantly reduced the Shannon and Sobs fungal indices across both sites, and enhanced the relative abundance of the bacteria Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi, Firmicutes, and Acidobacteriota, while decreasing the relative abundance of Ascomycota. The bacterial genera were predominantly represented by Sphingomonas and Bacillus, whereas the fungal genera were represented by Saitozyma, Mortierella, and Fusarium. The addition of organic materials during RSD substantially decreased the relative abundance of Mortierella and Fusarium. Using FUNGGuild and Tax4Fun to evaluate the application of adding organic matter during the RSD process, we identified that rhizosphere fungi in high application rates of flue-cured tobacco were primarily saprophytic or pathogenic saprophytes, which were mainly involved in the metabolism, environmental information processing, genetic information processing, and cellular processes. The results of the two experimental sites indicate that applying 15 t·ha−1 (K/YG1.2) of solid residues such as vegetables during RSD emerges as the optimal choice. This strategy is highly effective in guaranteeing the sterilization and pest control effect of the RSD process, facilitating the reconstruction of microbial community diversity, lowering pathogen abundance, managing soil-borne diseases that are prevalent in the current flue-cured tobacco season, and leading to an increase in tobacco yield.

Productivity and water use efficiency of summer soybean-winter wheat rotation system under limited water supply in the North China Plain

Development of novel crop rotations with superior water- and N-use efficiency will be fundamental in the quest for securing sustainable food supplies under environments that are increasingly resource limited. Here, our aim was to examine how replacing maize with soybean as part of winter wheat rotations impacted the nutrient-equivalent yield (EY), evapotranspiration (ET) and water-use efficiency (WUE) of rotation systems. We contrasted summer soybean-winter wheat (SW) and summer maize-winter wheat (MW) cropping systems under three nitrogen (N) fertilization regimes: no, medium, and high nitrogen application rates (0 N, MN, and HN, respectively). Results showed that SW not only resulted in lower annual yields, but also caused more variable inter-annual wheat productivity compared with MW. SW had similar annual productivities to MW in wet (2019–2020) and dry (2020–2021) years, but lower productivity than MW in an average precipitation year (45% reduction, 2018–2019). As well, SW had higher average annual ETs (633–854 mm) than MW, mainly was attributed to higher ETs (268–440 mm) in summer. SW reduced WUEs by 17% and 28% in average (2018–2019) and dry (2020–2021) years, respectively. Regardless of cropping system, N fertilization increased annual EYs and ETs by 10–18% and 5–18% compared with no fertilization, respectively. Together these comparable increments in EY and ET, we found that N fertilization had rare effects on annual WUE of both systems. Overall, our study demonstrated that replacing maize with soybean in winter wheat rotations increased annual ET and neither maintained productivity nor improved water productivity. Thus, we suggest that practitioners explore other drought tolerant grain legumes to generate more reliable yields and less water consumption under legume-based crop rotations.

Elucidating the impact of biochar with different carbon/nitrogen ratios on soil biochemical properties and rhizosphere bacterial communities of flue-cured tobacco plants.

In agriculture, biochar (BC) and nitrogen (N) fertilizers are commonly used for improving soil fertility and crop productivity. However, it remains unclear how different levels of BC and N fertilizer affect soil fertility and crop productivity. This study elucidates the impact of different application rates of BC (0, 600, and 1200 kg/ha) and N fertilizer (105 and 126 kg/ha) on biomass accumulation, soil microbial biomass of carbon (SMC) and nitrogen (SMN), and soil biochemical properties, including soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), soil nitrate nitrogen (NO3--N), ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N), urease (UE), acid phosphatase (ACP), catalase (CAT), and sucrase (SC) of tobacco plants. In addition, a high throughput amplicon sequencing technique was adopted to investigate the effect of different application rates of BC/N on rhizosphere bacterial communities of tobacco plants. The results confirm that high dosages of BC and N fertilizer (B1200N126) significantly enhance dry matter accumulation by 31.56% and 23.97% compared with control B0N105 and B0N126 under field conditions and 23.94% and 24.52% under pot experiment, respectively. The soil biochemical properties, SMC, and SMN significantly improved under the high application rate of BC and N fertilizer (B1200N126), while it negatively influenced the soil carbon/nitrogen ratio. Analysis of rhizosphere bacteriome through amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA revealed that the structure, diversity, and composition of rhizosphere bacterial communities dramatically changed under different BC/N ratios. Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Acidobacteria were highly abundant bacterial phyla in the rhizosphere of tobacco plants under different treatments. Co-occurrence network analysis displayed fewer negative correlations among rhizosphere bacterial communities under high dosages of biochar and nitrogen (B1200N126) than other treatments, which showed less competition for resources among microbes. In addition, a redundancy analysis further proved a significant positive correlation among SMC, SMN, soil biochemical properties, and high dosage of biochar and nitrogen (B1200N126). Thus, we conclude that a high dosage of BC (1200 kg/ha) under a high application rate of N fertilizer (126 kg/ha) enhances the biomass accumulation of tobacco plants by improving the soil biochemical properties and activities of rhizosphere bacterial communities.

Performance evaluation of a high flow rate annular linear induction pump using a simple equivalent circuit model taking into account dynamic end effects

ElectroMagnetic Induction Pumps are a relevant technical solution for the transportation of alkali metals in applications where safety and reliability are fundamental. Especially, Annular Linear Induction Pumps (ALIPs) are preferred when high flow rates are required. In the early stage design of an ALIP, simple analytical models are convenient to get an estimate of performances. Equivalent circuit models are often used to this purpose. Their accuracy has been found variable, depending on pumps configuration and operating conditions. To assess the relevance for high flow rate applications, circuit models are applied to the ALIP of PEMDyn facility, in CEA Cadarache research centre. The simplest equivalent circuit model for a LIM is tested. Then, a modification to account for dynamic end effects is added. Results are compared to experimental measurements. The correction for dynamic end effects allows a significant reduction of the relative error, especially for the range of highest flow rates.

Application of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium + carbon fertilizer improves the growth of Tecoma stans and the performance of its root-feeding biological control agent, Heikertingerella sp.

ABSTRACT The invasive tree Tecoma stans (L.) Juss. ex Kunth var stans (Bignoniaceae) has been targeted for biological control in South Africa since 2003. Plant nutrients contained in fertilizers typically improve host-plant quality, thereby enhancing the fitness of insect herbivores deployed as weed biocontrol agents. We investigated the effect of increasing nutrient levels (fertilizer treatments) on the growth of potted T. stans plants and on the subsequent performance of the root-feeding beetle Heikertingerella sp. (Chrysomelidae). Enhanced performance of Heikertingerella sp. in culture will improve mass-rearing initiatives for releases in South Africa. Ten newly emerged mating pairs of Heikertingerella sp. were exposed under glasshouse conditions to caged plants that were treated with four regimes of nitrogen: phosphorus: potassium 2:3:2 (14%) + carbon (8%) fertilizer, namely zero (control), low (5.6 g/m2), medium (9.4 g/m2) and high (13.2 g/m2). Increasing nutrient levels significantly increased leaf production and above – and below-ground biomass accumulation in T. stans plants. Similarly, the performance of Heikertingerella sp. was improved substantially, with significantly and progressively higher levels of P1 adult feeding and F1 progeny production, and significantly and progressively reduced F1 developmental times, under increasing nutrient levels. While F1 adult size was significantly increased by fertilizer application relative to the controls, there were no significant differences between the three nutrient levels. Although the high fertilizer application rates were the most suitable for the culturing and mass-rearing of Heikertingerella sp. adults, medium fertilizer applications may prove more economical to improve host-plant quality and boost beetle numbers for release.

A New Receiver Design for Protograph-Coded Reference Reused DCSK Systems

In this letter, we investigate the performance of protograph-coded reference reused differential chaos shift keying (DCSK) systems to improve the transmission reliability. The traditional protograph-coded DCSK receiver does not take full advantage of the reused chaotic reference signals and hence cannot obtain desirable error performance. To solve this problem, we design a new receiver architecture called <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">weighted reference estimation and iterative decoding (WRE-ID)</i> , which can universally improve the performance of protograph-coded reference reused DCSK systems over both multipath Rayleigh fading and additive white Gaussian noise channels. In particular, we put forward the WRE algorithm to estimate reference signal in order to calculate log-likelihood ratio (LLR) more precisely. Furthermore, extrinsic information output from the decoder is utilized to iteratively recalculate the weight of the WRE algorithm. As a further illustration, we derive the LLR expressions of the proposed WRE-ID-aided receiver of a typical protograph-coded reference reused DCSK (i.e., high-efficiency DCSK) system. Analytical and simulated results show that the proposed WRE-ID-aided receiver can always overtake the traditional receivers in reference reused DCSK systems. Hence, the protograph-based reference reused DCSK systems with the proposed receiver are very promising for high-rate high-reliability wireless applications.

Optimizing Nitrogen Application for Jojoba under Intensive Cultivation.

Although jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) has been cultivated for years, information on its N requirements is limited. A 6-year study of mature jojoba plants grown under field conditions with an intensive management regime evaluated the effect of N application rate on plant nutrient status, growth, and productivity, and nitrate accumulation in the soil. Five levels of N application were tested: 50, 150, 250, 370, and 500 kg N ha-1. Fertilizers were provided throughout the growing season via a subsurface drip irrigation system. Leaf N concentration, in both spring and summer, reflected the level of N applied. A diagnostic leaf (youngest leaf that has reached full size) concentration of 1.3% N was identified as the threshold for N deficiency. Increasing rates of N application resulted in higher P levels in young leaves. Plant K status, as reflected in the leaf analysis, was not affected by N treatment but was strongly affected by fruit load. Vegetative growth was inhibited when only 50 kg N ha-1 was applied. Soil analysis at the end of the fertilization season showed substantial accumulation of nitrate for the two highest application rates. Considering productivity, N costs, and environmental risk, 150 kg N ha-1 is the recommended dosage for intensively grown jojoba. N deficiencies can be identified using leaf analysis, and excess N can be detected via soil sampling toward the end of the growing season. These results and tools will facilitate precise N fertilization in intensive jojoba plantations.

Designing amendments to improve plant performance for mine tailings revegetation.

To provide recommendations for establishment of plants on low-pH Formosa Mine tailings, two greenhouse experiments were conducted to evaluate the use of remedial amendments to improve the survival and growth of Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) seedlings. A preliminary experiment indicated that 1% lime (by weight) raised tailings pH, permitting seedling survival. However, high rates of biosolid application (BS; 2% by weight) added to supply nutrients were phytotoxic when added with lime. A gasified conifer biochar (BC) added to tailings at 1%, 2.5%, or 5% (by weight), along with lime and BS, caused an additional increase in pH, decreased electrical conductivity (EC), and tended to increase the survival of Douglas fir. The addition of a locally sourced microbial inoculum (LSM) did not affect survival. A subsequent experiment expanded our experimental design by testing multiple levels of amendments that included lime (0.5% and 1% by weight), three application rates (0.2%, 0.5%, and 2%) of two nutrient sources (BS or mineral fertilizer), BC (0% and 2.5%), and with or without LSM. There were many interactions among amendments. In general, Douglas fir survival was enhanced when lime and BC were added. These experiments suggest that amending with lime, a nutrient source, and BC would enhance revegetation on low-pH, metal-contaminated mine tailings.

Influences of Exogenic Organic Materials Application on Soil Fertility Status and Paddy Growth under a Coastal Saline Soil Condition

Paddy cultivation in saline soil can rapidly reduce soil salinity, which is an important approach for managing, utilizing, and improving such soils. However, the high salinity of saline soil severely limits the sustainability of paddy production. Adding exogenic organic material to improve soil fertility in saline soil is a key measure for obtaining high-yield, efficient and sustainable cultivation of paddy. This study used a field experiment to explore the influences of different organic materials application on soil desalination and fertility improvement in saline paddy soil. The results showed that the application of dairy manure (DM), sludge vermicompost (SV), and vinegar residue (VR) reduced soil barrier factors, including electrical conductivity (EC) and pH, increased soil fertility, including soil organic carbon (SOC), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P), and promoted paddy growth in saline soil. Specifically, soil EC decreased by 29.0%, 32.9% and 49.4% and paddy biomass increased by 27.7%, 63.7% and 107.6% in DM, SV, and VR-treated soils with the highest application rates, respectively, compared to the control. At an equal carbon application rate, VR was more conducive to decreasing soil EC and pH and increasing paddy biomass. Compared to DM and SV, VR addition resulted in an average decrease of 20.7% and 19.1% in soil EC, respectively, and an average increase of 57.3% and 29.5% in paddy biomass. In addition, soil water-stable aggregates (WSA), SOC, N, and P contents in VR-treated soil were lower than those in DM and SV-treated soils. Correlation and path analysis revealed that there was a significant negative correlation between paddy biomass and soil barrier factors. However, EC in VR-treated soil had a direct negative effect on paddy biomass, while EC in DM and SV-treated soils had an indirect negative effect on paddy biomass. Additionally, the direct contribution of soil pH to paddy biomass was higher with VR (−1.49) than that with DM (−0.21) and SV (0.89). In contrast to DM and SV, the effect of soil WSA on paddy biomass in VR-treated soil was mainly an indirect positive effect, and the direct effect was negative. The corresponding results provided new options and ideas for the efficient utilization of saline soils and high-yield cultivation of paddy.

An efficient algorithm for disparity map compression based on spatial correlations and its low-cost hardware architecture

This paper proposes a low-cost disparity map compression algorithm and its hardware architecture for high resolution and high frame rate applications. The proposed algorithm uses spatial correlations between neighboring disparities and has two variants. The first variant encodes the current disparity using its left neighbor, whereas the second variant benefits from left and upper neighbors. The proposed algorithm obtains 48% and 56% savings in memory space on the average for its variants. The proposed architecture can support 1080p resolution at 60 fps on a low-cost FPGA device while consuming very low area and power.

Multiple soil quality assessment methods for evaluating effects of organic fertilization in wheat-maize rotation system

Soil degradation is a common phenomenon in smallholder farmlands in Asia and Africa. To mitigate soil degradation and the subsequent elevation in agricultural productivity, it is crucial to improve soil quality using a low-cost and time-saving organic fertilization technique. Although the soil quality index (SQI) has been widely used to assess and monitor soil quality in degenerative farmlands, studies comparing SQI calculation methods are rare. The specific objectives of this study were to (1) compare the differences in SQIs calculated using principal component analysis, factor analysis, discriminant analysis, partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), and hierarchical clustering; (2) analyze the effects of organic fertilization on soil quality in smallholdings; and (3) determine the correlations among organic fertilizer rate, soil quality, and crop yield. We analyzed 37 soil physical, chemical, and biological properties under three organic fertilization groups [high organic fertilizer group (HOF), low organic fertilizer group (LOF), and no organic fertilizer group (NOF)] as potential soil quality indicators by using multiple assessment methods in the wheat-maize rotation system in Quzhou County, North China Plain, China. SQIs calculated using PLS-DA and the nonlinear scoring method had the best discrimination ability. Compared with the NOF group, the HOF and LOF groups exhibited an increase in SQIs by 6.93–36.99% and 3.98–26.76%, respectively. The high rate of application of organic fertilizers improved soil quality and enhanced crop yield. Moreover, soil quality was positively correlated with crop yield. These results confirmed the feasibility of using organic fertilizers for soil quality improvement and implied PLS-DA to be an effective method for selecting the minimum dataset for soil quality assessment.

Application of Highly Sensitive Immunosensor Based on Optical Waveguide Light-Mode Spectroscopy (OWLS) Technique for the Detection of the Herbicide Active Ingredient Glyphosate.

The herbicide active ingredient glyphosate is the most widely applied herbicidal substance worldwide. Currently it is the market-leading pesticide, and its use is projected to further grow 4.5-fold between 2022 and 2029. Today, glyphosate use exceeds one megaton per year worldwide, which represents a serious environmental burden. A factor in the overall boost in the global use of glyphosate has been the spread of glyphosate-tolerant genetically modified (GM) crops that allow post-emergence applications of the herbicide on these transgenic crops. In turn, cultivation of glyphosate-tolerant GM crops represented 56% of the glyphosate use in 2019. Due to its extremely high application rate, xenobiotic behaviour and a water solubility (11.6 mg/mL at 25 °C) unusually high among pesticide active ingredients, glyphosate has become a ubiquitous water pollutant and a primary drinking water contaminant worldwide, presenting a threat to water quality. The goal of our research was to develop a rapid and sensitive method for detecting this herbicide active ingredient. For this purpose, we applied the novel analytical biosensor technique optical waveguide light-mode spectroscopy (OWLS) to the label-free detection of glyphosate in a competitive immunoassay format using glyphosate-specific polyclonal antibodies. After immobilising the antigen conjugate in the form of a glyphosate conjugated to human serum albumin for indirect measurement, the sensor chip was used in a flow-injection analyser system. For the measurements, an antibody stock solution was diluted to 2.5 µg/mL. During the measurement, standard solutions were mixed with the appropriate concentration of antibodies and incubated for 1 min before injection. The linear detection range and the EC50 value of the competitive detection method were between 0.01 and 100 ng/mL and 0.60 ng/mL, respectively. After investigating the indirect method, we tested the cross-reactivity of the antibody with glyphosate and structurally related compounds.

Nanofertilizers as an alternative to inorganic fertilizers: A review

The population of the world is steadily increasing, in contrast to the natural resources which are limited and subjected to further depletion. This induces pressures to develop effective agricultural production systems to meet the growing demands on food and, thus, to mitigate hunger and poverty worldwide. Generally, inorganic fertilizers play a crucial role in maintaining soil fertility and improving crop yield and quality. Inorganic chemical fertilizers are regarded as the main source to supply crops with their needs of nutrients. Proper nutrient management of crops is a major challenge worldwide as it relies predominantly on chemical fertilizers. However, inorganic fertilizers are not only costly but may be harmful and pose risks to human health and have negative impacts on the environment. About half of the amount of applied fertilizers is used by the crop, whereas the remaining fertilizers are lost through leaching and gaseous emissions. The lost nutrients contribute to environmental pollution, global warming and climate change. Moreover, high application rates of chemical fertilizers can deteriorate soil fertility and raise soil salinity and thus lower crop production and quality will occur. This creates a need to invent smart fertilizers that are friendly to the environment, particularly those of high nutrient use efficiency and low leaching potential. Nanotechnology has a vital role in the construction of such fertilizers (nanofertlizers). In these fertilizers, nutrients are bound to nano-dimensional adsorbents (nanomaterials), which release nutrients very slowly as compared to conventional chemical fertilizers. Nanofertilizers are nutrients coated or encapsulated with different types of nanomaterials. They have unique properties like large surface area, slow-release profile, and controlled delivery of nutrients to the targeted sites to meet the nutrient requirements of crops. Nanofertilizers are emerging as a promising alternative to conventional chemical fertilizers, as they offer great opportunities to improve plant nutrition under harsh environments. The benefits associated with the use of nanofertlizers are opening new approaches toward the development of sustainable agriculture. However, further studies are needed for a sound and safe application of nanofertlizers. In this review, researchers’ attempts to produce and use nanofertlizers for sustainable crop production have been presented. The advantages and limitations of the application of these smart fertilizers have also been discussed. Key words: Nanoparticles, Sustainable agriculture, Phytotoxicity, Slow and controlled release, Metal oxides

Manganese sources and rates impact plant Mn concentrations and soil Mn fractions

AbstractManganese (Mn) is an essential micronutrient for all organisms. In plants, Mn plays a critical role in photosynthesis and as a structural component of enzymes. In soils, Mn exists as different fractions of varying availability to plants. Mn fertilizers can be used to increase Mn availability to plants but are easily converted from a plant‐available fraction (exchangeable Mn) to an unavailable fraction (Mn‐oxides). Little research has been done in agricultural settings on soil Mn fractions; thus, the objective of this experiment was to study the effect of Mn additions on soil Mn fractions and plant Mn concentration. A greenhouse experiment was conducted by growing soybean (Glycine max) treated with three Mn application rates (recommended or 1×, 10×, and 50×) of two sources (MnSO4 and Mn ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid [MnEDTA]). Soil Mn fractions (Mehlich‐1 extractable, exchangeable, organic‐bound, Mn‐oxide, residual) were quantified via sequential Mn extraction procedures. Bioavailability was evaluated by measuring soybean leaf Mn concentrations. Both fertilizer types increased available soil Mn fractions. Leaf Mn concentration increased with MnSO4 50× application at the V3 stage and decreased with MnEDTA addition at the V3 and R2 stages. Mn additions likely resulted in the conversion of Mn into unavailable fractions. This was amplified by higher application rates, where total Mn increased by 18.5%, but available Mn decreased by 4.3% relative to initial soil values. Thus, our study showed that adding Mn to soils does not necessarily increase plant‐available Mn.

A novel use of Nesidiocoris tenuis (Reuter) (Hemiptera: Miridae) as inoculative agent of baculoviruses.

Alphabaculoviruses are Lepidoptera-specific virulent pathogens that infect numerous pests, including the Spodoptera complex. Due to their low environmental persistence, the traditional use of Alphabaculoviruses as bioinsecticides consist in high-rate spray applications with repeated treatments. Several abiotic and biotic factors can foster its dispersion, promoting their persistence in the agroecosystem. Amongst biotic factors, predatory arthropods can disperse the viruses by excretion after preying on infected individuals. Therefore, this study focused on promoting predator's ingestion of nucleopolyhedrovirus (NPV)-treated diets, and the later exposition of the insect host to leaf surfaces contaminated with predator excreta. The virus-host-predator system studied was Spodoptera littoralis nucleopolyhedrovirus (SpliNPV), Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval) and Nesidiocoris tenuis (Reuter). The infective potential of N. tenuis feces and the retention time of SpliNPV were assessed under laboratory conditions after feeding on treated diets (sucrose solution and Ephestia kuehniella eggs). Mortality of S. littoralis larvae was lower via N. tenuis excretion than in positive control (spray application) in the first infection cycle, together with a delay in host death. In the second infection cycle, both SpliNPV-treated diets triggered 100% mortality. Both diets allowed the transmission of SpliNPV, with a faster excretion via sucrose solution compared to E. kuehniella eggs. SpliNPV remained in N. tenuis digestive tract and was viable after excretion at least for 9 days for both diets. This study demonstrated the potential of the predator N. tenuis as inoculative agent of baculoviruses, representing a new alternative that, along with inundative applications, might contribute to improve pest management strategies. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Implementation of FPGA based real-time digital DAQ for high resolution, and high count rate nuclear spectroscopy application

This paper investigates a digital system for real-time nuclear data (pulse) analysis based on a field programmable gate array and a computer-based data acquisition software for high count rate and high-resolution spectroscopy applications. A novel FPGA-based design is proposed with enhanced universality for real-time energy spectroscopy applications encompassing gamma and charged particles in noisy environments. This design implements an adaptive digital pre-filter for noise reduction without distorting the preamplifier pulse shape for improvement in energy resolution. This adaptive approach can be used for a wide range of input pulses with varying rise and fall times without deteriorating the signal-to-noise ratio. The design incorporates a digital trapezoidal filter with a triggerless peak detection algorithm for improvement in energy resolution. A high-speed dual clock first-in-first-out memory is implemented for handling high data rates. The real-time analysis of the FPGA internal signals and nuclear spectroscopy experiments with high count rate have been carried out with random nuclear pulses using an emulator. The results have been compared with conventional VERSA-Module Euro data acquisition system and CR_RC based digital pulse processing approaches.

How to remediate sulfate-nitrate salinized greenhouse soil? An optimal combination of organic amendment, fertilizer and irrigation

Greenhouse soil secondary salinization is a widespread problem along the lower-middle reaches of the Yangtze River basin, which seriously deteriorates the yield and quality of vegetables. High multiple-cropping index of the greenhouse management needs intensive application of agrochemicals and frequent irrigation which led to significant soil salinization in this area. In this study, we investigated how to remediate the salinized plastic shed soils and improve the yield and quality of vegetables using various measures, including two types of irrigation (intermittent irrigation and 80% water-holding capacity), four types of organic matter (cow manure, mushroom residue, fermented sawdust, and half-fermented sawdust) with two application rates (2 g C kg−1 soil and 8 g C kg−1 soil), and two types of inorganic fertilizers (compound fertilizer with and without sulfate). Results showed that intermittent irrigation decreased either soil electrical conductivity from 1.55 to 0.36 mS cm−1 or the concentrations of soil nitrate from 507 mg kg−1 to 31 mg kg−1 and sulfate from 664 mg kg−1 to 114 mg kg−1 in the incubation period. This effect continued to the next two periods (before seed sowing and after the first harvest). After the second harvest, all these parameters had a recover trend but remained lower than those of the original soil. Half-fermented sawdust had the best effect for soil amelioration among the four organic amendments whilst the effects were not enhanced at higher application rate. Across the two continuous growing seasons (pak choi (Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis) in first season, cherry radish (Raphanus sativus L.) in second season), especially the second harvest season, the compound fertilizer without sulfates ameliorated soil degradation and maintained greater yield compared with sulfate-containing fertilizer. Therefore, application of 2 g C kg−1 half-fermented sawdust with intermittent irrigation and use fertilizer without sulfate was optimum for the degraded greenhouse soil remediation and vegetable yield improvement. This treatment could either decreased soil EC from 1.55 to 0.325 mS cm−1 or the concentration of soil nitrate from 507 to 89 mg kg−1 and sulfate from 664 to 266 mg kg−1 after continuous two growing seasons while the radish yield in second growing season was 71% higher than CK. These findings provided an economical and practical method to remediate sulfate-nitrate salinized greenhouse soil in a short period and designed a field management mode to maintain the efficacy.

Facile and cost-effective fabrication of activated charcoal-carboxymethyl cellulose composite fiber for high-rate water-softening application

Sustainable cost-effective activated charcoal-carboxymethyl cellulose (AC-CMC) fiber was developed through a benign method for high-rate water-softening applications. The as-developed fiber was characterized using FTIR, BET, stereomicroscope, XRD, and FESEM. The fiber was not only used for the removal of hardness (adsorptions of Ca(II) and Mg(II)) from different aqueous media but also successfully applied in a membrane system. The effect of pH, contact time, isotherm, and kinetic experiments were conducted to examine the sorption efficiency of the fiber. The fiber showed an adsorption efficacy of 46.1 mg/g and fast rate kinetics of 0.1521 L/min for Ca(II). The results were compared to that of the commercial ion-exchange fibers and beads namely Fiban K-1 and 001X8 NA, respectively. The experimental results fitted the best with the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-first-order kinetic models. It can be assumed that the electrostatic and dipole-ion interactions between the fibers and Ca(II)/Mg(II) played a vital role during the sorption process. The fiber also showed proficient reusability performance. The developed fiber was applied in the membrane system and it showed high breakthrough bed volume within a short residence time of 25.7 seconds. So, this work demonstrates the significant potential of the AC-CMC fiber for high-rate water-softening application in the membrane system.

Mitigation of soil nitrous oxide emissions during maize production with basalt amendments

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a potent and long-lived greenhouse gas that accounts for roughly 6% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, and it has risen from its preindustrial concentration of 270 ppb N2O to 332 ppb N2O as a result of human activities. The majority of anthropogenic N2O emissions (52–80%) come from agricultural settings due to high rates of reactive nitrogen fertilizer application. Amending soils with fine-grained basalt is gaining traction as a carbon dioxide removal (CDR) pathway, and model simulations suggest that this process may also significantly decrease soil N2O emissions. Here, we continuously measure N2O fluxes from large-scale maize mesocosms in a greenhouse setting and use a machine learning framework to assess the relative importance of the levers on N2O fluxes. We observe significant decreases in cumulative N2O emissions (between 29–32%) from mesocosm systems with basalt addition. We find that basalt application rate, soil pH, and surface soil moisture are the strongest levers on N2O emissions depending on the system settings. These results provide empirical support for a potentially significant co-benefit of deploying enhanced rock weathering of silicates (ERW) on managed lands, particularly those subject to elevated rates of reactive nitrogen input.