Years Of Interaction Research Articles

Using Biplot Analysis Technique to Selection in Tritikale Breeding Studies

This study was carried out in Diyarbakır conditions with 20 advanced triticale lines and 5 standard varieties in 2012-2013 and 2013-14 growing seasons. According to variance analysis results, the interaction of year, genotype and year*genotype was found to be significant (p<0.01; p<0.05) in terms of many characteristics. the results showing that plant height was changed 3 237-5 389 kg/ha-1, hectoliter weight is 71.2-78.8 kg/hl-1, thousand grain weight is 28.0-40.2 g, protein content 14.6%-17.2%, the moisture rate in the grain varied between 7.9-8.1%. In terms of traits, many lines used in the research were superior to the varieties used as standard in the experiment. In addition, superior genotypes were determined by considering all characters together with GT biplot technique. In GT biplot technique, PC1 made up 36.83% of the variation, PC2 constituted 19.53% of the variation and 56.36% of the variation in total. According to the results of the research, depending on the ecological factors of the growing seasons, the plants were earlier spiked and reached higher height in the first year; It was determined that grain yield, thousand grain weight and hectoliter weight were higher than the second year, and on the contrary, the protein content was lower than the second year due to high precipitation. It was concluded that biplot analysis techniques facilitate the work of breeders in selection. It has been concluded that the results of a single growing season will be insufficient and the results of two growing seasons may be sufficient to evaluate the cultivar candidates.

School burnout trends and sociodemographic factors in Finland 2006–2019

PurposeTo identify the changes of school burnout for Finnish adolescents in lower (grades 8–9) and upper secondary schools (grades 10–11) during years 2006–2019; and to examine the associations of personal—(gender, family socioeconomic, and immigrant status) and school-related (school level, urban–rural area) sociodemographic demands and resources in school burnout.MethodsWe used nationally representative data on 949,347 students in secondary school in Finland between 2006 and 2019. Generalized Linear Models were used to assess the effects of year, gender, school level, parental education, unemployment, immigrant status, and urban–rural area and the interactions of year, gender, and school level with each of the remaining sociodemographic variables on school burnout.ResultsSchool burnout increased among girls and slightly declined among boys. The increase intensified in girls and the decline in boys stagnated after 2011. The educational level of the parents had a constant protective impact over time, the gradient for boys slightly larger compared to girls. Urban areas contributed to the trend of increasing school burnout among girls but not among boys. Parental unemployment and immigration background were associated with the increasing trend of school burnout over time, although somewhat mitigated by parental education.ConclusionThe results showed the trends in school burnout are often gendered and appeared to worsen aligned with the school budget cuts after 2011. In addition to considering school burnout related to lower parental education and urbanization, it is important to support those students in families experiencing unemployment and/or immigration, especially when concurring with lower parental education.

Assessment of genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance in soybean genotypes

Forty soybean genotypes were evaluated for two consecutive years kharif 2018 and 2019 to determine genetic variability, heritability (h2) and genetic advance (GA) for yield and other yield attributing traits. The pooled analysis of variance revealed significant variation among year and treatment for all characters studied. The interaction of year x treatment also showed a significant difference for most of the traits. RVSM2011-35 recorded the highest mean performance of seed yield/plant and a high value of oil content over the two years indicating that the genotype was found to be promising and could be recommended for Assam. In the case of oil content, NRC 148 showed the highest mean value and also a high value of mean seed yield/ plant over the two years. Range estimation showed wide values for most of the traits except plant height, the number of branches and pods/plant in comparison with the check. The estimates of phenotypic (PCV) and genotypic (GCV) coefficient of variation indicated that the values of PCV were slightly higher than GCV. The highest values of GCV and PCV were observed for seed yield/plant, the number of seeds/pod and oil content. Higher values of heritability (h2) coupled with high genetic advance (GA) were recorded for seed yield/plant, the number of seeds/pod, oil content, the number of branches, days to 50% flowering, plant height, the number of pods/plant, and 100 seed weight, suggesting that these characters could easily be modified or improved through simple selection. Key words: Glycine max, genotypes, genetic variability, genetic advance, heritability, soybean &nbsp

Makna Tradisi Butale Haji di Tigo Luhah Semurup Kabupaten Kerinci

This study uses qualitative methods with the aim of producing qualitative data with symbolic interaction approach through the history of Butale Haji tradition and to know the meaning and value of it, in the culture of the people of Tigo Luhah Semurup, Kerinci regency. The focuses of this research were the history and the meaning of the Butale Haji traditional activities in Tigo Luhah Semurup. Understanding of the Butale Haji tradition as the symbolic interaction value in the culture of Tigo Luhah Semurup society which binds kinship and togetherness. The background of this research was starting from the interaction of the Tigo Luhah Semurup society which has been an interaction for years and has been passed down from generation to generation till present. At the time of gathering to enjoy togetherness and mutual cooperation, there was an interaction between one another among fellow citizens in joy and compassion to take their siblings to the holy land of Mecca. The results of this study indicated that the society of Tigo Luhah Semurup really maintain this Butale Haji tradition. Butale Haji tradition which was carried out consciously, with the motive and purpose of maintaining kinship, togetherness, mutual cooperation and sincerity in doing activities. Butale Haji was also as the means of communication between relatives to support each other and pray for the departure of siblings to do Hajj with happily without leave the burden and worry. In conclusion, Butale Haji traditional as the strengthening value and the adhesive friendship, togetherness, mutual cooperation, sincerity in the Tigo Luhah Semurup society in Kerinci regency.

Optimization of irrigation and nitrogen fertilization increases ash salt accumulation and ions absorption of drip-fertigated sugar beet in saline-alkali soils

• Irrigation and nitrogen effects on dry matter, ash salt accumulation, irons uptake of sugar beet were explored. • Dry matter and ash salt accumulation, Na + , K + , Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ uptake of W 3 were smaller than those of W 1 and W 2 . • Ash salt accumulation, Na + , K + , Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ uptake were proportional to dry matter accumulation. • Binary quadratic equations were fitted between water-nitrogen inputs and dry matter, ash salt accumulation and irons uptake. Sugar beet ( Beta vulgaris L.), as a salt-tolerant plant, has been widely cultivated in saline-alkali soils, e.g. southern Xinjiang of China, due to its effective capability of reducing soil salinity. A two-year field experiment was conducted on drip-fertigated sugar beet under plastic mulch to explore to effects of three irrigation amounts (W 1 : 0.60 ET c , W 2 : 0.80 ET c and W 3 : 1.00 ET c , where ET c is the crop evapotranspiration) and six nitrogen application rates (N 1 : 25 kg N ha −1 , N 2 : 60 kg N ha −1 , N 3 : 120 kg N ha −1 , N 4 : 240 kg N ha −1 , N 5 : 360 kg N ha −1 and N 6 : 480 kg N ha −1 ) on sugar beet growth, ash salt accumulation, plant Na + , K + , Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ uptake. The results showed that the year and the two-way interaction of irrigation and nitrogen fertilization had significant effects on dry matter, ash salt accumulation, plant Na + , K + , Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ uptake, but there was no significant effect of the three-way interaction of year, irrigation and nitrogen fertilization on ash salt accumulation, plant Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ uptake. The dry matter, ash salt accumulation, Na + , K + , Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ uptake of N 1 were significantly lower than those of other treatments. Nitrogen fertilization increased the dry matter and ash salt accumulation, Na + , K + , Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ uptake of sugar beet. The ash salt, K + and Ca 2+ were mainly distributed in the leaf and petiole, while Na + and Mg 2+ were mainly distributed in the taproot. Among the four ions, the average contents of K + and Na + were larger in all treatments, which were 1.79 % and 1.62 % in the two years, respectively. The average content of Mg 2+ was 0.36 % in all treatments in the two years, and the average content of Ca 2+ was lowest in all treatments, which was 0.14 % in the two years. Compared to W 1 and W 2 , W 3 decreased the dry matter and ash salt accumulation, plant Na + , K + , Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ uptake. The ash salt accumulation, plant Na + , K + , Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ uptake increased with the increasing dry matter accumulation. Based on the response surface methodology, the relationships between water-nitrogen inputs and dry matter, ash salt accumulation, plant Na + , K + , Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ uptake were established. The results can provide a theoretical basis for the phytoremediation of sugar beet in southern Xinjiang of China and maybe elsewhere with similar arid and semi-arid climates.

The State of the Art of Spatial Interfaces for 3D Visualization

AbstractWe survey the state of the art of spatial interfaces for 3D visualization. Interaction techniques are crucial to data visualization processes and the visualization research community has been calling for more research on interaction for years. Yet, research papers focusing on interaction techniques, in particular for 3D visualization purposes, are not always published in visualization venues, sometimes making it challenging to synthesize the latest interaction and visualization results. We therefore introduce a taxonomy of interaction technique for 3D visualization. The taxonomy is organized along two axes: the primary source of input on the one hand and the visualization task they support on the other hand. Surveying the state of the art allows us to highlight specific challenges and missed opportunities for research in 3D visualization. In particular, we call for additional research in: (1) controlling 3D visualization widgets to help scientists better understand their data, (2) 3D interaction techniques for dissemination, which are under‐explored yet show great promise for helping museum and science centers in their mission to share recent knowledge, and (3) developing new measures that move beyond traditional time and errors metrics for evaluating visualizations that include spatial interaction.

Negative Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Admissions for Intracranial Hemorrhage.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has seriously impacted healthcare systems worldwide. Admissions for various non-COVID-19 emergencies have significantly decreased. We sought to determine the impact of COVID-19 on admissions for intracranial hemorrhage to a German University Hospital emergency department.Methods: In a retrospective analysis of admissions to the emergency department of the University Hospital Mannheim from January to June 2020 and the corresponding time period in 2019, all patients admitted for either traumatic or non-traumatic intracranial hemorrhage were evaluated. Poisson regression was performed to analyze changes in admission rates as a function of year, epoch (COVID-19-epoch, March to April 2020 and corresponding months 2019; non-COVID-19-epoch, January to February and May to June 2019/2020) and the interaction of year and epoch (reflecting the impact of the pandemic and subsequent lockdown measures).Results: Overall, 320 patients were included in the study. During the COVID-19-epoch, admission rates for spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage decreased significantly by 42.1% (RR 0.579, p = 0.002, 95% confidence interval 0.410–0.818). Likewise, admission rates for traumatic intracranial hemorrhage decreased significantly by 53.7% [RR = 0.463, p < 0.001, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.358–0.599].Conclusion: The decrease of spontaneous intracranial hemorrhages may be a consequence of underutilization of the healthcare system whereas decreasing rates of traumatic intracranial hemorrhage admissions may predominantly reflect a decrease in true incidence rates due to lockdown measures with restricted mobility. Raising patient awareness to seek emergency healthcare for acute neurological deficits during lockdown measures is important to ensure appropriate emergency care for patients with intracranial hemorrhage.

Different Grass Availabilities of Tropical Pasture on Performances and Carcasses of Lambs

This study aimed to identify the best green-leaf offerings of Urochloa brizantha cv. Marandu for pasture-finished lambs receiving protein-energy supplementation at the rate of 1.6% of their body weights (BW). The animals were assigned into four treatments, which consisted of varied green-leaf offerings, namely, 105, 90, 75, or 60 g of dry matter/kg of body weight (BW). Sixty-eight contemporary Texel × mixed-breed lambs with an average initial BW of 22.6 kg were used over two years of experiment. The experiment was set up in a completely randomized design, the data were evaluated by analysis of variance and the means were compared by Tukey’s test at the 0.05 significance level. There was no significant effect of year neither interaction of year with green-leaf offer. There were significant effects of leaf offer on dry matter intake (DMI) with behavior of positively linear (p<0.05). There were significant effects of green-leaf offer on final BW and average daily gain, and lambs receiving of 75 g/kg green-leaf offer showed the highest ADG (179 g/d). There were no significant differences in the carcass, meat, and primal cuts between the groups of lambs receiving different herbage offerings. There were significant effects of leaf offer on slaughter weight, hot carcass weight, and subcutaneous fat thickness. Lambs receiving of 75 g/kg leaf offer showed the highest SFT (5.8 mm). Slaughter weight and hot carcass weight averaged 41.52 kg and 20.07 kg, respectively. We recommend the treatment with leaves offer of 75 g/kg BW of Marandu pasture for the finishing of lambs supplemented at 1.6% of BW.

Vegetation and soil seedbank dynamics in Parthenium hysterophorus L. invaded subtropical grassland in Nepal

Parthenium hysterophorus L. is a noxious invasive weed and is ever expanding in its introduced range including Nepal. Understanding vegetation dynamics including soil seedbank in Parthenium invaded communities and the growth pattern of the weed itself is essential for effective management of Parthenium. We monitored growth of Parthenium (height, density, cover and soil seedbank) and species composition of associated plant species for 5-year period from 2009 in a grassland invaded by Parthenium in south-central Nepal. We found that Parthenium cover and height decreased from 2009 to 2010 and then slightly increased in 2013. Parthenium density decreased from 2009 to 2010 and then was variable until 2013. Year × grazing interactions had significant effect on Parthenium cover and density. Parthenium soil seedbank was eight times higher near the soil surface (0–5 cm) than in deep soil (5–10 cm). It increased from 2009 to 2012 but decreased in 2013. Seedbank was also affected by interactions of year × depth, depth × grazing, and year × depth × grazing. Altogether, 87 plant species were recorded in Parthenium invaded sites and their species richness decreased until 2012 but slightly increased in 2013. The composition of associated plant species was affected by animal grazing intensity, Parthenium density, cover, and their interactions. Parthenium invasion has been ever increasing in our study site and many palatable plant species are under potential threat. Thus, there is an urgent need to carry out awareness campaign, formulate proper management plans, and implement such plans properly to manage Parthenium weed in Nepal.

Effects of micronutrients foliar application on rice (Oryza Sativa L. cv. Shiroodi) morphological traits, yield and yield components

In order to assess the effect of micronutrients (Mn, Zn, Fe, Cu and B) on rice metabolism and performance, research implemented in the form of randomized complete block design with 8 treatments (T0 Control, T1-T7 one to seven spraying) with 3 replications. The location of this research was the Rice Research Institution of Iran (Mazandaran) during two consecutive years (2017 and 2018 cultivation seasons). The results demonstrate that the effect of micronutrients foliar application is significant at the 1% level of probability of some traits such as plant wet weight, 12 plants yield, and leaf area. Also, it is significant at the 5% level of probability of some traits such as the number of tillers/plant, 80 plants yield, cluster length, leaf color chart and 1000 grains weight. In this relation, the interaction of year*foliar application was significant for the studied traits. The purpose of this study was to evaluation of micronutrients effect on rice plant. Pursuant to the results, it can be significantly concluded that the micronutrients furnish through the leaf application can influence on rice yield and yield components. This event is justifiable by micronutrients role in the plant metabolic procedures and enzymes activation that affects crops vegetative growth and productivity. Furthermore, the postponement time can be decreased by the leaf spraying of the micronutrients and this is vital for rice plant during the rapid growth phase. The results are significantly evident that one leaf spraying of essential micronutrients will impress on rice yield. Keywords: grain yield, foliar application, micronutrients, rice (Oryza Sativa L.) DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20201301.5272 Citation: Daneshtalab Lahijani A, Mosavi A A, Moballeghi M. Effects of micronutrients foliar application on rice (Oryza Sativa L. cv. Shiroodi) morphological traits, yield and yield components. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2020; 13(1): 217–223.

Performance of Released Soybean Varieties at Jimma, South Western Ethiopia

Soybean is becoming economical important oil crop in Ethiopia. The process of plant growth and development is important to the successful adaptation of a species to its geographic and climatic environment. Evaluating the adaptability of released soybean varieties in diverse agro ecology is important for efficient use of nationally released varieties in their area of adaptation and thereby increases production and productivity of soybean in the country. The trial was conducted with 19 released soybean varieties in the year 2015 and 2016 main cropping season at Jimma, South Western parts of Ethiopia. The experimental design used was RCBD with three replications. The parameters collected include; days to flowering, days to maturity ,number of pod per plant, number of seed per plant ,hundred seed weight, rust ,common bacterial blight ,lodging score and grain yield. The statistical analysis showed significant difference at (P&lt;0.05) among the varieties for some parameters. The interactions of year by varieties showed significant differences for all of the traits except hundred seed weight. Mean grain yield ranged from 1.16 t/ha to 4.2 t/ha. The three high yielding varieties were Nyala (4.19 t / ha), Cocker-240 (3.9 t/ ha) and Williams (3.7 t/ ha). The above mentioned three varieties are recommended for south western Ethiopia. Keywords : Potential yield, released, Recommend DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/10-4-02 Publication date: February 29 th 2020

The Artist in the Machine: The World of AI-Powered Creativity by Arthur I. Miller

Reviewed by: The Artist in the Machine: The World of AI-Powered Creativity by Arthur I. Miller Leah Henrickson (bio) Arthur I. Miller, The Artist in the Machine: The World of AI-Powered Creativity. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2019, 399 pp. $29.95 cloth, $19.95 paper. "Will computers ever think like us? Could they ever have flashes of inspiration like we do or come up with mad ideas? … Or do they need to? Perhaps they will function in totally other ways than human beings, come up with ideas just as great or solutions just as effective but different from the ones we would come up with" (p. xxi). Arthur I. Miller opens The Artist in the Machine: The World of AI-Powered Creativity with this provocation. Throughout the book, Miller considers what creativity actually means, and how conceptions of creative capacity may not be limited to humans. Can computers demonstrate creativity? Miller thinks so. The Artist, however, reviews various perspectives of those on the frontlines of system development. It encourages readers to consider the intersections between humans and their technologies, not just by presenting the opinion of its author, but also by welcoming readers into one of the ongoing debates about computers' contributions to culture. Miller, professor emeritus of history and philosophy of science at University College London, has been considering questions about human-technology interaction for years. In his 2014 Colliding Worlds: How Cutting-Edge Science Is Redefining Contemporary Art, for example, he considers the ways in which two seemingly disparate fields—science and art—merge for the creation of culturally meaningful aesthetic output.1 In his latest book, Miller extends his consideration of these colliding worlds to focus on one realm in particular: that of artificial intelligence (AI). The Artist in the Machine is driven by three implicit research questions: (1) What is creativity? (2) Does creativity mean the same thing for humans and computers? (3) Are computers creative? Question 1 is addressed in section I, aptly titled "Understanding Creativity." Although Miller references the work of other creativity scholars like Margaret Boden, he defines creativity as "the production of new knowledge from already existing knowledge and … accomplished by problem solving" (p. 5). Question 2 is addressed in sections II through V, wherein Miller reviews applications of AI in the realms of visual art, music, text, and musical theatre. Question 3 is addressed in section VI, "Can Computers Be Creative?" Complementing his own expertise, Miller incorporates the perspectives of AI developers throughout the book. Readers meet Google's DeepDream research team; they visit the MIT Media Lab; they pop over to Italy for a jaunt to the Fabrica research center. Miller not only discusses the functionality of AI systems; he also offers fervent insight into what goes on behind the scenes. Despite the considerable number of case study chapters (sections II through V), most of these chapters follow a rigid structure. Following a short quotation from one of its subjects, a chapter generally progresses as follows: • An introduction to a developer or development team, which focuses on providing contexts of production and personal/professional motivations for pursuing an artistic practice involving AI. • An introduction to the system created, with a short description of system functionality. • Recognition of public reception, as well as that of the developer(s), to the system under consideration. • A conclusion that shares whether or not the developer or development team believes that the system in question demonstrates creativity and whether computers can demonstrate creativity more generally. [End Page 398] This structure ensures consistent representation of systems. Although chapters are short, tending to range from five to ten pages, they efficiently and effectively offer overviews of numerous systems that exemplify varied developmental approaches. However, such a structure eventually contributes to a sense of staleness if the book is read from cover to cover. This structural aridity, though, is offset by Miller's captivating writing style. Foregoing the staidness of much academic writing, he adopts a more conversational tone. Indeed, the chapters read like pieces of narrative journalism: a scene is set, characters are developed, and Miller himself makes an occasional appearance. Technical language is explained clearly, and he skilfully abstains from digression. Further, Miller...

Improving the growth and yield of okra by intercropping with varying populations of legumes

An experiment was conducted at the Vegetable Research Farm of the National Horticultural Research Institute, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria, in the rain-forest agro-ecological zone in 2016 and 2017 to determine suitable cropping systems to increase the yield of okra. The seed of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench), cv. LD-88, was planted at a spacing of 60 ? 40 cm as an intercrop and monocrop to produce an average density of 4.2 plants?m-2; the intercrops cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.), var. Ife brown, and peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.), var. Kampala, were planted to provide average densities of 5.6 plants?m-2, 4.2 plants?m-2, 3.3 plants?m-2 and 2.7 plants?m-2. Data were collected on plant height, number of leaves, leaf area, stem diameter and fruit yield of okra. Year affected plant height, number of leaves, leaf area, stem diameter and fruit yield of okra intercropped with legumes at different densities. Legume densities affected plant height, number of leaves, stem diameter, leaf area and fruit yield. The interaction of year ? legume densities affected plant height, number of leaves, stem diameter, leaf area and fruit yield of okra. Intercropping okra with peanut at the density of 2.7 plants?m-2 enhanced its growth and yield and appeared to be the best configuration for these crops.

Effects of micronutrients foliar application on rice (Oryza Sativa L. cv. Shiroodi) morphological traits, yield and yield components

In order to assess the effect of micronutrients (Mn, Zn, Fe, Cu and B) on rice metabolism and performance, research implemented in the form of randomized complete block design with 8 treatments (T0 Control, T1-T7 one to seven spraying) with 3 replications. The location of this research was the Rice Research Institution of Iran (Mazandaran) during two consecutive years (2017 and 2018 cultivation seasons). The results demonstrate that the effect of micronutrients foliar application is significant at the 1% level of probability of some traits such as plant wet weight, 12 plants yield, and leaf area. Also, it is significant at the 5% level of probability of some traits such as the number of tillers/plant, 80 plants yield, cluster length, leaf color chart and 1000 grains weight. In this relation, the interaction of year*foliar application was significant for the studied traits. The purpose of this study was to evaluation of micronutrients effect on rice plant. Pursuant to the results, it can be significantly concluded that the micronutrients furnish through the leaf application can influence on rice yield and yield components. This event is justifiable by micronutrients role in the plant metabolic procedures and enzymes activation that affects crops vegetative growth and productivity. Furthermore, the postponement time can be decreased by the leaf spraying of the micronutrients and this is vital for rice plant during the rapid growth phase. The results are significantly evident that one leaf spraying of essential micronutrients will impress on rice yield. Keywords: grain yield, foliar application, micronutrients, rice (Oryza Sativa L.) DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20201301.5272 Citation: Daneshtalab Lahijani A, Mosavi A A, Moballeghi M. Effects of micronutrients foliar application on rice (Oryza Sativa L. cv. Shiroodi) morphological traits, yield and yield components. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2020; 13(1): 217–223.

Upbringing to culture of communication with the use of new media. General introduction

Internet, mobile phone are certainly not new interpersonal medium of communication because they have been effectively adopted on a huge scale to practice of everyday interaction for years. Style of virtual discussion and internet manners that can be found not only in colloquial conversation and behaviour but also in formal language due to its level causes specialists’ concern of many scientific disciplines. What is more availability of electronic medium, anytime and everywhere, causes losing track of time and generally accepted rules that regulate rhythm of social life. That is why the article is to remind these rules and to appeal to teachers, form teachers, and above all to parents in order to pay attention to culture of communication using mass media which for the younger generation is an essential part of their life not only communicative life.

Non-lethal sampling of avian indicators reveals reliable geographic signals of mercury despite highly dynamic patterns of exposure in a large wetland

Mercury is a global contaminant with special relevance for aquatic food webs, where biomagnification can result in strong effects on apex predators. Non-lethal sampling of tissues such as blood and feathers is often used to assess mercury risk and spatiotemporal variability of mercury exposure on avian populations. However, the assumption that samples from individuals within a population are representative of local mercury exposure underpins those approaches. While this assumption may be justified, it is rarely expressed quantitatively. Further, the stability of the tissue/exposure relationship over time or space may depend on the sampling medium used, since some tissues and age classes may be better at reflecting local or short-term changes in exposure. Here, we present analyses of mercury concentrations from three tissues (albumen, blood and feathers) of the same individual great egret (Ardea alba) nestlings from breeding colonies in the Florida Everglades collected over three consecutive years. The interaction of year and colony location explained at least 50% of the observed variation in mercury concentration in all the sampled tissues. Annual colony-wide average Hg concentrations in any of the sampled tissues correlated with average Hg concentrations in the other two tissues from the same colony (R2 > 0.53 in every case), while concentrations in albumen, blood and feathers from the same individual correlated poorly (R2 < 0.23 in every case). We suggest that despite high variation between and within individuals of the same colony, annual colony-averaged mercury concentrations in albumen, nestling blood or feathers can be representative indicators of annual geographic differences in mercury exposure. These results support the use of non-lethal sampling of nestling tissues to reflect local mercury exposure over large spatial scales.

Relationship of Carbon Isotope Discrimination with Biomass and Water Use Efficiency for Alfalfa in Northwestern China

Carbon isotope discrimination (Δ) has been proposed as a method for evaluating transpiration efficiency in C3plants. It is important to study the association of Δ in different parts with the long‐term water use efficiency (WUE). In this paper, plant height, Δ in leaf water soluble carbohydrates (ΔWSC), photosynthetic gas exchange parameters, Δ in aboveground shoot (ΔAGS), stem/leaf weight ratio, aboveground biomass (AGB), evapotranspiration, and WUE were determined in a collection of 10 alfalfa (Medicago sativaL.) genotypes under three water treatments (230 [T1], 460 [T2], and 700 mm irrigation [T3]) in a Ningxia central desert steppe in 2012 and 2013. Significant interactions were found for AGB and WUE among year, treatment, and genotype, whereas significant interactions of year × treatment and year × genotype were only found for ΔAGSbut not for ΔWSC. Generally, more water input increased the values of the traits tested except for WUE and single‐leaf intrinsic WUE (Pn/Gs). More irrigated water input resulted in increase in AGB, ΔAGS, and ΔWSCand decrease inPn/Gs. The greatest WUE was recorded under T2in 2012. Significant and positive correlations were observed between AGB and ΔAGS(r= 0.588, 0.574, and 0.386 under T1, T2, and T3, respectively). Under T2and T3, ΔWSCcorrelated negatively with WUE (r= −0.383 and 0.602, respectively). Ningmu No. 1 was found to have the greatest WUE (18.34 kg ha−1mm−1) and yield (17.71 Mg ha−1) across water treatments and years. The findings suggest that in the semiarid areas applying irrigation of 230 to 700 mm yr−1, Δ in aboveground shoots or in leaf water‐soluble carbohydrates at the flowering stage seems to be a useful indicators reflecting aboveground biomass and integrated WUE for alfalfa.

Bio-efficacy of readi-mix herbicides on weeds and productivity in late-sown wheat

A field experiment was conducted during 2015–16 and 2016–17 at Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Udaipur, India to evaluate the bio-efficacy of readi-mix herbicides in late sown wheat. The experiment consisting of fifteen treatments was laid out in randomized block design with four replications. The results revealed that Readi-mix application of sulfosulfuron + metsulfuron (32 g/ha)) and mesosulfuron + iodosulfuron (14.4 g/ha) gave higher weed control index (95.36, 94.72%), lower weed index (2.00, 2.75%) and weed persistence index (0.349, 0.351) whereas, higher index value of crop resistance index (CRI), weed management index (WMI) and herbicide efficiency index (HEI) (28.61, 0.38 and 5.50). Both of these treatments recorded 34.3 and 33.3 per cent grain yield enhancement along with 49.0% and 47.7% higher net returns over the unweeded control with the highest benefit-cost ratio (2.34 and 2.32). Results from contract analysis indicated significant (p < 0.0001) interaction of year x treatments and response of Readi-mix v/s single/sequential herbicide application on grain yield, weed density and dry matter. The joint effect of parameters on grain yield was significant with high magnitude (RGY. Weed density total, Weed dry weight total, Total N, P and K uptake = 0.98; p < 0.0001). Additionally, the regression model for grain yield on total weed density (R2 = 0.84), weed dry weight (R2=0.79), total N uptake (R2=0.98), P uptake (R2=0.93) and K uptake (R2 = 0.97) demonstrated significant dependence. Moreover, no symptoms of phytotoxicity were seen in any of the treatment in the crop at 21 days after herbicide application.

Effect of nitrogen fertilizer rates on grain yield and nitrogen uptake and use efficiency of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) varieties on the Vertisols of central highlands of Ethiopia

BackgroundNitrogen is one of the most important nutrients limiting yield of bread wheat in Ethiopian highlands. Application of a large amount of N fertilizer has been a method of increasing yield in the study area which is costly and can cause environmental pollution. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted for two consecutive years (2014 and 2015) to evaluate the effect of N application rates on grain yield, nitrogen uptake and N use efficiency of bread wheat varieties. The treatments consisted of a factorial combination of four rates of nitrogen (0, 120, 240 and 360 kg ha−1) and three popular wheat varieties (Menze, Tsehay and ET-13) in a randomized complete block design with four replications.ResultsThe two-way interaction of year and N rate, N rate and variety significantly affected grain nitrogen concentration. The interaction of year and variety and N rate and variety affected grain and straw nitrogen concentrations, respectively. The three-way interaction of year, N fertilizer rate and variety significantly affected (P < 0.01) grain yield, grain and total nitrogen uptake, agronomic efficiency, agro-physiological efficiency and apparent recovery efficiency. The highest grain yield (5718.32 kg ha−1) was obtained from variety Menze at N rate of 360 kg ha−1 in 2015 which was statistically at par with the application of 240 kg N ha−1 and with variety Tsehay at N rate of 240 and 360 kg N ha−1 during the same growing season. The highest grain and straw (2.7 and 0.35%, respectively) nitrogen concentration were produced by variety Tsehay at N rate of 360 kg ha−1. The highest apparent nitrogen recovery efficiency was recorded for variety Tsehay at N rate of 120 kg ha−1 in both growing seasons.ConclusionHence, it could be concluded that varieties Menze and Tsehay produced the highest grain yield followed by variety ET-13. All wheat varieties tested did not show a significant variation in most of the nitrogen use efficiency parameters, and these efficiency parameters decreased with the increasing rate of N beyond 120 kg ha−1 in both growing seasons.

Investigating the role of landscape composition on honey bee colony winter mortality: A long-term analysis

The health of honey bee colonies is, amongst others, affected by the amount, quality and diversity of available melliferous plants. Since landscape is highly diverse throughout Austria regarding the availability of nutritional resources, we used data from annual surveys on honey bee colony losses ranging over six years to analyse a possible relationship with land use. The data set comprises reports from a total of 6,655 beekeepers and 129,428 wintered honey bee colonies. Regions surrounding the beekeeping operations were assigned to one of six clusters according to their composition of land use categories by use of a hierarchical cluster analysis, allowing a rough distinction between urban regions, regions predominated by semi-natural areas and pastures, and mainly agricultural environments. We ran a Generalised Linear Mixed Model and found winter colony mortality significantly affected by operation size, year, and cluster membership, but also by the interaction of year and cluster membership. Honey bee colonies in regions composed predominantly of semi-natural areas, coniferous forests and pastures had the lowest loss probability in four out of six years, and loss probabilities within these regions were significantly lower in five out of six years compared to those within regions composed predominantly of artificial surfaces, broad-leaved and coniferous forest.