Vegetated Section Research Articles

Comprehensive analysis of particulate matter, gaseous pollutants, and microbiological contamination in an international chain supermarket

Indoor environmental quality is of utmost importance since urban populations spend a large proportion of their life in confined spaces. Supermarkets offer a wide range of products and services that are prone to emitting several air pollutants. This study aimed to perform a comprehensive characterisation of the indoor and outdoor air quality in a multinational supermarket, encompassing not only criteria parameters but also unregulated pollutants of concern. Monitoring included measurements of comfort parameters, CO2, multiple gaseous pollutants, particulate matter (PM10) and bioburden. PM10, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and carbonyls were subject to chemical speciation. Globally, the supermarket presented CO2, VOCs, and PM10 values below the limits imposed by international regulations. The PM10 concentration in the supermarket was 33.5±23.2 μg/m3, and the indoor-to-outdoor PM10 ratio was 1.76. Carbonaceous constituents represented PM10 mass fractions of 21.6% indoors and 15.3% outdoors. Due to the use of stainless-steel utensils, flour and fermentation processes, the bakery proved to be a pollution hotspot, presenting the highest concentrations of PM10 (73.1±9.16 μg/m3), PM10-bound elements (S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, and Cr) and acetaldehyde (42.7 μg/m3). The maximum tetrachloroethylene level (130 μg/m3) was obtained in the cleaning products section. The highest values of colony-forming units of bacteria and fungi were recorded in the bakery, and fruit and vegetable section. The most prevalent fungal species was Penicillium sp., corresponding to 56.9% of the total colonies. In addition, other fungal species/sections with toxicological or pathogenic potential were detected (Aspergillus sections Aspergilli, Circumdati, Flavi, Mucor and Fusarium sp.).

A Labeling Intercomparison of Retrogressive Thaw Slumps by a Diverse Group of Domain Experts

ABSTRACTDeep‐learning (DL) models have become increasingly beneficial for the detection of retrogressive thaw slumps (RTS) in the permafrost domain. However, comparing accuracy metrics is challenging due to unstandardized labeling guidelines. To address this, we conducted an experiment with 12 international domain experts from a broad range of scientific backgrounds. Using 3 m PlanetScope multispectral imagery, they digitized RTS footprints in two sites. We evaluated label uncertainty by comparing manually outlined RTS labels using Intersection‐over‐Union (IoU) and F1 metrics. At the Canadian Peel Plateau site, we see good agreement, particularly in the active parts of RTS. Differences were observed in the interpretation of the debris tongue and the stable vegetated sections of RTS. At the Russian Bykovsky site, we observed a larger mismatch. Here, the same differences were documented, but several participants mistakenly identified non‐RTS features. This emphasizes the importance of site‐specific knowledge for reliable label creation. The experiment highlights the need for standardized labeling procedures and definition of their scientific purpose. The most similar expert labels outperformed the accuracy metrics reported in the literature, highlighting human labeling capabilities with proper training, site knowledge, and clear guidelines. These findings lay the groundwork for DL‐based RTS monitoring in the pan‐Arctic.

Neuromusic: Music and its Influence on the Purchase Process in the Markets

Music the art of combining sounds, maintains a sequence of time with harmony, melody and rhythm, generates changes in cognitive processes, improves concentration, memory, influences mood, produces changes in emotions, helps control anxiety, increases motivation, and decreases cortisol levels, the stress hormone, activates the hormone of happiness and rest, serotonin and melatonin. The objective was to analyze the influence of music in the purchase process and decision. The approach was qualitative-quantitative, exploratory level, descriptive statistics was applied to identify the main trends and musical genres. The survey was carried out online, in the "La Condamine" market (November-December 2022). The sample 354 customers. The results of the investigation determined that customers enjoy listening to instrumental sounds in the food court, and in the vegetable, fruit and vegetable section; and the musical genre pop and/or reggaeton in the clothing section. The survey data was corroborated with the results of the biometric eyes tracking equipment in eight participants, attention, meditation and blinking were analyzed, with two sounds, sound 1: folk music and sound 2: pop; the average of the evaluations determined the level of acceptance of the participants for the musical genre, confirming the traditional survey with the results of the biometric equipment. Hearing goes beyond what can be perceived with sight and smell; there are sounds and melodies that connect us with emotions (laugh, cry, enjoy) and memories. It is concluded, (i) consider the musical genre according to the segment, (ii) the hours of greatest influx of customers, (iii) areas or sections of the market with greater or lesser product sales, (iv) slow music in places with more expensive products to extend their stay in the establishment.

Floating rooted hydrophytes and flow and sediment dynamics: Field study in secondary channels of the Paraná River

Worldwide, aquatic vegetation is a key component in many river systems due to its diverse interactions as well as the environmental services it provides. In the Paraná fluvial system, large mats of floating rooted hydrophytes are present in channels with different water conditions whose interaction with flow and sediment dynamics is currently unknown. This work aimed to evaluate the temporal coverage variation of floating rooted hydrophytic mats as well as the alteration of flow dynamic and sediment deposition associated with their presence in natural conditions. Four different secondary channels were analyzed for two different and consecutive water stages: mean and high-water levels. Hydrophytic coverage ranged from 5% to 67% and from about 3% to 14% of the total discharge drained throughout the vegetated areas of the channels, being the lowest values recorded during the high-water stage. The specific discharge distribution and flow velocities at the vegetated cross-sections were altered when compared to non-vegetated sections. Mean velocities and depths were markedly lower inside vegetation mats. Additionally, fine sediments (silt and clay) dominated the bed samples below the hydrophytic mats of the vegetated sections in all the channels and water level stages under study. Nonetheless, the highest wash load was mainly recorded outside the hydrophytic mats during mean waters, while it was registered within the mats during high waters. Grain size of bed material below the hydrophytic mats as well as flow velocities inside them indicated sedimentation promoted by the hydrophytic mats. Understanding how flow and sediment deposition can be altered by hydrophytic mats is of great relevance not only in terms of the role they play in the Paraná fluvial dynamics, but also for their appropriate inclusion in hydraulic field measurements and hydrodynamic models widely used to predict such dynamics.

ASSESSMENT OF MORPHOLOGICAL TRAITS IN TOMATO HYBRIDS FOR IMPROVED CULTIVATION PRACTICES

Tomato is widely used as a vegetable and plays an important role in the diet for its health benefits. The present research was carried out at the vegetable section of Barani Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Chakwal, Pakistan, during the summer season of 2022. The experimental material used for the present study comprised 8 genotypes of tomato. Plant material was collected from the vegetable section of the plant breeding and genetics department in BARI Chakwal. Indeterminate genotype used for morphological characterization was LITH-904, LITH-908, LITH-942, LITH-949, LITH-970, SANDEL-F1, SAHEL-F1, and ANNA-F1. These genotypes were analyzed based on different morphological parameters. The observations recorded were subjected to different statistical analyses, and significant variations were observed among all the genotypes. The advantages of hybrid tomato cultivars are uniformity in shape and size, increased vigor, early maturity, high-yield, and resistance to specific pests and pathogens. The growth characteristics varied significantly among different tomato hybrids. The present research was conducted to evaluate different indeterminate tomato hybrids through various qualitative and quantitative traits to boost the future breeding programs of tomatoes to develop new high-yielding varieties. High yield and good processing qualities are the pre-requisites for the general acceptance of the hybrid by the farmers and the end consumer.

Comparison of Garden Soil with Nitrogen and Potassium for Growing Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) in Glass House.

The experiment was conducted during the year 2019-20 by Vegetable Section, Agriculture Research Station (ARS) Baffa Mansehra to compare garden soil with nitrogen (Urea) and potassium (Murate of Potash) for lettuce production in glass house. Lettuce is an important summer off-season and high valued crop cultivated at District Mansehra in the months of July-August. The produce is transported to other metropolises with handsome earning, but excessive use of minerals and synthetic fertilizers may render the produce less profitable in one or another way. Hence this experiment was designed to compare garden soil with nitrogen and potassium doses. It is evident from the statistical analysis that garden soil has a significant effect on number of leaves, leaf area, seed per plant, yield per plant and yield per acre. Seed production is noticeable for garden soil when the prevailing temperature during seed formation was 25 0 C. In terms of leaf area maximum leaf area 576.10 cm 2 was recorded for garden soil while minimum leaf area 303.43 cm 2 was recorded with nitrogen applied @ 200 kg ha -1 and potassium applied @ 100 kg ha -1 respectively. Maximum number of leaves 28.03 was recorded for garden soil while the minimum number 21.96 was recorded for nitrogen applied @ 200 kg ha -1 and potassium applied @ 100 kg ha -1 . Seed formation was successful with mean temperature 25 0 C in glass house for 30 days, here again garden soil surpassed nitrogen and potassium with 4.03gm plant -1 . Yield per plot 3.69 kg was recorded for garden soil and the minimum value 1.1843 kg was recorded for nitrogen and potassium applied @ 200 kg ha -1 nitrogen while potassium applied @ 100 kg ha -1 . Garden soil gives maximum yield of 13600 kg acre -1 compared with the lowest production 6070.5 kg acre -1 of nitrogen and potassium applied @ 200 kg ha -1 nitrogen while potassium applied @ 150 kg ha - 1 . Keywords:, Lettuce, garden soil, leaf area, seed production, glass house DOI: 10.7176/CEIS/14-2-06 Publication date: May 31 st 2023

Evaluation of Heavy Metals Found in Vegetables of Some Poultry Farms in Osun State, Nigeria

Heavy metals are persistent in the ecosystem and are held responsible for natural accumulation at all feeding levels. Nevertheless, contact does not occur just because of the availability of a contaminant material in the ecosystem. This present work was aimed at evaluating the contents of heavy metals in vegetables sampled from some poultry farms in Osun State. Five vegetables, namely green vegetable, bitter leaf, gruty-stalked jatropha, scent leaf, and water leaf, were tested for heavy metals, such as arsenic, cadmium, copper, iron, lead, and zinc, using a flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer following wet digestion with HNO3. Quality assurance techniques included blank testing, recovery testing, and calibration of concentrations. Descriptive statistics were used for data interpretation. The analytical results signified that those heavy metals were detected in all the vegetables from the various sites. Most of the contents are below the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization safe range in the vegetable section, with the exception of A. Drastic measures should be adopted to avoid the use of such health-toxic contents of metals in poultry feed. So, it was suggested that there should be constant monitoring of poultry sites to control, limit, and stop heavy metal contamination once and for all.

Evaluation of the distribution of spray deposits within a vine canopy from measurements on artificial targets and real leaves

Understanding the distribution of intercepted spray deposits is important for the study of the dose-response relationship of spraying a targeted pathogen and for the optimisation of the spraying process. However, carrying out exhaustive measurements of canopy spray deposits is difficult, particularly in production situations. This new experimental method for use in commercial vineyards was based on the installation of artificial targets (PVC collectors) within the canopy. To evaluate the quality of this experimental method for estimating the statistical distribution of deposition it was compared to an intensive manual method of foliar deposition measurements on real leaves. Intercepted deposition data on the real leaves and artificial targets were collected in a regular grid pattern within 12 non-contiguous vegetation sections. The results showed that although the means were similar, the variance in deposition appeared to differ between the distributions on artificial targets and real foliage, with CV values of between 37.4-52.7 % and 69.4-80.5 % respectively. Therefore, any central statistics must be supplemented with a statistical distribution analysis to account for the dispersion of deposition values within the vegetation. The results from comparisons between the cumulative distributions of intercepted deposition on the real leaves and on the PVC collector sections showed that the deposition estimates averaged over three-vine sections gave relevant, repeatable estimates for both approaches. The results also showed that for low deposition values, the experimental method led to a correct estimation of deposition on real leaves. However, above 230 ng dm² per 1 g/ha, the experimental method underestimated the deposition on real leaves by 13.6 %. Using these methodological results, it may be possible to develop models capable of predicting the distribution of deposition within the plant canopy. It would thereby be possible to develop an approach for variable-rate sprayer control that takes into account the phytosanitary risk and the site-specific variable structure of the vegetation during the season.

Experimental investigation of 3D flow properties around emergent rigid vegetation

AbstractThe condition of emergent or submerged vegetation plays a vital role in affecting the flow behaviour in open channels. To understand the flow processes in free surface flows under emergent rigid vegetation condition, an extensive experimental investigation is performed in a laboratory channel with staggered combination of emergent rigid vegetation. Three‐dimensional velocities data are collected by ADV at various section and position of vegetated channel. The three‐dimensional flow properties such as velocity distribution, turbulence intensity, turbulent kinetic energy, Reynolds shear stress in vegetation, and non‐disturbed region are analysed and compared with the longitudinal and transverse length of vegetated zone. In the vegetation region, the longitudinal velocity in free stream region decreases as compared with non‐disturbed region. However, the vertical velocity also decreases in free stream region except at the centre line of channel cross‐section. Variations in velocity in the vegetation section were observed because of the local effect induced by the vegetation stems. Three‐dimensional Reynolds shear stress and turbulent intensity were weaker in magnitude at vegetation region. The presence of vegetation reduces the longitudinal profile of flow velocity, Reynolds shear stress and turbulence intensities, which means that vegetation can be used as an effective tool to reduce the flow resistance. The turbulent kinetic energy, skewness and kurtosis are also evaluated and compared between the vegetated and non‐vegetated zone. The outcomes of the results provide an important view to understand flow behaviour at immediately front and immediately behind of vegetation stem.

Effects of vegetation height and relative submergence for rigid submerged vegetation on flow structure in open channel

In this research, the vegetation height and a concept of relative submergence are adapted to experimentally investigate the effects of rigid submerged vegetation on flow structure. The results reveal that the relative submergence presents decreasing trend along the submerged vegetation section and the average relative submergence follows a power functional decreasing relationship regarding to the increase of vegetation height. After the exit of vegetation block, the water depths for the vegetated cases resume to the level and trend of the case without vegetation. The differences between the maximum and minimum water depths for the submerged cases follow a linear relationship with vegetation height and a negative power functional relationship with the average relative submergence, with which, the raised water depths due to rigid submerged vegetation can be predicted under similar hydraulic and vegetation conditions to the present research. Due to the retardance of vegetation block, the differences between the maximum and minimum flow velocities increase with the vegetation height as the maximum values change slightly and the minimum values decrease continuously. The findings of the research may improve the comprehensive understandings of open channel hydraulic behaviors affected by rigid submerged vegetation and give some guidance to the river ecological restorations.

Spatiotemporal water quality variability in a highly loaded surface flow wastewater treatment wetland.

This study evaluates spatiotemporal relationships between water quality parameters (WQPs), nutrients, suspended solids, and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) concentrations within an engineered wastewater treatment wetland system in the Georgia Piedmont, USA. We explored factors related to treatment efficiency within a heavily loaded 630-m2 surface flow wetland system over a 2-yr period. Relationships between temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), and oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) were observed; relationships were also seen between these WQPs and nutrient concentrations. Because temperature, DO, and ORP affect nitrogen (N) cycling rates, seasonal trends in N forms were evident in the system. Organic N and inorganic/organic phosphorus concentrations correlated with solids concentrations in the vegetated system without exhibiting seasonal trends. Surface water within the vegetated section generally exhibited anoxic conditions, leading to removal of nitrate-N within the system; however, limited mineralization and nitrification occurred, which greatly limited overall N removal. Plant selection and lack of maintenance likely led to high solids and BOD contributions to treatment wetland surface water, which varied substantially between and along monitored transects. Because so few studies have investigated treatment dynamics within treatment wetland cells, focusing solely on influent/effluent characterization, radical spatiotemporal variability may be the norm as opposed to the commonly accepted assumptions of relatively uniform pollutant degradation across treatment wetland cells. This spatiotemporal variability in WQPs underscores the dynamic nature of treatment wetlands and the need for routine maintenance, including sludge removal and plant harvesting.

An exploratory study of possible food waste risks in supermarket fruit and vegetable sections

Food waste is an emerging issue in terms of food policy; the most common cause of fruit and vegetable waste at a retailer, in addition to excess stock and consumer behaviour, is the lack of employees certified in food handling. Fruits and vegetables require specific handling and storing to avoid waste. The objective of this work was to survey the employees of fruit and vegetable sections in supermarkets to understand their experience and the reasons they believe products are wasted. The results show that most employees have secondary educations; the average age of these employees is 33 with at least one year working for the company; and no significant correlation was found between age and seniority in the company. In comparison to international supermarkets, national supermarkets train their employees less. Employees perceived the best-selling fruits to be bananas, apples, papayas, melons and pineapples and the vegetables to be tomatoes, onions, green peppers (serrano), and potatoes, which are essential in Mexican cuisine, and their perceptions of best-selling produce were related to waste, probably due to the widespread availability of these types of produce. One of the strategies to avoid wasting fruits and vegetables in good condition is donating them to food banks.

Altering product placement to create a healthier layout in supermarkets: Outcomes on store sales, customer purchasing, and diet in a prospective matched controlled cluster study.

BackgroundPrevious product placement trials in supermarkets are limited in scope and outcome data collected. This study assessed the effects on store-level sales, household-level purchasing, and dietary behaviours of a healthier supermarket layout.Methods and findingsThis is a prospective matched controlled cluster trial with 2 intervention components: (i) new fresh fruit and vegetable sections near store entrances (replacing smaller displays at the back) and frozen vegetables repositioned to the entrance aisle, plus (ii) the removal of confectionery from checkouts and aisle ends opposite. In this pilot study, the intervention was implemented for 6 months in 3 discount supermarkets in England. Three control stores were matched on store sales and customer profiles and neighbourhood deprivation. Women customers aged 18 to 45 years, with loyalty cards, were assigned to the intervention (n = 62) or control group (n = 88) of their primary store. The trial registration number is NCT03518151. Interrupted time series analysis showed that increases in store-level sales of fruits and vegetables were greater in intervention stores than predicted at 3 (1.71 standard deviations (SDs) (95% CI 0.45, 2.96), P = 0.01) and 6 months follow-up (2.42 SDs (0.22, 4.62), P = 0.03), equivalent to approximately 6,170 and approximately 9,820 extra portions per store, per week, respectively. The proportion of purchasing fruits and vegetables per week rose among intervention participants at 3 and 6 months compared to control participants (0.2% versus −3.0%, P = 0.22; 1.7% versus −3.5%, P = 0.05, respectively). Store sales of confectionery were lower in intervention stores than predicted at 3 (−1.05 SDs (−1.98, −0.12), P = 0.03) and 6 months (−1.37 SDs (−2.95, 0.22), P = 0.09), equivalent to approximately 1,359 and approximately 1,575 fewer portions per store, per week, respectively; no differences were observed for confectionery purchasing. Changes in dietary variables were predominantly in the expected direction for health benefit. Intervention implementation was not within control of the research team, and stores could not be randomised. It is a pilot study, and, therefore, not powered to detect an effect.ConclusionsHealthier supermarket layouts can improve the nutrition profile of store sales and likely improve household purchasing and dietary quality. Placing fruits and vegetables near store entrances should be considered alongside policies to limit prominent placement of unhealthy foods.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT03518151 (pre-results)

Gambaran Sanitasi Lingkungan di Pasar Oeba Kecamatan Kota Lama Kota Kupang

Market sanitation is an effort to supervise, prevent, and control the quality of the market environment, especially those that can transmit diseases such as flies. The density of flies can increase if the environment of markets does not meet the sanitation requirements. Oeba traditional market is one of the markets in Kupang City that has the highest density of flies with an average of 21 blocks/30 seconds of block grill. The purpose of this research is to describe the environmental sanitation of Oeba Market, Kota Lama Sub-district, Kupang City in 2020. The research was descriptive. The population in this study were all selling sections located in the market from which the sample of fish, meat and vegetable sections were selected using purposive sampling method. The density of flies was measured using a fly grill tool. Data were analyzed descriptively. The results showed that the availability of environmental sanitation at the fish selling section was categorized as quite good with an average fly density level of 2 heads/block grill, the meat section was categorized as poor with the density level of 10 fly/block grill and the vegetable/fruit section was categorized as poor with the density of 2 flies/block grill. A collaboration among the government and the local community both traders and market managers is necessary to ensure to the environmental sanitation of the market.

Impact of organic loading rate and reactor design on thermophilic anaerobic digestion of mixed supermarket waste

A mixture of supermarket food waste from bakery, butchery, cooked meats and cheese, fishmonger, fruit, and vegetable sections was subjected to anaerobic digestion under thermophilic conditions (55 °C). Lab-scale induced bed reactors (IBR) and completely stirred tank reactors (CSTR) were operated at different organic loading rates (OLR), i.e., 3.0, 3.6 and 4.6 kg volatile solids (VS) per m3 of reactor and day.Regardless of the type of reactor, an OLR of 3.6 kg VS/m3·day was found to be the optimum, achieving up to 48.1% more methane production per kg of treated waste than for the other OLRs tested. In general, there were no statistically significant differences (p-value < 0.05) between IBR and CSTR performance at the same OLR tested. However, for the optimum OLR, the IBR achieved a mean methane production of 1.5 L CH4/Lreactor·day (426.7 L CH4/kg VS) and the highest VS removal (89.0%, on average). This reactor obtained 22.1% more CH4 yield than the analogous CSTR and the highest methane content in the biogas (66.9% CH4).Finally, the process was successfully tested under large-scale conditions (1.25 m3 IBR pilot-plant). The CH4 production and the biodegradation yield were in line with those obtained in the lab-scale IBR.

Pladias Database of the Czech flora and vegetation

The Pladias (Plant Diversity Analysis and Synthesis) Database of the Czech Flora and Vegetation was developed by the Pladias project team in 2014–2018 and has been continuously updated since then. The flora section of the database contains critically revised information on the Czech vascular flora, including 13.6 million plant occurrence records, which are dynamically displayed in maps, and data on 120 plant characteristics (traits, environmental associations and other information), divided into the sections: (1) Habitus and growth type, (2) Leaf, (3) Flower, (4) Fruit, seed and dispersal, (5) Belowground organs and clonality, (6) Trophic mode, (7) Karyology, (8) Taxon origin, (9) Ecological indicator values, (10) Habitat and sociology, (11) Distribution and frequency, and (12) Threats and protection. The vegetation section of the database contains information on Czech vegetation types extracted from the monograph Vegetation of the Czech Republic. The data are supplemented by national botanical bibliographies, electronic versions of the standard national flora and vegetation monographs, a database of more than 19,000 pictures of plant taxa and vegetation types, and digital maps (shapefiles) with botanical information. The data from the database are available online on a public portal www.pladias.cz, which also provides download options for various datasets and online identification keys to the species and vegetation types of the Czech Republic. In this paper, we describe the general scope, structure and content of the database, and details of the data on plant characteristics. To illustrate the data and describe the main geographic patterns in selected plant characteristics, we provide maps of mean values of numerical characteristics or proportions of categories for categorical characteristics on the map of the country in a grid of 5 longitudinal × 3 latitudinal minutes (approximately 6.0 km × 5.5 km). We also summarize the main variation patterns in the functional traits in the Czech flora using the principal component analysis.

Геоинформационные исследования и картографирование растительности (дайджест по материалам конференции Интеркарто. Интергис. 1994–2020)

Proceedings of the International conference (ИнтерКарто. ИнтерГИС, Russia) devoted to geographical information systems for sustainable development of territories have been published annually since 1994. The articles discuss theoretical and methodological aspects of geoinformation support for environmental, economic and social aspects of sustainable de­velop­ment, issues of geoinformatics, cartography, remote sensing of the Earth, problems of environmental sustainability and environmental impact assessment. Over a quarter of a century, the conference proceedings got more than 125 articles related to the use of geoinformation technologies to the study and mapping of vegetation. The review of proceedings gives the concrete examples how to solve problems of vegetation mapping using GIS, it is focused on publications providing some examples of GIS appli­cation to the vegetation studies. The review is organized into thematic sections according the field of application of Geoinformatics: 1.Vegetation, 2. Dynamics, state and ecological functions of vegetation, 3. Biodiversity and its assessment, 4. Plant resources, 5. Monitoring of vegetation. The Vegetation section contains publications on vegetation studies and mapping performed for some regions of Russia — the North of the Far East, the Republic of Sakha (Yaku­tia), the Tyva Republic, Central Siberia, and others. More than half of the articles are devoted to vegetation dynamics, state and ecological functions of vegetation at different hierarchical levels. Some papers present the results of the studies based on new types of information sources (photographs) and visualization methods (animation). The use of geoinformation technologies to study biological diversity was included in the agenda of five conference sessions and later reflected in more than ten publications. They cover the development and creation of GIS, the use of geoinformation technologies for the analysis, assessment and mapping of biodiversity, for its monitoring and conservation. Quite a large number of articles are devoted to the study of forest resources. GIS technologies were used to solve problems of forest management, cartometric analysis of forested areas, determination of taxation indicators, systematization of forest conditions, etc. Examples of geoinformation versatile research for medicinal plant resources are given to assess their quality, resources and productivity in the region, to identify growing areas, including ones to be protected. Most of the published materials concerning to vegetation monitoring mainly relate to forests and forest management.

Seed productivity of different tomato varieties under the conditions of the Novosibirsk region

Relevance Among vegetable crops, tomato is one of the leading places. In Siberia, tomato production is currently concentrated mainly in small farms and the individual sector. The problem of expanding the assortment of this culture in connection with constantly increasing market requirements remains always relevant. Material and methods The purpose of the work is the development of tomato seed production methods of varieties of selection of SibNIIRS. The studies were carried out in 2014-2018 at the experimental vegetable section of SibNIIRS - a branch of the ICG SB RAS. Results The results of many years of work on the study of seed and marketable productivity of zoned varieties and prospective tomato samples from the Urals andSiberia are presented. It has been established that in the conditions of a short growing season, high productivity is shown by varieties from early and mid-season groups. The highest sowing qualities are formed when sowing in time, optimal for the zone – the third decade of April. Early seeding shifts the phenological phases towards their rapid passage, but this creates unfavorable conditions for setting – stress during transplants, unfavorable weather. During late sowing, seeds are formed with low sowing qualities due to insufficient heat supply, especially for varieties from late ripeness groups. Germination energy and germination are higher in seeds obtained from fruits taken in the phase of full biological ripeness in all varieties. With long-term ripening (eat fruit in the phase of technical ripeness) there is a high risk of seed germination inside the fruit on the one hand and lack of nutrients, which invariably affects sowing qualities.

Determination of Emergent Vegetation Effects on Manning’s Coefficient of Gradually Varied Flow

Based on mechanical derivation, a new formula showing the effects of emergent vegetation on Manning’s coefficient was established for complex gradually varied flow affected by rigid unsubmerged vegetation in open channels. The new formula indicates that the Manning’s coefficient is a quadratic sum of its vegetal and boundary components with coefficients related to vegetation parameters. The variation characteristics of the total Manning’s coefficient and its vegetal component calculated by the new formula were investigated by a series of laboratory experiments under different vegetation coverage area ratios. It was found that the variations of both the total Manning’s coefficient and its vegetal component followed a linear decreasing trend along the vegetation section. Moreover, linear and power empirical formulas were constructed for the average total Manning’s coefficient and its vegetal component related to the vegetation coverage area ratio, respectively. The findings of the research may expand the theoretical connotations of the Manning’s coefficient for open channel hydraulics and demonstrate practical significance to engineering applications of the Manning’s coefficient for gradually varied flow in vegetated channels.

Effects of Emergent Vegetation Patterns on Flow Velocity, Turbulence, and Erosion Around River Banks

The effects of two different emergent vegetation patterns on the flow velocity and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) along the vegetated banks are experimentally investigated with natural reed stems. The results reveal that vegetation patterns can significantly alter the distributions of flow velocity and TKE. At locations for the maximum TKE, closed concentric circles named recirculation cells are observed. The location for the maximum TKE which may induce potential soil erosion for partly vegetated pattern moves forward 1 m in comparison with the vegetated pattern. An empirical function is found to describe the variations of TKE along the flow direction. Gentler distributed flow velocity and lower TKE at the rear part of the vegetation section for partly vegetated pattern suggest that vegetation pattern is an important factor for aquatic vegetation recovery in rivers. The findings of the research may provide some guidance for the engineering practices of river ecological restoration with aquatic vegetation.