PRELIMINARY STUDIES OF PEST CONSTRAINTS TO COTTON SEEDLINGS IN A DIRECT SEEDING MULCH-BASED SYSTEM IN CAMEROON

2009 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. BRÉVAULT ◽  
H. GUIBERT ◽  
K. NAUDIN

SUMMARYThe present study evaluated the pest constraints of an innovative crop management system in Cameroon involving conservation tillage and direct seeding mulch-based strategies. We hypothesized that the presence of mulch (i) would support a higher density of phytophagous arthropods particularly millipedes as well as pathogenic fungi that cause severe damage to cotton seedlings and (ii) would reduce early aphid infestations. The impact of two cover-crop mulchesCalopogonium mucunoidesandBrachiaria ruziziensison the vigour of seedling cotton stands and arthropod damage was assessed in two independent field experiments conducted in 2001 and 2002 respectively. In both experiments the presence of mulch negatively affected cotton seedling stand by 13–14% compared to non-mulched plots and the proportion of damaged seedlings was higher in mulched than in non-mulched plots supporting the hypothesis that mulch favoured soil pest damage. In both experiments insecticidal seed dressing increased the seedling stand and the number of dead millipedes collected and fungicide had little or no effect on seedling stand and vigour. It was however observed in 2002 that the fungicide seed dressing had a positive effect on seedling stand in non-mulched plots but not in mulched plots suggesting that fungi may have been naturally inhibited byB. ruziziensismulch. The dynamics of aphid colonization was not influenced by the presence of mulch. In 2001 taller seedlings were found in mulched than non-mulched plots probably due to greater water and nutrient availability inC. mucunoides-mulched plots than in non-mulched plots.

2020 ◽  
Vol 103 (3) ◽  
pp. 003685042094087
Author(s):  
Jiangbi Hu ◽  
Lucheng He ◽  
Ronghua Wang

Prior safety evaluations of interchange merging areas have mostly focused on traffic conflicts and operating speeds, without considering how these factors can influence the driver workload. Researches regarding the level of driver workload have largely concentrated on urban roads, tunnel sections, and basic freeway segments, without considering the impact of merging traffic flows on safety. Therefore, this study has investigated how merging vehicles can impact through-driver workload and safety. Three independent field experiments were conducted on freeways, involving 18 drivers and 17 interchanges. The results showed that the vehicles merging onto freeway impact driver workload and driving performance, generating potential risk that cannot be ignored. Merging into the mainline traffic flow increases the through-driver workload to a higher level or even exceeds the safety threshold, despite there being better geometrical conditions of interchanges than those of basic freeway segments. When the volume of merging vehicles exceeds 564 pcu/h or the traffic saturation is above 0.485, driver workload rises above the safety thresholds and the driving risk is elevated, which potentially would lead to crashes. This study offers insights for more effective segment division of operating speed prediction, and dynamic risk management with regard to interchange safety.


Microbiome ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Selma Cadot ◽  
Hang Guan ◽  
Moritz Bigalke ◽  
Jean-Claude Walser ◽  
Georg Jander ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Plants influence their root and rhizosphere microbial communities through the secretion of root exudates. However, how specific classes of root exudate compounds impact the assembly of root-associated microbiotas is not well understood, especially not under realistic field conditions. Maize roots secrete benzoxazinoids (BXs), a class of indole-derived defense compounds, and thereby impact the assembly of their microbiota. Here, we investigated the broader impacts of BX exudation on root and rhizosphere microbiotas of adult maize plants grown under natural conditions at different field locations in Europe and the USA. We examined the microbiotas of BX-producing and multiple BX-defective lines in two genetic backgrounds across three soils with different properties. Results Our analysis showed that BX secretion affected the community composition of the rhizosphere and root microbiota, with the most pronounced effects observed for root fungi. The impact of BX exudation was at least as strong as the genetic background, suggesting that BX exudation is a key trait by which maize structures its associated microbiota. BX-producing plants were not consistently enriching microbial lineages across the three field experiments. However, BX exudation consistently depleted Flavobacteriaceae and Comamonadaceae and enriched various potential plant pathogenic fungi in the roots across the different environments. Conclusions These findings reveal that BXs have a selective impact on root and rhizosphere microbiota composition across different conditions. Taken together, this study identifies the BX pathway as an interesting breeding target to manipulate plant-microbiome interactions.


Author(s):  
А. М. Grebennikov ◽  
А. S. Frid ◽  
V. P. Belobrov ◽  
V. А. Isaev ◽  
V. М. Garmashоv ◽  
...  

The article assesses the relationships between the morphological properties of agrochernozems and yield of peas on the plots, experience with different methods of basic treatment (moldboard plowing at the depth of 20 - 22, 25 - 27 and 14 - 16 cm, moldboard plowing to a depth of 14 - 16 cm, combined midwater moldboard, mid-water subsurface, surface to a depth of 6 - 8 cm and zero tillage) is inherent in V.V. Dokuchaev Research Institute of Agriculture of the Central Black Earth strip, in the fall of 2014. The research was conducted in 2015 - 2016, with the application of mineral fertilizers (N60Р60К60) and unfertilized background. The highest pea yields in the fertilized as the background, and without the use of fertilizers was observed in dumping plowing and especially in the variant with deep moldboard plowing, which creates in comparison with other ways of handling the best conditions for the growth and development of peas. The lowest yield of pea was obtained with zero processing. Apparently legalistic migrational-mizelial agrochernozems the Central Chernozem zone of minimum tillage in the cultivation of peas are not effective, what is evident already in the first year after the laying of experience with different basic treatments. As shown by the results of applying multifactor analysis of variance studied the mapping properties of the soil can have the same significant impact on the yield of agricultural crops, as options for the field experiments aimed at assessing the impact of various treatments on yield.


Author(s):  
V. Dumych ◽  

The purpose of research: to improve the technology of growing flax in the Western region of Ukraine on the basis of the introduction of systems for minimizing tillage, which will increase the yield of trusts and seeds. Research methods: field, laboratory, visual and comparative calculation method. Research results: Field experiments included the study of three tillage systems (traditional, canning and mulching) and determining their impact on growth and development and yields of trusts and flax seeds. The traditional tillage system included the following operations: plowing with a reversible plow to a depth of 27 cm, cultivation with simultaneous harrowing and pre-sowing tillage. The conservation system is based on deep shelfless loosening of the soil and provided for chiseling to a depth of 40 cm, disking to a depth of 15 cm, cultivation with simultaneous harrowing, pre-sowing tillage. During the implementation of the mulching system, disking to a depth of 15 cm, cultivation with simultaneous harrowing and pre-sowing tillage with a combined unit was carried out. Tillage implements and machines were used to perform tillage operations: disc harrow BDVP-3,6, reversible plow PON-5/4, chisel PCh-3, cultivator KPSP-4, pre-sowing tillage unit LK-4. The SZ-3,6 ASTPA grain seeder was used for sowing long flax of the Kamenyar variety. Simultaneously with the sowing of flax seeds, local application of mineral fertilizers (nitroammophoska 2 c/ha) was carried out. The application of conservation tillage allows to obtain the yield of flax trust at the level of 3,5 t/ha, which is 0,4 t/ha (12.9 %) more than from the area of traditional tillage and 0,7 t/ha (25 %) in comparison with mulching. In the area with canning treatment, the seed yield was the highest and amounted to 0,64 t/ha. The difference between this option and traditional and mulching tillage reaches 0,06 t/ha (10,3 %) and 0.10 t/ha (18.5 %), respectively. Conclusions. Preservation tillage, which is based on shelf-free tillage to a depth of 40 cm and disking to a depth of 15 cm has a positive effect on plant growth and development, yield and quality of flax.


Author(s):  
M. Novokhatskyi ◽  
◽  
V. Targonya ◽  
T. Babinets ◽  
O. Gorodetskyi ◽  
...  

Aim. Assessment of the impact of the most common systems of basic tillage and biological methods of optimization of nutrition regimes on the realization of the potential of grain productivity of soybean in the Forest-Steppe of Ukraine. Methods. The research used general scientific (hypothesis, experiment, observation) and special (field experiment, morphological analysis) methods Results. The analysis of the results of field experiments shows that the conservation system of soil cultivation, which provided the formation of 27.6 c/ha of grain, is preferable by the level of biological yield of soybean. The use of other systems caused a decrease in the biological yield level: up to 26.4 c/ha for the use of the traditional system, up to 25.3 c/ha for the use of mulching and up to 23.0 c/ha for the use of the mini-till. With the use of Groundfix, the average biological yield of soybean grain increases to 25.6 c / ha for application rates of 5 l/ha, and to 28.2 c/ha for application rates of 10 l/ha when control variants (without the use of the specified preparation) an average of 22.6 c/ha of grain was formed with fluctuations in soil tillage systems from 21.0 (mini-bodies) to 25.8 c/ha (traditional).The application of Groundfix (10 l/ha) reduced the seed abortion rate from 11.0% (average without biofertilizer variants) to 8.0%, forming the optimal number of stem nodes with beans, increasing the attachment height of the lower beans and improving other indicators of biological productivity soybeans. Conclusions. It has been found that the use of the canning tillage system generates an average of 27.6 cent soybean grains, which is the highest indicator among the main tillage systems within the scheme of our research. The use of Groundfix caused a change in this indicator: if the variants with a conservative system of basic tillage without the use of biological preparation (control) were formed on average 24.1 c/ha, the use of Ground Licks caused the increase of biological productivity up to 29.4 c/ha, and at a dose of 10 l/ha biological yield was 32.2 c/ha. It was found that both the use of Groundfix and the basic tillage system influenced the elements of the yield structure: the density of the plants at the time of harvest depended more on the tillage system than on the use of Groundfix; the use of Groundfix and increasing its dose within the scheme of our studies positively reflected on the density of standing plants; the height of attachment of the lower beans and reduced the abortion of the seeds.


Author(s):  
И.В. Бачериков ◽  
Б.М. Локштанов

При проектировании открытых и закрытых хранилищ измельченных сыпучих материалов древесных материалов, таких как щепа и опилки, большое значение имеет угол естественного откоса (статический и динамический) этих материалов. В технической литературе приводятся противоречивые сведения о величине этих углов, что приводит к ошибкам при проектировании складов. В справочных данных не учитываются условия, в которых эксплуатируются емкости для хранения сыпучих материалов, свойства и состояние этих сыпучих материалов. В свою очередь, ошибки при проектировании приводят к проблемам (зависание, сводообразование, «затопление» и т. д.) и авариям при эксплуатации бункеров и силосов на производстве. В статье представлены сведения, посвященные влиянию влажности и температуры на угол естественного откоса сыпучих материалов. На основании лабораторных и натурных экспериментов, проведенных с помощью специально разработанных методик и установок, была скорректирована формула для определения углов естественного откоса (статического и динамического) для измельченных древесных материалов в зависимости от их фракционного и породного состава, влажности (абсолютной и относительной) и температуры. При помощи скорректированной формулы можно определить угол естественного откоса древесных сыпучих материалов со среднегеометрическим размером частицы от 0,5 мм до 15 мм (от древесной пыли до технологической щепы) в различных производственных условиях. Статья может быть полезна проектировщикам при расчете угла наклона граней выпускающей воронки бункеров и силосов предприятий лесной отрасли и целлюлозо-бумажной промышленности. In the design of open and closed storage warehouses chopped wood materials for bulk materials such as wood chips and sawdust, great importance has an angle of repose (static and dynamic) of these materials. In the technical literature are conflicting reports about the magnitude of these angles, which leads to errors in the design of warehouses. In the referencesdoes not take into account the conditions under which operated capacities for storage of bulk materials, and properties and condition of the bulk material. The design errors lead to problems (hanging, arching, «flooding», etc.) and accidents in the operation of hoppers and silos at the mills. The article provides information on the impact of humidity and temperature on the angle of repose of granular materials. On the basis of laboratory and field experiments, conducted with the help of specially developed techniques and facilities has been adjusted formula for determining the angle of repose (static and dynamic) for the shredded wood materials depending on their fractional and species composition, humidity (absolute and relative) and temperature. It is possible, by using the corrected formula, to determine the angle of repose of loose wood materials with average particle size of from 0.5 mm to 15 mm (wood dust to pulpchips) in various operating conditions. The article can be helpful to designers in the calculation of the angle of inclination of the funnel faces produces bunkers and silos forest industries and pulp and paper industry.


Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1452
Author(s):  
Raluca-Maria Pârlici ◽  
Aurel Maxim ◽  
Stefania Mirela Mang ◽  
Ippolito Camele ◽  
Lucia Mihalescu ◽  
...  

Organic berry plantations have been gaining popularity among farmers during recent years. Even so, farmers experience serious challenges in disease control management, which is a concern in organic farming. Phragmidiumrubi-idaei (DC) P. Karst is the pathogen responsible for blackberry and raspberry rust disease, one of the most present and active diseases in plantations. The antifungal certified products found on the organic farming market offer the opportunity for an efficient control strategy over plant pathogens in fruit shrub plantations. In this study, 5 natural based products—namely Altosan, Mimox, Canelys, Zitron, and Zeolite—were tested for their fungistatic effect over P. rubi-idaei. The experiments were carried out under laboratory conditions, performing observations over the impact of organic products, used at different concentration levels, on rust conidia germination. Moreover, field experiments were conducted in order to evaluate the efficiency of different treatments for rust control on raspberry (‘Polka’, ‘Veten’ and ‘Heritage’) and blackberry (‘Thorn Free’, ‘Chester’ and ‘Loch Ness’) varieties. Data analysis based on ANOVA tests showed significant differences between the tested variants and the control sample at p < 0.001. Furthermore, LSD test confirmed differences between all substances tested (p < 0.005). The natural products Canelys (formulated with cinnamon) and Zytron (based on citrus extract) have proven the highest inhibitory capacity for conidia germination during in vitro tests registering values of 80.42% and 78.34%, respectively. The same high inhibitory rates against rust pathogen were kept also in the field tests using the same two natural-based products mentioned earlier. In addition, outcomes from this study demonstrated that Zeolite is not recommended for raspberry or blackberry rust control.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 5063
Author(s):  
Katinka H. Evensen ◽  
Helena Nordh ◽  
Ramzi Hassan ◽  
Aslak Fyhri

Access to safe, green urban environments is important for quality of life in cities. The objective of this study is to explore the impact of a safety-enhancing landscape design measure on visitors’ experiences in an urban park. Additionally, this paper combines the use of field and virtual reality (VR) experiments, contributing methodological insights into how to evaluate safety measures in green space management and research on perceived safety. In a field experiment (n = 266), we explored whether the height of a hedge along a pathway influenced perceived safety among users. The field study showed that cutting down the hedge improved the perceived prospect of the immediate surrounding areas for female users, which again made them feel safer in the park. We developed a VR experiment for an evening scenario in the same environment (n = 19) to supplement the field study and test the effect of the intervention further. The VR experiment also found a gender effect on perceived safety, with females reporting lower perceived safety, but no effect was shown for the height of the hedge. The results in this study show that environmental attributes such as perceived prospect and concealment should be considered in the design and management of urban green spaces. Additionally, this research demonstrates an approach to conducting field experiments to test the effects of actual design interventions and then further developing these experiments using VR technology. Further research on perceived safety in outdoor spaces is needed to make use of this combined method’s potential.


Author(s):  
Yohei Mitani

AbstractLocal norms and shared beliefs in cohesive social groups regulate individual behavior in everyday economic life. I use a door-to-door field experiment where a hundred and twenty villagers recruited from twenty-three communities in a Japanese rural mountainous village play a simultaneous prisoner’s dilemma game. To examine whether a set of experiences shared through interactions among community members affect experimental behavior, I compare villagers’ behavior under in-community and out-community random matching protocols. I also report a counterpart laboratory experiment with seventy-two university student subjects to address the external validity of laboratory experiments. The findings are three-fold. First, almost full cooperation is achieved when villagers play a prisoner’s dilemma game with their anonymous community members. Second, cooperation is significantly higher within the in-group compared to the out-group treatment in both the laboratory and field experiments. Third, although a significant treatment effect of social group membership is preserved, a big difference in the average cooperation rates is observed between the laboratory and field.


Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 321
Author(s):  
Stefan Cristian Prazaru ◽  
Giulia Zanettin ◽  
Alberto Pozzebon ◽  
Paola Tirello ◽  
Francesco Toffoletto ◽  
...  

Outbreaks of the Nearctic leafhopper Erasmoneura vulnerata represent a threat to vinegrowers in Southern Europe, in particular in North-eastern Italy. The pest outbreaks are frequent in organic vineyards because insecticides labeled for organic viticulture show limited effectiveness towards leafhoppers. On the other hand, the naturally occurring predators and parasitoids of E. vulnerata in vineyards are often not able to keep leafhopper densities at acceptable levels for vine-growers. In this study, we evaluated the potential of two generalist, commercially available predators, Chrysoperla carnea and Orius majusculus, in suppressing E. vulnerata. Laboratory and semi-field experiments were carried out to evaluate both species’ predation capacity on E. vulnerata nymphs. The experiments were conducted on grapevine leaves inside Petri dishes (laboratory) and on potted and caged grapevines (semi-field); in both experiments, the leaves or potted plants were infested with E. vulnerata nymphs prior to predator releases. Both predator species exhibited a remarkable voracity and significantly reduced leafhopper densities in laboratory and semi-field experiments. Therefore, field studies were carried out over two growing seasons in two vineyards. We released 4 O. majusculus adults and 30 C. carnea larvae per m2 of canopy. Predator releases in vineyards reduced leafhopper densities by about 30% compared to the control plots. Results obtained in this study showed that the two predators have a potential to suppress the pest density, but more research is required to define appropriate predator–prey release ratios and release timing. Studies on intraguild interactions and competition with naturally occurring predators are also suggested.


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