Impacts of micro-basin water harvesting structures in improving vegetative cover in degraded hillslope areas of north-east Ethiopia

Water is one of the most important entry points to improve rural livelihoods in drought affected areas of the north-eastern Amhara region in Ethiopia. Various attempts have been made to overcome this problem by making use of different water harvesting structures. However, the choice of structures has been difficult because of a lack of empirical evidence on the relative effectiveness of the different structures. An experiment was conducted from 2002 to 2004 to compare and evaluate three different water harvesting structures (eye-brow basin, half-moon and trench) against the normal seedling plantation practice by farmers (normal pit) as a control. Data on root collar diameter (RCD), diameter at breast height (DBH), height and survival rate of Acacia saligna tree seedlings was collected at 3-month intervals after planting and annual grass biomass production was also measured. Trench and eye-brow basin structures produced 68, 95, 52 and 44% increases in RCD, DBH, height and survival rate, respectively, 15 months after planting compared with the normal pit. Trench structures increased grass biomass by 41.1% compared with normal pits. Eye-brow basins are recommended on hillsides where stone is available while trenchs could be used where stone is scarce. The results indicated that well designed water harvesting micro-basin structures can mitigate the effect of dry spell shocks on tree seedling performance and land cover rehabilitation. They were also very effective in increasing grass biomass production indicating the potential for improving livestock feed on the available barren hillsides.

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Direct Assessment of Biomass Productivity in Short Rotation Forestry (SRF) with the Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS). Case of Study in NE Part of Romania (Preliminary Results)

Environmental Sciences Proceedings ◽

10.3390/iecf2020-08485 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 93

Author(s):

Iulian Constantin Dănilă

Keyword(s):

Biomass Production ◽

Laser Scanner ◽

Biomass Productivity ◽

Tree Height ◽

Allometric Equations ◽

Accurate Information ◽

Terrestrial Laser Scanner ◽

North East ◽

Short Rotation ◽

Destructive Methods

Short rotation forestry (SRF) provides an important supply of biomass for investors in this area. In the NE (North-East) part of Romania at the present time are installed over 800 Ha of this kind of crops. The SRF enjoys the support through environmental policies, in relation to climate change and the provisions of the Kyoto Protocol to reduce the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. A precise estimate of biomass production is necessary for the sustainable planning of forest resources and for the exchange of energy in ecosystems. The use of the terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) in estimating the production of above ground wood biomass (AGWB) of short rotation forestry (SRF) brings an important technological leap among indirect (non-destructive) methods. TLS technology is justified when destructive methods become difficult to implement, and allometric equations do not provide accurate information. The main purpose of the research is to estimate the biomass productivity on tree parts in short rotation forestry with TLS technology. Measuring the hybrid poplars crops by TLS may have the following consequences: (1) Higher accuracy of the estimate of biomass production in the SRF; (2) cost and time effective measurements over the biomass of tree parts; (3) new and validated allometric equations for SRF in NE Romania; (4) solid instrument for industry to estimate biomass. TLS technology gives accurate estimates for DBH, tree height and location, as much as the volume on segments, commercial volume or crown volume can be determined. The accuracy of these values depends on the original scan data and their co-registration. The research will contribute to the development of knowledge in the field of hybrid crops.

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EFFECTIVENESS OF ZINC FERTILIZER SOURCES ON NUTRITION OF BEANS

Canadian Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.4141/cjss86-019 ◽

1986 ◽

Vol 66 (1) ◽

pp. 183-187 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

J. P. SINGH ◽

J. W. B. STEWART ◽

R. E. KARAMANOS ◽

N. G. LEWIS

Keyword(s):

Key Words ◽

Biomass Production ◽

Relative Effectiveness ◽

High Yield ◽

Zn Deficiency ◽

Spent Sulphite Liquor ◽

Incubation Experiments ◽

Bean Plants ◽

Zn Content ◽

Zinc Fertilizer

The relative effectiveness of Zn-sulphate (ZnS), Zn-EDTA (ZnE), low-yield ammonium-based lignosulphonate (ZnLY) and high-yield sodium-based lignosulphonate (ZnHY) for bean production was tested in growth chamber and incubation experiments. ZnS and ZnLY were more effective than ZnE and ZnHY in correcting Zn deficiency of bean plants. While biomass production was best with ZnS, ZnLY was more effective in increasing Zn-content in the foliage and in the formation of strong chelates in the soil. Key words: Zn-sulfate, Zn-EDTA, lignosulphonate, spent sulphite liquor, sulphite pulping

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Water balance assessment of Sajnam watershed, Lalitpur (U.P.)

Bhartiya Krishi Anusandhan Patrika ◽

10.18805/bkap163 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 34 (02) ◽

Author(s):

R. K. Jaiswal ◽

T. Thomas ◽

Jyoti P Patil ◽

Meeta Gupta ◽

V. C. Goyal

Keyword(s):

Water Balance ◽

Artificial Recharge ◽

Local Population ◽

Water Harvesting ◽

Balance Assessment ◽

Irrigation Project ◽

Main River ◽

Balance Analysis ◽

Demand Scenario ◽

Water Harvesting Structures

It is a well-known fact that it is not all possible to avoid droughts, but droughts can be managed to minimise the hardships of the local population. For this purpose, understanding of the supply-demand scenario is of utmost importance to understand the overall hydrology and planning needs of any watershed. It is in this direction, the comprehensive water balance analysis has been performed for the Sajnam watershed in Lalitpur district of Bundelkhand which is susceptible to regular and continuous droughts. The detailed water balance has been carried out after identification of important components and their quantification using the advance tools of Remote Sensing and GIS alongwith standard estimation techniques of individual components. It was observed that the runoff at the outlet of Sajnam basin is influenced by the water storage in the irrigation project located on the main river. The higher surface runoff of 668.53 MCM, 406.17 MCM, 343.46 MCM and 214.00 MCM is generated only during 2013-14, 2008-09, 2012-13 and 2010-11 respectively. During the remaining years, the runoff varied between 89.35 MCM and 209.81 MCM. Efforts can be initiated towards exploring the possibility of more water harvesting structures onthe lower order tributaries as well as artificial recharge measures depending on the hydro-geology of the watershed..

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The rise and fall of Anopheles arabiensis (Diptera: Culicidae) in a Tanzanian village

Bulletin of Entomological Research ◽

10.1017/s0007485300051993 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 85 (1) ◽

pp. 37-44 ◽

Cited By ~ 53

Author(s):

J.D. Charlwood ◽

J. Kihonda ◽

S. Sama ◽

P.F. Billingsley ◽

H. Hadji ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle ◽

Survival Rate ◽

Anopheles Arabiensis ◽

Light Trapping ◽

Population Decline ◽

Malaria Vectors ◽

General Applicability ◽

Dry Spell ◽

The Village

AbstractThe continual recruitment of new individuals makes it difficult to study both the survival of multivoltine mosquitoes, and the size of the infectious reservoir in narural populations of malaria vectors. During long-term surveillance of a population of Anopheles gambiae Giles sensu lato in a Tanzanian village by daily light trapping, a temporary dry spell resulted in the cessation of recruitment for a period of 33 days, and a decline in numbers of A. arabiensis Patton caught from over 2000 to less than 10 in a sentinel house. Traps placed elsewhere in the village indicated similar proportionate declines although numbers caught varied according to location. A survival rate of 83% per day was estimated from the rate of population decline. Survival was unrelated to the size of the mosquitoes. The infectious reservoir (the chance of a mosquito acquiring an infection) was estimated to be 2% per feed. The exploitation of fortuitous events which temporarily eliminate a single stage in the life cycle has general applicability in the study of the bionomics of multivoltine insects.

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