scholarly journals Productivity and nutritional value of aboveground biomass of annual crops in companion sowings

2021 ◽  
pp. 57-61
Author(s):  
Т. V. Rodina ◽  
V. I. Zhuzhukin ◽  
А. N. Astashov
Keyword(s):  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Biomass Productivity ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Pure Form ◽  
Annual Crops ◽  
Lower Productivity ◽  
Dry Biomass ◽  
Feed Value

In order to develop stable feed agrophytocenoses, the most promising and low-cost direction in feed production is the cultivation of companion sowings. In order to study the productivity of complex cenoses of annual feed crops together with soybean there were field trials laid on the experimental plots of the FSBSI Russian Research and Project-technological Institute of sorghum and maize “Rossorgo” in 2015–2017. The purpose of the current study was to substantiate scientifically and practically the development of highly productive agrophytocenoses of annual feed crops in companion sowings with soybean. The analysis of green and dry biomass productivity values showed that in singlemillet species crops, the productivity was higher than in companion sowings with soybean, this is explained by the lower productivity of the legume component. The highest mean productivity of aboveground biomass for three years of study (18.84 t/ha) was given by Japanese millet in its pure form. Siberian and Italian millet formed mean productivity of 16.13 and 15.60 t/ha, respectively. The current paper has presented data on productivity and has studied feed advantages of single-species and two-species sowings. The introduction of soybean in the composition of companion sowings has increased the protein percentage on 26.75–30.78% in dry biomass of feed mixtures in comparison with single-species crops. Aboveground biomass of complex agrocenoses contained more oil, ash and less fiber. According to the variants of the trial, the oil content varied from 2.15 to 5.40%, with the maximum amount identified in soybean in its pure form (5.40%), and the minimum value of this trait was obtained in Japanese millet in its pure form (2.15%). It is worth noting that it is advisable to cultivate annual crops for feed purposes together with soybean, since the feed value of the cutting mass significantly improves.

scholarly journals HIGH FIDELITY DETECTION OF CROP BIOMASS QTL FROM LOW-COST IMAGING IN THE FIELD

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darshi Banan ◽  
Rachel Paul ◽  
Max Feldman ◽  
Mark Holmes ◽  
Hannah Schlake ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biomass Production ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Allelic Variation ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Abiotic Stress Tolerance ◽  
Light Attenuation ◽  
Biomass Productivity ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Ground Vehicles

Above-ground biomass production is a key target for studies of crop abiotic stress tolerance, disease resistance and yield improvement. However, biomass is slow and laborious to evaluate in the field using traditional destructive methods. High-throughput phenotyping (HTP) is widely promoted as a potential solution that can rapidly and non-destructively assess plant traits by exploiting advances in sensor and computing technology. A key potential application of HTP is for quantitative genetics studies that identify loci where allelic variation is associated with variation in crop production. And, the value of performing such studies in the field, where environmental conditions match that of production farming, is recognized. To date, HTP of biomass productivity in field trials has largely focused on expensive and complex methods, which – even if successful – will limit their use to a subset of wealthy research institutions and companies with extensive research infrastructure and highly-trained personnel. Even with investment in ground vehicles, aerial vehicles and gantry systems ranging from thousands to millions of dollars, there are very few examples where Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) detected by HTP of biomass production in a field-grown crop are shown to match QTLs detected by direct measures of biomass traits by destructive harvest techniques. Until such proof of concept for HTP proxies is generated it is unlikely to replace existing technology and be widely adopted. Therefore, there is a need for methods that can be used to assess crop performance by small teams with limited training and at field sites that are remote or have limited infrastructure. Here we use an inexpensive and simple, miniaturized system of hemispherical imaging and light attenuation modeling to identify the same set of key QTLs for biomass production as traditional destructive harvest methods applied to a field-grown Setaria mapping population. This provides a case study of a HTP technology that can deliver results for QTL mapping without high costs or complexity.

Otta Seals and Gravseals as Low-Cost Surfacing Alternatives for Low-Volume Roads: Experiences in South Africa

2003 ◽  
Vol 1819 (1) ◽  
pp. 338-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Oloo ◽  
Rob Lindsay ◽  
Sam Mothilal
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Low Volume Roads ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Traffic Volumes ◽  
Low Volume ◽  
To Come

The geology of the northeastern part of the province of KwaZulu–Natal, South Africa, is predominantly alluvial with vast deposits of sands. Suitable gravel sources are hard to come by, which results in high graveling and regraveling costs brought about by long haul distances and accelerated gravel loss. Most gravel roads carry fewer than 500 vehicles per day of which less than 10% are heavy vehicles. The high cost of regraveling has led to consideration of upgrading such roads to surfaced standard, even though traffic volumes do not justify upgrading. Traditional chip seals are expensive and cannot be economically justified on roads that carry fewer than 500 vehicles per day. The KwaZulu–Natal Department of Transport is actively involved in efforts to identify cost-effective alternative surfacing products for low-volume roads. Field trials were conducted with Otta seals and Gravseals, which have been used successfully in other countries, as low-cost surfacing products for low-volume roads. The Otta seal is formed by placing graded aggregates on a relatively thick film of soft binder that, because of traffic and rolling, works its way through the aggregates. Gravseal consists of a special semipriming rubberized binder that is covered by a graded aggregate. Both Otta seals and Gravseals provide relatively flexible bituminous surfaces suitable for low-volume roads. Cost savings are derived mainly from the broad aggregate specifications, which allow for the use of marginal materials.

scholarly journals Hobbit: Providing Fall Detection and Prevention for the Elderly in the Real World

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Bajones ◽  
David Fischinger ◽  
Astrid Weiss ◽  
Daniel Wolf ◽  
Markus Vincze ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Independent Living ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Fall Detection ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Human Robot Interaction ◽  
Service Robot ◽  
Emergency Situations

We present the robot developed within the Hobbit project, a socially assistive service robot aiming at the challenge of enabling prolonged independent living of elderly people in their own homes. We present the second prototype (Hobbit PT2) in terms of hardware and functionality improvements following first user studies. Our main contribution lies within the description of all components developed within the Hobbit project, leading to autonomous operation of 371 days during field trials in Austria, Greece, and Sweden. In these field trials, we studied how 18 elderly users (aged 75 years and older) lived with the autonomously interacting service robot over multiple weeks. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time a multifunctional, low-cost service robot equipped with a manipulator was studied and evaluated for several weeks under real-world conditions. We show that Hobbit’s adaptive approach towards the user increasingly eased the interaction between the users and Hobbit. We provide lessons learned regarding the need for adaptive behavior coordination, support during emergency situations, and clear communication of robotic actions and their consequences for fellow researchers who are developing an autonomous, low-cost service robot designed to interact with their users in domestic contexts. Our trials show the necessity to move out into actual user homes, as only there can we encounter issues such as misinterpretation of actions during unscripted human-robot interaction.

scholarly journals Effect of nitrogen on the distribution of biomass and element composition of the root system of miscanthus × giganteus

2015 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 547-560 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeljko Dzeletovic ◽  
Djordje Glamoclija
Keyword(s):  
Root System ◽  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Root Biomass ◽  
N Fertilization ◽  
Element Composition ◽  
Simple Experiment ◽  
Miscanthus Giganteus ◽  
Dry Biomass ◽  
Macro And Micronutrients ◽  
Mn Concentrations

Perennial bioenergy grass crops, despite a relatively similar production of aboveground biomass, show significant differences in the overall root biomass. Rhizomes play a key role in economizing nutrients in miscanthus. The aim of this research was to establish the effect of N (nitrogen) on the distribution of biomass and concentration of major macro- and micronutrients in the miscanthus root system, using simple experiment in pots. After two years of growth, the rhizomes and roots were taken out of the pots, cleaned of earth and analyzed. About 2/3 of the mass of the miscanthus root system consist of rhizome mass. The overall dry biomass of newly formed rhizomes and roots is decreased with the increase in the amount of applied N fertilization. Thereby, the N concentration in the entire root system, as well as in some of its parts, increased with the rise in applied amount of N. Our results show that increasing amounts of applied N consistently negatively correlate with P concentrations in the miscanthus root system, in contrast to Mn concentrations, with which they correlate positively.

scholarly journals Restoring the Soils of Nauru: Plants as Tools for Ecological Recovery

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Alexander Feary
Keyword(s):  
Biomass Production ◽  
Soil Type ◽  
Biomass Productivity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Small Degree ◽  
Tissue Type ◽  
Soil Restoration ◽  
Landscape Degradation ◽  
Germination Success

<p>The restoration of Nauru’s mined areas is fundamental to the future wellbeing of the people and ecosystems of Nauru. Extensive open cast phosphate mining on Nauru over the last 100 years has led to soil losses and landscape degradation to the extent that over 70% of this South-Western Pacific island state is now uninhabitable and almost all productive land has been lost. Significant landscape degradation has occurred and as a consequence the soils that remain are insufficient in volume and quality to achieve the Government’s restoration goals which support the long-term development of Nauru and the well-being of its people. The aim of this research is to evaluate aspects of cover-crop use as a means for soil restoration in Nauru. This research evaluates biomass production, phytoremediation potential, and germination success for a range of species in Nauruan soils. Field trials exploring biomass production and cadmium phytoextraction were performed, as was an experiment assessing the effects of cadmium on germination success. It was found that, in the circumstances assessed, biomass productivity was significantly determined by species, mulch use, soil type, and to a small degree – cadmium. Phytoextraction was significantly determined by tissue type. Germination success was not determined by soil cadmium, but soil type was a significant factor.</p>

scholarly journals Aboveground Biomass Stockpile of Trees in Vallanadu Blackbuck Sanctuary, Peninsular India

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 755-763
Author(s):  
M. Nagaraj M. Nagaraj ◽  
M. Udayakumar
Keyword(s):  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Forest Tree ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Dry Forests ◽  
Peninsular India ◽  
Tree Inventory ◽  
Individual Trees

A forest tree inventory study was conducted in Vallanadu Black buck sanctuary, Tuticorin. The current study was conducted to assess tree density, species richness, basal area (BA) and aboveground biomass (AGB) stockpile. The study area has been classified as Southern Thorn Forest (SFT). One hundred square plots (total area 1 ha), each 10m × 10m (100 m2 each) laid randomly across study area. All live trees with ≥5 cm diameter at breast height (DBH) measured at 137 cm above the ground. As the whole, 1335 individual trees ≥5cm DBH recorded. A total number of 18 species recorded from 14 genera and 11 families in study area. The family Mimosaceae has maximum number of species (7 species) followed by Rhamnaceae (2 species), while 9 families had just single species’ each. The total basal area recorded was 22.046 m2 ha-1, while, the mean wood density (WD) of trees estimated as 0.70±0.093 g cm-3. Total amount of 50.065 Mg ha-1 present in STF. The contribution of different species in terms of total AGB varied significantly. Commiphora berryi stocked 45.13% (22.588 Mg ha-1) of AGB followed by A. planifrons (23.31%, 11.669 Mg ha-1), A. mellifera (7.233%, 3.621 Mg ha-1), whereas remaining 15 species collectively stocked 24.327% (12.187 Mg ha-1) AGB. The STF had a large number of trees compared to some dry forests within Tamil Nadu. Southern Thorn Forest endowed with a moderate number of trees species. Aboveground biomass stockpile of trees is comparable with the range recorded from Indian dry forests. The study area experiences lesser mean annual rainfall and >6 months dry season. Further, endowed with short-bole and smaller leaved trees, hence stocked a relatively lesser AGB in trees.

Design and analysis of multi-year field trials for annual crops.

2020 ◽  
pp. 178-193
Author(s):  
Vivi N. Arief ◽  
Ian H. DeLacy ◽  
Kaye E. Basford
Keyword(s):  
Field Trials ◽  
Annual Crops

scholarly journals Low cost, high performance ultrafiltration membranes from glass fiber-PTFE–graphene composites

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Umar Khan ◽  
Sonia Biccai ◽  
Conor S. Boland ◽  
Jonathan N. Coleman
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Glass Fibre ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Graphene Nanosheets ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Composite Membranes ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Ultrafiltration Membranes ◽  
Alumina Membranes ◽  
Fibre Membrane

AbstractThe development of low-cost ultrafiltration membranes with relatively high flow rate and selectivity is an important goal which could improve access to clean water in the developing world. Here we demonstrate a method to infuse mixtures of graphene nanosheets and Teflon nanoparticles into ultra-cheap glass fibre membranes. Annealing the resultant composites leads to coalescence of the Teflon, resulting in very stable membranes with significantly enhanced mechanical properties. In filtration tests, while adding ~ 10 wt% graphene/Teflon to the glass fibre membrane decreased the flow rate by × 100, the selectivity improved by × 103 compared to the neat glass fibre membrane. This combination of selectively and flow rate was significantly better than any commercial membrane tested under similar circumstances. We found these membranes could remove > 99.99% of 25–250 nm diameter SiC nanoparticles dispersed in ethanol, transmitting only particles with diameters < 40 nm, performance which is superior to commercial alumina membranes. Field trials on dirty canal water showed these composite membranes to remove aluminium to a level × 10 below the EU limit for drinking water and reduce iron and bacteria contents to below detectable levels.

scholarly journals Performance and Profitability of Fungicides for Managing Soybean White Mold: A 10-Year Summary of Cooperative Trials

Plant Disease ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 103 (9) ◽  
pp. 2212-2220
Author(s):  
Jhonatan P. Barro ◽  
Maurício C. Meyer ◽  
Claúdia V. Godoy ◽  
Alfredo R. Dias ◽  
Carlos M. Utiamada ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Disease Incidence ◽  
Network Models ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
White Mold ◽  
Yield Data ◽  
Soybean Price ◽  
Cost Treatment ◽  
Untreated Check ◽  
Yield Responses

White mold, caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, is a yield-limiting disease of soybean in Brazil. Uniform fungicide trials have been conducted annually since 2009. Data from 74 cooperative field trials conducted over a 10-year period were assembled. We selected five fungicides applied two times around flowering: dimoxystrobin plus boscalid (DIMO+BOSC), carbendazim plus procymidone (CARB+PROC), fluazinam (FLUZ), fluopyram (FLUO), and procymidone (PROC). For comparison, thiophanate-methyl (TMET) applied four times was also included as a low-cost treatment. Network models were fitted to the log of white mold incidence (percentages) and log of sclerotia mass data (grams/hectare) and to the nontransformed yield data (kilograms/hectare) for each treatment, including the untreated check. Back-transformation of the meta-analytic estimates indicated that the lowest and highest mean (95% confidence interval [CI]) percent reductions in incidence and sclerotia mass were 54.2 (49.3 to 58.7) and 51.6% (43.7 to 58.3) for TMET and 83.8 (79.1 to 87.5) and 87% (81.9 to 91.6) for CARB+PROC, respectively. The overall mean (95% CI) yield responses ranged from 323 kg/ha (247.4 to 400.3) for TMET to 626 kg/ha (521.7 to 731.7) for DIMO+BOSC, but the variance was significantly reduced by a binary variable (30% threshold) describing disease incidence in the untreated check. On average, an increment of 352 kg/ha was estimated for trials where the incidence was >30% compared with the low-disease scenario. Hence, the probability of breaking even on fungicide costs for the high-disease scenario was >65% for the more effective, but more expensive fungicide (FLUZ) than TMET. For the low-disease scenario, profitability was less likely and depended more on variations in fungicide cost and soybean price.

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