Increased vegetation ground cover reduces water, sediment and phosphorus losses in Cambisol treated with swine slurry

This study aims to evaluate the influence of the ground cover rate by crop residues and the rain time elapsed after the application of liquid swine slurry (LSS) under losses of water, sediments, and phosphorus (P). The study was carried out under a Humic Cambisols. Two areas were delimited: with and without the application of LSS. Each area was subdivided into four levels of crop residues: 5%, 35%, 65%, and 95%. Vegetable residues present in the area, from corn and black oat, were used. Three collecting gutters of 0.60 m² were installed in each subplot. Simulated rain was carried out on these, and the runoff volume collected for quantification and determination of losses. With LSS application, increase in the cover rate by crop residues reduces 0.3 mm h-1 the runoff volume and 1.67 mg m-2 reactive soluble P (H2O-P). The sediment losses in the first collection after the beginning of the rain were 23 times lower in the soil with 95% ground cover than in the soil with 5% ground cover. The loss of total P (total-P) decreases with the increase of the ground cover of the soil and increases in the same way with the increase of the time.

Stochastic Modeling for Estimating Real-Time Inundation Depths at Roadside IoT Sensors Using the ANN-Derived Model

This paper aims to develop a stochastic model (SM_EID_IOT) for estimating the inundation depths and associated 95% confidence intervals at the specific locations of the roadside water-level gauges, i.e., Internet of Things (IoT) sensors under the observed water levels/rainfalls and the precipitation forecasts given. The proposed SM_EID_IOT model is an ANN-derived one, a modified artificial neural network model (i.e., the ANN_GA-SA_MTF) in which the associated ANN weights are calibrated via a modified genetic algorithm with a variety of transfer functions considered. To enhance the reliability and accuracy of the proposed SM_EID_IOT model in the estimations of the inundation depths at the IoT sensors, a great number of the rainfall induced flood events as the training and validation datasets are simulated by the 2D hydraulic dynamic (SOBEK) model with the simulated rain fields via the stochastic generation model for the short-term gridded rainstorms. According to the results of model demonstration, Nankon catchment, located in northern Taiwan, the proposed SM_EID_IOT model can estimate the inundation depths at the various lead times with high reliability in capturing the validation datasets. Moreover, through the integrated real-time error correction method integrated with the proposed SM_EID_IOT model, the resulting corrected inundation-depth estimates exhibit a good agreement with the validated ones in time under an acceptable bias.

Durability of Sustainable Ceramics Produced by Alkaline Activation of Clay Brick Residue

Alkali-activated materials (AAMs) were produced using residues from the red ceramic industry as a precursor, and sodium hydroxide (NaOH), potassium hydroxide (KOH), and sodium silicate (Na2SiO3) as alkaline activators. The effect of activators and curing conditions on physical-mechanical properties and durability were evaluated. The processing parameters (amount of water and consistency index) and the activation conditions (the activator contents and curing temperature) were defined based on an experimental design getting the flexural rupture module as the response. The durability behavior was evaluated by natural aging, accelerated aging (simulated rain test), exposure to the marine environment (salt fog), and acidic environments (HCl and H2SO4). The results showed that the NaOH- and KOH-activated samples exhibited inferior mechanical behavior than those activated with Na2SiO3. In the durability studies, due to leaching, there was a decrease in mechanical strength when samples are subjected to aggressive exposure conditions. However, the strength values are still higher than the minimum indicated for traditional ceramic applications.

Human Factors Assessment of Pavement Marking Retroreflectivity in Simulated Rain and Dry Conditions

Pavement marking retroreflectivity standards are typically developed with dry conditions in mind, however, driving at night during rainfall is seemingly one of the most challenging and stressful situations for a driver. Furthermore, existing research indicates continuous wet retroreflectivity is relatively weakly correlated with dry retroreflectivity and deteriorates differently over time, leading to the obvious conclusion that dry retroreflectivity standards alone are not enough to ensure that pavement markings meet the needs of drivers across the breadth of roadway conditions that may occur. Consequently, developing standards for minimum continuous wet retroreflectivity for new installations and for maintenance purposes represents an important area for research. This study aims to develop new installation and maintenance values for continuous wet retroreflectivity based on a multifaceted, closed-course study of detectability of pavement markings in simulated rain and dry conditions. A series of 20 pavement marking samples was evaluated in relation to detection distance and subjective rating. The results of the study indicated that pavement markings need to be maintained at a continuous wet retroreflectivity value of 50 mcd/m2/lux based on a participant pool that skewed older in age, but that likely represents something close to the 85th-percentile driver. Additional salient findings included observed wet retroreflectivity loss in the existing literature of approximately 7% per month, as well as the maximum preview time in simulated rain conditions being substantially lower than in dry conditions.

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE MANAGEMENTS TO CONTROL SOIL EROSION

High rates of soil erosion compromise sustainable agriculture. In rainfed agricultural fields, erosion rates several orders ofmagnitude higher than the erosion rates considered tolerable have been quantified. In Mediterranean rainfed crops suchas vineyards, almonds and olive groves, and in the new sloping citrus and persimmon plantations, the rates of soil lossmake it necessary to apply measures to reduce them to avoid collapse in agricultural production. Managements such asweeds, catch crops and mulches (straw and pruning remains) are viable options to achieve sustainability. This work appliesmeasurements through plots, simulated rainfall experiments and ISUM (Improved Stock-Unearhing method) to quantifythe loss of soil at different temporal and spatial scales in fields of traditional management (herbicide or tillage) and underalternative management (mulches and plant covers). The work carried out at the experimental station for the study of soilerosion in the Sierra de Enguera and those of Montesa and Les Alcusses provide information on erosion plots undernatural rain. Experiments carried out with simulated rain in fields of olive, almond, citrus, persimmon, vineyard and fruittrees report the hydrological and erosive response under low frequency and high intensity rains. And finally, the ISUMtopographic method report the impact of long-term management, from the plantation. The results indicate that the loss ofsoil is greater (x10-1000) in soils under traditional management (tillage and herbicide) due to the fact that they remain barefor most of the year. The use of straw mulch immediately reduces soil erosion by two orders of magnitude. Also mulchesfrom chipped pruned branches remains are very efficient but require more years to reduce soil loss. Weeds and catchcrops are very efficient in controlling erosion.

Development of white-grain pre-harvest sprouting tolerant and pyramided protein-rich leaf rust resistant wheats using molecular breeding

The present study was undertaken for developing pre-harvest sprouting tolerant (PHST) wheat genotypes using marker-assisted backcross breeding (MABB). A major QTL for PHST was introgressed into an elite Indian wheat cv. Lok1 that is PHS susceptible. These PHST lines were also pyramided with one gene each for high grain protein content (Gpc-B1) and leaf rust resistance (Lr24). For introgression of PHST QTL, initially Lok1 was separately crossed with each of the two donors (PHS tolerant white-grained AUS1408 and CN19055). Backcrossing in each generation was followed by foreground and background selections using SSR markers. In advanced lines, KASP assay was also carried out for the candidate gene TaMKK3-A underlying the PHST QTL. The MAS derived lines homozygous for PHST QTL were screened for PHS using simulated rain chambers resulting in the selection of 10 PHST lines. For pyramiding of three QTL/genes (PHST QTL, Gpc-B1, and Lr24), MABB derived BC4F2 plants (from the cross Lok1/CN19055) were crossed with a MAS derived BC2F5 line [Lok1 (Gpc-B1 + Lr24)] developed earlier by us in the same background of Lok1. After foreground MAS followed by PHS screening, four advanced lines carrying all the three QTL/genes in homozygous condition were selected. These lines exhibited high level of PHST (PHS score 2–3) associated with significant improvement in GPC with no yield penalty and resistance against leaf rust under artificial epiphytotic conditions.

Dimorphic cocoons of the robin moth, Hyalophora cecropia, reflect the existence of two distinct architectural syndromes

The architectural design of animal structures forms part of an individual's extended phenotype that can be subjected to strong selection pressures. We examined cocoon architectural dimorphism in robin moths (Hyalophora cecropia), which construct multilayered silk-woven cocoons that possess either ‘baggy’ or ‘compact’ morphology. These dimorphic cocoons reflect extended phenotypes that can enable survival during a critical developmental period (pupal stage to adult emergence), with cocoons occurring either sympatrically or as monomorphic groups across different climatic regions in North America. We hypothesized that cocoon dimorphism is related to the cocoon's role as a mediating barrier for moisture. We predicted that the macro- and micro-architectural differences between the cocoon-morphs would be consistent with this function. We compared the cocoon-morphs in their orientation when spun under natural field conditions, examined how these orientations affected cocoon water absorption under simulated rain trials, and performed material surface tests to compare the hydrophobicity of cocoons. We found that compact cocoons had traits that increased water resistance, as they had significantly greater hydrophobicity than baggy cocoons, because they absorbed less water and released water vapor faster. In contrast, the increased water absorptiveness of baggy cocoons can allow for greater moisture retention, a function related to the prevention of desiccation. Our study suggests that cocoon dimorphism in robin moths reflects distinct architectural syndromes, in which cocoons are spun to optimize either water resistance or retention. These different functions are consistent with strategies that act to respond to uncertain external environmental conditions that an individual might encounter during development.

How weakened cold pools open for convective self-aggregation

<p>In radiative-convective equilibrium (RCE) simulations, convective self-aggregation (CSA) is the spontaneous organization into segregated cloudy and cloud-free regions. Evidence exists for how CSA is stabilized, but how it arises favorably on large domains is not settled. Using large-eddy simulations (LES), we link the spatial organization emerging from the interaction of cold pools (CPs) to CSA. We systematically weaken simulated rain evaporation to reduce maximal CP radii, <em>R</em><sub>max</sub>, and find reducing <em>R</em><sub>max</sub> causes CSA to occur earlier. We further identify a typical rain cell generation time and a minimum radius, <em>R</em><sub>min</sub>, around a given rain cell, within which the formation of subsequent rain cells is suppressed. Incorporating <em>R</em><sub>min</sub> and <em>R</em><sub>max</sub>, we propose a toy model that captures how CSA arises earlier on large domains: when two CPs of radii <em>r</em><sub><em>i</em>,<em>j </em></sub>∈ [<em>R</em><sub>min</sub>, <em>R</em><sub>max</sub>] collide, they form a new convective event. These findings imply that CPs play a crucial role in RCE simulations by preventing the onset of CSA.</p>