Rhizobacteria as bioenhancer and biofertilizer for growth and yield of banana (Musa spp. cv. ‘Berangan’)

Banana, an important fruit crop, requires high amounts of fertilizers for commercial cultivation, which is costly and can be hazardous to the environment when used excessively. Inoculations of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) have been shown to produce beneficial effects through growth stimulation in legumes and cereals, and an attempt has been made to use rhizobacteria in bananas. Three experiments were conducted to observe the effects of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) inoculation on root stimulation and colonization, nutrient absorption, growth and yield of bananas (Musa spp. cv. ‘Berangan’, AA type). The results showed that inoculation together with 33% N improved the bioenhancing activity by increasing root and shoot growth, and photosynthetic rate. The PGPR inoculation with 33% N-fertilizer also increased the Ca uptake capacity resulting in higher Ca concentration in root, corm and pulp but increased the Mg concentration in the root only. In addition, the total accumulation of nutrients was heavily influenced by PGPR inoculation due to enhanced root proliferation. The PGPR inoculation greatly increased the bunch yield (35–51%). The strains Sp7 and UPMB10 were evaluated for their N2 fixing capacities in association with banana roots by 15N isotopic dilution technique and acetylene reduction assay (ARA). The results conclusively showed that roots of PGPR-inoculated plants fixed N2 and produced higher ARA values and inoculated plants together with the least N-fertilizer supply showed the highest amount of nitrogen derived from atmosphere (Ndfa). The findings from the above studies demonstrated that PGPR strains (Sp7 and UPMB 10) inoculation with minimal N-fertilizer supply are effective as a bioenhancer for increasing plant growth, nutrient uptake and yield of bananas

The influence of different tariffs schemes on electricity consumption for the UK domestic buildings.

yesElectricity Suppliers in competitive electricity markets commonly respond to prices changes which are fluctuating over time, but most consumers respond to the price changes as reflected on their electricity bills. Almost all consumers pay fixed tariffs for their consumption without distinctions based on usage time, so these consumers have had no incentives to reduce their use during the peak times. This paper aims to analyze the influence of different tariff schemes on consumer behaviours in UK domestic buildings. A realistic half hourly electricity load profile for different types of UK households that based mainly on public reports and statistics has been generated. This load profile data were used to help calculate the expected change in consumers' bills under standard tariffs offered from different suppliers to what the cost of electricity would be under time varying tariff (economy7 tariff) and to estimate of how much consumers would shift their load in response to price changes without changing total consumption, for which the results are presented and discussedMSCR

Determination of static voltage stability-margin of the power system prior to voltage collapse.

yesVoltage instability problems in power system are an important issue that should be taken into consideration during the planning and operation stages of modern power system networks. The system operators always need to know how far the power systems from voltage collapse in order to apply suitable action to avoid unexpected results. This paper propose a review of some static voltage stability indices found in the literature to study voltage collapse reveals that various analytical tools based on different concept to predict voltage collapse phenomena. These static voltage stability indices present reliable information about the closeness of the power system to voltage collapse and identification of the weakest bus, line and area in the power network. A number of static voltage stability indices have been proposed in the literature, but in this only four of them will be considered. The effectiveness of these indices is demonstrated through studies in IEEE 14 bus reliability test system. The results are discussed and key conclusion presented.MSCR

Identifying the nature of domestic load profile from a single household electricity consumption measurements.

yesDetailed electricity load profile for domestic building is an important requirement for the accurate analysis of demand side management. The use of electrical appliances within domestic buildings varies significantly with respect to time, mainly in accordance with the activity and behaviour of the occupants. This paper presents results from a monitoring study of electrical energy consumption profiles for One UK household (two adults with children). Measurements for whole household electricity consumption have been obtained over a period of ten months. They were all obtained at one minute interval. Monthly energy consumptions, daily and overall profiles were derived for this household type from the monitored data. It is intended that the results presented in this paper can be used in the quest for a precise forecast method for electricity consumption for occupants living in the same type of household in the UK. This will allow greater confidence in the sizing of, e.g., adopting renewable energy sources in this type of household. Further investigation is needed for a large sample of households to improve the understanding of monitoring high resolution domestic energy consumption.MSCR