Effects of metalaxyl on agronomic traits of zero tannin lentil

Non-Peer ReviewedThe seed coat of lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus) contains tannin precursors which oxidize during storage, discolouring seed from the normal olive green to deep brown. Seed coats of zero tannin (ZT) lentil do not discolour during storage due to the absence of these tannin precursors. ZT lentil has a thinner, more delicate seed coat than standard lentils. Thus, ZT lentil seed is highly susceptible to mechanical damage and germinating seeds have a high frequency of seed rot. The effect of fungicide on seedling emergence and other agronomic traits of ZT lentil was investigated using a split-plot design replicated three times for two years. The main effect was lentil lines and the split effect was untreated seed vs. seed treated with the fungicide metalaxyl (6g a.i./100 kg seed). Seedling emergence of ZT lentil was greatly improved following fungicidal seed treatment with metalaxyl. Fungicidal seed treatment had no effect on agronomic traits of ZT lentil, other than seedling emergence and seed yield. Commercial production of ZT lentil must involve fungicidal seed treatment and special precautions during seeding, harvesting, and cleaning to minimize mechanical damage to the seeds. These ZT lines did not yield competitively with Eston or Laird lentil. A second cycle of hybridization of the better ZT lentil lines to adapted lines followed by selection for yield should increase the frequency of high yielding ZT lentil lines

Experimental Investigation of Wind-induced Response of Span-wire Traffic Signal Systems

The purpose of this investigation was to identify key design parameters that might significantly affect the response of span wire traffic light systems during extreme wind events. The performance of these systems was assessed through physical testing in an effort to quantify the effect of sag ratio, wire tension and wire clearance. The Wall of Wind experimental facility at Florida International University was utilized for testing the systems at different wind speeds and wind directions. The findings showed that, at all tested wind directions, lift, drag and tension forces increased with increasing wind speeds. On the contrary, increasing the wind speed resulted in higher inclination on the traffic lights, lower drag coefficients and higher lift coefficients. Overall, when the wind was approaching from the rear face of the traffic signals, increased drag coefficients were recorded. When the sag was set at 7% lower drag coefficients were observed

Compensation in epitaxial cubic SiC films

Hall measurements on four n-type cubic SiC films epitaxially grown by chemical vapor deposition on SiC substrates are reported. The temperature dependent carrier concentrations indicate that the samples are highly compensated. Donor ionization energies, E sub D, are less than one half the values previously reported. The values for E sub D and the donor concentration N sub D, combined with results for small bulk platelets with nitrogen donors, suggest the relation E sub D (N sub D) = E sub D(O) - alpha N sub N sup 1/3 for cubic SiC. A curve fit gives alpha is approx 2.6x10/5 meV cm and E sub D (O) approx 48 meV, which is the generally accepted value of E sub D(O) for nitrogen donors in cubic SiC

Trifloxystrobin based seed treatment fungicides control seed rot and pre-emergence damping-off of canola, pulses, and corn

Non-Peer ReviewedActive ingredient Trifloxystrobin belongs to the strobilurin class of fungicides which possess improved safety and environmental characteristics. The objective of this research was to evaluate the efficacy of seed treatment fungicides based on Trifloxystrobin to control seed rot and pre-emergence damping off of canola, pulses, and corn crops. In 2004-2006, canola, pulses, and corn trials were conducted in Saskatchewan (Aberdeen, Allan, Indian Head, and Wakaw), Alberta (Vegreville), and Manitoba (High Bluff). The experimental design used was a randomized complete block design with four replications. Seed treatments fungicide tested were Trilex FL (trifloxystrobin [10g]/100 kg of seed); Trilex AL (trifloxystrobin [5g] + Allegiance FL (metalaxyl) [4g]/100 kg of seed); and Trilex FL (trifloxystrobin [5g]/100 kg of seed) tank mixed with Allegiance FL (metalaxyl) [2g]/100 kg of seed) Plants were counted at 14 to 28 days after planting. Data were analyzed using an ANOVA. Trifloxystrobin based seed treatment fungicides possessed excellent efficacy for controlling seed rot and pre-emergence damping-off of canola, pea, lentil, chickpea, and corn crops grown in soils infected with Rhizoctonia solani or Fusarium avenaceum

Evaluation of carbon isotope discrimination as selection criteria for yield and water use efficiency in lentil

Non-Peer Reviewe

Use of carbon isotope discrimination to indirectly select for improved seed yield in lentil

Non-Peer ReviewedCarbon isotope discrimination (CID) has been proposed as a secondary trait to indirectly select for improved water use efficiency and seed yield. To determine the effectiveness of CID to indirectly select for seed yield, ten diverse lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus) cultivars were grown at four locations in Saskatchewan in 1992 and 1993. Variability for CID was present among these lentil cultivars and no crossover interactions were observed. The phenotypic correlation between seed yield and CID of leaves at early flowering (CIDLF) was 0.82** (df=8). However, this highly significant relationship resulted from the extreme early maturity of PI 244026. Previous research has shown that CID values decrease with maturity and PI 244026 flowers about 15 days earlier than the other lentil lines. When PI 244026 lentil was removed, variability in CID was greatly reduced and the correlation between CIDLF and seed yield approached zero (r = 0.22, df=7). These results suggest that CIDLF cannot be used to indirectly select for seed yield in lentil

Influence of local fullerene orientation on the electronic properties of A3C60 compounds

We have investigated sodium containing fullerene superconductors Na2AC60, A = Cs, Rb, and K, by Na-23 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy at 7.5 T in the temperature range of 10 to 400 K. Despite the structural differences from the Rb3C60 class of fullerene superconductors, in these compounds the NMR line of the tetrahedrally coordinated alkali nuclei also splits into two lines (T and T') at low temperature. In Na2CsC60 the splitting occurs at 170 K; in the quenched cubic phase of Na2RbC60 and Na2KC60 we observe split lines at 80 K. Detailed investigations of the spectrum, spin-spin and spin-lattice relaxation as well as spin-echo double resonance (SEDOR) in Na2CsC60 we show that these two different tetrahedral sites are mixed on a microscopic scale. The T and T' sites differ in the orientation of first-neighbor C60 molecules. We present evidence that the orientations of neighboring molecules are uncorrelated. Thermally activated molecular reorientations cause an exchange between the T and T' sites and motional narrowing at high temperature. We infer the same activation energy, 3300 K, in the temperature range 125 to 300 K. The spin lattice relaxation rate is the same for T and T' down to 125 K but different below. Both the spin-lattice relaxation rate and Knight shift are strongly temperature dependent in the whole range investigated. We interpret this temperature variation by the effect of phonon excitations involving the rigid librational motion of the C60 molecules. By extending the understanding of the structure and molecular dynamics of C60 superconductors, these results may help in clarifying the effects of the structure on the superconducting properties.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures, submitted to PR