Effects of liming on soil pH and crop yield

Non-Peer ReviewedThe continuous use ammonium–based fertilizers in crop production have the tendency to acidify soils and threatened crop production in the long-term, leading to reduced crop yields. Conventional lime products used to remediate acidic soils are important costs to producers due to the higher rates of application. However, a lime product, SuperCal 98G, is said to alter pH over a short period of time even at lower application rates. This study was conducted to determine the impact of SuperCal 98G on soil pH, crop yield and net economic return after two years of lime application. The experiment was set up as a split-plot in a randomized complete block design with four replications. The one-time lime rates were 0, 300, 400, 500, 600 and 700 lbs/ac on canola and wheat in 2015. Soil pH (0-6") was estimated prior, during and after harvest to determine the effects of incremental lime rate in 2015 and 2016. Results from the study showed that, there were no significant effects of lime on all the response variables in 2015 growing season and the combined analysis. However, in the 2016 growing season, plant density in canola and plant vigor in wheat at the second reading were all significantly different. However, there is a propensity of increased pH to positively affect yield after two years of application. This is due to the significant positive correlation between yield and soil pH in canola (r2 = 0.56, P<.0001) and wheat (r2 = 0.37, P = 0.0098). Although liming in no-till systems may not result in crop yield responses, especially in the year of application, the continued use of ammonium –based fertilizers and the projected decline in soil pH suggests that, a proactive approach to soil management may be needed in the future. Finally, despite the negative net economic gain in the year of application and even a year following application, farmers should bear in mind that liming is a capital investment rather than an input and expect a net return after few years following application

Effects of novel non-bloat legumes on C and N pools in pasture systems

Non-Peer ReviewedImproved pasture systems have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and enhance soil organic carbon (SOC) to mitigate climate change. However, with intensive grazing, pastures can lose a considerable percentage of stored SOC because of lowered primary production and increased soil erosion. Degraded pastures with N-limited soils can be regenerated either through fertilization at soil-test recommended rates or inclusion of legume species such as alfalfa. Despite the predominant use of alfalfa in pasture regeneration within North America, its economic benefits for cattle are not fully realized because of frothy bloat leading to the inefficient use of its protein value. Therefore there is a renewed interest in novel non-bloat legumes such as Sainfoin and Cicer Milkvetch as alternatives. In spite of the successful use of Sainfoin and Cicer Milkvetch in pasture regeneration, their impacts on SOC and C sequestration have not been determined. The objective of this study as part of a broader study was to determine the effects of novel non-bloat legumes inclusion using the sod-seeded technique on labile and bulk C and N pools. The study hypothesized that; the inclusion of novel non-bloat legumes with different N2-fixation and photosynthetic capabilities in pasture systems could increase both labile and bulk C and N pools due to increased soil organic matter content and microbial population. After two years of incorporating non-bloat legumes in pasture systems, preliminary results showed SOC was significantly (P <.0001) higher on the upper slope compared to the lower slope position. The system can store between 45.1 ±5.47 to 75.7 ±4.21 Mg C ha-1, in the lower and upper slope positions, respectively, up to 1 m soil depth, with 50% of the SOC within the top 0-30 cm soil depth. Light fraction organic C and N, and dissolved organic C and total N followed the same trend as the SOC with upper slope position recording higher values compared to lower slope position. Baseline soil nutrients also proved that the pasture system has a closed nutrient cycling. Finally, irrespective of the legume species or cultivars, the C: N ratio is close to 10:1, suggesting a dynamic equilibrium may be due to the dominating presence of a microbial population. The closed nutrient cycling and the near equilibrium C: N ratio shows that after two years of pasture rejuvenation, the inclusion of non-bloat legumes using the sod-seeded technique has the potential to improve forage quality and reduce GHG emission footprint of pasture systems. Results would add to that of a broader study and would be beneficial to producers and policymakers within Canada and beyond for C accounting and credit purposes

Quantifying nitrogen fixation of agroforestry shrub species by the 15N natural abundance and dilution techniques under the greenhouse condition

Non-Peer ReviewedThe land use systems of the province of Saskatchewan has agroforestry trees such as sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.), caragana (Caragana arborescens Lam.) and buffaloberry (Shepherdia argentea Nutt.) as important components. They have been employed within the systems to perform functions such as ameliorating soil moisture, light and temperature through wind speed reduction and trapping snow. However, their N2-fixation capability has not been determined. Therefore in a greenhouse experiment conducted at the Agriculture greenhouse at the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada from January 2012 ̶ April 2012, the N2-fixation rates in the test species were evaluated to know their contributions to on-farm nitrogen management. After 120 days after planting, the shoot N derived from the atmosphere (%Ndfa) in the species ranged from 20-59%, 21-70% and 3-15% for caragana, sea buckthorn and buffaloberry, respectively. Also the whole plant %Ndfa in the species ranged from 18-47%, 49-54% and 38-41% for caragana, sea buckthorn and buffaloberry, respectively by both estimation methods. The contributions of the species to soil N were 73-91, 25-261 and 15-110 kg N ha-1 for caragana, sea buckthorn and buffaloberry, respectively by both methods. The amount was sufficient to meet the N requirements of most of the forage and grass species in the province which would progressively reduce the overreliance on synthetic fertilizers and minimize the risk of agrarian-derived soil and water pollution from inorganic nutrient sources

Universal scaling of the elliptic flow data at RHIC

Recent PHOBOS measurements of the excitation function for the pseudo-rapidity dependence of elliptic flow in Au+Au collisions at RHIC, have posed a significant theoretical challenge. Here we show that these differential measurements, as well as the RHIC measurements on transverse momentum satisfy a universal scaling relation predicted by the Buda-Lund model, based on exact solutions of perfect fluid hydrodynamics. We also show that recently found transverse kinetic energy scaling of the elliptic flow is a special case of this universal scaling.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl

Decomposition of Harmonic and Jet Contributions to Particle-pair Correlations at Ultra-relativistic Energies

Methodology is presented for analysis of two-particle azimuthal angle correlation functions obtained in collisions at ultra-relativistic energies. We show that harmonic and di-jet contributions to these correlation functions can be reliably decomposed by two techniques to give an accurate measurement of the jet-pair distribution. Results from detailed Monte Carlo simulations are used to demonstrate the efficacy of these techniques in the study of possible modifications to jet topologies in heavy ion reactions.Comment: Updated version to be published in PRC Rapid Com

Seeding rates for precision seeded canola

Non-Peer Reviewe

Has the QCD Critical Point been Signaled by Observations at RHIC ?

The shear viscosity to entropy ratio ($\eta/s$) is estimated for the hot and dense QCD matter created in Au+Au collisions at RHIC ($\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200$ GeV). A very low value is found $\eta/s \sim 0.1$, which is close to the conjectured lower bound ($1/4\pi$). It is argued that such a low value is indicative of thermodynamic trajectories for the decaying matter which lie close to the QCD critical end point.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures. Revised version, accepted for publication in PR

Assessing the Relationship between Short Birth-to-Pregnancy Interval and the Maternal and Perinatal Outcomes among Multiparous Women in Northern Ghana

Introduction: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends an optimal Birth-to-Pregnancy Interval (BPI) of 24-59 months, or a 33-month interval between two successive births, to reduce the risk of untoward maternal and newborn outcomes. Short Birth to Pregnancy Interval (SBPI) and unmet need for Family Planning (FP) are the major contributors to rapid population growth and increased maternal and newborn mortalities. The purpose of this study was to assess the adverse perinatal and maternal outcomes associated with SBPI among multiparous women in three municipalities of the Upper East Region (UER) of Ghana. Materials and Methods: We employed a cross-sectional design conducted among 904 women aged 15-49 attending Antenatal Care (ANC) clinics in three municipalities in the UER who had at least two successive live births prior to data collection. A multistage cluster sampling technique was employed to recruit respondents for this study. This was conducted in four steps. Out of the 46 health facilities, we randomly selected 25 respondents using the systematic random selection method. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire, incorporated into the electronic data collection tool (Kobo collect), and administered by trained research assistants. Birth interval was categorized according to the WHO’s classification: &lt;24 months as SBPI, 24-≥59 months as Optimal Birth to Pregnancy Interval (OBPI), and &gt;59 months as Long Birth to Pregnancy Interval (LBPI). Results: Of the 904 respondents, the majority (56.2%) had an OBPI, while 36.9% had a SBPI. Factors that influenced SBPI were parity, mode of delivery, and the educational status of woman’s partner. Participants with a higher parity (≥5 children) had 0.67 times the potential of spacing their births (AOR 0.67; 95% CI 0.46-0.98; p = 0.040). Women who experienced a Caesarean Section (CS) delivery were 3.28 times more likely to have LBPI (AOR 3.28; 95% CI 1.02–10.62; p=0.047). Respondents whose partners had secondary education had a 1.87 chance (AOR 2.07; 95% CI 1.09–3.96; p=0.027) of spacing their births. The birth complications reported were retained products of conception (41.9%), pregnancy-induced hypertension (27.9%), postpartum hemorrhage (11.6%), obstructed labor (10.5%), sepsis (38.1%), neonatal jaundice (23.8%), low birth weight (19%), and preterm birth (14.3%). Conclusion: A significant proportion of the participants in this study reported having a short duration between the birth of one child and the conception of the next. This was associated with various adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes, such as birth complications and mortalities. The study emphasizes the need for health professionals to address challenges in contraceptive uptake, especially among multiparous women, and promote optimal birth spacing to improve maternal and perinatal outcomes

Assessing the Relationship between Short Birth-to-Pregnancy Interval and the Maternal and Perinatal Outcomes among Multiparous Women in Northern Ghana

Introduction: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends an optimal Birth-to-Pregnancy Interval (BPI) of 24-59 months, or a 33-month interval between two successive births to reduce the risk of untoward maternal and newborn outcomes. Short Birth to Pregnancy Interval (SBPI), and unmet need for Family Planning (FP) are the major contributors to rapid population growth and increased maternal and newborn mortalities. The purpose of this study was to assess the adverse perinatal and maternal outcomes associated with SBPI among multiparous women in three municipalities of the Upper East Region (UER) of Ghana. &nbsp;Materials and Methods:The study employed the Cross-sectional Design conducted among 904 women aged 15-49 years attending Antenatal Care (ANC) clinics in three municipalities in the UER who had at least two successive live births prior to data collection. Data was collected using structured questionnaire, incorporated into the electronic data collection tool, Kobo collect and administered by trained research assistants. Birth interval was categorized according to the WHO’s classification, &lt;24 months as SBPI, 24-≥59 months as Optimal Birth to Pregnancy Interval (OBPI) and &gt;59 months as Long Birth to Pregnancy Interval (LBPI). Results: Of the 904 respondents, the majority (56.2%) had an OBPI, while 36.9% had a SBPI. Factors that influenced SBPI were parity, mode of delivery, and the educational status of women’s partner. Participants with a higher parity (≥5 children) had 0.67 times the potential of spacing their births (AOR 0.67; 95% CI 0.46-0.98; p = 0.040). Women who experienced a Caesarean Section (CS) delivery were 3.28 times more likely to have LBPI (AOR 3.28; 95% CI 1.02-10.62; p=0.047). Respondents whose partners had secondary education had a 1.87 chance (AOR 2.07; 95% CI 1.09-3.96; p=0.027) of spacing their births. The birth complications reported were retained products of conception (41.9%), pregnancy-induced hypertension (27.9%), postpartum hemorrhage (11.6%), obstructed labor (10.5%), sepsis (38.1%), neonatal jaundice (23.8%), low-birth-weight (19%), and preterm birth (14.3%). Conclusion and Global Health Implications: The study recommends health professionals in direct contact with maternal, reproductive, and child health to be proactive in FP counseling, and to support women decision making

Legume based pasture rejuvenation for greenhouse gas outcomes

Non-Peer ReviewedIncorporating legumes into a grass based pasture system has multiple benefits. A grass/legume blend increases the dietary protein of foraging cattle over grass alone. Furthermore, symbiotic biological nitrogen fixation introduces additional nitrogen to the pasture system thereby potentially lessening the need for synthetic fertilizers. However, over time, pastures initially seeded with a blend of grasses and legumes will tend towards increasing grass dominance such that the presence and benefits of legumes diminishes. Reestablishing legumes on a mature pasture can restore these important functions. By improving ruminant diet and therefore feed conversion ratios as well as decreasing nitrogen fertilizer applications, pasture rejuvenation, through the introduction of legumes, is expected to lower the greenhouse gas cost of grazing livestock on a per output basis. However, disturbance of soils, which can be part of various rejuvenation techniques, can result in losses of soil carbon thereby offsetting potential at least some of the greenhouse gas benefits. Sod-seeding may be an effective strategy to establish legumes in a mature pasture thereby incurring benefits without heavily disrupting soils and incurring soil carbon loss. To test this, a multiyear experiment, including cattle, vegetation (specifically the incorporation of non-bloat legumes: cicer milkvetch and sainfoin), soils and microbiota, was established near Lanigan, SK to examine the impact of sod-seeded legume pasture rejuvenation on greenhouse gases