Primed acclimation of cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) through the use of deficit irrigation timed to crop developmental periods

Water-deficits and high temperatures are the predominant factors limiting peanut production across the U.S., either because of regional aridity or untimely rainfall events during crucial crop developmental periods. In the southern High Plains of west Texas and eastern New Mexico, low average annual rainfall (450. mm) and high evaporative demand necessitates the use of significant irrigation in production systems. In this west Texas study, the primary objective was to develop irrigation schemes that maximized peanut yield and grade while reducing overall water consumption. Therefore, a large-scale field experiment was established in 2005 and 2006 that utilized 15 treatment combinations of differing rates of irrigation (50, 75, and 100% of grower applied irrigation) applied at different periods of peanut development (early, middle, and late season). Precipitation patterns and ambient temperatures showed greater stress levels in 2006 which likely reduced yields across all treatments in comparison to 2005. Yields were reduced 26 (2005) and 10% (2006) in the lowest irrigation treatment (50% full season) compared with full irrigation (100% full season); but early-season water deficit (50 and 75% in the first 45. days after planting) followed by 100% irrigation in the mid- and late-seasons were successful at sustaining yield and/or crop value. Root growth was significantly enhanced at 50% irrigation compared with 100% irrigation, through greater root length, diameter, surface area, and depth, suggesting greater access to water during mid- and late-season periods. These results suggest that early to mid-season deficit irrigation has the potential to maintain peanut yield without altering quality, and to substantially reduce water use in this semi-arid environment

Efficient and Low-Cost Water Remediation for Chitosan Derived from Shrimp Waste, an Ecofriendly Material: Kinetics Modeling, Response Surface Methodology Optimization, and Mechanism

International audienceThe hydrothermal production of chitosan from the carapaces of gray shrimp was carried out, and the obtained material was characterized via X-ray diffraction analysis, infrared spectroscopy, and pH zero-charge point, giving the expected results. Orange G dye adsorption onto synthetized chitosan was investigated in a batch system, the kinetic study was well-described by a nonlinearized pseudo-second-order model, and the equilibrium data indicated that the nonlinear Langmuir form was appropriate to describe the adsorption system with a maximum adsorption capacity of 34.63 mg/g compared with that found experimentally of 31.9 mg/g. The influences of most of the operating parameters, such as pH, adsorbent concentration, temperature, initial dye concentration, and contact time, were studied. These five independent variables acting on the adsorption performance of Orange G were selected for optimization and modeling processes through a central rotating composite design using response surface methodology (RSM). The percentage of removal of Orange G by chitosan prepared from shrimp shells was predicted with a second-degree polynomial equation, and the postulated model was valid and represented well the phenomenon studied in the experimental domain, with an R2 = 0.98 and an RAdj = 0.95. An initial Orange G concentration of 10 mg/L, a pH of 6.5, a chitosan amount of 0.3 g/L, a temperature of 25 °C, and an adsorption time of 450 min were found to be the optimum conditions in batch mode for the maximum uptake of Orange G (removal of 97.43%)

Combined Immunomagnetic Separation-Molecular Beacon-Reverse Transcription-PCR Assay for Detection of Hepatitis A Virus from Environmental Samples

In this study, a molecular-beacon-based real-time reverse transcription (RT)-PCR assay was developed to detect the presence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) in environmental samples. A 125-bp, highly conserved 5′ noncoding region of HAV was targeted. The sensitivity of the real-time RT-PCR assay was tested with 10-fold dilutions of viral RNA, and a detection limit of 1 PFU was obtained. The specificity of the assay was demonstrated by testing with other environmental pathogens and indicator microorganisms, and only HAV was positively identified. When combined with immunomagnetic separation, the real-time RT-PCR assay successfully detected as few as 20 PFU in seeded groundwater samples. Because of its simplicity and specificity, this assay has broad applications for the rapid detection of HAV in contaminated foods or water