25 years of tillage effects on wheat production in a continuous cropping system

Non-Peer ReviewedHeat stress occurs often in wheat on the Canadian Prairies especially during grain growth (from anthesis to maturity), which has a markedly negative impact on yield (McCaig 1997). Under no-till management (NT), surface residue and stubble act as insulation and impede the exchange rate of thermal energy between the soil and the atmosphere, and the superior soil moisture of NT compared to conventional tillage (CT) can buffer the extremes in daily soil temperatures. It is, therefore, possible that the cooling effect of NT could alleviate the root heat stress of wheat. Under a continuous wheat cropping system on a Thin Black Chernozemic clay loam in central Alberta, Wang et al (2007) found that the near-surface soil temperature of NT was lower than that of CT throughout the growing season, which reduced the risk of root heat stress and benefited grain yield and biomass. The objective of this study was to investigate whether a similar effect of NT is present in southwestern Saskatchewan

Health conditions and support needs of persons living in residential facilities for adults with intellectual disability in Western Cape Province

Background: Intellectual disability (ID) is a relatively high-incidence disability, with an increased risk of poor physical and mental health. Persons with ID also have lifelong support needs that must be met if they are to achieve an acceptable quality of life. Little is known about these health conditions and support needs in the African context. This study examines persons over the age of 18 years with ID in residential facilities in Western Cape Province. OBJECTIVE: To analyse the health conditions and support needs of persons with ID in Western Cape Province. METHOD: A survey of residents' health conditions and support needs was conducted in face-to-face interviews with the managers of 37 out of 41 identified facilities. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The survey comprised 2 098 residents (54% of them female), representing less than 2% of the estimated population of persons with ID in the province. The survey suggests that such persons experience a wide range of health conditions (notably mental health and behavioural issues) but have limited access to general health care and rehabilitation services. Furthermore, the daily living supports required for an acceptable quality of life are limited. The findings highlight the need for better health and support provision to persons with ID

SBND: Status of the Fermilab Short-Baseline Near Detector

SBND (Short-Baseline Near Detector) will be a 112 ton liquid argon TPC neutrino detector located 110m from the target of the Fermilab Booster Neutrino Beam. SBND, together with the MicroBooNE and ICARUS-T600 detectors at 470m and 600m, respectively, make up the Fermilab Short-Baseline Neutrino (SBN) Program. SBN will search for new physics in the neutrino sector by testing the sterile neutrino hypothesis in the 1 eV 2 mass-squared region with unrivaled sensitivity. SBND will measure the un-oscillated beam flavor composition to enable precision searches for neutrino oscillations via both electron neutrino appearance and muon neutrino disappearance in the far detectors. With a data sample of millions of neutrino interactions (both electron and muon neutrinos), SBND will also perform detailed studies of the physics of neutrino-argon interactions, even in rare channels. In addition, SBND plays an important role in an on-going R & D effort within neutrino physics to develop the LArTPC technology toward many-kiloton-scale detectors for next generation long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments. The design details and current status of the detector is presented here

Long-term straw management and N fertilizer rate effects on soil organic C and N, and some chemical properties in a Gray Luvisol

Non-Peer Reviewe

The effect of pulse crop rotation and controlled-release urea on the N accumulation and end-use quality of CWRS wheat

Non-Peer ReviewedSpring wheat was grown at Carman in 2000 and 2001, and at Brandon, MB, in 2001, on field pea and flax stubble at three rates of N (0, 30, and 90 kg N ha-1) supplied as ammonium nitrate (AN) or controlled release urea (CRU), a polyurethane-coated urea. Wheat was grown in 2000 and 2001 at Swift Current, SK, on field pea and durum stubble at three rates of urea N (34, 50, and 78 kg N ha-1) based on soil test recommendations. Wheat grown on field pea stubble (P-W) had higher protein content (PC) than wheat grown on flax/durum stubble (F-W) at four of the five sites evaluated. Contrary to expectations, post-anthesis apparent net mineralized N and proportion of total N uptake were higher for F-W compared to P-W at the Carman 2000 and Brandon 2001 sites. Differences between fertilizer N sources were minor. Breadmaking quality of the wheat end-use quality was also assessed. At the same flour protein content (FPC), P-W had a shorter Mixograph dough development time, work input-to-peak, dough strength index, and breakdown resistance, and also tended to be more extensible than F-W