Contributing Area and Concentration Effects on Herbicide Removal by Vegetative Buffer Strips

Deteriorated water quality due to nonpoint source pollution from herbicides is one of the environmental problems receiving attention this decade. One off-site best management practice (BMP) being suggested to improve water quality is vegetative buffer strips. This study was conducted on a Storden loam soil, under simulated rainfall (6.35 cm/h), to determine the effects of nominal inflow concentration (0.1 and 1.0 mg/L) and the ratio of drainage area to vegetated buffer strip area (simulated to be 15:1 and 30:1) on the efficiency of vegetative buffer strips (12.2 m long) in removing herbicides dissolved in runoff water. Four treatments (2 ¥ 2 factorial) replicated three times were included in the study. Three inflow samples (each integrated over 15 min) and nine outflow samples (each integrated over 5 min) were collected from each plot and analyzed for three herbicides. Reductions of 41, 39, and 38% from plots having a relative area ratio of 15:1, and 37, 35, and 34% from plots having a relative area ratio of 30:1 were measured, respectively, for atrazine, metolachlor, and cyanazine. Although the percentage of removal decreased for the larger area ratios for each herbicide, the decreases were not significant. Reductions of 29, 30, and 28% from plots having 0.1 mg/L nominal inflow concentration, and 49, 44, and 45% from plots having 1.0 mg/L nominal inflow concentration were measured, respectively, for atrazine, metolachlor, and cyanazine. The differences between reductions for the nominal inflow concentrations were significant. Using a bromide tracer, it was determined that the major factor in reduction of herbicide transport was infiltration of inflow into the vegetative buffer strips

Effectiveness of Buffer Strips in Reducing Herbicide Losses

In an effort to reduce the amount of herbicide lost with sediment and water in runoff from a field, farmers are considering using best management practices (BMP\u27s) related to land, crop, and pesticide management. Conservation tillage, pesticide incorporation, contour farming, filter strips and setbacks from water, terraces, contour farming, and pesticide application timing are just a few of the BMP\u27s that could be considered. These practices allows farmers to be competitive in the market, as well as allowing them to effectively use fertilizers and pesticides with minimal losses to the environment. One BMP being strongly recommended today is the use of vegetative filter strips and/ or buffer strip. Vegetative filter strips can be defined as a strip of land that lies between the runoff area from a field and the runoff exit or drainage site at the edge or within the field. For example, a strip of grass might be placed between a fields watershed and a stream, or a strip may be placed radially around a tile inlet within a field. The benefits of such a strip would be the filtering effects of sediment and pesticides as the runoff passes over the grass. The roughness of the grassed surface would also slow down the runoff velocity, allowing potential for increased infiltration and sedimentation. Buffer strips can be defined as an area where no chemical has been applied so as to act as a buffer between an chemically applied area and a point of departure from the field. This could also be defined as a setback area. For the remainder of this paper, the term buffer strip, with or without vegetation, will be used for simplification

Protecting Scattered Database by Enforcing Data Preservation Using Data Protection Facilitator

In this paper we are incorporating data preservation in scattered database structure i.e. method of preserving data in scattered database structure and having secure access over it. In this paper data preservation is examined and solution is provided on the aforesaid condition. This paper is a summarized concept of documentation, authorization, access control and encryption that are main points to be taken in consideration in data preservation in scattered database structure. We propose a new method for secure access based on service provider comprising security application. This model set out for safe search on server and user relation. In this paper we used heuristic approach for preservation for scattered database system regarding security, as the importance of secure access is increasing in scattered domains on different issues, in this way we enhanced the database security in Scattered database environment

Analyses of intra-annual density fluctuation signals in Himalayan cedar trees from Himachal Pradesh, western Himalaya, India, and its relationship with apple production

Intra-annual density fluctuation (IADF) refers to anatomical changes in the tree ring caused by a sudden change in wood density triggered by a combination of climate variations and various biotic and abiotic influences. To reveal the occurrence of IADFs, we analyze the growth rings of Himalayan cedar (Cedrus deodara) growing over the Kullu region, Himachal Pradesh, western Himalaya. Using 30 increment cores, we precisely dated and developed a 214-year-long tree-ring chronology extending back to AD 1808. The tree–growth–climate relationship using ring-width chronology and observed climate data revealed that cool and moist condition provides favorable condition for Himalayan cedar tree growth. Delving deeper into wood anatomy of growth rings, we revealed the frequent occurrences of IADFs in both earlywood (IADFe) and latewood (IADFl). The formation of IADFs in earlywood (IADFe) is related to the reduced precipitation from April to July, causing moisture stress in the soil and surrounding climate. However, wetter conditions in the late growing season, mainly August–October, activated the formation of IADFs in latewood (IADFl). The study revealed several IADF years in earlywood and latewood, such as 1901, 1902, 1903, 1914, 1915, 1919, 1920, 1923, 1925, 1943, 1958, 1959 and 1937, 1955, 1956, 1988, respectively. These IADF years corresponded with unusual climatic fluctuations that severely affected apple production, the major cash crop in the region. The analyses demonstrated that the IADF chronology of Himalayan cedar would be a valuable proxy to understand abrupt and unusual climatic fluctuations from a long-term perspective for the data-scarce western Himalayan region

Reciprocal Relationship Between HDAC2 and P-Glycoprotein/MRP-1 and Their Role in Steroid Resistance in Childhood Nephrotic Syndrome

Background: Reduced HDACs levels have been reported in steroid resistant chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchial asthma patients. P-glycoprotein (P-gp) over expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) has been reported in patients with steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome (NS). Whether and how HDACs and P-gp are linked with each other is not clear, especially in NS patients.Aim: To evaluate mRNA expression of P-gp/MRP-1 and HDAC2 in PBMCs of steroid sensitive (SSNS) and steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) patients, and determine the relationship between expression of HDAC2 and P-gp/ MRP-1in NS patients.Methods: Twenty subjects (10 in each group), SSNS (mean age 7.54 ± 3.5 years), and SRNS (mean age 8.43 ± 3.8 years) were recruited. mRNA expression of HDAC2 and P-gp/MRP-1 was studied by quantitative real time PCR. PBMCs were treated with Theophylline, 1 μM, and Trichostatin A, 0.8 μM, for 48 h for induction and suppression of HDAC2, respectively.Results: At baseline, expression of P-gp (4.79 ± 0.10 vs. 2.13 ± 0.12, p < 0.0001) and MRP-1 (3.99 ± 0.08 vs. 1.99 ±0.11, p < 0.0001) on PBMCs were increased whereas, HDAC2 mRNA levels (2.97 ± 0.15 vs. 6.02 ± 0.13, p < 0.0001) were significantly decreased in SRNS as compared to that of SSNS patients. Compared to baseline, theophylline reduced mRNA expression of P-gp and MRP-1 (fold change 2.65 and 2.21, *p < 0.0001 in SRNS) (fold change 1.25, 1.24, *p < 0.0001 in SSNS), respectively. However, it increased the expression of HDAC2 (fold change 5.67, *p < 0.0001 in SRNS) (fold change 6.93, *p < 0.0001 in SSNS). Compared to baseline, TSA treatment increased mRNA levels of P-gp and MRP-1 (fold change 7.51, 7.31, *p < 0.0001 in SRNS) and (fold change 3.49, 3.35, *p < 0.0001 in SSNS), respectively. It significantly decreased the level of HDAC2 (fold change 1.50, *p < 0.0001 in SRNS) (fold change 2.53, *p < 0.0001 in SSNS) patients.Conclusion: Reduced HDAC2 and increased P-gp/MRP-1 activity may play a role in response to steroids in childhood NS. HDAC2 and P-gp/MRP-1 are in reciprocal relationship with each other

An advanced draft genome assembly of a desi type chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important pulse legume crop. We previously reported a draft genome assembly of the desi chickpea cultivar ICC 4958. Here we report an advanced version of the ICC 4958 genome assembly (version 2.0) generated using additional sequence data and an improved genetic map. This resulted in 2.7-fold increase in the length of the pseudomolecules and substantial reduction of sequence gaps. The genome assembly covered more than 94% of the estimated gene space and predicted the presence of 30,257 protein-coding genes including 2230 and 133 genes encoding potential transcription factors (TF) and resistance gene homologs, respectively. Gene expression analysis identified several TF and chickpea-specific genes with tissue-specific expression and displayed functional diversification of the paralogous genes. Pairwise comparison of pseudomolecules in the desi (ICC 4958) and the earlier reported kabuli (CDC Frontier) chickpea assemblies showed an extensive local collinearity with incongruity in the placement of large sequence blocks along the linkage groups, apparently due to use of different genetic maps. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based mining of intra-specific polymorphism identified more than four thousand SNPs differentiating a desi group and a kabuli group of chickpea genotypes

Tree-ring footprints of drought variability in last ∼300 years over Kumaun Himalaya, India and its relationship with crop productivity

We reconstructed Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), a metric of drought, using tree-ring width chronologies of Himalayan cedar (Cedrus deodara (Roxb.) G. Don) prepared from two ecologically homogeneous settings in the Kumaun Himalaya, India. The reconstruction employing first principal component of the two site chronologies in linear regression model helped in extending 7-month SPI of May (SPI7-May) back to 1720 CE. The calibration model capturing 60% of variance in the observed SPI series (1902–1967) is the strongest so far from the Indian region. On achieving such a robust tree-ring calibration we are of the opinion that SPI should provide a better option to develop long-term drought records for the data scarce Himalayan region. The SPI reconstruction revealed high year-to-year variability with 1816 (SPI −1.92) and 1737 (SPI +2.33) the driest and the wettest years respectively. The five year mean of reconstructed SPI revealed multiyear droughts in 1920–1924, 1782–1786, 1812–1816, 1744–1748, 1964–1968 and pluvial phases in 1911–1915, 1723–1727, 1788–1792, 1758–1762 and 1733–1737. The SPI7-May was found to be significantly correlated with wheat-barley productivity data of Almora in Kumaun, close to our tree ring sites (r = 0.60, two-tailed p < 0.0001). However, we observed that the wheat-barley productivity data, to some extent, were better correlated with 7-month SPI of April (SPI7-April) (r = 0.69, two-tailed p < 0.0001). The difference in relationship of wheat-barley productivity and SPI of above two periods is largely due to the prevailing crop phenology in the region. The wheat and barley crops sown in October–November are usually harvested in May when the Himalayan cedar trees are in active vegetation phase of seasonal growth in Almora region. We observed strong and significant correlation in SPI7-May and SPI7-April (r = 0.75, two-tailed p = 0.0001) underpinning that the tree-ring derived SPI7-May could also be taken as a proxy of wheat-barley production in Almora region. This observation also stands for the past as we noted that most of the droughts recorded in our reconstruction (SPI <1) were associated with rabi crop failures in the Kumaun Himalaya. The findings of this study establish that the SPI7-May developed from tree rings should serve as an important base line data to quantify the impact of droughts on forest as well as rabi crop productivity in hilly terrains of the Kumaun Himalaya in long-term perspective.by Sandhya Misra, et. a

Effectiveness of Buffer Strips in Reducing Herbicide Losses

In an effort to reduce the amount of herbicide lost with sediment and water in runoff from a field, farmers are considering using best management practices (BMP's) related to land, crop, and pesticide management. Conservation tillage, pesticide incorporation, contour farming, filter strips and setbacks from water, terraces, contour farming, and pesticide application timing are just a few of the BMP's that could be considered. These practices allows farmers to be competitive in the market, as well as allowing them to effectively use fertilizers and pesticides with minimal losses to the environment. One BMP being strongly recommended today is the use of vegetative filter strips and/ or buffer strip. Vegetative filter strips can be defined as a strip of land that lies between the runoff area from a field and the runoff exit or drainage site at the edge or within the field. For example, a strip of grass might be placed between a fields watershed and a stream, or a strip may be placed radially around a tile inlet within a field. The benefits of such a strip would be the filtering effects of sediment and pesticides as the runoff passes over the grass. The roughness of the grassed surface would also slow down the runoff velocity, allowing potential for increased infiltration and sedimentation. Buffer strips can be defined as an area where no chemical has been applied so as to act as a buffer between an chemically applied area and a point of departure from the field. This could also be defined as a setback area. For the remainder of this paper, the term buffer strip, with or without vegetation, will be used for simplification.</p