Impact of cow and poultry manures on seed yield of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) in sandy regosol

A field experiment was carried out in the Eastern region of Sri Lanka to feasibility evaluate the effect of cow and poultry manures as a basal application on seed yield of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) in sandy regosol. It was experimented in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with seven treatments and three replicates. They included inorganic (control) and organic (cow and poultry manures at the different ratios: 5:0, 4: 1, 3:2, 2:3, and 0:5 w/w) fertilizer applications. Air dried organic manures were applied two weeks before planting and other agronomic practices were done as recommended. The results revealed that the number of mature fruits per plant, number of seeds per mature fruit, oven dried weight of mature fruit per plant, air and oven dried weights of seeds per mature fruit increased by 45.86%, 29.22%, 62.33%, 1 1.29%, 34.9%, and 34.58% respectively 3:2 ratio of cow and poultry manures when compared to the control treatment. The same exhibited significantly (P<0.05) higher seed yield (0.85 kg/plot, plot size was 7.2 m2) than other tested treatments. The combined use of cow and poultry manures at 3:2 ratio therefore, could be used to substitute the inorganic basal fertilizer application for seed production of okra in sandy regosol

Growth performance of groundnut (arachis hypogaea L.) seeds from organically and Inorganically treated plants

A field experiment was carried out at the Agronomy farm of the Eastern University, Sri Lanka in 2010 to study the growth performance of groundnut plants developed from seeds which were harvested from both organic and inorganic fertilized plants. Treatments were assigned according to the seed stock from recommended inorganic fertilized plants (T 1), no fertilizer (T2) and from the plants grown with 5, 10, 15 and 20 t ha-I cattle manure (T3, T4, T5 and T6 respectively). The experimental design was randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. All agronomic practices were uniform to all treatments except plant materials. Growth measurements were taken and analyzed statistically. The results showed that difference in treatments significantly influenced plant growth of groundnut mostly after flowering stage. Among the treatments, plants developed from groundnut seeds which were collected from 15 t/ha cattle manure fertilized field (T5), exhibited significantly (P<0.05) higher dry weights of leaves (12.51 g), stem (16.09 g), root (0.61 g) and nodule (0.19 g) per plant than that in recommended inorganic fertilizer (T 1). Further it was noted that dry weight of immature pods per plant was high in T5 (17.38 g) than that in Tl (15.80 g) at 1 0th week after planting however there was no significant variation between them. Plant biomass (46.78 g) was significantly (P<0.05) higher at 10th week after planting the progeny of groundnut from 15 t ha-I of cattle manure than that from chemical fertilizer. In the Eastern region, farmers mostly harvest their groundnut product at the immature stage due to marketing and storage problem. The result revealed that cattle manure could be used by farmers for better crop production in sandy regosol

Applications of electrified dust and dust devil electrodynamics to Martian atmospheric electricity

Atmospheric transport and suspension of dust frequently brings electrification, which may be substantial. Electric fields of 10 kVm-1 to 100 kVm-1 have been observed at the surface beneath suspended dust in the terrestrial atmosphere, and some electrification has been observed to persist in dust at levels to 5 km, as well as in volcanic plumes. The interaction between individual particles which causes the electrification is incompletely understood, and multiple processes are thought to be acting. A variation in particle charge with particle size, and the effect of gravitational separation explains to, some extent, the charge structures observed in terrestrial dust storms. More extensive flow-based modelling demonstrates that bulk electric fields in excess of 10 kV m-1 can be obtained rapidly (in less than 10 s) from rotating dust systems (dust devils) and that terrestrial breakdown fields can be obtained. Modelled profiles of electrical conductivity in the Martian atmosphere suggest the possibility of dust electrification, and dust devils have been suggested as a mechanism of charge separation able to maintain current flow between one region of the atmosphere and another, through a global circuit. Fundamental new understanding of Martian atmospheric electricity will result from the ExoMars mission, which carries the DREAMS (Dust characterization, Risk Assessment, and Environment Analyser on the Martian Surface)-MicroARES (Atmospheric Radiation and Electricity Sensor) instrumentation to Mars in 2016 for the first in situ measurements

The SuperCam Instrument Suite on the Mars 2020 Rover: Science Objectives and Mast-Unit Description

On the NASA 2020 rover mission to Jezero crater, the remote determination of the texture, mineralogy and chemistry of rocks is essential to quickly and thoroughly characterize an area and to optimize the selection of samples for return to Earth. As part of the Perseverance payload, SuperCam is a suite of five techniques that provide critical and complementary observations via Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), Time-Resolved Raman and Luminescence (TRR/L), visible and near-infrared spectroscopy (VISIR), high-resolution color imaging (RMI), and acoustic recording (MIC). SuperCam operates at remote distances, primarily 2-7 m, while providing data at sub-mm to mm scales. We report on SuperCam's science objectives in the context of the Mars 2020 mission goals and ways the different techniques can address these questions. The instrument is made up of three separate subsystems: the Mast Unit is designed and built in France; the Body Unit is provided by the United States; the calibration target holder is contributed by Spain, and the targets themselves by the entire science team. This publication focuses on the design, development, and tests of the Mast Unit; companion papers describe the other units. The goal of this work is to provide an understanding of the technical choices made, the constraints that were imposed, and ultimately the validated performance of the flight model as it leaves Earth, and it will serve as the foundation for Mars operations and future processing of the data.In France was provided by the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES). Human resources were provided in part by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and universities. Funding was provided in the US by NASA's Mars Exploration Program. Some funding of data analyses at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) was provided by laboratory-directed research and development funds

A Dynamic Approach to Trust and Distrust in a Global Virtual Team

International audienc

Swelling irradiation creep and mechanical properties of Ti-stabilized austenitic steels irradiated as phenix fuel pins

Communication to : Specialist meeting on cladding and wrapper materials, Obninsk, june,1992SIGLEAvailable at INIST (FR), Document Supply Service, under shelf-number : RM 1237 / INIST-CNRS - Institut de l'Information Scientifique et TechniqueFRFranc

Synoptic distribution of dayside aurora: Multiple-wavelength all-sky observation at Yellow River Station in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard

International audienceObservations acquired from three-wavelength (427.8, 557.7 and 630.0 nm) all-sky imagers (ASIs) at Yellow River Station (YRS) in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, are used to examine the synoptic distribution of dayside aurora. The results demonstrate that the maximum emission regions (MERs) at each wavelength are all located in the postnoon sector, but have rather different magnetic local time (MLT) distributions from each other. The so-called 15 MLT “hot spot” is the overlapping region of the MERs at three wavelengths, and the prenoon “warm spot” is characterized uniquely by an increase of emissions at the 557.7 nm wavelength. The detailed dayside auroral spectra and morphology as a function of MLT are discussed

Auroral Small-and Meso-Scale Structures, Origin and Function

International audienceDiscrete auroral arcs regularly display small- and meso-scale distortions that can appear suddenly and move with speeds that are not related to plasma speeds in the ionosphere but rather represent properties of the acceleration processes in the magnetosphere. The temporal and spatial structure of each small-scale structure is thus evidence for its distinct dynamic role in the interaction between the hot magnetospheric and the cold, dense ionospheric plasmas. We analyzed passes of Reimei and FAST over the network of THEMIS Ground-Based Observatories (GBO) with all-sky cameras to combine small- and medium-scale auroral imaging with in-situ measurements of the precipitating particles in order to determine the properties and characteristics of auroral arcs and embedded small-scale structures. The THEMIS or Cluster spacecraft provided additional measurements of magnetospheric plasma and the GBO magnetometers allowed for the determination of ionospheric currents and their dynamic changes. The combination of in-situ and remotely determined auroral arc properties allowed for the complete characterization of a substorm breakup arc and embedded small-scale structures. We find consistency between theoretical expectations and observed values for arc and fold speeds and dimensions. The leading edge of the breakup arc with Alfvenic accelerated electrons exhibits the fastest fold speeds while the wider inverted-V arc shows less structure and internal speeds. Twin vortex shear flows observed by two of the THEMIS spacecraft are related to the poleward expansion of the breakup arc, the development of the substorm current wedge, and the appearance of a strong upward/downward current system. The scale size and motion of the small-scale structures signifies the dynamics of the magnetospheric plasma and the acceleration processes responsible for their generation