Thermally and solutally convective radiation in MHD stagnation point flow of micropolar nanofluid over a shrinking sheet

A numerical study of hydromagnetic radiative stagnation point flow of micropolar nanofluid passed through a shrinking sheet is reported. Magnetic field is utilized in transverse direction. Nonlinear system of partial differential equations is converted into system of nonlinear ordinary ones by applying similarity transformations. Convective types of boundary conditions are applied on temperature and concentration. RKF45 technique is applied to investigate the numerical results of different dimensionless physical parameters in graphical and tabular forms. It is visualized that the increasing values of Biot numbers correspond to enhancement in temperature and nanoparticle volume distributions. Further, we observed that the increasing values of thermophoretic and Brownian motion parameters have reverse effects on nanoparticle volume fraction. Keywords: Micropolar nanofluid, MHD, Shrinking sheet, Brownian motion, Thermophoresi

Optimization of pre-sowing magnetic field doses through RSM in pea

Seed pre-sowing magnetic field treatment was reported to induce biochemical and physiological changes. In the present study, response surface methodology was used for deduction of optimal magnetic field doses. Improved growth and yield responses in the pea cultivar were achieved using a rotatable central composite design and multivariate data analysis. The growth parameters such as root and shoot fresh masses and lengths as well as yield were enhanced at a certain magnetic field level. The chlorophyll contents were also enhanced significantly vs. the control. The low magnetic field strength for longer duration of exposure/ high strength for shorter exposure were found to be optimal points for maximum responses in root fresh mass, chlorophyll ‘a’ contents, and green pod yield/plant, respectively and a similar trend was observed for other measured parameters. The results indicate that the magnetic field pre-sowing seed treatment can be used practically to enhance the growth and yield in pea cultivar and response surface methodology was found an efficient experimental tool for optimization of the treatment level to obtain maximum response of interest

Water use efficiency and rain water productivity of wheat under various tillage-glyphosate interactive systems

Rainfed wheat is generally grown in rotation with summer fallow in medium to high rainfall zone of Pothwar plateau of Pakistan. The present study was, therefore, conducted to investigate the impact of shallow and deep tillage practices, with and without herbicide (glyphosate) application, on moisture conservation and subsequent wheat yields. The study also aimed to examine the feasibility of substituting intensive shallow tillage with single application of glyphosate. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with three replicates and net plot size of 14 m x 10 m, during 2007 and 2008 at two locations i.e high and medium rainfall. Wheat cultivar “GA-2002” was planted as a test crop. The data showed the superiority of conservation tillage in terms of conservation of moisture and increasing grain yields. Results also elaborated that tillage cannot be completely eliminated for profitable fallow management. However, deep ploughing with moldboard followed by single application of glyphosate proved potential option for substituting shallow tillage carried out during summer (kharif). The additional benefits under this tillage system included saving in fuel, labour and lower depreciation and maintenance costs for tillage machinery in addition to unquantifiable environmental benefits