The interaction between potassium and magnesium red yellow podzolic soils with laterite and its effect on nutrition of coconut palms

The interaction between plant available potassium and magnesium in highly leached red yellow podzolic soild with laterite in southern coastal area of Sri Lanka and its effect on coconut palm was studies in a 3*2K*Mg factorial experiment that consisted of 3 levels of potassium and 2 levels of magnesium fertilizer application to coconut palms in plots. Five years after continuation of treatment application, soil samples were taken from top soils (0-20 cm) and sub soils (20-40cm) at monthly intervals for 10 months and analyzed for exchangeable potassium and magnesium (1M ammonium acetate extraction at pH 7.0) and water soluble potassium and magnesium (1:10soil/water ratio). Leaf samples taken from the 14 frond at bimonthly intervals were analyzed for potassium and magnesiu.. The results showed that the application of potassium fertilizer decreased the quantity of both exchangeable and water extractable magnesium and magnesium fertilizer decreased the quantity of exchangeable potassium in soils. The mutual decreasing effect on the exchangeable fraction of each nutrient is attributed to low cation exchange capacity and base saturation of the soils. The close association of the coconut leaf nutrient contents with soil nutrient status implies that poor chemical characteristics of red yellow podzolic soils bring about imbalance of potassium and magnesium nutrition in coconut palms

Use of coir dust on the productivity of coconut on sandy soils

Sandy soils in the coconut triangle often impose limitations such as poor nutrient retention and moisture availability on the growth of the coconut palm. The physical properties of such soils has to be improved for in creasing coconut production. Imcorporation of coir dust into soils, which is an organic waste of coconut fibre industry is one of the options. A series of laboratory experiments were conducted to evaluate the capability of coir dust of different age to retain water and nutrient and to investigate the suitable mixing ratio of coir dust and soil to ameliorate the moisture status and pore size distribution of the sandy soils. Soil physical characters of coir dust/sand mixtures such as pore size distribution, capillary rise, water retentionand reduction pattern of different ratio of coir dust and soil were determined. Chemical characteristics of coir dust were also determined to study its environmental sustainability. Chemical characteristics showed that coir dusts are poor in nutritional value but high in nutrient retention capacity and it is highly resistant to environmental biodegradation. The available water capacity measured in coir dust aged from 0 to 20 years indicated that the quantity of available water increased from 122.7% in fresh to 222.4% in 20 years old material (g/g). The increase in available water chowed a linear trend witha age of coir dust (r=0.913;P0.001) and the rate was 5% per annum.The water content at field capacity (10kPa suction) progressively increased up to the application rate of 21,000 Kg coir dust/ha and thereafter remained constant up to the rate of 62,000 Kg coir dust/ha beyond which it again gradually increased. The results, suggest that the optimum rate of coir dust incorporation into sandy soil is 21,000 Kg coir dust/ha (6.3% or 1:15 CD/sand; vol. vol.) and the use of old coir dust up to 20 years is more beneficial for amelioration of soil physical and chemical characteristics when compared to fresh coir dust

Performance of Medium term Agro-Forest treespecieson hard Laterite Soils

A long term research was initiated in 1999 using medium term agro-forest trees in a shallow Andigama series soils having a hard laterite gravel layer. The present paper focuses on the growth and survival of the medium term forest tree species planted in 1999 and theirperformance by the year 2016. Acacia species had the fastest (

Conceptualising the solitude experience of solo female travellers : exploring the interplay of aloneness, social presence, and interactions : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Marketing at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Recent statistics in the travel and tourism industry show that the majority of the solo travel market is made up of solo female travellers (SFTs), the numbers of which are steadily increasing over time. Consequently, destination management organisations (DMOs) find SFTs as a flourishing market that creates many opportunities. In response, DMOs offer certain customised service amenities targeting SFTs, such as women-only hotels or floors. However, this research offers a deeper understanding of the multifaceted needs and experiences of SFTs in their travel discourse. Therefore, this study provides knowledge for DMOs to design more inclusive and diverse offerings when catering to this distinctive traveller segment. The existing literature is well-established in terms of the underlying needs of SFTs. Solitude is identified as one of the prime needs of SFTs and a key feature that defines present and future SFTs. Further, the various benefits of solo female travelling (for example, independence, relaxation, and self-learning) can be broadly linked with the benefits of solitude as a restorative experience. Even though existing literature identifies solitude as a need of SFTs, it is not informed about how solitude is experienced in the solo travel context. In their solo travel, SFTs encounter both solo and non-solo episodes that may shape one's solitude experience in a consumption context. Hence, the investigation of how solitude experiences of women in their solo travel discourse are shaped by their context, and the presence of and interaction with others, makes an original contribution to the literature. Focusing on the importance of solitude, this study argues that solitude as a travel need of SFTs may be influenced by the social presence of others and entail certain interpersonal dynamics (tourist-to-tourist interactions, tourist-to-service person interactions, and tourist-to-local interactions). Therefore, this research aimed to investigate how women experience and fulfil their need for solitude in their solo travel pursuits. To this end, a qualitative study was conducted. Thirty-four in-depth interviews were completed with SFTs who had travelled solo internationally. The narratives were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings emphasised the multiplicity of solitude as a travel need. Solitude was not a stand-alone experience. Instead, SFTs’ solitude experiences were multilayered, entailing differing levels of aloneness and interactions that were situational and context-bounded. SFTs found the presence of non-interactive others as a means of experiencing safe solitude. Further, the interactions within their desired levels and comfortable zones enhanced their solitude experience highlighting the possibilities of acceptable interactions within one’s solitude experience. Therefore, solitude in a bounded interactive sense can be understood in a way which is distinctive from the conventional solitude experience. On the other hand, the findings revealed certain interactive social presences of locals, other travellers, and service persons were beyond SFTs’ desires and were intrusive towards experiencing solitude. These intrusions contribute to the literature on the effects of social presence and territorial intrusions in distinctive consumption contexts. In responding towards intrusive experiences, SFTs used certain response strategies depending on the intruder. In the event of intrusions caused by locals and other travellers, SFTs mostly handled the incidents on their own. This study found complaining to be a novel response strategy of SFTs in the event of intrusive service persons, highlighting the non-complaining behaviour of SFTs with certain unique underlying reasons for suppressing complaints. Besides complaining as a novel response strategy in consumer territorial intrusion, reasons for non-complaining, also contribute to the wider literature on the complaining behaviour of solo female consumers, which could be applied in various other consumption contexts. These findings and the associated interpretations have implications for DMOs in designing solo female travelling-friendly servicescapes and offerings for women who travel with distinctive travel needs