Responses in growth, yield and cob protein content of baby corn (Zea mays L.) to amendment of an acid sulphate soil with lime, organic fertiliser and biochar

Cropping of acid sulfate soils requires effective treatment of their inherently low pH. We evaluated the efficacy of applications of two levels of lime (0 or 2 Mg/ha), two levels of organic fertiliser (0 or 5 Mg/ha), and three levels of biochar (0, 10 or 30 Mg/ha) in a factorial design for ameliorating acidity in an acid sulfate soil, and measured the subsequent growth and yield of baby corn (Zea mays L.). Lime increased soil pH(H2O) from 3.75 to 4.12, salinity from 1.72 to 1.95 dS/m, and cob yield by 30%. None of the amendments significantly altered total organic carbon or total nitrogen concentrations in the soil. Biochar additions increased cob yields by an average of 28% on both unlimed and limed soil. Addition of organic fertiliser increased cob yield by 45% on unlimed soil but had no significant effect on yields on limed soil. The yields obtained with liming were similar to the highest yields achieved with biochar or organic fertiliser applied either separately or in combinations. Overall, cob yields were increased by 19% with addition of organic fertiliser. The yield increseas from additions of biochar or organic fertiliser were associated with improvements in nutrient supply. However, the increases in cob yield were associated with reduced cob protein, probably resulting from poor availability of nitrogen late in the season. We conclude that biochar and organic fertiliser applied in relatively large quantities can be viable treatments for cropping acid sulfate soils

Enhancing carbon sequestration in soil with coal combustion products: a technology for minimising carbon footprints in coal-power generation and agriculture

Coal-fired power generation and agriculture account for more than half of global greenhouse gas emissions, but the coal fly ash (CFA) produced in the former can be a resource for reducing emissions from agriculture to minimise environmental footprints in both industries. Our aim in this study was to test how acidic and alkaline CFA addition could minimise loss of C and N from acidic soil, with or without added manure. We determined composition and structural characteristics of acidic and alkaline CFA for their capacity to adsorb organic carbon, but observed poor adsorption because of low concentrations of cenospheres and unburnt carbon as the primary absorbents in the ash. Addition of CFA had no impact on the loss of carbon or nitrogen from unmanured soil in which concentrations of these nutrients were low. Loss of carbon from manured soil was reduced by 36% with alkaline ashes and by 3-fold with acidic ashes; while loss of N was 30–50% lower with acidic ashes, but 28% higher with alkaline ashes, compared with no ash treatment. The increases in C sparing with CFA addition were achieved not by direct C absorption but by restraining microbial population and respiration, and potentially emissions. Alkaline CFA increased soil pH and if used to substitute just 10% of lime for ameliorating soil acidity would reduce CO2 emission associated with the mining of the lime and its eventual dissolution in soil by ~ 2.66 Tg or 2.8% of Australia’s annual agricultural emissions. High concentrations of oxides of phosphorus, silicon, titanium and clay particles in acidic ashes, and oxides of cations in alkaline ashes, were associated with potential for promoting C storage and acidity amelioration in soil

Knowledge Assessment of Anti-snake Venom Among Healthcare Practitioners in Northern Nigeria

Introduction: Anti-snake venom (ASV) is the standard therapy for the management of snakebite envenoming (SBE). Therefore, the knowledge of ASV among healthcare practitioners (HCPs) is essential for achieving optimal clinical outcomes in snakebite management. This study aimed to assess knowledge of ASV among the HCPs in northern Nigeria. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study involving eligible HCPs from different healthcare settings in northern Nigeria. The participants were recruited into the study using a combination of online (via Google Form) and face-to-face paper-based survey methods. The ASV knowledge of the respondents was measured using a validated anti-snake venom knowledge assessment tool (AKAT). Inadequate overall knowledge of ASV was defined as scores of 0-69.9%, and 70-100% were considered adequate overall knowledge scores. The predictors of ASV knowledge were determined using multiple logistic regression. Results: Three hundred and thirty-one (331) eligible HCPs were included in the study analysis (310 from online and 21 from paper-based survey). Overall, an estimated 12.7% of the participants had adequate knowledge of ASV. Adequate ASV knowledge was higher among physicians compared with other HCPs (21.7%; X-2 =8.1; p=0.04). Those without previous training on ASV (adjusted odds ratio [a0R], 0.37; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.18-0.73; p= 0.004) and who have not previously administered/dispensed ASV (aOR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.15-0.63; p \u3c 0.001) were less likely to have adequate knowledge of ASV. Conclusion: The knowledge of ASV among healthcare practitioners in northern Nigeria is grossly inadequate. Experience with administering or dispensing ASV predicts ASV knowledge. Therefore, appropriate interventions are needed to improve ASV knowledge, particularly among the HCPs, for optimal healthcare outcomes

Carbon nanotubes and graphene oxide applications in optochemical sensors

Simple and sensitive ethanol sensors based on uncladded plastic optical fiber (UCPOF) and tapered silica fiber coated with carbon nanotubes (CNT) and graphene oxide (GO) thin films have been developed for detecting different ethanol concentrations at room temperature. Simple and low-cost techniques were used for the fabrication of the proposed optical fiber sensors. The developed probes were coated with CNT and GO using drop-casting and dip-coating techniques. Experiments demonstrated that the CNT-based UCPOF and GO-based tapered fiber tip sensors show significant sensitivity to aqueous ethanol with superior selectivity to ethanol among different organic compounds. CNT-based UCPOF sensor shows better sensing performance compared with the GO-based tapered fiber because of the absorbance sensing mechanism. The excellent sensing performance of the developed modified optical fiber sensors toward ethanol indicates their high efficiency to be used in practical applications for ensuring safety necessities in the industrial fields

Biomass production, evapotranspiration and water use efficiency of arid rangelands in the Northern Cape, South Africa

Annual above-ground net primary production (ANPP), evapotranspiration (ET) and water use efficiency (WUE) of rangeland have the potential to provide an objective basis for establishing pricing for ecosystem services. To provide estimates of ANPP, we surveyed the biomass, estimated ET and prepared a water use efficiency for dwarf shrublands and arid savanna in the Riemvasmaak Rural Area, Northern Cape, South Africa. The annual production fraction was surveyed in 33 MODIS 1 km² pixels and the results regressed against the MODIS fPAR product. This regression model was used to predict the standing green biomass (kg DM ha⁻¹) for 2009 (dry year). Using an approach which combines potential evapotranspiration (ET0) and the MODIS fPAR product, we estimated actual evapotranspiration (ETa). These two models (greening standing biomass and ETa) were used to calculate the annual WUE for 2009. WUE was 1.6 kg DM mm⁻¹ ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. This value may be used to provide an estimate of ANPP in the absence of direct measurements of biomass and to provide a comparison of the water use efficiency of this rangeland with other rangeland types

Irrigation practices and fruit yields of olives in southern Australia

Availability of irrigation water is a main impediment to olive production in Australia, where there is a dearth of well-defined recommendations on water management for a viable industry. To develop irrigation guidelines, a good understanding of existing water management practices and associated yield outcomes are needed. This study evaluated water management and water-use in a range of four groves, including a rainfed grove, over two seasons in South Australia. Seasonal water input ranged from 206 to 617 mm (2.1 - 6.2 ML/ha), with irrigation accounting for about 70% in high yielding groves. Irrigation increased the proportion of seasonal evapotranspiration (ET), which averaged between 267 and 617 mm, partitioned through transpiration by up to 3-fold when compared to the rainfed grove. All groves experienced some degree of water deficit during the critical mid-season (December - February) when the crop factors (Kc) observed were up to 30% lower than estimated optimum level, which could be up to 0.70. A change to drip irrigation technology from full-cover sprinkler system would save up to 200 mm of water in an average season. The quantity of fresh fruits produced per unit of ET ranged from 3.2 to 32.1 kg ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹, and was between 7.2 and 49 kg ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹ when based on transpiration. Reasons for the differences in yield outcomes are discussed in relation to water management

Productivity and rotational benefits of grass, medic pastures and faba beans in a rainfall limited environment

This study was undertaken to ascertain whether pulses, instead of pasture legumes, were more beneficial to grain yields by the following cereals in ley rotation systems. We evaluated growth processes for pastures or pulses and growth and yields for the following sequential crops of wheat and barley in a 3-crop rotation. The pasture or pulse phase that formed the main treatments consisted of grass pastures (Grass), medics (Medic) or faba beans that was either green manured (Faba-gm) or harvested for grain (Faba-gr). The rotations were initiated in two phases with Phase 1 starting in 1994 and Phase 2 in 1995, and each phase ran over 2 rotation cycles lasting 6 years. Despite differences in dry matter (DM) produced in the shoots and roots by the pastures and faba beans in the first years, they had similar seasonal evapotranspiration (ET) so water stored in the 100 cm profile of the soil was always similar when wheat was planted. By contrast, inorganic N in soil at wheat planting was always higher in legume rotations than in Grass and these differences persisted to the barley crop. Cereals in rotations with faba beans (Faba-gr and Faba-gm) produced more DM and grains than in Grass. In only 2 out of 8 croppings of cereals did wheat or barley in Medic out-yield those in Grass. These yield differences were not associated with uptake of soil N or use of soil-water by the cereals, but possibly due to lower levels of 'Pratylenchus neglectus' in the soil under rotations with faba beans compared with pasture. Increased N supply after legumes or from fertilizer, however, increased grain protein in the cereals. This study showed that rotations with faba beans produced higher yields for the following cereals than with grassy or legume pastures, also green manuring of faba beans produced no advantage in yield for the cereals