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Plain Region (plain + region)
Selected AbstractsTebuconazole dissipation and metabolism in Tifton loamy sand during laboratory incubation,PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE (FORMERLY: PESTICIDE SCIENCE), Issue 7 2004Timothy C Strickland Abstract The fungicide tebuconazole is widely used to control soil-borne and foliar diseases in peanuts and other crops. No published data are currently available on the extent and rate at which this compound degrades in soil. Unpublished data summarized in registration documents suggest that the compound is persistent, with 300,600 days half-life. We conducted a 63-day laboratory incubation to evaluate tebuconazole's dissipation kinetics and impact on soil microbial activity in Tifton loamy sand. Tifton soils support extensive peanut production in the Atlantic Coastal Plain region of Georgia and Alabama. Products containing tebuconazole are applied to an estimated 50% of the peanut acreage in the region. At the end of the incubation, 43 (±42)% of the parent compound was recovered in soil extracts. The first-order kinetic model, which gave a good fit to the dissipation data (r2 = 0.857), yielded a soil half-life (t1/2) of 49 days. This is 6,12 times more rapid than t1/2 values described in unpublished tebuconazole registration documents. Four degradates were identified. Tentative structural assignments indicated that degradates were derived from hydroxylation of the parent compound and/or chlorophenyl ring cleavage. Cleavage products showed a steady increase during the incubation, and on a molar basis were equal to 63% of the time zero tebuconazole concentration. No significant effect on soil microbial biomass was observed, indicating that when the compound is applied at normal agronomic rate it does not impact soil metabolic activity. Use of the soil-half life data derived in this study should improve the accuracy of tebuconazole fate assessments for Coastal Plain peanut production. The study also indicated that environmental assessment of selected degradates may be needed to fully evaluate risks of tebuconazole use. Published in 2004 for SCI by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Landscape-scale detection and mapping of invasive African Olive (Olea europaea L. ssp. cuspidata Wall ex G. Don Ciferri) in SW Sydney, Australia using satellite remote sensingAPPLIED VEGETATION SCIENCE, Issue 2 2009P. Cuneo Abstract Question: Is satellite imagery an effective tool for mapping and examining the distribution of the invasive species Olea europaea L. ssp. cuspidata at a regional landscape scale? Location: Southwest Sydney, Australia. Methods: Remote sensing software was used to classify pixels of Olea europaea L. ssp. cuspidata (African Olive) and major vegetation types from satellite imagery, using a "supervised classification" technique across a 721 km2 study area in the Cumberland Plain region of western Sydney. A map of African Olive distribution was produced from the image analysis and checked for accuracy at 337 random locations using ground observation and comparison with existing vegetation maps. The African Olive distribution data were then used in a GIS analysis with additional spatial datasets to investigate the relationship between the distribution of African Olive and environmental factors, and to quantify the conservation threat to endangered native vegetation. Results: A total area of 1907 ha of dense African Olive infestation was identified, with an omission error of 7.5% and a commission error of 5.4%. African Olive was found to occur on the steepest slopes (mean slope 14.3°) of the vegetation classes examined, with aspect analysis identifying a high prevalence on south- and southwest-facing slopes. The analysis also quantified the level of African Olive infestation in endangered ecological communities, with Western Sydney Dry Rainforest (25% affected) and Moist Shale Woodland (28% affected) identified as most vulnerable to African Olive invasion. Conclusion: The distribution of African Olive can be efficiently mapped at a landscape scale. This technique, used in association with additional spatial datasets, identified African Olive as a significant environmental weed in SW Sydney, occupying a greater area than previously recognised and threatening several endangered native vegetation communities. [source] Severe Deep Moist Convective Storms: Forecasting and MitigationGEOGRAPHY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2008David L. Arnold Small-scale (2,20 km) circulations, termed ,severe deep moist convective storms', account for a disproportionate share of the world's insured weather-related losses. Spatial frequency maximums of severe convective events occur in South Africa, India, Mexico, the Caucasus, and Great Plains/Prairies region of North America, where the maximum tornado frequency occurs east of the Rocky Mountains. Interest in forecasting severe deep moist convective systems, especially those that produce tornadoes, dates to 1884 when tornado alerts were first provided in the central United States. Modern thunderstorm and tornado forecasting relies on technology and theory, but in the post-World War II era interest in forecasting has also been driven by public pressure. The forecasting process begins with a diagnostic analysis, in which the forecaster considers the potential of the atmospheric environment to produce severe convective storms (which requires knowledge of the evolving kinematic and thermodynamic fields, and the character of the land surface over which the storms will pass), and the likely character of the storms that may develop. Improvements in forecasting will likely depend on technological advancements, such as the development of phased-array radar systems and finer resolution numerical weather prediction models. Once initiated, the evolution of deep convective storms is monitored by satellite and radar. Mitigation of the hazards posed by severe deep moist convective storms is a three-step process, involving preparedness, response, and recovery. Preparedness implies that risks have been identified and organizations and individuals are familiar with a response plan. Response necessitates that potential events are identified before they occur and the developing threat is communicated to the public. Recovery is a function of the awareness of local, regional, and even national governments to the character and magnitude of potential events in specific locations, and whether or not long-term operational plans are in place at the time of disasters. [source] CHARACTERISTICS OF FERMENTED NATTO PRODUCTS AS AFFECTED BY SOYBEAN CULTIVARSJOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESSING AND PRESERVATION, Issue 4 2004QUN WEI ABSTRACT The characteristics of four soybean cultivars, grown in the Northern plain region of the U.S.A. and harvested in different years were investigated. These soybeans were fermented into natto products. The characteristics of the intermediate and finished products were analyzed. Correlation coefficients among certain physical, chemical, sensory characteristics of raw soybeans, intermediate products and finished products were significant (P < 0.05). The ammonia content significantly correlated with firmness of the natto products made from these cultivars (r = 0.65). Minnatto and MN 91-468 cultivars were similar to the Danatto cultivar in objective measurements and sensory properties. Compared with the other cultivars, Natto King had a higher solid matter content (1.92%) in the soaking water, a higher broken bean ratio (22.71%) after steaming and the hardest texture of the finished natto products. The effect of harvest year of Danatto cultivars and the quality attributes of the finished natto products varied with Bacillus natto strains. [source] | ||||||||||