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Agrochemical application is an important tool in the agricultural industry for the protection of crops. Agrochemical application with conventional sprayers results in the waste of applied agrochemicals, which not only increases financial losses but also contaminates the environment. Targeted agrochemical sprayers using smart control systems can substantially decrease the chemical input, weed control cost, and destructive environmental contamination. A variable rate spraying system was developed using deep learning methods for the development of new models to classify weeds and to accurately spray on desired weeds target. Laboratory and field experiments were conducted to assess the sprayer performance for weed classification and precise spraying of the target weeds using three classification CNNs (Convolutional Neural Networks) models. The DCNNs models (AlexNet, VGG-16, and GoogleNet) were trained using a dataset containing a total of 12,443 images captured from the strawberry field (4200 images with spotted spurge, 4265 images with Shepherd’s purse, and 4178 strawberry plants). The VGG-16 model attained higher values of precision, recall and F1-score as compared to AlexNet and GoogleNet. Additionally VGG-16 model recorded higher percentage of completely sprayed weeds target (CS = 93%) values. Overall in all experiments, VGG-16 performed better than AlexNet and GoogleNet for real-time weeds target classification and precision spraying. The experiments results revealed that the Sprayer performance decreased with the increase of sprayer traveling speed above 3 km/h. Experimental results recommended that the sprayer with the VGG-16 model can achieve high performance that makes it more ideal for a real-time spraying application. It is concluded that the advanced variable rate spraying system has the potential for spot application of agrochemicals to control weeds in a strawberry field. It can reduce the crop input costs and the environmental pollution risks.
Jizhan Liu; Irfan Abbas; Rana Noor. Development of Deep Learning-Based Variable Rate Agrochemical Spraying System for Targeted Weeds Control in Strawberry Crop. Agronomy 2021, 11, 1480 .
AMA StyleJizhan Liu, Irfan Abbas, Rana Noor. Development of Deep Learning-Based Variable Rate Agrochemical Spraying System for Targeted Weeds Control in Strawberry Crop. Agronomy. 2021; 11 (8):1480.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJizhan Liu; Irfan Abbas; Rana Noor. 2021. "Development of Deep Learning-Based Variable Rate Agrochemical Spraying System for Targeted Weeds Control in Strawberry Crop." Agronomy 11, no. 8: 1480.
Forests across the world are considered to be a huge socio-economic and environmental benefit to host and adjacent communities. This study focuses on assessing the impacts of fuelwood and timber consumption on the livelihood of households in the Baltistan region in Pakistan. Primary and secondary sources of data were employed for the study. The primary sources involved the use of questionnaire survey and interview while the secondary sources involved the use of documented information in textbooks and internet materials. The study revealed that 82% of the people within the region were involved in agricultural activities, 71% depended on the extraction of forest resources for their livelihood, while 18% depended on off-farm activities for their livelihood. The study also observed that among the number that depended on forest resources for their livelihood, 59% were involved in the extraction of non-timber forest products while 41% were involved in the extraction of timber forest resources. The study further revealed that there was no significant difference in the level of benefits from the forest across the seven districts under investigation with a chi square value. The volume of forest products extraction was found to be high closest to the forest and to be low with increasing distance from the communities. The major benefits from the forest range were due to employment that increases the individual and family income. Forest also helps to control erosion and enhances aesthetic beautification and temperature regulation. The research suggests that the policy makers must provide a sustainable solution to reduce the overexploitation of the forest resources by providing better alternative earning resources to the resident communities.
Saif Ullah; Rana Noor; Ali Abid; Richard Mendako; Muhammad Waqas; Adnan Shah; Gang Tian. Socio-Economic Impacts of Livelihood from Fuelwood and Timber Consumption on the Sustainability of Forest Environment: Evidence from Basho Valley, Baltistan, Pakistan. Agriculture 2021, 11, 596 .
AMA StyleSaif Ullah, Rana Noor, Ali Abid, Richard Mendako, Muhammad Waqas, Adnan Shah, Gang Tian. Socio-Economic Impacts of Livelihood from Fuelwood and Timber Consumption on the Sustainability of Forest Environment: Evidence from Basho Valley, Baltistan, Pakistan. Agriculture. 2021; 11 (7):596.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSaif Ullah; Rana Noor; Ali Abid; Richard Mendako; Muhammad Waqas; Adnan Shah; Gang Tian. 2021. "Socio-Economic Impacts of Livelihood from Fuelwood and Timber Consumption on the Sustainability of Forest Environment: Evidence from Basho Valley, Baltistan, Pakistan." Agriculture 11, no. 7: 596.
The conservation of forest in the northern areas of Pakistan is the major priority of the national environmental policy to fight against global warming. Despite the policy for the protection of forest, rural residents’ behavior toward economic incentives for deforestation may undermine their conservation goals. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to understand the factors that affect the illegal behaviors related to deforestation in the northern areas of Pakistan. The present study applied the socio-psychological theory of planned behavior to predict the behavioral intention of rural residents toward economic incentives for deforestation. Correlations were explored between background factors toward motivations for deforestation based on positive and negative views through open-ended questions. Attitude and descriptive norm were found good predictors to perceive the behaviors. The findings of the study suggest that rural communities’ support for compliance with policies is vital for the long-term efficacy and protection of the forest in the region. Further, change in the behaviors of inhabitants toward the ecosystem through training can be improved to manage the forest.
Saif Ullah; Ali Abid; Waqas Aslam; Rana Noor; Muhammad Waqas; Tian Gang. Predicting Behavioral Intention of Rural Inhabitants toward Economic Incentive for Deforestation in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Sustainability 2021, 13, 617 .
AMA StyleSaif Ullah, Ali Abid, Waqas Aslam, Rana Noor, Muhammad Waqas, Tian Gang. Predicting Behavioral Intention of Rural Inhabitants toward Economic Incentive for Deforestation in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (2):617.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSaif Ullah; Ali Abid; Waqas Aslam; Rana Noor; Muhammad Waqas; Tian Gang. 2021. "Predicting Behavioral Intention of Rural Inhabitants toward Economic Incentive for Deforestation in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan." Sustainability 13, no. 2: 617.
Anaerobic co-digestion (AD) of different organic wastes is a promising technique to enhance clean energy (bioenergy) and manure (slurry) production, reducing stress on the environment. This is an experimental study aimed to investigate 2-stage co-digestion of pretreated organic wastes mixed with fresh animal manure (BD) and digester’s operation conditions (digester temperature and pH) to enhance biomethane production. To increase lignocellulose digestibility and biomethane (BM) production, fruit + vegetable waste (FVW) and corn stalks + wheat straw (CR) in ratio (1:1), respectively, were pretreated with inoculum taken from an anaerobic digester of poultry manure at 35 °C. This AD experiment was performed in a fixed dome biodigester with volumetric capacity of 2.3 m3. Biomethane potential (BMP) tests were conducted for biomass treatments and inoculum used (T1, T2, Ti) at 35 °C. In this study, the temperature of biodigester material was measured in mesophilic (30–40°C) and thermophilic (40–50°C) ranges and pH of fresh feed and slurry feed digesters was in optimum methane production range (7.01–7.52). The total daily methane productions from T1 and T2 were 125.13 ml/g VS and 104.89 ml/g VS in mesophilic range (30–40°C) while these values were 148.41 ml/g VS and 132.74 ml/g VS in mesophilic range (40–50°C), respectively. The 2nd stage digestion of slurry from fresh feed digester added 39–45% and 35–38% more methane production in T1 and T2 respectively. On calibration with BMP tests, experimental data have shown the synergetic effect on methane production and its thermal characteristics promoted by co-digestion of pretreated organic waste and BD. The economic and feasibility analysis proved the biomass co-digestion project viable and adoptable with positive (5.39 $) net return value (NRV), 2.92 years payback time (PBT), and 1.34 benefit cost ratio (BCR).
Rana Shahzad Noor; Aziz Ahmed; Irfan Abbas; Fiaz Hussain; Muhammad Umair; Rabeea Noor; Yong Sun. Enhanced biomethane production by 2-stage anaerobic co-digestion of animal manure with pretreated organic waste. Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery 2021, 1 -15.
AMA StyleRana Shahzad Noor, Aziz Ahmed, Irfan Abbas, Fiaz Hussain, Muhammad Umair, Rabeea Noor, Yong Sun. Enhanced biomethane production by 2-stage anaerobic co-digestion of animal manure with pretreated organic waste. Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery. 2021; ():1-15.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRana Shahzad Noor; Aziz Ahmed; Irfan Abbas; Fiaz Hussain; Muhammad Umair; Rabeea Noor; Yong Sun. 2021. "Enhanced biomethane production by 2-stage anaerobic co-digestion of animal manure with pretreated organic waste." Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery , no. : 1-15.
Deforestation remains a major ecological problem in most developing countries especially, Pakistan has a very high deforestation rate. Various socioeconomic factors determine deforestation and degradation. Therefore, this study was aimed to evaluate the causes of deforestation in Basho forest, Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan. This study collected data on factors of deforestations and degradation resulting in environmental problems such as air pollution, soil erosion, temperature rise and to recommend practices for sustainable forests. A questionnaire survey of 220 respondents was conducted including; educated locals of different age group and forest officials (forest engineers, civil servants and workers) in Forestry service division. Descriptive statistics and a logistic regression model were applied on the collected data and Likert scale method to determine the mean score of socio-economic factors encouraging deforestation. More than 70% respondents were below 30 years old, while 14.6% and 12.6% respondents from 31–40 to 41–50 age groups, respectively. 65.9% and 34.1% of the respondents were male and female respectively. Only 26.8% of the respondents were university graduates, while below 50% (48.6%) of respondents were primary school graduates. According to the analysis, the respondents were completely dependent on the forest for their livelihood needs. The socioeconomic factors such as rapid population growth, livelihood activities, lack of education, Poor forest management, Fuel wood consumption and Period of residence were found to be the prominent factors for deforestation. Results of the logit regression established reward socioeconomic factors were statistically significant variable at (p < 0.05). Based on study results, the deforestation activities cannot be entirely eradicated but it can be reduced to the level of sustainable forest through convenient forest conservation policies and application of efficient and energy conservation technologies. Adequate economic incentives and applied technologies for locals could be a productive approach to reduce deforestation rate.
Saif Ullah; Tian Gang; Tariq Rauf; Furqan Sikandar; Jia Qi Liu; Rana Shahzad Noor. Identifying the socio-economic factors of deforestation and degradation: a case study in Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan. GeoJournal 2020, 1 -14.
AMA StyleSaif Ullah, Tian Gang, Tariq Rauf, Furqan Sikandar, Jia Qi Liu, Rana Shahzad Noor. Identifying the socio-economic factors of deforestation and degradation: a case study in Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan. GeoJournal. 2020; ():1-14.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSaif Ullah; Tian Gang; Tariq Rauf; Furqan Sikandar; Jia Qi Liu; Rana Shahzad Noor. 2020. "Identifying the socio-economic factors of deforestation and degradation: a case study in Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan." GeoJournal , no. : 1-14.
Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is an important food and cash crop in Pakistan, although less soil fertility (organic matter) and suboptimal application of fertilizers cause nutrient depletion and yield decline. Extensive use of inorganic fertilizers without soil physiochemical analysis is problematic in terms of soil fertility and crop productivity. The application of compost combined with or without chemical fertilizer is considered as a sustainable agricultural production system because it enhances crop productivity and soil fertility. Therefore, this research was conducted to evaluate the effects of bio-fertilizer (organic compost) (Bio-F), chemical fertilizer (RDF), and controlled (CK) farming treatments on some soil physical properties and crop yield. The seven different farming treatments based on N equivalency (compost nutritional analysis) including sole compost levels (20 and 30 t ha−1), sole chemical fertilizer (NPK, 30 kg ha−1), integrated fertilizer treatments (compost + RDF), and a controlled treatment were laid in a complete randomized design (CRD) with three replications under the same experimental field conditions from 2017 to 2020 cropping seasons. Before sesame production, soil samples at a depth of (0–15 cm, 15–30 cm) were analyzed to determine the effect of different farming treatments on soil physical properties. A significantly higher grain yield of sesame (805.1 kg ha−1) was obtained from Bio-F3 integrated fertilizer application (30 t ha−1 + ½ RDF). The treatments with higher doses of bio-fertilizer (compost) have a significant reduction in soil weight (bulk density), while the increase has been observed in the porosity values. Compared with sole RDF and Bio-F, integrated farming treatments have significantly improved the soil field capacity, available moisture to plants and wilting point. Therefore, the integrated farming system (chemical fertilizer + compost) is recommended for sustainable agroecology and crop production.
Rana Shahzad Noor; Fiaz Hussain; Irfan Abbas; Muhammad Umair; Yong Sun. Effect of compost and chemical fertilizer application on soil physical properties and productivity of sesame (Sesamum Indicum L.). Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery 2020, 1 -11.
AMA StyleRana Shahzad Noor, Fiaz Hussain, Irfan Abbas, Muhammad Umair, Yong Sun. Effect of compost and chemical fertilizer application on soil physical properties and productivity of sesame (Sesamum Indicum L.). Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery. 2020; ():1-11.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRana Shahzad Noor; Fiaz Hussain; Irfan Abbas; Muhammad Umair; Yong Sun. 2020. "Effect of compost and chemical fertilizer application on soil physical properties and productivity of sesame (Sesamum Indicum L.)." Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery , no. : 1-11.
| Energy management is an essential component in sustainable agricultural production systems. The study was mainly designed to evaluate the impact of four kind of soil tillage as; No/zero tillage (ZT), conservational tillage (PT), reduced tillage (RT) and conventional tillage (CT) on wheat yield, fuel usage and energy use efficiency under rainfed agriculture systems for Chakwal-50 wheat cultivator at Koont research station of PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi during 2018 and 2019 wheat seasons. The study treatments were evaluated in term of energy analysis and economics of wheat production. Highest energy inputs obtained were fertilizer, seed and fuel + oil energies in all tillage systems for wheat sowing, respectively. Results interpretation indicated that the highest (2,300 kgha-1 and 40.56 lha-1) and lowest (1,930 kgha-1 and 8.97 lha-1) wheat yields were measured in CT and ZT farming treatments, respectively. The maximum and lowest energy values were calculated in PT (6.03) and CT (5.14), respectively. The maximum specific energy measured was (7.17 MJ kg-1) in ZT treatment, while the least specific energy was calculated in the RT (6.54 MJ kg-1). Soil tillage systems have sequence in term of net energy values (MJ) as PT> RT> CT> ZT. The profitability of ZT, PT, RT and CT were 0.95, 0.69, 0.52 and 0.32. The economic analysis results described that intense application of agricultural machinery and operations were caused more energy consumption and reduction of energy use efficiency and may compromised on net energy and profitability of agroecosystems eventually. In rainfed agriculture system, all types of tillage as zero, reduced, and conservational systems could be applied instead of conventional tillage system in wheat farming according to studied energy parameters.
Rana Shahzad Noor; Fiaz Hussain; Irfan Abbas; Muhammad Umair; Abu Saad; Muhammad Umar Farooq; Yong Sun. Assessing Sustainability of Rainfed Wheat (Triticum Aestivum) Production under Various Soil Tillage Systems: An Energy and Economic Analysis. Pakistan Journal of Agricultural Research 2020, 33, 1 .
AMA StyleRana Shahzad Noor, Fiaz Hussain, Irfan Abbas, Muhammad Umair, Abu Saad, Muhammad Umar Farooq, Yong Sun. Assessing Sustainability of Rainfed Wheat (Triticum Aestivum) Production under Various Soil Tillage Systems: An Energy and Economic Analysis. Pakistan Journal of Agricultural Research. 2020; 33 (4):1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRana Shahzad Noor; Fiaz Hussain; Irfan Abbas; Muhammad Umair; Abu Saad; Muhammad Umar Farooq; Yong Sun. 2020. "Assessing Sustainability of Rainfed Wheat (Triticum Aestivum) Production under Various Soil Tillage Systems: An Energy and Economic Analysis." Pakistan Journal of Agricultural Research 33, no. 4: 1.
Chemical application of nutrients and pesticides is one of the most important processes in agricultural production, but also one of the most dangerous agricultural operations. To improve the chemical efficacy, reduce chemical and labor costs, minimize labor hazards, and reduce the harmful environmental damage. Variable-rate spray applications that use intelligent control systems can significantly reduce pesticide use and off-target environmental pollution. Real-time variable-rate spraying technology offers effective and efficient use of pesticides. The variable-rate spray allows the farmers to apply pesticides only on the target, using only the correct amount based on the canopy size, season, and growth phase of the plants. In the past few decades, target detection systems have been developed using advanced methods such as laser and vision scanning systems or, more simply, ultrasound, infrared, and spectrum systems. Real-time target detection spray Systems used for the detection of the geometric properties of tree plants are reviewed in detail. Among these methods, machine vision and laser scanners systems are possibly the most capable and complementary means of obtaining three-dimensional (3D) images and maps of plants and canopies. This paper discusses a review of various sensing technologies available for the determination of canopy structural parameters and discusses how they are used for precision spraying. Some of the challenges and considerations of the use of these sensors and technologies are also discussed.
Irfan Abbas; Jizhan Liu; Muhammad Faheem; Rana Shahzad Noor; Sher Ali Shaikh; Kashif Ali Solangi; Syed Mudassir Raza. Different sensor based intelligent spraying systems in Agriculture. Sensors and Actuators A: Physical 2020, 316, 112265 .
AMA StyleIrfan Abbas, Jizhan Liu, Muhammad Faheem, Rana Shahzad Noor, Sher Ali Shaikh, Kashif Ali Solangi, Syed Mudassir Raza. Different sensor based intelligent spraying systems in Agriculture. Sensors and Actuators A: Physical. 2020; 316 ():112265.
Chicago/Turabian StyleIrfan Abbas; Jizhan Liu; Muhammad Faheem; Rana Shahzad Noor; Sher Ali Shaikh; Kashif Ali Solangi; Syed Mudassir Raza. 2020. "Different sensor based intelligent spraying systems in Agriculture." Sensors and Actuators A: Physical 316, no. : 112265.
Yield and Economic Analysis of Peanut Production under Different Soil Tillage Systems in North-East Region
Rana Shahzad Noor; Fiaz Hussain; Muhammad Umar Farooq; Irfan Abbas; Muhammad Umair; Muhammad Adnan Islam; Muhammad Sheraz. Yield and Economic Analysis of Peanut Production under Different Soil Tillage Systems in North-East Region. Pakistan Journal of Agricultural Research 2020, 33, 1 .
AMA StyleRana Shahzad Noor, Fiaz Hussain, Muhammad Umar Farooq, Irfan Abbas, Muhammad Umair, Muhammad Adnan Islam, Muhammad Sheraz. Yield and Economic Analysis of Peanut Production under Different Soil Tillage Systems in North-East Region. Pakistan Journal of Agricultural Research. 2020; 33 (3):1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRana Shahzad Noor; Fiaz Hussain; Muhammad Umar Farooq; Irfan Abbas; Muhammad Umair; Muhammad Adnan Islam; Muhammad Sheraz. 2020. "Yield and Economic Analysis of Peanut Production under Different Soil Tillage Systems in North-East Region." Pakistan Journal of Agricultural Research 33, no. 3: 1.
Grafting is a substitute technique to boost tolerance against abiotic stresses, which also diminish root syndromes from soil-borne pathogens and increase crop production. This piloted study evaluates the tongue grafting technique and investigates the influence of grafting hybrid cucumber (Kalam F1) scion onto local cucurbitaceous and hybrid rootstocks on plant morphology, fruit yield, nutrients concentration in different plant organs, and postharvest fruit quality during three seasons of 2017 to 2019, consecutively. The research design was completely randomized (CRD), and the effects of grafted rootstocks were determined with comparison of percent plant survival, growth characteristics, fruit yield, and texture properties (during storage). The experimental results indicated that all rootstocks presented compatibility with hybrid cucumber (Kalam F1) scion and showed significant comparable performance with hybrid rootstock during all seasons in terms of vegetative growth, yield, and storage except pumpkin (68% during the 1st, 74% during the 2nd, and 71% during the 3rd seasons). The plants with Bottle gourd (Lagrenaria siceraria) rootstock showed the highest survival rate as compared to all other cucurbitaceous and hybrid rootstocks during three seasons: 94%, 98%, and 93%, respectively. Similarly, the other factors such as plant height (613, 622, and 615 cm), fruit weight (282, 281, and 277 g), fruit shape index (7.77, 8.18, and 8.25), Total soluble solids (TSS) (5.1%, 5.17%, and 4.96%), fruit dry matter (4.55%, 4.625, and 4.57%), fruit yield (4.37, 4.9, and 3.95 kg/plant), and disease resistance index (
Waqas Aslam; Rana Shahzad Noor; Fiaz Hussain; Muhammad Ameen; Saif Ullah; Hong Chen. Evaluating Morphological Growth, Yield, and Postharvest Fruit Quality of Cucumber (Cucumis Sativus L.) Grafted on Cucurbitaceous Rootstocks. Agriculture 2020, 10, 101 .
AMA StyleWaqas Aslam, Rana Shahzad Noor, Fiaz Hussain, Muhammad Ameen, Saif Ullah, Hong Chen. Evaluating Morphological Growth, Yield, and Postharvest Fruit Quality of Cucumber (Cucumis Sativus L.) Grafted on Cucurbitaceous Rootstocks. Agriculture. 2020; 10 (4):101.
Chicago/Turabian StyleWaqas Aslam; Rana Shahzad Noor; Fiaz Hussain; Muhammad Ameen; Saif Ullah; Hong Chen. 2020. "Evaluating Morphological Growth, Yield, and Postharvest Fruit Quality of Cucumber (Cucumis Sativus L.) Grafted on Cucurbitaceous Rootstocks." Agriculture 10, no. 4: 101.
This paper describes the method of preparing strong hydrophobic polypyrrole (PPy) on wind turbine blades. The water contact angle of strong hydrophobic PPy coatings was 127.2°. The strong hydrophobic PPy coatings exhibited excellent anti-icing properties. The maximum icing weight of strong hydrophobic PPy coating blade was almost 0.10 g while the maximum icing weight of no coating blade was found to be 26.13 g. The maximum icing thickness of a strong hydrophobic PPy coating blade was only 1.08 mm. The current research will provide a better technique to create anti-icing coatings on wind turbine blades and other outdoor equipment.
Bin Qu; Zhou Sun; Fang Feng; Yan Li; Guoqiang Tong; Rana Shahzad Noor. Preparation and Anti-Icing of Hydrophobic Polypyrrole Coatings on Wind Turbine Blade. International Journal of Rotating Machinery 2020, 2020, 1 -9.
AMA StyleBin Qu, Zhou Sun, Fang Feng, Yan Li, Guoqiang Tong, Rana Shahzad Noor. Preparation and Anti-Icing of Hydrophobic Polypyrrole Coatings on Wind Turbine Blade. International Journal of Rotating Machinery. 2020; 2020 ():1-9.
Chicago/Turabian StyleBin Qu; Zhou Sun; Fang Feng; Yan Li; Guoqiang Tong; Rana Shahzad Noor. 2020. "Preparation and Anti-Icing of Hydrophobic Polypyrrole Coatings on Wind Turbine Blade." International Journal of Rotating Machinery 2020, no. : 1-9.
In this study, corn stalk (CS) was pretreated with furfural wastewater (FWW) for whole slurry anaerobic digestion (AD), which increased the degradability of CS components, changed the parameters in pretreatment slurry and improved the biochemical methane potential (BMP). The ultimate goal was to optimize the time and temperature for FWW pretreatment and evaluate whether FWW pretreatment is feasible from BMP and energy conversion. The results of path analysis suggested that lignocellulosic degradability (LD) was the main factor affecting methane production with the comprehensive decision of 0.7006. The highest BMP (166.34 mL/g VS) was achieved by the pretreatment at 35°C for 6 days, which was 70.36% higher than that of control check (CK) (97.64 mL/g VS) and the optimal pretreatment condition was predicted at 40.69°C for 6.49 days by response surface methodology (RSM). The net residual value (NRV) for the pretreatment of 35°C and 6 days was the highest (0.6201), which was the most appropriate condition for AD in real application.
Zhi Wang; Qiushuang Cheng; Zhiyuan Liu; Jingbo Qu; Xiaodong Chu; Nan Li; Rana Shahzad Noor; Changyu Liu; Bin Qu; Yong Sun. Evaluation of methane production and energy conversion from corn stalk using furfural wastewater pretreatment for whole slurry anaerobic co-digestion. Bioresource Technology 2019, 293, 121962 .
AMA StyleZhi Wang, Qiushuang Cheng, Zhiyuan Liu, Jingbo Qu, Xiaodong Chu, Nan Li, Rana Shahzad Noor, Changyu Liu, Bin Qu, Yong Sun. Evaluation of methane production and energy conversion from corn stalk using furfural wastewater pretreatment for whole slurry anaerobic co-digestion. Bioresource Technology. 2019; 293 ():121962.
Chicago/Turabian StyleZhi Wang; Qiushuang Cheng; Zhiyuan Liu; Jingbo Qu; Xiaodong Chu; Nan Li; Rana Shahzad Noor; Changyu Liu; Bin Qu; Yong Sun. 2019. "Evaluation of methane production and energy conversion from corn stalk using furfural wastewater pretreatment for whole slurry anaerobic co-digestion." Bioresource Technology 293, no. : 121962.
The density of herbaceous crops creates a suitable environment to produce pathogens in the soil that intensify the attack of pathogens traditionally controlled by disinfectant, which are mostly prohibited and unlisted because of their toxicity. Grafting is an alternative technique to enhance abiotic stress tolerance and reduce root diseases due to soil-borne pathogens, thus enhancing crop production. This research study was conducted during the crop season of 2017 and 2018 in order to investigate the interactive effect of different grafting techniques of hybrid scion onto local rootstocks on plants survival, plant phenological growth, fruit yield and fruit quality under a controlled environment. The hybrid cucumber was also planted self-rooted. The cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) cv. Kalaam F1, Syngenta was grafted onto four local cucurbitaceous rootstocks; ridge gourd (Luffa operculate Cogn.), bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.), pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.), bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standl.) using splice grafting, tongue approach, single cotyledon and hole insertion grafting techniques and self-rooted hybrid cucumber under greenhouse conditions. The experimental results indicated that all local cucurbitaceous rootstocks showed a high compatibility with hybrid cucumber scion in the splice grafting method compared to other grafting and non-grafted methods. Lagenaria siceraria rootstocks were found highly compatible with cucumber cv Kalaam scion which gave significantly maximum plant survival rates (95%) due to high sap contents, high SPAD value, better vegetative growth and maximum fruit yield when compared with other rootstocks by employing the splice grafting method followed by tongue approach, single cotyledon and hole insertion grafting while the fruit quality of all rootstocks was observed to be similar. The non-grafted cucumber cv. Kalaam F1 showed significant results of plant vegetative growth, fruit development and fruit quality and encountered grafting methods while the lowest result were associated with the hole insertion grafting method in all scion/rootstock combinations. The grafted plants have no significant effect on cucumber fruit dry matter and fruit quality while the fruit mineral compositions (N, P, K, Ca and Mg) were higher among grafted and non-grafted plant fruits. The results indicate that grafting hybrid cucumber onto four local cucurbitaceous rootstocks influenced growth, yield and fruit quality. Grafting can be alternative and control measure for soil-borne disease and to enhance cucumber production.
Rana Shahzad Noor; Zhi Wang; Muhammad Umair; Muhammad Yaseen; Muhammad Ameen; Shoaib-Ur Rehman; Muzammil Usman Khan; Muhammad Imran; Waqar Ahmed; Yong Sun. Interactive Effects of Grafting Techniques and Scion-Rootstocks Combinations on Vegetative Growth, Yield and Quality of Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). Agronomy 2019, 9, 288 .
AMA StyleRana Shahzad Noor, Zhi Wang, Muhammad Umair, Muhammad Yaseen, Muhammad Ameen, Shoaib-Ur Rehman, Muzammil Usman Khan, Muhammad Imran, Waqar Ahmed, Yong Sun. Interactive Effects of Grafting Techniques and Scion-Rootstocks Combinations on Vegetative Growth, Yield and Quality of Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). Agronomy. 2019; 9 (6):288.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRana Shahzad Noor; Zhi Wang; Muhammad Umair; Muhammad Yaseen; Muhammad Ameen; Shoaib-Ur Rehman; Muzammil Usman Khan; Muhammad Imran; Waqar Ahmed; Yong Sun. 2019. "Interactive Effects of Grafting Techniques and Scion-Rootstocks Combinations on Vegetative Growth, Yield and Quality of Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.)." Agronomy 9, no. 6: 288.
Previous studies showed that excellent anaerobic digestion performance could be achieved using acid pretreatment, whereas the development of acid pretreatment was limited by high cost of acid consumption and severe operation. The aim of this study consisted in expanding the possibilities of low-cost acid pretreatment method for anaerobic digestion. For this, the feasibility of substituting conventional acid pretreatment with furfural wastewater was verified, and the whole slurry anaerobic digestion was performed to improve the production of methane. The furfural wastewater was used to pretreat crop stalk at different ambient temperatures (20, 35, 50 °C) for different time periods (0, 3, 6, 9 days). Subsequently, all treated and untreated crop stalk were digested at 35 °C for 25 days. According to experimental data showed that the dissimilar degradability of compositions for crop stalk was due to furfural wastewater pretreatment, and the reducing sugar content, volatile fatty acid content, pH during pretreatment phase, and their initial maximum & minimum values in anaerobic digestion phase were changed, which made a significant difference in methane production. The highest total methane production of anaerobic digestion (196.68 mL/g VS) was achieved by the treatment at 35 °C for 6 days, which was 59.28% higher than untreated crop stalk (123.48 mL/g VS). On the whole, the results showed that furfural wastewater pretreatment followed by the whole slurry anaerobic co-digestion was feasible and could contribute to application value for anaerobic digestion industry while providing an effective way for the treatment of furfural wastewater.
Zhi Wang; Zhiyuan Liu; Rana Shahzad Noor; Qiushuang Cheng; Xiaodong Chu; Bin Qu; Feng Zhen; Yong Sun. Furfural wastewater pretreatment of corn stalk for whole slurry anaerobic co-digestion to improve methane production. Science of The Total Environment 2019, 674, 49 -57.
AMA StyleZhi Wang, Zhiyuan Liu, Rana Shahzad Noor, Qiushuang Cheng, Xiaodong Chu, Bin Qu, Feng Zhen, Yong Sun. Furfural wastewater pretreatment of corn stalk for whole slurry anaerobic co-digestion to improve methane production. Science of The Total Environment. 2019; 674 ():49-57.
Chicago/Turabian StyleZhi Wang; Zhiyuan Liu; Rana Shahzad Noor; Qiushuang Cheng; Xiaodong Chu; Bin Qu; Feng Zhen; Yong Sun. 2019. "Furfural wastewater pretreatment of corn stalk for whole slurry anaerobic co-digestion to improve methane production." Science of The Total Environment 674, no. : 49-57.
The winter season in Nanjing is from December to February, with extremely low temperature and high humidity due to seasonal snowfall. During these extreme cold climatic conditions, plants have to survive severe heat stress conditions, even if they are being kept in greenhouses. The objective of this study was to investigate a heating system that can provide heat directly to the root zone instead of heating the entire greenhouse, which is a viable option to reduce energy consumption. Root zone heating could be an effective alternative for the sustainable development of plants during the winter. A novel type of root zone heating system was applied to evaluate the energy consumption during different greenhouse ambient temperature conditions, the effects of root zone heating systems on pepper plant morphology, and heat transfer rates to plant canopy in the greenhouse. The temperature treatments in root zone heating system were T-15, T-20, T-25, T-30, and a control treatment (TC) at 15 °C, 20 °C, 25 °C, and 30 °C, respectively, while TC received no heat. A simulation study was carried out to validate the root zone temperature. The results of the current investigation revealed that energy consumption has an inverse relationship to the ambient temperature of the greenhouse, while temperature gradients to the plant canopy observed from the lower to the upper part of the plant and the upper canopy experienced less temperature fluctuation as compared to the lower part of the plant. The results also showed that treatment T-20 had the maximum in terms of the leaf dry weight, stem diameter, and the number of leaves, while T-25 showed the maximum root dry weight and stem dry weight; T-30 and T-15 had minimum dry weights of plant segments among all treatments. Control treatment (TC) showed a minimum dry mass of plant. The root zone heating with optimal root zone temperature was found to be a viable and adaptable option as this leads to improved energy consumption patterns for the sustainable growth and development of plants in greenhouses during extremely low temperatures.
Muhammad Ameen; Zhuo Zhang; Xiaochan Wang; Muhammad Yaseen; Muhammad Umair; Rana Shahzad Noor; Wei Lu; Khurram Yousaf; Fahim Ullah; Muhammad Sohail Memon. An Investigation of a Root Zone Heating System and Its Effects on the Morphology of Winter-Grown Green Peppers. Energies 2019, 12, 933 .
AMA StyleMuhammad Ameen, Zhuo Zhang, Xiaochan Wang, Muhammad Yaseen, Muhammad Umair, Rana Shahzad Noor, Wei Lu, Khurram Yousaf, Fahim Ullah, Muhammad Sohail Memon. An Investigation of a Root Zone Heating System and Its Effects on the Morphology of Winter-Grown Green Peppers. Energies. 2019; 12 (5):933.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMuhammad Ameen; Zhuo Zhang; Xiaochan Wang; Muhammad Yaseen; Muhammad Umair; Rana Shahzad Noor; Wei Lu; Khurram Yousaf; Fahim Ullah; Muhammad Sohail Memon. 2019. "An Investigation of a Root Zone Heating System and Its Effects on the Morphology of Winter-Grown Green Peppers." Energies 12, no. 5: 933.
Water content plays a crucial role in seed development, particularly at the seed sowing stage, and it ensures good seed germination. A water seed drill was designed and developed to provide an optimum quantity of water that is required for the soil in the same furrow, right after seed placement. This soil moistening method not only improves the moisture level in the field, but it also saves a large amount of water by applying the needed water quantity in the line of sowing after seed placement. The water seed drill consisted of a wheat seed drill, a water application system, and a tank with 400 L capacity. The water seed drill yielded a 48% higher germination count than when wheat is planted through a conventional method. The data recorded also showed that the water seed drill raised the soil moisture to 24% from the existing 13% soil moisture content. The total operational cost of the water seed drill was 2.57-fold greater than the conventional seed drill, but the output cost of the water seed drill was 2.15 times (49,000 Rs/ha) more than that of the conventional seed drill.
Rana Shahzad Noor; Zhi Wang; Muhammad Umair; Muhammad Ameen; Muhammad Imran; Yong Sun. Performance Evaluation of a Water Seed Drill. Sustainability 2018, 11, 137 .
AMA StyleRana Shahzad Noor, Zhi Wang, Muhammad Umair, Muhammad Ameen, Muhammad Imran, Yong Sun. Performance Evaluation of a Water Seed Drill. Sustainability. 2018; 11 (1):137.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRana Shahzad Noor; Zhi Wang; Muhammad Umair; Muhammad Ameen; Muhammad Imran; Yong Sun. 2018. "Performance Evaluation of a Water Seed Drill." Sustainability 11, no. 1: 137.