Agricultural zinc fluxes into soils and crops of central Iran at regional scale

Mass flux assessment can provide information that is essential for a sustainable management of elements in agricultural soils. In this article, we present an assessment of regional-scale averages of zinc (Zn) fluxes into agricultural soils and crops of central Iran for the period 1997–2011, using available databases such as regional agricultural statistics. The basic units of the balances were 15 townships of the provinces Qom, Isfahan and Fars. Averaged over the entire study region, the net Zn input into arable soil resulting from all fertilizer inputs – Zn removal with harvested crops was 1515 g ha^?1 yr^?1 across the entire region, with a range of 438–3009 g ha^?1 yr^?1 among townships. Estimated average Zn inputs with manure, mineral fertilizers, sewage sludge and compost were 1254, 531, 19 and 7 g ha^?1 yr^?1, respectively. The input-to-output ratio of these fluxes ranged from 1.8 to 12.9 among townships and averaged 6.1 for the entire study area. Considering that outputs other than with crop harvests are minor, Zn stocks are rapidly building up in the soils of the study region. Uncertainties in the manure and crop removal data were the main sources of estimation uncertainty in this study.     

Copper functionalization of polypropylene fabric surface in order to use in fog collectors

Polypropylene fabrics were coated with copper particles using electroless plating, screen printing and wire arc spray coating techniques. Surface morphology of the fabrics was studied using optical and scanning electron microscopes (SEM). Furthermore, tensile strength, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, air permeability, water contact angle and fog collection efficiency of the coated fabrics were measured and the obtained results were analyzed. SEM micrographs showed that a very thin and uniform layer of copper deposited on the surface of the electroless plated polypropylene fibers. In the printed or spray coated fabrics the copper particles filled the spaces between yarns and fibers. The polypropylene electroless copper plated fabrics showed higher tensile strength, electrical conductivity, air permeability and thermal conductivity when compared with the fabrics coated with copper screen printed and copper spray coated fabrics. Finally, the obtained results showed that copper electroless plating could increase the fog collection efficiency of polypropylene fabrics considerably. As a conclusion, the surface modified copper electroless polypropylene fabrics are good candidates for fog collection in appropriate regions which need further investigations.     

Determination of fiber length and juvenile and mature wood zones in Acer velutinum Boiss. trees grown in Iran

In our investigation we studied fiber lengths and the transition age from juvenile to mature wood in Acer velutinum Boiss. For this purpose, samples from three normal maple trees at a Noshahr site in northern Iran were selected. Disks were cut at breast height. Test samples were taken along a radial direction from the pith to the bark, accounting for every ring during a 48-year period. We used the Franklin method to distinguish between fibers of juvenile and mature wood. The results show that the fiber length increased along the radial direction from the pith to the bark. The transition age between juvenile and mature wood was determined at the 14th annual ring from the pith.     

The distribution and frequency of damage to roadside trees in low-volume road construction

We investigated the distribution and frequency of damage to tree stands adjacent to low-volume roads according to the type of hillside materials involved(soil or rock) and hillside gradient in mountainous forests of northern Iran. A total of 80 plots were systematically and randomly sampled to record damaged trees(bending,crushing and wounding) by class of hillside gradient and materials at the edge of road. Tree wounding and crushing at rock slopes was significantly greater than at hillsides with a mix of clay soil(p \ 0.05). Damage on hillsides with slope gradients[45% were 2, 8.5 and 2.3 times more frequent than on hillsides with slope gradient\15% for bending, crushing and wounding, respectively. The damage distribution varied according by type and the most frequent damage was tree wounding(p \ 0.05). The damage distribution was measured at distances of 4, 5 and 8 m from the road fillslope for tree bending, crushing and wounding, respectively. Using hydraulic excavators and physical barriers(wooden obstruction and synthetic holder) during earthworks for road construction could reduce these damage.     

The effect of some watershed,soil characteristics and morphometric factors on the relationship between the gully volume and length in Fars Province,Iran

A survey consisting of 146 first order gullies selected from five sites with different land use, soil and watershed properties was carried out to estimate the parameters of the empirical power function in order to describe the relationship between the gully volume and length in Fars province, Iran. Subsequently, the gullies were clustered into seven groups (“A” to “G”) based on nine morphometric factors. The linearized functions were fitted to the natural logarithms of the volume and length in each group and the parameters “a” and “b” were determined. The obtained “a” and “b” parameters are in the ranges of 1.0–10.8 and 0.8–1.4, respectively. Comparison of “a” and “b” parameters in each group with the mean of nine factors and the mean soil, watershed and land use characteristics in each group showed that the gully volume and average cross section are correlated with the gully depths in different sections and the gully head slopes. Also it was shown that the parameters of fitted functions to the plots of gully volumes versus gully lengths are proportional to width at the gully heads. The gully widths at the top and bottom of the five meter sections are correlated with the average upstream watershed area of the gullies.     

Minimizing ammonia volatilization from urea,improving lowland rice (cv. MR219) seed germination,plant growth variables,nutrient uptake,and nutrient recovery using clinoptilolite zeolite

The anionic nature and high cation exchange capacity (CEC) of clinoptilolite zeolite can be exploited to reduce ammonia (NH₃) loss from urea and to improve soil chemical properties to increase nutrient utilization efficiency in lowland rice cultivation. A closed-dynamic airflow system was used to determine NH₃ loss from treatments (20, 40, and 60 g clinoptilolite zeolite pot^?1). Seed germination study was conducted to evaluate the effects of clinoptilolite zeolite on rice seed germination. A pot study was conducted to determine the effects of clinoptilolite zeolite on rice plant growth variables, nutrient uptake, nutrient recovery, and soil chemical properties. Standard procedures were used to determine NH₃ loss, rice plant height, number of leaves, number of tillers, dry matter production, nutrient uptake, nutrient recovery, and soil chemical properties. Application of clinoptilolite zeolite (15%) increased shoot elongation of seedlings and significantly reduced NH₃ loss (up to 26% with 60 g zeolite pot^?1), and increased number of leaves, total dry matter, nutrient uptake, nutrient recovery, soil pH, CEC, and exchangeable Na⁺. Amending acid soils with clinoptilolite zeolite can significantly minimize NH₃ loss and improve rice plant growth variables, nutrient uptake, nutrient recovery, and soil chemical properties. These findings are being validated in our ongoing field trials.     

Application of silver nanoparticles as an antibacterial mordant in wool natural dyeing: Synthesis,antibacterial activity,and color characteristics

Madder is a natural colorant which is commonly applied with metal salts as a mordant to improve its affinity to fibers and color fastness. Madder produces an insoluble complex or lake in the presence of metal ions on mordanted fabric. In this study, wool fabric was pretreated with AgNPs (silver nanoparticles) as a mordant, then dyed with madder. The wool fabric samples were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and their colorimetric characteristics were evaluated. The formation of spherical silver nanoparticle was confirmed using UV-Visible spectroscopy, SEM images, and elemental analysis. The average size of synthesized silver nanoparticles on the surface of wool fibers is around 73 nm. The dyed wool samples were pretreated with different concentration of Ag⁺ ions or AgNPs, which showed higher color strength value compared to untreated dyed wool fabric. This pretreatment also presented good antibacterial activity.     

Sequence and phylogenetic analysis of the non-structural 3A and 3B protein-coding regions of foot-and-mouth disease virus subtype A Iran 05

The A Iran 05 foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) subtype was detected in Iran during 2005 and has proven to be highly virulent. This study was undertaken to focus on molecular and phylogenetic analysis of 3A and 3B coding-regions in the A Iran 05 field isolate. To assess the genetic relatedness of A Iran 05 isolate the nucleotide and predicted amino acid sequences of the 3AB region of type A FMDV isolates were compared with twenty previously described type A FMDV isolates. The phylogenetic tree based on the 672 bp 3AB gene sequences of type A FMDV from thirteen different locations clustered them into five distinct lineages. The A Iran 05 isolate clustered in lineage A along with four type A variants and was closely matched with viruses isolated in Turkey and Pakistan during 2005~2006. The number of protein sequence differences exhibited by each of the isolates revealed that A Iran 05 isolate contains three amino acid substitutions at positions 47 and 119 of 3A and 27 of the 3B coding region. The nucleotide identity between A Iran 05 and the other four isolates of lineage A was estimated to be 98%.