The effect of soil moisture on chlorine (Cl2) deposition was examined in laboratory chamber experiments at high Cl2 exposures by measuring the concentration of chloride (Cl−) in soil columns. Soil mixtures with varying amounts of clay, sand, and organic matter and with moisture contents up to 20% (w/w) were exposed to ≈3 × 104 ppm Cl2 vapor. For low water content soils, additional water increas...

Spatial and temporal variation in soil moisture plays a significant role in establishing efficient irrigation scheduling, climate change prediction, and sustainable land and water management. Passive microwave remote sensing at L-band is widely recognised as the preferred technique to measure surface soil moisture globally, with spatial resolution ranging from 40-100km. However, passive microwa...

* Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: [email protected] 1537-5110/$ – see front matter a 2008 IAgrE doi:10.1016/j.biosystemseng.2008.07.002 Knowledge of dielectric properties of agricultural commodities is essential to develop thermal treatments using radio frequency and microwave energy. Dielectric properties (the dielectric constant and loss factor) of compressed chickpea flour samples ...

The environmental relative moldiness index (ERMI) metric was previously developed to quantify mold contamination in U.S. homes. This study determined the applicability of the ERMI for quantifying mold and moisture damage in Finnish residences. Homes of the LUKAS2 birth cohort in Finland were visually inspected for moisture damage and mold, and vacuumed floor dust samples were collected. An ERMI...

The effect of moisture content and temperature on the melt ̄ow behavior and the resulting morphology of thermoplastic starch (TPS)/ poly(hydroxy ester ether) blends is studied. The viscosity ratio (l) was found to vary over two orders of magnitude (0.1±10) with changes in the TPS moisture content (15±30%) and temperature (120±1608C). This had a substantial effect on the level of mixing, nature ...

agglomeration followed by pelleting is an efficient method to decrease transport costs and increase economic efficiency of composting municipal waste. the moisture content of compost is the most important parameter of the pellet making process for any type of manufacturing device. the experiments in this study were done at moisture contents of 35%, 45% and 50% at extruder shaft rotational speed...

A pot experiment was conducted to determine the response of two recent forage sorghum cultivars (JS-2002 and Chakwal Sorghum) and an old one (JS-263) to three levels of soil moisture (30%, 50% and 70% field capacity). Several traits were assessed addressing plant morphology, functional growth, leaf water status, biomass yield and water use efficiency (WUE). Soil moisture variation greatly affec...

The challenge of providing a more efficient and cost-effective ways of harvesting groundnut amongst the small holder farmers is imperative in northern Nigeria as a result of intensity of labor requirement in the task. It is reported that up to 40 % of the total labor required to grow groundnut is expanded on harvesting operation and at peak harvest periods, labor shortages often occur leading t...

Wood density, moisture content, tracheid width and cell wall size were examined in trees from plots that were sprayed for 5 years with chlorothalonil (Bravo) fungicide to reduce the impact of Swiss needle cast (SNC) and from trees in adjacent unsprayed plots. The unsprayed (more heavily diseased) trees had significantly narrower sapwood, narrower growth rings, lower sapwood moisture content, an...

The relationship of albumen height (AH) to the compositions of yolks and embryos in hatching eggs from a young (30 wk of age) broiler breeder flock was evaluated during incubation. On Day 2 of incubation, egg weight, yolk weight, and yolk moisture, lipid, and fatty acid contents were determined in eggs from broiler breeders previously identified as laying eggs of either low or high AH. In addit...