Afforestation is a main tool for preventing desertification and soil erosion in arid and semiarid regions of Iran. Large-scale afforestation, however, has poorly understood consequences for the future ecosystems in the term of ecosystems protection. The objective of the present study is to identify changes in soil properties following different intervals of planting of Ailanthus altissima (tree of heaven) in semiarid afforestation of Iran (Chitgar Forest Park, Tehran). For this purpose, sand, silt and clay ratios, bulk density, soil moisture, pH, electrical conductivity, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, calcium, sodium, total soil N, and total carbon was measured. Our study highlighted the potential of the invasive trees by A. altissima, to alter soil properties along chronosequence. Almost all soil quality attributes showed a declining trend with stand age. A continuous decline in soil quality indicated that the present land management may not be sustainable. Therefore, an improved management practice is imperative to sustain soil quality and maintain long-term productivity of plantation forests. Thinning activity will be required to reduce the number of trees competing for the same nutrients especially in a older stand to protect forest soils.
A large number of people of the fringe areas of Sundarban enter into the forests every year and encounter with the tigers simply for their livelihood. This study attempts to examine the extent and impact of human-animal conflicts in the Sundarban Reserve Forest (SRF) area in West Bengal, India. An intensive study of the data of the victims (both death and injury) between 1999 and 2014 reveals that, fishermen crab collector, honey collectors and woodcutters are generally victimized by the tiger attack. Pre monsoon period (April to June) and early winter period (Jan to March) are noted for the two-peak periods for casualties. Maximum casualty occurs between 8-10 am, and 2-4 pm. Jhilla (21.1%), Pirkhali (19.72 %), Chandkhali (11.72%), and Arbesi (9.35%) are the four most vulnerable forest blocks accounting more than 60 per cent occurrence of incidences. 67.24 per cent of the tiger attack victims were residents of Gosaba followed by Hingalganja (15%) and Basanti, (9.76%). The vulnerability rating puts the risk of tiger attack to 0.88 for every 10,000 residents of Gosaba block followed by 0.33 at Hingalganj Block and 0.11 at Bansanti Block. The majority of the victims (68%) were found to be males, aged between 30 and 50 years.
Entomopathogens are microorganisms that pathogenic to insect pest. Several species of naturally occurring viz; fungi, bacteria, viruses and nematodes, infect a variety of insect pests and play an important role in agricultural crops controlling insect pest management. This kind of biopesticide has many advantages and alternative to chemical insecticides, highly specific, safe, and environmentally sustainable. Pest problems are an almost inevitable part of agriculture. They occur largely because agricultural systems are simplified and modifications of natural ecosystems. Viruses, bacteria are host specific and fungi generally have broader host range and can infect both underground and aboveground pests, soil-dwelling nature nematodes are more suitable for managing soil pests. Growing crops in monoculture provides concentrated food resource that allows pest populations to achieve higher densities in natural environments. Some of the most important problems occur when pests develop resistance to chemical pesticides. These cause highly significant damage to crops, there are also threats from emerging new strains of pests. Crops cultivation can make the physico-chemical environment more favourable for pest activity. Agricultural pests are reducing the yield and quality of produce by feeding on crops, transmitting diseases. Agricultural production significantly loss crop yields, suggest that improvements in pest management are significant forward for improving yields. Crop growers are under immense pressure to reduce the use of chemical pesticides without sacrificing yields, but at the same time manage of pests is becoming difficult due to pesticide resistance and the decreasing availability of products. Alternative methods are needed urgently. These need to be used as part of Integrated Pest Management safety and environmental impact.
The technology of vermicomposting containing their leachates, teas and other extracts such as vermiwash as a result of earthworm action is widely applied for safe management of agricultural, industrial, domestic and hospital wastes. Remediation of polluted soils, improving crop productivity and inducing the resistance against biotic and abiotic stresses are other advantages of vermicompost derived liquids when used in agriculture. Contrary to the fact that chemical fertilizers are still widely used in agriculture, societies gradually become aware of the negative effects of these fertilizers on their health. Therefore, vermicompost derived liquids contain high amount of valuable plant nutrients which has the potential to be used as liquid fertilizer. This paper reviews the potential of vermicompost derived liquids as as an efficient combination of nutrient source of vermicompost derived liquids contributing to plant growth and acting as a deterrent to biotic and abiotic stresses.
Nanotransformations of a blanket at the fair dimensional combined processing with imposing of electric field the tool in the form of untied metal granules are considered. An object of researches are the figurine details applied in aviation, the missile and space equipment and in the oil and gas industry: driving wheels and a flowing part of cases of turbo-pump units, screws, krylchatka where there are sites of variable curvature with limited access of the tool in a processing zone.It is shown that the combination in the combined process of two-component technological environments of current carrying granules and the electroconductive liquid environment given with a high speed to a processing zone allows to receive the required quality of a blanket; action of electric field from a source with the increased tension allows to create at fair dimensional processingthe required peening from blows of firm granules. It gives the chance to raise a resource and durability of responsible knots of the aerospace equipment and oil and gas equipment, to expand the field of use of the combined processing with untied granules on a detailwith the sitesnot available to processing by a profile electrode.
The properties of the beta batteries are compared, which are made on the basis of the different β-isotopes with beta decay. Tritium and Ni-63 make it possible to make β-sources of high activity, without harmful associated emissions, with low self-absorption, emitting high-energy β-electrons that penetrate deep into the semiconductor and generate a large number of electron-hole pairs. The efficiency of beta batteries needs to be analyzed based on the real energy distribution of β-electrons. It makes possible to obtain the real value of the energy absorbed inside the β-source, correctly estimate the amount of self-absorption of the β-electrons and part of the β-electronsthere is a penetrate into the semiconductor, the number of electrons and holes that are generated in the semiconductor, and the magnitude of the idling voltage. Formulas for these quantities are calculated in this paper.
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