From economic and nutritional points of view,tomato is,historically,considered one of the most important crops.Without significant yield reduction,most commercial cultivars of tomato crops are sensitive to moderate lev...From economic and nutritional points of view,tomato is,historically,considered one of the most important crops.Without significant yield reduction,most commercial cultivars of tomato crops are sensitive to moderate levels of salinity.However,high levels of salt stress can negatively affect the yield and quality of tomato fruits.Therefore,this study was conducted to evaluate the yield and fruit quality of three tomato cultivars(Forester,Ghandowra-F1,and Feisty-Red)cultivated hydroponically,under three different levels of nutrient solution salinity.Evaluation of tomato fruits was performed based on quantity(number and weight of fruits,and total fruit yield),physical quality(color andfirmness),and chemical quality(refractometric index“Brix”,pH,EC,K^(+),Na^(+),and NO_(3)-).Experiments were conducted using three salinity levels of the nutrient solution with electrical conductivity values(dSm^(-1))of 2.5(control),6.0,and 9.5.Results showed that the studied tomato cultivars were significantly influenced by high salinity(9.5 dSm^(-1))in comparison to the low(2.5 dSm^(-1))and medium(6.0 dSm^(-1))levels of salinity.On average,the highest fruit weight per plant of 1944.84 g and total fruit yield of 4.42 kgm^(-2) were observed at the low salinity level;however,no significant differences were obtained in the two yield factors(single fruit weight and total fruit yield)for the low and medium salinity levels.On the other hand,a significant reduction in tomato yield(31%)was associated with the high salinity level compared to the yield at low and medium salinity levels.Results of physical quality parameters showed highly significant differences among all salinity levels.On average,the maximum value of color change(1.72)was associated with the medium salinity level,and the maximum value offirmness(9.61 Ncm^(-1))was recorded at the high salinity level.Salinity levels and tomato cultivars introduced significant differences in chemical quality parameters;however,no significant differences in these parameters were attributed to the low and medium salinity levels.The maximum value of pH was recorded for the combination of medium salinity and Forester cultivar.Moreover,the maximum values of Brix,EC,K^(+),Na^(+),and NO_(3)^(-) were recorded for the Ghandowra-F1 cultivar at the high salinity level.Unlike the Feisty-Red,the performance of the Forester and Ghandowra-F1 cultivars was found to be acceptable at the tested medium salinity level(6.0 dSm^(-1)).展开更多
Two field experiments were carried out during growing seasons 2011 and 2012. It was executed in research farm of National Research Center in Nubaryia region, Egypt to study the effect of irrigation systems, fertigatio...Two field experiments were carried out during growing seasons 2011 and 2012. It was executed in research farm of National Research Center in Nubaryia region, Egypt to study the effect of irrigation systems, fertigation rates by using the wastewater of fish farms “WWFF” in irrigation of potato. Study factors were irrigation systems (sprinkler irrigation system “SIS” and trickle irrigation system “TIS”), water quality (traditional irrigation water “TIW” and WWFF) and fertigation rates “FR” (20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% NPK). The following parameters were studied to evaluate the effect of study factors: 1) Calculating the total amount of WWFF per season;2) Chemical and biological description of WWFF;3) Clogging ratio of emitters;4) Yield of potato;5) Irrigation water use efficiency of potato “IWUEpotato”. Statistical analysis indicated that, maximum values were obtained of yield under SIS × FR100% NPK × WWFF, also, there were no significant differences for yield values under the following conditions: SIS × FR100% NPK × WWFF > SIS × FR80% NPK × WWFF > SIS × FR60% NPK × WWFF > TIS × FR100% NPK × TIW. This means that, using WWFF in the irrigation can save at least 40% from mineral fertilizers and 100% from irrigation water under sprinkler irrigation system.展开更多
The soil water status was investigated under soil surface mulching techniques and two drip line depths from the soil surface(DL).These techniques were black plastic film(BPF),palm tree waste(PTW),and no mulching(NM)as...The soil water status was investigated under soil surface mulching techniques and two drip line depths from the soil surface(DL).These techniques were black plastic film(BPF),palm tree waste(PTW),and no mulching(NM)as the control treatment.The DL were 15 cm and 25 cm,with surface drip irrigation used as the control.The results indicated that both the BPF and PTW mulching enhanced the soil water retention capacity and there was about 6%water saving in subsurface drip irrigation,compared with NM.Furthermore,the water savings at a DL of 25 cm were lower(15-20 mm)than those at a DL of 15 cm(19-24 mm),whereas surface drip irrigation consumed more water.The distribution of soil water content(θv)for BPF and PTW were more useful than for NM.Hence,mulching the soil with PTW is recommended due to the lower costs and using a DL of 15 cm.Theθv values were derived using multiple linear regression(MLR)and multiple nonlinear regression(MNLR)models.Multiple regression analysis revealed the superiority of the MLR over the MNLR model,which in the training and testing processes had coefficients of correlation of 0.86 and 0.88,root mean square errors of 0.37 and 0.35,and indices of agreement of 0.99 and 0.93,respectively,over the MNLR model.Moreover,DL and spacing from the drip line had a significant effect on the estimation of θv.展开更多
Water resources are subjected to ever-increasing supply constraints due to extensive agricultural water demand for irrigated lands.Therefore,water-saving irrigation strategies need to be explored.The present study was...Water resources are subjected to ever-increasing supply constraints due to extensive agricultural water demand for irrigated lands.Therefore,water-saving irrigation strategies need to be explored.The present study was conducted to explore the possibilities of using regulated deficit irrigation(RDI)and partial root zone drying irrigation(PRD)methods as water-saving irrigation techniques for subsurface irrigation.The objective of this study are to assess the effects of RDI and PRD irrigation on the water productivity of vegetable crops(tomato)under SSD systems in arid climatic conditions,and to compare the responses of tomato crops to PRD,RDI,and FI under an SSD system in terms of productivity,crop quality,and the amount of water saved.The field experiment was conducted during the fall 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 seasons in an experimental field located on an educational farm owned by the Faculty of Food and Agriculture Sciences Department,King Saud University,Riyadh,Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.An area of 102.7 m^(2)(13 m×7.9 m)was allocated for the experiment to manage three treatments:RDI,PRD,and full irrigation(FI).The RDI and PRD treatments received 70%of the irrigation water volume of FI.Each was replicated three times.The most important results indicated that the soil water content(SWC)for the RDI and PRD treatments was lower than that of the FI treatments.FI had the highest stomatal conductance values(gs),while PRD had the lowest stomatal conductance values.The photosynthetic rate(A_(n))was lower under RDI and PRD compared to FI.However,there was no significant change in A_(n) between treatments for most readings taken during both time periods,which means that the water saving treatments(PRD and RDI)did not affect the net photosynthesis rate,thereby enhancing irrigation water use efficiency(IWUE)under DI treatments.The water-saving irrigation techniques decreased transpiration rate(T)compared to the FI treatment.The values of the abscisic acid(ABA)contents were higher under PRD and RDI than FI.The marketable yield under the FI treatment yielded the highest values.The fruit quality parameter results showed that the RDI and PRD treatments increased the total soluble solids,vitamin C,and titratable acidity of tomato compared to the FI treatment.Most of the minimum IWUE values were associated with FI.These results indicate the effects of deficit levels on IWUE.展开更多
The effect of a machine feeding rate(FR;1,1.5 and 2 Mg/h)and/or three levels of selected fineness degree(FD;3,5 and 7 mm)on machine performance,pellet physical parameters,required energy and production cost of three m...The effect of a machine feeding rate(FR;1,1.5 and 2 Mg/h)and/or three levels of selected fineness degree(FD;3,5 and 7 mm)on machine performance,pellet physical parameters,required energy and production cost of three main types of broilers diets were examined in this experiment.The examined broiler diets were formulated to meet the Ross 308 strain requirements.A complete factorial design(3×3×3)was used to identify the effects of studied factors on the pellet mill machine and pellet production.The obtained results indicated that the pellet mill productivity significantly(p˂0.001)improved through increased pellet mill feeding rate level.In addition,the machine pelleting efficiency was found to be significantly affected by all studied variables and their interactions.While the total power consumption of the machine showed no variations under the impact of the tested factors or with any of their combinations.Regarding the pellet physical quality indices,all broiler diets with all selected FD and lower FR had the maximum durability and bulk density levels.Furthermore,lower feeding rates were associated with higher hardness degrees.The lowest production costs were substantially correlated with high FR and intermediate FD(5 mm).Furthermore,production costs were determined to be reduced in finisher broiler diets under different feeding rates.Moreover,manufacturing costs of finisher broiler meals were observed to decrease in several feeding rates.Overall,these findings indicate the capabilities of producing high-quality pellets and reducing the needed production costs by optimizing feeding rates to 2 Mg/h and 2 mm fineness in broiler diets.展开更多
The energy and draft requirements of a disk plow have been recognized as essential factors when attempting to correctly match it with tractor power.This study examines the possible of using an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inf...The energy and draft requirements of a disk plow have been recognized as essential factors when attempting to correctly match it with tractor power.This study examines the possible of using an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system(ANFIS)approach and its performance compared to a multiple linear regression(MLR)model to determine the energy and draft requirements of a disk plow.A total of 133 data patterns were obtained by conducting experiments in the field and from the literature.Of these 133 data points,121 were arbitrarily selected and used for training,and the remaining 12 were used for testing the models.The input variables were plowing depth,plowing speed,soil texture index,initial soil moisture content,initial soil bulk density,disk diameter,disk angle,and disk tilt angle,and output variable was draft of the disk plow.Four membership functions were used with ANFIS:a triangular membership function,generalized bell-shaped membership function,trapezoidal membership function,and Gaussian curve membership function.An evaluation of the outcomes of the ANFIS and MLR modeling shows that the triangular membership function performed better than the other functions.When the ANFIS model draft predictions were compared to the measured values,the average relative error was-1.97%.A comparison of the ANFIS model with other approaches showed that the energy and draft requirements of the disk plow could be estimated with satisfactory accuracy.展开更多
文摘From economic and nutritional points of view,tomato is,historically,considered one of the most important crops.Without significant yield reduction,most commercial cultivars of tomato crops are sensitive to moderate levels of salinity.However,high levels of salt stress can negatively affect the yield and quality of tomato fruits.Therefore,this study was conducted to evaluate the yield and fruit quality of three tomato cultivars(Forester,Ghandowra-F1,and Feisty-Red)cultivated hydroponically,under three different levels of nutrient solution salinity.Evaluation of tomato fruits was performed based on quantity(number and weight of fruits,and total fruit yield),physical quality(color andfirmness),and chemical quality(refractometric index“Brix”,pH,EC,K^(+),Na^(+),and NO_(3)-).Experiments were conducted using three salinity levels of the nutrient solution with electrical conductivity values(dSm^(-1))of 2.5(control),6.0,and 9.5.Results showed that the studied tomato cultivars were significantly influenced by high salinity(9.5 dSm^(-1))in comparison to the low(2.5 dSm^(-1))and medium(6.0 dSm^(-1))levels of salinity.On average,the highest fruit weight per plant of 1944.84 g and total fruit yield of 4.42 kgm^(-2) were observed at the low salinity level;however,no significant differences were obtained in the two yield factors(single fruit weight and total fruit yield)for the low and medium salinity levels.On the other hand,a significant reduction in tomato yield(31%)was associated with the high salinity level compared to the yield at low and medium salinity levels.Results of physical quality parameters showed highly significant differences among all salinity levels.On average,the maximum value of color change(1.72)was associated with the medium salinity level,and the maximum value offirmness(9.61 Ncm^(-1))was recorded at the high salinity level.Salinity levels and tomato cultivars introduced significant differences in chemical quality parameters;however,no significant differences in these parameters were attributed to the low and medium salinity levels.The maximum value of pH was recorded for the combination of medium salinity and Forester cultivar.Moreover,the maximum values of Brix,EC,K^(+),Na^(+),and NO_(3)^(-) were recorded for the Ghandowra-F1 cultivar at the high salinity level.Unlike the Feisty-Red,the performance of the Forester and Ghandowra-F1 cultivars was found to be acceptable at the tested medium salinity level(6.0 dSm^(-1)).
文摘Two field experiments were carried out during growing seasons 2011 and 2012. It was executed in research farm of National Research Center in Nubaryia region, Egypt to study the effect of irrigation systems, fertigation rates by using the wastewater of fish farms “WWFF” in irrigation of potato. Study factors were irrigation systems (sprinkler irrigation system “SIS” and trickle irrigation system “TIS”), water quality (traditional irrigation water “TIW” and WWFF) and fertigation rates “FR” (20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% NPK). The following parameters were studied to evaluate the effect of study factors: 1) Calculating the total amount of WWFF per season;2) Chemical and biological description of WWFF;3) Clogging ratio of emitters;4) Yield of potato;5) Irrigation water use efficiency of potato “IWUEpotato”. Statistical analysis indicated that, maximum values were obtained of yield under SIS × FR100% NPK × WWFF, also, there were no significant differences for yield values under the following conditions: SIS × FR100% NPK × WWFF > SIS × FR80% NPK × WWFF > SIS × FR60% NPK × WWFF > TIS × FR100% NPK × TIW. This means that, using WWFF in the irrigation can save at least 40% from mineral fertilizers and 100% from irrigation water under sprinkler irrigation system.
基金The authors extend their appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Saud University for funding this work through research group(No.RG-1440-022).
文摘The soil water status was investigated under soil surface mulching techniques and two drip line depths from the soil surface(DL).These techniques were black plastic film(BPF),palm tree waste(PTW),and no mulching(NM)as the control treatment.The DL were 15 cm and 25 cm,with surface drip irrigation used as the control.The results indicated that both the BPF and PTW mulching enhanced the soil water retention capacity and there was about 6%water saving in subsurface drip irrigation,compared with NM.Furthermore,the water savings at a DL of 25 cm were lower(15-20 mm)than those at a DL of 15 cm(19-24 mm),whereas surface drip irrigation consumed more water.The distribution of soil water content(θv)for BPF and PTW were more useful than for NM.Hence,mulching the soil with PTW is recommended due to the lower costs and using a DL of 15 cm.Theθv values were derived using multiple linear regression(MLR)and multiple nonlinear regression(MNLR)models.Multiple regression analysis revealed the superiority of the MLR over the MNLR model,which in the training and testing processes had coefficients of correlation of 0.86 and 0.88,root mean square errors of 0.37 and 0.35,and indices of agreement of 0.99 and 0.93,respectively,over the MNLR model.Moreover,DL and spacing from the drip line had a significant effect on the estimation of θv.
基金This Project was funded by the National Plan for Science,Technology and Innovation(MAARIFAH),King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology,Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,Award Number(11-WAT1978-02).
文摘Water resources are subjected to ever-increasing supply constraints due to extensive agricultural water demand for irrigated lands.Therefore,water-saving irrigation strategies need to be explored.The present study was conducted to explore the possibilities of using regulated deficit irrigation(RDI)and partial root zone drying irrigation(PRD)methods as water-saving irrigation techniques for subsurface irrigation.The objective of this study are to assess the effects of RDI and PRD irrigation on the water productivity of vegetable crops(tomato)under SSD systems in arid climatic conditions,and to compare the responses of tomato crops to PRD,RDI,and FI under an SSD system in terms of productivity,crop quality,and the amount of water saved.The field experiment was conducted during the fall 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 seasons in an experimental field located on an educational farm owned by the Faculty of Food and Agriculture Sciences Department,King Saud University,Riyadh,Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.An area of 102.7 m^(2)(13 m×7.9 m)was allocated for the experiment to manage three treatments:RDI,PRD,and full irrigation(FI).The RDI and PRD treatments received 70%of the irrigation water volume of FI.Each was replicated three times.The most important results indicated that the soil water content(SWC)for the RDI and PRD treatments was lower than that of the FI treatments.FI had the highest stomatal conductance values(gs),while PRD had the lowest stomatal conductance values.The photosynthetic rate(A_(n))was lower under RDI and PRD compared to FI.However,there was no significant change in A_(n) between treatments for most readings taken during both time periods,which means that the water saving treatments(PRD and RDI)did not affect the net photosynthesis rate,thereby enhancing irrigation water use efficiency(IWUE)under DI treatments.The water-saving irrigation techniques decreased transpiration rate(T)compared to the FI treatment.The values of the abscisic acid(ABA)contents were higher under PRD and RDI than FI.The marketable yield under the FI treatment yielded the highest values.The fruit quality parameter results showed that the RDI and PRD treatments increased the total soluble solids,vitamin C,and titratable acidity of tomato compared to the FI treatment.Most of the minimum IWUE values were associated with FI.These results indicate the effects of deficit levels on IWUE.
文摘The effect of a machine feeding rate(FR;1,1.5 and 2 Mg/h)and/or three levels of selected fineness degree(FD;3,5 and 7 mm)on machine performance,pellet physical parameters,required energy and production cost of three main types of broilers diets were examined in this experiment.The examined broiler diets were formulated to meet the Ross 308 strain requirements.A complete factorial design(3×3×3)was used to identify the effects of studied factors on the pellet mill machine and pellet production.The obtained results indicated that the pellet mill productivity significantly(p˂0.001)improved through increased pellet mill feeding rate level.In addition,the machine pelleting efficiency was found to be significantly affected by all studied variables and their interactions.While the total power consumption of the machine showed no variations under the impact of the tested factors or with any of their combinations.Regarding the pellet physical quality indices,all broiler diets with all selected FD and lower FR had the maximum durability and bulk density levels.Furthermore,lower feeding rates were associated with higher hardness degrees.The lowest production costs were substantially correlated with high FR and intermediate FD(5 mm).Furthermore,production costs were determined to be reduced in finisher broiler diets under different feeding rates.Moreover,manufacturing costs of finisher broiler meals were observed to decrease in several feeding rates.Overall,these findings indicate the capabilities of producing high-quality pellets and reducing the needed production costs by optimizing feeding rates to 2 Mg/h and 2 mm fineness in broiler diets.
文摘The energy and draft requirements of a disk plow have been recognized as essential factors when attempting to correctly match it with tractor power.This study examines the possible of using an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system(ANFIS)approach and its performance compared to a multiple linear regression(MLR)model to determine the energy and draft requirements of a disk plow.A total of 133 data patterns were obtained by conducting experiments in the field and from the literature.Of these 133 data points,121 were arbitrarily selected and used for training,and the remaining 12 were used for testing the models.The input variables were plowing depth,plowing speed,soil texture index,initial soil moisture content,initial soil bulk density,disk diameter,disk angle,and disk tilt angle,and output variable was draft of the disk plow.Four membership functions were used with ANFIS:a triangular membership function,generalized bell-shaped membership function,trapezoidal membership function,and Gaussian curve membership function.An evaluation of the outcomes of the ANFIS and MLR modeling shows that the triangular membership function performed better than the other functions.When the ANFIS model draft predictions were compared to the measured values,the average relative error was-1.97%.A comparison of the ANFIS model with other approaches showed that the energy and draft requirements of the disk plow could be estimated with satisfactory accuracy.
