Land development analyses play a fundamental role in understanding how land use change shapes the land, depending on continuously changing social, economic, and environmental factors that reflect the ...interests in space. It is especially important to follow land use changes in rural areas due to their role in food security, environmental hazards, cultural landscape preservation, etc. Continuous analyses and monitoring of land use changes allow for the identification and prevention of negative trends in land use (over intensification, land fragmentation, etc.) that might affect biodiversity, change physical and chemical properties of soil, causing soil degradation, change the spatial balance, stability and natural equilibrium in the rural area. The use of the cross-tabulation matrix methodology was suggested for land use change analyses. The methodology, when the cross-tabulation matrix elements are correctly interpreted, allows us to gain as much insight as possible in the process of land use change. This approach enabled a detailed analysis of vineyards in Goriška brda, Slovenia. It was found that the existing methodology fails to analyse the location of change. For this reason, additional analyses of spatial distribution of change and of the locations where changes in space occur were suggested. The study demonstrated that the land use category of vineyards changes systematically, although seemingly randomly. By comparing land use categories over several time periods, the study determined that the size and speed of change varied across different time intervals. The identified land use changes were assessed in the context of their high pressure on agricultural land. The results of the analyses showed different trends shaping the typical agrarian landscape in Goriška brda.
•Full irrigation was found to be the best approach for high yields of fresh peppers.•Deficit irrigation considerably reduced first-class, second-class and first+second class yields.•Full irrigation ...with kaolin significantly reduced sunburn.•The highest water use efficiency was achieved under full irrigation (FC and FK), followed by deficit irrigation (R1C and R1K).•The application of kaolin did not have a statistically significant effect on pepper yields.
The present paper reports research that focused on the effect of kaolin on the yield, quality and water use efficiency of the sweet pepper Capsicum annuum L., grown under different irrigation regimes. The research was conducted in an open field with carbonate chernozem soil, at Stara Pazova (40km north of Belgrade, Serbia). It lasted for three years (2011, 2012, and 2013). Three irrigation regimes and two kaolin treatments were compared. The irrigation regimes were: (i) full irrigation (F) ensuring 100% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc), (ii) deficit irrigation at 80% ETc (R1), and (iii) deficit irrigation at 70% ETc (R2). The kaolin treatments were: (i) control without kaolin (C) and (ii) treatment with kaolin application (K). The setup was a two-factorial, completely random block system, with three replications. The first factor was the irrigation regime and the second kaolin application.
On average, the highest fresh sweet pepper yields were achieved under full irrigation (10kgm−2). Also, FC and FK treatments resulted in the highest first-class, second-class and first+second class yields. On average, the lowest percentage of sunburn was noted in the case of the FK treatment (10%), and the highest with the R2C treatment (about 27%). The sugar content of the pepper was quite consistent, while the organic acid content varied from 15.0mLg−1 with R1C to 18.7mLg−1 with FK. The application of kaolin and the irrigation regime did not have a statistically significant effect on the antioxidant activity of the pepper and ranged from 5538.4 to 6447.4μmol TUg−1. The highest yield water use efficiency (yWUE) of first-class and first+second class yields was recorded with the FC, FK and R1C treatments. Throughout the study period, yWUE levels of the second-class yields, and of the total yield, were rather uniform, regardless of the type of treatment.
•The AquaCrop calibrated model predicts the seasonal progression of canopy cover and biomass well.•The soil water content simulated by the calibrated model does not agree well with measured data.•The ...calibrated model reliably predicts the water requirement of pepper with and without plastic film mulching.
The applicability of the FAO AquaCrop model to simulate sweet pepper growth with and without plastic film mulching under different water supply and weather conditions is assessed. Pepper yield and biomass are simulated using the results of a two-year (2012 and 2013) field experiment conducted in Stara Pazova and a three-year (2011, 2012 and 2013) field experiment in Sombor, both in Serbia. The year 2012 was much warmer and drier than the two other years. At the Stara Pazova site, black plastic mulch was used and three different irrigation treatments applied: 1) full irrigation (F), at 100% of ETc (crop evapotranspiration); 2) deficit irrigation (R), at 80% of ETc; and 3) deficit irrigation (S), at 70% of ETc. In Sombor, only full irrigation (F*) was applied and there was no mulching. Two different cultivars (cv. Elephant Ear and Mišina) were grown in Stara Pazova and Sombor, respectively.
The model was calibrated using data from the F-treatment in 2012 at Stara Pazova and F*-treatment in 2011 at Sombor, given that the highest yields were recorded in these two cases. The difference between the measured and simulated values was 2.9% and 7.5% for yield and 7.6% and −14.3% for biomass, in Stara Pazova and Sombor, respectively. The calibration results showed a very good agreement between the measured and simulated values. The deviation of simulated yields from the measured values in the validation data set depended on weather and soil conditions. Namely, the match was very good in the case of well-watered pepper grown without plastic film mulching in the average year at Sombor (1.2%), and was the worst in the extremely warm year (−45.2%). Similar differences were noted in biomass. Based on statistical indicators, the coefficient of determination (R2) of pepper yield at Stara Pazova and Sombor was 0.61 and 1.00 and the Willmott index of agreement (d), 0.79 and 0.89, respectively. Thus the AquaCrop model simulates the yield of pepper grown with and without plastic film mulching quite well. Biomass simulations resulted in slightly lower values of R2 and d. The AquaCrop model can also predict the amount of water needed for pepper grown with and without black plastic mulch.
A unique case of a professional tennis player who sustained a traumatic supraspinatus tendonitis while playing Forehand was presented. This case shows how science fields could and should cooperate in ...the future since this appears to be the first report of high inflammatory of supraspinatus tendon during Forehand motions. Instead of aggressive treatment in the form of surgery, a team of experts decided for new treatment that brought exceptional results.
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