Root responses to differences in availability of nitrogen and soil water were studied in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) seedlings grown in monoculture and in competition with sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua L.) or crab grass (Digitaria spp.). Rhizotron cells were maintained at high soil water availability (approximately -0.1 MPa) or subjected to three dry-down cycles to low soil water availab...

The development of a low-cost, high-performance platinum-group-metal-free hydroxide exchange membrane fuel cell is hindered by the lack of a hydrogen oxidation reaction catalyst at the anode. Here we report that a composite catalyst, nickel nanoparticles supported on nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes, has hydrogen oxidation activity similar to platinum-group metals in alkaline electrolyte. Althou...

Soil carbon and nitrogen contents play an important role in sustaining soil physical and chemical quality and help to have healthy environments. The continues conversion of rangelands to arable lands has the potential to change carbon and nitrogen sequestration. In this study to evaluate the effects of land use change on soil organic carbon and nitrogen stock, forty samples collected from north...

The leaf nitrogen content is generally accepted as an indicator of food quality and as a factor affecting host selection by phytophagous insects. The alate pea aphids (Acyrthosiphon pisum Harris, Aphididae) were given a choice among non-nodulated pea plants (Pisum sativum L.) supplied with one of four nitrate-N levels (0, 3, 15 and 30 mM). When whole plants were exposed to aphids for 7 days, th...

Soil animals are considered as important contributors to soil fertility However, there is paucity of such information for harsh climatic conditions. Therefore, the below ground faunal density and frequency have been studied in relation to physicochemical properties of soil in Thar desert. The selected soil systems were Vigna radiata--Cuminum cyminum, grassland, flower garden and Zizyphus maurit...

Objective(s): First-principles calculations have been carried out to investigate the interaction of aspirin molecule with nitrogen-doped TiO2 anatase nanoparticles using the density functional theory method in order to fully exploit the biosensing capabilities of TiO2 particles. Methods: For this purpose, we have mainly studied the a...

in order to study the effect of nitrogen on competition between wild oat (avena fatua) and wheat (triticum aestivum) at vegetative growth stage, a factorial experiment was conducted based on completely randomized block design with three replications in research greenhouse of faculty of agriculture, at ferdowsi university of mashhad in 2008. first factor was five densities (0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 plan...