A three-step data assimilation approach is proposed in this paper to enhance crop model predictive capacity in various environmental conditions. The most influential parameters are first selected by global sensitivity analysis and then estimated in a Bayesian framework. The posterior distribution of the estimation step is then considered as prior information for data assimilation. In this last ...

In order to determine and understand the stable isotope fractionation of O and N manifested during assimilation of NO−3 in marine macro-benthic algae, two species (Ulva sp. and Agardhiella sp.) have been grown in a wide range of NO−3 concentrations (2–500 μM). Two types of experiments were performed. The first was one in which the concentration of the NO−3 was allowed to drift downward as it wa...

An idealized model was developed to describe leaf CO(2) exchange in the leguminous tree Erythrina poeppigiana (Walpers) O.F. Cook under well-watered field conditions. Photosynthetic rate in mature leaves (p) was modeled as a rectangular hyperbolic function of photon flux density (q) and ambient CO(2) concentration (c(a)), relative photosynthetic capacity (pi) was modeled as a logistic s-functio...

Carbon assimilation by submerged plants is greatly reduced due to low light levels. It is hypothesized that submergence reduces carbohydrate contents and that plants recover from submergence in the same way as darkness-treated plants. To test this hypothesis, the responses of plants to submergence and darkness were studied and compared. Plants of a submergence-tolerant species, Alternanthera ph...

Removal of nitrogen and phosphorus is known to be somewhat problematic in vertical subsurface flow (VSSF)constructed wetlands. In this pilot-scale study, two planted (Typha latifolia L. [cattail]) VSSF-constructed wetlands A (with polypropylene pellets) and B (without polypropylene pellets) and one unplanted control C (without polypropylene pellets) were designed to test the contribution of pol...

Invasion by the exotic herb Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. has become a serious agricultural and environmental problem and of increasing research interest as the species continues its southward spread into subtropical regions of China. To better understand the possible physiological and morphological adaptations of A. artemisiifolia in this region, we conducted a greenhouse experiment using seedlin...

Root architecture traits are an important component for improving water stress adaptation. However, selection for aboveground traits under favorable environments in modern cultivars may have led to an inadvertent loss of genes and novel alleles beneficial for adapting to environments with limited water. In this study, we elucidate the physiological and molecular consequences of introgressing an...

The aim of this work is to evaluate the influence of cyclophosphamide and its principal metabolites (CPs) on microbial behaviour in a membrane bioreactor system. Two laboratory-scale membrane bioreactors (MBR) were run in parallel with a sludge retention time of 70 days (one with the cytostatic drugs, MBR-CPs, the second without, MBR-control). The microbial activity was measured by respirometri...