This field experiment was conducted at Research Station B, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering, College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences, University of Baghdad, Jadiriyah during the fall season of 2019-2020 to evaluate the effect of cultivation dates and soil fertilization source on the growth, yield and quality of broccoli. A split plot design within the RCBD design with three replicates was applied as the Max F1 hybrid broccoli seedlings were transferred to the field at two dates 25, Sep. 2019 and 15, Oct. 2019, which were symbolized as A and B, respectively, and occupied at the main plot. After two weeks of cultivation, the soil fertilizers were applied three times during the season in 20 days between each application including Biohealth fertilizer at a rate of 1 and 2 kg per donum, symbolized as T1 , T2 and NPK nano fertilizer at a rate of 250 and 500 ml donum, symbolized as T3 and T4 , as well as the control treatment that was fertilized according to the fertilizer recommendation and symbolized as T0 . This factor was considered the most important (sub plot) and the number of plants per experimental unit reached 15 plants. The results revealed a significant effect under the combination of first cultivation date and the soil application of Biohealth fertilizer at a concentration of 1 kg dunum (AT1) on the leaves content of N and k, leaves number, leaves area, the diameter and weight of the main disc, the total yield, the total soluble solids percent (TSS) and the heads content of beta-carotene, which were recorded 3.96, 2.99%, 41.0 Leaf-1 plant, 227.44 dm2 Plant-1, 74.0 cm, 896.40 gm Plant1 , 37.35 Tons Ha-1, 11.00%, 6.95 mlg 100 gm wet weight-1, respectively, which did not significantly differ from the combination of the first cultivation date and the application of nano-NPK fertilizer at a concentration of 500 ml dunum (AT4) on leaves area, the weight of the main head, and the total yield, which were recorded 212.39 dm2 plant-1 and 884.55 gm plant-1 and 36.85 tons ha- 1, respectively compared to the second date of cultivation and the application of fertilizer recommendation (BT0), which gave 2.33, 1.68%, 34.0 leaves, 139.99 dm2 plant-1, 51.0 cm, 689.23 gm plant-1 and 28.71 tons ha-1, 8.17% and 4.57 mlg 100 gm wet weight-1, respectively.
Combining ultrasonic irradiation and the Fenton process as a sono-Fenton process, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) in refinery wastewater was successfully eliminated using response surface methodology (RSM) with central composite design (CCD). The impact of two main influential operational parameters (iron dosage and reaction time) on the COD removal from wastewater generated by an Iraqi petroleum refinery facility was explored. Removal of 85.81% was attained under the optimal conditions of 21 minutes and 0.289 mM of concentration. Additionally, the results revealed that the concentration of has the highest effect on the COD elimination, followed by reaction time. The high R2 value (96.40%) validated the strong fit of the mo
... Show MoreBiologically active natural compounds are molecules produced by plants or plant-related microbes, such as endophytes. Many of these metabolites have a wide range of antimicrobial activities and other pharmaceutical properties. This study aimed to evaluate (in vitro) the antifungal activities of the secondary metabolites obtained from Paecilomyces sp. against the pathogenic fungus Rhizoctonia solani. The endophytic fungus Paecilomyces was isolated from Moringa oleifera leaves and cultured on potato dextrose broth for the production of the fungal metabolites. The activity of Paecilomyces filtrate against the radial growth of Rhizoctonia solani was tested by mixing the filtrate with potato dextrose agar medium at concentrations of 15%,
... Show MoreThe temperature control process of electric heating furnace (EHF) systems is a quite difficult and changeable task owing to non-linearity, time delay, time-varying parameters, and the harsh environment of the furnace. In this paper, a robust temperature control scheme for an EHF system is developed using an adaptive active disturbance rejection control (AADRC) technique with a continuous sliding-mode based component. First, a comprehensive dynamic model is established by using convection laws, in which the EHF systems can be characterized as an uncertain second order system. Second, an adaptive extended state observer (AESO) is utilized to estimate the states of the EHF system and total disturbances, in which the observer gains are updated
... Show MoreAutomated detection of Dubas palm infestation by image processing techniques has practical significance as it can improve agricultural efficiency, increase crop yield and quality, protect the environment, and provide data-driven insights. It also reduces the human effort required for pest control and enhances sustainability. In this study, we aimed to automate the detection of Dubas bug infestation in palm trees using deep learning with transfer learning residual neural networks. Based on four models: InceptionResNetV2, ResNet18, ResNet50, and ResNet101, the data used in this study were obtained by drone photography, many images were taken, and then the infected area was extracted. Using two types of data, 185 infected images and 185 health
... Show MoreBackground: Cyclophosphamide is an alkylating agent that is effective against a broad spectrum of tumors, with nephrotoxicity as a side effect. Irigenin is a natural isoflavonoid isolated from the rhizome of Belamcanda chinensis that has been reported to exert antioxidant activities. Objective: Evaluating the possible protective effects of irigenin on cyclophosphamide-induced nephrotoxicity in male rats. Methods: Fifty apparently healthy male albino rats were divided into five groups: (control, induction, irigenin, irigenin with cyclophosphamide, and vitamin E with cyclophosphamide. At the end of the experiment (day 29), all rats were sacrificed. Different parameters were evaluated, including urea and creatinine serum concentration,
... Show MoreSurface runoff is considered one of the most significant water resources in arid and semi-arid environments. Estimating the volume of surface runoff through the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), along with maps detailing the geomorphological and geological characteristics of the Wadi Haran basin, is an essential process. This estimation is supported by mathematical equations based on the Soil Conservation Service Curve Number method (SCS-CN), which is among the most widely used approaches for calculating runoff volume. The study area, Wadi Haran basin, covers approximately 1,895 km². The Curve Number (CN) was found to be 92, with runoff volume (QV) values ranging between 582.71 m³ and 12.85 m³. The total surfa
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