Response of arbuscular mycorrhizal mungbean plants to ambient air pollution

The experiments were conducted in open top chamber system installed at the University of the Punjab, Quaid-e-Azam Campus, Lahore, Pakistan. The mungbean (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek var.M28) seeds were sown in earthen pots and were kept in filtered air, unfiltered air and ambient air. The ozone concentration was monitored daily during 1000hrs till 1600 h. The data for light intensity and relative humidity was also regularly collected. The sets of plants growing in FA chambers (without ozone and dust particles) responded well as regards growth and yields are concerned. Unfiltered air reduced the number of nodules, their biomass and nitroginase activity in mungbean plants. The present study documents that the species of mycorrhizal fungi sensitive to tropospheric ozone failed to reproduce in ambient air and unfiltered air chambers (without dust particles). Out of a total of 24 species, eighteen species belonged to the genus Glomus, two each to Sclerocystis, to Acaulospora and one each to Gigaspora and Scutellospora. The total number of species was variable during the growth phase. The total number of species reduced in soil of UFA chambers with the passage of time. Species richness reduced to almost half in UFA plants as compared to FA plants. Species of the Genus Glomus were highly abundant species at various harvests in all air treatments. Amongst most abundantly recovered Glomus species were G. fasciculatum, G. mosseae, G. aggregatum, G. caledonicum, G. deserticola, G. geosporum, and G. monosporum. The pattern of abundance kept on varying at various harvests for different air and mycorrhizal treatments. In the case of plants of UFA treatment, only two species of Glomus were abundant namely G. fasciculatum and G. geosporum. Species of Acaulospora and Gigaspora in particular and Scutellospora and Sclerocystis in general were sensitive to polluted air.     

Evidence for and relationship between recent distributed extension and halokinesis in the Farasan Islands,southern Red Sea,Saudi Arabia

This paper presents a structural evolution study of the Farasan Bank using an integration of field work, remote sensing data, and regional Bouguer gravity data interpretation. The architecture of the Farasan Islands is influenced by normal faults parallel to the Red Sea rift axis delineating a series of graben and asymmetric half-graben structures as well as salt domes. Geological data suggest that the negative gravity anomaly over the Farasan Bank reflects thick salt deposits. The gravity data shows a general NW-SE trend with the main negative anomaly coincident with the Farasan Islands. Gravity data together with seismic reflection data suggest that salt diapirs are elongated and parallel to the main rift orientation (NW-SE). This indicates that salt deposition and diapirism was controlled by rift-related basement structures. Forward modeling of gravity data constrained by marine seismic reflection interpretation reveals that the evaporites directly overlie the basement in most places. No pre-evaporite formation was detected. Integration of the modeling with field observations and interpretations suggests that the Farasan Islands are in an area of active extension. Extension and salt diapirism on the flank of the mid-ocean ridge is likely to be synchronous with renewed spreading at 5 Ma.     

Groundwater origins and mixing pattern in the multilayer aquifer system of the Gafsa-south mining district: a chemical and isotopic approach

Major ion geochemistry and environmental isotopes were used to identify the origins and the mineralisation processes of groundwater flowing within the three aquifer levels of the multilayer system of the Gafsa-south mining district (Southwestern Tunisia). It has been demonstrated that groundwaters are characterised by a Ca–Mg–SO₄ water type. Geochemical pattern is mainly controlled by the dissolution of halite, gypsum and/or anhydrite as well as by the incongruent dissolution of dolomite. δ¹⁸O and δ²H values are much lower than the isotopic signature of regional precipitation and fall close to the meteoric water lines, indicating that groundwaters have not been significantly affected by evaporation or mineral–water reactions. The distribution of stable and radiogenic isotopes (δ¹⁸O, δ²H, δ¹³C and ¹⁴C) within the aquifer levels suggests that the deep confined aquifer receives a significant modern recharge at higher altitudes, while, the shallow unconfined aquifer has been mainly recharged under cooler paleoclimatic condition, likely during Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene humid periods. However, waters from the intermediate confined/unconfined aquifer have composite isotopic signatures, highlighting that they are derived from a mixture of the two first end-members.     

Nonplanar solitons in a warm electronegative plasma with electron nonextensivity effects

The nonlinear propagation of ion-acoustic waves is studied in an unmagnetized collissionless electronegative plasma, whose constituents are the inertial warm positive/negative ions and q-distributed nonextensive electrons. The latter have strong impact on the linear dispersion relation. However, for nonlinear analysis, a reductive perturbation technique is employed to derive a Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) equation accounting for nonthermal electrons in nonplanar geometries. Numerically, the effects of various plasma parameters, such as, the nonextensive parameter (q), the negative-to-positive ion mass ratio (α), the electron-to-positive ion number density ratio (μ), the positive ion-to-electron temperature ratio (θ _i ) and negative ion-to-electron temperature ratio (θ _n ), have been examined on the nonplanar compressive/rarefactive fast ion-acoustic solitons (where the wave phase speed is taken as λ>1). The relevance of our findings involving plasma wave excitations should be useful both for space and laboratory plasmas, where two distinct groups of ions besides the electrons, are present.     

DISTRIBUTION AND COMPOSITION OF PAHs IN SURFACE WATERS, POREWATER AND SEDIMENTS FROM XIAMEN WESTERN BAY

Xiamen Western Bay‘s water and sedimem quality were studied by detemaining thelevels of sixteen polycyclic amrrmtic hydrocarbons PAHs in water, porewater and sediment samples from nine locations in the bay. Total PAH concentrations varied from 106 to 945 ng/1 in water, below detectionto 3548 ng/1 in porewater, and 247 to 480 ng/g dry weight in surface sediments. PAHs levels in porewaterwere higher than those in surface water, due to the preference of these hydrophobic compounds for sedimentary phase instead of water. Such a concentration gradient implies a potential flux of pollutants fromsediments to overlying water. The PAils levels in sediments were one to several orders of magnitude lowerthan those in 1993, suggesting their decreased input in recent years and possible degradation with time.     

A Proposal for Establishing A Gravitational-Wave Detector Interferometer in Pakistan

The proposed ‘Gravitational-Wave Antenna Detector InteRferometer (GWADIR)’ will be a 3 km × 3 km Fabry-Perot type laser interferometer. The laser oscillator to be used will be a DL excited Nd-YAG laser with a minimum output of 100 Watts. The optical system will consist of 25 cm diameter Recycler, Beam Splitter, and Near/End Mirrors for each of two Ducts. The mirror system will be suspended by fine wires to isolate the system from the seismic noises of the earth. The output light emerging from the interferometer will be split into 8 beams and sent to 8 different interference detectors. These detectors will measure the interference intensities for the recombined light from the separate legs of the interferometer. The effective amplification due to the interferometer cavities will allow measurements of displacements to better than 10 times the wavelength of the laser light. A high vacuum of 10-8 Torrs will be maintained throughout the system, using turbo-molecular and ion pumps. The detector is designed to reach strain sensitivities from gravitational sources of h<10-23 (Hz)- 1/2 with a broad-band and narrow-band measurement capability in the range of frequencies from 50 Hz to 10 ⁴ Hz, thus allowing it to detect ‘standard’ signals from such sources as coalescing neutron stars or black-holes out to the edge of the universe. If enough funding became available, the project is expected to complete by the middle of the next decade. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Amelioration of soil acidity,Olsen-P,and phosphatase activity by manure- and peat-derived biochars in different acidic soils

To increase soil productivity, ameliorate nutrient scarcity, and reduce metal toxicity in highly weathered acidic soils usually requires fertilizer and lime application. Effects of three biochars on soil acidity, Olsen-phosphorus (P), phosphatase activities, and heavy metal availability were investigated to test potential of these biochars as soil amendments in highly weathered acidic soils. Incubation experiments were conducted for 6 weeks with three acidic soils: Alfisol, Ultisol, and Oxisol. Three biochars were derived from chicken manure (CMB), pig manure (PMB), and peat moss (PB) at 400 °C and applied at 1 or 2% (wt/wt). The addition of the three biochars increased Olsen-P in the three acidic soils in the following order: CMB?>?PMB?>?PB. Application of 2% CMB increased Olsen-P contents by 2.41-, 7.4-, and 1.78-fold in the Ultisol, Oxisol, and Alfisol compared with controls, respectively. Moreover, CMB increased the soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), cation exchange capacity (CEC), and alkaline phosphatase activity, but reduced exchangeable acidity, acid phosphatase activity, and the availability of heavy metals—more effectively than PMB and PB. Addition of CMB increased soil pH by 0.90, 0.90, and 0.92 units for the Alfisol, Ultisol, and Oxisol, respectively, correspondingly followed by 0.80, 0.84, and 0.87 units for PMB and 0.15, 0.28, and 0.25 for PM. Changes in EC, CEC, and exchangeable acidity followed the same order for the three soils: CMB?>?PMB?>?PB. The results suggested that the magnitude of changes in soil properties and Olsen-P contents depended on biochar type and application rate. Application of CMB increased nutrient availability and reduced the availability of heavy metals more than other amendments. Due to higher pH, EC, and CEC, and greater concentrations of carbon, nitrogen, and exchangeable calcium and potassium, incorporation of CMB should be a better cost-effective method to correct soil acidity and improve fertility and Olsen-P contents in Ultisols and Oxisols from tropical and subtropical regions of the world.     

A field study investigating the potential use of phosphorus combined with organic amendments on cadmium accumulation by wheat and subsequent rice

A field study was performed to determine the efficiency of diammonium phosphate (DAP) applied alone or combined with biochar, lignite, and farmyard manure (FYM) on growth and cadmium (Cd) accumulation in wheat and rice. Before crop sowing, different treatments were applied in the field such as a control (T₁), DAP alone (0.1%, T₂), DAP + lignite (0.05% each, T₃), DAP + FYM (0.05% each, T₄), and DAP + biochar (0.05% each, T₅). Afterwards, the wheat seeds were sown in the soil. At wheat postharvest, rice was sown without any further treatment. Raw effluent was applied as an irrigation source during the whole growth period of both crops since it is the common practice of the farmers of study area. It was revealed that the use of amendments enhanced the yield and photosynthesis but lowered the Cd contents in straw as well as grains of both crops. In both crops, the highest yield of straw and grain was found in DAP + FYM whereas the lowest Cd concentration was found in DAP alone. The ammonium bicarbonate-DTPA extractable Cd of post wheat and post rice soils were decreased while the soil pH and immobilization index were increased in all treatments as compared with the control. The present field study highlighted that the DAP + FYM can be effective in increasing yield with decreased Cd concentrations in crop grains.