Bioresource and Agricultural Engineering Commons^™

Evaluation Of Drip And Microsprayer Irrigation Systems In California's Central Valley, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

No abstract provided.

Evaporation Estimates For Irrigated Agriculture In California, Charles M. Burt, Daniel J. Howes, Andrew Mutziger

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

All California irrigation districts that receive either federal or state water are now required to prepare Water Conservation Plans. For the first time in the history of most districts, they are developing an elementary water balance. The term "elementary" should be emphasized, because there are significant weaknesses in our knowledge of subsurface flows and some components of Evapotranspiration (ET). Irrigation districts generally use published "typical" values of ET for their water balance computations.

Monitoring Subsurface Drainage Flow At Remote Locations, Stephen R. Workman, Stephen F. Higgins, Scott A. Shearer

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Laboratory evaluations and field results are presented for a slotted weir used to measure discharge from subsurface drains. The head–discharge curve for the vertical slot is a simple power function with an exponent of 1.5. There was excellent agreement (r² > 0.99 and 1:1 slope) between predicted and observed discharge in laboratory testing of 12 test weirs representing five slot widths. The primary advantages of the vertical slot weir are its simplicity, ease of maintenance, and ability to measure small flow rates. Disadvantages include a tendency for the slot to close a small amount over time as a result of …

Rapid Appraisal Process And Benchmarking, Charles M. Burt, Stuart W. Styles

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This WORD document [Rapid Appraisal Process (RAP) and Benchmarking] provides an explanation of the Rapid Appraisal Process (RAP), as well as a brief explanation of Benchmarking and the data that must be collected for both endeavors. This document also provides an explanation the EXCEL documents that are used by persons during the RAP. An EXCEL spreadsheet (with 12 internal worksheets) is provided twice:
1. Rapid Appraisal and Benchmarking BLANK.xls
2. Rapid Appraisal and Benchmarking EXAMPLE.xls
As the names suggest, the EXAMPLE has data in it so that users can examine an example before entering data in a blank spreadsheet.

Proceso De Evaluación Rápido (Rap) Y Comparación Con El Patrón De Referencia (Benchmarking): Explicación Y Herramientas, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

Este documento WORD [RAP Documento en Español] provee una explicación del Proceso De Evaluación Rápido (RAP), como también una breve explicación de la Comparación con el Patrón de Referencia como también de los datos que deben ser recolectados para ambos esfuerzos. Este documento también provee una explicación de los archivos en EXCEL que son usados durante el RAP. Una planilla de cálculo en EXCEL (con 13 hojas de trabajo internas) es provista dos veces:

1. RAP en Español – EN BLANCO.xls

2. RAP en Español – EJEMPLO.xls

Como lo sugieren sus nombres, el EJEMPLO tiene datos previamente ingresados de manera …

Determining Matric Stress With The Modified Cam Clay Energy Relationship, Richard A. Rohlf, Larry G. Wells

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

The stress generated by matric suction, or matric stress, was determined at points along the stress path with an analytical and experimental procedure based on the modified Cam clay energy relationship. Matric stress was found to be approximately constant at large strain for constant water content triaxial compression tests. Matric stress was included in both shear and volume relationships in a critical–state soil model that employed the modified Cam clay yield function. Shear was modeled with a constant matric stress. Slope of the normal compression and recompression lines was adjusted for matric stress using a state function that expressed matric …

Evaluation Of Residual Chlorothalonil Levels On Processing Tomato Foliage Using The Tom-Cast Spray Program, Jane M. Patterson, Sue E. Nokes, Mark A. Bennett, Richard E. Riedel

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Field tomatoes were sprayed with chlorothalonil on a fixed–interval spray program and a TOM–CAST spray program with disease severity value threshold of 18. Foliage samples from upper and lower canopy layers were collected prior to spray re–applications. Chlorothalonil residue data were compared to the chlorothalonil efficacy threshold (1.2 μg/cm²). Using a seven–day interval program, eight of the nine and seven of the nine spray intervals had chlorothalonil residues above the critical level for the upper and lower canopy layers, respectively. Using the TOM–CAST program, four of the five spray intervals had chlorothalonil residues above the critical level for …

Influence Of Inoculum Size On Phytase Production And Growth In Solid-State Fermentation By Aspergillus Niger, Chundakkadu Krishna, Sue E. Nokes

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Solid–state fermentation is experiencing renewed interest for industrial enzyme production. Previous studies on the effects of fungal inoculum size on product yield have focused on spore inoculum. However, some organisms require vegetative inocula. This study investigated the effects of initial inoculum colony age, vegetative inoculum size, and duration of fermentation on the production of fungal biomass and phytase in solid–state fermentation using Aspergillus niger grown on wheat bran and soy meal. Initial inocula from 7– and 14–day–old potato dextrose agar (PDA) plates were used to study the effect of inoculum colony age in liquid culture and its further influence on …

Studies On The Formation Of Dna-Cationic Lipid Composite Films And Dna Hybridization In The Composites, Murali Sastry, Vidya Ramakrishnan, Mrunalini Pattarkine, Krishna N. Ganesh

Faculty Works

The formation of composite films of double-stranded DNA and cationic lipid molecules (octadecylamine, ODA) and the hybridization of complementary single-stranded DNA molecules in such composite films are demonstrated. The immobilization of DNA is accomplished by simple immersion of a thermally evaporated ODA film in the DNA solution at close to physiological pH. The entrapment of the DNA molecules in the cationic lipid film is dominated by attractive electrostatic interaction between the negatively charged phosphate backbone of the DNA molecules and the protonated amine molecules in the thermally evaporated film and has been quantified using quartz crystal microgravimetry (QCM). Fluorescence studies …

Production Of Microcrystalline Cellulose By Reactive Extrusion, Milford Hanna, Gerald Biby, Vesselin Miladinov

Industrial Agricultural Products Center: Publications and Information

This process involves feeding cellulose into an extruder with an acid solution. The extruder is comprised of a screw and a barrel. The screw is rotated so as to pressurize the cellulose, and the cellulose undergoes acid hydrolysis and forms microcrystalline cellulose. The invented process can be accomplished by using pure cellulose or a lignocellulosic material as the starting material. If a lignocellulosic material is used, then a basic solution is added to it and the lignocellulosic material is fed through an extruder so as to obtain a mixture comprising lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose. The lignin and hemicellulose are extracted …

Flap Gate Design For Automatic Upstream Canal Water Level Control, Charles M. Burt, Russdon Angold, Mike Lehmkuhl, Stuart Styles

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

The EXCEL design procedure for a simple hydraulic flap gate for automatic upstream canal water level control is provided. Basic configurations were developed in The Netherlands in the 1920s and have recently been used in Indonesia, the Dominican Republic, and Nigeria. Four irrigation districts in the San Joaquin Valley of California have constructed and installed over 60 properly functioning flap gates. The gates can be installed within 2 h, but require free discharge conditions and in practice are limited to controlling water depths of about 1 m or less.

Kinetic Analysis Of The Bacterial Reduction Of Goethite, Chongxuan Liu, John M. Zachara, James K. Fredrickson, Cynthia Brinkman

US Department of Energy Publications

The kinetics of dissimilatory reduction of goethite (RFeOOH) was studied in batch cultures of a groundwater bacterium, Shewanella putrefaciens, strain CN32 in pH 7 bicarbonate buffer. The rate and extent of goethite reduction were measured as a function of electron acceptor (goethite) and donor (lactate) concentrations. Increasing goethite concentrations increased both the rate and extent of Fe(III) reduction when cell and lactate concentrations were held constant. However, constant initial reduction rates were observed after normalization to the Fe(II) sorption capacity of FeOOH, suggesting that the bacterial reduction rate was first order with respect to surface site concentration. Increasing …

Bottom Mounted Doppler Flow Meter For Canals, Stuart W. Styles

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

Doppler technology, similar to that used by meteorologist to track weather patterns, has been developed and expanded to fill the need for advanced water flow measurement technology that is relatively easy to use, applicable to various hydraulic conditions, and very accurate. This report discusses the operation of doppler units, provides a comparison of the technology, benefits, cost, and use.

Adjustable Magnetic Coupler, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

Efficiency in terms of power consumption is vital and continues to be increasingly important. The use of adjustable speed pumps can reduce energy consumption and improve controllability of pressure or flows. One such technology, the MagnaDrive coupler, has been developed for service in a variety of applications.

Pumped Storage: Simple Changes, Big Savings, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

Several California irrigation districts achieved savings on electrical energy charges by implementing various types of pumped storage systems. Pumped storage uses some type of reservoir to store pumped water at a higher elevation than the original water supply. During times of peak statewide electricity demand, pumping is reduced while water is withdrawn from the reservoir which acts as a buffer.

Load Monitoring System, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

Arvin-Edison Water Storage District received a loan - from the CEC's loan program for the development of new energy conservation technology - in 1995 to develop a program with variable frequency drives. This report discusses the design of the "Load Monitoring System", cost, the need for such a system, initial start-up challenges, configuration options, and benefits.

Evaluation Of Retrievable Drip Tape Irrigation Systems, Charles M. Burt, Jess T. Barreras

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

California growers of lettuce, broccoli, celery, and cauliflower have long been leaders in drip tape applications. Starting in the early 1990s, large acreages of buried, subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) were installed with the intent of leaving the tape in the ground for up to 10 years (Burt and Styles, 1999). Tape burial depths were typically 20 - 25 cm below the soil surface. Although yields and irrigation efficiencies typically increased, there were numerous challenges with SDI. Since the tape was buried, such issues occurred as gopher damage, problems with root intrusion, soil back-siphonage when the system was shut off, damage …

Submerged And Solid-State Phytase Fermentation By Aspergillus Niger: Effects Of Agitation And Medium Viscosity On Phytase Production, Fungal Morphology And Inoculum Performance, Maria Papagianni, Sue E. Nokes, Keith Filer

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Qualitative relationships between agitation levels and medium viscosity, Aspergillus niger morphology and phytase production were investigated in submerged and solid-state fermentations. Overall phytase production increased with increasing shaker speeds from 150 to 300 rpm, although specific growth rates and phytase production rates were higher at 150 rpm for 72 h from inoculation. Fungal morphology was greatly influenced by agitation with the morphological forms of small pellets and entangled mycelia predominating at 150 rpm, while the free filamentous form was obtained at 300 rpm. Upon inoculation of SSF, increased productivities were obtained from inocula grown at 150 rpm. A shift towards …

Non–Water–Stressed Baseline As A Tool For Dynamic Control Of A Misting System For Propagation Of Poinsettias, Sérgio Zolnier, Richard S. Gates, Robert G. Anderson, Sue E. Nokes, George A. Duncan

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

A technique is presented for dynamically adjusting misting intervals during propagation of vegetative cuttings. A crop setpoint temperature for activation of misting was defined by a "non-water-stressed baseline" concept, using infrared thermometry to acquire canopy temperature for plant feedback. The critical crop setpoint temperature was calculated from instantaneous values of air temperature, incident radiation, and air vapor pressure deficit (VPD_air). Misting was activated when the actual crop temperature exceeded the critical crop setpoint temperature. The dynamic control was shown to have the potential to reduce the amount of applied water from 9 to 12 times during low levels …

Biotransformation Of Ni-Substituted Hydrous Ferric Oxide By An Fe(Iii)-Reducing Bacterium, James K. Fredrickson, John M. Zachara, Ravi K. Kukkadapu, Yuri A. Gorby, Steven C. Smith, Christopher F. Brown

US Department of Energy Publications

The reductive biotransformation of a Ni²⁺-substituted (5 mol %) hydrous ferric oxide (NiHFO) by Shewanella putrefaciens, strain CN32, was investigated under anoxic conditions at circumneutral pH. Our objectives were to define the influence of Ni²⁺ substitution on the bioreducibility of the HFO and the biomineralization products formed and to identify biogeochemical factors controlling the phase distribution of Ni²⁺ during bioreduction. Incubations with CN32 and NiHFO were sampled after 14 and 32 d, and both aqueous chemistry and solid phases were characterized. By comparison of these results with a previous study (Fredrickson, J. K.; Zachara, J. M.; …

Dissimilatory Bacterial Reduction Of Al-Substituted Goethite In Subsurface Sediments, Ravi K. Kukkadapu, John M. Zachara, Steven C. Smith, James K. Fredrickson, Chongxuan Liu

US Department of Energy Publications

The microbiologic reduction of a 0.2 to 2.0 µm size fraction of an Atlantic coastal plain sediment (Eatontown) was investigated using a dissimilatory Fe(III)-reducing bacterium (Shewanella putrefaciens, strain CN32) to evaluate mineralogic controls on the rate and extent of Fe(III) reduction and the resulting distribution of biogenic Fe(II). Mössbauer spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to show that the sedimentary Fe (III) oxide was Al-substituted goethite (13–17% Al) that existed as 1- to 5-µm aggregates of indistinct morphology. Bioreduction experiments were performed in two buffers [HCO₃^‑; 1,4-piperazinediethansulfonic acid (PIPES)] both without and with 2,6-anthraquinone …

Kinetics And Mechanism Of Birnessite Reduction By Catechol, Christopher J. Matocha, Donald L. Sparks, James E. Amonette, Ravi K. Kukkadapu

US Department of Energy Publications

The complex interactions of oxidizable organic ligands with soil Mn(III,IV) (hydr)oxide minerals have received little study by in situspectroscopic techniques.We used a combination of an in situ electron paramagnetic resonance stopped-flow (EPR-SF) spectroscopic technique and stirred-batch studies to measure the reductive dissolution kinetics of birnessite (δ-MnO₂), a common Mn mineral in soils, by catechol (1,2-dihydroxybenzene). The reaction was rapid, independent of pH, and essentially complete within seconds under conditions of excess catechol at pH 4 to 6. The overall empirical second-order rate equation describing the reductive dissolution rate was d[Mn(II)]/dt = k[CAT]^1.0[SA]^1.0 where …

Distribution And Retention Of 137cs In Sediments At The Hanford Site, Washington, James Mckinley, Cynthia Zeissler, John M. Zachara, R. Jeffrey Serne, Richard Lindstrom, Herbert Schaef, Robert Orr

US Department of Energy Publications

¹³⁷Cesium and other contaminants have leaked from single-shell storage tanks (SSTs) into coarse-textured, relatively unweathered unconsolidated sediments. Contaminated sediments were retrieved from beneath a leaky SST to investigate the distribution of adsorbed ¹³⁷Cs⁺ across different sediment size fractions. All fractions contained mica (biotite, muscovite, vermiculatized biotite), quartz, and plagioclase along with smectite and kaolinite in the clay-size fraction. A phosphor-plate autoradiograph method was used to identify particular sediment particles responsible for retaining ¹³⁷Cs⁺. The Cs-bearing particles were found to be individual mica flakes or agglomerated smectite, mica, quartz, and plagioclase. Of these, only the …

Microbial Reduction Of Fe(Iii) And Sorption/Precipitation Of Fe(Ii) On Shewanella Putrefaciens Strain Cn32, Chongxuan Liu, John M. Zachara, Yuri Gorby, Jim Szecsody, Christopher Brown

US Department of Energy Publications

The influence of Fe(II) on the dissimilatory bacterial reduction of an Fe(III) aqueous complex (Fe(III)-citrate_aq) was investigated using Shewanella putrefaciens strain CN32. The sorption of Fe(II) on CN32 followed a Langmuir isotherm. Least-squares fitting gave a maximum sorption capacity of Q_max = 4.19 x 10^-3 mol/10¹² cells (1.19 mmol/ m² of cell surface area) and an affinity coefficient of log K = 3.29. The growth yield of CN32 with respect to Fe(III)_aq reduction showed a linear trend with an average value of 5.24 (±0.12) x 10⁹ cells/mmol of Fe(III). The reduction of …

Uncertainties Of Monod Kinetic Parameters Nonlinearly Estimated From Batch Experiments, Chongxuan Liu, John M. Zachara

US Department of Energy Publications

Monod kinetic parameters (K_s, µmax, and Y) that are estimated from batch experimental data can have large uncertainties due to linear correlations between them. The degree of correlation and the resulting uncertainties of the Monod parameters are functions of the initial experimental conditions, the values of the parameters, the type and magnitude of measurement errors, and the sampling number. Careful manipulation of experimental conditions can reduce the correlations between Monod parameters allowing for the estimation of Monod kinetic parameters with the lowest degree of uncertainty. By dimensionless analysis, the correlation and relative standard deviations of Monod parameters …

Solubilization Of Fe(Iii) Oxide-Bound Trace Metals By A Dissimilatory Fe(Iii) Reducing Bacterium, John M. Zachara, James K. Fredrickson, Steven Smith, Paul Gassman

US Department of Energy Publications

Trace metals associate with Fe(III) oxides as adsorbed or coprecipitated species, and consequently, the biogeochemical cycles of iron and the trace metals are closely linked. This communication investigated the solubilization of coprecipitated Co(III) and Ni(II) from goethite (α-FeOOH) during dissimilatory bacterial iron reduction to provide insights on biogeochemical factors controlling trace-element fluxes in anoxic environments. Suspensions of homogeneously substituted Co-FeOOH (50 mmol/L as Co_0.01Fe_0.99OOH; ^₅₇Co-labeled) in eight different buffer/media solutions were inoculated with a facultative, metal-reducing bacteria isolated from groundwater (Shewanella putrefacians CN32), and incubated under strictly anaerobic conditions for periods up to 32 …

Uranium(Vi) Sorption Complexes On Montmorillonite As A Function Of Solution Chemistry, Catherine J. Chisholm-Brause, John M. Berg, Robert A. Matzner, David E. Morris

US Department of Energy Publications

We have investigated the effect of changes in solution chemistry on the nature of uranyl sorption complexes on montmorillonite (SAz-1) at different surface coverages (1.43–53.6 µmol/g). Uranyl uptake onto SAz-1 between pH 3 and 7 was determined in both titration and batch-mode experiments. These pH values result in solutions that contain a range of monomeric and oligomeric aqueous uranyl species. Continuous-wave and timeresolved emission spectroscopies were used to investigate the nature of U(VI) sorbed to SAz-1. A discrete set of uranyl surface complexes has been identified over a wide range of pH values at these low to moderate coverages. For …

Vibrational Structure And Vibronic Coupling In The Carbon 1s Photoelectron Spectra Of Ethane And Deuteroethane, Tor Karlson, Leif J. Sæthre, Knut J. Børve, Nora Berrah, Edwin Kukk, John D. Bozek, Thomas X. Carroll, T. Darrah Thomas

US Department of Energy Publications

The carbon 1s photoelectron spectrum of ethane, C₂H₆, has been measured at a photon energy of 329 eV and an instrumental resolution of 70 meV. The spectrum shows a rich vibrational structure which is resolved using least-squares fits to the data. Only C-H stretching and CCH bending modes contribute significantly to the spectrum. The lack of excitation of the C-C stretching mode is explained in terms of changes in hybridization at the spectator carbon. To investigate the possibility of incomplete localization of the core hole, the spectra of C₂H₆ and C₂D …

Chemical Insights From High-Resolution X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy And Ab Initio Theory: Propyne, Trifluoropropyne, And Ethynylsulfur Pentafluoride, Leif J. Sæthre, Nora Berrah, John D. Bozek, Knut J. Borve, Thomas X. Carroll, Edwin Kukk, Gary L. Gard, Rolf Winter, T. Darrah Thomas

US Department of Energy Publications

High-resolution carbon 1s photoelectron spectroscopy of propyne (HC=CH₃) shows a spectrum in which the contributions from the three chemically inequivalent carbons are clearly resolved and marked by distinct vibrational structure. This structure is well accounted for by ab initio theory. For 3,3,3-trifluoropropyne (HC=CF₃) and ethynylsulfur pentafluoride (HC=SF₅), the ethynyl carbons show only a broad structure and have energies that differ only slightly from one another. The core-ionization energies can be qualitatively understood in terms of conventional resonance structures; the vibrational broadening for the fluorinated compounds can be understood in terms of the effects of …

Cationic Surfactant Mediated Hybridization And Hydrophobization Of Dna Molecules At The Liquid/Liquid Interface And Their Phase Transfer, Murali Sastry, Ashavani Kumar, Mrunalini Pattarkine, Vidya Ramakrishnan, Krishna N. Ganesh

Faculty Works

Hybridization of complementary oligonucleotides mediated by a cationic surfactant at the water/hexane interface leads to hydrophobic, double-helical DNA which may be readily phase transferred to the organic phase and cast into thin films on solid substrates.