Category: hydroponic growing

For the analysis of PFAAs in soil, the soil was dried in an oven at 40  C until no further weight loss was recorded. After homogenization, 1 g of dried soil was weighed in a 15 mL PP tube and spiked with internal standards. The soil was then extracted with 10 mL MeOH by vortex mixing for 1 min and sonication for 10 min. Phase separation was achieved by centrifugation . The supernatant was transferred to a new 15 mL PP tube and concentrated in the Rapidvap. The extraction was repeated twice with 5 mL MeOH. The extracts were combined and concentrated in the Rapidvap to a final volume of 1 mL. For pore water analysis 20 g of the soil was put in a 50 mL centrifugation filter tube with a 0.2 mm nylon filter. After 20 min of centrifugation at 2000 RPM, 0.5 mL of pore water was transferred to a vial. The internal standards and MeOH were added to achieve a final volume of 1 mL. All final extracts were passed through an Acrodisc LC 13 GHP Pall nylon filter into 2 mL PP vials and stored at 4  C until analysis.An HPLC system  coupled with a tandem mass spectrometer was used to analyze the samples for PFAAs. A pre-column prior to the injection valve was used to remove potential background contamination from the LC system. Separation of the analytes was achieved using an ACE 3 C18-300 column  maintained at 30  C with a mobile phase gradient consisting of two eluents A and B , both containing 2 mM ammonium acetate. The gradient used for separation and the mass transitions as well as other mass spectrometer settings can be found in the Supporting Information. The mass spectrometer was equipped with an electrospray ionization interface operating in the negative ionization mode, berry pots and it was run in a scheduled MRM-mode. The purified extracts were diluted 1:1 with water prior to analysis to match the injection conditions of the HPLC. A volume of 20 ml was injected. Raw data were processed with the Analyst 1.5 software .Each sample was extracted three times and each extract was injected in duplicate.

The relative standard deviation of the concentrations derived from these six injections was <10% for all analytes in all samples. Concentrations were quantified using a twelve-point calibration with fitted correlation lines that had r2 values of >0.99 for all analytes; no weighting was applied. Further information on quality assurance and quality control is provided in our previous studies . Recoveries were determined by comparison with a matrix free solution spiked with internal standard immediately prior to injection. Average recoveries of the internal standards in the samples were between 22%  and 112% . Since mass labeled internal standards were used for quantifying the analytes, no correction for recovery was necessary. See Table S4 in the Supporting Information for detailed information on recoveries. Limits of quantification were calculated on the basis of the lowest validated calibration standard. They were derived from the amount injected back calculated to an extract volume of 1 mL and divided by the average extracted sample quantities. Method blanks were prepared repeatedly with the same extraction procedure as the samples, but showed no quantifiable contamination. Solvent blanks were injected every ten injections to check for contamination of the LC system and for memory effects, but no contamination or memory effects were observed during the study. All PFAA concentrations from the non-spiked lysimeters were subtracted from the concentrations in the spiked lysimeters. Any resulting concentrations below the LoQ were neglected. Since PFOS is the only compound for which branched isomers were included in the standards used for the calibration curve, branched isomers could only be quantified for PFOS.

All reported PFOS concentrations are sum concentrations of non-branched and branched isomers.The soil concentrations at the time of planting were generally within the intended concentration range . The soil concentrations at the harvest date show that the shortest chain PFAAs, the C4eC6 PFCAs and PFBS, were depleted. Less than 3% of the initial mass was left in the soil . Depletion occurred in both the upper and lower soil layers . In contrast, some 80e90% of the longer chain PFCAs dosed were still present in the soil at the harvest date. We analyzed the behavior of the PFAAs in the lysimeter soil in another paper in which we include data from 12 other lysimeters prepared in the same manner but planted with different crops . That work showed that the depletion of the shorter chained PFAAs was due to leaching, and that the leaching was greater than anticipated due to interactions between the PFAAs. This accelerated leaching increased with the initial PFAA contamination level of the soil. Lower precipitation towards the end of the growth period contributed to reduced leaching and more stable conditions; two weeks before harvest the lysimeters had already received 91% of the water input for the whole growth period . Hence, although the lettuce was exposed to changing PFAA concentrations in soil, the evidence indicates that the concentrations were more stable towards the end of the growth period when the plants were largest and transpiring  most.To evaluate the plant uptake of the PFAAs, the PFAA concentrations in the plant tissues were compared with the PFAA concentrations in the sampled exposure media, soil and pore water, using uptake factors. Concentrations in soil were only available for the start of the experiment and at the time of harvest, and concentrations in pore water were only available at harvest. We chose to use the concentrations in exposure media measured at harvest because a much larger portion of the plant growth and transpiration occurred during the latter part of the growth period and because soil concentrations were judged to be more stable .

It is nevertheless possible that the uptake factors for the shortest chain PFAAs are somewhat overestimated due to the depletion of these chemicals in the soil over the course of the experiment.Downy mildew  is one of the most severe and devastating diseases for grapevines . Although there are various plant protection products   that can solve this issue, viticulture has traditionally used copper-based products as a fungicide, which is the most efficient way controlling it, and has become an indispensable product for a large number of grape growers worldwide . The reliance on this product is even higher for organic farming since there are no synthetical alternatives accepted to be used and copper-based pesticides are indispensable for organic vine cultivation . Therefore, the continued use of these kinds of products in viticulture has triggered the accumulation of this metal in several vineyard area soils around Europe and worldwide  which may even affect the productivity of food crops . Although Cu is fixed by organic and clayey matter content in the soil, Sonoda et al. observed copper mobility due to organic matter degradation , suggesting possible groundwater contamination. The high potential ecotoxicity of copper in freshwater and its accumulation in European soils have raised concerns in the European Union, leading to a tightening of the legislation on the use of copper-based products, limiting the use to 28 kg/ha of copper for seven years . Even though other PPP such as synthetic organic fungicides could be considered to replace copper in conventional vineyard production, their use is also not exempt from environmental risks such as soil accumulation and surface or groundwater pollution depending on their composition and the site characteristics. For example, hydroponic grow system a recent publication study  observed that synthetic organic fungicides used for grapevine cultivation in northern Italy were present in 80% of monitored water wells, exceeding the Environmental Quality Standards  limits for groundwater in 30% of them. The toxicity of dimethomorph has been observed in several living organisms, such as fish and invertebrates, other soil organisms , soil and water microflora  and aquatic plants . Concerning zoxamide, low risk was observed for non-target arthropods, soil microorganisms, and non-target terrestrial plants .

The increase of organic vine cultivation during recent years has increased the application of other kinds of organic fungicides, those named natural or biopesticides, produced from a natural source  and with minimum adverse effects on the physiological processes of plants , as is the case of laminarin, which is considered to have low environmental toxicity by EFSA . However, although some ecological products are considered good candidates for reducing copper dependency in vineyards, there is no treatment as effective as copper for controlling grapevine downy mildew . The replacement of copper-based products can be done with the use of plant resistance-inducers  or biological control agents,which have no environmental hazards. Henceforth, the use of PPPs such as copper-based and organic fungicides in agriculture can involve a human threat due to the intake of crops cultivated under those conditions  and a negative impact on other non-target receptors such as water, other plants, and animals. In addition, the sustainable use of PPPs in agriculture must include an application rate according to the characteristics of the vegetation and adjusted spraying, in order to reduce product losses due to drift.Despite this, it is worth knowing that active substances of pesticides are washed away by rainfall, causing the deposition of pesticides on the soil , which means continuing to seek solutions for preventing groundwater contamination from agricultural activity. Bare soil, commonly used in low rainfall areas, allows the rainfall water to drag with it the PPPs losses remaining on the topsoil without any obstacles and can even be simulated and modelled . Moreover, erosion and nutrient loss in bare soil would be more pronounced due to torrential rainfall events that are expected to be more recurrent due to climate change. On the contrary, cover crops in vineyards have been proven to be effective in protecting the soil from erosion and nutrient loss, improving soil fertility, structure, soil microbial functional diversity, and balancing the productive, and vegetative parts of the vine.Although the phytoextraction effect of covers in viticulture is not sufficient to eliminate the entire volume of copper annually applied as a phytosanitary product against mildew , cover crops are suggested to reduce the amounts of pesticide leached and, consequently, the risk of groundwater contamination .

Despite this, there has been no research on the effect of covers on the soil leaching of the commonly used organic fungicides in vineyards  . The main objective of this work is to demonstrate the capability of using cover crops in vineyards for the mitigation and prevention of soil and groundwater pollution caused by the application of fungicides. Also, to study if the biodiversity of this cover crops has an effect on it. Copper, 3 conventional/synthetic organic fungicides , and 1 ecological fungicide  were selected. The specific objectives of this work were as follows: i) assessment of the soil type on fungicides leaching, ii) quantification of pollution reduction due to the use of cover crops, and iii) analysis of the vegetation effect on fungicides degradation. Five different PPPs  were selected based on previous trials carried out at OPTIMA project  according to fungicide efficacy against downy mildew in vineyards and lower environmental impact . Table 1 shows the commercial name, register number, the active ingredient, the molecule structure, the octanol-water partition coefficient  and the environmental risk for each of the fungicides studied. Codimur 50 , which is a copper-based product used as preventive treatments, is used as a control/reference treatment due to its preferential use in viticulture against mildew. Forum and Zorvec Vinabel  are novel synthetic organic fungicides, with a systemic action, with dual preventive and curative effect whereas Bion MX  is a synthetic inducer and activator of plant self-defense mechanisms. Finally, Vacciplant is an ecological organic fungicide product. All experimental studies were performed by using commercial fungicides supplied by the manufacturer’s brands or purchased from Agrogava.During the spray application process carried out for crop protection, there is an inevitable loss of fungicides to the ground. According to Gil , the amount of ground losses due to the spraying application process in a vineyard was calculated as 4.62 μg cm− 2 for an application of 1 kg Cu⋅ha− 1 under the worst conditions .

Twenty days following planting, a second application of Urea was made at the same rate. Containers were irrigated to container capacity each day to maintain even soil moisture.Plants were grown in a temperature-controlled greenhouse at California Polytechnic University in Pomona, CA, USA. Containers were arranged in a randomized complete block design with five replications. Temperature was maintained at 27˚C  and 13˚C . Radishes and mustard were grown until bulb formation at 37d. Entire plants were harvested including bulb and leaves. Plants from each experimental unit were independently washed five times in municipal water to remove any soil particles, dust or media. Plants were placed in individual paper bags and dried at 105˚C for 48 h. Dried plant matter was ground and shipped to UCANR lab for lead analysis. Samples were prepared to utilize nitric acid/hydrogen peroxide microwave digestion and lead tissue concentration was determined by ICP-AES as described above. Treatment differences of tissue lead content and other variables were analyzed using Minitab 16 software and GLM and ANOVA with Tukey’s Honestly Significant Difference Test. Salinas Clay Loam  soil was collected from an unfertilized agricultural field in Santa Paula, CA, USA . Cieneba Sandy Loam  was collected from a non-agricultural site in Norco, CA, USA . Soil was added to fill 10 cm round plastic containers: 580 g Salinas clay loam and 620 g Cieneba sandy loam were weighed into containers . Lead nitrate and lead sulfate  were added to soils to produce soils with 600 ppm of lead. Calcium nitrate was added to lead sulfate treated soils at an equivalent nitrate loading rate to account for potential nitrate fertility effects in the lead nitrate treatments. This allows that all plants were exposed to equal amounts of nitrate  while experiencing lead from different salts. Previous germination studies  indicated the extra salinity from Calcium nitrate would not interfere with germination or growth. Radish cultivars “Cherry Belle”, “Rudolf” and “French Breakfast” were seeded and irrigated as described above. In this experiment, plants grown under similar greenhouse conditions, were harvested after 60d, washed and processed as above. The experiment was a factorial design arranged in complete randomized blocks.

The main factors were: Radish variety ; lead source  and soil type . Each treatment combination was replicated five times for a total of 60 experimental units. The data were analyzed using GLM and ANOVA with Tukey’s HSD by Minitab 16 software. Main effects and significant interactions are summarized in separate tables low round pots. A final experiment was designed to examine radish lead nitrate uptake in clay and sand soil textures at different lead loading rates to each soil. All five radish cultivars were used and sourced as previously described. Greenhouse temperatures ranged from 38˚C  to 26˚C . The same sand and clay soils were weighed and measured into containers as in methods 2.2. A concentration range of lead nitrate was added to bring the soil to 0, 150, 300, 600 and 1200 ppm Pb. Lead nitrate was evenly distributed into each weighed soil  and mixed before adding to containers. Seeds of the five radish cultivars were added as before. Plants were grown for 60d and then harvested and washed as previously described. Treatments were arrangedon a single greenhouse bench in a randomized complete block design with a factorial arrangement of treatments using five replications. Dry matter and tissue lead concentration were obtained as previously described and the data analyzed with Minitab 16 software using the GLM and Tukey’s HSD procedures. Soil from the Claremont, CA site was measured at the UCANR lab to contain 158ppm lead. While Red Giant Mustard accumulated more lead that radish cultivars, it did not “hyper-accumulate” than concentrations above the level measured in the Claremont soil. Radish and mustard accumulated more lead in their tissues from contaminated site soil than from soilless media. Radish cultivars were not significantly different from each other in tissue lead content or accumulated lead  All radish cultivars absorbed less lead than Giant Red Mustard.Radish cultivars grown in Cieneba Sandy Loam accumulated significantly more lead in their tissues and had a higher total mass of lead than plants grown in the Salinas Clay loam. Source of lead did not affect tissue lead concentration or tissue lead mass. Cultivars were not significantly different from each other in lead uptake, however, cultivar “Rudolf” grew significantly less biomatter. Interactions between main effects  were not significant.Increasing concentrations of lead nitrate in soil resulted in increased tissue lead and total lead mass accumulation.

Radish tissue dry matter  was not affected by increasing lead nitrate concentration in either soil. Maximum lead accumulation  was seen in the 600 – 1200 ppm treatments. Lead accumulation in radish tissues followed a clear linear increase consistent with concentration increases in either soil type up to 600 ppm lead nitrate. Radish cultivars were not significantly different in their tissue lead concentrations but the tissue lead mass was greatest for cultivars “French Breakfast” and “White Beauty”. Cultivar “Rudolf” accumulated the least lead , but also grew less vigorously than the other cultivars . The effect of soil texture on radish lead uptake was significant ; radishes growing in clay soil absorbed and concentrated less lead in tissues than radishes growing in sandy loam soil. Increasing lead concentration in either soil resulted in increased tissue lead concentrations and tissue lead mass across varieties.While food insecurity in the United States declined from 2008 to 2012, it is still significant—affecting > 15% of the population. Localized food production can reduce food insecurity among vulnerable populations. Much of localized food production in urban agriculture settings takes place in community gardens that have been renovated from other uses or were vacant land. In our study, radishes were grown and harvested from soil obtained from a lead-contaminated site. The site in Claremont contained soil Pb levels higher than allowed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The site was a potential community garden and still poses risk to any who would grow and consume food crops from there, especially vegetables such as radish that will accumulate lead in its tissues. While radish cultivars did not vary significantly in their uptake of lead from the Claremont, Ca soil, the hyper-accumulator Reg Giant Mustard accumulated significantly more Pb than radish. Specific data on uptake of toxic metals by plants, especially cultivars within a taxon is lacking in the literature. Our study verifies the potential for one of the most commonly planted vegetables by urban gardeners  to absorb lead from soil. Radish is a non-mycorrhizal member of the Brassicaceae and because of its lack of affiliation with fungal soil partners, it is able to take up metals that would otherwise be sequestered by mycosymbionts. Although radish cultivars did not have lead uptake differences in our first experiment using Claremont, Ca soil, we did find significant varietal differences especially in total lead accumulation in experiment 3.3 with higher lead loading rates.

The varieties “French Breakfast” and “White Beauty” absorbed the most lead and are both lacking in anthocyanin production–they form white tubers. Since anthocyanins can act as metal chelating agents, those radish cultivars lacking anthocyanins may accumulate more lead from contaminated soils. We found that tissue lead concentration was not significantly different between cultivars in any our experiments. Radishes in experiment 3.2 absorbed and accumulated greater amounts of lead than those in experiment 3.3 despite higher soil lead concentrations in the later experiment. This may be because the experiment was conducted in summer with higher daytime and night temperatures. The effect of off-season cultivation and increased temperatures on Brassicaceae lead uptake is not known. Since lead mass accumulation is the product of tissue lead concentration x biomass, significance of the cultivar response to lead mass accumulation in experiment 3.3 could be due to the reduced biomatter accumulation in cultivar “Rudolf” which grew consistently less biomatter in all experiments than most other cultivars. Soils are complex ion exchanging environments. All soils carry a negative charge and thus will adsorb Pb cations. While Pb is considered persistent in soil, this does not preclude its uptake by plants. Clay soils have higher cation exchange capacity and thus adsorb cations onto cation exchange sites. Lead is considered largely immobile in soils, but in sandy soil, particularly when low in organic matter, with neutral to acid soil reaction, Pb may enter soil solutions and thus be taken up by plant roots. In our study, we found greater radish Pb uptake in sandy versus clay soil, consistent with others’ findings. Contaminated sandy soils appear to pose more risk to consumers of vegetables growing in those sites rather than loam, clay, or highly organic matter enriched systems that will better adsorb the Pb cations. Slightly alkaline high CEC soils strongly adsorb lead, and it is less available for immediate plant uptake. Since soil texture affects lead uptake, not all soils pose the same risk to food supplies. Reliance only on soil testing may give inaccurate estimates of what may be absorbed by plants because so many urban soils are modified by adding organic matter, plastic pots 30 liters or importing other soil textural classes that are not mapped. We have shown that radish is a reliable bio-assay plant to detect lead in soil. While analyzing soil directly will give data on possible lead loading rates, it may not accurately predict the amount of lead that will be taken up by crop plants; making plant growth bioassays an important assessment tool. Edaphic conditions such as cation exchange capacity, species of lead present, and presence of sulfur all have effects on absorption of lead from soil. In our study, either species tested, whether highly soluble , or less soluble , were both absorbed by radish resulting in similar lead tissue concentrations. Elemental sulfur may be oxidized in soil reducing soil reaction making metals more available. This would not occur with lead sulfate since the sulfur is already fully oxidized. Metal absorption by radish is more likely affected by soil pH and organic matter percentage and type.

Our findings suggest radish cultivars can vary in lead uptake depending on soil lead concentration, soil type, and their overall growth which is an important factor in the calculation of lead mass accumulated by a given crop. Radish cultivars are not known to be hyper-accumulators but can absorb biologically significant levels of lead from contaminated soil. Hyper-accumulators tend to be rapid and productive growers in the Brassicaceae family and their use in phytoremediation of contaminated sites is well documented.Radish, as well as all farm products, should still be consumed with caution when produced in urban farms with soil lead contamination. This is especially true since the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization  determined that “There is no known lead exposure minimum that does not cause IQ  impairment”.Non-human primates are similar to humans in terms of genetic evolution, immunesystem, physiology and metabolism as well as other features.In addition, similarities in cancer genetics between humans and NHPs have been reported, particularly in great apes. Therefore, NHP species are considered as good models for human cancer research. However, due to the low incidence of cancer in non-human primates and the reduced sample size compared to human studies, more data and reports need to be documented, particularly regarding spontaneous tumours. Most studies of cancer in NHPs involved monkeys and great apes. Despite the relevant phylogenetic position of prosimians, few reports of neoplastic diseases have been described in these species. Neoplasia in lemurs has been scarcely reported apart from some primary liver tumors and pulmonary tumors. However, improving our knowledge on prosimian cancer would be useful to trace the evolution of this disease in humans. The current study focuses on a case of T-cell intestinal lymphoma in a female ring-tailed lemur  hosted in Parco Natura Viva, an Italian zoological garden. Prior to 2005 the 5-year old female ring-tailed lemur did not show any clinical sign of illness. In March 2005 a 5-yr-old female ring-tailed lemur, belonging to a collection of 30 lemurs, was evaluated for apathy, in appetence and few episodes of regurgitation. She was thin  and showed abdominal pain during palpation. Hematologic tests did not reveal abnormalities; thus a medical treatment with carprofen  and Joscina N-Butilbromuro was performed.

Water stress is one of the most limiting environmental factors to plant productivity world wide and can be caused by both soil and atmospheric water deficits. Water stress is one of the most limiting factors for plant survival since it regulates growth and development and limits plant productivity. The effect of water stress varies with variety, degree and duration of stress and the growth of the plant. The effect of water stress on yield decrease of rice is very pronounced during certain period of growth, called the moisture sensitive periods.In an experiment conducted in the Philippines. It has been shown that moisture stress early in the growth of the rice reduced tillering, thereby reduced yield. When moisture stress was extended into reproductive phase, yield loss was significant. examined the effect of varying soil water regime during different growth phaseson rice yield. They reported that the soil water stress applied any of the growth phases reduced rice grainyield, compared to the continuous flooding irrigation. The ripening phase appeared to be most sensitive to compared to the other phases. Soil water stress during the earlier growth phases  appeared the production of effective tillers resulting in the reduction of grain yield, while stress during the later growth phases  appeared to affect the reproductive physiology by interfering with pollination, fertilization and grain filling in the reduction of grain yield.

The objectives of this study are to examine the effects of water stress on growth and yield of three rice varieties in Sokoto.Pot experiment was conducted during the 2013 dry season at the Botanical garden of the Department of Biological Science, Usmanu Danfordiyo University, Sokoto. Sokoto State is located between latitude 13˚01′ North and longitude 05˚15′ East of about 350 m above sea level. The area has a long dry season that is characterized by cool dry air during harmattan from November to February and hot dry air during hot season from March to May. Relative humidity ranged from 26% – 39% in the dry season. Minimum temperature ranged between 19˚C and 29˚C and maximum temperature ranged from 30 to 40˚C and, livestock fodder system wind speed ranged between 1.8 to 5 MS−1 . Soil sample was collected from 0 – 20 cm soil depth and analyzed for physic-chemical characteristics. The soil of the experimental area is sandy, slightly acidic, low in organic carbon, total nitrogen, exchangeable cations and available phosphorous .The effect of water stress and variety on plant height is presented on Table 1. The result indicated that water stress had no significant  effect on plant height at 3 Weeks After Planting . Water at tillering resulted to significant reduction in plant height at 6, 9, 12 and 15 WAP. Control  is statistically similar with water stress at flowering and grain filling. The reduction in plant height was as a result of water stress imposed at tillering stage. This is because imposing water stress resulted in law leaf water potentials and reductions in photosynthesis; photosynthetic activity declines because of decreased stomatal opening and the inhibition of chloroplast activity; this reduced the length of the internodes at jointing stage which follows tillering stage. At the time when water stress was imposed at flowering and grain filling, the jointing stage had taken place and plants have reached their maximum height, thus the effect of water stress was ineffective.

Found significant reductions in tillers and panicles numbers as well as plant height and grain yield when water stress was imposed at tillering stage water stress resulted to decreased in plant height, number of tillers per plant, total biomass and grain yield. The effect of variety showed that at 3 WAS varieties did not differ in plant height. But Faro 44 differed significantly with taller plants, while Wheata 4 and Nereca 2 did not differ significantly with shorter plants. The significant differences among genotypes for plant height indicate appreciable amount of variability among the genotypes subjected the varieties to moisture stress at different growth stages particularly during seeding stage. They identified some promising lines had tolerance to the water stress reported varietal differences among the cultivar for moisture stress.The effect of water stress and variety on number of tillers per plantis is presented in Table 2. Water stress at tillering resulted in significantly  fewer number of tillers than water stress at flowering or grain filling and control  which were statistically at par with each other. The fewer tillers recorded at tillering could be as a result of water stress imposed at tillering because non-availability of water at tillering stage resultedin reduction in the amount of intercepted photosynthetically active radiation . Similarly, during tillering plant produces leaves and due to reduced growth as a result of water stress, the leaf initiation gets decreased and thus, tends to reduce tillering. Reported that significant reductions in tillers and panicles numbers as well as plant height and grain yield were found when water stress was imposed at tillering stage. The effect of variety indicated that.FARO 44 differed significantly with higher number of tillers per plant, while FARO15 and NERICA 2 did not differ significantly with fewer number of tillers plant. The significant differences among genotypes for number of tillers indicate appreciable amount of variability among the genotypes. identified promising lines tolerance to water stress.Decrease in HI could be largely due to water stress which resulted to decrease in translocation of assimilates to the grains, which lowered grain weight and increased the empty grains. High HI indicate the efficient translocation of assimilates towards sink.

Lower HI values under water stress at flowering and grain filling stages indicate that it was more harmful in translocation of assimilates towards the grains.The hazard quotients for lead through the consumption of fish and market garden products  are less than 1 in both children and adults. This confirms that the fish species Oreochromis niloticus from Lake Toho in HouinLogbo and Solanum lycopersicum market garden products are not contaminated by lead. The consumption of fish, in particular the Oreochromis niloticus species from Lake Toho in Houin Logbo, exposes the population to the risk of cadmium and arsenic poisoning, while the consumption of market garden products, in particular Solanum lycopersicum, exposes the population to risks cadmium poisoning. With economy rapidly development, gardening has been one of the most important parts of urban infrastructure construction which decorate the city more and more beautiful. More attention is paid to urban construction rather than urban management, which results in low informationized development. This problem has impacted the gardening construction and development. It mainly reflects in the following aspects: 1) Landscaping classification complexity result in difficult management, 2) due to the rapid development of urban construction, information is very difficult to update, 3) traditional management methods can’t accurately statistic various landscaping, such as, old trees, parks, scenic spots, etc, 4) planning and evaluation are mainly based on practical experience. Based on the above reasons, the key technology and construction methods of urban gardening need to be studied and gardening information management system will be studied. By operating this system, the operational level and management efficiency will be improved. Carry out comprehensive evaluation of urban gardening and set urban development strategies for gardening development. Gardening information management system is based on MapGIS data center integrated development platform to build and design on three layer architecture, . The first layer is hardware and software-based layer, which is base for management operation platform. Hardware part includes network equipment, servers, storage, backup devices, network including government special network, Internet, GPRS network, etc. Software part includes operating systems, database management systems, mirror and backup tools, GIS platforms and security software. The second layer is an integrated development platform for data center which is the running environment for gardening information system building and configuration.

The third layer is the applications and services layer which provides business applications and service to users. Integrated development platform for data center is based on the gardening information management requirements, which provides common needs and capabilities. It adopts service-oriented architecture conceptions. It designs and develops corresponding abstraction function module which constituted by several basic function composition. It can be divided into three layers. The first layer is to provide basic and common features, such as basic heterogeneous data view, GIS capabilities, remote sensing capabilities, 3D functions, data processing work space, data security rights management module, etc. The second layer is to provide basic and general landscape features, such as data models management, basic function management, fodder system trays gardening basic method management functions, etc. The third layer is to provide gardening professional functions, such as landscaping assisted analysis, removal and analysis, etc. In addition, as for specific business needs, it provides a standard function module expansion interface, which supports particular business logic integration, specific business function development completion. It can also be incorporated into functional warehouse to be an integral part of a functional warehouse. In addition, data center integrated development module and function module adopts “Loosely coupled” connection approach. This approach which is flexible in structure and powerful expansibility is the best connection method which has minimal environmental impact. Operation adopts “service” approach which converts “data access operation” to “data access service request service”. “Data access service” is an example, which fully embodies the latest “service oriented” design ideas. Digital Elevation Model  is an entity ground model which uses an array of values to describe ground elevation. It’s one of branches of Digital Terrain Model . The other digital model uses matrix form to express various non-terrain features, including the natural and geographical factors as well as the ground-related socio-economic and cultural factors, such as soil type, land use types, rock depth, land, commercial advantages district, etc. By using DEM, 3D visual reality technology, establish 3D view model of gardening planning area, such as urban green space system planning models, landscaping professional planning and green space system detailed planning model, landscape greening proportion and distribution models, urban green space and scenic spots of the planning model. Base state with amendments is one of spatial data management method which doesn’t store all the status of researched area, but only the state of some point and also change to relative basic state. Base state with amendments can greatly reduce temporal data amount. Gardening historical data management is based on tuple level which is based on base state with amendments. Generally, the status after construction of urban gardening is taken as “base state”. User most concerned “current state” is the latest update data state.

All the “current state” gardening information will be effectively managed which can fully reflect the change and development of gardening, and reduce historical data of the redundant and facilitate historical data management. Urban gardening information management system professional basic function includes, greening data model, metadata management, gardening basic function warehouse, gardening basic method warehouse, data exchange components, etc. . The basic function library includes data management basic function library, data update basic function library, data analysis basic function library, 3D model, encoding engine, etc. System application function construction includes application function library, business process library, etc. The application function library includes analysis function library, business function library, thematic map function, etc. Analysis function libraries includes landscaping demolition cost accounting, green analysis, greening comparative analysis, index analysis, etc. Gardening business functions includes gardening project management, landscape planning and management, garden maintenance, etc. Both professional basic and industry function support Visual Studio2005. All the plug-ins development is according to the relative interface standards. After completing plug-in functions, find appropriate registration documents and start editing plug-ins register in accordance with registration standards. Phosphorus is recognized as a limiting factor for growth of aquatic organisms in surface water bodies especially in lakes and reservoirs. When excess amounts of nutrients are discharged into surface water, the biomass of phytoplankton starts to increase and shifts to bloom-forming species that may be toxic to stock animals and potentially humans. As biomass of algae increases, water transparency decreases and taste, odor and water treatment problems become a possibility. Microorganisms decompose algae when they die resulting in dissolved oxygen depletion, death of living organisms, fish kills, and deterioration of aesthetic value of water bodies.

To fulfill their daily basic needs, these people make use of almost any natural resources found in their surroundings. Whereas beneficial species and varieties will be maintained and promoted, less beneficial ones from human perspective will be neglected and replaced by more beneficial introduced species or varieties. The processes of introduction, selection, and substitution are likely to occur at a broad scale as well as a local scale. Consequently, anthropogenic forests are gradually transformed into more productive agricultural systems with lower biodiversity. In Indonesia, agroecosystems play a crucial role in the national production system and are generally dominated by either wetland  or dryland agriculture. In the case of West Java, bamboo-tree gardens are among the most common traditional dryland agroecosystem. Bamboo-tree gardens are locally known as kebon tatangkalan and in parts of West Java as talun, village gardens, or forest gardens. They have a multi-layered structure predominantly composed of a variety of bamboos and tree species, and they tend to have been developed and maintained by rural farmers through many generations. This agroforest has been in existence before 1900s, but nowadays in much of Java, particularly West Java, the area of bamboo tree-gardens has been declining because of the increased use of more intensive market-oriented agricultural practices. In most cases, studies on the bamboo-tree garden system have focused on biophysical aspects of this element of the agricultural landscape. This paper describes the perceptions of bamboo-tree garden owners in two villages of contrasting agroecological conditions within the upper Citarum basin with regard to the management of this traditional agricultural system. Perceptions relating to bamboo-tree garden management are important to the future sustainability of this socioeconomically and ecologically important traditional system.

Parikesit et al.pointed out the ecological importance of this agroforestry system by the fact that, nearly 80% of the bird species encountered in the study sites were found to use bamboo-tree garden patches as habitat. Some of the species found in bamboo-tree gardens are protected by the Indonesian law because of their rarity,hydroponic bucket ecological importance, and/or endemicity. In addition, bamboo-tree gardens also perform as a direct and indirect socioeconomic function such as providing food, fiber and fuelwood for local people. We expect that the results of the study described in this paper could and should be used to guide policies on the conservation of bamboo-tree gardens in the upper Citarum basin. Conservation efforts are necessary not only because this landscape element has an important ecological role and high biodiversity, but also because many low income rural people depend on the bamboo-tree gardens for fuelwood as their only source of energy.For each question, the answer was scored from 1 to 7, ranging from very negative  to very positive perception . The score for every answer inevitably contained an element of subjectivity on the part of interviewers. Therefore, a probing questioning technique was used during the interviews. Where doubtful scoring occurred, the interviewer had to return to the respondent to clarify ambiguous answers. A single interview could last more than 2.5 hours. Information on agricultural land ownership and social parameters such as education level and main occupation were also collected. The questionnaire was divided into several categories related to the owner’s perceptions of their bamboo-tree garden or, in some questions, bamboo tree-gardens in the village . These categories were  garden ownership;  the socioeconomic, cultural, and ecological functions of the garden;  management of the garden;  recognition of any decline in bamboo-tree gardens in the village and causes for that decline; and  the outlook for preservation of the gardens. Some of these categories consisted of several subcategories . For example, the first category, about the general attitude to owning a garden, consisted of three subcategories pertaining to socioeconomic status, cultural meaning, and economic benefit. The 56 questions were classified into each subcategory, and 33 major questions were chosen to reflect the major aspects of each category or subcategory. The codes used for the 33 major questions and a brief explanation of each major question are shown in Table 2. The remaining 23 questions were to provide supporting information related to the major questions and/or additional perceptions of the respondents. Semi-structured interviews were also carried out with former owners and other relevant informants, such as the village leader, local farmers, and fuelwood gatherers, to cross check the answers given to particular questions by bamboo-tree garden owners.

Secondary data were collected from various sources including previous studies conducted at the present study sites. Data on the general characteristics of the villages were obtained from the village office. We performed principle components analysis  of the perception scores. Eight respondents from Wangisagara did not answer all of the questions, so the answers of 58 respondents  were available for analysis. The respondents’ scores on each PCA axis were correlated with external factors such as the area of agricultural land owned and education level obtained to determine causal relationships between perceptual rankings and external factors. Kendalltau rank correlations, a nonparametric measure of the degree of correspondence between rankings, were also calculated. The trends in respondents’ perceptions obtained from the PCA differed between Wangisagara and Sukapura. We tested differences in perceptions of the bamboo-tree garden owners between the two villages using the Mann-Whitney U-test on the responses to the 33 major questions as well as to some of the supporting questions. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 10.0 .The principle components analysis  on the data set with 33 variables and 58 samples yielded five principle components or axes that had eigenvalues > 2. The eigenvalues for the first to the fifth axis, in order, were 5.25, 4.31, 2.90, 2.41, and 2.23 . Together, these five axes accounted for more than half the total variance . Factor loadings for each variable or question in the five axes calculated by PCA are shown in Table 4. Correlations between the five principle component scores and agricultural landownership are shown in Table 5. The size of bamboo-tree gardens was significantly positively correlated with the first axis and negatively with the third axis. The size of paddy fields was significantly positively correlated with the first axis and negatively with the second axis. The area of paddy fields was significantly positively correlated with the area of bamboo-tree gardens and negatively correlated with the area of upland fields. The latter correlation is understandable because respondents who owned paddy fields were predominantly in Wangisagara where there were relatively few upland fields . Figure 1 shows the factor loadings for the 33 questions and the principle component scores of the 58 respondents for the first and second components although the cumulative explanation of variance was about 30% for these two components. The scatter patterns of the respondents were different for the two villages; respondents from Wangisagara had larger scores on the first axis and smaller scores on the second axis than those of Sukapura.

Although the difference in the scores of the two villages for the first axis was not significant , the scores of Wangisagara tended to be higher, and there was a significant difference between the villages for the second axis . There were no significant differences for the third and fourth axes , but the fifth axis was correlated with the size of upland fields,stackable planters where Sukapura had higher scores . Regarding the relationship between social parameters  and principle component scores for each respondent, there was no significant relationship for the three educational levels: no education, completed primary school only, and completed higher school . The PCA scores of respondents whose main occupation was farmer were significantly higher on the second PCA axis than those whose main occupation was non-farmer . Since all seven non-farmers belonged to the village of Wangisagara, we compared the relationship between the scores of the second axis with occupations of respondents of that village only; there was no difference. This means that the perceptions of respondents were not influenced by either educational level or main occupation. Along the first axis of correlation with the area of bamboo-tree gardens, perceptual categories such as economic and ecological functions of the gardens , management knowledge to improve productivity of the gardens , and willingness to preserve the gardens, especially with economic improvements , had higher values. The axis reflected generally positive perceptions on the existence of the gardens and indicated an economic dependency on the gardens. Regarding the second axis, perceptual categories having higher values were those that referred to management frequency, especially of the more intensive activities such as pesticide input, weeding, and tree management . Other categories with higher scores included the amount of time spent on maintenance , social functions , and awareness of the decline in the garden through conversion to cash crops . Scores with lower values were for socioeconomic status of the garden’s owner , maintenance cost , need for marketing support to increase produce values , and need for governmental support programs . The second axis would therefore indicate intensification of the management of gardens. Respondents who had higher scores along the axis presumably managed their own gardens intensively, while those who had lower scores were likely to depend on sources of income other than their bamboo-tree garden. For the third axis, which was significantly negatively correlated with the area of bamboo-tree garden, the questions with the five highest factor loadings were E2-1, B1-2, D3, E1-2, and D0, whereas the five lowest were A1-1, A1-2, A3, B1-3, and E1-1 . Since there were positive perceptions on garden ownership in a negative direction, the axis explained the degree of negative perception for social and economic categories. For thefourth axis, the five highest categories were C3-1, C1-5, C1-3, C1-1, and E2-2, whereas the five lowest were B3-2, B3-3, B2-2, B2-1, and D0 .

The association of perceived garden decline with positive perceptions on frequent management activities or with positive perceptions on social and ecological functions could indicate a perceptual contrast between whether the garden is seen as a part of nature or a part of the agricultural system. Finally for the fifth axis, which was significantly positively correlated with the area of upland fields, the five highest perceptual categories were D2, B3-1, D1-1, B3-4, and D3, whereas the five lowest were D0, A2-1, A2-2, B2-2, and B2-1 . Considering that the respondents of Sukapura had significantly higher scores on this axis than Wangisagara, it would appear to explain a perceptual difference. The farmers in Sukapura appear to recognize and accept a general garden decline for economic reasons, whereas those in Wangisagara appear to be alarmed by the decline because of the gardens’ longstanding role for subsistence and particular social functions.The responses to the two questions probing the self-perception of wealth and social status of bamboo-tree garden owners had consistent factor loadings on each axis  for the first 2 PCA axes. For both questions, the mean values of the responses were higher in Wangisagara than in Sukapura . This difference suggests that the owners in Wangisagara village had more positive perceptions on the value of bamboo-tree gardens as an important asset indicative of their socioeconomic status within the village. Their perception was also confirmed by direct observation of their material possessions during the interviews and statements from key informants that bamboo-tree gardens are usually owned by families of the property owners of their village for generations. From the perspective of traditional and cultural perceptual categories, respondents in both villages had strong positive perceptions of the bamboo-tree garden as an important family asset inherited from their ancestors and that they in turn should leave as an inheritance to their descendants . On the latter question, the score was higher in Wangisagara . The income from the gardens in both villages was not large enough for most respondents to accumulate savings. Despite this, owners in both villages still had positive perceptions about the economic benefits of theirbamboo-tree gardens . Moreover, all respondents regardless of village provided a rank of seven to a supporting question about whether the amount of garden products was sufficient for their own consumption needs. The economic importance of owning the gardens was particularly well recognized in relation to subsistence.

The maximum acceptable levels of B. cereus in food vary slightly between countries, but in general concentrations between 3 and 5 log10 CFU g− 1 are considered satisfactory and above 5 log10 CFU g− 1 unsatisfactory . Another important factor to consider/include in our study is that after the nitrification process, preceding the introduction of the biofertilizer in the hydroponic growth system, the levels of B. cereus was monitored to 1 log10 CFU/mL indicating that this process might lower the initial high concentration to acceptable levels. The continuous presence of low levels of B. cereus throughout the challenge tests however indicates that the biofertilizer has a capacity to act as a reservoir for B. cereus spores and this is a critical factor to consider in each risk assessment for this product matrix. The bacteria’s ability to form spores  provides an explanation as to how it can be present after hygienization and anaerobic digestion of the biofertilizer, and also to how it can be steadily present in the biofertilizer in the challenge test experiments despite a large amount of the inoculation dying off after a very short time after incubation. The fact that S. enterica and L. monocytogenes do not establish themselves, even seemingly dying off within 48 h after incubation in the biofertilizer, implies that the biofertilizer constitutes a highly inhospitable environment for these food-borne pathogens. In the case of still having viable but non culturable cells, a calorimetric measurement where the biofertilizer was inoculated with the pathogenic bacteria was performed in parallel with the selective plating. As well as the non-supplemented control samples in Section 3.1, these samples showed no signs of microbial activity , which corresponds to the results from the selective plating. The apparent lack of nutrients supporting microbial growth in the biofertilizer  could be hindering the establishment of these pathogenic bacteria. This is supported by the findings in the accelerated microbial activity assessments in Section 3.1 where growth was only obtained after supplementation of BHI.

This is also in line with a recentstudy by Fern´ andez-Domínguez et al. who reported that non-biodegradable compounds increased largely after anaerobic digestion. Besides the lack of available nutrients, the chemical composition of the biofertilizer could exert an additional inhibitory effect on the establishment and survival of the food-borne pathogens. The pH of the biofertilizer was measured initially and was between 5.8 and 6.1, thus the pH of the biofertilizer should not be hindering the establishment of the bacteria. A previous chemical analysis of the presence of PPCP’s  in the biofertilizer , shows that the samples collected from local Swedish biogas production plants  may contain considerable levels,nft system exceeding 100 ng g− 1 of fenbendazole, however this compound is not reported to have any antimicrobial activity . Antimicrobial agent sulfaclozine was detected in low concentration, which might very well have an impact on the establishment of the pathogens. Theobromine, an antimicrobial bitter compound  found in cocoa was detected in levels of μg g− 1 , and caffeine was found in similar levels, which also might have an effect in hindering the establishment of the pathogens. Fungicides propiconazole, fludioxonil and imazalil were detected in considerable amounts, ranging from 100 to 900 ng g− 1 . It is possible the presence of these compounds and/or other inhibitory compounds produced by methanogens during anaerobic digestion in the biogas production plants, in combination with the apparent lack of nutrients, make the biofertilizer a non-growth-supporting environment for the food-borne pathogens to survive. Previous studies on the microbial community of anaerobic digestates reveal that the results vary widely depending on the composition and treatment of ingoing substrate, conditions of digestion, and variable region chosen to be sequenced, however, most studies conclude the most dominant phyla to be Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria . The general focus in sequencing of biofertilizers in previous studies has been on plant-growth promoting microbes, with less focus on risks regarding human health in the utilization of biofertilizer for food production. The purpose of this study was thus to consider the information from the microbial community analysis from a food safety perspective. The library preparation of the 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing yielded low amounts of DNA  for all samples except for the samples of non-nitrified biofertilizer  and the starting sample of nitrified biofertilizer  .

A negative control was also included in the library preparation. The 25 most abundant genera across all samples can be observed in Fig. 4A. If no genus level classification could be obtained, the lowest assigned taxonomic classification was given. In addition, the phylum level classification was given . The microbial communities of the samples were also analysed with multivariate statistical analysis , demonstrating the similarity in microbial community between the samples, as can be observed in Fig. 4B. The 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing revealed that the most abundant genus within all the samples of nitrified biofertilizer from the hydroponic channels was Mycobacterium . This genus could not be detected in the samples of nonnitrified biofertilizer or the inorganic fertilizer. Since it is also present in the Day 0 sample , a transfer or contamination from the plant roots to the biofertilizer can be ruled out. Seeing that the nitrified and non-nitrified biofertilizer differ so drastically in the microbial community composition, as can be observed in the principle component analysis, it is apparent that the nitrification process, including lowering of the pH from 8 to 5.5, aeration, and changes in the composition of nitrogen compounds, affects the microflora present. Mycobacterium are known to be hardy bacteria that have acidic tolerance and resistance to disinfection, and can survive and grow in a low organic carbon environment.Since it is not detected in the non-nitrified biofertilizer it indicates that it emerges in the biofertilizer in some step after nitrification, however a count of 0 in relative abundance might not mean that the genus is absent, but that it is below the limit of detection . Regardless, finding Mycobacterium in a sample such as the biofertilizer is not unreasonable as they have been found to be common in cattle manure and in water distribution systems, and can survive there for long periods of time . It is also not such a surprising result to find this genus in the nitrified biofertilizer considering that species within the genus are denitrifying bacteria, and can rely on nitrate as an energy source during anaerobic conditions . While Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae are well-known pathogenic mycobacteria, several species of environmental mycobacteria can also be opportunistic human pathogens , and a further investigation of species level would be interesting in theaspect of ensuring microbiological safety in the utilization of this biofertilizer for production of food.

In the non-nitrified biofertilizer the most abundant genera from the16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing were Pseudomonas, Leuconostoc and Sporosarcina. Pseudomonas and Sporosarcina are naturally found in soil , and Leuconostoc is normally found widespread throughout the environment, in fermented foods and in plant matter.The microflora of the nitrified biofertilizer also varied between the samples taken at the same timepoint but from different channels; in comparison the samples of the inorganic fertilizer are much more clustered and vary less between samples. This behaviour can be connected to the variance shown between samples from the viable count analysis in Section 3.1, where the microflora differed in different replicates of the same kind of sample, and also from the discovery that some members of the microbial community exert antagonistic behaviour towards others. In the inorganic fertilizer, the most abundant genera were Lactobacillus, Enterococcus, Serratia, and Pseudomonas. The high relative abundance of OTUs detected in the negative control in the samples is a result of the low DNA yield of the samples , rendering the sequenced background more prominent. It was concluded that these genera cannot be distinguished to originate from the sample or the sequenced background. The genera can originate in the sequenced background as the ingredients of the PCR reaction of the sequencing may contain bacterial DNA, which is a common occurrence. . It was furthermore not expected to have high yields of DNA in the inorganic fertilizer. In the inorganic fertilizer the most abundant genera were Lactobacillus, although this was also the most abundant in the negative control and is believed to be sequenced background, Enterococcus, also present in negative control but in generally lower abundances, Serratia, also present in negative control, and Pseudomonas present in negative control but in very low relative abundances. The low DNA yield from the biofertilizer samples was a quite unanticipated result as the biofertilizer was expected to have a rich microflora as a result of the anaerobic digestion. If the nitrification process that the biofertilizer undergoes was the culprit for the reduction in natural microflora, it would at least have been expected to find some genera of nitrifying bacteria in the 16S rRNA gene amplicon analysis. As this was not the case one explanation is that the apparent lack of factors for growth, as is fortified by the findings in the microbial activity assessment of the biofertilizer in Section 3.1, has simply reduced the types of microorganisms that can survive to very hardy bacteria such as Mycobacterium or spore formers that can endure in the low-carbon environment that the biofertilizer constitutes. In a study of the microbial community of soil, hydroponic gutter it is found that the low DNA yield is in fact a result of poor growth rather than an inadequate DNA extraction .

It is also reported that low DNA content might introduce bias in 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing analysis, which is an important parameter to keep in mind when drawing conclusions regarding the composition of the microbial community . Food security has been one of the main concerns of the countries that depend on imported food, for instance, the Middle East countries like Qatar and United Arab Emirates. Full dependence on fresh food supplies from other cities or overseas has negative effects on food security. Shortages of fresh vegetables in some cities during the Covid-19 lockdown period have forced the government to reconsider its sources of fresh vegetables. Hydroponic systems are recognized as being among the main technical approaches to providing sustainable food and reducing pressure on agricultural land by shifting food production to urban environments. For instance, the state of Qatar imported approximately 90% of its food until 2017 and has been encouraging the firms to develop hydroponic farms to satisfy the country’s food demand. Hydroponic systems provide water-efficient food production but they are not an energy-efficient solution. This is because they require electricity for heating and cooling, ventilation, irrigation, LED lighting, and other horticultural practices to maintain the hydroponic farm operations in controlled environments. The huge energy consumption of the hydroponic system not only leads to an increase in operating costs but also environmental pollution. The industries are required to reduce the carbon emissions to achieve the 2 ◦C global warming target by adopting clean energy. In order to enhance sustainability when addressing the aforementioned challenges, governments must seek innovative solutions to achieving sustainable supplies of fresh food and energy supply. The photovoltaics presents a promising technology that can provide a portion of the clean energy needed to meet the huge electricity requirements of hydroponic farms. Fig. 1 illustrates a hydroponic system with solar energy generation. First, a timer is set such that irrigation starts at specific time intervals. At the appropriate time, the system starts performing irrigation using a reservoir that contains nutrient-rich water. The water-nutrient solution is pumped into the bottom of the growth tray where plant roots are held. The plant roots absorb some of the water-nutrient solutions and the rest is returned to the reservoir, where it can be used in the next irrigation process. Therefore, there is a recirculating system. These hydroponic systems are intended for use in closed buildings that are automatically irrigated, ventilated, cooled and heated, and illuminated. The energy required to run the various crop illumination equipment is supplied through a dual system in which regular grid energy is supplemented by solar power generation.

Fish weight was recorded monthly by extraction of all animals from each tank. In this process, changes in total biomass of fish were determined to calculate different growth parameters as average daily growth rate , specific growth rate and feed conversion ratio , according to Lobillo et al. . Average fish weight was calculated by dividing the total fish weight  by the number of animals. ADGR was calculated as the ratio between average fish weight  increment and elapsed time. SGR was calculated as 100 x. FCR was computed as the ratio between consumed feed and total fish weight increment . Tench were fed with a trouts’ starter feed from the company “Biomar” with 54% protein and 18% fat. Animals were fed twice a day applying an amount equivalent to 1.5% of total biomass, therefore modifying the quantity of feed provided after each fish weighting. The following parameters were analysed daily: ambient and water temperature by means of a maximum-minimum thermometer  and the volume of water replacement due to evaporation and transpiration water losses. Daily water replenishment rate was calculated as the ratio between the average daily consumption and the total water running in each system. Water samples were collected weekly from the fish tank in order to measure pH, electrical conductivity  and nitrates. The pH and EC were determined with a pH-meter GLP 22 and an EC-Meter BASIC 30 ; respectively. When the pH of the water dropped rapidly to values close to 7, sodium and potassium hydroxides were added to the sump until it reached a value above 7 again. Nitrates concentration was obtained by means of an RQflex 10 plus . Dissolved oxygen levels were determined using colorimetric test kits . Aquaponic systems usually show low concentration levels of elements such as K, Fe or Ca. Therefore, the plants were periodically examined to observe the occurrence of nutrients insufficiency. To alleviate these potential deficits, K2SO4 at 1.5% was foliarly applied in all aquaponics systems. The applications were performed twice a week , first thing in the morning with a manual sprayer.

Chelated iron solution  was directly added to the water , 0.1 L for each system. This was done on Fridays every fortnight. The effect of the substrate type used in the aquaponic production of strawberry,rolling benches bare roots and rockwool, on studied variables was assessed by means of an analysis of variance . Since multiple, repeated measurements were made in an experimental unit in our experimental design, a “repeated measures structure” was considered. In this design, the observations can no longer be considered to be independent, and as a result, we assumed that there were correlations in the residual errors among time periods. A mixed general linear model , considering substrate type as fixed factor and sampling time  and block as random factors, was performed with the STATGRAPHICS Centurion XVIII statistical package . Previously, the normality and homoscedasticity were checked with the SmirnovKolmogorov test and the Levene test, respectively. The best transformation meeting normality criteria was obtained by means of Box-Cox transformation using the same software. In all the cases, with this power transformation, normality and homocedasticity were met. Post hoc analysis was performed using the HSD Tukey test and differences were considered significant when P < 0.05. When interaction between factors was found to be significant, the effect of main factors could not be discussed since this means that a substrate has an effect that changes along the sampling period. In these cases, the evolution along sampling period was described and compared between the two substrates studied. Despite the fact that the air temperature presented important variations within the greenhouse , water temperature in fish tanks underwent lower deviations, ranging between 17 and 28.1 ◦C throughout the period in which this test was performed . In general terms, the three systems studied were very similar with regards to the studied parameters of water quality. Nitrate content of the water increased from initial values around 20–30 mg L− 1 to values higher than 70 mg L− 1 after 42 days from the start of the test .

In this same period, pH decreased from initial values close to 8, similar to those corresponding to the available water source, to values between 7.2 and 7.6 as a consequence of the activity of nitrifying bacteria. In order to stabilize both parameters, the accumulated amount of water added to the system was increased from 49 days since planting . At the end of this trial, the daily water replenishment rates for systems 1, 2 and 3 were 2.16%, 2.21% and 2.22%; respectively. In relation to the electrical conductivity of water, the variations observed in Fig. 5 were analogous to those followed by the nitrate content as a consequence of the above referred water replacement operations. Weekly measurements of the dissolved oxygen levels showed stable values , which are considered adequate values for both fish and plants. Initial fish biomass in each of the three tanks was around 700 g, with 122 animals per tank  and average weights per fish were between 5.71 and 5.76 g. After an acclimatization period of 30 days, average fish weights increased to 6.46–6.47 g, reaching 10.93–10.97 g at the end of the trial. Average daily gain ratios  ranged from 0.023 and 0.025 g day− 1 at the initial period to 0.074–0.081 at the end, with a global value for the full period of 0.057 g day− 1 . Specific growth ratios  recorded at the same dates varied from 0.383 to 0.408–0.749–0.833% day− 1 , with global values of 0.707–713% day− 1 . Feed amounts supplied to the animals were increased as they grew, so that during the first month they were given 195 g, in the second 359 g and in the third 420 g, which meant a total consumption of 974 g per tank. According to the feed consumption and the weight gained by the fish, the feed conversion ratios  were calculated, with values in the range 2.22–2.32 during the first 30 days and 1.48–1.61 at the end of the trial, with global values of 1.53–1.56. The mortality rate of the fish was very low, since only one animal died in one of the three tanks studied in this trial. As happened with the water quality parameters between the three tanks shown above, there was a great uniformity in the results obtained for the different parameters related to the growth of fish in the three tanks. No discordant data were found for average weights at different ages, average daily growth rate, specific growth rate; mortality, or feed conversion ratios. Almost all the plants in the trial were able to produce fruits during the study period, as it can be observed in Table 2. Total production per plant varied between 0 and 105 g, where zero values indicate that the plants did not produce fruits at an early stage.

Taking into account that the total area occupied by the crop was 7.2 m2  a density of 10 plants m− 2 was estimated, so that the productions obtained for the different blocks of 6 plants were between 140 and 565 g m− 2 . The quality variables  and SPAD values were only affected by the elapsed time since transplanting . Overall, SPAD values tended to be higher at the end of the period, with a more marked trend and lower average values in new leaves when compared with old leaves . On the other hand, the effect of the differences between the two substrate types studied on productive variables  varied along the growing period studied as revealed by the significant interaction between this factor and time. The number of flower buds and the number of flowers were initially higher for the plants cultivated with bare roots than with rockwool, but at the end of the trial both values were increased for the plants in rockwool . On the contrary, the number of fruits with bare roots was slightly lower at the beginning, but at the end of the trial it showed the highest values, whereas the accumulated weight of fruits that was initially lower for bare roots eventuallyequalled those corresponding to rockwool at the end of the period . Our systems allowed to maintain stable water conditions throughout the time period of the test, resorting to simple pH control operations by adding alkalis, supplementing the deficit nutrients for the plants of these systems in the form of EDDHA, potassium sulphate, and sodium and calcium hydroxides; and reduction of nitrate levels based on water changes. The total time devoted to these tasks did not significantly increase the time normally required for operations related to the hydroponic cultivation of strawberries, where the pH and levels of nutrients in the nutritive solution must also be controlled and regulated. In this sense, pH regulation is a fundamental operation to optimize the extraction of nutrients by the roots of plants, the development and growth of fish and the performance of the bacterial community in the biofilters. This can be attributed to the use of a low fish density in our aquaponic facilities, which allowed the use of a simple system of aquaculture circuits . This avoids the need for a clarifier and settler, ebb and flow bench while the simple biological filters used reduced the investment since there is no requirement of extra aeration devices or powerful pumps for recirculation of water. However, if the density of fish was to be increased or the duration of the test prolonged, it is likely that these common elements in RAS facilities would have to be introduced.

The initial adjustment that was made of the ratio between the area dedicated to strawberry cultivation and the daily amount of feed provided to the fish was not fully appropriate, probably due to the fact that most of the bibliographic references used for the initial adjustment were based on the use of tilapia, a fish species that requires lower protein contents in the compound feed supplied. Tench requires higher levels of crude protein, so the total contribution of nitrates generated was somewhat higher in our systems. This explains the substantial increase in the daily rate of water replacement from day 49 to keep nitrate levels stable around 70 mg L− 1 . Despite this increase in water consumption, the final daily water replacement rate was around 2.2%, well below the 5–10% required in recirculating aquaculture systems. Regarding this water saving potential, in an aquaponic tench-lettuce production system similar to this one, the authors obtained daily water replacement rates of 1.18% in a 65 days period . This should be highlighted, since in the conditions in which strawberry productions are carried out in Spain, water is a scarce resource. In this sense, the results obtained by Van Ginkel et al.  comparing traditional agricultural productions in California with hydroponic and aquaponic productions, pointed out that these systems are recommendable strategies to save water, since consumption was 66 and 8 times lower than in the traditional systems, respectively. As previously mentioned, the growth of the animals in the three tanks was quite homogeneous, although the weight increases were not of great magnitude, something that is characteristic of this species. The survival rate of animals was very high , within the range described by other authors  for animals with similar weights .This confirms the high adaptability of this species to the aquaponics system. In order to keep the water quality parameters stable over time, regardless of the changing weight of the fish with time elapsed, it is recommended to use several connected fish tanks . In each of these tanks there would be fish of different ages, which would be harvested in stages, thus maintaining a similar proportion of animals in different growth stages. With this system, fingerlings should be restocked each time a tank is harvested . This arrangement of tanks would also allow increasing the density of fish in a simple way, improving the productivity associated with fish farming. In view of the current findings, the slow growth of the tench is verified, which supposes an important obstacle for the extension of its cultivation in recirculating aquaculture systems, except to support sport fishing favouring the repopulation of the water courses in which naturally it is found.

Lao women farmers, who are permitted to be more involved in farming, do not just pass along the information they receive to their household members but they also actively pass it along to their friends and neighbors within  and outside  their villages. These results can lead to some conclusions that women can be as active as men farmers in information exchange if they are given the opportunity to be educated and trained .Based on the data of Badan Pusat Statistik  or Statistical Central Board of Republic of Indonesia, since March 2011 to March 2012 the number of poor society in Indonesia is 29.13 millions or 11.96%, from this number, around 18.48 millions live in villages with the main living in the agriculture sector. The poverty in remote area is the national main problem that must be something important to pay attention on to overcome and cannot be delayed but has to be the first priority in developing social welfare. Therefore, the economic national development agriculture-based in villages will give the good result such as decreasing the societies’ poverty. The basic problem faced by the farmers in Indonesia is lacking of source of financial capital, market and technology, and the farmers’ organization which is still weak. That is why overcoming the societies’ poverty is the important part of realization in long term development planning and global agreement to reach Millennium development Goal. Indonesian Agriculture Ministry since 2008 have started the exertion development program for the society in remote area  under the coordination of the PNPM program  and involved in developing society organization program. PUAP Program which was implemented starting in 2008, with the approaches that have been done, are expected to produce a important result in developing the work of PUAP program have facilitated such as; providing Penyelia Mitra Tani , co-workers investigator, and technology investigating by Balai Pengkajian Teknologi Pertanian .

Through investtigating, developing and consolidating the way societies’ economic development based on the agriculture in the place, giving financial capital through the Gapoktan program who have production and marketing exertion and saving and loan association unit. On the other way the role of analysis factor  from all undertaking stakeholders programs PUAP to be relevance steps aimed to understand the relation or connectivity from all factors in the network and also the role of factor inside the network itself be the relevance steps in arranging the strategy and work intention from the realization stage of PUAP program for the continuity of the realization program in the future , dutch bucket for tomatoes one of the problem is lacking of co-worker investigator who responsible to accompany the farmers, farmers’ organization and Gapoktan in implementing PUAP to support the region revitalization development, therefore in order to reach this goal it is interesting to be observed. Social Network in implementing PUAP is done to more understand the information, knowledge sharing and knowledge building between co-worker investigator, Penyelia Mitra Tani  and Farmer Organization . Network is an association of relations between nodes, formally network has some objects called nodes, a simple example of network can be found and seen is on the existence of the society, the existence of the society can be seen as a network, social relationship between one individual and another and really complex, in a network symbolizing an interaction between nodes or actors, basically the interaction or relationship happen can be categorized become a symmetrical or non-directional relationship  and directional relationship . We can see this thing in the example of two nodes or actors . X and Y are interested one another as symmetrical or non-directional relationship. As the continuation, if X likes Y can be called as directional relationship. In the society we can find the network and social network. Social network itself meant as small world phenomenon who comes from observation that each individual often connected by the short introduction chain, the relation chain which is accumulated to form a complex social network. Simply the social network can be descried based on the components that form it like: 1) A group of people, objects or events at least 3 who play role as terminal. Commonly interpreted by using dots that is called nodes or actor, 2) as a bound who relates one dot to another dots in network.

This bound is interpreted by using lines which is an access or a way. This bound include a visible bound or an invisible bound. Usually this bound happen and identified by network relation or boundaries, and 3) flow, it is symbolizing by an arrow in the diagram. It describes something that flows from one dot to another dot, through the direction that relates every dots in the network.In social sciences, social network analysis has become a strong methodology beside the statistic, network concept that has been definite, tested, an applied in research tradition in all social science , starting from anthropology, sociology, business administration and history. Social Network Analysis  is a tool to map the important knowledge relationship between individuals. SNA as an approach used to do social research to find the vertical and lateral information, indentify the sources and aim to find the limitation about the resources, SNA is developed to understand the relationship  from actors  in a system with 2 focuses such as; actors and the relation between actors in particular social context. This focus helps the understanding about how the actors position can influence the access towards the resources such as; materials, financial capital and information. This case shows that the economic activities are related to the social structure which is finally goes to the concept of financial capital social. Information as a the most important resources that flows in a network so the SNA often implemented to identified the information flows. Theoretically, by indentifying the information flows can help to develop the strategy that can encourage the actors to share the information rather than they have to create a new strategy. When the actors access the recourses they have, the actors will form a cluster, where the actor with the best position will get more information compared to the others. Usually the actor who has access from many resources will join in many clusters, and it can give more power because they act as mediator to those who have few contacts and access. Something has to be observed is the information flow does not need to be same, whish meant the hierarchy is formed based on the actor’s position in the network. Network is not only giving the access to the sources, but also giving the access to another source that can help to give value towards the sources itself. This shows that actor can arrange the social network to maximize their benefit by approaching the sources and the opportunities available. Spatial social network analysis tries to see and discuss how an actor’s position in geographical space/regions can be analyzed along with their position in the social network. Spatial Social Network explains the important role of spatial concepts, such as distance, location, proximity, environmental, and regional influence in society, blueberry grow pot social behavior is a geographically specific context, and that space and society formed with each other, then it requires merging multiple spatialities into the analysis social network.

Spatial location of social network analysis to identify the actors in the social network , by entering the simultaneous position and place the actors in the relationship in a network, social network facilitates spatial analysis of social behavior in the context of simultaneous and related network position and relative location in geographical space. Rural Agribusiness Development  is a program of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Indonesia breakthrough, the program began in 2008, has been implemented in 20,426 villages in 417 districts and 33 provinces in Indonesia. One of the main activities are distribution of funds PUAP Direct Community Assistance  to Gapoktan  in the form of capital gain that is used to: 1) cultivation of food crops, horticulture, livestock, crops, and 2) nonfarming businesses include venture farm household industries, small scale marketing and other business-based agriculture. The main approach Rural Agribusiness Development  is expected to produce a resultant significant, as well as the main indicator of the successful implementation of the program PUAP namely: a) Empowerment Gapoktan , b) working capital assistance for productive activities, c) Agribusiness, d) Regional, e) Institutional and f) Empowering communities in a participatory manner. To improve performance, Gapoktan PUAP has much facilitated, such as the provision of expert Supervisor Mitra Tani , a companion extension , technology assistance by the Center for Agricultural Technology , coaching by the provincial and district governments. 1) Combined Farmers Group  is a collection of some Farmers Group  who join and work together to improve economies of scale and opera tionalefficiency. Gapoktan PUAP institutional management is the Ministry of Agriculture grant of 100 million dollars for capital strengthening, so that members can Gapoktan develop economically productive agribusiness. The pattern of development PUAP pursued through facilitation/ mentoring, sharpening and strengthening of community-based economic development direction of local agricultural resource potential. Gapoktan that will be the goal of providing venture capital is Gapoktan that have production and marketing efforts, and the Savings. 2) Extension agricultural extension escort is assigned by the Regent/Mayor or his representative to assist farmers, farmer groups  and Gapoktan PUAP implementation, with tasks: a) to identify the economic potential of village-based agriculture, b) provide technical guidance rural agri-business including the marketing of the business, c) help solve the business problems of farmers/farmer groups, as well as during the preparation of the documents accompanying Gapokan PUAP and institutional growth process, d) Conducting training agribusiness and economically productive suitable village potential and e) Helps to facilitate ease of access to the means of production, technologi. 3) Supervisor Mitra Tani  are individuals who have expertise in the field of microfinance recruited by the Ministry of Agriculture: a) Supervise and advocacy processes to Gapoktan institutional growth through the development PUAP Instructor Companion, b) Conducting regular meetings with Extension Complementary and Gapoktan, c) Conduct preliminary verification of the RUB and other administrative documents and d) Implement escorts utilization of funds managed by the BLM PUAP Gapoktan. Rural Agribusiness Development  aims to: a) reduce poverty and unemployment through the growth and development of agribusiness activities in rural areas in accordance with the potential of the region, b) improve the capability of agribusiness, Gapoktan Board , Extension Companion  and Supervisor Mitra Tani , c) to empower farmers and rural economic institutions for the development of agribusiness activities and d) improving the institutional function of peasant economy into a financial institution or a partner network in order to access to capital.

Problems faced at the stage of preparation and strengthening program implementation PUAP, one of which is still less optimal Supervisor Mitra Tani  and a companion extension assigned to assist farmer groups and Gapoktan  in the implementation of programs to support the revitalization PUAP increase local food, therefore in order to meet these expectations, interesting to study. Mapping social networks of all program stakeholders PUAP a relevant step, in-depth understanding of information flow, knowledge sharing and knowledge building among extension companion , Supervisor Mitra Tani  and Gapoktan Patronage , with the goal of understanding the connectedness or Connectivity of the actors, as well as view the role of actors in the networkand external elements determine what influence the sustainability of the program in the future PUAP. It’s all become a necessity in order to develop a strategy and planning phase of the program of work of PUAP for the sustainability of the program in the future. This study tries to combine lifting and social network analysis  with spatial analysis methods, they see that the social sciences seem to have clear linkages with geography, the compatibility of the techniques of social network analysis  with a geographic network theory, but the theory was widely repudiated, due to lack of nuance or geographical considerations spatialities strength and other social relationships in a social network.

All of these publications recommend growing in raised beds when yard soil contamination is above 400 ppm. However, overtime, risks to contamination of new, clean soil in a raised bed include resuspension of exposed surrounding surface soils, tilling too deeply into contaminated soil beneath the raised bed media or plants with deep roots, which may reach past the clean soil. While both UMass Amherst and the University of Connecticutrecommend using a liner under a raised bed to avoid the latter two mechanisms of resuspension, only the University of Connecticut specifies their recommendation as landscape fabric liner, though research based evidence was not cited. Many studies have looked at Pb uptake and partitioning in plants and contaminated soils, but few studies have looked at physical barriers to limit or prevent Pb movement from contaminated soil into raised bed environments where produce is grown. Therefore, this study supplements gaps in current literature pertaining to use of barriers in a raised-bed garden in Pb contaminated areas. The objective of this study is to evaluate barriers to prevent Pb mobility from contaminated ground entering into the uncontaminated raised bed environment. Ideally, a specific barrier for lead exclusion will be identified. Within each container, contaminated media was layered to simulate contaminated ground soil and uncontaminated raised bed media . Between the media layers in each container, barrier treatments were applied . Barrier material treatments included PremleneTM Neoprene  , landscape fabric  , and a no-barrier control. The media used in this study is similar to standard potting mixes used in raised beds. Media was mixed in large batches using 4 cubic feet of peat moss , 18 cubic feet of 5/8th inch screened pine bark , 4 cubic feet of washed large grain sand , 10.5 pounds  of Osmocote 19-5-9 , 0.5 pounds  of Micromax , and 8 pounds  of dolomitic lime . Each treatment container was first filled with 5 gallons of contaminated media . To attain a final concentration of 500 ppm, media was spiked with a 10,000 ppm Pb standard in a 5% nitric acid  solution  diluted to concentration using municipal water.

Inductively coupled plasma-optical emission analytical spectrometry   was used to analyze total Pb in media to confirm intended initial concentrations . The contaminated media layer was then covered and sealed to the edges of the containers using the experimental barriers . After applying the barrier treatments,ebb and flow trays each container was filled with 15 gallons of uncontaminated media into which the experimental plants were to be grown . All treatment containers were arranged in a complete randomized design  with three replications per barrier treatment. Brassica rapa  was selected to be grown out in the simulated raised bed conditions. Chinese Cabbage plants were replicated five times per treatment plot .Seeds of Brassica rapa ‘Mibuna’ were planted in 50 cell trays  using SunGro Metro-Mix 830  on March 11, 2020 and April 11, 2020 and grown in a greenhouse. Temperatures through the first and second trials ranged between 53˚F and 78˚F. Transplants were watered daily with overhead irrigation twice a day for five minutes. Transplants were fertilized using Peter’s ProfessionalTM water soluble 20-20-20 fertilizer  at 400 ppm every other week. The seedlings were thinned to one plant per cell. Two weeks after seeding, five plants were transferred into each raised bed treatment container at 12 inch spacings . These containers were located under a hoop house with open sides where temperatures ranged between 53˚F and 78˚F. The plants were hand-watered daily and Bifenthrin insecticide  was applied at recommended rates to control aphids, , flea beetles , and cross-striped cabbage worms . After 30 days of growth in the treatment containers, all plants were harvested at the base of the stem and the above ground portion of the plant was weighed for fresh weight in grams. All plants were divided between two dryers  at an average of 60˚C and dried to a constant weight before grinding through a 1 mm sieve in preparation for analysis. Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry  procedure was used to analyze total Pb accumulated in the plant tissues . The neoprene rubber sheeting was also analyzed for Pb content using a similar procedure as above. A respirator and goggles were the personal protective equipment  used each time Pb standards and loose contaminated media were handled. Upon conclusion of this study, contaminated materials were disposed of by Louisiana State University Hazardous Waste Disposal . Data were analyzed with the statistical program SAS  Proc GLM with Tukey and Excel for Microsoft 365 .The effects of lead on final harvest weight of Brassica rapa did not vary significantly across barrier treatments which indicates that growth was not affected by the treatments applied .

The large error bar values reflect the wide range of weight variability within each treatment . Lead accumulation data suggests that neither neoprene rubber or landscape fabric significantly excluded lead uptake in Brassica rapa ‘Mibuna’ compared to the no barrier control treatment . There were no significant differences in Pb uptake between the neoprene rubber and landscape fabric barriers nor between landscape fabric and the no-barrier control treatment . Furthermore, the plants in neoprene and fabric treatments exceeded the reference value published by the Chinese National Food Safety Standard for maximum levels of contaminants in foods. Not only did the neoprene rubber sheet treatment exceed the threshold discussed above, the accumulation reported in this treatment was significantly higher than the no barrier treatment. Plausible explanations for the unexpected results include: pores in the landscape fabric may have allowed some contaminated soil movement; contamination could have occurred via the barrier materials themselves; or the plant roots did not grow deeply enough to reach the uncontaminated-contaminated media interface of the simulated raised bed to accumulate substantial lead in the plant tissues. ICP-OES extractions were subsequently carried out on the neoprene rubber revealing the material contained a concerning amount of lead , possibly contributing to the elevated lead accumulation in the Chinese cabbage plants. Studies of other systems which use neoprene corroborates this conclusion by demonstrating other occurrences of lead leaching from neoprenematerials. Lead analysis was not performed on the landscape fabric because the accumulation data of the plant tissue did not indicate increased Pb levels in this treatment as compared to the control treatment. Upon conclusion of this study, having no barrier is still not recommended as sufficient to prevent Pb uptake in vegetable crops. While the no barrier control treatment had similar Pb values as the landscape fabric treatment , further investigations of barrier materials is recommended. In this study,4×8 flood tray the plants were only allowed to grow for 30 days, whereas a homeowner may let them grow for 40 or 50 days. If plants were allowed to grow for a longer period of time, there is a chance that higher accumulation in the no barrier treatment may have been observed.

Future projects related to this research should evaluate other impermeable barriers such as other plastics like visqueen, and landscape fabrics of other densities as well as longer harvest intervals.Florida’s human population has increased dramatically over the last four decades; increasing from approximately 4.95 million in 1960 to ca. 19.7 million in 2010 which makes Florida the fourth most populous state behind only California, Texas and New York. Moreover, Florida’s population has typically grown considerably faster than the overall U.S. population; for instance, Florida’s population increased 14.2% for the eight-year period 2000-2008, while the overall U.S. population increased by only 7.8% . This rapidly increasing human population is placing a great deal of stress on Florida’s ecosystems, especially its watersheds, freshwater supply and coastal communities. As a result, riparian zones have become a major focus of watershed initiatives to improve degraded stream systems because alterations of these transitional ecotones can have significant effects on the aquatic ecosystems that they bor-der. Natural tributaries are common in suburban and urban settings, but they are often highly disturbed , eutrophic from excessive inorganic nutrient loading and have reduced plant diversity, especially of shrubs and trees. Substantial research has found that high levels of nutrients in lotic systems can significantly affect the ecology of recipient rivers, lakes and estuaries. Of special concern are levels of inorganic nitrogen and phosphorous which are the two nutrients most often associated with algal blooms, although the strength of the relationship is often affected by other environmental factors such as irradiance and water temperature. In addition, the relative strength of top-down  and bottom-up  factors in limiting phytoplankton abundance and/or diversity vary temporally. For instance, Vanni and Temte found that grazing by zooplankton was more important in limiting phytoplankton populations in a lake during the spring, but nutrient limitation was more important in the summer. Removal of native vegetation, especially trees and shrubs, while facilitating access and maintenance of urban streams, can greatly affect ecosystem functions including in-stream processing of nutrients and pollutants. Loss of riparian forest has been found to influence stream parameters such as light fluxes, temperature, and nutrient levels. For instance, Peterjohn and Correll calculated that surface water that had filtered across approximately 50 m of riparian forest removed about 45 kg/ha of nitrate nitrogen per year; additionally, riparian forest sequestered more nutrients than nearby cropland. Wahl et al. found outflow of inorganic nitrogen from urbanized deforested stream was more than twice that of a forested riparian watershed.

Sabater et al. found that open nutrient-rich tributaries with warmer temperatures had significantly higher levels of algal biomass than shaded nutrient-poor streams. These results are consistent with other studies that have found interactions of various degrees between light levels, temperature and nutrient levels. Transitional zones such as wetlands and riparian ecotones also provide important habitat for invertebrate communities and provide refugia for juvenile fish and amphibians. According to Richardson et al. , riparian management was initially developed to protect and improve fish habitat. Loss of tree and shrub communities, which is common along urban and suburban tributaries, will result in decreased leaf litter. Reduced leaf litter has been associated with decreased detritivore populations, which leads in turn to decreased abundance of aquatic and terrestrial insect prey available for fish. In addition, Renöfält and Nilsson found that when they experimentally disturbed riparian vegetation by cutting along a river in Sweden, plant species composition was unaffected, but species richness was reduced. Reduction of vegetation in riparian and marine habitats may have cascading effects on higher trophic levels. For instance, arthropod abundance was significantly higher in riparian sites that contained supralittorial vegetation compared to a site in which the vegetation had been removed. Riparian reforestation projects, incorporating native shrubs, forbs and other understory species, have the potential to ameliorate nutrient loading and reduce rates of species loss in urbanized areas. Riparian strips also serve as corridors for both plants and wildlife by facilitating the movement of colonizing individuals between suitable patches of habitat as well as gene flow among otherwise isolated populations. Restoration projects are becoming increasingly common and provide important opportunities to conduct research on the effects of scale on basic ecological principles such as nutrient cycling and species-area relationships. It has been suggested that riparian forest widths of 30-100 m may be necessary to provide sufficient habitat to maintain pre-logging densities of some wildlife.The current study suggests that partial restoration of native vegetation of much smaller fragmented patches along first-order tributaries of the St. Johns may provide local benefits to the watershed including reduction of nutrients associated with eutrophication and algal blooms and modest increases in biodiversity over a relatively short time. The St. Johns River is Florida’s largest river and it is an important natural and cultural resource for central and north Florida. Although it is a primary source of fresh water for Florida and it was designated as a National Heritage River in 2002, high levels of inorganic fertilizers enter the watershed from commercial and residential areas, significantly reducing water quality. Continued loading of inorganic nitrogen and phosphorous is likely facilitated by typical urban riparian management techniques such as tree removal and regular mowing, which are designed to facilitate maintenance and rapid removal of large volumes of water after storms, reduces the structure and complexity of the ecosystem. This increase in nutrient enrichment has resulted in frequent and extensive algal blooms in the river over the past ten years.

Sampling method of flower-visiting insect community that sampling of flower-visiting insects which are frequently active in Prunus persica flower were done every 5 – 7 days, from 9:00 to 17:00 on April to June 2016 when 5 trees from sunny and shady slope each site, respectively. Photos were taken for insects visiting and foraging nectar and pollen from 3 fixed flower sprays/tree, recording worm access if insects flew away and visited again. Wu , Xue and Zhao and other taxonomic books were consulted for identifying insect species .We detected 20 VOCs emitted from Prunus persica floral branches by ATD-GC/MS, and floral VOCs from sunny slope were more than shady site  . On high altitude trees, foral scents from upslope branch are lower than that from downslope of same tree, in accordance with high altitude tree emitted 10 and 15 VOCs from upslope and downslope branches in sunny site, 7 and 8 VOCs from upslope and downslope in shady site. That 6 special floral scents from sunny slope are alpha-dimethyl-benzenemethanol, isoropyl palmitate, ethylbenzene, p-xylene, acetophenone, 3-ethyl-2-methyle-heptane, and 3 special floral scents from shady site are propylene glycol, decanal, hexadecane. Sampled trees from high altitude emit special floral scents are more than low altitude tree, and downslope branches emit special floral scents are more than upslope branches from the same tree except the downslope branches without special scents. Toluene, hexanal, 2-ethyl-hexanol, dodecane, pentadecane 5 VOCs from Prunus persica floral branches can sampled during 8 temporal quantum, that 1 alcohol, 1 aldehydes, 1 terpene, and 2 hydrocarbons common VOCs emitted from sampled floral branches. The highest pentadecane content emitted from upslope branches on low altitude shady slope during 12:37-12:47, the lowest during 10:39-10:49 . VOCs pentadecane, toluene, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, hexanal emitted 2 climaxes, while docecane emitted 3 climaxes. Floral VOCs emitted from floral branches of Prunus persica differently between temporal dynamic sampled trees, the most VOCs 16 constituents emitted from branches of flower during 10:39-11:08, and the lest floral volatiles 8 constituents emitted on the period 11:20-11:47, 12:00-12:24, 12:37-13:01.

In addition, 6 common floral scents 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, hexanal, toluene, dodecane, tetradecane,pentadecane released from trees during 4 temporal quantum . LSD analysis indicated that 2-ethyl-1-hexanal, dodecane and tetradecane emitted same content all the temporal quantum, while hexanal, toluene and pentadecane emitted different content some temporal quantum. Floral scents from floral branches of high altitude tree in sunny site are significantly with scents from other kind of trees.Insects visit 15 and 4 floral branches of Prunus persica in sunny and shady site, vertical farming racks respectively. Most richness, abundance and diversity on sunny or shay slope is similar, while there is difference between SUSD with n/2 − 1 and n/2 + 1 . Table 4 indicated that floral scent constituent number from sunny slope were significantly negative, and volatile constituent number were remarkably positive correlated with richness, abundance and diversity that insects visiting flowers on sunny or shady slope. Toluene, dodecane were dramatically negative, while tetradecane and pentadecane were significantly positive with SUSR, SUSA, SUSD, SHSR, SHSA and SHSD that FSNS seperated with n/2 − 1 or n/2 + 1, and FSAS with n/2. Floral scents correlated with insect community on sample day, insects only visited Prunus persica flower on shady slope . If floral scents from sunny slope were significantly negative correlated with richness, abundance and diversity, while floral scents from shady slope were remarkably positive correlated with those insect community parameters in shady site. 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, tetradecane and pentadecane were significantly positive, while hexanal, toluene, dodecane are dramatically negative correlated with SHSR, SHSA and SHSD separated FSNS with n/2. After sampled floral scents day that insects visiting Prunus persica floral branches community index that SUSR response to floral scents correlation with n/2 − 1 separated branches is similar to that with n/2 + 1, the same occurred at SHSR response to floral scents . Moreover, there is difference between SUSA that separated branches with n/2 − 1 and n/2 + 1, and SHSA, SUSD, SHSD holding the difference. Table 8 indicated that flower-visiting insect SHSA with n/2 − 1 separated floral branches and SUSA with n/2 + 1 were not correlated with scents from flowers. Floral VOCs and 2-ethyl-1-hexanol from sunny slope were significantly positive correlated with flower-visiting insect community index richness, abundance and diversity on sunny slope, but those scents from shady site were negative correlated with those indexes in sunny and shady sites with n/2 + 1, respectively. Hexanal, toluene, dodecane was evidently negative, while tetradecane, pentadecane was positive with SUSR, SUSA, SUSD, SHSR, SHSD with n/2 − 1. Furthermore, tetradecane, pentadecane was negative, and hexanal, toluene, dodecane was positive with community indexes with n/2 + 1 separated floral branches.

Our results show that 20 floral scents were emitted from 1 variety Prunus persica branches of flower; that is similar to that 22 constituents produced by 1 variety Hydrocleys marii and 13 constituents produced by 1 variety H. nymphoides, while 6 floral VOCs were emitted from 6 varieties of Camellia sinensis, so Prunus persica flower emitted more VOCs than some plants. Floral scents that were released from sunny slope were more than shady slope, dependingon strong sunshine, high temperature, and big humidity affecting floral volatile constituents emitted, which testified different chemical substances of fragrance released from Yucca filamentosa on different slopes’ geography condition. Moreover, floral volatile constituents of high altitude were more than low altitude that strong sunshine on high altitude promotes flowers emitting floral scents on the same slope, and volatiles fromOcimum basilicum leaves on high altitude are lower than low altitude in College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture of Hainan University. Floral scents of 3-methyl-butanal, hexanal were released from Prunus persica floral branches that were emitted from plant leaves defending pests from foraging. We inferred that once insects visit flowers, floral aldehydes were released from Prunus persica, or volatile constituents were released from leaves, when depending on flower and leaf nutrition substance N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, Na and Cu, which affected fruit. Floral aldehydes were emitted from Prunus persica branches on sunny slope emitted with sunshine. Hydrocarbons such as 3-ethyl-2-methyl-heptane, dodecane, tridecane, tetradecane, pentadecane and hexadecane were released from Prunus persica branches, and hydrocarbons produce a pleasant smell, so 6 floral hydrocarbons from Prunus persica attracted insects visiting. Dissimilarity with ATD-GC/MS analysed dominant volatile constituents from Agiceras comiculatum terpenes with poison, and dissimilarity with floral volatiles from Osmanthus fragrans ketones and alcohols. Floral VOCs were differently emitted from Prunus persica on temporal quantum, and difference VOCs of flower were released from Sorbaria kirilowii on different seasons with TCT-GC/MS analysis, while floral scents were produced from Lilium brownii on open period, semi-open, blooming period and recession period, but VOCs were emitted from Rosa rugosa and Sorbaria kirilowii with diurnal rhythm variation. Most floral scents of 16 constituents were emitted from Prunus persica on 10:39-11:08, while same 8 constituents were released from trees on other temporal quanta, which is related with sunshine and temperature, and flower quantity affected volatiles release, different floral volatiles from Agiceras comiculatum branches without flower, with flower and with fruit.

Floral VOCs from Prunus persica before 12:00 are higher than those after 12:00; special floral scents were emitted from both temporal quanta, while floral terpenes and esters were emitted most from Arabian jasmine florescence. Floral hexanal was released in all the sampling time and content from Prunus persica is significantly highest during 10:30-11:30, while hexanal was released from Sorbaria kirilowii in all the sampling time. Pink flowers from Prunus persica and white flowers from Sorbaria kirilowii absorb and reflect different wavelength of light, which release a different amount of hexanal, and flower color has the characteristics of adaptive environment. LSD analysis indicated that there was significantly same floral scent dynamic difference of some constituents, same floral volatile constituents emitted different contents from Sorbaria kirilowii during 7:00-19:00, and same floral scent constituents emitted different contents from Rosa rugosa one day. There was same floral volatile significant difference of common constituents among some temporal quantum, while VOCs were emitted significant difference from Sorbaria kiriowii on different temporal quanta one day, and floral scents were differently released from Lilium brownii on different period.Floral scent correlation with insect community that floral VOCs emission responded to insects visiting Prunus persica flower branches and floral VOCs total content and relative content of each component response to Mylabris forage. Methyl benzenecarboxylate emitted from pollinated Pentunia flower with certain rules , while more volatiles released from the plant that foraged by insects to attract enemy insects, and volatile emission correlated with foraging insect population. Flavoring substance VOCs emission from Cirsium flowers increased with flower-visiting insect community index ascend , while VOCs emitted from needles correlated with Dendrolimus punctatus burst frequently, furthermore, fragrance floral VOCs emitted from Heterobathmiina pollinated flowers are higher than that Aves pollinated flowers. We first founded that there were different correlation between floral scents and insect community visited Prunus persica floral branches before sampled day, that odd branch number from sunny slope and even branches from shady slope separated with n/2 − 1 or n/2 + 1, and n/2, but the floral scent constituents is negative correlated with flower-visiting insect community richness, abundance and diversity on the sunny slope, and positive correlated with those indexes adopted whichever separated method, so could adopted some floral scents that positive correlated with flower-visiting insects on sunny slope to attract insects pollinating. We firstly inferred that floral scents response to flower-visiting insect community depending on the tree branch number and even branches distributed slopes, because 2-ethy-l-hexanal, toluene, dodecane are dramatically negative, while tetradecane and pentadecane are significantly positive with SUSR, SUSA, SUSD, SHSR, SHSA and SHSD that FSUS separated with n/2 − 1 or n/2 + 1, and FSHS with n/2.

We concluded that 2-ethyl-1-hexanol from sunny and shady slope could be used to attract insects visiting flower of Prunus persica, in that insects only visiting floral branches on shady slope that holding odd floral branches, and 2-ethyl-1-hexanol from sunny and shady slope were positive correlated with SHSR, SHSA and SHSD on sampled volatiles day. But, after sampled volatiles day floral scent constituents and 2-ethyl-1-hexanol on sunny slope were positive correlated with SUSR, SUSA, SUSD, and negative correlated with SHSR and SHSD, vertical rack system that separated floral branches with n/2 − 1. So 2-methyl-1-Hexanol from sunny and shady slope could used to lure insects to pollinate on separate slopes, just as flora scents from one kind of plant attract insects pollinating. While no quantitative insects visiting floral branches of Prunus persica that disadvantage sunshine and temperature climate condition on shady slope, and once insects visit floral branches, volatile constituents and quantity emitted possibly from Prunus persica to attract insects visiting to pollinate or inhibit insects foraging flowers, so floral scents were significantly related with flower-visiting insect community indexes . Advantage sunshine and temperature climate condition on sunny slope distributed more flower-visiting insect species that pollinated easily. In addition, flower structural characteristics, the amount and composition of nectar affect flower-visiting insect species . When insects visiting, less floral volatile constituents and contents emitted from Prunus persica branches to inhibit insects from visiting, and secondary metabolic substances emitted from Prunus persica branches to inhibit insects from visiting.Punus persica in Wan Bailin Ecological Garden healthily grow and fruit need insect visiting and emitters attract and inhibitory floral scents, we first definite the 20 floral scents, dominant and special fragrance of Prunus persica that which constituents are attractive could be specific to lure insects pollinating in the future, and perhaps that 2-ethyl-1-hexanol is likely to attract insects, mostly. We first presented that floral scents emission correlated with floral branches and hold different response to flower-visiting insect community indexes separated floral branches with even or odd methods, that prune Prunus persica tree leaving branches odd on sunny slope and even on shady slope to promote those tree growing and fruiting, and get high economic benefit.The arboretum section of the Rio de Janeiro’s Botanical Garden  comprises about 1500 species and almost 9000 specimens.

It is the fifth largest forest country in the world and the African country has the largest area of forest, with 47% of Africa’s forest formations. From a regional point of view, there are more than 60% of all forests in the Congo Basin. In addition, forests cover 67% of the national territory. Dense wet forests occupy nearly 99 million hectares, of which just over 83 million are low-lying. It is estimated that 60 million hectares of these forests would be suitable for timber production, roughly equivalent to all other forest countries in Central Africa. These forests are located mainly in the central basin .Through to the analyzed data we obtained the results presented in Table 2. This development points to a risk of the country slipping in the forest transition curve, which would result in a very strong acceleration of the dynamics of loss of forest cover in the coming years, like other tropical countries . The result of the forest cover estimate in 1990 and the detection of negative change in 2018 give an annual deforestation rate relative to forest area of 2.12% ± 0.07%. Poverty, population growth, weak local  governance and scarcity of infrastructure  and energy, fuel rural exodus, and are the indirect causes of deforestation. Agriculture and charcoal production: Currently, the main drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in the Democratic Republic of Congo are food agriculture and charcoal production, which alone destroy more than 90% of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s forests. Firewood collection and logging and mining operations also have an impact. Democratic Republic of Congo’s deforestation rates are closely linked to population growth, with nearly two-thirds of the population living in rural areas and producing nearly half of their own food. Small-scale agriculture appears to be the main driver of deforestation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other countries in the Congolese basin.

However, researchers warn that a “new wave” of industrial deforestation could emerge. If the Congolese basin does nothing to reduce deforestation rates, all forest cover is likely to pass through. Illegal logging is the second largest factor in deforestation in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is mainly fuelled by small-scale logging for national and regional markets, and has played a key role in financing the current conflict. Although itinerant cultivation does not necessarily indicate expansion in the primary forest,stackable flower pots growing populations can intensify agricultural practices, reducing fallow periods when trees naturally regrow. In 2017, 3% of the total loss of tree cover occurred in protected areas and 10% in forest concessions. Watershed degradation in the developing countries due to anthropogenic activities is increasingly becoming a threat to the natural water resources . As a result, most rural areas are undergoing rapid and far reaching land use changes. Many researchers including Olson and Matina  concur that most of the changes are mainly associated with intensification of agriculture and expansion of mixed-crop livestock systems into former grazing land and other natural areas. In addition there is increased deforestation and encroachment of the forests hence reduced forest cover . Changes in land use patterns in Kenya are linked to a rapidly increasing population in rural areas . This growth rate translates to an increased pressure and demand for land resources especially in the watershed regions such as Mau Forest Complex. As a result, there is continuing watershed degradation reflected through diminishing forest cover, reduced water quality, soil productivity, loss of riparian vegetation and wetland areas leading to a decline in the ecological stability of these systems .

SWMFC is considered the most important of the five main watershed areas in Kenya because of its immense economic, social and environmental contributions to the country . It is the main source of Chemosit and Kipsonoi rivers among other major rivers that drain into the Lake Victoria Basin. Despite the critical role in supporting environmental, socio-economic and biological processes, South West Mau Forest Complex has been greatly deforested through excision and encroachment for settlement and farmland . This high rate of vegetation loss has led to decline in the ecological and hydrological changes that may threaten the sustainable future of areas downstream, biodiversity conservation and livelihood support systems . Riparian areas are essential for diminishing negative impacts of land use activities on rivers . However, the riparian areas in SWMFC are experiencing diverse development initiatives likely to have also considerably reduced the biodiversity and increased threats to these river systems . This study set out to determine how land use activities have affected riparian structure, water and soil qualities along Chemosit and Kipsonoi rivers in South West Mau Forest Complex. Adjacent land use activities were obtained through direct observation and photographs. Information on major crops was collected using a structured questionnaire administered to the sampled households living in the immediate vicinity and within 1 km on either side of the river bank. Local land use in every sampling site was recorded. Physical parameters , chemical parameters  and heavy metals  was done according to the standard procedures as described in APHA . These are as follows: Total suspended solids were estimated gravimetrically, water pH using a pH meter, Total Nitrogen determined by Kjeldahl digestion. Total phosphorous was determined using the ascorbic acid method  while analysis for potassium, copper, cadmium and lead was carried out using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer . Before analysis, calibration standards of different concentrations were prepared. In this particular analysis, each replica representing samples from the middle and the two edges were mixed separately to form a composite sample.

A total of 18 composite samples were obtained for the entire water samples collected. Soil samples were separately air-dried at room temperature, crushed, homogenized and passed through a 2 mm sieve. Soil organic carbon content was determined by the Walkey Black titration method . Total Nitrogen was determined using the Kjeldahl distillation method . Potassium, Sulphur, Phosphorous, Cadmium, Copper, and Lead were analyzed using inductivity couple plasma spectrophotometer . Soil pH was determined using a pH meter. Chemosit and Kipsonoi rivers traverses through different land use types. In this case, six distinct land use activities were identified along based on their dominant land uses and characteristics. Generally there is a variation in land use activities from upstream to downstream. Upstream is dominated by indigenous forest characterized by dense network of trees and bushes with little human disturbance. From the edge of the forests towards midstream, the land opens up to a rich upland agricultural area of extensive and intensive farming characterized by tea plantation and few human settlements. Moving downstream, grazing and mixed agricultural farming predominate with more permanently settled small scale farmers and urban set-up with high population and economic activities. From our results, farming plays an important role in South West Mau catchment and is in agreement with findings by Calamari et al., 1995; Jaetzold and Schmidt, 2009. Figure 2 reports the overall riparian biodiversity disturbance in South West Mau catchment. Upstream riparian vegetation was least disturbed with native vegetation present on both sides of the river, intact canopy and with continuous woody vegetation along the riparian zone, dense ground cover and river banks in natural condition. Midstream riparian vegetation is in poor condition characterized by isolated woody vegetation, limited ground cover and disturbed banks. In addition there is a high disturbance of the riparian zone by stock or through the intrusion of exotic species, although some native species remain. Valley vegetation is clearly agriculture with native vegetation clearly disturbed and with a high percentage of introduced species present. Downstream riparian vegetation is severely disturbed on both sides as indicated by reduced and absence of riparian vegetation.During the study period, significant differences were observed in Water pH and Total Nitrogen between sampling sites. Tukey’s test showed that the mean water pH at upstream sampling site differed significantly from that recorded at downstream of Chemosit river. Along Kipsonoi river, the mean water pH differed significantly between midstream and Downstream sampling sites. In both rivers, the mean value for water pH ranged from 6.9  to 7.2 . However these values fall within the pH range associated with most natural waters of 6.5 to 8.5 . Most ecosystems are sensitive to changes in pH while certain organisms prefer different ranges of pH . The reported land use activities in SWMF do not seem to modify the pH of the water. On the other hand, along Chemosit river significant differences were observed in total nitrogen between upstream and midstream sampling sites and between upstream and downstream along Kipsonoi river, respectively. The high Total Nitrogen concentrations of 6.7 mg/l and 5.7 mg/l observed midstream of the two rivers could be associated with adjacent urban and agricultural land use activities.

According to  agricultural activities can lead to an increased flux of nitrogen into water bodies while use of fertilizers on agricultural land has been associated to high nutrient levels at such sites . Further, total suspended solids, potassium, flower pots for sale total phosphorous, cadmium, lead and copper did not however show any significant differences. Total Suspended Solids were highest midstream on both rivers. This variation could be associated to the different land use activities reported for these sites, run-off from agriculture, soil erosion as well as in- stream activities such as car washing. Presence of indigenous forests, absence of agricultural activities, intact riparian zones characterized by dense vegetation explain the low levels of Total Suspended Solids in the upstream of the two rivers . However total suspended solids in SWMF ranged from 24 – 84 mg/l which is below WHO  limits of 1000 mg/l of suspended solids of drinking water. Total phosphorous concentrations increased downstream with the highest concentration recorded at midstream and lowest at upstream on both rivers. Natural concentrations of phosphorous in surface waters usually range from 0.005 to 0.02 mg/l, while the Environmental Protection Agency  recommends a 0.1 mg/l for aquatic systems to prevent accelerated eutrophication . Low concentrations of total phosphorus  recorded upstream of Chemosit and Kipsonoi rivers is linked to the undisturbed dense network of trees. In undisturbed forested areas, streams are believed to have good water quality with low concentration of nutrients . The dense riparian vegetation within the forest land use are effective buffers in filtering out most of the nutrients from the surface run-off . These findings mirror previous studies that concluded that water quality is greatly linked to land use in a catchment  and confirms several studies that have shown agriculture and urban land use as a primary predictor for nitrogen and phosphorous in stream water . The amount of heavy metals represented by Cd, Cu and Pb did not differ significantly across sites and their concentration did not follow any trend from upstream to downstream. These results agree with previous study that metal concentrations at sites located relatively high up in the catchment were comparable to, or higher than concentrations of these metals downstream. These values are linked to effluent discharge, agricultural and urban run-off, washing and bathing activities by local inhabitants and livestock access to the rivers. In addition degradation of the forest cover and other anthropogenic activities going on inside the forest, atmospheric deposition and geology weathering are potential sources of these metal ions . The mean values and standard deviation of soil physico-chemical variables at different sampling sites along the two rivers of Chemosit and Kipsonoi are presented in Table 3 below. The low soil pH upstream might be due to the presence of slightly higher organic carbon content in the soil. Variability in total organic carbon along the two river systems is linked to the reduction in organic material being returned to the soil system due to decreasing vegetation cover downstream and oxidation of soil organic matter as a result of continuous cultivation along the riverbanks, uncontrolled grazing and browsing, loss of organic matter by water erosion and removal of green materials. These results are in agreement with other studies that reported that the soil organic content differed with different land use types .