This thesis details the application of a medium frequency (MF) Doppler radar to observations of meteoroids entering the Earth's atmosphere. MF radars make possible a greater height coverage of the meteor region (70 to 160 km) than conventional meteor radars. However this type of radar has generally been under-utilised for meteor observations, primarily due to the less than ideal radio environment associated with MF systems. This situation demanded selection of the most appropriate radar meteor techniques and in this respect a variety of techniques are evaluated for application at this frequency. The 2 MHz radar system used in this study is located at the Buckland Park research facility (35.6 deg. S, 138.5 deg. E), near Adelaide, South Australia and is operated by the Department of Physics of the University of Adelaide. This radar has the largest antenna of any MF radar with 89 crossed dipoles distributed over an area of about 1 km in diameter. Beam forming is achieved by varying the phase to groups of elements of the array. The array was constructed in the 1960's, and while having several upgrades, a preliminary examination of the array and associated systems indicated that a significant amount of maintenance work would be required to enable the system to be used for meteor observations. It was also apparent that the software used with the radar hardware for atmospheric studies was not suitable for processing meteor data. Thus a major refurbishment of the radar hardware, as well as the development of appropriate software, was initiated. The complete radar system was divided into its constituent components of antenna array, transmitter, receiver and computer systems. The transmitter and receiver systems were examined and various improvements made including increasing total output power and enhancing beam steering capability. Time domain reflectometry (TDR) techniques were extensively used on the antenna array, as many feed cables showed the presence of moisture. New hardware in the form of a portable power combining system was designed, constructed and tested to further increase radar experimental capabilities. Techniques were developed that verified system performance was to specification. Extensive night time observations of sporadic and shower meteor events were made over a two and a half year period. A particular study was made of the Orionids shower as well as other meteor activity on the night of 22 October 2000. Using the upgraded beam swinging features of the array, a narrow radar beam was used to track the shower radiant in an orthogonal sense so as to maximise the number of shower meteors detected. From each echo, various intrinsic meteoroid parameters were determined, including meteor reflection point angle-of-arrival using a five-element interferometer, echo duration and height; meteoroid speeds were determined using the Fresnel phase time technique. Meteor echoes belonging to the Orionids radiant were selected using a coordinate transform technique. The speed was then used as an additional discriminant to confirm the Orionid shower members. A second radiant, observed at a slightly higher declination is classified as also part of the Orionid stream. The sporadic meteor component in the data set was examined and found to exhibit speeds much higher than expected for sporadic meteors at the time of the observations. However, these results are consistent with a selection bias based on meteoroid speed, that is inherent in radar observations. The Orionid observations indicate that the refurbishment of the radar system and the introduction of new software for meteor analysis has been successfully achieved and that radar meteor studies can now be carried out routinely with the Buckland Park 2 MHz radar. Moreover it has been shown for the first time that meteoroid speeds can be determined with a MF radar operating on a PRF as low as 60 Hz. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--School of Chemistry and Physics, 2003.

This thesis details the application of a medium frequency (MF) Doppler radar to observations of meteoroids entering the Earth's atmosphere. MF radars make possible a greater height coverage of the meteor region (70 to 160 km) than conventional meteor radars. However this type of radar has generally been under-utilised for meteor observations, primarily due to the less than ideal radio environment associated with MF systems. This situation demanded selection of the most appropriate radar meteor techniques and in this respect a variety of techniques are evaluated for application at this frequency. The 2 MHz radar system used in this study is located at the Buckland Park research facility (35.6 deg. S, 138.5 deg. E), near Adelaide, South Australia and is operated by the Department of Physics of the University of Adelaide. This radar has the largest antenna of any MF radar with 89 crossed dipoles distributed over an area of about 1 km in diameter. Beam forming is achieved by varying the phase to groups of elements of the array. The array was constructed in the 1960's, and while having several upgrades, a preliminary examination of the array and associated systems indicated that a significant amount of maintenance work would be required to enable the system to be used for meteor observations. It was also apparent that the software used with the radar hardware for atmospheric studies was not suitable for processing meteor data. Thus a major refurbishment of the radar hardware, as well as the development of appropriate software, was initiated. The complete radar system was divided into its constituent components of antenna array, transmitter, receiver and computer systems. The transmitter and receiver systems were examined and various improvements made including increasing total output power and enhancing beam steering capability. Time domain reflectometry (TDR) techniques were extensively used on the antenna array, as many feed cables showed the presence of moisture. New hardware in the form of a portable power combining system was designed, constructed and tested to further increase radar experimental capabilities. Techniques were developed that verified system performance was to specification. Extensive night time observations of sporadic and shower meteor events were made over a two and a half year period. A particular study was made of the Orionids shower as well as other meteor activity on the night of 22 October 2000. Using the upgraded beam swinging features of the array, a narrow radar beam was used to track the shower radiant in an orthogonal sense so as to maximise the number of shower meteors detected. From each echo, various intrinsic meteoroid parameters were determined, including meteor reflection point angle-of-arrival using a five-element interferometer, echo duration and height; meteoroid speeds were determined using the Fresnel phase time technique. Meteor echoes belonging to the Orionids radiant were selected using a coordinate transform technique. The speed was then used as an additional discriminant to confirm the Orionid shower members. A second radiant, observed at a slightly higher declination is classified as also part of the Orionid stream. The sporadic meteor component in the data set was examined and found to exhibit speeds much higher than expected for sporadic meteors at the time of the observations. However, these results are consistent with a selection bias based on meteoroid speed, that is inherent in radar observations. The Orionid observations indicate that the refurbishment of the radar system and the introduction of new software for meteor analysis has been successfully achieved and that radar meteor studies can now be carried out routinely with the Buckland Park 2 MHz radar. Moreover it has been shown for the first time that meteoroid speeds can be determined with a MF radar operating on a PRF as low as 60 Hz. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--School of Chemistry and Physics, 2003.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T18:55:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 3737.pdf: 2114096 bytes, checksum: 58f7480198ad07cce74706f2adf51cad (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-07-15 / Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos / Among various systems, the drip irrigation has been increasingly used, mainly because of its greater efficiency in water use. This work aimed to study the dynamics of soil solution, characterizing the distribution and storage of nutrients in the soil solution, and their absorption by pepper through the management of drip fertigation with two flows rates. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse located in the Department of Agricultural Science, Unitau. The soil of study is an Oxisol Yellow, medium texture. The crop cycle lasted 120 days. From the readings of TDR probes were possible to estimate water content and soil solution concentration. Thus, the distribution of soil solution was monitored and counted in layers of 0,1m to 0,6 m. The evaluation of root system showed that the treatment of 4 L h-1 had an area of 69,31 cm2, while the treatment of 2 L h-1 had an area of 45,21 cm2. The productivity was 0,19 kg m-2 and 0,27 kg m-2 for 2 Lh-1 and 4 L h-1, respectively, what reinforces the results of nutrients distribution and root system development. It was found that for treatment with the flow rate of 2 L h-1 there was a trend of nutrient loss by percolation, increasing possible contamination of groundwater. The dripper with a flow rate of 4 L h-1 was more efficient at distributing and storing water and nutrients in a soil profile, which improved crop yield. / Dentre os vários sistemas, a irrigação por gotejamento tem sido crescentemente utilizada, principalmente pela sua maior eficiência no uso da água. O objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar a dinâmica da solução do solo caracterizando a distribuição, armazenamento e absorção de nutrientes pela planta de pimentão através do manejo da fertirrigação por gotejamento, em função de duas vazões. O ensaio foi realizado em uma casa de vegetação localizado no Departamento de Ciências Agrárias da Unitau. O solo do local do estudo é um Latossolo Vermelho Amarelo de textura média. O ciclo da cultura durou 120 dias. A partir das leituras das sondas de TDR foi possível estimar a umidade e a concentração da solução do solo. Assim, a distribuição da solução no solo foi monitorada e contabilizada em camadas de 0,1 m até 0,6 m. A avaliação do sistema radicular mostrou que o tratamento de 4L h-1 apresentou uma área de 69,31 cm2 enquanto o tratamento de 2 L h-1 apresentou uma área de 45,21 cm2. A produtividade observada foi de 0,19 kg m-2 e 0,27 kg m-2 para 2 e 4 L h-1, reforçando os resultados vistos na distribuição de nutrientes, desenvolvimento do sistema radicular. Verificou-se que para o tratamento com vazão de 2 L h-1 houve uma tendência de perda de nutrientes por percolação, potencializando possíveis contaminações do lençol freát ico. O gotejador com vazão de 4 L h-1 mostrou-se mais eficiente na distribuição e armazenamento de água e nutrientes em um perfil do solo, o que favoreceu o rendimento da cultura.

Orientadores: Edson Eiji Matsura, Zigomar Menezes de Souza / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Agrícola / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-17T15:08:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Bizari_DouglasRoberto_D.pdf: 8370822 bytes, checksum: e5f2514514958e8b994537236acbeec8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: A potencialidade do sistema plantio direto (SPD) na conservação da água e do solo, aliado à necessidade de pesquisas com culturas irrigadas nesse sistema, principalmente no Estado de São Paulo, determina uma demanda de informações nessa área, visando minimizar a degradação dos recursos hídricos, normalmente utilizado de maneira inadequada na busca por elevadas produtividades. Diante da importância da necessidade da água para irrigação, torna-se imprescindível a conscientização do produtor rural com relação ao seu manejo racional, que pode ser alcançado tanto pela implantação de técnicas conservacionistas quanto pela utilização de equipamentos de monitoramento da umidade do solo mais práticos e eficientes. Apesar da sua importância para o sucesso do SPD irrigado, há uma carência, no Estado de São Paulo, de estudos voltados para a quantidade adequada de cobertura morta na superfície do solo, que possa proporcionar disponibilidade de água necessária para as plantas, durante o seu ciclo de desenvolvimento, levando-se em conta a sua decomposição, que pode ser mais ou menos rápida, dependendo das condições climáticas da região. Baseado nisso, estudou-se a influência de diferentes quantidades de cobertura morta de milho na conservação da umidade e produtividade da cultura do feijoeiro, avaliando-se também a técnica da TDR (Reflectometria no domínio do tempo) no monitoramento da umidade do solo, na redistribuição da água no seu interior e no manejo da irrigação. Para isso, foi semeada a cultura do feijão, variedade Pérola, na época de inverno nos anos de 2007, 2008 e 2009. Na primeira safra, caracterizou-se o sistema radicular da cultura ao longo de todo seu ciclo de desenvolvimento, buscando-se uma relação com os parâmetros da parte aérea, e também, como uma forma de aprimorar o cálculo da lâmina de água aplicada nas culturas irrigadas, contribuindo para um manejo mais racional da irrigação e um menor desperdício de água aplicada no SPD. Na segunda safra, verificou-se a influência de diferentes quantidades de cobertura morta de milho na temperatura e umidade do solo na cultura do feijoeiro irrigado em SPD e na última safra avaliou-se a decomposição dessas diferentes quantidades de cobertura morta ao longo de todo o ciclo da cultura e também, desenvolveu-se um equipamento portátil para otimizar as leituras de umidade no campo por sondas de TDR, como proposta de uma ferramenta para ser utilizada no manejo da irrigação e ensaios de redistribuição de água no interior do solo. Foi possível verificar que a profundidade efetiva de raízes do feijoeiro variou ao longo do ciclo da cultura, apresentando boa correlação com a altura de plantas, índice de área foliar e massa seca da parte aérea. Que a maior quantidade de cobertura morta de milho proporcionou as menores taxa de decomposição, os maiores valores de umidade do solo, os menores valores de temperatura do solo e a maior produtividade de grãos e de seus componentes de produtividade. Finalmente a técnica da TDR juntamente com o equipamento portátil para uma única sonda de TDR foi viável no monitoramento da umidade do solo, podendo também ser empregada no manejo da irrigação e ensaios de redistribuição de água no interior do solo. / Abstract: Due to the potential of the no-tillage system (SPD) in the water and soil conservation combined with the need for research with irrigated crops in this system, mainly in the State of São Paulo, has been increasing the demand for information to minimize the degradation of hydrical resources, inappropriately used in the search for higher productivities. However, due to the importance of the need of water for irrigation, it becomes essential to farmers awareness to water rational management, by implementation of conservation techniques and also practical and efficient equipments for monitoring soil moisture. Despite its importance in the success of the SPD, there is a lack of studies, about permanence and adequate amount of mulch on the soil surface, which may provide water availability needed for plants for a longer period of time, considering mulch decomposition. So, studies were conducted to evaluate the influence of different amounts of maize mulch in the moisture conservation and dry bean productivity and also, to evaluate the TDR technique to monitor soil moisture and irrigation management and soil water redistribution. For that, was sown dry bean, Pérola variety, in the winter period, during years 2007, 2008 and 2009. In the first year, was characterized the dry bean root sytem, throughout its development cycle to find a relation with the aerial part, and also, as way to improve the irrigation water applied calculation to crops irrigated, contributing to rational irrigation management. On the second year, the objective was to verify the influence of different amounts of maize mulch in the soil moisture conservation, temperature and crop productivity, and in the last year was development a portable equipment to optimize the moisture readings in the field with TDR probes, such as proposed tool to be used for irrigation management and soil water redistribution tests. It was possible to verify that the dry bean effective root depth varied during the crop cycle, showing good correlation with plant height, leaf area index and dry mass of aerial part. The largest quantify of maize mulch provided largest values of soil moisture, less values of soil temperature and largest grain yield and its productivity components. The TDR technique with the portable equipment was feasible to monitor soil moisture and can be used for irrigation management and soil water redistribution tests. / Doutorado / Agua e Solo / Doutor em Engenharia Agrícola

Orientador: Edson Eiji Matsura / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Agricola / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-09T04:32:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Roque_MarcioWilliam_D.pdf: 4566160 bytes, checksum: e232b1dbf290d1893cd9821cda298632 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Resumo: Diante da importância da necessidade de água para irrigação, torna-se imprescindível a conscientização do produtor rural com relação ao seu manejo racional, pois a irrigação tem sido apontada, ao longo das últimas décadas, como a grande consumidora de água. Diversos trabalhos têm mostrado que a prática do manejo racional da irrigação associada ao sistema plantio direto leva o agricultor a produzir igual ou até mais, em relação ao plantio convencional, com um menor consumo de água, evitando-se assim, o desperdício desse recurso, além de contribuir para o desenvolvimento de uma agricultura sustentável. Entretanto, dependendo do tempo, das condições de implantação e manejo do plantio direto, em muitas lavouras verificou-se um aumento do estado de compactação, com aumento de densidade do solo e da resistência mecânica à penetração, causando perda na produção. Diante do exposto, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a dependência espacial dos atributos físico-hídricos do solo e da produção, verificando-se as inter-relações destes com a produção de grãos do feijoeiro irrigado sob sistema plantio direto e convencional, e também verificar o uso da técnica Reflectometria no Domínio do Tempo (TDR) no monitoramento da umidade do solo nos mesmos sistemas. Para isso foi semeado o feijão como cultura de inverno durante as safras de 2005 e 2006 em quatro parcelas experimentais conduzidas sob plantio direto e convencional, irrigado e não irrigado. Em cada parcela experimental de dimensões de 20 x 30m, foram definidas malhas de amostragem de 3 x 3m, totalizando 60 pontos amostrais por parcela. O solo das parcelas pertence à classe Latossolos Vermelhos Distroférricos típicos. Nos pontos amostrais foram inseridas sondas de TDR para o monitoramento da umidade do solo, e determinada a condutividade hidráulica saturada, a resistência do solo à penetração e retirada de amostras para a determinação da densidade do solo. Utilizando-se de um nível óptico foi determinada a cota em metros de cada ponto amostral nas parcelas estudadas. A análise da dependência espacial foi avaliada por meio da geoestatística, e os parâmetros dos semivariogramas utilizados para construir mapas de isolinhas utilizando-se do interpolador de krigagem pontual disponível no programa Surfer 8.0. Os principais resultados obtidos indicaram que a calibração da TDR proposta por Topp et al. (1980) como universal, não é adequada para o solo estudado. A técnica da TDR foi eficiente no monitoramento da umidade do solo ao longo do ciclo da cultura do feijoeiro e pode ser empregada no manejo da irrigação, desde que se faça a previa calibração do equipamento para o solo estudado. Os valores de resistência do solo à penetração (RP), para os dois sistemas de manejo do solo aumentaram de uma safra para outra, sendo que no plantio direto este aumento foi superior, ultrapassando os valores de RP do plantio convencional na safra de 2006. Entretanto os valores obtidos não interferiram na produtividade do feijoeiro nos dois sistemas de preparo do solo. Os valores da condutividade hidráulica saturada, para os dois sistemas de manejo do solo aumentaram de uma safra para outra, sendo que na safra de 2006, os valores de condutividade hidráulica saturada para o sistema plantio direto foram superiores ao convencional. Com relação à densidade do solo, na safra de 2005, o plantio convencional obteve menor valor médio, e, na safra 2006, os valores médios da densidade do solo foram os mesmos para os dois sistemas de manejo. Todos os atributos físico-hídricos e a produtividade de grãos apresentaram dependência espacial nos dois sistemas de manejo do solo para as duas safras agrícolas. Com relação às inter-relações entre os atributos estudados e a produção, todas as regressões lineares simples não mostraram correlação com a produção. A regressão linear simples entre os mapas dos atributos estudados e a produção, mostrou-se significativas, com baixos valores de coeficiente de determinação. O melhor resultado obtido foi com a relação densidade do solo e a produção no sistema plantio convencional na safra 2005, com coeficiente de determinação de 43,39 %, ou seja, dentro das variáveis estudadas foi a que melhor explicou a variação da produção. Na busca de um modelo que explicasse a variação da produção em função dos atributos físico-hídricos do solo e da cota do relevo, utilizou-se da regressão linear múltipla pelo método stepwise obtendo-se modelos significativos estatisticamente que explicaram a variação da produção com coeficientes de determinação entre 27,34 % e 71,70 % / Abstract: Since last decades irrigation practices are recognized as major water consumers, requiring specific agricultural producers education and awareness on water use and supply. Recent research reports indicate significant water economy, crop yielding as well as contribution to sustainable agricultural development, if direct seedling, when compared with conventional practices, is associated to adequate irrigation management. However, depending on weather conditions as well as on the direct seedling implementation conditions, many crop plantations showed increasing soil bulk density and compaction with increasing soil mechanical resistance to penetration, causing crop production reduction. Based on what it has been exposed before, the objective of this research is to evaluate crop yielding and soil physical-hydric attributes spatial dependence as related to irrigated bean grain production associated to no-tillage and to conventional tillage systems. The Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) efficiency in the soil moisture monitoring in the same crop systems was also evaluated. Four experimental plots with dimensions of 20m x 30m were seeded with beans in the years and 2005 and 2006 and carried under irrigated and non irrigated conventional as well as no-tillage systems. Each plot was screened with 3m x 3m sampling grids, completing a total of 60 sampling points in each plot. Plot soil was classified as Typical Distroferric Red Latossol. TDR probes were introduced into the soil on each plot to monitor moisture content, also being measured saturated hydraulic conductivity, resistance to penetration and sampling for soil bulk density determination. Elevation of each sampling point was determined by means of an optical instrument and expressed in meters. Spatial dependence analysis was evaluated through geostatistic techniques and the semivariograms parameters were employed to generate isoline maps trough the punctual kriging interpolator of the Surfer 8.0 program. Obtained results indicated TDR calibration as proposed by Topp et al. (1980), considered of universal feature, is not adequate to the soil under study. TDR technique showed to be efficient in monitoring soil moisture content throughout bean plant cycle, being applicable in the irrigation process, since a previous equipment calibration in accordance with soil type under study. Soil resistance to penetration associated to both management systems showed increased value from one harvest to the next one, being greater for no-tillage system, surpassing the RP value associated to the conventional tillage for the year of 2006. However, obtained values do not interfere in the bean plant productivity for both employed growing system. Values saturated hydraulic conductivity had increased from one harvest to the next, observing that for the year of 2006 no-tillage system showed larger values than the conventional one. Conventional tillage showed lower soil bulk density average values for the year of 2005, however these values became the same for both methods in the year of 2006 harvest. All physical-hydric attributes as well as grain productivity presented spatial dependence for both soil cultivation techniques for both harvesting periods. All of simple linear regressions showed no correlation between attributes and bean production. However, simple linear regressions showed to be significant for attribute maps and production, presenting low determination coefficient values. The best observed result was identified to be the soil density related to production for the conventional crop management, showing the determination coefficient of 43,39 %, i.e., which is considered the best explaining production variation variable. In looking for a model explaining production variation as a function of soil physical-hydric attributes and relief elevation by means of multiple linear regression by the stepwise method, statistically significant models which explains production variation between 27,34 % to 71,70 % / Doutorado / Agua e Solo / Doutor em Engenharia Agrícola

O conhecimento da movimentação da água no solo é de grande importância para a agricultura, pois a água é um dos fatores que mais influenciam no rendimento das culturas. Das várias técnicas utilizadas para o monitoramento do conteúdo de água no solo, a reflectometria no domínio do tempo (TDR) vem sendo bastante difundida entre os pesquisadores por apresentar inúmeras vantagens, dentre as quais a mensuração em tempo real e a possibilidade de leituras automatizadas. Com o objetivo de avaliar a movimentação da água num perfil de um Latossolo vermelho-amarelo, conduziu-se um experimento obtendo-se os valores de umidade do solo e condutividade elétrica através das leituras de um equipamento de TDR com sondas instaladas em uma trincheira em diversas profundidades (0,10 m a 0,60 m) e com diferentes taxas de aplicação (2, 4 e 8 L.h-1) de solução em intervalos de 1 hora, via irrigação por gotejamento. A partir dos resultados obtidos, pôde concluir-se que diferentes vazões de aplicação determinam características particulares de formação do bulbo molhado e da movimentação da solução no solo. Para as condições de solo e de acordo com o volume e a frequência utilizada durante este experimento, recomenda-se a aplicação de pequenas quantidades de solução em intervalos mais frequentes para reduzir a perda por percolação de água e solutos. / The knowledge of the water distribution in soil has great importance to the agriculture because of the crop yield the cultures income has a direct influence by the water. There are many techniques used to monity soil moisture, and the time domain reflectometry (TDR), has a satisfactory application among the researches because the advantages, allow the real time measurements can be automatized and the automatized. With the objective to appraise the water distribution and electrical conductivity in a Red-yellow Latosol profile, the experiment was conducted measuring soil moisture through the TDR equipment reading with probes fixed in a trench in various depths (0,10 m to 0,60 m) and with different applications rates of solution (2,4 and 8 L.h-1) , with one hour interval by dripping irrigation. The results allowed us to that the different sewages applications determinate the particular characteristics of the wet bulb arrangement and the water soil distribution. For the soil conditions and according to the volume and frequency used during this experiment, it is recommended to apply of small quantities of a solution at more frequent intervals to reduce the loss by percolation of water and solute.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-08-20T14:33:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao_Viviane_Santos_Silva_Terra.pdf: 2073573 bytes, checksum: 19ddda03c961d08b0c0179b761552932 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-02-12 / The South region of Brazil (Pelotas, state of Rio Grande do Sul) is responsible for the production of temperate fruit trees. Among them, the peach crop has been a good option for crops diversification. The knowledge of the amount of available soil water to supply water needs during the peach different stages of development is of interest to the agronomic point of view. In this sense, we highlight the importance of the use of irrigation in peach orchards in order to provide an adequate crop water supply. It is therefore important to know the response of peach to water deficit so that we can assess the influence of the practice of irrigation in crop production. Among the methodologies, the soil water balance, which consists of applying the equation of conservation of mass, has been used. Based on this, the main objective of this work was to evaluate and quantify the different components of water balance in a Red Yellow Podzolic soil, planted with peach trees, cultivar Maciel, under irrigation and without irrigation and to verify the adequacy of Domain Reflectometry Frequency (FDR) equipment for monitoring the water content over time. The evaluation and quantification of different components of water balance of soil water were measured in an experimental area which belongs to Embrapa Clima Temperado, Pelotas-RS, Brazil, planted with peach cultivar Maciel, nearby plants irrigated and not irrigated. For this, the water balance calculation was carried out weekly and divided into 32 periods, of which 4 periods (12, 20, 24 and 26) were discarded because they had precipitation above 30 mm week-1. The experimental area containing irrigated and no irrigated plants was divided into five strips. The irrigated plants belonged to the strip 1 (tubes 3 and 6), strip 2 (tube 2) and strip 3 (tube 1), each one with an area of 0.5 m². The no-irrigated area belonged to the strip 4 (tube 8) and 5 (tube 7), with an area of 1 meters each one. Strips 1, 2 and 4 were under canopy and the other outside of the canopy. Rainfall was measured by rain gauges; irrigation water supply was made based on the average daily evapotranspiration of the region; the variation of water storage in the soil was measured by readings of soil water content up to 0.50 m depth, using an equipment based on reflectometry in the frequency domain (FDR) which was calibrated from readings of tensiometers; the runoff and internal drainage or capillary rise were neglected; and the actual evapotranspiration (ETr) was taken as the unknown variable. From the results we can conclude that it is possible to use an indirect method, using tensiometers and soil water retention curves to obtain calibration curves of the reflectometry equipment in the frequency domain (FDR); the adopted irrigation management, based on the average evapotranspiration of the region, may not be sufficient to supply the water requirements of peach crop; peach trees with water supply through irrigation have higher values of actual evapotranspiration; and soil water storage ranged in all irrigated and no irrigated strips between 60 and 140 mm week-1, unaffected by the adopted treatments in the study. / A região de Pelotas é responsável pela grande produção de frutíferas de Clima Temperado, em especial a cultura do pessegueiro que tem sido uma boa opção para a diversificação de culturas. O conhecimento da quantidade de água disponível no solo para atender as necessidades hídricas do pessegueiro durante os seus diferentes estádios de desenvolvimento é de interesse do ponto de vista agronômico. Neste sentido, destaca-se o uso da irrigação na cultura do pessegueiro, visando fornecer a cultura um adequado suprimento de água. Desta forma, é importante conhecer a resposta do pessegueiro ao déficit hídrico para que se possa avaliar a influência da prática da irrigação na produção da cultura. Dentre as metodologias que tem sido utilizada, destaca-se a do balanço hídrico no solo, que consiste na aplicação da equação de conservação de massa. Baseado no acima exposto, este trabalho teve como o objetivo principal avaliar e quantificar os diferentes componentes do balanço hídrico em um solo Argissolo Vermelho Amarelo, cultivado com plantas de pessegueiro, cultivar Maciel, em condições de irrigação e sem irrigação, bem como verificar a adequação de um equipamento de Reflectometria no Domínio da Frequência (FDR) para monitorar o seu conteúdo de água ao longo do tempo. A avaliação e quantificação dos diferentes componentes do balanço hídrico de água no solo foram realizadas em uma área experimental pertencente a Embrapa Clima Temperado, Pelotas-RS, cultivada com pessegueiro, cultivar Maciel, próximo às plantas irrigadas e não irrigadas. Para tal, o cálculo do balanço hídrico foi realizado semanalmente e dividido em 32 períodos, sendo a área experimental contendo as plantas irrigadas e não irrigadas dividida em cinco faixas. As plantas irrigadas pertenciam a faixa 1 (tubos 3 e 6), faixa 2 (tubo 2) e faixa 3 (tubo 1), cada uma com área de 0,5 m². As não irrigadas pertenciam a faixa 4 (tubo 8) e faixa 5 (tubo 7), com uma área de 1,0 m² cada. As faixas 1, 2 e 4 encontravamse na subcopa da planta e as demais fora da copa. A precipitação foi medida por meio de pluviômetros; a irrigação foi feita diariamente baseada na média evapotranspirativa da região; a variação da armazenagem de água no solo foi medida por meio de leituras de umidade do solo até 0,50 m de profundidade, utilizando-se um equipamento baseado na reflectometria no domínio da frequência (FDR), o qual foi calibrado a partir de leituras de tensiometria; o escoamento superficial e a drenagem interna ou ascensão capilar foram desprezados; a evapotranspiração foi tomada como variável incógnita. A partir dos resultados podese concluir que é possível a utilização de um método indireto, usando tensiômetros e curvas de retenção para a obtenção de curvas de calibração do equipamento de reflectometria no domínio da frequência (FDR); o manejo de irrigação adotado, baseado na média de evapotranspiração da região, pode não ser suficiente para suprir a demanda hídrica da cultura do pessegueiro; plantas de pessegueiro com suprimento hídrico por meio da irrigação apresentam valores maiores de evapotranspiração real e a armazenagem variou em todas as faixas irrigadas e não irrigadas entre 60 a 140 mm semana-1, não sendo afetada pelos manejos adotados no estudo.

Orientador: João Eduardo Guarnetti dos Santos / Banca: Marcos Roberto Bormio / Banca: Gastão Moraes da Silveira / Resumo: Este trabalho foi desenvolvido nas dependências das Fazendas Lageado e Edgárdia, pertencentes à Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas - UNESP de Botucatu-SP, no município de Pratânia e no distrito de Vitoriana, município de Botucatu-SP, com o objetivo de avaliar 2 técnicas de obtenção do teor de água no solo. A primeira delas é conhecida como moderação de nêutrons, que consiste na emissão de nêutrons rápidos e contagem de nêutrons moderados retornados após colisão, com moléculas de hidrogênio encontradas no solo. A partir da contagem obtida, estabeleceu-se uma correlação entre essa contagem e o teor de água no solo obtido pelo método gravimétrico, tomado como padrão. Outra técnica é a do TDR (Time Domain Reflectometry) ou Reflectometria no Domínio de Tempo, onde se determina a constante dielétrica relativa do solo e, por correlação, obtém-se o teor de água correspondente. Esta técnica foi desenvolvida de 2 maneiras: na primeira, manteve-se a calibração geral conhecida como Equação de Topp, que consiste numa Equação polinomial cúbica, obtida de forma empírica. E, na segunda, desenvolveu-se uma calibração específica para cada solo analisado. Foram avaliados 7 tipos de solos às profundidades de 15 e 30cm respectivamente com 3 variações de textura: arenosa, média e argilosa. Também, determinou-se variáveis físicas, como densidade de partículas e análises químicas, dando ênfase no teor de matéria orgânica. O trabalho de campo consistiu no levantamento de dados (contagens) com a sonda de nêutrons "in situ" e na obtenção de amostras de solo, nas respectivas profundidades, para análise em laboratório pelas técnicas TDR e gravimétrica. Como referencial ou padrão, utilizou-se o método direto ou gravimétrico para a determinação do teor de água no solo...(Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: This work was developed at Fazenda Lageado and Edgárdia areas, belonging to the Agronomics Science School - UNESP Botucatu-SP, in Pratânia borough and in Vitoriana district, both in the Botucatu borough. The main objective was to study and evaluate two techniques to obtain the water content in the soil. The first technique evaluated is known as neutron moderation which consists in the emission of fast neutrons and in the counting of moderate neutrons which came back after a collision with hydrogen molecules found in the soil. From the coint obtained, it was settled the correlation between the count and the water content value in the soil, obtained througth the gravimetric method. Another technique is the TDR (Time Domain Reflectometry). In this, it can be determined the apparent relative constant dielectric in the soil and by the correlation, to reach the correspondent value of water content. This technique was developed in two ways: in the first one, it was kept the general calibration known as Topp's equation which consists in a cubic polynomial equation obtained in an empiric form. The second one, it was developed a specific calibration to each kind of soil analysed. It was evaluated seven kinds of soils to the depths of 15cm and 30cm, respectively. As an initial criterion to the choice of soils, we tried to obtain three texture variations: gritty sandy, mean and mudoy. It was also observed the physical variables such as: particles density and chemical analyses, giving a special emphasis on the drift of organic matter. Basically, the fieldwork consited in data surveys (count) with the neutron probe "in situ" and in the...(Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

The wavelength-division-multiplexed passive optical network (WDM-PON) offers many advantages such as large bandwidth per user, easy management, high network security and low insertion loss enabling long-reach and/or high split-ratio. However, with the rapid development and growing interest for deployment of WDM-PON, the PON systems are becoming increasingly vulnerable to various failures. Therefore, network supervision becomes extremely important to guarantee an appropriate level of network reliability performance. The aim of PON supervision is to provide automated test and diagnostic capability without compromising the available bandwidth for services. An essential function is to detect any kind of deterioration in the network that can cause suspended services and to remotely localize these faults in order to avoid the high cost arising from troubleshooting. In this thesis, we evaluate several existing WDM PON supervision methods, based on which two simple and cost-effective new solutions are proposed to localize fiber failures in WDM PON systems. In the first solution, a conventional optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) and a switch unit are employed, while in the second method, a novel architecture based on N×N arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) is proposed. Both methods are able to localize failures in feeder fiber and drop fibers without e.g. using expensive tunable OTDRs. A patent has been filed based on the second solution. The first proposed method is validated by simulations using VPI Transmission Maker. According to the results, this supervision method is able to give accurate measurement of many different types of failures that may happen in a fiber link. Furthermore, VPI is examined in terms of its future applicability in modeling complete PON supervision methods based on OTDR.

Purpose:The purpose of this thesis was to identify a useful solution to find the location of a broken boundary wire. By useful we mean that the solution should be inexpensive, user friendly and accurate. However, this thesis will only investigate the accuracy of the method where the hypothesis is that an investigated method is applicable for all underground wires. Method:This study conducted a literature research in order to investigate what methods that are used in other industries to locate faults in underground, low-voltage electrical wires. After the research, the most commonly used fault locating methods were described and the one that seemed most useful was chosen as a possible solution.For the solution to be useful the accuracy was investigated. The method used to conduct an experiment and gather data to validate the solution was Design Science Research. Result:Three methods were investigated as possible solutions:Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR), Frequency Domain Reflectometry (FDR) and Murray bridge where experiments were conducted using TDR.TDR proved to be unapplicable in locating faults in boundary wires, although it was confirmed to be a valid solution to locate faults in coaxial cables with <1% error margin.What makes TDR and other reflectometry methods unsuitable methods within the autonomous lawn mower industry is the lack of characteristic impedance in the used boundary wires. The hypothesis that an investigated method is applicable for all underground wires is thereby refuted. Limitations:Experiments were conducted in laboratory environment with a signal generator and an oscilloscope. One experiment was conducted on a boundary wire in the ground which provided no reflected signal.