Crop managers need to determine the most profitable time to defoliate cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) in a high rainfall environment such as the coastal region of Texas. In cotton production, delaying defoliation exposes open bolls to a higher probability of rainfall, and thus, reduces lint yield and fiber quality. Premature defoliation, however, has detrimental affects on lint yield and fiber quality. A more recent method to determine defoliation is based on heat-unit (HU or DD15) accumulation after physiological cutout or five nodes above white flower (NAWF=5). Results have been inconsistent across a wide range of field environments when utilizing HU accumulation past cutout; therefore, adoption of this method has been limited. Many regions of the Cotton Belt have maximum day time temperatures during the growing season that are above optimum for maximum growth. Field studies were conducted for three consecutive growing seasons in the Brazos River Valley and Upper Gulf Coast regions of Texas. The purpose of this research was to identify an upper temperature threshold (UTT) for calculating degree days for defoliation timing. The experimental design consisted of a split-plot design with four replications. The main plots consisted of three upper temperature thresholds (32°C, 35°C, and no upper limit) and the subplots were five HU timings (361, 417, 472, 528, and 583) accumulated from date of cutout. Utilizing an UTT to calculate daily HU failed to explain differences in the optimum time to defoliate based on accumulated HU from cutout for the upper thresholds investigated. Accumulated HU had a significant impact, however, on defoliation timing. Comparison of the two locations showed that maximum lint yield was obtained at 472 HU and 52% open boll at Wharton County versus a maximum of 528 HU and 62% open boll for the Burleson County location. Employing the NACB=4 method to time defoliation at both locations would have resulted in premature application of harvest aids and reduced lint yields. No differences were observed in adjusted gross income values at Wharton County among the 417, 472, 528, and 583 HU treatments. For Burleson County, adjusted gross income peaked in value at 528 HU.

The wind power industry is one of the fastest-growing renewable energy industries in the world. Since more energy can be extracted from wind when the density is higher, a lot of the investments made in the wind power industry are made in cold climates. But with cold climates come harsh weather conditions such as icing. The icing on wind power rotor blades causes the aerodynamic properties of the blade to shift and with further ice accretion, the wind power plant can come to a standstill causing a loss of power, until the ice is melted. How big these losses are, depend greatly on site-specific variables such as elevation, temperature, and precipitation. The literature claims these ice-related losses can correspond to 10-35% of the annual expected energy output. Some studies have been made to standardize an ice loss determining method to be used by the industry, yet a standardization of calculating these losses do not exist. It was therefore interesting for this thesis to investigate the different methods that are being used. By using historical Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) data for two different sites located in Sweden, a robust ice determining code was created to identify ice losses. Nearly 32 million data points are being analyzed, and the data itself is provided by Siemens Gamesa which is one of the biggest companies within the wind power industry. A sensitivity analysis was made, and it was shown that a reference dataset reaching from May to September for four years could be used to clearly identify ice losses. To find the ice losses, three different scenarios were tested. The three scenarios use different temperature intervals to find ice losses. For scenario 1 all data points below 0 degrees are investigated. And for scenario 2 and 3 this interval is stretching from 3 degrees and below versus 5 degrees and below. It was found that Scenario 3, was the optimal way to identify the ice losses. Scenario 3 filtered the raw data so that only data points with a temperature below five degrees was used. For the two sites investigated, the annual ice losses were found to lower the annual energy output by 5-10%. Further, the correlation between temperature, precipitation, and ice losses was investigated. It was found that low temperature and high precipitation is strongly correlated to ice losses.

Cette étude s'intéresse aux effets de la température sur le développement de la canne à sucre et le potentiel d'expansion de cette culture au sein de nouvelles zones géographiques. En particulier, elle vise à caractériser les stades de développement de la plante durant lesquels les basses températures agissent afin d'extrapoler des zones géographiques d'adaptation. Un travail plus particulier est engagé sur l'effet des basses températures en condition d'altitude tropicales dans Les Hauts de La Réunion. L'implantation en cycle de plantation est identifiée comme une étape très importante pour les cultures de canne, et pour la culture dans les Hauts en particulier, car elle conditionne non seulement la date de première récolte et son niveau mais elle a un impact sur le cycle de repousse. Les expérimentations ont lieu à la fois en milieu contrôlé (chambre climatique et serre) et en conditions réelles (champs à différentes altitudes). Une étude méthodologique sur la qualité du matériel végétal est réalisée pour valider les conditions d'expérimentation. Cette étude montre que des expérimentations de débourrement de bourgeons peuvent être réalisées avec des boutures d'un seul bourgeon, de taille réduite. Les comparaisons de débourrement à différentes températures nécessitent d'utiliser des boutures triées, saines, et homogènes, c'est-à-dire provenant de la partie médiane de la tige-mère. Les bourgeons de la partie supérieure (entrenœuds non consolidés à croissance non terminée) et ceux issus de la base de la plante devront être écartés. L'influence de la température est quantifiée sur différentes variétés lors de la phase de débourrement-levée, puis au cours des stades de développement suivants jusqu'à la fermeture du couvert végétal. La température influence considérablement sur le processus de débourrement. Le modèle thermique élaboré, bien que limité à une gamme de températures, prédit de façon satisfaisante la levée à température constante et permet de quantifier les différences variétales observées. Les expérimentations au champ révèlent des différences dans les dynamiques d'émission et de croissance des tiges et de mise en place de la surface foliaire, non seulement entre sites d'altitude différente mais aussi entre variétés. La température joue un rôle majeur dans cette différenciation. De plus, selon le processus étudié, le classement des variétés suivant leurs performances n'est pas strictement identique d'un site à l'autre. Ce constat révèle l'intérêt d'approfondir l'étude sur la période d'installation du feuillage en conditions climatiques variées. Le modèle de débourrement-levée développé au cours de cette étude a permis d'identifier des indicateurs pour évaluer la capacité d'adaptation de différentes variétés de canne à sucre. Associés à une base de données météorologique géolocalisée, ces derniers mettent en évidence l'importance de la température seuil dans la capacité d'adaptation des variétés à différentes zones géographiques. Les méthodes et outils élaborés au cours de cette thèse ont d'ores et déjà des retombées pour accompagner les outils traditionnels de sélection variétale à La Réunion et sont extrapolables dans des zones à températures plus fraîches. Ces retombées pourraient s'accroître avec la mise au point de nouveaux itinéraires techniques. Enfin, la poursuite des travaux cartographiques, comme outils d'étude du potentiel d'implantation des cultures dans les Hauts, constitue également un axe prometteur pour la valorisation des acquis de cette thèse. / This thesis is centered on the effects of temperature on sugarcane development and its potential for geographical expansion under low temperatures in high-altitude tropical conditions. In the highlands of Reunion Island (les Hauts), the duration of the germination, in planting years, affects the date and the level of the first harvest, as well as the sugarcane yield in the following ratoon crop cycle. Trials took place in climate chambers, greenhouses and fields at different temperatures and altitudes. A preliminary study validates the conditions governing the experimentation: bud bursts can be studied through single, healthy, single bud cuttings that are taken from the middle section of the mature stem. Temperature considerably influences the primary tiller germination and emergence stages. The thermal model that was developed satisfactorily predicts bursting at a constant temperature and allows for the quantification of observed varietal differences. Field trials reveal a disparity in the production and growth dynamics of leaves and stems according to locations and varieties. Temperature influences this differentiation. Among the indicators that were elaborated, the duration for the seedling of half the population, when applied to a climatic database, allows one to define geographical zones and time periods conducive to the introduction of sugarcane according to its variety. The methods presented herein can be used in varietal selection for all zones where cold temperature limits the spread of crops. Results could be used for the development of new cultural practices or for further studies in geo-referenced agronomic zoning.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Background: Elucidating the lithium disilicate system like the popular IPS e.max® CAD (LS2), made specifically for Computer-Aided Design and Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAD-CAM), as a function of temperature unravels new ways to enhance material properties and performance. Objective: To study the effect of various thermal processing on the crystallization kinetics, crystallite microstructure, and strength of LS2. Methods: The control group of the LS2 samples was heated using the standard manufacturer heating-schedule. Two experimental groups were tested: (1) an extended temperature range (750-840 °C vs. 820-840 °C) at the segment of 30 °C/min heating rate, and (2) a protracted holding time (14 min vs. 7 min) at the isothermal temperature of 840 °C. Five other groups of different heating schedules with lower-targeted temperatures were evaluated to investigate the microstructural changes. For each group, the crystalline phases and morphologies were measured by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) respectively. Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) was used to determine the activation energy of LS2 under non-isothermal conditions. A MTS universal testing machine was used to measure 3-point flexural strength and fracture toughness, and elastic modulus and hardness were measured by the MTS Nanoindenter® XP. A one-way ANOVA/Tukey was performed per property (alpha = 0.05). Results: DSC, XRD, and SEM revealed three distinct microstructures during LS2 crystallization. Significant differences were found between the control group, the two aforementioned experimental groups, and the five lower-targeted-temperature groups per property (p<0.05). The activation energy for lithium disilicate growth was 667.45 (± 28.97) KJ/mole. Conclusions: Groups with the extended temperature range (750-840 °C) and protracted holding time (820-840 °C H14) produced significantly higher elastic-modulus and hardness properties than the control group but showed similar significant flexural-strength and fracture-toughness properties with the control group. In general, explosive growth of lithium disilicates occurred only when maximum formation of lithium metasilicates had ended.