Revised; Originally Published: 2009 / 4 pp. / Proper water management involves two basic considerations: when and how much irrigation water to apply. The timing of an irrigation event (the when) involves utilizing information on plant needs and soil water conditions. How much depends primarily on the soil’s water holding capacity, the depletion level and the rooting depth of the crop. Once you have calculated how much water to apply, how can you be sure that you have accurately applied that amount? Or, if you miss your target amount, how do you determine how much water you actually applied? The amount of water applied to a field is a function of time, flow and area. The time of an irrigation is easily recorded. The amount of area irrigated is also easily calculated. However, estimating flow rate in an open ditch is often guess work, at best. In this bulletin we shall discuss ways to measure water flow in an open ditch.

Plants under variable water stress exhibit a contraction of their stem diameter. This variation can be monitored to determine the plant water status which, in turn, will lead us to a method of scheduling subsequent irrigation. In this dissertation, the possibility of determining the water status in cotton plants by automatically sensing their stem diameter variation was explored. A full description of the displacement sensor, the electronic circuits used for automatic stem diameter monitoring and the data analysis is given. Simultaneous measurement of the leaf water potential and the stem diameter variation were done for a total of eight days during an irrigation cycle. Statistical analysis was performed to infer the water status in the plant from the stem diameter variation. It was discovered that the stem diameter variation lags the water potential by two hours, and that there was no simple linear correlation between them. In fact, it was discovered that the stem diameter variation was not only a function of the leaf water potential of the plant as it was believed; but indeed, it is also a function of the soil water condition. According to the results obtained, a basic model to describe the relationship between the stem diameter variation and the plant and soil water condition was developed.

Enteric viruses are viruses which replicate in the intestinal tract of man and animals. One mode of transmission for enteric viruses is the fecal-oral route. Drinking water which has been contaminated with sewage or sewage effluent has been implicated as a means for the spread of enteric viruses. Monitoring water for virus contamination requires two steps: 1) the collection and the concentration of the water sample and 2) the isolation and identification of the virus present. Current methods for the detection of enteric viruses in water requires the use of animal cell culture. This technique has several drawbacks, such as: 1) long incubation periods, up to two and three weeks, before some enteric viruses are detected, 2) not all viruses can be detected in one cell line, and 3) not all viruses have been grown in cell culture. More rapid techniques, such as fluorescent antibody or radioimmunoassay do not have the needed sensitivity to detect the low levels of virus found in contaminated water. These techniques also require the production of an antibody for each different virus type. An alternative technique for the detection of viruses in water was sought. Recent advances in recombinant DNA technology now makes it possible to detect viruses without the use of cell culture or antibodies. Gene probes that hybridize to the RNA of poliovirus and hepatitis A virus were tested for their ability to detect different enteric viruses. The probes were labeled with ³²P dCTP and ³²P dATP to a specific activity greater then 1.0 x 10⁹ cpm/ug DNA. Gene Screen Plus (NEN) was chosen as the hybridization membrane since it was more sensitive to virus detection than the other membranes tested. A dot-blot apparatus (Bio Rad) was used to apply the samples. Results were visualized by autoradiography for thirty-six hours at -70° C. One infectious unit of poliovirus and hepatitis A virus was detected using labeled cDNA probes. Upon comparison, the dot blot assay was as sensitive as tissue culture for the detection of poliovirus in beef extract, secondary effluent, and tapwater. Environmental samples, such as secondary effluent, reclaimed wastewater and unchlorinated drinking water were also assayed for poliovirus and hepatitis A virus with the use of gene probes. The results presented here offer an alternative method for screening water samples for the presence of enteric viruses.

No description available.

Although a wide range of flow measurement devices and methods already exist for the measurement of irrigation water, water users and water management officials still claim there is a need for more appropriate devices that are non-intrusive, reliable, easy to install and maintain, and cost effective. Meters that are typically used for irrigation water measurement were tested in a laboratory as an initial part of the research and measurement errors larger than ±10 % of the actual discharge was recorded. This study was aimed at evaluating an experimental measuring method that may meet the requirements of the users. The experimental method is based on the unique relationship between the differential pressure and the discharge of a specific pump. By determining this relationship for a specific pump over a range of operating conditions (but for specific installation conditions), a curve similar to the pump curve as developed by the pump manufacturer can be established. If this relationship is inversed (into a discharge-differential pressure relationship), it can be used to calculate the discharge of the pump by measuring the differential pressure. The volume of water discharged by the pump over a period of time can then be determined by integrating the calculated discharge over time. Laboratory tests were conducted to evaluate the validity of the proposed measuring method. The tests entailed the development of the discharge-differential pressure relationship for the specific pump being used, by simultaneously measuring the system discharge, and pressure at both the suction and delivery sides of the pump. Once the relationship had been developed, a set of independent tests was conducted and the pressure measurements used to calculate the discharge through the system. The calculated discharge values were then compared with the measured values. The experimental measuring method was also evaluated in the field through empirical testing of its application in the field. The necessary equipment was installed and calibrated at an irrigation system pump station at the Orange-Riet Water User Association, and data collected over a two week period. The laboratory evaluation of the proposed measurement method produced favourable results, with the analyses showing that discharge can be "measured" with this method at errors smaller than ± 5.4 % of the reference reading within a specified range of flow rates, which is better than the errors produced by the conventional meters evaluated during the initial part of the research. The field tests showed that the method can be applied successfully to monitor pump abstractions. The method's results were compared to two reference measurements and it was found that the volume of water abstracted according to the experimental method was within ± 2.6 % of the reference measurements. The field work also showed that from a practical application point of view, the method has definite advantages over the conventional meters, although it is not less expensive than other measuring devices. The advantages include easier installation, high turn-down ratios, low maintenance requirements, no additional head loss, and suitable for telemetric data collection. Further work that is required include investigations on the use of a differential pressure transducer (rather than two separate suction and delivery side transducers), since this may reduce costs and the number of recorded data points, as well as evaluations of the validity of the discharge - differential pressure relationship over a long period of time, since it may change due to wear on the pump or motor. / Dissertation (M Eng (Agricultural Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Civil Engineering / unrestricted

Enteroviruses affect a broad segment of the population throughout the world and have been suspected to play a major role in waterborne disease for quite some time. The presence of these viruses in drinking water supplies constitutes a major health risk to the population because of their low infectious dose. The monitoring and study of these viruses in the environment have been limited by the current standard detection methodologies. Nucleic acid probe hybridization is a new and effective approach for the study and detection of these viruses in the environment. An important step in the detection of viruses in concentrated water samples by nucleic acid probes is the isolation of the viral genome from the water sample for hybridization. Previously, a series of time consuming organic extract ions was used to isolate viral RNA. This study reports the development of an alternative method for the isolation and preservation of viral RNA in environmental samples. Briefly, the sample is heated in the presence of an RNase inhibitor, and then applied to a hybridization membrane. This procedure has greatly reduced the time and difficulty of the assay while maintaining sensitivity and increasing consistency. This study reports the development and modification of a nonradioactive labeling system for the detection of viruses in water. Nonradioactive labels such as biotin offer several advantages over radioactive labels including unlimited shelf life, reduced cost and time of assay, and elimination of the radiation hazard. However, radioactive labels are generally the more sensitive method of detection. By combining direct and indirect labeling strategies, the sensitivity of this nonradioactive assay has been increased ten-fold. This assay can detect as little as 100 plaque forming units of poliovirus, only one order of magnitude less sensitive than radiolabeled probes. This assay is also ten-fold less sensitive than radiolabeled probes for the detection of enteroviruses in water samples. Nonradioactive probes offer a safe, inexpensive alternative to radiolabeled probes and tissue culture for the detection of viruses in the environment when ultrasensitivity is not required.

Rotaviruses are one of the most significant causes of diarrheal disease in the world. Their presence in groundwater and drinking water supplies constitutes a health risk to the population. The study of rotaviruses in the environment has been hampered by the lack of accessible and consistent detection methodologies. Gene probes and other molecular techniques are a novel approach for the detection of these viruses in water. The feasibility of these new techniques for the detection and study of rotaviruses in the environment has been assessed using the simian SA-11 and the culturable human Wa rotavirus strains as models. Two general approaches have been undertaken consisting of hybridization of probes with genomic RNA and hybridization with mRNA produced by the virion-incorporated transcriptase. Hybridization of gene probes with genomic dsRNA of rotaviruses in environmental concentrates resulted in the detection of 10 4 immunofoci of Wa rotavirus. In vitro transcription serves as an amplification method with sensitivity 100- to 1000-fold greater than when probing for genomic RNA. The sensitivity obtained in Wa-seeded distilled water and environmental concentrates after in vitro transcription is 2 and 20 immunofoci, respectively. Proteins in environmental concentrates decrease the efficiency of probe hybridization by 10-100 fold. Also, transcriptase-inhibiting factors found in environmental samples decrease the production of mRNA. Both proteins and transcriptase-inhibiting factors can be reduced significantly with Sephadex G-200 columns. Passage of environmental concentrate through Sephadex G-200 spun columns, followed by in vitro transcription, was used to detect rotaviruses in environmental samples. Rotaviruses were detected by this combination of techniques in eight of 20 sewage samples, one of 16 tap water samples, five of 32 ground water samples, and two of nine surface water samples. Only one of 17 samples which tested positive with Wa cDNA 4 was positive for non-specific probe binding. The probing of rotavirus mRNA, amplified by the virion-incorporated transcriptase, is a practical and feasible method for monitoring these viruses in the environment.

A Coulostatic Impulse Generator (CIG) is an electronic device that transfers electrical charge to and from a pair of electrodes inserted in plant tissue. Six discrete charge transfers can be implemented in any desired sequence. The major purpose of the CIG is to determine the electrochemical constituents of the plant apoplast electrolyte. The objective of this thesis is threefold: (1) to design, construct and test the supervisory circuitry of the CIG, (2) to design, construct and test the interface between the NEC portable computer and the CIG, (3) to generate utility software to control each circuit board in the system. To handle the extreme difference in the timing of the charge transfer (microseconds) and the subsequent plant response a three step timing sequence is employed which permits an independent range of sample times and sample numbers. Data acquired is first stored in RAM in the computer within the CIG and then transferred to the external computer. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.)

Graduation date: 1997

A new technique for measuring the water content of fiber is presented. Tritiated water is added to a pulp/water suspension whereupon the tritium partitions between the bulk water and the pulp. Through this technique a fiber:water partition coefficient is developed, Kpw. This thesis will cover the development of the Kpw procedure and three different case studies. The first study involves comparing Kpw to traditional methods of fiber water content. The procedure provides a value of ten percent for the tightly bound water content of unrefined hardwood or softwood kraft fiber, either bleached or unbleached. If this water is assumed to cover the fiber surface as a monolayer, then an estimate of the wet surface area of fiber can be obtained. This estimate compares well to independent measurements of surface area. Kpw has also been found to be valuable in furthering the understanding of refining. Based on the study, it is proposed that refining occurs in three discrete stages. First, refining removes the primary cell wall and S1 layer while beginning to swell the S2 layer. Next, internal delamination occurs within the S2 layer. Finally, fiber destruction occurs at high refining levels. By using Kpw, the three stages of refining are clearly recognized. Lastly, Kpw is used to study the effect of hornification on bleached softwood kraft fiber. The recycling effects at three refining levels were characterized by Kpw and followed closely the findings of the refining study. At low and high refining levels, the impact of recycling was minimal according to Kpw results, but at 400 mL csf the impact of recycling was much more pronounced. This could be attributed to the closing of internal delaminations within the fiber.