Call number: LD2668 .T4 1985 T93 / Master of Science

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Bibliography: leaves 153-179. / xvi, 179 leaves : ill. (some col.) ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Annual species of Medicago, or medics, are important pasture legumes in the neutral to alkaline soils of southern Australia but their nodulation and nitrogen fixation processes are retarded by soil nitrate. This study ascertains whether an observed tolerance to nitrate among medic species can be substantiated, and attempts to understand the underlying factors responsible. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Plant Science, (1995)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2008. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 126-140). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Bibliography: leaves 153-179. Annual species of Medicago, or medics, are important pasture legumes in the neutral to alkaline soils of southern Australia but their nodulation and nitrogen fixation processes are retarded by soil nitrate. This study ascertains whether an observed tolerance to nitrate among medic species can be substantiated, and attempts to understand the underlying factors responsible.

Graduation date: 1999

Nitrate contamination in ground and surface waters is of great concern to environmentalists. A two-dimensional model of water and solute movement in soils was used to test the usefulness and relative advantages of a two-dimensional model over a one dimensional model for analysis of deep percolation and nitrate leaching in furrow irrigation. The predictive ability of the model was evaluated using data collected in a series of preliminary field studies. Two methods were used to calibrate the model. First, the cumulative infiltration simulated by the model was compared with an infiltration curve derived from field data. Secondly, soil water potential data were used to compare the observed movement of a wetted front in the soil profile. The calibration results closely followed the two dimensional flow pattern in furrow irrigation. The model was used both in a one-dimensional mode and a two-dimensional mode. Comparison of one-dimensional and two-dimensional models was accomplished using the two-dimensional model, with uniform infiltration across the surface boundary to represent the one-dimensional case, and with infiltration only across the furrow surface for the two-dimensional case. Evaluation of water and nitrate leaching was observed for alternate furrow irrigation as well as every-furrow irrigation with three different furrow spacings; 76, 86, and 102 cm. These results showed that the one-dimensional model always under estimates the leaching amount in comparison to the two-dimensional model. In some cases the one-dimensional model predicted no leaching of water and nitrate below the root zone though leaching was predicted by the two-dimensional model. Evaluation of alternate and every furrow irrigation with different furrow spacing indicated that the leaching amount increased rapidly with the increase of furrow spacing. Under furrow irrigation, attempts to irrigate the soil profile to a level less than, but close to, field capacity will result in leaching. Therefore different irrigation management is needed to minimize leaching. Additionally, the model suggests that the sealing layer which forms in the bottom of the furrow drastically reduced the infiltration rate because of the very low saturated hydraulic conductivity in that area. Sealing layer had a significant effect on the performance of SWMS_2D model, and made the model unusable where high input volume were required. / Graduation date: 1995

Groundwater contamination on irrigated land is of concern in this nation and around the world. In order to reduce the potential of groundwater contamination by agricultural practices such as irrigation, fertilizer and pesticide application, vadose-zone monitoring and sampling are needed. The main objective of this study was to evaluate impacts of current irrigation treatments and soil structures on the migration of pollutants to groundwater. Passive CAPillary wick pan Samplers (PCAPS) and suction cups were installed in two cracking clays and one sandy soil under the pear tree root zone. PCAPS and suction cups were used to collect nitrate-nitrogen and tracer samples. Tracers were applied to track the spatial and temporal patterns of compounds that mimic nitrate-nitrogen and pesticide movement. The observed magnitude of water leaching over 3 months differed between irrigation methods and soil structures and decreased in this order: flooding over 3 months in clay soil (22.8 cm) > micro-sprinkler in clay soil (16.1 cm) > over-head sprinkler in sandy soil (4.1 cm). Leaching patterns were varied spatially; soil structures, irrigation methods, preferential flow, and high water table may have been responsible for the spatial variation of leaching. Mass recovery of all three tracers, including bromide, blue dye, and rhodamine had the same decreasing order: flooding in clay soil > micro-sprinkler in clay soil > over-head sprinkler in sandy soil. Average blue dye and rhodamine concentrations had the following order: flooding in clay soil > micro-sprinkler in clay > over-head sprinkler in sandy soil. Since blue dye and rhodamine have similar properties to some moderately adsorbed pesticides, we may infer that the risk of pesticide movement in three sites should also decrease in this order. Presumably pesticide movement in clay soil would have been more pronounced for flooding than sprinkler irrigation. On the annual/seasonal basis, the total mass of nitrate-nitrogen leaching differed between irrigation methods and soil structures and decreased in the following order: over-head sprinkler in sandy soil > flooding in clay soil > micro-sprinkler in clay soil. The annual average nitrate-nitrogen concentration observed under over-head sprinkler in sandy soil was 15 mg/l over the maximum allowed concentration level (10 mg/l) by the EPA while seasonal nitrate-nitrogen concentration was low in clay soil under current irrigation practices. Strong evidence suggested the occurrence of preferential flow in this study. Preferential flow may contribute to high water leachate, nitrate and pesticide migration. High correlation coefficients between paired PCAPS indicated that PCAPS have similar responses to water and solute leaching. Several improvements in PCAPS are needed to obtain representative samples under severe flooding conditions. Limited data suggested that ultra-low rate irrigation devices could reduce the water leaching and the potential of pollutant migration to the groundwater because ultra-low rate application devices minimize the soil macropore flow. / Graduation date: 1995

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Delaware, 2006. / Principal faculty advisor: William J. Ullman, College of Marine and Earth Studies. Includes bibliographical references.

Nitrate is a ubiquitous drinking water contaminant with potential adverse effects on human health. However, little is known about nitrate toxicity at the cellular and molecular level. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of environmentally relevant concentrations of nitrate on cytotoxicity and protein expression in human cell lines. To determine if tissue-specific responses occurred, a human hepatoma cell line (HepG2) and a human embryonic kidney cell line (HEK293) were used. Both potassium and ammonium salts of nitrate were used to determine salt-specific toxicity. Test concentrations of nitrate varied from 1 μg/L to 5000 mg/L. Cells were exposed to a nitrate salt for 24, 48, or 72 hours and then examined for effects on viability (using the Neutral Red assay) or proliferation (using the BrdU ELISA assay). To determine the effects of nitrate on protein expression, levels of PCNA, Hsp70, Hsc70, and VEGF protein were monitored using Western blotting in HepG2 and HEK293 cells exposed to KNO3 or NH4NO3 for 24 hours.<p>Nitrate was cytotoxic to both cell types at high concentrations, with EC50 values between 1557 mg/L (approximately) 5852mg/L for viability, and ~2.5 mg/L 3631 mg/L for proliferation. Several EC50 values were not calculable based on the available data, but appeared to be far greater than 5000 mg/L. Ammonium nitrate was generally more toxic than potassium nitrate, and increasing exposure time generally resulted in greater toxicity. The HepG2 and HEK293 cells displayed similar responses for most assays, except the 24 hour KNO3 Neutral Red assay. Here, HEK293 viability increased with increasing KNO3 concentrations, while HepG2 viability decreased. The reason for this finding is unknown, but may involve cell-specific homeostatic mechanisms. A hormetic-like effect was observed in both cell types in several of the proliferation assays; the biological significance of this effect remains unknown.<p>No significant changes in protein expression were observed under these experimental conditions. Some subtle trends were present, such as a slight increase in Hsp70 expression with increasing nitrate concentration in both cell types. In HepG2 cells, PCNA expression increased slightly with increasing nitrate concentrations; however, the opposite effect was observed in HEK293 cells. This may be due to transcriptional or translational regulation.<p>In summary, environmentally relevant concentrations of nitrate did not appear to evoke significant cytotoxicity or changes in protein expression. Cell viability and proliferation effects were observed at higher concentrations of nitrate. Private water supplies may contain nitrate concentrations above the EC50 values in these experiments. More research is required to determine if this poses a direct threat to human health.