University of Lleida

About: University of Lleida is a education organization based out in Lleida, Spain. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Pregnancy. The organization has 2939 authors who have published 5853 publications receiving 148417 citations. The organization is also known as: Escola Superior Politècnica & Universitat de Lleida.

On-site effects of concentrated flow erosion in vineyard fields: some economic implications

Abstract: Although it is well known that ephemeral gully erosion is a process of a recurrent nature and its contribution to total sediment production is far from negligible, there is a gap in the assessment of changes that the ephemeral gullying cycle produces in the fields' landscape and in the general economic balance of farms (the cost of erosion). The present paper applies a method for assessing the topographic changes produced by concentrated flow erosion, mainly ephemeral gullies, and their filling by farmers. The method is based on the comparison of multi-date detailed topographic data (digital elevation models, DEMs). In the case study, 0.20-m spatial resolution DEMs of March 2000, June 2000 and July 2002 were used to assess the changes in a vineyard field (located in the Penedes region, Catalonia, NE Spain), in which there are hillside ditches (broadbase terraces) that function as sediment traps to avoid major soil loss. The study period was divided into two, according to an extreme rainfall event that occurred on 10 June 2000, in which 214.6 mm fell in 1 day, representing 44% of the annual precipitation. This storm, with a return period in the area of 105 years, displaced 282±4 Mg ha−1 of sediment, 58% of which was due to concentrated surface runoff that caused considerable surface lowering (ephemeral gullies) of up to 0.4–0.5 m deep in some parts of the field. During the second period, about 208±3 Mg ha−1 of soil and sediment deposited in the hillside ditches was used to fill ephemeral gullies. The general sediment/soil balance at the locations where ephemeral gullies recurrently occur is negative (−74±3 Mg ha−1), indicating that recurrent concentrated surface runoff is producing a progressive surface lowering of those zones. The research also assessed the efficiency of the hillside ditches as sediment traps. A total of 113±2 Mg ha−1 was deposited in these structures during the period March 2000–June 2000 (in which the extreme rainfall event occurred), which represents 54% of the material used to fill ephemeral gullies in the period June 2000–July 2002. Finally, the cost of erosion, evaluated as the cost of the operations necessary to redistribute the sediment/soil over the field and to repair the hillside ditches, represented 5% of the income of the farms.

Olfactory and amygdalar structures of the chicken ventral pallium based on the combinatorial expression patterns of LIM and other developmental regulatory genes

Abstract: We compared the combinatorial expression patterns of several LIM domain-containing regulatory genes in the ventrolateral pallium of mouse and chicken, in order to identify the homologues of the ventral pallial amygdala and other olfactory structures in birds. Lmo3, Lmo4, Lhx2, and Lhx9 showed comparable expression patterns in the telencephalon of mouse and chicken, which allowed distinction of the ventrolateral pallium and, particularly, the ventral pallial amygdala and entorhinal cortex. Lmo3 was expressed in most of the ventrolateral pallium in both species, including, in chicken, the piriform cortex and dorsal ventricular ridge (mesopallium, nidopallium, and arcopallium) and, in mouse, the piriform cortex, most of the claustral complex, and the pallial amygdala. Lhx9 was differentially expressed in the ventral pallium, where it was restricted to its rostral (olfactory bulb) and caudal (amygdalar and entorhinal) poles. In the caudal pole, expression of Lhx9 overlapped that of its paralog Lhx2. According to these expression patterns, the chicken ventral pallial amygdala appears to include the caudal dorsolateral pallium, the caudal nidopallium, and the whole arcopallium, and each one relates to a distinct ventricular sector. Finally, the combinatorial expression patterns of Lmo3, Lhx9, and Lmo4 distinguished four distinct subdivisions in the superficial, olfactorecipient area of the chicken ventral pallium, which appear comparable to the piriform, entorhinal, amygdalopiriform, and amygdalar cortices of mammals. The results are discussed in the context of the two existing, opposite views on the homology of the dorsal ventricular ridge of sauropsids and in terms of the evolution of pallial derivatives.

Ecologically sustainable weed management: How do we get from proof-of-concept to adoption?

Abstract: Weed management is a critically important activity on both agricultural and non-agricultural lands, but it is faced with a daunting set of challenges: environmental damage caused by control practices, weed resistance to herbicides, accelerated rates of weed dispersal through global trade, and greater weed impacts due to changes in climate and land use. Broad-scale use of new approaches is needed if weed management is to be successful in the coming era. We examine three approaches likely to prove useful for addressing current and future challenges from weeds: diversifying weed management strategies with multiple complementary tactics, developing crop genotypes for enhanced weed suppression, and tailoring management strategies to better accommodate variability in weed spatial distributions. In all three cases, proof-of-concept has long been demonstrated and considerable scientific innovations have been made, but uptake by farmers and land managers has been extremely limited. Impediments to employing these and other ecologically based approaches include inadequate or inappropriate government policy instruments, a lack of market mechanisms, and a paucity of social infrastructure with which to influence learning, decision-making, and actions by farmers and land managers. We offer examples of how these impediments are being addressed in different parts of the world, but note that there is no clear formula for determining which sets of policies, market mechanisms, and educational activities will be effective in various locations. Implementing new approaches for weed management will require multidisciplinary teams comprised of scientists, engineers, economists, sociologists, educators, farmers, land managers, industry personnel, policy makers, and others willing to focus on weeds within whole farming systems and land management units.

Effect of ripeness on the shelf-life of fresh-cut melon preserved by modified atmosphere packaging

Abstract: Fresh-cut ‘Piel de Sapo’ melon was processed at different ripeness stages and stored under modified atmosphere packaging for 35 days at 5 °C. Raw material firmness and soluble solids content ranged from 6.5 to 3.9 N and 11.1 to 14.3 °Brix, respectively. The effects of a 2.5 kPa O2+7 kPa CO2 packaging atmosphere and a dip of 1% ascorbic acid and 0.5% calcium chloride on physiology, microbiological stability as well as color and firmness were evaluated. An intermediate stage of ripeness at processing was the most suitable to extend the shelf-life of fresh-cut ‘Piel de Sapo’ melon. Green-mature fresh-cut melon reduced CO2 accumulation and ethanol production. In addition, a treatment with ascorbic acid and calcium chloride in combination with modified atmosphere packaging, contributed to a greater extension of the shelf-life of fresh-cut melon than that reported for fruits stored under non-modified atmosphere, slowing down the growth of microbial populations, maintaining the original color and reducing softness. Thus, the shelf-life of green-mature fresh-cut ‘Piel de Sapo’ melon dipped in an ascorbic acid and calcium chloride solution and packaged under modified atmosphere was about 10 days.