Dry Matter Accumulation in Maize in Response to Film Mulching and Plant Density in Northeast China.

Film mulching in combination with high plant density (PD) is a common agronomic technique in rainfed maize ( L.) production. However, the effects of combining colored plastic film mulching and PD on dry matter accumulation (DMA) dynamics and yield of spring maize have not been thoroughly elucidated to date.

Dielectric Spectroscopy and Application of Mixing Models Describing Dielectric Dispersion in Clay Minerals and Clayey Soils.

The number of sensors, ground-based and remote, exploiting the relationship between soil dielectric response and soil water content continues to grow. Empirical expressions for this relationship generally work well in coarse-textured soils but can break down for high-surface area and intricate materials such as clayey soils. Dielectric mixing models are helpful for exploring mechanisms and developing new understanding of the dielectric response in porous media that do not conform to a simple empirical approach, such as clayey soils.

Effect of Organic Matter on Sorption of Zn on Soil: Elucidation by Wien Effect Measurements and EXAFS Spectroscopy.

Soil organic matter (SOM) is the major factor affecting sequestration of heavy metals in soil. The mean free binding energy and the mean free adsorption energy and speciation of Zn in soil, as affected by SOM, were determined by employing Wien effect measurements. The presence of SOM markedly decreased the Zn binding energy in soils in the following order: Top (5.

A new method to estimate adsorption energies between cations and soil particles via wien effect measurements in dilute suspensions and an approximate conductivity-activity analogy.

Measurement of the Wien effect (increased electrical conductivity at strong electrical fields) in soil suspensions is proposed as the basis of a new method to characterize energy relationships between cations and soil particles. The simplified theory behind the method, the working principle of the short high-voltage pulse apparatus, and the measuring procedure are outlined briefly. The new method was used to evaluate the adsorption energies of two monovalent (Na, K) and two divalent (Ca, Cd) cations on yellow-brown soil and black soil particles, assuming an analogy between the activity of the cations and their contribution to the electrical conductivity of the suspension.