In recent years, the productivity of cotton in Brazil has been progressively decreasing, often the result of the reniform nematode Rotylenchulus reniformis. This species can reduce crop productivity by up to 40%. Nematodes can be controlled by nematicides but, because of expense and toxicity, application of nematicides to large crop areas may be undesirable. In this work, a methodology using geostatistics for quantifying the risk of nematicide application to small crop areas is proposed. This risk, in economic terms, can be compared to nematicide cost to develop an optimal strategy for Precision Farming. Soil (300 cm(3)) was sampled in a regular network from a R. reniformis-infested area that was a cotton monoculture for 20 years. The number of nematodes in each sample was counted. The nematode number per volume of soil was characterized using geostatistics, and 100 conditional simulations were conducted. Based on the simulations, risk maps were plotted showing the areas where nematicide should be applied in a Precision Farming context. The methodology developed can be applied to farming in countries that are highly dependent on agriculture, with useful economic implications.
Abstract
In recent years, the productivity of cotton in Brazil has been progressively decreasing, often the result of the reniform nematode Rotylenchulus reniformis. This species can reduce crop productivity by up to [...]
Fabric-reinforced cementitious matrices (FCRMs) are promising composite materials for the retrofitting and reinforcement of existing structures. In this study, vegetal meshes consisting of hemp and cotton coated with epoxy were manufactured and combined with a cementitious matrix to strengthen masonry walls. A synthetic glass fibre mesh was also tested. Several walls were manufactured, strengthened, and tested under cyclic loading. The results allow us to compare the performances of different mesh configurations in terms of size and materials. All strengthening solutions significantly increased shear strength capacity and the ability to dissipate energy compared to unreinforced walls. Further, all strengthened walls exhibited multi-track pattern distributions and achieved distortion capacity improvements of up to 300%. Indicators of stiffness, energy dissipation, damping, residual deformation, and damage allow us to compare the strengthening performances of different solutions. The vegetal solutions provided superior efficiency compared to the glass-FRCM strengthened walls. Additionally, the use of a larger volume of vegetal fibres reduces the consumption of cement and can provide a sustainable solution. The main failure mechanism of the vegetal-FCRMs was debonding, which can be remedied by improvements to material interfaces.
Abstract
Fabric-reinforced cementitious matrices (FCRMs) are promising composite materials for the retrofitting and reinforcement of existing structures. In this study, vegetal meshes consisting of hemp and cotton coated with epoxy were manufactured and combined with [...]
Using Geostatistical Analysis to Evaluate the Presence of Rotylenchulus reniformis in Cotton Crops in Brazil: Economic Implications. 