The existing study aimed to assess four soil moisture sensors’ capacitive (WH51 and SKU: S EN0193) and resistive (Yl69 and IC Station) abilities, which are affordable and medium-priced for their accuracy in six common soil types in the central region of Iraq. The readings’ calibration for the soil moisture sensor devices continued through two gravimetric methods. The first depended on the protocols’ database, while the second was the traditional calibration method. The second method recorded the lowest analysis error compared with the first. The moderate-cost sensor WH51 showed the lowest standard error (SE), MAD , and RMSE and the highest R² in both methods. The performance accuracy of WH51 was close to readings shown by the manufacturing company (1%), as the MAD amounted to 1.62%. Through both methods, the average MAD for sensors ranged from 4.76% to 7.36%, with this result considered acceptable, especially for low-cost sensors with insufficient available information for accuracy. In general, the average mean absolute percentage (MAPE) for all sensors was 25.54%, which means that the validity of the measurement for the l ow-cost sensors reached 7 5%. It encourages their use by plant breeders in irrigation, as the error rate was less than the specified depletion of 50% for available water in irrigation, where all study textures showed that the sensor reading reached the limits of 72 (±2), adopting 3% MAD for all sensors. The study affirms that, except for the IC station sensor recommended for irrigation use only in sandy-sandy loam soils, low-cost sensors have suitable accuracy for irrigation management.
In this study, the modified size-strain plot (SSP) method was used to analyze the x-ray diffraction lines pattern of diffraction lines (1 0 1), (1 2 1), (2 0 2), (0 4 2), (2 4 2) for the calcium titanate(CaTiO3) nanoparticles, and to calculate lattice strain, crystallite size, stress, and energy density, using three models: uniform (USDM). With a lattice strain of (2.147201889), a stress of (0.267452615X10), and an energy density of (2.900651X10-3 KJ/m3), the crystallite was 32.29477611 nm in size, and to calculate lattice strain of Scherrer (4.1644598X10−3), and (1.509066023X10−6 KJ/m3), a stress of(6.403949183X10−4MPa) and (26.019894 nm).
Tin oxide: titanium oxide: bismuth oxide (SnO2 )1–x(TiO 2 :Bi 2O3 ) x composites with different loading ratios (0, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2, 0.25 and 0.3) have numerous new application in microelectronics, sensors, and capacitors. This work concerned with the synthesis of (SnO 2 )1–x(TiO 2 :Bi 2O3 ) xcomposites as well as, thin films which were deposited on glass substrates as well as, silicon wafers by using pulsed laser deposition. The diffraction pattern confirms the anatase teteragonal phase of undoped tin oxide. It was observed some peaks related with titanium and bismuth oxides appeared at high loading ratios. Upon the transmission-spectra analysis, the undoped samples declared transmittance 60–67% in a visible spectrum, and the energy ga
... Show MoreHydrated lime has been recognized as an effective additive used to improve asphalt concrete properties in pavement applications. However, further work is still needed to quantify the effect of hydrated lime on asphaltic concrete performance under varied weather, temperature, and environmental conditions and in the application of different pavement courses. A research project was conducted using hydrated lime to modify the asphalt concretes used for the applications of wearing (surface), leveling (binder), and base courses. A previous publication reported the experimental study on the resistance to Marshall stability and the volumetric properties, the resilient modulus, and permanent deformation at three different weather temperatures. This
... Show MoreSoil water use and water storage vary by vegetative management practices, and these practices affect land productivity and hydrologic processes. This study investigated the effects of agroforestry buffers (AB), grass buffers (GB), and biofuel crops (BC), relative to row crops (RC) on soil water use for a claypan soil in northern Missouri, USA. The experiment located at the Greenley Memorial Research Center included RC, AB, GB, and BC established in 1991, 1997, 1997, and 2012, respectively. Soil water reflectometer sensors installed at 5‐, 10‐, 20‐, and 40‐cm depths monitored soil water from April to November in 2017 and 2018. Results showed significant differences in weekly volumetric water content (VWC) among treatments for all fou
... Show MoreCover crops (CC) improve soil quality, including soil microbial enzymatic activities and soil chemical parameters. Scientific studies conducted in research centers have shown positive effects of CC on soil enzymatic activities; however, studies conducted in farmer fields are lacking in the literature. The objective of this study was to quantify CC effects on soil microbial enzymatic activities (β-glucosidase, β-glucosaminidase, fluorescein diacetate hydrolase, and dehydrogenase) under a corn (Zea mays L.)–soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) rotation. The study was conducted in 2016 and 2018 in Chariton County, Missouri, where CC were first established in 2012. All tested soil enzyme levels were significantly different between 2016 and 2018
... Show MoreIn this work, seven soil samples were brought brought to study and analyses the element concentrations from different southern regions of Iraq using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technique. It has been documented as an atomic emission spectroscopy (AES) technique. Laser-induced plasma utilized to analyze elements in materials (gases, liquids, and solids). In order to analyze elements in materials (gases, liquids, and solid). The Nd: YAG laser excitation source at 1064 nm with pulse width 9 ns is used to generate power density of 5.5 x 1012 MW/mm2, with optical spectrum in the range 320-740 nm. From this investigation, the soil sample analysis of the southern cities of Iraqi, it is concluded that the rich soil element of P, Si,
... Show MoreWearable sensors are a revolutionary tool in agriculture because they collect accurate data on plant environmental conditions that affect plant growth in real-time. Moreover, this technology is crucial in increasing agricultural sustainability and productivity by improving irrigation strategies and water resource management. This review examines the role of wearable sensors in measuring plant water content, leaf and air humidity, stem flow, plant and air temperature, light, and soil moisture sensors. Wearable sensors are designed to monitor various plant physiological parameters in real-time. These data, obtained through wearable sensors, provide information on plant water use and physiology, making our agricultural choices more informed an
... Show MoreThe contamination of soil with the wastes of oil industry products that are complex mixtures of hydrocarbons increased recently due to the large development of oil industries in Iraq. This study deals with the remediation of low permeability contaminated clayey soil by using the enhanced electrokinetic technique (EK). The contaminated soil samples obtained from Thi-Qar oil refinery plant in Al-Nassyriah city, where the byproducts of refinery plant are disposed into that site. The byproduct contaminant treated as total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) to avoid dealing and complexity of treating the individual minerals and compounds consisting the contaminant. The initial concentrations of TPH were (702.7, 1168, 1235) ppm in the contaminated s
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