Nitrogen (N) fertilizer rate is important for high yield and good quality of potato tubers. In this dissertation, I seek to study the response of different potato cultivars under different N fertilizer rates and how that can impact tuber quality, examine the performance of active optical sensors in improving a potato yield prediction algorithm, and evaluate the ability of active optical sensors (GreenSeeker (GS) and Crop Circle (CC)) to optimize a N recommendation algorithm that can be used by potato growers in Maine. This research was conducted at 11 sites over a period of two years (2018–2019) in Aroostook County, Maine; all sites depended on a rainfed system. Three potato cultivars, Russet Burbank, Superior, and Shepody, were planted under six rates of N (0-280 kg ha-1), ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate, and were applied in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications. Active optical sensor readings (normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)) were collected weekly after the fourth leaf stage began. The coefficient of determination (R2) between soil organic matter (OM) content and total tuber yield for all sites combined was 0.78**. Sites with ≥ 30 g kg-1 of soil OM produced higher total tuber yield, marketable yield, and tuber weight per plant (39.45%, 45.22%, and 54.94%, respectively) than sites with ≤ 30 g kg-1 of OM. Specific gravity increased by 0.18% in the sites with ≥ 30 g kg-1 of OM. The total tuber yield for the three cultivars was maximized at 168 kg N ha-1. Vegetation indices measurements obtained at stages of 16 or 20 fully expanded leaves were significantly correlated with tuber yield, which can be used in the yield prediction model. Sensor measurements obtained at the 20th leaf stage were significantly correlated with tuber yield, with the exponential model showing the best fit for the regression curve. The recommended N rate calculated based on in-season sensor readings was reduced by approximately 12–14% compared to the total N rate that growers currently apply based on the conventional approach.
CdSe alloy has been prepared successfully from its high purity elements. Thin films of this alloy with different thicknesses (300,700)nm have been grown on glass substrates at room temperature under very low pressure (10-5)Torr with rate of deposition (1.7)nm/sec by thermal evaporation technique, after that these thin films have been heat treated under low pressure (10-2)Torr at (473,673)K for one hour. X-ray patterns showed that both CdSe alloy and thin films are polycrystalline and have the hexagonal structure with preferential orientation in the [100] and [002] direction respectively. The optical measurements indicated that CdSe thin films have allowed direct optical energy band gap, and it increases from (1.77- 1.84) eV and from
... Show MoreNanoparticles of Pb1-xCdxS within the composition of 0≤x≤1 were prepared from the reaction of aqueous solution of cadmium acetate, lead acetate, thiourea, and NaOH by chemical co-precipitation. The prepared samples were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy(in the range 300-1100nm) to study the optical properties, AFM and SEM to check the surface morphology(Roughness average and shape) and the particle size. XRD technique was used to determine the crystalline structure, XRD technique was used to determine the purity of the phase and the crystalline structure, The crystalline size average of the nanoparticles have been found to be 20.7, 15.48, 11.9, 11.8, and 13.65 nm for PbS, Pb0.75Cd0.25S,
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Cadmium sulphide CdS films with 200 nm have been prepared by thermal evaporation technique on glass substrate at substrate room temperature under vacuum of 10-5mbar.In this paper, the effect of Dielectric Barrier Discharge plasma on the optical properties of the CdS film. The prepared films were exposed to different time intervals (0, 3, 5, 8) min. For every sample, the Absorption A, absorption coefficient α , energy gap Eg ,extinction coefficient K and dielectric constant ε were studied. It is found that the energy gap were decreased with exposure time, and absorption , Absorption coefficient, refractive index, extinction coefficient, dielectric constant increased with time of exposure to the plasma. Our study conside
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In this paper a thin films of selenium was prepare on substrates of n-Si by evaporation in a vacuum technique with thickness about 0.5μm. And then an annealing process was done on samples at two temperature (100 and 200) C ° in a vacuum furnace (10-3 torr).
Some structural, optical and mechanical properties of prepared thin films were measured. Results showed that the prepared film was the crystallization, optical transmittance and micro hardness of the prepared thin films increased significantly after annealing.
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Copper oxide thin films were synthesized by using spray pyrolysis deposition technique, in the temperature around 400°C in atmosphere from alcoholic solutions. Copper (II) chloride as precursor and glass as a substrate. The textural and structural properties of the films were characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD). The average particle size determined from the AFM images ranged from 30 to 90 nm and the roughness average was equal to 9.3 nm. The XRD patterns revealed the formation of a polycrystalline hexagonal CuO. The absorption and transmission spectrum, band gap, film thickness was investigated. The films were tested as an |
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Effect of the thermal annealing at 400oC for 2 hours and Argon laser radiation for half hour on the optical properties of AgAlS2 thin films, prepared on glass slides by chemical spray pyrolysis at 360oC with (0.18±0.05) μm thickness .The optical characteristics of the prepared thin films have been investigated by UV/Vis spectrophotometer in the wavelength range (300 – 1100)nm .The films have a direct allow electronic transition with optical energy (Eg) values decreased from (2.25) eV for untreated thin films to (2.10) eV for the annealed films and to (2.00) eV for the radiated films. The maximum value of the refractive index (n) for all thin films are given about (2.6). Also the extinction coefficient (K) and the real and imaginary d
... Show MoreIn this work, pure and Ag-doped nickel oxide (NiO) thin films were deposited on glass substrates with different dopant concentrations (0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4 wt.%) by pulsed-laser deposition (PLD) technique at room temperature. These films were annealed at temperature of 450 °C. The structural and optical properties of the prepared thin films were studied. It was found that annealing process has lead to increase the transmittance of the deposited films. Also, the transmittance was found to increase with doping concentration of silver in the deposited NiO films. The optical energy gap was decreased from 3.5 to 3.2 eV as the doping concentration was increased to 0.4 %.
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The (NiTsPc) thin films operating by vacuum evaporation technique are high recital and good desirable for number of applications, were dumped on glass substrates at room temperature with (200±20nm) thickness and doped with Al at different percentage (0.01,0.03) besides annealing the sample with 200˚C for 1 hours . The stimuluses of aluminum dopant percentage on characterization of the dropped (Ni Ts Pc) thin films were studied through X-ray diffraction in addition from the attained results, were all the films have polycrystalline in nature, as well the fallouts of XRD aimed at film illustrations polycrystalline, depending on the Al ratio doping, the results, SEM exposed the surface is regularly homogeneous. Utilizing first-ideolog
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