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Excessive tillage reduces soil water storage and increases surface runoff. Cover crops can modify the effect of tillage on soil water dynamics, but limited information is available for the Mississippi River Alluvial Basin. This study was conducted to determine whether soil–water dynamics could be manipulated through conservation production systems affecting surface residue management. Effects of tillage (conventional tillage [CT] vs. no‐tillage [NT]) and cover cropping (no cover crop and Austrian pea [Pisum sativum L.] cover crop [CC]) on soil water balance during the CC season in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) crops were modeled using the root zone water quality model for a site near Stoneville, MS, on "Commerce" silty‐loam soil. Capacitance sensors measured soil volumetric water content to 120 cm during CC growth in 2019 and 2020. Field calibration of sensors reduced root mean square error from 0.05 to 0.03 m3 m−3. Pooled across years, NT increased volumetric water content in the 0–40 and 40–120 soil layers by 8.5% and 6.8%, respectively, compared to CT. Regardless of the CC treatment and cropping system, NT reduced surface runoff by 24.5% over its conventional counterpart, while soil water storage increased from 2.35 to 5.23 cm within the 1.2‐m profile, resulting in a 17% increase in consumptive use of water (evapotranspiration). CC treatments did not impact soil water storage and consumptive water use. The results demonstrate that NT systems can affect water dynamics by increasing infiltration and soil water storage in the humid subtropical region of the United States. Core Ideas: No‐tillage reduced surface runoff and increased soil water storage in alluvial soil.Cover crop reduced runoff from no‐till plots but not from conventional tillage.Cover crop produced substantial biomass with minimal risk of depleting soil water.No‐tillage with cover cropping would improve soil water storage in the Mississippi River Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Furrow irrigations dominate row‐crop irrigation scenarios in many regions worldwide. In this study, corn (Zea mays L.) yield and evapotranspiration (ET) in an all‐furrow irrigation (FI) were compared against irrigations applied through alternate furrows irrigation (SFI, skip‐furrow irrigation) and rainfed (RF) systems on farm‐scale fields in 2017 and 2019 {corn phases of a soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]–corn rotation} in clay soil in the Lower Mississippi Delta region, United States. Evapotranspiration was monitored using the eddy covariance (EC) method. The average corn yield in the SFI was significantly (12.1 Mg ha−1) higher (4.9%) than in the FI (11.7 Mg ha−1). Corn yield in RF (10.2 Mg ha−1) was significantly lower (10.7%) than in the FI. However, the leaf area index (LAI) in SFI was lower than in FI. Seasonal average ET was 556, 573, and 540 mm in FI, SFI, and RF, respectively. The average water use efficiencies (WUEs) were 0.021, 0.021, and 0.019 Mg ha−1 mm−1, respectively (10.5 % lower in RF than FI and SFI). This investigation revealed that adapting the SFI irrigation regime in the corn cropping system could produce grain yields equal to or higher than corn grown under the conventional FI, saving ∼40% of irrigation water. The farm‐scale studies conducted in this investigation gave better confidence to recommend SFI to replace conventional FI systems in the region for water conservation in corn cropping systems. Further investigations may be needed to evaluate the viability of SFI in other contrasting soils and climates and recommend the system for adoption by the farming community. Core Ideas: Corn yield and water use responses to irrigations in a humid climate have been quantified using EC systems.SFI produced corn yields equal or better than FI in farm‐scale experiments.These studies give confidence to recommending SFI over conventional FI for sustainable irrigation water management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual assault has come to the forefront in terms of prevention and education for many social institutions such as college campuses. However, with a growing body of research highlighting the importance and effectiveness of interventions, research examining the impact of sexual assault education (SAE) on altering rape myth acceptance (RMA) among nonstudent populations is severely lacking. This is particularly problematic when considering that the issue of sexual assault extends well beyond academia in the United States. Accordingly, this study aims to fill this gap by employing an experimental design with repeated measures. Using a sample of 137 nonstudents surveyed via Amazon's Mechanical Turk, participants were randomly assigned to a treatment (rape myth intervention) or control (unrelated video content) group. To detect changes in RMA after a short rape myth education intervention, pretest and posttest RMA scores were generated for all participants using an altered version of the Updated Illinois Rape Myth Adherence scale. The treatment video was roughly 10 min in length and constructed by the lead author for the current research. All participants were presented with common rape myths, and then, the treatment group was provided with information (e.g., available research and statistics) to "debunk" these myths, and ultimately decrease acceptance of myths. Analyses indicate support for a significant change in RMA scores from pretest to posttest in the treatment group, finding support for the use of informal rape myth education in altering immediate RMA scores of a nonstudent sample. The RMA difference scores were also examined through a demographic lens to determine if the inclusion could further explain score changes. Demographics were not deemed significant predictors. Limitations and implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The goal of the study was to examine the prognostic impact, haemodynamic and clinical features associated with lung congestion in patients with chronic heart failure (HF).Methods and Results: HF patients (n = 186) and HF-free controls (n = 21) underwent right heart catheterization, echocardiography, pulmonary function testing and chest radiography that was blindly scored for the presence and severity of lung oedema. Lung congestion correlated directly with pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR, P = 0.004) and inversely with pulmonary artery (PA) compliance (P < 0.001) and the diffusion limit for carbon monoxide (DLCO , P = 0.009). Compared with dry lung HF, wet lung HF patients (congestion score > median) had 25% lower PA compliance and 25-35% higher PVR, transpulmonary gradients and PA pressures (40 vs. 32 mmHg, P < 0.001) despite marginally higher PA wedge pressure (PAWP; 22 vs. 19 mmHg, P = 0.002). Wet lung HF patients displayed more right ventricular (RV) dilatation and dysfunction, more restrictive ventilation and greater reduction of DLCO . The strongest correlates of lung congestion were NT-proBNP, haemoglobin, albumin, and glomerular filtration, all surpassing PAWP. After a median of 333 days (interquartile range 80-875), 59 patients (32%) died. Lung congestion was associated with reduced survival (P < 0.0001), even after adjusting for PAWP, NT-proBNP, anaemia, CAD and renal dysfunction.Conclusion: Interstitial lung oedema is associated with pulmonary vascular disease, RV overload and dysfunction and increased mortality in HF. These data reinforce the importance of aggressive decongestion in HF and suggest that novel agents aimed at reducing lung water may help to deter progression of pulmonary vascular disease and biventricular HF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Palmer amaranth ( Amaranthus palmeri S. Wats.) is a troublesome agronomic weed in the southern United States, and several populations have evolved resistance to glyphosate. This paper reports on spectral signatures of glyphosate-resistant ( GR) and glyphosate-sensitive ( GS) plants, and explores the potential of using hyperspectral sensors to distinguish GR from GS plants. RESULTS GS plants have higher light reflectance in the visible region and lower light reflectance in the infrared region of the spectrum compared with GR plants. The normalized reflectance spectrum of the GR and GS plants had best separability in the 400-500 nm, 650-690 nm, 730-740 nm and 800-900 nm spectral regions. Fourteen wavebands from within or near these four spectral regions provided a classification of unknown set of GR and GS plants, with a validation accuracy of 94% for greenhouse-grown plants and 96% for field-grown plants. CONCLUSIONS GR and GS Palmer amaranth plants have unique hyperspectral reflectance properties, and there are four distinct regions of the spectrum that can separate the GR from GS plants. These results demonstrate that hyperspectral imaging has potential application to distinguish GR from GS Palmer amaranth plants (without a glyphosate treatment), with future implications for glyphosate resistance management. Published 2014. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field study was conducted to investigate powdery mildew disease incidence and fruit yield of locally available bell pepper genotypes by Kharif 2004 and Rabi 2005. The study includes a single chemical molecule in managing the powdery mildew disease during both the seasons. Field studies include five chemical treatments (T1 to T5) plus one water spray control and an untreated control in five replications each. The result shows that out all treatments T5 was best in controlling the powdery mildew disease in genotype Indra by 77.1 and 73.7% of disease decrease over control and 85.3 and 95.7% increase in yield over control respectively during Kharif and Rabi. The next best performing genotypes were Arka Basant and California Wonder in terms of less disease incidence and high yield. Further, the study was extended to relate the selected varieties for its genetic diversity using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNAs, with respect to the disease incidence and yield. The highest genetic dissimilarity of 49% was noticed between the genotypes Indra and Arka Gaurav having contrasting characters such as high and low fruit yield, respectively. The lowest genetic diversity of 21% was noticed between the genotypes Arka Mohini and California Wonder that were similar in most of the morphological characters, fruit yield and susceptibility to the powdery mildew disease. Based on the molecular data, a remarkable difference was exhibited by the commercially grown bell pepper genotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, halosulfuron injury in soybean through off-target movement of halosulfuron when applied to rice fields has been reported. Sulfonylurea-tolerant (ST) soybean varieties have enhanced tolerance for sulfonylurea herbicides and might provide an option formitigating injury to soybean from halosulfuron drift. Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of halosulfuron on growth and yield of selected soybean varieties with ST trait alone and stacked with glyphosate resistance trait. Soybean plants were treated with halosulfuron at 0, 0.0043, 0.0087, 0.017, 0.034, and 0.069 kg ai/ha rate at the V3 growth stage in the greenhouse and at 0.034 kg/ha rate (labeled use rate in rice) in the field studies. All soybean varieties containing the ST trait exhibited some halosulfuron injury, but survived the halosulfuron application in the greenhouse. In field studies, a single POST application of halosulfuron at 0.034 kg/ha to soybean at three-trifoliolate leaf stage or at full bloom stage resulted in halosulfuron injury to a certain extent regardless of ST trait. Halosulfuron did not have a significant effect on yield of ST varieties compared to their respective nontreated controls. Severe halosulfuron injury in two non-ST varieties resulted in yield loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]