This study investigated the impact of optimum dosages of nano-calcium carbonate (nano-CaCO3) and nanosilica on the engineering behavior of black cotton soil. The desired percentage of nano-addition, 2%, for both nanomaterials, was determined by analyzing the plasticity-compaction characteristics and the relative strength index values of treated samples. The study unveiled that the entire clay microstructure was transformed into a nanocrystalline matrix after treatment. The deviatoric strength enhancement with confining pressure and curing period was significant after treating the soil with either nano-CaCO3 or nanosilica. The nanosilica treatment was found to be more effective in improving the California bearing ratio (CBR) strength of black cotton soil samples compared with nano-CaCO3 stabilization. The addition of nanomaterials induced the formation of nanocrystalline hydrate gels and silica gel, resulting in an increased resistance to volumetric deformation under compressive stresses. The hydraulic conductivity of nano-treated samples dropped due to the highly tortuous networks between pores in the nano-crystalline structure. The experimental results were substantiated by analyzing the microstructure of nano-treated soils using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) techniques.

Cotton aphid (Aphis gossypii Glover) is a harmful pest that affects cotton crops in Xinjiang, China. Afidopyropen is a new type of insecticide that exerts a strong control effect on piercing-sucking pests. In this work, Highperformance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to assess afidopyropen residues on different cotton parts following foliar spraying and root application. The effects of agent retention on physiological indices of cotton aphids and preventive effects were investigated. The results showed that different application methods had a strong influence on afidopyropen residues, most of which were in cotton roots, with fewer in stems and leaves. Enzyme activity analysis showed that the carboxylesterase activity of A. gossypii was significantly increased under different application methods. Foliar spraying and root application (hydroponics) of afidopyropen had rapid, potent effects against A. gossypii, while root application (soil cultivation) did not have a significant effect, but had a positive effect by day 14. Elucidation of the effects of the two application methods to the physiological indices and control of A. gossypii provide a theoretical basis for the development and promotion of integrated water-pharmaceutical technologies for afidopyropen spraying and drip irrigation in cotton fields in Xinjiang and elsewhere.

Drought significantly reduces cotton boll yields across various fruiting branches (FBs). Potassium (K) application can partially mitigate the drought-induced damage by modifying the biosynthesis of photoassimilates in the leaf subtending to cotton boll (LSCB) and facilitating their transport to the subtending bolls, although its effects vary among FBs. The underlying mechanisms remain unclear. To investigate this, potting experiments were conducted at three soil relative water content (SRWC): 75 +/- 5 % (W75), 60 +/- 5 % (W60), and 45 +/- 5 % (W45), along with K rates of 0 (K0), 150 (K150) and 300 (K300) kg K2O ha-1. Compared to W75, the W60 and W45 treatments reduced the photosynthesis of LSCBs in different FBs, adversely affecting carbohydrate accumulation in the subtending cotton bolls. K application can mitigate this negative impact, with the most pronounced effects observed in the middle and upper FBs. K application (K150 and K300) enhanced the net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, maximum mass yield of PSII and chlorophyll content of LSCB in the middle and upper FBs compared to K0 under drought conditions. Additionally, K application significantly increased K content in LSCBs within the middle and upper FBs, which in turn elevated sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS), and sucrose synthase (SuSy) activities, reducing the conversion of sucrose into starch, ultimately facilitating carbohydrate exports to the subtending bolls. In summary, we propose a model that elucidates how K application mitigates drought damage by enhancing the exports of photoassimilates from the middle and upper FBs to their respective subtending cotton bolls.

In the cotton fields in Xinjiang, residual film is present in the soil for a long period of time, leading to a decrease in the tensile strength of the residual film and increasing the difficulty of recycling. Existing technologies for residual film recovery focus on mechanical properties and ignore the dragging and tearing of residual film by cotton stubble. The effect of cotton straw-root stubble on residual film recovery can only be better determined by appropriate machine operating parameters, which are essential to improving residual film recovery. Through analyses of the pickup device, key parameters were identified, and a model was built by combining the FEM and SPH algorithms to simulate the interaction of nail teeth, residual film, soil and root stubble. The simulation revealed the force change law of residual film in root stubble-containing soil and the influence of root stubble. By simulating the changes in the characteristics of the residual film during the process, the optimum operating parameters for the nail teeth were determined: a forward speed of 1849.57 mm/s, a rotational speed of 5.5 r/s and a soil penetration angle of 30 degrees. Under these optimized conditions, the maximum shear strain, pickup height (maximum deformation) and average peak stress of the residual film were 1293, 363.81 mm and 3.42 MPa, respectively. Subsequently, field trials were conducted to verify the change in the impact of the nail teeth at the optimized speed on the recovery of residual film in plots containing root stubble. The results demonstrated that when the root stubble height was 5-8 cm, the residual film averaged a recovery rate of 89.59%, with a dragging rate of only 4.10% at crossings. In contrast, 8-14 cm stubble plots showed an 82.86% average recovery and an 11.91% dragging rate. In plots with a root stubble height of 5-8 cm, compared with plots with a root stubble height of 8-14 cm, the recovery rate increased by 6.73%, and the dragging rate of residual film on root stubble decreased by 7.81%. The percentage of entangled residual film out of the total unrecovered film was 30.10% lower in the 5-8 cm stubble plots than in the 8-14 cm stubble plots. It was confirmed that the effect of cotton root stubble on residual film recovery could be reduced under appropriate machine operating parameters. This provides strong support and a theoretical and practical basis for future research on the correlation between root stubble and residual film and how to improve the residual film recovery rate.

The Zhongning Grottoes, China, are one of the most important Tang Dynasty cultural sites on the Silk Road and contain numerous historical clay sculptures. Under the influence of human activities and natural weathering, the sculptures have experienced various types of damage, most significantly the extensive shedding of the outer fine clay layer, which plays a crucial role in maintaining the sculptures' overall structure. In this study, the mixture of soil, sand, and cotton fiber that was most suitable for restoring this layer was determined. The mechanical properties of fine clay layers with different sand and fiber contents were studied by shrinkage tests and soil beam bending tests. The main results were as follows: for a low sand content (0-45%), the tensile strength increased slightly with increasing fiber content. For a high sand content (>45%), the tensile strength decreased with increasing fiber content. The best effect was obtained for sand and fiber contents of 30-45% and 1-2%, respectively. The results provide a scientific basis for the restoration of clay sculptures in the Zhongning Grottoes.

Background Cotton is a vital economic crop and reserve material and a pioneer crop planted on saline-alkaline soil. Improving the tolerance of cotton to saline alkaline environments is particularly important. Results Salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive cotton plants at the three-leaf stage were subjected to 200 mM NaCl stress treatment, thereafter, microstructural observations beside physiological and biochemical analyses were performed on cotton leaves at 0 h (CK), 48 h (NaCl) and re-watering (RW) for 48 h. Salt stress altered microstructural observations and physiological and biochemical in ST and SS (p < 0.05). After re-watering, ST recovered fully, while SS sustained permanent oxidative and structural damage, indicating distinct salt tolerance. Transcriptome analysis was performed on cotton leaves under salt stress and re-watering conditions. KEGG analysis revealed that the response of cotton to salt stress and its adaptation to re-watering may be related to major protein families such as photosynthesis (ko 00195), photosynthesis-antenna protein (ko 00196), plant hormone signal transduction (ko 04075), starch and sucrose metabolism (ko 00500), and porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism (ko 00860). A gray coexpression module associated with cotton restoration under salt stress was enriched according to WGCNA. Conclusions Salt stress did not only affect the physiological and biochemical levels of cotton but also induced structural changes in cells and tissues. Re-watering was relatively effective in stabilizing the physiological and biochemical parameters, as well as the leaf microstructure, of cotton plants under salt stress. WGCNA revealed enriched gray coexpression modules related to the recovery of cotton plants under salt stress, and screening of the pivotal genes in the gray module revealed five critical hubs, namely, GH_A01G1528, GH_A08G2688, GH_D08G2683, GH_D01G1620 and GH_A10G0617. Overall, our findings can provide new insights into enhancing cotton salt tolerance and exploring salt tolerance genes in cotton,including screening cotton genetic resources using those potential responsive genes. This study provides a theoretical basis for further exploration of the molecular mechanism of cotton salt tolerance and genetic resources for breeding salt-tolerant cotton.

The black cutworm Agrotis ipsilon (Hufnagel) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) can damage the cotton seedlings and induce destructive yield loss. Seed coating with systemic insecticides is a cost-effective alternative to control A. ipsilon during the early stage of cotton, but the control efficacy and exposure risk to honeybees remain unclear. This study evaluated the control effects of the anthranilic diamide insecticide chlorantraniliprole on A. ipsilon in cotton crops and the corresponding exposure risks to honeybees. Field studies revealed the control efficacy of chlorantraniliprole at 2 or 4 g/kg seed was greater than 75%, which was comparable to its spray control during the seedling development stage. A residual toxicity trial revealed that chlorantraniliprole treatment had a dose-response control effect on A. ipsilon during the 19 days after sowing. The residue levels of chlorantraniliprole in the stem bases and soil were found consistent with the residual toxicity against A. ipsilon. In the cotton flowering period, the highest detection frequency and residue of chlorantraniliprole were found in pollen from the plots treated with 4 g/kg seed. By using 2 independent risk assessment approaches, the exposure risk of chlorantraniliprole seed treatments were evaluated to be acceptable to honeybees. Overall, chlorantraniliprole coated with 2 g/kg seed was an effective alternative for controlling A. ipsilon at the cotton seedling stages.

BackgroundEnergy flows in most food chains in the agroecosystem are crowned with beneficial natural enemies including different species of predatory and parasitic insects, birds and animals. They are utilized in organic and IPM cotton production to replace the conventional insecticides usually applied in cotton production.ResultsNatural populations of six coccinellids, five staphylinids and two carabids (Coleoptera), three anthocorids and three reduviids (Heteroptera), five syrphids (Diptera, three labidurids (Dermaptera), two chrysopids (Neuroptera) and one thripid (Thysanoptera) species were manipulated in Egyptian clover to aggregate in seed production stripes (stripe technique) adjacent to and across the cotton fields during April-May, 2022. These 30 predatory species represent 112 energy flow routes in food chains preying on tetranychid mites, aphids, thrips, whiteflies and cotton leaf worm attacking cotton plants during vegetative growth stage beginning from April to May 2022. High populations of these predators develop along the clover season (November-May) on different pests where no insecticide applications occur. They aggregate in the flowering clover stripes left for seed production feeding on nectar, pollens and remaining pests. By dryness of the clover stripes, populations of all these predatory species abandon the clover, migrating outwards into the adjacent cotton or corn fields showing an excellent high protection against cotton pests suppressing their populations far away under the level of economic threshold damage during vegetative growth stage. Dressing cotton seeds with Bacillus amyloliquefaciens as antagonist protects the seedlings from soil-borne diseases. Insect pheromone traps detected the first appearance of the pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saund.) moths, the cotton bolls are attacked also by the spiny bollworm, Earias insulana (Boisd.). The egg parasitoid Trichogramma evanescens (West.) was released in 6 successive releases to guide the energy flow in favor of the parasitoid by getting it from egg contents of these two pests, which resulted in high protection of cotton bolls. This study aims better understanding of biodiversity and the routes of energy flow among the complex net of food chains governing the bio-dynamics in the Egyptian agroecosystem, which enabled the development of the present strategy to completely abandon application of the conventional insecticides and chemical fertilization for organic cotton production in Egypt.ConclusionThe study is an approach contributing to improvement of the agroecosystem and production of healthy crops.

Civil engineering structures made upon expansive soils known in India as Black Cotton (BC) soils are susceptible to structural damages due to their seasonal swell-and-shrink behaviour. This study focuses on assessing the mechanical performance of BC soil stabilised using unconventional binders, specifically Sugarcane Bagasse Ash (SCBA) and Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS) with different proportions. The experimental evaluation included Compaction tests, Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) tests, Triaxial tests, and Atterberg's limits tests. Additionally, mineralogical and morphological studies were carried out using x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and chemical analysis using x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy analysis (XRF). The results showed that the mixture containing 21% SCBA and 9% GGBS produced cementitious-siliceous-hydrate (C-S-H) molecule, which improved the strength. Based on the soil-binder percentage ratio obtained from UCS tests, a regression equation was developed to estimate consolidated soil strength. The regression model, exhibiting an impressive R2 value of 93.69%, was analysed within the framework of existing empirical correlations by other researchers. This statistical model, with its good fit, is a useful tool for evaluating the compressive strength of stabilised expansive soil. The findings provide insights into successful stabilisation solutions for expansive soils found locally and globally.

Black cotton (BC) soil poses threats to build structures owing seasonal volumetric changes. The production of fly ash (FA) and bagasse ash (BA) increasing abundantly, and their improper disposal poses detrimental effects on the environment and human health. This research aims to develop sustainable, novel, optimum binary blend by using FA and BA to improve the strength characteristics of the BC soil after curing periods of 7, 14, and 28 days. BA was mixed in different ratios by dry weight of FA to obtain the optimum binder based on maximum UCS. The optimum binder comprising of 80:20, mix by dry weight of BC soil in varying proportions. The effects of mix show significant changes in the geotechnical and mechanical properties of BC soil. Research shows that swelling features reduces alters into non-swelling soil. The soil transitions from a plastic to a brittle state. The results revealed that MDD, UCS, CBR and STS increases significantly with curing periods. The mineralogical and microstructural test carried out using XRD and SEM, which supports the creation of cementitious complex and development of a dense matrix. The results state that utilized binder to stabilize BC soil is suitable for civil infrastructure specially pavement and foundations.