Simultaneous determination of pyrametostrobin and its two metabolites in cucumber and soil using a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method with HPLC-MS/MS.

An easy, effective and sensitive analytical method for the simultaneous determination of a novel fungicide pyrametostrobin and its two metabolites pyrametostrobin-M1 and pyrametostrobin-M2 in cucumber and soil was developed using a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method with high-performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. The extraction solvent was acetonitrile, and cleanup sorbents were primary secondary amine and graphitized carbon black for cucumber samples and primary secondary amine for soil samples. The three target compounds were successfully separated between 3.2 and 3.9 min using a Waters CORTECS™ C18 column connected to an electrospray ionization source. All the matrix-matched samples at three fortified levels (10, 100 and 1000  µg/kg) provided satisfactory recoveries in the range of 78.8-93.8% with relative standard deviations below 6.9%. The limits of quantitation for the three compounds were below 0.183 µg/kg. The proposed method was validated by analyzing real samples.

[Analysis of sap flow characteristics of the Chinese pine in typical Loess Plateau Region of China].

Transpiration is one of the major processes of water consumption. It is significant for nutrients transportation, plant development, drought stress alleviation and micro-climate amelioration. In this study, the artificially planted Chinese pine (Pinus tabuliformis) was selected as an example to explore its transpiration characteristics, water-use strategies and the adaptability of the living environment in a typical loess hilly area of China. The results showed that: the sap flow rates of Chinese pine varied obviously in different seasons. The minimum sap flow rate occurred in April, followed by October, September and August, which was 0.024, 0.057, 0.062 and 0.071 mL x (cm2 x min)(-1), respectively. The rule of the diurnal variation of sap flow rate was regular, higher in daytime than at night. The flow rate was low during nighttime, but not zero. In rainfall events, the proportion of sap flow during nighttime was significantly increased, which was 3.9 times of that on sunny days, with 31.8% decrease in daytime. Chinese pine had great adaptability to unexpected climates. The variation trend of flow rate in the clod was similar to that on rainy days. The sap flow velocity was in great relevance with meteorological factors, with a declining order of solar radiation, vapor pressure deficit, relative humidity, and atmospheric temperature.

[Response of sloping water erosion to rainfall and micro-earth pattern in the loess hilly area].

Severe water erosion in the key loess hilly area is affected by the coupling role of rainfall and earth surface features. In this study, rainfall simulation techniques at the micro-plot scale (1.2 m x 1.2 m; 2 m x 1.2 m) was used as the basic measures, the relations between rainfall depth, intensity and runoff-erosion under different plant morphology features as well as micro-landscape positions were quantified and analyzed. Several key findings were captured. Firstly, rainfall depth and intensity both affected water erosion significantly, while the role of the rainfall intensity was more important than that of the depth. Secondly, a strong negative correlation was found between the antecedent soil moisture content and the generation timing of surface runoff, while water erosion had a positive relation with the antecedent soil moisture. Thirdly, different plant morphology and micro-landscape positions of shrub plant (seabuckthorn) played different roles leading to different rates of surface runoff and soil erosion. Dominated by a rainfall intensity ranging from 50 to 60 mm x h(-1), runoff coefficient in those micro-plots covered by seabuckthorn was about 5%-8%, and changed into 25%, 45% and 63% in grassland-plots, bared plots covered by biological-crust and bared plots without any coverage, respectively. Fourthly, the specific landscape position of seabuckthorn in the plots was also found to play a key role in affecting water erosion processes, and seabuckthorn at the lower landscape position, rather than the upper and middle position, played a better buffering role in reducing runoff and soil loss.