Archive for the ‘Fertility’ Category
Chemical Fertilizers
Inorganic or synthetic organic materials of a concentrated nature which contain one or more plant nutrients in soluble and quickly available forms are known as Chemical Fertilizers.
Depending on the nutrient content, Fertilizers can be divided into two major categories called straight fertilizers and complex fertilizers. Straight fertilizers contain only one primary plant nutrient and the complex fertilizers contain two or more plant nutrients of which major nutrients are in chemical combination.
Being concentrated has the advantage of smaller bulk with resultant economy. Ease in storage, transport and handling are some more advantages and the application could be adjusted to supply the exact proportions of nutrients required by various crops grown in soils of varying fertility.
There are four main classes of Chemical Fertilizers – Nitrogenous, Phosphatic, Potassic and Complex.
Nitrogenous fertilizers are recently originated. With the growing awareness if optimum yields are to be achieved, it is necessary to supply a fixed amount of nitrogen. Nitrogen fertilizers became attractive in terms of cost with the break – through in retaining techniques of natural gas and Hydrogen – Nitrogen synthesis. Nitrogen fertilizers are classified into four groups based on the chemical form in which Nitrogen is present. Ammonical fertilizers contain ammonium ions, Nitrate fertilizers contain nitrate ions, Amide fertilizers contain Amide group and there is combined Ammonical and Nitrate fertilizers.
Phosphatic fertilizers were used in early days as ground animal bones. Certain grades were produced such as single super phosphates (SSP) and Triple super phosphates (TSP) but Ammonium phosphate has overtaken super phosphates. Developing countries are using more phosphate fertilizers.
During early days potash nutrients were used to crops in the forms of wood ash, sugar beet wastes and salt peter without knowing the ingredient. Later on higher grade commercial products were developed Potassium chloride being the main product. Potassium chloride is completely water soluble and when applied to soil potassium ions are absorbed and retained by soil colloids. This fertilizer has a neutral effect on soil and for crops whose quality is affected by chloride ions potassium sulphate is recommended. When applied to soil, potassium ions are absorbed by colloids and there will be no acidity or alkalinity.
Sixteen nutrient elements are recognized as essential to plants for their normal growth and development. Thirteen is obtained from soil for their normal growth. Continues cropping in the same piece of land will deplete the soil of these elements and result in lower crop yields if not artificially restored.
The progress of Chemistry during the last century contributed much to understanding the effects of chemical inputs in agriculture in the form of Chemical fertilizers and the broad principals of modern fertilizer industry was laid down by Liebig in the nineteenth century.
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Optimal Fertility
Billions of people worldwide are inflicted by infertility and its consequences to family life. Advancement in medicinal avenues has fortunately brought to foray a string of effective solutions and treatments for every problem there is in context to infertility. A fertility center is that bridge between your medical deficits and parenthood. When you have been unsuccessful at conceiving a child or withholding pregnancy post repeated attempts at the same, the doctor at a fertility center will conduct a medical evaluation to verify the problem and accordingly decide the best treatments for you.
To begin with, experts at the fertility center will review both the male and the female’s medical case histories. The tests the female partner will undergo will include some regular tests apart from pelvic examinations and ultrasound, hysterosalpingogram, pap smears, blood culture tests, STD tests, etc.
The male partner is asked to submit a sample of his semen along with undergoing basic blood tests. These tests help determine whether the fault lies with the male or the female.
The treatments may span across a few months and there may initially be a few failed attempts. The category of treatments that one can avail of at fertility centers are:
Ovulation Induction: When the hormone production in your body falls short or is untimely, certain medications help stimulate hormone productions and consequently prompt ovulation.
Surgeries: Surgeries can help rectify impairments in your anatomy which restrict reproduction like scar tissue, uterine defects, varicoceles, fibroids, endometriosis, etc.
Artificial Insemination: Intrauterine insemination is a process where a sperm is directly inserted into a woman’s womb during her ovulation period and this is turn increases the chances of conception.
Micromanipulation: This technique is also termed as the Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection or ICSI helps improve successes in your basic IVF procedure. Here, a sperm is directly injected into the egg.
Assisted Reproductive Technologies: In very few cases do doctors resort to Assisted Reproductive Technologies or ART which is slightly advanced. Through IVF a sperm is injected into the egg and the subsequent placement of the embryo in the womb.
With the aid of a renowned fertility center couples can take on parental roles in their lives. If your fertility issues are relatively meager than it can be taken care of with a gynecologist’s assistance. More complex the problem, more the reason you should be looking at availing of a fertility clinic’s help.
Male Fertility
Male fertility is a big deal. Infertility can make some men feel like less of a man. Emotionally, infertility can cause problems with the male self esteem, too, yet many men are hesitant to visit the doctor to talk about such issues. This need not be the case. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. Still, there are things to try it in addition to seeing the doctor that some people have had a lot of success with. For example, there are various herbal remedies available, as well as other non-traditional means. One particular method that people and have great success with is called volume pills. That’s why we’ve prepared the following male fertility volume pills review for your perusal.
Male Fertility Volume Pills
What exactly are volume pills? Simply put, volume pills are an herbal remedy designed to make men more fertile.
This is accomplished by increasing testosterone and blood flow to the penis. In the short five years volume pills have been on the market, they’ve already gained endorsement by several prominent, certified health care professionals. Not only have they gained endorsement from these professionals, they’ve also racked up countless testimonials from satisfied customers which testify to their consistent, reliable performance. As a result, chances are fairly good that they will work for you as well. While there is no magic, one-size-fits-all solution that’s guaranteed to work for everybody, these pills have been very successful for a lot of men.
The Science
We’ve already mentioned the fact that one of the things these pills accomplish for you is that they increase the level of testosterone in your body. The importance of increased levels of testosterone cannot be overstated. Not only do lower levels of testosterone in your body result in decreased fertility, they also result in a lower sex drive, and sometimes even complete impotence. Any of these problems can really affect a man’s self-esteem. Because volume pills contain ingredients that will contribute to the increase of testosterone levels in your body, they will be beneficial to every element of your sex life, including your fertility.
Other Benefits
There are also other benefits associated with volume pills. One of these has to do with the fact that some men might be a little embarrassed to order them. The company understands that, so they offer discrete shipping services in which the pills come to you in ambiguously marked boxes. As a result, you need not fear the embarrassment that would be caused by obviously packaged fertility pills being delivered to your address. Not only that, in the event that you’re not satisfied with their performance, you needn’t fear financial loss. In fact, the company that markets these pills offers an unprecedented six-month money back guarantee.
Fertilizer Injectors
Modern fertilization systems include fertilizer injectors that belong to one of two types: fertilizer injectors that are electrically powered (independently or by a controller), or fertilizer injectors that are mechanically powered by water pressure.
The fertilizer injectors inject fertilizer solutions into the irrigation water. The ratio in which the solution is injected is termed “injection rate”. This ratio can be expressed as percentage or v/v units.
For example – a ratio of 5 liter/m3 means that 5 liters of fertilizer solution are injected into each m3 of irrigation water. The same injector rate can be expressed in percentage as 0.5% (5 liter / 1000 liter x 100) or as 1:200. Higher injector rate means more fertilizer solution is injected into the irrigation water.
There are three essential elements that need to be considered to ensure an efficient operation of injectors: the required injector flow rate, the water pressure and the materials the fertilizer injector is made of.
Injector flow rate
The required flow rate of a fertilizer injector depends on:
the irrigation flow rate
the required fertilization level
the concentration of the fertilizer stock solution
For reaching a certain fertilization level, higher irrigation flow rates require fertilizer injectors with higher flow rates.
For example, if you want to inject 5 liters of fertilizer stock solution into 1 m3 of water, and the irrigation flow rate is 30 m3/hour, you will need a fertilizer injector with a minimum flow rate of 150 liter/hour (30 m3/hour x 5 liter/m3 = 150 liter/hour).
It would be impossible for a fertilizer injector with a lower flow rate, to reach the desired fertilization level.
Use this simple calculation to check whether your fertilizer injector can provide the required fertilizers quantities:
Divide the fertilizer injector flow by the irrigation flow to get the injection rate.
For example, If your fertilizer injector 150 liter/hour and the irrigation flow rate is 30 m3/hour, then the maximal possible injection rate is 5 liter/m3 (150/30), or 0.5%.
If the flow rate of your fertilizer injector is too low, you can take one of the following actions:
Decrease the irrigation flow rate, by irrigating fewer valves at the same time
Increase the concentration of the fertilizer stock solution.
In this case, make sure you don’t exceed the solubility limitations of the fertilizers.
Water pressure and water flow affect the performance of fertilizer injectors.
Water flow through the injector and water pressure in the irrigation line must be adequate for an efficient operation of fertilizer injectors.
For example, if the water pressure in the irrigation line is higher than the maximal pressure against which the injector can work, the fertilizer solution might not be efficiently injected, and the fertilizer injector might even eventually not inject any fertilizers at all.
Some mechanical injectors use the water pressure as their power source (e.g. Dosatron). Such injectors have a characteristic range of water flow in which they can work efficiently. If the water flow through the injector is out of this range, the injector is likely not give adjusted ratio .
Materials a fertilizer injector has to be made of
An additional consideration in choosing your fertilizer injector is the type of chemical that would be injected by it.
Injectors that are used for injecting acid, must be resistant to corrosion. Furthermore, the type of acid makes a difference.
Parts of the fertilizer injector that come into contact with sulfuric acid must be made of acid-resistant rubber, while parts that come in contact with phosphoric acid, must be made of stainless steel.
In fertilizer injectors that are consistently used to inject pesticides, plastic parts should not come in contact with the solution because many pesticides contain chemicals that damage PVC.
Better safe than sorry – buy injectors that can provide slightly higher flows than your maximum requirements.
Understanding the Basics of Human Fertility
Fertility is the state of being fertile and capable of producing offspring. Initially the term fertility was associated only with females but with better understanding of the reproductive mechanisms and the importance of the role that men play in reproduction, it is now equally associated with men as well. Many oriental philosophies argue that reproduction is the primary motive behind existence.
Humans have a natural tendency to seek information and knowledge about whatever concerns them. And fertility is an area most of us are eager to understand since conception and childbirth are instrumental in bringing about a metamorphosis of great magnitude in women. Men also are fairly concerned about their partner’s ability to conceive or their inability to do so. Understanding the basics of human fertility goes a long way in allaying any concerns that may arise in the minds of couples who want to start a family.
All humans have hormonal cycles that determine when a woman can conceive and when a man is most fertile. The female fertility cycle is usually 28 days but this may vary depending on the individual and may be more or less by a few days. The male cycle, however, is totally variable.
Female fertilityAmong women, fertility is the ability to conceive and give birth to a child. The reproductive years of a woman begin when her she attains puberty with the first menstrual cycle. This usually happens around the age of thirteen and lasts till about the age of forty five. This range is only indicative and women are known to have conceived and delivered till menopause, which is the cessation of her periods.
At the time of birth, a baby girl already has four hundred thousand eggs which are immature and stored in her ovaries in small sacs called follicles. The follicles are filled with fluid that protects the immature cells. At puberty the eggs start to mature one at a time. During each menstrual cycle the ovary releases one egg (in rare cases it releases more than one) in the process called ovulation. The delicate balance of hormones released by the ovaries and the hypothalamus and pituitary in the brain dictates how the egg will develop and when it shall be released.
Ovulation sometimes happens with a small but sharp pain and the egg is released. This egg travels up the fallopian tubes and may get fertilized by a male sperm if available. Successful fertilization results in conception. If the egg is not fertilized, it bursts and breaks down within 24 hours and the proteins that it is made up off get reabsorbed by the body. The lining of the uterus that has been prepared in anticipation of the fertilized egg breaks down and is removed from the body during the menstrual period.
For women the chances of pregnancy are directly related to age. Women are most fertile in their early twenties and their fertility often starts ebbing after they reach 30. The use of fertility drugs or in-vitro fertilization can change this and it has been known that the use of these methods can result in pregnancies even at the age of 67.
Male fertilityFertility in men is mostly about ability to make a woman pregnant. Men need to produce, and store sperm in their bodies. This stored sperm needs to then be transported outside the body into the reproductive tract of a woman.
Sperms develop in seminiferous tubules in testicles that are housed in a sac called the scrotum that is located just behind the penis. Men can produce and ejaculate sperm anytime during the month. The stock of sperms is refreshed every 72 days. This ability to produce fresh sperm lasts a lifetime till the organs are functioning properly.
However, their sexual urge and desire can dip occasionally. Scientists refer to this swing in the sexual urge as the internal cycle of men. Some studies suggest that the internal cycle of men may be related to the partner’s monthly cycle.