Allen McHugh - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Allen McHugh

Cotton in heavy clay soil with subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) @ 50, 75, 90, and 120 % of daily ... more Cotton in heavy clay soil with subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) @ 50, 75, 90, and 120 % of daily ET and conventional furrow irrigation showed a significant effect on phenology and yield. Plant height, number of branches, nodes and leaf area index increased with increasing amount of water in SDI and were even greater in furrow. However, leaf chlorophyll, dry matter percent of plant and roots decreased with increasing amount of irrigation. Leaf water potential and crop water stress increased whereas leaf photosynthesis decreased with decreasing level of irrigation. Lint yield on SDI at 75% of daily ET was as high as furrow and was accompanied by higher water use efficiency (WUE) (0.6274, 0.4785 and 0.3551 t/ML for SDI at 75 and 120% ET and furrow respectively).

Soil and Tillage Research, 2009

Irrigation management practices have a significant impact on the leaching of nutrients and salts ... more Irrigation management practices have a significant impact on the leaching of nutrients and salts within a soil profile. Lettuce irrigation is often characterised by high frequency, small volume irrigations to maintain the shallow rootzone in a moist condition. The introduction of drip irrigation has provided the opportunity to apply soluble nitrogen fertiliser in the irrigation water to maintain high levels of soil nitrogen in the rootzone throughout the season. However, the combination of high soil moisture and nitrogen levels and well drained soils for extended periods of time raises concerns over the potential for nitrate leaching from the rootzone into local groundwater systems. This research involved a field trial to evaluate nitrate movement under a commercial fertigated lettuce crop. This trial was conducted on a commercial lettuce crop grown on the eastern Darling Downs. Irrigation and fertigation was scheduled and recorded by the grower, based on observation of weather, crop and soil conditions. Soil cores were obtained both pre-and post-season to measure soil moisture, bulk density, nitrate, ammonium and electrical conductivity (EC). Capacitance probes and ceramic soil suction cups were installed in each plot. Soil solution samples were extracted at two or three day intervals throughout the season and the nitrate concentration and EC measured. The results showed that deep drainage did occur during the season and that nitrate would have been moving out of the root zone. Substantial spatial and temporal variations in soil solution nitrate and EC were observed during the season. Solute movement appears to be related to the pattern of soil-water movement from the irrigation applications. This data suggests that the amount of deep drainage and nitrate leaching is influenced by the irrigation design and management practices. Inseason rainfall and soil physical conditions may also play a role.

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2016

Rainfall simulator trials were conducted on sugar cane paddocks across dry-tropical and subtropic... more Rainfall simulator trials were conducted on sugar cane paddocks across dry-tropical and subtropical Queensland, Australia, to examine the potential for spot spraying to reduce herbicide losses in runoff. Recommended rates of the herbicides glyphosate, 2,4-D, fluoroxypyr, atrazine, and diuron were sprayed onto 0, 20, 40, 50, 70, or 100% of the area of runoff plots. Simulated rainfall was applied 2 days after spraying to induce runoff at one plant cane and three ratoon crop sites. Over 50% of all herbicides were transported in the dissolved phase of runoff, regardless of the herbicide's sediment-water partition coefficient. For most sites and herbicides, runoff herbicide concentrations decreased with decreasing spray coverage and with decreasing herbicide load in the soil and cane residues. Importantly, sites with higher infiltration prior to runoff and lower total runoff had lower runoff herbicide concentrations.

Abstract Challenges to Adoption of CA in China Allen Jack McHugh1 and Christian Thierfelder2 1 In... more Abstract Challenges to Adoption of CA in China Allen Jack McHugh1 and Christian Thierfelder2 1 International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), 590 Huanghe East Road, Yinchuan, Ningxia, PRC. 2 International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), P.O. Box MP163, Mount Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe. Different approaches have been proposed to increase the productivity of land, ranging from simple technology interventions, such as increased fertilizer use and/or improved seed varieties, to more systems-oriented solutions, such as agroforestry, permaculture, integrated crop-livestock systems or conservation agriculture (CA). Breeding improved varieties is often proposed as a direct route to increasing crop productivity and closing the yield gaps. However, it is rather unlikely that one single intervention will solve all of the farmers’ challenges and thus combinations of synergistic technologies are required. CA aims to improve rural incomes and livelihoods through sustainab...

ABSTRACT Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Queensland, 2003. Includes bibliography.

Conservation tillage (CT) has been proven to combat drought and improve soil physical conditions ... more Conservation tillage (CT) has been proven to combat drought and improve soil physical conditions in China. Increased water infiltration and reduction in water and wind erosion are achieved through zero tillage and stubble cover. CT research started with the

Sarhad Journal of Agriculture, 2017

Permanent raised beds (PRB) with ridge tillage and furrow irrigation has obvious advantages in wa... more Permanent raised beds (PRB) with ridge tillage and furrow irrigation has obvious advantages in water saving, waterlogging controlling and low operation cost etc, and currently many irrigated corps are planted under PRB in northern China, however, while the ridge is wide (centre to centre spacing of furrows ≥ 75cm), the water in furrow can't infiltrate to the centre of bilateral ridges effectively, and it can cause low seedling emergence and result in yield decreasing. A ridge loosening machine was designed to solve the problem of wide ridge's weak water infiltration under PRB, and in Hexi corridor's irrigation farming areas, the data of water content, soil continuous water infiltration effect, ground temperature, seedling emergence, plant characters and yield etc were tested in the ridge, which was loosened by machine, to evaluate the machine's performances and its ability of improving soil water infiltration and crop yield. The experimental results show, in the dept...

The practice of conservation agriculture has been accepted for some time as conventional wisdom f... more The practice of conservation agriculture has been accepted for some time as conventional wisdom for improving soil conditions and raising the soil organic carbon levels of cropping land. This has been complemented over the past 10 years by controlled traffic agriculture, which has further improved soil management practices by almost eliminating compaction as a form of soil degradation. Not withstanding the improved soil conditions that result from the practice of controlled traffic conservation agriculture, soils minimally tilled by such practices are still subject to consolidation through wetting and drying cycles. In this paper we report on a technique that further improves on these conservative soil management practices. This technique loosens soil at depth without any inversion, and we examine the consequences this has on the proliferation and distribution of roots, the contents and distributions of soil organic carbon and total soil nitrogen, the productivity of cropping soils ...

Permanent raised beds (PRBs) are less susceptible to poor subbing in Australian Vertosol due to p... more Permanent raised beds (PRBs) are less susceptible to poor subbing in Australian Vertosol due to prolonged irrigation times and faster subbing in cracks. In contrast, subbing was very poor in sandy clay loam soil. This study revealed enhanced lateral subbing with blade ploughing. However, additional measures of irrigation optimisation for improved infiltration opportunity time and/or water depth in furrow can be beneficial in sandy clay loam soil.

Computer and Computing Technologies in Agriculture XI, 2019

HAL is a multidisciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific re... more HAL is a multidisciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés.

International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, 2019

The commonly used subsoiling cum rotary tiller machine (SRT) in Northern China is a combination o... more The commonly used subsoiling cum rotary tiller machine (SRT) in Northern China is a combination of subsoiler and horizontal rotary tiller, however backfilling of the subsoiling slot, excessive vibration and plant residue wrapping on rotary components has been rarely considered. Therefore, the rotary components and assembly were redesigned to address these issues and to an SRT fitted with IT225 short curve rotary blades behind the V-shape subsoiling slots and IIT245 long curve rotary blades between the tines. Long and short blades were fitted on a rotor in a double helix, with optimal spiral angles of 65º and 90º, and phase angle of 147º and 180º, respectively. Compared with the commonly used SRT (CSRT), the additional anti-wrapping cutting blades in the circumferential and axial direction of ASRT could remove hanging residue on the blade holders, wrapping on the rotor and formation of an isolation layer. Moreover, the cutting edge curve of anti-wrapping cutting blades was an exponential curve. Field tests demonstrated that the redesigned SRT with anti-vibrating and anti-wrapping rotary components (ASRT) had was a significant advancement over the CSRT. Moreover, the working depth of rotary tillage was more stable, while other observations confirmed that backfilling of the subsoiling slot was also improved.

Agronomy Journal, 2019

Since the pioneering work of Gleich and Weizenecker [53] in 2005, magnetic particle imaging (MPI)... more Since the pioneering work of Gleich and Weizenecker [53] in 2005, magnetic particle imaging (MPI) has emerged as a non-invasive, 3D tomographic technique that directly detects SPION tracers. Unlike computed tomography (CT), MPI does not use ionizing radiation and can produce signal at any depth within the body [12, 13, 17, 20, 34, 54-63]. MPI is the first medical application where SPIONs are not just supportive contrast agents as in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), but the sole source of

Applied Engineering in Agriculture, 2017

Crop residue retention has been recognized worldwide to improve soil structure and fertility, red... more Crop residue retention has been recognized worldwide to improve soil structure and fertility, reduce pollution and erosion, and enhance soil water retention/conservation. However, some factors limit the widespread adoption of onfarm machinery that can appropriately manage in-field residue. Two key factors are the quality of residue chopping and spreading uniformity. This article initially summarized the research on blade design, blade arrangement and power consumption. The article classified residue management machinery into three types: single function, multiple function and harvester powered straw chopper/spreader. Single function straw chopper/spreader was further subdivided into four types, according to installation and movement modes of the chopping blade; multiple function straw chopper/spreader was subdivided into six types, according to function and location; harvester powered straw chopper/spreader was subdivided into three types, according to mounting position. To improve the chopped straw spreading uniformity, adding a blower fan and improving blade roller structure were proposed to increase the air velocity. Finally, the article proposed future directions for straw chopper/spreader development, including awareness raising of straw chopping and spreading mechanism, analysis of flow characteristics in the machine, development of straw chopping and spreading regulating device.

Soil and Tillage Research, 2016

Abstract An arid environment under long-term traditional agriculture has resulted in serious envi... more Abstract An arid environment under long-term traditional agriculture has resulted in serious environmental and agricultural problems on a number of fragile soils with distinguishing physical and chemical properties in Northern China. Conservation agriculture is an alternative sustainable agriculture management system, which contributes to conserving soil, water and fertility, while changing vertical distribution of soil organic matter (SOM). No-tillage with straw cover (NTSC) and traditional tillage with straw removal (TTSR) in four regions of northern China (Tailai, Wuchuan, Nailin, Yaodu) were investigated to determine how tillage and soil type affected SOM stratification. SOM content, total N (TN), soil water content (SWC) and soil bulk density ( ρ d ) in the 0–5, 5–15, 15–30 and 30–40 cm layers and the time since implementation of tillage treatments were evaluated. The top layer (0–5 cm) and total SOM content were markedly improved by NTSC. The influence dramatically decreased with depth in all sites. SOM content increased during the first 10 years following NTSC implementation, but the rate of increase was reduced in subsequent years. There was high positive correlation between SOM and SWC, high positive correlation between SOM and TN, and high negative correlation between SOM and bulk density. Effects of conservation measures on SOM content were expressed by a stratification ratio. The stratification ratio of SOM, in most sites, under long-term NTSC were >2. These results from northern China, suggest that long-term no-tillage with straw cover significantly improved topsoil conditions and whole of soil profile SOM and this improvement was obvious in different layers.

Condensed paper submissions are invited for the 5th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture (W... more Condensed paper submissions are invited for the 5th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture (WCCA5) incorporating 3rd Farming System Design Conference (FSD3). Early paper submission will allow early notification of acceptance, which will be important for overseas delegates needing time to arrange Visas, travel and financial assistance. The 3-page condensed paper format will provide delegates with a concise record of all papers. It is important that authors follow the Congress paper submission format, which can be downloaded from the Congress website: www.wcca2011.org/condensed.htm Super early bird registration closes on 31st December 2010. Early bird registration closes on 31st March 2011 Final date for paper submission is 15th May 2011 but earlier submission is advisable for authors particularly seeking oral presentations, or requesting financial assistance.

Cotton in heavy clay soil with subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) @ 50, 75, 90, and 120 % of daily ... more Cotton in heavy clay soil with subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) @ 50, 75, 90, and 120 % of daily ET and conventional furrow irrigation showed a significant effect on phenology and yield. Plant height, number of branches, nodes and leaf area index increased with increasing amount of water in SDI and were even greater in furrow. However, leaf chlorophyll, dry matter percent of plant and roots decreased with increasing amount of irrigation. Leaf water potential and crop water stress increased whereas leaf photosynthesis decreased with decreasing level of irrigation. Lint yield on SDI at 75% of daily ET was as high as furrow and was accompanied by higher water use efficiency (WUE) (0.6274, 0.4785 and 0.3551 t/ML for SDI at 75 and 120% ET and furrow respectively).

Soil and Tillage Research, 2009

Irrigation management practices have a significant impact on the leaching of nutrients and salts ... more Irrigation management practices have a significant impact on the leaching of nutrients and salts within a soil profile. Lettuce irrigation is often characterised by high frequency, small volume irrigations to maintain the shallow rootzone in a moist condition. The introduction of drip irrigation has provided the opportunity to apply soluble nitrogen fertiliser in the irrigation water to maintain high levels of soil nitrogen in the rootzone throughout the season. However, the combination of high soil moisture and nitrogen levels and well drained soils for extended periods of time raises concerns over the potential for nitrate leaching from the rootzone into local groundwater systems. This research involved a field trial to evaluate nitrate movement under a commercial fertigated lettuce crop. This trial was conducted on a commercial lettuce crop grown on the eastern Darling Downs. Irrigation and fertigation was scheduled and recorded by the grower, based on observation of weather, crop and soil conditions. Soil cores were obtained both pre-and post-season to measure soil moisture, bulk density, nitrate, ammonium and electrical conductivity (EC). Capacitance probes and ceramic soil suction cups were installed in each plot. Soil solution samples were extracted at two or three day intervals throughout the season and the nitrate concentration and EC measured. The results showed that deep drainage did occur during the season and that nitrate would have been moving out of the root zone. Substantial spatial and temporal variations in soil solution nitrate and EC were observed during the season. Solute movement appears to be related to the pattern of soil-water movement from the irrigation applications. This data suggests that the amount of deep drainage and nitrate leaching is influenced by the irrigation design and management practices. Inseason rainfall and soil physical conditions may also play a role.

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2016

Rainfall simulator trials were conducted on sugar cane paddocks across dry-tropical and subtropic... more Rainfall simulator trials were conducted on sugar cane paddocks across dry-tropical and subtropical Queensland, Australia, to examine the potential for spot spraying to reduce herbicide losses in runoff. Recommended rates of the herbicides glyphosate, 2,4-D, fluoroxypyr, atrazine, and diuron were sprayed onto 0, 20, 40, 50, 70, or 100% of the area of runoff plots. Simulated rainfall was applied 2 days after spraying to induce runoff at one plant cane and three ratoon crop sites. Over 50% of all herbicides were transported in the dissolved phase of runoff, regardless of the herbicide's sediment-water partition coefficient. For most sites and herbicides, runoff herbicide concentrations decreased with decreasing spray coverage and with decreasing herbicide load in the soil and cane residues. Importantly, sites with higher infiltration prior to runoff and lower total runoff had lower runoff herbicide concentrations.

Abstract Challenges to Adoption of CA in China Allen Jack McHugh1 and Christian Thierfelder2 1 In... more Abstract Challenges to Adoption of CA in China Allen Jack McHugh1 and Christian Thierfelder2 1 International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), 590 Huanghe East Road, Yinchuan, Ningxia, PRC. 2 International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), P.O. Box MP163, Mount Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe. Different approaches have been proposed to increase the productivity of land, ranging from simple technology interventions, such as increased fertilizer use and/or improved seed varieties, to more systems-oriented solutions, such as agroforestry, permaculture, integrated crop-livestock systems or conservation agriculture (CA). Breeding improved varieties is often proposed as a direct route to increasing crop productivity and closing the yield gaps. However, it is rather unlikely that one single intervention will solve all of the farmers’ challenges and thus combinations of synergistic technologies are required. CA aims to improve rural incomes and livelihoods through sustainab...

ABSTRACT Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Queensland, 2003. Includes bibliography.

Conservation tillage (CT) has been proven to combat drought and improve soil physical conditions ... more Conservation tillage (CT) has been proven to combat drought and improve soil physical conditions in China. Increased water infiltration and reduction in water and wind erosion are achieved through zero tillage and stubble cover. CT research started with the

Sarhad Journal of Agriculture, 2017

Permanent raised beds (PRB) with ridge tillage and furrow irrigation has obvious advantages in wa... more Permanent raised beds (PRB) with ridge tillage and furrow irrigation has obvious advantages in water saving, waterlogging controlling and low operation cost etc, and currently many irrigated corps are planted under PRB in northern China, however, while the ridge is wide (centre to centre spacing of furrows ≥ 75cm), the water in furrow can't infiltrate to the centre of bilateral ridges effectively, and it can cause low seedling emergence and result in yield decreasing. A ridge loosening machine was designed to solve the problem of wide ridge's weak water infiltration under PRB, and in Hexi corridor's irrigation farming areas, the data of water content, soil continuous water infiltration effect, ground temperature, seedling emergence, plant characters and yield etc were tested in the ridge, which was loosened by machine, to evaluate the machine's performances and its ability of improving soil water infiltration and crop yield. The experimental results show, in the dept...

The practice of conservation agriculture has been accepted for some time as conventional wisdom f... more The practice of conservation agriculture has been accepted for some time as conventional wisdom for improving soil conditions and raising the soil organic carbon levels of cropping land. This has been complemented over the past 10 years by controlled traffic agriculture, which has further improved soil management practices by almost eliminating compaction as a form of soil degradation. Not withstanding the improved soil conditions that result from the practice of controlled traffic conservation agriculture, soils minimally tilled by such practices are still subject to consolidation through wetting and drying cycles. In this paper we report on a technique that further improves on these conservative soil management practices. This technique loosens soil at depth without any inversion, and we examine the consequences this has on the proliferation and distribution of roots, the contents and distributions of soil organic carbon and total soil nitrogen, the productivity of cropping soils ...

Permanent raised beds (PRBs) are less susceptible to poor subbing in Australian Vertosol due to p... more Permanent raised beds (PRBs) are less susceptible to poor subbing in Australian Vertosol due to prolonged irrigation times and faster subbing in cracks. In contrast, subbing was very poor in sandy clay loam soil. This study revealed enhanced lateral subbing with blade ploughing. However, additional measures of irrigation optimisation for improved infiltration opportunity time and/or water depth in furrow can be beneficial in sandy clay loam soil.

Computer and Computing Technologies in Agriculture XI, 2019

HAL is a multidisciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific re... more HAL is a multidisciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés.

International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, 2019

The commonly used subsoiling cum rotary tiller machine (SRT) in Northern China is a combination o... more The commonly used subsoiling cum rotary tiller machine (SRT) in Northern China is a combination of subsoiler and horizontal rotary tiller, however backfilling of the subsoiling slot, excessive vibration and plant residue wrapping on rotary components has been rarely considered. Therefore, the rotary components and assembly were redesigned to address these issues and to an SRT fitted with IT225 short curve rotary blades behind the V-shape subsoiling slots and IIT245 long curve rotary blades between the tines. Long and short blades were fitted on a rotor in a double helix, with optimal spiral angles of 65º and 90º, and phase angle of 147º and 180º, respectively. Compared with the commonly used SRT (CSRT), the additional anti-wrapping cutting blades in the circumferential and axial direction of ASRT could remove hanging residue on the blade holders, wrapping on the rotor and formation of an isolation layer. Moreover, the cutting edge curve of anti-wrapping cutting blades was an exponential curve. Field tests demonstrated that the redesigned SRT with anti-vibrating and anti-wrapping rotary components (ASRT) had was a significant advancement over the CSRT. Moreover, the working depth of rotary tillage was more stable, while other observations confirmed that backfilling of the subsoiling slot was also improved.

Agronomy Journal, 2019

Since the pioneering work of Gleich and Weizenecker [53] in 2005, magnetic particle imaging (MPI)... more Since the pioneering work of Gleich and Weizenecker [53] in 2005, magnetic particle imaging (MPI) has emerged as a non-invasive, 3D tomographic technique that directly detects SPION tracers. Unlike computed tomography (CT), MPI does not use ionizing radiation and can produce signal at any depth within the body [12, 13, 17, 20, 34, 54-63]. MPI is the first medical application where SPIONs are not just supportive contrast agents as in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), but the sole source of

Applied Engineering in Agriculture, 2017

Crop residue retention has been recognized worldwide to improve soil structure and fertility, red... more Crop residue retention has been recognized worldwide to improve soil structure and fertility, reduce pollution and erosion, and enhance soil water retention/conservation. However, some factors limit the widespread adoption of onfarm machinery that can appropriately manage in-field residue. Two key factors are the quality of residue chopping and spreading uniformity. This article initially summarized the research on blade design, blade arrangement and power consumption. The article classified residue management machinery into three types: single function, multiple function and harvester powered straw chopper/spreader. Single function straw chopper/spreader was further subdivided into four types, according to installation and movement modes of the chopping blade; multiple function straw chopper/spreader was subdivided into six types, according to function and location; harvester powered straw chopper/spreader was subdivided into three types, according to mounting position. To improve the chopped straw spreading uniformity, adding a blower fan and improving blade roller structure were proposed to increase the air velocity. Finally, the article proposed future directions for straw chopper/spreader development, including awareness raising of straw chopping and spreading mechanism, analysis of flow characteristics in the machine, development of straw chopping and spreading regulating device.

Soil and Tillage Research, 2016

Abstract An arid environment under long-term traditional agriculture has resulted in serious envi... more Abstract An arid environment under long-term traditional agriculture has resulted in serious environmental and agricultural problems on a number of fragile soils with distinguishing physical and chemical properties in Northern China. Conservation agriculture is an alternative sustainable agriculture management system, which contributes to conserving soil, water and fertility, while changing vertical distribution of soil organic matter (SOM). No-tillage with straw cover (NTSC) and traditional tillage with straw removal (TTSR) in four regions of northern China (Tailai, Wuchuan, Nailin, Yaodu) were investigated to determine how tillage and soil type affected SOM stratification. SOM content, total N (TN), soil water content (SWC) and soil bulk density ( ρ d ) in the 0–5, 5–15, 15–30 and 30–40 cm layers and the time since implementation of tillage treatments were evaluated. The top layer (0–5 cm) and total SOM content were markedly improved by NTSC. The influence dramatically decreased with depth in all sites. SOM content increased during the first 10 years following NTSC implementation, but the rate of increase was reduced in subsequent years. There was high positive correlation between SOM and SWC, high positive correlation between SOM and TN, and high negative correlation between SOM and bulk density. Effects of conservation measures on SOM content were expressed by a stratification ratio. The stratification ratio of SOM, in most sites, under long-term NTSC were >2. These results from northern China, suggest that long-term no-tillage with straw cover significantly improved topsoil conditions and whole of soil profile SOM and this improvement was obvious in different layers.

Condensed paper submissions are invited for the 5th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture (W... more Condensed paper submissions are invited for the 5th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture (WCCA5) incorporating 3rd Farming System Design Conference (FSD3). Early paper submission will allow early notification of acceptance, which will be important for overseas delegates needing time to arrange Visas, travel and financial assistance. The 3-page condensed paper format will provide delegates with a concise record of all papers. It is important that authors follow the Congress paper submission format, which can be downloaded from the Congress website: www.wcca2011.org/condensed.htm Super early bird registration closes on 31st December 2010. Early bird registration closes on 31st March 2011 Final date for paper submission is 15th May 2011 but earlier submission is advisable for authors particularly seeking oral presentations, or requesting financial assistance.