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Allelopathic potential of marigold extract in the control of weeds in tomato crop
No full textThe most common method of controlling weeds in agricultural production is chemical.
However, due to the negative impact of chemical herbicides on the environment and human
health, the use of allelopathy as an environmentally friendly approach to weed control is
increasingly being used. Some medicinal plants such as marigold have allelopathic effects
against weeds and their extracts can be used to control weeds in crops. Also, it is well known
that marigold have good compatibility with tomato crops. The aim of this study was to evaluate
the effect of applying marigold extract on weed control in tomato crop. The experiment was
conducted during the growing season of 2024 under field conditions and was set up according
to the design of a randomized block system with four replications. During the vegetable season,
foliar spray with 5% water extract of marigold was applied three times. In addition to the
marigold extract, weeds were once removed by hand hoeing during the season. The number of
weed plants and weed species were monitored compared to the control at the and of experiment,
in the phase of fully maturity. The results showed that in the treatment with applied marigold
extract the average number of weed plants per replication was 5/m2 and the number of weed
species in all replications was 7, while in the control treatment the number of weed plants was
8/m2 and the number of weed species was 9. The number of weed plants and weed species
decreased by 37.5% and 22.2% compared to the control when marigold extract was applied.
The results of this study indicate that the application of marigold extract was effective in weed
control which is reflected on reducing the number of weeds, as well as the number of weed
species in tomato cro
Adaptation pathways for climate change mitigation using nature-based solutions: assessing retention ponds for flood hazard mitigation in the Tamnava Basin
No full textAs climate change exacerbates water-related hazards in rural and urban areas, the need for robust, flexible solutions to mitigate risks and enhance resilience has become increasingly urgent. Traditional ‘grey’ infrastructure has long dominated flood risk management; however, nature-based solutions (NBS) are gaining traction due to their adaptability, multifunctionality, and ability to provide co-benefits. This study quantified the effectiveness of retention ponds as NBS for reducing flood hazard and risk under current and future climate conditions, employing adaptive pathways and tipping point frameworks for implementing NBS measures in response to climate change. This was applied in Tamnava Basin, Serbia, using a three-step approach: development of future sub-daily rainfall depth–duration–frequency curves (DDF), NBS performance assessment and identification of tipping points and development of adaptive pathways. Coupling HEC-HMS and HEC-RAS models with GIS tools, the study estimated reductions in flood area, volume, and damage costs by 20–27%, 28–35%, and 40–47%, respectively, over the period from the present to 2100, depending on the retention pond configurations. Different adaptive pathway maps were developed, for rainfall return periods. These maps provide decision-makers with flexible, actionable options for implementing NBS measures, bridging the gap between short-term evaluations and long-term climate uncertainties
Процена стабилности приноса зрна инбред линија кукуруза непараметријским методама
No full textУ овом истраживању анализирана је стабилност приноса зрна 12 инбред линија кукуруза са различитим типовима цитоплазме: цитоплазматска мушка стерилност типа Ц (цмс-Ц), типа С (цмс-С) и фертилна цитоплазма. Огледи су спроведени 2020. и 2021. године на две локације у Земун Пољу (Селекционо поље и Школско добро) у случајном блок систему са три понављања. Анализом варијансе утврђена је статистички значајна интеракција генотип × спољашња средина за принос зрна (p ≤ 1%). Просечан принос инбред линија са Ц цитоплазмом износио је од 1,60 до 3,23 t hа⁻¹, са вишим вредностима у односу на С и фертилне типове. Вредности параметара стабилности – просечна разлика рангова (Си(1)) и варијанса рангова (Си(2)) – указују на стабилне генотипове, јер су тестови значајности (Зи(1) = 18,98 и Зи(2) = 11,29) били мањи од критичних вредности (21,03). За линије са С типом цитоплазме принос је варирао од 2,19 до 2,97 t hа⁻¹, а добијене вредности стабилности такође нису показале статистички значајне разлике (Зи(1) = 11,87; Зи(2) = 7,73). Инбред линије са фертилном цитоплазмом имале су принос од 2,11 до 2,90 t hа⁻¹. Критичне χ² вредности за све параметре износиле су 8,21 за генотипове и 21,03 за З(м). Закључено је да између испитиваних генотипова нема значајних разлика у фенотипској стабилности приноса зрна у различитим условима спољашње средине
Procena stabilnosti prinosa zrna inbred linija kukuruza primenom GGE biplota
No full textУ овом истраживању процењена је стабилност приноса зрна код 12 инбред линија кукуруза са три различита типа цитоплазме: цитоплазматском мушком стерилношћу типа Ц (цмс-Ц), типа С (цмс-С) и фертилном цитоплазмом. Огледи су изведени током 2020. и 2021. године на две локације у Земун Пољу (Селекционо поље и Школско добро) по случајном блок систему са три понављања за сваки тип цитоплазме. За процену стабилности и приноса коришћен је ГГЕ биплот као АТЦ приказ, који омогућава истовремену анализу стабилности и просечног приноса. Ближе АТЦ апсциси значи већу стабилност, а десна страна ординате указује на изнадпросечне приносе. За линије са Ц цитоплазмом, биплот је објаснио 87,45% Г + ГЕ варијансе. Највећи принос имала је линија Л5, а најстабилнија је била Л10. Најнестабилнија је била линија Л12. Код С цитоплазме биплот је објаснио 71,86% варијансе. Линија Л3 је имала највећи принос, али није била стабилна. Апсолутну стабилност показала је Л12, а најнестабилнија је била Л10. Код фертилне цитоплазме, биплот је објаснио 91,78% варијансе. Линија Л2 је имала највећи принос али ниску стабилност, док је најстабилнија била Л3. Линија Л5 је имала најнижи принос. Резултати показују да ГГЕ биплот ефикасно идентификује линије са добрим приносом и стабилношћу у различитим типовима цитоплазме
Artichoke bracts silage in the finishing diet of beef steers: Meat quality during dry aging
No full textThis study evaluated the effects of including artichoke bracts silage in the diet of finishing beef steers on the quality of dry-aged meat. Steers were divided into three dietary treatments, where artichoke bracts silage partially replaced wheat straw. Following slaughter, bone-in shell loins were dry-aged for 42 days, samples were collected at different time points to assess physicochemical properties, oxidative stability, and fatty acid composition. A completely randomized design was used; data were analyzed using a two-way ANOVA to determine the effects of dietary treatment and aging time. The results showed that aging significantly influenced moisture loss, water-holding capacity, and shear force, with the most notable changes occurring within the first 14–21 days. No significant differences were found between dietary treatments in terms of loin yield, meat tenderness, or cooking loss. The inclusion of artichoke bracts silage delayed lipid oxidation, as indicated by lower thiobarbituric acid reactive substances values in treated groups compared to the control. Additionally, meat from steers fed artichoke bracts silage exhibited differences in colorimetric parameters which may be associated with lower oxidative processes. Fatty acid analysis revealed significantly higher concentrations of saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids in treated groups, likely due to increased intramuscular fat content. These findings suggest that artichoke bracts silage can be a viable alternative feed ingredient, offering potential economic and environmental benefits while maintaining oxidative stability in dry-aged beef. Further research is needed to explore the sensory implications of these compositional changes and their effects on flavor development during dry aging
The importance of nitrogen fixation in plant production
No full textNitrogen fixation is a key biological process by which atmospheric nitrogen (N2) is
converted into a form available to plants, such as ammonia (NH3), which is of great
importance for sustainable agriculture. The aim of this paper is to show different aspects
of nitrogen fixation, with special reference to the influence of seed inoculation and
genotypic differences on the efficiency of symbiotic fixation, morphological
characteristics and plant yield. Based on numerous scientific studies, it was determined
that the application of microbiological preparations (e.g. Nitragin) can contribute to
more efficient nitrogen fixation and a higher plant yield, while the excessive use of
nitrogen fertilizers reduces the number of root nodules and negatively affects the activity
of nodule bacteria. The genotype of the plant proved to be an important factor in
realizing the maximum potential for nitrogen fixation. The results confirm the
importance of proper application of agrotechnical measures in the function of
economically profitable and ecologically sustainable plant production
Effects of heat treatment and calcium chloride omission on the renneting properties of goat milk
No full textThe oscillating rheology was used to examine influence of calcium
chloride on the rennet-coagulation properties of in-vat pasteurized goat milk,
subjected to different heating regimes. Control samples were obtained by
pasteurization at 65 °C/30 min, 80 °C/5 min and 90 °C/5 min following addition of
0.2 gL-1 CaCl2, and experimental samples were without CaCl2. Rennet coagulation
time (RCT), aggregation rate (AR) and gel firmness (GF) were measured. AR and
GF decreased with the increase of heat treatment, remaining unchanged at 90
°C/5 min. The CaCl2 omission had no effect on examined rheological parameters.
These results indicate that in-vat pasteurized goat milk doesn’t require the
addition of CaCl2 from the perspective of coagulation process
The Sensory and Emotional Response to Different Tableware Materials
No full textThe high environmental impact caused by the accumulation of single-use plastic calls for measures to curb this problem, from a ban on single-use plastic tableware to the production of a wide range of biodegradable and reusable products. The aim of this study was to investigate how tableware made of different materials affects consumers’ sensory perception and emotional and hedonic responses when eating the same meal. In this study, four types of meals of animal or plant origin were selected for the experiments, which were served warm or cold. Accordingly, four groups of university students were instructed to taste the corresponding meal while using three sets of tableware made of different materials: polypropylene, wood/cardboard, and a stainless steel/ceramic/glass control set (regular set). Overall, the results suggest that the use of regular tableware elicited a positive emotional profile, while the use of disposable, wooden, and plastic tableware elicited negative emotional responses, which is consistent with the acceptability of the meal samples—regular tableware received higher ratings, while both types of disposable tableware received lower ratings. Finally, the material of the tableware only led to changes in odor and flavor perception when warm-served meals were sampled—higher intensities were reported when students used the regular tableware sets. Wooden cutlery imparted an atypical woody flavor to the meals, regardless of the type of meal
Learning the syntax of plant assemblages
No full textTo address the urgent biodiversity crisis, it is crucial to understand the nature of plant assemblages. The distribution of plant species is shaped not only by their broad environmental requirements but also by micro-environmental conditions, dispersal limitations, and direct and indirect species interactions. While predicting species composition and habitat type is essential for conservation and restoration purposes, it remains challenging. In this study, we propose an approach inspired by advances in large language models to learn the ‘syntax’ of abundance-ordered plant species sequences in communities. Our method, which captures latent associations between species across diverse ecosystems, can be fine-tuned for diverse tasks. In particular, we show that our methodology is able to outperform other approaches to (1) predict species that might occur in an assemblage given the other listed species, despite being originally missing in the species list (16.53% higher accuracy in retrieving a plant species removed from an assemblage than co-occurrence matrices and 6.56% higher than neural networks), and (2) classify habitat types from species assemblages (5.54% higher accuracy in assigning a habitat type to an assemblage than expert system classifiers and 1.14% higher than tabular deep learning). The proposed application has a vocabulary that covers over 10,000 plant species from Europe and adjacent countries and provides a powerful methodology for improving biodiversity mapping, restoration and conservation biology. As ecologists begin to explore the use of artificial intelligence, such approaches open opportunities for rethinking how we model, monitor and understand nature
Survey of Weed Flora Diversity as a Starting Point for the Development of a Weed Management Strategy for Medicinal Crops in Pančevo, Serbia
No full textSimilarly to conventional field crops, weeds often pose significant problems in the cultivation of medicinal plants. To date, no comprehensive documentation exists regarding weed infestation levels in these crops in Serbia. The objective of this study was to provide a valuable foundation for developing effective, site-specific weed management strategies in medicinal crop production. Weeds in five medicinal crops (lemon balm, fennel, peppermint, ribwort plantain, German chamomile), were surveyed based on the agro-phytosociological method between 2019 and 2024, and across 59 plots. A total of 109 weed species were recorded, belonging to 29 families and 88 genera. Among them, 75 were annuals and 34 perennials, including 93 broadleaved species, 10 grasses, and one parasitic species. All surveyed plots were heavily infested with perennial weeds such as Elymus repens, Cirsium arvense, Convolvulus arvensis, Lepidium draba, Rumex crispus, Sorghum halepense, Taraxacum officinale, etc. Also, several annual species were found in high abundance and frequency, including Amaranthus retroflexus, Chenopodium album, Galium aparine, Lactuca serriola, Lamium amplexicaule, L. purpureum, Papaver rhoeas, Stellaria media, Veronica hederifolia, V. persica, etc. The most important ecological factors influencing the composition of weed vegetation in investigated medicinal crops were temperature and light for fennel and peppermint plots, soil reaction for lemon balm and ribwort plantain plots, and nutrient content for German chamomile plots. A perspective for exploitation of these results is the development of effective weed control programs tailored to this specific cropping system. Weed control strategies should consider such information, targeting the control of the most frequent, abundant, and dominant species existing in a crops or locality