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Bioindication of Environmental Conditions Using Solar Park Vegetation
Get PDFSolar parks are currently considered a new source of carbon-free energy. At the same time, they encroach on our landscape and create new conditions for flora and fauna. Vegetation responds to changes in living conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in soil conditions induced by solar parks using vegetation bioindicators. A vegetation assessment was carried out in a solar park located in the cadastral territory of the municipality of Unín (Czech Republic). Among the soil conditions observed, this study focused on soil moisture, pH, nitrogen availability, phosphorus availability, and salinity. A total of 77 taxa of vascular plants were identified. Based on the bioindication of vegetation, it can be concluded that there are changes in the conditions between sites under photovoltaic panels (PV) and between rows of PV panels. Under PV panels, species with extreme values of the monitored soil criteria have a higher representation. These species can tolerate salinity, deficiency, or excess nitrogen and phosphorus. Different conditions under PV panels lead to diversity in species composition. This results in significant fragmentation of solar couplet vegetation. However, extreme conditions may create room for invasive plant species to establish themselves. Thus, it is necessary to monitor changes in vegetation, especially under PV panels, in the following years. The characterization of environmental conditions based on vegetation biomonitoring shows the diversity of solar park conditions. Diverse conditions are also important for landscape fragmentation.O
Chemometric approach to characterization of the selected grape seed oils based on their fatty acids composition and FTIR spectroscopy
Get PDFAddressing the issues arising from the production and trade of low-quality foods necessitates developing new quality control methods. Cooking oils, especially those produced from the grape seeds, are an example of food products that often suffer from questionable quality due to various adulterations and low-quality fruits used for their production. Among many methods allowing for fast and efficient food quality control, the combination of experimental and advanced mathematical approaches seems most reliable. In this work a method for grape seed oils compositional characterization based on the infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and fatty acids profile is reported. Also, the relevant parameters of oils are characterized using a combination of standard techniques such as the Principal Component Analysis, k-Means, and Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) fitting parameters. Two different approaches to perform unsupervised clustering using GMM were investigated. The first approach relies on the profile of fatty acids, while the second is FT-IR spectroscopy-based. The GMM fitting parameters in both approaches were compared. The results obtained from both approaches are consistent and complementary and provide the tools to address the characterization and clustering issues in grape seed oils.O
Reduced graphene oxide-based nanometal-composite containing copper and silver nanoparticles protect tomato and pepper against Xanthomonas euvesicatoria infection
Get PDFXanthomonas euvesicatoria (Xe) is of the genera Xanthomonas, which causes a bacterial spot disease that affects tomato and pepper plants, resulting in significant economic losses. Commonly used bactericides lead to pathogen resistance, environmental contamination and a current risk to human health. Herein, a nanocomposite consisting of Cu and Ag loaded onto reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was synthesized, characterized and tested. After confirmation of the antibacterial properties in vitro, nanocomposites at concentrations of 50 and 500 µg mL MINUS SIGN 1 were applied to protect tomato and pepper plants under controlled greenhouse conditions. The tomato and pepper plants indicated significantly lower disease severity when treated with the nanocomposite (15.6 and 16.7%, respectively) than when treated with the commercial copper-based bactericide Kocide(R) 2000. The nanocomposite was demonstrated as a high-efficiency biocide and has the potential for crop disease management with no phytotoxic effect.O
Urban agriculture – Ecosystem and cultural functions of orchard vegetation
No full textThe phenomenon of urban agriculture has lately become a much discussed issue. The idea of food production in cities seems to be in a striking contrast with the character of urban life, however, orchards are very suitable for urban agriculture by their nature. Apart from ensuring production functions (fruit production), they provide a whole range of ecosystem and cultural functions. Orchards are not a typical agricultural monoculture. Vegetation for non-production use is grown under the fruit trees. The orchard vegetation plays a role in anti-erosion function, which is mainly performed by perennial grasses (Lolium perenne, Poa pratensis etc.), it is a food source for pollinating insects (Medicago lupulina, Onobrychis viciifolia and Vicia sativa), and a habitat for medicinal herbs (Plantago lanceolata, Rosa canina, Urtica dioica). The occurence of diverse plant species affects the functioning of the ecosystem positively and can also be used for touristic purposes.Published Versio
Nutrient Balance from Agricultural Pollution Sources on Selected Tributaries to the Švihov Reservoir
Get PDFAgriculture is the leading source of non-point sources of water pollution, especially in terms of the runoff process. Agricultural management promotes extensive water contamination, soil erosion and sedimentation in streams and reservoirs. The water reservoir Švihov on the Želivka river supplies drinking water to more than 1.5 million people. The catchment area of the water supply reservoir is intensively used for agriculture, more than 55% of the catchment area is arable land. Nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrates in the upper water-ways of tributaries are a huge problem. The aim of the research is to evaluate concentration trends and losses of nutrients (nitrates and phosphorus) at the chosen tributaries to the Švihov reservoir during 2018-2021. From the data on monthly concentrations and monthly discharges the monthly and annual losses of nitrates and phosphorus on each profile were calculated. The effect of discharges and concentrations on the magnitude of losses was investigated by correlation analysis. The influence of the forebay Trnávka dam on the magnitude of nutrient losses was also evaluated. The results show the importance of discharge magnitude on nutrient losses. The Trnávka forebay dam significantly reduces the transport of phosphorus from the Trnava catchment to the Švihov reservoir. In the catchment area of the reservoir it is recommended to implement nature-friendly and technical measures for water retention and accumulation in the landscape in order to reduce nutrient transport.O
Ecohydrological consequences of tree removal in an urban park evaluated using open data, free software and a minimalist measuring campaign
Get PDFWith ongoing global climate change and an increasingly urbanized population, the importance of city parks and other forms of urban vegetation increases. Trees in urban parks can play an important role in mitigating runoff and delivering other ecosystem services. Park managers, E-NGOs, citizen scientists and others are increasingly called upon to evaluate the possible consequences of changes in park management such as, e.g., tree removal. Here, we present an unorthodox approach to hydrological modelling and its potential use in local policy making regarding urban greenery. The approach consists of a minimalist field campaign to characterize vegetation and soil moisture status combined with a novel model calibration using freely available data and software. During modelling, we were able to obtain coefficients of determination (R2) of 0.66 and 0.73 for probe-measured and simulated soil moisture under tree stand and park lawn land covers respectively. The results demonstrated that tree cover had a significant positive effect on the hydrological regime of the locality through interception, transpiration and effects on soil moisture. Simulations suggested that tree cover was twice as effective at mitigating runoff than park lawn and almost seven times better than impervious surfaces. In the case of a potential replacement of tree vegetation in favour of park lawn or impervious surfaces an increase in runoff of 14% and 81% respectively could be expected. The main conclusion drawn from our study was that such an approach can be a very useful tool for supporting local decision-making processes as it offers a freely available, cheap and relatively easy-to-use way to describe the hydrological consequences of landcover change (e.g., tree removal) with sufficient accuracy.OA-hybri
Effect of Polymeric Nanoparticles with Entrapped Fish Oil or Mupirocin on Skin Wound Healing Using a Porcine Model
Get PDFThe utilization of poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) with entrapped fish oil (FO) loaded in collagen-based scaffolds for cutaneous wound healing using a porcine model is unique for the present study. Full-depth cutaneous excisions (5 x 5 cm) on the pig dorsa were treated with pure collagen scaffold (control, C), empty PLGA NPs (NP), FO, mupirocin (MUP), PLGA NPs with entrapped FO (NP/FO) and PLGA NPs with entrapped MUP (NP/MUP). The following markers were evaluated on days 0, 3, 7, 14 and 21 post-excision: collagen, hydroxyproline (HP), angiogenesis and expressions of the COX2, EGF, COL1A1, COL1A3, TGFB1, VEGFA, CCL5 and CCR5 genes. The hypothesis that NP/FO treatment is superior to FO alone and that it is comparable to NP/MUP was tested. NP/FO treatment increased HP in comparison with both FO alone and NP/MUP (day 14) but decreased (p < 0.05) angiogenesis in comparison with FO alone (day 3). NP/FO increased (p < 0.05) the expression of the CCR5 gene (day 3) and tended (p > 0.05) to increase the expressions of the EGF (day 7, day 14), TGFB1 (day 21) and CCL5 (day 7, day 21) genes as compared with NP/MUP. NP/FO can be suggested as a suitable alternative to NP/MUP in cutaneous wound treatment.O
The Influence of Forestry Management on the Selection of a Non-Vegetative Diet by the Eurasian Beaver (Castor fiber L.)
Get PDFNative ecosystems have been transformed by humans into cultural landscapes, resulting in the disruption of natural interactions, with some species unable to adapt and disappearing from such landscapes. Other species were able to adapt their behavior to current environmental conditions. In some places, forest management has gradually transformed native diversified forests into stands converted for the greatest profit in the wood matter, thereby affecting the food availability for herbivores, among them the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber Linnaeus, 1758). This study summarizes knowledge on non-vegetation diet selection by beavers in commercial and natural forests in the Czech Republic. A sample size of 25,723 woody plant specimens checked in 288 forest stands showed that beavers prefer willow, poplar, or hazel, but where these are less available, commercial tree species such as oak may dominate the diet and cause economic losses in forestry. Significant differences were also observed in a preference for different trunk diameters and distances from water in different types of stands. In terms of stand types, commercial monocultures are the most felled, while the probability of felling decreases with the age of stands. Based on these results and discussion, it is suggested that commercial forest stands including economically valuable woody plant species (e.g., oak, ash) could be protected through appropriate management measures, such as increasing the proportion of deciduous softwood stands along the riverbanks, which would distract the beavers from commercial woody plant species.O
Effect of Different Presowing Treatments to Break Seed Dormancy and Seed Collection Methods on the Germination of Dracaena steudneri Schweinf. Ex Engl.
Get PDFResearch Highlights: This study is focused on the germination of Dracaena steudneri Schweinf. Ex Engl. seeds using different presowing treatments. Background and Objectives: The study aimed to overcome the problem of breaking seed dormancy, to facilitate artificial regeneration for conservation and development purposes. The objectives of this study were (1) to evaluate the effect of different seed treatments in breaking seed dormancy of D. steudneri and (2) to assess the effect of the seed collection method (seeds collected on the ground vs. from the tree) on the germination of the seed. Materials and Methods: experimental study with different seed-dormancy-breaking treatments was carried out in a greenhouse and seed laboratory. T testing and one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyse the data. Results: The applied seed treatments (hot water, cold water, sodium hypochlorite and nicking) did not improve the germination of the species, nor the breaking of seed dormancy. One-way ANOVA results also showed no significant differences between the different seed treatments and the control on the mean germination of the species in the greenhouse (p < 0.05). The t test result also revealed no significant differences in the mean germination between fallen seeds collected from the ground and in the tree crown (p < 0.05). The tetrazolium test results showed that the percentage of nonviable seeds was greater than that of the viable seeds. Conclusion: The different treatments for breaking seed dormancy did not improve the germination of seeds in the greenhouse (ranging from 0%-7%) nor in the seed laboratory (0%), which might be due to the intermediate characteristics of the seeds of this species. Therefore, we recommend that more research is undertaken on the seed ecophysiology of the species, in order to understand the mechanisms controlling its seed germination.O
Physiological and Immune Functions of Punicalagin
Get PDFThe aim of this publication is to compile a summary of the findings regarding punicalagin in various tissues described thus far in the literature, with an emphasis on the effect of this substance on immune reactions. Punicalagin (PUN) is an ellagitannin found in the peel of pomegranate (Punica granatum). It is a polyphenol with proven antioxidant, hepatoprotective, anti-atherosclerotic and chemopreventive activities, antiproliferative activity against tumor cells; it inhibits inflammatory pathways and the action of toxic substances, and is highly tolerated. This work describes the source, metabolism, functions and effects of punicalagin, its derivatives and metabolites. Furthermore, its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects are described.O