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ASSESSMENT OF ROMANIAN PEPPERS CULTIVARS FOR FRUIT QUALITY TRAITS
Get PDFIn recent years, there has been a growing trend among people to be more conscious of the food they consume, seeking products with high nutritional value, bioactive compounds, and antioxidant capacity to promote good health and maintain an excellent body figure. Among the most popular and versatile fresh vegetables worldwide are peppers (Capsicum annuum L.), known for their vibrant colours, delightful flavours, and abundant nutritional benefits. In this study, we aimed to assess the phenotypic diversity in terms of fruit quality traits and yield for five Romanian pepper cultivars bred at VRDS Buzau: two bell peppers (Cantemir, Regal), two hot peppers (Roial, Decebal), and one accession (L- 50). To evaluate fruit quality, we measured various parameters including dry matter content, fruit firmness, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid, lycopene, and β-carotene content at different ripening stages. The results showed that fully ripe fruits exhibited significantly higher levels of bioactive compounds compared to unripe fruits. Specifically, the L-50 variety demonstrated the highest content of total soluble solids and β-carotene, making it a standout choice for its nutritional benefits. On the other hand, the Roial variety stood out with its rich vitamin C content. Moreover, the Cantemir cultivar displayed the highest fruit firmness (10.1 N), indicating an extended shelf-life capacity, which could be advantageous for storage and transportation. Importantly, all studied genotypes exhibited promising antioxidant properties, positioning them as potential natural ingredients for functional foods. In conclusion, our findings underscore the remarkable diversity and nutritional potential of these Romanian pepper cultivars. Their abundance in bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity makes them excellent choices for health-conscious consumers seeking fresh and nutritious ingredients to support their well-being and dietary goals
THE EFFECTS OF AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY ON MAIZE YIELD IN SOMBOR REGION IN SERBIA IN 2013-2022 PERIOD
Get PDFThe most cultivated crop in the area of Northwestern Serbia is maize. In the Sombor region maize is grown on about 60,000 ha each year, and in Serbia it is grown on more than 1,000,000 ha, which makes Serbia a significant producer of this cereal. The Agricultural Extension Service Sombor has been monitoring the correlation between agrotechnical measures and maize yield for several decades. The following agrotechnical measures are monitored: time of primary tillage, impact of previous crop, use of mineral fertilizers, time of sowing and selection of hybrids. Each of these measures are in the hands of agricultural producers and through these measures, producers effect the level of maize yield. The primary tillage in dry condition preserves the necessary soil moisture and it is one of the most important moments in production given climate change. Proper usage of mineral fertilizers, the choice of the appropriate pre-crop and sowing time also has a very significant impact on yield. Also, the choice of maize hybrids according to FAO groups and production orientation (mercantile or silage maize, sweet maize, popcorn) has a great influence on yield
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LITTER MOISTURE AND PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION ON USED AND FRESH BEDDING IN COMMERCIAL TURKEY HOUSES AT MARKET AGE
Get PDFBedding material is expensive; therefore, it is commonly reused after windrowing in the grow-out phase in commercial turkey houses in the United States. Bedding material is significant to keep the high moisture away from the birds, which can deteriorate their performance and welfare. This study aimed to determine the relationship between litter moisture and particle size distribution in commercial turkey houses at the end of the grow-out phase (average 118 days of age). Composite litter samples were collected from turkey barns (N=17), then subsamples in triplicate were dried and material separated by vibration on 10 various pore sizes of sieves ranging from 25.40 mm to 0.15 mm, plus the remainder. The material remaining on each sieve was weighed and expressed as a percentage of material retained. For used bedding, on sieve sizes 1-3, a total of 8 samples were collected (N=7 rice hulls, N=1 wood shavings), and from sieve size 4 onward, N=10 (N=7 rice hulls, and N=3 wood shavings). A total of 7 samples were collected from fresh bedding placed in the barn at the start of the grow-out phase (N=4 rice hulls, N=2 wood shavings, N=1 combination of rice hulls and wood shavings). For the used bedding, the litter moisture was positively correlated with large particles, i.e., sieve 1 correlated very strongly (>25.40 mm, r=0.81, P=0.015), and it tended to correlate with sieve 2 (19.05 mm, r=0.64, P=0.086). A negative correlation was revealed between litter moisture and finer particles, i.e., sieve 6(1.68 mm, r=-0.78, P=0.008), sieve 7(1.19 mm, r=-0.95, P=0.0000), sieve 8(0.84 mm, r=-0.95, P=0.0000), sieve 9(0.60 mm, r=-0.83, P=0.003, sieve 10(0.30 mm, r=-0.73, P=0.016), and remainder(<0.15 mm, r=-0.81, P=0.005). No relationship was found for fresh bedding between moisture content and particle size distribution. The relationship between litter moisture and particle size distribution indicated that on used litter, coarse particles are associated with higher litter moisture, and fine particles are related to lower litter moisture. It is assumed that the accumulated mixture of feather, spilled feed, and excreta influenced the characteristics of litter, including water releasing capacity and water holding capacity, besides other information such as litter depth, number of times the litter is being used, length of growing period, and in the case of various bedding materials, further studies are needed
THE LONG-TERM TREND OF APPLYING CHEMICAL AND NATURAL FERTILIZERS IN ROMANIA
Get PDFLand improvements, in the last decades, have received a special attention, representing the whole complex of hydrotechnical works that are carried out in order to improve land, ensure soil fertility by improving its qualities in order to capitalize on agricultural land for unproductive land or improve crop development conditions, agricultural land on some poorly productive land. The five categories of fertilizers applied on agricultural lands in Romania are chemical, nitrogen, phosphate, potassium and natural. The purpose of this paper is to study the management of the application of chemical fertilizers in the analysed period and implicitly the spatial evaluation. In the last 32 years the area of land on which chemical fertilizers have been applied has increased considerably from 3,528,354 ha in 1990 to 8,400,360 ha in 2021. Phosphate fertilizers are maintained around the average of 4,364,177 ha while natural fertilizers are applied on fairly small 826,420 ha in 1990 sweeping up to 877,985 ha in 2020. If we discuss the regions at the national level, a significant difference can be observed, even from singles to doubles in the region Centru 41,941,745 ha and the Sud-Muntenia region 8,753,2752 ha
INTERESTERIFICATION OF RAPESEED OIL WITH METHYL FORMATE FOR PRODUCTION OF INNOVATIVE BIODIESEL FUEL
Get PDFDuring the production of biodiesel, a by-product - the glycerol phase is formed (about 10% of the obtained biodiesel). The interesterification of vegetable oil using carboxylate esters of low molecular weight does not produce glycerol, instead its compounds (mono-, di- and triformyl glycerides) are obtained in a mixture with fatty acid alkyl esters (conventional biodiesel). Such a product can be used as fuel for diesel engines. The aim of the work was to investigate the possibilities of application of methyl formate in the biotechnological production of biodiesel. The industrial enzyme preparation Lipozyme TL IM was used as a catalyst for interesterification. The influence of the amount of catalyst, the molar ratio of methyl formate to oil and the duration of the process on the yield of biodiesel was evaluated. The highest yield of rapeseed oil methyl esters was obtained under the following conditions: 14-15% of the enzyme preparation Lipozyme TL IM (based on the weight of the oil), molar ratio of methyl formate to oil - 40:1, duration - 60 h. Under these conditions, an 81.6% yield of rapeseed oil methyl esters was obtained
OXIDATION OF AQUEOUS PHARMACEUTICALS WITH PERSULFATE ACTIVATED BY NON-THERMAL PLASMA
Get PDFThe oxidation of antibiotic vancomycin (VAN), antidiabetic metformin (MET), and anti-inflammatory dexamethasone (DEX) was studied using a combined pulsed corona discharge (PCD) and persulfate (PS) system. The effect of the dose of persulfate on the degradation rate, the degree of mineralization, and the energy efficiency of the target pharmaceuticals oxidation was evaluated. Irrespective of the target compound studied, the addition of moderate persulfate doses resulted in a noticeable improvement in oxidation efficiency compared to non-assisted PCD process. For all pharmaceuticals examined, with minor exception for DEX showing negligible improvement, an increase of the dose of persulfate in the PCD/PS combination resulted in a substantial increase in the observed degradation rate. The findings of this study strongly suggest that the combined PCD/PS oxidation is a promising treatment technology for water purification from aqueous pharmaceutical contamination
CONVERSION OF PLASTER MOLDS WASTES INTO THE NEW INORGANIC PRODUCTS BY THERMAL DEHYDRATION
Get PDFSolving the environmental issues by reducing the waste generated by the industries of building and ceramic materials is a global priority due to their impact on the human health and ecosystems. Recovery of plaster molds wastes from fine ceramic industry is an important topic to address in order to reduce the use of natural gypsum resources and address environmental issues generated by solid wastes from landfill disposal. The main objective of this paper is related to the thermal behaviour study of the calcium sulphate dehydrate during the calcination and to determine the kinetic parameters for the dehydration reactions. Also, the effects of different heating rates on the course of dehydration are investigated, pointing out that the general state of dehydration does not change, although at a given temperature the mass loss is the same for different heating rate. On the other hand, the increase in the heating rate displaces the reaction towards high temperatures. Thus, based on the kinetic study carried out, it was established that the dehydration process needs to take place approximately 50 minutes at a constant temperature of 373 K. Finally, the dehydrated waste is used to obtain a new inorganic material, which can be used for geopolymer preparation. For geopolymeric mortar, 5 % and 10 % from fly ash was replaced with gypsum. The solutions of NaOH 5M and sodium silicate were used to activate the geopolymer. The obtained results indicated a good geopolymer structure formation
LATE SPRING FROSTS AND THEIR IMPACT TO AGRICULTURE IN BULGARIA
Get PDFThe losses of agricultural production in Bulgaria, as a result of climatic anomalies and unfavorable weather conditions during the years since the beginning of the 21st century, are significant and are growing continuously. The dates of the last spring and first autumn frosts limit the potential growing season. Damage from late spring frosts is a major limiting factor for the production of agricultural products. In the last 40 years, studies on the regime and risk of occurrence of late spring and early autumn frosts with data on a sufficient number of observation points have not been done. The aim of the study is to assess the risk of late spring frosts in the agricultural lands of Bulgaria. The phenomenon of frost is observed in the NIMH meteorological network. Agricultural crops are affected by frost during the potential growing season. We selected the cases of frost appearance after the permanent transition of air temperatures above 10°C for 50 stations from the territory of Bulgaria. The study period is 1991-2022. The results of this study will be useful in assessing the agroclimatic resources of a given region and planning agricultural production, especially for some spring crops and orchards
BIOMASS IN BARLEY GENOTYPES (HORDEUM VULGARE L.) AND ASSOCIATION WITH ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS UNDER RAINFED CONDITIONS
Get PDFBiomass in barley is one physiological parameter associated with grain yield and quality in barley genotypes. In the present study, there were various relations between NDVI and parameters investigated barley genotype. This research was carried out in the Trakia region over four environments during the 2018-2019 cycles. The experiment was set up with 25 barley genotypes in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications. In the study, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), grain yield (GY), plant height (PH), days of heading (DH), 1000-kernel weight (TKW), test weight (TW) and protein ratio (PRT) were investigated. The results of the variance analysis (ANOVA) for NDVI are presented in Table 1. The combined ANOVA revealed a significant difference in E2 and E4 locations between genotypes in the Z34 period. In the Z55 period, there was a significant difference between genotypes in E1, E2 and E3 locations. Pearson’s correlation analysis determined correlation coefficients between NDVI and the parameters tested. Over four environments, NDVI was made in barley genotypes in the Z34 and Z55 periods. NDVI in the Z34 period was slightly positively related to grain yield in E1 and E4. NDVI also had a positive effect on thousand-grain weight in three (E1, E3, E4) environments, on test weight in E1 (r=0.583**) and E4 (r=0.679**). NDVI had a positive effect on protein ratio in genotypes over four environments. The positive effect of NDVI on grain yield in the heading period (Z55) showed the importance of the relationship between yield and NDVI value. Normalized difference vegetation index had a positive effect on TKW in three environments (E2, E3 and E4), to TW in 4 environments during the Z55 period. In the study, a slightly different relationship was determined between NDVI and protein value in the Z55 period. The positive effect of NDVI on yield and quality values has shown that it is an important physiological parameter that can be used in selection. It is recommended that the increased biomass genotypes identified could be used as parents in a breeding programme to produce genotypes with a higher yield
DIFFERENT INFLUENCES ON SMOKING HABITS RELATED TO AN ONLINE TOBACCO PREVENTION PROGRAM
Get PDFTobacco control experts must concentrate their efforts to prevent smoking and to promote cessation before adolescents become addicted to nicotine. Our aim was to determine different factors associated with tobacco use among high school students. Susceptibility to smoking, defined as a lack of a firm commitment not to smoke, is therefore useful in estimating which young people can become smokers and under whose influence the status of susceptibility can change. The aim of this study is to assess the association between the susceptibility of tobacco use and psychosocial and sociodemographic factors. The current study is a repeated cross-sectional secondary analysis of data collected using a questionnaire administered in 2015 and 2018 among ninth-grade students in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova. The prevalence of susceptibility to cigarette smoking among the study participants was 38.6% in 2015 and 50.2% in 2018 (p<0,001). Our result indicates that smoking friends represent a strong predictor of high smoking susceptibility among those who have never smoked. The temptation to smoke increased significantly during the period covered by the study from 1.32 (0.67) to 1.48 (0.66) (p < 0.001). In conclusion the connection between socio-demographic factors (smoking parents or friends) and psycho-emotional factors (temptation to smoke) will increase the likelihood of smoking among adolescents