AGROFOR

INFLUENCE OF BLUE AND RED LEDs ON DEVELOPMENT AND NUTRITIVE VALUE OF PERILLA FRUTESCENS (L.) CULTIVATED IN CLIMATE CHAMBERS

2022-03-16T12:44:51+01:00

In this study influence of supplemental blue and red LED lighting on growth, nutrient solution uptake and concentration of secondary metabolites was investigated. Perilla plants were cultivated in climate chambers, where main light was provided by fluorescent tubes with PPFD between 123-177 μmolm-2s-1. Additionally, blue and red LEDs were used, providing 11 μmolm-2s-1 or 12 μmolm-2s-1, respectively. Temperature was set on 24/19°C (day/night), relative air humidity on 64/56% (day/night), and day length was 16 hours. Results showed that small portion of supplemental blue light (~9%) increased fresh mass (FM), dry
mass (DM), and nutrient solution uptake (NSU) up to 50.33%, 10.85% or 31.80%, respectively. Supplemental red light (~6%) increased nutrient solution uptake up to 23.56%, while fresh and dry mass were higher than control, but without statistical significance. Regarding nutritive value of Perilla, supplemental blue light significantly increased carotenoid concentration (Car) (+13.37%), but polyphenols (PP), anthocyanins (Anth) and flavonoid (Fl) concentrations did not differ from the control. In treatment with supplemental red light, only flavonoid concentration was significantly increased (+14.34%). Use of supplemental blue or red LEDs in closed systems with controlled conditions increase or tends to increase plants fresh mass, dry mass, nutrient solution uptake rate, as well as concentration of some secondary metabolites.

Keywords: Perilla, blue and red LEDs, climate chambers, growth and nutritive
value.

TRANSITION TO ORGANIC AGRICULTURE IN MOROCCO

2022-03-15T10:27:50+01:00

Agriculture is a vital sector in Morocco; it contributes 13% to the gross domestic product and employs around 30% of the total workforce and 70% in the rural areas. This puts agriculture in a sensitive spot where it affects the livelihoods of a great proportion of the population. Moroccan agricultural development programs (viz. Green Morocco Plan 2008-2019 and Green Generation 2020-2030) aim to enhance the livelihoods of farmers by focusing on the valorisation of small farms and rural areas through the development of protected geographic indications (PGI), cooperatives, and organic farming. This review paper describes the dynamics and development process of the organic agriculture niche in Morocco through the lens of the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) on socio-technical transitions. The MLP is a widely used framework that bases its analysis on transitions being the result of the interaction of niches, socio-technical regimes, and socio-technical landscape. Niches represent novelties, regimes are the incumbent and dominant systems, and the landscape includes the external factors that affect both regimes and niches and shape their development. Results show that although the organic niche is well established (11,000 ha of organic land area in 2019), it is still developing at a slower rate than expected. While organic farming does solve many sustainability challenges that Moroccan agriculture faces, it still lacks the infrastructure and human capital to succeed as a niche. All in all, organic farming is still in the first transition stages and can follow a multitude of pathways before becoming relevant in the current agri-food system.

Keywords: sustainability transitions, Multi-Level Perspective, agri-food system, organic farming, Morocco

ACCESS TO PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES FOR DIFFERENT GROUPS OF RURAL POPULATION IN RUSSIA

2022-03-18T11:44:19+01:00

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the problems of accessibility of primary health care and quality health services for rural residents are exacerbated. The purpose of the article is to conduct comparative studies of the access to public health services
of rural medical posts (RMPs), polyclinics, specialized medical facilities for different groups of the rural population of Russia. The results of the studies showed that the majority of rural residents living in small remote settlements request medical assistance at the RMPs. Among those who requested medical assistance, 70.7% were over 45 years old, and 43.9% were pensioners. Most of them have low requirements for medical assistance. They are primarily interested in the services provided for free. Younger rural residents (35.2% under the age of 45 years) request medical assistance at polyclinics, 47.8% of them are self-employed, and about 71.1% are low-income groups. The main reasons for applying for paid medical care, they call the lack of specialists in public institutions. Visitors to specialized centers have the highest requirements for the quality of medical services received. The maximum share belongs to young people (24.4% of people aged 16-30 and 20.3% aged 31-45), about 60.5% have jobs, 40.6% have incomes higher than the subsistence level. They are more likely than others to seek paid medical services. The main reason for choosing commercial institutions is the belief that paid medical services are of better quality. The construction of multidimensional distributions was performed using the statistical processing package STATISTICA Advanced for Windows 10.0.

Keywords: public health services, access, rural population, rural development, Russia.

EVALUATION OF POLYPHENOL EXTRACTION FROM APPLE POMACE

2022-03-18T11:17:09+01:00

Food industry is searching for natural additives because consumers demand natural, safe and environmentally sound food additives. The use of different plant extracts such as grape pomace and cranberry extracts which have antimicrobial effect in food preservation has gained an increasing interest. In the latest years many researches deal with investigation of the antimicrobial effect of apple pomace extracts. Apple pomace, a residue from apple juice production, contains high amount of polyphenols which are known to have antioxidant effect. Apple pomace is a by-product of the apple juice and cider processing industry and represents about 20–35% of the original fruits. It can be used for value-added products, because it is rich in pectin, fibre, macro and micro elements and antioxidants mainly, polyphenols. Previous studies indicate that the apple pomace has high phenolic content and antioxidant activity and thus can be regarded as a valuable source of antioxidants and bioactive compounds. The contents of phenolic compounds vary greatly among different varieties of apples. Moreover, apple peels contain higher concentration of phenolic compounds compared to flesh. Conventional production of apple juice results in a juice with poor phenolic content and with only 3–10% of the antioxidant activity of the fruits that they are produced from. Thus, leaving huge amount of the phenolic compounds in the pomace. Because of this, studying extraction method for extracting high amount of polyphenol from the pomace is important. In this paper apple pomace was dried with different drying method (atmospheric and vacuum ovens, 80° C and 60°C). Extraction was performed using distilled water as solvent, and the extracts were evaluated by the colour, water soluble sugars, total polyphenol content (TPC) and antioxidant capacity.

Keywords: Food waste, Apple pomace, Drying, Extraction, Antioxidant activity.

TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY OF THE RIPARIAN BEEKEEPERS OF THE COMPLEX OF PROTECTED AREAS PÔ-NAZINGA-SISSILI IN BURKINA FASO

2022-03-18T10:39:39+01:00

This paper attempted to analyse determinants of the technical efficiency of beekeepers in villages impacted by the creation of elephant corridor called Corridor No. 1 of the Pô-Nazinga-Sissili protected area complex in southern Burkina Faso. The data used in this analysis were collected from a sample of 52 beekeepers in July and August 2018. A Cobb-Douglas type honey production function with inefficiency effects was estimated for this purpose. The results showed that 75% of the discrepancy between potential and actual honey production would be due to beekeepers' technical inefficiency and that the average score of beekeepers' inefficiency effects was 0.78. It should be noted that the location of the hives, the number of years of beekeeping training received as well as the possession of a beekeeping suit are the significant factors that increase the efficiency level of the beekeepers. On the other hand, membership to a beekeepers’ association has a negative effect on honey production. The results highlight that locating hives within one kilometer of the elephant corridor may significantly improve the
technical efficiency of the beekeepers. However, the survival of these pachyderms is threatened because of human reprisals against them following their possible overflow into the riparian villages. Thus, an effective and sustainable policy aiming at both the conservation of the forest and an improvement of the incomes of the riparian households could be implemented by encouraging beekeepers to locate their hives next to the protected forests. This should increase their yields and it could maintain elephants within forests.

Keywords: Beekeeping, technical efficiency, protected areas, Burkina Faso.

OENOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND VINIFICATION RESULTS OF THE YEAST OF MALAGOUSIA GRAPE ISOLATED IN GREECE

2022-03-18T09:28:15+01:00

Malagousia grapes, selected from 5 different PGI Greek zones, in 3 different growing seasons (2018-2019, 2019-2020, 2020-2021) were collected in the stage of technological maturity. Quantity of 25 Kg grapes fermented spontaneously in 30 l thermo regulated stain steel tanks, produced white wine. The indigenous yeast flora, isolated at three phases of the alcoholic fermentations, was studied. Different yeast species were isolated, purified and characterized. The restriction fragment length polymorphism of PCR-amplified fragments from the rDNA gene cluster (PCR RFLP of rDNA) has been used for the differentiation of yeast species. The standard identification procedure has been performed on representative strains that shared identical RFLP profiles showed great diversity of the yeast population. Including grape berries, must and fermented must, the following yeast species were identified: a number of Pichia and Candida species, Kloeckera apiculata, Cryptococcus curvatus, Metschnikowia pulcherrima, Kluyveromyces, as well as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces stranieri. We performed microscopic, macroscopic and carbon assimilation tests by API 32C standardized system, biotechnological testing and hydrolase profiling obtained by the API-ZYM system. The most significant findings in population dynamics of yeasts in the
spontaneous fermentations were bigger diversity of different species of Non- Saccharomyces in organic grapes and almost complete absence of non-Saccharomyces species, at least at grapes and at the beginning of the alcoholic fermentations at conventionally cultivated grapes, from all the examined PGI zones in all the three years of the study. The use and enhancement of indigenous yeasts is an increasing trend. Rapid identification of the yeast population is necessary for successful monitoring of the fermentation process and for obtaining a good wine quality as well as contributing to the optimization of Greek wine production.

Keywords: Yeast strain selection, Spontaneous alcoholic fermentation, organic grapes.

QUALITY OF TABLE EGGS OF WHITE AND BROWN SHELL

2022-03-17T10:19:11+01:00

Since the white shell eggs are present in the domestic market, it is necessary to examine their quality in order for consumers to be adequately informed, especially because they have certain prejudices against white shell eggs. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of genotype (brown or white layers) on the table eggs quality after storage of 28 days. Total of 60 eggs from two strains of laying hens (Hisex brown and Hisex white) were sampled and the first set of 15 eggs were examined first day after laying. The second set of 15 eggs per strain was stored in a refrigerator (4°C) and examined after storage period of 28 days. The following egg quality parameters were evaluated: egg weight, shell breaking force, albumen height, Haugh units (HU) and yolk color. The results showed no significant differences in egg quality parameters between white and brown shell eggs neither in fresh eggs nor after storage. However, in both strains the storage significantly affected the albumen height (6.34 vs. 5.46 mm in brown eggs; 6.74 vs. 5.64 mm in white eggs) and HU (76.87 vs.70.40 in brown eggs; 79.11 vs. 71.44 in white eggs).
pH values of albumen were not significantly affected by storage (9.14 vs.9.35 in brown eggs; 9.37 vs. 9.42 in white eggs). The results suggest that the albumen height and the HU significantly decreased during storage in both white and brown shell eggs.
Key words: Brown eggs, White eggs, Storage, Quality.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF THE MINERAL FERTILIZER APPLICATION IN CEREAL PRODUCTION

2022-03-16T12:55:25+01:00

Cereal grains have represented the principal component of the human diet for thousands of years. Modern cereal production cannot be imagined without the use of mineral fertilizers, particularly in terms of better utilization of biological potential of the yield of growing plants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the energetic efficiency of wheat and barley production, with special reference to the share of the use of mineral fertilizers in total energy consumption. Input data and yield of wheat and barley fields were collected in the experimental trials in Serbia. Results showed that total energy inputs of wheat and barley fields were 22178.04 and 15921.16 MJ·ha-1, respectively. Total energy outputs for wheat and barley fields were 80037.83 and 104496.08 MJ·ha-1, respectively. The results obtained indicate that mineral fertilizers claim a share of the total energy consumption in cereal production ranging from 49.19% in barley to 52.01% in wheat. Specific energy input, energy output–input ratio (energy use efficiency), energy productivity and net energy gain were 5.13 MJ·kg-1, 3.61,0.19 kg·MJ-1 and57859.79MJ·ha-1in wheat system and 2.75 MJ·kg-1, 6.56, 0.36 kg·MJ-1 and 88574.92 MJ·ha-1 in barley system, respectively. According to the results, it seems that barley production is more efficient from different aspects of energy consumption compared to wheat in the studied region. In general, production in barley fields was more sustainable than wheat production because, in view of ecological indices such as amount of energy use and renewable energy consumption, it was more environment-friendly production.

Keywords: Cereal production, mineral fertilizers, energy consumption, energy
efficiency.

TENDENCIES AND PREDICTION OF PRICES OF INDUSTRIAL CROPS IN SERBIA

2022-03-15T10:38:30+01:00

The research in this paper deals with the prices of the most important industrial crops in Serbia – soybean, sunflower, sugarbeet, rapeseed and tobacco. The main aim of the research was to perform aquantitative analysisto determine the trends in the prices and to predict the trends for the following period. The analysis was based on the average annual prices for the period 2005-2019. The quantitative analysis was performed by using methods of descriptive statistics and the average annual
rate of change to discover the trendsfor the analyzed period and to predict the trends for the following five years (2020-2024). The average annual price of soybean was 311.86 EUR/t. The price ranged between 189 and 527 EUR/t. The annual change rate of soybean price in Serbia in the analyzed period was 2.76%. The average annual price of sunflower was 264.78 EUR/t. The price ranged between 163 and 455 EUR/t. The annual change rate of sunflower price in Serbia was 2.13%. The average annual price of sugarbeet was 31.60 EUR/t. The price ranged between 24.36 and 40.31 EUR/t. The annual change rate of sugar beet price was 1.85 %. The average annual price of rapeseed was 299.58 EUR/t. The price ranged between 145 and 447 EUR/t. The annual change rate was 5.84%. The average annual price of tobacco was 1,749 EUR/t. The price ranged between 1,068 and 2,159 EUR/t. The annual change rate of tobacco price in Serbia was 3.90%.The predictions show that the expected prices for the industrial crops in 2024 in Serbia will be as follows: soybean 337, sunflower 266, sugar beet 35.33, rapeseed 425 and tobacco 2,208 EUR/t. Keywords: industrial crops, soybean, sunflower, sugarbeet, rapeseed, tobacco, prices prediction, Serbia.

HUMIC ACIDS COMPOSITION OF ARABLE SOD-PODZOLIC SOIL AFTER LONG-TERM APPLICATION OF TRADITIONAL AND UNCONVENTIONAL ORGANIC FERTILIZERS

2022-03-18T11:54:08+01:00

The elemental composition and structure of humic acids (HA) of arable sodpodzolic soil (Eutric Albic Retisols (Abruptic, Loamic, Cutanic) was studied inPerm Agricultural Research Institute – division of PFRC. Application of traditional and unconventional organic fertilizers was fulfilled in long-term stationary experiment. The carbon content in HA of sod-podzolic soil varied from 30.7 to 34.6; hydrogen – 28.9-35.5, oxygen – 21.1-27.9, nitrogen – 1.9-2.2%. The Н/С ratio for all treatments was >1, the structure of the supramolecular associations of humic acids is predominantly aliphatic. Long-term use of manure, sewage sludge (SS) and their combination with mineral fertilizers led to the enrichment of humic acids with nitrogen. The maximum degree of HA oxidation was observed with the use of cattle manure. The FTIR spectra of humic acids had absorption bands of carboxyl, hydroxyl, methyl, methylene, methoxyl and other groups in a wide wavelength range. At 1720 cm-1, an absorption band was recorded, which had a high intensity in the control variant and was due to oscillations of the >C=O group of carboxylic acids. With an increase in the load of the anthropogenic factor on the soil (application of organic and mineral fertilizers), a decrease in its intensity is observed. The structure of supramolecular HA aggregates of the control variant, with the introduction of NPK and unconventional organic fertilizer – SS, is characterized by a higher content of aromatic fragments, as evidenced by a clear existence of the absorption band at 1628 cm–1. Cattle manure application promoted the formation of humic acids with a branched aliphatic structure.

Keywords: element analysis, atomic ratios, humic acids oxidation degree, IR spectroscopy, fertilizers.

SILAGE YIELD AND PROTEIN CONTENT OF FORAGE LEGUMES INTERCROPPING WITH CEREALS IN TWO SPATIAL ARRANGEMENTS

2022-03-18T11:29:37+01:00

Intercropping of most annual legumes with winter cereals is a very common practice for forage production in many countries. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of different spatial arrangements of intercropping cereals with forage legumes on silage yield and protein content. The completely randomized design was applied with three replications. Particularly, common vetch and forage pea were used as forage legumes, and barley, and triticale were used as cereals, which were grown individually as well as intercropped with each other in mixed rows in a sowing ratio 65:35 or in alternate rows. The plants were harvested when the legumes were at the end of the flowering period and were separated by hand to determine the weight of fresh matter for each species. Samples of 100 g of hay from each experimental plot were used to calculate the dry matter and to determine the total N and subsequently the total protein content using the Kjeldahl method. In most cases differences were found between the treatments concerning the dry matter and the protein content. Regarding the fresh weight the mixtures triticale+common vetch (alternate rows), barley + common vetch (alternate rows) and barley+ forage pea (alternate rows) showed the higher yield. The forage pea gave the higher yield among the nonocrops. Regarding the dry weight the mixtures barley+ forage pea (alternate rows) and triticale+ common vetch (alternate rows) showed the higher yield. Additionally, significant differences were recorded between the examined genotypes in grain yield. The barley intercropped with forage pea (mixed rows) gave the higher yield. Regarding the grain yield of legumes, common vetch intercropped with barley (alternate rows) and forage pea intercropped with barley (both cases) gave the higher yield. In all cases the forage yield (weight of dry matter) was higher in separated lines compared to mixed lines. However, concerning the grain yield the mixed rows were probably more productive.

Key words: intercropping, dry matter, protein content, spatial arrangement.

ATTITUDES OF FARMERS FROM THE AREAS WITH NATURAL CONSTRAINTS TOWARD AGRICULTURAL AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT

2022-03-18T11:07:29+01:00

Farmers and rural areas, especially those with natural constraints, face a number of challenges, such as lower yields, difficult access to markets, depopulation and devastation of the rural environment. Agricultural policy in Serbia does not provide a special measure for farmers in these areas which is opposite to the practice in the European Union. Nevertheless, farmers in Serbia can benefit from measures that have a specific treatment for farms located in the areas with natural constraints. The aim of this paper is to examine the attitudes of the farmers in the areas with natural constraints toward agricultural and rural development support in Serbia. Data collection was organized using a stratified simple random sampling and it included 371 farms. Face-to-face interviews were conducted during July-August 2018 in the mountainous area of East and South Serbia. The questionnaire contained information about socio-economic characteristics of the farms, attitudes on agricultural and rural policy and future plans. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistic method (measures of central tendency and variability). The results indicate that almost all farmers use direct payments and have enough information and experience to apply for this support. On the other hand, the research reveals a low level of application of rural development support especially
for measures aimed at the improvement of the quality of life and diversification of the farm income, as well as measures for environmental improvement. Results provide information for policymakers that can be useful for creating more efficient rural development support aimed at farmers in the areas with natural constraints.

Keywords: areas with natural constraints, subsidies, attitudes, Serbia.

EFFECT OF LAND USE AND SOIL PROPERTIES ON SOIL TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION OF CAMBISOLS IN MOUNTAIN REGIONS

2022-03-18T10:26:32+01:00

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of land use, location, and soil properties on the distribution and dynamics of the soil temperature, the accumulated heat and the apparent thermal diffusivity of Cambisols in three mountain regions in Bulgaria. Annual distribution of the soil temperature (Ts) of Cambisols was registered under different land use (grassland, bare soil, deciduous and coniferous vegetation) during period June 2018-May 2021. Every day measurements were realized at 0, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 cm depths in 11 plots within the territory of the experimental stations Gabra (~920 m.), Govedartzi (~1540 m.), and Igralishte (~850 m) of the Forest Research Institute, situated in the Lozen, Rila and Maleshevska Mountains, respectively, in the South-Western part of Bulgaria. The experimental stations differ in climatic conditions and soil physical and chemical properties. The heat accumulated in 0-50 cm soil layer was assessed by the sum of Ts for the period with Ts > 5oC. The heat accumulated in bare soil was the highest (4067-3544oC), followed by the sums under grassland (3849-3453 oC) and forest (3096-3300 oC) in Gabra and Igralishte. The relative decrease of the accumulated heat under woodland in comparison to grassland was 18-20% in Gabra and 4-7% in Igralishte. At the higher elevation in Govedartzi the heat accumulated under grassland was 10-12% less than under woodland. The apparent thermal diffusivities () were estimated using annual amplitudes of Ts at depths
0.02 and 0.20 m. The data showed that the values of  under grass in Gabra 0.212 mm2 s-1 and in Igralishte 0.535 mm2 s-1 were higher than under forest vegetation 0.061-0.133 mm2 s-1 and bare soil 0.049-0.071 mm2 s-1. In Govedartzi the thermal diffusivity was higher 0.118 mm2 s-1 under Norway spruce than under grassland 0.070 mm2 s-1 and Scots pine 0.079 mm2 s-1.

Keywords: Soil temperature distribution, Cambisols, Mountains, Land use, Bulgaria.

THE USE OF POTASSIUM SALTS UNIQUE PROPERTIES FOR SUPPRESSION OF POTATO PATHOGENS DURING STORAGE PERIOD

2022-03-18T09:15:39+01:00

Natural sylvinite has the property to produce light air ions due to air molecules contact with potassium and sodium cations. Such environment has the ability to inhibit the growth of potato pathogens. In given report the results of different methods of medium saturation with light negative ions are presented. The studied treatments were following: the surface from bulk sylvinite; aerosol generator (blowing air through salt filters). The filters with lumpy sylvinite filling and special pills from pressed sylvinite were used. Various modes of airing regimes were evaluated – three and six hours a day. The safety of tubers for the storage period, as well as the qualitative set of potato pathogens were assessed. The least number of infected tubers was noted in treatments with “pill”salt filter with three hours ventilation regime and the surface from bulk sylvinite (0.56 and 0.57%, respectively), the largest number of diseased tubers - in the control variant - 1.18%. The smallest mass loss of tubers in the period from January 29 to April 14 was recorded in the treatment with pill salt filter with with three hours ventilation regime - 1.53%, the maximum loss - when using a surface from bulk sylvinite - 2.9%. After studies in typical storages equipped with standard ventilation systems, a technology for potato storage, based on the creation favorable air environment saturated with negative air ions and saline aerosol, will be developed.

Key words: potato storage, sylvinite, air ions, salt aerosol, potato pathogens.

PASTORALISM AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE MEDITERRANEAN REGION

2022-03-16T13:47:28+01:00

Pastoralism has a long tradition in the Mediterranean region. However, there is little evidence about its contribution to sustainable development in the region. Therefore, this review analyses the state of research on the multifaceted relations between pastoralism and sustainable development in the Mediterranean with a particular reference to the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It draws upon a systematic review of all documents indexed in the Web of Science by June 2021. The analysis of the scholarly literature suggests that (i) there is a divide with most studies performed in Northern Mediterranean countries; (ii) no article has investigated the contribution of pastoralism to the
implementation of the sustainable development agendas (MDGs and SDGs) in the Mediterranean; and (iii) most of the selected articles deal with environmental sustainability (cf. biodiversity, land use, land degradation, deforestation) while social, cultural and economic aspects are generally overlooked. The ongoing processes of intensification, specialisation and modernisation of pastoral systems do not only jeopardise the provision of various ecosystem services, but also put at risk the preservation and sustainability of traditional pastoral systems. Such modernisation also leads to the erosion of pastoral culture and the abandonment of some traditional systems such as sylvo-pastoralism and mobile pastoralism. Sustainable development of pastoralism in the Mediterranean implies improving the livelihoods and living conditions of pastoralists while preserving their unique cultural heritage and social capital and ensuring the continued provision of ecosystem systems. Such development pathway should be guided by and aligned with the SDGs.

Keywords: agro-pastoralism, biodiversity, Millennium Development Goals, pasture, Sustainable Development Goals