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Giant reed (Arundo donax L.) from ornamental plant to dedicated bioenergy species: review of economic prospects of biomass production and utilization
39-46.Views:483Giant reed (Arundo donax L.) is a perennial, herbaceous grass, it has been spread all over the world from continent to tropical conditions by human activities. In continental climate, especially Hungary, it has been considered as ornamental species, due to its decorative appearance, striped variants’ colour of leaves, long growing season and low maintenance requirements. It does not produced viable seeds, so it can be propagated vegetative ways by rhizomes or stem cuttings and by in vitro biotechnology methods. Because of its growth habits and good adaptation capability, it has been considered invasive weed primarily in coastal regions in warmer climate areas. In the previous century, giant reed produced for paper/cellulose/viscose production, woodwind musical instruments, stakes for plants or fishing rods etc. Over the last few decades, it has been produced for bioenergy purposes (bioethanol, biogas, direct combustion) or utilize as chemical basic compounds or construction materials. It has been considered a dedicated promising biomass crops thanks to high biomass production, high energy balance of cultivation and adaptability of different kind of soils and conditions. The objective of the present paper is to overview the most significance literature data on giant reed production and utilization, compare to own experimental data and economic calculations and to determine some critical factors, advantages and disadvantages of giant reed production compare to other biomass species.
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Effect of water supply on canopy temperature, stomatal conductance and yield quantity of processing tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.)
13-15.Views:271Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is one of the most extensively cultivated horticultural crops in the world.Water supply is important for yield quantity and quality. The aims of the present study were 1) to evaluate the canopy temperature and the stomatal conductance on processing tomato substances with different water supply, 2) to investigate the effect of different water supply on yield quantity. There were two irrigated treatments, one of them was the reguralry irrigated plant stand which got 333 mm water during investigated period, including the precipitation and the other was the cut off substance which means the irrigation (drip) was stopped at the beginning of the ripening process and there was a control as well which got 189 mm precipitation. The canopy temperature was measured row by row with a Raytek MX 4 type infrared remote thermometer. The stomatal conductance was measured by Delta-T AP4 type porometer. There were significant differences between the control and irrigated plants according to the water supply which was formulated the canopy values. The plants with a deficient water supply were decreased the transpiration rate, therefore its cooling effect didn’t show up. The regularly irrigated tomato plants’ yield exceeded the unirrigated ones more than twice. It is emerged from the study that the irrigation has a positive effect on the amount of the harvestable yield in this year type.
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Effects of silicon in plants with particular reference to horticultural crops - Review article
95-105.Views:296Silicon (Si) has long been considered as non-essential element for plant’s growth and production. Numerous efforts are being made for the discovery of its beneficial effects with large scale studies laying foundation for new findings and hypotheses. Therefore, Si has been suggested to be a quasi-essential element due to its positive effects against biotic and abiotic stresses alike. Though Si is the second most abundant element in the soil profile, its availability to plants is limited to the form of monosilicic acid only. Besides, plants’ ability to take-up Si and use it in their physiological processes also depends on the available transporters associated with it. Thus, the present review covers uptake and transport of silicon in plants as well as Si mediated physiological processes, including mechanisms underlying induced tolerance against biotic and abiotic stresses with a particular emphasis on horticultural species.
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Adaptation of temperate climate horticultural plants in tropical and subtropical developing countries II. General characteristics, Hungarian experiences and possibilities
5-11.Views:400The cooperation of Hungarian professionals with Chinese, Thai, South-Korean, Taiwanese and Brazilian colleagues should deserve much more attention than actually done. We refer to the transfer and adaptation of production technologies as well as biotechnological developments in vegetables, fruits, ornamentals and medicinal plants from the Temperate Zone to the tropical and subtropical regions. According to our information Hungarian colleagues involved in extension work are highly esteemed on the same level as Japanese, Chilean, Italian and French colleagues. We could state that immigration of investors, local enterpreneurs as well as those coming from expansive regions of Europe, North America and oversses, representaives of supermakets keeps to be accelerated by the increasing confidence triggered also by the successful management of profitable plantations, vineyards and fruits initiated first about 15 years ago.
For Hungary, the presence and achievements of Hungarian horticultural expertise in tropical and subtropical zones yielded unequivocal advantages. Therefore, the next actual step of development would mean the organisation of a network of the "Units of Horticultural Mission" in the tropic and subtropic countries. We are convinced that those Units will stimulate the traffic of technologies as centers of transfer within and between the regions and contribute to the increasing influence of professionals on the production and trade of horticultural commodities. The introduction and testing of new varieties of vegetables, fruits, medicinal plants (as well as ornamentals), the development of the growing technologies, adaptation and acclimation of Temperate Zone germ plasm representing the general trends of advanced production will be the most important tasks of the Mission with a sufficient oversight upon the whole world. It is taken as a fact that Hungarian horticulture and breeding is competitive on the world market. We are ready to contribute to the development of horticulture on a worldwide scale. The Hungarian R & D will be attentive in the future to manage the accumulated capacities by information and mediating needs and offers to the volonteers of the profession. The reality of the above propositions are amply proved by successes of the Agroinvest Co and of other professionals registered in abroad.
To keep on the top of the world list of the profession we have to follow up the international trends by our permanent presence on the most important centers of administration and production of the world in order to hold on the hot line of the Hungarian administration competent in financing the R & D activities. We need specialists which are open minded, speak languages, familiar with the tricks of informatics, economics and politics, competent in deals, able to make decisions, etc. The education and training should be strenghtened to he conform with those trends. That proposal involves also the need to follow up the activities of the transnational companies, the regular, active participation on international conferences, the permanent attention paid to electronic informations available in the worldwide networks as well as the printed periodicals of horticulture. It is also related to the attraction of investors to the developments aimed within the country as well as abroad. At last but not at least we have to keep in mind that the work performed abroad by the Hungarian professional is a kind of "para-diplomatic mission" which cannot be substituted by any other, sometimes very expensive activity charged on the officia erliplomatic missions. The benefit of it is, however, valid to the whole country because false stereotypes developed during the last 50 years cannot be abolished otherwise.
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Review of the molecular background of self-incompatibility in rosaceous fruit trees
7-18.Views:193This review gives a presentation of the gametophytic self-incompatibility system in the roscaeous fruit trees. Studies to discover the pistil (S-ribonucleases) and pollen-part components (F-box molecules) are summarized and models for the self-incompatibility reactions as well as their molecular background are discussed. We describe how mutations within the S-RNase or F-box genes can contribute to the transition from self-incompatibility to the self-compatible phenotype in many fruit tree crops. The current state of the arts is compared to the information obtained in other plant species possessing similar incompatibility system.