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Changes of some soil chemical and microbiological characteristics in a long-term fertilization experiment in Hungary
253-265Views:650Agricultural management practices – directly or indirectly – influence soil properties.
Fertilization rates and crop rotation can strongly affect soil pH, soil nutrient supply and soil organic matter content due to the changes of microbial processes. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of different fertilization doses in monoculture and tri-culture of maize (monoculture: only maize grown since 1983, tri-culture: it is a three-year crop rotation system: pea – winter wheat – maize) on selected soil characteristics. The long-term fertilization experiments were set up in 1983 in Eastern Hungary. These experiments are situated west of Debrecen in Hajdúság loess region, on calcareous chernozem (according to WRB: Chernozems).
The test plant was maize (Zea mays L.). One-one pilot blocks were selected from monoculture and tri-culture of the long-term experiments. The observed soil samples were taken in the 30th year of the experiment, in 2013. The doses of NPK fertilizers increased parallel together, so the effects of N-, P- and K-fertilizers cannot be separated.
With the increasing fertilizer doses, the soil pH has decreased in both crop production systems and, in parallel, the hydrolytic acidity has significantly increased. A close negative correlation was proved between the pHH2O, pHKCl and hydrolytic acidity. An increased nutrient content in soil was recorded in every NPK treatment and the available phosphorus and nitrate content increased in higher proportion than that of potassium. Of the measured parameters of C-and N-cycles, fertilization has mostly had a positive effect on the microbial activity of soils. Besides the effects of fertilizer doses, correlation were looked for between soil microbiological properties. Evaluating the ratios among the measured parameters (organic carbon and microbial biomass carbon, OC/MBC ratio; carbon-dioxide and microbial biomass carbon; CO2/MBC proportion), the fertilization rate seems to be favoured by the increase of amounts of organic compounds
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Supplementary botanical examinations for modelling the grass production of the great pasture of Hajdúbagos
17-21Views:199Our botanical survey at the great pasture of Hajdúbagos is a part of a broad research that aims to predict the production of the grass at the given area. As the mentioned pasture is a nature conservation area, the usage of artificial fertilizers or other classic grassland management methods in its handling are prohibited. Thus grazing is an important tool for the management of this area, however the not suitably regulated grazing order and the poorly calculated carrying capacity cause serious problems at some parts of the pasture. The prediction of the grass yield is essential to
avoid both over- and both under-grazing and for determining the optimal number of the grazing animal stock and the grazing method, thus the most suitable management strategy.
The potential grass yield is easily calculable with a computer model that will be established as a basis for determining the grass production. For the sake of getting an accurate view of the plant associations of the pasture, we created examination quadrates and determined all plant species found in the quadrates. After plant determination, we compiled a coenological table in which we marked besides the scientific name and families, the life forms of each species that refer to the structure, morphology and thus the adaptability of plants to their environment. We determined the
TWR, so the thermoclimate, water and soil reaction values, the nature conservation values, as well as the covering values of each plant species (DB), and the total coverage of the examination quadrates (B%).
According to the covering values, grasses proved to be characteristic plants at the examined pasture, thus we need to consider them influential in calculating the animal carrying capacity and with the rest of the information, we need to supply the model.
The life forms and TWR indicators, all together with the nature conservation values provide further important data to the development of the management suggestion of the protected pasture. By examining these values to different parts of the area, we could get an exact view on the measure of the degradation effects. This promotes the determination of grazing methods and the forming of the boundaries of certain pasture sections, to avoid those harmful anthropogenic effects that seriously endanger this extensive sandy pasture. -
Comparison of supplier quality assurance methods for compound feed manufacturing from efficiency, product consistency and economical point of view
29-34Views:230Feed manufacturing and human food production are the main routes of use for agricultural products. The food industryparticularly has intensively implemented the recent quality management principles and developed systems that facilitate the continuous improvement and efficiency of the industrial production. Feed production has taken similar approaches however the intensity of deployment at the manufacturer and the rollout towards its supply chain has shown slower progress. The methods, that the feed manufacturer manages the supplier chain of mainly primer agricultural products according to, have a certain impact on the efficiency of the inbound operations, feed product quality and its consistency as well as on other resources. These methods have been built on sound quality management principles that are stated not only in quality standards but also in relevant regulations. Current study addresses the questions related to the link between supply chain quality management and feed product. The objective of the frontier research was to highlight the theoretical possibilities and benefits of the robust design methodimplemented into animal feed manufacturing dealing with highly variable ingredients.
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The use of Common duckweed (Lemna minor) as a biological filter in the rearing of hybrid African catfish (Clarias gariepinus x Heterobranchus longifilis)
107-112Views:608The African catfish (Clarias gariepinus x Heterobranchus longifilis) is one of the most important fish species in Hungarian aquaculture. The larvae and juveniles are reared at high feeding rates, which can reach up to 10% of the biomass. Intensive feeding results in large amounts of effluent water, directly proportional to the intensity of fish production. The aim of this experiment was to investigate the potential of Common duckweed (Lemna minor) as a biological filter and its nutrient removal capacity during intensive fry rearing of the hybrid African catfish. In a recent study, two experimental recirculation systems, identical in water volume and design, were set up, in one of which duckweed was grown under aquaponic conditions, where the concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus forms were monitored and the production parameters of the fish were determined. The results obtained from the experiment showed that the use of duckweed as a biological filter improves the water quality of the recirculation system. A significant amount of plant biomass was produced, which mainly reduced the nitrate and orthophosphate concentrations in the system water. As a consequence, the survival of hybrid catfish was improved, which also affected biomass growth, but had no effect on other parameters.
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The impact of population management on urban and rural Hooded Crow populations
119-123Views:324Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix), originally native to agricultural areas, has become widespread in urban areas in recent decades. However, this process has negative consequences on urban animals and humans. Due to these problems, the control of urban crow populations is needed. Crows also cause significant damage to wildlife management, and are constantly being controlled in rural areas as well. In this study, we compare rural and urban populations to find out whether hunting activities have a population reduction effect. In the rural population, the reduction is carried out by weapons and traps, while the urban crows are controlled using traps only. In both sample areas, crow nests were surveyed during the nesting period. 29 active nests were monitored in the rural area in 2021, and 39 in 2022. In the urban area, 44 nests were recorded in 2021 and 35 nests in 2022. In 2021, 30 individuals were removed in the rural area, and 84 in 2022. In the urban area, 223 individuals were removed in 2021 and 144 in 2022. Results show that the number of crows removed follows the number of active nests, so that the reduction of a given year is likely to have an effect on the following year's nesting population. Because traps mostly capture juvenile birds, reducing the breeding population in the city can only be achieved in the long-term. Considering this, it is likely that increased attention to population control can effectively maintain crow populations and reduce the problems they cause.
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The potential use of Pediococcus spp. probiotic in aquaculture: A review
99-106Views:610Aquaculture production has significantly increased over the previous few decades. However, antibiotics have been implemented regularly and extensively to overcome outbreaks of pathogens in aquaculture to cover the human needs for animal protein, leading to the appearance of resistant strains that may cause serious damages in the environment and also human health. In the last few years, the implementation of probiotics as an alternative technique to antibiotics use in fish production has achieved promising results in aquaculture due to their beneficial impact on fish health and growth performance. Among different types of probiotics, the Pediococcus spp. bacteria stand out as a promising probiotic for their beneficial impact to aquaculture. Thus, the current study has been conducted to give an overview about the interactions between Pediococcus spp. and aquaculture. In addition, this review highlights the role of Pediococcus spp in promoting growth performance, improving feed conversion ratios and the intestinal architecture, enhancing the immune response and inhibiting fish pathogens, thereby preventing or at least reducing the use of antibiotics. Practical use of Pediococcus spp. probiotic in aquaculture as feed additives through selected case studies is also considered.
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Parameter optimization of an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer for measuring arsenic and selenium
81-85Views:576In the last decades, an increased interest has evolved in arsenic and selenium. The aim is to understand the environmental, agricultural and biological roles of these elements. In the case of arsenic, the major reasons are the relatively high concentration of arsenic in marine biota (mg kg-1) and the arsenic contaminated drinking water bases of some Asian countries, as well as Hungary. The toxicity of higher level selenium content is also known; nevertheless, selenium is essential for several biological functions. Considering its essentialness, in our country, the insufficient selenium intake rate causes a lack of selenium. Measuring the concentrations of these elements provides crucial, but unsatisfactory information, as the speciation, i.e. the form of an element presented in a sample is also required.
In both cases, the most suitable method to determine concentration is inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Our objective was to optimize the variable parameters of the ICP-MS to attain the lowest (the best) detection limit. For this purpose, we investigated the effect of parameter change on net signal intensity and relative signal intensity. With the optimized parameter settings, the limits of detection for arsenic and selenium were determined, which are 0,032 ng dm-3 for arsenic, and 0,097 ng dm-3 for selenium. -
The effect of the preparation method on the physical and chemical characteristics of propolis tinctures
163-168Views:716The effect of the preparation method was examined with regards to the physical and chemical characteristics of the propolis tincture, namely the extraction time and the ethanol content of the extraction solvent to the dry matter, polyphenol, flavonoid, phosphorus, calcium and copper concentration, respectively. The dry matter, the polyphenol and the flavonoid content were the lowest in the water extract of the propolis; however, significant increase was noticed depending on the extraction time. Significantly higher concentrations were found in 50 V/V% tinctures. The highest dry matter and flavonoid contents were analysed in 100 V/V% tinctures, whereas highest polyphenol content was found in 80 V/V% tinctures. However, the differences were not significant in several cases between latter tinctures. Moreover, the increase was not determined in some cases depending on the extraction time. Phosphorus and calcium concentrations were decreased depending on the increasing ethanol content, whereas copper concentration was increased up to 80 V/V%. Higher increase was found in the case of 0 and 50 V/V% extracts than in 80 and 100 V/V% tinctures. Moreover, in latter cases, no significant differences were found on several occasions, depending on the extraction time. There was no connection between the flavonoids and the calcium as well as the phosphorus content, whereas flavonoids may be made complex with copper. However, the amount of the possible complex was negligible.
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Preliminary results of the combined production of duckweed Spirodela polyrhiza and common carp (Cyprinus carpio) in an aquaponic system
83-89Views:423As a result of population growth, increasin amount of food is needed, and agriculture is under an increasing burden to meet these needs. Traditional agriculture is often attacked due to its environmental impact. We must find alternative, environmentally friendly ways to produce more food. Aquaponics is a closed system in which we can produce both fish and plants at the same time. Duckweed species are small, aquatic, floating plants belonging to angiosperms. It can potentially be an alternative protein source, due to its high protein content, good amino acid supply, and rapid growth. Under suitable conditions, it doubles its weight in 2–4 days, and can reach a yield of 30 t ha-1 year-1in dry matter. It forms a carpet on top of the water and can be found in slow-moving or still waters. Since they are resistant to a wide range of nutrient concentrations, they are also suitable for cleaning wastewater (such as eutrophicated lakes, sewage reservoirs, liquid manure storage). Fish feed is the primary nutrient source for aquaponic systems, which usually contains fishmeal. If duckweed can be used as an alternative for fishmeal in the feed, it could improve the sustainability of the aquaponic and aquaculture systems. In this study, the aim was to develop an optimal harvesting protocol for duckweed Spirodela polyrhiza under aquaponic conditions. In a four weeks experiments, four harvesting protocols were set up, a control where only biomass measurements were made, a 25% group where 25% of the biomass at the time of measurement was harvested, and a 50% and a 75% group where at the time of measurement 50% and 75% of the biomass was harvested. Three replicates were used per treatment. We weighed the biomass every week and removed the amount corresponding to the group. Based on the preliminary results, it can be said that more biomass was obtained in the groups with the 25% harvesting protocol and the control group.
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The current status, challenges and prospects of native pig production and large-scale farming in Laos
155-161Views:797This review aimed to investigate the potential native pig development and the trend that large-scale farming may influence native pig production in Laos. The review found that native pigs were estimated to be around 88% of the total pig population in Laos in 2023. Commercial pig farming was found only in the main cities, particularly the central and southern provinces, which increased from 578 in 2019 to 703 farms in 2022 and 737 farms in 2023. Due to the serious economic crisis starting in 2021, many Lao pig producers stopped their businesses, leading to the decline of the commercial pig population by almost 30% in 2023 compared to 2022. The average pork per capita consumption in Laos in 2021 was estimated at about 14.2 kg. Though not as high as the backyard, commercial farms still contribute essentially to the pork supply in Laos (12%), increasing the volume from 87,628 tonnes in 2015 to 137,775 tonnes in 2024. The main native pig producers are small-scale rural farmers who have not yet improved productivity or reproductive performance, and the main purpose of their production is household consumption rather than market orientation. However, farmers, mainly in the main cities, improved them by cross-breeding native pig sows with Duroc boar for better lean meat. The main challenges for native production in Laos include poor farm setup and management, high cost of commercial feed, and poor breeding and genetic management. Therefore, creating awareness of the benefits of setting up a pig farm and management, providing better option strategies for utilising locally available feeds, and providing better strategies on pig breeding could improve native pig production in Laos.
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Examination of compost maturity using reflectance
29-34Views:626Composting is one of the most popular recycling processes for organic waste. Composting plays an important role in waste and by-product management and is becoming increasingly important in both sustainable energy management and circular economy. Composting transforms organic matter to produce a safe and stable by-product (compost) that can be applied to arable land in a similar way to fertilizer. Physical, chemical and biological methods can be used to monitor the process and to determine the maturity of the compost, as spectrometric/spectroscopic methods play an important role in the analysis of different environmental samples.
Our aim was to (1) non-destructively detect the effects of different additive ratios on the spectral properties of the composting process and the spectral data of different compost mixtures, (2) to find the wavelength ranges of the reflectance curve (inflection points) sensitive to compost maturity, (3) to determine the correlation between the inflection points and the chemical and physical parameters measured in compost by conventional methods.
The mixture of broiler and hen manure and zeolite was composted 62 days in windrow composting. In the composting experiment, the moisture content and temperature (°C) were measured every three days and compost samples were taken and in 10% destillated aquaeous suspension were measured the pH and electrical conductivity (mS cm-1). Compost samples dried to mass stability were spectrally analyzed in the wavelength range 400–1000 nm with AvaSpec 2048 spectrometer.
Based on the results, the reflectance of mature compost were smaller in the last days of composting than the reflectance values of day 0 samples, thus compost maturity can be detected spectral in the VIS-NIR wavelength range. For the tested compost prisms, the reflectance of each sampling day shows a constant slope, with a significant overlap of the reflectance curves up to 400–700 nm wavelength range, and there was a breakpoint in the 700–750 nm wavelength range which was proved by binary encoding.
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Comparative study of special honey products and herbhoneys
117-120Views:813Honey has a positive effect on human body due to its high content of biologically active substances (e.g. monosaccharides, vitamins, enzymes, amino acids, polyphenolic compounds). The properties of honey depend on its botanical origin due to the bioactive plant components, mainly secondary metabolites that are included in honey made by bees from nectar. Herbally infused honeys are delicious products that combine the therapeutic action of herbs and honey. Additionally, herbs can provide nutrient fortified syrup for honey bees and protect them against diseases and other ecological threats.The aim of this study was to define the physicochemical properties of multifloral honey, herb enriched natural honey and herbhoney samples. We measured the moisture content, pH value, electrical conductivity and proline content. Although great diversity was observed in the basic properties of the examined products. In our study, we found that the electrical conductivity shows the significant differ between the groups. All the samples, including the herbhoneys passes the quality standards of honeys. -
Application of semen evaluation techniques
5-11Views:644Laboratory methods of semen evaluation are used to select males for artificial insemination. The current review describes several techniques that have been recently used for sperm analysis. Conventional microscopic methods in combination with the objective computerassisted sperm motility and morphology analyzers and flow cytometry, allows to obtain more precise information about the membrane and functional status of spermatozoa. By using several methods to detect motility, viability, acrosomal and capacitation status besides DNA integrity sperm biology and some of the mechanism involved in sperm cry injury can be better understood. The number of possible targets related to sperm quality is increasing, and possible that some of them could enable sperm analysis for predicting freezability and fertility to be improved.
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Sustainable energy management – the importence of the renewable energy sources, their difficulties and chances
145-154Views:210The biggest question of the century standing before us is that if people will be able to direct the development to sustainable direction. One of the components of global problems threatening
us is the pressure that the energy management puts on the environment, which can be significantly lowered by utilizing renewable energy sources. The aim of my study is to draft the
model of a sustainable energy management, putting the renewable energy sources into it in a sensible way, regarding the possibilities of Hungary. -
The effect of dissolved oxygen on common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and basil (Ocimum basilicum) in the aquaponics system
89-96Views:1060Aquaponics is an integrated system that combines fish farming (aquaculture) and hydroponic plant production. The objective of this study was to examine how the level of dissolved oxygen with or without an air pump affects water quality, fish output and plant growth parameters for common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and basil (Ocimum basilicum).
Ebb – and flood aquaponics systems (with automatic syphon) was used. Two treatments were set in this experiment, one of which was the aquaponics system without air pump (unit I), where water of the plant bed was pumped two directions, one falling back to the fish tank oxygenating the water the other was pumped to the hydroponics unit. The other system (unit II) was designed with an air pump.
In the course of the study, water quality parameters, such as oxygen saturation, dissolved oxygen (DO), electrical conductivity (EC) and nitrite were significantly different (p<0.05). Total basil biomass was higher in unit II. (5367.41 g). The final biomass of common carp were
2829.45 g ± 79.24 and 2980.6 g ± 64.13 g in unit I and unit II respectively. Weight gain (WG) and specific growth rate (SGR) showed no significant differences (p>0.05) between the treatments. -
Impact of precision irrigation on the unit income of maize production
157-162Views:321The study of the economic/economic impact of precision farming should be a priority area in digital agriculture, as the results, profitability, and efficiency indicators can have a significant decision-support effect on the development of both the agronomic and the technical regions of individual farms both in the longer and shorter term. Individual firms, companies, farmers, and family farms quantify the effectiveness of their farming processes. The modern age offers the possibility of digitally recording all the elements of farming technology, making it possible to analyse the cost-effectiveness of a farm more effectively and, in some cases, to carry out more detailed analyses. Nevertheless, the number of farms demonstrating their profitability with such precise economic calculations is still minimal.
Our analyses were conducted on a 56,02 ha field of Balogh Farm-Tépe Ltd. The agricultural operations carried out were fully documented so that the inputs (seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, crop enhancers) were recorded in coordinates and kind, as well as the specific yields, grain moisture data, irrigation norms, and irrigation rotations. At the same time, the company's owner provided the data's monetary value. The main econometric indicators (yield, production value, cost of production, income, cost price) related to the evaluation of the enterprise management were evaluated along with the spatial data in the irrigated and non-irrigated tables. Our calculations show that a given year's climatic and market characteristics fundamentally determine the cost and income relations of a plot of land (and thus of an entire farm). In addition to additional inputs, introducing some elements of precision farming and intensification and increasing yields improves yield security and allows for excellent yield stability.
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The possibilities and framework of conditions of organisational development at a particular administrative body
63-70Views:211The demand for the recognition, identification and introduction of measures aimed at improving organizational culture and the efficiency of management and leadership plays a crucial role in the life of every organization, including the law enforcement bodies as well. The tasks and responsibilities of the Hungarian Police Force have changed considerably both in terms of quantity and quality since Hungary’s accession into the European Union first, and since the country’s joining the Schengen Zone. We are now facing problems formerly unheard of (e. g. the integration of the police force and the border guard, joining the Schengen Zone, the emergence of new forms of crime). As border control within the Union stopped, organized crime has become more powerful. The changes are by no means over: in order to improve the subjective sense of security of the population and to advance organizational efficiency, a number of changes are being implemented at present. For the internal security of the member states of the Union and for the improvement of the efficiency of police work in the member states, the use of consciously coordinated management methods is indispensable. These efforts are the subject of this essay.
A police force is an partially open system, the work of which is influenced by a number of external processes and factors. The organizational culture of a police force is determined by its traditions on the one hand, and by the demands to develop its functions as an authority and a service provider on the other. It is undeniable that any conscious effort in shaping and developing the organizational culture of the police requires special competences and commitment from the leaders of the organization. Furthermore, it is also necessary to modernize the management tasks. It applies to all the levels of leadership, from the head of a patrol to the supreme commander of the police force.
The organizational scheme of the police force is that of a functional, linear system. Such an organization is characterized by a relatively high degree of inflexibility, a slow and cumbersome reaction to external changes. All these may adversely influence organizational efficiency. It therefore appears to be necessary to examine the present structure of police, and survey the possibilities of modernization. Modernization does not necessarily mean a change in the structure; it may be restricted to changes in organizational culture, the creation of an atmosphere favourable for reforms, and the coordination of diversified structures. In this paper I wish to demonstrate some of the possibilities of improving organizational culture and organization development, based upon the findings of a specific survey.
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Examinations of the carbon dioxide emission of the soil in the case of different tillage methods in a field experiment
209-212Views:593Today's global challenge is the increasing concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases in the air. The level of CO2 emissions may be significantly affected by the agriculture and, more specifically, the applied tillage method, even though to a lesser extent than industrial production. On a global scale, the CO2 emission of an agricultural area is insignificant in comparison to that of a large-scale plant in an area of the same size, but areas under cultivation, including arable land, have a large global area. In this paper, we investigated the relationship between applied soil tillage methods and carbon dioxide emissions in the case of different fertiliser treatments. In our experiment we examined four types of tillage with five different fertiliser effects. Comparing fertiliser treatments and tillage methods, it was found that their interaction significantly affected carbon dioxide emissions, the lowest value was obtained in the case of the 210 l ha-1 Nitrosol+N-LOCK – tillage radish treatment. Strip and tillage radish methods have relatively homogeneous, low value. -
Bacteria in the milk of sheep with or without mastitis- mini Review
47-52Views:663From a nutritional point of view, sheep milk is more valuable than cow and goat milk and the interest for sheep milk is increasing in many countries. However, sheep milk is easily contaminated during milking, handling, and transport and it is an ideal medium for bacterial propagation. Consequently, sheep milk spoils quite quickly. The proper, clean handling of milk is not only of sanitarian interest, but it also serves the farmers’ interests, because contaminated milk may not be distributed, and is unsuitable for producing good quality products. Following this technological trend, this review addresses the bacterial composition of sheep milk with and without mastitis. Even though sheep milk contains a lot of bacteria, this review article highlighted total plate count, Enterobacteriaceae, coliform, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter, Salmonella spp. and Streptococcus spp. Mastitis in sheep is a vital cause of mortality, reduction in milk production and early culling. The reported risk factors for mastitis in sheep were age, a case of mastitis, breed, husbandry systems, and location. The main priority should be implementation of programs to minimize human pathogenic bacteria and mastitis in raw ewe milk.
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Examining the production parameters of European perch (Perca fluviatilis) juveniles under different lighting conditions
149-153Views:436European perch (Perca fluviatilis) is a native predatory fish in Hungary, and a promising new species of fresh water aquaculture nowadays. The European perch can be characterized by a high stress sensitivity during the intensive rearing, thus the optimization of environmental conditions has significant importance in the early life stages of fish. The aim of our study was to determine whether the light intensity and darkening of the water by humic acid affect the survival and growth performance of European perch juveniles. The experiment lasted for 28 days. Rectangular aquariums were arranged in 3 lines, the test environment consisted of 24 units. The experiment was set up with 10–10 fish per aquarium, total of 240 individuals. The average wet body weight of the fish at the start of the experiment was 1.69 grams. During the experiment, 6 treatments in 4 replicates were set up. In the first row, we set up 305.6±66.0 LUX (L), in the second row 118.0±24.4 LUX (C), and in the third row (D) 17.0±8.6 LUX illumination was set up. In each row the water of four aquariums were darkened by the addition of humic acid (H) (L, LH, C, CH, D, and DH). At the end of the experiment high survival rate was observed in all treatments. Examining the survival rate, the best results were found in the strongly illuminated treatments (L; LH- SR%=100±0.00). The observed mortality was caused by cannibalism. Regarding the individual body weight, the best results were shown by the treatments where the aquariums were illuminated with lower light intensity (C: 4.66±0.33 grams) and the aquarium water was darkened by humic acid (CH: 4.93±0.15 grams). The results of the C and CH groups were significantly better compared to the other treatments, however, they did not differ statistically from each other. The darkening of the water had a positive effect on the individual body weight of fish reared under full light (L: 3.73±0.28 grams; LH: 4.33±0.28 grams), whereas in the case of fish reared in the lowest illumination, the addition of humic acid did not affect the results (D: 3.78±0.15 grams; DH: 3.80±0.26 grams). In case of SGR (C: 3.64%/day and CH: 3.74%/day) and FCR (C: 0.84 g/g and CH: 0.78g/g) the best results were obtained by the C and CH treatments, also.
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Comparison of the technological background of aquaponic systems
47-52Views:768Aquaponics is the combined culture of fish and plants in recirculating aquaculture systems, an ecologically sustainable horticultural production technique with long traditions.
The objective of this study is to compare flood-and- drain, and the water crossflow system and examine the differences in the water quality, fish yield and plant growth parameters for Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and basil (Ocimum basilicum). During the study, water quality parameters of two treatments were compared in temperatures, pH, EC and NO3¯N were significantly different (p <0.05). Leaf area of the basil plants grew to an average of 20.37 cm2 (± 9.02 cm2). The plants’ biomass production was significantly different (p< 0.05) in the two systems. The biomass production showed lower yield, 458.22 g (± 214.59 g) in the constant flow system that in the flood- and- drain system 692.9 g (± 175.82 g). Fish Growth parameters were better in constant flow system (FCR 5.48 g/g ± 0.19). However, the specific growth rate (SGR) demonstrated that fish grew faster in flood- and- drain system 1.38 %/day (± 0.29).
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Virtual Appliances for geospatial data management and processing in the Integrated Land Management System (ILMS)
59-62Views:195Virtualization is increasingly taking on a key role in various system architectures which follow new platform concepts like Software as a Service (SaaS). This trend addresses more instant and short-term environments and comes with new methods and strategies for the distribution of mainly complex application stacks not only in large IT infrastructures. The paper presents how a so called Virtual Appliance can be set up in order to operate in virtual server environments using hypervisor software like Oracle Virtual-Box. Using the example of two server-side components within the Integrated Land Management System (ILMS), it will be shown that the use of state-of-the-art methods, standardized tools and interfaces on servers enables different aspects of environmental system management, analysis and planning.
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Improved soil and tomato quality by some biofertilizer products
93-105Views:447The use of microbial inoculums is a part of sustainable agricultural practices. Among various bioeffectors, the phosphorus-mobilizing bacteria are frequently used.
The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of some industrial biofertilizer inoculums, of containing P-mobilizing bacteria on the quantity and some quality parameters of tomato fruits. Spore-forming industrial Bacillus amyloliquefaciens FZB42 (Rhizovital) as single inoculums and combinations with other Bacillus strains (Biorex) were applied on Solanum lycopersicon Mill. var. Mobil test plant. Soil microbial counts, phosphorus availability, yield and fruit quality, such as total soluble solids (TSS) content and sugars (glucose, fructose) were assessed. The results found that single industrial inoculums of FZB42 product had positive effect on P-availability and fruit quality in the pots. Fruit quality parameters, TSS content, soluble sugars were significantly improved (p<0.05). Such better fruit taste was correlated significantly by the most probable number (MPN) microbial counts. Use of such bioeffector products is supported by the positive interrelation among measured soil characteristics and inside healthy quality parameters of tomato fruits.
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Management of phytopathogens by application of green nanobiotechnology: Emerging trends and challenges
15-22Views:574Nanotechnology is highly interdisciplinary and important research area in modern science. The use of nanomaterials offer major advantages due to their unique size, shape and significantly improved physical, chemical, biological and antimicrobial properties. Physicochemical and antimicrobial properties of metal nanoparticles have received much attention of researchers. There are different methods i.e. chemical, physical and biological for synthesis of nanoparticles. Chemical and physical methods have some limitations, and therefore, biological methods are needed to develop environment-friendly synthesis of nanoparticles. Moreover, biological method for the production of nanoparticles is simpler than chemical method as biological agents secrete large amount of enzymes, which reduce metals and can be responsible for the synthesis and capping on nanoparticles.
Biological systems for nanoparticle synthesis include plants, fungi, bacteria, yeasts, and actinomycetes. Many plant species including Opuntia ficus-indica, Azardirachta indica, Lawsonia inermis, Triticum aestivum, Hydrilla verticillata, Citrus medica, Catharanthus roseus, Avena sativa, etc., bacteria, such as Bacillus subtilis, Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria, Pseudomonas stutzeri, Lactobacillus sp., Klebsiella aerogenes, Torulopsis sp., and fungi, like Fusarium spp. Aspergillus spp., Verticillium spp., Saccharomyces cerevisae MKY3, Phoma spp. etc. have been exploited for the synthesis of different nanoparticles. Among all biological systems, fungi have been found to be more efficient system for synthesis of metal nanoparticles as they are easy to grow, produce more biomass and secret many enzymes. We proposed the term myconanotechnology (myco = fungi, nanotechnology = the creation and exploitation of materials in the size range of 1–100 nm). Myconanotechnology is the interface between mycology and nanotechnology, and is an exciting new applied interdisciplinary science that may have considerable potential, partly due to the wide range and diversity of fungi.
Nanotechnology is the promising tool to improve agricultural productivity though delivery of genes and drug molecules to target sites at cellular levels, genetic improvement, and nano-array based gene-technologies for gene expressions in plants and also use of nanoparticles-based gene transfer for breeding of varieties resistant to different pathogens and pests. The nanoparticles like copper (Cu), silver (Ag), titanium (Ti) and chitosan have shown their potential as novel antimicrobials for the management of pathogenic microorganisms affecting agricultural crops. Different experiments confirmed that fungal hyphae and conidial germination of pathogenic fungi are significantly inhibited by copper nanoparticles. The nanotechnologies can be used for the disease detection and also for its management. The progress in development of nano-herbicides, nano-fungicides and nano-pesticides will open up new avenues in the field of management of plant pathogens. The use of different nanoparticles in agriculture will increase productivity of crop. It is the necessity of time to use nanotechnology in agriculture with extensive experimental trials. However, there are challenges particularly the toxicity, which is not a big issue as compared to fungicides and pesticides.
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Reference genes for livestock gene expression profiling – Literature review
81-89Views:559Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) is an essential tool for understanding animal cell’s response to developmental progression or to different experimental conditions at gene expression level. However the reliability of this method heavily lies on proper normalization (measuring a target and a reference gene’s expression from the same sample to correct for technical related variations).
Our literature review aimed to summarize the articles addressing the most important livestock species in regards of reference gene stability used as normalizers for quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction experiments. Stably expressing reference genes were categorized into 14 distinct groups according to gene function. The number of reference genes tested and the publication numbers according to years and the ranking algorithms were also noted.
Counting showed that genes encoding ribosomal protein components are ranked as most stable in majority of cases and therefore should be taking into account for qPCR stable normalizer gene finding experiments.