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Milestones in the development of agronomic management practices in crop production
203-209Views:283From the dawn of the history of the human race, agriculture has always been a profound activity of mankind producing food and feed as well as various plant originated materials for further processing.
Agronomy, like any other human activity, depends on the perpetual development of knowledge and technical skills, - in a modern context – science and innovation. This paper is intended to provide the reader with information regarding the main phases of the development of agricultural production from the Neolithic societies through the early Mesopotamian and Egyptian empires to the inventions of first organised learned society of Rome. The major research findings of the past two millennia including agro-chemistry, genetics and technical development are presented.
Such a review should not lead to any scientific conclusions, but rather a philosophical postulate similar to that of Jonathan Swift written some centuries ago: “And he gave it for his opinion, that whoever could make two ears of corn, or two blades of grass, to grow upon a spot of ground, where only one grew before, would deserve better of mankind, and do more essential service to his country, than the whole race of politicians put together”.
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Allelopathic effects of water extracts of pieces of wooly cupgrass (Eriochloa villosa) on the seedlings of field crops
167-170Views:445In Hungary, the woolly cupgrass (Eriochloa villosa [Thunb.] Kunth) endanger row crops (i.e. corn, sunflower). Its fast spreading based on some reason viz. long-lasting emergence, reduced sensitivity to many kinds of herbicides, vigorous competitional ability and fast initial growth. Allelopathy, ability of many plant species to produce one or more biochemicals wgich is used tocompete with each others. In this experiment we examined, whether the woolly cupgrass possesses allelopathy, and if so, how influences on the development of cultured crops like maize, sunflower and lettuce.
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Seed treatment with Bacillus bacteria improves maize production: a narrative review
105-111Views:1046Maize (Zea mays L.) is an important crop in relation to its production and consumption. Production of maize is constrained by soil infertility and poor quality seed. Microbial technologies like seed treatment with Bacillus bacteria improves the productivity of maize on infertile soil. However, due to variations in maize growth environments and Bacillus species, this review was conducted to identify the common species of Bacillus species used for seed treatment, and provide an overview of the effect of seed treatment with Bacillus on maize growth and yield. Results show that Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus pumilus and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens were the dominant species used for seed treatment. Bacillus was used as both a biofertiliser and biopesticide. The conspicuous positive effects of Bacillus were in plant height, shoot and root length, and shoot dry matter depending on the species. In terms of grain yield, Bacillus subtilis (8502 kg ha-1), Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (6822 kg ha-1) and Bacillus safensis (5562 kg ha-1) were the bacterial species that had an overall pronounced effect. The highest increase in grain yield was in the interactive effect of Bacillus megaterium + Bacillus licheniformis (18.1%) and sole Bacillus subtilis (15.6%), while Bacillus pumilus reduced grain yield by 4.8%. This shows that the improvement of maize productivity using Bacillus bacteria requires careful selection of the species for seed treatment.
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Use of molecular marker methods in the classification of bamboo taxa: A review
51-59Views:474Bamboo plants are currently attractive to researchers because of their versatile uses. Understanding the bamboos’ genetic level is needed to develop new varieties. Taxonomic identification is the basis for plant development. Bamboos were identified as their taxonomical morphological characters which are dependent on environmental factors. Molecular Marker techniques can be used to perform accurate genotype identification, which can be used for genetic diversity analyses. The RFLP, RAPD, AFLP, SSR, ISSR, iPBS, SCARS, SCoT, SRAP marker systems have been shown to be able to efficiently determine the genetic diversity of bamboo species based on genotyping. This paper summarizes research that aims to analyze the genetic diversity of bamboo species on a molecular basis.
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The influence of crop rotation and nutrition regime in winter wheat on the phytomass remains and the deposits of weed seeds remained in the ground
10-13Views:221An important problem refers to soil weeds seed bank with special reference to brown luvic soils and relationship between vegetal remains
(roots + stub) and nutrition regime – crop rotation plant. A great number of seeds can be found in first 20 centimeters of soil (plowing
layer). This fact causes a high weeds density, which has a negative effect on the cultivated plants leading to partial or total crop loss. -
The Role and Significance of Soil Analyses in Plant Nutrition and Environmental Protection
3-8Views:269Hungary has a rich history of soil analyses and soil mapping. Our main tasks today are the preservation of soil fertility as well as balancing the goals of production and environmental protection. The main requirement of agricultural production is to adapt to ecological and economic conditions.
In a series of consultative meetings in the past seven years, representatives from Central and Eastern Europe have analyzed nutrient management practices in their respective countries. According to a joint memorandum agreed upon in 2000, in the countries awaiting accession, the quantity of nutrients used per hectare is considerably smaller than the Western-European usage targeted through special subsidies. The current low nutrient usage contradicts the principles of sustainability and that of the efficient use of resources, jeopardizing soil fertility.
In Hungary, the use of inorganic fertilizers underwent a dynamic development, which manifested itself in an almost tenfold usage growth between 1960 and 1985. This growth slowed down somewhat between 1985 and 1990 and then reduced dramatically after 1990, reaching record lows at the usage levels of the 60s. The nutrient supply has had a negative balance for the last 15 years.
The increasing and then decreasing usage trends can equally be detected in the domestic yield averages of wheat and corn as well as in the nutrient supply of soils. Yields were the largest when usage levels were the highest, and decreased thereafter. Draughts have also contributed to smaller yields. The dramatic decrease in the use of inorganic fertilizers when adequate organic fertilizers are lacking endangers our soils’ fertility.
About 50% of soils in Hungary are acidic. Acidity is mostly determined by soil formation, but especially on soils with a low buffering capacity, this acidity may intensify due to inorganic fertilizers. Sustainable agriculture requires the chemical improvement of acidic soils. According to their y1 values, the majority of our acidic soils need to be improved. This chemical soil remediation is required in 15% of the acidic soils, while it’s recommended for another 20% of these soils.
Results of the analyses conducted in the framework of the soil-monitoring system set up in Hungary in 1992 show that in 95% of the analyzed samples, the toxic element content is below the allowable limit. Cultivated areas are not contaminated; toxicity above the legal level was found only in specific high-risk sampling areas: in the vicinity of industry, due to local overload. The basic principle of sustainable agriculture is to preserve soil fertility without undue strain on the environment. The intensity of the production needs to be considered according to the conditions of the site; i.e.; nutrient management needs to be site-specific. It is recommended to differentiate three types of cultivated land in terms of environmental sensitivity: areas with favorable conditions, endangered areas, and protected areas, and then to adopt nutrient management practices accordingly. To meet all the above-mentioned goals is impossible without systematic soil analysis. Tests conducted by the national monitoring system cannot replace regular field measurements. -
Correlations study between the selenium content of wheat grass (Triticum aestivum L.) and wheat seeds grown on different soil types
117-121Views:301In the course of the research we determined selenium and dry-matter content of 35 wheat grasses and 35 wheat seeds. The selenium content of the preparation plant samples was measured by spectrofluorimetric determination (ʎexcitation=380 nm, ʎemission=519 nm) of the resulted piaz-selenol complex. It was established that between the selenium content of the wheat grass and wheat seed the correlation coefficient was 0.36 at p=0.05 level which indicates a medium close correlation. Similarly, there was a medium close correlation between selenium content of the wheat grass calculated on dry-matter basis and total selenium content of the wheat, with a correlation coefficient of 0.40 at p=0.02 level.
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The effect of NPK treatments on the Cu and Fe content of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)
31-34Views:534In this study the effect of N, P and K nutrients on the Cu and Fe content of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grains was investigated in a long-term fertilization experiment set up in Nagyhörcsök. Samples were also harvested from four experimental stations of the Hungarian national long-term fertilization trials. These are the following: Bicsérd, Iregszemcse, Karcag, and Putnok. Plant samples were collected in 2005 which was very wet. Our results from Nagyhörcsök were compared with the Cu and Fe content of samples which were harvested from control plots of other experimental stations. The Cu and Fe content of grain samples were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) followed by digestion with HNO3-H2O2 solution. All data were subjected to ANOVA, and when significant differences (P<0.05) were detected, Duncan’s test was performed to allow separation of means.
The main conclusions are as follows: Cu and Fe content of wheat grains was higher and higher in every NPK treatments. Samples were harvested from the control plots of Iregszemcse and Bicsérd have higher Cu content than the treated samples from Nagyhörcsök.
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An unimportant insect pest with characteristic symptoms: Halticus apterus (Miridae)
19-23Views:392Halticus apterus, a tiny mirid bug with jumping hind legs has not been taught in agricultural entomology courses in Hungary. However, the most detailed agricultural entomology text book, the “Handbook of Agricultural Entomology” briefly presents the pest. Although, it is common in Hungary, its damage is insignificant because of the low density; it can cause quality loss in feed crops only. Nevertheless, its special symptom – spottedness – is worth taking into consideration. The author has been studying pests and natural enemies of alfalfa for a long time (at least ten years), so he focused attention on this species. Occurrence of H. apterus was only sporadic in the alfalfa field, but it showed characteristic and frequent symptoms at a density of averagely three individuals per alfalfa plants in mixed plant associations at the studied field edge. By presenting the damage appearance and form, it was possible to make a more accurate description of H. apterus’symptoms, and with evaluating relevant European references, also the detailed entomological characterisation, economic importance and assessment of future risks have been achieved. As a difference to former descriptions, the special leaf spottedness of H. apterus does not consist of homogenous round spots but rather of spherical conglomerations of tiny whitish dots caused by the piercing and sucking mouthparts and the injected saliva
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The potential of biological control on invasive weed species
73-75Views:327Sorghum halepense is one of the invasive species in Europe. This study was made to identify the morphology of fungi on invasive weed species samples on the roots of Sorghum halepense. The samples were collected in the region of Debrecen. The experiment was conducted under laboratory conditions to determine the microscopic form of fungi. The samples were put on PDA and for identification of fungi is based on the morphological characteristics of the features and colonies of conidia that were developed in Petri dishes.
The examination of the culture revealed that the fungus from the root of Sorghum halepense was Aspergillus niger. Pathogenicity and the relationship between the fungus and Sorghum halepense are still uncertain so in the future pathogenicity tests and re-isolations from plants are very important steps.
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The Role of Oxidative Stress and Antioxidants in the Plant-Pathogen Relationship
45-50Views:153No abstract
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Weed control possibilities of „energy willow” (Salix viminalis L.)
108-112Views:224In Spring 2005, the owner of the Szalka-Pig Ltd. of Mateszalka, decided to import the willow species Salix viminalis L. and to create a plantation for energy production purposes on the humid arable lands in his ownership. In 2006, he enlarged this area by 43 hectares. The owner further decided not only to plant this species on the more adherent (KA 70), but also onto the incoherent structured sand (KA 30-35). His main argument was that the cost of coal tar derivatives as energy sources was rapidly increasing in Hungary, so he needed to find a cheaper energy source for the drying of his products and for the heating of his buildings. He also planned to change his gas and oil heating equipment.
The willow’s cropping technology is being established in our country. One of our tasks is to work out an adequate weed control plan. The professional and safe use of herbicides can increase the success of production. In our paper, we discuss the data collected on treatments applied in the pre-emergent stage. The applied herbicide combinations (terbutilazin+S-metolaklór, mezotrion+ S-metolaklór, pendimetalin+S-metolaklór, oxyfluorfen+ S-metolaklór) yielded good results in large scale experiments. -
The effect of different compost rates on the yield of ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.)
95-98Views:317Protection of natural resources and sustainable natural resources management are essential for the long-term survival of humanity. This makes necessary nowadays the development of environmentally conscious living and spread of that in the future. The amount of organic waste materials, produced during human activities, could be decreased by composting instead of dispose them in landfills. Applying appropriate treatment technology and additives, the compost could be used as fertilizer for horticultural crops and it could increase the easily available nutrient content of soils. Compost utilization prevents nutrient deficiencies and by using the optimal rate, we could reach significant yield increases.
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Evaluation of striptillage and conventional tillage in maize production
37-40Views:379Tillage changes soil properties and the way how the environment affects those properties. Soil properties and environment determine the rate of water movement in liquid and gaseous form into and out of soil. Based on the experimental database of the Institute of Land Utilisation, Regional Development and Technology of the University of Debrecen, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management and the KITE PLC, various cultivation systems were examined with maize (Zea mays L.) as indicator plant in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county. The sample area can be found in the outskirts of Kenderes on a meadow chernozem soil. On the examined plot, strip-tillage, subsoiling and moldboard ploughing were performed, each on 4.5 ha, respectively. The purpose of the present study is to compare these cultivation systems according to the soil- and maize kernel moisture content and to the yield based on the years of 2012 and 2013.
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Changes in the Diaporthe helianthi Infection of Sunflower Hybrids Between 1998 and 2002
214-233Views:159Plant protection, and especially the efficiency of protection against mycosis, is a very important production technological element concerning sunflower. The efficiency of production can be increased on the basis of a thorough pathological survey and its results carried out in a wide variety of hybrids, as the features of hybrids, the reactions of genetic bases to pathogens can be found out under domestic conditions.
The tests were carried out at variety-test lots of OMMI for hybrids used for food or oil and other sunflower varieties admitted by the state at the Experimental Site DTTI Látókép, Centre of Agricultural Sciences, University of Debrecen between 1998 and 2002. The number of the tested hybrids was 49 in 1998, 45 in 1999, 49 in 2000, 55 in 2001, and 44 in 2002.
Due to the infection source of high amounts remained from 1997 and the favourable weather conditions for the pathogens, an infection of high degree was experienced in the tested stands. The lowest infection index in the hybrids with a very short vegetative period was experienced with Beni hybrids. Comparing to the average of the hybridgroup with short vegetative period, a low infection index characterised the Baleno, Trident, IBH-166, Hysun 321, Resia, Alexandra, Cergold and Pixel hybrids. In 1999, among hybrids with medium vegetative period, Zoltán, Zsuzsa and Util hybrids could be highlighted because of their low infection index. In 1998, among confentionary hybrids, Marica-2 hybrid had the most favourable index values (2,55).
During our trials, the experienced infection dynamics were compared in the event of hybrids with higher and lower susceptibility under different sowing technological elements. The results call for the fact that when a hybrid with higher susceptibility is produced, production technological elements, such as the time of sowing, influence considerably the damage caused by the pathogen, therefore it must not be ignored when its determination takes place. In the event of hybrids with lower susceptibility the change of the tested production technological elements within the biological optimum does not lead to the increased risk of the damage caused by Diaporthe helianthi. -
Comparison of Integrated and Conventional Production of Young Nonbearing Apple Orchards
3-5Views:191The large number of pesticide applications in apple orchards creates serious problems with pesticide residues and their side effects on beneficial organisms, the environment and human health. This is the reason behind the search for new systems for apple protection.
The investigations were made in apple orchards of the Institute of Agriculture at Kyustendil, during the period from 1997-1999. Three scab resistant cultivars grafted on rootstocks MM106 were planted in 1996. The orchard was divided into four plots. Two plots were treated as „conventionally” and the other two were treated as „integrated” according to the general principles, rules and standards of integrated apple production.
The key disease during the experimental period was powdery mildew, which can be controlled only with pruning of infected clusters and shoots during the first three years after planting. The key pests in the orchard during the nonbearing period were the green apple aphid and San Jose scale. In the integrated plant protection system, it is possible to reduce the number of insecticide treatments depending on the density of the main pests. -
Distribution and relative abundance of the economically important click beetles (Elateridae: Agriotes sp.) in Hungary
53-60Views:392Click beetle (Elateridae: Agriotes sp.) species of 24 sites in different regions of Hungary were studied in 2010. A. brevis, A. sputator, A. obscurus, A. lineatus, A. rufipalpis and A. ustulatus were sampled by pheromone traps in maize fields. During the study more than 80000 beetles were caught. The three most common species were A. ustulatus, A. sputator and A. rufipalpis. The distribution of the studied species was uneven. In south Hungary A. ustulatus, A, rufipalpis and A. sputator were the three most abundant species. In the Transdanubia A. sputator was the most abundant. A. ustulatus reached higher abundance in only three sites (3/12). A. obscurus occurred only in west Hungary (Transdanubia). In eastern Hungary the abundance of studied species was higher. In this reason we have to monitor the populations of these pests and if it is necessary we have to take actions against them. In Transdanubia the abundance were generally lower but in many cases reached the threshold of significant damage. Beyond that 13 additional species were sampled so the total number of sampled species was 19.
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Rippl-Rónai’s color in the native parks: production and using of new, synthetic Wild sage color-mixture
59-64Views:363The climate changes is becoming more damaging to ornamental plants. Besides ornamental species and varieties of plants on public spaces. It will be necessary to use domestic, well adaptable climate-tolerant plant species.
One field of our growing ornamental plants researches from 2001 in the Centre of Agricultural Sciences of University of Debrecen, is studying drought patient, mainly Hungarian improved annual varieties, which are able to get acclimatized with the landscape. Moreover, we have in view to work out new, economical seedling production technologies. In the program, the excellent drought- and frost tolerant annuals and perennials belongs to the climate change tolerant plants. From the evaluated of species we want to create and spread the application. of the new types of ornamental horticulture culture.