The aim of this study was to determine biologically active substances (BAS) in the samples of Cichorium intybus L. leaves from different sources (wild and cultivated) in Montenegro and to investigate ...the potential influence of location and origin on the BAS. Fiber and fatty acid composition, amount of pigments, total phenols and flavonoids and some phenolic acids were analyzed. Antioxidant activity was also determined by three methods (DPPH, FRAP and ABTS) and the results obtained from all tests were used to calculate the antioxidant potency composite index (ACI). The dietary fiber profile confirmed chicory leaves as an important source of fiber. The majority of fats in chicory leaves consist-of unsaturated fatty acids, while saturated fatty acids were represented mainly by palmitic acid. Chlorophyll a and b, lutein and ?-carotene were the main pigments in chicory leaves. ACI index had a good correlation with the total phenolic and total flavonoid content. All these features reinforced the interest of including chicory in modern diet as a healthy alternative to the variety of commonly used vegetables.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Winged morphs of aphids were investigated under field conditions during 2008, 2010 and 2011 in the Mediterranean region of Croatia. Field experiments were conducted to record aphid diversity and ...compare polyethylene black mulch to straw mulch and bare soil in terms of their attractiveness to aphid species in a watermelon crop. Aphids were collected weekly using yellow water metal traps from May to July. During the study, 44 species in 31 genera were detected; 36 species in 24 genera were identified in 2008, 18 species in 15 genera were identified in 2010, and 34 species in 25 genera were identified in 2011. The overall seasonal percentage composition showed that Aphis fabae Scopoli and Myzus persicae (Sulzer) were consistently eudominant species, whereas Acyrtosiphon pisum (Harris) was consistently dominant. Cabbage aphid Brevicoryne brassicae (L.) was determined as the dominant species in 2008 and as eudominant species in 2011. Additionally, Macrosiphum rosae (L.) was twice recorded as the dominant species, whereas Aphis gossipii Glover was dominant once, and Phorodon humuli (Schrank) was eudominant once. Our study also demonstrated that mulching sporadically affected the abundance of individual species. The attractiveness of mulching for aphid species differed between the treatments. It was found that bare soil was attractive to A. pisum and M. rosae, black mulch was attractive to B. helichrysi and P. humuli, and straw mulch was attractive to four aphid species, of which two were eudominant, A. fabae and M. persicae. The presented species are mostly polyphagous, and their preference for certain mulches can be used in crop protection management.
Cantaloupe melons Cucumis melo L. subsp. melo var. cantadupensins Naudin) cu 'Chianti' were evaluated for quality traits during 14 days of storage at three different temperatures i.e., 2°, 10° and ...18°C with 85-95% relative humidity. The weight loss of fruits slightly increased during the stored period studied, as well as insignificant differences between the temperatures. Whereas significant texture was lost more rapidly in the samples stored at 18° and 10°C than those stored at 2°C. TSS (total soluble solids) were also affected by storage time and temperature. The TSS content of fruit at 2°C increased and then remained constant over storage. At higher temperatures and at every stage of storage time TSS increased as storage time increased. The predominant carotenoid in all samples was ß-carotene. The carotenoids were increased and then decreased with the time; however, the decrease processes were delayed by low temperature. The alpha form was the predominant tocopherol fraction. The level of tocopherol isomers significantly (a-tocopherol) and gradualy (γ- and δ- tocopherol) increased during the 7 days, but after 1st week of storing for all isomers a significant decrease was measured. High temperature storage at 18°C in comparison to 10°C and 2°C promoted γ- and δ- tocopherol level. PUBLICATION ABSTRACT
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The slope stability issues concerning rainfall induced slope failures are investigated and presented. Specifically, the effect of both negative and positive pore water pressures on the stability of ...initially unsaturated slopes are carefully explained and coupled with infinite slope analysis methods in order to present a predictive formulation of slope failures that occur as a result of rainfall events. The formulation serves as a baseline analysis method for evaluating potentially unstable soil slopes that are subject to surface infiltration and explains the various triggering mechanisms that may occur based on individual combinations of the slope geometry, soil strength, and infiltration parameters. A procedural method is outlined for utilizing the analytical formulation to predict the change in the factor of safety for a slope subject to infiltration and a detailed analysis of a case study is presented to verify the method. Quantitative statements are made concerning the time and depth of failure in relationship to the soil, slope, and rainfall parameters.
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DOBA, FGGLJ, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
This article analyses factors affecting the reputation of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) among people in Slovenia. The inquiry, which included 7 general questions and 19 questions in particular ...about sweet potato, was completed by 712 respondents. The aim was to find out which factors impact the knowledge about sweet potato, the relations between answers to various questions regarding sweet potato features and willingness of people to know, to buy and to grow it. The methods applied were the Radial basis function neural networks and multiple linear and logistic regressions. It was established that persons with agricultural education are experts and know sweet potato best. Persons from large families are also familiar with it, but to a smaller degree. The answers to 8 questions about sweet potato features were very consistent, since we found out that every answer can be predicted with 98% probability (on the basis of the answers to the other 7 questions). Significant covariates in regression show that the most likely persons to know/buy/ grow sweet potato are the people with agricultural education. Older persons are more interested in curative features of sweet potato, while younger and better educated believe in stronger nutritional values. Female respondents are more likely to grow sweet potato than men. Net income also influences willingness to buy sweet potato, because people living with children are more likely to be willing to attend free lectures about sweet potato. --Keywords: sweet potato, questionnaire, artificial neural networks, regression, Slovenia--
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Fungicidal activity of asaronaldehyde, soybean lecithin, garlic extract, salicylic acid, and metiram against late blight on tomato was investigated in a field block experiment. Significantly the ...lowest severity index was detected on plants treated with metiram, while there were no significant differences among plants treated with different natural substances. Mean mass of healthy tomatoes was the highest on plants treated with metiram. It was assumed that severity index was mainly influenced by abiotic factors, especially rain. None of the natural fungicides tested showed satisfactory efficacy against the late blight, therefore new environmentally friendly substances should be studied with the aim of their implementation into sustainable field-grown tomato production.
A fast two-stage methodology for determining unsaturated flow characteristics is presented. The procedure builds on direct measurement of the retention characteristic using a syringe pump technique, ...combined with inverse estimation of the hydraulic conductivity characteristic based on one-step outflow experiments. The direct measurements are obtained with a commercial syringe pump, which continuously withdraws fluid from a soil sample at a very low and accurate flow rate, thus providing the water content in the soil sample. The retention curve is then established by simultaneously monitoring the capillary pressure. The measured retention curves were compared with those obtained by static methods and found to agree closely. Subsequently, a transient outflow experiment is carried out on the same soil sample, in the same apparatus, and the information is obtained on a time-scale of days. The one-step outflow data and the independently measured retention data are included in the objective function of a traditional least-squares minimization routine, providing unique estimates of the unsaturated hydraulic characteristics by means of numerical inversion of Richards equation. As opposed to what is often assumed in practical applications, we found it necessary to allow the exponent (gamma) of van Genuchten's hydraulic conductivity expression to vary to obtain satisfactory estimates. Optimized hydraulic conductivity estimates were ultimately compared with directly measured values, and visual agreement was quite satisfactory. However, we encountered numerical instabilities of the optimization code used (SFIT), a flaw that may constitute a potential problem when using this code for the optimization.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
This study was conducted on a sample of 360 students of biotechnical
education aged 15 to 18 with the aim of testing the effectiveness of
experiential instruction in a school garden in comparison ...with traditional
instruction in a classroom. The results show that experiential instruction
yielded significantly better achievement scores than traditional teaching.
The experiential instruction group scored higher in both cognitive domains
included in the test, i.e. knowing and applying. Students? knowledge in a
post-test was influenced by gender, grade and the educational program that
students were enrolled in.
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