Qualitative analysis of liposoluble wheat extract from conventional, integrated, organic, biodynamic and control farming systems was performed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). ...Organic and biodynamic farming systems were close to each other versus conventional and integrated which are similar in fertilization and plant protection. In the control treatment no fertilization or plant protection was used. Cluster analysis (CA) was applied to classify the samples according to lipid profiles in wheat from different farming systems. The obtained results showed that better discrimination of wheat samples was achieved by analyzing the peak area after 18 min retention time (non-saponifiable lipid fraction), than used the peak area for the whole chromatogram. The study has found that this method can be a potentially used for making a distinction between organic and non-organic wheat production.
The chemical composition of dwarf French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cv. Top Crop was compared among five production systems: conventional, integrated, organic, and biodynamic production systems and ...the control. Determination of sugars and organic acids was performed with a HPLC system, and identification of individual phenolic compounds using HPLC-MS. The chemical composition of the beans was unaffected by the production systems; however, the content levels of individual compounds were changed. The pods from integrated production contained the lowest levels of glucose and sucrose and the highest levels of catechin, procyanidin dimers, and a vanillic acid derivative. The control treatment, as well as organic and biodynamic productions, positively affected the levels of sugar content and caused a lower content of catechin and trans-p-coumaroylaldaric acids. Beans from the conventional production system contained the lowest levels of fructose, glucose, ascorbic acid, and many phenolics from various groups.
Although organic farming was originally promoted as an alternative farming system to address agronomic, environmental and ecological issues, its conventionalisation has led to an intensification and ...specialisation of production. In the light of this, several studies have questioned the environmental benefits of organic farming as well as its agronomic viability. Thus, there is a need to improve organic vegetable systems to reduce their environmental impact without affecting their productivity. To tackle this challenge, European farmers and researchers have recently started to focus on agroecological service crops (ASCs). However, few studies have simultaneously evaluated the agronomic, environmental and ecological aspects of ASC management under different European pedo‐climatic conditions.
We evaluated effects of the ASC management strategies—no‐till roller crimping (NT‐RC) and green manuring (T‐GM) on cropping system performance using agronomic, environmental and ecological indicators—to exemplify the need for multidimensional analysis to understand management implications for addressing environmental and agronomic challenges. We combined the results from 11 organic vegetable field trials conducted in seven European countries over a period of 2 years to test for general trends.
Our results provide solid evidence that NT‐RC management across different pedo‐climatic conditions in Europe enhances the activity density of ground and rove beetles and improves both the potential energy recycling within the system and weed control. However, in NT‐RC plots, lower cash crop yield and quality, energetic efficiency of production and activity density of spiders were observed compared to T‐GM.
Synthesis and applications. Multidimensional analyses using agronomic, environmental and ecological indicators are required to understand the implications of agricultural management in agroecosystem functioning. Introducing agroecological service crops combined with the use of no‐till roller crimping is a promising strategy for improving agronomic performance (e.g. fewer weeds) and reducing environmental (e.g. increasing the potentially recyclable energy) and ecological (e.g. enhancing the activity density of beneficial taxa such as ground and rove beetles) impacts. However, our study also indicates a need for agronomic and environmental improvements while promoting a wider acceptance of this strategy.
Multidimensional analyses using agronomic, environmental and ecological indicators are required to understand the implications of agricultural management in agroecosystem functioning. Introducing agroecological service crops combined with the use of no‐till roller crimping is a promising strategy for improving agronomic performance (e.g. fewer weeds) and reducing environmental (e.g. increasing the potentially recyclable energy) and ecological (e.g. enhancing the activity density of beneficial taxa such as ground and rove beetles) impacts. However, our study also indicates a need for agronomic and environmental improvements while promoting a wider acceptance of this strategy.
Traditionally, pumpkin seed oil is obtained by pressing the seeds after a roasting pretreatment, at temperatures up to 150 °C. However, the appropriate temperatures and roasting times are under ...discussion. In this study, oils from seeds roasted at different temperatures (60–150 °C) are compared with oil from non‐roasted seeds. At higher roasting temperatures, lower roasting times are required to release the oil. Both, for tocopherols and phenolic compounds, no decreasing trend with the increasing roasting temperature are observed. In contrast, the oil from non‐roasted seeds have relatively low levels of tocopherols and phenolics and lacked the typical aroma. Levels of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are very low, ranging from not detected in oil from non‐roasted seeds to 13.8 μg kg−1 in the oil from seeds roasted at 150 °C. Therefore, the choice between the studied roasting conditions may depend rather on sensory evaluations than on the content of antioxidants or of PAHs. Practical Applications: The process of the production of virgin pumpkin oil is based on a thermal treatment of the ground seeds, favoring the separation of the lipid fraction, and giving a typical aroma of the roasted oil. Results of this research provide important information regarding the influence of roasting conditions on the quality and safety of the oil. Roasting pumpkin seeds increased the tocopherol and phenols content in the pumpkin oil, with no significant formation of PAHs. The information will be valuable and important for not only for the pumpkin oil production, but also for all the seeds submitted to a roasting treatment before extraction.
Pumpkin seed oil is traditionally produced in several European countries and commonly used in salad dressing. The production of pumpkin seed oil frequently includes roasting of the seeds at high temperatures, which may influence the amount of phenolic compounds and the final nutritional quality of the oil. The roasting of the pumpkin seeds is necessary to obtain the desired color, flavor, and taste characteristics. At higher roasting temperatures, lower roasting times are required to release the oil. Both, for tocopherols and phenolic compounds, no decreasing trend with the increasing roasting temperature is observed.
Pumpkin seed oil is traditionally produced in several European countries and commonly used in salad dressing. The production of pumpkin seed oil frequently includes roasting of the seeds at high temperatures, which may influence the amount of phenolic compounds and the final nutritional quality of the oil. The roasting of the pumpkin seeds is necessary to obtain the desired color, flavor, and taste characteristics. At higher roasting temperatures, lower roasting times are required to release the oil. Both, for tocopherols and phenolic compounds, no decreasing trend with the increasing roasting temperature is observed.
Based on available literature, practices, and agricultural movements, this study analyzed the conceptualization of agroecology in the West Balkans (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, ...Montenegro, Serbia, and North Macedonia). For decades, like Yugoslavia, they shared common agricultural development, and agroecology was viewed on a theoretical basis alone. Currently, cooperation exists between agroecology (scientific discipline) and organic agriculture (practical platform). All countries have committed to transition toward sustainable agriculture; however, lower productivity and economical/structural impediments have resulted in variable acceptance of agroecology. Nevertheless, agroecology is recognized as an alternative approach to conventional agriculture, with the potential to meet future food demands.
The effect of introduction strategy for living mulches (LMs) to reduce the potential nitrate leaching was investigated when grown with vegetables with high nitrogen (N) demand and low use efficiency ...in four European countries: Italy, Slovenia, Germany and Denmark over 2 yr. The plant N uptake and soil nitrate N content at harvest, in the autumn, and in the following spring were measured below open-pollinated and hybrid cultivars of cauliflower and leek crops. The cultivars performed differently over the 2 yr. In Italy and Slovenia, when LM of burr medic or white clover was broad sown (addition design ADD) at the same time as crop transplanting, the N uptake of crops was hampered without increasing the total aboveground N accumulation. Delaying LM sowing by 2.5–4 weeks maintained the N uptake of crops. In Germany, delaying white clover sowing for a month in cauliflower reduced soil nitrate at the start of leaching by 17–33 kg N ha−1 in the ADD design and 25 kg N ha−1 in the substitution design (SUB), where rows of cash crops were replaced by rows of LM. An overwintering LM of grass–clover incorporated in strips and root pruned decreased soil nitrate at the start of the leaching period by 35 kg N ha−1 in cauliflower, and in leek, an LM of dyer's woad decreased the soil nitrate by 55 kg N ha−1 at harvest and 30 kg N ha−1 at the start of leaching. The effect of delayed LM sowing depended on the LM species and system design. Overall, the SUB and ADD designs showed potential to reduce nitrate leaching, whereas the ADD design had stronger competition against either cash crop or LM. The key to reduce soil nitrate N without jeopardizing crop yields may be to identify suitable growing periods, sometimes combined with root pruning, for each LM species and system design. The LM introduction strategy can be used to control competition and reduce the potential leaching, but the performance depends on the intensity of the interspecific competition and the local conditions.
Agroecological service crops are introduced into the vegetable crop rotation to provide agroecosystem services, and are a key strategy for weed management in organic systems. Organic farmers across ...Europe usually terminate these crops before cultivation of the subsequent cash crop, using them as green manure. Recently, the in-line tillage-roller crimper has attracted interest across Europe. It allows flattening the agroecological service crops and creates a narrow furrow that facilitates the fertilization and transplantation of organic vegetables. In Europe, most of the research on this technology has been carried out in Italy, and no studies are available analyzing its effect on weed density, weed species richness, and community composition in different vegetable crops, soils, and climatic conditions across Europe. We compared the effects of the usage of in-line tillage-roller crimper versus green manure on the weed abundance, species richness, and community composition in fourteen original datasets from five countries over 2 years. The support for a common effect of in-line tillage-roller crimper across trials was tested by means of a meta-analytic approach based on a weighted version of Stouffer’s method. Our results indicate that in-line tillage-roller crimper management reduced weed density by 35.1% on average in comparison with green manure, and this trend was significant across trials. Moreover, we document a significant reduction of weed species richness under this technique and significant but, in general, minor changes in the weed community composition across the trials. Therefore, this study provides for the first time a solid evidence of the effectiveness of this management technique to reduce weed density at the early stages of crop growth across a wide range of vegetable systems and production conditions in Europe. Nonetheless, it is important to note that the effect of this technology can be strongly affected by variations in cropping conditions.
Maize (
Zea mays L.) growth in non-typical maize growing regions has several limitations with respect to agronomic characteristics of cultivars, and their reactions on changes of production system in ...specific climate. Two long term field experiments were carried out to investigate the effect of plant populations (PP) on the leaf area index (LAI), grain yield and cob characteristics of maize cultivars in Maribor, Slovenia. In the first experiment, an increase of PP from 4.5 to 13.5 plants per m
2 did not affect the LAI of four older maize cultivars at the 7–9-leaf stage, but significant differences between cultivars, years and PP appeared at brooming (from 1.58 to 7.07). In this stage, a strong correlation existed between LAI and grain yield (
r=0.87**). Reduction of LAI from brooming to waxy maturity averaged 9.7%. PP explained 93–99% of the variation in grain yield depending on cultivars. Some cultivars lodged at the highest PP in some years. Increased PP significantly changed the following cob characteristics, weight of 1000 kernels, cob length, number of kernel rows, and number of kernels per row. In the second experiment, 11 recent cultivars expressed a relatively small trend of grain yield increases when PP was increased from 7 to 13 plants per m
2. At high PP, the percent of plants decaying after emergence increased up to 27% during the vegetation period. Therefore, we conclude that the information on suitable PP for each maize cultivar is one of the key factors for planning maize production.
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