Research on the water quality assessment of some tributaries of the Bistrița River in the Dornelor Basin, North-Eastern Romania, showed that all physico-chemical, microbiological parameters, the composition of algal communities or the presence of water quality bioindicators, such as the so-called “bentofauna”, i.e. families of insect larvae (ephemeroptera, trichoptera, plecoptera), worms, amphipods and others, represent the expression of a correlation of factors that demonstrate that on all formations of the hydrographic network studied, the anthropogenic influence is minimal, in the sense that there are no factors that pollute the water at a level detectable by these correlated measurements (see page 450).
Issue 4 (188)/2021
Characterisation of the Parasite Load of River Bistrita Tributaries, in Dornelor Basin, Romania
Ionela Voloseniuc, Kálmán Imre, Liviu Miron
ABSTRACT. Dornelor Basin is characterised by numerous high quality water sources, which is proven by the fact that the main mineral waters on the Romanian market come from this area. The study aimed to provide data on the occurrence and human infective potential of Giardia and Cryptosporidium, as the most important water-borne parasites, from Bistrița river tributaries of Dornelor basin, North-Eastern Romania. Water samples were collected from 10 tributaries of the Bistrita river, from the level of sampling stations set upstream and downstream from the anthropic communities. The harvested water samples were further processed using non-molecular methods in order to isolate (oo)cysts. Subsequently, the isolated Cryptosporidium and Giardia (oo)ccyst were molecularly characterized through PCR and genomic sequencing, which led to the identification of Giardia in order to identify them at species level. The outcomes revealed the fact that the waters of the emissaries under study have a low parasite load and that, upstream from the human settlements, the water is highly pure when related to the protozoa under study. The increased load of Giardia spp. and Cryptosporidium spp. corresponded to important animal husbandry activity. The obtained results underline a potential public health risk.
Keywords: Giardia spp. Cryptosporidium spp., parasite load, surface water.
Heightening Sorghum Nitrogen Uptake While Maintaining Optimal Soil Nutrient Levels Through Mineral Fertiliser Application
Riziki Mwadalu, Benson Mochoge, Maina Mwangi, Harun Gitari
ABSTRACT. Improving nutrient management of soils is important in subsistence farming systems in the tropics due to declining soil fertility resulting from continuous cropping coupled with inadequate nutrient replenishment. Balancing nutrient inputs with crop removal is crucial in reducing the build-up of nutrients and minimises nutrient losses through different pathways, thus reducing the cost of production. This study aimed at evaluating the effect of N and P fertiliser on sorghum N uptake at Kampi ya Mawe (KYM) in Makueni County and Katumani (KAT) in Machakos County, Kenya. Two factors (nitrogen and phosphorus) each at two levels (0 and 75 kg ha-1) were evaluated, resulting in four treatments, each replicated thrice. At KYM, N content in sorghum tissues increased by 24.2% in comparison with the control following application of N at 75 kg ha-1. At KAT, plots amended with N and P at 75 kg ha-1 resulted in the highest N content in sorghum tissues at the three sorghum development stages assessed. At the seedling stage, an increase of 18.8% was observed. Sole N application led to an increase in N content in sorghum tissues of 17.6% at the seedling stage. A positive linear relationship between NO3- N and N content in sorghum tissues was also observed. The study showed that soil N uptake was higher in the early growth stages of sorghum. The results of this study are essential to farmers and extension officers as a guide to ensure timely fertiliser application to ensure optimum utilisation of nutrients during crop growth.
Keywords: Crop production, nutrient uptake, soil fertility, Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench.
Co-Infection with Babesia Canis and Borrelia Burgdorferi S.L. in a Dog from Northeastern Romania: A Case Report
Liviu-Dan Miron, Lavinia Ciucă, Călin Ilie, Andreea Potoroaca, Constantin Lazăr, Gabriela-Victoria Martinescu
ABSTRACT. This study describes a clinical case of a 9-year-old mixed-breed dog co-infected with Babesia canis and Borrelia burgdorferi. This dog was referred to a private clinic in northeastern Romania for a recurrent perianal tumour and a mild inflammation in the right elbow. The dog showed mild haemolytic anaemia, as well as increased alkaline phosphatase and glucose levels. Despite surgery and therapy, after four days, the patient had developed hyperthermia, severe anaemia and an inflammatory syndrome. The blood smear revealed the presence of piroplasm organisms identified as ‘large’ Babesia spp. On the 9th day of hospitalization the patient died during the blood transfusion, before applying the specific therapy for babesiosis. The blood collected before blood transfusion was tested for the following vector-borne diseases: Babesia spp., Anaplasma spp., Ehrlichia spp., Hepatozoon spp. and Borrelia spp. using molecular analysis. The final outcome indicated a co-infection with Babesia canis and Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. In conclusion, the introduction of vector-borne disease screening approach prior any surgical procedure can prevent life-threatening events and improve diagnostic accuracy in dogs infected/co-infected simultaneously with different vector-borne diseases.
Keywords: canine babesiosis; canine borreliosis; co-infection; tick-borne diseases.
An Investigation of the Noise Absorption Potential of a Six Selected Grass Species
N.D. Amarasingha, J.A.P. Bodhika, W.G.D. Dharmaratna, L.P. Jayatissa
ABSTRACT. Grass has a high leaf density and requires minimum space to grow. This experiment was designed to determine the sound absorption behaviour of six grass species (Zoysia matrella (L) Merr., Stenotaphrum dimidiatum(L.) Brongn, Panicum repens (L.), Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn., Axonopus compressus (Sw) P. Beauv, and Ischaemum sp.) for their possible use as noise screens. The sound absorption of each morphological leaf structure was studied. For Sound Absorption Coefficients (SAC) (α) studies, the reverberation room method under ISO 345:2003 standards was followed. A B&K dodecahedron Omni-directional speaker, power amplifier, and 2250L handheld analyser were used for reverberation time and RT60 measurements. Microscopic images of grass leaves were analysed using ImageJ software. This study revealed that grasses with the highest and lowest SAC for higher noise frequencies (> 1500 Hz) are S. dimidiatum Brongn and A. compressus, respectively. The SAC of S. dimidiatum Brongn positively correlated with noise frequency. In general, the correlation of SAC (α) with noise frequency (f) is in the form of log10α = a1log10f + b1 where a1 and b1 are grass type-dependent constants. The morphological parameters like total leaf area, total sample area, plant height, and sample dry weight strongly correlated with the SAC. But leaf thickness, length, width, surface area, and the weight of the sample poorly correlated with SAC in the frequency range.
Keywords: Grass; Sound Absorption Coefficient; Morphological Characteristics; Correlations.
Winter Wheat Mixtures Influence Grain Rheological and Mixolab Quality
Trong Nghia Hoang, Marek Kopecký, Petr Konvalina
ABSTRACT. This study aims to investigate the effect of a mixture of winter wheat varieties on grain rheological characteristics and the quality of wheat flour analyzed by Mixolab. In the 2019-2020 growing season, a small plots experiment was carried out in an organically certified field in the Czech Republic. The experiment was conducted by randomized complete block design with three replicates, four winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) varieties with four mixtures of the same varieties in equal proportions. Based on the results, the expected grain yield was not achieved. The quality of wheat productivity was significantly different among treatments in terms of protein content, wet gluten, sedimentation value, and falling number (P < 0.001). Protein content ranged between 8.04% and 9.85%, mixtures of Butterfly + Lorien and Illusion + Lorien were higher in protein than Illusion and Vanessa varieties and their combination. The highest wet gluten was found under mixtures of Butterfly + Lorien varieties (19.34%) while sowing Butterfly variety gave the highest Zeleny test and falling number compared to other treatments. Butterfly + Lorien and Butterfly + Vanessa mixtures obtained good results for falling number at 250.67 and 272.67 seconds. There were significant differences in rheological quality parameters of winter wheat varieties analyzed by Mixolab including stability, weakening of protein, and starch (P < 0.01 and P < 0.001, except slope gamma). Although the observed benefits were limited to grain yield, mixtures of individual cultivars appear to be a potential tool to improve overall crop performance (grain quality). Keywords: baking quality, organic farming, yield.
Evaluation of Phenolic Compounds in White Wines Treated with Enzymes
Elena Cristina Scutarașu, Valeriu V. Cotea, Camelia Elena Luchian, Lucia Carmen Trincă, Andrei Scutarașu
ABSTRACT. Wine’s quality is influenced both by the grape characteristics and winemaking protocols. Awareness of the significant role of enzymes preparations in beverages technologies contributes to the optimization of the manufacturing process, for improving the chemical composition of the resulting wine and its organoleptic properties. This paper focuses on monitoring the impact of different commercial enzymes (pectinases and β-glycosides) on the main phenolic compounds content of Sauvignon blanc wines. For this experiment, ten phenolic compounds were quantified using a liquid-chromatography (LC) system coupled with ion trap mass spectrometer. The results indicated a significant influence of enzymes on wine’s phenolic fraction. Experimental samples presented high content in protocatechuic acid (9.99 – 13.75 μg/mL) and caftaric acid (2.69 – 9.80 μg/mL). The use of pectinases lead to an increase of phenolic compound’s concentration compared to the control.
Keywords: enzymes, wine, phenolic compounds, pectinases, β-glycosides.
Study of Phenotypic Variability Using the Varietal Diversity of Cultivated Forms of Naked and Hulled Oats in the Intercropping System
Domnica Plăcintă, Danela Murariu
ABSTRACT. The research carried out at the Gene Bank in Suceava, Northern Romania, aimed to highlight the phenotypic variability of the germplasm of Avena spp. For this purpose, the morpho-productive traits and resistance to diseases, pests and weeds were analysed. Productivity, diseases and pests, days to heading and days to maturity descriptors of 46 Avena spp. genotypes (naked and hulled oat) with different biological statuses (36 local populations, 10 cultivars), were evaluated by testing in intercropping experiments with small grain cereals and grain legumes. The unidirectional ANOVA analysis generated values that allowed the elaboration of a hierarchy of heterogeneity in the hulled local populations, for some of the analysed characters (one thousand seeds weight/genotype, degree of attack by Puccinia coronata and Oulema melanopa and days to maturity) and these were less in naked forms. There was a high competition of Avena species, regarding weeds in small grain cereal variants and potentially beneficial for nitrogen symbiotic fixation by increasing naked and hulled local oat population productivity in intercropping with fava bean. The Euclidean distance classification of the oat genotypes investigated in the dendrogram distinguished the generated groups, indicating the maximum distance in cluster IV. With high heterogeneity of productivity traits, better resistance to disease and pests, and shorter maturity, members of this cluster could be used to develop genetic mixture programs.
Keywords: phenotypic variability, morphological traits, intercropping, naked and hulled cultivars.
Soil Fertility in the Central-Southern Part of Romania Expressed by Soil Reaction and Nutrient Content: A Case Study from the Raul Alb Catchment, Dambovita County
Florin Ciocan, Catalin Manu, Alexandru Matache, Nicolae Petrescu, George Muratoreanu
ABSTRACT. The field research took place between 2019 and 2020, in the upper river basin of the Raul Alb creek, located in the northwest of Dambovita County, the analysed land area being 4034 ha. Underlying the research of the complex erosion phenomena faced by the analysed territory was the soil survey, which consisted of sampling 46 soil profiles in the representative areas for the analysed territory. For the analysis of the soil fertility, chemical analyses were performed regarding the pH, humus content, reported to the soil texture in the topsoil and the supply of nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium), also physical-mechanical analysis (soil texture), interpreted according to the “Methodology for the Development of Pedological Studies, Volumes I, II, III, 1987”. By centralising the obtained results, it found that 59.42% of the total analysed land surface had a weak alkaline pH, at least in the topsoil, due to the CaCO3 content. For the supply of humus, the most significant share is that of the extremely low-supplied soils with this element in the topsoil, i.e. 73.42% of the mapped area, and in terms of the nitrogen supply, 26.67% of the total surface of the river basin shows severe deficiencies in this element. The situation is worrying indeed in the case of the supply of soils with mobile phosphorus, with 3 280.27 ha of the mapped surface having very low or low contents of this element, making up 81.31%. However, for potassium, the soils from the upper sector of the Raul Alb catchment are mostly moderately and well supplied, with only 620.85 ha (15.39%) being extremely poorly supplied with this element.
Keywords: river basin, mineral nutrients, humus, soil pH.
Design of GNSS Networks for Monitoring Earth Dams Deformations
Ioana Agapie (Mereuță), Mihail Luca, Paul-Marian Gherasim, Violeta Dominte (Croitoru)
ABSTRACT. The paper presents a series of results regarding the application of GNSS technology for measuring displacements to earth dams. An appropriate horizontal and vertical deformation-tracking network must be established for the rapid monitoring of earthmoving movements. Data obtained from the monitoring network can be used in the earth dam stability analysis program. Periodic tracking of earth dams using GNSS technology provides high accuracy of spatial distortions. The results of the paper show the application of GNSS technology to monitor the deformations of the Podisu earth dam located on the Sheep Valley River in Iasi County. In the first stage of research (2019 and 2020), the local geodetic tracking network was created. To monitor the dam, four control landmarks were placed on the crest of dam and seven landmarks on the downstream slope. In the second stage of the research (year 2021) the measurements of the displacements at the earth dam were performed. The GNSS monitoring method has the advantage of positioning the target quickly, statically, and with high accuracy. The measurements used fixed stations located at two points in the local geodetic network. Four Trimble GNSS receivers were used for the measurements. The resulting data was processed using the Trimble Business Centre program. The obtained results were analysed in comparison with those existing in the design documentation and technical expertise of the dam. The results highlight the presence of displacements on the crest of a dam and slopes of the dam. The final findings highlight the performance of GNSS technology in the monitoring process, where it provides millimetre-accurate accuracy with high spatial and temporal accuracy.
Keywords: earth dam, static measurements, GNSS, geodetic network.
Assessing the Efficiency of Moringa Oleifera Leaf Meal on the Growth Performance of Broiler Chicken
David Ofoe Gorleku, Gloria Pearl Ami Badu, John Tennyson Afele, James Seutra Kaba, Akwasi Adutwum Abunyewa
ABSTRACT. High cost of poultry feed and limited fishmeal are currently the major challenges in poultry production. To reduce cost while maximizing production, there is the need to use cheap but high nutritional feed sources like Moringa oleifera. The aim of the study was to assess the effects of Moringa oleifera on the growth performance of broiler chicken by measuring their live weight, rate of mortality, feed conversion ratio and benefit cost (b/c) ratio. Field experiment was carried out at the Animal Science Department farm, located in the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi-Ghana. A total of 30-day old chicks were raised for eight weeks under the required conditions, with all vaccines administered appropriately. The experiment was laid in a Complete Randomized Design with five treatments namely T1= 100% conventional feed only (as control), T2= 50% MoLM (Moringa oleifera Leaf Meal) + 50% conventional, T3= 75% MoLM + 25% conventional, T4= 25% MoLM + 75% conventional, T5= 80% MoLM and each treatment replicated six times. The result showed no significant differences between the various treatment for the feed conversion ratio and live weight at different growth periods. The benefit/cost ratio of T1 was more than one while the other treatments were less than one. T4 (25% MoLM) had a b/c ratio close to one. In conclusion, Moringa oleifera leaf meal at different levels can be used to supplement the fishmeal component in the poultry diet of broiler chicken to produce similar results as that of the conventional feed. The study recommends that farmers can adopt Moringa oleifera based poultry feed for their bird production when they cannot afford the conventional feed (fish meal-based feed) to cut down cost economically while increasing productivity.
Keywords: Moringa oleifera, broiler chicken, growth performance, Conventional feed, Poultry feed.
© by the authors; licensee Journal of Applied Life Sciences and Environment, Iasi, Romania. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)
