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Issue 2 (194)/2023

Cover story

Sep 12, 2024 |

Cut flowers are living organs with tremendous metabolic activity that age far faster than undetached blossoms from the mother plant. Improving the longevity of cut flowers is one of the most important components in ensuring customer happiness.

In a study, four holding solutions very often used by florists and the final consumer were tested to analyse their impact on the development of the inflorescence, as well as the elongation, weight and degree of bending of the hyacinth flowers.

The use of these solutions has a general character, and the flower species react differently due to both their genetics and the conditions in which they were cultivated, handled and stored. (see page 211)

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Effect of Gliricidia sepium Leafy Biomass and NPK (15:15:15) Fertiliser on the Growth and Yield of Tomato, Solanum lycopersicum (L.)

Sep 12, 2023 |

Adams Latif Mohammed, Esther Korkor Nartey, Frank Addai, Samuel Arthur, Elvis Bawah

ABSTRACT. The use of organic amendments and appropriate nutrient management practices is essential for sustainable agricultural production. The present study investigated the effect of Gliricidia sepium leafy biomass and NPK (15:15:15) on the growth and yield of tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum L.). A randomised complete block design with five treatments and four replicates was employed in this experiment. The treatments included T1 (Control), T2 (100% G. sepium leafy biomass), T3 (25% G. sepium leafy biomass + 75% NPK fertiliser), T4 (50% G. sepium leafy biomass + 50% NPK), T5 (100% NPK), and T6 (75% G. sepium leafy biomass + 25% NPK). The application of G. sepium leafy biomass and NPK had significant effects on tomato growth and yield (p˂0.05). The combined application of G. sepium leafy biomass and NPK (T4) and the sole application of G. sepium leafy biomass (T2) resulted in the highest plant height, stem girth, and fruit yield compared to the other treatments. Additionally, treatment with 75% Gliricidia leafy biomass and 25% NPK fertiliser (T6) resulted in a superior fruit weight compared to the other treatments. The application of G. sepium leafy biomass (T2) alone and NPK alone (T5) showed a significant improvement in plant growth parameters and fruit yield compared to the control (T1), although the effects were not as pronounced when combined with NPK (T4). The application of NPK fertiliser (T3) also positively influenced plant growth and yield, but the effects were lower compared to T2, T4, and T6. Further studies are warranted to optimise the application rates of G. sepium leafy biomass and NPK for different tomato cultivars and growing conditions.

Keywords: agroforestry tree species; crop nutrition; fertilisers; growth; tomato plant.

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Dynamics of Urban Landscape and Its Thermal Interactions with Selected Land Cover Types: A Case of Benin City, Nigeria

Sep 11, 2023 |

Oseyomon John Aigbokhan, Oludare Hakeem Adedeji, Abiodun Olusegun Oladoye, John Adebayo Oyedepo

ABSTRACT. In this study, the spatiotemporal dynamics of the urban environment and thermal environment of Benin City are analysed. The maximum likelihood algorithm for land use and land cover (LULC) analysis was used to categorise Landsat images. The relative transfer equation (RTE) and land surface emissivity (LSE) approaches were used to retrieve the land surface temperature (LST), whereas the Cellular Automata-Markov (CA-Markov) algorithm was used to forecast the LULC for 2030. The findings reveal evolving LULC patterns over time. Built-up areas made up 19.66% of the total area in 1990, bare ground made up 9.25%, and vegetation made up 71.08%. Built-up areas reached 23.40% in 2000, bare land reached 12%, and the vegetation cover dropped to 64.16%. In 2010, there was an increase in the proportion of built-up areas to 44.38%, the proportion of bare land increased to 22.20%, and the proportion of vegetation decreased to 33.42%. Built-up areas reached 61.79% in 2020, compared to 22.29% for bare land and 61.79% for vegetation. Regarding the relationship between the fractional vegetation cover (FVC) and LST, for the years 1992, 2002, 2012, and 2022, R2 is equal to 0.87097, 0.84598, 0.83957, and 0.71838, respectively. Conversely, for the LST and the normalised difference built-up index (NDBI), the R2 values were 0.5975, 0.73876, 0.86615, and 0.90368 for 1992, 2002, 2012, and 2022 respectively. In conclusion, this study evaluates Benin City’s metropolitan setting and thermal environment. According to the LULC study, there are more built-up areas and less vegetation. The impact of the changing land cover on urban thermal features is shown through correlation analysis, which links more built-up regions to higher LSTs. These results can support urban design efforts to lessen the effects of climate change. Examining the distribution of the LST and its associations with particular land cover types was the major goal of this study. Future research will undoubtedly use this study as a useful reference when modelling urban terrain and temperature variations.

Keywords: algorithm; concentric zone; emissivity; zonal statistics.

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Seaweed Culture, Post-Harvest Processing, and Market Generation for Employment of Coastal Poor Communities in Cox s Bazar

Sep 7, 2023 |

Asrafi Md. Farhaduzzaman, Md. Suzan Khan, Mohammad Hasan, Rashedul Islam, Mahadi Hasan Osman, Md. Neamul Hasan Shovon, Sayeed Mahmood Belal Haider, Mrityunjoy Kunda, Md. Tarikul Islam, Md. Simul Bhuyan

ABSTRACT. Seaweed farming is one of the aquaculture industries with the greatest growth rate worldwide, with an annual production of over 33 billion tonnes, and a value of USD$11.8 billion which is predicted to treble by 2024. The current study was conducted in the Bakkhali River estuary and set out to survey the seaweed cultivation, processing, marketing status of the seaweed farmers and evaluate its financial benefits. Gracilaria lemaneiformis and Ulva intestinalis were cultured using the rope methods. The yield of G. lemaneiformis and U. intestinalis was good (Ten 15 m long ropes were used in each of the 45 plots, produced 7770 kg of G. lemaneiformis in the first 15 days while using ten 15 m long ropes were in each of the plots of U. intestinalis produced 2300 kg). Water parameters viz. temperature, salinity, pH, DO and transparency were checked every 15 days. According to previous literature, winter was determined to be the most productive time for seaweed development in Bangladesh. Seaweed was processed by the sun drying method and sold to retail clients, neighborhood shops and markets, and representatives in Cox’s Bazar, Bandarban, Rangamati and Khagrachari district, where G. lemaneiformis attracting the higher price. The income of seaweed farmers has increased more than in the previous years to maintain their family. Most of the farmers used raw seaweed as traditional medicine for the treatment of gastric problem (80%), diabetes (5%), blood pressure (3%) and cancer (2%). They also used seaweed as an additive with other vegetables, mutton and chicken. Education for coastal people is very difficult, but after cultivating seaweed, about 60% of farmers can afford their children’s education cost and about 85% of the households had electric fans, while the majority had mobile phones. The cost-benefit analysis demonstrated that seaweed cultivation is highly profitable.

Keywords: coastal communities; employment generation; marketing; processing; seaweed culture.

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Prevalence of West Nile Virus Antibodies in Indoor Dogs From an Urban Area in Iași, Romania: Indicators of Viral Presence and Urban Transmission Potential

Sep 4, 2023 |

Luanda Elena Oșlobanu, Luciana Alexandra Crivei, Ioana Alexandra Rățoi, Ioana Cristina Crivei, Gheorghe Savuța

ABSTRACT. West Nile Virus (WNV), a zoonotic mosquito-borne virus (mobovirus) originally isolated from the blood of a febrile Ugandan woman in 1937, caused substantial human disease in Europe starting in the 1990s and emerged in 1999 in The United States of America (USA) for the first time. It has become an important concern for public health due to its reemergence and frequent human outbreaks. The enzootic transmission cycle of arboviruses involves primary wild animals; however, spillover transmission is reported frequently in domestic animals. Dogs are dead-end hosts in WNV transmission epidemiology. However, detecting WNV antibodies in the dog population can indicate the virus’s presence and spread in different areas. The virus is known to be endemic in parts of Romania, including Iași County. The study aimed at assessing the prevalence of anti-WNV antibodies in indoor dogs from an urban area in Iași, where all the conditions for virus transmission are met (wetland, density of wildlife hosts including birds, abundance of vectors, domestic mammal hosts and synanthropic birds). Using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (INGEZIM West Nile COMPAC, Ingenasa, Madrid, Spain), serum samples collected from indoor dogs between 2020–2022 were screened for WNV antibodies. The results showed an overall seroprevalence of 12.2%. Detection of specific antibodies in dogs suggests a possible establishment of an urban cycle for WNV or other antigenically related flaviviruses.

Keywords: dogs; seroprevalence; West Nile.

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The Influence of Climatic Conditions on the Occurrence of Large Forest Fires: A Case Study of Stara Planina Nature Park in 2007 and 2019

Aug 23, 2023 |

Stanimir Živanović, Milena Gocić

ABSTRACT. This work investigates the relationship between the occurrence of large forest fires (more than 1,000 ha) and meteorological data. Specifically, it analyzes the characteristics of large forest fires in July 2007 (2,500 ha) and October 2019 (2,108 ha) in Serbia’s Stara Planina Nature Park (NP). The results show that at these times, forest fires occurred during long heatwaves with low relative humidity and high air temperature. Dry climatic conditions in the preceding months also contributed to the occurrence of large forest fires, alongside the presence of wind. The study uses climate indices based on the combination of air temperature and precipitation. Forest drought index (FAI) data show that 2007 and 2019 were drier than the 1961–1990 climate period. According to the Lang Precipitation Factor Index (AILang), the periods June–July 2007 and July–October 2019 can be classified as dry. The De Martonne Drought Index (ImDM) shows that July 2007 and October 2019 had the characteristic of areism. These were also the periods when large wildfires were recorded. The results of this study could be used for wildfire risk assessment in protected areas and for fire prevention and suppression planning.

Keywords: climate indices; large forest fire; Serbia; Stara Planina Nature Park.

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The Influence of The Usual Holding Solutions on Hyacinthus orientalis Cut Flower Vase Life

Aug 23, 2023 |

Lucian Răus, Mariana Volf, Diana Elena Bolohan

ABSTRACT. In this study, four holding solutions very often used by florists and the final consumer were tested to analyse their impact on the development of the inflorescence, as well as the elongation, weight and degree of bending of the hyacinth flowers. The use of these solutions has a general character, and the flower species react differently due to both their genetics and the conditions in which they were cultivated, handled and stored. To verify the effectiveness of the preservative solutions on Hyacinthus orientalis vase life, four solutions were prepared with 2% sucrose and none or one of the follow-ing antimicrobial substances: sodium hypochlorite, acetic acid and ascorbic acid. During the study, measurements were made on the weight, elongation of the floral stems, chlorophyll content of the leaves and vase life days. The vase life of the hyacinths in this experiment was 5 days, except for the flowers from the 2% sucrose holding solution, which started to wilt on day 5. On day 6, the flowers showed signs of senescence. The increase in the length of the inflorescence stem showed significant differences for the sucrose + ascorbic acid holding solution, with a maximum of 0.8 cm on day 4. However, the interest was not to maximise the elongation of the floral stem but to slow down this process since elongation leads to the bending of the stem, causing it to require additional support.

Keywords: antimicrobial substances; holding solutions; inflorescence stem elongation.

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Bibliometric Analysis of the Incidence of Non-Covid Respiratory Disease under NPI Conditions During the Pandemic

Jul 28, 2023 |

Nji T. Ndeh, Yacob T. Tesfaldet, Oluseye Oludoye

ABSTRACT. Publications associated with the incidence of respiratory diseases in light of the COVID-19 pandemic have skyrocketed. Using bibliometric analysis, this study assessed the characteristics of published articles regarding non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) on other respiratory infections during the COVID-19 pandemic. On July 06, 2023, a systematic review of literature on the incidence of respiratory diseases was conducted using the Scopus database. VOS viewer software was used to visualize the network. This study yielded a total of 910 articles, which were eventually narrowed down to 148 articles. The findings of the bibliometric analysis revealed a trend in research that included not only the investigation of the incidence of other respiratory diseases but also that of gastrointestinal infections during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the research output was created by American and Chinese authors. Kim J. H. was the most productive and cited researcher, with three research articles. There is a scarcity of data on the effectiveness of NPI in preventing the spread of other respiratory diseases among various age groups, including children, adults, and vulnerable populations. Countries should consider increasing their support for COVID-19 research, to generate knowledge pertaining to NPIs and, by extension, other infectious diseases with similar transmission mechanisms.

Keywords: bibliometrics; COVID-19; incidence; keyword analysis; nonpharmaceutical interventions; respiratory disease.

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Physiological and Biochemical Aspects of Optimising the Sowing Rate of Spring and Winter Pisum sativum Forms

Jul 21, 2023 |

Victor Shcherbakov, Vyacheslav Rudenko

ABSTRACT. The winter and spring varieties of peas (Pisum sativum) require careful study of the entire range of technological measures, including seeding rates, as the basis for optimal sowing density and the formation of phytocenose crops. This issue has not been resolved to date, not only in the context of agrobiological justification but also in everyday practice in Ukraine. This research was carried out in a field experiment in a three-way factorial experiment: factor “A” was the type of development – winter and spring; factor “B” was the variety – spring peas (Svit and Darunok Stepu) and winter peas (Moroz, Enduro and Baltrapp); and factor “C” was the seeding rate. According to the field studies, differences in the physiological and biochemical parameters of the P. sativum test culture characterised the photosynthetic activity of the plants, considering the type of development and variety. The winter varieties of P. sativum were characterised by a higher chlorophyll content (by 35–40%) compared to the spring varieties, which had an economic effect with an increase in the yield of dry biomass of the experimental crop and a decrease in seeding rates, with the formation and increase in grain yield by 14–18%. The intensity of chlorophyll in the process was not a determining factor in the accumulation of organic biomass. The extensive nature of the integration complex was noted (the amount of chlorophyll – the amount of biomass). At the optimal seeding rate, a certain specificity was observed in different types of P. sativum: for spring varieties, the sufficient rate was 0.9 million seeds/ha, and for winter varieties, it was 0.7 million seeds/ha. For varieties with a low productivity level (spring – Svit and winter – Moroz), the optimum sowing rate was around 0.7 million seeds/ha. The increase in the seeding rate was accompanied by a decrease in the content of various chlorophyll fractions from 10–12% to 20–26%.

Keywords: chlorophyll; economic effect; Pisum sativum; productivity; seeding rate; varieties and types of development.

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Nitrogen Feeding of Winter Peas at the Spring Vegetation Recovery Stage

Jul 20, 2023 |

Svetlana Burykina, Leonid Serhieiev, Inna Kohut, Victor Sharii

ABSTRACT. In a field experiment from 2020–2023 on the southern chernozems of the Odessa region of Ukraine, we studied the effect of the doses and timing of mineral nitrogen application when growing winter peas on the tuberization process and crop productivity. Mineral nitrogen in doses of 30, 45 and 60 kg/ha in the form of ammonium nitrate was applied in different development phases of winter peas under seedbed cultivation: foliar top dressing with urea solutions during the resumption of spring vegetation, the budding phase and the beginning of grain filling. Winter pea of the Enduro variety was sown annually on October 20, with a row spacing of 15 cm and a rate of 1.2 million germinating seeds per hectare. The previous crop was winter wheat. The conditions of the Southern Steppe of Ukraine for winter sown peas were shown for the first time. The introduction of mineral nitrogen at a rate of 30–60 kg/ha into the soil during sowing inhibited the formation of nodules from the active spring growth phase. The mass of nodules on the roots of pea plants decreased by 30–50% compared to the control variant without nitrogen application. The same norms of mineral nitrogen introduced in early spring during the resumption of vegetation on the leaf in the form of aqueous solutions did not have a negative impact on tuberization. The correlation coefficient between the dose of mineral nitrogen and the number and weight of nodules did not exceed 0.37, indicating a weak relationship between these indicators. The share of influence of mineral nitrogen norms did not exceed 13.7%. With this method of application, the nitrogen content in the vegetative mass of winter peas exceeded the control variant by 18–27%.

Keywords: calcic chernozem doses; mineral nitrogen; nodules; peas; terms; winter sowing.

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The Effectiveness of Composting Using Stabilizing Urban Sewage Sludge Compounds

Jul 19, 2023 |

Liza Ogawa, Leopoldo Sussumu Matsumoto, Roberta Dos Santos Toledo, Jonatas Campos de Almeida, Victor Bittencourt Dutra Tabacow, Fernanda Maria de Oliveira Dias, Diego Resende Rodrigues, Thaís Monica Cabral, Roberta Lemos Freire, Italmar Teodorico Navarro

ABSTRACT. The purpose of this investigation was to verify the effectiveness of composting in the sanitization of sludge from urban sewage (SS). The treatments (T) used consisted of SS mixed with sugarcane bagasse (SB), tree pruning residues (TP), poultry litter (PL) or grass clipping (GC) at a carbon/nitrogen ratio of approximately 30/1 and ratios of T1 (SS+SB), T2 (SS+SB+TP), T3 (SS+SB+GC), T4 (SS+SB+PL) or T5 (SS+SB+TP+GC). Temperature was measured daily for over 280 days of composting. Every two weeks, the compounds were analyzed for thermotolerant coliforms and viable helminth eggs using the multiple-tube and Yanko techniques; and once each month to identify Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. (oo)cysts using the sucrose and zinc sulfate centrifugal flotation technique and nested PCR followed by sequencing. The maximum temperatures measured in the thermophilic phase of the compounds ranged from 55°C to 64.8°C, and at day 280, weight reductions of 27% (T1), 48% (T2), 63% (T3), 66% (T4) and 64% (T5) were observed. The absence of fecal coliforms was observed from day 98 (T4), day 126 (T1), day 196 (T3 and T5) and day 210 (T2). All treatments resulted in helminth egg inviability and the absence of protozoan (oo)cysts. Only T4 and T5 were positive for G. duodenalis according to the sequencing analysis. In conclusion, high temperatures during the composting thermophilic phase made the use of pathogens required by legislation unfeasible; therefore, it is important to investigate the viability of protozoa in compounds to ensure a safe final product for human and animal health.

Keywords: biosolids; coliforms; temperature; thermotolerant viable helminth eggs.

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© 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)