The impact of heated nutrient solution on yield and chemical composition of hydroponically grown ‘baby’ leaf vegetable

2021 ◽  
pp. 173-178
Author(s):  
F. Bantis ◽  
P. Karnoutsos ◽  
M. Karagiovanidis ◽  
G. Ntinas ◽  
A. Koukounaras
2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 433-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Pilatakis ◽  
T. Manios ◽  
N. Tzortzakis

Municipal wastewater may be used in agriculture but requires a careful monitoring of several hygiene parameters. The impact of direct application of treated wastewater in plant growth and development in hydroponically grown cucumber was studied. Cucumber seedlings used under 5 treatments of nutrient solution, which were basic nutrient solution (control), primary (PA) and secondary (SA) wastewater with or without nutrient solution enrichment (NS). The use of PA ± NS reduced plant height, leaf number and flowers produced as well as leaf size in cucumber plants but increased stem diameter. When SA ± NS used, no similar changes observed. The increased fruit number and fresh weight, when PA and SA used, resulted in increased yields as marked at the first week. The NS enrichment in PA reduced (up to 25%) plant yield while no differences observed in total fruit number among the treatments. No differences observed in plant biomass, root length and leaf chlorophyll levels among the treatments. The leaf photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance increased in plant grown in PA ± NS and SA, but they did not differ in SA ± NS. The use of wastewater resulted in disease spread in roots and fruits (by cross-contamination). Further exploitation is necessary for microbial load reduction with wastewater application.


2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 961-964
Author(s):  
Andrei Vasile Olteanu ◽  
Georgiana Emmanuela Gilca Blanariu ◽  
Gheorghe Gh. Balan ◽  
Dana Elena Mitrica ◽  
Elena Gologan ◽  
...  

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become of major interest worldwide, it is estimated that more than 20% of the general population suffer from liver steatosis. NAFLD is highly associated with metabolic risk factors like type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity and dyslipidemia, the patients diagnosed with NAFLD should adopt a high fiber low calorie diet, with reduced saturated fat and carbohydrates content, leading to weight loss and improvement of metabolic profile. Our study is aiming to shape the profile of the patient interested in being informed related to food quality and chemical composition and to evaluate the aspects on the food products label which are important for the customer. Between June 2017 and December 2017, 83 patients diagnosed with NASH were included in the study, representing the study group, while 33 subjects, without metabolic syndrome or digestive diseases, selected from patient list belonging to two general practitioners, constituted the control group. Related to the interest of being informed about the chemical composition and nutritional value of the products bought, the study showed a low interest for the provided information on nutritional value. lack of confidence in the provided information and complexity of the information are understandable, the high number of subject reasoning through lack of immediate clinical benefit is surprising. Among the healthy population the willingness to pay attention to this aspect is extremely low.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 268-279
Author(s):  
Mohamed E.I. Badawy ◽  
Ibrahim E.A. Kherallah ◽  
Ahmed S.O. Mohareb ◽  
Mohamed. Z.M. Salem ◽  
Hameda A. Yousef

Background:Plant extracts are important products in the world and have been widely used for isolation of important biologically active products. Because of their significant environmental impact, extensive research has been explored to determine the antimicrobial activity of plant extracts.Methods:Acetone extracts of the bark and leaf of Cupressus sempervirens and Juniperus phoenicea, collected from three different altitudes (125, 391, and 851 m high of sea level) at Al- Jabel Al-Akhdar area, Libya were obtained and analyzed by GC/MS. The antimicrobial activity of the extracts was further evaluated against plant bacteria Rhizobium radiobacter, Erwinia carotovora, Rhodococcus fascians and Ralstonia solanacearum and fungus Botrytis cinerea.Results:The impact of the altitude from the sea level on the quantity and chemical constituents of the extracts was investigated. The yield was largely dependent on tree species and the highest yield (6.50%) was obtained with C. sempervirens L bark of altitude III (851 m of the sea level), while the lowest (1.17%) was obtained with the leaf extract of C. sempervirens L from altitude I (125 m). The chemical composition analyzed by GC/MS confirmed that the leaf extracts of C. sempervirens and J. phoenicea contained a complex mixture of monoterpene hydrocarbons, sesquiterpenes, diterpenes, diterpenoids, terpenophenolic, steroids and phthalates. However, the bark extracts of both trees contained a mixture of sesquiterpenes, diterpenes, diterpenoids, terpenophenolics, phthalates, retinol and steroids. These constituents revealed some variability among the extracts displaying the highest interesting chemotype of totarol (terpenophenolic) in all extracts (14.63-78.19% of the total extract). The extracts displayed a noteworthy antifungal potency with varying degrees of inhibition of growth with EC50 values ranged from 78.50 to 206.90 mg/L. The extracts obtained from the leaves of C. sempervirens showed that the highest inhibitory activity was obtained with the extract of altitude II (391 m) with MIC 565, 510, 380 and 710 mg/L against E. carotovora, R. fascians, and R. radiobacter and R. solanacearum, respectively.Conclusion:Based on antimicrobial activity, raw plant extracts can be a cost-effective way to protect crops from microbial pathogens. Because plant extracts contain several antimicrobial compounds, the development of resistant pathogens can be delayed.


Horticulturae ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 140
Author(s):  
Avela Sogoni ◽  
Muhali Jimoh ◽  
Learnmore Kambizi ◽  
Charles Laubscher

Climate change, expanding soil salinization, and the developing shortages of freshwater have negatively affected crop production around the world. Seawater and salinized lands represent potentially cultivable areas for edible salt-tolerant plants. In the present study, the effect of salinity stress on plant growth, mineral composition (macro-and micro-nutrients), and antioxidant activity in dune spinach (Tetragonia decumbens) were evaluated. The treatments consisted of three salt concentrations, 50, 100, and 200 mM, produced by adding NaCl to the nutrient solution. The control treatment had no NaCl but was sustained and irrigated by the nutrient solution. Results revealed a significant increase in total yield, branch production, and ferric reducing antioxidant power in plants irrigated with nutrient solution incorporated with 50 mM NaCl. Conversely, an increased level of salinity (200 mM) caused a decrease in chlorophyll content (SPAD), while the phenolic content, as well as nitrogen, phosphorus, and sodium, increased. The results of this study indicate that there is potential for brackish water cultivation of dune spinach for consumption, especially in provinces experiencing the adverse effect of drought and salinity, where seawater or underground saline water could be diluted and used as irrigation water in the production of this vegetable.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 152-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans J Ensikat ◽  
Petra Ditsche-Kuru ◽  
Christoph Neinhuis ◽  
Wilhelm Barthlott

Lotus leaves have become an icon for superhydrophobicity and self-cleaning surfaces, and have led to the concept of the ‘Lotus effect’. Although many other plants have superhydrophobic surfaces with almost similar contact angles, the lotus shows better stability and perfection of its water repellency. Here, we compare the relevant properties such as the micro- and nano-structure, the chemical composition of the waxes and the mechanical properties of lotus with its competitors. It soon becomes obvious that the upper epidermis of the lotus leaf has developed some unrivaled optimizations. The extraordinary shape and the density of the papillae are the basis for the extremely reduced contact area between surface and water drops. The exceptional dense layer of very small epicuticular wax tubules is a result of their unique chemical composition. The mechanical robustness of the papillae and the wax tubules reduce damage and are the basis for the perfection and durability of the water repellency. A reason for the optimization, particularly of the upper side of the lotus leaf, can be deduced from the fact that the stomata are located in the upper epidermis. Here, the impact of rain and contamination is higher than on the lower epidermis. The lotus plant has successfully developed an excellent protection for this delicate epistomatic surface of its leaves.


2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 7875-7894 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. El Haddad ◽  
B. D'Anna ◽  
B. Temime-Roussel ◽  
M. Nicolas ◽  
A. Boreave ◽  
...  

Abstract. As part of the FORMES summer 2008 experiment, an Aerodyne compact time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (cToF-AMS) was deployed at an urban background site in Marseille to investigate the sources and aging of organic aerosols (OA). France's second largest city and the largest port in the Mediterranean, Marseille, provides a locale that is influenced by significant urban industrialized emissions and an active photochemistry with very high ozone concentrations. Particle mass spectra were analyzed by positive matrix factorization (PMF2) and the results were in very good agreement with previous apportionments obtained using a chemical mass balance (CMB) approach coupled to organic markers and metals (El Haddad et al., 2011a). AMS/PMF2 was able to identify for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, the organic aerosol emitted by industrial processes. Even with significant industries in the region, industrial OA was estimated to contribute only ~ 5% of the total OA mass. Both source apportionment techniques suggest that oxygenated OA (OOA) constitutes the major fraction, contributing ~ 80% of OA mass. A novel approach combining AMS/PMF2 data with 14C measurements was applied to identify and quantify the fossil and non-fossil precursors of this fraction and to explicitly assess the related uncertainties. Results show with high statistical confidence that, despite extensive urban and industrial emissions, OOA is overwhelmingly non-fossil, formed via the oxidation of biogenic precursors, including monoterpenes. AMS/PMF2 results strongly suggest that the variability observed in the OOA chemical composition is mainly driven in our case by the aerosol photochemical age. This paper presents the impact of photochemistry on the increase of OOA oxygenation levels, formation of humic-like substances (HULIS) and the evolution of α-pinene SOA (secondary OA) components.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (12) ◽  
pp. 3569
Author(s):  
Yicheng Tan ◽  
Zhang Ye ◽  
Mansheng Wang ◽  
Muhammad Faisal Manzoor ◽  
Rana Muhammad Aadil ◽  
...  

In this study, the impact of different cell disruption techniques (high-pressure micro fluidization (HPMF), ionic liquids (ILs), multi-enzyme (ME), and hydrochloric acid (HCl)) on the chemical composition and biological activity of astaxanthin (AST) obtained from Haematococcus pluvialis was investigated. Results indicated that all cell disruption techniques had a significant effect on AST composition, which were confirmed by TLC and UPC2 analysis. AST recovery from HCl (HCl-AST) and ILs (ILs-AST) cell disruption techniques was dominant by free and monoesters AST, while AST recovery from HPMF (HPMF-AST) and ME (ME-AST) cell disruption techniques was composed of monoesters, diesters, and free AST. Further biological activity analysis displayed that HCl-AST showed the highest ABTS and DPPH activity, while ILs-AST showed better results against the ORAC assay. Additionally, ILs-AST exhibits a stronger anti-proliferation of HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner, which was ascribed to AST-induced ROS in to inhibit the proliferative of cancer cells.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (16) ◽  
pp. 57-68
Author(s):  
Halyna Voloshchuk ◽  

Subject of research – sugar content in rye bread with fractionally defatted flour from walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame and Jerusalem artichoke powder. The purpose – to investigate the chemical composition of sugars in flour from oilseed meal and to explain the impact of new raw materials upon the sugar content in bread made from rye flour. Materials and methods. For the production of pilot of bread used: rye flour; fermented rye malt; table salt; drinking water; ready liquid rye sourdough (composition: Lactobacillus plantarum 30, L .casei 26, L. fermenti 34, L .brevis and Saccharomyces minor "Chernorichenskaya", S. cerevisiae L1); fractionally defatted flour from walnuts, pumpkin seeds and sesame produced by PE "Research and Production Company "Elitfito"; Jerusalem artichoke powder "Dar". The dough was prepared in a three-phase way: liquid sourdough – saccharified choux – dough. Jerusalem artichoke powder and oilseed meal were added to the dough. The chemical composition of sugars in raw materials and bread was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. The effect of fractionally defatted flour on the course of processes in rye dough was performed on a farinograph and amylograph of Brabender. The intensity of gas formation of the dough was determined on the device AG-1. Changes in the crystal structure of the bread crumb were performed using X-ray phase analysis on the device DRON UM-1 in the range of angles 2θ from 5 to 60 degrees. Results. It is established that the share of sugars in flour from oilseed meal is 2 ... 8 times higher than the content of sugars in rye flour. The content of sugars in fractionally defatted flour from walnuts is 43.0 %, from pumpkin seeds – 14.2 %, from sesame – 12.8% by weight of dry matter. Up to 80% of all sugars in fractionally defatted flour are sucrose and maltose. The ratio of fructose to glucose in fractionally defatted flour from walnuts is 1:1.25; from pumpkin seeds – 1:0.73; of sesame seeds – 1:0.5. The addition of 7.0 % fractionally defatted flour mixed with 3 % of the Jerusalem artichoke powder reduces the mass fraction of sugars in bread compared to the bread made with Jerusalem artichoke only. It has been studied that fractionally defatted flour from walnuts, pumpkin seeds and sesame reduces the hydrolytic decomposition of rye flour starch and promotes the process of fermentation of sugars. Scope. A mixture of fractionally defatted flour from oilseed meal in the amount of 7 % should be used for the production of bread from rye flour with 3 % Jerusalem artichoke powder to the mass fraction of flour to reduce the content of high glycemic starch sugars.


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