SIGUIENDO LOS PASOS DE LAS SEMILLAS: UTILIZACIÓN DEL SISTEMA DE INFORMACIÓN GEOGRÁFICA PARA GEORREFERENCIAR HUERTAS VINCULADAS A LA AGENCIA INTA RÍO CUARTO

The Pro-Huerta program delivers the autumn-winter and spring-summer seasonal seed kits free of charge to all INTA agencies. Each seed kit removed from the agency by the beneficiary, is registered in a form with the information of the address where the vegetable garden will be and a contact number. Using the data and a geographic information system (GIS), it was possible to georeference the potential vegetable gardens in the city of Río Cuarto, becoming a tool for intervention and territorial accompaniment of the extension agency in order to plan the survey and monitoring of activities productive of them.

Greenhouse cultivation of Serrano Pepper (Capsicum annuum var. acuminatum): Dry Hydroponics

Objective: To produce Serrano peppers using a new cultivation technique that mixes the best of hydroponic cultivation and traditional cultivation. Design/methodology/approach: We set up a growing system where the Serrano pepper grew from seedling to its full-fledged state, in a growbag containing sand (as support material), potassium polyacrylate (as water retention material), and a nutrient solution for vegetable gardens, under greenhouse conditions. The humidity level of the growbag is controlled by adding as much water with nutrient solution as needed. This technique has generated 100% harvestable plants (total: 20 plants); more than 90% of the water can be saved in comparison to regular and hydroponic cultivation. Results: Once the harvest began, at least 22.857 kg of Serrano pepper were obtained in 3 m2 of soil in a system with a pyramidal structure in which the 20 plants were placed. If we extrapolated this data, approximately 93,000 kg of Serrano pepper could be harvested from a 1 ha system. Study Limitations/implications: This technique tries to tackle the water access limitations that may exist in some areas of Mexico. However, it does not mitigate the initial costs of a greenhouse system. Nevertheless, this technique can be reused up to 10 times without requiring maintenance. Findings/conclusions: Experience has shown that hydroponic crops are truly profitable, despite their vast water requirements, which is precisely what prevents their global expansion. However, our modification of this method saves more than 90% of the water, using potassium polyacrylate as a retention agent and sand as a support material. Therefore, this technique could be implemented even in places where water is scarce

Assessment of the pollution levels of potential toxic elements in urban vegetable gardens in southwest China

Vegetable gardens are increasingly common in urban areas and can provide numerous societal benefits; however, contamination with potential toxic elements (PTEs) due to urbanization and industrialization is cause for concern. The present study aimed to assess the source of contamination and pollution levels in urban garden soils, as well as the health risks for adults and children consuming vegetables grown in such environments. Various types of vegetable samples and their corresponding soils from 26 community gardens were collected throughout Chengdu City in southwestern China. The results showed that leafy vegetables, particularly lettuce leaves and Chinese cabbage, had relatively higher levels of Cd (0.04 mg/kg FW) and Pb (0.05 mg/kg FW), while higher levels of As (0.07 mg/kg FW), Cr (0.07 mg/kg FW), and Hg (0.003 mg/kg FW) were found in amaranths, tomatoes, and Houttuynia cordatas, respectively. The pollution indices revealed that the vegetable purplish soils were relatively more polluted by Cd and As, and the concentrations of these metals in vegetables were correlated with their concentrations in the soils. Principal component analysis grouped the PTEs in two dimensions that cumulatively explained 62.3% of their variation, and hierarchical clustering identified two distinct clusters indicating that Cr originated from a unique source. The health risk assessment revealed that exposure to As and Cd induced the greatest non-carcinogenic risk, whereas Cr was most likely to cause cancer risks. Furthermore, contaminated vegetable consumption was riskier for children than adults. The critical factors contributing to PTE contamination in vegetable gardens were determined to be vegetable species, total soil element content, soil pH, and soil organic matter content. Overall, Cr and As pollution present the greatest concern, and community health care services must enact more effective regulatory and preventative measures for urban gardens in terms of PTEs.

Labour Mobilization of the Collective Farm Peasantry Temnikovsky District of the Mordovian ASSR in the Post-War Period

Introduction and Methods. In the post-war period, the mobilization of the collective farm village and the strengthening of control over the workers began to be considered again as one of the main means of raising agriculture. The authors of the article have undertaken research on the problem of organizational and economic strengthening of collective farms in the second half of the 40s – early 50s of the XX century by analyzing the specifics of the implementation of the resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR and the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) of September 19, 1946 “On measures to eliminate violations of the Charter of the agricultural artel in collective farms”. The source base of the study was archival materials on the Temnikovsky district of the Mordovian ASSR. During the research, the following methods were used: comparative-historical, problem-chronological, system analysis and structural. Results and Discussion. Having received a directive from the center, responsible employees urgently began to identify violations noted in the resolution of the party and the government in the collective farms of the Temnikovsky district. Already in the autumn of 1946 as a result of the audit of the land fund, a lot of violations of the “Charter” were revealed, which consisted in unauthorized cutting of arable land to personal farms, as well as in the use of hayfields and pastures. More significant areas of land were illegally withdrawn from collective farm turnover by various institutions and organizations. The audits also revealed fictitious sections of households in order to acquire additional areas of household plots and vegetable gardens, increase the number of livestock and poultry. The reports prepared by officials based on the results of the inspections carried out indicate that the payment system, introduced even in wartime conditions, began to fail without the systematic use of repressive measures. Another characteristic feature of the development of the village in the late 1940s–early 1950s was the numerous violations of the principles of “collective farm democracy”. Conclusion. As a result of the study, the stages of implementation of the resolution of September 19, 1946, the nature and effectiveness of the event were determined.

Institutional and regional features of organized second home development in Russia

The article studies the features of second home land development in Russia. Basing on the data of the All-Russian agricultural censuses, the author shows that organized second home development is represented by two quantitatively and qualitatively different processes, namely: development of residential dachas, observed in horticultural non-profit partnerships (HNP) with dominant residential, recreational and agricultural functions, and development of agricultural dachas (vegetable gardens), observed in gardening non-profit partnerships (GNP), performing only an agricultural function. Despite regional differentiation, the general developmental trend might be described as gradual strengthening of the recreational and residential functions of the HNPs, which is facilitated by institutional regulation. The absolute and relative scales of the GNPs extension are gradually decreasing, but due to the unique localization and long-term traditions of subsidiary gardening, they remain relevant, especially during periods of crisis. Therefore, in some regions, their share in the total land of garden and dacha formations substantially exceeds the national average. The desire of the owners to supplement the functions of the GNPs with a permit for the construction of houses leads to the transfer of gardening lands to other categories, but in the absence of such an opportunity, Russian GNPs remain an analogue of foreign «allotment gardens», where one cannot spend the night, but can do gardening.

New locations and distribution of the alien species Acalipha australis L. (Euforbiaceae) in Azerbaijan

The article is devoted to the introduced species Acalypha australis L., which has recently been actively expanding its secondary range in Azerbaijan. The results of the study of the distribution and new localities of the species in the republic are discussed, the areas are specified, the species composition of phytocenoses is described, the influence of field moisture on the vitality of A. australis and the dependence on vertical zoning are considered. The main habitats of the species are garden plots, vegetable gardens, park zones and the sides of small water channels, the introduction of A. australis into forest, coastal ecosystems is noted. Keywords: invasive species, Greater Caucasus, Lesser Caucasus, forest ecosystems, coastal strip, agrocenoses, abundance

COMPOSTING AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO REDUCE COMMON WASTE VOLUME IN HOSPITALS

Composting is an alternative that has been used on a large scale as a tool for sustainability practices, being a form of recycling organic waste that avoids overloading waste in landfills. The process generates an organic compost that can be used to fertilize the soil in gardens and vegetable gardens. The present work aims to show that composting is a viable and safe procedure to use in hospitals. The methodology used was a qualitative bibliographic research, a literature review authors who are reference in the subject, using the databases of academic google and scielo. It is possible to state that the construction of a compost bin aims to dispose of organic waste from the hospital, in areas that do not pose a risk of contamination of this material by microorganisms that pose a risk to the environment or human beings, and should use organic waste from cafeterias and snack bars. These residues pass by the natural process of decomposition (nutrient cycling) so that the final product is an organic compound that can be used in hospital gardens and generate a lower cost for their maintenance, in addition to reducing the use of fertilizers that are potential environmental polluters. Another important factor is the decrease in the occurrence of insects, as they are naturally attracted to areas with the presence of organic matter. Thus, by separating these residues at the generation sites, and directing them to composters, results in a reduction in the occurrence of pests in the entire hospital area, and maintaining a safe environment for patients and employees. It can be concluded that the construction of a program for the reuse of food that is not consumed is important to improve the vision of sustainability in hospitals, making it possible to apply composting in different places, as part of waste management, reducing thus the environmental impact caused by these residues due to the generation and disposal of waste. Keywords: Sustainability in hospitals. Organic Waste. Composters. Nutrient cycling.