CO2 Utilization Strategy for Sustainable Cultivation of Mushrooms and Lettuces

Mushroom cultivation generates a large amount of CO2 that can be used sustainably. The objective of this study was to use actual cultivation and simulation to find a sustainable cultivation method that uses the CO2 generated by king oyster mushrooms for the production of romaine lettuces. A closed cultivation system consisting of one mushroom chamber, three lettuce chambers, and one gas-mixing chamber was used. Two cultivation conditions, non-continuous and continuous, were analyzed. The non-continuous system cultivated 15 lettuces and 12 mushroom bottles at a time every 25 and 16 days, respectively. The continuous system cultivated three lettuces and mushroom bottles every five and four days, respectively, so that each chamber contained mushrooms or lettuces at each growth stage. The CO2 concentrations in the lettuce and mushroom chambers were stably maintained above 1000 μmol∙mol−1 and below 2000 μmol∙mol−1 in the continuous system. Mathematical models were developed to analyze the CO2 concentration in each chamber. The shoot dry weight of lettuces grown in the mixed cultivation were 48.0%, 21.9%, 19.7%, and 18.1% at 10, 15, 20, and 25 days after transplanting, respectively, higher than those in the lettuce-only cultivation. Compared to mushroom-only cultivation, mixed cultivation reduced the accumulated CO2 emissions into the air by 80.6%. Thus, using CO2 from mushrooms to cultivate lettuce in a continuous cultivation system could reduce CO2 emissions into the air and enable mixed cultivation of mushrooms and lettuces, achieving sustainable agriculture.

Mixed cultivation of legumes and cereals to strengthen the fodder base in cattle husbandry

In order to further strengthen the fodder base in cattle husbandry, scientists of the Research Institute of Cattle husbandry and Poultry studied the variety of sorghum “Kibray” and oat variety “Uzbekistan broad-leaved” in different options, at different rates, at different times. Variations planted without a two-component mixture were tested in 4 options each. Valuable farm traits, especially green mass yield, were analyzed for each option. The cost-effectiveness of each option was also examined. An effective option for sowing Sorghum without mixing with cereals has been identified.

Hybrid and Environmental Effects on Gene Expression in Poplar Clones in Pure and Mixed with Black Locust Stands

Mixed cropping might be seen as an alternative to monocultures by better protecting biodiversity and improving ecosystem services and resources. In the presented study, we tested the genetic and ecological effects of pure and mixed propagation of different poplar hybrids planted together with black locust trees. Poplar (Populus) hybrids are widely used for bioenergy in monoculture systems due to their rapid and high biomass production. Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) is a species with the ability to fix nitrogen and seen as a promising candidate for mixed cultivation. Eight different poplar hybrids and black locust trees from three provenances planted in two study sites with different environmental conditions were tested in varying combinations in pure and mixed stands to observe effects of the different hybrids and genotypes, site conditions and the mixed growing on the performance of poplar and its gene expression. Transcriptome analyses of leaves from four poplar clones selected according to their divergent growth performance were conducted to study differential gene expression that can be an important indicator of differences in growing conditions and success. Differences in gene expression were most pronounced among hybrids and different genotypes of the same hybrid, followed by the study site influence, and were least pronounced between mixed and pure stands. The genotypes of the same hybrid were clearly separated from each other. Clear separation between the study sites for all clones was also observed. Only a few genes were differently expressed in pure vs. mixed stand comparisons for each clone, but there were no common genes that were differently expressed in pure vs. mixed stands in all clones. In total, 199 genes showed differential expression between the study sites regardless of poplar clone or type of stands. The analysis suggested that plant genotypes and environmental conditions were more important at the early stage of stand development than pure or mixed cultivation.

Pengaruh Tanaman Stylosanthes Guyanensis Terhadap Produksi Beberapa Jenis Rumput Pada Sistem Penanaman Bercampur

ABSTRACT. A research on the effect of Stylosanthes guyanesis on production of Pannicum maximum, Staria splendid, Brachiaria decumbens, and Cynodon Plectostachyus have been conducted at UPTD (Unit Pelaksana Tugas Dinas) Saree, Aceh Besar. The grasses were planted mixed with stylosanthes guyanesis. The method used was completely randomized design (CRD) with factorial pattern of 4 x 4 with 4 replications. The first factor consist of 4 different kind of grasses e.g Pannicum maximum (R1) Staria splendid (R2), Brachiaria decumbens (R3) and Cynodon Plectostachyus (R4). The second factor was mixed palnting with stylosanthes guyanesis. Parameters studied were number of tiller, height of grass, and herbage yield. Data were analyzed by analyzed of variance and continued by least significant different test (LSD) (Steel and Torrie, 1983). The result showed that mixed cultivation of grass with leguminose (Stylosnthes guyanesis) was better on number tiller, height of grass, and herbage yield compared to unmixed planting grasses.