Analysis of the economic viability of organic production system of ornamental pineapple plants for cut stems

The growth of Brazilian floriculture is remarkable, both in terms of the number of producers and the cultivated area. To reduce costs and add value, the organic production of ornamental pineapple plants is an option for some consumer markets. This study was carried at the Fundação José Carvalho, municipality of Entre Rios (Bahia State), Brazil, to evaluate the economic viability of the organic production of ornamental pineapple plants, as well as to analyze the economic factors from implantation of the crop to the final production phase. Primary and secondary data collection (technical coefficients and prices) was carried out, which allowed updating the value of these coefficients. After determining the technical coefficients, input prices and product prices were surveyed and were inserted in spreadsheets of production cost and profitability. Data processing and profitability analysis were carried out under deterministic and risk conditions. The organic cultivation system for ornamental pineapples proved to be economically viable, providing greater profitability and production of stems, which is the product of interest.

Potato genotypes and environments under potato in the Brazilian Cerrado biome

ABSTRACT: The objective was to estimate the physiological and productive performance of potato genotypes in two organic cultivation systems. Two trials were conducted, being one in a protected and on in an open-field environment. A randomized complete block design with four replicates and five treatments (genotypes ‘Agata’, ‘Atlantic’, ‘BRS Ana’, ‘BRSIPR Bel’ and ‘BRS Clara’) was used. Physiological, productive characteristics and defects associated with tubers were obtained. The protected environment is the most appropriate to produce organic potatoes under the evaluated conditions. Genotypes ‘BRSIPR Bel’ and ‘BRS Ana’ exhibit a high productive potential in organic conditions.

Pengaruh Ragam Jarak Tanam terhadap Pertumbuhan dan Produksi Sawi Hijau Organik

Modifying cultivation techniques potentially enhances mustard physical qualities to attain the demanded marketable value. The reputation of organic mustard propels farmers to implement modified cultivation techniques to improve harvest quality further. Planting space is one of the modifiable technical cultivations to achieve sustainable crop production. This research used soil planting media from acid dry land to optimize agricultural land use and cow manure as primary fertilizer to implement organic farming. This research objective is to figure the effect of different planting spaces on the growth and productivity of mustard greens that applied organic cultivation method. The preliminary arrangement of the research was a single-factor randomized block design. The factors were studied with different planting spaces: control without planting spaces, planting space of 20x20, 25x25, 30x30, 35x35, and 40x40 cm2. The outcomes revealed that the mean values of mustard green plant height (13.38 cm) and the number of leaves (9 strands) had significant differences to the control treatment (10 cm plant height and seven strands number of leaf). The results showed that the optimum planting space of organic mustard cultivation was 40x40 cm2 which achieved significantly higher plant height and the number of leaves than the control without planting spaces. This research's planting space of 40x40 cm2 is appropriately suitable for monocropping systems in acid dry land. It can alter plant population and distribute environmental resources for sustaining crop growth and production.

Decision-Making Process Of Corporate-Farming Innovation In Bantul Regency

Corporate farming is an agricultural innovation to answer narrow land tenure problems due to widespread land conversion and land fragmentation. The principle of corporate farming is land consolidation with one joint management. This research attempts to determine the decision-making process for corporate farming innovation in Bantul Regency, using an exploratory approach with the Social Network Analysis (SNA) method and ego-centered network analysis. The ego in this study is the innovator and chairman of the corporate farming team. The results of the study were presented in a sociogram using Pajek software. The actors involved in the corporate farming innovation decision-making process are the head of farmer groups, administrators, team leaders, member farmers, Bantul Regency Agricultural Service, local extension agents, and stakeholders including the Research Team of the UGM Faculty of Agriculture, Bank Indonesia Regional DIY, and BPTP DIY. The introduction stage was carried out in a farmer group meeting, and the UGM Faculty of Agriculture Research Team acts as the innovator. It is followed by the persuasion stage, which explains the benefits of implementing corporate farming during subsequent farmer group meetings. The decision stage is indicated by providing direction, assistance, and financial support, which relied on group agreement to commit corporate farming. The farmer groups’ heads dominated the persuasion stage, the decision stage, and the implementation stage. The differences between corporate farming and individual farming lie in some aspects, such as working together rather than individual work, semi-organic cultivation systems, and optimizing the use of agricultural machinery. At the confirmation stage, 62% of informants disagree to continue corporate farming due to significant drops in production yields. The change in the cultivation system from chemical to semi-organic is one reason for the decline in production.Keywords: corporate farming, ego-centered network, decision-making process, social network analysis

High dilution of Belladonna affect the mycelial growth of Corynespora cassiicola in vitro

Introduction: The target spot is a disease caused by fungus Corynespora cassiicola (Berk. & Curt.) Wei. This disease has occurred in several states of Brazil. It is a late season disease and causes economic losses in various crops such as soybeans [1]. Currently there is no adequate treatment for the control of C. cassiicola in organic cultivation of soybeans, since the application of fungicides for the control and management of diseases is not allowed by Brazilian legislation [2]. Thus, the purpose of this experiment was to test the effectiveness of high dilutions of Belladonna in vitro on mycelial growth of Corynespora cassiicola. Materials and Methods: The preliminary tests were conducted at the Laboratory of Plant Pathology, State University of Maringá (UEM). The fungal isolate of C. cassicola was obtained from Embrapa Soja. The fungus was peaked and grown on PDA (potato dextrose agar) maintained at 25°C ± 2 and 12h photoperiod. Belladonna dilutions (6, 12, 18, 24 and 30dH) were obtained according to the Brazilian Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia [3]. PDA culture medium plus Belladonna dilutions (6, 12, 24 and 30dH) beyond the control containing distilled water were placed in petri dishes after filtration through a Millipore membrane (pore diameter of 0.45µm ). After medium solidification, a disc of mycelium (4 mm diameter) of C. cassiicola was peaked towards the center of each plate and sealed with plastic wrap and then incubated at 25°C with 12h photoperiod. The mycelial growth was measured daily for 8 days. The control consisted of distilled water. The data were analyzed by ANOVA and means were compared by Scott-Knott test (P ≤ 0.05). Results and Discussion: All dilutions of Belladonna (6, 12, 24, 30dH) were effective (p

CARACTERIZAÇÃO PÓS-COLHEITA DE FRUTOS DE MARACUJÁ-ROXO CULTIVADOS EM SISTEMA CONVENCIONAL E ORGÂNICO

Cultivares de maracujá-roxo desenvolvidas regionalmente podem contribuir para o aumento da produção de frutos de qualidade atendendo às necessidades do mercado. Objetivou-se avaliar os frutos de maracujá-roxo, obtidos em sistemas de cultivo convencional e orgânico. Os frutos foram colhidos em estágio de maturação comercial (casca totalmente roxa) e analisados quanto à caracterização físico-química, centesimal, compostos bioativos e capacidade antioxidante. Os frutos analisados apresentaram maiores valores médios para o rendimento de polpa e sólidos solúveis em sistema convencional, que foram de 49,04% e 13,86 °Brix. O valor calórico energético foi de 45,95 kcal/100 g em sistema orgânico, indicando que o consumo do fruto “maduro” pode ser realizado a fim de suprir as necessidades energéticas diárias. As polpas dos frutos de maracujá-roxo estudados demonstraram serem fontes importantes de componentes bioativos, com respaldo aos elevados valores médios para ácido ascórbico e polifenóis extraíveis totais em ambos os sistemas de cultivo. Palavras-chave: Passiflora edulis Sims; manejo; sólidos solúveis; compostos fenólicos. Postharvest characterization of purple passion fruits cultivated in conventional and organic system ABSTRACT: Regionally developed purple passion fruit cultivars can contribute to the increase in the production of quality fruits, meeting marked needs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the purple passion fruits, obtained in conventional and organic cultivation systems. The fruits were harvested at the stage of commercial maturation (totally purple peel) and analyzed for characterization of the physicochemical, centesimal composition, bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity. The analyzed fruits showed higher average values ​​for pulp yield and soluble solids in a conventional system, which were 49.04% and 13.86 °Brix. The caloric energetic value was 45.95 kcal/100 g in organic system, indicating that the consumption of the “ripe” fruit can be carried out in order to meet the daily energy needs. The pulps of the purple passion fruit studied proved to be important sources of bioactive components, supported by the high mean values ​​for ascorbic acid and total extractable polyphenols in both farming systems. Keywords: Passiflora edulis Sims; management; soluble solids; phenolic compounds.

Proximate Composition, Essential Heavy Metal Concentrations and Nutrient Density of the Mycelium and Fruiting Bodies of Organically Cultivated Pleurotus ostreatus

Proximate composition, essential heavy metal concentration of fruiting bodies (POFB) and mycelium (POMY) of Pleurotus ostreatus were conducted using standard methods. Moisture content was higher (9.79%) in POFB than in POMY (8.76%) on dry weight basis. Ash was higher in POFB(6.25%) than in POMY(3.25%).POFB presented higher crude protein value (24.66%) than POMY (21.17%). Crude fat values were low in both samples(POFB:0.28%; POMY:0.46) respectively. Fiber was higher in the mycelium (14.72%) than in the fruiting bodies (12.90%). The carbohydrate content of the mycelium was 51.93% while the value of carbohydrate in the fruiting bodies was 46.10%. POFB indicated energy value of 285.60Kcal/100g and the value in POMY was 296.57Kcal/100g. Iron, copper, manganese and chromium presented higher values in POFB than in POMY but zinc indicated higher level in POMY than in POFB. The %DV highlighted in the study showed that the fruiting bodies and mycelium of organically cultivated P. ostreatus are rich in protein, fiber, carbohydrate, copper and iron. The nutrient density (ND) results revealed that POFB and POMY samples are nutritionally dense in fiber, copper and iron based on the World Health Food Rating System. The results showed that POFB and POMY obtained by organic cultivation possess high nutritional profile, suggesting that people may use them in food and medicinal formulations.

Ancient Wheat Species: Biochemical Profile and Impact on Sourdough Bread Characteristics—A Review

In recent years, the attention of farmers, bakers and consumers towards ancient wheat species has been increasing. Low demands of pedo-climatic growth factors, the suitability for organic cultivation along with their high nutritional quality and their content in pro-health compounds make them extremely attractive for bakers and modern consumers, equally. On the other hand, in recent years, sourdough has gained attention due to its ability to produce new functionally active molecules with higher bioaccessibility and thus to produce bread with enhanced nutritional quality. This paper highlights the relevant nutritional profile of einkorn, spelt, emmer and Khorasan which could lead to bread with improved textural, sensorial, microbial and nutritional characteristics through sourdough fermentation. The ancient wheat species could be used as promising substitutes for common wheat flour for the design of innovative types of bread, even for special needs.