Effects of essential oils on mycoflora and winter wheat seed germination

The mycoflora of winter wheat seed consists of various fungi that differ as to the parasitism rate. Their harmfulness is connected with their phytotoxic action and ability to produce mycotoxins. Assuming that essential oils have an effective antifungal impact, we studied the effectiveness of 13 essential oils which were produced by LLC "Aromatyka", Ukraine (cinnamon, orange, peppermint, rosemary, vervain, ylang-ylang, sandal, fennel, lavender, eucalypt, bergamot, frankincense, and geranium) on securing of a group of fungi from winter wheat seeds. The seed mycoflora of Bogdana variety harvested in 2017-2020, which was grown in the North- Eastern Forest-Steppe zone of Ukraine (Sumy oblast), was analyzed. A fungi complex analysis was made on the media PGA. The impact of essential oils on seed germinating ability and the length of wheat sprouts on the 7th day has been determined. A longterm studying of seed treatment by essential oils showed their effects on mycoflora formation. These plants affected not only the fungi amount but also changed their secure spectrum. The studies admit a negative impact of fungi on seed germination and plant development. The highest seed germination equaled 95% under its treatment with rosemary and orange oils. However, under seed treatment with rosemary oil, there appeared Fusarium sp. and Bipolaris sorokiniana (Sacc.) Shoem., which harms seed germination. Orange oil has increased the number of fungi of Penicillium sp. The best results (based on three indices) had sandal oil, under which the fungus colony has increased half, and seed germination equaled 61%, the sprout length was maximal when applying other oils (58.8 mm). The essential oils which fully inhibited seed and fungi development (cinnamon, fennel, vervain, geranium) were determined. The study of two of them as fungicides for treatments at the beginning of wheat flowering proved a similar effect to falcon on the change of the internal seed mycoflora.

Review of public policy for reducing the transport environmental impact

The transport infrastructure influenced the wildlife and landscapes by the direct destruction of biotopes. The main impacts are paving the road or water canal, chemical pollution of the environment by vehicle engine emissions, petrol, oil and lubricant, flushing of contaminants and anti-ice chemicals with rainwater and dust forms of chemical compounds; isolation of individual parts of biotopes, populations, organisms or dividing ecosystems into parts (fragmentation); collisions of living organisms with vehicles; changing of landscapes, influencing the hydrological network; oppression of internal species. It is indicated that each mode of transport pollutes the environment, but a significant advantage - 85% of all the pollution is carried out by road transport. Accordingly, the main measures to prevent the negative impact of transport on the environment should be the following: improvement and implementation of the legal mechanism regulating the reduction of harmful effects of mobile sources on the air and effective public administration to reduce mobile sources' harmful effects air. This strategy should be focused on the basic principles of sustainable development. It is proved that satisfaction of transport needs should not conflict with environmental and health priorities and disrupt future generations' interests.

The red dwarf honey bee (Apis florea F.) faces the threat of extirpation in Northwest India

Pollination is one of the essential ecosystem services. In recent years, a severe global pollinator decline has been the prime concern of pollination scientists and agriculturalists. The red dwarf honey bee (Apis florea F.) is an important pollinator of the semi-arid to tropical environments of several parts of Asia and Africa. The actual status of the colony numbers and foraging populations of this honey bee are not known. In this article, I examined the status of these parameters of this honey bee in Northwest India. I conducted monthly surveys and counted the total number of colonies of the red dwarf honey bee present at the main campus of CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar (India) (in about 9 km2) from 1984 to 2011 at an interval of three years. I also counted the number of foraging honey bees on two crops, viz. a winter-flowering crop, Raya (Brassica juncea Czern and Coss), and a summer-flowering crop, Carrot (Daucus carota L). In 27 years, the number of colonies of this honey bee in the study area declined from 221.5�14.1 in 1984 to 53.4�6.6 in 2011. The foraging populations of this honey bee too declined from 31.2�0.3 bees/m2 to 9.2�0.2 bees/m2 on Carrot and from 25�0.3 bees/m2 to 3.3�0.2 bees/ m2 on Raya. This honey bee exhibited a significant decline in its colony number every 6 years. Foraging bees declined significantly every three years. The colony and forager surveys revealed that the red dwarf honey bee (Apis florea F.) seemed to face the threat of extirpation (local extinction) in Northwest India. This decline in the colony numbers and the foraging populations seemed to have caused a pollination crisis in this region. The decline in the colony numbers and the foraging populations seemed to be caused by the poisoning of foraging bees due to the excessive and indiscriminate use of insecticides on the Cotton and/or Rice crops that come in blooms during the floral dearth period of this region. Considered the importance of this honey bee in the pollination of crops, we suggested that this honey bee must be vigorously protected and conserved.

Influence of keeping technology on the weight gain of the Aberdeen-Angus breed young animals in the colostrum period

In beef cattle breeding, unlike dairy farming, the only product is a calf. Therefore, the industry's competitiveness directly depends on the annual retention from each cow and heifer calf, the preservation of calves, and the high growth energy of young animal growth throughout the rearing period. These indicators are influenced by many factors, one of which is the breeding technology. The colostrum period is the most critical; newborn calves that do not receive adequate attention at the beginning of this period die within the first two days of life or have growth retardation. Given this, it becomes urgent to establish the level of dependence between young animals' growth and the technology of keeping cows and calves during the colostrum period. The studies were performed on cows and calves of the Aberdeen-Angus breed having problems in interaction during the colostrum period due to a weak maternal instinct in cows or a sucking reflex in calves (problem pairs' cow-calf). The growth rates of bull-calves and heifers were studied: live body weight, average daily gains, absolute gains, and multiplicity of live weight gain. The factor of a new technological element - the transfer of problem pairs' cow-calf into correction sections, in the colostrum period, on the further growth of young growth was analyzed. Our studies have shown a potential difference (P=0.999) between the live weight of bull-calves, which in the colostrum period were transferred together with the cows to the correction sections, and those for which no correction sections were used. The advantage in live weight at the age of 18 months is 27% and 28% (P=0.999) in favor of bull-calves that were transferred; they prevailed by 28% (P>0.999) in average daily gains, and by 28% and 29% (P=0.999) in absolute terms. When compared by live weight at the age of 18 months, the heifers, which had been transferred to correction sections during the colostrum period, had an advantage of 26%. The average daily and absolute gains in these heifers were 29% greater than the heifers, which were not transferred.

Biological features of egg productivity of black African ostriches under a semi-intensive keeping

The study of egg-laying patterns and defining ways of increasing egg-laying productivity is a necessary condition for the development and increased efficiency of ostrich breeding. Therefore, some studies deal with egg productivity of ostriches of different age groups (group 1 - age 8-9 years, group 2 - age 4-5 years) for their long-term keeping under a semi-intensive system forest-steppe zone of Ukraine. The sex ratio in the families was 1: 2-3. Behavioral patterns of poultry during the breeding season are close to natural ones. Older individuals are characterized with a longer productive period (January-October) than younger ones (March-September). According to the most extended daylight hours at this time of year, the higher level of egg-laying performance is established in May and summer months. The females’ egg-laying performance analysis shows their significant individual features - 9-42 eggs were obtained from one female. It is worth mentioning that the productivity period’s duration does not continuously regulate the number of eggs. There is a high positive correlation between the duration of the egg-laying process and total egglaying performance in group 1 (r = 0.7981); in group 2 � there is no relation between these features (r = -0.0843). The variability of egg-laying cycles of ostrich females has been confirmed, and it requires further studies. According to the intensity of lying during the breeding season, there are differences between younger and older poultry groups. The first two months and the last month of egg-laying are the least productive for all. It was established that the egg weight of older females is higher compared to young ones, with a potential difference between the groups (P> 0.999) and a significant level of individual variability (Cv = 1.78-8.06%). This indicates the necessity of successive work with the herd to optimize egg weight, as a significant variation in egg weight affects the duration of incubation and embryonic development of ostriches. It also leads to the elongation of the “hatch window” that causes heterogeneity of ostrich weight. New data allow characterizing the peculiarities of ostrich physiology, their ability to adapt to industrial conditions of breeding at farms located in the northern part of the forest-steppe zone of Ukrai.

Cluster analysis in ethological research

Big cats are often on display in zoos around the world. The study of their time budget is the basis of ethological research in captivity. The paper considers the features of the behavior of the subfamily Pantherinae, the daily activity of animals in the summer, methods of keeping, the exposition of enclosures, and relationships with keepers. The studies were conducted in the summer of 2012 and 2013 at the Barnaul Zoo. The total observation time for the animals was 120 hours. The behavior of the African lion (Panthera leo leo – male), the Ussuri tiger (Panthera tigris altaica – female), and the Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis – male) has been studied. In the course of the work, the compilation of ethograms, continuous recording, and free observations were used. The clustering method was applied to analyze the patterns of behavior of animals in captivity. Cluster analysis breaks down the behavior of captivities animals into two large blocks. Locomotion in animals should be considered as a separate block. The animal’s growth and development period require a high proportion of physical activity, which is noticeable when observing the Amur tiger. Locomotion occupied 32.8% of the total time budget of this animal. Large cats have never been in a shelter (in wooden structures of the appropriate size). They used the roof of the houses only as a place for rest and observation. The proportion of marking, hunting, eating, exploratory behavior, grooming, and such forms of behavior as freezing, static position, orienting reaction did not differ significantly. Play behavior with elements of hunting and manipulative activity took 5.5% of the Amur tiger’s time budget for the period under review. We associate this primarily with the age of the given animal. Play behavior was observed two times less often in the Far Eastern leopard (2.9%) and African lion (2.6%)..

Karyotypes and genome size of Adonis amurensis and Adonis apennina (Ranunculaceae) from Asian Russia

The karyotypes of Adonis amurensis from Amur Oblast,' and Adonis apennina from Altai Republic, Khakassia Republic, and Irkutsk Oblast' have been investigated. The karyotype formula was obtained as 2n = 2x =16 = 8m + 8sm(4sat) for all specimens. We estimated karyotype asymmetry through the calculation of the Coefficient of Variation of Chromosome Length (CVCL), Coefficient of Variation of Centromeric Index (CVCI), and Mean Centromeric Asymmetry (MCA), and determination of Stebbins asymmetry index. The chromosome set of Adonis amurensis was found to be more symmetrical than the chromosome set of Adonis apennina. The average absolute nuclear DNA content (2C–value) was originally determined for Adonis amurensis and Adonis apennina by flow cytometry and attained on average 20.38 pg and 17.29 pg, respectively.

Influence of seed treatment on microbiota and development of winter wheat seedlings

The microbiota of winter wheat seeds from the North-East of Ukraine was studied by a biological method. Its considerable variability is established over three years (2017–2019). The effect of the treatment agents on most microorganisms of wheat seed microbiota in Ukraine, rather than on its genera and species, is shown. It has been proven that fungicides deleted some species and did not affect the development of others. Chemicals replaced some species or genera of fungi with others or even other microorganisms. Biological seed treatment (Phytosporin-M) has caused less microbiota change than chemical treatment (Maxim 0.25 FS, Rostock, Kinto Duo). Fungicides have replaced the dominance of Alternaria spp. (2017 – 57.8%, 2018 – 63.5%) for the dominance of yeast (Rostock – 54%) and Aureobasidium pullulans (Maxim 0.25 FS – 84.2%) in 2017, bacteria (Maxim 0.25 FS – 72.3%, Rostock – 53.8%) – in 2018. A. pullulans dominated in the microbiota of winter wheat seeds in 2019. The highest amount of A. pullulans was noted for the treatment of seeds by Phytosporin-M (85.9%). The biological seed treatment reduced the amount of Nigrospora spp. and Alternaria spp. Several times (3 and 5, respectively), chemical agents did not give Nigrospora spp. germination reduced the amount of A. pullulans, Alternaria spp. in 2019. Maxim 0.25 FS, Rostock 50%, and Kinto Duo delayed seed germination and seedling development on agar medium and soil, whereas Phytosporin-M – on the contrary, promoted the growth of seedlings and significantly exceeded control.

Pre-sowing treatment of winter wheat and spring barley seeds with the extremely high frequencies electromagnetic field

The increase in the yield capacity of cereal spike crops under the current change of the climatic conditions in Ukraine will have a positive tendency in the nearest future. However, sustainable grain production under sharp weather fluctuations is possible only with the agro-technological systems' improvement. The pre-sowing seed treatment with chemical synthesis pesticides remains the primary method in the agricultural industry today. However, pesticides inevitably have a negative influence on the ecosystem of any level. A more environmentally friendly seed treatment method under the intensive technology is the combination of microwave seed irradiation and seed incrustation with the plant growth regulators that increase the cereal crops' yield capacity up to 15–20 %. It is possible to reduce the negative influence of chemical measures on the quality of the cereal crops seeds by using for the seed treatment a mixture of a treatment agent with the preparations having the stimulating properties. The most promising among all physical methods of the pre-sowing seed treatment is the microwave technology, which suppresses the entire complex of the seed infection and can become an alternative to the chemical method of plant protection. The universal character and practical importance of MW technologies combined with the growth-regulating substances consist not only in the increase in the yield capacity of the field crops but also in reducing the technogenic load on the environment. The peculiarity of EMF of EHF application in agricultural production is the necessity to consider the crops' specific electro-physical, technological, and biological properties. High heterogeneity greatly influences the electromagnetic action energy and the final result.

Influence of seeding density and fertilizing on water consumption, growth and development of maize hybrids

We presented the analysis of water consumption, growth, and development of maize hybrids depending on crops and fertilizer density. We conducted our research under Bila Tserkva National Agrarian University (Ukraine) educational and production center conditions in 2017-2019. During the active growing season of corn plants (June), moisture reserves in the 0-20 cm layer of the soil decrease to the level of unsatisfactory, and the plants experience a lack of moisture. Although, as results of defining moisture stocks in 0-100 cm layer of soil show, plants begin to assimilate it in the third ten-day period of May actively, and there is a sharp transition to good moisture stocks in the first ten-day period of June and to poor ones in the second and third ten-day periods of June. Cultivation of maize hybrids with FAO over 400 in unstable moisture conditions is quite risky because plants experience a significant lack of moisture in periods of their active growth and development. We have proved that at the density of crops within 55000/ha, the highest coefficients of water consumption were observed compared to plant densities of 65000 and 75000/ha. At hybrid DO Pivikha, the difference between average values of coefficient of water consumption at densities of crops 65000 and 75000/ha, was 25.5 and 46.75 m3/t, at hybrid DO ORLIK – 14.25 and 41.0 m3/t and at hybrid DO SARMAT respectively 17.5 and 39.0 m3/t. We found that the mineral system of fertilization compared with the organic-mineral and organic promotes water consumption growth per unit production in DN Pivikha by 4-15 m3/t, in DN ORLIK by 1-7 m3/t, and in DN SARMAT by 7-15 m3/t. The obtained patterns, for the most part, do not exceed the value of NIR0.05. In general, the duration of the growing season of the plants of the hybrid DO Pivikha was 109 days, and the hybrid DO ORLIK was 122, and the hybrid DO SARMAT was 129 days. These hybrids were in optimal conditions for growth and development and met the declared values of FAO, since for PO Pivikha, the limits of the optimal duration of the vegetation period were determined as 107-115 days, for the hybrid DO ORLIK - 120-125, and for the hybrid DO SARMAT - 128-130 days.