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Published in AgroLife Scientific Journal, Volume 5, Number 2
Written by Mariana IONIŢĂ, Ioan Liviu MITREA

Linguatula serrata (Pentastomida: order Porocephalida, family Linguatulidae) is a cosmopolitan parasite inhabiting as adults the nasal passages and frontal sinuses of wild and domestic canids (dogs, foxes), which serve as definitive hosts. Cattle, sheep, goats, camels, rabbits, and other animals serve as intermediate hosts, in which fully developed nymphs, the parasitic stage infective for carnivores, are found encysted mainly in the mesenteric lymph nodes, lungs, liver, or serous membranes. Although man is accidental/aberrant host, the reports of human infection with this parasite, as visceral or nasopharyngeal (“Halzoun” or “Marrara syndrome”) linguatulosis is not uncommon, particularly in the Middle East where high infection rates are registered. Here we report a case of Linguatula serrata infection in a dog rescued from a suburban area, in southern Romania. The dog was an approximately 6- months-old male of mixed breed which had a history of free-roaming life and which had been rescued by the dog owner in late November, 2012. Several months later, on March 2013, about few days after a treatment with a macrocylic lactone (ivermectine), the dog had expelled by sneezing several worm-like parasites. The parasite specimens were morphologically identified as adults of L. serrata. The epidemiological aspects of linguatulosis and potential risks of public health and veterinary concern are discussed.

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Published in AgroLife Scientific Journal, Volume 5, Number 1
Written by Adrian ASĂNICĂ, Carmen MANOLE, Valerica TUDOR, Andreea DOBRE, Răzvan Ionuț TEODORESCU

The objective of this study was to evaluate the quantity of some phenolic compounds, free radical scavenging activity and antibacterial activity of goji berry fruits (Lycium barbarum L.) in order to highlight which of these biotypes fulfills the best nutraceutical qualities. Freshly harvested fruits of three goji berry biotypes ('Biotype 1(B1)’, Biotype 2’ (B2), and 'Biotype Ua’ (BUa) were smashed and the juice was subjected to analysis. The phenolic compouns were analyzed as follows: total phenolic content (TPC) expressed as g gallic acid equivalents (GAE), total flavonoid content (TFC) expressed as g of rutin equivalents (RE), and free radical scavenging activity expressed as inhibition % (I %). The evaluation of antibacterial activity consisted of using Gram positive and negative bacteria based on the standard agar disk diffusion method. With regard to the TPC, all analysed juices have revealed 'Biotype BUa’ with a maximum content of 8.95 mM ± 0.48 GAE / ml juice. Also, the same biotype recorded high levels of free radical inhibition rate of 40%. In terms of flavonoid content, 'Biotype 1’ highlighted the best results. With regard to the evaluation of antibacterial activity, all juices showed good results. The most susceptible to all three juices was S. aureus and the least, P. aeruginosa. The highest inhibitory activity was registered in the case of 'Biotype 1’ juice against E. coli, showing an average inhibition diameter of 1.84 ± 0.13 and 1.81 ± 0.20 cm.

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Published in AgroLife Scientific Journal, Volume 5, Number 1
Written by Georgi KOMITOV, Dimitar KEHAJOV

As biomass from the tobacco production can be regarded the stems of tobacco plants. They have huge market potential as a fuel, because of the available materials, that are not used (they are incinerated or buried into soil) and they have a high energy density. Developments in technique make it possible to use new technologies and perfection systems, that allow waste biomass from tobacco to become attractive and environmentally friendly energy source with high quality and minimal costs for utilization. In this paper is presented the technological capabilities for gathering, processing and utilization of residual biomass from the tobacco production. The machines for utilization of residual biomass from tobacco production are applicable in conditions of small and large farmers, who meet certain needs heating.

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Published in Scientific Papers. Series "AgroLife Journal", Vol. 4 ISSUE 1
Written by Alexandru COCIU, George Daniel CIZMAS

Rainfed crop management systems need to be optimized to provide more resilient options in order to cope with projected climatic scenarios which are forecasting a decrease in mean precipitation and more frequent extreme drought periods in the Eastern Romanian Danube Plain. This research, carried out in the period of 2011-2014, had as main purpose the determination of influence of tillage practices and residue management on rainfall use efficiency, maize yield and its stability, in order to evaluate the advantages of conservation agriculture (CA) in the time of stabilization of direct seeding effects, in comparison with traditional chisel tillage. The maize grain yields are presented for each crop management practices, as follows: (1) chisel tillage, retained crop residues being chopped and incorporated (ciz); (2) zero tillage, retained crop residue chopped and kept on the field in short flat condition (rvt); (3) zero tillage, crop residues kept on the field in short root-anchored condition (1/2rva), and (4) zero tillage, crop residues kept on the field in tall root-anchored condition (1/1rva). In 2012, a year with prolonged drought during vegetative growth, yield differences between zero tillage with short root-anchored residue retention (1/2rva) and chisel tillage with residue incorporation (ciz) were positive, up to 840 kg ha-1. In average over 2011-2014, conservation agriculture (CA) practices had a yield advantage over traditional chisel tillage practice. Zero tillage with residue retention used rainfall more efficiently so suggesting that it is a more resilient agronomic system than traditional (conventional) practices involving chisel tillage with residue incorporation.

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Published in AgroLife Scientific Journal, Volume 5, Number 2
Written by Ilias KOUFIOTIS, Nikolaos GYFTOPOULOS, Athanasios ANDREOU, Foivos PISIMISIS, Ilias TRAVLOS, Dimitrios BILALIS, George VLAHOS

Agriculture is one of the main axis of our national economy, but it can get further improvement not only in environmental level but also for the human resources who consist it. The main purpose of this study was to examine the behavior of organic farms managers. Specifically producers’ demographics were investigated through a questionnaire. The results of this study indicates that the majority (87.76%) of the organic farmer managers are male. As for the educational level, the majority of farmers were high school graduates and their age comes close to an average of approximately 43 years old. Furthermore the main source of income (83.67%) for organic farm managers proves to be agriculture. In addition we examine the farmers’ opinion on the necessity of subsidies and potential obstacles acquiring organic certification. The recorded percent of the organic farmers responded positively to the necessity of the subsidies is 42.9%. The study also presents the main given products in organic open farmers’ markets and the cultivation characteristics such as land, fertilization and distribution of the cultivated products. The majority of the products that sold in organic open markets are vegetables followed by olive oil and legumes. An important feature of this study, also linked to the attempt to convert the current mode of production into a closed farm management system, corresponds to the percentage of organic farm managers who rear farm animals in an organic way as well (32.65%).

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Published in Scientific Papers. Series "AgroLife Journal", Vol. 4 ISSUE 1
Written by Elena NIREAN

Each process, including economic, under certain conditions is conducted objectively. Manager, when it comes to economic processes can intervene to avert the processes, or to modify the conditions of their deployment. Economic processes, left to the discretion of supply and demand, generate a multitude of risks.
Risks (economic losses, misses, reduction of profit) in agricultural activities can be generated including due to insufficient implementation of programming methods. Currently, specialists in the application of economic and mathematical methods have developed a variety of methods and algorithms to reduce the risk coefficient in economic activities. A special importance for practitioners have presented mathematical methods accessible to specialists from other fields. Mathematical methods are based on the management of decisions (no the risks) and can contribute significantly to increasing productivity in agriculture and in other branches.

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Published in AgroLife Scientific Journal, Volume 5, Number 1
Written by Roxana DUDOIU, Stelica CRISTEA, Carmen LUPU, Daria POPA, Maria OPREA

Agricultural crops are vulnerable to infections by a wide spectrum of plant pathogens. In today’s marketplace, the increasing complexity and wide distribution chain represent enormous challenges for food production. The increased fungal infection and cross-contamination hazards are associated with the globalization of cereal trade (Waage et al., 2006). Cereals are one of the most important sources of food (FAO, 2002), which have contributed to human nutrition for millennia. However, cereals are exposed to numerous biotic and abiotic stress factors, from cultivation and throughout their life cycle to processing. The grain losses recorded during storage period on worldwide scale according to FAO estimations are between 5-10% of total production. In developing countries, due to reduced possibilities of implementing appropriate technologies, the reported damages during storage period may increase up to 30%. In 2015, the maize grains which are to be stored on an indefinite period of time is affected by the presence of various pests specific to warehouse ecosystem. The paper work presents a study regarding the occurrence and development of specific warehouse micromycetes during the first months of maize storage. Immediately after being deposited, it has been identified the specific micoflora for this period, respectively species of Alternaria, Trichoderma, Cladosporium, Aureobasidium, Cephalosporium, Aspergillus and Fusarium genera. Crop safety and security can be achieved by maintaining climatic factors in stored spaces, thus limiting the populations’ level of contaminating microorganisms.

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Published in Scientific Papers. Series "AgroLife Journal", Vol. 4 ISSUE 1
Written by Maurizio MICHELI, Alvaro STANDARDI

Encapsulation and micropropagation technologies were summarized and discussed as tools to exchange and to propagate valuable genotypes respectively. Each of these technologies shows advantages and problems for large and commercial diffusion whereas their integration represents a considerable innovation for the future nursery. In fact, uninodal microcuttings excised from in vitro proliferated axillary shoots or adventitious microshoots, both 3-4 mm long, can be encapsulated in a protective and nutritive covering after appropriates root induction treatments to obtain synthetic seeds. They are plant structures free from parasites, viruses included, and in several species able to convert in whole plantlets under in vitro or in vivo conditions after storage and transport, like the zygotic seeds. In other words the combination of the micropropagation with the encapsulation permits to reach the advantages of both technologies in one tool (the synthetic seed) characterized by high cloning efficiency, perfect sanitary plantlet conditions, reduced space requirements and size, resistance to handling, storability, and transport. Some problems have to be solved before large scale diffusion of this innovative combination which can represents a promising tool for the future nurseries

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Published in AgroLife Scientific Journal, Volume 5, Number 2
Written by Adrian TRULEA, Teodor VINTILĂ, Nicolae POPA, Georgeta POP

Production of bioenergy from lignocellulosic biomass has gained more and more interest over the past years. Due to its high content in carbohydrates, Sorghum bicolor is one of the best suited candidate for bioenergy production. However, the lignocellulosic nature of the sorghum biomass raises difficulties to the access of the microbial enzymes to cellulose and hemicellulose and inhibits processes such as hydrolysis, fermentation and anaerobic digestion of biomass to produce biofuels. In this study, the effects of thermo - chemical pretreatment (mild alkaline pretreatment), applied to improve biodegradability of three different hybrids of sorghum biomass were investigated. Alkaline pretreatment have positive effects on the production of lignocellulosic ethanol, increasing both cellulose and hemicellulose content while breaking the lignocellulosic bonds and reducing lignin content. The achieved methane yields ranged from 320 to 345 ln CH4/kg VS for the pretreated biomass, approximately 22% higher than the yields obtained from the untreated biomass. Important increase of methane production has been noticed as well in the case of anaerobic digestion of spent bagasse resulted after ethanol fermentation. Mild alkaline pretreatment is a suitable pretreatment method for conversion of sorghum biomass to ethanol and biogas.

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Published in AgroLife Scientific Journal, Volume 5, Number 1
Written by Ortansa CSUTAK, Emilia SABĂU, Diana PELINESCU, Viorica CORBU, Ioana CÎRPICI, Tatiana VASSU

Yeast strains from Saccharomyces, Kluyveromyces and Candida genera are present in most foods representing the basis for various industrial and biotechnological processes. The strains CMGB79 and CMGB159 were identified using PCR-RFLP on the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region as belonging to Candida parapsilosis, respectively, to Kluyveromyces marxianus. The primer OPA03 yield the highest degree of intraspecific RAPD polymorphism for the strains Saccharomyces cerevisiae CMGB59, CMGB121and ATCC201583. Lipase production was observed in the presence of Tween 80 in concentration of 0.1 and 0.5% for Candida parapsilosis CMGB79, respectively, 0.1 to 0.8% for Candida parapsilosis CBS604. The oleic acid represented the best substrate for lipase induction and cell growth for Kluyveromyces marxianus CMGB159. All the yeast strains tested positive for lipase synthesis in the presence of tributyrin. The antagonistic interactions between the studied strains were assessed using killer assays against Candida parapsilosis CMGB79 and CBS604. The killer activity was high for Kluyveromyces marxianus CMGB159 and good for the Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, the toxin representing a stress factor which determined modifications in the sensitive cells. The results obtained during the present work showed that the characterized yeast strains present an important potential for applications in food industry, in obtaining probiotic compounds or as therapeutic agents of biomedical interest.

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