Agriculture and Agricultural Science Procedia最新文献

This paper presents the application of the combination of simulation model and multi-criteria decision models for evaluating investment in agricultural processing. The simulated alternatives are evaluated with multi-attribute decision tools expert system. The simulation system consists of deterministic production simulation models that enable different types of costs calculations for organic production and on farm food processing in the framework of supplementary activities. Simulation models were further evaluate by a qualitative multi-attribute decision modelling methodology using the software tool DEX-I and quantitative analytical hierarchical process (AHP). The simulation model was also evaluated by the standard financial analysis (i.e., cost benefit analysis). These results show that there was the difference before and after investment into specific processing equipment of three organic products with respect to positive financial values. The financial analysis reveals that after 10 years the farm had constant annual cash flow with an investment return at 9.43%. This showed that investments into organic farm was feasible financially. The integrated simulation model as the discount cash flow and multi-criteria decision analysis are the suitable methodological tool fordecision support system on organic farms. The system takes into consideration different independent criteria and enables ranking of farm business alternatives. The model is useful in minimizing risk and inappropriate decision in investment.

Uveitis is a common cause of blindness in feline patients as incorrectly treated or its chronicization can lead to formation of pre-iridal fibrovascular membranes, pupillary block and secondary glaucoma. The objective of this study was to investigate the causes of uveitis in cats diagnosed at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Bucharest between 2012 and 2015. Medical records were reviewed and cats were considered if complete diagnostic work-up, clinical examination and imaging studies were performed. All the feline cases were serologically tested for at least two of the common infectious causes: feline leukemia virus, feline immunodeficiency virus, feline coronavirus, Toxoplasma gondii, and Bartonella spp. Ninety-six cats with a mean age of 5.42 years, ranging from 1 month to 17 years old, with a male to female ratio of 1.33/1 were diagnosed with uveitis. The European domestic cat was overrepresented at 76% followed by Birman cat (6.3%), Persian cat (4.2%), Russian blue (4.2%), Norwegian cat (2%), British Short Hair (1%), Sphynx (1%) and Cornish Rex (1%). Infectious diseases were the cause of uveitis in 31 cases (32.3%), neoplasia was diagnosed in 22 cases (22.9%), uveitis secondary to septic keratitis in 8 cases (8.3%) and uveitis secondary to direct ocular trauma in 6 cases (6.3%). Twenty-nine cats (30.2%) with a mean age of 4.33 years old were diagnosed with idiopathic or immune-mediated uveitis, less than previously reported. Aqueous flare occurred in 91 cats and keratic precipitates were noted in 39 cats. The most common infectious cause of uveitis in this study was Toxoplasma gondii (n=18). Infectious diseases remain the most common cause of feline uveitis, therefore systemic evaluation and serological investigations should be performed in all cats with uveitis, cataract and glaucoma.

An analysis of winter injury to 45 new Romanian grapevine cultivars for table grapes and for white and red wines was performed as a result of the severe winter 2014-2015, with minimum air temperature of -20.8 °C (on the 8^th of January). There were used 9 widespread varieties in Romania as controls. The research was performed in the plantation - collection of the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest (44°46’N, 26°06’E, 91 m). There was determined the viability of primary and secondary buds in winter eye. In relation to these low temperatures, a better resistance, assessed on the basis of the percentage of primary and secondary viable buds, proved the varieties: Napoca, Milcov, Greaca, Xenia, Şarba, Crâmpoşie selecţionată, Columna, Novac; as well as controls: Chasselas doré, Muscat de Hamburg, Riesling italian, Fetească albă, Cabernet Sauvignon. Varieties Călina, Transilvania, Triumf, Victoria, Blasius and Selena, proved to be sensitive to low temperatures. It is necessary to have a territorial distribution of cultivars according to their resistance to frost and the application of differentiated pruning to compensate the losses.

This study aimed to investigate antioxidative activities of various fractions of Abelmoschus manihot leaf extract. The fractions were separated based on polarity and the antioxidant activities of each of them were determined. The leaves were extracted using hexane, acetone and methanol serially. The extract was separated by column chromatography using ethyl acetate-methanol gradient elution as mobile phase and silica gel G-60 as the stationary phase, and resulted in five fractions. The antioxidative activities was determined by DPPH free radical scavenging, ferrous ion chelating, and singlet oxygen quenching. Results showed that the fourth fraction had the highest total phenolics and flavonoids content of 297.43±0.48 mg GAE/g extract and 117.31±0.38 mg quercetin quivalen/g extract, respectively, and showed the highest antioxidative activities.

Design

of wireless sensor network for monitoring of soil quality parameters (temperature, humidity, conductivity and acidity) is proposed in the study. The structure, panels and block - diagrams of graphical user interface in the software LabView are developed. Web-based mobile system for wireless measurement of temperature, humidity, conductivity and acidity based on Arduino modules is proposed. The devices are configured and appropriate software for the operation of wireless sensor modules is written.

Wildlife management in agroforestry territory has become particularly complex in recent years because of the increase of animal density. This study proposes a review of the literature on the impact of wildlife in many areas of the world. In particular, it examines the negative effects due to the strong growth of wildlife populations and consequently the loss of the balance of agricultural and forest ecosystems. A second portion of the study shows the results of an investigation related to the rural area of the Region of Tuscany: Recreation-Opportunity-Spectrum - ROS (North American Methodology) implemented in Geographical Information System - GIS, is used with the aim of determining suitable areas for damages by wild animals. The final goal of the paper is to highlight some possible choices to be adopted by Stakeholders in order to bring the phenomenon within the limits of sustainability.

Several management strategies of Bacterial blight disease caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. glycinea has been developing to minimize yield loss including the use of bacteriophage as phage therapy. However, some consideration must be point on its interaction with bacterial host and influence of bacterial host virulence. Therefor, information of characteristic of prospective bacteriophage must be determined prior to use as biological control agent. This research aimed to obtain some information about general characteristics of bacteriophage that infects P. syringae pv. glycinea such as the ability in propagation in bacterial host, type of nucleic acid, and total protein profile. The results showed that about four bacteriophages have been isolated from soybean soil in Sukorambi and Mangli area named ϕSK2a, ϕSK2b, ϕSK2c (from Sukorambi), and ϕMGX1 (from Mangli). All phages had different ability in propagation in bacterial host, P. syringae pv. glycinea strain H3 about 10¹⁰-10¹² PFU/mL. Nucleic acid analysis using digestion enzymes (DNase, RNase, and Restriction endonuclease) showed that all bacteriophage isolates had double stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (dsDNA). Moreover, protein profile of bacteriophage through sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) showed that all phages had similar pattern of the protein suggested the same type of bacteriophage. However, morphological characteristic is still needed to accurate determination of bacteriophage taxonomy.

In recent years there is an ever greater attention toward the theme of social responsibility, especially from the agriculture and agri-food sector, whose typical features, i.e. the link with the land, the role of tradition and the defence of nature and environment, are closer to this theme. Thus, social environmental issues have become an essential part of the agricultural policy's objectives.

In this context, we can observe a growing interest by the consumers towards the short food supply chain, which allows the recovery of the direct relationship and the consolidation of relations between producers and consumers.

The short food supply chain creates the awareness among producers and consumers having common goals and drives them to find new forms of meeting, exchange and collaboration with the direct sale. Thus, the aim is to create some organizational models for the development of new forms of marketing of short chain, by responding to the purpose of ensuring a competitive development of the fruit and vegetable chain and of the reference area.

In order to develop these reflections, we realized a case study on the “Orto in condominio” an experience similar to the “box scheme” realized in Campania region by the producers’ organization Terra Orti.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the market power of soybean price. Data used in this research was the statistic data of Time series (1989-2008). Data was estimated by using OLS (Ordinary Least Square). Before estimating the data, the stationary condition of every variable was tested by using ADF Test (Augmented Dickey-Fuller Test). The results found that market power significantly affects soybean price, value of conjectural elasticity 0.39162. Market power can increase the price of processed soybean products amounted to 38.8161 percent in output markets and increase the wholesale price of soybean 19.3981 in the input market. Soybean prices are set by government policy to encourage the local soybean production increased from farmers and to the development of soybean industry, need to consider the influence of market power on soybean price.

Food waste in the global food supply chain is reviewed in relation to the prospects for feeding a population of nine billion by 2050. The topic of this article is the “food waste”, an important issue which has been developed increasingly over the past few years in the context of the actions identified at international level to contrast the global food crisis, which in its various aspects involves not only food law – in terms of both food security and food safety – but environmental law as well. In this light, the analysis can be seen as included among the issues related to the sustainability of well-being with the aim of ascertaining the causes that underlie food losses and food waste, also in view of the legal obstacles, and of identifying the latest prospects indicated by national and European lawmakers to mitigate or limit such waste. In the context of the analysis on the sustainability of well-being, the issue of food waste represents also under a legal point of view a complex aspect, the result of modern society and the well-being that characterises it, which involves multiple interests and is part of food security. The issue evokes the fact that food insecurity continues to exist and indeed has worsened in many parts of the world and raises questions on the impact of food waste on global food security. Thus, the issue is linked to several quite significant aspects related to environmental and food issues such as the control of natural resources, the loss of biodiversity, climate change, soil erosion, the reduction of scarce resources such as agricultural soil and water, and the loss of natural habitats.