Application of UAS Technology for the Development of Precision Agriculture

Precision agriculture often uses digital techniques such as satellites, UAS (unmanned aerial systems) and sensors to optimize agricultural production processes while reducing negative environmental impacts. Smart agriculture is data-driven, so a UAS can accurately receive and fairly distribute this information, allowing producers to take action based on individual soil circumstances. The paper aims to highlight the main advantages of UAS used in agriculture, depending on the type of wing (single-rotor, multi-rotor, fixed-wing and VTOL) and the sensors used. Also, within the work, the stages of making the digital orthophoto map at the Hoia farm, belonging to USAMV Cluj-Napoca, were analysed, with a view to further analyses on the state of the vegetation, using a DJI Phantom 4 Pro UAS model. Vegetation status can be assessed and quantified by different vegetation indices from images acquired in the visible, red and near-infrared spectral bands. Depending on their formulation, they can show a strong correlation with land cover and leaf and green area index (LAI and GAI), crop nitrogen uptake (QN), chlorophyll content, water stress detection, plant structure, photosynthesis, yield and growing conditions. Modern agricultural technology plays a vital role in increasing productivity to meet the demand for food for a growing global population, conservation and management of agricultural resources

Functional Plant Substrates in Sourdough Fermentation: Hops, Kombucha, and Grape Pomace

Sourdough fermentation represents a cornerstone of traditional and modern baking, offering enhanced flavour, texture, and nutritional benefits. With the increasing demand for sustainable and functional food products, plant-derived substrates have emerged as transformative tools in artisanal and industrial bread production. These ingredients address critical challenges such as microbial stability, shelf life, and sensory quality while contributing unique biofunctional properties like antioxidant activity and antimicrobial effects. Despite their promise, challenges such as bitterness from hops, phenolic inhibition in grape pomace, and the scalability of kombucha starters underscore the need for precise optimization strategies. Emerging biotechnological approaches, including encapsulation, synthetic biology, and genetic engineering of microbial strains, are explored as solutions to maximize the efficiency and consistency of these substrates. This review provides a roadmap for integrating plant-derived fermentation substrates into sustainable baking practices, with implications for meeting consumer preferences and advancing functional food innovation

Emerging technologies in polyphenol analysis: from traditional methods to -omics approaches

Recent advancements in analytical technologies have revolutionized our ability to characterize, identify, and quantify polyphenolic compounds in complex biological matrices. This comprehensive review examines the transformative journey from traditional analytical methods to cutting-edge -omics approaches in polyphenol analysis. We critically evaluate the evolution from conventional spectrophotometric and chromatographic techniques to sophisticated high-throughput platforms integrating mass spectrometry, metabolomics, and artificial intelligence. Particular attention is given to emerging technologies such as miniaturized systems, real-time monitoring platforms, and advanced bioinformatics tools that are reshaping the landscape of polyphenol research. The review also addresses current challenges in method standardization, data integration, and validation while highlighting opportunities for future technological developments. By synthesizing recent progress in analytical methodologies, this review provides valuable insights for researchers in food science, nutrition, natural products chemistry, and related fields, emphasizing how these technological advances contribute to our understanding of polyphenol composition, bioactivity, and potential health benefits

Influence of Abiotic Stress Factors on the Germination of Silver Fir Seeds from Different Romanian Provenances

Abies alba Mill., one of the most important conifer species in European mountain forests, faces significant challenges due to changing climatic conditions and environmental stressors. The research aims to understand the effects of different abiotic stress factors on A. alba seed germination, including salt and water stress, as well as cold stress. Four treatments were studied: control (seeds soaked in water at 18 °C for 24 hours), thermal stress (-40 °C for 7 days), salt stress (400 mM NaCl solution for 24 hours), and water stress (limited watering). The findings of this study provide insights into the adaptability of silver fir with different origin (7 populations) to various abiotic stress factors, to further understand the species response to climate change. Preliminary results show variability in germination among treatments and populations, indicating different sensitivities of silver fir seeds to cold, salt, and water stress. For all the germination stress factors, the seed germination varied among the tested provenances, the process being evidently and negatively affected by the stress factors, especially by salinity and low temperatures. The study highlights the importance of choosing suitable seed sources for reforestation and conservation of A. alba species

Impact of Organic Fertilization on Polyphenolic Content in Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum L. Gaertn.) Genotypes from Romania

Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn. is a major source of active principles, but also a plant that perfectly meets the needs of sustainable agriculture. The present research analyses the efficiency of organic fertilization for the increase of active principles in the fruits of milk thistle cultivated in the area of Măciuca, southern Vâlcea County, Romania. The aim of this work was the spectrophotometric determination of the total polyphenols content (TPC) of five different genotypes of milk thistle (Prahova, a1; Secuieni, a2; Iași, a3; Dacia Plant, a4; Brașov, a5) both unfertilized, and treated with organic fertilizers. Significant quantitative differences were identified between the five populations of Silybum marianum, the genotypes "Dacia Plant" fertilized and "Prahova" unfertilized presenting the highest TPC (18.87 mg GAE/g, 18.15 mg GAE/g, respectively). Fertilization did not necessarily have an impact on the accumulation of polyphenols in the fruits, but the climatic and soil conditions, as well as the genetic background being able to influence the quality of the milk thistle fruits

Therapeutic Properties and Use for Medicinal Purposes of Agastache Species

Nowadays, it is proven there is an increasing interest in the study of growth and development of different medicinal and aromatic species, due to their therapeutic properties that correlate with the presence of different active compounds. Agastache sp. are known as aromatic plants that belong to the Lamiaceae family, originating from North America and East Asia. The Agastache genus is part of the Lamiaceae family and is native to North America, but one species like Agastache rugosa, is native to East Asia, such as Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and China. Also, the aim of recent studies is to present a summary of the few findings on the phytochemistry and biological effects of several Agastache sp., including both extracts and essential oil properties and characterization. The presented paper has been focused of introduction, description and use of aromatic and medicinal plants, which represent inexhaustible sources of fresh or dry materials for the pharmaceutical industry, cosmetic products and food industries. In the whole process of developing new medicines from herbal raw materials, it is important to study the spectrum of major bioactive compounds and their benefits for human health. Science have proven a significant influence of genetic traits which depends on the subspecies chosen in study, variety, the maturity of the plants, climatic conditions and cultivation features on the accumulation of bioactive compounds in harvested plants material

Polyphagous Insect Pests of Medicinal Plants

This current review describes the morphology of some polyphagous species of insect pests affecting medicinal plants, their life cycle, host plants, form of damage and biological management. The described insect species are part of the following orders: Orthoptera, Hemiptera, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera and Dipera. All species are distributed in Europe, but can also be found in other continents. Defoliation is the most common type of damage caused by adults and larvae (or nymphs) but additional types of damage have also been reported. In order to control them, biological measures have to be taken, chemical control being unsuitable for medicinal plants. This bio-management can be achieved through pathogens of the insect pests, such as fungi and parasitoids

Capacity Management in Projects of Systematic Land Registration in a Romanian Small and Medium-sized Entepreise

Only about 7% of all localities in Romania have been registered in the land administration system. These delays in registration are caused by multiple reasons. This paper looks at what private companies are doing when dealing with increase in demand in projects in The National Program of Land Registration. Using an action research methodology, a focus group composed of six people from Company A analyses the measures that the company takes in order to manage capacity. The focus group finds that in most cases, the company choses to ignore increasing demand. At the same time, the most used methods when the company follows demand are: extra working hours for workers and prioritizing projects

Microbiological and Physicochemical Characteristics of a New Functional Beverage

Fermented fruit and vegetable drinks are among the oldest products consumed worldwide, while in recent years much attention has been paid to identifying their functionality. This paper highlights the functional potential of a novel fermented beverage with kefir granules in terms of chemical and biological profiles impacting human health. Several experimental prototypes were comparatively analysed using spectrophotometric, physicochemical, and microbiological analyses. The acceptability of the consumption of the new fermented drink assortment based on nettle powder with kefir granules and added raspberry/mango was carried out on a sample of 109 people, consumers of fermented drinks. The results of the analyses show that the beverage shows high microbiological characteristics during the first days of storage, after which an increase in the microbiological load is identified

Determination of Qualitative Indicators of Work in the Application of Solid Chemical Fertilizers

One main means of achieving a constant, reliable and high-value yield is by correctly applying the fertilizers. The correct use of fertilizers implies the scientific basis and the knowledge of all the factors that influence the efficiency of their application. The main aim of the experiment was to study the uniformity of fertilizer application at different travel speeds. In the present study, the machinery used was a Massey Ferguson tractor with a Rauch spreader that was working at the speeds of 6, 11, 17 km/h. The fertilizer was collected and measured with a Kern precision balance. The obtained results show that at the travel speed of 6 km/h, the distributed quantity of fertilizer was between 24.04 g/m2 and 31.81 g/m2 on the membrane verified on 3 different determinations. Using an 11km/h travel speed the results obtained were between 24.14 g/m2 and 26.78 g/m2, by using this results we could determine that this speed was the most appropriate for carrying out the fertilizing process. Lastly, the speed that was used was 17 km/h and the obtained quantity of fertilizer was between 16.85g/m2 and 31.31 g/m2