REACTION OF SOME WALNUT GENOTYPES GROWN IN VÂLCEA AREA AT GNOMONIA LEPTOSTYLA CES. ET DE NOT PATHOGEN ATTACK

The studies were conducted at the Research Fruit  Growing the Station of Valcea, under the climatic conditions of the year 2015 and focused response of walnut cultivars and selections with different origins to the attack the of  Gnomonia leptostyla Ces.et de Not factor causative of the disease called "brown staining of leaves" or "walnut anthracnose." Field observations were carried out at moments of maximum vulnerability to the disease (June and September) and followed up on the attack on leaves and fruits per genotype under natural infection. At the two moments of observation,  it was noted the frequency (F%) and the intensity (I%) of the pathogen attack based on which a was the calculated degree of attack (GA%), the values thereof reflecting the reaction of the cultivars to the attack of the pathogen

BEHAVIOUR OF SOME WALNUT, HAZELNUT AND SWEET CHESTNUT CULTIVARS UNDER THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS FROM SOUTH OF ROMANIA

The nut crops are important for their valuable fruits and for their potential to increase the economic growth of Romania. The Southern part of Romania which includes the regions of Oltenia and Muntenia is known for its favourable conditions for fruit growing and in particular for nut crops like walnut, hazelnut and sweet chestnut. During the last two decades at University of Craiova - SCDP Vâlcea several cultivars trials were set up in order to compare the Romanian and foreign cultivars and to establish the most favourable ones for culture in this part of the country. This study presents the behaviour of 19 walnut cultivars (9 Romanian ones and 10 of foreignorigin), 19 hazelnut cultivars (8 Romanian and 11 foreign ones) and 11 cultivars and hybrids of sweet chestnut (3 Romanian and 8 of foreign origin). Due to the results obtained several cultivars of walnut, hazelnut and sweet chestnut are recommended to be propagated and planted into the orchards from southern part of Romania

Determination of Apomictic Fruit Set Ratio in Several Romanian Walnut (Juglans regia L.) Cultivars

carried out to determine the ability of apomictic fruit setting in twelve Romanian walnut cultivars. ‘Sibisel 44’, ‘Geoagiu 65’, ‘Germisara’, ‘Muscelean’, ‘Sarmis’, ‘Valcor’, ‘Valmit’, ‘Valrex’, ‘Jupanesti’, ‘Velnita’, ‘Orastie’ and ‘Argesean’ cultivars were used in the experiment. Female flowers were isolated with pergament paper bags and the apomictic fruit set was determined 8 weeks after anthesis. The apomixis degree was determined as the number of fruit calculated in relation to the number of isolated flowers. The percentage of apomictic fruit set without pollination in cultivars analyzed is low, ranging from 7.86% (‘Orastie’ cultivar) up to 12.46% (‘Jupanesti’ cultivar). The results indicated that apomictic fruit set is insufficient for economical seed and crop production in these Romanian walnut cultivars

Assessment of common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yield and quality under organic farming in the southwest of Romania

Taking into account the rising demand for organic wheat and the need to guarantee both high productivity and quality of the crops, the choice of cultivar plays a crucial role. These intended objectives may solely be attained by employing the most appropriate cultivars for organic agriculture. The aim of this study was to evaluate the suitability of 15 wheat cultivars for cultivation in organic farming according to three important parameters for organic farmers and processors, namely grain yield, test weight and protein content. The field experiment took place over two consecutive growing seasons, in the center of the Oltenia region (southwest of Romania) under organic farming conditions. The results showed significant effects of the climatic conditions in the year of study, but also of the cultivar on all studied parameters. The effect of genotype-environment interactions was significant only for test weight and protein content. On average, over the two years of study, the grain yield was 3899 kg ha-1, the test weight was 70.8 kg hl-1, and the protein content was 10.1%. The recently released cultivar ‘Voinic’ obtained the maximum grain yield (4755 kg ha-1) and also a maximum test weight and protein content (73.9 kg hl-1, respectively 10.7%). In conclusion, it follows that by using cultivars suitable for organic farming, good and quality yields can be obtained that can be a suitable raw material for baking industry

INFLUENCE OF COLCHICINE TREATMENTS ON THE MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS OF THE OKRA SEEDLINGS

The effect of the treatments with colchicine determines the doubling of the number of chromosomes, but can also induce mutations being often used in breeding works to induce variability. Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench (syn. Hibiscus esculentus L.) is an economically important vegetable plant grown in tropical, sub-tropical and temperate areas with a warmer climate for multiple nutritional and medicinal properties. In the present paper, 0.1% colchicine treatments were performed on the okra seeds. Five variants with different exposure times were experimented and observations were made after seven days on the length and thickness of the roots and the hypocotyl. The treatment with colchicine induced the modification of the morphological characters, resulting in seedlings with short and thickened roots and hypocotyls. The maximum effect was recorded in variant no. 5 with 2 hours exposure

Changes of carbon-isotope ratios in soil organic matter relative to parent vegetation and site specificity

Investigating the correlation between biodiversity and ecosystem function in natural environments using carbon-isotope composition (δ13C) allows distinguishing the nutrient cycling pattern and anthropogenic effects incorporation in plants and soil processes. The mechanisms behind the isotopic composition of soil organic matter (SOM) and parent vegetation in relation to the context of site-specificity was approached in this work. Formation of SOM can be affected by the presence of a high concentration of heavy metals in soils. Still, no systematic studies were performed in most of the industrial sites to support this hypothesis.  In order to explore this incomplete understood influence, investigation of carbon isotope signatures (d13C) variations in soil organic matter were performed in two industrial areas from Romania (Copșa Mică industrial platform and Baia Sprie mining zone). The current study, also, investigated the C:N ratio variation, as well as the influence of N speciation regarding d13C values of SOM. The decrease in C:N ratio indicated an increasing effect of the microbial products on SOM matter at increasing depth, for both regions, while an increase of the denitrification processes with depth was found for both areas. For the most appropriate depth (20-40 cm), the soil from Baia Sprie region was more enriched in 13C comparing with the soil from Copsa Mica region, and this higher isotope fractionation of SOM might be due to a higher carbon content, respectively a higher nitrogen content of Baia Sprie soil. It was concluded that the SOM of the surface soil in the two investigated regions has an 13C isotopic composition similar to the plant remains from which it was formed, offering an integrated value of plant material, time and the local origin and providing useful markers of tree isotopic composition

The Current Status of Germplum Database: a Tool for Characterization of Plum Genetic Resources in Romania

In Romania, Prunus genetic resources are kept in collections of varieties, populations and biotypes, mainly located in research and development institutes or fruit growing stations and, in the last years, by some private enterprises. Creating the experimental model for the Germplum database based on phenotypic descriptors and SSR molecular markers analysis is an important and topical objective for the efficient characterization of genetic resources and also for establishing a public-private partnership for the effective management of plum germplasm resources in Romania. The technical development of the Germplum database was completed and data will be added continuously after characterizing each new accession

The Mineral Source for Human Nutrition of Nuts in Different Hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) Cultivars

  Hazelnuts (Corylus avellana L.) have a significant place among the types of dried nuts in terms of nutrition and health owing to their special composition of fats, protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, dietary fibers and phenolic antioxidants. Different hazelnut cultivars grown in Romania (‘Cozia’, ‘Romavel’, ‘Valcea 22’, ‘Roverd’ and ‘Red Lambert’) were evaluated for their mineral composition. Microelements were determined by using ICP-MS and a Flame AAS. The average microelements concentrations in the cultivars have varied in the following ranges (mg 100 g-1): K, 591.75 - 639.13; P, 300.67 - 455.06; Mg, 205.02 - 335.54; Ca, 72.07 - 130.92; Mn, 8.77 - 19.07; Fe, 5.3 - 8.77; Cu, 1.62 - 3.07; Zn, 1.82 - 2.84; Cr, 0.12 - 0.84; Na, 0.36 - 0.97; Al, 0.23 - 0.35; Sr, 0.88 - 1.6; Rb,1.34 - 3.03. According to the daily microelement requirements, the quantity of 100 g hazelnut provided approximately 13% for K, 55% for P, 70% for Mg, 10% for Ca, 94% for Fe, 22 for Zn and 5.6% for Cr of the RDA. These results indicated that hazelnuts are a rich source of a number of important micro-elements and hazelnut can be an important source of microelements for human nutrition and health.</p

Evaluation of Productivity Components and Antioxidant Activity of Different Types of Garlic Depending on the Morphological Organs

This study evaluated the elements of production, the content of bioactive compounds, and the antioxidant activity of some types of garlic: softneck—Allium sativum L. var. sativum, Rocambole—A. sativum var. ophioscorodon (Link) Döll, and chives—A. schoenoprasum L. The mean yields and the distribution of bioactive compounds in the bulb, in the cloves of the bulb, as well as in the bulbils formed in the inflorescence, were determined. The average production/ha in the case of chives highlighted a yield of 27.83 t ha−1 of mature bulbs. All these were determined to obtain a better understanding of the biological functionality of the different morphological parts of this species. The content of vitamin C and flavonoids was significantly higher (p ≤ 0.05) in Rocambole than in the other varieties. The phenolic compounds were higher in the case of chives, followed by Rocambole and then by softneck garlic. The content of bioactive compounds was higher in the younger organ, depending on the morphological organ (bulbs, cloves, and bulbils on flower stalks) within the same variety. The vitamin C content was higher in the cloves (15.68 mg 100 g−1), followed by the bulbils in inflorescence (14.64 mg 100 g−1), and the mature bulb (13.14 mg 100 g−1) in Rocambole. The bioactive profile of garlic depends on the age of the morphological organ, and the bioactive concentration decreases with its maturity. Therefore, unripe garlic has the best potential to be used for its health benefits. The versatile health effects and nutraceutical properties of garlic can be attributed to the variety of bioactive compounds, mainly polyphenolic substances with strong antioxidant properties, as well as the morphological organ (mature bulb with cloves, a one year bulb derived from bulbil, or bulbil in bloom)

Physical and Chemical Properties of Some European Plum Cultivars (<i>Prunus domestica</i> L.)

Fruits from twelve plum cultivars (Prunus domestica L.), were analyzed in terms of physical and chemical characteristics. The fruits trees were grown in a trial at University of Craiova - Fruit Growing Research Station (SCDP) Valcea, which is located in Bujoreni, an important Romanian plum production area. Fruits were picked at harvest maturity. Several analyzes were performed, such as fruit linear dimensions, size index, fruit weight, dry matter, soluble solids content, titratable acidity, total anthocyanins, malic, tartaric and citric acids content. The best features in terms of physical and chemical properties proved to be found in ‘Alina’, ‘Alutus’, ‘Tuleu Timpuriu’, ‘Oltenal’ and ‘Renclod Althan’