Relationship between seed harvesting method and seed physiological quality for a number of Pioneer maize hybrids

The seed germination and seed vigor of eight Pioneer Hi-Bred maize hybrids were evaluated immediately after harvesting and a year later. The aim was to determine whether the seed showed loss of germination and vigor when shelled mechanically. The seed was cleaned but not dressed, and then germinated according to the ISTA standard procedure in four seed analysis laboratories. In addition, the seed of two randomly chosen hybrids was divided into four fractions based on size and shape, and the germination of each fraction was examined separately. All the germination results were acceptable according to the ISTA (2010) standard (over 90%), but a higher germination percentage was observed after manual shelling than after mechanical shelling. The number of abnormal seedlings, however, was higher for mechanically shelled seeds than for those harvested as whole ears. When the seed of separate seed fractions was tested, the germination percentage was lowest for the medium-sized round fraction and highest for the large flat fraction. The seed vigor of three of the hybrids was highest when maize seeds were harvested shelled rather than on the ear. For all the hybrids the germination percentage was lower for both groups when analyzed a year after harvesting. Better germination results were obtained for all the hybrids after whole ear harvesting than in the shelled group, but the difference was not significant. In the vigor tests the results obtained for mechanically shelled seed were superior to those for whole ear harvesting for the same three hybrids, but again the difference was not significant. The experiments should be repeated over several years to determine whether mechanically shelling maize seed negatively affects seed germination and vigor

Sustainable renovation of housing in the urban environment

The global climate change and the growing ecological crisis forces us to address both the questions of ecology and sustainability that step over from the exotic world of eco-villages into the everyday practice of urban design and renovation. To fulfil this aim it has become necessary to define the criteria of sustainability more precisely. After the experiences of two case studies and research in smaller regions in the countryside our working team chose two urban areas in Budapest to examine the opportunities and barriers to sustainability. The characteristic building types of the chosen areas were either typical houses for rent, built 100-150 years ago and giving the well-known architectural character of old Budapest, or the prefabricated housing estates that were built during the communist era by the ``panel-factories´´ and imported from the Soviet Union. This kind of housing is inhabited by 20% of Hungarian citizens. The energetic reconstruction of these buildings is of the highest importance

Survival analysis of culling reasons and economic examination of production period in sow culling

The culling of the sows is an important task of the breeders and farmers, besides it is a determining factor of profitable pork production. During our research we have surveyed the data of 1969 sows in a Hungarian large-scale pig farm. For the calculation of our results we used one of the non-parametric forms of survival analysis, the Kaplan-Meier analysis. For the quantification of death intensity we applied another survival analysis model, the log-rate exponential model. We have found out the risk values of various culling reasons form the point of view of culling. Besides, we tried to quantify by an economic model how the production period of sows influences the average costs of piglets and the average costs of piglets per kilo at 2006 prices. We calculated that the 5th farrowing is the minimum cost place.Sow culling, Risk analysis, Sow productivity, Average costs of piglets, Livestock Production/Industries,

Analysis and optimization regarding the activity of a Hungarian Pig Sales and Purchase Cooperation

In many ways, the Hungarian pork chain faces considerable disadvantages when compared to the situation in competing countries. In countries endowed with a modern meat chain, heavy concentration is the rule, but in Hungary decentralization still prevails, although thankfully the chain is not disintegrating even further. In our research we used the operation of co-operatives as a model in terms of a generalized network problem. The model allows the quantification of the number of pigs from given farms to slaughterhouses, the maximum sales revenue, the delivery threshold prices, and an analysis of the impact co-operative members exert on sales revenues.pork production, integration, network, linear programming, Demand and Price Analysis, Farm Management, Livestock Production/Industries, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

A magyarországi juhtartás jövedelmezősége

A magyar juhágazat jövedelmi helyzetét 1998-2005 között vizsgálva azt mondhatjuk, hogy az ágazat minden évben veszteséges volt, bruttó jövedelmet két évben, 2001-ben és 2002-ben ért el. A juhtartással foglalkozó gazdálkodók a különféle támogatási lehetőségek maximális kihasználásával az ágazat jövedelmi pozícióján jelentősen javíthatnak. A támogatások igénybevételén túl a jövedel-mezőségi helyzetük javításának forrása a piaci alkalmazkodás, illetve a techno-lógia javítása. Ha a termékeik értékesítési arányát növelnék a karácsonyi sze-zonban a jelenlegi húsvéti értékesítéssel szemben, valamint a kos, illetve a jerke-bárányok értékesítésében a termelők figyelembe vennék azt, hogy jelentősen eltér a két ivar hízlalásának jövedelmezősége az értékesítési súly függvényében. A jerkebárányokat kisebb testsúly-kategóriában, a kosbárányokat a nagyobb test-súly-kategóriában érdemes értékesíteni. - Examining the income situation of the Hungarian sheep sector in the period 1998-2005, it can be said that the sector was loss-making every year, achieving a gross income in two years, 2001 and 2002. Farmers engaged in sheep farming could significantly improve on the sector’s income position by maximising utili-sation of the various subsidy possibilities. Beyond subsidy utilisation, adapting to the market is a means of improving their income, as is technological improvement. They should increase the sales ra-tio of their produce during the Christmas season, in relation to current Easter sales. Furthermore, in respect to sales of rams and ewe lambs, producers should take into account the significant difference in the profitability of fattening the two sexes as a function of sales weight. It is worth selling ewe lambs in a lower bodyweight category and rams in a higher one

A vetőmag kezelési lehetőségei ökológiai gazdálkodásban = Different methods for seed treatment in organic farming

Vizsgálatainkban célul tűztük ki az ökovetőmag életerejének megtartására és növelésére alkalmas anyagok kiválasztását, és kezelési módszerek kidolgozását. Elsőször az Alginit, Vetozen KR-60, Natúr Biokál 01 és kakukkfűolaj hatását vizsgáltuk Ascochyta sp. és Fusarium moniliforme kórokozókra. A kakukkfűolaj a kórokozók fejlődését táptalajon erősen gátolta, a többi anyag gátló hatást nem mutatott. A vizsgálatokat az életerő vizsgálatok irányába folytattuk. Kukorica (Zea mays L.), vöröshagyma (Allium cepa L.) és borsó (Pisum sativum L.) vetőmag tételeket választottunk. A kezelésekhez használt anyagok víz (20?C nem deionizált), és a Natúr Biokál 01 30%-os vizes oldata. Az áztatásos kezelések időtartama 2, 4, 6 óra volt. Kezelés után elvégeztük a Nemzetközi Vetőmagvizsgálati Szövetsége (ISTA) által javasolt vigorvizsgálatokat -csírázóképesség vizsgálat, elektromos vezetőképesség vizsgálat, csíranövény növekedési teszt, cold teszt, gyorsított öregítés vizsgálat- és szabadföldi kelésvizsgálatot. A kezelések közül a vizes és Natúr Biokállal kezelt tételek mind javították a mag életerejét. Legtöbb esetben és legnagyobb arányban a 4 órás 30%-os Natúr Biokál 01 oldatban való áztatás javította a tételek eredményeit. Mindhárom tesztnövénynél a gyengébb csírázóképességű tételeknél a kezelések pozitív hatása jobban mutatkozott, mint a jó minőségű tételnél. Gyengébb tételek csírázóképesség és életerő javítására ezért a kezelések kifejezetten ajánlhatók. | The goals of our work was to select organic seed treatment materials which can keep or raise the vigour of seed, and to find the proper methods. In first step Alginit, Vetozen KR-60, Natúr Biokál 01 and thyme oil were tested against Ascochyta sp. and Fusarium moniliforme. The thyme oil blocked the development of the two pathogens, the other materials had no effect. After it the examinations were carried on in seed vigour testing. Examinations were carried out on seed lots of maize (Zea mays L.), pea (Pisum sativum L.) and onion (Allium cepa L.). The selected materials were water (20?C, tap water) and Natúr Biokál 01 (30% solution). The duration of treatment were 2-4-6 hours for both materials. The treated seed plots were analyzed according to the germination and vigour test methods of the International Seed Testing Association. Germination test, conductivity test, seedling growth test, cold test, accelerated ageing test and germination test in the field were carried out. Regarding the treatments with water and Natúr Biokál, in all cases the vigour of the seed was enhanced. In most cases and in the most rate the 4 hour Natúr Biokál treatment showed improving by the three test crop. There was a difference between the values of the better and lower germination seed lots. The treatments showed higher improvement in the lower quality seeds. The use of these seed treatment are recommended for lower quality seeds to enhance germination and vigour and make field emergence safer

Color changes during storage of organic and conventional carrots

Storage impacts the visual and nutritional characteristics of carrots (Daucus carota L.). The visual changes related to color parameters are interrelated to physiochemical changes, especially to those that are responsible for color, i.e. carotenoids. With a proper environment, the long-term storage of carrot is possible with the preservation of valuable nutrients. In this study, four typical household storage environments are applied for carrot samples originating from organic and conventional production. The results indicated, that among temperature, packaging type, and cultivation type, packaging has the highest impact on the investigated color parameters of carrot homogenates, and, indirectly on carotenoids content