Male adventitious roots of Rumex thyrsiflorus Fingerh. as a source of genetically stable micropropagated plantlets

Rumex thyrsiflorus Fingerh. is one of the few dioecious plant species that have sex chromosomes. The chromosome constitution of females is 2n = 12A + XX and 2n = 12A + XY1Y2 of males. It is a medicinally important plant species and has also been the object of studies on the structure and function of sex chromosomes and sex ratio. An efficient plant regeneration protocol was developed from karyologically stable male roots that had been derived from a long-term liquid culture. The root segments were grown on MS medium supplemented with the following plant growth regulators: 2.4-D, NAA, kinetin, BAP and TDZ. The highest frequency (81.73 %) of adventitious shoot formation (16.27 shoots/explant) was obtained on MS + 0.5 mg/l TDZ. Regenerated shoots were successfully rooted on ½ MS + 2 % sucrose + 0.5 mg/l IBA and acclimated to in vivo conditions. Histological analysis revealed indirect (via callus) adventitious shoot formation. The cells of the morphogenetic callus were surrounded by a fibrillar structure that was similar to the extracellular matrix. Molecular analysis based on genetic sex markers confirmed that all of the root explants were male. The genetic stability of the regenerated plantlets was confirmed using random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis. This is the first report concerning the micropropagation protocol for R. thyrsiflorus Fingerh. from male roots derived from a long-term liquid culture, which offers a unique opportunity to obtain true-to-type plants of the same sex

Female versus male : Rumex thyrsiflorus Fingerh. under in vitro conditions : does sex influence in vitro morphogenesis?

Rumex thyrsiflorus Fingerh. is a dioecious plant with polymorphic sex chromosomes (XX in females, XY_{1}Y_{2} in males). This species is an interesting plant for study on the structure and function of sex chromosomes, the sex ratio, and is also a valuable source of bioactive constituents. A procedure for the micropropagation of R. thyrsiflorus from hypocotyl explants, which can be useful for analyses of sex-specific morphogenetic reactions under in vitro conditions, was developed. The molecular analysis, based on genetic sex markers, allowed the sex of explants to be determined in order to create male or female in vitro cultures. Regeneration primarily occurred via indirect adventitious shoot formation as well as via somatic embryogenesis, which was confirmed by histological and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses. The highest frequency of explants that revealed a morphogenetic response with the highest number of regenerated adventitious shoot buds (average 11.5 shoots per explant) was obtained on a Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 2.27 \mu M thidiazuron (TDZ). Molecular analysis revealed a female-biased sex ratio under these conditions. The relationship between the sex of the explants and their morphogenetic potential was studied. The efficiency of morphogenesis varied between the two sexes and depended on the ratio of auxin and cytokinin in the medium. The germination pattern of male and female seeds under in vitro conditions was also analysed. No differences in germination time between male and female seeds and in terms of male and female seedling length were observed, which indicated that there was no competition between the sexes during seed germination when grown under uniform growth conditions

A Dataset Quality Assessment—An Insight and Discussion on Selected Elements of Environmental Footprints Methodology

One of the most recently developed life cycle-based methods is an environmental footprint of products and organisations established by the European Commission. A special procedure of data and dataset quality assessment has been developed as a part of the environmental footprints methodology. The procedure may be recognised as vital and powerful but, at the same time, a bit complicated and time-consuming. It is worth discussing this subject and looking for potential simplification. In this paper, we suggest a possible way for simplification. We propose to remove an impact-assessment-based step from the procedure of company-specific datasets quality assessment. There are two potential benefits: a reduction in the need for expert knowledge and time savings. The threats posed are connected to the fact that all data influences the Data Quality Rating indicator of the entire dataset to the same degree. With a higher volume of data included in the assessment, there is a risk of greater differentiation in their quality. In this paper, an example of raw milk production is presented. The assessment of quality of the dataset was performed in three variants: pursuant to the approach established by the European Commission in the pilot phase, transition phase and with certain modifications employed

Evaluation of Eco-Efficiency of Two Alternative Agricultural Biogas Plants

Implementation of the circular economy is one of the priorities of the European Union, and energy efficiency is one of its pillars. This article discusses an effective use of agri-food industry waste for the purposes of waste-to-energy in biogas plants. Its basic objective is the comparative assessment of the eco-efficiency of biogas production depending on the type of feedstock used, its transport and possibility to use generated heat. The environmental impact of the analysed installations was assessed with the application of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. Cost calculation was performed using the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) method. The LCA analysis indicated that a biogas plant with a lower level of waste heat use where substrates were delivered by wheeled transport has a negative impact on the environment. The structure of distributed energy production cost indicates a substantial share of feedstock supply costs in the total value of the LCOE ratio. Thus, the factor affecting the achievement of high eco-efficiency is the location of a biogas plant in the vicinity of an agri-food processing plant, from which the basic feedstock for biogas production is supplied with the transmission pipeline, whereas heat is transferred for the needs of production processes in a processing plant or farm

Środowiskowa klasyfikacja produktów w kontekście ekoprojektowania w małych i średnich przedsiębiorstwach

More and more often a life cycle thinking is considered as a valuable element of environmental management. Product-based environmental management systems often refer to ecodesign, which can be used in various aspects of product management. Due to their own specificity, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) often encounter difficulties when conducting ecodesign activities. The paper presents a simplified approach based on the life cycle-based environmental classification of products intended for using in SMEs as a starting point for eco-design. A main goal of the paper is to propose such classification and discuss its role in improving the environmental performance of products. The presented analysis included 50 products classified according to the chosen criteria. As the first step, a cluster analysis has been performed and a distinction between passive and active products has been made. A main conclusion was that the information received from the cluster analysis may be insufficient to be a sole basis for ecodesign. A second classification has been performed basing on the selected environmental impact indicators (GWP100a and CED) calculated for three life cycle stages: a production, an use and a final disposal. The final products’ classification reflects the differences in environmental hotspots between products and can be used for supporting the SMEs in implementation of life cycle-based eco-design processes.Od pewnego czasu kreowane jest podejście do zarządzania środowiskowego bazujące na cyklu życia wytwarzanych produktów i usług oraz ich wpływie na środowisko. W tak zorientowanym systemie zarządzania ważną rolę pełni ekoprojektowanie, które może mieć zastosowanie w różnych aspektach zarządzania produktem. Specyfika małych i średnich przedsiębiorstw powoduje jednak, że realizowanie w ich przypadku procesów ekoprojektowych może być problematyczne. W artykule podkreślono wzrastające znaczenie ekoprojektowania w kontekście tej grupy podmiotów oraz przedyskutowano wykorzystanie w tym obszarze środowiskowej klasyfikacji produktów. Głównym celem było zaproponowanie klasyfikacji, która pozwalałaby na zdefiniowanie środowiskowych klas produktów oraz identyfikację przyczyn negatywnego oddziaływania ich cyklu życia. Dla ustalenia jakimi kryteriami należy się kierować klasyfikując dany produkt wykonano analizę skupień na grupie 50 wyselekcjonowanych obiektów badawczych. Uzyskana jednak klasyfikacja produktów nie pozwoliła na kontrybucję poszczególnych etapów cyklu życia w tworzeniu wpływu na środowisko, a jedynie na wyróżnienie zasadniczo dwóch grup produktów typu active oraz passive. W rezultacie uznano, iż analiza skupień z racji, iż nie pozwala na identyfikowanie środowiskowych punktów krytycznych, może być traktowana przez projektantów jedynie jako źródło informacji uzupełniających, a nie jako główne podejście do podziału produktów. Z tego względu dokonano podziału analizowanych produktów według udziałów procentowych wartości wskaźnika Potencjału Globalnego Ocieplenia (GWP100a) oraz Skumulowanego Zapotrzebowania na Energię (CED) w trzech etapach cyklu życia: produkcji, użytkowania oraz końcowego zagospodarowania. Otrzymana klasyfikacja stanowi wytyczne w zakresie doskonalenia produktów w oparciu o proponowane strategie ekoprojektowe i może być pomocna zwłaszcza małym i średnim przedsiębiorstwom

The Circularity of Materials from the Perspective of the Product Life Cycle: A Case Study of Secondary Fence Board, Part 2 (Scenario Analysis)

Recycling strategies demonstrate different life cycle environmental performance. In order to assess this performance, a life cycle assessment may be used. In such studies, the recycling should be linked with multifunctionality and allocation. This requires it to be modelled accordingly, especially in terms of environmental burdens and credits. The paper presents a case study of open-loop recycling. A flow of mixed post-consumer multi-material waste was reprocessed into another product with a new application—a fence board made of recycled material (secondary fence board). Although many allocation-related case studies are provided in the literature, no example of a comparison between different substitution scenarios for open-loop recycling has been found. In order to fill the gap, various hypothetical market-mix-based alternatives related to the virgin production and durability of products have been examined. The goal of the study is to assess the potential environmental impact of 1 m2 of secondary fence board modelled in different substitution scenarios. The paper is the second part of a two-part study. In Part 1, life cycle assessment results were presented for a baseline scenario (1A). Part 2 focuses strongly on allocation considerations. In order to ensure a consistency between the results of Part 1 and Part 2, the entire life cycle of the fence board has been taken into account in both calculations. The case study has shown that the results may be highly sensitive to the choice of substitutes and the choice of quality attributes impacting the reference flows (in our example, the durability of products)

Środowiskowa klasyfikacja produktów w kontekście ekoprojektowania w małych i średnich przedsiębiorstwach

More and more often a life cycle thinking is considered as a valuable element of environmental management. Product-based environmental management systems often refer to ecodesign, which can be used in various aspects of product management. Due to their own specificity, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) often encounter difficulties when conducting ecodesign activities. The paper presents a simplified approach based on the life cycle-based environmental classification of products intended for using in SMEs as a starting point for ecodesign. A main goal of the paper is to propose such classification and discuss its role in improving the environmental performance of products. The presented analysis included 50 products classified according to the chosen criteria. As the first step, a cluster analysis has been performed and a distinction between passive and active products has been made. A main conclusion was that the information received from the cluster analysis may be insufficient to be a sole basis for ecodesign. A second classification has been performed basing on the selected environmental impact indicators (GWP100a and CED) calculated for three life cycle stages: a production, an use and a final disposal. The final products’ classification reflects the differences in environmental hotspots between products and can be used for supporting the SMEs in implementation of life cycle-based eco-design processes.Od pewnego czasu kreowane jest podejście do zarządzania środowiskowego bazujące na cyklu życia wytwarzanych produktów i usług oraz ich wpływie na środowisko. W tak zorientowanym systemie zarządzania ważną rolę pełni ekoprojektowanie, które może mieć zastosowanie w różnych aspektach zarządzania produktem. Specyfika małych i średnich przedsiębiorstw powoduje jednak, że realizowanie w ich przypadku procesów ekoprojektowych może byćproblematyczne. W artykule podkreślono wzrastające znaczenie ekoprojektowania w kontekście tej grupy podmiotów oraz przedyskutowano wykorzystanie w tym obszarze środowiskowej klasyfikacji produktów. Głównym celem było zaproponowanie klasyfikacji, która pozwalałaby na zdefiniowanie środowiskowych klas produktów oraz identyfikację przyczyn negatywnego oddziaływania ich cyklu życia. Dla ustalenia jakimi kryteriami należy się kierować klasyfikującdany produkt wykonano analizę skupień na grupie 50 wyselekcjonowanych obiektów badawczych. Uzyskana jednak klasyfikacja produktów nie pozwoliła na kontrybucję poszczególnych etapów cyklu życia w tworzeniu wpływu na środowisko, a jedynie na wyróżnienie zasadniczo dwóch grup produktów typu active oraz passive. W rezultacie uznano, iż analiza skupień z racji, iż nie pozwala na identyfikowanie środowiskowych punktów krytycznych, może być traktowana przezprojektantów jedynie jako źródło informacji uzupełniających, a nie jako główne podejście do podziału produktów. Z tego względu dokonano podziału analizowanych produktów według udziałów procentowych wartości wskaźnika Potencjału Globalnego Ocieplenia (GWP100a) oraz Skumulowanego Zapotrzebowania na Energię (CED) w trzech etapach cyklu życia: produkcji, użytkowania oraz końcowego zagospodarowania. Otrzymana klasyfikacja stanowi wytyczne wzakresie doskonalenia produktów w oparciu o proponowane strategie ekoprojektowe i może byćpomocna zwłaszcza małym i średnim przedsiębiorstwom