Antioxidant activity of selected apple cultivars studied by electron paramagnetic resonance

The total antioxidant activity of three apple cultivars conventionally farmed (Jonagold, Golden Delicious and Idared) and two cultivars organically farmed (Jonagold and Golden Delicious) were investigated by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The spin label used for experiments was TEMPO radical (2, 2, 6, 6tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl) with a well-defined EPR spectrum consisting of three equidistant peaks. The results obtained indicated difference in the total antioxidant activity of apples grown in two different ways, conventional and organic, as well as between different cultivars grown in the same way. The Golden Delicious cultivar is richer in antioxidants than the Jonagold and Idared, regardless of the method of farming. The difference between them is higher in conventionally grown apples than in organically farmed apples. Experimental data was fitted with non-linear curve fit for exponential decay of the first order based on the Levenberg-Marquardt method. The high values of the R2 parameters for all data indicated correctness in the proposition of exponential decay of the first order as a model describing the dynamic properties of spin labels which diminish in the presence of fresh apple juice

Effects of Cholesterol Concentrations on Egg-phosphatidylcholine – Dihexadecyl-phosphate Liposomes Studied by CW ESR and FT – ESEEM Spectroscopy

The influence of cholesterol on water penetration depth as well as on the motional properties of spin-labelled stearic acids (n-SASL, n = 5, 7, 10, 12, 16) in liposomes composed of egg-yolk phosphatidylcholine (egg-PC) and dihexadecyl-phosphate (DHP) was studied by electron spin echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) and continuous wave electron spin resonance (CW ESR) spectroscopy. An increased amount of D2O molecules in the neighbourhood of the nitroxide moiety bound at 5- and 7-SASL, concomitant with an absence of D2O at 10-SASL and 16-SASL was determined in the presence of cholesterol in x = 8, 15, 29, 38, and 45 % (mole fraction). At 16-SASL, presence of cholesterol at any of the concentrations examined caused increased amplitude of the librational motion of the nitroxide moiety as compared to that amplitude in the absence of cholesterol. These results indicate that the inclusion of cholesterol increases water penetration in the polar region of the bilayer and influences structural change in the hydrophobic core of membrane

Effect of Adamantyl Compounds on Dynamics of Spin Labelled Multilamellar Liposomes

Interactions of two adamantyl molecules: 3-(adamantan-1-yl)propan-1-aminium chloride (compound A) and 1-hydroxyadamantan (compound B) with multilayer liposomes composed of L-α-phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol and dicetylphosphate, spin labelled with n-doxylstearic acids (n = 5, 7, 10, 12, 16) were investigated. In the presence of aminium salt (A) or alcohol (B) the increased dy-namics of 5-doxylstearic acids and 16-doxylstearic acids in the multilamellar liposomes were determined in the temperature range from 250 K to 295 K. The increased dynamics of 5-doxylstearic acids suggest-ed that both adamantyl compounds influenced molecular motions in the interfacial region of the lipo-some. The increased motional properties of 16-doxylstearic acids, located in the core of the multilamel-lar liposomes, suggested that both adamantyl compounds induced the structural changes in the hydro-phobic core as well

Consequences for the Industry of Radioactive Contamination Accompanied by the Dynamics of Cs-137 and K-40 Movement in the Environment

Radioactive pollution entered the ecosystems during the nuclear test in the 1950s and 1960s and in Croatia largely after Chernobyl accident in 1986. Cs-137 and K-40 can be stored in different parts of the trees but also in the upper surface layer of soil under the trees. This study was aimed at determining the intensity and dynamics of Cs-137 and K-40 radionuclides in chestnut tree tissues (Castanea sativa Mill.) in the vicinity of Petrinja (Croatia). The samples were taken in 2003, 2004 and 2016 and the samples activities were measured by gamma spectrometric method. During the winter, the highest activities were recorded in the top shoots, leaves, fruits and hedgehogs, while in the vegetation season, the highest activities were in the top shoots and dead bark. Also, a decrease in Cs-137 concentrations was observed in the rings with increasing age of the rings. Significant increased values of activity were measured in samples of the youngest and physiologically most active parts of trees, compared to the least physiologically active where concentrations were lower. Cs-137 was biogeochemically retained almost entirely in the surface layer. The obtained results suggest that the chestnut tree does not distinguish Cs-137 and K-40, as two homologous elements

Influence of Aggregated Tillage Implements on Fuel Consumption and Wheel Slippage

Enormous fossil fuel consumption and rising of CO2 exhaust gasses emission has serious influence on greenhouse effect and global climate warming. Nowadays rising fossil fuel prices are leading to an increasing of agricultural products value and awareness of energy efficiency importance. Soil tillage is the largest fuel energy consumer, so there is a need to conduct studies to innovate techniques which can lower fuel consumption. This study evaluates the effects of four different tillage treatments (CT - conventional, DH - disc harrowing, CH - chiselling, SS - subsoiling) on fuel consumption and wheel slippage. For this research a four-wheel drive tractor was aggregated with reversible plough, discs harrow and with subsoiler as tillage implements. The results indicated that fuel consumption was highest on CT and the lowest on DH treatment. CH treatment had the lowest wheel slippage percentage and average fuel consumption 19,7% higher than DH treatment in all three years of the study. Mean wheel slippage at CT, DH, CH, SS treatments was as follows: 17,54%; 21,47%; 8,64%; 23,56% respectfully. Wheel slippage at CT, CH and SS treatments was related to fuel consumption (as follows: 30,84 lha‒1, 12,92 lha‒1, 23,1 lha‒1) and all systems were affected by tillage depth

Utjecaj izgradnje hidroelektrana na rijeku Dravu

Rijeke su integralni dio tla, nastale u turbulentnim vremenima oblikovanja Zemlje, i mijenjale su se tijekom njezine povijesti. Raznolikost rijeka ne odražavaju samo različiti tipovi tla kroz koje one protječu nego ta raznolikost ovisi i o promjeni godišnjih doba i razlika između vlažnih i suhih godina. Drava je srednjoeuropska rijeka i jedna od najvažnijih pritoka Dunava. U prirodnim uvjetima pronos sedimenta u Dravi je uravnotežen, što znači da se na određenom području odnesena količina sedimenta nadomjesti istom količinom s uzvodnih dijelova sliva. Na svom toku kroz Hrvatsku Drava je tri puta pregrađena na dijelu toka uzvodno od ušća Mure, dok je prije ulaska u Hrvatsku čak dvadeset puta pregrađena. Izgradnjom hidroakumulacijskih jezera u sklopu hidroeneregetskih objekata mijenja se prirodni režim protoka, javljaju se značajne hidrološke i morfološke promjene na mjestu pregrada, kao i na dijelu toka uzvodno i nizvodno od pregrada. Izgradnja brana na rijekama smanjuje broj vrsta biljnoga i životinjskoga svijeta mijenjajući lokalne stanišne uvjete. Izgradnjom hidroelektrana dolazi i do kanaliziranja pojedinih dijelova vodotoka, gdje se mijenjaju erozijsko-sedimentacijski procesi u samom koritu. Rijeka koja je u prirodnom stanju sa svim svojim elementima najbolja je obrana od sezonskih poplava. Izgradnjom hidroenergetskih objekata mijenja se hidrološki režim, odnosno uvelike osciliraju vrijednosti protoka na pojedinim dijelovima rijeke Drave, što ima utjecaja na poplavne nizine nizvodno te na biljne vrste karakteristične za tu vrstu staništa. Glavnina biljnih vrsta koje su prilagođene poplavnim stanišnim uvjetima izgradnjom akumulacije izgubile bi većinu tla koje je pogodno za naseljavanje

EXPLORING OF WEED FLORA AN APPLE ORCHAED IN THE BROD-POSAVINA COUNTY

Istraživanje samonikle korovne flore voćnjaka na području Brodskoposavske županije provedeno je na dvije lokacije, tokom dvije vegetacijske godine (2011. i 2012.) u dva termina (početkom travnja i krajem svibnja). Florističkom analizom korovne flore utvrđeno je 85 vrsta iz 65 rodova i 26 porodica. Najbrojnije porodice po broju vrsta bile su: Asteraceae, Fabaceaea i Poaceae. Taksonomska analiza korovne flore utvrdila je jaku dominaciju širokolisnih korova (90,59%), dok je analiza trajanja života determiniranih korovnih vrsta utvrdila dominaciju višegodišnjih vrsta (54,12%). Korovna flora istraživanog područja voćnjaka ima hemikriptofitni karakter, a najviše korovnih vrsta voćnjaka je euroazijskog porijekla.Exploring wild weed flora of orchards in the Brod-Posavina County was conducted at two locations during two growing seasons (2011. and 2012.) in two terms (in early April and late May). Floristic analysis of weed flora found 85 species from 65 genera and 26 families. The largest numbers of species per family were from Asteraceae, Poaceae and Fabaceaea. Taxonomic analysis of weed flora has established a strong dominance of broadleaf weeds (90.59%), while the lifetime analysis of the determined weeds established perennial species dominance (54.12%). Weed flora of the orchard area studied has hemikryptophytes character and most weeds in orchards have Eurasian origins

Morphological, Pomological, and Nutritional Value of Wild and Cultivated Rosehip (Rosa canina L.) Genotypes in Slavonia, Croatia

In this study, the morphological, pomological, and nutritional values of wild and cultivated rosehip fruits grown in the Slavonia region of eastern Croatia were studied. The results revealed significant differences in several morphological and pomological characteristics among the rosehip genotypes in terms of fruit weight, flesh weight, seed weight, and fruit flesh ratio, with no significant differences in fruit width, fruit length, fruit shape index, seed number per fruit, or seed length. The evaluated rosehip fruit genotypes differed significantly from each other in terms of hectoliter weight (kg), fruit bulk (cm3), and bulk density (kg/m3). For water–soluble extracts, ash, and pH, no statistical difference was found between naturally grown genotypes, but there was a significant difference between naturally grown and cultivated genotypes. Twenty-three major and trace elements were analyzed. The most abundant elements were K, Ca, Mg, and P in both cultivated and naturally grown fruits. The highest concentrations of microelements were Fe, Al, Mn, and Sr. The conventionally cultivated genotype L1 had the highest concentration of Fe and Na as essential elements for humans but also had the highest concentrations of Al, Sr, Ti, V, Cr, Pb, Co, Li, and As of all the genotypes studied. The naturally grown genotype L4 had the highest concentrations of S, Zn, Rb, and Cd and the lowest concentrations of Mg, K, and Ca among all studied genotypes. The data showed that the analyzed genotypes from eastern Croatia had good nutritional quality and variability, making them suitable as genetic resources and possibly leading to the detection of rosehip genotypes as potential sources of beneficial ingredients for human health