The Rhinoceros and The Regime: Posthuman Bodies on Stage and Screen

Ever since its first representation on stage, Ionesco's play Rhinoceros became a mirror to the anxieties haunting the societies that it was held up to. Back in the 1960s, it would symbolize (Neo-)Fascism and Far-Right dangers in the Western countries, while subversively pointing at Communism and Far-Left ideologies in the Central-East European cultures. The text's versatility was highly praised by the literary and theatrical criticism, and allowed for its re-enactment in shows and films produced over the globe, in the most diverse social-political contexts. This study aims to revisit some of the first play stagings from the current perspective of post-theatre, pointing out how the early post-War productions are contributing to rewriting of the performative code in the language of posthumanism and post-drama

Tomato responses to salinity stress: From morphological traits to genetic changes

Tomato is an essential annual crop providing human food worldwide. It is estimated that by the year 2050 more than 50% of the arable land will become saline and, in this respect, in recent years, researchers have focused their attention on studying how tomato plants behave under various saline conditions. Plenty of research papers are available regarding the effects of salinity on tomato plant growth and development, that provide information on the behavior of different cultivars under various salt concentrations, or experimental protocols analyzing various parameters. This review gives a synthetic insight of the recent scientific advances relevant into the effects of salinity on the morphological, physiological, biochemical, yield, fruit quality parameters, and on gene expression of tomato plants. Notably, the works that assessed the salinity effects on tomatoes were firstly identified in Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science databases, followed by their sifter according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline and with an emphasis on their results. The assessment of the selected studies pointed out that salinity is one of the factors significantly affecting tomato growth in all stages of plant development. Therefore, more research to find solutions to increase the tolerance of tomato plants to salinity stress is needed. Furthermore, the findings reported in this review are helpful to select, and apply appropriate cropping practices to sustain tomato market demand in a scenario of increasing salinity in arable lands due to soil water deficit, use of low-quality water in farming and intensive agronomic practices

Agritourism, one of the main factors in sustainable rural development in NE region

The paper describes the steps in projection of agri-tourism activity and presents several issues and opportunities that show the importance of agri-tourism activity as source of improvement the income of agricultural households. The aim of the paper is to present a general overview of the tourism in NE Region area regarding the tourist development, to show how the physical and economic-geographical factors were blended, to emphasize the geographical landscape evolution as a result of the interaction of the genetic factors, to highlight the positive and negative action of the human and tourism on the natural frame and to propose measures for systematization of the territory from the NE Region. The paper has a strongly pronounced conceptual, methodological character, contains arguments in favour of development of tourism; it has practical information for experts, for travelling companies and for development of positive image of Romania in the world; it contains a number of conclusions and recommendations for the development of tourism in NE region of Romania as a component part of European tourism. The main aim is to have tourism marketing alternatives in tourism activity regarding the objectives, targets and marketing mix programs. In this paper we started from the premise that national and international tourism is a real chance of recovery sustainable economic growth, development of market economy in Romania and the achievement of EU integration program. We gave priority to special study of tourism development in this region of the country, transcending traditional boundaries, considering that our integration trends have increased chances when ordered border barriers are overcome. From the perspective of rural tourism and agri-tourism, NE region is of particular interest as it combines cultural and landscape qualities to be valued and protected. Thez are considered strategic points aimed at creating more attractions scattered in the region to attract tourists sensitive to culture and to promote the area properly. The strategy of tourism development, developed by us in the paper, aimed at maintaining a number of tourists allowed social and environmental limits, the creation of attractive tours covering entire area, an adequate promotion of the area. This paper attempts to highlight the region's agri- potential components of NE, in the current national and international context, when we became more and more aware that tourism should be turning the rural heritage of the Romanian village - mountain and sub-mountainous, unaltered and located in an unpolluted environment. Steps taken by our analysis shows that the level of detail can be in the multitude of economic and agricultural activities to ensure optimum exploitation of the potential

Evaluation of the nutrients uptake by tomato plants in different phenological stages using an electrical conductivity technique

Nutrient consumption by plants depends on the growth stage and environmental conditions. In general, plants take up species of elements at different speeds. We monitored and recorded the electrical charge flow through xylem sap of tomato plants (Brillante F1) using femto/picoammeter equipment (Keysight B2981A). This technique evaluates the nutrient uptake of tomato treated with the most common macronutrients (KNO3; KH2PO4; Ca(NO3)2; KCl) by monitoring the electrical conductivity for 24 h. The electrical conductivity of each treatment correlated with the plant growth and development stages. The results showed that the tomato plants had a high consumption of nutrients in the vegetative stage, while in other stages, they had a specific consumption, like phosphorus for bulb formation, potassium for increasing the number of flowers and water for the ripening of fruits. The quantitative evaluation of the ions absorbed by the plant was based on the magnitude and shape of the electrical conductivity curves. Our technique is an efficient method to determine nutrient consumption and is useful in predicting the deficiency of a certain element in tomato plants

Enhancing the nutritional value of sweet pepper through sustainable fertilization management

IntroductionThe need for healthy foods has become a major concern in our modern world, as the global population continues to grow and environmental challenges intensify. In response to these challenges, researchers have started to explore a range of sustainable solutions, including organic farming practices, precision agriculture, and the development and testing of innovative biofertilizers. Consistent with these ideas come the aim of this study, which sets out to give new insights into the cultivation of two sweet pepper cultivars with economic and nutritional importance in Romania.MethodsTwo sweet pepper cultivars (Blancina and Brillant), chemically (Nutrifine®), organically (Orgevit®) and biologically (Micoseed®) fertilized were cultivated over the course of two years (2019 and 2020), between April and October, in high-tunnel, by following a split-plot design with three replications. Production parameters (number of fruits, fruit weight, yield), proximate composition (water content, dry matter, total soluble solids, acidity, ash), the content of phytonutrients (polyphenols, lycopene, β-carotene, antioxidant activity), phytochemical composition (phenolic compounds) and minerals (macro- and micro-elements) were analyzed in order to determine the impact of fertilization on the quality of sweet peppers.ResultsThe results showed that the biological and organic fertilizations had a significant positive impact on most of the parameters analyzed, starting with yield and continuing with acidity, phytonutrient content (total phenolic content, lycopene, β-carotene), antioxidant activity and phytochemical composition (chlorogenic acid, p-coumaric acid, quercetin and isoquercetin). Only in the case of mineral content, the chemical treatment gave better results compared with the organic and biological fertilizers.ConclusionOverall, this study provides valuable information on the potential of organic and biological fertilizers to enhance the nutritional value of sweet peppers from Blancina F1 and Brillant F1 cultivars, paving the way for subsequent research aimed at achieving superior quality and increased yields

Rezultate privind producţia şi parametri fiziologici ai cultivarului de tomate Siriana F1 sub influenţa stimulatorilor convenţionali şi neconvenţionali

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is a leading vegetable crop, in terms of global cultivation (open field and protected area) and consumption. The chemical nutrients of plants serve as critical factors that determine the plant growth and vigour, also the crop yield. In addition, these nutrients play aparticular role in contributing to the survival of crop plants under environmental stress conditions. Under climatic or nutritional stress, the productivity is affected in a percentage that range between 45-70%. In this study, the influence of unconventional and conventional stimulants was evaluated for Siriana F1 in term of physiological parameters and yield. In order to achieve this, at UASVM Iasi was carried out an experiment on a tomato crop from the Siriana F1 hybrid, where six treatments were tested compared to a control version.The highest values of the analyzed physiological parameters were recorded under treatment of Au -citrate C; for the total pigments this variant had the lowest value, respectively 14.9 CCI

Plant growth promotion effect of plasma activated water on Lactuca sativa L. cultivated in two different volumes of substrate

Plasma activated water (PAW) can represent an alternative to chemical fertilizers in agriculture. The effects of PAW treatment applied in two concentrations (1.5 or 3.0 mg L−1 NO3−) on some morphological, physiological, biochemical parameters and yield of Lactuca sativa L. grown in two different pot volumes (400 or 3200 cm3) were investigated in this study. The results showed that both PAW concentrations did not influence the germination, once the process was initiated. Positive effects of the treatments were registered on the length of radicle and hypocotyls of lettuce at a concentration of 1.5 mg L−1 NO3− (PAW I), the chlorophyll content was significantly increased at a concentration of 3.0 mg L−1 NO3− (PAW II) and bigger pot volume, also the foliar weight and area. No significant differences between the treated and untreated plants were recorded for the root weight, leaf length and width. The dry weight was significantly higher for the lettuce treated with PAW I and II grown in big volume pots at 57 days after transplanting (DAT) and small volume pots at 64 DAT. The nitrites content of the lettuce grown in big pots was lower than of the lettuce grown in small pots, regardless of the PAW treatment. Contrary, the nitrates content was higher in the lettuce grown in big pots (up to 36.4 mg KNO3/g DW), compared to small pots (under 0.3 mg KNO3/g DW)

The effect of myco‐biocontrol based formulates on yield, physiology and secondary products of organically grown basil

The development of organic farming as a result of increasing consumer preference for organic food has led to the development and registration of new pest‐control products for certified organic production. In this study, the effects of three biocontrol products containing spores and mycelium of Arthrobotrys oligospora—Artis®, Beauveria bassiana—Bora®, and Coniothyrium minitans— Öko‐ni® were tested on four basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) cultivars: ‘Aromat de Buzau’, ‘Serafim’, ‘Macedon’ and ‘Cuisoare’. The application of Öko‐ni® increased basil yields by 8% relative to Control. The application of Bora® increased chlorophyll content of basil leaves by 2% and the activity of photosynthesis by 66% relative to the Control. Basil essential oil (EO) content was increased by 18% with the application of Artis® and by 34% with the application of Bora® and Öko‐ni®, respectively. The content of phenolic compounds analyzed by HPLC varied; caffeic acid concentration was higher in the plants treated with Öko‐ni®, hyperoside, isoquercitrin and rutin concentrations were higher in those treated with Artis®, while the quercitrin content was higher in Bora®‐treated plants. The two main EO constituents that were identified were linalool and methyl chavicol in ‘Aromat de Buzau’, linalool and eugenol in ‘Serafim’, neral and geranial in ‘Macedon’, also linalool and eugenol in ‘Cuisoare’. The investigated myco‐biocontrol products had positive effects on basil fresh biomass and EO content and also influenced the content of phenolic compounds

Interaction Effects of Cultivars and Nutrition on Quality and Yield of Tomato

Tomato is considered the most important vegetable crop worldwide. Improving the nutritional value of fruits must be based on sustainable production in terms of varieties and fertilization management. This study aimed to improve the nutritional value (total soluble solids, acidity, lycopene, β-carotene, polyphenols, macro and microelements) of two tomato varieties (‘Cristal’ and ‘Siriana’) under three fertilization types (NPK chemical fertilizer, chicken manure and biological fertilizer with microorganisms) for the greenhouse. Primary metabolism compounds do not vary significantly according to the type of fertilizer used. The results for the antioxidant compounds showed a better effect of biological fertilization compared to chemical fertilizer and control unfertilized. Thus, the antioxidant activity was improved by 28% compared to chemical fertilization, the lycopene content by 36% and β-carotene by 96%, respectively. The tomato fruits from the local cultivar (‘Siriana’) are richer in nutritional compounds such as rutin, regardless of the type of fertilization, which denotes a good ability to adapt to crop conditions. Tomato cultivars reacted positively to microbiological fertilization compared to chemical, thus producing nutritious fruits under sustainable management. Tomato fruits were richer in the quality of microelement contents