FRUIT GROWING IN ROMANIA IN THE 20TH CENTURY

In Romania, fruit growing has an old and rich tradition. During the 20th century, the Romanian fruit growing witnessed dramatic changes. The acreage grown with fruit trees was 340,100 ha in 1927, 184,200 ha in 1950, 428,400 ha in 1970 and 239,900 ha in 1999. Total fruit yield varied during this period of time between 401,100 tons in 1950 and 2,183,000 tons in 1993. In spite of the fact that in 1993 was produced the highest total fruit yield, the average fruit consumption/capita was only of 35.7 kg which is significantly lower than that considered optimal for adult people in temperate zones (62 kg/capita). The main reason of this situation is the poor varietal structure of fruits in which plum trees represented more than 40% of all the fruit trees grown. Another reason would be the low yields/ha registered in all species and cultivars of fruit trees grown in Romania in the last 30-40 years. With a very serious shrink of acreages grown with fruit trees in 1999, the average consumption/capita is expected to become totally unfavorable. There are not many solutions to this problems and one of them certainly means the significant increase of average yields in all fruit species grown in Romania, at least to the level of those achieved in industrial orchards of Western Europe

Identification of Salt Stress Biomarkers in Romanian Carpathian Populations of Picea abies (L.) Karst

The Norway spruce (Picea abies), the most important tree species in European forests, is relatively sensitive to salt and does not grow in natural saline environments. Yet many trees are actually exposed to salt stress due to the common practice of de-icing of mountain roads in winter, using large amounts of NaCl. To help develop strategies for an appropriate use of reproductive seed material on reforestation sites, ensuring better chances of seedling survival in salt-affected areas, we have studied the responses of young spruce seedlings to salt treatments. The specific aim of the work was to identify the optimal salt stress biomarkers in Picea abies, using as experimental material seedlings obtained by germination of seeds with origin in seven populations from the Romanian Carpathian Mountains. These responses included general, conserved reactions such as the accumulation of ions and different osmolytes in the seedlings needles, reduction in photosynthetic pigments levels, or activation of antioxidant systems. Although changes in the contents of different compounds involved in these reactions can be associated to the degree of stress affecting the plants, we propose that the (decreasing) levels of total phenolics or total carotenoids and the (increasing) levels of Na+ or K+ ions in Picea abies needles, should be considered as the most reliable and useful biomarkers for salt stress in this species. They all show very high correlation with the intensity of salt stress, independently of the genetic background of the seeds parental population, and relatively easy, quantitative assays are available to determine their concentrations, requiring simple equipment and little amount of plant material.Funding: Sorin Schiop is a PhD student at the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca. This paper was published under the frame of European Social Found, Human Resources Development Operational Programme 2007-2013, project no. POSDRU/159/1.5/S/132765. Mohamad Al Hassan is a recipient of an Erasmus Mundus pre-doctoral scholarship financed by the European Commission (Welcome Consortium).Schiop, ST.; Al Hassan, M.; Sestras, AF.; Boscaiu Neagu, MT.; Sestras, RE.; Vicente Meana, Ó. (2015). Identification of Salt Stress Biomarkers in Romanian Carpathian Populations of Picea abies (L.) Karst. PLoS ONE. 10(8). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0135419Se013541910

Identification of stable QTLs for vegetative and reproductive traits in the microvine (Vitis vinifera L.) using the 18 K Infinium chip

UMR AGAP - équipe DAAV - Diversité, adaptation et amélioration de la vigne[b]Background[/b] [br/]The increasing temperature associated with climate change impacts grapevine phenology and development with critical effects on grape yield and composition. Plant breeding has the potential to deliver new cultivars with stable yield and quality under warmer climate conditions, but this requires the identification of stable genetic determinants. This study tested the potentialities of the microvine to boost genetics in grapevine. A mapping population of 129 microvines derived from Picovine x Ugni Blanc flb, was genotyped with the Illumina® 18 K SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism) chip. Forty-three vegetative and reproductive traits were phenotyped outdoors over four cropping cycles, and a subset of 22 traits over two cropping cycles in growth rooms with two contrasted temperatures, in order to map stable QTLs (Quantitative Trait Loci). [br/][b]Results[/b] [br/]Ten stable QTLs for berry development and quality or leaf area were identified on the parental maps. A new major QTL explaining up to 44 % of total variance of berry weight was identified on chromosome 7 in Ugni Blanc flb, and co-localized with QTLs for seed number (up to 76 % total variance), major berry acids at green lag phase (up to 35 %), and other yield components (up to 25 %). In addition, a minor QTL for leaf area was found on chromosome 4 of the same parent. In contrast, only minor QTLs for berry acidity and leaf area could be found as moderately stable in Picovine. None of the transporters recently identified as mutated in low acidity apples or Cucurbits were included in the several hundreds of candidate genes underlying the above berry QTLs, which could be reduced to a few dozen candidate genes when a priori pertinent biological functions and organ specific expression were considered. [br/][b]Conclusions[/b] [br/]This study combining the use of microvine and a high throughput genotyping technology was innovative for grapevine genetics. It allowed the identification of 10 stable QTLs, including the first berry acidity QTLs reported so far in a Vitis vinifera intra-specific cross. Robustness of a set of QTLs was assessed with respect to temperature variatio

REACTION OF SOME PLUM CULTIVARS TO NATURAL INFECTION WITH Taphrina pruni (Fuck.) Tul., Fusicladium Pruni DUCOMET AND Tranzschelia pruni-spinosae PERSOON DIETEL

The response to the attack of Taphrina pruni (Fuck.) Tul., Fusicladium pruni Ducomet and Tranzschelia pruni-spinosae Persoon Dietel , in natural conditions of infection of 13 plum cultivars were evaluated, during three years, in a commercial orchard located at Calacea, Salaj county, Romania, in 2012-2014. The cultivars taken into study were ‘Topfirst’, ‘Nectarina rosie’, ‘Tuleu timpuriu’, ‘Hangata’, ‘Toptaste’, ‘Tuleu gras’, ‘Vinete de Italia’, ‘Stanley’, ‘Vinete romanesti’, ‘Tophit’, ‘Jojo’,‘Anna Spath’, ‘Topend’. The highest degree of attack of Taphrina pruni, on fruits in ‘Vinete romanesti’ ‘Stanley’ and ‘Vinete de Italia’ was recorded and the most resistant cultivars were ‘Topend’, ‘Jojo’, ‘Tophit’, ‘Tuleu timpuriu’and ‘Topfirst’.The most resistant cultivars regarding the attack of Fusicladium pruni Ducomet proved to be ‘Topfirst’, ‘Topend’, ‘Jojo’, ‘Tophit’, ‘Hangata’ followed by ‘Anna Späth’, ‘Toptaste’, ‘Vinete romanesti’ and ‘Stanley’ respectively the highest degree of attack on ‘Tuleu gras’, ‘Nectarina rosie’, ‘Tuleu timpuriu’ and ‘Vinete de Italia’ , was observed. Regarding the plum rust (Tranzschelia pruni-spinosae Persoon Dietel) the cultivars having the lowest degree of attack were ‘Jojo’, ‘Tophit’, ‘Topend’, ‘Anna Späth’, ‘Toptaste’, ‘Tuleu gras’ and ‘Nectarina rosie. The most sensitive cultivars to Plum Rust proved to be ‘Vinete romanesti’ and ‘Tuleu timpuriu’ followed by ‘Nectarina rosie’, ‘Vinete de Italia’ and ‘Stanley’. The low level of infections in some cultivars represents an element that recommends them in breeding programs on resistance to these diseases of plum

Structural and ecological characteristics of mixed broadleaved old-growth forest (Biogradska gora-montenegro)

Biogradska Gora National Park in Montenegro is part of the Dinaric Mountains mixed forest, which belongs to the montane region of the Dinaric Alps. This paper presents some of the main structural and ecological characteristics of the mixed broadleaved old-growth forest with beech [Fagus moesiaca (Domin, Maly) Czecz.], sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) and European ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) from the preserve area of the Biogradska Gora. These forest ecosystems are characterized by the high species richness and potential productivity. In the study area, 58 vascular plant species were recorded in 4 sample plots of 0.25 ha each. The average timber volume found in the sample plots was 814 m3/ha. This value is twice as high as that of similar pure beech forests in the same preserve area. The results are confirmed the biodiversity and production potential of mixed broadleaved forests, which rarely occur spontaneously. A better understanding of the processes of the pristine forest ecosystems could form a realistic basis for close-tonature management of similar stands. The obtained data provides overview of the structural characteristics of these forests, which have developed without anthropogenic influence. Exploring the structure of forests in permanent preservation areas could be an excellent basis for close-to-nature forest management

Weed flora and seed yield in quinoa crop (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) as affected by tillage systems and fertilization practices

The effects of tillage system and fertilization regimes on weed flora in quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) were evaluated by means of two field experiments in 2011 and 2012. The experiments were laid out in a split-plot design with two main plots (conventional and minimum tillage) and four sub-plots (fertilization regimes). The results indicated that weed biomass and density in quinoa were influenced by the different fertilization and tillage treatments. Moreover, seed yield in conventional was 5%–13% higher than that of minimum tillage, probably due to the lower weed density and biomass. Concerning fertilization treatments, total weed density and biomass increased under manure application and inorganic fertilization. Tillage effects on weeds were species specific. The density of perennial weeds such as purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus L.) and the density of small-seeded weeds such as redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus L.) and common purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) were significantly lower under the conventional tillage than under the minimum tillage system. © 2015 Taylor & Francis