Pest Control in Organic Systems

Conventional agriculture techniques applied in the latest decades have had undesired consequences on the environmental sustainability, carried out to the soil erosion, the degradation of the ecological system, changing the balance between beneficial and harmful pests, and contamination of soil, water, and agricultural products by heavy metals and pesticides. Thus, in organic agriculture, using synthetic chemicals for pest control is prohibited, assigning to the diversity a major role. The study provides to the reader many important practical data, judiciously documented, which are useful for the researchers and farmers from the world. Pest control in organic agriculture can be obtained through prevention and curative measure, but modern agriculture must be focused on the prevention

Influence of some Terroir Viticole Factors on Quantity and Quality of Grapes

High wine quality can be only achieved with an appropriate vineyard management. However a lot of other factors will play also a decisive role: climate, soil, topography, micro-climate, human factors genetics, environmental and technological factors a.s.o.. Since years exists a discussion about the influence of the pedo-climatic system on wine quality. It can be summarized as terroir. The purpose of this study is to delimit some micro-areas in the Cotnari region which warrant the production of a certain type of wine, a quality. This is the first study attempting to characterize the terroir concept for Cotnari vineyards. It is applied on the behavior of traditional varieties of wine grapes grown in the region: Grasa de Cotnari, Feteasca alba, Francusa and Tamaioasa romaneasca. In a first run it was found out that the two Natural territorial base unit exert a distinct influence yield, sugar content and must acidity. This system has to be improved with further research in order to judge the vineyards in that region more precisely. The results of this study can be used to determine with precision micro-areas that will produce quality wines

Effect of Intercropping System on the Quality and Quantity of Runner Bean (Phaseolus coccineus L.)

Field experiments were conducted two consecutive years, in order to investigate runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus L.) cultivated in pure crop system and in intercropping system. To achieve the desired aim, we set the following objectives: study of runner bean plant phenology, study of assimilating pigments content in the runner bean leaves, agro productivity study of runner bean crop, yield of runner bean crop, study of chemical composition of runner bean dry seeds. The studied experimental factor was the trellis system with six variants: (V1) - trellis, with double rows, on individual string, (V2) - trellis, with a single row, on individual string, (V3) - trellis, in a single row, on synthetic net (17 cm mesh), (V4) - intercropping with common maize plants, (V5) - intercropping with sunflower plants, (V6) - intercropping with Jerusalem artichoke plants. Runner bean yield ranged from 3,610 kg ha-1 (V2) to 1,684 kg ha-1 (V6) (first year) and from 3,170 kg ha-1 (V2) to 1,189 kg ha-1 (V6) (second year). Runner bean dry seeds contain: crude protein 22.65% (V6) - 25.47% (V3), crude fat 1.91% (V6) - 2.16% (V4), crude fibre 5.41% (V4) - 5.81% (V5) and nitrogen free extractive substances 62.11% (V3) - 64.92% (V4). The best variant of trellis for runner bean crop was the single row trellis system on individual string and the best intercropping system was intercropping with sunflower

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

Biometric Indicators and Yield of Tomato under Conventional and Unconventional Biostimulators

The research consisted of an experiment applying unconventional stimulators to tomato crop, as a measure against chemical stimulators, known as having negative effects on human health. In our research there have been used four unconventional stimulators (Ecostim, AuCl4-50μg, AuCl4-30μg and Chitosan) and a conventional stimulator BNOA, all compared with the untreated control.Application of stimulators in unconventional farming determined lower productions compared to conventional farming, but is an alternative because determined healthy products. In three of the four unconventional variants, the content of macro- and microelements in plants was higher

Preliminary Studies Regarding the Selection of Species and Types of Pot and Container for Vegetable Growing

The purpose of the research reported in this paper was to evaluate the possibility of growing vegetable plants in pots and containers by optimizing the choice of species and cultivars and the type of pot or container based on the information available in the literature and on the basis of our own experience. Taking into account the purpose and objectives of this paper, the study is structured to respond to each  bjective considered. Information on crops in pot and containers shows that if the climatic conditions necessary for growth and development areoptimal, basically any vegetable species can be grown in this system (Purnell, 2007). Concerning the pots in which vegetable plants can be grown, they are diverse and may be chosen specifically for this type of culture or can be assigned to provide the space necessary for plant growth for different species