2021 * XXXII * 1

Highlights: 

• A tomato genetic map was constructed using SSR markers.
• Cluster analysis grouped cultivars into 6 main clusters, the accessions Mo. H. P, C. C. Orange, and Marb, showed a high genetic diversity level which could be used as a source for breeding to improve tomato traits.
• A total of 65 bands were generated with 15 SSR primers, of which 64 bands were polymorphic, the mean polymorphic information content was 0.356.
• There was a high degree of polymorphism between tomato cultivars.
• The mean marker index and heterozygosity were 0.045 and 0.454, respectively.
• The data can be used to select appropriate parents in tomato hybridization breeding.

Highlights: 

• Physical changes in sunflower seeds are dehydrated by electromagnetic induction and low pressure.
• The analogue modelling of extraction processes in an electromagnetic field of ultrahigh frequencies was offered.
• The optimization of the process of extraction of vegetable oil in a microwave field was given.

Highlights: 

• Using the growth regulator Moddus 250 EC, it is possible to shorten the length of the straw and thus improve the harvest index.
• Growth regulator slows down plant growth and shifts the optimal harvesting time a few days later.
• There was a slight decrease in seed germination energy.
• A single spray with growth regulator at the beginning of stem elongation is more effective.
• Additional nitrogen may be applied to a seed field in good condition using a growth regulator.

Highlights: 

• In recent decades, the trend towards global warming has continued, which is already felt significantly at the regional and local levels.
• Adverse climatic conditions for farm animals lead to deterioration of their health, impaired thermoregulatory traits, growth and development, reduction of productivity and product quality, reproductive traits, metabolic status of animals and their resistibility.
• The effect of temperature stress on the body of dairy cows can be minimized due to genotypic and phenotypic factors, or a combination thereof.
• The aim of this article is to summarize existing knowledge about the effects of temperature stress on the health, productivity and comfort rates of cows and to discuss management strategies that would mitigate the effects of these factors.

Highlights: 

• Exposing the plant to water stress reduces the effectiveness of the iron foliar application.
• The yield of onion iron content declines under water deficiency.
• Supplying 50% of water requirement causes a yield reduction even the iron foliar spraying has used.
• The water deficiency causes a clear reduction in the bulb weight.
• The interaction between water and iron levels increases the water use efficiency.

Highlights: 

• The working capacity of the machine has been established at different operating duties.
• The greatest effect on the performance of the potato harvester have been established: machine translation speed, rotor rotation frequency, rotor diameter, distance between the spherical discs and the rotor diameter.
• The rational design and process parameters of the potato harvester have been established.
• The regression equations have been generated for the following three optimisation parameters: soil separation ratio, tuber damage rate, total power consumption by the unit operation.

Highlights: 

• Overconditioning causes minor differences in blood glucose and nonesterified fatty acids concentrations compared to thin and optimally conditioned cows during few weeks prepartum.
• Over-conditioned cows’ adaptation to the demands of lactation are the worst; they had the most unbalanced metabolism and used more stored lipids compared to thin and optimal cows.
• Over-conditioned cows had higher milk fat percentage and higher ECM production during the first six lactation weeks.
• Nonesterified fatty acids concentration in the first week of lactation, related to insulin resistance in the dry period and DMI in the first days of lactation, describes most of the variation in BCS loss during the first six weeks postpartum.
• Metabolic processes during the dry period and in the first days of lactation are important determinants for the metabolic health of dairy cows in the first weeks of lactation.

Highlights: 

• One of the priority development directions for the agro-industrial complex of Ukraine is a provision of husbandry with high–protein fodders at unstable moisture supply and high-temperature regime. Therefore, the creation of long-term agro-phytocenoses requires innovative approaches, especially in the selection of alfalfa varieties, which, with the maximum realization of genetic potential are able to form stable yields under extreme hydrothermal conditions.
• Based on literature analysis was not established a unanimous opinion concerning the width of alfalfa row spacing when growing for green fodder. Under conditions of climate change, this issue has become the subject and object of in-depth study of the life cycle of alfalfa new varieties in the Forest–Steppe of Ukraine.
• The aim of the research is to study alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) yielding capacity depending on variety, seeding rates and row spacing.
• During three years of life at different geographical origins, alfalfa in the phase of budding provided a stable dry matter output of 27.45–27.81 and crude protein output of 5.86–5.87 t ha^–1 for sowing with row spacing of 12.5 cm. and sowing rate of 6.0 million pcs ha^–1.

Highlights: 

• The ryhky soils’ catena (elected to the Year 2021 Soils of Estonia) from dry to moist soil species is treated.
• Ryhky soils are a coarse fragment (ryhk, pebble, shingle) rich soils with mild humus soils.
• The ryhky soils are distributed mainly in North- and North-Western Estonia and island Saaremaa forming a totally of 6.3% of the whole Estonian soil cover.
• The morphology, properties, productivity and using suitability of ryhky soils are analysed on the level of soil species in connection with land use (arable, forest or grassland).
• The main texture of ryhky soils’ fine earth is loam, which is followed by loamy sand, sand and clay as 80 > 15 > 4 > 1 percentage.
• In dependence on humus and coarse soil contents, the productivity of ryhky soils varies in large limits.

Highlights: 

• Different irrigation methods and planting densities significantly affect bottle gourd crop production.
• Dry matter, fresh marketable yield, WP, and IWUE were doubled under the combination of drip irrigation and lower planting density.
• Seasonal crop water requirements were also considera¬bly reduced.
• Drip irrigation can effectively address water shortage and sustain bottle gourd production in the arid Mediterranean area.
• Bottle gourd can be considered as an alternative crop for food security and economic prosperity of rural communities.

Highlights: 

• The guttation test method to establish the relationship between guttation of barley (variety 'Anni') and potato yield (variety 'Ando') were used.
• The field and laboratory tests under household conditions were carried out.
• The test sites on a light sandy loam of Molli-Calcaric Cambisol (WRB) were located.
• The guttation of highest possible fertility (humus-rich soil) and the lowest possible fertility (clean sand) with the soil sample No 1 and soil sample No 2 were compared.
• Assessing the yield of potato by using the guttation test method which is novelty method for forecasting.

Highlights: 

• The analytical dependences are obtained, which allow a determination to be made of the basic design and technological parameters of the distributor which is part of the digging and separating equipment of a potato harvesting machine.
• Modelling the processes of soil and potato heap movement with regard to the real design and kinematic parameters made it possible to determine the allowable speed of heap movement [V] = 1.62 m s^–1, which ensures the prevention of heap clogging in front of the distributor.
• As a result of the application and analysis of the graphical dependencies for the mathematical model which have been obtained, it was determined that the rational values for the wing fitting angle of the distributor fall within the range of α = 40°.

Highlights: 

• The efficacy of PRE-em herbicides was correlated with the weather and soil conditions.
• The limited precipitation after PRE-em application during the 1^st WBA, 1^st and 2^nd WAA may have contributed to the poor performance of PRE-em herbicides in the Titov Veles region in 2019 compared with 2018.
• Heavy precipitation directly following PRE-em application caused sunflower injury in the Bitola region in 2018, which ranged from 9 to 28% across PRE-em.
• The injures from oxyfluorfen and dimethenamid were more serious (24 and 28%, respectively).

Highlights: 

• The work was dedicated to the studies conducted in 2013–2018 on the southern chernozem in the Southern Steppe of Ukraine, studied the efficiency of processing spring barley crops modern growth-regulating drugs in the main periods of vegetation of the crop on the background of mineral fertilizers application.
• It was determined that the introduction of pre-sowing cultivation of spring barley fertilizer in a dose of N₃₀P₃₀ (background) and the use of foliar fertilizing of crops at the beginning of the phases of the spring barley stooling and earing complex organic fertilizer Escort-bio created favourable conditions for the formation of grain yield and grain quality of the studied varieties.
• The optimization of nutrition affected the grain quality indicators of the studied varieties of spring barley significantly as the maximum values of grain nature (606.2 up to 611.2 g l^–1, depending on the variety) were reached by applying N30P30 before sowing and double applying of Escort-bio to the crops. The protein content in the grain and digested protein in this nutrition option was also determined to be the maximum as 12.5 up to 13.1% and 61.0 up to 63.8 g kg^–1, respectively, depending on the variety.
• The high efficiency of modern growth-regulating substances application was also determined in another experiment with spring barley, in which 'Stalker' and 'Vakula' varieties were grown after peas. On average, the maximum level of grain yield of 'Stalker' varieties, over the years of research, was provided by fertilizing plants with Organic D2–M as 3.59 t ha^–1, and the level of grain yield of 'Vakula' was provided by fertilizing plants with Escort-bio as 3.54 t ha^–1.
• The amount of protein in both varieties increased under the influence of nutrition optimization and, on average, it increased from 10.8% in the control up to 11.3–11.6% in the variants with fertilizing in ‘Stalker’ variety and from 10.7 up to 11.3–11.6% in 'Vakula' variety during three years.

Highlights: 

• Acorus calamus root exudates recorded a maximum yield of 520.6 µg plant^–1 for crude root exudates.
• Glutamic acid, malic acid and fructose were the major components in the cationic, anionic and neutral fractions, respectively.
• Combination of cationic, anionic and neutral fractions recorded the highest chemotactic response.
• Highest colonization (7.65 × 10^–6 cells g^–1) in A. calamus was recorded with A. venilandii (ACAzt-2) at log phase.
• Plant inoculstion experiments in A. calamus showed that consortium treatment recorded maximum plant growth.
• A. calamus root exudates induced chemotactic response and promoted plant growth.

Highlights: 

• Different methods of sterilization have influenced the vegetative growth, morphology, cropping duration, mushroom yield and biological yield of oyster mushroom.
• As compared to chemical and hot-water sterilization methods, the steam sterilization method produced a shorter cropping duration (89.30 days), higher yield (1401.9 g per 4 kg bag) and higher biological efficiency (101.38%).
• Stem sterilization was found the best method of sterilization for the cultivation of oyster mushroom.

Highlights: 

• The antifungal components from plant extracts, fungicides and antagonists were investigated against Fusarium verticilliodes (Sacc.) causing ear rot of maize.
• The Acorus calamus L. at a lower dose (1% W/V on PDA) was able to check completely the growth of Fusarium verticilliodes (Sacc.).
• The mycelial growth inhibition per cent of Acorus calamus L., Xanthoxylum armatum DC., Azadirachta indica A. Juss., Lantana camera L. and Artemisia indica Willd at 3% W/V was 95.50, 51.13, 45.50, 42.12 and 35.36% respectively.
• In the case of fungicides, at 1500 ppm, the maximum antifungal potential was observed with SAAF (Carbendazim 12% + Mancozeb 63% WP) (86.32%) followed by Dithane M-45 (Mancozeb 75% WP) (80.27%), Bavistin (Carbendazim 50% WP) (64.80%) and ACME-COP (Copper oxychloride 50% WP) (59.42%).
• Antagonist Trichoderma viride completely overgrows F. verticillioides and covers the entire medium surface and exhibit more than 60% inhibition on the seventh day of incubation. 

Highlights: 

• The leaf area of faba bean crops increased by the drip irrigation by 21.2–24.9%; concentration of total chlorophyll by 16.9-40.5%.
• Under drip irrigation, the commodity yield increased by 3.5–4.2 t ha^–1, or 31.3–39.2%.
• Growing faba bean on irrigation helped to reduce the protein content by 1.4-2.1% and antinutrient composition, but to reduce the dry matter content by 1.3–2.0%, which was significant in both indicators.
• In general, drip irrigation contributed to the improved development of bean-rhizobial symbiosis of faba bean plants. The mass of the nodules increased by 0.3 g plant^–1 regardless of the cultivar, and their number is by 1.5–9.0 pcs plant^–1.

Highlights: 

• Optimal shoot growth performances of Solanum tuberosum 'Muhzoto' derived from in vitro works has important roles in producing high quality of its in vivo planting materials.
• In vitro shoot growth of the 'Muhzoto' explants was successfully improved significantly by incubating explants under high light intensity and slightly enhanced by culture media.
• Adding coconut water (CW) in the selected medium did not result in better shoot growth, but its CW application caused high contamination of explants
• Shoot tips, 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th nodes regenerated different shoot growth responses with branched shoots as an important problem for 'Muhzoto' explants.
• Choosing, selecting and applying the right time of subculture significantly overcome the branched-shoot effects.