2019, Vol. 17, No. 6
Selle kollektsiooni püsiv URIhttp://hdl.handle.net/10492/5519
Sirvi
Sirvi 2019, Vol. 17, No. 6 Pealkiri järgi
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Kirje Application of geographically weighted principal components analysis based on soybean yield spatial variation for agro-ecological zoning of the territory(2019) Zymaroieva, A.; Zhukov, O.; Fedonyuk, T.; Pinkin, A.In this study, the geographically weighted principal components analysis as an alternative method for agro-ecological characterization of the region was provided. The spatial and temporal distribution pattern of soybean yield was analyzed by using spatial statistics technology, which provided a good reference for agricultural development planning. The soybean yield was selected for the present study because it is a comprehensive indicator reflecting the production potential of the regional agroecosystems. The organized data set, which included the average per year yields of soybean in 10 regions (206 administrative districts) of Ukraine, was used for analysis. The regular temporal trend, specific for each district, was previously extracted from the time series data. The principal components analysis of the detrended data allowed to identify four principal components, which altogether can explain 58% of the soybean yield variation. The geographically weighted principal components analysis allowed to reveal that four spatially determined processes were influencing the yield of soybeans and had the oscillatory dynamics of different periodicity. It was hypothesized that the oscillating phenomena were of ecological nature. Geographically weighted principal component analysis revealed spatial units with similar oscillatory component of soybean yield variation. Our study confirmed the hypothesis that within the studied territory there are zones with the specific patterns of the temporal dynamics of soybean yield, which are uniform within each area but qualitatively different between zones. The territorial clusters within which the temporal dynamics of soybean yield is identical can be considered as agro-ecological zones for soybean cultivation.Kirje Biological effect of hydroxycitric acid within a Garcinia Cambogia extract on the nutrient metabolism(2019) Martirosyan, V.V.; Baluyan, Kh.A.; Kostyuchenko, M.N.; Malkina, V.D.; Zhirkova, E.V.; Marshalkin, M.F.Among plant supplements, which once included in a food regimen, induce a favorable evolution in persons seeking to lose some weight, Garcinia cambogia fruit containing hydroxycitric acid deserves close attention. The aim of this study consisted in the investigation of a biological effect of hydroxycitric acid within a Garcinia cambogia extract on the nutrient metabolism. The study involved the use of a Garcinia cambogia extract comprising hyroxycitric acid in the amount of 60.23%. In view of simulating the conditions of digestion, model dietary media consisting of extrusion products added with a Garcinia cambogia extract and enzymes were developed. The simulation of digestion processes in experimental model media has shown the decrease of glucose formation. Possibly hydroxycitric acid inactivates the activity of amylases, what results in the decline in the content of free monosaccharides and in the reduction of synthesis of glycerol as a fat component with the effect of an inhibited triglyceride formation. The addition of an extrusion product comprising the Garcinia cambogia extract to the diet of laboratory animals (rats) after 28 days of the experiment resulted in a reliable reduction of blood total cholesterol and triglycerides by 13% and 28%, respectively, and also in the decrease of body weight of animals by 5.8%. The investigation confirms the data available in the literature on the properties of hydroxycitric acid within a Garcinia cambogia extract, which influences the nutrient metabolism, thereby allows using brindleberry processing products for the correction of body weight.Kirje Change of physical properties of arable chernozem in the initial period of the after agricultural abandonment regime(2019) Trushkov, A.V.; Odabashyan, M.Y.; Kazeev, K.Sh.; Kolesnikov, S.I.A field experiment was conducted in the botanical garden of the South Federal University (Rostov-on-Don, Russia), which was aimed at converting the old arable land plot to the arable regime. Physical properties of chernozems were studied during the first years of the postagrogenic period in different plots, such as: a virgin steppe plot, an arable plot and an abandoned plot. During the course of the experiment it was revealed that physical properties of postagrogenic soils change due to vegetation development after tillage is discontinued. Within three years of research a biological diversity of the floristic composition in the abandoned plot increased from 9 species (during the first year) up to 38 species of plants (3 years later). Vegetation development served as a cause of changes in physical properties of chernozems. Temperature of the abandoned soils decreased along with soil moisture growth, if compared to the relevant indices of the arable plot of land. Owing to the root development and cessation of the agricultural impact, density of the upper horizon in the abandoned plot dropped by 10% on average. A positive correlation was revealed between the chernozem density and its penetration resistance (r = 0.70) and temperature (r = 0.73), whereas an inverse correlation was detected between the chernozem density and its moisture content (r = -1.0).Kirje Comparison of a 1 t and a 55 t container when storing spelt grain in mild climate of the Czech Republic(2019) Bradna, J.; Šimon, J.; Hájek, D.; Vejchar, D.; Polišenská, I.; Sedláčková, I.Maintaining a suitable microclimate inside the storage space is the most significant factor in maintaining good quality of stored grain for small farmers. This article is aimed at evaluating the influence of outdoor climatic conditions on the storage conditions, specifically the temperature of stored grain in two storage containers. One structure was a 4 × 6 m cylindrical container (55 t capacity) with a steel wire mesh wall lined with a textile shell. Spelt grain (Triticum spelta) was also stored simultaneously at the same location in a fabric intermediate bulk container (FIBC) bag with maximum capacity of 1 t. Neither structure was mechanically aerated. Grain moisture and temperature were monitored during the spring and start of the summer period of the year 2017 because of the biggest differences between the night and day temperatures. For monitoring of the grain microbiological changes samples were taken for laboratory tests during the whole experiment. Grain quality parameters measured during storage included the bulk density, crude protein, falling number, germination, gluten content, sedimentation index and contamination by mycotoxins. Monitored outdoor environment parameters were temperature, dew point and relative humidity. Results showed a strong dependence of the stored material temperature on the outside temperature in the case of FIBC bags (coefficient of determination R 2 = 0.927), whereas the dependence was weaker in the larger structure (R 2 = 0.625). Mycotoxins monitored during the period were below the detection limit in both cases.Kirje Cost efficiency of different cropping systems encompassing the energy crop Helianthus annuus L.(2019) Skoufogianni, E.; Giannoulis, K.D.; Bartzialis, D.; Danalatos, N.G.Crop rotation and green manure are the most ancient and popular cropping systems. This study sought to analyze the economic efficiency of sunflower where pea (Pisum sativum L.) either harvested or incorporated at the flowering stage in the soil before the sowing of sunflower in Europe and the final agricultural profit of such a cultivation system. Therefore, the main objectiveof this paper is to report the production costs and to find out which of the tested cultivation system gets sunflower cultivation economically viable in Greece and in Mediterranean region. To assess the economic efficiency, three-year field experiments were established in two contrasting environments in central Greece (Trikala and Larisa) and contained three different cultivation practices using legumes comprised the main-factor (T1: control, T2: legume incorporated at the flowering stage, T3: legume incorporated after seed harvest), while nitrogen fertilization comprised the sub-factor (N1:0, N2:50, N3:100 and N4:150 kgNha-1).The results derived from this study revealed the positive effect of the legume incorporation treatment (T2:legume incorporated at the flowering stage) where the final yield increased up to 5tha-1regardless region. Moreover, depending on the year the T2 treatment increases the final yield 30–50%and a yield increase was also noticed to the treatment where the legume was harvested (T3: legume incorporated after seed harvest). Therefore the introduction of this scheme into future land use systems in Greece and more generally in Mediterranean basin should be seriously taken into consideration.Kirje Determination of activation energy of the pellets and sawdust using thermal analysis(2019) Kunecová, D.; Hlaváč, P.The aim of this study is to describe the thermophysical properties of pellets and sawdust. Samples were chosen with regard to sustainability and environmental friendliness of materials. The main object of this paper was the investigation of thermal degradation of selected samples. Industrial pellets from Slovakia and sawdust from household source were compared. Materials suitable for pyrolysis are organic materials that degrade at increased temperature. Cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin are main components of biomass (wood) in varying proportions. Thermal processes were carried out from 25 °C to 850 °C using inert nitrogen atmosphere. Heating rate was linear from 5 °C min-1, 10 °C min-1 to 20 °C min-1. Mass decrease to 150 °C corresponds to release of water and other lighter unbound hydrocarbons. Samples lose 6–8% of their mass due to the temperature. At main decrease the mass loss was between 62% and 69%. In some cases this decrease is in two drops that end at the temperature around 500 °C. Pyrolysis can be considered to consist of independent parallel reactions. In order to make theoretical groundwork for biomass pyrolysis available, activation energies were calculated with the help of two kinetic models (Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose and Flynn-Wall-Ozawa model). The residuals from pyrolysed samples are determined and temperature dependent profiles of the materials were obtained.Kirje Development of Latvian land use and land use change matrix using geospatial data of National forest inventory(2019) Krumsteds, L.L.; Ivanovs, J.; Jansons, J.; Lazdins, A.Land use and land use change calculation matrix is one of the most important parts of the national greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory in land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector providing information of an overall summary and changes in land use at a national level over a specified period of time. Information on land use and land use changes are further used to calculate other parameters important for determination of GHG emissions and carbon stock changes in living and dead biomass, soil and litter, as well as basic information on the impact of applied climate change mitigation measures. Calculations of land use change can be carried out in a partly automated process using GIS tools, which makes calculations easier to perform, reduces time consumption for this task and occasional mistakes due to manual operations. The aim of this study is to improve the methodology for development of land use and land use change matrix in the national GHG inventory system using geospatial data of National forest inventory (NFI) and auxiliary data sources. The developed system uses geospatial NFI data and auxiliary information provided by the land parcel information system (LPIS) and stand-wise forest inventory, and it improves accuracy and consistency of the land use and land use change matrix, providing the ability to apply the same land use accounting method for the whole reporting period since 1990 without a significant increase of uncertainty. The developed method determines land use changes in a 5-year period by comparing three successive NFI cycles. To determine the actual land use category in a particular year, we adjusted weights for different land use categories. Interpolation is used to determine year-by-year transitions.Kirje The efficiency of nitrogen fertilizer on the dry matter yield of tall fescue and festulolium grown as feedstock for combustion(2019) Adamovics, A.; Platace, R.; Ivanovs, S.; Gulbe, I.Grass biomass grows during one vegetation season and can be cultivated and consumed at the place of breeding. Grass biomass can be used not only in traditional feed, but, recently, also for energy production (biogas, solid fuels). The most important economic indicator for any crop is its productivity. The study found that it is important to use nitrogen fertilizer to increase the productivity of tall fescue and festulolium. A significant increase (p < 0.05) in the yield of tall fescue was observed starting from the nitrogen norm of 60 kg ha-1 N. Further increase in nitrogen fertilizer norm provides a significant increase in dry mater yield of tall fescue (reaching 8.64 t ha-1 ) and festulolium (reaching 8.11 t ha-1 ) at 180 kg ha-1 N. The analysis of linear regression coefficients of polynomials showed that the highest nitrogen efficiency in the first year of the use of tall fescue was achieved at the norm of 180 kg ha-1 N, but for festulolium – at the norm of 120 kg ha-1 N. In the following years of tall fescue use, the highest efficiency of nitrogen norms differed: in the 2nd and 4th year of use – at 60 kg ha-1 N, in the 3rd year of use – at 30 kg ha-1 N, and in the 5th year of use – at 120 kg ha-1 N. In contrast, for festulolium, in the 2nd year of use, the highest nitrogen efficiency was reached at the norm of 30 kg ha-1 N, and in the 3rd–5th year of use – at the norm of 60 kg ha-1 N.Kirje Entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurship competencies and entrepreneurial activities of alumni: A comparison between the engineering and other graduates of Estonian University of Life Sciences(2019) Põder, Anne; Lemsalu, Katrin; Nurmet, Maire; Lehtsaar, Jüri; Estonian University of Life Sciences. Institute of Economics and Social SciencesEntrepreneurial mind-set, knowledge and skills to recognise opportunities and implement ideas are vital competences for achieving success in the midst of rapid global changes. The main purpose of the entrepreneurship education is to foster those competencies. The present paper focuses on the role of the university education in developing various entrepreneurship competences, and the share of entrepreneurs among the alumni. The aim is more specifically to examine the relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurship competence development in university and the later entrepreneurial activities of the engineering alumni. The analysis is based on a questionnaire survey of alumni entrepreneurship conducted in 2016 as a part of a programme ‘Edu ja Tegu- Development of entrepreneurial education throughout all educational levels’. Chi-square tests, t-tests are used to compare the engineering alumni of Estonian University of Life Sciences with graduates from other fields. The overall share of entrepreneurs among the engineering alumni was 35.6%. The entrepreneurial activities were impacted by the time of graduation. It had also impact of whether the graduates had received entrepreneurship courses during their studies. In comparison with other alumni, the engineering graduates assessed that their university education helped them develop significantly better problem-solving skills, critical thinking, self- evaluation skills, ability to develop new ideas and solutions and leadership skills and obtained significantly less entrepreneurial and financial knowledge during their studies. However, in case of engineering alumni, entrepreneurship education did not have significant impact on their entrepreneurial activities and assessments of competences, thus indicating that other factors are in play.Kirje Evaluation of retention stresses of prestressing bars of a concrete ribbed panel from agricultural building after 20 years of service(2019) Kiviste, Mihkel; Lille, Harri; Linnus, Lauri; Halgma, Riho; Estonian University of Life Sciences. Institute of Forestry and Rural Engineering. Chair of Rural Building and Water ManagementIn Estonian agricultural buildings there exist a lot of precast concrete load-bearing structures, which were manufactured in the 1970s and 80s. By now, some of these are rather near for reaching their designed service life. 20 years old prestressed concrete ribbed ceiling panels (type PNS-12) with the dimensions of 6 m (length) by 1.5 m (width) from an existing agricultural building (pigsty) are the subject of current study. The objective of current study was to evaluate the retention stress of prestressing bars (PSBs) of a ribbed panel PNS-12. In other words the purpose was to find out how much of the factory-issued initial prestress was left at the PSBs after 20 years of service. As a novel application in civil engineering strain gauges were applied in the evaluation of retention stress of PSBs in current study. The active strain gauges were glued to the opposite sides of PSBs at the middle-span of the ribbed panel, dummy gauges were glued to the unloaded steel slab. Strain gauges were connected to the half-bridge and measured with strain indicator and recorded. Retention stresses were calculated using the Hooke’s law through the measured strains and elastic modulus of steel. Elastic modulus of PSBs was also measured using the universal testing machine Instron 3369 and software Bluehill 2, based on two standards. The results demonstrated about 20.8% and 10.0% of retention stress of PSBs, respectively. The possible errors created by different aspects in experiment are also discussed.Kirje Experimental study of the distribution of the heights of sugar beet root crowns above the soil surface(2019) Bulgakov, V.; Arak, Margus; Boris, A.; Boris, M.; Bandura, V.; Olt, Jüri; Estonian University of Life Sciences. Institute of TechnologyThe results of experimental studies and operational tests of the sugar beet harvesting process carried out recently reveal that the latest models of beet harvesters produced in Europe and America cause considerable loss of the sugar-bearing mass. The source of this loss is mainly the poor topping of the crowns of standing sugar beet roots, more specifically the excessively low point at which the tops are cut off, which results in the straight out loss of sugar-bearing mass. Thus, there is need to search for such engineering solutions that would avoid both the loss of sugar-bearing mass and the presence of residual haulm on the roots. The aim of this study was to reduce the loss of sugar-bearing mass in the process of topping sugar beet root crowns. The results of this research into the distribution of the heights that root crowns protrude above the soil surface have confirmed the hypothesis that it follows the normal distribution. Based on the results, it has been established that this distribution has the following statistical parameters: mean deviation a = 20–30 mm, mathematical expectation m = 40...60 mm. The laboratory unit developed for this work and the field studies performed with it have provided sufficient evidence to develop a new system to automatically adjust the topping height on state-of-the-art root crop harvesters.Kirje Floor temperature as a risk factor for the quality of the environment in the chickens(2019) Šranková, V.; Lendelová, J.; Žitňák, M.; Karandušovská, I.; Szabóová, T.; Mihina, Š.; Balková, M.; Pogran, Š.The aim of the work is to analyze the environmental risk factors in chicken breeding in relation to the heat load of animals in summer. The research was carried out at a breeding hall with a capacity of 20,000 ROSS 308 broiler chickens for two summer period, with a breeding time of 39 days each. The indoor air temperature and relative humidity were continuously measured at two locations at a height of 0.8 m above the floor, using PT 100 temperature sensors and RS 800 humidity sensors. Data were recorded via a PLC unit at 10-minute intervals. The surface temperatures of the floors were measured by DS 80 sensors connected to dataloggers in two locations. It was observed that the floor temperature had an increasing tendency – due to heating, heat produced by animals and anaerobic biological processes – even during the second half of the breeding period. During the period from day 26 to day 39, the surface temperature of the concrete floor, as well as the temperature of the straw bedding rise to above 30 °C. The indoor air temperature in the hall was predominantly decreasing from the 26th day with rising floor temperature tendency. Between the day 26 and day 39 of the breeding period, the average litter temperature elevation over the air temperature exceeded 7 °C. Regression analysis showed negative dependence of floor temperatures on air temperature; for a 1 K unit air temperature reduction, an average floor temperature increase of 0.75 and 1.16 K was found, respectively.Kirje Germination of proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) grains trigger biochemical changes that augment bioavailability of flower and its utility for gluten-free dietary foods(2019) Bazhenova, I.A.; Bazhenova, T.S.; Chernova, E.V.During past decade, there has been an active search for new sources and means, such as biologic modification of raw plant material, to produce bioavailable foods with pre-defined properties. In this study, we tested whether germination of proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) grains could be used to increase bioavailability of the flower for gluten-free diets (GFD). Our analysis demonstrated that grains of four selected cultivars had similar germination rates in different media. However, the pikes of amylolytic and proteinase activities were detected at the 2 nd and 3rd days of germination, whereas the pike of lipase activity was associated with the 4th day. The highest and the lowest enzymatic activities were detected in grains germinated in whey and in NaCl, respectively. During germination, cumulative phenolic content increased up to 3.5 times reaching the highest levels by day 5. Based on these data, we produce batches of flour from grains germinated for 3 days and evaluated its utility in producing non-rising cake and shortbread pastry dough. Sensory evaluation of the baked products confirmed that flour from germinated grains could be used for substitution of the wheat flower in the dough. Collectively, our novel findings demonstrated that biochemically defined germination conditions could be used to produce proso millet flour with greater digestibility and nutritive value for the development of new GFD recipes.Kirje Influence of precipitation and moisture reserves on the yield of crops under different tillage(2019) Mokrikov, G.; Minnikova, T.; Kazeev, K.; Kolesnikov, S.Tillage technologies that promote resource-saving and increase in the yield of agricultural crops are being increasingly involved into the agriculture of arid territories of Russian Federation. Studies of the impact of new tillage on soil quality and yield in Russian Federation are necessary owing to the high soils and climate diversity. Yield enhancement of major crops - winter wheat and sunflower - have been observed in Russian Federation in recent years. During 2014–2019 in the south of the European part of Russian Federation (Rostov region), the effect of No-Till (NT) on soil quality and yield of field crops was studied. The studies were carried out over an area of 5,500 hectares in comparison with adjacent fields, where conventional tillage (CT) of soils with mould board plowing was used. The yield of sunflower and winter wheat depended significantly on the amount of precipitation during the growing season. In 2014–2017 the use of No-Till increased the yield of winter wheat by 26–114%, of sunflower - by 27–92% as compared with farms, where the conventional tillage of soil treatment was used. No-Till helped to save motor fuel, increase yields of agricultural crops and lower the cost of winter wheat and sunflower.Kirje Investigation of fly larvae Lucilia Caesar application in pet feed composition(2019) Nadtochii, L.; Baranenko, D.; Melchakov, R.; Muradova, M.; Istomin, A.; Istomin, A.The biomass of insect larvae is world-widely used as a valuable raw material for the pharmaceutical, microbiological, cosmetic industry and feeding production, also in the food industry. There is certain complex technology for processing biomass of insect larvae, which affords to isolate many physiologically active substances - chitin, antimicrobial peptides, fatty acids mixture, organic forms of mineral substances, hormones, etc. The company New Biotechnology (Lipetsk, Russia) has developed a technical process for producing of the protein-lipid preparation (commercial name is Zooprotein) based on the fly larvae of the species Lucilia Caesar. The utilization of food waste as a substrate, unpretentiousness to cultivating environment and high protein content are capable of considering insects of the species Lucilia Caesar as a promising object of cultivation and a reliable, cheap, replenishable source of nutrients for resource-saving process of the feed production. On the bases of ITMO University, an investigation is being conducted on the qualitative composition of the Zooprotein and the possibility of pet feed application. Cats are the most demanding animals to the quantitative and qualitative composition of protein fractions of feed. In present research an evidence-based calculation of the balance of the Zooprotein composition is presented as a feed component for cats during growth. Accordingly, the unique chemical composition of the development product based on fly larvae Lucilia Caesar makes possible to maintain that it is a promising functional ingredient in feeding rations for various animal species.Kirje Objective organoleptic, structural-and-mechanical parameters of vegetables depending on their degree of ripeness(2019) Kostetska, K.; Osokina, N.; Gerasymchuk, H.; Nakloka, O.Organoleptic, structural-and-mechanical indicators determine the suitability of fruiting vegetables for harvesting and preservation, as well as the ratio of separate parts of the fruit. All these indicators affect the quality of products. Experimental work was carried out in the conditions of the laboratory of the Department of Technology of Storing and Processing of Grain. A complex of organoleptic, commercial, physical and thermophysical indicators of eggplant, sweet pepper and tomato fruits were developed in the work to determine the time of their harvesting. It was determined that physical density and mechanical strength in the fruits of sweet pepper of technical degree of ripeness were 6% higher than in the fruits of biological degree of ripeness. Peculiarities of the ripeness degree significantly affected the amount of inedible part of the fruit (seeds, seed cavity and peduncle), which was 1.2 times less in sweet pepper fruits of technical degree of ripeness than biological degree of ripeness. Considerable varietal difference of eggplant fruits by the amount of edible and inedible parts of the fruit was determined. Peculiarities of the variety also significantly affected the density and hardness of the fruit. Red tomatoes fruits of Iskorka variety had tender pulp consistency and relatively low fruit density (0.88 g cm- ³) and mechanical strength (3.00 kg cm- ²). The objective organoleptic, structural-and-mechanical indicators of fruiting vegetables were determined depending on their degree of ripeness; to determine the optimal time of harvesting the fruits of eggplant, sweet pepper, tomato.Kirje Optimization of plant densities of dolichos (dolichos lablab L. var. lignosus) bean in the Right-bank of Forest-steppe of Ukraine(2019) Bobos, І.; Fedosy, I.; Zavadska, O.; Tonha, O.; Olt, Jüri; Estonian University of Life Sciences. Institute of TechnologyThe density of the plants of Dolichos bean significantly influenced the economically valuable indicators, because there is always competition for light, moisture and nutrients between plants in the life process. The period from mass sprouting to the technical ripeness was reduced with increasing the plant density. Such a pattern was characteristic of all phases of the growth and development of the Dolichos bean. The plants with high population (71 thousand units ha-1) took short period (60 and 119 days) from germination to the beginning of technical and biological ripeness, respectively, turned out to be the earliest ripening crops. The plants are better illuminated, the soil nutrition conditions are improved and the sanitary-hygienic climate of the crops improves with thinned crops, thereby plant productivity has raised. However, the average yield of scapulabeans and unripe Dolichos seeds is regulated by the density of the plants, and increased in density due to the greater number of plants. The optimum density for Dolichos bean was 71 thousand plants per hectare, at which yields of green shoots and green peas were formed 7.3 and 3.3 t ha-1, respectively.Kirje Physiological disorders affect apple susceptibility to Penicillium expansum infection and increase probability for mycotoxin patulin occurrence in apple juice(2019) Heinmaa, Lagle; Põldma, Priit; Loit, Kaire; Kiiker, Riinu; Moor, Ulvi; Estonian University of Life Sciences. Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Chair of Horticulture; Estonian University of Life Sciences. Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Chair of Plant HealthPenicillium expansum infection of apples and mycotoxin patulin (PAT) production has previously been associated with many pre- and postharvest factors other than physiological disorders. In the current study, ‘Antei’ and ‘Krameri tuviõun’ apples with and without bitter pit (BP) symptoms and ‘Talvenauding’ apples with and without superficial scald (SS) symptoms were used in order to determine if the named physiological disorders may influence susceptibility to P. expansum infection and PAT production. Apples were inoculated with 10 μL P. expansum spore suspension with the concentration of 1×105 conidia mL-1 and stored at 24 °C with relative humidity (RH) 80%. After 7 and 11 days, lesion diameters were measured, and apples were pressed into juice. PAT content was determined in pasteurized juice. Two cultivars out of three showed that in fruit with physiological disorders, Penicilllium infection and PAT production proceeded significantly faster compared to apples, which did not have physiological disorders. SS increased the risk for PAT occurrence in juice more than BP: while the juice pressed from BP–affected apples with no visual signs of fungal diseases did not contain PAT, juice pressed from apples with SS contained PAT three times above legislative limits defined by the World Health Organization (50 μg L-1).Kirje Planting and tending productivity comparison in mounds and disc trenches using containerized and bareroot coniferous seedlings(2019) Makovskis, K.; Lazdina, D.; Kaleja, S.; Spalva, G.; Dumins, K.In 2016 more then 40,300 ha of forest was regenerated in Latvia, where 13,000 ha were seeded or planted and 30,300 ha were left in natural regeneration. Before planting, usually one of two soil preparation methods are used – mounding or disc trenching. In areas with optimal water regime, disc trenching is used, while in wet areas mounding is used. Tree planting and after planting tending is done manually by hand tools. The aim of the study was to compare planting and tending productivity in different soil preparation methods (mounding and disc trenching) by planting different stocktypes (containerized and bareroot seedlings). Planting time studies were done in 12 sites and tending time studies in 8 sites. In planting time studies, different planting operations were measured and compared. In tending time studies, GPS devices were used, where area, distance and working time (productive and rest) was counted from GPS data. Average planting time for containerized seedlings in disc trenches was 10.3 seconds, while in mounds 9.2 seconds per seedling, an 11% improvement. Average planting time for bareroot seedlings in mounds was 28.3 seconds, while in trenches – 18.2 seconds, a 35% improvement. Tending in trenches was done faster than in mounds. On average, one hectare tending time in mounds was 8.4 hours, while in trenches 7.4 hours, an 11% improvement. Walked distance for 1 hectare tending in mounds was 5.4 km, 7% shorter than the distance of 5.0 km in trenches. Factors that influence planting and tending productivity are soil preparation quality, logging residue, and water level on the site. Data from planting and tending time studies could be used for better plan work activities and select suitable planting material for a particular soil preparation method.Kirje The potential of energy recovery from by–products of small agricultural farms in Nigeria(2019) Bappah, M.; Bradna, J.; Velebil, J.; Malatak, J.Agricultural by–products are renewable energy sources from which essential amount of energy can be recovered, which can be used to replace the use of conventional fossil fuel, reduces the potential of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and at the same time reduces deforestation, especially in rural areas. Energy values of biomass from small Agricultural farms, in particular waste generated from different tropical crops, viz; Maize, Millet, Rice, Sorghum and Groundnut were determined, to ascertain their potentials as alternative fuel sources for rural use. The materials were found to be of importance judging by their combustion potentials in all the forms investigated. The Energy values of the by-products considered ranged between 11.68 MJkg-1 to 17.48 MJkg-1 with Groundnut pods and millet husk having the highest and least respectively. Moisture and ash had effect on the energy values of these biomass. Our results are relevant to the problems posed by the management of farm residues in developing countries.