Sustainable Production Techniques in Greenhouses: A Case Study on Economic Analysis of Organic Lettuce Production in Turkey

ABSTRACT

This study is an economic analysis of the use of different organic fertilizers for organic greenhouse lettuce production as an on-farm trial during the autumn season of 2001–2002. The selected site is located in the preservation area of the Tahtali Dam, which is the most important water source providing drinking water to Izmir, the third largest city in Turkey. The tested fertilizer applications were composed of: (a) farmyard manure, 15 tons/ha^?1 + E 2001 + All grow Bioplasma; (b) farmyard manure, 30 tons/ha^?1; (c) chicken manure, 15 tons/ha^?1 + E 2001 + All grow Bioplasma; (d) chicken manure, 30 tons/ha^?1; and (e) control (no fertilizer). The total net profit ranged between $0.38 and $0.90/m², depending on organic fertilizer applications. The results showed that organic lettuce production with different organic fertilizers can be achieved in greenhouses, but there is still a need to solve some problems related to greenhouse climate control, pest and disease control, biological control, crop rotation, marketing and training of growers.     

Market Research Reports: An Overlooked Resource for Agribusiness Libraries

ABSTRACT

In today's competitive agribusiness climate, agribusiness professionals, and students perform research to develop new products for the marketplace. While traditional search tools such as AGRICOLA and CAB Abstracts are important for research, the content in those databases is mostly scientific in nature. Market research reports are an excellent resource for understanding the marketplace and for aiding researchers in new product development. This article defines and explains the purpose of market research and, by using a case study of an agribusiness course at a research university, compares the content from four market research products.     

Her Majesty's Royal Birds

ABSTRACT

Foodline® is a trio of databases from U.K.-based Leatherhead Food Research Association providing international coverage of food marketing, technical and regulatory information. Foodline®: International Food Market Data is a bibliographic database of global market information abstracted from some 250 food and beverage business and trade journals, statistical publications and market studies. Foodline®: Food Science and Technology consists of citations and abstracts from over 550 core scientific and technical journals, books, reports and conference papers. Foodline®: Current Food Legislation is a unique database which summarizes the provisions of current food additive regulations for over 90 countries and food composition and labeling standards for the U.S. and seven European Union countries. This article highlights the contents and features of each database.     

中国产地农产品初加工的现状及建议

该文在调研中国农业和粮食生产的基础上,指出农产品产地初加工急需解决的问题:农产品作为商品,其集散、清选、干燥、保鲜、贮藏、运输和营销信息对接等。提出中国农产品产地初加工是系统工程。借鉴他国经验,给出了具体建议:中国农产品产地初加工需要政府长期稳定的资助,科研院校和企业通过政府项目支持,完成机械装备、仓储设施的技术开发。以农业经营现代化为载体,下功夫培训、培养农民经营者,组织健全农业合作组织,有条件的地方可打造农产品加工产业集群,着眼于产地农业生产条件,产品优势等特点树立地方标准,面向消费市场需要,立足自主经营和创新、打造当地品牌。该文为中国农产品产地初加工的发展指明了方向。     

基于游客调查的牛姆林生态旅游市场探析

在引入“社会责任”的绿色营销的基础上,通过对牛姆林旅游资源地实地调查、游客及景区工作人员的问卷调查,了解目前牛姆林旅游的开发现状和存在的问题,分析牛姆林的客源市场特征并结合其旅游产品特点,并提出生态旅游市场开发建议。     

A Review and Bibliography of the Literature of Honey Bee Colony Collapse Disorder: A Poorly Understood Epidemic that Clearly Threatens the Successful Pollination of Billions of Dollars of Crops in America

ABSTRACT

This article briefs agricultural librarians on three key aspects of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), a disease involving the virtually total disappearance and presumed annihilation of the adult bee population of hives: (1) the yearly multibillion dollar importance of honeybees as the nation's key crop pollinators and the annual $200 million domestic production and export of honey; (2) the more common bee diseases and well-known hive stressors that current theories of CCD suggest interact with each other in some as yet undetermined combination, perhaps including new pathogens to which most American bees have limited or no immunity; and (3) several bees other than the honeybee that are not currently affected by CCD and that have some potential as partial substitute pollinators for some crops.     

武陵民族地区农药营销信息化存在的问题及对策

随着武陵地区农业发展和农药的广泛使用,武陵地区农药市场环境和竞争的不断加剧,许多新的不确定因素将影响武陵地区农药市场竞争格局,传统营销模式也难以适应新的变化,而农药营销信息化则逐步展示其优势。武陵地区农药营销信息化在取得长足发展的同时也出现了一系列问题。在武陵地区农业发展和农药广泛使用的背景下,描述了农药营销信息化现状,分析了存在问题的原因,并在此基础上提出了相应对策建议。     

Properties of coir dust,and its use in the formulation of soilless potting media

Abstract

Data from two experiments have shown that for adequate growth of Petunia ’Celebrity Salmon’ in soilless potting media based on or containing coir dust it was necessary to amend the media with Ca, S, Cu and Fe. When coir dust is used as a direct replacement for natural peat, about 10 mg/L medium extra N per week must be provided. The high K content of coir dust means that fertilizers need not contain as much K as is normally used for plants in media based on other products. The high Cl content of some coir products requires that they be leached if they are to make up a high proportion of a medium.

The low CEC of the coir products (21–30 m.m (+)/L, compared with 78 m.m (+)/L for a peat), indicates a low ability to retain cations and to buffer against pH change. Two coir products had lower air‐filled porosities than did the peat tested and they retained more water at 10 kPa suction.     

Fe Chelates for Remediation of Fe Chlorosis in Strategy I Plants

Abstract

Iron chlorosis is a mineral disorder due to low Fe in the soil solution and the impaired plant uptake mechanism. These effects increased with high pH and bicarbonate buffer. The solution to Fe chlorosis should be made by either improving the Fe uptake mechanism or increasing the amount of Fe in the soil solution. Among Fe fertilizers, only the most stable chelates (EDDHA and analogous) are able to maintain Fe in the soil solution and transport it to the plant root. In commercial products with the same chelating agent, the efficacy depends on the purity and the presence of subproducts with complexing activity, that can be determined by appropriate analytical methods such as HPLC. In commercial products declaring 6% as Fe‐EDDHA, purity varied from 0.5% to 3.5% before 1999, but in 2002 products ranging 3–5.4% chelated Fe are common in the Spanish market. Fe‐o,p‐EDDHA, as a synthesis by‐product with unknown efficacy, is present in all Fe‐EDDHA formulations. Commercial Fe‐EDDHMA products also contain methyl positional isomers. Fe‐EDDHSA synthesis produces condensation products with similar chelating capacity to the Fe‐EDDHSA monomer that can account for more than 50% of the chelated iron in the commercial products. Chelates with different molecules should be compared for their efficacy considering firstly their ability to maintain Fe in solution and secondly their capacity to release iron to the roots. Accepting the turnover hypothesis, their efficacy is also dependent thirdly on the ability of the chelating agent to form the chelate using native iron from the soil. The 1st and 3rd points are related to the chemical stability of the chelate, while plants make better use of iron from the less stable chelates. Plant response is the ultimate evaluation method to compare commercial products with the same chelating agent or different chelates.     

网络营销在农产品销售中的应用研究

在中国这样的一个农业大国，如何使农业增产、农民增收，缩短城乡差别等，使“三农”问题得以解决，农产品营销是一个关键。随着中国信息化不断的推进，网络营销的发展对于中国农产品来说，将带来许多机遇。本文研究了如何把网络营销运用到产业化经营的过程中和农产品的推销中去，以扩大农产品的销售。     

Identification and quantification of antioxidant components of honeys from various floral sources

Little is known about the individual components of honey that are responsible for its antioxidant activity. The present study was carried out to characterize the phenolics and other antioxidants present in honeys from seven floral sources. Chromatograms of the phenolic nonpolar fraction of the honeys indicated that most honeys have similar but quantitatively different phenolic profiles. Many of the flavonoids and phenolic acids identified have been previously described as potent antioxidants. A linear correlation between phenolic content and ORAC activity was demonstrated (R(2) = 0.963, p < 0.0001). Honeys were separated by solid-phase extraction into four fractions for sugar removal and separation based on solubility to identify the relative contribution of each fraction to the antioxidant activity of honey. Antioxidant analysis of the different honey fractions suggested that the water-soluble fraction contained most of the antioxidant components. Specific water-soluble antioxidant components were quantified, including protein; gluconic acid; ascorbic acid; hydroxymethylfuraldehyde; and the combined activities of the enzymes glucose oxidase, catalase and peroxidase. Of these components, a significant correlation could be established only between protein content and ORAC activity (R(2) = 0.674, p = 0.024). In general, the antioxidant capacity of honey appeared to be a result of the combined activity of a wide range of compounds including phenolics, peptides, organic acids, enzymes, Maillard reaction products, and possibly other minor components. The phenolic compounds contributed significantly to the antioxidant capacity of honey but were not solely responsible for it.     

Rose (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Rosa</Emphasis> spp.) Germplasm Resources of Turkey

Turkey is one of the most important Rose germplasm centers. About 25% of all rose species are native to Turkey. Flowers of some rose species, such as Rosa gallica and Rosa damascena, have been used for rose oil and rose water production in Anatolia for a long time. Fruits (rose hip) of some other species have economic value and are also used for medicinal purposes. In this paper, Rosa species found in Turkey are listed, their distribution within the provinces is listed, as well as their characteristics and uses.     

Effects of transition from flood irrigation to drip irrigation on leaf nutrient concentrations of apple cv. Starkrimson Delicious

Abstract

In Turkey, fruit growers have started to shift from flood irrigation to drip irrigation in apple orchards in the recent years. It was thought that such a transition might have adverse effects on nutrition of the plants throughout the transition period. In this study, effects of transition from flood irrigation to drip irrigation on nutrient uptake of the plants were investigated through leaf analyses for two years. Experiment was conducted in randomized blocks design with three replications and four trees in each replication. Flood irrigation (control) and drip irrigation with two different irrigation intervals (4 and 7?days) were compared. Leaf samples were collected in the middle of the growth period and their nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), and boron (B) contents were determined. Present findings revealed that transition from flood irrigation to drip irrigation did not result in any nutritional problems. On the other hand, significant increases were observed in contrary, the uptake of P, Fe, Mn, Zn, and B uptake of the plants.     

Honey as an indicator of heavy metal contamination

The potential use of honey as an indicator in mineral prospecting and environmental contamination studies has been investigated. Silver, Cd, Cu, and Pb levels are reported in honeys collected throughout the U.K. The elemental content of honeys was investigated in relation to that in the soils collected from within the foraging area. For samples collected over two seasons the following concentrations were found Ag <0.1 to 6.5 ng g^?1 (d.w.); Cd <0.3 to 300 ng g^?1; Cu 35 to 6510 ng g^?1; Pb <2 to 200 ng g^?1. Considerable spatial and seasonal fluctuations were apparent. No correlations were observed between honey and soil concentrations for either Cu or Pb. It is concluded that the low concentrations of heavy metals in honey and their inherent variability (due to differences in floral source, foraging range, entrapment of atmospheric particulates on the flower, etc.) detract from the reliable use of honey as a monitoring tool. The relative merits of honeybees, pollen and beeswax for environmental monitoring or biogeochemical prospecting studies are also briefly discussed.     

Effect of soil tillage and weed control methods on weed biomass and yield of lentil (Lens culinaris Medic.)

Abstract

The study was carried out in dryfarming areas in Ankara, Turkey, over 2 years (2001 – 2002 and 2002 – 2003). The objective was to determine different soil tillage and weed control methods on weed biomass and yield components, yield of lentil (Lens culinaris). This study compared the effects of two tillage systems (shallow minimum tillage and traditional tillage) and three weed control methods (weedy check, hand weeding and herbicide) on weed biomass, growth characteristics, seed yield and some yield components of lentil. Significant differences were found among weed control methods for weed biomass and yield parameters of lentil. Tillage systems had no significant effect on weed biomass or yield of lentil. The highest yield and lowest weed biomass was found in the hand-weeded treatment compared to the other weed control methods. Results of this research indicate that weeds are a main constraint for lentil growing under dryland conditions. Grain yield of lentil was reduced more than 60% due to uncontrolled weeds.     

Accumulation of Heavy Metals from Motor Vehicles in Transplanted Lichens in an Urban Area

Abstract

Thalli of the lichens Pseudevernia furfuracea, Usnea longissima, Lobaria pulmonaria, and Peltigera praetextata were taken from unpolluted areas and transplanted to a downtown site in Erzurum, Turkey. Heavy metals copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), and iron (Fe) were measured after an 8 month exposure period. Changes in the heavy metal concentrations were observed during the exposure period in lichen species and in both locations. Heavy metal concentrations were significantly higher in Peltigera praetextata than the other species at the location nearest to the junction crossroads. Peltigera praetextata may be considered a good indicator. These results can be attributed to the effect of atmospheric pollutants on the transplanted lichens.     

Inoculant effects on alfalfa nodulation

Abstract

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) does not grow as well as it used to in areas of Canada and northwestern United States. Affected plants have nitrogen (N)‐deficiency symptoms, few or no nodules, and respond to N fertilizer. For lack of a good explanation, such plants are called “sick”;.

Six commercial inoculant products were tested with alfalfa grown on cores of eight soils in which alfalfa establishment and stand duration have been problems, to determine if inoculant quality influenced development of any sick‐alfalfa symptoms. Percentages of nodulated plants ranged from 35 to 82 after 5 to 8 weeks’ growth, and corresponded closely with estimated rhizobia numbers in the products. Dry forage yields were not closely related to percentage nodulation, however, because of residual soil N levels that supported seedling growth. Inoculant products containing inadequate numbers of rhizobia to promptly and effectively nodulate plants resulted in poor nodulation that may lead to establishment failure or sparse, weak stands.

Contribution from the Central Oregon Exp. Stn. and Dep. of Microbiology, Oregon Agric. Exp. Stn. Journal Article No. 4910.     

Impact of introduced honey bees on native pollination interactions of the endemic Echium wildpretii (Boraginaceae) on Tenerife, Canary Islands

The aim of this study was to investigate effects of introduced honey bees (Apis mellifera) on native pollination interactions of Echium wildpretii ssp. wildpretii in the sub-alpine desert of Tenerife. We selected two study populations, one dominated by honey bees, while the other was visited by many native insects. During peak activity period of insects, nectar was nearly completely depleted in flowers of the first, but not the latter population. Thus, a high abundance of honey bees may have suppressed visitation by native animals due to exploitative competition. Honey bees stayed longer and visited more flowers on the same inflorescence than native bees, thus potentially promoting self-pollination of the plants. Level of seed set and viability was similar in the two study populations. However, we cannot rule out long-term changes in genetic population structure due to changes in gene-flow patterns caused by foraging behaviour of honey bees vs. native flower-visitors.     

Botanical origin causes changes in nutritional profile and antioxidant activity of fermented products obtained from honey

Honey as rich source of enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidants serves as health-promoting nutrient in the human body. Here, we present the first time a comparative study of nutritional profiles (e.g., acidities, sugar, organic acid profile, total polyphenolic, flavonoid content) for different unifloral, multifloral honeys and their fermented products, in correlation with their antioxidant activity. Additionally, an optimized method for HPLC separation of organic acids from honey was established. The total phenolic content of honey samples varied widely among the honey types compared to fermented products. High amounts of total flavonoids were quantified in heather honey, followed by raspberry, multifloral, black locust, and linden honey. A positive correlation between the content of polyphenols, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity was observed in honey samples. After fermentation, the flavonoid content of dark honey fermented products decreased significantly. Black locust and linden honeys are more suitable for fermentation because the decrease in antioxidant substances is less pronounced.     

Commercial honey bees (Apis mellifera) reduce the fecundity of an Australian native bee (Hylaeus alcyoneus)

European honey bees used for commercial honey production represent a potential source of competition for floral resources with native nectar and pollen feeding insects. This study reports the results of an experiment run over two years on the impact of commercial honey bees on the fecundity of a solitary native bee, Hylaeus alcyoneus. Registered apiary sites were used as treatment sites (with honey bees) while control sites (without honey bees) were interspersed between. The fecundity of H. alcyoneus was measured using trap nests. We compared the number of nests produced, number of eggs per nest and emerging progeny mass of H. alcyoneus in sites with and without commercial bee hives. The number of nests produced by H. alcyoneus was 23% less (Wilcoxon’s T) at treatment sites than control sites. Analysis of individual measurement intervals using ANOVA was compromised by a general lack of power. This result highlights that even though honey bees have been present in certain areas for many years, competition with native bees may still be occurring.