Intravarietal variability of the structure of correlations of yield components in oat and barley plants

It is shown that intravarietal differences in level of aluminum tolerance of oat and barley plants affect the formation of yield components under nonstress conditions. Species specificity is noted in a change in the structure of correlations of the studied traits in these plants. Increased aluminum tolerance of plants is related to breakdown of many correlations characteristic for nontolerant plants.     

Development and validation of a tertiary simulation model for predicting the growth of the food microorganisms under dynamic and static temperature conditions

The use of predictive modeling software may markedly contribute to the better understanding of the microbial behavior in foods. In this paper, the development and validation of a tertiary model, which provides predictions of microbial growth in foods under dynamic or static temperature conditions, is presented. In particular, the UGPM (Unified Growth Prediction Model) software applies the Baranyi and Roberts (1994) primary model, coupled to a secondary temperature model, in order to simulate growth of a given microorganism during storage of a specific food or food category. The software, intended to be used by both expert and non-expert users, may be a valuable decision support tool for the food industry, by assisting in the management of foods based on their actual shelf-life and microbial safety, thereby limiting the deterministic “best-by” practice for the determination of shelf-life. The latter is commonly based solely on empirical observations and has high uncertainty. This in turn, may result in the rejection of large quantities of unspoiled or safe foods, or even in the distribution of spoiled and unsafe foods, due to ignorance of the effect of temperature abuse on the microbial spoilage and safety of products.     

Prediction of semolina technological quality by FT-NIR spectroscopy

The feasibility of applying FT-NIR spectroscopy (a rapid and non-destructive method) to evaluate and predict semolina characteristics by means of spectra collected directly from the kernels was investigated. More than 500 samples of durum wheat grains and of the corresponding semolina, representative of the Italian production of 4 different crops (from 2002/2003 to 2005/2006) were analyzed. Pasta-making capability of each semolina sample was assessed by the reference methods, for protein, gluten content, gluten index and alveographic indices. The kernels were also evaluated by a FT-NIR spectrometer, fitted with an integration sphere working in diffuse reflectance. The processed spectra collected on the kernels were correlated with the chemical and rheological parameters obtained by the reference tests performed on semolina. The PLS algorithm was used to develop calibration models from the original spectra datasets. Protein content proved to be well correlated to kernel spectral data: high values for the RPD indicate efficient NIR reflectance predictions for protein content. The models obtained for gluten content, gluten index and alveographic W and P/L parameters were less successful. The results of this work highlighted the feasibility of applying FT-NIR spectroscopy to evaluate and predict the technological properties of semolina, in particular that of the protein content, by collecting the spectra directly from the kernels, without performing further grinding or milling operations.     

Ethical equitation: Capping the price horses pay for human glory

Ethical equitation is nowadays coming into sharp focus in equestrian culture. Concerns surround the ethics of sports based on controlling an animal's locomotory responses and in using animals such as horses in sport in general. Anthropomorphically labeled misinterpretations of the responses of trained horses, such as the use of terms like “mad,” “lazy,” “keen,” and “stubborn,” may be detrimental to optimal equine welfare. Similarly, the concept of the “equine athlete” may imply an ill-informed teleological explanation of the motives of the horse in sport. Despite problems in identifying the happy horse, rewarding optimal welfare and the absence of critical stress responses in performance horses is an important step forward.Horse racing is the source of many welfare concerns because of the use of the whip and the physical dangers to horses involved in hurdle racing and steeplechasing. The use of the whip in racing is controversial and, because it does not always lead to acceleration, problematic. There is a pressing need for learning theory to be adopted in all equestrian pursuits, because such an approach would obviate the need for whips, punishment, and the use of fear in escape learning. In other disciplines, practices such as hyperflexion and soring have a significant potential to compromise the welfare of the horse in sport.The future of horse sports should involve abandoning the mandatory use of primitive control devices, such as curb bits, that have a real potential to cause harm. International governing bodies and national equestrian federations ought to proceed with removing any requirements to use curb bits and judges should reward riders who use the most humane control devices at the higher levels of competition.Finally, horse breeding should also be scrutinized under an ethical spotlight. Selecting horses on the basis of temperament has inherent risks, including lowered motivation of riders and trainers to refine their training skill set, which may also lead to significant wastage. Pure breeding risks the health and welfare of horses owing to increases in homozygous deleterious genes expressing themselves.     

Agrotechnical and operating comparison of foreign and domestic seeding machines

Comparative grain production field tests of foreign and domestic seeding machines have been carried out. It is established that imported machines are considerably inferior to domestic ones, in connection with which they need to be equipped with domestic implements.     

Molecular markers in identification of sunflower pollen fertility restorer genes

The presence of the Rf1 gene (pollen fertility restorer of CMS PET1) in genotypes of most restorer lines is confirmed by molecular and hybridological analysis methods. Molecular markers of the Rf1 locus are identified for the first time in genotypes of autofertile lines of the collection of the Vavilov All-Russian Research Institute of Plant Industry (VIR) as well as in genomes of perennial and annual wild species of the genus Helianthus. The possibility of introgression of the fertility restorer gene into the genome of the cultivated sunflower during distant hybridization is shown.     

Effect of multipurpose compost on economically valuable celery traits and soil microbiocenosis

The complex effect of multipurpose compost (MPC) on the system soil-associative microflora-plant, increasing the numbers of soil microorganisms, their enzymatic activity, and NPK content and promoting an increase of celery yield by 1.5–2 times, is revealed. In this case, the content of nitrates in organs is within the limits of the maximum allow concentration.     

Methodological Approaches toward Chemico-Biological Diagnostics of the State of Soils in Technogenically Transformed Territories

The comprehensive diagnostics of the state of soils in the impact zone of thermal power station (TPS-5) in the city of Kirov was performed on the basis of the soil chemical analyses and the study of biota response to the loads at different organization levels. The chemical analyses attested to a satisfactory state of the soils. However, the use of soil cyanobacteria and bird’s-foot trefoil (Lótus corniculátus) as test objects showed the toxicity of studied soil samples. The toxicity of the samples was judged from the bioindication effects of cyanophytization and melanization of soil microbial complexes. The obtained results demonstrated that at relatively low concentrations of total and mobile heavy metal compounds in the soil samples, their amount released into the tested soil water (1: 4) extract exceeded the limit allowable for normal functioning of living organisms. For the first time, the express cyanobacterial tetrazole-topographic method of biotesting was applied in the geoecological study to estimate the toxicity of the soil samples. The results obtained with the help of traditional and express methods proved to be comparable. The express-method was sufficiently sensitive and efficient. It allowed the determination of the samples' toxicity in five hours, i.e., four to five times faster than the traditional technique. An inverse relationship between the number of viable cells of cyanobacteria (as judged from the inclusion of formazan crystals) and the concentration of lead ions in the tested soil extracts was found. This finding can be considered a prerequisite for further study and application of the express method in the practice of geoecological monitoring. Our study demonstrated the necessity of a comprehensive approach for the assessment of the real ecological state of soils in the investigated impact zone of the thermal power station.     

The Impact of Petrochemical Enterprises on the Soil Cover in Samara Oblast

Eurasian Soil Science - We studied the state of the soil cover in sanitary protection zones of two large oil refineries in Samara region (at distances up to 1000 m from the refineries) using a...