Cultivation Sites Research Articles

Anti-tyrosinase and anti-melanogenic potential of shallots (Allium ascalonicum) from various cultivation sites in Thailand

Anti-tyrosinase and anti-melanogenic potential of shallots (Allium ascalonicum) from various cultivation sites in Thailand

Adaptability and stability of Coffea canephora Pierre ex Froehner genotypes in the Western Amazon

ABSTRACT: The development of Coffea canephora cultivars is based on the characterization of genotype × environment interaction, which is interpreted to quantify the differential behavior of clones at different cultivation sites. The objective of this research was to study the genotype x environment interaction aiming to select clones of broad and specific adaptation to different environments of the Western Amazon. Twelve clones with hybrid characteristics of the botanical varieties Conilon and Robusta and four open pollinated clones, had their performance evaluated in comparison with four controls. The genotype × environment interaction was interpreted based on the environmental quality index, the non-parametric estimator of Lin and Binns, 1988 and on the dispersion of the centroid method. Effects of the genotypes, environment, and genotype × environment interaction were all significant (p<0.01). The environmental quality index (Ij) classified three environments as favorable for coffee production. In terms of the Lin and Binn’s estimator (Pi), hybrid genotypes 16, 10, 13, 09 and 14 presented lower Pi indices than others, and were classified as being more stable. Five clones of low adaptability, seven clones of specific adaptability to favorable or unfavorable environments and two clones of broad adaptability to all environments were identified interpreting the dispersion of the centroid method.

Simultaneous quantification of polyphenols, glycoalkaloids and saponins in African nightshade leaves using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry with acid assisted hydrolysis and multivariate analysis

This study developed comprehensive quantification methods for major nutritive and antinutritive phytochemical aglycones in edible African nightshade leaves, an underutilized food resource in the sub-Saharan area. A simultaneous hydrolysis and extraction method was developed using methanol with 2 M sulfuric acid with incubation at 65 °C for 60 min. UHPLC–QqQ–MS/MS methods were developed and validated for hydrolysis optimization and for quantification of eight major aglycones of polyphenols, alkaloids and sapogenins in 20 differently sourced nightshade leaves, comprising two African species Solanum scabrum and S. nigrum, and from two distinct cultivation sites, one in New Jersey, US and the other in Kenya Eldoret. Variation in species, accessions and cultivation environment played an important role in affecting the phytochemical profile. Total antinutritive alkaloids and sapogenins in all nightshade leaves were evaluated and found to be safe for consumption. This work provides evidence that the consumption of African nightshade leaves as a nutrient rich leafy green vegetable is safe and can contribute to food security and nutritional improvement in the sub-Saharan area.

Effects of planting patterns on rainwater use efficiency and potato tuber yield in seasonally arid areas of southwestern China

China is the top potato producing country in the world, and Yunnan Province (in Southwest China) makes a significant contribution (10.1 %) to the total production. The uneven rainfall distribution causes seasonal spring drought in the region. To resolve this issue, we evaluated the effects of cultivation modes on the soil temperature, soil water content, and potato yield. Four cultivation modes were evaluated: A1, flat-planting at sowing, double ridges after emergence; A2, double ridges in plastic film covered with soil, potato planted along the larger ridge side; A3, double ridges in plastic film mulching covered in soil; and A4-control (CK), double ridges, consisting of two different plastic film covering modes (A2, A3) and two covering modes without a plastic film (A1, A4). The field experiments were conducted for three years (2014, 2015, and 2016) in three regions (S1, S2, and S3) of Yunnan in southwestern China. The results showed that the effects of cultivation patterns on the soil temperature and humidity were not the same in the three ecological regions. Before mound closure, compared to the CK treatment, higher soil temperature was observed at the S1 and S2 regions using the A3 mode, which was 5.15 °C and 3.4 °C, respectively. The soil moisture was 4 % (S1), 50.8 % (S2), and 10.0 % (S3) higher with the A2 mode than under the CK mode in the three ecological zones, but the soil moisture was 27.1 % lower with the A3 mode than that with the CK mode at S2. Multiple regression analysis revealed the optimum surface soil temperature (18.9–20.8 °C) and water content (58.6 %–70.4 %) for seedling emergence and potato tuber yield. The emergence, tuber growth, and yield were mainly related to the soil temperature and soil water content at S1 and S2, respectively, while at S3, both factors contributed significantly. Overall yield differed significantly at the cultivation sites, but the average yield was similar in each year at each site. The highest stable potato yield occurred with the A3 mode at S1, and with the A2 mode at S2 and S3. Our research provides suitable methods for potato production in different rain-fed and seasonally arid areas.

Cannabis and residential groundwater pumping impacts on streamflow and ecosystems in Northern California

Cannabis is an emerging agricultural frontier, but due to its quasi-legal status its environmental impacts are poorly understood. Where cannabis is irrigated by groundwater, pumping can lead to streamflow depletion in surrounding streams which may impair other water users or aquatic ecosystems. Here, we investigate the impacts of groundwater pumping for cannabis irrigation at the scale of the watershed, the individual well, and the stream segment, and contextualize by comparing with residential groundwater use. Combining mapped cannabis cultivation and residential structure locations with grower reports of irrigation water sources, we develop distributed estimates of groundwater pumping and associated streamflow depletion caused by cannabis and residential users within the Navarro River Watershed in Northern California (USA). An estimated 73% of cannabis cultivation sites and 92% of residential structures in the watershed rely on groundwater, and groundwater abstraction leads to streamflow depletion during late summer when groundwater is a critical source of baseflow to ecologically important streams. However, streamflow depletion caused by cannabis cultivation is dwarfed by the impacts of residential use, which causes >5 times as much streamflow depletion and is concentrated close to ecologically important stream segments. Focusing on cannabis, a small number of wells (<25%) cause a disproportionate amount of depletion (>50%), and significant predictors for impacts of a well are the annual pumping rate, the distance to the closest stream, and the transmissivity between the well and the stream. Streamflow depletion increases nonlinearly when pumping occurs within 1.2 km of streams, and most cannabis and residential groundwater use is within this critical distance. Given the rapid increase in cannabis cultivation, these results indicate that potential streamflow depletion from groundwater irrigation of cannabis is a current and future concern, and will be superimposed on top of significant depletion already occurring due to residential use in the region studied.

온도구배터널에서 기온상승에 따른 만주감초의 생육, 수량, 약리성분 특성에 관한 연구

Background: Studies have suggested that the northern provinces of Gangwon-do are good sites for licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch.) cultivation in Korea, as they have similar temperatures to its original locations in northern China. However, poor growth and freezing injury are often reported in Korea. Therefore, it is necessary to reassess the domestic cultivation site of licorice.BR Methods and Results: To determine the optimum temperature for cultivating licorice, the growth, yield, and pharmacological characteristics of G. uralensis were assessed in a temperature gradient tunnel at Eumseong, Chungcheongbuk-do, Korea in 2017. Plant height increased until the temperature rose to 5.9℃ above the local external temperature. Yield (㎏/10a) increased by 46.9% when the growing temperature was 1.5℃ to 3.0℃ (T2) above the external temperature and by 72.6% when the growing temperature was 3.0℃ - 4.5℃ (T3) above the external temperature. However, a difference of 4.5℃ - 5.9℃ (T4) above the external temperature, decreased the yield by 9.8% compared to that at T2. The glycyrrhizin content of G. uralensis roots in each temperature band was 0.72%, 0.53%, 0.91%, and 0.84% (T1, T2, T3, T4), these differences appear to result form individual plant variation rather than growth temperature.BR Conclusions: Based on the results of this study, we estimate that the temperature-based optimum cultivation site for G. uralensis in Korea is the south central region, rather than the northern province of Gangwon-do. Improvement in growth and yield maybe observed if the plantations in the central Jecheon (Chungcheongbuk-do, Korea) are expanded into the south central region.

Phenotypic characterization and quality traits of Greek garlic (Allium sativum L.) germplasm cultivated at two different locations

In the present study, we examined the phenotypic diversity of Greek garlic (Allium sativum L.) genotypes using morphological descriptors derived from IPGRI and UPOV. Thirty-four garlic genotypes were cultivated at two different locations: (a) Velestino, Magnesia, Region of Thessaly, and (b) Kavasila, Ilia, Region of Western Greece. The garlic genotypes were characterized using twenty-seven morphological descriptors and four quantitative characters, namely bulb dry matter, chlorophyll content in the leaf, yield and total soluble solids (°Brix) of plants and raw bulbs. The Shannon–Weaver (H′) phenotypic diversity index varied among the genotypes, although identical mean values (0.79) were recorded for both fields. Traits, such as flowering stem length, bulb skin color, skin color of the clove presented low (H′) values indicating a high coefficient of heritability and less environmental effect. Principal component analysis based on morphological characters showed that the first seven axes could explain 71.49% and 75.86% of total variation for Kavasila and Velestino fields respectively. Significant differences were also observed among the garlic genotypes for the quantitative characters studied. Furthermore, significant statistical correlations were recorded for specific characters between the two cultivation sites e.g. yield with weight of cloves (r = 0.55 and r = 0.62) and number of cloves per bulb with weight of cloves (r = −0.51 and r = −0.55), which could be exploited further in future breeding programs. In conclusion, the high phenotypic diversity observed among the garlic genotypes could be attributed to various factors such as the genotype, the cultivation practices and the environmental conditions.

Habitat preference and potential distribution of Magnolia officinalis subsp. officinalis and M. o. subsp. biloba in China

Magnolia officinalis subsp. officinalis and M. officinalis subsp. biloba are important medicinal plants in China. The bark of these two subspecies is commonly used in the production of a widely-used Chinese traditional medicine named ‘Houpu’. In recent years, M. o. subsp. officinalis and M. o. subsp. biloba have become increasingly threatened owing to the over-harvesting of their bark and the fragmentation of their habitats. In this study, we aimed to support the conservation and cultivation of these two subspecies in China by: (1) assessing the relationship between numerous environmental variables and the geographical distributions of the subspecies; (2) analysing the environmental characteristics of suitable habitats for both subspecies and predicting the spatial distribution of these habitats in China; and (3) identifying conservation areas of both subspecies in China via overlay analysis. We also assessed the degree of human disturbance within suitable habitats. We found that temperature was a major determinant for the distribution of M. o. subsp. officinalis. Conversely, the distribution of M. o. subsp. biloba was primarily dependent on precipitation rather than temperature. Distinct habitat preferences were observed between M. o. subsp. officinalis and M. o. subsp. biloba. Suitable habitats of M. o. subsp. officinalis were primarily distributed in the northern subtropical areas of China, with greater fluctuations in ambient temperature, lower extreme temperatures, less precipitation and greater fluctuations in precipitation. Habitats suitable for M. o. subsp. biloba were highly fragmented and were distributed in the central subtropical areas of China. We found that a large proportion of suitable habitats were not in the protected areas and that they were significantly disturbed by human activity. This analysis could provide useful information for the conservation of both M. o. subsp. officinalis and M. o. subsp. biloba and could aid in the selection of cultivation sites.

Characterization and Antimicrobial Resistance Profile of Pathogenic Bacteria Isolated from Freshly Sold Amaranthus viridis in Ile-Ife, Southwest Nigeria

Amaranthus viridis is known to have excellent nutritional value because of its high content of essential micronutrients which are considered heat labile, thus little or no heat is applied during its preparation to destroy microbial contaminants acquired during planting, harvesting or processing. This study was conducted to characterize pathogenic bacteria isolated from freshly sold Amaranthus viridis and determine their susceptibilities to commonly used antibiotics. Fresh, green and firm Amaranthus viridis were collected at different retail and cultivation sites across Ife Central Local Government Area of Ile–Ife and microbiologically assayed for the presence of pathogenic bacteria such as Shigella species and Escherichia coli using standard methods described by APHA. The result shows that 21 isolates were recovered of which 7 isolates showed characteristics of Shigella which appear colourless without a black centre on SSA and 5 isolates were typical of Escherichia coli with characteristic green metallic sheen on EMB agar. The isolates were all sensitive to ofloxacilin, more than 86% of the isolated Shigella spp. and Escherichia coli exhibited multi resistance to other antibiotics especially nitrofurantoin and amoxicillin. This study concludes that the freshly sold Amaranthus viridis in Ile-Ife were contaminated with pathogenic bacteria, hence, the result creates awareness on the dangers of consuming these vegetables.

Natural growing site and cultivation of Pongamia (Pongamia Pinnata (L.) Pierre) as a source of biodiesel raw materials

Pongamia (Pongamia pinnata (L.) Pierre) is one of biodiesel source raw material plants. Natural site conditions and an appropriate planting technique of this species are necessary to be investigated. The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of natural growing site and the cultivation of pongamia through the plantation of seedlings based on provenances. The seedlings were originated from 5 different populations of Java Island. Soil was sampled at each location to determine the rate of soil fertility in natural habitat compared to soil sample at cultivation site. The plantation was carried out in Parungpanjang Research Forest with spacing of 3 m x 3 m. Characteristics of growth observed up to 6 months old were total height, stem base diameter, seedling survival percentage and leaf number. The results showed that pongamia in Java grows in less fertile natural habitats. The initial growth of pongamia provenance test in Parungpanjang showed that seedlings from Carita had the best growth of height (83.75 cm) and diameter (0.85 cm). Pongamia was able to adapt to the environmental conditions which are different from its natural conditions, indicated by the high percentage of survival i.e ranging from 88% (Kebumen) to 100% (Batukaras).

Valorisation of hemp inflorescence after seed harvest: Cultivation site and harvest time influence agronomic characteristics and essential oil yield and composition

Cannabis sativa L. is a multipurpose crop, whose industrial varieties, complying with the 0.2% Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) threshold set by the EU legislation, can be cultivated without restrictions by farmers. Other than its traditional use as a source of bast fibres from the stems, the fixed oil extracted from its seeds represents a valuable nutritional product. Its inflorescence is also a further exploitable threshing residue originating from seed harvest, as they can be used for the extraction of the essential oil (EO), a high-value added product.This study aims at contributing to the re-evaluation of industrial hemp cultivation as an agro-environmentally sustainable crop for the diversification of Mediterranean cropping systems, by exploring the possibility of recovering the EO from the inflorescence after seed harvest.The influence of the cultivation site (lowland and upland of Pisa province, Tuscany, central Italy) and the harvest time (August and September) have been investigated on the ‘Fedora 17’ monoecious hemp cultivar: the main agronomic traits in term of stem, seed and inflorescence production, as well as essential oil yield and composition have been evaluated.The crops harvested in September exhibited higher total dry yield as well as higher inflorescence and stem yields, while neither the site nor the harvesting period influenced the seed production, which was significantly influenced by harvest time x cultivation site interaction. Both seed fixed oil and crude protein content were affected by the cultivation site only, but in the opposite sense: the highest seed oil content was reached in the upland area, while the plants grown in the plain area exhibited the largest seed protein content. All the extracted EOs were rich in sesquiterpenes (mostly β-caryophyllene and its oxidized derivatives, and α-humulene), but monoterpene hydrocarbons were significantly represented as well (mainly α- and β-pinene, and myrcene). The EOs extraction yields were slightly higher in the earlier harvest for both sites.

Evaluation of corm origin and climatic conditions on saffron (Crocus sativus L.) yield and quality.

Crocus sativus L. is an autumn-flowering geophyte belonging to the Iridaceae family, known for the medicinal and coloring uses of the spice from its dried stigmas. It is cultivated in countries with different pedoclimatic conditions. This paper reports on a two-year research project carried out in the Basilicata region of southern Italy on the question of how to obtain the highest performance from saffron. It considers corms from three different geographical origins-'Sardinia', 'Abruzzo' and 'Kozani' at three different cultivation sites, namely Castelgrande (40° 46' N, 15° 26' E, 781 m a.s.l.), Genzano di Lucania (40° 50' N, 16° 08' E, 344 m a.s.l.), and Villa d'Agri (40° 22' N, 15° 48' E, 638 m a.s.l.). The highest yields were obtained in the second year by the combination of 'Genzano di L. × Sardinia' and 'Castelgrande × Abruzzo' with 28.1 and 23.9kg ha-1 of dried stigma, respectively. Saffron quality was determined according to ISO 3632, which classifies the samples into three categories depending on the crocin, picrocrocin, and safranal content. Results highlighted that the highest values for coloring (242.1) and bitterness (97.7) were achieved in Genzano di L. during 2013. Moreover, the crocins were correlated positively with stigma yield and air mean temperature but negatively with safranal. This study demonstrated, through principal component analysis (PCA), that the cultivation site with higher air temperature and without excessive rain during the flowering period generated the best stigma yield with high-quality traits. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

The seasonal variation in nitrogen, amino acid, protein and nitrogen-to-protein conversion factors of commercially cultivated Faroese Saccharina latissima

The demands of new food sources are increasing with the increasing human population. Proteins are a main nutrient for human consumption and in animal feed, which will be in short supply in the near future. Many macroalgal species have shown to possess significant levels and quality of protein, comparable to conventional protein-rich foods. The brown macroalga Saccharina latissima was commercially cultivated in an open ocean area in the Faroe Islands. The effect of depth, cultivation site and seasonal variation in nitrogen, protein concentration, and the amino acid profile were investigated to study the potential of Faroese cultivated S. latissima as a protein source. Moreover, the nitrogen-to-protein conversion factor was calculated. The average nitrogen concentration was 2.1 ± 0.2% of dry weight (dw) with no significant variation between sites, a single month with significant variation between cultivation depths (March 2016), and a significant seasonal variation (among most months). The average protein concentration determined by summing up total amino acids was 4.3 ± 0.9% of dw, and comparable to or slightly lower than other studies. There was no depth, site or seasonal variation in AA-protein concentration for the cultivated S. latissima. The lack of seasonal variation was most likely a consequence of the year-round stable physical conditions in the Faroe Islands, and compared with other studies surprising as most found seasonal variation of AA-protein. The quality of the protein was high (EAA score > 100%) in March, although the low total concentration of protein limits the possibilities to use S. latissima solely as a protein source or for protein extraction and other nutrients should be investigated to understand its potential as a food or feed source.This study will recommend estimating total protein concentration by summing up the total amino acids (AA-protein), as the widely used 6.25 factor is highly overestimating the protein concentration.

Hypovirulence in chestnut blight fungus, Cryphonectria parasitica, in Slovakia

ABSTRACTThe recovery of the European chestnut from chestnut blight in Europe is attributed to hypovirulence, a viral disease that reduces the virulence of its host – Cryphonectria parasitica. Hypovirulence has been used in biocontrol programmes throughout Europe with the aim of not only treating individual chestnut blight cankers but causing the natural spread and establishment of viruses in C. parasitica populations. Almost 40 years after the first appearance of chestnut blight and more than 20 years after the first biocontrol treatment implementation in Slovakia the establishment and natural spread of hypovirulence were studied. The morphological characteristics of 179 chestnut blight cankers and 161 C. parasitica strains were evaluated for the presence of hypovirus from three chestnut cultivation sites in Slovakia. Nineteen cankers and isolates were considered hypovirulent based on visual assessment of their morphological characteristics. The hypovirus presence by RNA extraction was confirmed in 6 cankers/strains.

Chocolate Under Threat from Old and New Cacao Diseases.

Theobroma cacao, the source of chocolate, is affected by destructive diseases wherever it is grown. Some diseases are endemic; however, as cacao was disseminated from the Amazon rain forest to new cultivation sites it encountered new pathogens. Two well-established diseases cause the greatest losses: black pod rot, caused by several species of Phytophthora, and witches' broom of cacao, caused by Moniliophthora perniciosa. Phytophthora megakarya causes the severest damage in the main cacao producing countries in West Africa, while P. palmivora causes significant losses globally. M. perniciosa is related to a sister basidiomycete species, M. roreri which causes frosty pod rot. These Moniliophthora species only occur in South and Central America, where they have significantly limited production since the beginnings of cacao cultivation. The basidiomycete Ceratobasidium theobromae causing vascular-streak dieback occurs only in South-East Asia and remains poorly understood. Cacao swollen shoot disease caused by Cacao swollen shoot virus is rapidly spreading in West Africa. This review presents contemporary research on the biology, taxonomy and genomics of what are often new-encounter pathogens, as well as the management of the diseases they cause.

CULTIVATED SPECIES OF PLANTS IN THE COMPOSITION OF FLORA OF THE SOUTHERN TRANS-URAL REGION

This work was carried out with the aim of inventorying and analyzing cultivated species as part of the adventive component of the flora of the Southern Trans-Urals within the boundaries of the Kurgan Region and adjacent areas of the adjacent regions of Russia and Kazakhstan. In the territory under consideration, 296 species and 8 hybrids from 201 genera and 68 families of vascular plants, more or less regularly grown in open ground, and registered outside of cultivation sites, are registered. The list of cultivated plant species was 18.8 % of the flora of the Southern Trans-Urals. The overwhelming majority of plants cultivated in the region belong to ergasiophytes (226 taxons, or 76.4 % of the list of cultivated plants), which are unstable without care and are rarely observed outside cultivation sites. The group of plants more or less successfully entrenched in natural and (or) anthropogenically transformed communities is represented by 78 taxa (26.4 % of the total number of cultivated species). By the nature of their use, the most extensive is the list of ornamental herbaceous plants (119 taxa, or 39.9 % of the total number of cultivated species), ornamental trees and shrubs (62 species). The composition of food, aromatic and medicinal cultures is also significant (98 species). The list is closed by feed (16 species) and industrial crops (3 species). Systematically, taxa and hybrids cultivated in the Trans-Urals are represented by 68 families, the most numerous are Asteraceae (40 taxa), Rosaceae (29) and Fabaceae (25). In the spectrum of life forms of plants cultivated in the Trans-Urals, grassy monocarpics are leading: annuals (119 species, 39.9 %) and biennials (11 species, 3.7 %). By the nature of the primary range, the plants cultivated in the Trans-Urals are divided into 16 groups. Taxa with “western” origin are the most numerous: American (73 species), European (55 species), Mediterranean-South European (49 species), Mediterranean-Asian (41 species).

The effects of recreational cannabis legalization on forest management and conservation efforts in U.S. national forests in the Pacific Northwest

Cannabis cultivation in US national forests has been identified as a growing environmental issue. Rational choice theory often considers law enforcement efforts as pushing this illegal activity into remote areas, including public lands, through the process of crime displacement. As such, the legalization of recreational cannabis has been prescribed as a possible solution to this environmental issue. The recent liberalization of marijuana policies across numerous states introduces the opportunity to analyze these claims. Here, utilizing regression analyses, we investigate the effects of recreational cannabis legalization and a host of relevant socio-economic and law enforcement factors in Washington and Oregon on illicit marijuana cultivation in Pacific Northwest national forests. To further investigate the regression results, structured questions were sent to a key informant of the United States Forest Service Law Enforcement and Investigations division who responded on behalf of the institution. Results demonstrate law enforcement and economic variables as significant in determining illicit cannabis cultivation in Pacific Northwest national forests, confirming the relevance of a rational choice framework. Recreational cannabis legalization is found to significantly contribute to a reduction in illicit cultivation sites in Oregonian national forests, while remaining insignificant in Washington, likely due to policy differences that are discussed.

Benchmarking Technology in the Stochastic Frontier Maize Production of Northern Vietnam: Difference in Difference Approach

Northern Vietnam is famous for its maize production nationally, however, due to the conventional farming practice of farmers, the efficiency of maize production is still unmatched its potential. The government has already legislated many agricultural policies toward supporting by farmers by subsidies, finance support and agricultural practice training for years. This study examines the efficiency of contemporary government policies by applying benchmarking in technical efficiency analysis then using Difference in Difference method to determine the change in technical efficiency from 2008 to 2010. In term of functional form, the result suggests that the translog function is best fit for technical efficiency estimation of maize production in Northern Vietnam. In production function, cultivation land is found to be having significantly effects on both subsidised and non-subsidised farmers from 2008 to 2010. Furthermore, location of farmers is statistically significant that signifies cultivation site as one crucial element of technical efficiency determinants. DID estimator is 0.005 indicating that subsidised farmers had increased faster in technical efficiency compared to those who are not received the subsidies. As a result, subsidy programs has potentially positive impact on farmer’s technical efficiency.

Short Communication: Variation in chemical constituent of Styrax sumatrana wood growing at different cultivation site in North Sumatra, Indonesia

Iswanto AH, Siregar YS, Susilowati A, Darwis A, Hartono R, Wirjosentono B, Rachmat HH, Hidayat A, Fatriasari W. 2019. Variation in chemical constituent of Styrax sumatrana wood growing at different cultivation site in North Sumatra, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 20: 448-452. Kemenyan Toba (Styrax sumatrana) is known as endemic resin-producing trees that naturally grow in North Sumatra and distributed throughout five districts within the province. Different growing site may constitute to different characteristics of the species, e.g. morphological differences, chemical constituent, bioactive substances, etc. Different characteristics of wood chemical constituent are an important factor determining further utilization and potential use of wood in wider spectrums. Information about wood chemical constituent of Styrax sumatrana growing from different site has not been determined yet. Therefore, the objective of this research was to analyze the characteristics of chemical constituent of Styrax sumatrana wood originated from North Tapanuli and Pakpak Bharat according to axial direction of stem (bottom, middle, and top). Chemical properties such as hollocelulose, α-cellulose, hemicellulose, Acid Soluble Lignin (ASL), acid insoluble lignin (AIL), and non-structural component (extractive content in ethanol benzene 1: 2 and ash content) were observed. Results showed that different growth location would yield in different wood chemical constituent. The wood chemical constituent from North Tapanuli and Pakpak Bharat were 52.72 and 69.80% (hollocelulose), 25.94 and 39.87% (α-cellulose), 26.78 and 29.92% (hemicellulose), 5.49 and 4.33% (Acid Soluble Lignin), 4.37 and 20.43% (Acid-Insoluble Lignin), 10.95 and 2.42% (extractive content), 1.37 and 0.8% for ash content.

Effect of pre-harvest conditions and postharvest storage time on the quality of whole and fresh-cut calçots (Allium cepa L.)

Pre-harvest conditions such as cultivar, cultivation site and planting time could affect the storability, quality and shelf-life of fruit and vegetables. The influence of onion cultivar, cultivation site and planting time on the storability and quality of whole fresh and roasted calçots (Allium cepa L.) was investigated. Moreover, the suitability for fresh-cut processing of four different calçots was studied. Samples from ‘Montferri’ onion cultivar presented the best storability. Overall, postharvest storage time had no remarkable effect on the quality of whole calçots but produced an increase on the antioxidant properties of all samples. In relation to the aptitude to minimal processing, ‘Montferri’ onion cultivar cultivated at Viladecans in August showed the best results in terms of quality throughout their postharvest storage time. Therefore, cultivar and postharvest storage time could have more effect than cultivation site and planting time on the quality of whole and fresh-cut calçots.