Culture Cycle Research Articles

Nitrogen management in farming systems under the use of agricultural wastes and circular economy

Population growth leads to an increase in the demand for energy, water, and food as cities grow and urbanize. However, the Earth's limited resources are unable to meet these rising demands. Modern farming practices increase productivity, but waste resources and consume too much energy. Agricultural activities occupy 50 % of all habitable land. After a rise of 80 % in 2021, fertilizer prices have increased by nearly 30 % in 2022, representing a significant cost for farmers. Sustainable and organic farming has the potential to reduce the use of inorganic fertilizers and increase the utilization of organic residues as a nitrogen (N) source for plant nutrition. Agricultural management typically prioritizes nutrient cycling and supply for crop growth, whereas the mineralization of added biomass regulates crop nutrient supply and CO2 emissions. To reduce overconsumption of natural resources and environmental damage, the current economic model of “take-make-use-dispose” must be replaced by “prevention-reuse-remake-recycle”. The circular economy model is promising for preserving natural resources and providing sustainable, restorative, and regenerative farming. Technosols and organic wastes can improve food security, ecosystem services, the availability of arable land, and human health. This study intends to investigate the nitrogen nutrition provided by organic wastes to agricultural systems, reviewing the current state of knowledge and demonstrating how common organic wastes can be utilized to promote sustainable farming management. Nine waste residues were selected to promote sustainability in farming based on circular economy and zero waste criteria. Using standard methods, their water content, organic matter, total organic carbon, Kjeldahl nitrogen, and ammonium levels were determined, along with their potential to improve soil fertility via N supply and technosol formulation. 10 % to 15 % of organic waste was mineralized and analysed during a six-month cultivation cycle. Through the results, the combination of organic and inorganic fertilization to increase crop yield is recommended, as is the search for realistic and practical methods of dealing with massive amounts of organic residues within the context of a circular economy.

Preparation and Characterization of Intracellular and Exopolysaccharides during Cycle Cultivation of Spirulina platensis.

The dried cell weight (DCW) of Spirulina platensis gradually decreased from 1.52 g/L to 1.18 g/L after five cultivation cycles. Intracellular polysaccharide (IPS) and exopolysaccharide (EPS) content both increased with increased cycle number and duration. IPS content was higher than EPS content. Maximum IPS yield (60.61 mg/g) using thermal high-pressure homogenization was achieved after three homogenization cycles at 60 MPa and an S/I ratio of 1:30. IPS showed a more fibrous, porous, and looser structure, and had a higher glucose content and Mw (272.85 kDa) compared with EPS, which may be indicative of IPS's higher viscosity and water holding capacity. Although both carbohydrates were acidic, EPS had stronger acidity and thermal stability than IPS; this was accompanied by differences in monosaccharide. IPS exhibited the highest DPPH (EC50 = 1.77 mg/mL) and ABTS (EC50 = 0.12 mg/mL) radical scavenging capacity, in line with IPS's higher total phenol content, while simultaneously showing the lowest HO• scavenging and ferrous ion chelating capacities; thus characterizing IPS as a superior antioxidant and EPS as a stronger metal ion chelator.

Distribution of Dalbulus maidis (DeLong) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) and incidence of maize rayado fino virus and Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris in corn succession planting systems.

Corn is one of the main crops grown globally to produce food for human consumption and animal feed, including raw materials for bioenergy. Effective pest management is critical for the economic viability of corn production. The leafhopper Dalbulus maidis and the diseases transmitted by it have become relevant to corn production. Our study aimed to determine environmental parameters that affect D. maidis populations and the impacts of pathogen dispersion on corn productivity under different rotation systems and sowing seasons. The population density of leafhoppers found in the studied crops was low but capable of establishing the diseases and spreading them widely in the crops. The leafhopper's highest occurrence was in the corn vegetative development stage, and its population peaks were earlier in the corn off-season. The incidence of maize rayado fino virus and maize bushy stunt phytoplasma were higher in corn off-season than in the growing season. The incidence of diseases was higher in the final stages of the cultivation cycle. Yield losses were significantly higher for maize bushy stunt phytoplasma and not significant for maize rayado fino virus. Our study observed that corn's physiological stage was the main factor influencing D. maidis dynamics. The occurrence of D. maidis at low densities was sufficient to ensure the efficient transmission and dissemination of maize rayado fino virus and maize bushy stunt phytoplasma, which had a higher incidence in the reproductive stage and the corn sowed off-season. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Large scale production of lipid for biodiesel from green microalgae using wastewater

This study examined the potential for green microalgae to produce lipid that could be used for biodiesel production from wastewater substrate. Green microalgae has the potential to be used in the production of biodiesel because it accumulates 5.3211 g of lipid in 39.2246 g of centrifuged and oven-dried algae biomass, accounting for 13.57% of its dry cellular weight. This was obtained with wastewater substrate under open-culture growth conditions. The wastewater substrate contained phosphate, nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, and sulfate at relatively optimal concentrations for culturing algae. The algae assimilated 95% of these nutrients on average for growth until the stationary phase was reached in 13 days. The most rapid cell doubling time observed was 192 h, and the maximum biomass production rate observed was 0.00057 mg/mg/day, reaching a peak algae weight fraction of 0.00926 mg/mg in 13 days. This study also examined and presented the scale-up of growing green microalgae in an open raceway culture system for obtaining maximum lipid yield from a wastewater substrate. The cost-benefit analysis of designing and building such a system was also presented in this study. The open raceway system described and modeled in this study measured 8 m * 3 m * 0.6 m and had a capacity of 10,000 liters, yielding 0.45 kg of biocrude lipid for each cycle of green microalgae culture harvested.

Winter Greenhouse Tomato Cultivation: Matching Leaf Pruning and Supplementary Lighting for Improved Yield and Precocity

Solar radiation entering a high-wire tomato greenhouse is mostly intercepted by the top of the crop canopy, while the role of lower leaves diminishes with age, turning them into sink organs rather than sources. Accordingly, the defoliation of basal leaves is a widely applied agronomic practice in high-wire greenhouse cultivation management. However, the recent increase in the application of supplemental light emitting diode (LED) lighting for high-density tomato production may affect the role of basal leaves, promoting their source role for fruit development and growth. The present research aims to explore the application of supplementary LED lighting on Solanum lycopersicum cv. Siranzo in the Mediterranean area during the cold season in combination with two regimes of basal defoliation. The defoliation factors consisted of the early removal of the leaves (R) right under the developing truss before the fruit turning stage and a non-removal (NR) during the entire cultivation cycle. The lighting factors consisted of an artificial LED lighting treatment with red and blue diodes for 16 h d−1 (h 8-00) with an intensity of 180 µmol s−1 m−2 (RB) and a control cultivated under natural light only (CK). The results demonstrated a great effect of the supplemental LED light, which increased the total yield (+118%), favoring fruit setting (+46%) and faster ripening (+60%) regardless of defoliation regimes, although the increased energy prices hinder the economic viability of the technology. Concerning fruit quality, defoliation significantly reduced the soluble solid content, while it increased the acidity when combined with natural light.

Using Slutsky equation to find the hotel growth model in the destination life cycle: an empirical study in Myrtle Beach

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the hotel growth model including hotel brand, culture and life cycle phases of the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the fastest growing tourism destination in the United States.Design/methodology/approachCulture reflecting consuming behaviour of low-context innovators and high-context imitators is measured by the price elasticity of demand (PED). Hotel brand reflecting guests’ hotel class is measured by the income elasticity of demand. Autoregressive distributed lag has been conducted on the Smith Travel Research data in 33 years (1989–2022) to determine the relationship among hotel brand, culture and life cycles.FindingsSkilled labour is the key to make hotels grow. Therefore, increase room rates when hotels possess skilled professionals and decrease room rates when hotels have no skilled professionals. During the rejuvenation in Myrtle Beach (1999–2003), hoteliers increased room rates for innovators due to skilled professionals to increase revenue. Otherwise, a decrease in room rates due to lack of skilled professionals would lead to increase revenue.Research limitations/implications(1) Although Myrtle Beach is one of the fastest growing tourism destinations in the US, it has a relatively small geographic area relative to the country. (2) Data cover over one tourist life cycle, so the time span is relatively short. Hoteliers can forecast the number of guests in different culture by changing room rates.Practical implicationsTo optimize revenue, hoteliers can select skilled labour in professional design hotel brands which could make an increase in demand for leisure transient guests no matter what room rates increase after COVID-19 pandemic.Social implicationsThe study has considered the applied ethical processes regarding revenue management that would maximize both revenue and customer satisfaction when it set up an increase in room rates to compensate for professional hotel room design or it decreases room rates for low-income imitators in exploration and development.Originality/valueThis research highlights that (1) skilled design in the luxury hotel brand is the key for the hotel growth and (2) there is a steady state of the growth model in the destination life cycle.

Bacterial cellulose production by Komagataeibacter hansenii can be improved by successive batch culture.

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a biopolymer principally synthetized by strains of the genus Komagataeibacter. However, high costs and low production yield make large-scale application difficult. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of successive batch culture before fermentation on the ability to increase the capacity of bacterial cellulose biosynthesis by a low-producing strain. The Komagataeibacter hansenii strain ATCC 23,769 was initially cultivated in fermentation broth for two periods of 35 or 56days under static conditions. At the end of each period of time, they were transferred to new broth to be cultivated again (new batch culture cycle) for 35 or 56days and carried out in parallel with a 10-day fermentation to determine the quantity of BC produced. As a result, a greater increase was observed after the end of the second and third batch cultures of 56days (increases of 137% and 187% in relation to the nonbatch cultured strain, respectively). The produced samples presented higher crystallinity and thermal properties but lower water holding capacity. Through this work, it was concluded that the longer the batch culture time was, the greater the increase in the capacity of cellulose biosynthesis, which also depended on the number of successive batch culture cycles carried out.

Sowing of stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) in the humid tropical climate of Tabasco, México

Objective: To evaluate Stevia rebaudiana under the climatic conditions of the state of Tabasco, Mexico. Design/Methodology/Approach: Three consecutive sowings of stevia plants were carried out for one year, progressively adapting the management and crop establishment according to the results obtained in the previous sowing. The survival percentage at 15 days after transplantation (dat) was calculated. Plant height was measured at 60 days and limitations observed in each crop cycle were recorded, as well as climatic variables. Results: bending problems, soil splashing on the leaves, and foliar fungal diseases were recorded during the December 2019 sowing; however, 71% of the plants survived the transplant. In the April 2020 sowing, 40% of the plants survived the transplant; nevertheless, the plants showed generalized chlorosis and lack of growth, as a consequence of excessive solar radiation. Finally, in August 2020, the survival rate reached 89% and an average plant height of 20.55 cm was recorded. Study Limitations/Implications: the rainfall that caused flooding in June and October 2020 limited the development of this research. Likewise, to determine the steviosides content and establish the quality of the harvest, the cultivation cycle must conclude. Findings/Conclusions: Stevia can be grown in the climatic conditions of Tabasco, as long as the rainy seasons and high temperatures are avoided during the first stage of cultivation. Water is a limiting factor that causes phytopathological problems and the death of the plant.

Kelp Culture Enhances Coastal Biogeochemical Cycles by Maintaining Bacterioplankton Richness and Regulating Its Interactions.

As an important carbon sink, seaweed cultivation plays a vital role in controlling global climate change. However, most studies have been focused on the seaweed itself, and knowledge of bacterioplankton dynamics in seaweed cultivation activities is still limited. Here, a total of 80 water samples were obtained from a coastal kelp cultivation area and adjacent non-culture area in the seedling and mature stages. The bacterioplankton communities were analyzed using high-throughput sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes, and the microbial genes involving biogeochemical cycles were measured by a high-throughput quantitative PCR (qPCR) chip. Seasonal variations in alpha diversity indices of bacterioplankton were found, and kelp cultivation mitigated this decline in biodiversity from the seedling to the mature stage. Further beta diversity and core taxa analyses revealed that the maintenance of biodiversity was due to kelp cultivation favoring the survival of rare bacteria. Comparisons of gene abundances between coastal water with and without kelp cultivation showed a more powerful capacity of biogeochemical cycles induced by kelp cultivation. More importantly, a positive relationship between bacterial richness and biogeochemical cycling functions was observed in samples with kelp cultivation. Finally, a co-occurrence network and pathway model indicated that the higher bacterioplankton biodiversity in kelp culture areas compared to non-mariculture regions could balance the microbial interactions to regulate biogeochemical cycles and thus enhance the ecosystem functions of kelp cultivation coasts. The findings of this study allow us to better understand the effects of kelp cultivation on coastal ecosystems and provide novel insights into the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functions. IMPORTANCE In this study, we tried to address the effects of seaweed cultivation on the microbial biogeochemical cycles and the underlying relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functions. We revealed clear enhancement of biogeochemical cycles in the seaweed cultivation areas compared to the non-mariculture coasts at both the beginning and ending of the culture cycle. Moreover, the enhanced biogeochemical cycling functions in the culture areas were found to contribute to the richness and interspecies interactions of bacterioplankton communities. The findings of this study allow us to better understand the effects of seaweed cultivation on coastal ecosystems and provide novel insights into the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functions.

Application of zymetin and super PS probiotics in hatchery, nursery, and grow‐out phases of Macrobrachium rosenbergii and their impact on culture environment, production, and economics

AbstractThis study evaluated the effect of two commercial probiotics, zymetin, and super PS, on the culture environment, production, and economics of Macrobrachium rosenbergii aquaculture. The experiment was conducted using three treatments, including T1, probiotics applied in all culture phases; T2, during grow‐out; and a control (C). Prawns were fed commercial pelleted diets. Earthen ponds were used at a stocking density of two juveniles/m2. Water concentrations of non‐ionized ammonia and nitrite‐nitrogen were significantly lower (p < 0.05) in T1 than in T2 and C. Probiotic application significantly (p < 0.05) reduced phosphate content and balanced soil pH. Growth performance, condition factor, survival, protein utilization, and production were significantly higher in T1 followed by T2 compared to C by the end of grow‐out. Application of zymetin and super PS in all culture phases significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the feed conversion ratio in T1 compared to T2 and C. Positive allometric growth was observed in T1, whereas growth was isometric in C and T2. Probiotic treatment during all culture phases achieved the highest net returns to land, family labor, and management. Application of probiotics during the entire culture cycle could be the best practice for improving production and economics in M. rosenbergii aquaculture.

National culture and international business cycle co-movements

ABSTRACT We investigate the relationship between national culture and international business cycle co-movements. We first characterize international business cycle co-movements with a dynamic latent factor model that decomposes 101 countries’ real GDP growth rates into world, regional and country-specific factors and estimate the proportion of real GDP growth rate variance explained by the world, regional and country factors for each country. We then regress these proportions on each of the five dimensions of Hofstede’s national culture with a set of control variables. We find that four dimensions (except for power distance) are significantly related to business cycle co-movements, and they have different impacts. In countries with masculinity, uncertainty avoidance and long-term orientation preferences, the global factor explains a larger real GDP growth rate variance. Individualism weakens a country’s business cycle co-movement with the global business cycle. Countries with similar cultural values have similar economic structures and similar exposures to global shocks, which lead to business cycle co-movements. Our results are robust after addressing the issue of endogeneity and subsample analyses.

Evaluation of Growth Responses of Lettuce and Energy Efficiency of the Substrate and Smart Hydroponics Cropping System.

Smart sensing devices enabled hydroponics, a concept of vertical farming that involves soilless technology that increases green area. Although the cultivation medium is water, hydroponic cultivation uses 13 ± 10 times less water and gives 10 ± 5 times better quality products compared with those obtained through the substrate cultivation medium. The use of smart sensing devices helps in continuous real-time monitoring of the nutrient requirements and the environmental conditions required by the crop selected for cultivation. This, in turn, helps in enhanced year-round agricultural production. In this study, lettuce, a leafy crop, is cultivated with the Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) setup of hydroponics, and the growth results are compared with cultivation in a substrate medium. The leaf growth was analyzed in terms of cultivation cycle, leaf length, leaf perimeter, and leaf count in both cultivation methods, where hydroponics outperformed substrate cultivation. The results of the 'AquaCrop simulator also showed similar results, not only qualitatively and quantitatively, but also in terms of sustainable growth and year-round production. The energy consumption of both the cultivation methods is compared, and it is found that hydroponics consumes 70 ± 11 times more energy compared to substrate cultivation. Finally, it is concluded that smart sensing devices form the backbone of precision agriculture, thereby multiplying crop yield by real-time monitoring of the agronomical variables.

Research progress of the application of metagenomics technology in female reproductive tract diseases

In recent years, many studies have found that vaginal microbiota is closely related to female reproductive tract diseases. However, traditional microbial culture technology has the defects of long culture cycle and most microorganisms cannot be cultured. The development of metagenomics technique has broken the limitations of culture technology, and has been gradually applied to the study of vaginal microorganisms with the characteristics of high throughput, short time, identification of microbial population structure and gene function. It also provides technical support for elucidating the relationship between vaginal microbiota and female reproductive tract diseases. This article mainly introduces the metagenomics techniques and their applications in prevention, screening and diagnosis of common female reproductive tract diseases, and discusses their promising development and limitations to be overcome.

Soil Organic Carbon Significantly Increases When Perennial Biomass Plantations Are Reverted Back to Annual Arable Crops

The cultivation of perennial biomass crops (PBCs) on marginal lands is necessary to provide feedstock for the bio-based EU economy and accrue environmental benefits through carbon (C) sequestration in soil. Short rotation coppice (SRC) species, e.g., willow, black locust, and poplar, and perennial rhizomatous grasses, e.g., miscanthus, switchgrass, and giant reed, have been tested in many EU projects in the last 10 years to investigate their productive potential and contribution to the mitigation of climate change. A major knowledge gap regarding PBCs is the fate of accumulated soil organic carbon (SOC), once PBC plantations are reverted to arable crops. In this study, the effects of PBCs reversion on SOC and carbon-dioxide emission (CO2) were monitored over a 2-year period in a long-term (11-year) multispecies trial of six PBCs: Three SRC species including poplar (Populus spp.), willow (Salix spp.), and black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), and three herbaceous rhizomatous grasses including miscanthus (Miscanthus x giganteus), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), and giant reed (Arundo donax). The SOC change and GHG emissions were then modeled with the ECOSSE model. Two years after the reversion, SOC increased significantly for all PBCs with no significant difference between them. During the PBC cultivation phase, 5.35 Mg SOC ha−1 was sequestered while 10.95 Mg SOC ha−1 was added by reversion, which indicated that 67% of SOC sequestration occurred after the reversion. The ECOSSE model was successfully used to simulate SOC sequestration trajectories (R2 = 0.77) and CO2 emission from soil (R2 = 0.82) after the reversion of the six PBCs. This indicated that the high SOC sequestration rate after the reversion was due to humification of belowground biomass (roots + rhizomes/stumps), which had been mulched and incorporated into the reversion layer (0–30 cm). This occurred in the first 2 months (on average 5.47 Mg SOC ha−1 y−1) and in the first year after the reversion (1.3–1.8 Mg SOC ha−1 y−1). Considering the entire PBCs cultivation cycle (13 years of PBCs + reversion), PBCs showed annual SOC sequestration rates higher than 1 Mg SOC ha−1 y−1, placing PBCs cultivation and reversion as one of the most promising agricultural practices to combine biomass production, with the recovery of marginal lands to agricultural production through increasing the SOC.

Volatiles Emitted by Three Genovese Basil Cultivars in Different Growing Systems and Successive Harvests

The Genovese basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is the essential ingredient in “pesto” sauce, and it has always had ample use in Mediterranean gastronomy. This horticultural type of basil is grown in the open field and harvested more than once during its cultivation cycle, but in recent decades it is increasingly grown using alternative cultivation methods (e.g., soilless cultivation) that guarantee higher and more uniform production. The dataset presented in this contribution refers to the analysis of the aroma profile by solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography coupled with a mass spectrometer, of three different cultivars of Genovese basil (Aroma 2, Eleonora, and Italiano Classico) grown in the open field or floating raft system in two successive harvests. The data are a record of the variability of volatile organic compounds due to key agronomic factors, such as the genotype, the cultivation method, and the cut. They may be of interest for those concerned about the impact of different technical factors on the aroma and flavor of basil plants.

Influences of Various Factors on Inducing Adventitious Shoot Regeneration From Stem Explants of Cassia Mimosoides Linn.

In the present study, an efficient plant regeneration method was established in Cassia mimosoides by using stem explants. Low regeneration frequency with poor quality advantageous shoot buds were obtained when the explants were grown only Kinetin (KN) or thidiazeuron (TDZ) enriched media. For improving the regeneration efficiency and production of good quality adventitious buds, Cu2+, Mg2+, Fe2+ and Ag+ were supplemented in the regeneration medium at different concentrations. The highest (63.96%) adventitious bud regeneration rate, the maximum number of buds (5.39) per explant and the longest regenerated buds (3.49 cm) were obtained by adding 26 mg/l Ag+ in the regeneration medium. In order to improve the rooting in shoot buds, diethyl aminoethyl hexanoate (DA-6) at different concentrations was added into rooting medium. The optimal rooting was obtained by supplementing 0.6 mg/l DA-6. The highest rooting rate (90.23%), the highest number of roots per bud (6.08) and the longest roots (4.26 cm) were developed within 20 days of culture in this medium. By applying this method culture cycle for obtaining complete regenerated plantlets was significantly shortened (in 60 days), Additional culture for proliferation and elongation of regenerated adventitious buds was not needed. Therefore, the method established in the present study was helpful to improve the efficiency of plant regeneration from stem explants in C. mimosoides. Besides the establishment of this culture method could lay a foundation for the future large-scale cultivation and genetic transformation of C. mimosoides. Bangladesh J. Bot. 51(4): 873-882, 2022 (December) Special

HUMEDAD RELATIVA Y RADIACIÓN FOTOSINTÉTICAMENTE ACTIVA INFLUYEN EN EL RENDIMIENTO DE FRUTO DE Vanilla planifolia

<em><em></em></em><p><strong>Background:</strong> Fruit yield in vanilla cultivation depends on climatic and genetic factors and management practices; however, studies on the influence of the environment on management systems for vanilla production are still limited. <strong>Objective:</strong> To evaluate the yield of vanilla fruit in three different management systems in correlation with their climate parameters. <strong>Methodology:</strong> 16 fruit yield components were evaluated in at least 10 repetitions; in addition, temperature, relative humidity, photosynthetically active radiation, and accumulated precipitation were recorded during the production cycle. The analysis of variance, Tukey´s test (α=0.05), and canonical correlation between yield components and climate parameters were performed under a randomized complete block design. <strong>Results: </strong>Vanilla fruit yield was influenced by the management system. The intensive system in shade mesh with an inert tutor (Barriles) had the highest yield of three evaluated sites, however, its fruits had lower weight and size than the system in acahual (20 Soles) and shade mesh with a living tutor (Solteros de Juan Rosas). The acahual system had a middle yield and the largest and heaviest fruits. The cultivation in shade mesh with living tutors in Solteros had low yield, attributable to high relative humidity and low photosynthetically active radiation during the cultivation cycle due to excessive shading of living tutors that as a whole could cause low floral induction and environmental stress promoting the development of diseases and premature fruit drop. Nevertheless, the fruits harvested in Solteros had physical characteristics similar to those of acahual (20 Soles). The effect of climate parameters was mainly reflected in inflorescences and fruit density. <strong>Implications:</strong> The incorporation of more study sites and cultivation cycles are necessary to extend the research, however, the information provided may be useful for producers to modify some of their management practices. <strong>Conclusions: </strong>The yield and size of vanilla fruits is influenced by the management system, since the highest yield occurred in the intensive system of shade mesh with inert tutors. The presence of diseases is a factor that could influence low fruit yield. Relative humidity and photosynthetically active radiation are the climate parameters with the greatest influence on fruit yield, particularly on fruits and inflorescences density in vanilla cultivation.<strong></strong></p>

Biofloc colors as an assessment tool for water quality in shrimp farming with BFT systems

In shrimp farming using biofloc technology it is common to observe a gradual swap in the biofloc colors from green to brown along with shifts in water quality throughout the culture cycle. This change reflects a dominance shift from an autotrophic to a heterotrophic microbial community, resulting mainly from changes in system C:N and N:P ratios. Notwithstanding the ease of the direct analysis of biofloc color, no assessment of its potential as a proxy of water quality has been done so far. Therefore, our aim was to develop a standardized protocol to determine the potential of using the microbial community color index (MCCI) to develop an easy, fast, and low-cost assessment of water quality of intensive marine shrimp farming using biofloc systems. In this study, water quality data were collected from 17 tanks and the biofloc color was obtained from images after filtering with the help of an apparatus built with materials accessible to shrimp producers. We developed and standardized a methodology for reading the average RGB (Red, Green, and Blue) values from pixels of bioflocs images and used this methodology to calculate their average MCCIs. Based on this quantification of colors, it was possible to calculate a correlation matrix among MCCI and several water quality variables. The MCCI was positively correlated with the concentration of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus concentration in the bioflocs, total suspended solids, settleable solids and total phosphorus and negatively correlated with water transparency and G (green) values. The MCCI association with important water quality variables was expected for this type of system, in which the dominance by heterotrophic bacteria occurs at the final stages of biofloc succession, during which the system undergoes nutrient accumulation, shifting the bioflocs color from green to brown shades. Thus, it was observed that the water quality variables correlated with the MCCI were those that varied according to the culture stage. Another important result was that artificial images generated from images’ average RGB yielded satisfactory results regarding the similarity to the original images. Therefore, since it is possible to estimate water quality variables from the biofloc colors, this method lays the foundation for the future development of a practical tool (color scale or mobile app) for water quality evaluation. Shrimp farmers can use it to conduct a cheap and fast assessment of water quality of their tanks and take better decisions about critical aspects such as fertilization, water renewal or mechanical removal of excessive concentration of bioflocs.

Effect of Methyl Jasmonate Elicitation on Triterpene Production and Evaluation of Cytotoxic Activity of Mycelial Culture Extracts of Ganoderma applanatum (Pers.) Pat.

Abiotic elicitation, a well-known strategy in mushroom biotechnology, promotes increased accumulation of secondary metabolites in mycelial cultures. The study aimed the effects of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) on the production of triterpenes in submerged cultures of Ganoderma applanatum. Further, the study evaluated the cytotoxic activity of the extract corresponding to the optimal elicitation variant in selected human cancer cell lines as well as the selectivity against normal cells. MeJA was added on days 1, 4, 6, and 8 in the 10-day growth cycle at concentrations of 10, 50, 100, 150, and 200 µM MeJA. The HPLC-DAD was used to analyze the triterpenes. The cytotoxic activity was tested using the MTTFc assay in grouped panels of skin, prostate, and gastrointestinal cancer cells. The results of the quantitative analyses confirmed the stimulating effect of MeJA on the production of ganoderic acid A and ganoderic acid C. The greatest increase in total triterpenes was found on day 6 of the culture cycle compared to the control group-with the concentration of MeJA-150 µM. Compared to the control samples, mycelial culture extract after the most productive elicitation variant showed significant cytotoxic activity against prostate cancer cells and moderate effects on melanoma cells. Ganoderma applanatum mycelial cultures can be proposed as a model to study the dynamics of the accumulation of compounds with therapeutic values through abiotic elicitation.

Vision 1960-1980: Consequences against the backdrop of changes

The article considers two branches of the architectural visionary community and describes their characteristics and their evolution. It also studies the contemporary state of theoretical consciousness of post-Soviet society, its peculiarities and its interaction with the social foundation and urban policy. The cultural cycle of the mid-to-late “noughties” is marked by the federal executive authorities’ refusal to manage spatial development, lack of scientific and critical reflection, and more and more notable borrowing of western technologies and style. The author emphasizes the need to analyse both the logic and the consequences of this process. The author examines the modern transformation of architectural activity and its causes, as well as changes in the quality of visionariness.