Different Locations In Sweden Research Articles

Applications in food quality and environmental contamination

Potatoes, carrots, beetroots, lettuce and rhubarb were cultivated on soil, that had been severely lead‐contaminated by industrial activities at three different locations in Sweden. The vegetables were grown in the gardens of people living in the district, or in some other way making use of the land in the contaminated areas. In some cases, the vegetables were grown in a greenhouse in pots filled with soil from the contaminated sites. Samples of vegetables and soil were collected simultaneously. The vegetables were dry ashed at 450°C and analysed for lead using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry with background correction. Certified reference materials were analysed simultaneously with the samples. Soils were extracted according to two methods based on extraction with 2 M HNO3 and NH4OAc, respectively. Lead was determined as above. The pH was determined in a filtered mixture of soil and water (1:2) and recalculated to H+. The results for both vegetables and soils spanned over quite a wide range, for vegetables between < 0.004 and 2.7 mg/kg fresh weight. In the soils, the results ranged from 9.6 to 4400 mg/kg dry weight for the HNO3 fraction, and from 2.3 to 478 mg/kg for the NH4OAc fraction. Regression analysis showed a significant positive correlation (p<0.05) between lead levels in all the vegetables and lead levels in both of the soil fractions together with H+.

Phytosterol content in seven oat cultivars grown at three locations in Sweden

The total and individual sterol content in 21 oat samples (seven cultivars grown at three different locations in Sweden) were analysed by gas chromatography after acid hydrolysis. The total sterol content in these oat cultivars varied between 350–491 µg g−1 of dry weight of kernel. The most abundant phytosterol was β-sitosterol (237–321 µg g−1) followed by campesterol (32–46 µg g−1), Δ5-avenasterol (15–47 µg g−1) and stigmasterol (11–21 µg g−1). There was a statistically significant difference in total sterol content between cultivars (p < 0.05) but no effect was found for cultivation location. Furthermore when contents of Δ5-avenasterol in hexane-extracted oat oil and acid-hydrolysed oat samples were compared, it was noticed that the content of Δ5-avenasterol was lowered due to acid hydrolysis. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry

Performance of the Pseudomonas chlororaphis biocontrol agent MA 342 against cereal seed-borne diseases in field experiments

The bacterial biocontrol agent Pseudomonas chlororaphis, strain MA 342, was tested for activity against a number of cereal seed-borne diseases in a total of 105 field experiments carried out at different locations in Sweden during the years 1991-1996. Bacterial liquid culture was directly applied to pathogen-infested seeds of barley, oats, wheat and rye without additives. The seeds were then dried and sown in field together with fungicide-treated and untreated seeds used as controls. The bacterization controlled seed-borne diseases caused by Drechslera (Pyrenophora) graminea, D. teres, D. avenae, Ustilago avenae, U. hordei, and Tilletia caries, as effectively as guazatine + imazalil, and these effects were consistent over the years and over varying climatic zones. Diseases caused by pathogens like U. nuda, soil-borne T. caries and T. contraversa were not controlled and the bacterization gave less than full effect against diseases caused by Microdochium (Fusarium) nivale, and Bipolaris sorokiniana (Cochliobolus sativus). Bacterized seeds could be stored dry for at least two years without losing the disease suppressing effect of the bacterial treatment, when tested in the field.