Green Globe Research Articles

Motivations for and Comparisons of Green Certificates within the Hotel Industry

A blooming hotel industry has the downside of an increased negative environmental impact. At the same time, many hotel guests and employees have become conscious of eco-friendliness and green practices. In addition, 2017 was by United Nations declared as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, with the emphasis on (among other elements) resource efficiency and environmental protection. A hotel that has obtained green certificate(s) promises green services, products, and operations, and possesses thereby (potentially) important strategic assets, when it comes to attracting customers and employees. Many green certifications are offered within the hotel industry, such as for example Green Globe and Green Key. However, which certificate(s) to choose is a strategic choice for the hotel management. In this paper, we examine green certifications in order to determine similarities and differences among them. As part of the research, we analyze the usage of green certificates in different regions (e.g. Southeast Europe). Even though many of the certifications are offered internationally, we identified clear differences in dissemination across regions. In addition to region, our motivation factor analysis shows that belonging to a hotel chain/brand seems to be highly influential on the choice of certificate(s).

Effects of Site and Cultivar on Consumer Acceptance of Pomegranate.

Consumer sensory panels are important to determine scientifically which cultivars are desired by the public. These panels allowed for the determination of which pomegranate cultivars are liked or disliked by consumers and why. If the pomegranate growers know the most desirable cultivars for consumers, they are more likely to adopt and plant them, thus potentially increasing the diversity in the marketplace, as has been with apples, peaches, plums, pears, mangoes, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and citrus.

The Effectiveness of Audit Industry Supervision: Empirical Evidence Based on Firm Strategy Choice after CSRC Administrative Punishment

Compared with the audit markets in China and abroad, the disciplinary risks faced by the firms are different. In China, the Ministry of Finance and China Securities Regulatory Commission （hereinafter referred to as CSRC） as the government supervision and administration departments raise the auditors’ disciplinary risks. In recent years, CSRC has gradually stepped up the penalties for accounting firms that fail to provide fair audits due to the disclosure of low-quality audit reports; for instance, Shenzhen Pengcheng （the largest accounting firm in South China） was revoked securities business license because of the auditing failure of Green Globe IPO in May 2013. In 2017, Ruihua, the largest accounting firm with Chinese domestic equities, was judged sparing in its efforts to the business of Yatai Industrial Company and its business partners were required not to leave, step out or change the firm by CSRC. Xinyongzhonghe, another famous audit firm in China was punished for 4.4 million RMB for the lack of diligence in the audit of Dengyun Auto-Parts Co. Therefore, under the circumstance that the trend of supervision and punishment of CSRC is intensified, whether audit quality of accounting firms is improving or not is receiving more and more attention in China. In theory, penalties affect the reputation of accounting firms, resulting in reduced audit fees and the risk of loss of customers. However, penalties could be seen as a signal that leads to changes in audit quality including firms having been punished or not. Their choice could improve the audit quality or do nothing. The existing research only deals with the accounting firms that have been punished; however, the strategies of both punished and unpunished firms about how they react to punishment are worth considering. Therefore, this paper focuses on studying whether accounting firms choose to improve the audit quality or not after being punished by CSRC, and whether those unpunished firms choose to improve the audit quality or not due to the signal of penalty announcement, to probe deeply into the effectiveness of regulatory penalties in the audit industry. Based on the issuance of the Administrative Punishment Announcement of CSRC between 2002 and 2015, the public companies are classified into four types: companies whose punished audit firms are not changed before and after the announcement, companies whose punished audit firms are changed into unpunished one after the announcement, companies whose unpunished audit firms are changed into punished one after the announcement, and companies whose audit firms have never been punished. We match the first three types to the last type. This paper provides a detailed analysis of possible strategy choices made by different firms, and empirically shows that the punished firms may have a passive reputation reshaping behavior due to the increasing disciplinary risk after the announcement, thus improving the audit quality. Contrarily, the unpunished firms, whose audit quality has no significant change, are not affected by the punishment announcement. The ultimate audit qualities of the punished firms are not less than the unpunished ones, indicating the effective supervision of CSRC in improving the quality of the audit industry. Different from the paired sample studies conducted by previous scholars, this paper further analyzes the audit quality of the industry as a whole after a game analysis of the behavior strategies of the unpunished and the punished. The results bring more empirical evidence for the effectiveness of CSRC’s administrative punishment and confirm the restraint effect of the reputation mechanism on the CPA. It also has the policy reference to the regulatory authorities such as CSRC, China AICPA and the Ministry of Finance; moreover, signing an audit contract with an accounting firm also has a very important reference.

Leadership in Sustainability a Case Study: Green Globe Certification and Financing and the Impact on a Multifamily Property's Rate of Return

Environmental sustainability in real estate continues to be of interest, and various government incentives have emerged to encourage investment in sustainability efforts. In this detailed case study, we examine one incentive, the Federal National Mortgage Association's (Fannie Mae) Green Initiative and Green Globes certification, as applied to a newly constructed multifamily complex. Using a discounted cash flow model with several scenarios, the after-tax returns for the multifamily project are examined. In this case study, we analyze the initiative's impact on the project, showing the effects of the lower financing costs. The conclusion is that in addition to societal benefits, lower operating costs, and higher rents, the rate of return can be higher for properties that utilize Green Globe's special financing.

Friction stir based welding and processing technologies - processes, parameters, microstructures and applications: A review

Friction stir welding (FSW) has achieved remarkable success in the joining and processing of aluminium alloys and other softer structural alloys. Conventional FSW, however, has not been entirely successful in the joining, processing and manufacturing of different desired materials essential to meet the sophisticated green globe requirements. Through the efforts of improving the process and transferring the existing friction stir knowledge base to other advanced applications, several friction stir based daughter technologies have emerged over the timeline. A few among these technologies are well developed while others are under the process of emergence. Beginning with a broad classification of the scattered frictions stir based technologies into two categories, welding and processing, it appears now time to know, compile and review these to enable their rapid access for reference and academia. In this review article, the friction stir based technologies classified under the category of welding are those applied for joining of materials while the remnant are labeled as friction stir processing (FSP) technologies. This review article presents an overview of four general aspects of both the developed and the developing friction stir based technologies, their associated process parameters, metallurgical features of their products and their feasibility and application to various materials. The lesser known and emerging technologies have been emphasized.

In vitro digestibility of phenolic compounds from edible fruits: could it be explained by chemometrics?

SummaryThe health benefits of phenolic compounds depend on the ingested amount, molecular diversity and gastrointestinal digestibility. The phenolic profile of eight fruits (blackberry, blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, mulberry, pomegranate, green and red globe grapes) was chemometrically associated with their in vitro digestibility (oral, gastric, intestinal). Extractable phenols, flavonoids and anthocyanins strongly correlated with each other (r ≥ 0.84), proanthocyanidins with anthocyanins (r = 0.62) and hydrolysable phenols with both extractable phenols (r = 0.45) and proanthocyanidins (r = −0.54). Two principal components explained 93% of the variance [61% (free‐phenols), 32% (bounded‐phenols)], and four clusters were confirmed by hierarchical analysis, based in their phenolic richness (CLT 1‐4: low to high) and molecular diversity. In vitro digestibility of extractable phenols and flavonoids was blackberry (CLT‐4)> raspberry (CLT‐2)> red grape (CLT‐1) related to their phenolic richness (r ≥ 0.96; P < 0.001), but anthocyanins’ digestibility was pH‐dependent. Chemometrics is useful to predict the in vitro digestibility of phenolic compounds in the assayed fruits.

Rooting and vegetative growth of hardwood cuttings of 12 pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) cultivars

Commercial pomegranate production area has increased substantially in the western hemisphere due to increased consumer interest in the fruit. Low nursery inventory has caused many growers to propagate vegetatively their own trees and the availability of only a few cultivars is believed to have played a role in a lack of diversity in the developing market. ‘Wonderful,’ the industry standard for pomegranate in several countries, has been propagated in the United States for over 100 years, yet there is limited scientific information regarding how to most effectively propagate ‘Wonderful’ and other important cultivars. This research included two experiments. Experiment 1 evaluated rooting percentages and vegetative growth attributes of hardwood cuttings of twelve cultivars (‘Ambrosia,’ ‘Desertnyi,’ ‘Eversweet,’ ‘Golden Globe,’ ‘Green Globe,’ ‘Haku Botan,’ ‘Ki Zakuro,’ ‘Loffani,’ ‘Nochi Shibori,’ ‘Parfianka,’ ‘Phoenicia,’ and ‘Wonderful’) utilizing a basal dip in a gel formulation of 3 g·L−1 indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). Experiment 2 evaluated auxin treatments which consisted of basal dip in water only (control) or a gel formulation of IBA (1.5gL−1 or 3gL−1) for hardwood cuttings of ‘Wonderful’ and two cultivars that rooted poorly in Experiment 1: ‘Ambrosia’ and ‘Green Globe.’ Measured response attributes included rooting success percentages, dry root mass, leaf area, plant height, number of shoots, apical shoot growth, total shoot length, branching, stem diameter, and relative chlorophyll content (SPAD value). ‘Wonderful’ and nine other cultivars rooted over 84% of the time using cuttings treated with 3gL−1 IBA. Differences in plant height and branching could be detected early in production. The effect of IBA concentration on rooting percentage and growth attributes varied among cultivars. Cuttings of ‘Ambrosia’ rooted best with 3gL−1 IBA versus 0 and 1.5gL−1 IBA, whereas rooting of cuttings of ‘Green Globe’ was similar among IBA rates. Plants of ‘Wonderful’ had significantly greater leaf area compared to those of ‘Ambrosia’ and ‘Green Globe.’ Stem diameter had no effect on rooting on any cultivar in either experiment. There were significant differences among cultivars in terms of chlorophyll content, with ‘Haku Botan’ and ‘Loffani’ having greener leaves than ‘Eversweet,’ ‘Ambrosia,’ and ‘Desertnyi.’

GREEN CERTIFICATIONS WITHIN THE HOTEL INDUSTRY

A blooming hotel industry has the downside of an increased negative environmental impact. At the same time, many hotel guests and employees have become conscious of eco-friendliness and green practices. In addition, 2017 was by United Nations declared as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, with the emphasis on (among other elements) resource efficiency and environmental protection. A hotel that has green certification(s) promises more green services, products, and operations, and possesses thereby (potentially) important strategic assets, when it comes to attracting customers and employees. Many green certifications are offered within the hotel industry, such as for example Green Globe and Green Key. However, which certificate(s) to choose is a strategic choice for the hotel management. In this paper, we examine green certifications in order to determine similarities and differences among them. As part of the research, we analyze the usage of certificates in different regions (e.g. Southeast Europe). Even though many of the certifications are offered internationally, we identified clear differences in dissemination across region. In addition to region, the belonging to a hotel chain/brand seemed to highly influence the choice of certificate(s).

Eight artichoke accessions show differences in cynarin content andCshctandCshqtgene expression during the growing season

In order to add-value to artichoke production for industry and fresh purposes, different artichoke accessions were evaluated in term of cynarin content (1,3-dicaffeoylquinic acid), a metabolite associated to breakdown fat, bile-stimulating effects, and reduced cholesterol production. During 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 seasons, cynarin, Cshct and Cshqt gene expression were evaluated in artichoke accessions (Cynara scolymus L. Fiori) during vegetative growth and bud yield. Eight artichoke accessions ('Francesa', 'Argentina-CAT4', 'Argentina-CAT5', 'Argentina-CAT32', 'Chilena Llay-Llay', 'Talpiot', 'Sur Temuco-3', 'Green Globe') were vegetative propagated, and cultivated under irrigation at 33°34'S and 70°38'W. Leaves and bud samples were collected in a completely randomized design, with 4 replications by accession and time course point since fall to spring for further analysis. Cynarin quantification was done by HPLC system (a quaternary pump Jasco PU-2089 PLUS with a vacuum degasser, multiple wavelength Jasco UV-2075 detector, interface modulated LC-NetII/ADC); in bud (inner bracts, outer bracts, and heart) during spring (September and October), and in leaves during fall (April and May) and also in spring (September and October). The expression of genes encoding hydroxycinnamoyl-transferase (Cshct) and hydroxycinnamoyl CoA quinate transferase (Cshqt) was also evaluated by quantitative polymerase chain reactions (qRT-PCR) in a LightCycler®96 Real-Time PCR System (Roche, Germany), using FastStart Essential DNA Green Master (Roche, Germany). All qRT-PCR data were the average of three independent biological pool samples and three technical replicates. Significant differences were observed in cynarin in leaves, among accessions and growing season (p<0.0001), leaves collected in October (spring) showed higher cynarin concentration (42.06 µg cynarin g-1 DW). In bud, the higher cynarin content was observed in 'Argentina-CAT4' accession, while bud analysis show that outer bracts have higher concentration of this metabolite (p<0.0001) with values between 9.7 to 17.9 µg cynarin g-1 DW. In relation with Cshct and Cshqt gene expression, higher hct gene expression in conjunction with higher cynarin concentration was observed in the majority of evaluated accessions (Pearson=0.896*). No significant differences were observed in hqt gene expression.

Evaluation of some newly introduced pomegranate (Punica granatum) genotypes under mid-hills conditions of Himachal Pradesh

Twenty pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) genotypes namely Parfyanets, Saharnyi, Loulou, Nusai, Cloud, Green Globe, Podarok, Crab, Al-sirin-nar, Purple Heart, Kaim-anar, 20090265, Gulyalek, Haku-botan, Alk Pust Ghermez Saveh, Eve, Dewey, Ovadan, Sogdiana and Orange were evaluated under mid hills conditions of Himachal Pradesh. Largest and heaviest fruits were observed in Green Globe (296.3 g), whereas lightest fruits were in 20090265 (144.56 g). Aril percentage varied from 47.95% to 70.94% while as maximum aril/rind ratio was recorded in 20090265 (2.55) and minimum in Purple Heart (1.12). TSS content was maximum (15.87°B) in Purple Heart and minimum (9.93°B) in Ovadan. Titratable acidity varied from 2.26% to 0.66%. Wide variability in terms of total sugar content were also observed which ranges from 7.55% (Ovadan) to 14.13% (Purple Heart). Genotype Ovadan (30.60 mg/100 ml) have highest anthocyanins content whereas Hakubotan (3.23 mg/100 ml) have lowest anthocyanin content. Maximum phenols from the juice was obtained in Al-sirin-nar (981.24 mg/100 g), whereas it is minimum in Alk Pust Ghermez Saveh (308.03 mg/100 ml). Dewey, Green Globe, Podarok and Loulou are most suitable for use as a cultivars directly being big size of fruit, medium to soft seeded and high yield potential or in used for future breeding programme for further improvement in local cultivars.

Low Nitrogen Fertigation Promotes Root Development and Transplant Quality in Globe Artichoke

Effective nutrition and irrigation are important nursery strategies to produce high-quality seedlings able to withstand heat and drought stress in the field. The objectives of this study were 2-fold, first to identify the influence of two nitrogen (N) levels (75 and 150 mg·L−1) and two fertigation (FR) methods, overhead (OH) and flotation (FL) of artichoke (Cynara cardunculus cv. Green Globe Improved) transplants on root/shoot growth and leaf physiology during the nursery period. A repeated greenhouse experiment was conducted and morphophysiological measurements were determined at 4 and 7 weeks after seeding (WAS). The second objective was to determine the impact of the nursery treatments (FR method and N level) on the subsequent crop growth and yield under three field irrigation methods [surface drip, subsurface drip, and overhead-linear system (OH-L)]. Field measurements were conducted at 50 and 150 days after field transplanting (DAT) during Fall–Winter 2015. Transplants fertilized with 75 mg·L−1 N (low N) had improved root components as compared to those with 150 mg·L−1 N (high N), especially at 4 WAS. The low N transplants had higher root surface area, root length, root branching, thinner root diameter, and less shoot area than the high N transplants. Wilting for low N transplants was 13.5% less than that for high N at 5 DAT, with a total yield similar or slightly higher than those of high N. Although growth of OH and FL transplants was statistically similar at transplanting, those irrigated with OH (greenhouse) had a 10% higher yield than FL irrigated transplants, regardless of the field irrigation method evaluated. Overall, low N level (75 mg·L−1 N) applied with OH irrigation in the nursery positively improved the transplant root system and transplant quality of artichoke seedlings.

Artichoke ( Cynara scolymus L.) Leaves and Heads Extracts as Hypoglycemic and Hypocholesterolemic in Rats

Artichoke (Cynara scolymus L., Asteraceae family), an edible vegetable from the Mediterranean area, is a good source of phenolic compounds. Two varieties of artichoke were used in this study Green Globe (G) and Violet (V). Five major active phenolic compounds were identified into the aqueous methanolic extracts of artichoke leaves and heads. These compounds were identified as Chlorogenic acid, Cynarin, 1, 5-di-o-Caffeoylquinic, luteolin and apigenin. On the other hand, the artichoke aqueous leaves extract (ALE) and aqueous heads extracts (AHE) for the two varieties were used as hypoglycemic and hypocholesterolemic experiments by using albino rats. ALE was used in the concentration of (1.5 g/kg/day) for the two varieties. AHE was used in two different concentrations (1.5 and 3 g/kg/day). Rats were administrated orally by these different concentrations. Results show the effect of ALE and AHE extracts on the glucose level of diabetic rats. The superior effect was with G4 (Group No. 4) rats administrated 1.5 g LEG/kg/day (Leaves Extract of Green Globe). On the other hand results of the influence of artichoke leaves and heads as hypocholesterolemic action was in a positive way on the level of total cholesterol and reduced LDL and triglycerides levels and increased the level of glutathione peroxides, meanwhile it reduced the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) in rats serum. G3 (Group No. 3) [HFD (high fat diet) +1%cholesterol+1.5g LEG/kg/day] recorded the best results as hypocholesterolemic effect which could be attributed to their phenolic content. Our results indicated that, artichoke especially leaves extract of Green Globe (LEG) has good action as hypoglycemic and hypocholesterolemic.

Developmental changes in leaf phenolics composition from three artichoke cvs. (Cynara scolymus) as determined via UHPLC–MS and chemometrics

The metabolomic differences in phenolics from leaves derived from 3 artichoke cultivars (Cynara scolymus): American Green Globe, French Hyrious and Egyptian Baladi, collected at different developmental stages, were assessed using UHPLC–MS coupled to chemometrics. Ontogenic changes were considered as leaves were collected at four different time intervals and positions (top and basal) during artichoke development. Unsupervised principal component analysis (PCA) and supervised orthogonal projection to latent structures-discriminant analysis (O2PLS-DA) were used for comparing and classification of samples harvested from different cultivars at different time points and positions. A clear separation among the three investigated cultivars was revealed, with the American Green Globe samples found most enriched in caffeic acid conjugates and flavonoids vs. other cultivars. Furthermore, these metabolites also showed a marked effect on the discrimination between leaf samples from cultivars harvested at different positions, regardless of the plant age. Metabolite absolute quantifications further confirmed that discrimination was mostly influenced by phenolic compounds, namely caffeoylquinic acids and flavonoids. This study demonstrates an effect of artichoke leaf position, regardless of plant age, on its secondary metabolites composition. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report for compositional differences among artichoke leaves, based on their positions, via a metabolomic approach and suggesting that top positioned artichoke leaves present a better source of caffeoylquinic acids, compared to basal ones.

EFFECT OF SOME TREATMENTS ON GLOBE ARTICHOKE SEED PRODUCTION UNDER EGYPTIAN CONDITIONS. B- Enhancement of Seed Germination by Seed Priming

Artichoke seeds germination shows variation in germination percentage and speed with non-uniform seedlings. Two labratory and nursery experiments were carried out during seasons of years 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 to investigate the enhancement role of seed priming agents on seed germination and seedling behvior of locally produced seeds of globle artichoke Cynara scolymus L (green globe CV.).Seeds were primed in 8 different priming agents (PEG 8000, KNo3, K2HPO4, Na2SO4, NaCl, MgSO4, KCl, or Mannitol.) plus the control treatment (without priming). Both germination under laboratory conditions and emergence under nursery conditions were evaluated. Germination percentage, coefficient of velocity and germination performance index were significantly increased as a result of seed priming treatments. KNO3 , PEG and mannitol were found to be the best treatments in this regard. Priming artichoke seeds in different priming agents reduced mean germination time and time required to reach 50% germination. KNO3 , PEG and mannitol significantly improved the seedling characters in terms of seedling length and seedling fresh and dry weights as well as amylase activity. However, K2HPO4 was the best treatment in activating theperoxidase enzyme. Emergence and subsequent growth of seedling in trays responded positively to seed priming and KNO3 was the suprior in enhancing emergance percentage and seedling growth in terms of seedlings height, number of leaves and dry weights of shoots and roots. It could be recomended that, priming local produced artichoke seeds in KNO3 , PEG and mannitol will enhance seed germination and subsequent seedling growth which in turn will lead to using seed as a new method for propagtion and multplication under Egyptian condition and subsequently the cultivated area with artichoke will increase.

Quantifying growth and development of bulb turnips

Bulb brassicas are used as supplementary feed in intensive pastures systems. However, there is a lack of quantitative data to define their growth and development. This has limited the creation and use of prediction models and decision support systems. Thus a field experiment measured growth and development of ‘Barkant’ and ‘Green Globe’ turnips sown on five dates from November 2008 to March 2009. In a second field experiment ‘Green Globe’ turnips were sown on four dates from December 2009 to March 2010, under two ground cover treatments that changed mean soil temperature by ∼2°C. Bulb initiation was defined botanically as when the hypocotyl was 10mm thick, at 360°Cd (±13.0) for ‘Barkant’ and 420°Cd (±13.7) (Tb=3.6°C) for ‘Green Globe’. However, the bulb participation in dry matter production occurs after an 18mm hypocotyl thickness, which occurred at ∼500°Cd for both turnip cultivars. A single base parameter of 0.995 described the exponential decline of the leaf:bulb ratio. Relationships also described how leaf production and total leaf area expansion changed up until bulb initiation. Radiation use efficiency (RUE) ranged from 1.13 to 1.33g DM/MJ total. A constant rate of total leaf area expansion (0.015m2/m2/°Cd) was obtained up to LAIc for ‘Green Globe’ turnips. A third pot experiment confirmed the thermal time requirement to bulb initiation based on direct assessment of the hypocotyl thickening of ‘Barkant’ and ‘Green Globe’ turnips. Temperature was shown as the main driver of bulb development and growth. The relationships provided could be used to improve the performance of prediction models.

Tools for Benchmarking and Recognizing Hotels’ Green Effort—Environmental Assessment Methods and Eco-labels

Due to the increasing attention on green hotels, this article aims to investigate environmental assessment methods (EAMs) and eco-labels in China. In this study, three EAMs for the evaluation of hotel environmental performance are included: Green Globe 21 Certification, Hotel Building Environmental Assessment Scheme, and Green Hotel Certification are chosen for reviewing and benchmarking. General features are compared, then key issues are categorized, dissected, and analyzed. These major issues include energy, water, waste, building systems, design, environmental quality, emissions, health, and safety management. The results show that these assessments lack uniformity. In addition, results indicate that benefits from EAMs are uncertain. Queries on the weight and credit formulation are also raised. The study also implies that there is a need to create comprehensive guidelines for hotel operators to select the most suitable assessments for their hotels.

Effects of ABA, antitranspirants, heat and drought stress on plant growth, physiology and water status of artichoke transplants

In semiarid regions of the U.S., artichoke [Cynara cardunculus L. var. scolymus (L.) Fiori] seedlings planted in the field during late summer or early fall generally experience simultaneous high air temperatures and short drought episodes causing transplant shock and delay in root and shoot development. This experiment was conducted to determine the effects of heat (35/20°C, day/night temperature regimes vs. 25/10°C) and drought (30% water holding capacity vs. 60%) stresses on plant growth, physiology and water status of artichoke cv. ‘Green Globe Improved’ transplants during 14 days after transplanting (DAT). Heat stress significantly inhibited shoot but not root growth 14 DAT. In contrast, drought stress significantly inhibited root growth between 7 and 14 DAT. Transpiration (E), stomatal conductance (gs) and photosynthetic rate (ACO2) decreased by transplanting (within 24h) regardless of treatments. Thereafter, E and ACO2 significantly increased by heat compared to 25/10°C temperature regime 3 DAT. However as heat stress progressed E, gsACO2 and leaf water potential were reduced. Drought stress sharply reduced E, gs and ACO2 within 1 DAT and leaf water status as early as 3 DAT. The combination of heat and drought stress significantly reduced shoot and root growth 7 and 3 DAT, respectively. This suggests that to prevent transplant shock by heat and drought it is desirable to prevent leaf dehydration. Thus, consecutive greenhouse experiments were also conducted to evaluate the effects of three film-forming antitranspirants (Antistress, Transfilm and Vapor Gard) and abscisic acid (ABA: 0, 500, 1000, and 2000mgL−1) foliar application on physiological responses and shoot water status of artichoke transplants exposed to drought stress (water withholding). ABA at 1000mgL−1 enhanced drought tolerance of transplants, a response that was associated with the maintenance of shoot water status via stomatal closure. Film-forming antitranspirants were not effective to mitigate drought stress. These results suggest that exogenous ABA could be a useful plant growth regulator to condition artichoke transplants to withstand temporal drought stress conditions and reduce transplant shock.

Planting Configuration and Plasticulture Effects on Growth, Physiology, and Yield of Globe Artichoke

Globe artichoke is typically grown in Mediterranean and coastal areas. Because of the high profitability as a specialty crop, demand to develop production systems optimized for other semiarid and water-limited regions is rising. Field experiments were conducted over three seasons (2008–09, 2010–11, and 2011–12) in southwest Texas to investigate plant growth, physiology, and yield of artichoke grown as an annual system. Three strategies were evaluated: planting configuration (single and double lines per bed), plasticulture (bare soil and black plastic mulch), and cultivars differing in maturity (‘Imperial Star’, early; ‘Green Globe Improved’, late). Each fall, transplants were established in the field at 2.03 m between rows and 0.90 m between plants (single line) or 4.06 m between rows and 0.90 m between plants (double line). In both cultivars, black plastic mulch enhanced plant growth (leaf number, plant height and width) and increased early yield; however, its effect on total yield and yield components was not consistent. Single line per bed significantly increased head number of jumbo and large size per plant as compared with double line in the 2009 season. Chlorophyll index was unaffected by either planting configuration or plastic mulch. Comparing cultivars, ‘Green Globe Improved’ had lower marketable yield but bigger head size than ‘Imperial Star’ in one and two seasons, respectively. Our results indicate that single line with black plastic mulch can be recommended to improve earliness and water savings as compared with the bare soil system for annual artichoke production.

Effect of Vernalizing Temperature on Growth and Yield of Globe Artichoke

This study was conducted to produce heads of artichoke in July in Korea. The artichoke was planted in the Autumn and it could be reaped heads of artichokes in late of May in Korea. It can inform us that the artichoke need under some low temperature during the Winter to open flowers. In order to harvest heads of artichoke in the Summer two kinds of cultivar ‘Green Globe’ and ‘Imperial Star’ those were grown for 4 weeks in green house of 17℃ which were treated at 3, 6, 9 and 12oC chamber for 4 weeks and then planted the 8th April. Plant distance was 150 × 50 cm. After 3 months most of artichoke of ‘Imperial Star (IS)’ made heads. Especially, the artichokes ‘IS’ were treated at 6℃ made heads 63% of plants but those at 12℃ made heads 33% and the artichokes (no treatment at low temperature) grown in greenhouse at 17℃ for 8 weeks made heads 5% of plants. ‘Green Globe (GG)’ made heads 28% of plants at 9℃ and 10% at 12℃, and ‘GG’ grown in greenhouse at 17℃ for 8 weeks never had made any head. The weights of head were 97 g and 86 g in ‘IS’ and ‘GG’ respectively. The yield of heads were 215 and 108 kg/10a in ‘IS’ and ‘GG’ respectively.

Metabolomics driven analysis of artichoke leaf and its commercial products via UHPLC–q-TOF-MS and chemometrics

The demand to develop efficient and reliable analytical methods for the quality control of herbal medicines and nutraceuticals is on the rise, together with an increase in the legal requirements for safe and consistent levels of active principles. Here, we describe an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography method (UHPLC) coupled with quadrupole high resolution time of flight mass spectrometry (qTOF-MS) analysis for the comprehensive measurement of metabolites from three Cynara scolymus (artichoke) cultivars: American Green Globe, French Hyrious, and Egyptian Baladi. Under optimized conditions, 50 metabolites were simultaneously quantified and identified including: eight caffeic acid derivatives, six saponins, 12 flavonoids and 10 fatty acids. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to define both similarities and differences among the three artichoke leaf cultivars. In addition, batches from seven commercially available artichoke market products were analysed and showed variable quality, particularly in caffeic acid derivatives, flavonoid and fatty acid contents. PCA analysis was able to discriminate between various preparations, including differentiation between various batches from the same supplier. To the best of our knowledge, this study provides the first approach utilizing UHPLC-MS based metabolite fingerprinting to reveal secondary metabolite compositional differences in artichoke leaf extracts.