Dry Matter Percentage Research Articles

Productivity and quality of Brachiaria brizantha B4 seeds in function of nitrogen doses

ABSTRACT: This study aimed to evaluate aspects of reproductive phenology, yield components and seed quality of the B4 genotype of Brachiaria brizantha in function of nitrogen doses applied at pre-flowering. The experiment was carried out at Embrapa Beef Cattle, in a randomized block design, with seeding density of 2.59kg SPV ha-1 in the first year, in free growth plants. Urea was applied at pre-flowering at doses of 0, 25, 50, 75, 100, 125 and 150kg ha-1. The reproductive cycle of the plant lasts 225 days, with late flowering. N doses influenced the following characteristics: number of fully expanded inflorescences, percentage of dry matter, dry biomass, number of spikelets per raceme, seed yield, weight of a thousand seeds, germination, germination speed index, viability and germination at 10 months after harvest. The maximum yield of pure seed was 144.8kg ha-1 for 50kg ha-1 N, with maximum biological potential, based on components of seed yield of 456.27kg ha-1. Seeds presented high dormancy and reduced physiological quality in higher N doses.

Comportamento Per se de híbridos de capim-elefante para fins energéticos

The aim of this study was to evaluate the Per se performance of elephant grass hybrids obtained by partial diallel crossing and also their parents for energy purposes through agronomic traits during rainy and dry seasons. The experiment was conducted at Pesagro experimental station, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil, in randomized blocks, with three repetitions. The crosses were made between contrasting parents in a partial diallel scheme with 5 female parents x 5 male parents. The treatments consisted of ten parents, twenty-five hybrid combinations and the control. Three cuts were realized for evaluations (April and October 2013 and April 2014). The characteristics evaluated were: plant height (ALT), in m; stem diameter (SD), in cm; leaf blade width (LB), in cm; number of tillers per linear meter (NP); dry matter percentage (%DM) and dry matter production (DMP), in t.ha-1. Variance analysis were performed and the means were grouped according to Scott-Knott test (P <0.05). It was oberved that the hybrid H4 (Cuban Pinda x Taiwan A-144), H7 (Cameroon - Piracicaba x Três Rios), H8 (Cameroon - Piracicaba x Mercker 86-Mexico), H10 (Cameroon - Piracicaba x Roxo), H13 (P241-86-Piracicaba x Mercker 86-Mexico), H17 (IAC Campinas x Três Rios) and H18 (IAC-86-Campinas x Mercker 86-Mexico) presented high biomass production.

Maturation and germination of Vernonanthura discolor seeds

ABSTRACT Vernonanthura discolor is a native species with potential for reclamation of degraded lands, and the manufacture of wood panels. This study has aimed to evaluate the process of maturation and germination of Vernonanthura discolor seeds, determining the harvest time, and conducting the germination test. A periodic monitoring of the reproductive development of sources of Vernonanthura discolor was conducted, located in the municipality of Bocaiúva do Sul, PR, Brazil; and starting from the anthesis, weekly collections of seeds were performed to evaluate the percentage of dry matter, germinating power, and vigor, in order to identify the physiological maturity of the seeds. In the germination test, two combinations of four temperatures (20, 30, 20-30 and 30 °C), and two light regimes were tested, seeking to define the best methodology and evaluation dates of the test. It was concluded that the seeds physiological maturity Vernonanthura discolor reached 45 days after the anthesis, when the maximum values of dry weight, germination and vigor are achieved. Germination test may be conducted on blotting paper at 20 or 25 °C with a supply of light, or at 25 °C in the dark, the first count being on the 13th and the last one on the 29th day after seeding.

English

The sweet orange, Citrus sinensis L. is an important fruit crop in Nigeria and its production is seriously constrained at maturity by attack of the fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata which results in severe yield loss. Effects of attack by C. capitata on fruit morphology and nutritional characteristics of C. sinensis from selected sites in southwest Nigeria were investigated. Twenty five mother citrus trees with >45 cm diameter at breast height (DBH) were randomly selected at two plantation sites: Ede (Osun state) and Olodo (Ogun state) in southwestern Nigeria. Ten mature fruits, plucked randomly from four cardinal sections of each tree were classified based on levels of infestation. Effects of attack on fruit morphometrics were assessed by standard measurements while the effects on fruit quality were determined by proximate and mineral analyses. Results indicated that attack by C. capitata was characterized by oviposition punctures which predisposed the fruit to secondary infection by Penicillium notatum. Fruits were attacked at any point on the surface but significantly more at about 2 cm from the fruit stalk scar. Multiple attacks did not follow a regular pattern. Fruit attack by C. capitata significantly decreased moisture content of fruit by 79% and mineral content; calcium, phosphorous, copper, zinc and iron  while percentage dry matter, crude protein and crude fiber decreased significantly (P<0.50) with increased infestation. Fruit infestation also caused significant decrease in the vitamin C content by about 50% but increased saccharose, maltose and glucose content of attacked fruits by about 10%.   Key words: Citrus sinensis, multiple infestations, Ceratitis capitata, fruit morphometrics, Penicillium notatum

Effects of N, P and K on polygodial leaf extract of Tasmannia lanceolata (Poir.) A.C. Smith

Developing systems for the commercial production of native plant species is required to ensure a sustainable supply of quality material. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of key nutrients on the early establishment of Tasmannia lanceolata for potential plantation production of leaves from which polygodial is extracted. Treatments of N, P and K fertilizers were imposed on a single clone in a pot trial with a factorial design. Levels of all other essential nutrients were kept constant. The highest application level of N (20 mM, 2.32% N in leaves) achieved the highest level of polygodial as a percentage of dry matter. The highest P (2 mM, 0.42% P in leaves) and K (12 mM, 1.73% K in leaves) treatments produced a noticeable decline in total polygodial yield, with medium-level treatments of both nutrients producing the highest levels of polygodial. The implications of these findings for the production of commercial quantities of T. lanceolata leaf material are discussed.

Reproductive potentials, meat yield and egg quality characteristics of indigenous dwarf chicken of Bangladesh

The study was conducted to investigate reproductive potentialities, meat yield and egg quality characteristics of indigenous dwarf chicken (IDC) of Bangladesh under intensive management condition. The experiment was conducted at BAU Poultry farm for a period of 26 months from March 2013 to April 2015.A total of 499 eggs were incubated to examine hatching performance, 64 eggs were used to determine egg quality characteristics and 33 birds of 24 weeks age were slaughtered to investigate meat yield characteristics. The mean of hatching egg weight and IDC chick weight were 39.81g and 26.68g, respectively. Estimated chick weight was 67.19% of the egg weight. The average mature body weight and age at sexual maturity of IDC was 1093.20 g and 166.53 d, respectively. The average hen day egg production of IDC up to 32 and 75 weeks of age was 55.22 and 37.43%, respectively. The estimated fertility and hatchability of IDC eggs were 78.36 and 71.80%. Among the meat yield parameters considered, dressed weight, breast weight and thigh meat weight varied significantly (P<0.05) between the males from IDC and the chicken with normal size shank (CNS). IDC also differed significantly (P<0.01) from CNS in terms of neck length (P<0.01) and drumstick bone length. Egg quality parameters like egg weight, shape index, yolk diameter and egg breaking strength varied significantly (P<0.05) between IDC and CNS. In addition, eggs of IDC and CNS showed significant (P<0.01) variation in dry albumen weight and albumen dry matter percent. In conclusion, the findings of the present study provided with some basic information about the potentialities of IDC which could be utilized in future breeding program.Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. December 2015, 1(3): 416-423

Incubation temperature manipulation during fetal development reduces adiposity of broiler hatchlings

Broilers are known as an efficient source of lean meat. Genetic selection resulted in broiler strains with large body size and fast growth, but a concomitant increase in fat deposition also occurred. Other than reducing nutrient intake, there is a lack of alternative methods to control body fat composition of broilers. The present study assessed whether incubation temperature (machine temperatures: 36ºC, 37.5ºC, and 39ºC; eggshell temperatures: 37.4 ± 0.08°C, 37.8 ± 0.15ºC, and 38.8 ± 0.33°C, respectively.) from d 13 affects broiler hatchling fat deposition. We analyzed adipocyte hypertrophy and proliferation in 3 body regions; weight and chemical composition of yolk-free chicks and yolk sacs; and serum lipid profile. Increased incubation temperature reduced abdominal and cervical adipocyte size. Independently of temperature, cervical adipocytes were smaller and showed higher proliferation than adipocytes in the abdominal and thigh regions. Smaller cervical adipocytes were observed in birds from eggs incubated at 36ºC and 39ºC. With regard to weight and composition of chicks, ash content as a percentage of dry matter was the only variable affected by temperature; it was higher in chicks from eggs incubated at 36ºC than at 39ºC and showed no significant difference between chicks incubated at 39ºC and 37.5ºC. Absolute and relative weights of yolk sacs were higher from eggs incubated at 39ºC than at 36ºC, and these two treatments did not differ from the 37.5ºC control. Absolute measures of yolk sac lipids, moisture, dry matter, and crude protein content were lower in chicks from eggs incubated at 36ºC, and no significant differences were found for these variables between chicks from eggs incubated at 37.5ºC and 39ºC. Hatchlings from eggs incubated at 36°C had significantly higher cholesterol levels than chicks incubated at the other 2 temperatures, but no additional effects on blood lipids were detected. Incubation temperature manipulation during fetal development altered cervical and abdominal adipocyte size in broiler hatchlings and could become a tool in hatcheries to manipulate chick quality, although further studies are needed to evaluate its long-term effects.

Determining an Appropriate Fertilization Planning to Increase Qualitative and Quantitative Characteristics of Kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa L.) in Astaneh Ashrafieh, Gilan, Iran

The lack of balanced use of fertilizers is one of the reasons for the low yield and the low quality of kiwifruits in Gilan Province, Iran. In order to determine a suitable fertilization planning for kiwi orchards ( Actinidia deliciosa L. cv. Hayward) in Astaneh Ashrafieh, an experiment was performed in 10 treatments with 3 replications based on a randomized complete block design with different amounts of fertilizers in different fertilizing methods. Treatments include different amounts of macro- and micronutrient fertilizers with foliar spraying of calcium, zinc, and potassium in different stages. In this study, the yield of each tree, the fruit firmness, sugar, pH, wet weight, percentage of dry matter, and the content of macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) and micronutrients (iron, zinc, and manganese) in the fruit were measured. The results showed that the treatment of 350 g urea, 500 g potassium sulfate, 500 g superphosphate, 80 g iron sulfate sprayed foliarly with 5 parts per thousand of zinc chelate and iron chelate, and foliar spraying with 0.5% of calcium during several stages for each tree has the highest effect on the yield of each tree, the fruit firmness, the fruit pH, and the percentage of the fruit dry matter, so such a yield of this treatment showed a difference of 7.9 kg with control.

A Study on Genetic Variability, Character Association and Path Co-Efficient Analysis on Morphological and Yield Attributing Characters of Taro [Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott

The study investigated genotypic and phenotypic co-efficients of variation, heritability, genetic advance at 5% selection intensity and in percentage of population mean of nine characters (plant height, leaf number, length and width of leaf lamina, number and weight of cormels per plant, weight of corm per plant, dry matter percentage in the tubers and tuber yield per from 14 cultivars of taro [Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott]). Results indicated highest genotypic co-efficient of variation for dry matter percentage (47.91), which was 95.78% of the phenotypic co-efficient of variation, whereas tuber yield per plant showed the widest range (819.37). Number of cormels per plant and dry matter percentage ehibited considerably higher heritability (84.90% and 91.70%, respectively) and genetic advance (81.19 and 79.00, respectively), indicating the potentiality of selection for improvement of such characters. These two characters were found to be positively correlated to tuber yield per plant. Path analysis revealed that weight of cormels per plant possessed the highest direct effect on tuber yield, indicating the importance of selection based on this character to increase tuber yield per plant.

Microsite effects on abundance of sown species on uncultivable slopes

Hill country has a vast array of microsites that may influence the success and uniformity of establishment of oversown pasture species and their persistence. In spring 2014, studies were conducted at Woodville (southern Hawke's Bay; summer-wet) and Cheviot (North Canterbury; summer-dry) to determine the effect of gentle (14-21o) and steep (32-40o) slopes on the presence and contribution to sward dry matter (DM) of oversown species in rotationally grazed swards aged 30 or 36 months. Gentle slopes had greater soil water content (29 versus 25%) and Olsen P (34 versus 26 μg/ ml) than nearby steep slopes. Perennial ryegrass (94 versus 80%) and phalaris (6 versus 2%) were present in a greater proportion of plots on gentle than on steep slopes, respectively, whereas subterranean clover had a greater presence on steep than on gentle slopes (6 versus 1%). Perennial ryegrass comprised a higher percentage of DM in swards on gentle than on steep slopes (27 versus 11%). The percentage of DM contributed by other individual species did not differ significantly between slope classes. The persistence of most sown species was unaffected by slope; microsite variation was not a major influence on species persistence. Keywords: hill country, microsites, pasture species, plant-microsite matches

Callus induction and bioactive phenolic compounds production fromByrsonima verbascifolia(L.) DC. (Malpighiaceae)

This study developed a methodology for callus induction in leaf segments of B. verbascifolia and evaluated the bioactive phenolic compounds production. Leaf explants were cultured in MS medium with 30 g L-1 sucrose, solidified with 7 g L- 1 agar supplemented with 2,4-D (0; 4.52; 9.05; 18.10 µM) and BAP (0; 4.44; 8.88; 17.75 µM ) in the presence and absence of light. Forty-five days after inoculation we assessed the percentage of callus induction, color, consistency, fresh and dry matter, total phenols, flavonoids, tannins contents, and chromatographic profile by HPLC-DAD method. Callus induction occurred only in medium with growth regulators. Maximal induction (100%) was found in medium containing 2,4-D combined with BAP in the presence and absence of light. We obtained friable and compact callus in yellow, green, and red. Culture media containing 4.52 µM 2,4-D + 4.44 µM BAP induced 100% of friable callus with higher fresh and dry weight in the absence of light. The callus produced higher amounts of total phenols and flavonoids than the initial explant. Total tannins were detected only in callus induced in media containing 17.75 µM BAP and 4.52 µM 2,4-D + 17.75 µM BAP, and were not found in the initial explant. The bioactive phenolic compounds detected are derived from benzoic, p-coumaric, cinnamic, gallic acids, and catechins.

Adaptation Trial of Oat (Avena sativa) Varieties in Dehana District, Northern Ethiopia

The experiment was conducted in Dehana District to identify the adaptable and high yielding oat accession (s). Data on dry matter yield (kg × m−2), dry matter (percentage), grain yield (kg × m−2), plant height (centimeter) and fresh weight (kg × m−2) were taken for the accessions of oat used (579-D-27, CI-8237, CI-8235, DZF- 00551 and 6710). A significance difference (p<0.05) was observed in the parameters of dry matter yield, grain yield and fresh weight but the other parameters did not show significant differences. The mean dry matter yield of CI-8237 (0.735 kg × m−2) was significantly higher than 579-D-27 (0.562 kg × m−2), 6710 (0.533 kg × m−2) and CI-8235 (0.506 kg × m−2) varieties. The mean fresh weight yield of CI-8237 (2.446 kg × m−2) was significantly higher than 6710 (1.819 kg × m−2) and CI-8235 (1.774 kg × m−2). The mean grain yield of DZ-00551 (0.283 kg × m−2) was significantly higher (p<0.05) than all the other varieties. At the end of the experiment a field day was prepared and all the participants of field day (100%) prefer the variety CI-8237 for its biomass yield. Hence, it can be concluded that the oat variety CI-8237 should be recommended to farmers of Dehana District and of similar climatic conditions in order to enhance livestock feed production.

Physiological characteristics in seeds of the common bean under multicollinearity and conditions of salinity

The objective of this work was evaluate multicollinearity effect and discard the variables which are based on multicollinearity reduction in diversity analysis of common bean genotypes, related to seeds physiological quality, in different salinity levels in germination substrate. The common bean seed germination test for six cultivars and seven landrace genotypes was performed in paper rolls (germitest), imbibed in NaCl solutions on the osmotic potentials of 0.0; -0.3 and -0.6 MPa, maintained in germinated Mangelsdorff type at temperature of 25 °C, on constant light. The experimental design was completely randomized in factorial arrangement 13 x 3 (genotype x osmotic potential), with four replications with 25 seeds, totaling 100 seeds per treatment. The carried out evaluations were: weight of a thousand seeds, germination mean time, primary root protrusion in five and nine days after seeding, normal seedling percentage, hypocotyl and primary root length and dry matter from aerial part and roots. The multicollinearity diagnosis was carried out on the phenotypic correlation matrix and the characteristic discard was preceded through the canonical variable technique. To evaluate the multicollinearity effect, the Tocher cluster method was used before and after the variables discard. The proposed discard methodology of variables is efficient on the multicollinearity reduction and the number of discarded physiological quality descriptors is higher on the potentials of -0.3 and -0.6 MPa, under salt stress conditions, need to be discarded three characteristics and in the absence of stress only two discarded, to became a weak condition of multicollinearity to follow with the cluster analysis. The common bean genotypes clusters are different on the severe and weak multicollinearity only under salt stress condition.

Comportamento agronômico de azevém anual (lolium multiflorum lam.) no estado do Rio Grande do Sul

Os objetivos deste trabalho foram avaliar a produção de forragem e o número de dias até o florescimento em 15 populações de azevém da cultivar Comum, uma população das cultivares KLM 138 (Uruguai) e Fepagro São Gabriel e uma população local, visando à seleção de germoplasma com potencial produtivo. O delineamento experimental adotado foi o de blocos ao acaso com três repetições e medidas repetidas no tempo (cortes). A produção de forragem foi avaliada por meio de cortes de uma amostra de 2 m lineares por parcela. As amostras de forragem de cada parcela foram secas e pesadas para a determinação da matéria seca total. Uma subamostra de matéria seca total de cada parcela, em cada corte, foi utilizada para estimar a porcentagem de folhas. Os dados foram submetidos à análise de variância através de modelos mistos e as médias comparadas pelo Teste de Tukey (P&lt;0,05). Uma quarta repetição (bloco) com todas as populações não recebeu cortes, tendo sido utilizada para estimar o número de dias até o florescimento. Considerou-se florida quando mais de 50% das plantas das parcelas apresentavam inflorescências. Com exceção do primeiro corte, em todos os demais a produção de matéria seca total não teve variação (P&gt;0,05), refletindo a existência de pouca variabilidade para esse caráter nas populações avaliadas durante o ciclo de crescimento. As populações avaliadas diferiram de forma significativa em relação à porcentagem de matéria seca de folhas (P=0,0002). A cultivar KLM 138 apresentou as maiores porcentagens de folhas durante o ciclo de crescimento, todavia as populações da cultivar Comum Uruguaiana, Dom Pedrito e Vacaria também apresentaram boa produção de folhas e poderiam ser utilizadas para a seleção inicial de novos materiais promissores, em razão da maior participação de folhas promover maior qualidade da dieta ofertada aos animais. A variação no número de dias até o florescimento possibilita a seleção para diferentes ciclos de maturação do azevém comum.

Nutrient solution aeration and growing cycles affect quality and yield of fresh-cut baby leaf red lettuce

The objective of this research was to study the effects of nutrient solution aeration [no aeration (NA), low aeration (LA) or high aeration (HA)] and growing cycle (autumn, winter and summer) on the yield, quality, and shelf life of red lettuce as a fresh-cut product grown in a floating system. The specific leaf area, yield and root diameter were affected by the growing cycle. The percentage of dry matter and the nitrate content were affected by growing cycle and aeration, total phenolics and mesophilic microorganism by aeration and storage time, hue angle and chromacity by growing cycle and storage time, and antioxidant capacity, vitamin C, lightness and psychrophilic microorganisms were affected by all three factors. NA conditions increased the antioxidant capacity in summer and vitamin C content in winter. The lowest mesophilic and psychrophilic count was observed in autumn. The effect of aeration on most of the quality parameters measured was influenced by the growing cycle.

Intercropping of Grain and Fodder Maize Crops under Different Nitrogen Levels and Cutting Dates

Two field experiments were conducted in 2013 and 2014 summer seasons, at the Experimental ResearchStation, Alexandria University, Egypt, to investigate the response of grain maize and fodder maize crops grown in associations to three N levels; i.e, 252 (N1), 288 (N2) and 324 (N3) kg N/ha and three cutting dates; i.e., C1= (45), C2= (60) and C3= (75) days after sowing (DAS). The most important results are summarized as follows: 1) The two studied factors significantly affected plant height, ear leaf area, ear weight, 100-grain weight, grain yield and harvest index for grain maize, as well as green fodder yield/ha and percent of dry matter in fresh fodder in both seasons. 2) Each crop gave the highest and lowest values for its characters when they received, respectively, N3 and N1 levels, as well as at 75 and 45 DAS periods of association.3) The highest NUE of the intercrops to that of pure maize (RNUE) was obtained with the highest N level over the two seasons.4) The highest values of dry matter equivalent ratio (DMER) amounted to 1.23 and 1.26 (for N3), while, the lowest ones were 0.99 and 1.00 (for N1 level), corresponding to 1.25 and 1.29 for (C3), as well as, 1.09 and 1.10 for (C1) in 2013 and 2014 seasons, respectively.

The digestive system of 1-week-old Jersey calves is well suited to digest, absorb, and incorporate protein and energy into tissue growth even when calves are fed a high plane of milk replacer

The objectives of the current study were to determine the apparent digestibilities of nitrogen, organic matter, ash, and energy as well as investigate the nitrogen retention of calves fed different planes of milk replacer nutrition during the first week of life. Twelve Jersey calves were blocked by body weight at birth and randomly assigned to either a high plane of nutrition (HPN) or low plane of nutrition (LPN) treatment. The HPN calves were offered 19.2g of dry matter/kg of body weight of a 28% all-milk crude protein and 20% fat milk replacer. The LPN calves were fed 11.6g of dry matter/kg of body weight of a 20% all-milk crude protein and 20% fat milk replacer. All calves were given 3L of pooled colostrum within 1h of birth after which they were assigned to treatments; no starter was offered during the study. Calves were given 1 d to adapt to their treatments and environment, so calves were 30 to 36h old at the start of data collection. The study was divided into two 72-h periods. Total collection of feces occurred over each 72h period, and total urine was collected for the last 24h of each period. Peripheral blood samples were collected at the beginning and end of each period and analyzed for plasma glucose and urea nitrogen concentrations. Data are reported as HPN vs. LPN, respectively. Fecal scores were greater for HPN calves during both periods; however, no difference was found in the dry matter percentage of feces (30.9 vs. 31.9±0.06). No differences were found between treatments in either digestible or metabolizable energy efficiencies, which averaged 93.3 and 83.7%, respectively. A treatment × period interaction was found on the percentage of intake nitrogen retained, in which calves fed the HPN had a greater percentage of intake nitrogen retained during period 1 (87.9 vs. 78.4±1.79%), but was not different from calves fed the LPN during period 2 (85.4 vs. 84.9±1.79%). From these data therefore, we conclude that healthy neonatal calves have the capability to digest and absorb the additional nutrients with a higher plane of nutrition during the first week of postnatal life.

GARDEN CRESS GERMINABILITY AND SEEDLING VIGOUR AFTER TREATMENT WITH PLANT EXTRACTS

The usage of biologically active and environmentally friendly compounds has increasingly important role in the primary food production. This study was conducted in order to examine the impact of five commercial plant extracts on the seed vigour of garden cress (Lepidium sativum L.). The applied plant extracts significantly increased the germination. The highest fresh weight of seedlings, and also the lowest dry matter accumulation were observed in the treatment KE- plantasalva® without the sea salt addition. Equisetum extract inhibited the root elongation and resulted in the highest percentage of dry matter accumulated in seedlings, but also the lowest fresh weight.

Seedling Qualities of Hot Pepper according to Seedling Growth Periods and Growth and Yield after Planting

Abstract: This study was carried out to investigate seedling quality, growth characteristics and yield of hot pepper ( Capsicum annum) grown in the open field according to seedling growth periods (SGPs) of 45, 55, 65, 75, and 85 days. Before plantin g, plant height, node number, leaf area, fresh and dry weight of seedlings were high in longer-SGP treatments, the T/R ratio was high in SGP 45 and SGP 85 treatments compared with other treatments. At 10 weeks after planting, plant height, stem diameter and leaf area of plants treated with SGP 45 and SGP 55 were significantly higher compared to other treatments. Fresh and dry weight of the plant with SGP 45 treatment was greatest, however, the dry matter percentage with SGP 45 was low compared to other treatments. Fruiting number and weight per plant were highest in SGP 45 treatment. Shorter SGP treatments such as 45 and 55 days gave greatly increased total weight of ripened fruit at 18 weeks after planting. Our results showed that SGP for hot pepper grown in the open field influences plant growth parameters and marketable yield, so that SGP 45 to SGP 55 is optimum to cultivate hot pepper plant.Additional key words:

Research on Influence of Some Post-harvest Change of Peach Genotypes

In this experiment we studied the influence of storage conditions on some quality indices of two peach varieties present on the market in western part of Romania.The biological material was represented by two varieties of peach, fruit which is sold on market in western Romania, having the following origin Turcia and Chile. During the experiment the following parameters were studied: fruit’s dimensions (diameter, fruit length, circumference, weight, and fruit color), flesh firmness, acidity vegetable juice, soluble carbohydrate content and dry matter. To determine fruit firmness we used a digital penetrometer. The percentage of dry fruit pulp was determined using Kern thermobalance. Storage conditions were: temperature 4 °C, for 5 and 10 days.After 10 days of storage, due to post-maturation processes, especially respiration (degradation of the organic substrate) there was a reduction of the circumference, the diameter of the fruits and their color as changed. As regarding the biochemical characteristics, after 5 days of conservation can be seen a reduction in fruit firmness, however there is an increase of soluble carbohydrate content, while vegetable juice acidity and dry matter percentage recorded no significant changes. In case of biochemical parameters after 10 days of conservation there is a continuous trend to increase the soluble carbohydrate content due to conversion of starch into glucose after enzymatic hydrolysis processes and also there is a sharp decrease in fruit firmness, but also a slight decrease of the juice acidity from the pulp of the fruit.