Post-harvest Measures Research Articles

Automated and non-destructive estimation of soluble solid content of tomatoes on the plant under variable light conditions

In this study, a method is proposed to deal with the variable light conditions in a greenhouse to non-destructively predict the soluble solid content (SSC) of tomatoes on the plant. It was investigated how well the SSC – measured as °Brix – of tomatoes could be predicted based on spectral data in the range of 470–900 nm, where data acquired in situ (in the greenhouse) was compared to post-harvest data captured under controlled laboratory conditions. To deal with the variation in illumination in the greenhouse, a dynamic-calibration method is proposed, using a grey reference in the image. Ground-truth SSC data of the tomatoes was acquired using a refractometer. Data was collected of three different types of truss tomatoes with a wide range of SSC. Different PLS regression models were then trained on the spectral data in relation to the refractometer values. Trained and tested on all types, the in situ measurements showed a predicted coefficient of determination on the test set, Q2, of 0.95 with a Root Mean Squared Error of Prediction (RMSEP) of 0.29 °Brix using the dynamic calibration, and a Q2 of 0.93 with RMSEP of 0.35 °Brix without using the dynamic-calibration method. The post-harvest measurements resulted in a Q2 of 0.95 with RMSEP of 0.31 °Brix. The results show that spectral imaging using dynamic calibration is applicable for in situ non-destructive prediction of SSC. This method enables high-throughput and non-destructive quality estimation of fruits on the plant in commercial greenhouse conditions.

Can partial-cut harvesting be used to extend the availability of terrestrial forage lichens in late-seral pine-lichen woodlands? Evidence from the Lewes Marsh (southern Yukon) silvicultural systems trial

In northern British Columbia and southern Yukon woodland, caribou forage extensively on terrestrial lichens, predominately mat-forming Cladina species in late-successional pine-lichen woodlands. Many of these stands are now reaching a point in their development where lichen abundance declines as feather-moss mats increase. We evaluated the response of forest floor plant communities in pine-lichen woodlands from the southern Yukon Lewes Marsh partial-cutting trial 8 years after harvesting. Photoplot results documented a major decline (>60% ± 5.6% SE) in the mean surface area of existing large clumps of C. mitis in control (unharvested) treatments, whereas the mean surface area of large C. mitis clumps declined by 28% (±15% SE) in the one-third basal-area removal and showed an increase of 13.5% (±25% SE) in the two-thirds basal-area removal. Line intercept transects documented no changes in overall stand-level lichen abundance between pre-harvest (2012) and post-harvest (2021) measurements, while feather-moss mats and dwarf shrubs showed declines and increases, respectively, in partial-cutting harvest plots. Stand thinning may provide a bridging strategy to extend the period of forage lichen availability in late-seral pine-lichen woodlands, an important consideration in landscapes where increasing severity and frequency of fires are changing the seral-state distribution of caribou habitat.

Development of safe storage guidelines for Kabuli chickpeas

Safe storage guidelines of agricultural commodities assist farmers and farm managers deploy proper post-harvest measures to maximize profits and minimize economic losses. They are an effective means to ensure that the quality of harvested commodities is not compromised due to varying environmental conditions during storage. The aim of the present study was to develop safe storage guidelines for Kabuli chickpeas by taking into consideration the influence of storage variables (temperature of storage, relative humidity, time of storage) on the crop's shelf life. Chickpea samples with moisture content (MC) of 9, 11, 13 and 15% wet basis (w.b.) were stored at 10, 20, and 30 °C under different relative humidity (RH) conditions ranging from ∼55 to 95%. To evaluate the deterioration of chickpeas over storage, its germination, protein content, visible mould, MC and free fatty acid value (FAV) were assessed weekly. A statistically significant effect of the storage variables was observed on germination rate, FAV and initial MC. For samples possessing a higher initial MC (15%) and stored at a higher temperature (30 °C), visible mould was observed after the 5th week of storage. Protein content did not depict any statistically significant changes during storage. The study depicted that lower MCs of 9, 11 and 13% must be maintained for the safe storage of chickpeas at 10 and 20 °C. In the regions where the storage temperatures might exceed 30 °C, the MC of chickpeas needs to be lowered to 11% within the first 4 weeks of storage. The quality and viability of the Kabuli chickpeas can be best maintained for long term storage if the MC are kept to 9, 11 or 13% and storage temperatures below 20 °C.

Effects of different fertilizer applications on yield, yield components and fiber quality in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

Bu çalışma, 2020-2021 yıllarında Şanlıurfa-Harran koşullarında tesadüf blokları deneme desenine göre Candia pamuk çeşidi kullanılmış olup ve 3 tekrarlamalı olarak yürütülmüştür. Her parsel 5 sıra olup, parsel uzunluğu 12 m, sıra arası 70 cm ve sıra üzeri mesafe ise 10-12 cm olarak uygulanmıştır. Deneme, toplam 24 parselden oluşmuştur. Çalışmada farklı kimyasal ve organik gübrelerin karışımlarından oluşan uygulamalar uygulanmıştır. Bunlar, 1-Kontrol, 2-Taban gübresi (0 kg)+Üst gübre (Üre 35 kg da-1), 3-Taban gübresi (10 kg DAP da-1 )+Üst gübre (Üre 35 kg da-1), 4-Taban gübresi (20 kg DAP da-1 )+Üst gübre (Üre 35 kg da-1), 5-Taban gübresi (30 kg DAP da-1 )+Üst gübre (Üre 35 kg da-1), 6-Taban gübresi (2 ton çiftlik gübre -1da)+ Üst gübre (Üre 35 kg da), 7-Taban gübresi (4 ton çiftlik gübre da-1)+Üst gübre (Üre 35 kg da-1), 8-Taban gübresi (6 ton çiftlik gübre da-1)+Üst gübre (Üre 35 kg da-1) karışımları uygulanmıştır. Hasat sonrası ölçümlerde dekara verim (kg da-1), koza sayısı (adet bitki-1), koza ağırlığı (g), koza kütlü ağırlığı (g), çırçır randımanı (%), 100 tohum ağırlığı (g), lif inceliği (mic.), lif kopma dayanıklılığı (g tex-1) ve lif uzunluğu (mm) incelenmiştir. Çalışmadan elde edilen sonuçlara göre; denemenin iki yılında da en fazla koza sayısı (24.33 ve 24.66 adet bitki-1); koza ağırlığı (6.66 ve 6.55 g); dekara verim (526.40 ve 514.66 kg da-1) 6 ton çiftlik gübresi + 35 kg üre uygulamasından elde edilmiştir. Çalışmaya konu olan uygulamaların lif kalite özelliklerine etkisinin olmadığı saptanmıştır.

Carica papaya L.: A Tropical Fruit with Benefits beyond the Tropics

Carica papaya L. (family: Caricaceae), also known as ‘papaya,’ is a tropical American fruit tree. Due to the bioactive components (carpaines, BITC, benzyl glucosinolates, latex, papain, zeaxanthin, choline, etc.) in its seeds, leaves, and fruits, it is revered for its excellent antioxidant, digestive, and nutraceutical benefits. Papayas are high in vitamins A, B, C, E, and K, folate, pantothenic acid, zeaxanthin, lycopene, lutein, magnesium, copper, calcium, and potassium. Being rich in fiber, antioxidants, and vitamin C, it lowers the cholesterol in the arteries; prevents arthritis; reduces aging, cancer, macular degradation, risk of cardiovascular diseases, and stress; increases platelet count; controls dengue fever; facilitates digestion, and lowers body weight. Papaya leaf extract, with many in vitro and case studies in combination therapies with modern medicine, especially for cancers and many other viral diseases, has been found to be an efficient cure. Humans have cultivated papaya cultivars for millions of years because of their significant commercial, medicinal, and agronomic value. Several reports have been published on the genetic modification of papaya for resistance to abiotic (herbicide, Al toxicity, etc.) and biotic stressors (PRSV, mites, Phytophthora, etc.), delaying ripening, and improving shelf life. However, most of these traits have not been introduced globally to all commercial papaya varieties. Unraveling the genetics of papaya has shed light on various domestication impacts, evolutionary patterns, and sex determination in fruit tree crops. It also serves as a potential step toward developing new cultivars to fight climate-oriented stress. Furthermore, extensive research on the stability of the ‘transgene’ across generations, and the ‘yield-penalty’ caused by the transgene, is required. Thus, meticulous crop improvement research on commercial papaya cultivars is necessary for long-term food and health security. This review article encompasses information on the traditional and modern medicinal uses, nutritional properties, phytochemistry, diseases and etiology, post-harvest measures, genomics, biotechnological strategies (for papaya improvement), and value-added products of papaya for food and health security.

Computation of Strip Road Networks Based on Harvester Location Data

The location information of strip roads in thinnings and the numerical variables of strip roads are one aspect of timber harvest quality information. The ideal of automatic quality management for mechanized logging is that the quality of the harvest is calculated and reported based on data collected by forest machines. At present, quality data is collected by means of laborious, manual, field-based, post-harvest measurements. The aim of this study was to develop an automatic method to compute the strip roads of the harvested stands after harvesting, based on the stem-specific location data of the harvester. Subsequently, the strip road variables were computed from the strip road networks. The computed strip road networks were validated with 21 manually recorded field references. The method was also applied to operational stand data, including 544 harvested stands collected from Southern Finland. The results showed that the computation method produces well-located, stand-specific strip road networks from which strip road variables can be accurately determined, covering the whole stand. Thus, the method promotes the automation of quality management and reporting. The computed strip road networks can also support harvester operator work during the harvesting and, later, the automation of harvesting operations.

Postharvest Disinfestation Treatments for False Codling Moth and Fruit Flies in Citrus from South Africa

South Africa is the 13th largest producer and second largest exporter of citrus fruit globally. The false codling moth, Thaumatotibia leucotreta, and the fruit flies, Ceratitis capitata, C. rosa and Bactrocera dorsalis, can potentially infest citrus fruit and therefore pose a phytosanitary risk for export markets. Consequently, a wide range of postharvest phytosanitary treatments for disinfestation of citrus fruit from these pests have been investigated. These include cold treatments, irradiation, fumigation, heat treatments, and combinations of some of these. Due to the potential phytotoxic effects of all these treatments, the use of a systems approach that depends on two or more independent measures for acceptable phytosanitary risk mitigation is a preferable option. To date, the only postharvest disinfestation treatments used commercially for T. leucotreta and fruit flies for South African citrus, are stand-alone cold treatments and partial cold treatments, as a component in a multi-tiered systems approach. Research on development of novel and improvement of existing postharvest measures continues as a high priority. This includes postharvest detection technologies, in addition to treatment technologies.

Active Bionanocomposite Coating Quality Assessments of Some Cucumber Properties with Some Diverse Applications during Storage Condition by Chitosan, Nano Titanium Oxide Crystals, and Sodium Tripolyphosphate

Cucumbers have a short shelf-life of about 14 days, they are perishable due to the high moisture content. This study aimed to study the effects of nano-coating material such as titanium nanoparticles and chitosan with the addition of sodium tripolyphosphate as a crosslinker to enhance cucumber quality during storage. Some essential physical, chemical, and biological parameters were determined. CH-Nano-ST (chitosan/nano titanium oxide crystals/sodium tripolyphosphate) retained the maximum greenness, −7.99, compared to CH-Nano samples, which recorded −7.31. CH-Nano (chitosan/nano titanium oxide crystals) remained the lightest, 44.38, and CH-Nano-ST was a little darker (43.73) compared to the others treatments. The discoloration was extra severe with control (22.30), which started to spoil after the end of the first week. After 21 days of the storage period at 10 °C, the reducing sugars content reduced to reach −0.64 g/100 g and −0.21 g/100 g for CH-Nano and CH-Nano-ST treatments, respectively. The CH-Nano-ST treatment presented a lower value of toughness, followed by CH-Nano at the end of the storage period. Moreover, the highest crispness index was detected for CH-Nano (5.12%), while CH-Nano-ST treatment had a slight decline to reach 4.92%. The biological results indicated that CH-Nano-ST treatment can be applied to delay the microbial contamination of Salmonella spp. in cucumbers as it reached 0.94 log CFU/g, while the CH-Nano treatment reached 1.09 log CFU/g, at the end of the storage period. In summary, nano-coating treatments with the addition of sodium tripolyphosphate can be applied to regulator postharvest quality measurements of the biological activities in cucumbers during storage at 10 °C until 21 days.

Effect of heat treatment with biopreparation on the quality of tomato fruit during storage

Tomato fruits are characterized by a high content of biologically active substances, which makes them an irreplaceable component of nutrition. However, tomatoes are perishable products and require additional measures to extend storage. One of the most problematic areas is the limited use of synthetic chemicals for processing fruit prior to storage. An alternative to them are natural exogenous preparations with antioxidant and disinfectant effects, which are environmentally friendly. However, the treatment of fruits with natural substances does not have sufficient efficiency in comparison with synthetic ones, which requires a combination with other post-harvest measures to increase cold stress. The object of research is the process of storing tomato fruits using heat treatment with a biological product. Numerous studies indicate the feasibility of using the processing of fruits with biological products to extend their storage duration. Standardized preparations based on bee products are of great interest. The research carried out in this work is aimed at extending the shelf life of tomato fruits while maintaining their quality by heat treatment of tomatoes with a solution of a biological product (tincture of the biomass of the larvae of the greater wax moth) before storage. In the course of the study, it was found that such treatment prolongs the shelf life of blank tomatoes up to 50 days, which is 40 % longer compared to the control. It has been proven that fruits treated with a biological product demonstrate a low level of metabolic processes. This is due to the fact that the proposed treatment slows down the rate of accumulation and degradation of sugars and organic acids. In particular, in fruits treated with a biological product, the sugar content is 8.8–10.6 % higher than in the control. The rate of decrease in the level of titratable acidity in the variants treated with the biological product is 15–19 % slower than in the control. The above results indicate the effectiveness of the use of a biological product for storing tomato fruits in comparison with similar measures.

Mycotoxins Affecting Animals, Foods, Humans, and Plants: Types, Occurrence, Toxicities, Action Mechanisms, Prevention, and Detoxification Strategies-A Revisit.

Mycotoxins are produced by fungi and are known to be toxic to humans and animals. Common mycotoxins include aflatoxins, ochratoxins, zearalenone, patulin, sterigmatocystin, citrinin, ergot alkaloids, deoxynivalenol, fumonisins, trichothecenes, Alternaria toxins, tremorgenic mycotoxins, fusarins, 3-nitropropionic acid, cyclochlorotine, sporidesmin, etc. These mycotoxins can pose several health risks to both animals and humans, including death. As several mycotoxins simultaneously occur in nature, especially in foods and feeds, the detoxification and/or total removal of mycotoxins remains challenging. Moreover, given that the volume of scientific literature regarding mycotoxins is steadily on the rise, there is need for continuous synthesis of the body of knowledge. To supplement existing information, knowledge of mycotoxins affecting animals, foods, humans, and plants, with more focus on types, toxicity, and prevention measures, including strategies employed in detoxification and removal, were revisited in this work. Our synthesis revealed that mycotoxin decontamination, control, and detoxification strategies cut across pre-and post-harvest preventive measures. In particular, pre-harvest measures can include good agricultural practices, fertilization/irrigation, crop rotation, using resistant varieties of crops, avoiding insect damage, early harvesting, maintaining adequate humidity, and removing debris from the preceding harvests. On the other hand, post-harvest measures can include processing, chemical, biological, and physical measures. Additionally, chemical-based methods and other emerging strategies for mycotoxin detoxification can involve the usage of chitosan, ozone, nanoparticles, and plant extracts.

Genetics influence postharvest measurements of flue‐cured tobacco more than nitrogen application rate

AbstractRegulations under consideration by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization propose that nicotine concentration in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) should be lowered to non‐addictive levels (0.3 to 0.5 mg g−1). The proposed standards are 90 to 95% lower than the nicotine concentration typically documented in commercially available cultivars. Research was conducted in six environments to evaluate two cultivars with normal alkaloid levels (K326 and NC95) and four genotypes with low alkaloid levels (DH16A, DH22A, DH32, and LAFC53). Each cultivar and genotype was paired with three N application rates: 70, 85, and 100% of the recommended rate. As N application declined, so too did cured leaf yield and nicotine, anabasine, and anatabine concentration in K326 and NC95. These factors were generally not affected by N application in the low alkaloid genotypes. In contrast, LAFC53 consistently produced the lowest cured leaf quality, value, and reducing sugar concentration when compared to all other cultivars. This observation demonstrates that K326 isolines are agronomically superior to LAFC53. Despite reductions in nicotine, the lowest documented concentration was still 10‐fold greater than the proposed minimum (LAFC53). Nitrogen did not influence the measured parameters as much as genetics; therefore, additional research that involves other agronomic practices is warranted. In addition, further genetic manipulation will be required to meet the standards proposed by regulatory groups.

Toxoplasma gondii in pork & pork products - too much on our plate?

Background. The constant growth of the global population has led to increasing food production, which has been particularly evident in the production of pork in recent years. In 2015, the number of pigs surpassed one billion, and in 2018 a record high of 120 million tonnes of pork was produced worldwide. In spite of the expansion and dominance of specialized industrial farming in developed countries, Toxoplasma gondii infection in pigs as a source of human infection remains an issue in traditional small-scale farming. The disease burden of toxoplasmosis is estimated to be the highest of all parasitic infections and even higher than that of salmonellosis and campylobacteriosis. Scope and Approach. This paper reviews the latest research on T. gondii-contaminated pork and pork products, published in the past decade. As current methods do not allow for practical and cost-effective detection of T. gondii at slaughter, efforts towards safe meat have focused on the detection of the parasite in pork and ready-to-eat pork products and on post-harvest mitigation measures. Key Findings and Conclusions. In contrast to recommendations for preventing Trichinella infection, there are no globally applicable standardised and validated inactivation procedures for rendering T. gondii infected pork/pork products safe for consumers. Moreover, there are no EU regulations in place for the prevention of T. gondii infection by consumption of pork and pork products. Recommended actions, both at the producer and consumer levels, include post-harvest processing such as cooking, freezing, and proper salting/curing.

Preliminary evaluation of a decision support tool for biochar amendment

Meta-analyses have shown that only about half of biochar addition studies report improved plant growth. To improve yield response, here we describe a decision support tool (DST) for selecting a biochar type and amendment rate to meet soil and crop management goals, based on soil and biochar tests values and crop requirements as reported by regional extension recommendations. Using data from a greenhouse wheat trial, we assessed whether this approach could predict changes in soil chemistry and whether it could identify soils in which amendment would stimulate crop yield. These data indicated that the DST could provide semi-quantitative predictions of biochar amendment rates needed to meet target soil pH levels, with recommended rates averaging 25% higher than were needed. The DST was better at predicting biochar application rates to provision P and K. Across six soil types, post-harvest measurements of extractable-K showed an average 104% recovery of the quantities estimated to be provisioned by conifer wood or wheat straw biochars. Extractable-P recovery averaged 101% in two sandy soils with low P-retention but was considerably lower in four soils with higher P-retention capacity. Greenhouse data also showed that wheat growth improved only when biochar alleviated pH that was substantially below critical thresholds for plant growth, and supported the principle of using crop-specific pH requirements as part of an approach for biochar decision-support. Future field trials that evaluate yield responses in several nutrient-deficient or acidified soils will be needed to provide a robust evaluation of this DST.

가금의 살모넬라 제어를 위한 사료의 이화학적 처리와 사료첨가제의 활용

<italic>Salmonella</italic> infections in livestock industry cause various problems such as worsening animal welfare and productivity, damaging consumer confidence in the food safety of animal products. Chicken meat and eggs are known as major source of pathogen causing human foodborne infections. Therefore food safety concerns have prompted the poultry producers and governments to introduce the strategy and regulation to control these pathogens. <italic>Salmonella</italic> can persist for long periods of time in a wide range of spaces including feed bin, feed processing facilities, poultry farm, slaughterhouse, processing plants, etc. For the effective and constant <italic>Salmonella</italic> control, combination of pre-harvest, harvest and post-harvest measures should be considered comprehensively. The control measures would be most effective at farm level where the contamination initiates. Transmission of pathogen from feed origin to the live poultry and finally to the products was proven already. To control bacteria in the feed ingredients and formula feed, thermal processing, irradiation or chemical treatment may be applied. Chemical treatments to inhibit <italic>Salmonella</italic> in the feed involve the use of products containing organic acids, formaldehyde, or a combination of such compounds. However, recontamination which might occur during storage and transport process and/or by other various factors should always be under control and eliminated. Feed additives used to control <italic>Salmonella</italic> in birds’ gastrointestinal track can be of various types, including prebiotics, probiotics, organic acids and bacteriophages. Although their mode of action varies, they ultimately inhibit the colonization of <italic>Salmonella</italic> in the gut and improve the performance of birds. This review describes the strategies that could be adapted to the management of feedstuffs and the use of feed additives in pre-harvest stage to control <italic>Salmonella</italic> contamination in poultry farming.

Evaluating of quality of groundnut seeds used for sowing by farmers in Gujarat

The present study was aimed to evaluate the quality of groundnut seeds used for sowing by farmers of Gujarat. Hundred seed samples of farmers saved seeds of groundnut were collected from 15 farmers of Porbander, 21 farmers of Devbhoomi Dwarka, one farmer of Amreli and 63 farmers of Jamnagar districts of Gujarat. The study revealed that overall 80.00 per cent farmers’ saved seed samples of groundnut was confirmed to the required seed standards for germination, moisture content, physical purity and seed health with respect to insect infestation; while, 83.00 per cent seed samples of groundnut had recorded equal or higher than 70 per cent field emergence. These suggested that the quality of groundnut seed used for sowing by farmers was satisfactory in Gujarat. Even though, seed quality was reflected in the yield performance of the crop. Hence, the farmers need to be more educated about the importance and advantages of using good quality seeds and be trained for maintaining the seed quality by adopting pre and post harvest measures so as to harvest good yields of the desired varieties.

Aflatoxins in roasted peanut in Khartoum a hidden and notorious risk to children

Aflatoxins are secondary metabolites of about twenty species of the genus Aspergillus. The most important of these species is Aspergillus flavus which was reported for the first time and referred as responsible for the X – turkey disease in 1960 in Great Britain which later on named aflatoxicosis. These toxins pose a limitless risk to man and his domestics by causing a number of diseases and carcinomas. However, since the production of these toxins is rather inevitable accordingly an interdisciplinary management is the answer for managing them. The management of these toxins includes preharvest and postharvest measures such as good agricultural practices (GAP), check of imports, exports, food and feed stuffs, specifying tolerable and action limits and curing by suitable methods.This experiment aimed at having a rapid check for the total aflatoxins in roasted peanut in samples (five groups and 25 in total) collected from the three main cities of the triangular capital Khartoum (Khartoum proper, Khartoum North and Omdurman).Rapid check of aflatoxins has a lot of merits and edge over the other laboratory methods. Twenty five samples of roasted peanut were checked using Aflacheck® test kids (the method used enabled checking 10 ppb total aflatoxins in test samples). Readings revealed that the contamination percentage was 60% for each of the sample groups collected from the two sites in Khartoum proper and 100% for the sample groups collected from two sites in Khartoum north and Omdurman, separately. Statistical analysis showed a significant difference in contamination (at 5% confidence level) between the results from Khartoum proper from one side and the samples collected from Khartoum North and Omdurman areas in the other side. However, the overall contamination percentage was 84%.These results,collectively, are alarming (0 tolerance) fora deadly health risk of this roasted peanut contaminated with aflatoxins to consumers of who the majority are children.

Assessment of farmers saved groundnut seed quality ofDevbhoomi Dwarka district of Gujarat, India

Present study was aimed to determine the seed quality of groundnut used for sowing by farmers of Devbhoomi Dwarka district of Gujarat. Eighty two samples of farmers saved seeds of groundnut were collected from four villages of Jam Khambhalia, six villages of Kalyanpur, one village of Dwarka and three villages of Bhanvad talukas of Devbhoomi Dwarka. The study revealed that 96.34 per cent of seed samples conformed to the prescribed seed standards for germination, moisture content, physical purity, insect infestation; while, 76.83 per cent of seed samples recorded equal or higher than 70 per cent field emergence. The results suggest that the quality of groundnut seed used for sowing by farmers was satisfactory in Devbhoomi Dwarka of Gujarat. However, farmers need to be more educated about the importance and advantages of using good quality certified seeds and shall be trained for maintenance of seed quality by adopting pre and post harvest measures so as to harvest good yields of the desired varieties.

Simulating the environmental performance of post-harvest management measures to comply with the EU Nitrates Directive

Nitrate (NO3−) leaching from farmland remains the predominant source of nitrogen (N) loads to European ground- and surface water. As soil mineral N content at harvest is often high and may increase by mineralisation from crop residues and soil organic matter, it is critical to understand which post-harvest management measures can be taken to restrict the average NO3− concentration in ground- and surface waters below the norm of 50 mg l−1. Nitrate leaching was simulated with the EU-rotate_N model on a silty and a sandy soil following the five main arable crops cultivated in Flanders: cut grassland, silage maize, potatoes, sugar beets and winter wheat, in scenarios of optimum fertilisation with and without post-harvest measures. We compared the average NO3− concentration in the leaching water at a depth of 90 cm in these scenarios after dividing it by a factor of 2.1 to include natural attenuation processes occurring during transport towards ground- and surface water. For cut grassland, the average attenuated NO3− concentration remained below the norm on both soils. In order to comply with the Nitrates Directive, post-harvest measures seemed to be necessary on sandy soils for the four other crops and on silty soils for silage maize and for potatoes. Successful measures appeared to be the early sowing of winter crops after harvesting winter wheat, the undersowing of grass in silage maize and the removal of sugar beet leaves. Potatoes remained a problematic crop as N uptake by winter crops was insufficient to prevent excessive NO3− leaching. For each crop, maximum levels of soil mineral N content at harvest were proposed, both with and without additional measures, which could be used in future nutrient legislation. The approach taken here could be upscaled from the field level to the subcatchment level to see how different crops could be arranged within a subcatchment to permit the cultivation of problem crops without adversely affecting the water quality in such a subcatchment.

Mid-Flock and Post-Harvest Spatial Characterization of Broiler Litter Gas Flux and Nutrients

The purpose of this work was to quantify the spatial variability of litter surface gas flux of NH(3), N(2)O and CO(2) while making concurrent measurements of litter temperature and assessing litter moisture content, pH, total N and total C from laboratory analyses. Two U.S. commercial broiler houses were intensively sampled along a grid for litter properties and gas flux on a farm in Mississippi (humid subtropical climate) where the original bedding material was pine wood shavings. Before chicks were placed, the average gas flux from both houses was: 156 mg NH(3)/m(2)/h, 4.4 mg N(2)O/m(2)/h and 6440 mg CO(2)/m(2)/h. At mid-flock and after birds were harvested, pooled values from 44 locations resulted in: 260 mg NH(3)/m(2)/h, 13.1 mg N(2)O/m(2)/h and 13100 mg CO(2)/m(2)/h and 351 mg NH(3)/m(2)/h, 15.1 mg N(2)O/m(2)/h and 18400 mg CO(2)/m(2)/h, respectively. A greater degree of data variability resulted from measurements over time rather than between the houses. A good example is greater litter moisture near sidewalls during the post harvest measurement. All parameters were depicted as color contour plots; upper extremes for gas flux occurred between feeders and waterers. Tabular values cannot convey the complexity of litter surface characteristics and relationships. The efficacy of the data will be best derived by the user’s goal for improving bird productivity and management.

English

Peanut (Arachis species) plants originated in South America where they have existed for thousands of years. Successively, peanut culture has been introduced in many African countries and was incorporated into local traditional food cultures. Numerous studies showed peanut nutritive importance and capacity to prevent several human diseases. The target of the present survey aimed to create a germplasm benchmark of peanut varieties in the north region of C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire (West Africa country) since this plant is weakly studied in this geographic area. For this purpose, six peanut varieties were processed and pre and/or post-harvest measurements have been brought on seedlings. In addition, biochemical composition of peanut seed for each considered varieties were measured. Statistical analysis based on several R software functions showed a good quality of collected peanut data and proposed post-harvest parameters as an adequate factor clustering the present analyzed peanut varieties. Then, statistical analysis performed in this study, allowed to cluster analyzed peanut varieties in two different groups. Moreover, the same survey evidenced a strong agreement between both post-harvest and biochemistry parameters assessing the difference between the two detected peanut variety groups (p-value &lt; 0.05). Finally, the findings exhibited protein, glucose as well as ash biochemistry parameters as decent indicators selecting and clustering the present managed peanut varieties (p-value &lt;0.05). In conclusion, this study proved a methodology demarche suggesting the possibility to hypothesize peanut germplasm benchmark in the savanna region of C&ocirc;te d&#39;Ivoire. &nbsp; Key words: Peanut (Arachis species) varieties, groundnut, pre and post harvesting parameters, biochemical composition.