Raw Weight Research Articles

Physiological and biochemical responses of soybean seedlings (Glycine max L.) to α-tocopherol treatment under salt stress

Background. Salinity is one of the most important factors affecting the growth and productivity of plants. It creates stressful conditions for legumes at the initial phases of ontogenesis. The prospects of exogenous α-tocopherol usage to increase the salt resistance of Glycine max L. were studied. The aim of the work was to study the influence of salt stress and α-tocopherol on the growth of soybean and indicators characteri­zing the antioxidant system functioning. Materials and methods. Soybean seedlings of the Oksana variety were the objects of our study. Seeds of the control group were soaked in distilled water, seeds of the experimental groups – in α-Toc acetic solutions in concentrations (0.01; 0.1; 0.5; 1.0 g/L). A 100 mM sodium chloride solution was used to create salinity. The samples of cotyledons, hypocotyls and primary roots of 10-day-old soybean were used for determination of biochemical parameters. Germination of seeds, raw weight, length of soybean hypocotyls and roots, content of TBA-reactive substances, carbonyl groups of oxidatively modified proteins, proline, catalase and ascorbate peroxidase activity were determined. Results. It was established that salinity caused inhibition of soybean seed germination and growth. Pretreatment of soybean seeds with α-Toc (0.1 and 0.5 g/L) effectively increased germination and improved growth indicators of soybean. An increase in TBA-reactive substances and oxidatively modified proteins in hypocotyls and roots of salt-stressed plants was recorded. α-Toc reduced the level of peroxidation and oxidatively modified proteins of soybean seedlings under salinity. Proline synthesis increased during the development of the salt stress reaction, and its accumulation is an adaptive response of soybean plants. The pretreatment of α-Toc caused a significant increase of proline and stimulated catalase and ascorbate peroxidase activity in soybean seedling tissues under salt stress. However, a high concentration of α-Toc (1.0 g/L) slowed down the activity of antioxidant enzymes. Conclusions. Our study suggests the participation of α-Toc in the formation of legumes salt resistance. The α-Toc pretreatment of soybean seeds improved germination and enhanced growth processes, normalized the oxidative state of the salt-stressed soybean seedlings by inhibiting peroxidation and reducing the degree of oxidatively modified proteins, stimulating the activity of antioxidant enzymes, and increasing the content of proline.

Сезонная динамика липидов тканей двустворчатого моллюска Cerastoderma glaucum псевдолиторальной зоны

Cerastoderma glaucum is a bivalve mollusk that inhabits the supralittoral zone of the Black Sea. It is a potential object of commercial aquaculture, which makes its lipid profile and adaptation mechanisms a prospective research topic. The authors analyzed the annual patterns in total lipids, phospholipids, polyglycerides, diglycerides, sterols, free fatty acids, and triacylglycerides to obtain the fatty acid profile of C. glaucum, harvested from the supralittoral zone of the upper Kazachya Bay, Sevastopol, Russia. The mollusks were collected in the winter, spring, and autumn of 2021–2022. This research featured their gills, foot, and hepatopancreas. An integrated methodological approach was used to d etermine total lipids, classify them, and study fatty acids. The total lipid level was 2.4–15.1 g/100 g raw weight. During the year, the dynamics of total lipids in the tissues of foot and gills varied from the highest values in the spring (9.6 ± 1.6 and 4.9 ± 1.9 g/100 g raw weight, respectively) to the lowest in the autumn (5.5 ± 0.5 and 2.5 ± 0.4 g/100 g raw weight, respectively). In the hepatopancreas, it peaked the winter and dropped in the autumn (19.4 ± 1.9 and 2.9 ± 0.4 g/100 g raw weight, respectively). In the winter, all tissue samples demonstrated a significant decrease in triacylglycerides. The composition of fatty acids and total lipids in all tissues included 23 types, i.e., nine saturated (35–40%), eight monounsaturated (15–34%), and six polyunsaturated (5.8–29%) from the families of omega-3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, and 13. Palmitic and oleic acids were among the dominant fatty acids. Seasonal dynamics of lipids in the samples of foot, gills, and hepatopancreas of C. glaucum revealed some general patterns. In the spring, total lipids peaked while structural and storage lipids had a uniform distribution. In the autumn and winter, total lipids went down whereas structural lipids increased. The fatty acid profile of C. glaucum from the supralittoral zone of the Black Sea differed from those of the same species from o ther regions.

The influence of soybean rhizobia on the agricultural seeds sowing qualities

To grow high and stable yields with good product quality, it is very important to receive timely, full-fledged and friendly shoots of optimal density. Therefore, the problem of stimulating, or inhibiting, seed germination and the processes occurring in them occupies an important place in modern crop production. The method of pre-sowing seed treatment with rhizobia is one of the promising technological measures that ensure an increase in yield and quality of crop production. The staff of the Laboratory of Biological Research of the Federal State Budgetary Budgetary Institution of the Federal Research Institute of Soy conducted a study of the possibility of stimulating germination and disinfection of soybean seeds, lupin, vigna, wheat, barley using pure Sinorhizobium fredii crops. The work used collectible strains of rhizobia, which showed an abundant growth of bacterial mass on the nutrient medium of the MRC. The standard strain was S. fredii 5851 from the collection of microorganisms and cell cultures of the Leibniz Institute (DSMZ), Germany. In variants with strains, stable stimulating and healing effects were observed. As a result of a scientific experiment, it was found that, on average, in variants with S. fredii strains, germination increased by 37%, the length of seedlings – by 224%, the raw weight of seedlings – by 23% compared with the control (without treatment with strains). S. fredii strains BB-49, SB-39, SB-43, TB-422, TB-488, TB-490, TB-496, 062 maximally stimulated the process of germination of agricultural seeds.

ПРОРОСТАННЯ НАСІННЯ ПШЕНИЦІ ОЗИМОЇ ЗАЛЕЖНО ВІД ПЕРЕДПОСІВНОЇ ОБРОБКИ РЕГУЛЯТОРАМИ РОСТУ

Modern technologies for growing grain crops require the use of environmentally safe measures and methods. The pre-sowing treatment of wheat seeds necessitates the correct choice of drugs with a wide spectrum of influence on the morphological and physiological indicators of seedlings. From 2019 to 2022, the effectiveness of pre-sowing treatment of winter wheat seeds was studied using the growth regulators 1-naphthyl-acetic acid (25 ml/l), succinic acid (0.025 % solution), and the organo-mineral preparation Fulvohumin (1 % solution) both separately and in combination: 1-naphthyl-acetic acid + Fulvohumin, 1-naphthyl-acetic acid + succinic acid, succinic acid + Fulvohumin, and 1-naphthyl-acetic acid + succinic acid + Fulvohumin. The working solution consumption was 10 liters per ton of seeds. Treated winter wheat seeds were germinated for eight days at a temperature of +20°C. Laboratory seed germination, biometric parameters, and dry and wet weight of seedlings were determined and statistically analyzed. It was established that succinic acid significantly increases seed germination by 11 %, but seedlings treated with succinic acid showed slightly smaller seedling length and raw weight than the control. Pre-sowing treatment of winter wheat seeds with Fulvohumin significantly increases laboratory seed germination (up to 95 %), root length, and total seedling length. This treatment resulted in a 34.5 % increase in the dry weight of seedlings compared to the control. The highest content of dry matter was observed after seed treatment with a mixture of 1-naphthyl-acetic acid + Fulvohumin + succinic acid, reaching 17.4 %. The combination treatment with Fulvohumin + succinic acid produced the tallest seedlings (14.12 cm) and the greatest raw weight (131.39 mg). A significant increase in raw and dry mass of 8-day-old seedlings was noted after seed treatment with the mixture of 1-naphthyl-acetic acid + succinic acid. However, pre-sowing treatment of winter wheat seeds with only 1-naphthyl-acetic acid (0.025 % solution) was not effective, as it did not significantly increase germination (only by 1.3 %). Additionally, seedlings treated with 1-naphthyl-acetic acid had the shortest root length (4.99–5.78 cm). Therefore, the use of Fulvohumin enhances the effectiveness of growth regulators such as succinic acid and 1-naphthyl-acetic acid.

Product development of seablite salt (Suaeda Maritima) based on quality function deployment (QFD)

Seablite salt is one of the new healthy salt products with a NaCl content of 1.325 ± 0.135%. This research aims to determine the physical characteristics through the required attributes in terms of products and packaging that align with consumer expectations. The method used is Quality Function Deployment (QFD). The stages of making QFD are consumer importance level analysis; customer satisfaction level; analysis of product comparison with competitors; goal setting; determintation of improvement ratio, sales point, the weight value of each attribute, normalized raw weight, translating various consumer needs; the correlation matrix links each attribute of technical requirements; the trade-off matrix; the priority of technical requirements; and forming the house of quality. The research results show that consumer needs attributes in terms of the product include price, color, taste, texture, aroma, and ease of dissolution. In terms of packaging, these attributes encompass packaging convenience, nutritional information, composition information, halal product information, net weight information, storage instructions, serving instructions, and expiration date information. The technical requirements established by experts in terms of the product consist of six attributes: salty taste, clean and odorless salt, fine salt texture, ease of dissolution, and the use of fresh raw materials.

Efficient Neural Network Compression Inspired by Compressive Sensing.

Traditional neural network compression (NNC) methods decrease the model size and floating-point operations (FLOPs) in the manner of screening out unimportant weight parameters; however, the intrinsic sparsity characteristics have not been fully exploited. In this article, from the perspective of signal processing and analysis for network parameters, we propose to use a compressive sensing (CS)-based method, namely NNCS, for performance improvements. Our proposed NNCS is inspired by the discovery that sparsity levels of weight parameters in the transform domain are greater than those in the original domain. First, to achieve sparse representations for parameters in the transform domain during training, we incorporate a constrained CS model into loss function. Second, the proposed effective training process consists of two steps, where the first step trains raw weight parameters and induces and reconstructs their sparse representations and the second step trains transform coefficients to improve network performances. Finally, we transform the entire neural network into another new domain-based representation, and a sparser parameter distribution can be obtained to facilitate inference acceleration. Experimental results demonstrate that NNCS can significantly outperform the other existing state-of-the-art methods in terms of parameter reductions and FLOPs. With VGGNet on CIFAR-10, we decrease 94.8% parameters and achieve a 76.8% reduction of FLOPs, with 0.13% drop in Top-1 accuracy. With ResNet-50 on ImageNet, we decrease 75.6% parameters and achieve a 78.9% reduction of FLOPs, with 1.24% drop in Top-1 accuracy.

A Cost and Waste-Savings Comparison Between Single-Use and Reusable Pulse Oximetry Sensors Across US Operating Rooms.

Operating room (OR) expenditures and waste generation are a priority, with several professional societies recommending the use of reprocessed or reusable equipment where feasible. The aim of this analysis was to compare single-use pulse oximetry sensor stickers ("single-use stickers") versus reusable pulse oximetry sensor clips ("reusable clips") in terms of annual cost savings and waste generation across all ORs nationally. This study did not involve patient data or research on human subjects. As such, it did not meet the requirements for institutional review board approval. An economic model was used to compare the relative costs and waste generation from using single-use stickers versus reusable clips. This model took into account: (1) the relative prices of single-use stickers and reusable clips, (2) the number of surgeries and ORs nationwide, (3) the workload burden of cleaning the reusable clips, and (4) the costs of capital for single-use stickers and reusable clips. In addition, we also estimated differences in waste production based on the raw weight plus unit packaging of single-use stickers and reusable clips that would be disposed of over the course of the year, without any recycling interventions. Estimated savings were rounded to the nearest $0.1 million. The national net annual savings of transitioning from single-use stickers to reusable clips in all ORs ranged from $510.5 million (conservative state) to $519.3 million (favorable state). Variability in savings estimates is driven by scenario planning for replacement rate of reusable clips, workload burden of cleaning (ranging from an additional expense of $618k versus a cost savings of $309k), and cost of capital-interest gained on investment of capital that is freed up by the monetary savings of a transition to reusable clips contributes between $541k (low-interest rates of 2.85%) and $1.3 million (high-interest rates of 7.08%). The annual waste that could be diverted from landfill by transitioning to reusable clips was found to be between 587 tons (conservative state) up to 589 tons (favorable state). If institutions need to purchase new vendor monitors or cables to make the transition, that may increase the 1-time capital disbursement. Using reusable clips versus single-use stickers across all ORs nationally would result in appreciable annual cost savings and waste generation reduction impact. As both single-use stickers and reusable clips are equally accurate and reliable, this cost and waste savings could be instituted without a compromise in clinical care.

Урожайность и качество насыщенного селеном картофеля, выращенного из клубней 10-15 мм

Small mini-tubers up to 15 mm can be used for growing high-quality food potatoes saturated with scarce trace elements, for example, selenium, which is a powerful immunomodulator and antioxidant. This requires determining the optimum concentration of selenium applied to plants. The authors studied the yield and basic quality indicators of selenium-saturated food potato tubers grown in 2019-2021 from non-standard mini-tubers with a size of 10 to 15 mm. The research was conducted in 2019-2021 on varieties Gulliver, Ametist and Grand grown on sod-podzolic medium-cultivated sandy loam soil. The experiment course included two options: control - without treatment, experiment - leaf treatment of plants with sodium selenite. The studies were carried out in accordance with the existing methods. As a result of the experiment, the average gross yield was 17.3 to 18.7 t/ha, the marketability in terms of tuber size was 96.5 to 97.4%. In the experiment samples, the selenium content in tubers averaged 0.040 to 0.0375 mg/kg over three years, which does not exceed the maximum permissible concentration in potatoes of 0.5 mg/kg. When using leaf treatment with sodium selenite, the increase in the selenium content in tubers relative to the control was 0.08 to 0.10 mg/kg of raw weight. Leaf treatment with sodium selenite at a dose of 3 g/ha did not significantly affect the quality of potato tubers, but increased the selenium content in tubers to 0.06 to 0.10 mg/kg of raw weight. The profitability of growing food potatoes from small non-standard mini-tubers obtained by the aerohydroponic method and leaf treatment with sodium selenite, depending on the variety, is 16.1 to 28.6%. To obtain optimum selenium content in tubers, it is proposed to increase the concentration of sodium selenite and continue research on increasing yield and improving the quality of tubers.

Adaptive restructuring of grape metabolism in winter period

In the unstable conditions of the Anapo-Taman zone of the Krasnodar Krai, the urgency of the problem of winter hardiness of grapes increases due to an increase in the average annual air temperature against the background of an increase in the frequency of low critical air temperatures in the winter. The adaptive rearrangements of grape metabolism associated with resistance to winter stresses have been studied. Objects of research: grape varieties of different ecological and geographical origin: Crystal, Dostoyny, Krasnostop AZOS, Vostorg, Aligote, Zarif. The electrophoretic separation of peroxidases in polyacrylamide gel in the studied grape varieties revealed that the quantitative and qualitative composition of isoforms changed during the winter period and depended on the variety and the influence of the stress factor. During the autumn-winter period, the varieties Crystal, Krasnostop AZOS, Vostorg revealed an increased total content of anthocyanins in (13.2-14.4 conventional units), ascorbic acid in shoots (13.7-18.4 µg/g of raw weight) in contrast to the varieties Aligote, Zarif. According to the research, it was found that the Crystal grape variety has increased frost resistance, followed in descending order by Krasnostop AZOS, Vostorg, Dostoyny. These varieties have great adaptive capabilities in unstable conditions of a changing climate and are recommended for cultivation in the Anapo-Taman zone, as well as for use in breeding as sources of frost resistance. Varieties Aligote, Zarif are singled out as less frost-resistant.

Effectiveness of graminicide application in chickpea crops in the Eastern Forest-Steppe of Ukraine

Goal. To determine the effect of herbicides, in particular graminicides with different active ingredients, on the weediness of crops and the yield of chickpea seeds in the conditions of the Eastern Forest-Steppe of Ukraine.
 Methods. Field, measuring and weighing, statistical.
 Results. Under conditions of the Eastern Forest-Steppe of Ukraine, 27 species of weed plants were found in chickpea crops (annual cereals — 3 species, annual dicots — 17 species, perennial dicotyledonous — 7 species). Annual cereal weeds dominated in number (76.4%), and annual dicot weeds (44.3%) in terms of raw mass. The highest technical efficiency against annual cereal weeds, when applied during the budding stage of chickpea, was provided by the graminicide Lemur, EC (hyzalofop-P-tefuryl, 40 g/ l) — 1.5 l/ ha (by the number and raw mass of cereals, 99.2 and 98.3%, respectively), and the lowest efficiency was provided by the graminicide Selenite, EC (clethodim, 120 g/ l) — 1.0 l/ ha (79.4 and 71.8%, respectively). Tank mixture of soil herbicides Panda, EC (pendimethalin, 330 g/ l) — 3.5 l/ ha + Steals, EC (flurochloridone, 250 g/ l) — 2.0 l/ ha, which was applied in the pre-emergence period, controlled only the number of annual dicot weeds (technical efficiency was 62.1—79.0%), which was associated with a number of factors (the presence of resistant weed species in the crops, different soil moisture during the application period by years, the use of the minimum recommended doses of herbicides). The studied herbicides did not affect perennial dicot weeds. Combining soil herbicides with graminicides reduced the total number of weeds by 73.2—87.9%, and their raw weight by 22.4—43.0%. The highest economic efficiency (0.28 t/ ha) was provided by the composition of the preparations Panda, EC — 3.5 l/ ha + Steals, EC — 2.0 l/ ha (tank mixture) + Queen Star Max, EC (hyzalofop-P-ethyl, 125 g/ l) — 0.8 l/ ha.
 Conclusions. In the absence of the effect of the studied herbicides on perennial dicot weeds and the insufficient effect of soil herbicides on annual dicot species, despite the high effectiveness of graminicides against cereals, it was not possible to obtain significant increase in the yield of chickpea seeds (from 0.13 to 0.28 t/ ha).

SIZE AND WEIGHT CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BIVALVE MOLLUSC ANADARA KAGOSHIMENSIS (TOKUNAGA, 1906) - THE ALIEN SPECIES IN THE SEA OF AZOV

For the first time the research focuses on studying the size and weight characteristics of the alien species in the Sea of Azov - bivalve mollusc Anadara kagoshimensis (Tokunaga, 1906). The relationship between allometric parameters of the mollusc (size and weight) were approximated by the power function. The maximal coefficient of determination is found for the power dependence of the total weight of the anadara on the width of the shell, with minimum coefficient of determination depending on the height of the shell. The maximum coefficient of determination is obtained for the power dependence of the raw weight of soft tissues of anadara on the length of its shell, with the minimum coefficient of determination depending on the width of the shell. The ratio of dry and raw weight of soft tissues is 0.16. Under comparison of the different environmental areas of anadara in the Black, Aenean seas and the Sea of Azov, the hatchery housing of mollusks in waters with moderate salinity is found to be the most favorable condition for their maximal growth.

Effectiveness of herbicide application with plant growth regulators and microfertilizer in late crops of winter wheat

Goal. To establish the features of the formation of weed complex, yield and grain quality of winter wheat sown on the late sowing period, depending on the application of post-emergence herbicides, plant growth regulators and microfertilizers.
 Methods. Field, measuring and weighing, statistical, laboratory, analytical.
 results. According to the results of investigations in 2016—18, 30 species of weed plants were found in late crops of winter wheat: late spring grasses (3 species); early and late dicotyledonous (14 species); dicotyledonous wintering, winter and biennial (7 species); dicotyledonous perennials (6 species). In terms of quantity, late spring grasses weeds dominated (40.6%), and in terms of raw mass dicotyledonous perennials dominated (87.6%). Technical efficiency of tank mixture of anti-perennial herbicides Dekabrist 480 SL (0.15 l/ ha) + Gryzny, W.G. (15 g/ha) + Talant, surface-active substance (0.2 l/ha), when applied at the tillering stage (standard) against the total raw mass of dicot annual and perennial weeds was 96.7 and 69.2%, respectively. The low level of control of dicotyledonous perennial species by this tank mixture was associated with the partial regrowth of root-sprouting weeds, especially sow thistles, after the introduction of the specified herbicides, namely during the booting period. The application of plant growth regulators Emistym C, w.-a.s. (10 ml/ha) and Vermiiodis, w.s. (6.0 l/ha) at the booting stage, against the background of application of herbicides at the tillering stage, stimulated the growth of the raw weight of dicotyledonous perennials and the total raw weight of all weeds, compared to their application in a tank mixture with herbicides at the tillering stage. At the same time, these indicators, when applying microfertilizer Nanomix, s. (2.0 l/ha) in a tank mixture with herbicides at the tillering stage, were higher, compared to applying the preparation separately from herbicides at the booting stage. An increase in the level of raw mass of weeds against the background of the use of stimulating preparations led to a decrease in grain yield in most variants with these preparations, compared to the standard. No effect of the studied preparations on the protein content of the grain, as well as the germination energy and laboratory germination of the grown grain was found.
 Conclusions. The application of post-emergence herbicide compositions with plant growth regulators and microfertilizers in late crops of winter wheat stimulates the growth of the raw mass of weeds, which negatively affects the grain yield of the crop.

Convergent validity and inter-rater reliability of a lower-limb multimodal physical function assessment in community-dwelling older adults.

Introduction: Lower-limb physical function declines with age and contributes to a greater difficulty in performing activities of daily living. Existing assessments of lower-limb function assess one dimension of movement in isolation or are not time-efficient, which discourages their use in community and clinical settings. We aimed to address these limitations by assessing the inter-rater reliability and convergent validity of a new multimodal functional lower-limb assessment (FLA). Methods: FLA consists of five major functional movement tasks (rising from a chair, walking gait, stair ascending/descending, obstacle avoidance, and descending to a chair) performed consecutively. A total of 48 community-dwelling older adults (32 female participants; age: 71 ± 6years) completed the FLA as well as timed up-and-go, 30-s sit-to-stand, and 6-min walk tests. Results: Slower FLA time was correlated with a slower timed up-and-go test (ρ = 0.70), less sit-to-stand repetitions (ρ = -0.65), and a shorter distance in the 6-min walk test (ρ = -0.69; all, p < 0.001). Assessments by two raters were not different (12.28 ± 3.86s versus 12.29 ± 3.83s, p = 0.98; inter-rater reliability ρ = 0.993, p < 0.001) and were statistically equivalent (via equivalence testing). Multiple regression and relative weights analyses demonstrated that FLA times were most predicted by the timed up-and-go performance [adjusted R 2 = 0.75; p < 0.001; raw weight 0.42 (95% CI: 0.27, 0.53)]. Discussion: Our findings document the high inter-rater reliability and moderate-strong convergent validity of the FLA. These findings warrant further investigation into the predictive validity of the FLA for its use as an assessment of lower-limb physical function among community-dwelling older adults.

Peculiarities of Bacillus Subtilis strains influence on the development of Triticum Aestivum L. in inoculative cultures

The research relevance is predetermined by the need to study strains of Bacillus subtilis bacteria that have a positive effect on plant growth and development and exhibit a stimulating effect at optimal bacterial loads. The research is of great importance for agriculture, ecology, and sustainable development. The research aims to determine the effect of new strains of B. subtilis (H3, H10, H13, H36, H38, H40, H43, H45) on the development of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedlings when inoculated with inoculated crops. Laboratory, vegetation, and mathematical and statistical methods were used in the study: deep cultivation of strains, roll method of germination of test plant seeds, and data processing using Statistica 8.0 and MS Excel. The results of the model experiment on the effect of culture liquids of B. subtilis strains under different technological forms and dilutions on the growth and development of wheat test plants are summarised. It has been established that at dilutions of 1:10, 1:50, 1:100, and 1:500, the stimulating effect of bioagents is observed, and the maximum effect is achieved at a dilution of 1:100. It has been shown that the greatest positive effect on wheat seed germination was observed for B. subtilis inoculants applied to seeds in mature technological forms (spore culture, 2.0 x 107 cells per seed). The germination energy of Triticum aestivum L. seeds increased by 96.5% when interacting with B. subtilis inoculants, and the raw weight of seedlings increased by 84.0-109.6% depending on the experiment variant compared to the control, which indicates the growth-stimulating properties of the new strains. It was proved that the use of mature cultures of B. subtilis H38, H40 and H45 resulted in an increase in root weight by 4.8-11.3% compared to the control without bacterisation. When treated with culture fluids of B. subtilis H3, H10, H13, H36, and H43 in the form of vegetative cells, the root mass decreased by 11.8-44.0% compared to the control. The use of the studied strains of B. subtilis effectively affects the development of winter wheat and is a promising inoculant with a growth-stimulating effect. The practical significance of the study is to understand and determine the potential benefits of using Bacillus subtilis bacterial strains to enhance the growth and development of plants, in particular winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Polychlorinated Biphenyls in the Bream &lt;i&gt;Abramis brama&lt;/i&gt; from the Volga Ples the Rybinsk Reservoir: Fish Age Effect and Human Health Risk Assessment

Bream, Abramis brama (L.), is an important commercial species and the object of monitoring pollution of freshwater bodies with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). However, the dependence of the PCB content on the age of the bream has been studied very poorly. In this regard, the concentrations of 32 PCB congeners were measured in the carcasses of female bream of different ages in the pre-spawning period. It is shown that the concentration of PCBs in the body lipids increases from 257 to 449 ng/g over a period of 8 to 19 years. In terms of wet weight, the concentration of PCBs increases from 19.8 to 57.9 ng/g over a period of 8 to 13 years and then decreases to 21 ng/g at the age of 19 years. The largest share was 5-XB – from 46 to 58%, then 6-XB – from 17 to 29%, 4-XB – from 12 to 18%, 3-XB – from 4 to 8%, 7-XB – from 4 to 6% and 2-XB – from 0.1 up to 0.5%. PCB concentrations 5/8, 28, 31, 44, 49, 52, 74, 70/76, 87/115, 95/66 do not depend on age (R2 0.5); PCBs 97, 99, 105, 90/101, 110, 118. They have an average dependence (0.5 R2 0.6); PCBs 138, 153, 180, 183, 128/167 and 170/190 strongly depend (R2 ≥ 0.7). With age, the congener composition changes towards an increase in highly chlorinated PCBs. The content of PCBs in the carcass of bream of the Volga Ples of the Rybinsk reservoir does not exceed the existing in Russia MPC in fish, amounting to 2 mg/kg of raw weight. The average indicator of non–carcinogenic risk exceeds 1 (0.82–2.39), which indicates the possible development of non-carcinogenic diseases in target organs and systems. The indicator of carcinogenic risk exceeds the level of negligible risk (1 × 10–6) and corresponds to the range 2 – the maximum permissible risk or the upper limit of acceptable risk (1 × 10–6–1 × 10–4). These risks are subject to constant monitoring, the population is recommended to limit the consumption of large fish with a high fat content.

Development of the soybean root system under the influence of weeds, nitrogen mineral fertilizers and herbicides

Aim. The research was to examine the effectiveness of tank mixtures of soil and post-emergence herbicides on the background of mineral and symbiotic nitrogen for implementation of optimal conditions for the functioning and development of the soybean root system. The article presents the results of research on the development of the root system of soybeans under the compatible effect of herbicides and the backgrounds of nitrogen nutrition. Methods. Field research was carried out on the lands of the stationary crop rotation of the Agronomic Research Station of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine. The cultural plant cultivation technology is generally accepted for the zone. Results. The research results indicate a significant negative impact of crop weed infestation on the formation of the root system of soybeans: the decrease in its raw weight compared to plants in areas free from weeds (with two manual weedings) amounted to 35–44% and the total capacity – by 41–47%. The use of a tank mixture of soil herbicides Zenkor (0.4 l/ha) and Kommand (0.2 l/ha) in the system of protecting soybean crops from weeds resulted in an increase in raw weight and volume of the root system by 1.2–1.5 times with an efficiency close to manual weeding. Pre-sowing seed inoculation had a significant effect on the development of the soybean root system – symbiotic nitrogen increased the raw weight and volume of the root system by 32% and 40% appropriately. The application of the tank mixture Zenkor + Kommand provided the maximum growth upon these biometric indicators within the combined background of mineral and symbiotic nitrogen, where the total volume of the root system increased more than twice. Close correlations were found between both parameters of the soybean root system (r = 0.896). Conclusions. A high correlation dependence (r = 0.785) of soybean productivity on the extent of development of its root system was established. It was noted that while an effective combination of protection and fertilization systems soybeans are able to accumulate in the soil a significant amount of valuable biomass enriched with biological nitrogen, which in field experiments reached 5.6–5.9 t/ha, which was almost three times higher than in the absolute control (2.1 t/ha).

Sulfonic Cryogels as Innovative Materials for Biotechnological Applications: Synthesis, Modification, and Biological Activity.

Polymeric hydrogels based on sulfo-containing comonomers are promising materials for biotechnological application, namely, for use as a system for delivering water and minerals during seed germination in conditions of an unstable moisture zone. In this work, cryogels based on 3-sulfopropyl methacrylate and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate copolymers were obtained by the cryotropic gelation method. The morphology, specific surface area, and swelling behaviors of cryogels are found to depend on the total concentration of monomers in the reaction system and the content of the gel fraction in cryogels. Cryogels formed in the presence of nanodiamonds are shown to exhibit high biological activity during the germination of Lepidium sativum L. variety Ajur seeds, which manifests itself by stimulating seed germination and a significant increase in the raw weight of sprouts. These results indicate that sulfonic cryogels have a high potential to improve seed germination and plant growth, proving that such cryogels can be used as environmentally friendly materials for agricultural applications.

Influence of Salicylic and Succinic Acids on the Indicators of Growth and Photosynthesis and the Content of Chlorophyll in Wheat Plants Grown under Water Deficiency

In the conditions of climate warming, the frequency and intensity of droughts have increased, therefore, the development of methods that increase the resistance of crops to water scarcity is of great importance. The aim of the work is to study the effect of salicylic and succinic acids on growth indicators, photosynthetic activity indicators and on the content of pigments in the leaves of plants grown under conditions of irrigation and water scarcity. Wheat plants were grown under laboratory conditions. The seeds were pre-soaked in distilled water (control), in a solution of 0.05 mM salicylic acid or in a solution of 0.05 mM succinic acid. After the appearance of the first roots on the 3rd day, the germinated seeds were transferred to 200 ml vegetative vessels filled with soil and grown at 22-24C in natural light and daily watering. On day 5, the plants were divided into groups watering and water shortage. The water shortage group was stopped watering until the end of the experiment. On day 11, the indicators of the maximum and effective quantum yield of photosystem II, photochemical and non-photochemical quenching and electron flux density were determined using a FRAME-fluorimeter. On the 16th day of growing plants, the quantitative content of chlorophyll a and b and carotenoids was determined, the relative water content in shoots and roots was calculated. The relative water content in plants hardly changed when treated with acids under irrigation conditions, but in case of water deficiency, treatment with succinic acid reduced the water content in the root by 6%. In conditions of lack of moisture, acid treatment increased the effective quantum yield of photosystem II, the photochemical quenching coefficient of chlorophyll and the electron flux density by an average of 17-20%. Under irrigation conditions, treatment with salicylic and succinic acids caused a decrease in the content of chlorophyll a (by 11 and 32%, respectively), carotenoids (by 57 and 32%) and an increase in the content of chlorophyll b (by 49 and 23%). When treated with succinic acid, the total content of chlorophyll a + b decreased by 14%. In conditions of water deficiency, treatment with salicylic acid increased the relative content of chlorophylls and carotenoids by an average of 2.6 and 3.3 times, when treated with amber - by 3.5 and 2.0 times, respectively, compared with the control in terms of raw weight. The use of the studied acids can be recommended for potential use in agriculture.

Влияние сублимационной сушки на качественные показатели клубней картофеля

Freeze-dried vegetable production is intensively developing due to its advantages - a four-time decrease in the weight of supplied freeze-dried potatoes, increased shelf life by dozens of times, and the resistance of freeze-dried products to temperature fluctuations. To study the quality indicators of potato tubers before freeze-drying and after it using standard techniques, the authors analyzed domestic and foreign varieties including those with pigmented flesh and peel. Freeze-drying of potato tubers was carried out in the vacuum-sublimation machine USS‑5 in two stages: rapid freezing of 2 to 3 cm thick sample plates to -30°C during 4 h and heating to +50°C during 2.5 h. Raw potato tubers and freeze-dried samples were tested for antioxidant, phenolic and flavonoid content using standard methods. The results of biochemical analysis showed the total content of alcoholsoluble flavonoids in fresh potato pulp in recalculation on quercetin 0.08 to 1.13 mg/g raw weight, in freeze-dried samples - 0.22 to 1.46 mg/g dry weight; total content of low-molecular antioxidants in fresh pulp from 0.12 to 1.92 mg/g raw weight, phenolic compounds in freeze-dried samples from 0.55 to 4.63 mg/g dry weight in gallic acid equivalents. The study also focused on the determination of the moisture absorption level of freeze-dried potato tuber slices. Moisture saturation of freeze-dried potato slices when immersed in room temperature water occurred within 60 min. Freeze drying had no effect on the antioxidant content of the potato tubers. Therefore, this method can be used to produce healthy foods.

Effect Biological lupine Albus on some wool physiological traits of Awassi Lambs

Back Ground: The study was conducted in the field of animal production - College of Agriculture / University of Tikrit for the period from 15/2/2017 to 15/5/2017.&#x0D; Objective: to study the effect of replacing the seeds of white Lupinus albus as a protein source instead of soybean meal and its effect on some characteristics of wool: (softness , elongation, tensile strength, raw weight and clean weight) at the age of (4 and 6) months, respectively, for the mentioned characteristics, and the quality of wool fibers is the basis of characteristics and defects, as the fiber diameter is the main determinant of quality.&#x0D; Materials and Methods: The experiment was conducted by raising twelve Awassi lambs, 4 months old, with an average starting weight of 24.65 ± 2.49 kg. The lambs were distributed among 3 treatments (4 lambs/treatment). At levels (0, 6 and 12%) for the first treatment (control), the second and the third, respectively.&#x0D; Results: After completing the experiment using white lupine seeds, the results indicated that there were no significant differences between the studied traits (softness, tensile strength, raw weight and clean weight) at the age of (4 and 6) months, respectively, except for the second treatment (6% lupine), which was significantly superior (0.05). &gt; P) In terms of elongation at the age of 6 months (65.25 ± 1.92) compared to the first and second treatments (0 and 12) % lupine, respectively.&#x0D; Conclusion: I used a balanced diet in its content of energy and protein and added a protein source (white lupine seeds) instead of soy beans and did not occur any negative changes that affected the qualities of wool, and this means the positive use of it in feeding ruminan