Search results for "AGRICULTURE"
showing 10 items of 3315 documents
Trophic relationships between two gurnards Trigla lucerna and Aspitrigla obscura from the western Mediterranean
1997
The feeding habits of Trigla lucerna L. (1758) and Aspitrigla obscura L. (1764) (Pisces: Triglidae), off the coast of the Gulf of Valencia (Spain), were investigated between October 1989 and January 1991. The two species examined in this study appear to have distinct feeding types, based on the species composition of prey and the frequency of occurrence of major food items. Tub gurnard had a more diverse diet and fed mainly on crustaceans (mysids and decapods), teleosts and molluscs, whilst long fin gurnard were less piscivorous and fed mainly on mysids and natantids. No significant differences were found in the annual variation of vacuity coefficient for either species. Diet composition in…
Sustainability of pistachio production (Pistacia vera L.) under supplemental irrigation in a Mediterranean climate
2018
Abstract The objective of this study was to examine the effects of supplemental micro-irrigation, in a commercial rainfed orchard, on tree water status, gas exchange and productivity of Pistacia vera L. (cv Bianca) grafted on P. terebinthus. Irrigating with 10–15% of estimated full evaporative demand significantly increased average annual productivity by increasing yield in the on-crop year of this alternate bearing species. Irrigation increased yield by 30%, resulting in 1600 kg of in-shell product per ha. Irrigation delayed leaf senescence while flower bud abscission was not reduced until the third year of experiment. Irrigation did not improve gas exchange during Stage I (pericarp growth…
Fruit Growth Stage Transitions in Two Mango Cultivars Grown in a Mediterranean Environment
2021
Studying mango (Mangifera 
Phytosociological survey vegetation map of Sicily (Mediterranean region)
2016
ABSTRACTWe present the results of a study aimed at developing a vegetation map of Sicily (Italy) including the smaller circum-Sicilian islands, for an area of approximately 25,703 km2. The work is a synthesis of studies carried out in accordance with the survey methodology of phytosociology in the last 40 years over the whole study area. The vegetation map of Sicily was compiled in a Geographical Information Systems (GIS) environment, in order to produce a cartographic representation at a scale of 1:10,000 (reduced to a scale of 1:250,000). The physiognomic-structural characteristics of the plant landscape of Sicily are analyzed, providing a general and, at the same time, detailed overview …
Grafting affects yield and phenolic profile of Solanum melongena L. landraces
2016
Abstract The influence of grafting on agronomical and qualitative characteristics of four Sicilian eggplant landraces was investigated. Grafted and ungrafted plants were compared in the open field in the northern coast of Sicily. Solanum torvum seedlings were used as rootstock. Regardless of genotypes tested, grafting significantly increased total fruit production, marketable production, and number of marketable fruits, but did not affect weight of marketable fruits and waste production. Landrace 2 (Sciacca), with black epidermal tissue and pyriform fruit shape, when grafted onto S. torvum not only gave a higher yield performance than ungrafted plants, but also showed a higher phenolic anti…
Solanum aethiopicum gr. gilo and Its Interspecific Hybrid with S. melongena as Alternative Rootstocks for Eggplant: Effects on Vigor, Yield, and Frui…
2019
Grafting is generally considered effective in ameliorating vegetable crop tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. The use of interspecific hybrid as rootstock for eggplant may represent a valid alternative approach to enhance eggplant performance. However, studies on the effects of different rootstocks on eggplant plant vigor, yield, and fruit quality traits often show conflicting results. Thus, an experiment was performed in two spring&ndash
Methodology for determining foliar penetration of herbicides with reference to oil-based adjuvants
1994
Oils are used extensively in pesticide formulation and in pesticide application as spray adjuvants. They improve the biological efficacy of several foliage-applied herbicides without impairing their selectivity. Beneficial effects were first observed with atrazine in maize (Zea mays; Jones and Anderson 1968; Nalewaja 1968) and with phenmedipham in sugar beet (Beta vulgaris: Miller and Nalewaja 1973). More recently, oils have met with success as spray adjuvants for graminicides (Buhler and Burnside 1984; Nalewaja 1986; Barrentine and McWorther 1988) and for bentazone (Doran and Andersen 1975; Nalewaja et al. 1975). Since they allow the use of reduced herbicide application rates, oils also im…
Iodine Biofortification Counters Micronutrient Deficiency and Improve Functional Quality of Open Field Grown Curly Endive
2021
Human iodine (I) shortage disorders are documented as an imperative world-wide health issue for a great number of people. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends I consumption through ingestion of seafood and biofortified food such as vegetables. The current work was carried out to appraise the effects of different I concentrations (0, 50, 250, and 500 mg L−1), supplied via foliar spray on curly endive grown in the fall or spring–summer season. Head fresh weight, stem diameter, head height, and soluble solid content (SSC) were negatively correlated to I dosage. The highest head dry matter content was recorded in plants supplied with 250 mg I L−1, both in the fall and spring–summer se…
Dust and grit matter: abrasives of different size lead to opposing dental microwear textures in experimentally fed sheep (Ovis aries)
2020
ABSTRACT External abrasives ingested along with the herbivore diet are considered main contributors to dental wear, though how the different sizes and concentrations of these abrasives influence wear remains unclear. Dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA) is an established method for dietary reconstruction which describes a tooth9s surface topography on a micrometre scale. The method has yielded conflicting results as to the effect of external abrasives. In the present study, a feeding experiment was performed on sheep (Ovis aries) fed seven diets of different abrasiveness. Our aim was to discern the individual effects of size (4, 50 and 130 µm) and concentration (0%, 4% and 8% of dry mat…
The way wear goes: phytolith-based wear on the dentine–enamel system in guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus)
2019
The effect of phytoliths on tooth wear and function has been contested in studies of animal–plant interactions. For herbivores whose occlusal chewing surface consists of enamel ridges and dentine tissue, the phytoliths might particularly erode the softer dentine, exposing the enamel ridges to different occlusal forces and thus contributing to enamel wear. To test this hypothesis, we fed guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus; n = 36 in six groups) for threeweeks exclusively on dry or fresh forage of low(lucerne), moderate (fresh timothy grass) or very high (bamboo leaves) silica content representing corresponding levels of phytoliths. We quantified the effect of these treatments with measuremen…