Search results for "AGRICULTURE"
showing 10 items of 3315 documents
Comparison of oxidoreductive enzyme activities in three coal tar creosote-contaminated soils
2019
This study used laboratory experiments to compare the effects of coal tar creosote on the activity of oxidoreductive enzymes in sandy loam, loamy sand and sandy clay loam soils. Different amounts of coal tar creosote were added to soil samples as follows: 0 (control), 2, 10 or 50 g kg–1 dry matter. The activity of soil dehydrogenases (DHAs), o-diphenol oxidase (o-DPO), catalase (CAT), nitrate reductase (NR) and peroxidases (POX) was determined. Contamination of soil with coal tar creosote affected oxidoreductase activity. Oxidoreductive enzyme activity following soil contamination with coal tar creosote was in the following order: DHAs > CAT > NR > POX > o-DPO in…
The interactive effects of various nitrogen fertiliser formulations applied to urine patches on nitrous oxide emissions in grassland
2017
AbstractPasture-based livestock agriculture is a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) nitrous oxide (N2O). Although a body of research is available on the effect of urine patch N or fertiliser N on N2O emissions, limited data is available on the effect of fertiliser N applied to patches of urinary N, which can cover up to a fifth of the yearly grazed area. This study investigated whether the sum of N2O emissions from urine and a range of N fertilisers, calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) or urea ± urease inhibitor ± nitrification inhibitor, applied alone (disaggregated and re-aggregated) approximated the N2O emission of urine and fertiliser N applied together (aggregated). Application of fertili…
Operating leverage and the cost of debt in European agri-food firms
2020
Aim of study: To analyse the effect that operating leverage exerts on the cost of debt of agri-food firms in Europe, both in isolation and indirectly through its other risk factors.Area of study: We used panel data made up of 18,360 European firms from 2009 to 2016 (146,880 observations).Material and methods: The data were extracted from the ORBIS database and EUROSTAT. The econometric approach was estimated by the Generalized Method of Moments.Main results: The results obtained confirm that operating leverage or cost structure, in addition to affecting the cost of debt, also affects the relationship between that cost and other sources of risk. More specifically, indebtedness, size, specifi…
Optical properties and photosensitivity of vacuum synthesized Ge-doped sol-gel amorphous SiO/sub 2/
2005
We report optical and electron paramagnetic resonance investigations of gamma ray irradiation effects in sol-gel Ge-doped amorphous SiO/sub 2/. The studied materials have Ge-doping levels up to 10/sup 4/ molar part per million and were densified by two routes differing for the atmosphere: O/sub 2/+N/sub 2/ or vacuum. The obtained results evidence that irradiation affects matrix sites inducing paramagnetic defects. Furthermore, the comparison between the two densification procedures shows that vacuum atmosphere induces higher radiation sensitivity.
Modeling of the sustainable development of multifunctional farms in Ukraine
2017
Dynamiczne optymalne planowanie i prognozowanie racjonalnego połączenia sektorów rolniczych pozwala przy najniższych kosztach i ryzyku dokonać przejścia od tradycyjnych form działalności do rolnictwa ekologicznego lub organicznego. Artykuł naświetla kwestię gradacji ekologiczności gospodarstwa rolnego, która obejmuje podstawowe kryteria zrównoważonych modeli rozwoju rolnictwa. Za pomocą programowania matematycznego udowodniono skuteczność zwiększenia poziomu ekologizacji. Przedstawiono zautomatyzowany model rozwoju gospodarstwa rolnego oraz sposoby zwiększenia bezpieczeństwa produkcji. Model jest uniwersalny i może być stosowany w przedsię-biorstwach lasostepu Ukrainy Lewobrzeżnej.
Organic food consumption: The relevance of the health attribute
2020
During the last decades, organic food products have become the main sustainable alternative to conventional food consumption. Among the several organic food attributes that consumers recognize in organic food, healthiness has been reported as the primary motivation to buy products certified as organic. The objective of the current study is to assess the relative weight of the health attribute among other recognized organic food attributes. To achieve this aim, a multiple price list (MPL) methodology is adopted to elicit consumers&rsquo
Covalent Protein Binding of Vinyl Chloride Metabolites During Co-Incubation of Freshly Isolated Hepatocytes and Hepatic Sinusoidal Cells of Rats
1983
Proteins of isolated rat hepatic sinusoidal cells incubated with 14C-vinyl chloride, rat liver microsomes and an NADPH-regenerating system were alkylated by vinyl chloride metabolites formed by microsomes. This suggests that reactive vinyl chloride metabolites can penetrate sinusoidal cells. Protein alkylation in isolated hepatic sinusoidal cells was higher when these were co-incubated with isolated hepatocytes, indicating that reactive vinyl chloride metabolites formed by hepatocytes are stable enough to diffuse out of hepatocytes into sinusoidal cells. Glutathione added to the incubation medium inhibited the covalent protein binding of vinyl chloride metabolites in sinusoidal cells as wel…
Increasing Sustainability of Growing Media Constituents and Stand-Alone Substrates in Soilless Culture Systems
2020
Peat-free growing media constituents and stand-alone substrates are the basis for the economic and ecological efficiency of the soilless culture system. Nevertheless, divergence between the model and practice still exists, coming from large gaps in the knowledge of alternative organic materials and of their effects on crop performance. A more detailed understanding of these topics is necessary to increase the soilless culture management capacity. In this respect, this critical review collects research outcomes concerning the sustainability of soilless culture and growing media constituents and their impact on the environment. In particular, the review covers designated articles stressing th…
Sustainable Food Consumption Practices: Insights into Consumers’ Experiences
2021
In recent years, the increasing consumer concern towards food safety, environmental sustainability and social justice issues have stimulated new consumption practices more oriented towards social, economic, and environmental sustainability [1–3]. This includes the growing consumers’ preference for organic food, local food, and other sustainable food and beverage consumption (Contribution 1) [ 4], as well as the spread of alternative distribution chains, which emphasise the importance of local food productions [ 5 ], the short-distance transportation of food, and the direct relationship between consumers and producers, although, as Kwil and colleagues (Contribution 2) highlighted in this Spe…
Combustion behavior of black liquors : droplet swelling and influence of liquor composition
2017
The combustion of black liquor (BL) in a recovery boiler is a central process in a kraft pulp mill for recovering the cooking chemicals and for producing heat and power. This work explored the most important combustion behavior of BL, the swelling of in-flight droplets, from the viewpoint of liquor composition. It also studied the combustion behavior of BL droplets obtained from two biorefining subprocesses (carbonation and hot-water pretreatment, HWP) and sulfur-free pulping alternatives (soda-anthraquinone (AQ) and oxygen-alkali pulping). The formation of a plastic state essential for the swelling of BL droplet was found to result from the melting of an array of carbohydrate-derived aliph…