Search results for "flower"

Measuring, comparing and interpreting phenotypic selection on floral scent

2022

Natural selection on floral scent composition is a key element of the hypothesis that pollinators and other floral visitors drive scent evolution. The measure of such selection is complicated by the high-dimensional nature of floral scent data and uncertainty about the cognitive processes involved in scent-mediated communication. We use dimension reduction through reduced-rank regression to jointly estimate a scent composite trait under selection and the strength of selection acting on this trait. To assess and compare variation in selection on scent across species, time and space, we reanalyse 22 datasets on six species from four previous studies. The results agreed qualitatively with prev…

Husk Energy Supply Systems for Sunflower Oil Mills

2020

Together with solar, wind, and hydro renewable energy sources (RES), biomass constitutes an integral part of the high-renewables electricity systems. Considerable feedstocks for electricity generation are process-based residues. Ukraine is the world leader in sunflower seed production, therefore, husk (a by-product of oil production) is a promising biofuel for combustion- based power plants. The plants consume primarily electricity and fossil fuels (natural gas or fuel oil) for steam production. Their usage affects the edible oil production cost and impacts on climate change. The above facts force us to look for alternatives. By-product (husk) utilization can reduce exhaustible energy consu…

Production and energetic performance of Carthamus tinctorius L. in the Mediterranean environment

2012

One of the most important aspects when managing an agro-energy crop is the energy gain factor, that is, the surplus in energy which remains following an appraisal of the relevant inputs and outputs. This aspect is of fundamental importance when choosing a species in a particular growth environment as it gives crucial information on the economic and energetic feasibility of a species and allows us to evaluate potential costs in order to obtain a given production and energy performance. In the agro-energy sector, this indicator is not always included in the evaluation process, making the agronomic and energy results obtained often incomplete. In the Mediterranean area, one potential crop for …

Cytotoxic Effect of Eudesmanolides Isolated from Flowers of Tanacetum vulgare ssp. siculum

2012

WOS: 000306752700042

Editorial: From Meristems to Floral Diversity: Developmental Options and Constraints

2021

La nuisibilité directe des adventices en grandes cultures : quelles réponses nous apportent les essais désherbages ?

2016

The direct harmful effect of weeds in field crops : what do herbicide trials tell us ? Weeds are plants whose undesirable qualities (“harmfulness") outweigh their desirable qualities (trophic resources). Few studies conclude that weeds do not affect crop yield. However, it is difficult to generalize since weeds compete with crops for resources and these resources are spatially and temporally variable. This study analyzed 110 herbicide trials (untreated vs. treated plots) performed in France from 1993 to 2015 on three major grain crops: winter wheat, winter oilseed rape and sunflower. Significant yield losses were found in 92% of wheat trials (average over all trials: -2.6 t/ha), 51% of wint…

Wildflowers: opportunities for urban landscapes

2022

The concept of “sustainability” is also becoming of great interest in the management of ornamental and territorial greenery. The new trends in the design of green spaces are aimed both at enhancing their “natural” aspects and at researching schemes characterized by lower maintenance costs. Spontaneous vegetation represents a characteristic component of the urban environment and is always adequate to the conditions of the site in which it is located. In this context, the role of spontaneous herbaceous plants becomes fundamental and constitutes an effective response to the current demand for the defence, conservation and enhancement of biodiversity. So far, the use of spontaneous vegetation f…

Characterization and antimicrobial activity of the volatile components of the flowers of Magydaris tomentosa (Desf.) DC. collected in Sicily and Alge…

2014

The essential oils of the flowers of Magydaris tomentosa (Desf.) DC. (Apiaceae) collected in Sicily (MSi) and Algeria (MAl), respectively, were obtained by hydrodistillation, and their compositions were analysed. The analyses allowed the identification and quantification of 23 components in MSi and 60 compounds in MAl, respectively, showing a very different profile in the composition of the two populations. The main components of MSi were cembrene (28.2%), α-springene (17.5%) and β-springene (14.8%), also present in MAl but in lesser amount (0.4%, 1.8% and 0.9%, respectively), whereas the principal constituents of MAl were (E)-nerolidol (35.4%), α-costol (13.3%) and β-costol (6.8%). Both MS…