Wild berry are a rich of natural compounds which provide them high antioxidant potential. The compounds which provide them these proprieties are known to be vitamins, flavonoids, anthocyanins and phenolic acids. The aim of this study was to extract and characterize bioactive compounds from rose hip (Rosa canina L.) currently found in Romania. A qualitative high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometric (ESI-MS) detection in positive ion mode has been used to identify phenolic compounds from rose hip crude extract. The chromatograms revealed the presence of a large number of compounds (19), identified and grouped as phenolic acids and flavones/ols, flavan-3-ols and also anthocyanins. Based on obtained results these berries can be highly recommended as part of our diet. Also this finding represents a contribution to the chemical characterization of phenolic profile of rose hip.

Edible insects such as the black soldier fly Hermetia illucens L. represent a potential and sustainable source of nutrients for food and feed due to their valuable nutritional composition, which can be modulated through dietary enrichment. The high content of saturated fatty acid (FA) of Hermetia illucens larvae fats can be modulated through dietary enrichment as a result of adding vegetable oils in the rearing substrate. Therefore, the present research aims to highlight the effects of a 10% addition of vegetable oils from five dietary fat sources (linseed oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, and hempseed oil) on the growth, development, reproductive performance, and the fat and fatty acids profile of H. illucens. Oil inclusion in the larval diet improved (p < 0.05) the weight of larvae, prepupae, pupae, and imago without influencing (p > 0.05) the egg clutch weight and the number of eggs in the clutch. In addition, the larvae fatty acid profile was different (p < 0.001) according to the oil type, because the unsaturated FAs (UFA) increased from 11.23 to 48.74% of FAME, as well as according to the larvae age, because the saturated FAs decreased from 85.86 to 49.56% of FAME. Linseed oil inclusion led to the improvement of the FA profile at 10 days age of larvae, followed by hempseed and rapeseed oil. These three dietary treatments recorded the highest concentrations in UFA (29.94–48.74% of FAME), especially in polyunsaturated FA (18.91–37.22% of FAME) from the omega-3 series (3.19–15.55% of FAME) and the appropriate n–6/n–3 ratio. As a result, the degree of the lipid polyunsaturation index increased (17.76–41.44) and the value of the atherogenic (3.22–1.22) and thrombogenic (1.43–0.48) indices decreased. Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that enriching the larval diet with these oils rich in UFA can modulate the larvae FA profile, making them suitable sources of quality fats for feed and indirectly for food.

Wild berry are a rich of natural compounds which provide them high antioxidant potential. The compounds which provide them these proprieties are known to be vitamins, flavonoids, anthocyanins and phenolic acids. The aim of this study was to extract, identify and characterize bioactive compounds from rose hip (Rosa canina L.) currently found in Romania. A qualitative high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometric (ESI-MS) detection in positive ion mode has been used to identify phenolic compounds from rose hip crude extract. The chromatograms revealed the presence of a large number of compounds ( 19), identified and grouped as phenolic acids and flavones/ols, flavan-3-ols and also anthocyanins. Based on obtained results these berries can be highly recommended as part of our diet. Also this finding represents a contribution to the chemical characterization of phenolic profile of rose hip.

This study quantified differences in methanolic extracts composition among four grain amaranth cultivars (e.g. ‘Hopy Red Dye’, ‘Amont’, ‘Plenitude’, and ‘Golden Giant’) farmed under three planting conditions: no irrigation/no fertilization (NN), no irrigation/fertilization (NF), irrigation/no fertilization (IN). The study main outcomes were total flavonoids, polyphenols, antioxidant activity, and protein content. Antioxidant activity was assessed using two Single Electron Transfer (SET) based assays: the 2,2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical cation decolorization assay (ABTS) and cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC). The total protein content was assessed by Gornall spectrophotometric method, the total flavonoid content (TFC) was determined using a colorimetric technique, while total polyphenols content (TPC) was assessed using the Folin-Ciocalteu method. Mean differences in outcomes were calculated using ANOVA and Dunnet’s test for multiple comparisons. The findings revealed that TPC ranged from 5 to 18 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/100 g dry weight (DW), being highest in ‘Plenitude’ under NF conditions. The highest TFC (7.5 mg quercetin equivalent (QE)/100 g DW) and the highest protein content (37.25%) were revealed for the ‘Hopi Red Dye’ cultivar under the NF planting conditions. Amaranth seeds represent a potential rich source of polyphenols and protein gluten-free compounds, with the ‘Hopi Red Dye’ representing the richest cultivar in such compounds. Fertilized and non-irrigated soil provided the optimal planting conditions across all amaranth cultivars.   ********* In press - Online First. Article has been peer reviewed, accepted for publication and published online without pagination. It will receive pagination when the issue will be ready for publishing as a complete number (Volume 47, Issue 4, 2019). The article is searchable and citable by Digital Object Identifier (DOI). DOI link will become active after the article will be included in the complete issue. *********

Cabbage is among the vegetables which can be found on the market throughout the year, greenhouse crop being a source of fresh cabbage in the cold season. The aim of this experiment was to study the in luence of planting density/plant spacing and additional fertilization on the yield and quality traits of greenhouse cabbage. The low plant spacing (50 x 25 cm) revealed the highest yields regardless the applied additional fertilization. Foliar fertilization with Ferticare (24:8:16) as split applications during all growing season, provided the highest marketable head weight, as well as the highest vitamin C content and total soluble solids content of cabbage heads.

Grasslands have a great importance for humans around the world being the beginning of many of our food products. Since there is a direct connection between soil, plant and climate, scientists have become concerned of this interaction and studies have been conducted to describe this connection and to improve output in grasslands with the best possible measures. The experiment set up in Petrova, Maramureş in the autumn of 2012 was used to obtain information on how different types of manure influence vegetation and the output on permanent grasslands. Since there are other studies in this field, in different areas of Romania and in other countries, results can be compared so that a bigger picture can be obtained on how organic fertilizers influence the quality and quantity of forage.

The significant momentum received by Hermetia illucens as a worldwide species is due to its biological traits and large applicability in scientific research, environmental entomoremediation, insect meal production, and for biodiesel yield. The aim of this research is to develop a method for the preparation and precise egg counting of the H. illucens egg clutch, as well as an accurate technique for evaluating egg biometric parameters. The precise proposed method for egg preparation and counting consists in dispersing the eggs clutch under a stereo microscope and counting the eggs on a photographic capture using the Clickmaster software. Five solution types were used to disperse the egg clutches: glycerin 50%, ethanol 70%, ethanol 80%, physiological serum 0.9% and purified water. The efficiency of the estimation method for eggs number evaluation was also tested by using the estimated egg weight as a conversion factor. The biometric parameters of single eggs (length and width) were determined using the free Toupview software. The precise method of egg preparation and counting allows for the registration of the eggs number manually identified by the operator. The appropriate dispersion solutions were glycerin 50% and ethanol 70%. The method has an error of 1.4 eggs for each 500 counted eggs, thus an accuracy of over 99.4%. The eggs number estimation method is not applicable without significant errors, the accuracy being less than 32%, due to egg heterogeneity in the clutch. Biometric parameters (length and width) are positively correlated with egg weight (r = 0.759) and with the number of eggs in the clutch (r = 0.645). In conclusion, the results clearly suggest the method of egg preparation and precise counting for an accurate evaluation of quality parameters of the H. illucens clutches, as well as the technique for evaluating egg biometric parameters.

Nitrogen is one of the most important nutrients for plants and is required by them in relatively large quantities. This paper presents an overview of scientific literature related to nitrogen management, with a specific highlight on permanent grasslands and has involved a bibliometric analysis of scientific literature regarding nitrogen management. The analysis was performed using the SCOPUS, which is an extensive database of literature all over the world, with wide coverage in keyword of analysis. For visualization and analysis, VOSviewer 1.6.18 was employed, which is an open access computer program, developed for creating bibliometric maps. The search results were downloaded as full record and citation data, with information related to document type, year of publication, title, author, keywords, abstract, references, funding agency, citations. A number of 3,948 articles were retrieved for analysis. The articles were sorted by relevance. The information was downloaded as .csv file and imported into VOSviewer 1.6.18 application software. Using the search query ”nitrogen management”, ”meadows” and ”pastures” indicated that 90% of the papers retrieved were research articles indexed in agricultural and biological sciences, followed by those in the environmental sciences, with themes of the ecosystem process, environmental management, land use, nitrogen fixation, organic nitrogen, soil structure, soil processing techniques.