2025-12-30
Irina GOLOCIALOVA, Maria COJOCARU
This article examines the redistribution of value added generated in agriculture to other sectors of the economy, taking into account the unequal nature of intersectoral relationships. These issues are caused by deficiencies in the methodology for accounting for ecosystem assets within the current accounting system of the Republic of Moldova, which insufficiently integrates eco-economic approaches, thereby reducing the quality of financial reporting. The four-stage algorithm developed by the authors helps to address the identified asymmetries and integrate fair value principles. This methodology is based on the application of the Total Economic Value approach, which ensures more comprehensive disclosure of information on natural capital and enhances the quality of managerial decision-making. The findings confirm the need to reform the methodology for accounting and valuation of ecosystem assets to achieve the sustainable development goals in the Republic of Moldova.
2025-12-30
Aurel CĂLINA, Jenica CĂLINA, Gheorghe Marian VANGU
This paper analyzes the dynamics of land use and land cover in the South-West Oltenia region of Romania over the period 1990-2023, using official statistical data concerning agricultural and non-agricultural areas, as well as their respective land use categories. While the total land area has remained constant throughout the analyzed interval, the distribution among land use categories has undergone significant changes. At the regional level, agricultural lands-particularly arable land and pastures-have shown relatively stable trends, whereas areas cultivated with vineyards and orchards have experienced a marked decline. Forested areas have slightly increased, reflecting efforts toward reforestation and environmental conservation. Built-up areas, including construction and infrastructure, have expanded noticeably, highlighting socio-economic development and the growing demand for built spaces. Conversely, the surface area of unproductive lands has increased substantially, underscoring the urgent need for land rehabilitation measures and interventions to combat land degradation. The study emphasizes the challenges posed by land degradation and the necessity of implementing sustainable land management policies that balance agricultural productivity, environmental protection, and urban expansion. The findings provide a robust foundation for decision-makers and regional planners in promoting sustainable territorial development in the South-West Oltenia region.
2025-12-30
Pavlo LYKHOVYD, Oleksandr RUDIK, Oleksii LOTOTSKYI, Hryhorii LATIUK, Ihor DIADKO, Nataliia LAVRENKO, Oksana LIUBENKO, Andreii SHEPEL
The aim of this study was to provide evidence on how Ukrainian agrarian feel about the problem of transgenic crops research and practical use both for industrial and food purposes. This is a survey-based study, accompanied with statistical analysis of the survey outcomes and. Artificial neural network-based prediction of the attitude depending on religious beliefs. Most of the respondents were Christians (83.13%), while the least number of representatives were among Islam and Buddhism religions (1.20% each, respectively). The highest general positivity towards GMOtechnologies was recorded for Buddhism and atheistic respondents. The highest negativity towards transgenic crops was recorded for Christians. To some extent, legislative persecution also impacted attitude towards GMO-crops. High data asymmetry was identified among the datasets. The general predictive accuracy of the developed artificial neural network reached 58.82% with the F1 score of 0.31, indicating moderately low accuracy of the prediction. The specificity of the prediction was very high – 89%. Further studies will be carried out to enlarge the initial dataset and make it more comprehensive in terms of diminishing data asymmetry.
2025-12-30
Olha BAKUMENKO, Volodymyr VLASENKO, Andrii BUTENKO, Valentyna TATARYNOVA, Serhii HORBAS, Ihor MASYK, Vasyl BILOKOPYTOV, Liudmyla KRIUCHKO, Olena OSMACHKO, Danyil NAUMOV
The results of three-stages of experimental study conducted under different agroclimatic conditions are presented. The adaptability of Chinese soft winter wheat genotypes was evaluated across three experimental phases: the initial stage involved 124 samples, the second stage focused on 50 samples, and the final stage examined the 12 most promising samples under organic farming conditions. The study identified advanced genotypes with valuable breeding traits, including high productivity, for subsequent hybridization efforts. This process aimed to integrate the genetic potential of both Ukrainian and Chinese wheat varieties to develop improved genotypes. The research distinguished semi-dwarf (60-85 cm) and short-stemmed (85-105 cm) wheat varieties According to indicators of homeostaticity, stability, selection value, plasticity, these genotypes are suitable for originating new varieties adapted to the cultivation under organic farming conditions. The selected best genotypes of wheat varieties from China were transferred to the National Center of Genetic Resources of Ukraine and breeding institutions.
2025-12-30
Gulnora DJALILOVA, Feruza MAMATKULOVA
Soil degradation due to erosion is one of the most pressing environmental issues in the mountainous regions of Central Asia. This study presents the results of a comprehensive investigation of mountain brown soils distributed in the Chatkal and Turkestan ranges of Uzbekistan, focusing on their morphological changes under the influence of water erosion. The research methods included field descriptions of soil profiles, geobotanical analysis, and laboratory studies of agrochemical properties (humus, pH, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium content). The analysis of the soil cover allowed us to identify three subtypes of mountain brown soils: carbonate, typical, and leached, differing in carbonate depth and humus content. The results showed that erosion leads to the removal of the humus horizon, a decrease in organic matter content, and the deterioration of soil physicochemical properties. In the Chatkal Range, with its moderately humid climate, deeper carbonate accumulation and higher humus content were observed, but intense spring precipitation accelerates soil profile washout. In the Turkestan Range, where the climate is drier and steep slopes prevail, erosion is exacerbated by sparse vegetation and high seismic activity. Future research will focus on developing erosion prediction models considering climate change, as well as implementing effective soil conservation practices, including contour farming, terracing, and vegetation restoration.
2025-12-30
Lenuta Iuliana EPURE, Doru Gabriel EPURE, Nicoleta Alina UDROIU
The mint is aromatic plant with utilisation in medicine, aromatic and cosmetic industry as well as in human been consumption. The research aimed to present the influence of drying on chemical composition of diferent species of genus Mentha. Seven varieties of Mint have been analysed in this experiment: M. spicata L., M. aquatica L., M. arvensis L., M. longifolia L., M. suaveolens Ehrh., M. pulegium L., and M. pipperita L. The drying experiment have been conducted using a Thermo-Cabinet model Hohenheim with recirculation of drying air. The drying experiments have been conducted at the 40℃, 50℃ and 60℃ constant temperature. Have been describe the drying behaviour ploted as wet base as well as dry base as well as drying rate for all species of mints analysed. The drying time decrease with increasing of drying temperature from 19.29 h to 04.46 h. The drying time as well as drying behaviour is strongly dependent to species of mint analysed. The chemical composition data have been processed for fresh mint, dried mint at 40℃, 50℃ and 60℃. A strong correlation between variety and drying temperature on chemical composition have been found and described.
2025-12-30
Erni SUMINAR, Anni YUNIARTI, Vira KUSUMADEWI, Syariful MUBAROK, Rahmat BUDIARTO, Pujiawati SURYATMANA, Dikdik KURNIA, Eva APRILIA, Murgayanti MURGAYANTI, Iman permana MAKSUM, Yusi DEAWATI
Ocimum basilicum is a medicinal plant known to have many health benefits. One way to propagate this plant is through in-vitro culture. In vitro secondary metabolite production can be increased by adding elicitors such as phenylalanine. This study aims to determine the effect of phenylalanine on the growth and production of secondary metabolites of Ocimum basilicum in vitro. Experiments were conducted with various concentrations of phenylalanine (0, 200, 250, and 300 mg/150 mL) combined with 1.5 mg L⁻¹ Benzyl Amino Purine (BAP). The results showed that although phenylalanine combined with BAP inhibited the growth of Ocimum basilicum plants such as root growth in both the number of â roots and root length, the number of leaves produced, and the height of the plantlets. However, phenylalanine has the potential to increase fresh weight at moderate concentrations and secondary metabolites such as total phenolics although it causes a decrease in total flavonoid content along with increasing phenylalanine concentration. Further investigation is needed to determine the specific cause of this response.
2025-12-30
Mihai ENESCU, Mircea MIHALACHE, Leonard ILIE, Lucian DINCĂ, Danut CHIRA, Gabriel MURARIU
Globally, edible mushrooms from forests, which are regarded as one of the main non-wood forest products, have a significant contribution to food security and livelihoods. The aim of this study was to bring attention to the widespread edible mushrooms, by highlighting their country level perspectives in countries with great tradition in terms of harvesting and the environmental and economic drivers of their productivity. A bibliometric analysis was performed on published papers in Web of Science and Scopus databases, and by using Microsoft Excel and VOSviewer software. A total of 873 articles published since 1975 in 327 academic journals were considered. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, Environmental Science and Pollution Research, Journal of Fungi, and Mycoscience were the journals with the highest number of published papers. The results of the bibliometric analysis highlighted the worldwide interest in the management of wild edible mushrooms and their ecological and economic importance, on one hand and the need of sustainable use and regional conservation strategies, on another hand.
2025-12-30
Galin MILCHEV, Elena TSVETKOVA, Rumen TOMOV
The horse chestnut leaf miner (Cameraria ohridella Deschka et Dimic) is a major pest affecting Aesculus hippocastanum L. in urban areas across Europe. To design effective management strategies, it is essential to accurately assess the level of infestation. However, current observations rely on visual assessments which are subjective, timeconsuming, and not suitable for large-scale monitoring. The research explores the use of AI and UAVs for assessing infestation levels of horse chestnut trees with C. ohridella in urban environments. The infestation severity is classified using convolutional neural networks (CNNs) which are trained with a standardized scale of damage assessment on leaf images, scanned leaf images, and RGB and thermal images from UAVs. The leaf-based assessment and crown thermal indices are compared sufficiently that the approach can assist in early detection of infestation and scalable monitoring. The findings indicate that there exists a significant correlation between the AI predictions and those made by the expert assessments. The thermal anomalies used in the predictive model also show a good relationship with infestation levels. For monitoring C. ohridella infestations, the approach offers a scalable, reproducible, and cost-effective solution. There is a strong possibility of this synergy being included in pest control in urban green infrastructure management and early warning systems and assessment of ecosystem services provided by urban horse chestnut trees.
2025-12-30
Zineb BAKHTI, Fatima SAHNOUNI, Oussama BELHADJ
Juniperus phoenicea essential oil (JPEO) contains various biologically active constituents with remarkable biological activity. This study focuses on the chemical content, antimicrobial efficacy, heavy metal levels and antioxidant capacity of the essential oil extracted from the foliage of Algerian Juniperus phoenicea. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation and then analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). To assess the heavy metal composition, energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (EDXRF) was applied to the extracted oil. The agar disk diffusion technique was employed to test antibacterial activity, and the MIC and MBC values were identified. Reducing power (RP) and DPPH assays were performed to evaluate the antioxidant capacity. The results showed significant antibacterial effects against Gram-positive bacteria, while Gram-negative bacteria were insensitive. The antioxidant activity was noteworthy compared to ascorbic acid, with IC50 values of 1.10 ± 0.01 mg/mL (DPPH) and 1.55 ± 0.01 mg/mL (RP). The oil contained heavy metals at concentrations lower than those permitted by the World Health Organization. These results suggest that Juniperus phoenicea essential oil is an interesting new source of healthy natural compounds with antioxidant and antibacterial capacity, confirming its application in food biosafety as a preservative.