No abstract

Conventional management of sweet pepper is based on farming practices characterized by the use of chemicals with harmful environmental impact. In order to investigate innovative production, research was carried out in order to assess the effects of two pepper cultivars (‘Brillant’ and ‘Yolo Wonder’) in combination with four farming systems (Conventional control-C; Conventional with microorganism-enriched fertilization-CMF; Organic control-O; Organic with microorganism-enriched fertilization-OMF) on plant physiological parameters, yield and fruit quality. Conventionally grown plants showed higher values of assimilatory pigments and of photosynthetic rate compared to the Organically ones. The CMF resulted in the highest early and total yield, followed by the OMF, due to higher fruit number. Higher values of carotenoids, ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol were recorded in ‘Yolo Wonder’ red fruits compared to ‘Brillant’ yellow berries. The highest total polyphenols concentration was recorded under the CMF, whereas OMF resulted in the highest flavonoids concentration and antioxidant activity.

In recent years, rhubarb is being increasingly cultivated, as it provides early yields when the vegetables supply to market is deficient and shows high levels of both polyphenols content and antioxidant capacity in edible parts. In 2017, we investigated crops of the rhubarb cultivar Victoria to the fifth year of production. Comparisons were performed between three root phase fertilizations—chemical (NPK 16-16-16®), organic (Orgevit®), and biological (Micoseeds MB®)—plus an unfertilized control. The determinations of polyphenols, the antioxidant capacity, and the yield indicators from the stalks (petioles) of rhubarb were made at each out of the 10 harvests carried out. The highest yield (59.16 t·ha−1) was recorded under the chemical fertilization. The total polyphenols content and antioxidant capacity varied widely from 533.86 mg GAE·g−1 d.w. and 136.86 mmol Trolox·g−1 d.w., respectively in the unfertilized control at the last harvest, up to 3966.56 mg GAE·g−1 d.w. and 1953.97 mmol Trolox·g−1 d.w. respectively under the organic fertilization at the four harvest. From the results of our investigation, it can be inferred that the chemical fertilization was the most effective in terms of yield, whereas the sustainable nutritional management based on organic fertilizer supply led to higher antioxidant compounds and activity.

Rhubarb is a perennial vegetable crop well adapted to the temperate climate but it is not well known and cultivated as a traditional crop. The aim of the present study is to highlight the influence of the rhubarb cultivar and crop density on the content of some organic acids (malic, tartaric, oxalic, citric, ascorbic) in an organic crop. The highest content of organic acids was determined in a local population from Moldova at a density of 9090 plants•ha-1; the following quantities of acids for 100 g fresh weight (FW) were determined: tartaric -486 mg, oxalic -343 mg, citric -41 mg, malic -686 mg and ascorbic -437 mg.In this present paper, we have demonstrated that content of organic acids from edible rhubarb parts varies according to crop density and cultivars, except for malic acid.

In Romania, as in many other countries, white cabbage is one of the most important vegetable crop species. The experiment was performed in the NE of the country during 2008-2009 in order to measure the impact of cultivar choice and pest control techniques on organic white cabbage [Brassica oleracea (L.) var. capitata f. alba (D.C.)]. This experiment included early, summer and autumn crops. The early crop compared four cultivars, the summer crop two cultivars, and the autumn crop three cultivars. The effect of various common organic pest control techniques was also measured. These techniques included: treatments with extract from neem (Azadirachta indica), potassium soap, Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki toxins, application of a parasitic wasp (Trichogramma evanescens) and covering the crop with an agrotextile. Data were collected regarding the effect of cultivar selection and pest control technique on common local cabbage pests: cabbage flea beetle (Phyllotreta atra), cabbage fly (Delia brassicae), cabbage moth (Mamestra brassicae) and cabbage butterfly (Pieris brassicae). The highest yields for each respective growing season were obtained using the following combinations: Flavius agrotextile (early crop), Copenhagen Market agrotextile + 4 lha-1 azadirachtin + 12104 wasps/ha (summer crop) and Buzau 4 lha-1 azadirachtin (autumn crop).