Nitrate (NO3 -) and nitrite (NO2 -) levels of a total 1195 samples of nine different vegetables (lettuce, potato, cabbage, carrot, string beans, tomato, cucumber, cauliflower and pepper) collected at several locations of an intensive agricultural area in Slovenia were analysed during a period of 13 years. The content of NO2 -and NO3 -ions in commercial mature samples was determined using a segmented flow analyser. The average NO3 -content was the highest in lettuce (962 mg/kg), cabbage (795 mg/kg), string beans (298 mg/kg), carrot (264 mg/kg), cauliflower (231 mg/kg), potato (169 mg/kg) and was moderately high in cucumber (93 mg/kg) and pepper (69 mg/kg). A low NO3 -content was found in tomato (<10 mg/kg). The average values of NO2 -did not exceed 0.5 mg/kg, with the exception of potato (1.08 mg/kg). Six samples of lettuce exceeded the maximum permissible level of NO3 -according to current European Union (EU) legislation. Based on the results of our investigation, we assessed the approximate daily intake (DI) of NO3 -and NO2 -to human body. The results indicated that with the consumption of potato, the daily intake per inhabitant is close to the acceptable DI permitted in EU.

No abstract

The olive fruit fly (Bactrocera oleae Gmelin) is the most important olive pest in the north-eastern Adriatic coast region. Despite the importance of olive production in the region, and the significance of the olive fruit fly, no information with respect to genetic diversity, population structure or dispersion patterns of this pest is available. The aims of this study were to investigate the genetic structure of the olive fly population in the Slovenian Istria region using microsatellite markers to determine olive fruit fly migration between locations and to establish an appropriate and effective strategy for controlling the pest population. Analysis was performed on a sample of 117 flies, collected from attacked olive fruits at three different locations. Olive fruit flies were genotyped using eight microsatellite loci. Sixty-six alleles were identified over all microsatellite loci with an average of 8.25 alleles per locus. The population structure was determined with methods based on Bayesian principles using the BAPS 6.0 and STRUCTURE 2.3 programs. Genetic analysis confirmed unlimited migration and random mating between individuals of different microlocations, which suggests time-coordinated first treatment in the region would be the best solution.

No abstract

The aromatic plant immortelle contains valuable bioactive molecules and a unique fragrance. These key factors contribute to its attractiveness and implementation in agricultural ecosystems as well as applications in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. In this study, we have characterized the complete chloroplast genome sequence of Helichrysum italicum subsp. italicum from the North Adriatic region. The total genome size was 152,431 bp in length, containing 85 protein-coding genes, 36 transfer RNA genes, 8 ribosomal RNA genes, and 2 partial genes (ycf1 and rps19). Based on the available chloroplast genomes from Gnaphalieae tribe, the closest relationship was identified with Anaphalis sinica.