Albanian Journal of Natural and Technical Sciences (AJNTS), 2024
Three equal samples of graded seeds of a commercial pepper variety were used in the
experiment. T... more Three equal samples of graded seeds of a commercial pepper variety were used in the experiment. The first was used as control (ctr), and the next were subject of priming with respectively KNO3 (1%), CaCl2 (1%) and PEG osmotic solution (-1.5 bar). Primed variants were incubated for 48 hours at a germination room (24 °C, 80% RH), then removed from the respective solutions, dried and kept for next 48 hours at same conditions (24 °C, 80% RH). The control variant was also kept under the same conditions for the last 48 hours. Following that procedure, all seeds were sown in polysterol trays, filled with peat moss compost (100 cm3 per each module) and transferred in growth chambers with equal microclimate regimes; 24°C, 80% RH and artificial lightening (12 hrs, PPFD 180μmol m−2s−1). The total number of seeds for each variant was split in half, and regularly irrigated with normal tap water, or saline (100mM NaCl) water. KNO3 and CaCl2 priming has significantly improved germination parameters of pepper seedlings under saline irrigation water conditions. In addition, it increased the dry matter, length, surface area and volume of the root system compared with control plants, and enhanced the initial growth and vigor of pepper seedlings.
Seeds of ten different pea genotypes were sown in styrofoam transplant trays filled with vermicul... more Seeds of ten different pea genotypes were sown in styrofoam transplant trays filled with vermiculite and kept in two different growth chambers, respectively at air temperatures of 10 • C and 15 • C. In both chambers the relative humidity was maintained at 90%, PPFD 180 μmol m − 2 s − 1 and the photoperiod 12 h. At DAS 15 and 31, ten plant of each treatment were selected randomly, dissected and separated into roots and shoots. Root system was scanned and acquired root images were analyzed. Subsequently, all plant organs were dried (65 • C, 48 h) and weighed separately. Significant genetic variation was identified regarding root traits. Rather than with the drought resistance and N foraging capability the genetic variation was associated with P foraging capability of the root system. Despite significant genotype differences, root traits were remarkably affected by environment temperature. The suboptimum temperature reduced growth and delayed root development processes. The decrease of temperature from 15 • C to 10 • C was followed by a significant decrease in the dry matter of plant, but the ratio of root dry matter to plant dry matter was significantly increased. The total root length was also significantly decreased, almost totally due to a significant decrease in the lateral root length. Only slight effects were found regarding tap root length. Water and nutrient uptake capabilities of pea plants were enhanced under optimum temperature conditions, mostly due to increased lateral root density and extended root branching zone deeper into the soil. Either the differences in lateral root (LR) density or the length of branching zone seems to be related with the effects of temperature to the length of development time from LR initiation to LR emergence.
Proceedings of the Latvian Academy of Sciences. Section B. Natural, Exact, and Applied Sciences.
The effects of hydrogel granules mixed with peat substrate on germination, morphological and phys... more The effects of hydrogel granules mixed with peat substrate on germination, morphological and physiological parameters of plugged seedlings were tested in tomato seedlings, at two different irrigation regimes. Due to hydrogel presence, the germination speed was increased, whereas mean germination time was significantly reduced. Slight improvement was recorded regarding final germination, but no effect was found regarding the synchronisation index and seedling vigour index. Due to addition of hydrogel granules a significant increase occurred in dry matter of shoots and plants. No effect was found regarding dry matter of roots, but the presence of hydrogel granules significantly reduced the length of tap root. Interestingly, stomata conductance and chlorophyll index were higher than in control plants. No statistically significant interaction was found between hydrogel variants and irrigation frequency, i.e., the effect of different levels of hydrogel variants did not depend on irrigati...
Vegetable grafting is increasingly recognized as an effective and sustainable plant production al... more Vegetable grafting is increasingly recognized as an effective and sustainable plant production alternative. Grafted plants usually show increased uptake of water and minerals compared with self-rooted plants, mostly thought a consequence of the vigorous rootstocks selected. However, while studies frequently addressed the effects of rootstocks on the performance of scions, knowledge on the influences of scions on biomass allocation, morphology, and metabolic activity of roots is rare. In particular, the plasticity of root traits affecting resource acquisition and its efficiency remains poorly understood. Two different rootstock species, Cucurbita maxima × Cucurbita moschata and Lagenaria siceraria, were grafted in combination with melon (Cucumis melo) and watermelon (Citrullus lanatus). Self-grafted rootstocks were used as control. Plant biomass and root traits were determined after destructive harvesting 30 and/or 60 days after grafting. Traits included biomass allocation, leaf and ...
Burleigh Dodds Series in Agricultural Science, 2021
There are two types of soilless cultivation. Liquid systems are the growing of plants in the nutr... more There are two types of soilless cultivation. Liquid systems are the growing of plants in the nutrient solution or under the mist of nutrient solution without a solid substrate. Solid-medium systems use inorganic, or organic materials for the plant roots. The chapter reviews a number of liquid systems: deep water culture (DWC), nutrient film technique (NFT), floating system, deep flow technique (DFT), aeroponics and dry hydroponics. Solid systems described include: gravel culture, sand culture, bag culture, container culture and trough culture. The chapter also assesses aquaponics, bioponics and vertical farming systems. The chapter discusses open and closed nutrition systems before looking at ways of optimising water and nutrient supply: growing medium and solution volume per plant, root zone temperature, oxygen enrichment and plant density. The chapter concludes with a case study on rocket production in liquid and solid medium systems.
Ten homozygous tomato lines were crossed in a diallel design in conformity with the random model ... more Ten homozygous tomato lines were crossed in a diallel design in conformity with the random model of the Griffing II design. The parental lines and their offsprings without reciprocals were planted out in a randomized block design with two replications in a heated glass house at the Vegetable and Potato Research Institute, Tirana, during the year 1998. Crop height growth rate, leaf number growth rate, internode length and truss number were estimated to the parental lines and their offsprings. There were indications for the importance of genes which have largely additive effects for the characters internode length and truss number, while there seems to be the same magnitude of the dominance and epistatic gene effects for the characters crop growth rate and leaf number growth rate.
Projekti “Vlerësimi i disa metodave bio teknologjike për përmirësimin e treguesve të rritjes dhe ... more Projekti “Vlerësimi i disa metodave bio teknologjike për përmirësimin e treguesve të rritjes dhe shkurtimin e kohës së hyrjes në prodhim të fidanëve perimorë në kushte të disfavorshme tokësore dhe kultivimi”, ka filluar në vitin 2010 dhe përfundoi në 2014. Në tërësinë e vet, synoi të realizojë dy objektiva të rëndësishme; a. Përpunimin e teknikave dhe inovacioneve teknologjike që shkurtojnë kohën e prodhimit dhe të hyrjes në prodhim të materialit mbjellës bimor. b. Rritjen e qëndrueshmërisë së materialit mbjellës bimor ndaj streseve mjedisore dhe të aftësive të tyre për lidhjen e shpejtë me tokën në kushte të papërshtatshme klimatike dhe kultivimi. Në kuadër të këtyre objektivave, eksperimentet e realizuara në kuadër të këtij projekti kontribuan në; • Studimin e ndikimeve të mënyrës së shartimit në fidanët perimorë mbi marrëdhëniet e komponentëve në shartim dhe intensitetin e lidhjes së tyre me tokën në kushte kripëzimi. • Studimin e ndikimit të moshës dhe i trajtimeve të sistemit r...
ABSTRACT Despite great potentials for production and export of fresh fruits and vegetables, Alban... more ABSTRACT Despite great potentials for production and export of fresh fruits and vegetables, Albania is experiencing a very negative foreign trade balance for fruits and vegetables with a skewed export to import ratio of 1/19. Analysis reveals that the lack of competitiveness can be found in the industry's value chain. Therefore, the appropriate approach to understand the problems is to use the value chain approach. Factors affecting the fruits and vegetables competitiveness are evaluated using a "Likert" rating scale. This study focuses on the commercial farmers for two types of produce: fresh produce and processed produce intended for export. Evaluation exercise was complemented ranking competitiveness drivers. The analysis of this study leads to the following conclusions (i) the basic competitive challenge is low capacity and low performance of the chain actors, (ii) value chain governance (role of a "chain governor") is simply missing, (iii) government role to support the is inadequate. Following this analysis, the authors recommend that the government should: (i) continue with farm supply support program, (ii) partner with businesses to improve technology, food safety, management and marketing at farm and processing level (iii) support improvement of the value chain governance, (iv) support well established agents who can enhanced the entire chain's competitiveness through chain governance improvement, and (v) improve infrastructure and strengthen supporting institutions.
Albanian Journal of Natural and Technical Sciences (AJNTS), 2024
Three equal samples of graded seeds of a commercial pepper variety were used in the
experiment. T... more Three equal samples of graded seeds of a commercial pepper variety were used in the experiment. The first was used as control (ctr), and the next were subject of priming with respectively KNO3 (1%), CaCl2 (1%) and PEG osmotic solution (-1.5 bar). Primed variants were incubated for 48 hours at a germination room (24 °C, 80% RH), then removed from the respective solutions, dried and kept for next 48 hours at same conditions (24 °C, 80% RH). The control variant was also kept under the same conditions for the last 48 hours. Following that procedure, all seeds were sown in polysterol trays, filled with peat moss compost (100 cm3 per each module) and transferred in growth chambers with equal microclimate regimes; 24°C, 80% RH and artificial lightening (12 hrs, PPFD 180μmol m−2s−1). The total number of seeds for each variant was split in half, and regularly irrigated with normal tap water, or saline (100mM NaCl) water. KNO3 and CaCl2 priming has significantly improved germination parameters of pepper seedlings under saline irrigation water conditions. In addition, it increased the dry matter, length, surface area and volume of the root system compared with control plants, and enhanced the initial growth and vigor of pepper seedlings.
Seeds of ten different pea genotypes were sown in styrofoam transplant trays filled with vermicul... more Seeds of ten different pea genotypes were sown in styrofoam transplant trays filled with vermiculite and kept in two different growth chambers, respectively at air temperatures of 10 • C and 15 • C. In both chambers the relative humidity was maintained at 90%, PPFD 180 μmol m − 2 s − 1 and the photoperiod 12 h. At DAS 15 and 31, ten plant of each treatment were selected randomly, dissected and separated into roots and shoots. Root system was scanned and acquired root images were analyzed. Subsequently, all plant organs were dried (65 • C, 48 h) and weighed separately. Significant genetic variation was identified regarding root traits. Rather than with the drought resistance and N foraging capability the genetic variation was associated with P foraging capability of the root system. Despite significant genotype differences, root traits were remarkably affected by environment temperature. The suboptimum temperature reduced growth and delayed root development processes. The decrease of temperature from 15 • C to 10 • C was followed by a significant decrease in the dry matter of plant, but the ratio of root dry matter to plant dry matter was significantly increased. The total root length was also significantly decreased, almost totally due to a significant decrease in the lateral root length. Only slight effects were found regarding tap root length. Water and nutrient uptake capabilities of pea plants were enhanced under optimum temperature conditions, mostly due to increased lateral root density and extended root branching zone deeper into the soil. Either the differences in lateral root (LR) density or the length of branching zone seems to be related with the effects of temperature to the length of development time from LR initiation to LR emergence.
Proceedings of the Latvian Academy of Sciences. Section B. Natural, Exact, and Applied Sciences.
The effects of hydrogel granules mixed with peat substrate on germination, morphological and phys... more The effects of hydrogel granules mixed with peat substrate on germination, morphological and physiological parameters of plugged seedlings were tested in tomato seedlings, at two different irrigation regimes. Due to hydrogel presence, the germination speed was increased, whereas mean germination time was significantly reduced. Slight improvement was recorded regarding final germination, but no effect was found regarding the synchronisation index and seedling vigour index. Due to addition of hydrogel granules a significant increase occurred in dry matter of shoots and plants. No effect was found regarding dry matter of roots, but the presence of hydrogel granules significantly reduced the length of tap root. Interestingly, stomata conductance and chlorophyll index were higher than in control plants. No statistically significant interaction was found between hydrogel variants and irrigation frequency, i.e., the effect of different levels of hydrogel variants did not depend on irrigati...
Vegetable grafting is increasingly recognized as an effective and sustainable plant production al... more Vegetable grafting is increasingly recognized as an effective and sustainable plant production alternative. Grafted plants usually show increased uptake of water and minerals compared with self-rooted plants, mostly thought a consequence of the vigorous rootstocks selected. However, while studies frequently addressed the effects of rootstocks on the performance of scions, knowledge on the influences of scions on biomass allocation, morphology, and metabolic activity of roots is rare. In particular, the plasticity of root traits affecting resource acquisition and its efficiency remains poorly understood. Two different rootstock species, Cucurbita maxima × Cucurbita moschata and Lagenaria siceraria, were grafted in combination with melon (Cucumis melo) and watermelon (Citrullus lanatus). Self-grafted rootstocks were used as control. Plant biomass and root traits were determined after destructive harvesting 30 and/or 60 days after grafting. Traits included biomass allocation, leaf and ...
Burleigh Dodds Series in Agricultural Science, 2021
There are two types of soilless cultivation. Liquid systems are the growing of plants in the nutr... more There are two types of soilless cultivation. Liquid systems are the growing of plants in the nutrient solution or under the mist of nutrient solution without a solid substrate. Solid-medium systems use inorganic, or organic materials for the plant roots. The chapter reviews a number of liquid systems: deep water culture (DWC), nutrient film technique (NFT), floating system, deep flow technique (DFT), aeroponics and dry hydroponics. Solid systems described include: gravel culture, sand culture, bag culture, container culture and trough culture. The chapter also assesses aquaponics, bioponics and vertical farming systems. The chapter discusses open and closed nutrition systems before looking at ways of optimising water and nutrient supply: growing medium and solution volume per plant, root zone temperature, oxygen enrichment and plant density. The chapter concludes with a case study on rocket production in liquid and solid medium systems.
Ten homozygous tomato lines were crossed in a diallel design in conformity with the random model ... more Ten homozygous tomato lines were crossed in a diallel design in conformity with the random model of the Griffing II design. The parental lines and their offsprings without reciprocals were planted out in a randomized block design with two replications in a heated glass house at the Vegetable and Potato Research Institute, Tirana, during the year 1998. Crop height growth rate, leaf number growth rate, internode length and truss number were estimated to the parental lines and their offsprings. There were indications for the importance of genes which have largely additive effects for the characters internode length and truss number, while there seems to be the same magnitude of the dominance and epistatic gene effects for the characters crop growth rate and leaf number growth rate.
Projekti “Vlerësimi i disa metodave bio teknologjike për përmirësimin e treguesve të rritjes dhe ... more Projekti “Vlerësimi i disa metodave bio teknologjike për përmirësimin e treguesve të rritjes dhe shkurtimin e kohës së hyrjes në prodhim të fidanëve perimorë në kushte të disfavorshme tokësore dhe kultivimi”, ka filluar në vitin 2010 dhe përfundoi në 2014. Në tërësinë e vet, synoi të realizojë dy objektiva të rëndësishme; a. Përpunimin e teknikave dhe inovacioneve teknologjike që shkurtojnë kohën e prodhimit dhe të hyrjes në prodhim të materialit mbjellës bimor. b. Rritjen e qëndrueshmërisë së materialit mbjellës bimor ndaj streseve mjedisore dhe të aftësive të tyre për lidhjen e shpejtë me tokën në kushte të papërshtatshme klimatike dhe kultivimi. Në kuadër të këtyre objektivave, eksperimentet e realizuara në kuadër të këtij projekti kontribuan në; • Studimin e ndikimeve të mënyrës së shartimit në fidanët perimorë mbi marrëdhëniet e komponentëve në shartim dhe intensitetin e lidhjes së tyre me tokën në kushte kripëzimi. • Studimin e ndikimit të moshës dhe i trajtimeve të sistemit r...
ABSTRACT Despite great potentials for production and export of fresh fruits and vegetables, Alban... more ABSTRACT Despite great potentials for production and export of fresh fruits and vegetables, Albania is experiencing a very negative foreign trade balance for fruits and vegetables with a skewed export to import ratio of 1/19. Analysis reveals that the lack of competitiveness can be found in the industry's value chain. Therefore, the appropriate approach to understand the problems is to use the value chain approach. Factors affecting the fruits and vegetables competitiveness are evaluated using a "Likert" rating scale. This study focuses on the commercial farmers for two types of produce: fresh produce and processed produce intended for export. Evaluation exercise was complemented ranking competitiveness drivers. The analysis of this study leads to the following conclusions (i) the basic competitive challenge is low capacity and low performance of the chain actors, (ii) value chain governance (role of a "chain governor") is simply missing, (iii) government role to support the is inadequate. Following this analysis, the authors recommend that the government should: (i) continue with farm supply support program, (ii) partner with businesses to improve technology, food safety, management and marketing at farm and processing level (iii) support improvement of the value chain governance, (iv) support well established agents who can enhanced the entire chain's competitiveness through chain governance improvement, and (v) improve infrastructure and strengthen supporting institutions.
Melon, watermelon and squash are important crops in protected vegetable production, in terms of b... more Melon, watermelon and squash are important crops in protected vegetable production, in terms of both cultivation area and yield. They can be cultivated in high tunnels and greenhouses, but the most common method is in low tunnels. Most melon cultivars grown under protected structures belong to the Cantaloupe, Galia and Ananas types. Watermelon cultivars may be large or small fruits, with or without or seeds. In high tunnels and greenhouses, melons and watermelons are usually grown vertically, while in small-tunnel growing systems they are grown on the ground. Training, pruning, fruit-setting and fertigation are the most important crop management practices. Grafting is used extensively to increase crop resistance to soil-borne diseases, nematodes and abiotic stresses. The risk of diseases, pests and several physiological disorders could be reduced with proper microclimate control and appropriate crop management.
The production of vegetable seedlings is an extremely important operation. If farmers do not use ... more The production of vegetable seedlings is an extremely important operation. If farmers do not use high-quality, healthy and vigorous seedlings, yield potential cannot be achieved. This chapter describes the facilities, materials and management practices used for seedling production. GAP recommendations aimed at smallholders are provided to assure high-quality vegetable transplants. INTRODUCTION The production of vegetable seedlings is an extremely important operation. If farmers do not use high-quality, healthy and vigorous seedlings, yield potential cannot be achieved. Although farmers continue to produce seedlings themselves, commercial transplant production in highly specialized nurseries is a worldwide trend. Production technologies have been gradually developed to reach the current stage of module propagation. In this system, each transplant grows in an individual cell: there is less competition among plants and more uniformity. Moreover, less labour is required for mixing and sterilizing soil, filling trays and growing seedlings.
Cucumber is one of the most important cultivated greenhouse crops. Most varieties are female hybr... more Cucumber is one of the most important cultivated greenhouse crops. Most varieties are female hybrid cultivars, but monoic cultivars are still in use in some South East European countries. Cucumber cultivation – as for other fast-growing vegetables – is characterized by technologies designed to increase intensive production. Cultural practices aim to provide an appropriate root medium, balanced root/leaf growth, balanced source/sink development, and a good harvesting rate of high-quality fruits. The most important growing practices are microclimate control, fertigation and training. Cucumber is very sensitive to both abiotic and biotic stresses, and serious problems can arise in the case of inappropriate crop management. Integrated pest management provides various approaches for smallholders.
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Papers by Astrit Balliu
experiment. The first was used as control (ctr), and the next were subject of priming
with respectively KNO3 (1%), CaCl2 (1%) and PEG osmotic solution (-1.5 bar).
Primed variants were incubated for 48 hours at a germination room (24 °C, 80% RH),
then removed from the respective solutions, dried and kept for next 48 hours at same
conditions (24 °C, 80% RH). The control variant was also kept under the same
conditions for the last 48 hours. Following that procedure, all seeds were sown in
polysterol trays, filled with peat moss compost (100 cm3 per each module) and
transferred in growth chambers with equal microclimate regimes; 24°C, 80% RH and
artificial lightening (12 hrs, PPFD 180μmol m−2s−1). The total number of seeds for
each variant was split in half, and regularly irrigated with normal tap water, or saline
(100mM NaCl) water. KNO3 and CaCl2 priming has significantly improved
germination parameters of pepper seedlings under saline irrigation water conditions.
In addition, it increased the dry matter, length, surface area and volume of the root
system compared with control plants, and enhanced the initial growth and vigor of
pepper seedlings.
experiment. The first was used as control (ctr), and the next were subject of priming
with respectively KNO3 (1%), CaCl2 (1%) and PEG osmotic solution (-1.5 bar).
Primed variants were incubated for 48 hours at a germination room (24 °C, 80% RH),
then removed from the respective solutions, dried and kept for next 48 hours at same
conditions (24 °C, 80% RH). The control variant was also kept under the same
conditions for the last 48 hours. Following that procedure, all seeds were sown in
polysterol trays, filled with peat moss compost (100 cm3 per each module) and
transferred in growth chambers with equal microclimate regimes; 24°C, 80% RH and
artificial lightening (12 hrs, PPFD 180μmol m−2s−1). The total number of seeds for
each variant was split in half, and regularly irrigated with normal tap water, or saline
(100mM NaCl) water. KNO3 and CaCl2 priming has significantly improved
germination parameters of pepper seedlings under saline irrigation water conditions.
In addition, it increased the dry matter, length, surface area and volume of the root
system compared with control plants, and enhanced the initial growth and vigor of
pepper seedlings.