The aquaculture industry in Croatia is not large compared to other areas in the world, but the industry here is highly diversified, and the region has the water and land resources needed for significant growth.The purpose of this list is to provide sources of information for current and prospective aquaculturists in Croatia and the EU region.
Aquaculture Recommended Reading List
CCCRES AQUAPONICS recommends : Encyclopedia of Aquaculture / By Robert R. Stickney. New York: Wiley: 2000. A comprehensive reference to the science, technology, and economics of aquaculture for scientists and professionals in aquaculture as well as individuals wishing to expand their knowledge of the field. With an emphasis on current trends and sustainable practices, the Encyclopedia of Aquaculture is complete with photographs, illustrations, and graphs as well as references to the extensive literature.
CCCRES AQUAPONICS recommends : Best Management Practices for Aquaculture in Wisconsin and the Great Lakes Region / By Jeffrey A. Malison and Christopher F. Hartleb. Madison: University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute: 2005. The purpose of this manual is to provide guidance for current and prospective aquaculturists in Wisconsin and the Great Lakes region. Best management practices or BMPs are defined as management guidelines or approaches designed to minimize or prevent any adverse environmental impacts, to maximize the health and well-being of the organisms being raised, and to encourage efficient and economical production.
CCCRES AQUAPONICS recommends : Aquaculture: Principles and Practices / By T. V. R. Pillay and M. N. Kutty. Ames, Iowa: Blackwell Pub.: 2005. Covering all aspects of subsistence and commercial aquaculture as practiced across the globe, this fully revised edition from two leading world authorities in the field covers both principles and practices. It covers in detail recent developments in: history and planning; nutrition; reproduction and genetic selection; production statistics and economics; integrated aquaculture; and sustainability and environmental effects.
CCCRES AQUAPONICS recommends : Aquaculture Marketing Handbook / By Carole R. Engle and Kwamena Quagrainie. Ames, Iowa: Blackwell Pub. Professional: 2006. The Aquaculture Marketing Handbook provides the reader with information regarding aquaculture economics, markets, and marketing. In addition, this volume also contains an extensive annotated bibliography and webliography that provide descriptions of key additional sources of information. Useful for both the experienced aquaculture professional and those new to the field.
CCCRES AQUAPONICS recommends : Aquaculture: Farming Aquatic Animals and Plants / By John S. Lucas and Paul C. Southgate. Oxford: Fishing News Books: 2003. This book covers all major aspects of the aquaculture of fish, shellfish and algae in freshwater and marine environments. Subject areas include water quality and environmental impacts of aquaculture, desert aquaculture, reproduction, life cycles and growth, genetics and stock improvement, nutrition and feed production, diseases, post-harvest technology and processing, economics and marketing. The second part of the text is devoted to the culture of different species.
CCCRES AQUAPONICS recommends : Practical Genetics for Aquaculture / By Charles Gregory Lutz. Malden, Mass.: Fishing News Books: 2001. Lutz provides reviews of the fundamental theory and examples of practical applications for numerous aspects of genetic improvement in aquaculture. While new molecular techniques hold great promise for application in commercial aquaculture in the future, most aquaculture currently takes place under practical and often challenging conditions. Tremendous gains could be realized through the application of more traditional and practical approaches to genetic improvement.
CCCRES AQUAPONICS recommends : Aquaculture Biosecurity: Prevention, Control, and Eradication of Aquatic Animal Disease / By A. David Scarfe, Cheng-Sheng Lee, and Patricia J. OBryen. Ames, Iowa: Blackwell Pub. Professional: 2006. Aquaculture loses millions of dollars in revenue annually due to aquatic animal diseases. As a result, aquaculture biosecurity programs that address aquatic animal pathogens and diseases have become an important focus for the aquaculture industry. With contributions from renowned international experts, this book is a vital reference for those concerned about protecting aquaculture from impacts of aquatic animal disease.
CCCRES AQUAPONICS recommends : Cage Aquaculture / By Malcolm C. M. Beveridge. Ames, Iowa: Blackwell Pub. Professional: 2004. Cages are the most important system for producing farmed salmon, sea bass, sea bream, yellowtail and tuna. They are relatively inexpensive, require no access to land, and offer tremendous flexibility to aquaculture farmers in terms of production. This fully updated, expanded, and revised third edition incorporates the major developments in the aquaculture industry, including the ever-increasing market for farmed salmon.
CCCRES AQUAPONICS recommends : Ecological Aquaculture: The Evolution of the Blue Revolution / By Barry A. Costa-Pierce. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell Science: 2002. The aim of this important and thought-provoking book is to stimulate discussion among aquacultures modern scientific, education and extension communities concerning the principles, practices and policies needed to develop ecologically and socially sustainable aquaculture systems worldwide. Ecological Aquaculture provides fascinating and valuable insights into primitive (and often sustainable) culture systems, and ties these to modern large-scale aquaculture systems.
CCCRES AQUAPONICS recommends : Aquaculture Water Reuse Systems: Engineering Design and Management / By Michael B. Timmons and Thomas M. Losordo. New York: Elsevier: 1994. This well-organized book provides all the information needed to design and manage a water reuse system. The text was written for engineers and biologists working in the area of intensive fish culture, but it should also prove useful as a design manual for practicing aquaculturists.
CCCRES AQUAPONICS recommends : Fish Nutrition / By John E. Halver and Ronald W. Hardy. San Diego, Calif.: Academic Press: 2002. Fish Nutrition is a comprehensive treatise on nutrient requirements and metabolism in major species of fish used in aquaculture or scientific experiments. It covers nutrients required and used in cold water, warm water, fresh water, and marine species for growth and reproduction.
CCCRES AQUAPONICS recommends : Biology of Farmed Fish / By Kenneth D. Black and A. D. Pickering. Sheffield, UK: Sheffield Academic Press; Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press: 1998. Focusing on developments of the last decade, this volume considers the biology underlying fish culture. The chapters, written by fish biologists who have made a significant contribution to the primary research literature, are broad in nature, covering aspects of the subject with reference to a range of species from around the world.
CCCRES AQUAPONICS recommends : Environmental Impacts of Aquaculture / By Kenneth D. Black. Sheffield, UK: Sheffield Academic Press; Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press: 2001. This text examines the relationships between the activities of aquaculture and the environment, starting with an examination of several separate cultures and then moving into a discussion of general relevance to aquaculture. This book is directed at fish and shellfish biologists and environmental scientists in academia, industry and government.
CCCRES AQUAPONICS recommends : Manual on the Production and Use of Live Food for Aquaculture / By Patrick Lavens and Patrick Sorgeloos. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: 1996. The manual describes the major production techniques currently used for the cultivation of the types of live food commonly used in larviculture, as well as their application potential in terms of their nutritional and physical properties and feeding methods. The manual is divided according to the major groups of live food organisms used in aquaculture: micro-algae, rotifers, Artemia, natural zooplankton, and copepods, nematodes and trochophores.
CCCRES AQUAPONICS recommends : Reproductive Biotechnology in Finfish Aquaculture: Proceedings of a Workshop Hosted by the Oceanic Institute, Hawaii, USA, in Honolulu, 4th-7th October 1999 / By Cheng-Sheng Lee and Edward M. Donaldson. Amsterdam: Elsevier: 2001. Successful reproduction of cultured brood stock is essential to the sustainable aquaculture of aquatic organisms. This book describes recent advances in the field of finfish reproductive biotechnology. The chapters, written by eminent scientists, review the progress and assess the status of biotechnology research applicable to the reproduction of aquaculture finfish species. The last chapter summarizes discussions at the workshop, provides recommendations to industry and describes priorities of research and development.
CCCRES AQUAPONICS recommends : Biology and Culture of Channel Catfish / By Craig S. Tucker and John A. Hargreaves. Amsterdam: Elsevier: 2004. The history of channel catfish farming in the United States serves as a model for the development of pond-based aquaculture industries worldwide. In 22 chapters written by active scientists in the field, Biology and Culture of Channel Catfish comprehensively synthesizes over 30 years of research on this American icon. Throughout the book, fundamental biological aspects of channel catfish are linked to practical culture techniques.
CCCRES AQUAPONICS recommends : American and International Aquaculture Law: A Comprehensive Legal Treatise and Handbook Covering Aquaculture Law, Business and Finance of Fishes, Shellfish and Aquatic Plants / By Henry D., II McCoy. Peterstown, W. Va.: Supranational: 2000. Aquaculture is the fastest growing sector of agriculture and the speed of scientific and economic advances during the past decade has outpaced the available literature dealing with legal aspects of aquaculture. This book redresses this imbalance and will provide a thorough and comprehensive reference for those involved in the many aspects of aquaculture where legal information is a vital tool for them to carry out their roles.
CCCRES AQUAPONICS recommends : Aquaculture and the environment / By T. V. R. Pillay. Oxford, UK ; Malden, MA : Blackwell Pub.: 2004. The continuing rapid increases in aquaculture production world-wide raise fears of further environmental degradation of the aquatic environment. The second edition of this well-received book brings together and discusses the available information on all major environmental aspects of various aquaculture systems, providing a valuable aid to the preparation of environmental impact assessments of aquaculture projects and showing how potential environmental problems can be reduced or mitigated by sound management. 2nd ed.
CCCRES AQUAPONICS recommends : Aquaculture law and policy : towards principled access and operationsLondon ; New York : Routledge: 2006. The book highlights the numerous law and policy issues that must be addressed in the search for effective regulation of aquaculture. This book will appeal to a broad range of audiences: undergraduate and postgraduate students, academic researchers, policy makers, NGOs, practicing lawyers and industry representatives. Edited by David L. VanderZwaag and Gloria Chao.
CCCRES AQUAPONICS recommends : Aquaculture engineering / By Odd-Ivar Lekang. Oxford ; Ames, Iowa : Blackwell Pub.: 2007. As aquaculture continues to grow at a rapid pace, understanding the engineering behind aquatic production facilities is of increasing importance for all those working in the industry. This book requires knowledge of the many general aspects of engineering such as material technology, building design and construction, mechanical engineering and environmental engineering. In this comprehensive book, Odd-Ivar Lekang introduces these principles and demonstrates how such technical knowledge can be applied to aquaculture systems.
CCCRES AQUAPONICS recommends : Environmental best management practices for aquacultureAmes, Iowa : Wiley-Blackwell ; [Baton Rouge, LA] : U.S. Aquaculture Society: 2008. Best Management Practices (BMPs) combine sound science, common sense, economics, and site-specific management to mitigate or prevent adverse environmental impacts. Environmental Best Management Practices for Aquaculture will provide technical guidance to improve the environmental performance of aquaculture. Edited by Craig S. Tucker, John A. Hargreaves ; with 18 contributing authors. 1st ed.
CCCRES AQUAPONICS recommends : Molecular research in aquaculture / By Ken Overturf. Ames, Iowa : Wiley-Blackwell: 2009. Molecular research and biotechnology have long been fields of study with applications useful to aquaculture and other animal sciences. Molecular Research in Aquaculture looks to provide an understanding of molecular research and its applications to the aquaculture industry in a format that allows individuals without prior experience in this area to learn about an
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This video is hands down the best I’ve seen yet at covering all the bases of our present converging dilemmas in one quick (35 minute) hit. Over the years I’ve presented all of the issues covered in this video — hitting them from various angles and in different ways to try to drive the point home — but it’s excruciatingly difficult to cover each element sufficiently whilst giving the casual or intermittant reader a full overview simultaneously. The excellent use of imagery has enabled the creators of this little video to touch on each subject whilst joining up all those dots into the fuller picture.
CCRES AQUAPONICS project of NGO CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES (CCRES)
This is our next article on FAQ series. Todays edition is CARROTS. Here are some of the questions generally asked about carrot growing.
Which variety should I plant?
If your soil does not have very good drainage capacity growing shorter varieties is best. For a deeper and loose soil you can always select the longer varieties. Read more about soil classification.
How much space is needed?
Though most of the time carrot seeds are planted very closely you need to thin them after germination. For normal loose soil two plants for every one inch of soil is ideal. If the soil is heavy and tight you need to give more space.
What are seed stalks?
Carrots are biennial. They grow from seed to flower-producing plants over two years. Carrots or many other biennial crops, such as cabbage, will produce seed stalks the first year if young plants are kept in cold weather. Carrots which produce seed stalks often lack flavour, are woody and have poor texture.
What is the best soil type?
A light sandy or loamy soil is ideal for growing carrots. For more details Read carrot growing tips.
What are baby carrots?
By definition these are small immature carrots that are pulled before reaching maturity. Now a days there are referred to several varieties of carrots which are smaller in size upon maturing.
What are the health benefit of eating carrots?
Carrots are good for skin. It helps in fighting infections, preventing wrinkles and delay the aging process. Due to the presence of beta carotine it helps in keeping good eye sight. Also it has been reported to fight against cancer.
Why my carrots taste bitter?
In a carrot there are both trepenoids and sugar. Presence of trepinoid makes the carrot bitter. During its growth trepenoid develops earlier than sugar. So if you harvest your carrots too early it will have bitter taste.
In some species the quantity of trepinoid is far greater than others.
Why do my carrots are bolting?
Carrots are binnual plant. That means they flower in the second year of planting. But if you see them flowering in the first year itself that is due to the fact that there might be a change of temperature or a change in day length. Also growing carrots through out summer can make them prone to bolting. There are several bolt resistant variety which you try growing if you want to grow them in summers.
Can I transplant carrots?
You can. But probably you should not. Carrots actually doesnt do too well in transplanting. They are much more erratic.
Why do carrots split or crack?
Inapproprite watering is the major cause of spliting carrots. If you dont like splitted carrots make sure the soil is moistured evenly. Adding coconut coir or peat moss with the soil can solve this problem.
Why there are galls and swelling in the roots of the plant?
It is called a disease caused by root knot nematodes. Click here to read more on this.
Have any more questions? Please post it in the comment box. We will be happy to answer those.
South-South knowledge exchange is a powerful way of transferring, replicating, and scaling up "what works" in development. South-South knowledge exchange is just-in-time sharing of information and experiences among development practitioners and leaders. It can include debates about options for policy reform, topic-specific field visits between developing countries, or dialogues among various stakeholders as a way of building consensus and coalitions for reform. The World Bank Institute helps countries to learn from each other through South-South Knowledge Exchange. This video animation explains the concept of South-South knowledge exchange in a simple way.
CCRES AQUAPONICS
project of
Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources (CCRES)
Eric Maundu is an engineer in West Oakland who uses Arduino controllers to automate his aquaponics gardens. Its a pretty impressive setup in an otherwise barren industrial lot. A friend of mine, Donna Raef, visited with Eric at his garden in January. She had this to say about her visit:
"He is dedicated to technology more than aquaponics so it took me a bit off guard when at first he said he didnt care about farming or aquaponics. He only has one aquaponic system going and he monitors it through a computer system that tracks all kinds of levels, takes pictures, etc and compiles the data. It was a very impressive system. His philosophy seemed to be geared toward educating kids about science, math and technology through aquaponic systems with this kind of data collection. He has after school programs and other educational programs in some of the schools. It was a really good way to see farming/food production from that angle. He was pessimistic about just using aquaponics alone to inspire people to grow food or to get kids interested in it. His focus was really on the technology of gathering information and trying to make it more productive through technology. I am going to put him in contact with the greenhouse I worked at in Amarillo and hopefully he can come out there and teach the kids some stuff about the technology/aquaponics--he seemed really interested in that idea. I forgot to take a picture, sorry!" Thanks Donna!
Epidemiological and clinical data suggest that dietary carotenoids such as astaxanthin may protect against cardiovascular disease (CVD) which includes hypertension. This condition is associated with blood vessel dysfunction, altered contractility and tone; mediated by relaxant (nitric oxide NO; prostacyclin) and constrictor factors (thromboxane; endothelin) in the blood. Furthermore, blood flow properties serve an important role in the pathological complications seen in atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Research presented here suggests that astaxanthin may be useful as part of an antioxidant therapy to alleviate hypertension (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Mechanisms by which Astaxanthin reduces hypertension
Reduction of Arterial Blood Pressure
An early study involving a composition of carotenoids have been used against hypertension or high blood pressure (BP), but Hussein et al., (2005a) published the first study involving astaxanthin with spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and stroke prone (SHR-SP). This study investigated the effects of astaxanthin on the aortic vessel blood pressure (BP) in relation to endothelium and nitric oxide (NO) to elucidate mechanism and response.
Figure 2. Astaxanthin (5mg/kg/day) treated SHR reduced mean blood pressure. Hussein et al., 2005b.
In a double blind controlled placebo study conducted in Japan, 20 healthy postmenopausal women, who ingested 12 mg everyday for 4 weeks, reduced their systolic and diastolic blood pressure by 7% and 4% In another study, 15 healthy subjects, between 27-50 of age, who received 9mg/day of astaxanthin for 12 weeks had their diastolic blood pressure decreased by 6% (Matsuyama et al., 2010). A series of animal studies have largely replicated the effects of astaxanthin found in human studies (Ruiz et al., 2010; Preuss, 2009; Preuss, 2011).
Figure 3. Open Label Clinical Study. 73 subjects between 20-60 years of age received 4mg of astaxanthin x day for 4 weeks (Sato et al 2009)
Mechanism of Anti-hypertension
The antihypertensive mechanism may be in part explained by the changes of vascular reactivity and hemorheology. Microchannel Array Flow Analysis (MC-FAN) measured a significant increase of blood flow of 11% (Figure 3) in the astaxanthin treated group.
Figure 4. Open Label Clinical Study 35 healthy postmenopausal women (BMI 22.1) were included in the study, treated with astaxanthin daily dose of 12 mg for 8 weeks
In a human study conducted by Iwabayashi et.al., (2009) , 20 healthy women who ingested 6mg / day for 8 weeks increased ABI (ankle brachial pressure index) by 4% suggesting a reduction of lower limb vascular resistance. Another human study also prove that oral administration of 6 mg/day of astaxanthin for 10 days enhanced capillary blood flow by 10%.
Figure 5. Astaxanthin (6 mg/day) supplementation for 10 days improves blood flow in humans as tested by MC-FAN. Miyawaki et al., 2005.
Figure 6. Astaxanthin increases relaxant and reduces constrictor mechanisms to help reduce blood pressure in SHR.
Indeed, Hussein et al., (2006b) demonstrated that 5 mg/day of astaxanthin for 7 weeks decreased vascular wall thickness by 47%.
Figure 7. A) Coronary artery wall is thinner and lumen is wider in astaxanthin treated rats. B) Elastin bands are also fewer in number and less elastic compared to the control groups which also show intense and branched elastine feature (C). Hussein et al., (2006a).
Outlook
The oxidative status and physiological condition during hypertension are successfully mediated by astaxanthin. The mechanisms of action include improved blood rheology, modulation of constrictor and dilator factors and blood vessel remodelling. Although, these findings are based on spontaneous hypertensive rat models, these serve as a solid basis for extending the hypothesis to human clinical trials.
References
Hussein G, Nakamura M, Zhao Q, Iguchi T, Goto H, Sankawa U, Watanabe H. (2005)a. Antihypertensive and neuroprotective effects of astaxanthin in experimental animals. Biol. Pharm. Bull., 28(1):47-52.
Hussein G, Goto H, Oda S, Iguchi T, Sankawa U, Matsumoto K, Watanabe H. (2005)b. Antihypertensive potential and mechanism of action of astaxanthin II. Vascular reactivity and hemorheology in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Biol. Pharm. Bull., 28(6):967-971.
Hussein G, Goto H, Oda S, Sankawa U, Matsumoto K, Watanabe H. (2006)a. Antihypertensive potential and mechanism of action of astaxanthin: III. Antioxidant and histopathological effects in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Biol. Pharm. Bull. 29(4):684-688.
Hussein G, Sankawa U, Goto H, Matsumoto K, Watanabe H. (2006)b. Astaxanthin, a Carotenoid with Potential in Human Health and Nutrition. J. Nat. Prod., 69(3):443 – 449.
Iwabayashi M, Fujioka N, Nomoto K, Miyazaki R, Takahashi H, Hibino S, Takahashi Y, Nishikawa K, Nishida M, Yonei Y. (2009). Efficacy and safety of eight-week treatment with astaxanthin in individuals screened for increased oxidative stress burden. J. Anti Aging Med., 6 (4):15-21.
Kudo Y, Nakajima R, Matsumoto N. (2002). Effects of astaxanthin on brain damages due to ischemia. Carotenoid Science (5):25.
Li W, Hellsten A, Jacobsson LS, Blomqvist HM, Olsson AG, Yuan XM. (2004). Alpha-tocopherol and astaxanthin decrease macrophage infiltration, apoptosis and vulnerability in atheroma of hyperlipidaemic rabbits. J. Mol. Cell. Cardio., 37(5):969-978.
Miyawaki H, Takahashi J, Tsukahara H, Takehara I. (2005). Effects of astaxanthin on human blood rheology. J. Clin. Thera. Med., 21(4):421-429.
Preuss H, Echard B, Bagchi D, Perricone VN, Yamashita E. (2009). Astaxanthin lowers blood pressure and lessens the activity of the renin-angiotensin system in Zucker Fatty Rats. J. Funct. Foods, I:13-22.
CCRES special thanks to
Mr. Mitsunori Nishida,
President of Corporate Fuji Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.
Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources (CCRES)
We like Astaxanthin, a member of the carotenoid family, a dark red pigment and the main carotenoid found in algae and aquatic animals. It is responsible for the red/pink coloration of crustaceans, shellfish, and the flesh of salmonoids.
Astaxanthin however, is more than just a red pigment, it is primarily an extremely powerful antioxidant. It has the unique capacity to quench free radicals and reactive species of oxygen and to inhibit lipid peroxidation.
Studies have shown astaxanthin to be over 500 times stronger than vitamin E and much more potent than other carotenoids such as lutein, lycopene and ?-carotene. Astaxanthin was found to have beneficial effects in many health conditions related to the Central Nervous System (CNS) disorders, skin health, joint health, muscle endurance, as well as to the cardiovascular, immune, eye and other systems.
Papayas are easy to grow. It is one of the plants you should consider growing in your backyard if you live in predominantly warmer climate. You can grow them pretty easily from the seeds.
First cut the papaya in half and then take out all the seeds. The seeds are covered with some jelly like substance. Squeeze the seed out of that coating. Use clean water to wash the seeds and then let them dry out. Once they are totally dry, use them for plantation.
Select the place where you want to grow papaya. They are very sensitive to root shock so it is advisable to plant the seed where you want to grow. Transplantation process can really hurt the plant. Before planting the seeds make sure you have mixed enough compost with the soil. They are very voracious feeder so make sure you have provided them enough to eat.
The spacing required for each plant is minimum 1.5 meter.
If you read our blogs regularly you would have known by now that papaya plants require full sun; More the better. Though papayas also grow in partial shade; the fruit growing is delayed and the tastes are also not so good.
Papaya plants are very susceptible to root rotting. So watering becomes very crucial. Much more water than required and you end up harming the plant. Also, considering the fact that they generally grow in warmer condition and have large leaves (they transpire a lot of water) you can not provide too little water either. The best soil type is loamy type for growing papayas.
Papaya plants can be male female or bisexual. It is important that your garden have at least some female or bisexual plants. The male plant will not bear the fruits. It is recommended to have 1: 10 ratio about male and female plants to have a healthy yield. Generally it will start flowering once it become more than one meter in height. Expect to harvest the ripe papayas within a year.
The best part of growing papaya is that unlike most of the plants, you will get the fruits all year long. The only problem is with time they become taller (it will become difficult to pluck the fruits) and much more prone to diseases. Also, older plants tend to flower much less than the younger ones.
Papayas are very nutritious fruit. They are rich in vitamin C. You can have them ripe or raw.
If you liked the article share with your friends and share the knowledge:
Peas are cool climate plant. It prefers sandy loam soil with a great drainage facility. With a pH level of 6.5 to 7.5 is generally idea for peas. In case your soil is much more acidic than this add dolomite or lime with the soil to bring it to this optimum level.
Plant different varieties all at once and don’t make an attempt to plant them with some time gap. They will mature in different times and give you a longer time to harvest and enjoy the peas. Check your local garden shop for different varieties of seed available in your locality.
Peas are one of such a plant that requires very less fertilization. With the help of the nitrogen fixing bacteria in their roots they can manage their share of nitrogen. Though you have to add other nutrients from time to time you rarely need to add nitrogen. Excess amount of nitrogen can result in lush foliage and reduction in pods. Please keep this in mind in case you prepare your own compost, and add lesser amount of nitrogen rich materials.
For a good pea production you need to take care of the watering needs of the plant. Generally deep watering once or twice in a week will be sufficient. In the time of blossoming you need to provide extra water. A dry soil can drastically reduce a chance for a good pea production. A good sunlight is required for the fruit production so don’t ignore that.
Provide support as per the variety of the plant. For taller varieties you need to provide trellis, bamboo canes or netting. For dwarf varieties netting will be sufficient.
Please make sure not to plant peas or any legume plant in the same soil more than once in a three years.
Being a legume plant pea is very good in companion planting. It works well with most of the plants. Radish, spinach, lettuce all leafy vegetable all do well with peas. Cucumber and potatoes show special affinity towards peas. Just avoid garlic and onions for better pea production.
One important tip for harvesting. Don’t pull out the roots while harvesting rather cut off the stem above the ground level. The roots contain nitrogen fixing bacteria. Allow these root to rot down in the soil to increase the nitrogen content of the soil which will be beneficial for the next plant in that soil.
The root system of a pea plant is not very deep. So while picking the pods use both of your hands, one to hold the vines and pick the pods with the other one. To increase the pod yields you need to pick them regularly. The yield will be reduced in case the overly matured pods are left in the vines.
The best way to enjoy peas is fresh and direct from the plants. But in case your production is much more than daily consumption, you can definitely store in refrigerator or you can even dry them in sunlight and then also store them in containers.
Hope you have enjoyed the article. Like to know your feedback on this.
This is a follow up article from how to grow cabbage. If you have not read that already please click here to go to that article. Here is a list of frequently asked questions about cabbage growing.
Why cabbage heads split?
The main cause of head splitting is that more water is entering into the head than necessary. A healthy root system though is necessary for the survival of the plant sometime too much growth of the root system can cause huge amount of water supply to the head.
To prevent the split you can pull the plant little bit to break some of its roots once the head becomes moderately firm. This will limit the water supply. If your plant roots are getting uneven water mulching might be a great way to solve this.
Can you get second crop from early cabbage plant?
Yes, getting a second head is possible. Once you got the primary solid one, cut carefully just beneath the head but leave the older leaves as it is. After sometime, you will get one or more smaller lateral heads (developed from axial buds of older leaves).
What are different cabbage cutivars?
There are many cultivars but these three are the most common.
White Cabbage: These are by far the most common types. They have pale green smooth leaves and are also called Dutch cabbage.
Savoy Cabbage: these have softer heads, crumpled leaves and a very rich flavor.
Red Cabbage: These have purple coloured small to medium size heads.
Why do butterfly fly around cabbage plant?
Cabbage worm lay eggs on the plants which hatches into worms and after sometimes turned into butterflies. So to prevent it you need to control the worms. Try different organic pest controlling techniques discussed in this article.
Why there are holes in my cabbage leaves?
This is also a pest attack. Worms chew the leaves of the cabbage plant leaving those occurred holes in the leaves. Try organic pest controlling to prevent this.
What causes cabbage to develop seed stalks rather than solid heads?
Generally, cabbage will either head up or go to seed at some point in time. If the temperature falls below 45 degrees it will start growing seeds instead of forming heads. 55 to 65 degrees are the ideal temperature slab for growing heads.
Why there are swelling in my cabbage roots?
This is a disease caused by a fungus that remains in the soil. It is spread by moving infested soil and by infected transplants. To discourage the disease, add lime to raise the soil pH to 6.8.
Hope you have enjoyed the article. If you have any other questions please add in the comment box.
Something has come to my attention. I should really not be at all surprised by this thing but what it has done is make me look at horticultural education and think about why we are losing the skills in this country to be excellent nursery folk, growers and plants people.
Recently as part of Incredible Edible Bristol, Ive been visiting primary schools who want to begin or get support with growing food on their sites. I support this wholeheartedly as theres little as powerful as growing something to eat when youre a child, as I found aged 3. However what I have found in the schools that already have gardens is that not every child has access to the garden, and often the garden is used for calming purposes for children with a range of issues, but mainly behavioural. This made me ask what this was putting across the the rest of the pupils and strangely it didnt take much to work out the message being portrayed.
So gardening, as horticulture is seen by these children, is already side lined for those who are struggling in one way, shape or form. To me thats not just a sad state of affairs but also a dreadful missed opportunity for our future high fliers in horticulture, as well as for those who might not be highly academic but for whom horticulture in one way, shape or form, could make a good and steady career. But no one wants the job thats seen as being for the kids with issues do they? And the answer is a resounding no.
Ask teens about what they want to do in their future lives and few will even be aware of the huge variety of jobs that come under the banner of horticulture. Gardening is something they avoid doing, or that grandad does on his allotment, not a career surely? But when you mention sales, science, growing or writing they prick ears up immediately, and will then tell you that no one, in most cases, has ever put horticulture forward as a career choice. In fact often even farming hasnt been mentioned by career advisors.
So heres where I tell you a tale. Aged 3 a little girl grew peas and sweet peas with her next door neighbour, and was so proud to take them home to her mummy and new baby brother. As time went on she grew more and more with her neighbour, got involved with her Grandmass garden, and even began to look after a garden at school, to the gentle amusement of all. She went off to university, studied art and grew her degree show, which was full of plants grown from seed from every continent. She went on to have a reasonably successful career in catering whilst rushing home each day to tend garden and allotment. And for all this time no one had mentioned that the thing she lived for could be a career.
That little girl was me. I was lucky, as I realised and was able to make the, really scary, leap and ended up working at a wonderful place that ensured I got the training needed and pushed me to be successful and believed in me. However, what if that hadnt happened and for how many is it an impossible dream due to financial constraints brought about by careers that are successful if unfulfilling.
The answer? Well Im not sure I have it but growing as part of the schools curriculum has to be a start I should imagine as well as encouraging outdoor learning that inevitably brings in the outdoor environment to the curriculum in a way that uses nature and plants as learning tools. But more importantly, opening a discussion with children and young people so that they are aware of the possibilities. Having watched with deep interest the rise of the YoungHorts on Twitter and the effect they are having on the industry, I hope to see this initiative fly, and for these young people to be the horticultural ambassadors for future generations.
Apparently by the age of 7 we all have come across and settled on the thing that will hold our attention for the rest of our lives. I was three when then happened and yet all through school, as a child that was academic and capable, no mention of anything practical came about and no adult ever encouraged me other than my neighbour and my grandma. So please be aware of the children you might be influencing as you garden with them, and make sure they know there are career paths open to them in horticulture and an industry that really would love them to turn that interest into a successful and fulfilling career.
Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources (CCRES) have a new technology with major potential to contribute to the fight against climate change.As with all new technologies, careful consideration of potential impacts on the environment and human health is important.
The international community has acknowledges that global warming needs to be kept below 2?C (3,6?F) compared with the pre industrial temperature in order to prevent dangerous climate change.This will require significant reductions in the world´s emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases (GHG) over the coming decades.CCRES have one of the technologies that can help to achieve this.
The EU, which is responsible for around 11% of global GHG emissions today, has put in place binding legislation to reduce its emissions to 20% below 1990 levels by 2020.Europe is also offering to scale up this reduction to 30% if other major economies in the developed and developing world´s agree to undertake their fair share of a global reduction effort.
This is why the EU must support alternative fuels, in particular biofuels, with the triple objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, diversifying fuel supply and developing longterm replacements for fossil fuels.
Third generation biofuels from algae will have an important role to play as soon as they are ready for the market. They should be more sustainable, boasting both a lower enviromental impact and lower costs.Biofuels must become a commercial and competitive product using the broadest range possible of raw materials from both Nord and South Europe.
Biofuels from algae have a big role to reduce CO2 emmisions.
The sustainability of algae biofuels and their potential impacts on other sectors, including land use, are will remain critical issues.Algae biofuels provide an important contribution towards climate change mitigation and security of supply.They are only part of the solution, and must be considered in a wider context, in which efforts are also being made to reduce transport demand, improve transport efficiency and encourage the use of environmentally friendly modes of transport.
CCRES INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
CCRES international cooperation in algae biofuels research has a number of benefits for all involved:
working together enhances synergies between the different partners
partners can pool financial resources, share risk and set common standards for large or relatively risky research and development project
it speeds up the development of the clean technologies we need if we are to tackle our energy related problems
by linking up their efforts, partners can support a wider range of energy technologies and reduce the costs of key technologies
networking allows partners to better coordinate their energy research agendas
Over the years, CCRES has build up strong and lasting research cooperation partnerships on specific energy topics with partner organizations.
Zeljko Serdar
President & CEO
Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources (CCRES)
Back to growing tips. Today’s edition Bell Peppers. You can check rest of the vegetables by exploring the site.
Peppers grow very quickly. Depending on their variety they can become within 60 to 150 days (after transplanting). For the beginners we suggest you use the early varieties for growing. You can use your backyard or growbags to grow pepper. Just make sure receives 6 hours of sunlight in a day.
Though you can directly put the seeds in the garden, we strongly recommend that you first grow the seedlings indoor. It takes 2-8 weeks for the seeds to grow into a proper transplant. Now plant them into the garden where you intended to grow pepper. Give 12 to 15 inches gap between two plants.
Prior to transplant mix a good amount of compost with the soil. They are not a very hungry plant. That much of compost is enough for the plant. While using compost ingredients, make sure you don’t use a high amount of Nitrogen in the pile. This can result in lush foliage and lesser fruits. For more on C/N ratio read out earlier article.
Watering is very important in plants like pepper. They require a good amount of water but make sure the soil have proper drainage and the roots don’t get water logged. One of the solutions you can use is to add Perlite with the soil.
Pepper is a very good companion plant which goes well with plants like Tomatoes, Carrots and Basils. It is important that you provide some form of support to the plant. Once the plant stars growing fruits it becomes tough for the plant to strive without support.
Pepper is usually pest free. In rare cases spider mites or aphids attacks peppers. You can easily hand pick and remove them.
Harvesting:
Don’t wait for the peppers to fully mature before picking. Most of the peppers taste best when picked little early. Also it increases the yield. Use a sharp knife to cut the fruit from the plant.
It is best to eat them the same day you have harvested. You can also use a refrigerator to store them. You can get more on vegetable storing in our earlier article.
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In nature, photosynthesis uses the energy in sunlight to split water into carbon dioxide and hydrogen. A typical plant cell relies on a series of electron carriers, which create a photosynthetic circuit that allows plants to capture the carbon dioxide they need, and then convert it into the biomass that fuels cell growth. At the same time, plants produce hydrogen, a molecule that can be used in a variety of renewable and sustainable fuel technologies, but that is also expensive to produce in large quantities and currently involves non-renewable natural gas reformation.
A photosynthetic organism such as green algae tends to use solar energy to generate either fixed carbon or hydrogen—while this is fine for growth, it is not particularly efficient for making greater quantities of hydrogen. Facing this challenge, NREL researchers wondered if they could find ways to boost the hydrogen-making capacity of photosynthesis. They posed a key question: What controls the partitioning of electrons between these two competing metabolic pathways?
A team from NREL, along with colleagues from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Tel Aviv University, set out to answer this question. They hypothesized that they could engineer the process by "rewiring" algaes catalytic circuits, or pathways. To do so, they would replace the normal hydrogen-producing enzyme, hydrogenase (H2ase), with a ferredoxin and hydrogenase fusion protein. They speculated that inserting this kind of a fusion protein into this reaction path could divert more electrons into hydrogen production and push the algae into making more hydrogen and fixing less carbon dioxide. If successful, this engineered photosynthetic circuit could potentially increase efficiencies and thus bring down the price of hydrogen. In its more than 30-year history of innovation, NREL has been a leader in working with green algae for hydrogen and biofuel production, as well as with finding ways to speed renewable fuels to market to help meet the nations clean energy goals. It is this expertise that encouraged MITs Iftach Yacoby to partner with NREL, which enabled the researchers to collaborate on technical innovations such as the CdTe-H2ase.
During NRELs work with green algae, the labs own Senior Scientist Paul King and other researchers worked with hydrogenase enzymes as a key component of the photosynthetic hydrogen production equation. These biological catalysts can convert electrons and protons into hydrogen gas, or convert hydrogen into electrons and protons. For this work, the team chose to use in vitro tests under anaerobic conditions. They were able to demonstrate how the hydrogenase and other enzymes compete to regulate whether algae uses the solar energy it captures through photosynthesis to produce carbon compounds or hydrogen. As they studied these interactions, they were able to devise a procedure to engineer the proteins that compose electron transfer circuits.
The first element of their strategy was based on their hypothesis that they could have more of the electrons go to hydrogen if they altered the composition to replace hydrogenase with a ferredoxin-hydrogenase fusion. In the anaerobic test tubes, the team confirmed that the photosynthetic circuit can switch from capturing carbon dioxide to producing hydrogen by substituting the fusion. The hydrogen production was carried out in the presence of the CO2 fixation enzyme ferredoxin:NADP-oxidoreductase (FNR). This process is a biological model for using solar power to convert water into hydrogen. The basis for this switch was modeled as two new Fd-hydrogenase circuits (boxes 1 and 2, Figure 2), and a reduced level of FNR activity modeled as a third circuit (box 3, Figure 2).
King considered these results promising, because they suggest that fusion is an engineering strategy to improve hydrogen production efficiencies, and might be useful in resolving the biochemical mechanisms that control photosynthetic electron transport circuits and product levels from competing pathways. The next phase, already underway, is to introduce the fusion protein into green algae Chlamydomonas and determine if rewiring can take place to improve hydrogen-production efficiencies. Even though this is only one of a number of variables to consider, this strategy has already signaled an avenue to pursue in the drive to reduce the cost of hydrogen fuel and make it cost-competitive for industry.
Enlarge image
Photosynthetic electron transport pathways that support carbon dioxide fixation and hydrogen production. Light-activated PSII extracts electrons from water and transfers them, while parallel circuits couple Fd to either FNR for carbon dioxide fixation or hydrogenase production. Credit: Paul King, NREL
Enlarge image
Engineering of the hydrogen-producing enzyme to create an Fd-H2ase fusion changes the composition of the hydrogen production circuit to include both direct (box 1) and indirect (box 2) H2 production modes. The CO2 fixation circuit (box 3) remains open, but operates at a reduced level. Credit: Paul King, NREL
CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES ( CCRES)
If your soil does not have very good drainage capacity growing shorter varieties is best. For a deeper and loose soil you can always select the longer varieties. Read more about soil classification.
Being a legume plant pea is very good in companion planting. It works well with most of the plants. Radish, spinach, lettuce all leafy vegetable all do well with peas. Cucumber and potatoes show special affinity towards peas. Just avoid garlic and onions for better pea production.
Peppers grow very quickly. Depending on their variety they can become within 60 to 150 days (after transplanting). For the beginners we suggest you use the early varieties for growing. You can use your backyard or growbags to grow pepper. Just make sure receives 6 hours of sunlight in a day.
