Qualitative soil quality assessment is efficient in a grazing system with or without trees

BACKGROUND

Soil quality (SQ) assessment is affected by methods that convert data sets into indices, and such analyses are expensive and time-consuming. Qualitative SQ assessments are faster and cheaper than quantitative methods and they can be repeated to monitor SQ in crop and pasture systems. We evaluated SQ using qualitative and quantitative SQ indicators of two grazing systems under Voisin rational grazing (VRG) with trees (WT) or without trees (NT). We took an adjacent native forest as a reference and we used principal component analysis (PCA) to compare the accuracy of the assessment methods.

RESULTS

According to the set of indicators used for quantitative assessment, the WT system and the Forest had higher SQ than other systems as a result of higher values of soil physical and chemical indicators. This the reflected better performance of soil in functions related to structural support, nutrient cycling and biological productivity. According to the set of indicators used for qualitative assessment, the WT system showed better SQ than the NT areas because of the higher scores of all indicators and better performance of the soil functions, and those values were close to the Forest in the indicators. PCA applied to integrate the data of qualitative and quantitative indicators indicated that SQ in WT was similar to Forest.

CONCLUSION

The qualitative evaluation was as efficient as the quantitative evaluation for SQ assessment in VRG areas with and without trees. Its use can promote farmers' autonomy and the development of skills to identify environmental factors that help to evaluate their practices. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Canoe polo Athletes' Anthropometric, Physical, Nutritional, and Functional Characteristics and Performance in a Rowing Task: Cross-Sectional Study

Understanding the physical, functional, mental, and nutritional attributes of canoe polo athletes is essential for training and development. Forty-three canoe polo athletes (mean age: 21.54 ± 6.03) participated in the study and were assessed for: anthropometric measurements, exercise motivation, eating habits, adherence to the Mediterranean Diet, and physical and functional abilities. Correlation and multivariate analysis were conducted. Individual performance in a rowing task showed body mass index (β = 0.41) and female gender (β = 0.34) to be the strongest anthropometric predictors, whereas body fat (β = -0.35) and triceps brachii skinfold fatty tissue (β = -0.35) were the strongest negative predictors. Pushing strength (β = 0.37) and range of motion with internal rotation (β = 0.30) were the strongest physical predictors. The physical dimension of the Exercise Motivation Index was a significant psychosocial predictor (β = 0.27). Senior participants had a higher waist-hip ratio (p = 0.04, d = 0.66), arm circumference (p = 0.03, d = 0.68), handgrip strength (p < 0.01, d = 1.27), and push strength (p < 0.01, d = 1.42) than under 21-year-olds. Understanding the highlighted sport-specific characteristics of canoe polo athletes can help trainers to design programs at all levels to optimize performance.

Recent developments in vibrational spectral analyses for dynamically assessing and monitoring food dehydration processes

Dehydration is one of the most widely used food processing techniques, which is sophisticated in nature. Rapid and accurate prediction of dehydration performance and its effects on product quality is still a difficult task. Traditional analytical methods for evaluating food dehydration processes are laborious, time-consuming and destructive, and they are not suitable for online applications. On the other hand, vibrational spectral techniques coupled with chemometrics have emerged as a rapid and noninvasive tool with excellent potential for online evaluation and control of the dehydration process to improve final dried food quality. In the current review, the fundamental of food dehydration and five types of vibrational spectral techniques, and spectral data processing methods are introduced. Critical overtones bands related to dehydration attributes in the near-infrared (NIR) region and the state-of-the-art applications of vibrational spectral analyses in evaluating food quality attributes as affected by dehydration processes are summarized. Research investigations since 2010 on using vibrational spectral technologies combined with chemometrics to continuously monitor food quality attributes during dehydration processes are also covered in this review.

Dynamic Changes in Health-Promoting Properties and Eating Quality During Off-Vine Ripening of Tomatoes

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicon L.) fruit is rich in various nutrients, vitamins and health-promoting molecules. Fresh tomatoes are an important part of the Mediterranean gastronomy, and their consumption is thought to contribute substantially to the reduced incidence of some chronic diseases in the Mediterranean populations in comparison with those of other world areas. Unfortunately, tomato fruit is highly perishable, resulting in important economic losses and posing a challenge to storage, logistic and supply management. This review summarizes the current knowledge on some important health-promoting and eating quality traits of tomato fruits after harvest and highlights the existence of substantial cultivar-to-cultivar variation in the postharvest evolution of the considered traits according to maturity stage at harvest and in response to postharvest manipulations. It also suggests the need for adapting postharvest procedures to the characteristics of each particular genotype to preserve the optimal quality of the fresh product.