Explore the vast range of titles available.

This study assesses the maturity level of environmental sustainability reporting among major publicly listed companies in Romania, in line with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRSs). Based on a sample of ten representative companies, the analysis covers five environmental dimensions defined by ESRSs E1–E5. Using a weighted indicator-based maturity framework, the results reveal a high level of reporting maturity in climate change, while substantial gaps persist in biodiversity and ecosystems reporting. The findings highlight key challenges in ESRS implementation in a transition economy context and provide a replicable methodological framework for future sustainability reporting assessments.

Water footprint assessment is an analytical tool that helps us understand how activities, actions, and products from human activity influence the scarcity and pollution of water resources. The objectives of the paper are to study the water footprint that is necessary for the production of food for human consumption as an effective way to determine how food habits put pressure on water resources and to identify ways to reduce the stress found on them. To calculate the water footprint of food products consumed by Romanian residents, two types of data were used: information on the average annual net food consumption of each type of food considered during the research and the water footprint per unit of food consumed. In addition, an analysis was carried out based on the structure of the water footprint and the structure of food consumption. In terms of the structure of the water footprint, the contribution rate of the green water footprint is the highest, reaching 83.5%. This is followed by the blue water footprint and the gray water footprint, accounting for 9.04% and 7.46%, respectively. From the perspective of the structure of food consumption, the consumption of cereals, meat, milk, and dairy products contributed the most to the water footprint of residents’ food consumption, reaching 21.8% and 26.6%, respectively, and contributing 24.2% to the total water footprint of food consumption. Our research is useful for water management, improving the efficiency of use in agricultural technologies, and optimizing the structure of food consumption, such as reducing grain and meat consumption.

The maize crop is an essential contributor to food security. At a global level, it is the cereal with the highest production, and the second imported commodity. This study evaluates the impact of precision agriculture on the morpho-productive traits and agronomic efficiency of the Turda 201 maize hybrid under distinct cultivation systems. A bifactorial field trial was conducted in Cojocna, Transylvania (Romania), using two factors: the farming system (organic vs. conventional) and the cultivation technology (standard vs. precision). The work hypothesis is that precision agriculture can enhance maize performance compared to standard methods. The results indicated that morphological traits such as plant height (197 cm), cob length (17.20 cm), and leaf number (10.60) were significantly higher in the conventional system, particularly under precision technology. In the organic system, while improvements were observed with precision input, overall growth and yield remained lower. The same trends are seen in production traits, which are lower in an organic system compared with conventional (6464.22 kg/ha vs. 9204 kg/ha, when precision technology was used). Agronomic efficiency has a spectacular increase in the conventional–precision experimental variant (4.92 kg/kg) compared with the organic–standard experimental variant (0.002 kg/kg). Crude protein, dry matter, nitrogen-free matter, and starch content are the main qualitative maize characteristics influenced by the cropping system and technology. The conventional–precision experimental variant led to the highest values of the above-mentioned parameters compared with the organic–standard experimental variant (86.90% vs. 83.60% dry matter; 10.75% vs. 8.65% crude protein; 72.60% vs. 64.40% nitrogen-free matter; 83.15% vs. 79.50% starch). Principal Component Analysis revealed that the crop system (PC1) was the dominant factor influencing morpho-productive traits, while environmental factors (PC2) contributed mainly to the variability of the characteristics. These findings support the use of precision agriculture as a tool for enhancing sustainable maize production, particularly in conventional systems.

Danube Delta (DD), an ecologically vulnerable site, together with fish populations, which are significant food resources, are largely exposed to heavy metal contamination. This study was developed in the Babina–Cernovca sector of DD in September 2023. Zinc (Zn), and iron (Fe) were identified in water, while copper (Cu), iron (Fe), and manganese (Mn) were in sediments (mud). Proximate composition of the muscle tissues of eight fish species identified in the area was assessed. The muscle was also tested to identify heavy metals contamination. The contamination degree was assessed using bioaccumulation and bioconcentrations factors. The relation between nutritional parameters and metals was tested using bivariate and multivariate analyses. Samples were analyzed by specific laboratory tests, and data were processed using ANOVA, Spearman correlation, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and hierarchical clustering. S. erythrophthalmus, C. gibelio, and A. alburnus have the highest metal bioaccumulation capacity, exhibiting species-specific accumulation patterns. PCA and clustering analysis reflect the influence of species and environmental factors on heavy metal accumulation in fish tissue. The study integrates the heavy metals content with nutritional parameters in fish muscular tissue, using bivariate and multivariate analysis for assessing fish vulnerability to heavy metals exposure in the Danube River.

The overall yield and sugar content of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) were determined by the genotype and its interaction with the environment. This study aimed to analyze the interaction of 23 genotypes with different environmental conditions during two growing seasons. To estimate the variance of genotypes, environment, and genotype function of the environment, the R 3.5.1 software package was used. In addition, the multivariate stability method was used to explain the G (genotype) × E (environment) interaction based on the GGE (Genotype plus Genotype-by-Environment) and AMMI (additive main effects and multiplicative interaction) biplots. The AMMI ASV (AMMI stability value) and biplot analysis revealed that only two genotypes (G10 and G11) showed higher values for yield and sugar content and production compared to the other genotypes. The AMMI ASV analysis also showed that the environment significantly influenced the sugar beet yield, sugar content, and sugar production, which were the descriptors for production in this study.

Geraniums (pelargoniums or storksbills, officially named as Pelargonium zonale (L.) L'Hér. Ex Aiton) are appreciated worldwide due to their ornamental potential and versatility. The research was conducted to emphasize the evolution of morpho-decorative and qualitative traits of two geranium cultivars of high aesthetic value, namely ‘Tango Salmon’ (Montevideo) and ‘Tango Dark Red’, depending on two different fertilization, conventional-chemical fertilization, and unconventional scheme, with a homeopathic solution respectively. It is excessive repetitiveness and is not the case.) cultivar, unconventional fertilization scheme tested conducted to the best results regarding most morpho-decorative characters investigated (33.40 cm height, 21.10 leaves/plant, 34.75 flowers/inflorescence, 2.35% nitrogen, and 48.34 SPAD). For cultivar ‘Tango Dark Red’, the conventional fertilization conducted to the best results in terms of height (18.90 cm), stems/plant (5.90), leaves/plant (14.95), and flowers/inflorescence (37.55), while unconventional fertilization led to higher nitrogen accumulation (2.18%) and enhanced chlorophyll synthesis (47.08 SPAD). Between nitrogen and chlorophyll contents within geranium leaves, strong positive correlations were identified in ‘Tango Salmon’, and weak to moderate in ‘Tango Dark Red’ cultivar. Higher scores were attributed to aesthetic indicators for ‘Tango Salomon’ compared to ‘Tango Dark Red’. The unconventional fertilization of geranium cultivars is an eco-friendly solution for enhancing their morpho-decorative characteristics.

Animal husbandry is one of man’s oldest occupations. It began with the domestication of animals and developed continuously, in parallel with the evolution of human society. The selection and improvement of goats in Romania was not a clearly defined objective until around 1980. In recent years, with the increasing economic value given to goats, breeding programs are becoming established. In Romania, a few goat genetic studies using microsatellites and mtDNA have been carried out; however, a systematic characterization of the country’s goat genomic resources remains missing. In this study, we analyzed the genetic variability of Carpatina goats from four distinct geographical areas (northern, north-eastern, eastern and southern Romania), using the Illumina OvineSNP60 (RefSeq ARS1) high-density chip for 67 goats. Heterozygosity values, inbreeding coefficients and effective population size across all autosomes were calculated for those populations that inhabit high- and low-altitude and high- and low-temperature environments. Diversity, as measured by expected heterozygosity (HE), ranged from 0.413 in the group from a low-temperature environment to 0.420 in the group from a high-temperature environment. Within studied groups, the HT (high temperature) goats were the only group with a positive but low average inbreeding coefficient value, which was 0.009. After quality control (QC) analysis, 46,965 SNPs remained for analysis (MAF < 0.01). LD was calculated for each chromosome separately. The Ne has been declining since the time of domestication, having recently reached 123, 125, 185 and 92 for the HA (high altitude), LA (low altitude), HT (high temperature) and LT (low temperature) group, respectively. Our study revealed a low impact of inbreeding in the Carpatina population, and the Ne trend also indicated a steep decline in the last hundred years. These results will contribute to the genetic improvement of the Carpatina breed.

Prunella vulgaris (PV) is one of the most commonly used nutraceuticals as it has been proven to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the phytochemical composition of PV and its in vivo antioxidant properties. A phytochemical analysis measuring the total phenolic content (TPC), the identification of phenolic compounds by HPLC-DAD-ESI, and the evaluation of the in vitro antioxidant activity by the DPPH assay of the extract were performed. The antioxidant effects on inflammation induced by turpentine oil were experimentally tested in rats. Seven groups with six animals each were used: a control group, the experimental inflammation treatment group, the experimental inflammation and diclofenac sodium (DS) treatment group, and four groups with their inflammation treated using different dilutions of the extract. Serum redox balance was assessed based on total oxidative status (TOS), nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), total thiols, and an oxidative stress index (OSI) contents. The TPC was 0.28 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/mL extract, while specific representatives were represented by caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, dihydroxybenzoic acid, gentisic acid, protocatechuic acid, rosmarinic acid, vanillic acid, apigenin–glucuronide, hesperidin, kaempferol–glucuronide. The highest amount (370.45 μg/mL) was reported for hesperidin, which is a phenolic compound belonging to the flavanone subclass. The antioxidant activity of the extracts, determined using the DPPH assay, was 27.52 mmol Trolox/mL extract. The PV treatment reduced the oxidative stress by lowering the TOS, OSI, NO, and MDA and by increasing the TAC and thiols. In acute inflammation, treatment with the PV extract reduced oxidative stress, with lower concentrations being more efficient and having a better effect than DS.

Potato, a component of global food security and economic stability, is cultivated extensively worldwide due to its adaptability to diverse climates and soil types. Ongoing research and technological advancements, including the use of unconventional products destined to fight the most harmful pathogens, are essential for enhancing productivity and resilience in potato farming. The current study aimed to identify the most appropriate fertilizers and phytosanitary treatments in order to attain optimal potato yields, dry matter, and starch contents, under climate-specific environments. The experiment was conducted in the northwest of Romania in 2023. The research was organized as a trifactorial experiment with the factors variety, fertilization, and phytosanitary treatment. XLSTAT (2022.2.1v.) was utilized for data processing. Mineral fertilization combined with conventional phytosanitary treatment led to the highest average yields in both potato varieties. Also, a combination of organic fertilization and treatment with 4% A. cepa extracts led to notable results, which suggests the possibility of successfully using these inputs in organic agriculture. The study shows the importance of selecting appropriate agricultural inputs to optimize potato yields, achieve specific levels of dry matter and starch content in a specific area, and promote sustainability.

The growing imperative for sustainable development generates research in the field and explores innovative approaches to manage vegetable crops to reduce the usage of synthetic inputs commonly associated with conventional practices as well as to promote the undertaking of organic solutions. Tomatoes are universally recognized as a highly significant and popular fruit vegetable due to their large use palette. Trials were carried out in the Gâlgău area, Transylvania, Romania. Bifactorial experiments were organized to quantify the influence of fertilization and treatments on the morpho-productive and quantitative traits of the Ruxandra tomato cultivar and on Phytophthora infestans levels of infection. The use of mixed fertilization resulted in the best performances of morphological traits (highest leaf area, highest number of leaves and fruits, highest chlorophyll content) and part of the productive traits (highest content of dry matter), and the lowest levels of infection in cv. Ruxandra, while the use of NPK soil fertilization led to the best performances in fruit weight and NUE, whatever the administered treatment. The treatment with herbal extracts showed a similar efficacy in increasing the averages of morpho-productive traits and diminishing the P. infestans level of infection compared with the conventional treatment. The treatment efficacy was mainly influenced by temperature and relative air humidity, regardless of the fertilization strategies applied.