<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>The change in the concept of urban agriculture has been driven by social, political and economic factors, changing the role of agriculture in the urban environment. From the second half of 20th century topicality and practices of urban agriculture are growing widely not only in social initiatives but also in scientific research (the number of articles in scientific databases has increased 18-30 times since 2000). Growing interest has identified various variations and tendencies in the interpretation of the concept of urban agriculture, having regard to the current United Nations definition that is broad, but in research works and case studies researchers adapt the definitions to the local characteristics and aim of the study, thus creating a number of risks in the interpretation of the concept, including limited possibilities for quantitative comparisons between studies. The aim of the article is to identify the historical development stages of the concept of urban agriculture and to determine the main research tendencies in its application. To achieve this aim, the method of monographic and descriptive analysis was used for theoretical discussion, analysis, synthesis and deduction - for information gathering, logical systematization and classification. As a result of the study, it was identified that the concept of urban agriculture is developed in three different stages - originally associated with the technical solutions of urban planning for providing food for city dwellers, it is currently developing in tendencies of different directions: analysis of agriculture’s role in urban areas (including mitigating climate change risks), classification of types of urban agriculture, opportunities for adapting innovations and technological solutions to urban agriculture, the place and context of urban agriculture for sustainable development in the circumstances of urbanization. Such in-depth research of the experience and impact of urban agriculture on sustainable development could increase dynamically due to environmental considerations, aspect of the circular economy, and new paradigms in planning urban and peri-urban areas.</abstract>

The Concept of Urban Agriculture – Historical Development and Tendencies

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>The constructivist approach is based on the idea that knowledge can never be passed from one person to another. The only way to acquire knowledge is to create or construct them. The constructivist approach changes also the role of the teacher in the educational process, the task of them is to organize the environment so that the student himself can construct the cognitive forms that teacher wants to give him. In the paper, the nature of the constructivist approach is identified, different aspects regarding mathematics education are analysed as well as the potential impact on the development of mathematical competences in the context of sustainable development is discussed. The study process and learning methods appropriate to constructivist approach also were studied. In order to illustrate the need for a constructivist approach in mathematics education, the survey of students from Latvia University of Life Science and Technologies (LLU) and Riga Technical University (RTU) were carried out, the results of which proved that mathematics learning at universities has to be changed. The current study proved that the constructivist approach radically changes the process of teaching and learning mathematics, connecting it with daily life, rather than teaching only abstract formulas and using a creative approach to mathematical tasks solving. This study shows that using constructivist approach to the teaching of mathematics, the competences needed for sustainable development are boosted.</abstract>

A Constructivist Approach to the Teaching of Mathematics to Boost Competences Needed for Sustainable Development

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>Apple fruit rot can be caused by several fungi. In Northern Europe, the most common storage rot, Bull’s eye rot, is caused by <italic>Neofabraea</italic> spp., bitter rot by <italic>Colletotrichum</italic> spp., brown rot by <italic>Monilinia fructigena</italic>, grey mould is caused by <italic>Botrytis cinerea</italic> and <italic>Fusarium</italic> rot by several <italic>Fusarium</italic> species. Blue mold decay caused by <italic>Penicillium expansum</italic> is an important disease in several European countries. Incidence of different causal agents may vary depending on cultivar, climate during growing season and agricultural practices. The main objective of the study was to obtain baseline information about apple rot-causing fungi, their incidence during fruit storage and to evaluate the fungicide sensitivity of most of isolated fungal species. The study was performed during the storage period of apples after the growth season of 2013. Rotten apples were sorted in the storage and part of them was brought to the laboratory in order to obtain fungal isolates. Fungi were identified according to the morphological characteristics and sequencing of the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region. During storage in February and March the total percentage of rotten apples in various cultivars varied from 3.6 to 58.9%. All post-harvest diseases described in Northern Europe were detected. In part of the storehouses apple rot caused by <italic>Cadophora luteo-olivacea</italic> was observed. <italic>Alternaria</italic> spp. and <italic>Cladosporium</italic> spp. were detected on few apples as secondary infection agents. Using the most often isolated fungal species, sensitivity tests were performed against five commonly used fungicides. In general, the sensitivity of tested fungi to the fungicides was high with exception of several <italic>Neofabraea</italic> and <italic>Alternaria</italic> isolates.</abstract>

Fungi Causing Storage Rot of Apple Fruit in Integrated Pest Management System and their Sensitivity to Fungicides

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>Polyphenol compounds are very important components of cider – they are responsible for the colour and the bitterness and astringency balance of cider. The polyphenolic profile of apples and apple drinks is influenced by several factors: apple variety, climate, maturity, and technological processes applied. This research paper concerns the influence of apple variety on the phenolic compounds and sensory properties of cider. Fermentation of 12 varieties of apple juice with <italic>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</italic> yeast ‘71B-1122’ (Lalvin, Canada) was performed in a laboratory of the Faculty of Food Technology of the Latvia University of Agriculture. The total phenol content (TPC) was determined according to the Folin-Ciocalteu spectrophotometric method. Individual phenolic compounds were analysed using HPLC. Sensory properties (clarity, the apple, fruit and yeast aroma, the apple and yeast taste, sourness, astringency, and bitterness) were evaluated by trained panelists using a line scale. Special attention was paid to the use of dessert apples for the production of cider. The most important sensory properties of cider are the aroma and taste of apples and fruit. All cider samples showed the intensity of apple aroma ranging from 5.3 to 7.6 points, and higher results were obtained for cider from the bvariety ‘Auksis’ apples. The TPC in cider samples varied from 792.68 to 3399.78 mg L-1: Among crab apples, the highest TPC was detected in ciders made from the ‘Hyslop’ and ’Riku’ varieties, whereas among dessert apples, the highest TPC was detected in ciders made from the ‘Antonovka’ variety. Among the twelve phenols identified in cider samples, chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid were the dominating ones. Variation in the sensory properties of ciders was dependent on the physicochemical composition of the apples used.</abstract>

Department of Food Technology, LLU, Liela iela 2, Jelgava LV–3001, Latvia

Department of Chemistry, LLU, Liela iela 2, Jelgava LV–3001, Latvia

Phenolic Composition and Sensory Properties of Ciders Produced from Latvian Apples

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>Production of refuse derived fuel from municipal solid waste in future shall play a strategic role in an integrated waste management system. The amount of landfilled biodegradable materials thus will be diminished according to provisions of the 1999 Waste Landfill Directive. The aim of this article is to evaluate cost effectiveness based on cost evaluation of the different complication of the waste pre-treatment equipment complectation and based on regenerable waste quantities in Latvia. The comparison of cost estimates is done in 3 scenarios considering potential waste quantities in Latvia: Scenario I - planned annual waste quantity is 20 kT; Scenario II - 40 kT and Scenario III - 160 kT. An increase in amount of waste and processing capacity means the decrease in costs of mechanical pre-treatment of 1 ton of waste. Thus, costs of mechanical sorting line under different scenarios with capacities of 10 t h-1, 20 t h-1 and 80 t h-1 are EUR 32 per t, EUR 24 per t and EUR 15 per t, respectively. Most feasible cost for a set of mechanical pre-treatment equipment for the capacity of 10 t h-1 is EUR 32 per t by using rotating drum screener with the following manual sorting. Mechanical pre-treatment equipment of unsorted municipal waste is economically nonbeneficial, when the use of fine (biologically degradable) fraction is not possible. As the sorting of biodegradable kitchen waste is not developed under the current waste management system in Latvia, the lines for mechanical pre-treatment of household waste would be better to install in landfills.</abstract>

Department of Environment and Water Management, LLU, Akademijas iela 19, Jelgava, LV-3001, Latvia

Institute of Energy Systems and Environment, RTU, Kalku iela 1, Riga, LV-1658, Latvia

Department of Environmental Science, LU, Raina bulv.19, Riga, LV-1586, Latvia

The Cost-estimation of Mechanical Pre-treatment Lines of Municipal Solid Waste in Latvia

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>Raw milk is an ideal growth medium for microorganisms (including many fungal species), as such milk provides all necessary nutrients and conditions for their growth. The objective of the present study was to investigate the diversity of microscopic fungi in the milk obtained in Latvian organic farms depending on cow herd size and season. The study was carried out on 547 milk samples taken from 14 organic dairy farms from December 2011 to November 2012. The farms were divided into three groups according to herd size: small (S - 3-30 cows per shed), medium (M – 31–60 cows per shed), and large (L – 61–120 cows per shed). Milk samples from all four quarters in the same sampling tube were studied. Yeasts and moulds were found in 63.1% and 44.2% of samples, respectively. The identified mould strains belonged to 15 genera - most frequently to <italic>Absidia, Aspergillus, Apophysomyces, Mucor, Penicillium</italic>, and <italic>Rhizopus spp</italic>. The highest occurrence of yeasts and moulds was in L herds (73.6% and 50.9%, respectively). Also, milk samples from L herds had the greatest degree of yeast and mould contamination (5.3 and 2.8 log CFU mL-1, respectively). It was found that the occurrence of yeasts was similar by seasons (54.9–68.9%), varying from 5.5 log CFU mL-1 in winter to 2.1–3.3 log CFU mL-1 in other seasons. The occurrence of moulds was the highest in spring (61.6%) and autumn (58.5%), but in winter and summer it was twice lower. The milk samples obtained in winter and summer contained more mould colonies (2.7 and 2.5 log CFU mL-1, respectively) than those obtained in spring and autumn (1.8–1.3 log CFU mL-1, respectively).</abstract>

Diversity of Microscopic Fungi in the Raw Milk from Latvian Organic Farms

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
A series of initiatives have been adopted in the European Union to address greenhouse gas emissions and establish a society that is resilient to climate change. In response to these initiatives, the implementation of mobility budgets offers a more precise strategy for addressing carbon footprints associated with travel. Prioritizing localized carbon footprint control, mobility budgets are calculated and customized according to distinct regions, goals, and target demographics. When prioritizing the mobility budget as the central objective in municipal transport route planning, the focus should encompass principles of fairness and equity in travel. This entails considering factors such as accessibility, variety of mobility choices, inclusivity of transportation modes, and social justice. Therefore, this article aims to formulate an enhanced activity modelling methodology that would aid data-driven decision-making in municipal transport route planning, while upholding the principles of travel fairness and equity. Тhe results obtained from scrutinizing data related to public bus services and mobile networks are presented. The evaluation of Jelgava’s city transportation network to facilitate mobility budget reduction is undertaken, and this assessment is based on an analysis of data derived from a survey on public transport use coupled with an examination of the city’s mobility budget. The research presents the communication challenges that municipalities will face in planning and implementing changes that are needed to meet the greenhouse gas emission targets and outlines the possible use of visualization tools for modelling, explanation and communication of scenarios.
</abstract>

Municipal Transport Route Planning Based on Fair Mobility Budget

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
This research in progress paper investigates the multifaceted factors shaping the work-related attitudes of top managers in organizations with a focus on Germany. Through in-depth interviews with seasoned experts, it reveals crucial work attitudes, examines the impact of interpersonal and procedural factors, and evaluates information’s role in the principal-agent relationship at top management levels. The findings challenge conventional assumptions, providing different perspectives on leadership and highlighting the evolving nature of management practices in the digital age. The study also explores potential differences between top IT managers and other C-level roles, investigating their implications.
The results of this research based on expert interviews are used in a broader context of research to triangulate literature analysis findings and quantitative surveys in order to develop a comprehensive understanding of factors influencing top managers’ work attitudes. Semi-structured expert interviews were conducted to gain a comprehensive perspective on the influencing factors of work attitudes in top management functions. Six German experts participated, bringing diverse backgrounds and affiliations with professional associations. Despite varied perspectives, universal importance was identified in key work attitudes, challenging assumptions of significant differences between employer and employee representatives. A novel contrast between hierarchical and broader perspectives within owner and worker associations emerged, suggesting a need for a more comprehensive understanding of management approaches. Additionally, interpersonal factors in leadership, information flow, trust-building, were highlighted as contributions. Furthermore, distinctions and commonalities between IT management and other top managerial roles were identified. This study both confirms existing knowledge and introduces valuable insights to management science, potentially shaping future research and practices.
</abstract>

Factors Influencing Work-Related Attitudes of Top Managers: An Expert Perspective

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
Globally, food systems are the most significant cause of environmental change; therefore, efforts to create more environmentally sustainable food systems are presented. One of the directions is strengthening the local actors and short food supply chains. Simultaneously, changes in farming systems are needed, and organic agriculture is one of the ways to make food systems more environmentally sustainable. Despite the abundance of research on the environmental consciousness of consumers in short food supply chains, the question is raised whether local food chain farmers are also committed to environmental sustainability. Therefore, this paper aims to explore the importance of environmental sustainability to organic short food supply chain actors. More specifically, the research depicts the views of organic farmers and consumers and their relation to the actual environmental sustainability of short food supply chains. During the research, a specific short food supply chain – a direct purchasing network – was explored. A qualitative approach was applied to reach the aim. Thus, in-depth interviews and observations were used as a research method. The research results demonstrated the views of farmers and consumers of the specific network regarding environmental sustainability aspects in the network. In the research, such environmental aspects as the circularity of resources, biodiversity, chemicals in the environment, seasonality and locality of diets, and the distance (food miles) were admitted as crucial ones by the specific short food supply chain actors. The differences in opinions of consumers and farmers emerged when thinking about the scale of their views.
</abstract>

Environmental Sustainability Aspects in Short Food Supply Chains: the Views of Organic Farmers and Consumers

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
The objective of this research was to study potential pests of Japanese quince (<italic>Chaenomeles japonica</italic>) plantations in Latvia. Studies were carried out in eight plantations during 2017–2019. Major pests that would regularly cause significant yield losses for this plant were not observed. Black-veined white (<italic>Aporia crataegi</italic>) was considered a local pest, mass outbreaks of which can occur in individual plantations and cause significant losses of plant foliage. Four species were considered minor pests: garden chafer (<italic>Phyllopertha horticola</italic>), yellow-banded weevil (<italic>Chlorophanus viridis</italic>), silver-green weevil (<italic>Phyllobius argentatus</italic>) and copse snail (<italic>Arianta arbustorum</italic>); they are also pests of plant foliage. The European red spider mite (<italic>Panonychus ulmi</italic>) was not considered as a pest of Japanese quince. A small population was observed in summers only in one plantation, which was located next to a heavily infested orchard. Overwintering eggs were not found on the plants in any year, and we concluded that the species was an accidental immigrant in this plantation. No aphid (Aphididae) colonies were observed on the quince plants. Monitoring and evaluation of potential harmfulness of four tortrix moths – large fruit-tree tortrix (<italic>Archips podana</italic>), rose tortrix (<italic>Archips rosana</italic>), codling moth (<italic>Cydia pomonella</italic>) and holly tortrix (<italic>Rhopobota naevana</italic>) – was done. It was concluded that rose tortrix is a minor fruit pest, but the other three species were not yet considered pests of Japanese quince. Significant pests of quince flowers and fruits were not detected in our study.
</abstract>

Studies on Potential Pests of Japanese Quince (<italic>Chaenomeles japonica</italic> (Thunb.) Lindl. ex Spach) in Latvia

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
Poverty alleviation, employment creation, environmental conservation and income augmentation can be transformed based on agricultural diversification. Lotus farming is considered as a solution to improve income and livelihood for smallholder farmers. Many different products and values can be explored from lotus farming including lotus flower, lotus root, lotus seed, lotus fiber, as well as combining ecotourism. But many barriers are preventing the lotus products diversification of lotus growers. This study will provide a better understanding of lotus farming and explore the barriers to lotus products diversification and causes of these barriers. Phong Dien district, central Vietnam was selected as a case study. The qualitative research was applied through 54 semi-structured interviews including lotus growers, lotus buyers and officers of local government, as well as one focus-group discussion, observation method and secondary data from statistical data and reports were also conducted. The research findings indicated that there is a big gap between lotus products diversification of lotus growers and available lotus products on the market. Lotus growers only grow and sell raw products, of which, fresh unshelled lotus seed is the main product. Lack of knowledge, worries on loss, lack of market and market information, lack of labour and machines and traditional production habits are main determinants of the barriers. Characteristics of lotus seed, high production and monopoly of collectors are different features in barriers to lotus product diversification compared to other crop diversification.
</abstract>

Barriers to agricultural products diversification: An empirical analysis from lotus farming in Central Vietnam

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
Pesticides have been used for a long time in agriculture to prevent the growth of undesired organisms. However, depending on the type of production (i.e., conventional, organic, and regenerative), they might not be applied. Adequate types and uses of pesticides should not cause any damage to any non-target species or environments due to the exposure to it, especially if all farming operations have been done properly. Reversely, when pesticides are applied in inappropriate time, amount or technique, they may cause several impacts, among which is water contamination. Brazil stands out worldwide for its agricultural potential, but it is exposed to risks concerning the water supply security to its population. The current study is a comparison of the Maximum Permissible Concentrations (MPC) for pesticides in potable water supply in Brazil with the values set in the United States, Canada, European Union countries, Japan, and the guidelines issued by the World Health Organization. The regulations of each country were used, as well as the trading, consumption and agricultural production data. The Brazilian regulation is the one accounting for the largest number of pesticides. However, their MPC is 5,000 times more permissible than that from the European Union for the herbicide known as glyphosate, 300 times than that for 2,4-d and 20 times than that for atrazine. Finally, it was possible to observe the relevance of revising the regulation and public policies in place to minimize the indiscriminate use of pesticides in Brazil and adapt these compounds to the standards in a global level.
</abstract>

A Comparison of Maximum Permissible Concentrations for Pesticides in Brazilian Water Supply

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>Nitrogen management strategy in plant growth period based on chlorophyll content evaluation in plant can improve nitrogen usage efficiency and reduce environmental contamination. This study is aimed to determine the impact of different nitrogen and sulphur fertilizer rates on dynamics of chlorophyll content in winter wheat during vegetative growth and to determine the relationship between nitrogen and chlorophyll content and grain yield of winter wheat. Field trial involving a winter wheat (<italic>Triticum aestivum</italic> L.) variety ‘Kranich’ was conducted at the LUA Research and Study Farm Vecauce during a three-year period (2012-2015). The treatments were 0, 85, 153, 175+S21, 175 (in 2015), 187 N kg ha−1 and different nitrogen norms according to chlorophyll meter Yara N-tester (Konica Minolta Ltd.) data: 180, 150, 205 N kg ha−1 depending on the year. The results of the trial show that the maximum chlorophyll content in different plant parts was observed at the end of flowering stage. The chlorophyll content depended on the level of mineral fertilisation. The highest chlorophyll content in leaves, stems and ears was obtained by using additional sulphur in two trial years. Usage of chlorophyll meter Yara N-tester obtained the highest chlorophyll content in all analyzed plant parts in one trial year. Chlorophyll content was significantly dependant on plant growth stage in stems in all trial years, in leaves in two trial years, and in ears in one year. Nitrogen fertilization significantly affected chlorophyll content in leaves and stems in one trial year. Close positive correlation was observed between grain yield and wheat plant chlorophyll content and average nitrogen concentration at the end of flowering stage in all three trial years.</abstract>

Effect of Nitrogen and Sulphur Fertilization on Chlorophyll Content in Winter Wheat

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title><italic>Phomopsis vaccinii</italic> cause a serious disease of blueberry, cranberry and other <italic>Vaccinium</italic> crops in the North America and Europe as well. Over 1000 species names are described by <italic>Phomopsis</italic> spp., but their biology and life style are mostly unknown. Identification of <italic>P. vaccinii</italic> by methods of classical phytopathology is difficult and complicate, because many species are morphologically similar to <italic>P. vaccinii</italic>, and <italic>P. vaccinii</italic> itself has diverse patterns of colony morphology. For this investigation <italic>P. vaccinii</italic> isolates were obtained from five cranberry plantations in different locations of Latvia (Babite, Alsunga, Rucava, Ape and Pargauja municipality) from berries affected by viscid rot at harvest and storage in 2010. Altogether 44 <italic>P. vaccinii</italic> isolates were cultivated on potato dextrose agar for description of colony morphology. In order to find some relationships between samples, the isolates were arranged in different groups on the basis of mycelium color and structure (zoning), reverse pigmentation, pycnidium formation time, size, location, number and size of conidia. During this study the colonies of <italic>P. vaccinii</italic> from cranberry in Latvia showed different morphological features in culture and no relationships between growing regions and groups of isolates were found. <italic>P. vaccinii</italic> is easy to confuse with other <italic>Phomopsis</italic> species if only classical phytopathological methods are used.</abstract>

Latvia University of Agriculture, Liela str.2, Jelgava, LV-3001, Latvia

Latvian Plant Protection Research centre, Struktoru str. 14a, Riga, Lv-1039, Latvia

Morphological Diversity of <italic>Phomopsis vaccinii</italic> Isolates from Cranberry (<italic>Vaccinium macrocarpon</italic> Ait.) in Latvia

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
The work states that the strategic guideline for building an effective competitive national transport system and prosperous using Ukrainian multimodal potential is the formation of a regulatory environment for scaling ESG-investment in the context of transformation to a “climate-neutral” economy. The absence of a unified methodology for (assessment) scoring ESG-direction of business as the basis for decision-making on ESG-investment is established in the world and national practice. For the first time, the author’s model of scoring trends and regularities of business development is proposed in accordance with ESG-principles, in contrast to traditional trend dynamic models, which identifies and iteratively conceptualizes processes by the set of ESG-indicator components determined using the cocoupling-analysis toolkit (tools for assessing the cocoupling-effect). A classification of the cocoupling-effect has been developed and each of its types has been characterized. Possible options for ESG-effectiveness of business are identified, which conditionally correspond to the four zones of the ESG-investment decision-making matrix. A research on the expected cocoupling-effect of ESG-investment in the multimodal transportation development is carried out to validate the feasibility of implementation the author’s scoring model for the ESG-direction of business and obtaining realistic results according to the data of the International Energy Agency and the State Statistics Service of Ukraine. An effective measures arsenal of creating the regulatory framework for ESG-investment in the multimodal transportation development is identified and a Roadmap is proposed for their high-quality implementation, which would ensure positive changes in Ukraine’s position in the world ranking of countries by multimodal potential usage efficiency.
</abstract>

Creating a Regulatory Framework for the ESG-investment in the Multimodal Transportation Development

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>An urgent problem is drying and processing of the wet dispersed waste, obtained in the production of food products, which can then be efficiently used as a fertiliser, for feeding livestock or as biofuel. A new design of a vibrating fluidised bed dryer has been developed, which, with low energy consumption, provides a pre-set productivity and the required final moisture content. The process of vertical oscillations of the body of a vibration dryer, together with the food waste contained in it, is analysed analytically, the necessary equivalent scheme is built, on the basis of which differential equations of the vertical oscillations of the body are compiled, their analytical solutions are obtained, and a numerical calculation is performed on a PC using the developed program. Rational parameters of the vibration dryer, providing vibroboiling of the mass of the food waste, have been determined: the body mass m = 250 ... 510 kg; the debalance mass md<italic>=</italic> 10… 15 kg; the number of revolutions of the debalance electric motor nd<italic>= 1950 ... 2650 rpm ∙ min</italic>∙1; maximum stiffness of the support springs Cp<italic>= 8</italic>∙105 N∙m–1; the diameter of the centre of mass of the debalances dd<italic>= 0.01 m. In addition, as a result of the</italic> thermophysical theoretical and experimental studies of the vibration drying process, the following optimal design and technological parameters of the vibration dryer were obtained: the heat transfer area <italic>St.p.n= 4.15 m</italic>2; the radius of the heating pipe <italic>rt= 0.1 m</italic>; the length of the heating pipe <italic>lt = 3 m</italic>; the number of heating pipes <italic>nt= 50</italic>; the heat transfer coefficient <italic>Kp= 2500</italic>; the final temperature of the dried waste to2<italic>= 100 ºС</italic>.</abstract>

Theoretical Studies of the Vibration Process of the Dryer for Waste of Food

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