Gabriela Ianculescu

Maize productivity in Southeastern Europe is increasingly affected by climatic variability, necessitating agronomic strategies to maintain yield under irrigated conditions. This study evaluated the effects of conventional tillage, minimum tillage, and no-tillage on maize yield, yield components, and weed dynamics, and analyzed the interaction between tillage intensity and hybrid performance under irrigated cambic chernozem conditions in Southeastern Romania. A three-year field experiment (2023–2025) was conducted as a randomized complete block design with three replications using three maize hybrids (P0900, P0937, and P1441) under sprinkler irrigation. Grain yield, kernel weight per ear, kernel number per ear, thousand-kernel weight, plant density, and weed density were analyzed using ANOVA, linear mixed models, and regression analysis. Grain yield ranged from 10.66 to 11.46 t ha⁻¹ across years, with the hybrid exerting the strongest effect on all productivity parameters. P0900 recorded the highest yield (12.43 t ha⁻¹) and the lowest associated weed density. Weed density increased from 207.44 plants m⁻² under conventional tillage to 266.11 plants m⁻² under no-tillage and was negatively associated with yield components and grain yield. Significant tillage × weed-density interactions indicated steeper productivity declines in reduced-tillage systems, particularly no-tillage. The results suggest that the agronomic performance of conservation-oriented tillage systems under irrigation depends strongly on hybrid adaptability and effective weed-management strategies.

Grapevine cultivar, climatic variability, and vinification practices are key determinants of wine composition. This study evaluated the physicochemical, phenolic, and elemental profiles of six wines produced from distinct cultivars cultivated in the Murfatlar Research Station (Romania) over three consecutive growing seasons (2022–2025). Red wines were obtained using differentiated maceration regimes, while white wines were produced with controlled lees contact. Total phenolic content was determined by the Folin–Ciocâlteu method, resveratrol by UHPLC-DAD, and mineral composition by ICP-MS. Linear mixed-effects models were applied to assess the effects of cultivar, vinification method, and vintage year. As expected, red wines exhibited significantly higher total phenolic and resveratrol concentrations than white wines, and maceration duration enhanced phenolic extraction. Cultivar exerted the strongest influence on physicochemical parameters and elemental composition, whereas climatic differences among vintages induced moderate but significant variations. Rare-earth elements and selected macro- and microelements exhibited consistent varietal patterns, supporting their potential as compositional markers. Toxic element concentrations remained within established regulatory limits. These findings highlight the combined influence of genetic, environmental, and technological factors on wine composition and support the integration of phenolic and mineral profiling for varietal differentiation and quality assessment.