This study aims to present a novel gas counter and to demonstrate its suitability for biochemical methane potential tests. In this system, the gas to be measured is collected in a chamber enclosed with two one-way solenoid valves and the absolute pressure is continuously monitored. After a trigger pressure is reached, a portion of the gas is released and the amount of the released gas is calculated according to ideal gas law and recorded. Three iterations of the supervisory control and data acquisition unit were constructed and tested for BMP measurement. Although it can be further improved and variations are possible, the presented final version works with eight reactors simultaneously and the recommended maximum gas flow is 1.24 mL/min. For those reactors, the measured/theoretical BMP ratio was 65.3% with 4.2% standard uncertainty, which is subjectively acceptable. Therefore, it can be concluded that the concept is valid and applicable to BMP tests.

Pollen micromorphology of 12 taxa belonging to genus Delphinium L. (Ranunculaceae) species was investigated by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Pollen slides were prepared using the Wodehouse technique. Measurements were based on 30 or more pollen grains per specimen. For scanning electron microscopy studies, dried pollen grains were transferred to aluminium stubs and coated with gold for 3 min in a sputter-coater. The pollen grains of Delphinium taxa are radially symmetric and isopolar. The pollen grains of the taxa are prolate–spheroidal, subprolate with the polar axes 24.51–36.24 μm and the equatorial diameter 22.13–30.43 μm. The pollen grains are tricolpate rarely tetracolpate (D. thrikeana). Colpi were usually long and narrow (Clg: 18.46–28.73 μm; Clt: 5.17–9.31 μm) and granulate. Pollen grains show microechinate, microechinate-perforate, microechinate-verrucate. Exine is subtectate and has a thickness of 0.99–1.58 μm. Ectexine is thicker than endexine. Intine has a thickness of 0.39–0.69 μm. As result of this study, some pollen characteristic as pollen shape, aperture type, and ornamentations are shown to vary within the genus. Especially, pollen surface ornamentation has systematic value to distinguish taxa from each other. Cluster and principal component analyses supported the separation of taxa into three types. Type 1 and Type 2 differed mainly in pollen size and aperture dimensions, while D. saccatum (Type 3) was characterized by thicker exine and intine layers. Taxa formerly classified under Consolida clustered together as Type 2, indicating consistent morphological differentiation within the genus Delphinium. These statistical results support the taxonomic value of quantitative pollen traits.