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Camelina sativa can be identified as a promising oilseed crop due to its short growth cycle, tolerance to drought and frost, low-input requirements, resistance to pests and diseases, feed, and non-feed applications. Compared to other Brassicaceae family plants, camelina is mainly distinguished by high levels of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and antioxidant content. However, camelina contains secondary plant metabolites, such as glucosinolates, phytic acid, sinapine, etc., and their presence limits the use of camelina by-products (oil, seed or cake) in poultry feeding. The breakdown of these compounds forms complexes that can inhibit digestive enzymes, reduce the absorption of nutrients, and ultimately modify product quality. The content of these anti-nutritional compounds and plant seed quality can be modified by various techniques: hybridisation, mutation induction, gene engineering, etc. Moreover, methods such as infrared irradiation, multi-enzyme and copper supplementation, etc., can counter or mitigate the effect of plant secondary metabolites present in camelina seed or cake. In general, dietary inclusion of camelina seed or cake at high inclusion levels (> 10%) worsened the nutrient digestibility and thus reduced growth performances. However, carcass traits and meat proximate composition were comparable in birds-fed diets containing camelina by-products. The fatty acid profile of meat cuts and abdominal fat was significantly higher in alpha-linolenic acid and lower n-6/n-3 ratio, thus promoting the healthiness of products for human consumption. Also, the dietary inclusion of camelina did not modify the sensory profile of the products. The present article is a comprehensive and critical review of research carried out to improve the quality of camelina and its by-products to be used in broiler poultry feeding. This review gives information on the feeding value of camelina by-products, as well as a survey of the literature on their use in poultry diets to evaluate digestibility, performance, carcass traits, and meat quality.

Neoscytalidium Dimidiatum isolates are the most pathogens associated with sooty canker and dieback in the stem and twigs of Eucalyptus and Chinaberry trees in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Young trees showed branch dieback and yellowing leaves. The symptoms were further developed to sooty canker and dieback appeared on the main branch and trunk. N. dimidiatum colonies on potato dextrose agar were dense white at first and became dark gray to black within seven to ten days. Arthric dark brown conidia (6.6x 4.3 µm) were observed in the chain of mycelium. The color of the colonies was white at the beginning, then eventually turned greenish in seven days, and finally became black. The fungus produced white to olivaceous aerial mycelium with chains of chlamydospores and arthroconidia. Conidia were initially hyaline, ellipsoidal to globose, 4.1-9.8 m × 2.8-3.5m, with muriform septa. The inoculated Eucalyptus and Chinaberry seedlings displayed necrosis streaks along with the barks and xylem of the inoculation points. Combined dataset of internal transcribed spacer (ITS), Nuclear Ribosomal Large Subunite (LSU), and Beta tublin 2a (Bt2a) using Maximum Likelihood and Maximum Parsimony analysis support the monophyletic on Neoscytalidium dimidiatum isolates from Iraq (N. hyalinum (No. B21), and Neoscytalidium novaehollandiae (No. B22)). This is the first time to report Neoscytalidium dimidiatum on Chinaberry in Iraq.

Biochar is a carbonaceous material derived from the pyrolysis of carbon-rich biomass that has attracted increasing research and attention because of its ability to enhance soil carbon storage, increase soil fertility, fix and transform pollutants in soil, and improve the soil environment. These enhancements directly or indirectly affect soil microorganisms’ metabolic activities and community structure. This paper reviews the effects of biochar on soil physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, nutrients, contaminants, and related microbial activities. In addition, this work summarises the possible mechanisms involved in the interaction between biochar and microorganisms and the potential hazards associated with biochar use. Finally, this study aims to provide a theoretical basis for future related research.

Panax ginseng Meyer is one of Asia’s most popular medicinal plants, with triterpene saponins as principal bioactive compounds. The present study investigates the possibility of ginseng cultivation in Lahaul & Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, India in the Western Himalayas focusing on growth characteristics, and ginsenoside content in the roots. Plant growth parameters increased with an increase in the crop age and reached maximum maturity at the age of five years along with the production of a good amount of seeds and roots. Root fresh and dry weight of the five-year-old plant was 142.6 g and 45.5 g, respectively, which almost doubled as compared with the four-year-old plant. The HPLC analysis of P. ginseng roots leads to the identification of 14 compounds representing 31.81 ± 2.89 mg/g of total ginsenoside contents, where Rb1, Rg2 and Re were found to be major ginsenosides with 7.53 ± 0.37, 7.04 ± 0.61 and 3.77 ± 0.26 mg/g content. Protopanaxadiol (PPD) and protopanaxatriol (PPT) represent the major classes of ginsenosides present in the ginseng roots with a 0.98 ratio of PPD/PPT. Our studies revealed that the soil and climate of the Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh State in the Western Himalayas are suitable for the cultivation of P. ginseng with good content of ginsenosides in five-year-old roots.

This paper analyses the market entry strategy of the Spanish wineries and their destination markets. For this purpose, channel adjustment was analysed. The novel aspect of this research is the use of exports on a winery level, basing the explanation of their export performance on a combination of internal decisions of the companies, and characteristics of the wine destination markets, in accordance with the purchasing patterns of their consumers. The results revealed the importance of strategic adjustment between winery and market destination, even though the importance of adjustment depends on the level of exports. Thus, channel adjustment is important for the probability of export and export intensity.

This article focuses on the development possibilities of the venison market in the Czech Republic. The main factors affecting the primary game market were investigated, both production limitations on the side of the hunters and on the side of the game production purchase prices. These factors were analysed in the context of the consumer prices of general meat production and the purchase prices of common meat (beef, pork). Furthermore, the size of the total game market was estimated, taking into account the export and import of this commodity. The potential venison market size for the Czech Republic was also established in the study. The gap between the development of the market consumer prices and purchase prices of the venison was analysed. The conducted research further revealed that the respondents do not perceive a relationship between the production of venison and the protection of forest ecosystems. With few exceptions, they do not realise that by buying and consuming venison, they can contribute to the support of forestry. Furthermore, the perception of the role of the forest environment in relation to game meat by the public does not correspond to the need to regulate the game density to limit damage to forest stands. The results of this research are recommendations which mainly consist in expanding the offer of the primary production to products significantly closer to the consumer market (moving from a producer market to a consumer market), and the implementation of activation campaigns (tastings, presentations of opinion makers). At the same time, our work revealed the need for further development, and by increasing the value for the customer who, with the appropriate marketing strategy, can perceive this product as a premium organic food through which they contribute to sustainable forest management.

Our objectives were to characterise arable weeds of the Czech and Slovak Republic in cereals, especially considering important groups of species: thermophilic, weedy grasses, and rare and endangered species. The three-year phytocoenological survey was conducted from 2006 to 2008 in five climatic regions and eight different soil types. 379 relevés were recorded, and 281 weed species were found. The effects of both the climatic region and soil type were found to be statistically significant. Species richness increased with altitude. Several species were distinctly associated with soil type, from fertile chernozems to less fertile cambisols, while fluvisols were strongly associated with e.g. Calystegia sepium (L.) R. Br. The incidence of species outside their expected regions generally fit two categories: the most pervasive weeds found almost in all climate regions, such as Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv., or rare weeds in higher altitudes than expected, such as Lolium temulentum L. Rare and endangered species were more likely to be found in a colder climate and poorer soils, and this is linked to less intensive management; however, not all endangered arable species can tolerate such conditions. Even though this data is not recently collected, this is still valuable information on the distribution of weedy species, especially concerning the current interest in maintaining biodiversity.

Antibiotics used in animal feeds have recently been strictly regulated to avoid antibiotic resistance in humans. Thus, scientists are compelled to find new feed additives to replace antibiotics in feed. Apart from having a zero effect on human health, new alternatives may even be able to further improve production performance. Essential oils (EOs) and organic acids (OAs) stood out as powerful and useful replacements for both animal production and human population. These are added to chicken diets and drinking water to induce a favourable growth response. Hence, enhancing the nutrient digestibility, performance, and immunity of birds, OAs and EOs are used in livestock production mainly to inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria and simultaneously maintain the balance of intestinal bacteria. This improves the digestion of nutrients and mineral absorption which will eventually lead to better feed efficiency. The addition of OAs and EOs also causes the intestinal lining to thin, which further enhances nutrient absorption and utilization. Not only for poultry production, the effect of OAs and EOs can also improve poultry immunity and antioxidant capacity. However, the effects will vary depending on the type of OAs and EOs because their mode of action is dependent on their pKa value. In the present review, beneficial properties of OAs and EOs, as well as various dose combinations, to promote their optimal use in poultry nutrition and production will be examined. Their effects on supporting protein digestion, faster absorption of minerals, especially microminerals, stimulating growth performance, regulating antioxidant capacity, and improving immune response will be explored.

The presented study estimated the aboveground biomass (AGB) of Pinus roxburghii (chir pine) natural forests and plantations, and created biomass maps using a relationship (regression model) between AGB and Sentinel-2 spectral indices. The mean AGB and BGB (belowground biomass) of natural forests were 79.54 Mg·ha^–1 and 20.68 Mg·ha^–1, respectively, whereas the mean AGB and BGB of plantations were 94.48 Mg·ha^–1 and 24.56 Mg·ha^–1, respectively. Correlation showed that mean diameter at breast height (DBH) and mean height have weak relationships with AGB, and BGB has shown correlation coefficients (R² = 0.46) and (R² = 0.56) for polynomial models. Regression models between AGB (Mg·ha^–1) of Pinus roxburghii natural forest and Sentinel-2 spectral indices showed a strong relationship with Ratio Vegetation Index (RVI) with R² = 0.72 followed by Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Atmospherically Resistant Vegetation Index (ARVI) with R² = 0.70. In contrast, the lower performance of spectral indices has been shown in regression with plantation AGB. Correlation coefficients (R²) were 0.41, 0.41, and 0.40 for RVI, NDVI, and ARVI, respectively. All indices showed that the distribution of AGB data was not the best fit with the linear regression model. Therefore, non-linear exponential and power models were considered the best fit for NDVI, RVI, and ARVI. A biomass map was developed from RVI for both natural forests and plantation because RVI has the highest R² and lowest P-value.

This review focuses on the behaviour of four psychoactive compounds (carbamazepine, tramadol, sertraline and citalopram) in the environment. The review presents how they may directly affect freshwater systems, soils and living organisms and to which extent. The transformation of these very stable compounds in soils were controlled by oxidation, demethylation, decarboxylation and hydroxylation. Sorption to organic matter and clay particles controlled their mobility. Despite their expected sorption in soils, sediments and sludge, all compounds can be taken up by plants and by fish. In plants, all compounds and several of their metabolites were found in the leaves, indicating the mobility and transformation of the compounds within the plant systems. Factors that control the compounds mobility in plants were found to be the pH of soils and the xylem flow. As for fish, many of the compounds were found in the brain and muscles of fish, some of which, depending on the species, affected the behaviour of the fish. The implications of these compounds so widely present in the environment indicate the need for certain measures to be put into place to prevent these compounds from continuously entering plant and animal systems.

This study identified three soil bacteria (NRRU-BW3, NRRU-BW3, and NRRU-TV11) that degrade chlorpyrifos, produce indole-3-acetic acid, and exopolysaccharides under pesticide stress. The results revealed that soil bacteria were identified as Priestia megaterium NRRU-BW3, Bacillus siamensis NRRU-BW9, and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens NRRU-TV11. These strains showed the ability to produce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and exopolysaccharides (EPS) in chlorpyrifos. Moreover, these bacteria can degrade chlorpyrifos (CP) in an aqueous medium, and a 33–52% degradation rate was observed after 14 days of incubation. Inoculation with the NRRU-TV11 significantly increased (P < 0.05) plant height, root length, biomass and vigour index of rice seedlings compared to uninoculated controls in chlorpyrifos-contaminated soil. The findings demonstrated the beneficial effects of indigenous NRRU-TV11 on rice seedling development and chlorpyrifos degradation and recommended this strain as a potential replacement for plant growth improvement and environmental bioremediation of pesticide-contaminated agricultural soils.

Preferential water flow in soil significantly affects runoff, water infiltration, storage, groundwater environment, and soil stability. Plant roots positively affect preferential flow development. This study explored the relationship between the root system of Paulownia fortunei (Seem.) Hemsl. and preferential flow using dyeing tracer test and image analysis techniques. A typical red soil hilly region on the outskirts of Guilin City (Guangxi, China) was selected as the study area. A Bright Blue solution was used to visualize the pathways followed by the infiltrated water in simulated rainfall experiments, and Image Analyzer of Plants was used to analyze the root length, surface area, and volume. The results revealed significant differences in the root surface area density of coarse roots (RSAD-CR) and length index of preferential flow (LI) among soil profiles at various distances from the tree trunk. The root volume density of coarse (RVD-CR) and total roots (RVD-TR), the root length density of coarse roots (RLD-CR), and RSAD-CR were significantly correlated with the characteristics of dyeing morphology. Conversely, the root length density and root surface area density of fine (RLD-FR and RSAD-FR, respectively) and total roots (RLD-TR and RSAD-TR, respectively), and the root volume density of fine roots (RVD-FR) were not significantly correlated with the characteristic parameters of dyeing morphology. The root systems of P. fortunei were critical for enhancing soil water infiltration and developing preferential flow in red soil hilly regions. Coarse roots had a greater impact on the development of preferential flow than fine roots, and root volume had a greater influence on preferential flow development than root length and root surface area. This study contributes to a better understanding of the hydrological cycle at the plant-soil interface in red soil hilly regions.

To study the effects of long-term and short-term high temperature stress and recovery on the physiological functions and appearance quality of chrysanthemums, a controlled experiment with chrysanthemums was conducted. The treatments were 25 °C for 3 days (T1D3), 25 °C for 9 days (T1D9), 41 °C for 3 days (T2D3) and 41°C for 9 days (T2D9). The results indicated that there is no significant difference between the T1D3 and T1D9 groups. Conversely, the total chlorophyll content (Chl), net photosynthetic rate (PN), and maximum quantum yield of Photosystem II (PSII) (FV/FM) under T2D3 and T2D9 decreased by 27.07%, 43.30%, 5.62%, and 44.85%, 68.22%, 8.29%, respectively. The JIP-test results showed that the T2D9-stressed plants had a lower efficiency and functional antenna size, and a higher activity of the reaction centre than T2D3. The contents of malondialdehyde, soluble protein and proline increased by 3.67 nmol/g FM, 298.75 μg/g, and 192.99 μg/g, and the antioxidant enzymes activities were inhibited significantly under T2D9. After the stress was relieved, Chl, PN, and FV/FM under T2D3 recovered to the same level as T1D3, while T2D9 did not. Furthermore, the diameter of the flowers in T2D3 showed no significant difference with the chrysanthemums under T1D3. However, the plants in T2D9 recovered poorly. Both the diameter of the flowers and the anthocyanin under T2D9 reduced significantly comparing with T1D9, indicating that the damage in the chrysanthemum seedlings caused by long-term high temperature was irreversible.

Agriculture 4.0 creates a challenge for agricultural and forest enterprises in the form of changes in the processes and strategies set up to now. The ability for flexibility, personal development, and further education will be critical in transforming agriculture and forestry organisations. The transition to Agriculture 4.0 will also affect the need for human resource management in terms of their need and competence structure. This work aims to identify a group of employees in the environment of the Slovak Republic’s agricultural and forest enterprises with the prerequisites to acquire additional work competencies and the interest to develop flexibly. The mentioned group of employees, understood as progressive, will be examined from the point of view of motivational preferences and the level of satisfaction with them. The presented outputs follow searching the sample unit of 2 193 employees in agriculture and forestry organisations. Based on inferential statistics, it was confirmed that the progressive group of employees is identifiable in terms of their education and, compared to other groups, has a significantly higher perception of the importance of motivation factors with the highest difference in the case of factors related to career aspiration and social needs.

Sorghum is an important crop, and starch and phenolic compounds are major and important components in the sorghum grain. However, the underlying critical genetic elements contributing to the rich portfolio of nutrients in sorghum grains are largely unknown. Transcriptomic methods were employed to characterize the expression patterns at five different grain developmental stages of Hongyingzi (an important brewing sorghum), and another two grain sorghums, Jinuoliang 1 and Hongliangfeng 1, for comparison. The uniquely expressed genes were identified at each developmental stage of Hongyingzi when compared with the other two sorghum cultivars. The co-regulated genes at different developmental stages and the regulatory network were determined; the determinant genes and single-nucleotide polymorphisms located at the promoters of these genes involved in starch and phenolic compounds biosynthetic pathways were also identified. These results will provide insights into the potential regulatory network and further contribute to the clarification of the key determinant genes involved in the biosyntheses of starch and phenolic compounds. Meanwhile, some new transcripts and genes were identified at five different developmental stages of grains of the three sorghum cultivars. Our work can provide impetus for further study of the genes responsible for the biosynthesis of starch and phenolic compounds in the sorghum grain, and pave a way for functional validation of a batch of potential genes and single-nucleotide polymorphisms proposed in current work.

Genetic diversity is referred to as any variation at the phenotypic, DNA or genomic level of an individual, population or species. The appraisal of diversity is important to understand its pattern and evolutionary relationships between germplasms or genotypes, which will aid in sampling the genetic resources in a more systematic manner for conservation and crop improvement. The present study employed 50 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers linked to the yield and fibre quality/colour traits for estimating the genetic diversity in 33 cotton genotypes of diploid and tetraploid species differing in fibre colour. The diversity analysis was performed in GenAlEx (Ver. 6.41) and Powermarker (Ver. 3.25) while DARwin (Ver. 6.0.21) software was used to establish the phylogenetic relationships following neighbour-joining (NJ) and unweighted pair group method with arithmetic (UPGMA) mean method. Markers generated 186 polymorphic loci as genotypic data with an average of 3.72 alleles and an average polymorphic information content (PIC) value of 0.59 per SSR locus. The NJ and UPGMA grouped 33 genotypes into three major clusters I, II and III consisting of 21 tetraploid Gossypium hirsutum, 10 G. arboreum coloured and 2 white cotton genotypes, respectively. In the PCA, the first two components (PC1 and PC2) explained 74.69% of the variation and the biplot plotted the 33 genotypes in three groups. The study established the diverse nature of 33 cotton genotypes based on their fibre colour and ploidy level. With confirmation of the prevalent genetic diversity, we suggest that hybridisation can be planned among diverse genotypes to unleash greater variation in the fibre colour or to derive superior cross combinations.

The study’s main objective is to determine the predisposition and challenges of agriculture to provide environmental public goods to society in areas particularly facing natural or other specific constraints (ANCs) established within their current delimitation in Poland. Its organisational features, economic situation, and the degree of interest in measures specifically serving the protection of the natural environment under the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) EU were indicated. Statistically significant factors determined farmers’ willingness to participate in these measures. It turned out that farms from ANCs communes with particularly difficult conditions significantly contribute to the total production potential of agriculture in Poland. However, compared to farms with better natural conditions, they are characterised by a lower income per 1 ha of utilised agriculture area (UAA) and a higher share of subsidies, including those for participation in environmental measures, which were implemented to a greater extent. Based on the logistic regression model, it was found that in ANCs communes with particularly difficult conditions, the most important factor of farmers’ greater willingness to implement environmental measures was their higher level of education. On the other hand, this inclination was negatively affected by the higher income adjusted for operating subsidies per 1 ha of UAA.

This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of yeast cell wall parts (YCW) in reducing the severity of coccidiosis in broiler chickens. One-day-old Ross 308 chicks (n = 320) were randomly allocated to 32 floor pens in two rooms with a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement of treatments. Factors were (1) challenge: negative or positive by room, (2) feed additive: control (none), anticoccidial (salinomycin at 60 mg/kg), YCW 0.1% or 0.2%. On day 8, none-challenged room was inoculated with saline, and challenged room was inoculated with 5 000 Eimeria tenella oocysts. Performance results showed that in challenged birds, feed conversion ratio (FCR) and weight gain (WG) were poorer than in unchallenged birds on day 24 and 35. Birds given anticoccidial and YCW had improved FCR and WG (P = 0.01) over the control group. Challenge and additive interactions were observed on day 24 and day 35 for FCR and WG (P = 0.01) and for feed intake on day 24 (P = 0.01). Challenged birds fed YCW on days 24 and 35 had higher WG and better FCR compared with both challenged and non-challenged controls and anticoccidial treatment. Coccidial challenge increased crypt depth (CD), villous tip and base width, and villous surface area and decreased villous height to crypt depth ratio (VH : CD) and villous height (VH). Birds fed YCW exhibited significantly decreased CD, villous tip width, villous base width, villous surface area and increased VH, VH : CD in comparison to the control group. Challenged birds fed YCW had significantly lower bursa of Fabricius follicle length compared to birds fed the control diet. Challenged birds had significantly increased serum alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) concentrations than non-challenged birds. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that the yeast cell wall has the ability to control coccidiosis.

Triticale (× Triticosecale Wittmack) is a hybrid cereal prepared by crossing wheat and rye. Triticale grain contains substances that have a positive effect on reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, cancer, and type 2 diabetes, as well as increasing body's immune response and intestinal function, which warrants a need for greater attention to research on triticale crop's nutritional composition. This review covers the most recent research on the nutritional composition of triticale grain in comparison to other cereals, its role in the food industry, and its usage as a food, providing a scientific foundation for triticale's further development as a sustainable crop. Due to the wide variety of chemical compounds revealed in triticale grain, it has the potential to be utilised as a substitute cereal for various food and beverages.

This study aimed to evaluate alfalfa meal's chemical and nutritional composition and effectiveness on broiler chicken thigh meat quality. Alfalfa contains significant content of crude protein and fibre, minerals (iron and zinc), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and antioxidant compounds, especially total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total polyphenols content (TPC). To test its effectiveness on chicken tight meat quality, we developed a trial on 60 Cobb 500 broilers, divided into two groups of 30 animals each and fed during growing-finishing phases (11–42 days) a control diet (C) and an experimental diet (A), in which 5% alfalfa meal was added. At the end of the trial, six animals from each group were selected for slaughter and sampling. The analyses on meat samples revealed that alfalfa significantly affected bioactive compounds with antioxidant potential, such as zinc, vitamin E and TPC, compared with the C samples. The utilisation of 5% alfalfa was also very effective on the fatty acids composition of thigh meat samples in the A group by increasing the concentration of eicosapentaenoic acid and significantly decreasing the n-6/n-3 ratio as well as cholesterol content with 10.41% in experimental samples. Therefore, alfalfa can be a potential alternative to synthetic feed additives in producing healthier chicken meat, with increased content of bioactive compounds and essential fatty acids for human health.

This research scrutinised the opportunity of upcycling waste from the food industry by extracting dietary fibre from purple aubergine. One of the challenges addressed was enzymatic browning, which negatively influenced the quality of the fibre extracted from fresh aubergine. Various pre-treatment procedures were assessed, including using citric acid, sulphite immersion, peeling and thermal processing, to determine their effects on extraction yield, colour, and the functionality of the resultant dietary fibre. Findings indicated that a pre-treatment method involving aubergine peeling, sulphite solution immersion, and subsequent steaming before extraction produced optimal results, enhancing both whiteness index and water-holding capacity. Experiments were conducted with traditional enzymes supplemented with cellulase, xylanase, and lipase for enzymatic extraction. The addition of lipase notably elevated the extraction yield and water-holding capacity, albeit with an undesired darkening effect on the dietary fibre. In contrast, the application of xylanase emerged as the most effective treatment, delivering the highest overall quality for the derived dietary fibre.

Plantain is the most important crop for the Peruvian Amazonian population, developed in recent alluvial soils rich in nutrients, but fragile and susceptible to degradation. Therefore, the impact of permanent cultivation was evaluated, through modelling, on indicators of recent alluvial soil quality and production in plantations of Musa paradisiaca L. var. Harton, in the Aguaytia River valley, Peru. The treatments were areas with permanent plantain plantations of 2 (T0), 15 (T1), 4 (T2), and 5 (T3) years of management, evaluating soil physicochemical indicators and plantain production indicators. The results show significant differences for all yield and soil indicators evaluated, except for bulk density (Bd), clay fraction, soil organic matter (OM) and N. The modelling determined a significant positive impact on Bd and a significant negative impact on pH, P, pseudostem diameter and height, commercial fingers and bunch weight. In conclusion, the modelling shows trends of quality and yield reduction in 15 years of permanent management of plantain Var. Harton, and compromises the sustainability of the agroecosystem in the medium term.

The present review deals with a particularly important topic: the use of functional amino acids in different categories of pigs. It is especially relevant in the context of the current efforts to reduce the use of antibiotics in pig farming and the search for possible alternatives to replace them. The review is based on the definition that functional amino acids (FAAs) are classified as dispensable amino acids, but with additional biological functions, i.e., not only are they used for protein formation, but they are also involved in regulating essential metabolic pathways to improve health, survival, growth, and development. We describe the mechanism of action of individual FAAs and their potential use in pigs, including glutamate, glutamine, arginine, branched-chain amino acids (i.e., leucine, isoleucine, and valine), tryptophan and glycine. The work is divided into three parts. The first part deals with the FAAs and their role in the overall health of sows and their offspring. The second part describes the use of functional amino acids in piglets after weaning. Part three examines the use of functional amino acids in growing and fattening pigs and their impact on meat quality.

Neonicotinoids are one of the newest groups of systemic pesticides, effective on a wide range of invertebrate pests. The success of neonicotinoids can be assessed according to the amount used, for example, in the Czech Republic, which now accounts for 1/3 of the insecticide market. The European Union (EU) has a relatively interesting attitude towards neonicotinoids. Three neonicotinoid substances (imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam) were severely restricted in 2013. In 2019, imidacloprid and clothianidin were banned, while thiamethoxam and thiacloprid were banned in 2020. In 2022, another substance, sulfoxaflor, was banned. Therefore, only two neonicotinoid substances (acetamiprid and flupyradifurone) are approved for outdoor use in the EU. Neonicotinoids enter aquatic ecosystems in many ways. In European rivers, neonicotinoids usually occur in nanograms per litre. Due to the low toxicity of neonicotinoids to standard test species, they were not expected to significantly impact the aquatic ecosystem until later studies showed that aquatic invertebrates, especially insects, are much more sensitive to neonicotinoids. In addition to the lethal effects, many studies point to sublethal impacts - reduced reproductive capacity, initiation of downstream drift of organisms, reduced ability to eat, or a change in feeding strategies. Neonicotinoids can affect individuals, populations, and entire ecosystems.

Soil salinisation is a major constraint on food security and agricultural development, and remains a critical concern in the agricultural sector. In this study, we examined the effects of three straw return methods – straw mulching, straw burial, and a combination of straw mulching and burial – along with inorganic amendments (CaSiO₃ and MgSO₄) on maize growth, soil organic matter, bulk density, salinity, and the contents of individual salt base ions. A 120-day planting experiment was conducted using soil columns and included maize cultivation under irrigation and drenching conditions. The combined treatments (straw return with Ca-Mg application) were more effective in reducing salinity and improving soil properties than straw return alone. Na⁺, K⁺, Cl^–, and HCO₃ contents, as well as soil bulk density, decreased by 45.99–48.43, 28.07–28.36, 20.91–24.17, 18.93–21.03, and 7.64–8.40%, respectively. Regarding crop growth promotion, compared with the single treatment, the combined application of straw return with Ca-Mg (PI, SPI) resulted in a 6.46–8.30% increase in superoxide dismutase activity, an 8.66–10.83% reduction in malondialdehyde content, a 12.71–22.70% increase in total root length, a 13.41–24.14% increase in root surface area, and a 12.46–19.02% increase in root volume. Taken together, integrating straw return with a calcium-magnesium mixture represents a promising strategy for improving the quality of coastal saline soils.

This study focuses on the effect of agricultural soil management on soil organic matter (SOM) composition. The addition of manure and crop residues was tested under different pedoclimatic conditions. The quality of SOM was assessed using diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy. The following parameters were calculated from the spectra:   sum of aliphatic bands (ΣAL), aromatic bands at wave numbers 1 620 and 1 520 cm^–1 (AR₁₆₂₀ and AR₁₅₂₀), potential wettability (PWI), organic matter quality (OMQ), and decomposability (DI) indexes. The addition of manure or crop residues may not cause fundamental changes in the qualitative composition of SOM. Rather, pedoclimatic conditions determine which components are fixed in the soil on a long-term scale. A dominant effect of soil type was found in the distribution of all spectral parameters studied using main effect ANOVA. The main differences between the soil types concern the aromatic, oxygen and nitrogen groups contained in the SOM. Chernozems are soils with higher OMQ and DI, whereas Cambisols are soils with low OMQ and DI and the highest PWI. The stabilisation of SOM in soils can thus be based on the biochemical persistence of organic molecules, their specific affinity for minerals and the formation of aggregates that protect enclosed SOM.

Forests cover almost one half of European land. Therefore, land taxes, including taxes from forests, are essential for a municipality's income. The land tax system is implemented on different levels, mainly nationally and locally. Therefore, many land tax features are settled by federal law, and others differ according to the local tax administrators. The objective of the paper is to compare the current laws and principles and the implementation process of forest land in Slovakia and Portugal. We have selected countries from different geographical areas of Europe. Even though the forest compositions and forest ownership differ, we aimed to identify whether the forest land tax systems can be similar. We analysed the legislation and strategic documents on the national level that helped us to describe the land tax system and its general features (e.g. taxpayer, tax rate, tax base, exemption options, tax period, or penalties). In both countries, the national tax law governs the tax implementation and settles any basic processes related to tax collection. The municipalities have the right to revise both the tax rates and exemptions. The results also show that forest owners in Slovakia have more options for tax exemptions than in Portugal.

Aquaculture is an essential and growing component of agricultural and global ecosystems worldwide. Aquaculture provides more than 25% of the total aquatic food consumption by humans. The development of the aquaculture industry should be followed in successive industrial years, and therefore it is necessary to pay attention to the management and type of farming system that is compatible with the environment. The use of antibiotics for disease control has been criticised for their negative effects, including the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, the suppression of the immune system and the environment, and the accumulation of residue in aquatic tissues. The use of these products reduces the need for treatments, enhances the effect of vaccines, and, in turn, improves production indicators. Medicinal plants have increasingly been used in recent years as a disease control strategy in aquaculture, boosting the immune system of aquatic animals and helping to develop strong resistance to a wide range of pathogens. Therefore, this review aims to provide an overview of the recent evidence on the beneficial use of medicinal plants to promote growth and strengthen the immune system in farmed aquatic animals.

A precise merchantable stem volume model of Douglas fir [Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco] is missing in the Czech Republic. The aim of this study was to fit a new model through the reparametrization of volume equations (used in the Czech Republic or in other countries). We tested four volume equations (two from the Czech Republic, one from France and one from British Columbia) in the form of a nonlinear least squares model (NLS), weighted least squares model (WLS), and nonlinear mixed effects model (NLME). In all the tested models, the diameter at breast height of a tree and the total height of a tree were used as independent variables. Models were fitted on a dataset of 185 felled sample trees from eleven research areas with ages between 19–113 years. We have found that the model according to Omule et al. (1987) fits the merchantable stem volume as the best in the version of WLS model. Median value of the relative error of the final model was only –0.53%, which is less than the errors of models which are still used in the Czech Republic today.

Hyperspectral imaging technology has emerged as a prominent research area for quantitatively estimating soil nutrient content owing to its non-destructive, rapid, and convenient features. Our work collected the data from soil samples using the hyperspectrometer. Then, the data were processed. The competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) algorithm reduced the original 148 bands to 13, which accounted for 8.8% of the total bands. These selected bands possess a certain level of interpretability. Based on the modelling results, it can be concluded that the prediction model constructed by the least squares support vector machine (LSSVM) exhibited the highest accuracy. The coefficient determination, root mean square error, and ratio performance deviation were 0.8295, 2.95, and 2.42, respectively. These findings can provide theoretical support for the application of hyperspectral technology in detecting the content of the AHN in soil. Moreover, they can also serve as a reference for the rapid detection of other soil components.