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The objective of this study was to calculate economic weights for ten current breeding objective traits and for four new traits characterising claw health and feed efficiency in Czech Holstein cattle and to investigate the impact of different selection indices on the genetic responses for these traits. Economic weights were estimated using a bio-economic model, while applying actual (2017) and predicted (2025) production and economic circumstances. For the actual situation, the economic weights of claw disease incidence were -100.1 € per case, and those of daily residual feed intake in cows, breeding heifers, and fattened animals were -79.37, -37.16, and -6.33 €/kg dry matter intake per day, respectively. In the predicted situation, the marginal economic weights for claw disease and feed efficiency traits increased on average by 38% and 20%, respectively. The new traits, claw disease incidence and daily residual feed intake, were gradually added to the 17 current Holstein selection index traits to improve the new traits. Constructing a comprehensive index with 21 traits and applying the general principles of the selection index theory, a favourable annual genetic selection response was obtained for the new traits (-0.008 cases of claw disease incidence and -0.006 kg of daily residual feed intake across all cattle categories), keeping the annual selection response of the most important current breeding objective traits at a satisfactory level (e.g., 73 kg of milk yield per lactation, 0.016% of milk fat). Claw health and feed efficiency should be defined as new breeding objectives and new selection index traits of local dairy population.

The present text is focused on an actual problem of planting of inappropriate tree taxa in many cities. It explains the causes of contaminated soils by winter salt management and principles of the toxic effect on plants. The paper summarizes the problem and brings solution. Town places with salt-contaminated soil should not be fitted with: spruce (Picea), pine (Pinus), linden (Tilia) and maples (Acer). On the other hand, resistant species are: ash (Fraxinus), poplar (Populus), willow (Salix), silverberry (Eleagnus), black locust (Robinia). Both lists of sensitive and salt-tolerant tree species have been presented. Salt-tolerant tree should be preferred before all the others species.

This paper follows up the landscape changes of Prague outskirts from 1990 to 2012 using the CORINE land cover data. It quantifies these changes by observing the acreage decrease and increase of individual types of land cover. The results confirm the frequently emerging trend in Europe, namely the increase of the urban area at the expense of arable land. Another significant change is the increase of pastures in the areas farther from the city. These changes are further analysed to find regularities relating to the relief, to the distance from the city and to the transport and settlement infrastructure. On the bases of the analyses there are defined the types of changes. The most significant change is a decrease of arable land at the expense of discontinuous urban fabric and pastures. The results show that there were changes made to the land cover on an area of 17,429 ha which is equivalent to 7.3% of the evaluated area.

In this study the texture profile, total soluble solids (TSS) and the fruit skin colour of four day-neutral strawberry cultivars cultivated in Italy ('Anabelle', 'Murano*', 'Portola*' and 'Triumph') was evaluated at four harvest times. The interrelationships of the analysed parameters were determined using principal component analysis in order to suggest the best commercial scenario (local market, supermarket retailer or export) for each cultivar. Data analysis related to texture and TSS contents revealed that 'Anabelle', 'Portola*' and 'Murano*' displayed unique characteristics, and that 'Triumph' showed lower values for these parameters. Due to its low hardness and cohesiveness values 'Anabelle' could be suited to a short supply chain; 'Portola*', meanwhile, might meet the requirements of a long supply chain, due to its high hardness and low TSS (P £ 0.05); 'Murano*' could be distinguished from the other cultivars by its high luminosity (ranging from 41.46-46.21 L*); while 'Triumph', due to its darkness (36.83-37.13 L*), could be suitable for a local/farmers' market.

Fruit production, as an elementary chemical characteristic of the fruit, was evaluated in 16 Opuntia ficus-indica Portuguese ecotypes cultivated in a marginal soil without tillage, in the second and third years after plantation. The O. ficus-indica ecotypes were compared with the Italian cultivars 'Bianca' and 'Gialla'. Significant differences were found among the O. ficus-indica ecotypes in biomass-related parameters and fruit yield, and different groups were established. Two spineless ecotypes (OFI-12 and OFI-13) had highest biomass production, with 9.9 Mg/ha dry matter on average. This was not significantly different from the 'Gialla' cultivar, which averaged 11.9 Mg/ha, for a density of 2,667 plants/ha,in the third year after plantation. Among Portuguese ecotypes, the fruit yields ranged from 2.4 to 10.1 Mg/ha fresh weight. The cultivars 'Gialla' and 'Bianca' had the highest fruit yield (13.8 and 13.6 Mg/ha fresh weight, respectively). The 'Gialla' cultivar and the group of ecotypes with orange pulp produced fruits of larger size and weight compared to the 'Bianca' cultivar and the group of ecotypes with white pulp.

A growing need for the evaluation of prospects and sustainability of forest resources calls for the availability of harmonized data on forest distribution. We described and evaluated nine datasets providing such information: Corine LandCover, four European forest maps and four tree species distribution maps. Apart from providing a condensed overview of these datasets, we focused on the match between selected forest maps and forest management plans (FMPs) of Slovakia, which can be thought of as highly accurate information on forest distribution. The degree of match between forest and species area, within 306 forest administrative districts of Slovakia, was used as an indicator of accuracy. In addition, the match between the total forest and species area in Slovakia, given by FMPs and by evaluated datasets, was addressed. We found a high degree of match for the datasets on forest distribution (R-square 0.77-0.93, depending on the dataset), as well as strong agreement in total forest area (± 5%). Both indicators are worse in the case of forest type evaluation (coniferous and broadleaved). Poor results were obtained for tree species maps, which under- or overestimated species areas by tens of per cent, although differences were highly variable among species. The obtained results are valid mainly for temperate forests.

The nun moth (Lymantria monacha /L./) is a polyphagous pest feeding on coniferous and deciduous trees in Eurasia. This paper, based on a literature review, presents an overview of the nun moth outbreaks in Czech forests from 1784 to 2010 in terms of host tree species. At least 22 genera of host trees, bushes and herbs were recorded in the Czech Republic. On the other hand 2 genera were evaluated like non-hosts and 4 genera like indifferent. The nun moth defoliated mainly coniferous forests (almost 90 % of all recorded outbreaks with known data about host trees) in the Czech Republic. Forests with mixture of coniferous and deciduous trees were defoliated nine times less frequent, and only insignificant portion were recorded in clearly deciduous forests. Although wide host range, the nun moth has defoliated predominantly spruce forests (almost 70 %). Mixed coniferous (with mixture of spruce, pine, larch, fir) forests were attacked three times less frequently then the spruce forests. Pine and larch forests were defoliated in low range. Defoliations were sorted also according the intensity. Spatial distribution of the recorded outbreaks was displayed in maps.

Preference of biotopes and selection of food by wild herbivores are more complicated in a cultural landscape used for agriculture than in natural conditions. Agricultural management significantly affects the feeding as well as cover conditions of the environment and changes in quality and accessibility of food sources occur throughout the year. We studied the consumption of agricultural crops and impact on tree shoots by herbivores in a mosaic landscape. Large herbivores utilized the food supply on the lands outside the forest environment during winter and early spring and in summer. In summer the cereal grains were preferred by herbivores and accounted for a significant share in their diet. The intensity of shoot browsing differed between the localities and between the studied woody species but was not lower due to the presence of attractive crops near the forest. The utilization of food outside the forest may help the animals to survive the winter but the potential of this food for reducing tree browsing in the forest is low.

Winter oilseed rape is the second most frequently grown crop in the Czech Republic. Clubroot, caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae (Wor.), was previously a problem in production of vegetable. The disease has been spreading on winter rape (Brassica napus L.) over the past four years. Infected stands were reported throughout the country in autumn 2011. The pathogen is probably widely spread in the whole country, its incidence depends on suitable weather conditions. Every field with clubroot is considered as contaminated for many years. The amounts of inoculum and its distribution are not sufficient yet, but this is just the initial stage of colonisation. There is a similar situation resembling experiences from other countries (Canada, Germany) where clubroot has gradually expanded in the last 15 years.

Sugar beet yield loss was predicted from early observations of weed density, relative weed cover, and weed biomass using non-linear regression models. Six field experiments were conducted in Germany and in the Russian Federation in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Average weed densities varied from 20 to 131 with typical weed species compositions for sugar beet fields at both locations. Sugar beet yielded higher in Germany and relative yield losses were lower than in Russia. Data of weed density, relative weed cover, weed biomass and relative yield loss fitted well to the non-linear regression models. Competitive weed species such as Chenopodium album and Amaranthus retroflexus caused more than 80% yield loss. Relative weed cover regression models provided more accurate predictions of sugar beet yield losses than weed biomass and weed density.

The treatment of cucumber plants with Trichoderma atroviride TRS25 (TRS25) provided protection against infection by Rhizoctonia solani. In plants inoculated with the pathogen, nontreated with Trichoderma, disease symptoms were observed on the roots, shoots, and leaves while in plants treated with TRS25 the spread of the disease was limited. The induction of systemic defence response in cucumber against R. solani infection seemed to be strongly related to the enhanced synthesis of phenolic compounds in plants. HPLC analysis indicated remarkable increases in the concentrations of 23 phenolics belonging to hydroxybenzoic acids, cinnamic acids, catechins, flavonols, flavons, and flavanons in the plants without systemic disease symptoms. We suggest that the accumulation of phenolic acids, flavonoids and de novo synthesis of catechins may strongly contribute to cucumber protection against R. solani.

The influence of the cultivation of a single crop (potato or winter rye) on mite assemblages was evaluated. Both crops were cultivated in a long-term monoculture (90 years). The response of mites to fertilisation treatment (mineral with manure or mineral alone) was also studied. It was hypothesised that the density of mites as a community and the density of particular mite groups are higher in winter rye crop in comparison with potato. Secondly, the fertilisation with manure is more beneficial for mites than the use of mineral fertilisers alone, both in winter rye and potato crops. Results showed significantly higher mite abundance in potato, mainly due to Prostigmata dominance. Oribatida and Gamasida groups were significantly more numerous in winter rye. The fertilisation type, except for the suborder Astigmata, had no significant influence on the mite community.

Damage caused by the Goji berry gall mite, Aceria kuko (Kishida, 1927) was observed on the leaves of Lycium chinense Miller (Solanaceae) in Brno in August 2016 and on L. barbarum L. in Popovice in September 2016. Aceria kuko is a pest of Asian origin which is common in China and occurs only sporadically on Goji berry plants in the European Union. This is the first observation of the Goji berry gall mite occurrence in the Czech Republic.

Limnocharis flava (L.) Buchenau is among the most problematic rice weeds in Malaysia and is also reported to have developed multiple resistance to AHAS inhibitor bensulfuron-methyl and synthetic auxin 2,4-D. In this study, resistance across different AHAS inhibitors was characterised in a L. flava population infesting rice fields in Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. Dose-response experiments were conducted to determine the level of resistance to sulfonylureas, imidazolinone, triazolopyrimidine, and pyrimidinyl-thiobenzoate. Cross-resistance across different AHAS inhibitors was observed in the resistant L. flava population, exhibiting a high level of resistance to bensulfuron-methyl, while exhibiting a moderate level of resistance to metsulfuron-methyl and a low level of resistance to pyrazosulfuron-ethyl and pyribenzoxim. However, all resistant L. flava individuals were still sensitive to imazethapyr, penoxsulam, and bispyribac-sodium. Based on the results, it is likely that resistance to AHAS inhibitors in L. flava is conferred by target-site resistance mechanisms.

Potato yields and infestation by P. infestans are related to the supply of potassium. Potassium was applied as soil fertilisation combined with split foliar applications or only as split foliar treatments at a maximum dose of 150 kg/ha K₂O in both strategies, Lord and Ditta cultivars were used. Additionally, water spraying was included as an alternative treatment in order to maintain uniform moisture in the rows of plants. Plants fertilised with foliar spraying only were more infested than plants fertilised with combined methods. The fertiliser increased the protection impact of copper treatments against P. infestans. This may suggest a possible synergistic effect in reducing the symptoms of the disease, however not always statistically significant in both cultivars. Plants sprayed with water but without soil application of fertiliser showed a statistically significantly higher infestation rate, both in Lord and Ditta cultivars, compared to plants with soil application of fertiliser but without watering.

The trap catch of Agriotes species and dynamics of the occurrence of adult click beetles using pheromone traps were determined, and the relationship between the dynamics of the caught wireworms and the placement of traps in selected agricultural crops was investigated. The study was conducted in 2011-2014 in the fields of different crops at five localities in two regions in Poland. The effectiveness of trapping the Elateridae beetles using pheromone traps varied in different localities. The results of the analysis of variance indicate statistically significant differences in the number of A. lineatus beetles only in individual years of research. On average, most individuals of this species were observed in the first year of observation (72.62), and the least - in 2012 (18.5). Statistically significant differences in the occurrence of beetles in each month were observed for all species except A. obscurus. No statistically significant differences between populations of the tested Agriotes species were observed in different localities. Their effectiveness was influenced largely by weather conditions. Pheromone traps work well and can be a part of an assessment system for the integrated pest management of Agriotes species.

The host resistance level of pure line materials was assessed in the genepool for the purpose of breeding. The highest resistance to the pathogen was observed in bell-type pepper. Moreover, genetic diversity of pure lines was investigated using selected inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) primers. Generally, genetic markers showed genetic diversity, so that long-type pure lines were separated from the other accessions. This is the first report on host reactions of Turkish pure lines as breeding material. These results provide significant information for future pepper breeding programs.

Botrytis cinerea, the causal agent of grey mould, is a predominant agent causing extensive postharvest and quality losses of apples in Tunisia and worldwide. Efforts to manage this disease have met with limited success. For this reason, the use of microorganism preparations to control fungal diseases as an alternative to fungicides became an urgent need. From a total of 60 epiphytic yeasts, 10 were assessed in vitro against B. cinerea and selected isolates showing antagonism were evaluated for their ability to suppress the grey mould in vivo. On Petri plates, the most promising strains (three strains of Aureobasidium pullulans, one Cryptococcus flavescens, and one Citeromyces matritensis) showed a zone of inhibition against the pathogen fungus not exceeding 10 mm. In vivo, these isolates showed a remarkable antifungal activity since they significantly reduced disease severity on apples from 63% to 95% compared to the control. In conclusion, the work has demonstrated that the three strains, L7 of Aureobasidium pullulans, L2 of Citeromyces matritensis, and L10 of Cryptococcus flavescens, were highly effective and can be used as potential biocontrol agents in controlling the post-harvest decay of apples caused by B. cinerea.

The aim of this research is to estimate the influence of a bioeffector (BE) application on dry matter yield and nutrient content (P, K, Ca, Mg, S) in maize (Zea mays L.). Between 2014 and 2016, a field experiment with silage maize as a testing plant was realized on sandy loam Cambisol. The application of Pseudomonas sp. in combination with phosphorus (rock phosphate (RP) or triple superphosphate (TSP)) and nitrogen fertilizers (ammonium nitrate with urea, ammonium nitrate with limestone, calcium nitrate or ammonium sulfate with a nitrification inhibitor) and with different application strategies was studied. The effects of a bioeffector application on the increase of dry matter yields were not confirmed. An important influence on the BE application and its activity was probably those of soil and site conditions and competition of the researched microorganisms with other present microorganisms. Higher yields of dry matter were shown in treatments where P fertilizers were applied. There was almost no difference between the application of RP and TSP. This could be caused by the fact that the soil had a slightly acidic pH value. In this case, the RP showed similar results to the TSP. The application of bioeffector significantly increased Mg, K and S contents in maize above-ground biomass. An increase of the Ca content was almost significant and a tendency towards a higher average content of phosphorus was also recorded.

Soil organic matter (SOM) is a major index of soil quality assessment because it is one of the key soil properties controlling nutrient budgets in agricultural production systems. The aim of the in situ near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for SOM prediction in paddy area is evaluation of the potential of SOM and prediction of other soil properties. There are keys for soil fertility and soil quality assessments. A spectral reflectance of 130 soil samples was collected by field spectroradiometer in a region of near-infrared. Spectral reflectance collections were processed by the first derivative transformation with the Savitsky-Golay algorithms. Partial least square regression method was used to develop a calibration model between soil properties and spectral reflectance, which was used for prediction and validation processes. Finally, the results of this study demonstrate that NIRS is an effective method that can be used to predict SOM (R² = 0.73, RPD (ratio of performance to deviation) = 1.82) and total nitrogen (R² = 0.72, RPD = 1.78). Therefore, NIRS is a potential tool for soil properties predictions. The use of these techniques will facilitate the implementation of soil management with a decreasing cost and time of soil study in a large scale. However, further works are necessary to develop more accurate soil properties prediction and to apply this method to other areas.

The objective of the present work was to determine changes in total sugars, reducing sugars and sucrose content in potato tubers under conditions involving an application of biostimulants and herbicides. Research material included table potato tubers obtained in a three-year field experiment. The experiment was a split-plot design with three replicates. The factors were as follows: factor I - three table potato cultivars (Bartek, Gawin and Honorata), factor II - five methods of biostimulant and herbicide application (1. control - without biostimulants or herbicides; 2. Harrier 295 ZC (linuron + chlomazon); 3. Harrier 295 ZC (linuron + chlomazon) and growth regulator Kelpak^®SL; 4. Sencor 70 WG (metribuzin); 5. Sencor 70 WG (metribuzin) and growth regulator Asahi^®SL. Variance analysis demonstrated that total sugars, reducing sugars and sucrose content were affected by the biostimulants and herbicides applied as well as cultivars and weather conditions. Compared with control, a significant increase in total sugars followed an application of Sencor 70 WG as well as Sencor 70 WG and the growth regulator Asahi^®SL whereas reducing sugars and sucrose content significantly increased after Sencor 70 WG and the growth regulator Asahi^®SL were applied.

Soil microorganisms play a main role in the nutrient cycle and they also play an important role in soil health. This article studies the influence of three rates of biochar (0.5, 1 and 3%) in comparison with control (0 biochar) in two different soils (Valečov and Čistá) on soil microbiota activities. The biochar was prepared from 80% of digestate from Zea mays L. and 20% of cellulose fibres by pyrolysis (470°C, 17 min). The biochar ability to influence microbial processes in soil was determined by respiration and nitrification tests. There were no significant differences between basal respiration of control samples and biochar-amended samples. Basal respiration in the Valečov soil reached average amounts from 1.32 to 1.52 mg CO₂/h/100 g. In the Čistá soil, basal respiration reached average amounts from 1.40 to 1.49 mg CO₂/h/100 g. No significant differences were proved also in nitrification tests of both soils. Nitrifying potential was the highest in 3% rate of biochar amendment. There were no negative changes in the measured soil parameters. CO₂ efflux was not higher in biochar-amended soil.

The aim of this study was to test different soil phosphorus (P) extraction methods in relation to plant P uptake. A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted with spring wheat. The soils were extracted with the following methods/extractants: H₂O, CaCl₂, LiCl, iron oxide impregnated filter papers (Fe-oxide P_i), Olsen, calcium-acetate-lactate (CAL), cation and anion exchange membranes (CAEM), Mehlich 3, Bray and Kurtz II (Bray II), citrate-bicarbonate-dithionite, organic P, HCl, acid ammonium oxalate, total P. Plant P uptake was in the range of the P extracted by neutral salt solutions (CaCl₂, LiCl). P extracted with H₂O, CaCl₂ and CAEM correlated best with plant P uptake over one growing season, while several established soil P test methods, including CAL, Mehlich 3 and Bray II, did not show significant correlations. When grouping the soils according to pH, the weaker extraction methods (H₂O, CaCl₂, LiCl) showed significant correlations with plant P uptake only for the low and intermediate pH groups (pH in 1 mol/L KCl ≤ 6.6), while some of the stronger extraction methods (CAL, Mehlich 3, Bray II, dithionite, oxalate, total P) showed significant correlations only for the high pH group (> 6.6) comprised of calcareous soils. It was concluded that weaker P extraction methods, especially neutral salt solutions best predict plant-available P in the short term. However, they do not perform well for calcareous (and clayey) soils and do not account for P that may become available beyond one growing season.

Temporal changes in the concentrations of plant-available phosphorus (P) in soil (Olsen-P), total soil-P and P activation coefficient (the ratio of Olsen-P to residual-P (i.e. an approximation to total-P)) were measured in plots that received consistent inorganic nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium plus organic fertilizers annually. Maize and winter wheat crops were grown in rotation for 24 years. Olsen-P and P activation coefficient declined significantly in the earlier years (< 12 years) for treatments that did not include any P fertilizer, and increased over the same period for the P-fertilized treatments. The rates of change in the Olsen-P and P activation coefficient values were positively related to P balance. In the later years, the Olsen-P and P activation coefficient plateau values were positively related to the P balance.

Several sets of soil samples were chosen to demonstrate the applicability of the Mehlich 3 extractant for the determination of sulphur (S) in soils. Archived samples from 139 basal soil monitoring plots (BSMS) sampled in 1995 and 2013, samples from eleven long-term field trials sampled in 1981 and 2017, 1167 soil samples from the areas vulnerable to S losses and 720 samples from the non-vulnerable areas sampled in 2010 were chosen for the experiments. Mehlich 3 clearly showed a statistically highly significant decrease in the soil S content caused by reduction of SO₂ emissions in the long-term field experiments from 33 mg/kg in 1981 to 8 mg/kg in 2017 for the median of the untreated controls. Similar results were obtained for BSMS samples, where an average decrease from 26 mg/kg in 1995 to 17 mg/kg in 2013 was found. Mehlich 3 also showed that more than 52% of samples from the areas vulnerable to S losses were in a very low content category in contrast to only 3% of soils from the other areas. Mehlich 3 clearly proved the capacity to distinguish changes in the content of soil S in all studied cases.

Spectral data contain information on soil organic and mineral composition, which can be useful for soil quality monitoring. The objective of research was to evaluate hyperspectral visible and near infrared reflectance (VNIR) spectroscopy for field-scale prediction of soil properties and assessment of factors affecting soil spectra. Two hundred soil samples taken from the experiment field (soil depth: 30 cm; sampling grid: 15 × 15 m) were scanned using portable spectroradiometer (350-1050 nm) to identify spectral differences of soil treated with ten different rates of mineral nitrogen (N) fertilizer (0-300 kg N/ha). Principal component analysis revealed distinction between higher- and lower-N level treatments conditioned by differences in soil pH, texture and soil organic matter (SOM) composition. Partial least square regression resulted in very strong correlation and low root mean square error (RMSE) between predicted and measured values for the calibration (C) and validation (V) dataset, respectively (SOM, %: R_C² = 0.75 and R_V² = 0.74; RMSE_C = 0.334 and RMSE_V = 0.346; soil pH: R_C² = 0.78 and R_V² = 0.62; RMSE_C = 0.448 and RMSE_V = 0.591). Results indicated that hyperspectral VNIR spectroscopy is an efficient method for measurement of soil functional attributes within precision farming framework.