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This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation of protected organic acid blends including medium chain fatty acids and different nutrient density diets on growth performance, nutrient digestibility and faecal noxious gas content in growing pigs. A total of 80 crossed [(Landrace × Yorkshire) × Duroc] growing pigs with an initial body weight (BW) of 22.61 ± 2.32 kg were used in a six-week trial. Pigs were randomly allocated into one of four treatment groups in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement with two levels of nutrient density (high and low) and protected organic acid (0% and 0.1%) according to their sex and BW (five replicates with two gilts and two barrows per pen). Pigs fed high nutrient density diets had increased (P < 0.05) average daily gain (ADG0 and gain: feed (G : F) than those fed low nutrient density diets. Likewise, pigs fed protected organic acid diets exhibited increased (P < 0.05) ADG compared with pigs fed no additional protected organic acids. An interactive effect (P = 0.03) between organic acid and nutrient density was observed on feed conversion by pigs. Dry matter (DM) digestibility tended to improve (P = 0.08) in pigs fed high nutrient density diets compared with low nutrient density diets. However, nitrogen (N) and energy (E) digestibility was not influenced by the nutrient density. Likewise, protected organic acid supplementation did not influence (P > 0.05) DM, N or E digestibility. Organic acid supplementation reduced (P < 0.05) H₂S content from faeces on Day 1, Day 3, Day 5 and Day 7 of incubation. Low nutrient density diets led to a reduction (P < 0.05) in H₂S gas content on Day 1 of incubation. No interactive effect on faecal noxious gas content was observed between nutrient density and organic acid. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of protected organic acids with a high nutrient diet improved growth performance and reduced H₂S acid emission.

Electroretinography (ERG) in the form of full-field, flash ERG is the most commonly used technique in veterinary ophthalmology for diagnosing the functioning of the outer retina. Under light stimulation spatially distributed different cell types within the retina produce time-varying electric responses. These are recorded in the form of ERG traces consisting of a series of positive and negative wavelets. The possibility of selective stimulation of individual types of retinal cells and the analysis of constituent components of ERGs are the basis for determining the source of abnormalities and diagnosis of various types of dysfunction. In many cases, the ERG allows diagnosis of hereditary retinal disorders in dogs before the appearance of behavioural and ophthalmoscopic symptoms. This review is an introduction to the electrophysiology of vision, intended for small animal practitioners, and aimed at presenting the benefits of ERG for early ophthalmic diagnostics in dogs.

Reasons to travel and to visit concrete destinations in the Czech Republic are especially the nature and cultural/historical sightseeing. The presented paper specializes on the first reason and it studies the specific landscape features together with the primary tourism potentials. It focuses on the protected landscape area of Kokořínsko, which is divided into 6 landscape units according to their landscape character. In these landscape units, the authors study the primary tourism potential and the elements of natural, cultural-historical and aesthetical characterization of landscape. The relation between the tourism potential and the landscape features is measured by the Spearman´s coefficient. Moreover, the expert's evaluation of landscape characteristics is confronted with the the landscape perception of tourists which were questioned in the PLA Kokořínsko.

International tax issues already have not been problems of multinational enterprises. The effect of globalization and international business development causes that many small and medium size firms including agricultural entities are now engaged in the cross-border transactions and have to face the international tax issues. One of the important areas of international taxes is transfer pricing. The transactions between these persons should be assessed at their arm's length price according to the arm's length principle (internationally accepted standard) as the price which would have been agreed between the unrelated parties in free market conditions. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the impact of the selection of the form of the subsidiary on the total tax liability of the agricultural entity, including the determination of the transfer price, the application of the arm's length principle and decisions about the most suitable legal form of the subsidiary.

Drinking water is safe water, from the perspective of long-term use is does not cause any disease, pathogenic and hygienically unsafe microorganisms do not spread in it and customers enjoy its consumption. Drinking water is regarded as a foodstuff, therefore the known HACCP system can be used in the control system which can be applied not only directly to the final product, but also to the whole system of drinking water production, distribution, and accumulation. Even if there is no problem concerning the water processing and the technological line is well adjusted, the quality of drinking water is subsequently deteriorated by its transportation and accumulation. The condition and character of the operated distribution network and reservoirs are significantly and substantially related to the maintenance of the biological stability and quality of drinking water. This is well confirmed by biological audits of the distribution networks and water reservoirs. A significant fact is the negative influence of the secondary contamination by air in the reservoir facilities and the occurrence of microorganisms (fungi, bacteria) in free water and in biofilms. The findings obtained in the framework of biological audits were so alarming that the outputs of biological audits contributed to the reconsideration of the efficiency of the standard for the construction and design of water reservoirs and pointed out the necessity of its review.

The total phenolic content (Folin-Ciocalteu method), free radical scavenging ability expressed as DPPH value, ferric reducing antioxidant capacity (FRAP), and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) were determined in water extracts of leaves from Rosaceae family plants (Fragaria vesca L., Rubus fructicosus L., and Rubus idaeus L.). The antioxidant capacities of the extracts (in the order of the above mentioned methods) were 73.6-88.9%, 60.1-71.4%, 49.7-78.0% respectively, and 45.3-66.5% of that of green tea water extract. Further, the presence of 15 compounds (gallic acid, rutin, ellagic acid, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, quercetin, kaempferol, myricetin, quercetin-3-d-glucoside, ascorbic acid, (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, epicatechingallate, epigallocatechin, procyanidin B1) was studied by HPLC-ECD and their antioxidant capacities were compared to the antioxidant capacity of the extracts. Out of the compounds studied, mostly (+)-catechin, ellagic acid, and (-)-epicatechin participated in the antioxidant capacities of the studied plant leaves water extracts. The antioxidant capacity of leaves infusions (determined by DPPH method) was lower than those of red wines and tea infusions, but comparable to the antioxidant capacities of white wines and fruit beverages.

For the CIE Lab colour profile determination of laboratory prepared pasta, two sample granulations and two spectral methods were tested. Pasta was manufactured progressively from semolina, common wheat, and corn flour. Sufficient colour spectra ranges were ensured by means of fortification with 9 non-traditional cereals in the first case, 8 natural colorants in the second one, and with 12 gluten-free pasta recipes in the last case. Both factors (i.e. granulation and spectral method) were proved as statistically significant by the cluster, variance and principal component analyses. In the comparison of the effects on the pasta composition and the spectral method, the latter demonstrated a stronger impact on the pasta colour profile measured.

The levels of 3-chloropropane-1,2-diol (3-CPD) and fatty acid esters in raw potatoes, potato flakes, instant mashed potatoes, 2 potato dumplings, 32 French fries, and 61 potato crisps are reported. In a majority of the samples, free 3-CPD amount was under the limit of detection (< 3 μg/kg) or under the limit of quantification (< 9 μg/kg). Higher concentrations of free 3-CPD were found in potato flakes (37 μg/kg) and seven samples of potato crisps (10.4-46.2 µg/kg).Low concentrations of bound 3-CPD were present in raw potatoes (2 μg/kg), potato flakes (18 µg/kg), mashed potatoes (38 µg/kg) and potato dumplings (10-13 µg/kg). Higher levels of bound 3-CPD occurred in fried potato products. The amount of bound 3-CPD in pre-fried French fries was 27-64 µg/kg, in fried French fries its content was 100-258 µg/kg. In potato crisps, the bound 3-CPD amount was 98-2201 µg/kg. A striking difference was observed between the levels of bound 3-CPD in crisps fried in rapeseed oil and in fractionated palm oil (palmolein). For that reason, the changes were studied of the bound 3-CPD levels in palm oil after heating and in blends of rapeseed and palm oil during frying. It was proven that the frying oils absorbed into the fried potato products represent the main source of bound 3-CPD.

Some yeasts are involved in flavour development of dry-cured meat products showing a positive impact on the generation of volatile compounds. The aim of this work was to design a method of routine analysis to evaluate the production of volatile compounds by yeasts to be selected as starter cultures. For this purpose, several variations of a minimum culture medium that included free amino acids, oleic acid, and α-ketoglutarate, incubated under similar conditions of water activity and pH as dry-cured meat products, were assayed. In these conditions, the representative yeast strains isolated from a dry-cured meat product were tested. The volatile compounds were analysed using Solid Phase Micro-Extraction and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. In the designed media, the tested yeasts produced volatile compounds involved in flavour development of dry-cured meat products. In addition, all the strains showed the highest production of these volatile compounds in the complete minimum culture medium witch included α-ketoglutarate and oleic acid.

We described the in vitro antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of ethanol, acetone, and water extracts of beet root pomace. Total contents of phenolics (316.30-564.50 mg GAE/g of dry extract), flavonoids (316.30-564.50 mg RE/g of dry extract), betacyanins (18.78-24.18 mg/g of dry extract), and betaxanthins (11.19-22.90 mg/g of dry extract) after solid-phase extraction were determined spectrophotometrically. The antioxidant activity was determined by measuring the reducing power and DPPH scavenging activity by spectrometric metod, and hydroxyl and superoxide anion radical scavenging activity by ESR spectroscopy. In general, the reducing power of all the beet root pomace extracts increased with increasing concentrations. The DPPH-free radical scavenging activity of the extracts, expressed as EC₅₀, ranged from 0.133 mg/ml to 0.275 mg/ml. Significant correlation was observed between all phytochemical components and scavenging activity. 0.5 mg/ml of ethanol extract completely eliminated hydroxyl radical, which had been generated in Fenton system, while the same concentration of this extract scavenged 75% of superoxide anion radicals. In antibacterial tests, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus showed higher susceptibility than Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

We observed the content of yeast assimilable nitrogen in grape musts, its consumption by yeasts during fermentation, and acetic acid production. The experiments were performed in the years 2007 and 2008. The experimental variants involved 48 musts and wines originating fromSouthern Moravia. The data enabled to monitor the contents of yeast assimilable nitrogen in musts and to draw the general conclusion that these musts contain high concentrations of both ammonium ions and yeast assimilable nitrogen (124.4 mg/l and 257.8 mg/l, respectively), thus posing no danger of problems with the nutrition of yeasts in the course of fermentation. Also, the average production of acetic acid was low (215.8 mg/l); this indicated that in the majority of must samples without added nutrients, the course of fermentation was smooth and trouble-free. The results obtained confirm that the method of formaldehyde titration is universal and simple, thus it can be recommended for winemakers as a useful and efficient analytical tool.

Citronellol and hydroxy citronellal are fragrance ingredients used in decorative cosmetics and fine fragrances. They have many applications in flavourings, extracts, foods, and drugs manufacturing. Their use worldwide is in the range exceeding 1000 metric tons per annum. Previous studies investigated the biotransformation of citral by the free cell method and immobilised cell method with Saccharomyces cerevisae. In this research, the microbial transformation of citral by the sporulated surface cultures method with Aspergillus niger-PTCC 5011 was studied. In experiments, A. niger was inoculated on solid media in conical flasks. The transformation took place for the periods of time of 6 days and 15 days. The results were analysed by the theoretical study, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, gas chromatography, and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. The major compounds produced in 6 days were acetone (26.2%) and hydroxy citronellal (37.0%), while the major compounds after the 15-day period were acetone (15.0%) and citronellol (36.0%). As citronellol has numerous commercial applications, the 15-day biotransformation period was found to be preferable.

The paper gives information about both the genesis, and a survey of, the descriptors used for the documentation of plant genetic resources held in ex situ crop collections. The first international documentation standards were developed by the FAO in the 1950s. In 1974, a specific body for plant genetic resources, the IBPGR (International Board for Plant Genetic Resources), was established within the FAO. Since the 1970s, the descriptor lists for main crop collections have been developed, including passport descriptor sets. For the most part, the passport descriptors were common to all crops, with only slight differences. In 1997, the first attempt to create a standard set of descriptors resulted in 24 passport descriptors developed by FAO and IPGRI (International Plant Genetic Resources Institute) working in cooperation. In 2001, the official Multi-Crop Passport Descriptor list (MCPD) was published, including a revised standard set of 28 descriptors. The European ex situ crop catalogue (EURISCO) enlarged the standard set of passport descriptors by adding 6 additional fields in 2002; and another 2 new descriptors were added in November of 2008. A global level of data compatibility is preferred; therefore projects aimed at world-wide utilization and standardization of systems, such as GRINGlobal, and Accession-Level Information System (ALIS), are supported.

The must characteristics of some old varieties (present on the list of varieties allowed for land wine making) were compared with their commercial relatives, in order to estimate their specific benefits and advantages for wine processing. In the case of Portuguese blue and Pinot noir pr飯ce, we additionally identified the influences of environmental conditions on their must composition and wine quality. Clear differences in sugar accumulation among varieties were detected, as well as differences in earliness.

In Central Asia, stem rust (Puccinia graminis f.sp. tritici) causes considerable damage, especially during growing seasons with high rainfall. Ug99 is a race of stem rust that is virulent to the majority of wheat varieties. To develop disease-free germplasm, wheat material was screened using the predominant stem rust races of Kazakhstan and tested in two nurseries; CIMMYT-Turkey and the Plant Breeding Station at Njoro, Kenya. A total of 11 pathotypes of P. graminis f.sp. tritici were identified in Kazakhstan from the stem rust samples collected in 2008-2009. In particular, pathotypes TDT/H, TPS/H, TTH/K, TKH/R, TKT/C and TFK/R were highly virulent. Of the 170 advanced lines of wheat, 21 CIMMYT lines resistant to 5 aggressive Kazakhstani pathotypes of P. graminis were identified. A high level of resistance was observed in 11 wheat cultivars and advanced lines: Taza, E-19, E-99, E-102, E-572, E-796, E-809 (Kazakhstan), Ekinchi (Azerbaijan), Dostlik, Ulugbek 600 (Uzbekistan) and Umanka (Russia). Based on data obtained from Turkey-CIMMYT and the Plant Breeding Station Njoro, Kenya nurseries, out of 13 tested entries, 6 wheat breeding lines which were resistant to both stem and yellow rust and 10 wheat lines which showed high and moderate levels of resistance to Ug99 were selected. Using the sequence tagged site (STS) molecular marker Sr24#12, associated with Sr24/Lr24, seven wheat entries resistant to stem rust were identified. These results will assist breeders in choosing parents for crossing in programmes aimed at developing varieties with desirable levels of stem rust resistance in Kazakhstan and they will also facilitate stacking the resistance genes into advanced breeding lines.

A new method for the quantification of underivatized conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomers and CLA-metabolites by silver ion liquid chromatography (Ag⁺-HPLC) with photodiode array detection (DAD) is described. Conjugated fatty acids (CFA) and sorbic acid as the internal standard (IS) were separated on two 5 μm Chrompac ChromSpher Lipids columns (250 × 4.6 mm). Biological samples were hydrolyzed with 1M KOH in methanol and 2M KOH in water at room temperature for 12 h. Hydrolyzates were acidified and the free fatty acids were extracted with dichloromethane. The organic solvent was removed and then the residue was re-dissolved in hexane and centrifuged. The supernatant was injected onto the columns. The mobile phase of 1.6% acetic acid and 0.0125% acetonitrile in hexane was chosen as the optimum mobile phase for fractionation of IS, CLA isomers and CLA-metabolites in all assayed biological samples. The use of two silver ion-exchange columns with direct UV detection (Ag⁺-HPLC-DAD) offers satisfactory precision of the IS quantification and low limits of detection of IS and CLA isomers (0.60 and 0.21-0.35 ng, respectively). The presented simple Ag⁺-HPLC-DAD method with sorbic acid as the IS can be used for direct determination of underivatized CLA isomers in specimens of animal origin.

Unit hydrograph is a basic method to show changes in runoff in the watershed. The investigation of runoff changes was carried out in the U Dvou louček watershed situated at the summit part of the Orlické hory Mts., East Bohemia. The waveform ordinates of recession limbs of unit hydrographs obtained using a common approach had to be approximated by the least-squares method. Final hydrographs reflected both drainage treatment and forest stand growth influencing the runoff from the watershed. Both factors increase culmination in synergy and reduce runoff on the recession limb of the hydrograph. We confirmed increased maximum runoff taking up 25-30% of the total runoff time when waterlogged sites were drained. The culmination increased by 0.2-0.8 mm/hour indicates the runoff increased by 2-8 m³/ha/hr.

The community of small terrestrial mammals (STM) was studied on seven experimental plots characterizing forest stands in various stages of succession development and with different level of management from plantings through production/commercial stands to a forest reserve. Increased attention was paid to dominant species and their effects on the dynamics of the forest reserve. In total, eight species of STM were detected with the highest dominance and abundance of Apodemus flavicollis and Myodes glareolus. The total relative abundance of STM was significantly highest in plantings (P < 0.05). A. flavicollis was significantly most abundant in production beech stands (P < 0.05), differences in the abundance among the other STM species being insignificant. The highest diversity was also determined in plantings (P < 0.05) as typical ecotone sites. Different natural conditions of open and high forest sites were also reflected in different weight of specimens of dominant species of STM from these biotopes. In A. flavicollis, the difference was highly significant (P < 0.01) and in M. glareolus significant (P < 0.05). Both species significantly affected the forest reserve dynamics through the consumption of forest seeds, particularly of beechnuts (100% consumption of the 2007 crop). However, according to the proportion of natural regeneration from previous years, the reserve proved resistance to the impact of rodents caused by the consumption of seeds in a long-term horizon.

Forest ecosystems of the Krušné hory Mts. affected by long-term air pollution were finally disintegrated. The tree species composition has been changed in ecosystems disturbed in this way. Liming applied for the long-term revitalization of air-polluted areas partly decreased the effects of acid depositions on soil in spite of the reduction of air pollution; however, it did not cause any expected necessary changes yet. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the chemical composition of humus horizon H and organomineral horizon Ah (soil reaction, sorption complex, C/N ratio, available nutrients) in stands of substitute tree species differently affected by liming and site preparation in the area of Klášterec nad Ohří Forest District in the Krušné hory Mts. (Czech Republic). Based on our evaluations, we found out that pH values increased by 0.3-0.5, which was evident in stands with repeated liming at sites without soil preparation and with the site/soil preparation using an excavator or bulldozer. The majority of soils always showed an unsaturated base-exchange complex (< 50%). Increasing values of the sorption complex saturation were evident in stands with repeated liming, which is related to the favourable condition of pH in H and Ah horizons. C/N ratios in the H (Ah) horizon were always below a critical limit (< 24). The content of available nutrients in the H (Ah) horizon was insufficient. Among the particular elements phosphorus content decreased, that of magnesium reached optimum or even surplus, calcium was in surplus (optimum or even surplus), potassium in optimum (surplus). Forest management in the Krušné hory Mts. will be dependent on the effectiveness of the biological and chemical revitalization of soils also in the future.

The main objective of this study was to investigate the causes of nutrient deficiency symptoms in Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) underplantings in the Hrubý Jeseník Mts. In the area concerned 19 research plots were established, representing the ridge sites of the 8th FAZ of acid edaphic categories. On these plots samples were taken from topmost soil horizons and needle samples were collected in two series - from healthy and from damaged trees. The results of this study demonstrate that the nutrient deficiency symptoms and reduced vitality of evaluated underplantings were caused by the insufficient uptake of main nutrients (Mg, P, K, N_t). High contents of toxic elements Al, S in damaged needles are another factor that negatively influences the health status of these underplantings.A statistical survey showed that damage to underplantings increased with decreasing proportions of main nutrients (N_t, Mg, Ca, K) in organomineral horizons. At the same time the content of basic nutrients (N_t, Mg, Ca, K) was found to increase in this horizon with an increasing proportion of oxidizable organic carbon (C_ox). The proportion of humus substances and the content of basic nutrients (N_t, Mg, Ca, K) in organomineral horizons become a limiting factor for the normal growth and development of Norway spruce plantings in the ridge part of the Hrubý Jeseník Mts.

We analysed wood production on an example of Silver fir growth ability within site units defined in the site classification that is currently used in the Western Carpathians. It has arisen as a very important issue, since the site units have been widely used in forestry practice and, moreover, it represents one of the input variables of growth model. Research plots established for development of a yield model for Silver fir in the sixties were used. The Korf growth equation was used to model the Silver fir growth, since it showed the best fit to the data compared to other equations. The test of residual variance of the growth models and the test of regression coefficients of the growth models were employed to investigate the differences in top-height growth of Silver fir occurring on different sites. Results showed a very high variability of the top height development within the site units. Nevertheless, two main groups of sites being different from each other were recognized. But, significant differences in the height growth of fir between site units were found mainly in mature stands starting at the age of 60, which could be due to different soil depth and nutrient regime. Lastly, discussions about the approaches to site classifications all over the world showed many alternatives used to develop a classification scheme with different and in many cases unknown precision, and thus there is a need for the objectivity of classification.

The paper analyses the representation of Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) (hereinafter spruce) in relation to different conditions of forest sites. The analysis is based on data from the National Forest Inventory conducted in the Czech Republic in 2001-2004 (hereinafter NFI), stratified according to units of the Forest Site Classification System (Plíva 1971, 2000). Results of the analysis provide a structured image of the current share of spruce. The formerly published information on the natural share of spruce was corroborated and the recommended share of spruce in the target species composition of the spruce management system was analyzed. The analysis documents the applicability of NFI data in the technical discussion concerning the future form of forest ecosystems in the Czech Republic. The results can be used as the groundwork for concrete forest management decision-making and will contribute to the study of the biological diversity of forest ecosystems.

Laboratory-produced alginate-bead inoculum of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi Cortinarius sp. and Gomphidius glutinosus, fungal commercial products ECtovit^® and Trichomil^®, bacterial commercial product BactoFil B^®, and commercial rooting stimulator Vetozen^® were applied to a peat-perlite (1:2, v:v) rooting substrate of Norway spruce stem cuttings collected from 4-year-old nursery-grown seedlings immediately before the insertion of cuttings into the substrate. The application of beads free of fungi and the substrate without an additive were the other treatments. The cuttings were rooted in vessels (60 cuttings per vessel, 180 per treatment) placed in a glasshouse and arranged in a randomized complete block design. The cuttings were estimated for one growing season (approximately for 26 weeks) after their insertion into the rooting substrate. Rooting % of the cuttings ranged from 45 (mycelium-free beads) to 75 (control) according to treatments, 64 on average. No significant differences among treatments were found in % of ECM morphotypes, total ECM colonization of roots (%), and growth parameters of shoots and roots of the cuttings. The applied microbial additives were not sufficiently efficient to form treatment-related ectomycorrhizas that were formed by naturally occurring ECM fungi. Inoculation by the ECM fungus Cortinarius sp. and application of Trichomil had a partial stimulative effect on the shoot growth of cuttings. Shoot and root growth parameters were not significantly correlated with total ECM colonization, except for a negative dependence of the root number in Trichomil treatment. A higher concentration of K but lower concentrations of Ca and Mg in Ectovit treatment than in the other treatments were detected.

The fresh and dry weight of roots and shoots of wheat seedlings showed a marked decrease as the concentration of copper (Cu) was increased. The contents of pectin, cellulose, soluble carbohydrates, and phospholipids in the roots and shoots of test plants were significantly lowered with the rise of Cu concentration. However, hemicellulose, lignin, total lipids, glycolipids, sterols and proline of roots and shoots were raised under Cu stress. Cu treatment also induced the stimulation of soluble, total and cell wall associated proteins, other free amino acids and total carbohydrates in shoots and a slight reduction in roots. The adverse effects of Cu toxicity treatments on root and shoot growth were partially alleviated by the treatment of test plants with ascorbic acid, thiamine (vitamin B₁) and salicylic acid.

Sustainable land management requires that water and matter (nutrients and base cations) are efficiently recycled within ecosystems so that irreversible losses of matter from topsoils are minimised. Matter losses are connected to water flow. The division of water into evapotranspiration that is loss-free, and seepage to groundwater or surface water flow that both carry material losses, is decisive in determining total losses of dissolved matter in a given catchment. Investigations of areal matter losses confirmed the instrumental role of vegetation cover. Areal matter losses measured in agricultural catchments in Germany were on average between 1-1.5 tons of dissolved matter per ha per year, i.e. some 50 to 100 times higher than those from unmanaged land in a virgin forest. Such high losses continuously reduce soil fertility and can hardly be compensated by fertilisation. Some suggestions on how to achieve sustainable management of agricultural land and maintain high soil fertility are presented - the priority is to close water and matter cycles through the incorporation of more natural vegetation cover into our landscapes and to restore the energy-dissipative properties of ecosystems.

In long-term stationary experiments under different soil-climatic conditions, an influence of mineral and organic fertilization on yield of winter wheat, spring barley and potato tubers was evaluated. Statistically significantly lowest grain yields of winter wheat (4.00 t/ha) and spring barley (2.81 t/ha) were obtained in non-fertilized plots at all experimental sites. In the case of potatoes, the lowest yield of dry matter (5.71 t/ha) was recorded in the control plot, but the result was not statistically significant. The manure-fertilized plot gave the average yield of wheat higher by 30%, of barley by 22%. Application of sewage sludge resulted in wheat yield higher by 41% and barley yield higher by 26% over control. On average, application of sewage sludge and manure increased the yield of potatoes by 30% over control. The highest yield was obtained after application of mineral fertilizers; average yield increased by 59, 50 and 36% in winter wheat, spring barley and potatoes, respectively. No statistically significant differences among the plots with mineral fertilizers were observed. At different sites, the yield of studied crops varied; however, the effect of fertilization on yield increments was similar at all experimental sites except for Lukavec. It is the site with the lowest natural soil fertility, and it showed the highest effect of the applied fertilizers.

Mixture of plants (Festulolium: Trifolium pretense L.) was grown in the pot experiment with different forms of nitrogen nutrition. The fertilizers (ammonium sulphate or calcium nitrate or ammonium nitrate) were applied conventionally or according to the CULTAN method (Controlled Uptake Long Term Ammonium Nutrition). The absolute growth rate (AGR) and contents of free asparagine and proline in the aboveground biomass were determined. Additional nitrogen increased the dry weight of biomass and AGR of the plants treated with sidedress application in comparison with plants treated with the CULTAN method. The results suggest increased levels of free proline in CULTAN-treated plants while those of asparagine did not increase. The significance of these observations to the loss of potential yield and the relationship between methods of application is considered.

Soybean cultivation in many zones of India shows occurrence of native rhizobia besides other exotically adapted strains. In the current study, 22 rhizobial isolates (recovered from 12 different soybean growing sites) and 8 reference strains were selected for biochemical and metabolic characterization. Of 22 isolates, 18 were recovered as fast growing isolates while the rest were slow growing based on bromothymol blue (BTB) test. Unlike earlier belief that rhizobia have no ability to grow on glucose peptone agar medium, in this study, some isolates and some reference strains grew well on this medium. Similarly, when all the isolates were subjected to ketolactose test, some of the isolates were found to show growth on the medium. In contrast, based on C-utilization pattern (15 carbohydrates) a remarkable metabolic diversity was observed among the rhizobial isolates recovered in the study. The clustering and matching analysis showed that most of isolates were matching with slow growing reference strains, a few were with fast growing reference strains and some were found to be unique and hence not matching with any of reference strains. Such analysis suggests the occurrence of metabolically distinct types of rhizobia besides commonly known types (B. japonicum, B. elkanii and S. fredii) of soybean rhizobia and further validation is suggested through 16SrRNA gene sequencing technique.

The aim of this study was to determine that the total anthocyanin content (TAC) and antioxidant activity (AOA) in potato flesh with different colours grown in the Czech Republic. Four yellow- or white-, six purple- and four red-fleshed varieties were grown in 2009 at two different sites (Valečov - highland, seed potato area at 460 m a.s.l., Přerov nad Labem - lowland, new potatoes area at 178 m a.s.l.) in precise field trials. For purple- and red-fleshed varieties, average TAC values ranged from 61.5 to 573.5 cyanidin mg/kg of FM and significant effect of the variety of the TAC was found. High content reached the Violette and Vitelotte varieties with dark purple flesh, and the lowest content the Blue Congo variety with light purple marbled flesh. Significantly higher TAC was found in a lowland area Přerov nad Labem, which is probably related to drought stress. The lowest AOA was achieved by a group of varieties with yellow or white flesh - averaging 82.8 mg ascorbic acid equivalent/kg FM, in a group of red-fleshed varieties it was higher 4.34 times and in a group of purple-fleshed varieties even 5.03 times higher. Also between purple-and red-fleshed varieties significant differences in AOA were found, both high and low values of AOA showed the same varieties as in the case of the TAC. Among experimental sites higher AOA was also demonstrated at Přerov nad Labem. Correlation analysis showed a strong correlation between AOA and TAC (r = 0.8099).

The effect of various concentrations (3, 9, 27, 81, and 243 mg/kg) of tungsten (W) on growth performance, biochemical constituents and tungsten and molybdenum (Mo) contents in wheat was observed. Lower doses (up to 9 mg/kg) of tungsten showed promotory effects whereas higher doses retarded. An increment in growth, biomass, chlorophyll and carbohydrate contents was observed. Tungsten contents in root and shoot showed a very strong linear dependence on the soil applied W contents. Mo contents in plant tissue showed an increase with an increase in the W contents in plant tissue up to a threshold after which it showed an abrupt decrease. The activity of peroxidase enzyme decreased with lower application of W. Higher administration of tungsten (27-243 mg/kg) resulted in increased total phenol, free proline and activity of enzyme peroxidase.