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Many studies showed that afforestation increases carbon storage and it can have effects on physical, chemical and biological properties of soil. Afforestation can affect local and regional climate and these effects differ between tropical, temperate and boreal areas. Forests are also efficient in protecting soils against erosion and their flood mitigation functions or other benefits are described in different publications. In this study, the pattern of air temperatures (20 cm, 40 cm and 60 cm above the surface) was studied 10 years after the afforestation of agricultural land (warm, mild dry region of the Czech Republic) with a mixture of broadleaved tree species (Quercus robur L., Quercus rubra L. and Acer platanoides L.) or monospecific Pinus sylvestris L. stand. The aim of our study was to find out the pattern of air temperatures (20 cm, 40 cm and 60 cm above the surface) on two plots (one of the plots ‒ old beech trees, the other plot ‒ clearing) in a beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forest in a mildly warm, mildly wet region of the Czech Republic. The afforestation of agriculturally used land led to air temperature cooling and to a reduction of the amplitude of maximum and minimum temperatures. The average air temperature (from April 2021 to the beginning of November 2021) decreased by 0.7-1.1 °C on the afforested plots compared with the agriculturally used plot. In the beech forest, the average temperature decreased on the plot with clearing compared with the old beech trees (from the middle of September 2021 to the middle of November 2021). Our results confirm the benefits of afforestation to climate change mitigation; buffering of extreme temperatures is important for the human thermal comfort.

Various proportions of bentonite clay performing as co-catalysts were evaluated for the production of biodiesel from waste cooking oil (WCO). The results showed that the use of bentonite as a heterogeneous co-catalyst could significantly increase the biodiesel yield by approximately 50% of the control. The heterogeneous co-catalyst of bentonite clay improved the properties of the produced biodiesel including acid number, free fatty acids (FFA), relative density, kinematic viscosity and flash point fulfilling with the standard ASTM limits and the European Biodiesel Standard (EN 14214). The use of bentonite clay in the transesterification of WCO could also enhance the conductivity of the produced biodiesel from 11 to 100 µS·m^–1.

Machine learning can handle an ever-increasing amount of data with the ability to learn models from the data. It has been widely used in a variety of disciplines and is gaining increasingly more attention nowadays. As it is challenging to map soil and hydrological information that are characterised with high spatial and temporal variability, applications of machine learning in soil science and hydrology (AMLSH) have become popularised. To better understand the current state of AMLSH research, a scientific and quantitative approach was performed to statistically analyse publication information from 1973 to 2021 archived in the Scopus database using scientometric analysis tools, including VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and the open-source R package “bibliometrix”. The results show a significant increase in the number of publications on AMLSH since 2006. The major contributions were identified based on country origins (China, the USA, and India), institutions (Hohai University, Islamic Azad University, and Wuhan University), and journals (Journal of Hydrology, Remote Sensing, and Geoderma). The keywords analysis of the AMLSH research demonstrates four research hotspots: neural network, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and soil. The most frequently utilised machine learning (ML) methods are neural networks, decision trees, random forests and other methods for image processing and predictive analysis. McBratney et al. 2003 is the most highly cited article. Our research sheds light on the research process on AMLSH and concludes with future research perspectives.

Metabolites of Emericella nidulans (EN) were separated by chromatographic methods from crude hexane included emericellin and sterigmatocystin, while crude ethyl acetate found demethylsterigmatocystin. These metabolites proved to be antagonistic to Magnaporthe oryzae, the causal agent of rice blast. Crude extracts and nano-particles derived from EN inhibited M. oryzae. The ethyl acetate crude extract derived inhibited M. oryzae with an effective dose (ED₅₀) of 66 μg/mL. The nanoparticles showed better inhibition of M. oryzae than crude extracts at low concentrations. Nanoparticles, namely from crude ethyl acetate, crude methanol and crude hexane of EN were active against M. oryzae with ED₅₀ of 4.2 μg/mL, 4.5 μg/mL, 8.9 μg/mL, respectively. It detected sakuranetin (rate of flow value is 0.09) in nano-EN treated rice leaves. These nanoparticles inhibited M. oryzae and acted as a new elicitor to induce immunity.

Forest cover plays an important role in terms of biodiversity and the environment. The Beni Salah national forest in its part which is located in the Guelma province in the extreme northeast of Algeria is an illustrative example where forest fires represent the chronic phenomenon which weighs heavily on this forest. The present study comes after a forest fire that occurred in 2021, when 3 000 ha of this forest were ravaged by forest fires according to the conservation of forests of Guelma. The main objective of this research is to map the severity of burns and estimate the severely burned area using Sentinel-2 satellite images based on remote sensing indices such as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Differenced Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (dNDVI), Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR), Differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR), Green Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (GNDVI), Differenced Green Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (dGNDVI), Burn Area Index (BAI) and Relativized Burn Ratio (RBR). The result obtained revealed that 28.23% of the study area represents a seriously burned area. The established burn severity map is a real decision-making tool, but it still has certain limitations.

The fracture resistance of food grains is an essential piece of information required for the optimum design and development of agricultural post-harvest machinery. In this study, the strength properties of two varieties of Bambara kernels (TVSU-1395 and TVSU-1353) were examined in terms of the mean rupture force, absorbed energy, and deformation as affected by the moisture content and kernel size. To achieve this, a quasi-compressive force was applied on the two varieties of Bambara kernels of varying moisture contents (5.43%, 7.24%, 9.01%, 11.54%, and 13.62% wb) and kernel sizes (small, medium, and large) in between the loading compartments of a universal Testometric device at a 20 mm/min loading rate. The experiments take ten treatments with 20 replications subjected factorially to a completely randomised design (CRD) into consideration. The results revealed that the force needed to initiate the kernel fracture increased with an increase in the kernel size and moisture content from 101.44 to 235.06 N and 74.69 to 190.49 N for TVSU-1395 and TVSU-1353, respectively; whereas the energy at the kernel fracture point increased in a range of 0.074 to 0.401 J and 0.062 to 0.141 J for TVSU-1395 and TVSU-1353, respectively. The kernel deformation increased with the moisture content and size from 0.654 to 3.746 mm. These infer that the large kernel size of the TVSU-1395 variety at a 5.4% moisture content had greater compressive strength than the TVSU-1353 variety. The kernel moisture and size exhibited a strong correlation (0.958 ≤ R² ≤ 0.997) with the strength parameters. The results of this study will help the food industry in designing energy-efficient post-harvest equipment for Bambara kernel processing. Further studies may consider the strength attributes of Bambara kernels at varying rates of loading, kernel orientations, and varieties to optimise the best process conditions for the post-harvest handling of different Bambara cultivars and develop labour-saving decorticating machines.

Agricultural products are highly perishable and, hence, we need to preserve these products after harvest. India is an agricultural country and, thus, the post-harvest storage of perishable agricultural products is important to reduce the gap between the demand and supply. Cold storage technologies have been developed and are used in India; however, these technologies are not popular in rural and remote areas due to the higher initial cost and the electrical energy requirement. Therefore, a number of low-cost technologies have been developed and, among these technologies, the evaporative cooling technology is gaining in popularity due to its simple design and lower initial cost. In this work, we have developed and tested a solar photovoltaic (PV) powered evaporative cooling system and used coconut coir as the cooling medium and compared the results with celdex pad. From this work, we observed that this system is an economical and efficient in reducing the temperature and increasing the relative humidity for the storage of agricultural products.

Brachycephalic dogs are prone to a conformation-related respiratory disorder known as brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS). Due to its systemic consequences, BOAS should be considered a systemic disease. The aim of the present study was to investigate platelet count (PLT), mean platelet volume (MPV), and plateletcrit (PCT) in patients with various grades of BOAS and non-brachycephalic dogs. The latter served as a control group. We included 106 patients with BOAS and 41 non-brachycephalic dogs. According to the severity of the disease, BOAS patients were classified into grade 1 (17 dogs), grade 2 (42 dogs), and grade 3 (47 dogs). Thrombocytosis was found in 46% (46/106) of all BOAS patients. High platelet mass was found in 62% (66/106) of all BOAS patients. We found significantly (P < 0.05) higher PLT, MPV, and PCT in BOAS patients of all grades compared to non-brachycephalic dogs. Our results suggest that platelets may play an important role in BOAS. Our results suggest that platelets may play an important role in BOAS. However, further studies are needed to clarify the role of PLT and platelet indices in BOAS and their relationship with inflammation and hypercoagulability.

The sustainability of the family business mirrors the business success and functionality of the family. Sustainability cannot be ensured without sufficient business profitability, solvency and financial stability. A company unable to pay its obligations on time is insolvent and, therefore, unhealthy. The paper’s main goal is to evaluate the impact of selected economic aspects on the sustainability of family farms in Slovakia. The Finstat database serves as the source of input data for the research. For the economic analysis of the family and non-family sets of companies, Grünwald's bonity index (GIB) was chosen for its universality. According to the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic, family businesses can be considered less risky, especially considering the conservative way of management and the effort for long-term sustainability. However, the results of our research may differ. Family businesses show higher profitability of total and mainly equity capital but also low current liquidity and an undercapitalised state. The most increased non-credit current liquidity was achieved in family businesses in the pandemic years 2020 and 2021. The family businesses we monitored are more profitable than non-family businesses, they do not show an excessive increase in investments, and most of them seem to have a targeted and purposeful high level of short-term liabilities.

Sorghum production energy input-output balance was studied during the 2020/2021 production year in Hararghe lowland areas of Ethiopia under farming methods practised by the farmers. The study aimed to assess the energy input and output and to analyse the energy use efficiency of sorghum production under farming practices of the farmers using the recently adopted early maturing varieties. Three sorghum varieties were used with Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) in 3 replications. Production inputs were uniformly applied to the entire unit plots. The average total production energy input was 12 188.07 MJ·ha^–1 in which chemical fertiliser and mechanical energy contributed 47.40% (5 771.48 MJ·ha^–1) and 43.60% (5 314.10 MJ·ha^–1), respectively. The highest energy consumer stage was top-dressing followed by land preparation and sowing stages with values of 33.7, 25.20 and 20.20% of the total input, respectively. The remaining 20.90% of the input was distributed among the rest production operations. The mean energy output of 77 284.59 MJ·ha^–1 for Makko was significantly higher than that of Qaqaba and Malkam varieties. Makko was also superior to Malkam and Qaqaba in mean energy ratio with values of 6.31, 5.48 and 5.84, respectively.

The main goal of this study was to evaluate the concentration and release dynamics of molecular hydrogen (H₂, dihydrogen) in dietary evaluate supplements and identify products that provide a biologically significant amount of dihydrogen suitable for human consumption. We examined ten commercial supplements marketed for their dihydrogen content, including slow-release capsules and tablets (4 products), effervescent powders and tablets (5 products), and canned ready-to-drink beverage (1 product). These products were acquired either through online purchases, from retail stores, or obtained free of charge directly from the manufacturers upon request. Dihydrogen concentration was measured using a highly sensitive Clark-type hydrogen microsensor with a detection limit 0.05 µmol·L^–1. Out of the ten products examined, only three (30.0%) exhibited dihydrogen levels surpassing the levels marketed as biologically relevant (500 µmol·L^–1), and one of these products (a canned ready-to-drink beverage) approached this level with a concentration of 439.2 µmol·L^–1. Interestingly, all slow-release capsules yielded negligible amounts of hydrogen (< 2 µmol·L^–1), while a slow-release tablet delivered 43.6 µmol·L^–1 of dihydrogen per single dose. The substantial variance in dihydrogen content among the assessed supplements holds significant implications for the general public, as high-potency products have the potential to provide up to 7 000 times more dihydrogen per single dosage compared to their low-potency counterparts.

Forests are atmospheric CO₂ sinks, but their losses and degradation accelerate the emissions of carbon stored as a sink. Deforestation and forest degradation are widespread in Bangladesh, but their impact on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is unknown. We assess land use and land cover (LULC) change and forest loss in this study by classifying different Landsat satellite imagery with a focus on forest cover loss from 1989 to 2020. Tier 1 standards were used to estimate the carbon removal and emissions from a small-scale tropical forest. Over the last three decades, the forest area has decreased by 2.40%, 3.74% and 7.52%, respectively. The primary causes of forest loss are large-scale tea garden and homestead expansion, as well as increase in agricultural activities. Because of a reduction in the forest area, the annual gain of carbon in forest biomass has also decreased. Although overall carbon emission was a net gain for the Maulvibazar hill forest, it has decreased from 331.24 Gg·yr^–1 in the first decade (1989 to 2000) to 307.7 Gg·yr^–1 in the most recent decade (2011 to 2020), which is an alarming trend. As a result, this research will contribute to leaders’ commitment to “halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030” at the 26^th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP 26) in 2021 to improve carbon sequestration, combat climate change and conserve biodiversity.

The adverse economic and social effects of the recent increases in food prices have prompted policymakers and academics to reconsider the potential causes of such increases. This paper contributes to the existing literature by investigating the causal effects of oil prices, fertiliser prices, global economic activity, and geopolitical risk on international food price volatility between January 1993 and December 2021. The research considers the aggregate food price index and the prices of various specific foods, including cereal, vegetable oils, dairy, meat, and sugar. The Glosten, Jagannathan, and Runkle-generalised autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (1,1) [GJR-GARCH(1,1)] model is employed to estimate the food price volatility series, while the causality-in-quantiles test is conducted to identify the drivers of food price volatility for different volatility regimes. The analysis suggests heterogeneous results regarding the significance of causal linkages. More specifically, the aggregate food price volatility is affected by oil prices, global economic activity, and geopolitical risk under different market conditions. The causality analysis also indicates that the volatility of cereal prices is the most sensitive to the four considered variables. Likewise, geopolitical risk is the most critical factor affecting all food commodities during almost all market conditions, while oil prices and global economic activity have limited predictive power. Finally, there is strong evidence that most causal linkages are confirmed during normal market conditions. Policy recommendations are subsequently derived.

Phosphate fertilisers rank among limited conventional production aids, requiring eco-unfriendly mining methods. On the other hand, wheat is an indispensable agricultural commodity essential in the food industry. For this reason, it is appropriate to monitor the potential bivariate relationship between these commodities and to follow their future development closely. The article aims to identify a correlation (Kendall’s tau) and causal (Granger causality test) between the price of Moroccan phosphate and wheat, applying vector autoregression (VAR). The results show a medium-to-strong correlation between phosphate and wheat, while causal analysis suggests a reciprocal relationship. The final prediction indicates the price stability of Moroccan phosphate and a fall in wheat prices, showing steady trends of the Moroccan phosphate and wheat market affected by the alarming situation in Ukraine. The article’s drawbacks are a narrow market specialisation, which ignores other agricultural commodities. Our findings contribute to national officeholders and professional public, private and non-profit agrarian organisations. Investors may benefit from exploring turbulent exogenous variables like a critical geopolitical deadlock in Ukraine. The main contribution highlights the fact that the conventional fertiliser and wheat market situation appears to be stable and free from elements of uncertainty.

In this study, the first observation of Thanasimus femoralis was conducted in Türkiye. Adults of T. femoralis and Thanasimus formicarius were collected from pheromone traps together with Ips sexdentatus, Ips acuminatus, Ips mannsfeldi and Scolytus intricatus in forest nurseries located in the Western Black Sea Region, between 2021 and 2022. The clerid and bark beetles were morphologically described. The aedeagus and antennae of T. femoralis were observed by scanning electron microscopy.

To improve the quality and enrich the flavour of fermented sardine, Tetragenococcus halophilus, Staphylococcus xylosus, and Staphylococcus saprophyticus were used as a mixed starter for sardine fermentation. And their proportions were optimised using response surface methodology (RSM). The highest sensory score was obtained when the proportions of T. halophilus, S. xylosus, and S. saprophyticus were 1 : 1 : 1. The optimised fermented sardine had the lowest levels of histamine content (0.0190 μg·g^–1), total volatile basic nitrogen (TVBN, 208 μg·g^–1), and was richer in volatile compounds (308). The results may provide important evidence that T. halophilus, S. xylosus, and S. saprophyticus may be satisfactorily used as a mixed starter to improve the quality and flavour of fermented sardines.

Tree height is one of the most important variables in describing forest stand structure. However, due to difficulty in height measurement, especially in dense and mountainous forests, the common approach is to invoke the height-diameter (H-D) models. The oriental beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) is one of the most important species of Hyrcanian forests, over the mid to high-altitudes (400–1 800 m a.s.l.), in northern Iran. In this study, the H-D relationship of beech trees was investigated separately for mid-altitude and high-altitude in Shafaroud forests of Guilan using 14 nonlinear H-D models and an artificial neural network model (ANN). To collect data, a systematic random sampling method within a 100 × 100 m regular randomized grid was applied. In total, 3 243 individual trees in 255 circular plots with 0.1 ha were measured. For comparing the results, performance criteria including root mean square error (RMSE), R²_adj, Akaike's information criterion (AIC), and mean absolute error (MAE) were used. In high and mid altitudes, Meyer (1940) and Bates and Watts (1980) models had the best performance, while Watts (1983) model and Burkhart-Strub (1974) model had the worst performance in high-altitude and in mid-altitude, respectively. On the other hand, the ANN model had the best accuracy and performance in both sites. Since the performance of the ANN model is superior and consistent compared to the common nonlinear models, here it is preferred for both regions.

This study aimed to analyse the influence of adding Lycium ruthenicum Murr. fruit (LRF) on physicochemical, sensory characteristics and antioxidant capacity in goat milk yoghurt (GMY) during 21 days of refrigerated storage. Three different yoghurt formulations were processed using varying amounts of added LRF (1.0, 1.5, and 2.0%). LRF supplementation improved some of the physicochemical characteristics and sensory characteristics of GMY. With the increase of LRF addition, the pH of GMY showed a downward trend, and the titrated acidity showed an upward trend. The corresponding number of colonies in the storage period was higher than that of yoghurt without LRF. The addition of a concentration of 1.0–2.0% LRF played a role in the proliferation of lactic acid bacteria, and viscosity and hardness increased with increasing LRF addition. Although the susceptibility to syneresis of GMY showed a downward trend with increasing LRF addition, the scavenging rate of DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), •OH (hydroxyl free radicals), and the reducing power of Fe³⁺ of the corresponding concentration of GMY increased. In general, GMY with LRF addition can combine the two nutrients and have higher nutritional value, which is a good supplement to the same types of products in the market.

A 5-year-old intact female Shih Tzu was presented with acute onset of hind leg paralysis. The neurologic examination revealed severe T3-L3 myelopathy. The differential diagnoses included degenerative, anomalous, traumatic, inflammatory, vascular, metabolic, and neoplastic changes. The results of the paraclinical examinations and diagnostic imaging narrowed the list of differential diagnoses and, along with the patient’s deteriorating condition, led to the owner’s decision to euthanise the dog. The histologic findings of the spinal cord specimens indicated a tumour of the blood vessels formed by the proliferation of endothelial cells, which may present as either capillary or cavernous structures. In this case, the tumour was a capillary-type haemangiosarcoma. The primary site of proliferation could not be determined in this case because no mass formation was noted while performing the necropsy.

Due to ongoing climate change, the need for the application of adaptive strategies in agriculture is increasing, particularly in areas with insufficient rainfall, high temperatures and weather fluctuations during the vegetation period. Therefore, an experiment was conducted in 2020 and 2021 to determine the influence of superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) on morphological, physiological and production traits of maize. SAPs were applied using a method of seed coating, which is considered cost-effective and environmentally friendly. Due to the impact of SAPs, significantly larger weights of leaves and roots, as well as the length of roots in the initial growth stage, were found. Furthermore, the SAP treatment condition found significantly larger values of leaf relative water content and spectral indexes PRI (photochemical reflectance index) and NDVI (normalised difference vegetation index). Applying SAPs also led to a significant increase in spikes per plot and grain yield of maize. Moreover, the results significantly impact the interaction between year and treatment. The correlation analysis indicates a higher correlation between the observed traits in the SAPs treatment condition, which subsequently impacted the final maize production. These results confirm that applying SAPs can be considered a suitable strategy for mitigating the impacts of adverse weather conditions, especially in terms of sustainability and maintaining maize production.

This retrospective case series describes the signalments, clinical signs, diagnostic test results, and postoperative complications obtained from the medical records of 10 client-owned dogs that underwent treatment for grade IV tracheal collapse using double-wire woven nitinol stents between October 2017 and September 2021. Respiratory signs resolved in all dogs immediately after tracheal stent placement. Mild to moderate stent fractures were identified in five dogs, of which two showed concurrent respiratory distress necessitating re-stenting after several months. Minor complications, such as stent migration, were absent. The double-wire woven nitinol stent optimised for the canine trachea showed favourable outcomes and minimal complications.

New cropping practices such as single-grain seeding, lower seed densities with stronger cultivars, wide inter-row spacings and camera-guided side-shift control for weed hoeing facilitate mechanical weed control in oilseed rape. In a two-year field study in Southwestern Germany, camera-guided inter-row hoeing was compared to standard herbicide treatments and untreated control. Seeding with 12.5, 25 and 50 cm inter-row spacing was included as a second factor in the experiment. Weed and crop density were measured directly after treatment. Weed and crop biomass, oilseed rape root diameter and nitrogen uptake were assessed before winter. Seed yield was measured at harvest with a plot combine harvester. In 2021, hoeing in 50 cm inter-row spacing achieved equal weed control efficacy as the herbicide treatment (65–75%). In 2022, hoeing did not reduce weed density, probably due to heavy rainfalls during the first and second pass of hoeing. However, herbicide treatments controlled 92% of the weeds. In 2021, hoeing significantly increased oilseed rape shoot biomass and root diameter compared to the herbicide treatment and the untreated control. Hoeing in 50 cm inter-row spacing resulted in equal yield as the herbicide treatment. In 2022, weed control treatments and inter-row spacing had no effect on oilseed rape biomass, root diameter and yield. This study shows the potential and limitations of weed hoeing in oilseed rape. It also underlines the strong ability of modern oilseed rape cultivars to suppress annual broadleaved weeds.

Results of a vast research activity carried out worldwide in the last decades have demonstrated that endophytic fungi hold a fundamental role in improving plant fitness based on their aptitudes as growth promoters and/or defensive mutualists. These properties may have applicative perspectives in crop production, particularly for tree species such as hazelnut (Corylus avellana), which is mostly cropped extensively in semi-natural contexts of highland regions throughout the temperate zones. The available data on the occurrence, ecological roles, and applications in biotechnology of endophytic fungi associated with hazelnuts are revised in this paper in view to provide a reference supporting future investigations and projects aimed at exploiting the potential of this component of the plant microbiome.

The standard economic price theory of working with efficient source allocation is being confronted with a series of empirical findings of asymmetric price responses. The objective of the research was to examine whether the distribution of prices within the dairy chain in the Czech Republic was fair and whether farmers progressed in a collective approach to strengthen their position in the supply chain. We used the pre-cointegration and cointegration approach to test for asymmetry in the transmission of farm milk prices throughout the supply chain. Furthermore, we measured the development of market concentration by means of the Herfindahl-Hirschman index and discussed the background of the figures with producer organisation representatives. The results proved there were asymmetric price transmissions. In response, farmers consolidated and concentrated their milk sales. The concentration should not yet be understood as a goal but as a means to the next steps.

This paper investigates the influences of macroeconomic policies on agricultural production and other factors affecting it, based on panel data in a global sample for the period 2010-2017. Because spatial interactions in the agricultural production levels of countries are determined, spatial panel models are employed in the analyses. According to the analysis results, countries' financial, fiscal and monetary policies have an important effect on agricultural production. Besides, other important determinants of agricultural production are climatic conditions, land use and modern input use in agriculture. Our findings have important implications, especially for countries with low agricultural production.

Sustainable development is a concept that is constantly evolving, being discussed at the global, national, and local levels, not only among individuals but also within organisations. However, the importance of this concept lies in its complexity. The article's main goal is to identify the approaches of selected Czech companies to promote the concept of sustainable development and evaluate the basic factors that impact competitiveness. The data were obtained based on quantitative research (questionnaire survey of data collection) in selected organisations (n = 179) and additional qualitative research in the form of individual interviews with representatives of agricultural enterprises (n = 8). Data were processed using chi-square tests and factor analysis to identify latent variables. Key approaches to promoting the concept of sustainable development include an emphasis on process approach, non-financial business performance, and sector stability. The basic factors for competitiveness are quality relationships with stakeholders and the implementation of an integrated management system.

This research aims to analyse customers' preference heterogeneity for rural tourism in Spain and explore their preferences' personal and socio-demographic factors. To achieve this purpose, latent class analysis with the best-worst choice modelling has been applied through conducting a survey on 452 customers in Madrid and Barcelona. The results show that there are five classes in the Spanish rural tourism market: 'all-around seeker', 'leisure activist', 'culture explorer', 'comfort-driven user', and 'basic value pursuer'. The contribution of this investigation is that it is the first study that applied the latent class analysis with best-worst choice modelling to explore customers' preference heterogeneity for rural tourism.

Case study research plays a crucial role in studying the development of the bioeconomy. The versatility of the empirical method coupled with the uncertainty surrounding the bioeconomy concept requires a consistent and comparable application of the method to obtain valid and generalizable results. To stimulate such systematization, we first need to know the state of case studies in bioeconomy research. This article reviews the recent literature with a qualitative content analysis facilitated by systematic text coding. Our results provide an overview of how the narratives of the concept of bioeconomy affect the versatility of the case study research. Based on the low density of the illustrated semantic networks, we conclude that future empirical research on bio-based phenomena should be more transdisciplinary and rely more on cross-sectoral approaches. Further work is also required in developing common research protocols that support transparency and replicability of case studies in the bioeconomy.

In this paper, we evaluate the downside risk of six major agricultural commodities - corn, wheat, soybeans, soybean meal, soybean oil and oats. For research purposes, we first use an optimal generalised autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (GARCH) model to create residuals, which we later use for measuring downside risks via parametric and semiparametric approaches. Modified value-at-risk (mVaR) and modified conditional value-at-risk (mCVaR) provide more accurate downside risk results than do ordinary value-at-risk (VaR) and conditional value-at-risk (CVaR). We report that soybean oil has the lowest mVaR and mCVaR because it has two very favourable features - skewness around zero and low kurtosis. The second-best commodity is soybeans. The worst-performing downside risk results are in wheat and oats, primarily because of their very high kurtosis values. On the basis of the results, we propose to investors and various agents involved with these agricultural assets that they reduce the risk of loss by combining these assets with other financial or commodity assets that have low risk.

This study uses an extended gravity model to examine the determinants, efficiency and potential of agri-food exports from Nigeria to the EU for the 1995-2019 period. It uses a stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) to estimate the extended gravity model. The results show that the economic size (GDP) of Nigeria and the EU countries, as well as bilateral distance, positively determine agri-food exports from Nigeria to the EU. Also, the results show that Nigeria's agri-food exports to the EU are negatively determined by the income (per capita GDP) of Nigeria and its EU trading countries, bilateral exchange rate and EU new member states (NMS). The results further show that Nigeria scores relatively low in terms of the efficiency of its agri-food exports to the EU countries. On a final note, the study shows that Nigeria's agri-food exports with the EU have a relatively large potential that has not been exploited. We document policy recommendations in this study.