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Activities on plant genetic resources in the Czech Republic are concentrated in the National Programme on Conservation and Utilisation of Plant Genetic Resources. Eleven institutions maintain 51,000 accessions, of which 17.3% belong to vegetatively propagated species. Research Institute of Crop Production (RICP) Prague has the responsibility for the coordination of the Programme; it holds more than half of all accessions in collections of genetic resources, runs the national information system and provides long-term storage for all seed-propagated species. All Czech collections are fully documented in passport data. Evaluation data (based on National descriptor lists for 29 crops) are available for 33% of the accessions. Much work is currently spent to the description and evaluation of collections, to facilitate their utilisation in breeding and agricultural practice. Also collecting missions on the Czech territory, conservation and monitoring of valuable resources maintained in situ contributeto the maintenance and evaluation of local resources. Landraces are considered a valuable part of the collections. Suitable ways of "on farm" conservation are investigated for selected accessions, to support their utilisation in agricultural practice and to enrich the existing diversity of crops and cultivars. Cultivars and landraces of neglected crops (buckwheat, millet, hulled wheat species) were successfully used to enrich the agro-biodiversity and for specific purposes of human nutrition. Close collaboration with producers (often organic farms) and processing industry has been established. Selected alternative crops and catch crops were studied as potential new crops.

The results document changes in the herb vegetation of a South-Moravian floodplain forest in the period of 1978-1997. It is shown that hydrological measures strongly changed the floodplain forest in the area of the Dyje river near Lednice na Moravě. The herb vegetation in the area of the confluence of the Morava and the Dyje rivers was conserved nearly unchanged after artificial floods.

Two-year, bare-rooted seedlings of Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) were used in this study. The seedlings were exposed to artificial desiccation and frost stress after spring lifting. After exposure to these factors, electrolyte leakage from the root system was measured. The results showed that artificial desiccation significantly affected the rate of electrolyte leakage. The effect of desiccation was confirmed by the survival of plants and height increment (100% survival and 49% height increment of control seedlings in contrast with plants after 6 hours of desiccation: 9% survival and 2% height increment). On the other hand, frost stress did not affect the rate of electrolyte leakage (the rate of REL did not correlate with the intensity of stress treatment).

Relationship between initial oospore number of Pythium oligandrum, mode of the mycoparasite application and populationdynamics of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. dianthi and development of Fusarium wilt of carnation was studied. Mixing ofoospores with peat 10 days before carnation planting resulted in strong inhibition of the pathogen development. Numberof colony forming units of the pathogen decreased at least 3 times. Application of P. oligandrum resulted in suppressionof Fusarium wilt development, especially when the mycoparasite was applied at dose 100 oospore/g of peat.

Rhizosphere and rhizoplane of fababean (Vicia faba), melochia (Corchorus olitorius), sesame (Sesamum indicum) and soyabean (Glycine max) plants are inhabited with fungi, mostly Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, Fusarium oxysporum, Penicillium corylophilum, P. cyclopium, P. funiculosum and Rhizopus stolonifer. All fungal species have the ability to produce gibberellin (GA) but F. oxysporum was found to produce both GA and indole-acetic acid (IAA). The optimum period for GA and IAA production by F. oxysporum was 10 days in the mycelium and 15 days in the filtrate at 28°C. The contents of GA and IAA were significantly increased at 0.5 and 1% NaCl after 5 days, but they were lowered at 4% (700 mM) NaCl. Cytochrome P-450 was significantly increased under salt stress at 0.5-7% NaCl. Calcium decreased NaCl stress on F. oxysporum by significant elevating GA biosynthesis at 40 mM Ca²⁺/700 mM Na⁺. GA at 10 µM and Ca²⁺ at 10 mM enhanced the germination of seeds under 175 mM Na⁺.

The society has deepened its reflection on the future of the Czech countryside - not only in connection with the multi-functional agriculture but mainly with regard to the actor of service. It seems that this reflection went relatively far especially in the tourism industry where an understanding of a need for complex legislation defining the tourism industry as a long-term interest of the whole society (especially in connection with regional development) was reached. Since in the Czech countryside, national heritage monuments constitute both the key attraction and the axis of the inhabitant structure, tertiarization of the countryside cannot take place without strengthening of the revival strategies with regard to the national heritage monuments. However, among the heritage protectors themselves, no reflection in this sense has yet taken place.

Phenolic compounds were extracted from rye caryopses with 80% (v/v) methanol. Phenolic acids were determined as free compounds and those liberated from soluble esters and glycosides. The analyses were performed using a Waters HPLC system equipped with a diode array detector (DAD). The following free phenolic acids were found: p-coumaric, ferulic and sinapic; the phenolic acids liberated from soluble esters were as follows: vanillic, caffeic, p-coumaric, ferulic and sinapic; and those liberated from soluble glycosides were the following: vanillic, p-coumaric, ferulic and sinapic. In rye caryopses, phenolic acids were chiefly in the form of soluble esters. A diode array detector was especially useful for the determination of vanillic acid: the UV spectrum of this compound showed a maximum at 260 nm whereas UV spectra of other phenolic acids were characterised by maxima at longer wavelengths.

Arabidopsis is universally resistant as a species to many crop pathogens, including examples from other crucifers suchas Albugo candida and Hyaloperonospora parasitica from Brassica oleracea. This species level trait could potentiallyprovide a source of durable disease resistance in crops if examples can be found which are amenable to molecular geneticcharacterization. Our research has developed from the observation that null mutation in Arabidopsis of a defense regulatorygene EDS1 (enhanced disease susceptibility) is susceptible to isolates of A. candida and H. parasitica from brassica.EDS1 is required by a major structural class of R-genes to confer resistance in Arabidopsis. We have therefore focusedon identifying R-genes in Arabidopsis that are responsible for conferring resistance to brassica pathogens.

The stitching of artificially created opening in the stomach to the parietal peritoneum has been experimentally examined so that the missing resected part was covered with the abdominal wall. Stomach contents were in direct contact with the peritoneal surface. In contradiction to common opinions (the rise of peritonitis and subsequent death) all experimental animals (six pigs and ten rats) survived the operation without any apparent complications. Within eight weeks following the laparotomy ("a second look"), the artificial perforation was narrowed down partly with outgrown gastric mucosa and partly with new generated fibrous tissue. The results of this strange experiment turn down common convictions about development of generalised peritonitis. The experiments are not an end in itself but offer possible use in a clinical experiment in humans. A casuistic of one patient with the perforated ulcer-carcinoma is discussed in this report.

Ten autoaggregating vaginal Lactobacillus strains (five of these strains were selected among isolates from sows' vaginal swabs and the other five among isolates from cows' vaginal swabs) were investigated for their ability to bind type Icollagen (Cn-I). All 10 autoaggregating strains in the range of A_570nm readings 0.118-1.806 bound to immobilised Cn-I (at concentration of 100 μg/ml) in wells of microtitre plates, however, Lactobacillus acidophilus SV31 was much more adherent than the rest of the tested strains. The influence of culture medium on Cn-I binding was confirmed only in 50% of the tested strains when agar-grown cells bound significantly more Cn-I than broth-grown cells. The specificity of the binding was confirmed since the Cn-I binding by lactobacilli was abolished after their preincubation with this protein. The effect of heparan sulphate and hyaluronic acid was tested on 5 vaginal strains displaying the best Cn-I binding in microtitre plates after their cultivationon MRS agar plates. Both selected inhibitors significantly (P < 0.001 or P < 0.01) reduced Cn-I binding by the majority of strains. The presence of the gene coding APF (aggregation-promoting factor) was detected in seven strains (all five sows' and two cows' Lactobacillus strains) by PCR.

"Emergency Control of Transboundary Diseases of Livestock in Southern and Eastern Europe", approved in the year 2000 and implemented from September 2001 the CENTAUR is expected to expand significantly. The major objective of this training Regional Project will be to strengthen the national and regional capacities to respond to transboundary animal disease emergencies through technology transfer in the fields of diagnostics, epidemiology and emergency preparedness. The following countries are included in the Project: Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina (the Federation and the Serbian Republic), Bulgaria, Croatia, FYR Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Slovenia and Turkey. Southern and Eastern Europe are the strategically important areas especially exposed to Transboundary Animal Diseases (TADs). The CENTAUR's main task is to facilitate contacts with international centers of excellence and international organizations in order to achieve full compatibility with OIE and EU standards regarding disease control methods. The first CENTAUR Countries: Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia have been CENTAUR members since 1997 following the implementation of the previous FAO TCP Project. From the Baltic countries: Lithuania has recently joined the network and Latvia and Estonia have been encouraged to do so. Also the CENTAUR was joined by the Member: Sankt Petersburg Academy of Veterinary Medicine, Russian Federation (2001). It is expected that the Countries and subscribers of the CENTAUR NEWS FLASH INFO published by the Veterinary Research Institute, Brno will play an active role regarding the dissemination of scientific/professional information, regional cooperation and training. Four workshops to be held and other activities proposed in the project are described. Emergency control of transboundary diseases of livestock in Southern and Eastern Europe

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) and chromium (chromium picolinate, Cr Pic) on egg production, some egg characteristics, and digestibility of nutrients in laying hens (Hy-Line) reared under a low ambient temperature (6.2°C). Two hundred and ten laying hens (32 week-old) were divided into seven groups, 30 hens per group. The treatment groups were designed in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement using two levels of vitamin C (125 and 250 mg/kg of diet) and three levels of chromium picolinate (200, 400, or 800 µg/kg of diet), and control group was fed basal diet. The highest values of performance were obtained if 250 mg/kg vitamin C was supplemented with either 400 or 800 µg Cr per kg of diet. An interaction between vitamin C and chromium for egg production (P = 0.05) and feed efficiency (P = 0.02) was detected. Similarly, egg weight, specific gravity, egg shell thickness, egg shell weight and Haugh unit improved with diet containing 250 mg vitamin C and either 400 or 800 µg Cr per kg of diet (P £ 0.05). Digestibility of dry matter (DM), ash, organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), and ether extract (EE) were higher with higher dietary vitamin C (P £ 0.05) and also with higher Cr (P £ 0.05). There were no interactions between vitamin C and chromium detected for any parameters measured for egg quality in terms of egg weight, specific gravidity, egg shell thickness, egg shell weight and Haugh unit and digestibility of nutrients (P ³ 0.28). Data obtained in the present study shows that a combination of 250 mg vitamin C and 400 µg chromium per kg of diet gave the best results in laying hens reared under a low ambient temperature and a conclusion is suggested that such a diet can be considered as a protective management practice in poultry to alleviate, at least in part, the depressive effect of cold stress on poultry performance.

The aim of this work was to find out how repeated low doses of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and T-2 toxin would influence the Chinese hamster and if the amplifying of these effects would occur with the application of both toxins together. The animals were treated with 10 ml/kg of 7% dimethylsulfoxid (DMSO) in the control group (C), 1.0 mg/kg of AFB1 in group A, 1.0 mg/kg of T-2 toxin in group T2, and 1.0 mg/kg of AFB1 + 1.0 mg/kg of T-2 toxin in group T2/A. All mycotoxins were dissolved in 10 ml/kg of 7% DMSO. These doses were administered intragastrically twice a week for a period of three weeks. General health condition, histological picture of some internal organs, some biochemical blood serum indicators of liver and kidney functions, and leucogram were monitored. No differences in prosperity or weight gains appeared during the course of the experiment. The histological examination did not show any changes in the investigated organs in any experimental group. On the contrary, differences were found in the biochemical blood serum profile. ALT and AST activities decreased significantly in T2/A group animals compared with the other medicated groups (T2 - 24.46 µkat/l; 45.18 µkat/l; A - 18.17; 41.84; T2/A - 4.74; 14.21). A similar decrease appeared in GMT activity as well, but it was significant only in comparison with the T2 group (T2 - 0.6 µkat/l; T2/A - 0.25). ALP activity was increased in the experimental groups compared with the control, significantly in the T2 group (C - 5.0 µkat/l; T2 - 6.92). LDH activity was lower in the T2 and T2/A groups, significantly when the T2/A group was compared with the A group (A - 94.05 µkat/l; T2/A - 37.48). The cholesterol level was significantly increased in group A compared with the C and T2 groups. A smaller increase in the T2/A group was significant when compared with the T2 group as well (C - 3.05 mmol/l; T2 - 2.85; A - 3.59; T2/A - 3.27). Total and conjugated bilirubin concentrations decreased in group order A - C - T2 - T2/A, when differences among the A, T2 and T2/A groups were significant (T2 - 1.0 mmol/l; 0.36 mmol/l; A - 2.36; 0.85; T2/A - 0.69; 0.21). A glycemia decrease in medicated groups was significant in the T2/A group, while it approached a significant level in the T2 group (C - 10.46 mmol/l; T2 - 9.01; T2/A - 8.91). The main liver condition indicators seemed to be influenced by the T-2 toxin and AFB1 combination more than by individually applied toxins. We assume the amplification of the mycotoxin effects on proteosynthesis. The ALT activity especially was probably influenced more than in the additive manner. All the medicated groups showed a significant increase in the monocyte percent count (T2 - 9.8%; A - 9.62; T2/A - 8.85; C - 6.65). The differences observed in other leucocyte types were not significant. There were no differences in the effects of individual mycotoxins and their combination on the leucogram level.