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Nitrogen and carbohydrate (soluble sugars and starch) reserves were analysed in twig samples of 'Red Beaut' and 'Showtime' Japanese plum (Prunus salicina Lindl.) cultivars cultivated in two similar experimental orchards under organic and conventional management. 'Red Beaut' is a vigorous cultivar while 'Showtime' is a middle to low vigorous cultivar. Both cultivars exhibited delayed flowering and premature defoliation under organic management. In general, there were no differences in the concentration of reserves between the two types of management for either of the two plum cultivars, and, likewise, no differences were observed between cultivars, regardless of their vigor. Additionally, reserves were also analysed in plantlets of 'Mariana 2624' rootstock (Prunus cerasifera Ehrh × Prunus munsoniana W. Wight & Hedrick) grown in a growth chamber that simulated conditions of spring and autumn periods and subjected to organic or mineral fertilisation. Plants subjected to organic fertilisation were smaller and defoliated earlier, but the sizes of carbohydrate and nitrogen reserves were similar to that of plants grown with mineral fertilisation.

The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys Stål, 1855 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), is recorded from Slovakia for the first time based on a 5^th instar larva collected in the town of Štúrovo, Slovakia. The current distribution, economic importance and biology of the species are briefly reviewed. During the visit to Štúrovo, a mass occurrence of adults and larvae of the southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (Linnaeus, 1758) (Pentatomidae), so far captured in Slovakia in 2014 only as a single specimen, was also observed. This observation confirms the presence of N. viridula as an established species in southern Slovakia. Both species are important pests to a large number of crops (vegetables, fruit trees, decorative plants, etc.) and can cause considerable economic losses.

Most Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium strains are capable of infecting multiple hosts. In this report, an abdominal cavity abscess associated with the Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium phage type DT2 is described in a dog. A dead male dog was admitted to the Department of Pathology at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Erciyes University for necropsy. Anorexia, weight loss and lethargy were the clinical symptoms that were reported by the owner of the dog. The diagnosis was made by histopathological and bacteriological examinations of the lungs, spleen, liver and heart. In addition, the content of the abdominal cavity mass was evaluated in bacteriological analysis. The serotyping, phage typing and antibiotic susceptibility of the isolated bacteria were performed at the Danish Institute for Food and Veterinary Research. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study reporting an abscess associated with S. enterica serovar Typhimurium phage type DT2 in a dog.

This prospective study was aimed at testing a modified method for the measurement of the tibial plateau angle on radiographs of the stifle joint and the proximal part of the tibia. Forty-four stifle joints of 32 client-owned dogs were included in this study. Dogs were presented for hindlimb lameness and suspected cranial cruciate ligament rupture. The diagnostic procedures included radiographic examination. The mediolateral projection of the stifle joint including the tibia and the tarsal joint was used in this study. We tested the most widely used gold standard method as well as three additional methods for tibial plateau angle measurement on each joint. The tibial plateau angle, the positioning of the stifle joint and the presence of osteoarthrosis were recorded. Only 29 (66%) joints had correct position on the radiograph and were used for further study. Repeated-measures ANOVA identified significant differences in mean tibial plateau angle between the different measuring methods. Dunnett's post-hoc test identified a significant difference between the TA-2 and TA-2i methods and TA-0. No significant differences in tibial plateau angle were identified between joints with and without osteoarthrosis. The positioning of the limb significantly influenced the tibial plateau angle. One of the modified methods was found to not differ significantly from the gold standard method; thus, it can be recommended for further testing.

In the past decade, next-generation sequencing (NGS) platforms have changed the impact of sequencing on our knowledge of crop genomes and gene regulation. These techniques are today acquiring a great potential in metagenomic and agrigenomic research while showing prospects for their utilization in plant breeding. We can now obtain new and beneficial information about gene regulation on the cellular as well as whole-plant level through RNA-sequencing and subsequent expression analyses of genes participating in plant defence reactions to pathogens and in abiotic stress tolerance. NGS has facilitated the development of methods to genotype very large numbers of single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Genotyping- by-sequencing and whole-genome resequencing can lead to the development of molecular markers suited to studies of genetic relationships among breeding materials, creation of detailed genetic mapping of targeted genes and genome-wide association studies. Plant genotyping can benefit plant breeding through selection of individuals resistant to climatic stress and to pathogens causing substantial losses in agriculture.

Humic acid urea fertilizer (HA-N) is a new type of slow-release nitrogenous fertilizer that can enhance utilization rate of urea, and consequently increases crop yield. However, there were few researches about the effect of HA-N on the nitrogen absorption and utilization in sweet potato production. Hence, the effect of HA-N on nitrogen accumulation and distribution, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), and yield of sweet potato was studied in the field using the ¹⁵N tracer technique. Results showed that HA-N significantly increased the number of storage roots per plant and the average fresh weight per storage root, as well as the yield increased by 29.6% compared with urea fertilizer. Furthermore, nitrogen accumulation of total plant was higher under the HA-N. In addition, HA-N significantly increased nitrogen production efficiency of fertilizer and nitrogen production efficiency. Results of a ¹⁵N tracer experiment revealed that the percentage of nitrogen absorbed by plant from fertilizer increased from 31.1% to 38.7% and NUE increased from 33.5% to 44.8% with application of HA-N when compared with single N treatment, respectively. HA-N significantly increased sweet potato storage root yield, nitrogen absorption and NUE, as well as it reduced the loss of nitrogen fertilizer.

This article deals with comparison of composts and manure use from the viewpoint of handling, transport and application on agricultural land. The published values were established by measurements under working conditions and afterwards converted on the basis of the content of nutrients defined in laboratory. Compost contained a greater share of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium and had higher dry matter content and lower volume weight. Direct consumed energy expressed by recalculation of the consumed diesel fuel in case of composts moved from 5.12 MJ/kg (potassium) up to 16.19 MJ/kg (phosphorus). In case of manure it was higher and moved from 10.49 MJ/kg (nitrogen) up to 29.79 MJ/kg (phosphorus). The greatest share in energy consumption occupies transport, which was considered uniformly at the distance of 5 km. The study confirmed the feasibility of use of compost in agriculture as a partial substitute of conventional organic fertilizers; for its handling, transport and application the standard mechanization used for manure may be utilized.

Apricot is one of the oldest fruit tree crops in China and it was spread via Armenia to other areas. There are about ten species of apricot (Subg. Armeniaca Mill.) worldwide, among which nine species are native to China. Sharka disease caused by the Plum pox virus (PPV) is widely distributed in the main producing regions of apricot. In this study, linked simple sequence repeats (SSR) primers were used to detect allele variations potentially associated with PPV resistance among Chinese apricot germplasm resources, including 52 accessions belonging to Prunus armeniaca, 7 to Prunus mandshurica, 6 to Prunus sibirica, 4 to Prunus mume, 17 to other species or types. The allelic variation at loci with PPV resistance showed that these SSR markers linked to PPV resistance kept a relatively high level of diversity in Chinese apricot. The special alleles and genotypes only found in South China cultivars might reveal new PPV resistance sources. Some famous local cultivars of Chinese apricot might be considered as candidates for PPV resistance.

Prociphilus (Meliarhizophagus) fraxinifolii (Riley, 1879) (Hemiptera: Eriosomatidae) is an alien species in Europe that has been spreading quickly there. This paper presents the origin and current occurrence, classification, description, identification, and biology of this species. It also discusses the harmfulness and threats, especially the impact on host- plants and ecosystem, invasion rate and facilitating factors.

The efficiency of microbial transglutaminase (MTG) obtained from Streptoverticillum ladakanaum fermentation of sorghum grain and DDGS hydrolysates (HMTG) in increasing the mechanical properties of restructured meat and fish products was evaluated in this study. Gels were obtained by adding HMTG or commercial MTG at 0.3 U/g, and controls lacked enzyme. All treatments were supplemented with 2.0% NaCl. The gels with enzyme showed a lower amount of expressible water, similar to those obtained with CMTG (6% for fish gels and 8% for beef gels). Texture values were also similar. The results showed the feasibility of employing MTG obtained from sorghum hydrolysates.

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of storage time at +4 °C on haematological indicators in rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum, 1792). For this purpose, 60 Italian trout were evaluated and red blood cells, white blood cells, thrombocyte count, haematocrit, haemoglobin concentration, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration were determined. After blood collection (T₀), all samples were immediately analysed using an automatic method to assess the haematological parameters and then divided into two different aliquots and stored at +4 °C. The first aliquot was refrigerated for 168 h (T₁), the second one for 336 h (T₂). Statistical analysis (one-way repeated-measures ANOVA) showed a significant effect of storage time (P < 0.05) on red blood cells, thrombocyte count, haematocrit, haemoglobin concentration, mean corpuscular haemoglobin and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration. The obtained data expand our knowledge of haematological evaluation techniques and could contribute to the development of an appropriate method for haematological analysis that is suitable for the evaluation of the health status of wild and farmed fish.

The paper presents the results of a laboratory experiment aimed at the assessment of N₂O emissions, NO₃^-, NH₄⁺ and carbon (C) leaching from agricultural soils subjected to long-term mineral and organic fertilization. Our results show that long-term treatment impacts the N₂O emissions from loamy-sand Luvisols to a greater extent than the recent single application of mineral or organic fertilizers. The N₂O fluxes from soils with higher C_org content that results from long-term organic fertilization exceed those from soils with lower C_org content subsequent to long-term mineral fertilization. Our research confirms previous reports that the intensity of N₂O emission is related to soil moisture. The NO₃^- leaching depended on the recent application of fertilizers with a stronger influence of single application of NH₄NO₃ than farmyard manure. Long-term fertilization did not impact the NO₃^- leaching.

Soils harbour enormously diverse bacterial communities that interact specifically with plants generating beneficial interactions between them. This study was the first approach to assess bacterial communities before sowing with three cotton genotypes, including both transgenic and conventional ones. The structure of bacterial communities was identified using the next generation sequencing analysis, ion torrent PGM (Personal Genome Machine™) sequencer technology, based on the V2-V3 16S rRNA gene region. Quantitative insights into microbial ecology pipeline were used to identify the structure and diversity of bacterial communities in bulk soil samples collected in the northeast of Mexico. Bulk soil textures and chemical properties, including most nutrients, were homogeneous in these bulk soil samples. Relative abundance analysis showed similar bacterial community structures. Dominant taxonomic phyla were Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes and Bacteroidetes, whereas the main families were Bacillaceae, Chitinophagaceae and Rhodospirillaceae with an abundance average of BS1 (bulk soil sample), BS2 and BS3 (24.85, 19.74 and 19.71%, respectively). Alpha diversity analysis showed a high diversity (Shannon and Simpson index) and a large value of the observed species found in bulk soils samples. These results allowed establishing the previous bacterial structural community in an unused soil before sowing it with a transgenic crop for the first time.

The influences of six different tillage treatments and five different crops on soil losses by water erosion were studied during a twenty-year period (1995-2014) on Stagnosol in central lowland Croatia. The aim of the study was to determine how the quantity of soil sediment, different tillage treatments and crops influence the particle size distribution (PSD) of soil sediment. During the studied period, total number of non-eroded soil samples was 60 and total number of soil sediments samples was 445. Significantly lower amounts of fine sand and higher amounts of clay and silt were determined in sediments compared to the non-eroded soil regardless of cover crop and tillage treatment, with the exception of bare cultivated soil. Generally, when quantities of soil sediments were higher, textural differences between non-eroded and eroded soil were lower. Very week negative correlation was determined between the quantity of soil sediment and the content of clay (r = -0.25) as well as the content of silt (r = -0.23). A very weak positive correlation (r = 0.23) was determined between the content of fine sand and the quantity of soil sediment, while non correlation (r = -0.02) was determined between the content of coarse sand and the quantity of soil sediment.

Extreme differences in agricultural holding size, existing not only among the countries within the EU as a whole but also within the farm structures of the individual countries, create a considerable uncertainty for establishing the optimal political and economic instruments to support sustainable rural development. The study explores the determinants influencing the spatial volatility of agricultural holding size at both the EU scale and the national scale of the Czech Republic, the latter of which has the largest mean agricultural holding size in the EU. While some factors are identical for both the EU and the Czech Republic, other effects can only be evaluated at the European or international scale, and still others can be evaluated only at the national scale. The only factor found in this study to be significantly associated with the agricultural holding size on the European scale was the wheat production. On the Czech national scale, land consolidation, unemployment rate, and soil fertility were significantly associated with the agricultural holding size. The study found that in the Czech Republic, the number of farms was increasing, while at the same time the agricultural holding sizes were decreasing. This is an opposite trend in comparison to the EU as a whole, where the number of farms is diminishing and the sizes increasing.

Natural parasitism of the European corn borer eggs (Hübner) by Trichogramma spp. (Hymenoptera, Trichogrammatidae) was assessed in sweet corn field in north-west Serbia, region Vojvodina at the localities of Ruski Krstur, from 2004 till 2007. The rate of egg parasitism in 2004 varied from 35.89% to 73.58%. The parasitism in 2005 was lower than in 2004. On four different sampling dates in 2005 parasitism varied from 28.48% to 57.05% and averaged 39.4%. In 2006 parasitism fluctuated between 9.31 and 62.9%, averaging 32.15%. In 2007 parasitism varied from 36.8% to 54.54% and averaged 43.48%. The egg parasitoid species was identified as Trichogramma evanescens (Westwood). The study showed that this natural enemy occurred constantly in sweet corn fields but its number greatly fluctuated from year to year.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of physical exercise (marcha gait) on heart rate variability indices in Mangalarga Marchador horses. Twenty-five animals, fourteen females and eleven males, aged 6.4 ± 2.7 years and with a mean weight of 428.3 ± 24.7 kg, were used. Electrocardiograms were recorded at two different time points: rest and immediately after exercise (40 min of aerobic exercise, marcha gait). Time domain analyses of heart rate variability were made using vasovagal tonus index (VVTI) and standard deviation of normal intervals (SDNN). Variables were analysed for normality using the Shapiro-Wilk test and comparisons were made between T0 and T1 using the paired t-test (VVTI) or Mann-Whitney (SDNN), considering P < 0.05. The Pearson coefficient was calculated to evaluate the correlation between heart rate and VVTI and the Spearman coefficient was calculated for heart rate and SDNN. There was an increase in heart rate after exercise (P < 0.0001), from 45.7 ± 12.7 to 77.3 ± 13.5 beats/min, and a reduced VVTI (P < 0.0001), from 8.66 ± 1.45 to 4.65 ± 1.25 and a reduced SDNN (P < 0.0001), from 80.09 to 11.67 ms. No correlation was observed between heart rate and VVTI or SDNN. It was possible to conclude that the physical activity carried out by Mangalarga Marchador horses influenced the autonomic response and consequently heart rate variability indexes, suggesting the possible use of these indices for the evaluation of Mangalarga Marchador performance.

Three moss (Pleurosium spp., Polytrichum spp., Rhytidiadelphus spp.) and two lichen taxa (Hypogymnia physodes L., Pseudevernia furfuracea L.), were exposed for four weeks in six petrol stations, two consecutive years (2015-2016), in urban area of the Prešov city (Slovakia), to assess accumulation of selected airborne elements Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn. Significantly highest (P < 0.01) ability to accumulate Zn, Ni, Co and Fe was found in Pleurosium spp.; Pseudevernia furfuracea was determined the best accumulator of Hg, whereas Rhytidiadelphus spp. was found as the least suitable for this purpose. No significant differences in heavy metal accumulation between moss and lichen taxonomic group were found. Samples of conifer (used as a moss/lichen bag holder) showed significantly lower content of heavy metals compared to mosses and lichens. Major content of heavy metals trapped in the air around petrol stations, did not originate from the petrol combustion, but predominantly from the car body, which is mechanically disrupted during fuelling.

This study examined the variability of reproductive and productive traits in Suffolk sheep (a commercial flock, n = 316 ewes) with regard to the dams' age or the nutritional status of sheep at mating under a year-round outdoor management. Data were collected across a 3-year monitoring period (totally 655 observations). The fixed effects of dam's age (dams grouped as: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 years and older), ewe's live weight (LW; ewes grouped as: < 72 kg; 72-83 kg; > 83 kg), and backfat thickness at mating (BT; ewes grouped as: < 7.9 mm; 7.9-10.5 mm; > 10.5 mm) were evaluated. The dam's age influenced reproductive and productive traits such that 2- and 6-year and older ewes reached the lowest values. Ewes with LW > 83 kg had significantly higher lambing rate (11.8%) compared to those with LW < 72 kg. The group of ewes with LW < 72 kg gave birth to a significantly lower number of live lambs in litter (-8.9%) in comparison with LW < 83 kg group. An increase (9.9%; P < 0.01) of total litter weight at birth or an increase (12.5%; P < 0.05) of total litter weight at 100 days of age were detected in LW > 83 kg group compared to LW < 72 kg group. BT > 10.5 mm ewes had by 8.9% lower lambing rate (P < 0.05), by 6.8% lower litter size (P < 0.05), by 14.5% lower number of live lambs in litter (P < 0.01), and by 8.6% lower total litter weight at birth compared to BT < 7.9 mm ewes. A significantly lower total litter weight at 100 days of age (-10.8%) and a significantly lower total litter gain from birth to 100 days of age (-11.5%) were detected in BT > 10.5 mm ewes in comparison to BT 7.9-10.5 mm ewes.

cluster weight; berry weight; soluble solids; berry composition

In a time of a constant change, a company with high-quality, talented employees not only has an advantage in the competitive environment but it is also a more attractive proposition for the potential employees. It is also a 'great place to work' for the existing employees. The article therefore focuses on the approaches to implementing the strategic talent management which are taken by the agricultural and forestry companies. The paper investigates the position taken regarding the talent management in theory. It is based on the aims of a primary survey, the purpose of which was to develop a deeper understanding of the supporting theoretical concepts underpinning the company approaches to talent. The objective of the work is to identify the main components of the strategic talent management based on the primary survey of companies operating in agriculture and forestry. This is accomplished by evaluating the data obtained from the primary analysis of the methods and approaches used on 101 farms and other agricultural companies. The data comes from the manager surveys for which a single manager represented the given company. The mono-dimensional and multi-dimensional statistics were used to evaluate the data. The results indicate that in 62% of the companies examined are familiar with the principles of the talent management and that the talent management forms part of the mission of the company (48%). A deeper analysis is used to further examine the differences in the approach of the companies included in the study. The paper contains an in depth discussion of the concept of the strategic talent management, as well as identifying the main processes connected with it. Moreover, the paper presents new research findings by defining and validating the main attributes of the strategic talent management (TM); additionally the gap between the awareness of the top management of the talent management concept and its use in practice is found and discussed.

Ditylenchus weischeri was recently reported in the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Canada. Populations of D. weischeri from creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense L.) in Manitoba and D. dipsaci from garlic (Allium cepa L.) in Ontario were examined for their potential to grow on callused carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus) disks, alfalfa (Medi- cago sativa L.) and creeping thistle callus tissues, and pure cultures of eight fungal species, Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium solani, Rhizoctonia solani, Verticillium dahliae, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Cladosporium cucumerinum, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, and Chaetomium spp. Ditylenchus weischeri and D. dipsaci could not be reared on any of the fungal isolates nor in the callus tissues of creeping thistle. In contrast to D. weischeri, D. dipsaci was successfully reared on the alfalfa callus tissue. On the callused carrot disks, with no media, an increase of 54 and 244 times the initial density of 80 nematodes was obtained for D. weischeri and D. dipsaci, respectively. Monoxenic rearing was performed using callused carrot disks to provide sufficient D. weischeri inoculum for the microplot study. The effect of D. weischeri on yellow pea varieties Agassiz and Bronco was determined in a microplot trial using initial densities of 0, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, and 3200 nematodes/plant. While it had no impact on pea grain yield, D. weischeri slightly reduced plant height, aboveground biomass, and pod length at the population densities of 1600 and 3200 nematodes/plant. The final population densities at harvest were not significantly different from the initial densities indicating the pea varieties were poor hosts to D. weischeri. The results of the present study indicate that D. weischeri is unlikely to be a pest of yellow pea for weather conditions of the Canadian Prairies.

Staphylococcus pseudintermedius is a genuine opportunistic pathogen of the skin, especially in canids. However, characterisation of virulence, antimicrobial resistance and genotypic variability in methicillin-susceptible S. pseudintermedius isolates has not been fully explored. In this study, coagulase-positive staphylococcal isolates collected from dogs of various breeds and ages suffering from dermatitis (n = 70), pyoderma (n = 7), and otitis (n = 7), from districts of Prague (Czech Republic) and surrounding areas, were characterised using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and repetitive sequence-based PCR fingerprinting. Susceptibility to antimicrobial agents was determined, virulence factor genes for leukocidin (lukSF-I), exfoliatins (exi, expB, and siet), enterotoxin C (sec_canine) and enterotoxin-related genes (se-int and sel) were detected using multiplex PCR and the genotypes of S. pseudintermedius isolates were determined using SmaI macrorestriction analysis. The majority of the staphylococcal isolates (n = 84) were identified as S. pseudintermedius (n = 79) and all of them were susceptible to methicillin/oxacillin (MSSP). About half of the strains (n = 41) were resistant to macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B antimicrobial agents and resistance was mediated in all but one of the strains by the erm(B) gene. The genes for lukSF-I, siet, se-int, and sel were detected in the majority of the MSSP strains (96.2%, 100%, 100%, and 73.4%, respectively). Investigated canine S. pseudintermedius isolates were highly heterogeneous, which prevented the correlation of any specific lineage to a particular infection, dog breed, or region of origin.

Canine hip dysplasia is a debilitating hereditary orthopaedic disease with a high prevalence in dogs. The aim of this study was to describe the influence of internal or external rotation of the femur on the projected radiographic position of the patella within the trochlear groove, and on the femoral head in relationship to the acetabulum in the standard ventrodorsal hip extended view, i.e., medial or lateral patella displacement, Norberg angle, femoral head subluxation index and femoral head subluxation category. Eleven adult dog cadavers of large and giant breeds were radiographed in standard ventrodorsal hip extended view and with internal and external femoral rotation. The medial and lateral patella displacement, Norberg angle, subluxation index and subluxation category variables were measured on radiographs, and analysed comparing the normal position with positions of different degrees of internal or external rotation of the femur. In the normal ventrodorsal hip extended view, the patella was centred within the distal femoral metaphysis (P > 0.05). A mean ± SD internal femoral rotation of 16.0 ± 5.9° resulted in a medial patella index displacement of 0.23 ± 0.09, and a mean external femoral rotation of 17.9 ± 6.7° resulted in a lateral patella index displacement of 0.24 ± 0.1. The mean Norberg angle was 105.3 ± 4.3°, 107.7 ± 5.5° and 104.2 ± 4.3° (P < 0.05); the subluxation index was 0.15 ± 0.06, 0.12 ± 0.05 and 0.18 ± 0.06 (P < 0.05); the subluxation category was 1.55 ± 0.6, 1.46 ± 0.7 (P > 0.05) and 1.96 ± 0.65 (P < 0.05) in normal, internal and external femoral rotation ventrodorsal hip extended views, respectively. In conclusion, as the Norberg angle, subluxation index and subluxation category are parameters used for classification in the main international hip dysplasia scoring systems, adequate femoral position with the patella centred in the distal metaphysis is of uppermost importance to ensure the technical quality of radiographs.

This study investigated changes in stem and spike characteristics resulting from breeding in Iranian wheat cultivars, and their relationship with grain yield. Eighty-one wheat cultivars released between 1930 and 2006 were examined under well-watered (WW) and terminal drought stress (DS) conditions in Karaj during 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 and under WW condition at Parsabad in Moghan region during 2010-2011. A genetic improvement over time in stem specific weight (SSW) along with significant positive correlations between this trait and grain yield were found at Karaj under DS conditions and at Parsabad, suggesting that SSW could be used as an indirect selection criterion for yield in these environments. Time-dependent changes in spike dry weight showed that the magnitude of partitioned photoassimilates to the spike during the phase anthesis - 16 days after anthesis (16 DAA) was not changed by breeding. However, during the 16 DAA ‒ maturity phase, modern cultivars had more photoassimilates allocated to the spike than the old ones. This suggests that the sink is more limited during early grain growth than during the end of grain filling.

In this study, a simulation experiment by farm warming with infrared ray radiator was carried out, and results showed that the broad bean (Vicia faba L.) growing days were shortened by increased temperature. The seedling, ramifying, budding, blooming, podding, and maturing stages were shortened by 1-4, 1-2, 1, 2-3, 1-2, and 2-4 days, respectively, and the whole growing period was shortened by 7-16 days when the temperature increased by 0.5-2.0°C. The broad bean yield increased by 10.1-16.6% when the temperature increased by 0.5-1.0°C, and significantly decreased by 38.1-90.1% when the temperature increased by 1.5-2.0°C. Increased temperature significantly improved the fat, carbohydrate, ash and energy contents.

The aim of this paper was to verify the effect of the Z'fix (PRP Technologies, France) activator of biological transformation of manure from the viewpoint of the cowshed conditions parameters, produced manure quality, manure application effect on crop yields, and overall economics. Concerning manure production, the application of the Z'fix agent enhanced quality, structure and nutrient content (N total by 23%, P₂O₅ by 42%, K₂O by 17%) in the manure from deep litter housing. Compared to the untreated control, differences in the nutrient content of N total and K₂O were statistically significant, NH₃ emissions dropped significantly by almost 35%. The economic benefit of manure production with the use of the Z'fix agent demonstrated overall savings at the level of 1,369 CZK/LU/year. The influence of manure produced combined with the PRP Sol application was tested in terms of a boost of crop yield potential of silage maize and of winter wheat. Compared to the control, both crops reached yields higher by 0.7% to 9.8%.

Effects of immersing seeds in water and X-ray imagining on germination of Corylopsis seed were investigated. Seeds that sank or floated were collected after immersing in water for 5 min, 4 h or 16 h, and germinated with or without 5°C cold stratification (CS). In C. coreana and C. sinensis var. calvescens, 52% and 89%, respectively, of seeds that sank immediately developed embryos and cotyledons germinated. Germination of C. sinensis var. calvescens seeds that sank after 16 h increased to 45% after the first CS treatment, as compared to 12% without CS. Immersing seeds in water for 16 h to collect full and mostly full seeds is recommended. X-ray imaging coupled with immersion is effective technique to select viable seeds. Dormancy could be partially released by immersing seeds in water for 16 h; however, germination was improved after CS.

The present study examines the relationship between the quality of timber production and the species and structural diversity of forest stands. The data used came from a regional forest inventory of the University Forest Enterprise "Kostelec nad Černými lesy", Czech Republic. The inventory was performed from 2009 to 2011 on 1,188 sample plots that represented 86 strata defined by the combination of three variables: site (5 categories), age (12 categories) and canopy cover (5 categories). On each sample plot, we quantified 171 partial biodiversity indicators that represented species or structural diversity. The quality of timber production was specified by four indicators quantified using local assortment tables. In total, we analysed 58,824 univariate linear regressions describing the relationships between diversity indicators and timber quality in individual strata. The results revealed that their relationship changes with stand age. The proportion of the best-quality assortments increases with the increasing species richness in all age categories.

Thai economic growth lags behind all other ASEAN countries because its export dependence along with the political and economic vulnerabilities. With the growing bioeconomy worldwide, Thailand needs a clear bioeconomy roadmap as a new growth engine for its economy. Four potential clusters to build bioeconomy in Thailand include the bioenergy, bio-based industry, bio-food and bio-agriculture, and bio-medicine and health. There are roadmaps for only the first two clusters. The paper discusses the potential bio-based products for the bio-food and bio-agriculture as well as bio-medicine and health and proposes the use of the Pracharath strategy to build bioeconomy in Thailand with the main objective of creating the sustainable economy. Since a smart community is a key driver for the sustainable economy, five steps to smart community proposed in the paper will immune communities in the rural area of Thailand, make them self-reliant, and remove the dependency culture.