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Rapidly increasing amount of biological data necessarily requires techniques that would enable to extract the information hidden in the data. Methods of molecular phylogenetics are commonly used tools as well as objects of continuous research within many fields, such as evolutionary biology, systematics, epidemiology, genomics, etc. The evolutionary process not only determines relationships among species, but also allows prediction of structural, physiological and biochemical properties of biomolecules. The article provides the reader with a brief overview of common methods that are currently employed in the field of molecular phylogenetics.

The study was conducted in a dairy barn and nearby environment to determine the level of air bacterial and fungi contamination. Measurements were performed in morning, noon and evening sampling periods once a week during two autumn months inside the barn and in a 25 m distant barn environment. A Merck MAS-100 air sampler was employed with different medium and incubation combinations for the capture and identification of bacteria and fungi. The results of the study showed a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) between the bacterial and fungi counts measured inside and outside the barn, whereby total outside bacterial count was by 97.4% to 98.0% lower, and total outside fungi count by 85.2% to 99.4% lower than the respective indoor counts in various sampling periods. In 125 analyzed colonies, gram-positive bacteria, especially those of the genus Staphylococcus and Streptococcus, were most commonly identified in the air samples from both inside and outside the barn. Gram-negative bacteria were present at a low rate, predominated by enterobacteria and by the genus Moraxella and Pseudomonas. Nine mould genera were identified in 325 fungi colonies, predominated by the genus Aspergillus, Penicillium, Rhizopus and yeasts, both in the barn and in the nearby environment.

The paper is a contribution to the research on problems of thinnings in mixed (spruce-fir-beech) stands situated in the 5^th forest altitudinal zone (beech with fir) in the central part of Slovakia. The research was carried out on two series of permanent research plots established in 1972. Each of the series consists of three partial plots where one plot was tended by free crown thinning in the framework of whole-area tending. On the second plot a non-whole-area tending was realised while the third ones were left without planned silvicultural treatment as controls. Dynamic changes in tree species composition, stand structure, qualitative and quantitative production including silvicultural analysis of seven thinning interventions were evaluated for a period of 29 years. A special attention was paid to development of future crop trees which are the main bearers of stand quality and quantity. The changes were compared with respect to differences between the plots with whole-area and non-whole-area long-term silvicultural treatment and the control plot (without treatments).

The authors elaborated a new complex methodical approach to the evaluation of necrotic disease of beeches. They used two evaluation scales: a scale for the evaluation of stems and a scale for the evaluation of beech crowns. A four-degree scale for the evaluation of necrotisation of crowns completed the existing five-degree scale for the evaluation of necrotisation of stems. Combination of both these scales into one methodical approach produced the third, complex scale for the evaluation of necrotisation of whole trees. The proposed combined scale is recommended for the monitoring of beech necroses.

Production of food and beverages is one of the Czech traditional branches of processing industry. The article tries to describe the model prediction on the sector structure development oriented on labour and personal costs in food industry sector up to 2013 and it is based on the continuous monitoring of these indicators in the period 2000-2005. Except regress analysis of time orders, there was used the method of exponential smoothing. With regard to certain antagonistic tendencies, i.e. the lasting fall of the number of workers in the monitored period but at the same time the growth of personal costs, there were projected separate predictions of these indicators up to 2013, aimed namely at the set of companies with 20 and more employees. The prediction of the selected data up to the year 2013 is based on the running results of the Research Plan of the Research Institute of Agricultural Economics (VÚZE). The probable development of the number of workers and personal costs in the individual branches of food industry is characterised.

The paper focuses on rural immovable cultural heritage as a part of the infrastructure for certain forms of tourism. Using the secondary analysis method, it compares data about the support of rural cultural heritage in the pre-accession period (2002) and after the Czech Republic joined the EU (2004-2006). Conclusions include a broader issue of animation of cultural heritage for the purpose of rural development.

The contribution demonstrates gynaecomastia in an adult, noncastrated tom-cat, caused by an antiandrogenic preparation Androcur tablets (Schering AG, BRD), administrated at the dose of 5 mg/day for one week. Two months after the treatment, the enlargement of all mammary glands was apparent and one month later (i.e. three months after the end of drug administration) the mammary chains reached the size of 30 × 15 × 20 cm. The general health state of the animal was altered due to the conspicuous enlargement and inflammation of mammary glands. Radical mastectomy was done under general anaesthesia using Isoflurane Rhone-Poulenc inh. The weight of the extirpated mammary chains was 1.75 kg. The healing of operative wounds and convalescence occurred without complications. Fibroepithelial hyperplasia of mammary glands was diagnosed histologically.

The aim of this study was to investigate milk flow patterns and milk composition in relation to pre-milking udder stimulation. The milk of one quarter of each of the sixteen cows was removed separately and in the course of milking it was divided into six fractions (P cisternal milk during milking without stimulation and the first 300 ml during milking with pre-stimulation, 0-25%, 25-50%, 50-75%, 75-100%, 75-100%, MS-machine stripping) and into five portions (25%, 50%, 75%, 100%, 100% + MS). Two milkings were performed during two consecutive evening milkings with or without manual stimulation. Pre-stimulation resulted in a reduction of milking time, duration of the increase and decline phase of milk flow, stripping yield, but it increased the peak flow rate as compared to milking without pre-stimulation (P < 0.05). In both fractions and portions the content of fat increased steadily during milking and reached a maximum at MS. Lactose increased from P to 50-75% and then it decreased to MS. Significantly higher fat contents at 25% and 50% portions and in both protein and dry matter at 25% portions were found during milking with pre-stimulation as compared to no stimulation (P < 0.05). The content of fat, protein and dry matter were also higher in both P and 0-25% fractions for milking with pre-stimulation (P < 0.05). Pre-stimulation positively influenced the parameters of milk flow and therefore the efficiency of milk removal and contributed to better distribution of components in milk fractions during milking.

This study was aimed at monitoring the relative and absolute stand heterogeneity of total carbon, total nitrogen and C/N ratio in Ah-Ae-Btg-Bt horizons of Gleyic Luvisol on one mountain meadow divided into two study plots: one moderately (once a season) mown (plant community of the Nardo-Callunetea class) and one abandoned for about 12 years (plant community of the Molinio-Arrhenatheretea class). The heterogeneities were evaluated more than 2 months after the mowing of the moderately mown meadow at the end of July 2005. Relative stand heterogeneity was expressed using coefficient of variation (CV), absolute stand heterogeneity using the differences between maximum and minimum value. When both meadows were taken into account, the relative stand heterogeneity of total carbon in individual horizons was < 65%, < 73% (total nitrogen), and < 93% (C/N). Lower relative and absolute stand heterogeneity of these parameters was mostly on the abandoned meadow. Relatively higher differences of stand heterogeneity between the meadows were evident in deeper parts of the soil (horizon Btg) and the lowest mainly in horizon Ah (or Bt). The accelerated accumulation of dead organic matter in the autumn caused the natural difference of these inputs not to be substantially eliminated by the presence or absence of mowing. Accelerated eluviation of organic compounds of higher nitrogen content significantly (P < 0.05) decreased the C/N ratio in the Bt horizon (n = 6-8) of the abandoned meadow.

In order to achieve success on the domestic and foreign markets, the producers and distributors should know the customers´ behavior and possibilities how to positively affect it for their advantage. The consumers carry out many shopping decisions every day. Most of the big sellers study these decisions in order to know what, where, when, how, how much or how many and why the customers buy. The marketers have to know how the consumers will react to different marketing programmes used by the company. The communication media such as information carriers are objective decision of the individual advertising sponsors. This paper shows the volume of financial means invested by the advertising sponsors, production groups as well as the analysis of the food advertising market and the following survey of the biggest food advertisers in the Slovak Republic.

Fifteen coffee creamers, 10 cream aerosols, and 5 bouillon cubes from the retail market were analysed, principally for their contents of trans-fatty acids that are known to increase the risk of coronary heart disease, and for their contents of 3-chloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) fatty acid esters that possibly have a bioaccumulation potential. The contents of trans-fatty acids in coffee creamers, cream aerosols and bouillon cubes were in the range of 0.2-32.8%, < LOD - 6.0%, and 0.5-2.1% of total fatty acids, respectively. All samples contained high levels of 3-MCPD fatty acid esters that were determined after releasing the free 3-MCPD by methanolysis. The 3-MCPD levels in coffee creamers, cream aerosols, and bouillon cubes were in the range of 130-730 µg/kg (540-4480 µg/kg fat), 50-730 µg/kg (220-2880 µg/kg fat), and 380-670 µg/kg (2650-4840 µg/kg fat), respectively. The results showed that the refined and hydrogenated oils may represent a certain risk. The highest levels of 3-MCPD esters were found in a sample of refined palm oil (4170 µg/kg). Currently, there is no information available on how these 3-MCPD esters are metabolised, to which extent they are hydrolysed or biosynthesised in the body, to which extent they are deposited in tissues, and how they influence the properties and functions of tissues (if they really do it).

Results of scoring the reaction to powdery mildew of 240 winter barley varieties that were gradually included in 392 Czech Official Trials conducted at 21 locations were analysed. The reaction of the varieties was determined on the basis of the level of infection by the disease. Therefore, the data can also be used to assess the disease severity in years and at locations. Several characteristics indicative of disease severity were considered, including the disease severity coefficient (= average infection of susceptible varieties in trials with a high disease severity/the proportion of such trials). The value of the coefficient is inversely proportional to disease severity. The highest powdery mildew severity was found in 1976, and the years 1988, 1990 and 2003 were characterised by high infection of the examined varieties. In contrast, the disease was practically absent in 1979 and 1982, and its severity was also low in 1978, 1981, 1985, 1991 and 1998. Very low disease severity was found for the period 1977-1982 when insufficient disease severity was found on average in 78% of the trials and high disease severity in only 6% of the trials. The highest disease severity was found at locations Trutnov, Horažďovice and Chrastava. The analysis of data from a large number of field trials conducted at various locations for a period of 30 years confirmed that powdery mildew is an important disease of winter barley in the Czech Republic. Known genetic sources of resistance and current methods, such as marker assisted selection, enable breeders to solve this problem.

The genetic diversity of 132 pig isolates of Mycobacterium avium subsp. avium (MAA) from the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia was examined by IS901 restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis with restriction endonuclease PvuII. A total of 18 RFLP types were detected. The occurrence frequency of respective RFLP types varied between respective pig farms, with the exception of one RFLP type F found in 21 (34.4%) of 61 farms and in 10 (55.6%) of 18 farms in the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic, respectively. Two different RFLP types were detected in 5 (33.3%) of the 15 studied farms, from which more than one isolate were examined. These results show the low variability of the MAA isolates among the pig farms and the possibility of various sources of infection for pigs from infected farms.

The influence of N-S fertilizers on the copper content in the inter oilseed rape plants was studied in field experiments. The evaluation involved two treatments of a single rate for the first spring fertilizer application with 100 kg N/ha in the AN treatment (nitrochalk) and 100 kg N/ha + 50 kg S/ha in the ANS treatment (ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulphate). A positive influence of the ANS fertilizer on the copper contents in different parts of plants was determined. The highest Cu concentrations were determined in the leaves and inflorescences, the lowest ones occurred in the stem. The concentration of Cu ranged within the interval of 1.56-8.75 mg Cu/kg of dry matter depending on the growth period and the part of the plant. No differences in copper content were determined in the seeds of individual treatment. The highest uptake in the above-ground parts of the plants was recorded in the green pod period and amounted to 57.4 g Cu/ha for the ANS treatment.

This experiment investigated the effect of olive cake in the feed of weaned Pramenka lambs on their daily gain, carcass traits and on the chemical composition of different groups of muscles. For that purpose, 45 male lambs were divided into three groups with 15 lambs each and fed separately for 50 days. The first group (control) was fed a commercial concentrate, while the second and third (test) groups were fed a concentrate with the addition of 15% and 30% olive cake, respectively. The results showed that the high level of olive cake inclusion (30%) decreased (P < 0.01) daily gain, final weight, empty carcass weight and (P < 0.05) dressing percentage of lambs. The olive cake resulted in a significantly higher (P < 0.01) proportion of stomach and intestines in the carcass compared to the control. The content of fat, proteins and dry matter in all the analyzed groups of muscles was lowest in the carcasses of lambs fed olive cake. The results of this research suggest that the addition of 15% of olive cake to the concentrate had no significant negative effect on daily gain, carcass weight and dressing percentage of lambs.

The objective of the paper was to analyse the influence of dairy cow management technology, milking method, predipping and summer grazing on the contamination of cow's raw milk by mesophilic (TBC), psychrotrophic (PBC), lipolytic (PLiBC) and proteolytic (PPrBC) bacteria. The values of TBC, PBC, PLiBC and PPrBC in bulk milk samples were determined by the culture method according to IDF standards. Investigations were carried out in nine stables of seven dairy farms from January 2005 to June 2006. Summer grazing has the most marked influence on the values of studied parameters. Farms with summer grazing had a lower microbial contamination of milk compared to farms without grazing and the difference was statistically highly significant in all studied parameters (P < 0.001). A positive effect of predipping on a reduction in the values of milk microbial contamination was proved while the difference between farms with predipping and those without it was on a significance leve lP < 0.05 to 0.001 except PLiBC. A comparison of the influence of dairy cow management technology indicated the lowest values of all microbiological indicators in loose cubicle littered housing, higher values were determined in stanchion littered housing and the highest in loose slatted-floor housing. A statistical difference between the technologies was proved mainly in TBC (P < 0.001). Farms with milking in milking parlours had a lower microbial contamination of milk compared to farms that used the in-stall milking pipeline system but the difference was statistically significant only in TBC (P < 0.05).

Registrations of crop, fruit size and fruit flavour in the plum cultivar testing programmes in Norway indicated that Souffriau, Avalon, Reeves, Excalibur and Jubileum could be valuable cultivars in commercial plum production in Norway. Norwegian plums are aimed at the fresh fruit market; hence, shelf life of new cultivars is very important. In short-term storage experiments the cultivars were compared to the standard cultivar Victoria. No significant changes in the content of soluble solids during storage were found in the cultivars tested; however, titratable acidity decreased, and as a consequence, the soluble solids:titratable acidity ratio increased. Nevertheless, these changes did not make the fruit unacceptable to consumers. The most important quality factor limiting shelf life of the plum cultivars tested was softening. Based on postharvest changes in several quality factors and susceptibility to fungal decay, Reeves had longest shelf life, Avalon, Jubileum and Victoria medium, while Excalibur and Souffriau had rather short shelf life.

At present, photogrammetric interpretation of aerial images is a dominant method of forestry mapping. In the last years, transition from analogue to digital photogrammetry has been distinct. Digital photogrammetry enables to achieve workflow effectivity, and so to decrease the final product costs. The objective of the submitted paper was to evaluate the availability of digital photogrammetry for the forestry mapping rationalization. Digital aerotriangulation using the ImageStation SSK system brings more accurate results without requirements for the use of a larger amount of control points. The results also demonstrated the use of colour infrared aerial images, and also black and white aerial images at the scale 1:15,000 for the orthoimage creation in the forestry mapping department. Compared with the black and white aerial images, the colour infrared images have an essentially more interesting content, mainly from the qualitative aspect, which shifts them to use in many forestry disciplines (mostly for determination of the health conditions of forests stands, …), in combination with the remote sensing of the Earth and GIS (Geographic Information Systems).

Damage caused by bark peeling and browsing by red deer to Picea abies was investigated in two localities in the Českomoravská vrchovina Highlands. 127 experimental plots of 50 × 50 m in size were monitored in stands aged from 15 to 93 years. In total, 44% of 16,700 inspected trees were damaged by bark peeling and browsing. The area of gaping wounds varied from 50 to 1,650 cm². Stem decay affected 68% of the damaged trees. Some properties of the decay were analysed from 200 sample trees felled on the plots. Bark peeling damage occurred when the trees were 4 to 48 years old. Decayed wood accounted for 22-70% (mean 42%) of the merchantable stem volume of sample trees. The mean rate of the vertical decay spread was 17.4 cm per year (ranging from 4-63 cm per year). Mean decay volume correlated positively and mean spreading rate correlated negatively with the time elapsed from the bark peeling damage occurrence.

The paper presents the results of the research projects with their applications in enterprise practice, in the sphere of strategic control of enterprise management focused on the methods of decision-making enabling an enterprise to respond to changes in the entrepreneurial environment. Rapid changes, principally in the external environment, require the business management to select new approaches and methods of decision-making and to have a well conceived algorithm enabling a flexible response to customers' wishes using findings of knowledge management. The paper presents the results of applying the methods of BSG and SPACE analysis, namely during the years 1998-2006. The sphere of business of the company is also analysed using the correlation-table analysis method. All actions are focused on obtaining and maintaining the competitive advantage of the firm.

In ornamental gardening, Spiraea × vanhouttei is a frequently planted spirea species in the Czech Republic. In 2003, there arose a suspicion of possible occurrence of fire blight caused by Erwinia amylovora on spirea shrubs in Prague and its environs. This suspicion was disproved for a certainty. The absence of the fire blight pathogen in symptomatic spirea plants stimulates a further effort to tackle the problem of a cause of conspicuous fire blight-like symptoms or inflorescence blast occurring on some spirea shrubs. The subject of this paper is: (i) to describe symptoms, incidence and severity of inflorescence blast, bud and flower abnormalities occurring in Spiraea × vanhouttei shrubs; (ii) to find out differences in the occurrence of blasted inflorescences between Spiraea species and cultivars with the intention of verifying the hypothesis that the blast inflorescence and sterility of some spirea species are associated with hybrid species. Symptoms of inflorescence blast are every growing season. No seed is produced by blasted inflorescences. Besides inflorescence blast, aborted floral buds appeared sporadically on a small scale. Spirea species were split into four categories according to the incidence of blasted inflorescences. Out of 52 species evaluated, 10% showed no or scarce incidence, 52% medium incidence, 27% high incidence and 11% very high incidence. The scarce incidence of blasted inflorescences was connected with the high seed production. And vice versa, very high incidence of blighted inflorescences was closely connected with no or low seed production or with high incidence of sterility. Fifteen out of the evaluated spirea species are the result of hybridization. These hybrids occur in each of the four categories of spirea species distinguished by the incidence of blasted inflorescence. However, it is remarkable that the highest incidence of hybrid spireas occurs in the category with the highest incidence of blasted inflorescence (83.33%). In the remaining three categories of spirea species, the proportion of hybrids ranged from 18 to 21%. It might indicate some connection of spirea hybrids with sterility.

The effects of phosphate solubilizing bacterium (Bacillus FS-3) application on phosphorus contents of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) plant, growing performance and phosphorus forms in soil were evaluated under greenhouse condition. Five different phosphorus fertilizer treatments (normal superphosphate, triple superphosphate, di-ammonium phosphate, phosphoric acid, and rock phosphate) with and without bacterium (Bacillus FS-3) were applied in pots as 344 kg P/ha. Basal fertilizers were applied to all the pots as 180 kg N/ha (NH₄NO₃ 33% N), 100 kg K/ha (K₂SO₄ 50% K₂O). The results obtained showed that phosphorus availability from soil increased with phosphate solubilizing bacterium (PSB) application. The amount of plant available form of soil phosphorus fraction (resin-Pi + NaHCO₃-Pi + NaHCO₃-Po + NaOH-Pi + NaOH-Po) increased with PSB application. In all fertilizer types, bacteria application converted approximately 20% of less available phosphorus into labile forms. Statistically significant differences were obtained in shoot and root dry weight of tomato plants treated with PSB application. In all of the fertilizers, plant shoot and root weight and P uptake were greater with PSB applications than without PSB. The highest shoot-root dry weight and P uptake of plant were determined in triple superphosphate (TSP) with PSB application treatment. The data in the present study suggest that the application of PSB (FS-3) may increase the availability of soluble phosphate by dissolving the inorganic forms of phosphate and that bacterial strain tested in this study has a potential to be used as a bio-fertilizer in sustainable and organic agriculture.

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is the most prevalent Fusarium toxin in Czech wheat samples and therefore forecasting this mycotoxin is a potentially useful tool to prevent it from entering into food chain. The data about DON content in wheat grain, weather conditions during the growing season and cultivation practices from two field experiments conducted in 2002-2005 were used for the development of neural network model designed for DON content prediction. The winning neural network is based on five input variables: a categorial variable - preceding crop, and continuous variables - average April temperature, sum of April precipitation, average temperature 5 days prior to anthesis, sum of precipitation 5 days prior to anthesis. The most important input parameters are the preceding crop and sum of precipitation 5 days prior to anthesis. The weather conditions in April, which are important for inoculum formation on crop debris are also of important contribution to the model. The weather conditions during May and 5 days after anthesis play only an insignificant role for the DON content in grain. The effect of soil cultivation was found inferior for model function as well. The correlation between observed and predicted data using the neural network model reached the coefficient R² = 0.87.

The aim of this research was to determine the slaughter yield, proximate composition, and flesh colour of cultivated and wild perch (Perca fluviatilis). The study material was composed of fish obtained from intense fattening on formulated feed (age 1+, mean body weight (BW 116 g)) and wild specimens caught in a lake (age 3+, BW 119 g). The biometric traits of the two groups of fish did not differ with regard to body weight, total length (Lt), body length (Lc), or condition coefficient (P > 0.01). The cultivated perch had both higher maximum body height (H) and relative body profile (Rp) (P ≤ 0.01). The cultivated perch has a significantly lower slaughter yield (P ≤ 0.01). This dependence stems from the heavier viscera, which included more perivisceral fat and larger liver. Cultivated perch had significantly higher values of the viscerosomatic (VSI; 12.0 vs. 6.4), hepatosomatic (HSI; 1.9 vs. 1.7), and perivisceral fat (IPF; 7.0 vs. 1.2) indices. The analysis of the proximate composition of fillets from wild and cultivated perch indicated that the ratios of protein, fat, water were significantly different (P ≤ 0.01). The higher content of dry matter in the cultivated perch was a result of higher fat and protein contents. The fillets of the two groups of perch differed with regard to the saturation of green and yellow pigment; the cultivated perch exhibited lower values of parameter a* and higher values of parameter b* (P ≤ 0.01).

Land market has started to develop extremely in the Czech Republic since 2002. The annual sale and purchase of estates represented 0.2% of the total land resources between 1993-2001. The sale and the purchase have represented 2.9% of total land resources after 2002 and especially after the EU accession of the Czech Republic. These values of sale are the highest from the EU countries. On the other side, land prices decreased slightly in comparison with the prices before the EU accession. Prices of agricultural land are significantly lower than in the EU 15.

This paper presents the results of a three-year research on the effect of perforated polyethylene foil and polypropylene fibre covering at various lengths of plant cover period (2 and 3 weeks after plant emergence) on the assimilation leaf area of early potato cultivars. In the case of plant covering for 2 weeks after emergence the assimilation leaf area and leaf area index (LAI) at the moment of cover removal were on average 2 times higher than in the cultivation without covering; at the 3-week period of plant covering they were almost 1.7 times higher. A higher favourable effect of covering was obtained in the year with the lowest air temperature in May. The use of the covers at that time increased the assimilation leaf area and LAI 2.5 times and 3 times, respectively. The research showed no significant effect of the type of cover used on the assimilation leaf area and LAI; however, the specific leaf area (SLA) was higher with the use of polypropylene fibre.

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of MHS-genotype and feeding regime on the growth and development of muscle and fatty tissue in the whole body as well as in hams of hybrid pigs. The experiment was carried out on 72 barrows that were divided into 4 groups regarding the MHS-genotype (NN and Nn) and feeding regime (standard and intensive). Data necessary to determine the volume of examined tissues were obtained by means of magnetic resonance tomography. During the fattening period there were no statistically significant differences between pig groups with respect to total lean content of the body although the feeding regime effect in the finishing fattening phase was on the margin of statistical significance (P = 0.057). Differences between investigated groups with respect to the lean content in hams were not significant either. Results of this research lead to a conclusion that different feeding regimes and MHS genetic status of pigs do not have a significant influence on the growth of muscle and fatty tissue in hams.

Potassium is one of the most important nutrients for plants and its content in the soil should be monitored. In the precision agriculture, which is recommended now, the ion selective electrodes are tested to determine chemical properties of the soil. The objective of this work was an evaluation of use of the valinomycin-based ion selective sensors for determination of assimilated potassium in Egner-Rhiem soil extracts. Flame photometry was used as a reference method. Results obtained from potentiometric and photometric methods in soil extracts correlated linearly (R² = 0.84). Analysis of soil extracts by the ion selective electrodes is simple and there is not a need for calcium ions precipitation.

The paper deals with the occurrence of fungi and rusts, viruses and insects on main woody species in riparian stands along the middle courses of the Slatina and Hron rivers in Slovakiain 2002-2004. Forty fungal species, rusts and viruses and 79 insect species were found. The highest number of fungi occurred on the branches and twigs of poplar where Cryptodiaporthe populea (Sacc.) Butin and Phellinus igniarius (L.) Quél. had the highest representation and so the influence on the health condition. Melampsora alliipopulina Kleb., Poplar mosaic carlavirus, Venturia po-pulina (Vuill.) Fabr. and Venturia tremulae Aderh dominated on the leaves. The most frequently present fungus on the aspen was Armillaria sp., Phellinus igniarius (L.) Quél., on the alder a new hybrid from the genus Phytophthora - alder Phytophthora, Valsa oxystoma Rehm., Inonotus radiatus (Sowerby) P. Karst. and Inonotus obliquus (Fr.) Pilát. From the insect species Melasoma vigintipunctata Scop. and Phyllodecta vitellinae L. caused total defoliation on willows. The highest occurrence on the black poplar was on the leaf stalks represented by Pemphigus spirothecae Pass. species, on the alder it was Cryptorrhinchidius lapathi L. on the twigs and Agelastica alni L. on the leaves.

Management of natural resources in the context of sustainable development can be defined as the economic management of natural resources to allow their perpetual and undiminished supply. At the same time, use of the local natural resources should contribute to the economic and social development of the local community. It is vitally important to emphasize the role of local participation and knowledge. Experience, understanding, and expertise need to be assessed to help to determine the most effective roles for local individuals within the sustainable natural resource project. This assessment and its implications for the economy, community and protection of natural resources at the state, regional and local levels are a subject for case study.