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There are 80% municipalities under one thousand inhabitants in the CzechRepublic. The population trend observed in the region ofSouth Bohemia has proved a long-term and gradated depopulation of such small municipalities. While population has fallen in municipalities under one thousand inhabitants, towns and municipalities with more than one thousand inhabitants show the opposite trend. The possibility of changing this trend seems to lay in the state help for small municipalities parallel with the expected change of the situation after the EU accession because it is very probable, that many young families will be looking for the financially more convenient living in the country.

The analysis is made in the set of the selected foodstuffs wholesales in the Slovak Republic and shows their differences from the viewpoint of the size (sale place 15 m2-1 300 m2 , storage space 106 m2-6 500 m2 ), number of workers (1-81) and yearly turnover (219 thousand SKK-2 748 thousand SKK). The main part of wholesales is operated by owners (83%) and a small part (17%) is on lease. From the viewpoint of location, the wholesales are situated in the centre of town (50%) and village (27%). The rest is located in the habitations and suburbs of town. The competitive wholesales (43%) are situated in the distance from 11 to 500 m. The highest labour productivity was obtained at the wholesale with location in the suburbs of town and the distance from competitive firms is about 500-1 000 m. Suitable results were achieved in the wholesales on lease with location in the suburbs of towns. The efficiency of wholesales was affected by the main factors, including the number of workers, size of sale place and storage space which determined up to the 92% of the volume of yearly turnover.

In 1998 and 1999 a total of 84 samples of corn, predominantly from localities in southern and central Moravia, were collected either directly from fields (entire ears at harvest maturity) or as grain from merchants. The objectives of the experiments were (a) to determine, on the basis of the results from mycological and toxicological analyses, the basic spectrum of fungal contaminants of corn in the Czech Republic with special reference to the genus Fusarium, and (b) to determine by enzyme immunoassay the presence of major toxic metabolites such as deoxynivalenol (DON), T-2 toxin (T-2), zearalenone (ZEA), and fumonisins (FUM) in grain samples. From naturally infected corn, representatives of seven fungal genera were isolated under in vitro conditions in both harvest years. Most frequent were species of the genus Fusarium (mean contamination of 44.6%). The next frequent genus was Stemphylium (29.3%). Eight species of Fusarium were found. In both years the most frequent species was Fusarium graminearum (1998 - 42.75%, 1999 - 41.8%), followed by F. culmorum. DON was found in 95.2% of the samples; its content ranged from 25 to 285 µg/kg. The content of T-2 varied more than that of DON, ranging from 12 to 875 µg/kg. Zearalenone content was more varied than that of the trichothecene-type compounds; 17% of the samples did not contain ZEA, the maximum content was 110 µg/kg. No FUM were found in 17% of the samples; in the others, FUM ranged from 12 to nearly 1000 µg/kg. Compared with the other three compounds, fumonisins showed generally the highest levels.

An effective and fast method for determination of deoxynivalenol (DON) in cereals and flours has been developed. The immunoaffinity column was used for the isolation of DON from wheat, corn, rice and flour extract. The determination was carried out by using the HPLC/UV method. The limit of detection was 0.02 mg/kg. The recoveries for the assay range 0.1 to 2 mg/kg were generally higher than 80%, ranging from 83 to 96% with an average relative standard deviation of 3.8%. The trueness of the method using the DON test - HPLC column was established by use of certified reference material CRM 379. The certified value was 0.67 mg/kg. The result obtained from three replicates was 0.68 ± 0.05 mg/kg. The corresponding confidence interval at 95% probability ranged from 0.63 to 0.73 mg/kg. A comparative study of the DON testTM - HPLC/UV and the Mycosep 225 - GC/ECD methods was carried out. Six naturally contaminated wheat samples were analysed by both methods. Linear regression analysis demonstrates that DON testTM - HPLC is a statistically significant predictor of the GC/ECD method using the Romer Mycosep 225 column.

Field resistance can contribute to reductions in epidemic progress of Septoria tritici in winter wheat. Crop growth andcanopy architecture are identified as key mechanisms of field resistance. Near isogenic lines differing for dwarfing (Rht)and photoperiod sensitivity (Ppd) genes, enabled the study of target traits in a constant background of genetic resistance.Epidemics were consistently earlier in shorter crops across a range of environments. The mechanism for this effect wasidentified as an increase in spore arrival due to a reduction in the required dispersal distance between infective tissueand emerging upper culm leaves.

The occurrence and virulence of wheat yellow rust in Hungary was studied in the period of 1999-2001. Yellow rust in Hungary occurred only in traces in 1999, strongly spread and reached epidemic level in Röjtökmuzsaj (West Hungary) in 2000, and the epidemic explosion was in the whole country in 2001. Surveys of yellow rust showed the importance of pathotypes, whose virulence spectra (virulent for Yr2, Yr3, Yr6, Yr7, Yr8, Yr9, Yr17, YrA+, YrCV, YrSD) were able to math the unknown resistance genes. Among 78 Hungarian and foreign cultivars 29 were strongly infected by yellow rust.

In 1999-2001 in field trials two different apple scab control strategies were compared: (i) the current strategy - conventional disease management (CDM) and (ii) integrated disease management (IDM), according to scab infection periods. A new scab warning equipment METOS^R-D was used for detection of infection periods and forecast of disease intensity at three levels: light, moderate and severe. According to CDM apple-trees were sprayed 9 times a season. Scab warning equipment gave a possibility to optimize the use of fungicides against scab and to reduce the total spray applications per season in average till 6.3 in very susceptible cultivars and 5 in moderately susceptible ones. This is 30 and 44% less spray applications comparing with CDM. Annual spray program ranged from 5 till 8 spray applications of very susceptible cultivars. CDM and IDM gave high scab control in apple-trees and there was not found any essential difference in scab incidence between two control strategies.

Both spring and winter barley were sown after a forecrop of winter rape. Three registered model varieties of six row and two row winter barley reached in the period 1999-2001 significantly higher yield than three model varieties of spring barley. Two row spring and winter varieties produced significantly higher thousand grain weight (TGW) than six row winter barley. The resistance to diseases and lodging (correlation coefficient with resistance to powdery mildew represent 0.68**, rust 0.72*, lodging 0.61**) was the most important factor determining the yield. Resistance to rust has influenced sieving on 2.5 mm, correlation coefficient reached value 0.88**. No significant differences were determined in any malting quality parameter when varieties of two row winter barley variety (Tiffany), and spring barley varieties (Akcent and Tolar) were compared. Variety Tolar reached higher parameters for friability and a beta glucan content. Between years, significant differences were found in following parameters: protein content and apparent degree of attenuation. Due to reduction of area sown with spring barley and reduced yield potential, two row winter barley varieties with comparable malting parameters are recommended to be cultivated as the reserve crop for malting barley industry demands.

The goal of the investigations was to assess the average contents of heavy metals (Pb, Zn and Cd) in the surface soil layer (0-30 cm), in drainage water and their uptake by growing plants, in the experimental amelioration field for four different variants of drainpipe spacing (15, 20, 25 and 30 m) during the three-year period. Maize and winter wheat were grown in all variants throughout the trial period. In all variants of drainpipe spacing, heavy metals in soil, drainage water and plant material were within the limits. The highest average level of Pb was 13.5 mg/kg, Zn 88 mg/kg and Cd 0.7 mg/kg in soil. Drainage water concentration of heavy metals was below 50 µg/dm³ for Pb, below 2 µg/dm³ for Cd, while the highest average value of Zn amounted to 20 µg/dm³. In grain of the crops grown, the concentration of Pb was below 0.4 mg.kg-1 and that of Cd below 0.1 mg/kg.

Counter immunoelectrophoresis (CIE) was used for the detection of species-specific muscle proteins in food products. This technique allowed the detection of pork, beef, poultry, or and kangaroo meats in heat-processed products at concentrations below 1.5%. CIE is based on the use of species-specific polyclonal antibodies prepared by immunisation of rabbits with heat-stable antigens extracted from visibly fat-free muscular tissue heated to 75°C, 100°C, or 120°C for 30 minutes. Adulterations in terms of declared product compositions were demonstrated by this method in 7 of the 50 tested commercial products.

A new method for evaluating damage caused by tenthredinids to Norway spruce stands is based on defoliation of the top whorls. A scale with four classes of defoliation was established that is easy to use. Defoliation can be displayed graphically on a grid map (Central European system), in which the map fi elds are delimited by parallels of latitude (6 by 6 minutes) and meridians (10 by 10 minutes) with an approximate size of 11.2 × 12.0 km. The degree of defoliation for an entire forest can be marked by circles of different size in the map field. The range and intensity of an infestation, and the change in defoliation from year to year are easily seen.

Internal and external entropy are indicators of evaluation of the success of the firm management. The evaluation of the file of the chosen agricultural firms shows, that the level of internal and external entropy is not too high for the future dynamics and development. Competitiveness of the evaluated firms can be influenced especially by problematic level of their interior social situation (it means social subsystem measured with the help of the internal entropy) that is connected with a not very efficient management of the human resources.

The paper is a part of the solution of the research plan of the FBE MUAF in Brno, No. GAMSM 431100007, and it is focused on the analysis of factors influencing competitiveness of the wine-growing and viniculture. This paper is based on the hypothesis that the competitiveness of the viniculture and wine sector could be influenced, amongst other things, by specific national conditions as defined by "Porter's diamond". This essay deals with factor conditions like the total area of vineyards, the average per hectare yield of grapes, the total wine production and wine consumption including the foreign trade with this commodity. The comparison of the chosen national conditions is made within the EU member states and also within six candidate countries - Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia and the Czech Republic.

Systemic induced resistance (SIR) in a plant enhances disease resistance to a broad spectrum of pathogens. Under climate chamber conditions, oxalic acid's ability to elicit SIR in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) against wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici (Fol) was tested with a susceptible cultivar (Danish Export). Oxalic acid (OA) was sprayed onto the green part of the tomato plants, at concentrations 2.5, 5, 10, and 20 mM. Two days later, each plant was challenged with 10 ml of Fol suspension (10⁶ conidia/ml) inoculated into the soil around the root system. After inoculation, disease incidence (DI) was quantified visually to assess SIR expression. OA-induced resistance (concentration-dependent) by otherwise susceptible tomato plants was obtained.

It is indispensable to have accurate and speedy method of nematodes detection considering their great deal of malignancy nematodes. For identification of Meloidogyne incognita genetic primers were designed and the procedure was attested by Polymerase Chain Reaction.

As tobacco black shank epidemics caused by Phytophthora nicotianae occurred in central Italy in the late 1990s, fungal antagonists of the pathogen were searched in the rhizosphere of tobacco plants. Isolates of Aspergillus sydowii, Fusarium chlamydosporum, Gliocladium roseum, Penicillium brevicompactum, P. chrysogenum, Scopulariopsis candida and Trichoderma harzianum were recovered. Antagonism of these isolates toward P. nicotianae was evaluated in vitro: even if no hyphal interactions were observed in dual cultures, aberration in mycelial growth and morphology of sporangia occurred in most cases. Unlike those of T. harzianum, concentrated culture filtrates of A. sydowii, F. chlamydosporum, G. roseum, P. brevicompactum, P. chrysogenum, inhibited growth of all P. nicotianae isolates tested, while culture filtrates of S. candida caused aberrant mycelial growth.

Trace elements with a low mobility and with a low transfer are Cu, As, Be, V, Cr, Hg. Copper has at low mobility an increased transfer quotient (content plant/soil). The lowest mobility and transfer show Cr and Hg. Only at the very high contents or increased mobilities of trace elements, which accompany the anthropogenic contamination, soil critical loading for crops can be attained. Because of the amount of the examined extremes, it was not possible to derive the proper critical values. Therefore we were able to assess only critical protective values. They represent minimum total contents of trace elements or their mobile forms, which eliminate risks.

Glucosinolates with Brassica genus as secondary metabolites have a lot of functions and effects. Glucosinolates form less than 2% of the overall sulphur content at the beginning of vegetation in different parts of the plants and during growth their content is decreasing and forms less than 0.1%. This low representation doubts their storage function. With its chemical composition, they are ranked among natural pesticides with active and passive resistance against diseases and pests. They show repellent effects and properties of natural biofumigators in soil after ploughing in their biomass as green fertilizing, or after ploughing in after harvest the leftovers of rape. The principle of these effects is decomposition products of glucosinolates - bioactive isothiocyanates. Very important from this point of view are turnip rape Rex and Brassica juncea, whose content of these compounds is the highest one and they are resistant against the attack of Ceutorrhynchus pleurostigma. The same effect showed also when attacked by Phoma lingam. With other winter Brassicas either hybrid or linea and summer rape is this defensive system suppressed because of their lowered content due to breeding interferences, leading to limitation of their anti-nutritional negative effects. It is possible to state the final result after finding out the production of the above matter, roots, and after evaluation of the sorbal characteristics of the soil and evaluation of the state of health of the following crop or vegetable. After this overall analysis, it will be possible to evaluate the biofumigation properties of accessible varieties of the Brassica genus.

The efficiency of the application of organic and inorganic additives on the reduction of mobility and transfer of As, Cd, Pb and Zn from the soil into the plants was observed. The dung, compost, acid peat and muck presented organic additives. Synthetic zeolite - type Pc of cubic structure, loamy shale and dolomite limestone presented inorganic additives. Five soil types were used during the testing (arenic regosol, typic cambisol, dystric cambisol, typic chernozem and typic fluvisol). The changeover of the mobility of As, Cd, Pb a Zn in the soil (the ratio of mobile and total contents, sequential analysis) and the transfer of the elements from the soil into the plants (the vegetables, cereals and fodder plants) were investigated. The results showed the primary importance of the soil pH value on the behaviour of potentially toxic elements and their intake by the plants. The efficiency of the use of organic additives strongly depended on the quality of the organic matter. Inorganic additives on the base of the sorbents worked in the case of mobile hazardous elements (Cd, Zn). The efficiency of the soil additives was strongly influenced by the soil type.

The laboratory incubation with glucose treatment was carried out in order to estimate the possible effects of increased microbial activity on heavy metal availability. The soils from vicinity of a lead smelter operating for more than 200 years were used for the experiment. The DTPA-extractable heavy metal contents increased after glucose addition and mostly reached the highest values the second day of the incubation. The comparative study, where the chloroform fumigation was used prior to the incubation in order to decrease the microbial activities, showed especially from second day of incubation significantly lower DTPA-extractable metal contents compared to non-fumigated treatments. The interactions among the maximum possible availability of DTPA-extractable heavy metal fractions and native soil microbial characteristics were studied in differently contaminated arable and grassland soils. Irrespective of different heavy metal contents in soils, significant correlations were found among the maximum percentage increase of DTPA-extractable Pb and Cd and the ratio Bc/TOC and metabolic quotient (qCO₂) which may be a result of the important role of organic matter and microbial characteristics in soils on the heavy metal availability.

Winter hardiness of genotypes pre-selected from Cerapadus × Prunus avium L. crosses was studied for 3 years (2000-2002) in comparison with clonal cherry rootstocks, presently grown in the Czech Republic using artificial freezing of the budwood applied just after the phase of deep dormancy. With a temperature drop to freezing, both the mean and the maximum rate of general frost injury was markedly increased. The greatest damage of the tested material (roughly at the level of LD 50 on the average) occurred after the application of combined low temperatures -25°C for 4 hours + -20°C for 66 hours. The results of laboratory tests were compared with the damage of natural frost that occurred during the first half of January, 2002. The single observed years did not differ from each other in the extent of injury, on the average. From standard cherry rootstocks, P-HL-B was generally the most sensitive to freeze injury. Its weak winter hardiness was approximately the same, or even somewhat worse, than that of rootstock Colt. The rootstock P-HL-C was classified as medium sensitive to winter frosts, while rootstock P-HL-A was scored as winter hardy. The average frost injury score of all 48 selected Cerapadus × Prunus avium L. genotypes included in the study was 6.7, whereas that of all control cherry rootstocks was only 5.9. According to the results of this study, the tested genotypes were classified into 5 groups with different classes of frost resistance or susceptibility. The most frequent was the class of medium resistance. The following five genotypes were the most winter hardy: CPH VODÁRNA, CPH 43, CPH 17, CPH 22 and CPH 49. On the basis of the obtained results, suggestions for improving testing procedures are also given.

The objectives of this study are to determine the relationship between crown characteristics and the radial increment of beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and to specify the characteristics of beech trees with the radial increment above the average in the Świętokrzyski National Park. The following relationships have been found: the radial increment of beech increases as the degree of the freedom of the light part of the crown from neighbouring trees increases, and the increase in the relative crown length causes a significant increase in the radial increment. Most of the best growing beech trees are characterized by the light part of the crown confined in an area of up to about 55%, and the relative crown length spanning the range of 55% (trees 61 to 80 years of age at b.h.) to 76% (trees 21 to 40 years of age at b.h).

Physical, chemical and microbiological properties of soils were studied in black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) stands and compared with those in stands of natural species composition, in mixed stands of black walnut with linden and in pure oak stands. The objectives were to consider a possibility of black walnut planting at floodplain sites in the alluvial area of Southern Moravia. The first results did not show any worsening of soil properties and soil production potential. A positive amelioration effect of soil- improving species was proved in black walnut stands.

The focus of this article is on the emerging private farming in Slovakia, mainly on newly re-established class of private farms. The aim is to analyse the wants and the needs and the current situation of farming entities represented through the sample of 412 farmers spread in two production areas in South and Northwest Slovakia. In the questionnaires, farmers were asked not only about the objectives but as well about their subjective feelings of their current situation in terms of economy, their life standard and their planes to the future.

In late August of 2001 a population of Metcalfa pruinosa (Say, 1830) consisting of several dozens of adults and larvae was observed in a nursery of ornamentals at Brno-Bystrc. The species occurred mostly on young twigs of cultivars of Thuja occidentalis L., Juniperus communis L. and Sorbus aucuparia L. but also Lilium spp. and singly on other various wood and herbal ornamental plants. The damage was rather of an aesthetic kind: young twigs were covered by 5-10 cm long spots of waxy fluff produced by the larvae. The pest is native to North America and was introduced in the late 1970's to Italy, from where it spread to southern France, Slovenia and southern Austria. The Brno population might have been imported, in the egg stage, on ornamental shrubs from Italy. The polyphagous pest is very common in Southern Europe, causing damage especially on fruit trees by the secretion of honeydew that, being colonised by Capnodiaceae moulds, inhibits the transpiration. The species could stay permanently in theCzechRepublic or could be repeatedly imported again.

Side effect of two herbicides (iodosulfuron-methyl/Na + mefenpyr-diethyl = Husar and isoproturon = Tolkan) on micromycetes on winter wheat was study. Herbicide treatment reduced the whole number of fungi and number of genera in phyllosphere. It reduced number of the rhizosphere fungal genera, too. Population of Chrysosporium sp. markedly increased after Husar application, whereas population of Trichoderma harzianum was markedly reduced. Tested herbicides inhibited the development of Fusarium avenaceum on wheat leaves. Iodosulfuron-methyl/Na + mefenpyr-diethyl significantly reduced the growth of F. avenaceum in vitro.

In order to identify components of the defence signalling network that may contribute to the establishment of disease resistance, we generated a novel PR-1::Luciferase transgenic line which was deployed in an imaging based screen to uncover novel defence-related mutants. Approximately, 5000 ethylmethane sulfonate (EMS) lines and 30 000 activation tagged lines were generated and screened for enhanced LUC activity via ultra low light imaging.