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Neoscytalidium Dimidiatum isolates are the most pathogens associated with sooty canker and dieback in the stem and twigs of Eucalyptus and Chinaberry trees in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Young trees showed branch dieback and yellowing leaves. The symptoms were further developed to sooty canker and dieback appeared on the main branch and trunk. N. dimidiatum colonies on potato dextrose agar were dense white at first and became dark gray to black within seven to ten days. Arthric dark brown conidia (6.6x 4.3 µm) were observed in the chain of mycelium. The color of the colonies was white at the beginning, then eventually turned greenish in seven days, and finally became black. The fungus produced white to olivaceous aerial mycelium with chains of chlamydospores and arthroconidia. Conidia were initially hyaline, ellipsoidal to globose, 4.1-9.8 m × 2.8-3.5m, with muriform septa. The inoculated Eucalyptus and Chinaberry seedlings displayed necrosis streaks along with the barks and xylem of the inoculation points. Combined dataset of internal transcribed spacer (ITS), Nuclear Ribosomal Large Subunite (LSU), and Beta tublin 2a (Bt2a) using Maximum Likelihood and Maximum Parsimony analysis support the monophyletic on Neoscytalidium dimidiatum isolates from Iraq (N. hyalinum (No. B21), and Neoscytalidium novaehollandiae (No. B22)). This is the first time to report Neoscytalidium dimidiatum on Chinaberry in Iraq.

The use of vermiliquers obtained from earthworm in hydroponic crops is well received as alternative for fertilization of leafy vegetables. The vermiliquer boosts growth, defense compounds and increases the uptake of nutrients and minerals by plants. The growth and enzymatic activities related to stress and phenolic compounds were explored in hydroponic lettuce crops treated with different concentrations of vermiliquer. The treatments consisted in three different vermiliquer, a Mesh Vermiwash, a Direct Vermiwash, and the Vermileachate, and its combinations as a complement for complete fertilization. The addition of vermiliquer to hydroponic lettuce affected the leaf and root fresh weight, and reactive oxygen species like superoxide dismutase (SOD) or phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL). Vermileachate (Vl) plus Direct Vermiwash treatment was higher in the first week in leaf and root lettuce, indicating an effect biostimulant. Vl gave the highest enzymatic activity in SOD and PAL, indicating an effect elicitor. In summary, vermiwash proved to improve hydroponic lettuce crop and enzymatic activities related to stress.

This study uses rheological models to describe the mechanical behaviour of oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) under compression loading. The oil palm empty fruit bunches were obtained from North Sumatra, Indonesia. The rheological models for different fraction sizes of the mechanical behaviour under compression loading were developed based on a mathematical concept involving spring and dashpot components. The dependencies between fraction size, viscosity, and modulus elasticity were determined and mathematically described for each branch of the rheological model. The general rheological model was developed based on the defined dependencies, considering the deformation and fraction sizes. The determined rheological models and their components could be used as a fundamental building block of digital twins of oil palm empty fruit bunches, and they could be used to optimise the compressing technology and increase the efficiency of the entire pressing process.

The aim of the present study was to analyse the effect of ultrasound (US) on the isolation and properties of oat starch. Starch isolation was done by a water extraction method and with sonication for 30 (US30), 45 (US45) and 60 (US60) min. The highest starch yield was found in US45 as 49.04 g·100 g^–1 of oat flour when the extraction time decreased from 6 h to 45 min. The functional properties of starches, such as bulk density, water solubility index, dispersibility and water absorption capacity, ranged from 0.65 to 0.80 g·mL^–1, 3.22 to 5.75%, 78 to 87.5% and 84.23 to 95.87%, respectively. US45 had lower bulk density and higher dispersibility than other starches. US treatments decreased the gelatinisation temperature ranges and increased the gelatinisation enthalpy values. The enthalpy of the gelatinisation value of oat starch was found as 8.45 J·g^–1 and increased with sonication up to 13.65 J·g^–1. Retrogradation endotherms were observed after 6 days of storage, and enthalpies of retrogradation were lower than in the gelatinised starches. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra showed that US treatment did not affect the functional groups of oat starch. US application during oat starch isolation gave desired results, such as time reduction, higher yields and increased functional properties.

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

Tail biting in pigs represents a very serious problem in modern pig farming, particularly with the intensification of the industry. It is considered a multifactorial syndrome and can be caused by various factors, leading to significant economic losses through reduced weight gain and partial or total condemnation of slaughtered carcasses due to secondary bacterial infections. The aim of this article is to summarise the current knowledge regarding tail biting in pigs, with a primary focus on the use of slaughterhouses for evaluating tail lesions and monitoring their prevalence. The introduction addresses the factors influencing the incidence of tail biting in pig farms and prevention strategies. Subsequent sections cover topics such as tail docking, the negative effects of pig tail biting, the advantages and drawbacks of examining tail lesions in slaughterhouses, and the methodical procedure for evaluating such lesions. Additionally, the article discusses the relationship between tail lesions and meat inspection findings, as well as the prevalence of tail lesions in various European countries.

Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) has been implicated in mammalian testicular and epididymal development. This study aimed to investigate ERK expression in the immature and mature testes and epididymides of bulls. We evaluated ERK expression using immunoblot analysis and immunohistochemistry. Immunoblot analysis revealed that immature bull testes and epididymides had higher phosphorylated ERK (pERK) expression than mature bull testes and epididymides. pERK immunoreactivity was higher in immature epididymides than in immature testes. pERK was localised mostly in spermatogonia, undifferentiated sustentacular (Sertoli) cells, and interstitial (Leydig) cells in immature testes, as well as in some spermatocytes and spermatids in mature testes. In immature epididymides, the body and tail had higher pERK expression than the head, whereas pERK was broadly distributed throughout the stereocilia, basal cells, and connective tissues. pERK distribution in the head of mature epididymides was similar to that in immature epididymides, whereas few connective tissue cells were expressed in the body and tail of mature epididymides. Collectively, these results suggest that ERK is expressed in the testis and epididymis of immature and mature bulls with varying intensities, and the role of ERK in male reproductive organs may include the specific function of its development.

A traditional Czech bakery white bread product is commonly made with directly mixed dough with the addition of yeast. In order to be able to reduce the salt content of the final product without compromising its acceptability to consumers, the dough was prepared with the addition of pre-ferments and wheat sourdoughs. The aim was to deepen the flavour background of the product and thus have a positive effect on its sensory properties. Wheat sourdoughs were prepared and tested using starter cultures and matured under different conditions. The resulting products were tested both sensorially and by means of precise physical methods.

Weed identification and controlling systems are gaining great attention and are very effective for large productivity in the agriculture sector. Currently, farmers are facing a weed control and management problem, and to tackle this challenge precision agriculture in the form of selective spraying is much-needed practice. In this article, we introduce a novel framework for a weed identification system that leverages (hybrid) the robust and relevant features of deep learning models, such as convolutional neural network (CNN) and handcrafted features. First, we apply the image pre-processing and augmentation techniques for image quality and dataset size enhancement. Then, we apply handcrafted feature extraction techniques, such as local binary pattern (LBP) and histogram of oriented gradients (HOG) to extract texture and shape features from the input. We also apply the deep learning model, such as CNN, to capture the relevant semantic features. Lastly, we concatenate the features extracted from a different domain and explore the performance using different classifiers. We achieved better performance and classification accuracy in the presence of the extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) classifier. The achieved results witnessed the effectiveness and applicability of the given method and the importance of concatenated features.

Steinernema glaseri is a potential biocontrol agent against white grubs of the Phyllophaga spp. complex; however, its suitability for in vitro multiplication has been scarcely investigated. In this study, the effects of the surface culture of NJ-43 strain with its symbiotic bacteria Xenorhabdus poinarii on egg-yolk agar (P2), chicken-liver agar and nutrient meat-peptone (MP) agar on infective juvenile (IJ) productivity and their virulence against Galleria mellonella larvae were investigated. The bacteria on the surface of the agar were first incubated in darkness at 30 °C for 54–102 h, and then 100 surface-sterilised IJs were added. After two harvests, the accumulated productivity was higher on chicken-liver agar (536 × 103 IJs/m2 day) and P2 agar (534 × 103 IJs/m2 day) than on nutrient MP agar (58 × 103 IJs/m2 day). The mean virulence of the in vitro produced IJs was 46–60% and showed no statistically significant difference among the three culture media. In conclusion, the maximum multiplication factor of S. glaseri NJ-43 on solid media was 385, and its original virulence was retained.

Alfalfa is an important leguminous plant, yield and quality depend on the growing environment, while effects of drought and heat stress on alfalfa leaves are unknown. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of exogenous ascorbic acid (AsA) on photosynthesis, chlorophyll fluorescence, and xanthophyll cycle in alfalfa leaves subject to under drought and heat stress. The results suggest that drought and heat stress caused decreases in the net photosynthetic rate (P_n) in alfalfa leaves, but stomatal conductance (g_s), transpiration rate (T_r), and intercellular CO₂ concentration (c_i) were increased. The application of AsA could alleviate these changes to some extent. Besides, the decreased photosystem II (PSII) maximum photochemical efficiency (F_v/F_m) and violaxanthin (V) contents and significantly increased non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) levels. The increased NPQ corresponds to the de-epoxidation state (DPS) of xanthophyll pigments. In the AsA-pretreated alfalfa plants, the F_v/F_m and the NPQ were elevated, indicating that AsA could alleviate the adverse effects on photosynthesis induced by this stress. The violaxanthin de-epoxidase (VDE) enzyme activity was inhibited by drought and heat stress, and AsA significantly increased VDE enzymatic activity on the 2^nd and 8^th days. In summary, photoinhibition of PSII occurred in alfalfa leaves under drought and heat stress, resulting in decreased photosynthetic activity. Exogenous AsA can enhance the photosynthetic capacity of the plant, and enhance the drought and heat resistance of alfalfa.

Heat resistance of bacteria is a factor potentially limiting the production of safety foods. We focused on five Enterobacteriaceae strains related to cheese stretching and sub-pasteurisation experimental temperatures of 50–59 °C. Heat resistance was screened and obtained data were fitted to a classical log-linear model with D-values indicating highly heat-resistant strains used. For example in Klebsiella oxytoca S525, D(50)-value was 96.1 min and D(59)-value 5.1 min. In subsequent detailed measurements, the shape of inactivation curves was sigmoid with defined lag, log-linear and stationary phase. We suggest calculating refined D-values (D^r-values) using only data obtained in log-linear phases, namely D^r(temperature; lag phase). In K. oxytoca S525, the obtained results were: D^r(50; 80.9) = 61.7 min, D^r(53; 12.4) = 36.8 min, D^r(56; < 10) = 10.6 min, and D^r(59; < 3) = 4.3 min. The research of particular inactivation phases can provide interesting findings both in science and industrial practice, especially concerning the passage or persistence of hazardous strains in food processing plants.

The intensification of Alopecurus myosuroides Huds. (black-grass) is becoming a major problem due to its growing resistance to a broad spectrum of acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibiting herbicides. Hence, the present study was conducted to evaluate the resistance level of a black-grass population to iodosulfuron plus mesosulfuron and to identify the underlying resistance mechanism. Dose-response studies revealed that the resistance population is 22 times less sensitive to iodosulfuron plus mesosulfuron than the susceptible population. The probable resistance mechanism identified was the target-site substitution of proline (Pro) by threonine (Thr) at the 197^th position of the ALS enzyme. Furthermore, whole plant response bioassay experiments demonstrated that this population is also resistant to pinoxaden, chlorotoluron, diflufenican plus pendimethalin plus chlorotoluron, fenoxaprop and flufenacet plus diflufenican. In summary, the current findings recommend using alternative herbicides in integrated weed management to interrupt the possible evolution of herbicide resistance in these species.

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of a granular poultry manure fertiliser on the yield and the quality of white cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata), and to determine the effect on the soil agrochemical properties. The effect of the granular poultry manure fertiliser and mineral fertiliser (applied separately and combined at different times – in early spring and in autumn) on the cabbage yields was determined. Investigations were carried out in the fields of the Institute of Horticulture, the Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry. The object of the research – white cabbage ‘Socrates’ H. The highest white cabbage marketable yield (80.5 t/ha) and the highest amount of vitamin C (7.80 mg per 100 g of products) was obtained by applying the granular poultry manure fertiliser in the autumn and the mineral fertiliser in the spring, where the granular poultry manure fertiliser applied in the early spring and the granular poultry manure fertiliser applied in the autumn with the mineral fertiliser applied in spring retained a higher content of humus (1.82–1.94%), organic carbon (1.06–1.12%) and total nitrogen (0.099–0.147%). The mineral nitrogen residue in the soil decreased when the cabbage was fertilised in the spring with the mineral fertiliser and when fertilised in the spring with the mineral fertiliser in combination with the granular poultry manure fertiliser by 8.1–10.8 kg/ha. The minimum content of nitrates in the heads of the white cabbage was found after using the granular poultry manure fertiliser in the autumn.

Wild boar (Sus scrofa L.) is one of the most discussed game species, distributed across Europe, therefore the management of this species is considered important. This management should be based on data presented, population quality and preferences and craniometric dimensions show the development of the individual and its prosperity. A sample of 148 male and 153 female wild boar mandibles was studied to compare differences in craniometric measurements, especially to find out wild boar environmental demands and population trends. The width of the caput mandibulae and angle of the mandible showed significant difference between males and females. Measurements analysed with forest area size and other data also showed that larger craniometric dimensions were reached in hunting areas with at least 200 ha of forested area, which may be due to the wild boar's need for safety and vegetative cover in the first months of piglet development with respect to its home range. The development of young wild boar is dependent on rest and shelter in the first months of life. A forest cover of at least 200 ha appears to be sufficient in this respect. Information on habitat preferences and individual development can lead to improvements in wild boar management.

Rf(fa), a new restoring fertility gene in rice, was previously located to a large region on Chromosome 10. The large number of genes within the region made cloning of Rf(fa) difficult. To perform the cloning and further elucidate the molecular mechanism, we reconstructed a mapping segregation population (BC₁F₁) of 12 000 plants. Using the population and polymorphism of simple sequence repeat (SSR) molecular markers, we finally mapped Rf(fa) between the two SSR molecular markers MM2000 and RM25658, within a 78.87 kb region. By de novo sequencing of a restoring line of CMS-FA hybrid rice, we obtained the genomic sequence of the mapping region, which provided the basis for the prediction of the candidate gene(s) of the target gene and for the comparison of genomic sequence differences between wild and cultivated rice. Within the mapping region, the genomic sequence of the wild rice was significantly different from that of cultivated rice. There were ten genes in the final mapping region. A pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) protein gene was predicted as the candidate gene of Rf(fa). Our results laid a solid foundation for the final cloning and molecular mechanism analysis of the gene. The identified molecular markers tightly linked to Rf(fa) will facilitate the marker assisted selection in breeding of CMS-FA hybrid rice.

The purpose of this research is  to design a rounding cylinder tube on a coffee roaster using an electric heating element that will be used to roast coffee. The roasting process also uses an electric motor to rotate the cylindrical drum so that the stirring process becomes even. The research was conducted using engineering methods including identification of problems, roasting machine design formulation, prototyping, functional testing, and performance testing. The data analysed are roasting capacity, roasting temperature and the need for electrical energy used. The results showed that the roasting capacity was 2.3 kg·h^–1. The serving of coffee for dark roast maturity levels can be ended when the temperature has reached a temperature of 201 °C. The need for electrical energy in the heater for roasting arabica coffee beans with a maturity level of  a dark roast for 1 hour 54 minutes obtained an average value of 3.4 kWh, with the need for electrical energy for roasting arabica coffee beans which is 1.35 kWh.

Apple trees of the cultivar ‘Sampion’ were planted at the Experimental Orchard of National Institute of Horticultural Research in Dąbrowice. In a three-year experiment (2019–2021) the following fertilization combinations were applied: AquaGel (commercial hydrogel), AquaGel combined with a consortium of beneficial bacteria, AquaGel combined with a consortium of beneficial filamentous fungi, organic compost alone, compost combined with a consortium of beneficial bacteria, and compost combined with a consortium of beneficial filamentous fungi. The presence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi was assessed both in the rhizosphere soil and in the roots of apple trees. The results of the study indicate the most advantageous effect of compost combined with bacteria or fungi on the degree of root colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and the formation of their spores in the soil.

Under natural and well-managed conditions, the buffalo has good reproductive and productive indices. However, in vitro embryo production (IVEP) has been used commercially to maximise the number of elite animals. In this species, several factors (donor management, in vitro culture medium, semen, in vitro conditions, embryo transfer) still affect the IVEP results. In addition, the cost of this technique is very high for this purpose. Therefore, more studies, as well as adequate plans, are needed to achieve this objective efficiently. In this review, we discussed the current commercial status, influencing factors (in vivo and in vitro), and the progress and future challenges of IVEP in buffalo. A total of 81 references were used from 1979 to 2022. The relevant data or literature were searched using the following databases: Google, ResearchGate, Science Alert, Science Direct and PubMed, using the following keywords: buffalo oocytes/COCs, buffalo embryos, pregnancy and calving or live birth rate after embryo transfer. The best maturation, cleavage and blastocyst rates in the in vitro production of buffalo embryos were 95.8, 75.2 and 33.4%, respectively. The pregnancy and live birth rates ranged from 22.2% to 43.5% and from 15.3% to 36.5%, respectively, after the transfer of fresh embryos produced in vitro to the recipients. This review will help to contextualise IVEP in buffaloes, as well as create an adequate plan for implementing IVEP in buffaloes.

Nutrition is an important part of the critical care. The goals of this prospective clinical study were to create a scoring system for the assessment of patient nutritional status and to compare continuous and intermittent bolus feeding of enteral nutrition (EN). A total of 38 patients (21 dogs and 17 cats) were divided into Group C (continuous feeding; 23 patients) and Group I (intermittent feeding; 15 patients). The following variables were recorded for each patient in both groups: gastrointestinal (GI) complications, changes in body weight (BW), body condition score (BCS), muscle condition score (MCS), veterinary nutritional status score (VetNSS), length of hospitalisation and outcome. The normality of the data was assessed using the Shapiro-Wilk test. Fisher’s exact test, Mann-Whitney, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, and the t-test were used in statistical analyses. Significant changes were found in VetNSS and BW between the 1^st and 5^th day in Group C. The VetNSS seems to be useful for monitoring the nutritional status of hospitalised patients. Anorectic dogs and cats can be successfully supported with either continuous or intermittent feeding methods with a similar risk of GI complications and outcomes.

Hazelnut is a product with high nutritional and economic value. In maintaining the quality value of hazelnut, the classification process is of great importance. In the present day, the quality classification of hazelnuts and other crops is performed in general manually, and so it is difficult and costly. Performing this classification with modern agricultural techniques is much more important in terms of quality. This study was based on a model intended to detect hazelnut quality. The model is about the establishment of an artificial intelligence-based classification system that can detect the hidden defects of hazelnuts. In the developed model, the visuals used in the dataset are divided into training and test groups. In the model, hazelnuts are divided into 5 classes according to their quality using AlexNet architecture and modern deep learning (DL) techniques instead of traditional hazelnut classification methods. In this model developed based on artificial intelligence, a very good approach was presented with the accurate classification of 99%. Moreover, the values regarding precision and recall were also determined at 98.7% and 99.6%, respectively. This study is important in terms of becoming widespread information technology use and computer-assisted applications in the agricultural economics field such as product classification, quality, and control.

This study examines the impact of agricultural support on crop diversity measured by a diversity index. Our results indicate that agricultural subsidies have a limited effect on agricultural biodiversity. By using unique farm-level data, we show that subsidies support the income of farmers rather than the agricultural biodiversity. The results are robust regarding the size, practice management and altitude of the agricultural holdings' operations and various measures of agricultural biodiversity. However, when interpreting the results, the limitations of biodiversity indices should be considered.

Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a clinical syndrome exhibiting elevation of expired carbon dioxide, hyperthermia, muscle rigidity, rhabdomyolysis, acidosis and hyperkalaemia, as well as cardiac dysrhythmia and renal failure. The syndrome manifests itself as a response to anaesthetic agents, such as e.g., halothane, desflurane, and succinylcholine. Depending on the animal species, MH is characterised by autosomal dominant or recessive inheritance, and so far two genes have been identified whose mutations can be linked to MH: RYR1 and CACNA1S. In different species, various mutations of the RYR1 gene have been described which may underlie MH. One of these mutations in dogs is T1640C, which results in the substitution of alanine for valine of the amino acid 547 (V547A) in the RYR1 protein. In our work, we aimed to investigate MH at the DNA level by identifying the T1640C mutation in a group of 50 dogs. For this purpose we used the PCR-RFLP technique, and in six dogs also direct sequencing of PCR products and subsequent comparison of their sequences with the RYR1 gene sequence in an online database. The results of our study show that none of the dogs analysed had any mutant allele of the RYR1 gene, indicating that none should be affected by MH.

Local people’s socio-economic and natural resources, especially forest resources, have been affected by land degradation in Ethiopia in the past years. To combat this problem, rehabilitation of community-based degraded land has been performed since 1979. Rehabilitation of degraded land (RDL) is important for forest management strategy regarding the regeneration of degraded forests and related resources through women’s empowerment. Because empowered women are key users and managers of resources from rehabilitated land such as forest resources, which leads to sustainable utilization of forest products. The aim of the study was to evaluate women’s participation and empowerment in decision-making regarding the rehabilitation intervention. A total of 120 women households (60 user and 60 non-user
women) were selected using a stratified random sampling method. Data were collected using a household survey, focus group discussion and key informant interviews. The results revealed that there is a significant difference between user and non-user women in fetching water and fuelwood collection time. Furthermore, RDL contributes to improving user women’s economic status and social relationships such as livelihood opportunity, social network, build-up of trust and changes in social assets. The result also indicated that women able to participate in forest-related meetings, land use management, use and control of assets, decision-making, and in soil and water conservation measures. Further, user women had greater awareness compared to non-users due to participation in different meetings and other decision-making activities. The findings suggest that consideration of women’s participation in decision-making regarding the community land rehabilitation program is important to empower women equally with men.

Polycyclic musk compounds are commonly used in personal care products to replace expensive natural fragrances. Due to their huge consumption, they have become a part of the aquatic environment. In the present study, a two-month exposure effect of tonalide on juvenile zebrafish (Danio rerio) was investigated. We determined the vitellogenin concentration to define the potential endocrine-disrupting effect of tonalide and also analysed selected indices to evaluate the induction of oxidative stress. The environmentally relevant concentration of tonalide (i.e., 500 ng/l) caused a significant decrease in the catalase activity (P < 0.05) and a significant increase (P < 0.05) in the lipid peroxidation. An increasing lipid peroxidation was also recorded for the highest concentration group tested (i.e., 50 000 ng/l). On the other hand, no significant changes were recorded in vitellogenin in all the exposed groups. Thus, based on these results, we have not demonstrated the endocrine-disrupting activity of tonalide in zebrafish. The results of the oxidative stress indices showed a significant impairment of the antioxidant defence after the two-month tonalide exposure, which could indicate part of the adaptive response to the tonalide toxicity.

This study was conducted to investigate the resistance of 4 wild eggplant species (Solanum aethiopium group Aculeatum, S. incanum, S. macrocarpon, S. linnaeanum), 3 cultivated eggplant varieties (‘Anamur F1’, ‘Pala’, ‘Yamula’), 1 eggplant rootstock (Köksal F1) and 34 interspecific hybrids to Verticillium dahliae Kleb. and Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. melongenae. Disease resistance of eggplant genotypes was determined by the pathogenicity test. The disease severity values varied between 0–80% for Verticillium and between 0–100% for Fusarium. Among the 42 genotypes, 18 genotypes were found to be moderately resistant and 1 genotype was found to be highly resistant to Verticillium. At the same time, 2 of the 42 genotypes were found to be moderately resistant and 22 of the 42 genotypes were found to be highly resistant to Fusarium. All hybrids with S. integrifollium, Solanum aethiopicum group Gilo as father were found to be highly resistant to Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. melongenae. Solanum linnaeanum did not exhibit any disease symptoms and was found to be highly resistant to both disease agents. Present interspecific hybrid eggplant genotypes with known resistance to Verticillium and Fusarium wilt are expected to have significant contributions in developing new eggplant rootstocks and hybrid eggplant cultivars in the future.

According to the literature, forwarding productivity depends chiefly on log concentration, the number of assortments, mean log volume, load-size, slope, and extraction distance. However, there is not much scientific knowledge available on forwarding in continuous cover forestry (CCF) in boreal forests, nor whether the presence of remaining trees actually affects forwarding productivity. Thus, the objective of our study was to isolate the effect of remaining trees (i.e. stand density) on forwarding productivity during CCF, specifically selection cutting. The results showed that productivity was explained mainly by the log concentration, while other factors had at most minor effects. Most importantly, stand density did not significantly affect forwarding productivity, ceteris paribus. Thus, we conclude that remaining trees do not affect forwarding productivity in boreal forests. Although the study results from this CCF operation must only be cautiously applied to even-aged forestry, our results raise a general question: do we need separate productivity models for thinning and clearcut operations in boreal forests if remaining trees (stand density) do not affect forwarding productivity? Because of the small dataset, we consider our paper to be a pilot study whose findings need to be verified by studies based on larger datasets including several operators and stands.

Triticale (× Triticosecale Wittmack) is a hybrid cereal prepared by crossing wheat and rye. Triticale grain contains substances that have a positive effect on reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, cancer, and type 2 diabetes, as well as increasing body's immune response and intestinal function, which warrants a need for greater attention to research on triticale crop's nutritional composition. This review covers the most recent research on the nutritional composition of triticale grain in comparison to other cereals, its role in the food industry, and its usage as a food, providing a scientific foundation for triticale's further development as a sustainable crop. Due to the wide variety of chemical compounds revealed in triticale grain, it has the potential to be utilised as a substitute cereal for various food and beverages.

While nutrients are administered through various sources and combinations, herbicides are used for pre-plant and pre-emergence weed control in the tomato fields. Therefore, a study was conducted to understand the effects of nutrient fertilisation through inorganic and organic sources along with farmers practice and the application of three herbicides, namely glyphosate, pendimethalin, and metribuzin, individually or in combinations, on earthworm activity in tomato crops. The herbicides caused a significant reduction in earthworm biomass and escapement to the lower 15 cm depth. Application of pendimethalin and metribuzin to soils inorganically fertilised with major and micronutrients resulted in low survival rates and a high ecological risk quotient. The effect was attenuated when farmyard manure was applied. The study suggests that when 2 to 3 herbicides are applied in succession and combined with inorganic fertilisers as nutrient sources, stringent measures like adding organic nutrient sources, applying the correct herbicide combination, etc., must be followed to reduce their toxicity to earthworms. This helps to protect and sustain earthworm activity and biodiversity in the soil.

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