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The Bacillus amyloliquefaciens Y1 strain was evaluated for its effects on soil properties, pepper seedling growth, rhizosphere bacterial flora and soil enzyme activities. Y1 solubilised insoluble phosphate, produced chitinase, and released siderophores in plate detection assay. In order to evaluate the plant growth promotion potential in vivo, strain Y1 was grown in media containing chitin powder and complex fertiliser. The pot experiment was conducted by treating pepper seedlings with C1/1 (Y1 culture, 50 ml), C2/3 (Y1 culture, 33 ml), C1/2 (Y1 culture, 25 ml), F1/1 (complex fertiliser, 50 ml), F1/2 (complex fertiliser, 25 ml), and W (water) at 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 days after transplantation (DAT). Plants receiving Y1 had 52% (C1/2) and 68% (C1/1) more root and shoot biomass than W, and 14% (C1/1) and 18% (C2/3) more compared to F1/1 at 80 DAT. Total numbers of flowers per plant at 80 DAT were found significantly higher with the application of Y1 having 34 (C1/1), 35 (C2/3), and 22 (C1/2) compared to 4 (W), 12 (F1/1) and 10 (F1/2). In addition, chlorophyll content in pepper leaves was found to improve with the application of Y1. Furthermore, Y1 has significantly improved nutritional assimilation of total NPK, population of total culturable bacteria and chitinase producing bacteria and activities of chitinase and dehydrogenase in soil. At 60 and 80 DAT, the number of B. amyloliquefaciens at C1/1, C2/3, and C1/2 ranged from 2.3 × 10⁴ to 4.6 × 10⁴ CFU/g of soil. Our results concluded that B. amyloliquefaciens Y1 has positive effects on soil properties and can be suggested as a bio-fertiliser to minimise fertiliser application in modern agriculture.

Monitoring of grassland dry matter yield (DMY) is important for the economy and ecosystem management, but it is a time-consuming process. Calculating the correlation between compressed height (CH) and DMY is a faster way to estimate DMY. The aim of our study was to use CH in order to predict DMY for a meadow with different fertilization management and plant species composition. Four fertilization treatments and one unfertilized control were established in a mesophilic meadow in the Czech Republic. Using a rising plate meter (RPM), CH was measured before the first and second cuts. In addition, the cover of individual vascular plant species was estimated. Significant correlations between CH and DMY were ranging from 0.41 to 0.79 for treatments without nitrogen fertilization in the first and second cuts; for treatments with nitrogen fertilization there was a significant correlation only in the second cut. According to our results, the RPM method seems to be suitable for a rough DMY estimate for meadows with coverage of about 60% grasses, 10% legumes and 30% forbs. However, considerable changes in the cover of tall forbs (e.g. Urtica dioica L.) or tall grasses (e.g. Dactylis glomerata L.) could be the main sources of DMY estimation inaccuracy.

While it is known that heat treatment of cereal grains generally improves the nutritional value for ruminants, simultaneous information on rumen degradability and intestinal digestibility of the rumen by-pass is scarce, especially for non-starch constituents. The effect of steam flaking at 90°C for 30 min on protein quality of maize, wheat, and barley was studied. In addition to proximal chemical analyses, protein rumen degradability was determined in vitro and intestinal digestibility of rumen undegraded protein was determined using the mobile bag method. No significant effects of steam flaking on chemical composition of cereal grains (crude protein, acid detergent fibre, neutral detergent fibre, and starch) were observed. The protein fractions that are relevant to rumen degradability were significantly influenced by the steam flaking: the non-protein nitrogen fraction (A) was reduced (P < 0.05) by 43-93% for all three cereal grains, whereas the fraction that represents true soluble protein (B1) was reduced (P < 0.05) for wheat grains (by 77%) and barley (by 93%). Although the difference was not significant, a decrease of 41% for B1 fraction was also observed for maize. On the other hand, steam flaking markedly increased buffer insoluble but neutral detergent soluble protein fraction (B2) by 15-25% for all three cereal grains, whereas effects on B3 fraction were not significant. Steam flaking was also associated with an increase of the rumen undegradable protein fraction (C) in the case of barley, from 6.6 to 11.1% of total N (P < 0.05) and wheat, from 5.2 to 8.4% of the total N (P < 0.05). Overall, the changes of the protein fractions led to a considerable increase of the rumen undegradable protein (RUP) for all steam-flaked cereal grains (P < 0.05). Steam flaking also increased (P < 0.05) intestinal digestibility of RUP of the cereal grains (by 3.6-34.8%), leading to a more efficient protein use in ruminants.

The influence of the cultivation of a single crop (potato or winter rye) on mite assemblages was evaluated. Both crops were cultivated in a long-term monoculture (90 years). The response of mites to fertilisation treatment (mineral with manure or mineral alone) was also studied. It was hypothesised that the density of mites as a community and the density of particular mite groups are higher in winter rye crop in comparison with potato. Secondly, the fertilisation with manure is more beneficial for mites than the use of mineral fertilisers alone, both in winter rye and potato crops. Results showed significantly higher mite abundance in potato, mainly due to Prostigmata dominance. Oribatida and Gamasida groups were significantly more numerous in winter rye. The fertilisation type, except for the suborder Astigmata, had no significant influence on the mite community.

Lighvan cheese from ewe and goat milk was produced according to a traditional protocol, and with the addition of 9 log₁₀ cfu/g fresh cells of Bifidobacterium lactis subsp. animalis. Probiotic Lighvan cheese was studied to determine the survival of B. lactis subsp. animalis and biochemical changes during 60 days of ripening of probiotic Lighvan cheese. Lipolysis level and organoleptic assessments were analysed. B. lactis subsp. animalis cells survived in cheese samples at concentrations up to 6.84 log₁₀ cfu/g for at least 60 days of storage time. The lipolysis level increased continuously until the end of the ripening period.The ripening stage was the main factor affecting the cheese sensory properties.

This study mainly estimates the effect of grazing on plant diversity and soil storages on the northern Loess Plateau of China. Four grazing intensities of ungrazed (UG), light (LG), moderate (MG), and heavy (HG) grassland were selected according to the vegetation utilization across the study area, in which plant diversity, heights, above- and belowground biomass, and soil carbon (C) stock were investigated. The results showed that overgrazing negatively affected plant growth and soil C stock. Plant cover, height, litter, above- and belowground productivity, as well as soil C stock significantly decreased with the increasing grazing intensity. Meanwhile, the UG and LG had higher grasses biomass together with lower forbs (P < 0.01) compared with MG and HG. The abundance of dominating grasses species, such as Stipa bungeana and S. grandis were decreased through long-term grazing as grasses species are palatable for herbivores, and the dominating forbs species, such as Artemisia capillaries and Thymus mongolicus were significantly increased with increasing grazing intensities. The results indicated that grazing exclusion or light grazing had positive effects on the sustainable development of grassland ecosystems. Therefore, a balanced use and a long-term efficient management of grasslands were better measures to counteract their local degradations.

Several sets of soil samples were chosen to demonstrate the applicability of the Mehlich 3 extractant for the determination of sulphur (S) in soils. Archived samples from 139 basal soil monitoring plots (BSMS) sampled in 1995 and 2013, samples from eleven long-term field trials sampled in 1981 and 2017, 1167 soil samples from the areas vulnerable to S losses and 720 samples from the non-vulnerable areas sampled in 2010 were chosen for the experiments. Mehlich 3 clearly showed a statistically highly significant decrease in the soil S content caused by reduction of SO₂ emissions in the long-term field experiments from 33 mg/kg in 1981 to 8 mg/kg in 2017 for the median of the untreated controls. Similar results were obtained for BSMS samples, where an average decrease from 26 mg/kg in 1995 to 17 mg/kg in 2013 was found. Mehlich 3 also showed that more than 52% of samples from the areas vulnerable to S losses were in a very low content category in contrast to only 3% of soils from the other areas. Mehlich 3 clearly proved the capacity to distinguish changes in the content of soil S in all studied cases.

Hens of the laying hybrid ISA Brown were used in the study with the objective to evaluate eggshell quality, microbial contamination of eggshells, and penetration of microorganisms into the egg content in different housing systems (enriched cage: 60 hens, 10 hens per cage, 750 cm² per hen vs free range: 60 hens, 9 hens per m²) and at different hen ages (26 vs 51 weeks) during storage time (0, 2, 7, 14, and 21 days). A significant interaction between the housing system and age was observed in egg weight and most of eggshell quality measurements. However, microbial contamination and penetration were affected mostly by the housing system and storage time. The numbers of Escherichia coli (P < 0.001, 4.51 vs 2.75 log cfu/eggshell) and Enterococcus (P < 0.001, 2.56 vs 1.11 log cfu/eggshell), and the total number of microorganisms (P < 0.001, 5.04 vs. 3.65 log cfu/eggshell) were higher in free range eggs compared to enriched cage eggs, respectively. The counts of Escherichia coli (P < 0.001, 4.23 vs 2.91 log cfu/eggshell) and Enterococcus (P < 0.001, 2.31 vs 1.27 log cfu/eggshell) decreased with storage time. A positive correlation between the total number of pores and penetration of Escherichia coli in both housing systems was observed in the albumen. It can be concluded that the housing system and age of laying hens significantly affected eggshell quality. Microbial contamination presumably affects the penetration of microorganisms. The correlation between the number of pores and penetration is assumed to be affected by the microbial species.

hese experiments began with the planting of maiden apple trees of cv. 'Topaz' in 2011. In springtime in 2012-2016, chemical fertilisation (NPK) and various natural bioproducts, namely Fertigo, Micosat, Humus UP, Humus Active + Aktywit PM, Aktywit PM, BioFeed Quality, BioFeed Amin, Vinassa, Florovit Natura and Florovit Eko were applied to the apple trees alone or enriched with Pantoea sp., Pseudomonas fluorescens, Klebsiella oxytoca and Rhizobium bacterial species. Growth, yield and fruit quality parameters were then evaluated. Our results reveal that the trunk cross-sectional area was greatly increased by the addition of the beneficial bacteria to Humus UP, Yeast, Vinassa and Micosat, as compared to NPK chemical fertilisation. Yeast, Vinassa, Micosat, Humus UP and BioFeed Amin enriched with the beneficial bacteria significantly increased fruit weight in kg and the number of fruits compared to the NPK control in 2015 and 2016.

A 7-year-old intact male Rottweiler dog was evaluated for recurrent dysphagia and regurgitation. Physical examination was unremarkable and routine blood works were within normal limits. Computed tomography revealed a defined lesion in the caudal mediastinum arising from the oesophagus. The lesion was excised using intercostal thoracotomy and the histological diagnosis was oesophageal duplication cyst. The dog recovered uneventfully and at a 3-year follow-up no clinical signs were reported. Although extremely rare, oesophageal duplication cysts should be considered in the differential diagnosis in cases of chronic regurgitation and dysphagia associated with evidence of an oesophageal lesion.

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the radiation exposure level of surgeons performing C-arm guided small animal orthopaedic surgery using thermoluminescent dosimeters located inside and outside personnel shielding devices at major body parts. A prospective study was conducted to measure the radiation exposure dose of individuals in three positions (first assistant, operating surgeon and anaesthesiologist) using thermoluminescent dosimeters placed inside and outside protective devices. The lead equivalent protective devices included panorama mask, thyroid shield, apron and arm shield placed at five anatomic sites (eye, thyroid, breast, gonad and hand). Radiation exposure was measured during 12 surgical procedures with mean kVp of 51 and mean mAs of 1.6. The equivalent doses for thyroid, breast and gonad (outside/inside in mSv) were 1.75/0.58, 2.01/0.13 and 3.03/0.11, respectively, for the first assistant and 1.69/1.46, 4.82/0.35 and 5.25/0.22 for the operating surgeon. The dose of eye, thyroid, breast, gonad and arm for the anaesthesiologist were 0.61/0.51, 0.35/0.3, 0.67/0.34, 0.72/0.29 and 0.62/0.35, respectively. The exposure dose to gonads outside the lead protection showed the highest values in all participants. With lead protection, there was a significant reduction in the exposure dose to the gonads (first assistant, 96%; operating surgeon, 96%; anaesthesiologist, 60%). These results suggest that a radiation shield is essential in veterinary surgery with C-arms, particularly for gonad protection. In addition, these results demonstrate that exposure dose decreases with increasing distance from the C-arm machine.

Land, water, sun, infrastructure, capital and know-how are needed for any agricultural development. Sub-Saharan Africa has immense natural resources, though often not immediately available altogether in the same place, but is generally short of the other inputs. That is why a public-private partnership can be an effective approach to deal the projects with modern agricultural development: public partner provides land, most of the infrastructure and finance; private partners provide the intensive farming practice, processing know-how and part of the equity. Financial analysis of lower and higher capital demanding scenarios and testing of the impact of changes in the critical drivers of costs and revenues shown that a combination of staple crops and cash crops can be found to balance national food security policy targets and financial appeal for private partners in a mutually satisfactory venture capital. The effect of environmental and infrastructural constraints was also considered, showing how likely-to-happen threats on the side of the implementation of the project may turn into challenging opportunity to climb the agribusiness value chain upward.

The virulence of the Isaria fumosorosea strain (Ifu13a) against different plant sap-sucking insects such as Jacobiasca formosana Paoli (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae), Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), and Stephanitis nashi Esaki et Takeya (Hemiptera: Tingidae) in laboratory condition at 21 ± 1°C temperature and 78 ± 5% relative humidity was determined. We found that the Ifu13a strain had excellent potential to control the target insects. The mortality of the tested insect species ranged from 81 to 100% in the concentration of 1 × 10⁸ conidia/ml. However, the lowest mortality of 33% was observed in the concentration of 1 × 10⁵ conidia/ml against the S. nashi population. Median lethal times (LT₅₀) were obtained from a regression-probit value which indicated 4.1, 4.1, 4.8, and 7.3 days at a concentration of 1 × 10⁸ conidia/ml, whereas, median lethal concentration dosages (LC₅₀) were calculated as 3.9 × 10³, 6.8 × 10⁴, 3.0 × 10⁴, and 6.9 × 10⁵ conidia/ml against J. formosana, A. gossypii, B. tabaci, and S. nashi, respectively. The present study showed that the Ifu13a fungal strain is highly pathogenic to the target insects, and it can be used as a biocontrol agent against plant sap-sucking insect species under favourable weather conditions.

SYBR Green real-time or quantitative PCR (Q-PCR) is a suitable system in which to establish a multiplex method to detect allergenic ingredients in food. In this study, a triplex Q-PCR method was developed to detect trace amounts of peanut, soybean and sesame in processed food. Specific PCR primer sets were designed and the concentration of the primers used in the triplex PCR was optimised. The triplex method showed high specificity and sensitivity which were similar to those of the simplex method, and it was applied for the detection of allergenic ingredients in commercially available processed food. The results demonstrate that the developed triplex Q-PCR is a quick, reliable and efficient method for the detection of allergenic ingredients in processed food.

Excessive nitrogen (N) and water input, which are threatening the sustainability of conventional agriculture in the North China Plain (NCP), can lead to serious leaching of nitrate-N (NO₃^--N). This study evaluates grain yield, N and water consumption, NO₃^--N accumulation and leaching in conventional and two optimized winter wheat-summer maize double-cropping systems and an organic alfalfa-winter wheat cropping system. The results showed that compared to the conventional cropping system, the optimized systems could reduce N, water consumption and NO₃^--N leaching by 33, 35 and 67-74%, respectively, while producing nearly identical grain yields. In optimized systems, soil NO₃^--N accumulation within the root zone was about 80 kg N/ha most of the time. In the organic system, N input, water consumption and NO₃^--N leaching was reduced even more (by 71, 43 and 92%, respectively, compared to the conventional system). However, grain yield also declined by 46%. In the organic system, NO₃^--N accumulation within the root zone was generally less than 30 kg N/ha. The optimized systems showed a considerable potential to reduce N and water consumption and NO₃^--N leaching while maintaining high grain yields, and thus should be considered for sustainable agricultural development in the NCP.

Egg quality and eggshell ultrastructural properties of four Saudi native chicken breeds were compared to detect genetic differences. A total of 480 laying hens at 28 weeks of age, representing four Saudi native breeds of chicken (black, black-barred, gray, and brown) kept under hot environmental conditions (34 ± 1°C) were randomly assigned to the current experiment. Laying hens were housed in individual cages in an open-sided house during hot summer season. A total of 360 intact eggs were randomly collected (90 from each breed) for egg quality assessment. Eggshell samples were prepared to evaluate ultrastructural measurements using a scanning electron microscope. No significant variations between the breeds concerning egg weight, egg-shape index, yolk index, albumen (%), yolk (%), shell (%), and shell thickness traits were detected. Brown breed showed significantly higher Haugh units compared to the other breeds. Moreover, brown breed scored the best for eggshell breaking strength trait (the highest crack resistance), followed by gray, black, and black-barred breeds, respectively (P < 0.005). Total ultrastructural score for mammillary layer measurements was significantly higher in black-barred breed if compared with black, brown, and gray breeds. Gray, brown, and black Saudi native breeds had an outstanding eggshell ultrastructure and, in turn, stiffer and stronger eggshell comparable with black-barred counterpart under high ambient temperatures. At the national level, for cross-breeding and selection programs aimed at producing good quality table and hatching eggs the use of gray, brown, and black breeds can be recommended due to excellent ultrastructural properties of their eggshell.

The aim of this study was to describe the influence of pelvis rotation on the projected radiographic position of the femoral head in relationship to the acetabulum in the standard ventrodorsal hip extended view, i.e. Norberg angle, pelvic thickness at the level of the cranial effective acetabular rim, femoral head subluxation index, femoral head subluxation category and femoral head-acetabular distance. Twelve adult dogs of large and giant breeds were radiographed in standard hip extended view and with 2°, 4° and 6° of rotation on the right and left sides. Norberg angle, pelvic thickness, subluxation index, subluxation category and femoral head-acetabular distance were measured on radiographs and analysed comparing a normal position with positions of different degrees of rotation for the dependent and non-dependent side. All the studied parameters showed adequate repeatability. Norberg angle and femoral head-acetabular distance did not show significant mean differences in all degrees of rotated pelvis (P > 0.05). The pelvic thickness showed an increase with the degree of rotation on the dependent side (P < 0.05) and a slight decrease on the non-dependent side (P > 0.05). The subluxation index and subluxation category showed an increase with the degree of rotation on the dependent side and a decrease on the non-dependent side (P < 0.05). As the subluxation index and subluxation category are parameters used in the classification of the main international hip dysplasia scoring systems, pelvic rotation can impair the final hip score, especially in scoring systems that are based on the worst joint.

The host resistance level of pure line materials was assessed in the genepool for the purpose of breeding. The highest resistance to the pathogen was observed in bell-type pepper. Moreover, genetic diversity of pure lines was investigated using selected inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) primers. Generally, genetic markers showed genetic diversity, so that long-type pure lines were separated from the other accessions. This is the first report on host reactions of Turkish pure lines as breeding material. These results provide significant information for future pepper breeding programs.

The objective of the present work was to determine changes in total sugars, reducing sugars and sucrose content in potato tubers under conditions involving an application of biostimulants and herbicides. Research material included table potato tubers obtained in a three-year field experiment. The experiment was a split-plot design with three replicates. The factors were as follows: factor I - three table potato cultivars (Bartek, Gawin and Honorata), factor II - five methods of biostimulant and herbicide application (1. control - without biostimulants or herbicides; 2. Harrier 295 ZC (linuron + chlomazon); 3. Harrier 295 ZC (linuron + chlomazon) and growth regulator Kelpak^®SL; 4. Sencor 70 WG (metribuzin); 5. Sencor 70 WG (metribuzin) and growth regulator Asahi^®SL. Variance analysis demonstrated that total sugars, reducing sugars and sucrose content were affected by the biostimulants and herbicides applied as well as cultivars and weather conditions. Compared with control, a significant increase in total sugars followed an application of Sencor 70 WG as well as Sencor 70 WG and the growth regulator Asahi^®SL whereas reducing sugars and sucrose content significantly increased after Sencor 70 WG and the growth regulator Asahi^®SL were applied.

The textural characteristics of onion slices (Allium cepa L.) of 3- and 7-mm thicknesses undergoing convective drying (50, 60, and 70°C) and microwave drying (68, 204, and 340 W real effective power levels) techniques with or without pre-treatment were evaluated. Pre-treatment consisted of dipping into brine solution (8% NaCl). Texture profile analysis at 25% compression was applied and hardness, chewiness, springiness and gumminess values of onions were recorded. As the temperature (convective) or real effective power level (microwave) increased, the hardness and chewiness levels of dried onion slices were enhanced. The values of these parameters were higher in response to microwave application compared to convective drying. Pre-treatment had an additive effect on hardness and chewiness in convectively dried samples. Maximum springiness was observed in response to convective drying. Dipping in brine solution generally caused no significant changes among slices of the same thickness (P < 0.05). With respect to gumminess, the results were quite similar to those for hardness and chewiness, i.e., markedly higher in microwave-dried onions.

The present paper summarized some knowledge of modern technologies, applied in apple (Malus domestica) genome studies. New generation sequencing allowed single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip technologies for genotyping, description of functional apple genes, characterization of the evolutionary results in apple genome fragment transition, as well as phylogenetic reconstruction of the genus Malus, being the confirmed progeny of M. sieviersii. Based on these technologies, newly developed putative markers may give the most important biological data such as age, geographical origins, tissue type determination, and external visible characters. The new generation genotyping platforms, representing very high efficiency, are now successfully applied for random apple genome-wide association (GWA) studies as well pedigree-based analysis and marker-assisted selection (MAS).

The aim of this research is to estimate the influence of a bioeffector (BE) application on dry matter yield and nutrient content (P, K, Ca, Mg, S) in maize (Zea mays L.). Between 2014 and 2016, a field experiment with silage maize as a testing plant was realized on sandy loam Cambisol. The application of Pseudomonas sp. in combination with phosphorus (rock phosphate (RP) or triple superphosphate (TSP)) and nitrogen fertilizers (ammonium nitrate with urea, ammonium nitrate with limestone, calcium nitrate or ammonium sulfate with a nitrification inhibitor) and with different application strategies was studied. The effects of a bioeffector application on the increase of dry matter yields were not confirmed. An important influence on the BE application and its activity was probably those of soil and site conditions and competition of the researched microorganisms with other present microorganisms. Higher yields of dry matter were shown in treatments where P fertilizers were applied. There was almost no difference between the application of RP and TSP. This could be caused by the fact that the soil had a slightly acidic pH value. In this case, the RP showed similar results to the TSP. The application of bioeffector significantly increased Mg, K and S contents in maize above-ground biomass. An increase of the Ca content was almost significant and a tendency towards a higher average content of phosphorus was also recorded.

Spectral data contain information on soil organic and mineral composition, which can be useful for soil quality monitoring. The objective of research was to evaluate hyperspectral visible and near infrared reflectance (VNIR) spectroscopy for field-scale prediction of soil properties and assessment of factors affecting soil spectra. Two hundred soil samples taken from the experiment field (soil depth: 30 cm; sampling grid: 15 × 15 m) were scanned using portable spectroradiometer (350-1050 nm) to identify spectral differences of soil treated with ten different rates of mineral nitrogen (N) fertilizer (0-300 kg N/ha). Principal component analysis revealed distinction between higher- and lower-N level treatments conditioned by differences in soil pH, texture and soil organic matter (SOM) composition. Partial least square regression resulted in very strong correlation and low root mean square error (RMSE) between predicted and measured values for the calibration (C) and validation (V) dataset, respectively (SOM, %: R_C² = 0.75 and R_V² = 0.74; RMSE_C = 0.334 and RMSE_V = 0.346; soil pH: R_C² = 0.78 and R_V² = 0.62; RMSE_C = 0.448 and RMSE_V = 0.591). Results indicated that hyperspectral VNIR spectroscopy is an efficient method for measurement of soil functional attributes within precision farming framework.

The method of establishing directly sown annual flower beds has its benefits as well as problems. One of them is particularly surface weeding before sowing. The aim of the experiment was to find a solution to this problem, i.e. whether covering sowing substrates can suppress the germination and growth of weeds and improve growth parameters of annuals. The certified seed mixture of annuals and three variants of substrates that differed in ability to retain water were chosen for the experiment. Substrate A contained 70% vol. of sand and 30% vol. of peat; substrate B 50% vol. of sand, 20% vol. of siliceous marlite, 30% vol. of peat; and substrate C 30% vol. of sand, 40% vol. of siliceous marlite, 30% vol. of peat. In the control variant annuals were sown directly into the soil. The experiment was established in two different sites. Development of the mixture was monitored and evaluated all the season; the coverage with annuals and weed, the height of annuals and flowering time were evaluated. According to the results the use of sowing substrates ensured the successful development of mixtures of annuals, particularly in the initial stand development.

A 9.5-year-old male Belgian malinois dog died after showing clinical symptoms that included fatigue, anorexia and dyspnoea. Necropsy revealed macroscopic findings in the brain and other organs. A solitary, brown-red-coloured mass, approximately 0.5 cm thick and 1.5 × 2 cm in diameter, was detected on the right side of the medulla oblongata, pons and cerebellum. The cut surface showed no invasion of the brain parenchyma. Histologically, the neoplasm was characterised by proliferation of endothelial cells, which showed epithelioid and spindle cell features. Some tumour cells had intracytoplasmic lumen formations containing red blood cells. The nuclei of the tumour cells were large and vesicular. In immunohistochemical experiments the tumour cells stained positive for factor VIII-related antigen, CD31 and CD34. A description is provided of the features of this epithelioid and spindle-cell haemangioendothelioma (EHE) that originated from vessels of the meninges in the subarachnoid space.

A 14-year-old neutered female Yorkshire terrier presented with a rapidly growing gluteal mass. There was a history of surgical resection of a mass diagnosed as a grade two soft tissue sarcoma in the same region a year earlier. The second mass was surgically excised and histopathologically diagnosed as grade two soft tissue sarcoma. A further relapse occurred six months after the second surgery. On that occasion, the dog was treated with metronomic chemotherapy consisting of cyclophosphamide and piroxicam, which failed to adequately control the disease and the mass increased 2.5-fold in size in three weeks. Imatinib treatment was started, after which there was a 62% reduction in the size of the mass. The patient has remained in partial remission for five months. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report on the use of imatinib to treat canine soft tissue sarcoma. Imatinib might be a useful treatment for soft tissue sarcoma that recurs after surgical resection.

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

We investigated moth larvae (Lepidoptera) developing in temperate forests in Central Europe shortly after the tree budburst (the "brumata-viridana complex"). Larvae were collected in southern Slovakia in May 2015 and May 2016 from young and mature trees of late flushing Quercus cerris L. and early flushing Q. pubescens Willd. Although Q. cerris yielded fewer species (40 species) than Q. pubescens (47 species), the rarefied number of species and the Chao index suggested a similar number of species on mature trees of both oak species. Both the total number of moth larvae in assemblages and the abundance of dominant species (pests) were significantly lower on Q. cerris than Q. pubescens. The results suggest the release of Q. cerris with delayed budburst from heavy infestations by folivorous moth larvae. Knowledge obtained can be applied in silvicultural and horticultural practices aimed to protect and maintain forest, fruit, and ornamental trees.

The Antisense 4CL gene was transfected into alfalfa through Agrobacterium-mediated transfer. The test results indicated that the antisense 4CL gene was successfully integrated into the genome DNA of alfalfa and was stably transmitted to the offspring. Compared to the wild-type plants, the lignin content of T₀ and T₁ generation plants was reduced by 45.77% and 31.97%, respectively; there were no significant differences in height and weight of T₀ and T₁ plants, compared to the wild-type plants. However, the transgenic plant differed from the wild-type plant by softer stems and leaves, larger leaves, fewer flowers and a fewer seeds. The T₀ line was susceptible to disease infection, but significantly improved in the second year. The results suggest that the 4CL gene from Amorpha fruticosa can be used to regulate lignin biosynthesis in transgenic forage crops.

The boron (B) availability and uptake were studied in relation to different phosphorus rates applied into soils in a three-year field experiment (2015-2017). The experiment was carried out at the experimental station at Humpolec (Bohemian-Moravian Highlands, Czech Republic). Three rates of phosphorus (20-40-80 kg P/ha) were applied as triple superphosphate. The crop rotation was spring barley-winter oilseed rape-winter wheat. No systematic fertilization with B was used and the response of natural boron soil content to the different phosphorus supply was studied. The crop yields, B content in plants, B-uptake, and content of B (extracted by Mehlich 3 and NH₄ acetate methods) were determined. Spring barley and winter wheat B uptake was about one order of magnitude lower in comparison with oilseed rape. Significant differences in B content in soils, in crop tissues and B-uptake, were found mainly under higher phosphorus doses (40 and 80 kg P/ha). NH₄ acetate method showed better correlations between P and B contents in soils than Mehlich 3 method from the second experimental year. The P-fertilization may affect negatively the B-uptake by plants, particularly if the highly nutrient demanding crop is grown.