Fulltext search in archive

The effects were evaluated of different factors on the level of spontaneous (SPO) and induced (IND) lipolysis as defined by the content of free fatty acids (FFA) in milk. Milk samples were collected at monthly intervals throughout the year from both morning and evening milkings either individually in a milking parlour (SPO; n = 10) or from the bulk tank (IND; n = 10). The data were analysed using SAS 9.1. More intensive SPO was observed from March to May with higher FFA contents (+0.034 to +0.523 mmol/100 g of fat; P < 0.05-0.01), and also from September to November (+0.077 to +0.292 mmol/100 g of fat; P < 0.05). More intensive SPO was also detected in the evening milk than in that coming from morning milking (+0.062 to +0.556 mmol/100 g of fat; P < 0.05-0.01). SPO measured immediately after milking was affected by the season and time of milking. The content of FFA characterising IND in bulk milk (0.33-1.10 mmol/100 g of fat) was higher (P < 0.05-0.001) than that due to SPO in individual samples (0.21-0.86 mmol/100 g of fat), especially in those from evening milking compared to morning milking (+0.10 to +0.47 vs. +0.12 to +0.22 mmol/100 g of fat; P < 0.05-0.001).

The utilisation of food consumption databases is widespread and involves for example, the risk assessment, understanding of consumers' food consumption trends, health education, and planning of prevention projects. Harmonisation of national consumption data for international comparison is an important and challenging work. First attempts started in the 70's and have been continuing up to now. The present study gives an overview of the collection methods, types and utilisation of food consumption data, as well of the most important phases of the international harmonisation work. As this study shows, it is crucial to harmonise the surveys parameters like the time of the data collection, method, number of participants, and number of the analysed days for an internationally comparable consumption database. From this point of view, the efforts of the EU menu project are promising.

Plant's nitrogen (N) requirement that is not fulfilled by available N in soil has to be supplied externally through chemical fertilizers. A reliable estimate of soil N-supplying capacity (NSC) is therefore essential for efficient fertilizer use. In this study involving a pot experiment with twenty acidic soils varying widely in properties, we evaluated six chemical indices of soil N-availability viz. organic carbon (C_org), total N (N_tot), acid and alkaline-KMnO₄ extractable-N, hot KCl extractable-N (KCl-N) and phosphate-borate buffer extractable-N (PBB-N), based on their strength of correlation with available-N values obtained through aerobic incubation (AI-N) and anaerobic incubation (ANI-N), and also with the dry matter yield (DMY), N percentage and plant (maize) N uptake (PNU). In general, the soils showed large variability in NSC as indicated by variability in PNU which ranged from 598 to 1026 mg/pot. Correlations of the N-availability indices with AI-N and ANI-N decreased in the order: PBB-N (r = 0.784** and 0.901**) > KCl-N (r = 0.773** and 0.743**) > acid KMnO₄-N (r = 0.575** and 0.651**) ≥ C_org (r = 0.591** and 0.531**) ≥ alkaline KMnO₄-N (r = 0.394** and 0.548**) > N_tot (r = 0.297** and 0.273*). Of all the indices evaluated, PBB-N showed the best correlations with plant parameters as well (r = 0.790** and 0.793** for DMY and PNU, respectively). Based on the highest correlations of PBB-N with biological indices as well as plant responses, we propose PBB-N as an appropriate index of N-availability in the acidic soils of India and other regions with similar soils.

Fertilization of crops with pig manure is a common practice throughout the world. Nevertheless, due to the relatively high copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) contents in pig manure, continuous application of pig manure could have negative effects on soil and plant. The study aimed at the impacts of long-term applying different pig manure rates (equivalently 0, 100, 250 and 500 kg total N/ha/year from 2002 to 2008 and 0, 10, 25 and 50 t fresh weight/ha/year from 2009 to 2011, respectively) on Cu and Zn accumulation in soil and plant. During the 10 years of the experiment, a total of 2.04 to 10.20 kg/ha/year for Cu, 3.15 to 15.73 kg/ha/year for Zn were applied to the soil. Results from this study showed that long-term pig manure application resulted in serious accumulation of Cu and Zn in soil, total Cu and Zn concentrations increased by 204% and 107% at high application rates, respectively. Although topsoil Cu and Zn concentrations were below concentrations considered phytotoxic to crops, according to current Chinese legislation, it would take only less time than 16 and 27 years of high application rates to reach the allowable limits. Our result also suggested that Cu and Zn leaching occurred in the tested soil. The Cu and Zn concentrations in stalks and grains were not affected by the application of pig manure, and these values were lower than the threshold values for animal and human ingestion.

The study aimed at an evaluation of fattening and slaughter performance as well as meat quality of the native Złotnicka Spotted (ZS) pigs and its crosses with Duroc pigs. The experimental material comprised 60 fatteners, divided into three genetic groups of 20 animals (100% ZS, 75% ZS and 50% ZS). The specific character of conservative breeding results in low values of fattening and slaughter performance traits observed in ZS breed. Among the analysed groups, animals with 100% share of ZS genes in their genotype were characterised by low daily weight gains (0.59 kg), considerable backfat thickness (34.96 mm), slight muscle thickness (48.05 mm), and low leanness (41.83%). These parameters were higher in both groups of crosses. Differences between the 100% ZS group and the 50% ZS group were significant for backfat thickness and highly significant for leanness. Acidity and colour parameters analysis showed that meat from all the genetic groups analysed was characterised by a good quality. The highest pH₄₅ values were in the 75% ZS group, and meat from this group had the darkest colour (L* = 49.73) and the highest red colour share (a* = 5.11). Statistical analyses showed that ZS breed retained its original traits through the years of breeding. It was confirmed that meat of Złotnicka Spotted breed is characterised by excellent quality. The results indicate that ZS and Duroc breeds crossing improves fattening and slaughter performance, while maintaining good meat quality in their crosses. Results of this study may also be used by breeders. They indicate that crosses of both the breeds kept in extensive breeding may be successfully used in high quality meat production. Pork from such animals may be a raw material for market niche production, such as regional products. The use of meat from crosses in meat processing may improve both quality of the processed products and efficiency of production based on the native Złotnicka Spotted breed.

A bacteriocin-like substance (BLS) producing Enterococcus faecium CE5-1 was isolated from the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of Thai indigenous chickens. Investigations of its probiotic potential were carried out. The competition between the BLS probiotic strain and antibiotic-resistant enterococci was also studied. Ent. faecium CE5-1 exhibited a good tolerance to pH 3.0 after 2 h and in 7% fresh chicken bile after 6 h, but the viability of Ent. faecium CE5-1 decreased by about 2-3 log CFU/ml after 2 h incubation in pH 2.5. It was susceptible to the antibiotics tested (tetracycline, erythromycin, penicillin G, and vancomycin). The maximum BLS production from Ent. faecium CE5-1 was observed at 15 h of cultivation. It showed activity against Listeria monocytogenes DMST17303, Pediococcus pentosaceus 3CE27, Lactobacillus sakei subsp. sakei JCM1157, and antibiotic-resistant enterococci. The detection by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in the enterocin structural gene determined the presence of enterocin A gene in Ent. faecium CE5-1 only. Ent. faecium CE5-1 showed the highest inhibitory activity against two antibiotic-resistant Ent. faecalis VanB (from 6.68 to 4.29 log CFU/ml) and Ent. gallinarum VanC (from 6.76 to 4.31 log CFU/ml) after 12 h of co-cultivation. The results show the future possible use of Ent. faecium CE5-1 as a probiotic strain for livestock to control antibiotic-resistant enterococci.

Transmissible venereal tumours (TVT) are normally seen on the genitalia of both male and female dogs, and at times may be observed on extra-genital sites such as lips, oral mucosa, and peritoneum, or in organs such as the tonsils, eye, liver, spleen, kidney, lung, and musculature. The present communication deals with two rare cases of primary extragenital TVT involving the mammary glands of dogs and their pathology and immunohistochemistry. The study indicated that apart from routinely used markers such as vimentin, p53, PCNA, Ki-67 and c-myc, the oncogenes Rb and cyclin D1 proved to be novel markers of TVT in dogs. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of extra-genital mammary TVT in canines.

Forest fires under conditions of the Czech Republic are evaluated from the aspect of their frequency of occurrence in 1992-2004 at a level of particular years, seasons, days and daytime, and causes of their origin. They are confronted with a situation in the CR in 1974-1983. Effects of climatic conditions are a limiting factor not only for the frequency of their origin but also for the size of the burnt area. Spring (April) and summer (August) culminations were balanced. The burnt area of the best part of forest fires (88.9%) was < 1 ha. The increased frequency of forest fires was noted in afternoon hours and during weekends. Areas threatened by fires are characterized by the increased visit number. In the spectrum of causes, a dominant position is taken up by fire raising, smoking and management in the forest. Railway operation and lightning represent minority causes of the origin of forest fires. In the course of the year, the structure of forest fire origin changes depending on activities in the forest and visit number.

This paper assesses the effects of the performance of the OECD national economies and agricultural sectors on the farm producer support for the years 1986 to 2009. The study is complementary to the large amount of microeconomic research that highlights the importance of support to agricultural industry. Data for the analysis are taken from the OECD Producer and Consumer Support Estimates database and the World Bank World Development Indicators 2010 database. The Producer Support Estimate - PSE (expressed in absolute value, in percent of the total farm revenues and per 1 hectare of agricultural land) was taken as the dependent variable, whereas the selected indicators describing the performance of the economies (e.g. GDP per capita, unemployment, fiscal balance, government debt, government expense and tax revenue, exchange rate, agriculture share in GDP and employment, agricultural raw materials exports and imports) were the independent variables. Utilizing these variables, a simple linear regression analysis was conducted and resulted in many significant associations. In the period analyzed, there was a wide gap between the most and least farm supporting countries in terms of the annual average percentage PSE and the PSE per hectare. Substantial differences between the countries in the variability of the PSE over the time occurred. The empirical results obtained from the regression models reveal, among other, that when the countries were becoming richer, the percentage PSE was generally decreasing. Mixed results were obtained for the relationship between the percentage PSE and unemployment, as in some countries it was negative, while in the others positive. Expansionary fiscal policy exerted opposite effects on the PSE in different countries. Labour productivity in agriculture was inversely correlated with the percentage PSE.

A particularly advantageous method of monitoring the flight and calculating the median was used. An example is given in order to understand better the calculation. The medians show that the timing is similar at different latitudes despite local phenological differences. The difference in median flight times between Finland and the Czech Republic was five days on average, but phenological differences are about a month, shown by a comparison of temperatures, the monitoring of buds on spruce, and by the stage of the carrot plants. During the attack by T. apicalis the carrot plants are younger towards north what is unusual in Psyllidae. In extreme north locations as Finland the genetic triggering for flight could not be realised by the strong declining of temperatures. Flight occurs here substantially later as to local photoperiodicity but is the earliest as to phenology, including carrot plants. The very small plants during flight are much more damaged here than the well-developed plants in central Europe.

A reduction in the water available to plants will lend increasing importance to the dynamics of water uptake and to the water use efficiency (WUE) of cereals. The effect of drought on the water use efficiency of winter cereals was investigated in a greenhouse experiment in the Centre for Agricultural Research. The effect of water deficiency on the water use properties was studied by measuring changes in the grain weight, thousand-kernel weight and aboveground biomass. The water use efficiency of wheat varieties generally ranged from 1.5-2.3 kg/m³ and 1.06-2.0 kg/m³ in the case of optimum and limited water supplies, respectively, while these figures were 1.4 kg/m³ and 0.8 kg/m³ for winter barley and 0.8 kg/m³ and 0.5 kg/m³ for winter oat. Investigation on the relationship between harvest index (HI) and WUE was found that the harvest index is only one indicator of drought tolerance; but the stability of HI under non-optimum environmental conditions also needs to be determined.

The paper presents the contents of phosphorus and potassium available in soil, soil sorption properties against the activity of alkaline and acid phosphatase. The fertilisation applied involved P, K, Mg, Ca and S: (P K Mg Ca S), (K Mg Ca S), (P Mg Ca S), (P K Ca S), (P K Mg S), (P K Mg Ca) as well as nitrogen fertilisation at the following rates: 0, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250 kg N/ha. The application of high nitrogen rates with no liming applied resulted in an unfavourable increase in hydrolytic acidity and a decrease in the total bases, cation exchange capacity as well as the sorption complex saturation with bases. According to the criteria provided in PN-R-04023, the soil investigated can be classified as the 3^rd class with an average available phosphorus (P_E-R). The analysis of Luvisol salinity demonstrated that the unbalanced mineral fertilisation applied did not trigger any chemical degradation. Significant values of the coefficients of correlation were recorded between the activity of alkaline and acid phosphatase and the parameters investigated (hydrolytic acidity, total exchangeable, base stauration, P_E-R). The calculated enzymatic index of soil pH (AlP/AcP) ranged from 0.11 to 0.72.

This article describes two cases of augmentation of ruptured tendon with fresh frozen Achilles tendon allograft (FFATA) in dogs. Case 1 was a two-year-old crossbreed dog (29 kg) that presented with an open wound on the right forelimb and with complete rupture of the flexor carpi ulnaris and superficial digital flexor tendons. Case 2 was a four-year-old crossbreed dog (4 kg) with partial ruptures of the patellar tendon and detachment of the tibial tuberosity in the right hind limb. In both cases, the ends of the ruptured tendon were sutured and apposed after debridement. To minimize suture failure, FFATA (cut to sufficient size) was placed across the primary suture with tension and sutured to the host tendon. In addition, Case 2 received a Krackow suture through a transverse bone tunnel made in the tibia to fix the patellar tendon along with the tibial tuberosity in situ. The surgical areas healed without any evidence of exaggerated inflammatory response or clinical signs consistent with rejection of the allograft. Both the dogs had normal ambulation and weight bearing on the affected limb 12 weeks postoperatively. No postoperative complications were observed during a one-year follow up period except for slight contracture of the carpus and digits of the affected limb in Case 1. Thus, ruptured tendons can be successfully repaired using suture and augmentation with FFCTA. Augmentation with FFATA may provide additional stability, which counters tension on the primary repair and reduces the chance of gap formation or suture failure in case of reconstruction of the damaged tendon in dogs.

Erythromycin-resistant Campylobacter were isolated from pig, cattle, and poultry carcasses slaughtered in Poland between 2008 and 2011. A total of 1335 strains were examined and among them 20 (1.5%) showed a high level of erythromycin resistance (≥ 32 mg/l) as determined by the microbroth dilution method. All these isolates were C. coli and mainly originated from poultry (15 strains). PCR amplification or DNA sequencing identified the mutation A2075G in the 23S rRNA gene in all strains tested. The vast majority of such C. coli were also resistant to quinolones, tetracyclines, and streptomycin whereas none of them revealed resistance to gentamycin. Furthermore, several isolates (14; 70.0%) displayed multi-resistance pattern against quinolones, aminoglycosides, and tetracyclines. PCR analysis identified several putative virulence genes such as cadF, flaA, and iam (present in all erythromycin resistant isolates) as well as the cdtA and flhA markers (19 and 16 strains, respectively) among C. coli tested. On the other hand, only two out of 20 isolates were positive for the ciaB and docA genes. Furthermore, none of the analysed strains had the virB11 and wlaN markers. A molecular relationship determination of the erythromycin-resistant C. coli performed by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) revealed 17 different types. This reflects the high genetic diversity among the examined isolates. The results obtained suggest that erythromycin-resistant C. coli from food-producing animals may represent an underestimated potential health risk for consumers.

The study described in this paper was undertaken in order to assess the impact of different woody plants on the dynamics of phenolic acids in soil. The influence of plant litter on the amount of phenolic compounds occurring in soils beneath several deciduous and coniferous tree species was examined in pot experiments. The contents of endogenous methanol soluble free and conjugated phenolic acids in Norway spruce, larch, rowan and two species of willow were determined. We focused on the dynamics of water-soluble and reversibly bound phenolic acid contents in the upper layers of soil substrates in pots after the cultivation of studied woody plants.

Experiments on the preying capability of different stages of larvae of coccinellid and syrphid flies on the mustard aphid, Lipaphis erysimi (Kalt.), were conducted in a laboratory during the winter cropping seasons of 2009-2010 and 2010-2011. Results revealed that grubs of the Coccinella septempunctata Linn. preyed the highest number of mustard aphids (average 61.42 aphids/day) followed by Syrphus confrater Wied (34.81 aphids/day), Syrphus balteatus Deg. (32.26 aphids/day) and Ischiodon scutellaris Fab. (27.76 aphids/day) during their larval span. Among the larval stages of the coccinellid and syrphid predators, it was also analysed that the last juvenile stage of the predators was proved the mightiest devourer against the aphid L. erysimi. These predators could be used effectively for the management of L. erysimi on rapeseed-mustard crop.

The effects of land use practices on soil fauna, especially earthworms, are poorly known in coastal saline agricultural soils. Here we compare earthworm communities in six types of land use practice in the coastal region of China's Bohai Bay, namely uncultivated saline soil, two orchard (pear and winter jujube) lands, man-made forests (chinese ash), vegetable land and cropped land (maize). In addition, we recorded selected physicochemical properties of the soil. Soil organic matter content and total N were significantly higher under pear orchard and vegetable land than under the other land use practices, and their lowest values were observed from uncultivated saline soil. Vegetable land and pear orchard land showed a significantly higher abundance of earthworms than the other land use practices, whereas no earthworm was found in uncultivated saline soil. The sites under individual practices supported one to three earthworm species. Aporrectodea trapezoides species was present under four types of land use practice, and the biomass of this species accounted for more than 60% of the community. Vegetable land and pear orchard land supported richer earthworm community than the other land use practices, dominated by Aporrectodea trapezoides and Drawida japonica. These preliminary results indicated that land use practices have substantial effects on the abundance and composition of earthworm communities in saline soils.

The research results have shown that the enzyme pH index (0.49-0.83) confirmed the neutral or alkaline nature of the soils. Neither the changes in the content of available phosphorus nor in the activity of dehydrogenases, catalase, alkaline and acid phosphatase in soil were due to the factors triggering soil salinity; they were a result of the naturally high content of carbon of organic compounds, which was statistically verified with the analysis of correlation between the parameters. There were recorded highly significant values of the coefficients of correlation between the content of available phosphorus in soil and the activity of alkaline (r = 0.96; P < 0.05) and acid phosphatase (r = 0.91; P < 0.05) as well as dehydrogenase (r = 0.90; P < 0.05). To sum up, one can state that Mollic Gleysols in Inowrocław are the soils undergoing seasonal salinity; however, a high content of ions responsible for salinity is balanced with a high content of organic carbon, humus, phosphorus and calcium directly affecting the fertility of the soils analyzed. The activity of the enzymes depended on the natural content of carbon of organic compounds and not on the factors affecting the soil salinity, which points to the potential of such tests for soil environment monitoring.

To investigate the ecological safety of Beauveria bassiana in soil, we evaluated the effects of different concentrations of B. bassiana spores suspensions and acephate on paddy soil microbial flora and enzyme activities in a potted trial. Results showed that B. bassiana can increase the quantity of bacteria and fungi on day 10 and 30, while it showed inhibition on actinomycetes growth on day 10. However, acephate reduced the quantity of bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes in soil. Investigation of enzyme activities revealed that invertase activity declined during prophase, while urease activity decreased later in B. bassiana treatment groups, and there were no significant changes in alkaline phosphatase or dehydrogenase activity. Acephate showed higher inhibition rates of enzymes. B. bassiana treatment at lower concentrations showed a higher yield. Overall, compared with the acephate, B. bassiana is an effective, environmentally friendly microbial pesticide in this system.

The study investigated the consequences of maternal undernutrition during late pregnancy on hormonal status and metabolic changes in neonatal lambs. Four ewes out of twenty-eight multiparous ewes mated at a synchronized oestrus were slaughtered at day 90 of pregnancy to collect fetal blood to serve as an initial comparison group. Twenty-four animals were divided into three groups and offered 0.18 MJ ME.kg^-0.75per day (restricted group 1, RG1), 0.33 MJ ME.kg^-0.75per day (restricted group 2, RG2), and control group (ad libitum CG) during late pregnancy, respectively. Immediately after parturition, blood was collected from the neonatal lambs in each group and analyzed for growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), IGF-II, insulin (INS), thyroxine (T₄), triiodothyronine (T₃), glucose (GLU), nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), and total amino acid (TAA), respectively. The results indicated that the maternal undernutrition during late gestation decreased the average lamb birth weight in both RG1 (P < 0.01) and RG2 (P < 0.05) compared to CG. During the late fetal development period, the concentrations of T4, INS, and IGF-I of neonatal lambs in CG were increased (P < 0.05) compared to those at day 90 of pregnancy; the secretions of T₄, INS, and IGF-I in RG1 and RG2 during restriction were suppressed. The neonatal INS concentrations in RG1 and RG2 were decreased (P < 0.05), but the neonatal GH concentration in RG1 was greater than that of CG (P < 0.05). The GLU concentrations of neonatal lambs in RG1 were lower than those of CG (P < 0.05). However, the neonatal NEFA (P < 0.05) and TAA (P < 0.01) concentrations in RG1 were greater than those of CG. Thus, maternal undernutrition can change the hormonal and metabolic status of neonatal lambs, which may have significant implications on postnatal growth and adult health.

The objective of the present study was to examine if luteal blood flow (LBF) monitoring could be used as an additional prognostic tool for early pregnancy diagnosis, and we particularly focused on the differences in LBF between pregnant and nonpregnant mares. Furthermore, other possible developmental differences of corpus luteum (CL) between pregnant and nonpregnant mares were evaluated. The CL (n = 119) of 27 mares were monitored once daily in B- and Power-Doppler Mode on days 1, 2, 9, 12, and 16 after ovulation (day 0 = ovulation). The data were evaluated using the MIXED Linear Model with repeated measures, and parameters were estimated by the REML method. The course of LBF, area of CL, and pixel intensity differed in nonpregnant mares on a day-to-day basis in contrast to more stable values in pregnant mares. Further, the profiles of the courses were identical until day 9, but since day 12 the differences between pregnant and nonpregnant mares started to be prominent. The LBF, pixel intensity, and level of progesterone (P4) were similar in all mares until day 16, when smaller LBF, lower pixel intensity, and lower levels of P4 were found in nonpregnant mares (P = 0.04, P = 0.02, P < 0.05, respectively). In pregnant and nonpregnant mares the LBF was weakly (r = 0.29 in both) and pixel intensity strongly (r = 0.48 and 0.59, respectively) correlated to the levels of P4. LBF was strongly correlated to the area of CL in pregnant as well as nonpregnant mares (r = 0.72 and 0.64, respectively). In accordance with the results presented in our study we can state that LBF monitoring is not a suitable tool for early pregnancy diagnosis or prognosis as the differences between pregnant and nonpregnant mares are notable - similarly to other indicators of CL status - just after the onset of luteolysis (day 16) when embryo itself is detectable.

The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of a triple anti-Helicobacter therapy using omeprazole, amoxicillin and clarithromycin (OAC) in dogs. A total of 15 healthy adult stray dogs with naturally acquired Helicobacter infection were evaluated using polymerase chain reaction and rapid urease test. Subsequently, they received a 21-day triple regimen. One day after the discontinuation of treatment, a second molecular analysis of gastric biopsies revealed complete eradication of Helicobacter DNA with negative quantitative urease testing in all 15 dogs. Our results confirmed the high prevalence of gastric Helicobacter-like organisms (GHLOs) in the stray dog population of Shiraz, Iran, and the effectiveness of our therapeutic regimen for the complete eradication of these microorganisms in stray dogs. In conclusion, for the complete elimination of non-pylori Helicobacter spp. from the gastric mucosa of dogs, a 21-day three-drug regimen with omeprazole, amoxicillin and clarithromycin is suggested.

Currently, recreation is the most common use of protected areas and there are scarce data on the users and their opinion. The research was focused on visitors to the Blaník Protected Landscape Area (hereafter referred to as PLA), a well-known recreational area where data on visitors, important for PLA management, are missing. Therefore, the aim of the paper is find out: what kind of visitors comes to the study area; the type of forest trails and tourist facilities the visitors prefer. A questionnaire survey of forest visitors was used. Results show that the visitors mostly prefer maintained trails. According to forest visitors' opinion, the most convenient facility to place near the forest tourist trail is the nature trail panels. Furthermore, based on the acquired data, it was possible to create a visitor's profile which is important for respective research and other case studies in similar areas, and for managers of protected landscape areas to comply with both the visitors' needs and the needs of the protected area.

The study uses the fuzzy Delphi and FANP (fuzzy analysis network process) methods to integrate the views of experts from enterprises and academia regarding the future direction of the agricultural biotechnology industry in Taiwan, in order to extract the critical success factors influencing its transformation. This study compares the differences in the "cross-domain" and "non-cross-domain" critical success factors, and expects that the research results could be a decision-making reference for both the industry and the government. The research results show that the cross-domain critical factor that influence the transformation of the agricultural biotechnology industry in Taiwan are sequentially: a stable source of raw materials, control of the trend of market demand, a new production equipment, the capability in supporting upstream and downstream industries, the integration of the human resources of the upstream, midstream, and downstream industries, and the capability in marketing and promotion. The non-cross-domain critical factors are sequentially: the capacity to establish the system of product technology, the capacity to control intellectual property rights, a perfect educational system, the capacity to carry out risk management of the new product development, the competence in cultivating the capacity of technical and R&D personnel, and laws and regulations.

In 2007-2012 the first detailed study of P. halstedii distribution and severity was performed in the Czech Republic by monitoring altogether 128 localities. Incidence of the pathogen was recorded at seven localities in south-eastern (Central and South Moravia) and central parts (East and Central Bohemia) of the country; at only four localities the occurrence of sunflower downy mildew symptoms and pathogen sporulation were recorded repeatedly. In all cases the primary infection prevailed, and the severity of infections was rather low. The majority of records were for sunflower experimental fields (e.g. fields of Central Institute for Supervising and Testing in Agriculture. Brno-Chrlice, Czech Republic), one record came from a commercial field and one record from a hobby field. Results of surveys indicate that reservoirs of primary inoculum likely exist in the soil contaminated by P. halstedii oospores in these habitats, but additional transfer by infected seed may be possible. Historical and geographical consequences of recorded infections are discussed, as well as virulence variation in the Czech pathogen populations which is currently in the process of investigation.

The presence of genetic modifications was analysed in a total of 100 samples of non-labelled vegetarian and healthy food products. The basic raw materials in the samples tested comprised maize, soya, and/or rice. The screening of all samples was performed using the primers for CaMV35S promoter. The positive samples from this initial screening were further subjected to the analysis of specific transgenic material to determine the type of GMO present with subsequent quantification. Roundup Ready soya was found in eight samples, but its content was below the limit of 0.9%. None of the analysed samples of food products contained GM maize and GM rice. Considering that the investigated samples were imported mainly from EU countries, it can be concluded that the control of GMOs is carried out systematically and in accordance with the Serbian GMO Law.

The objectives of present study were to determine the residual and cumulative effects of zinc (Zn) fertilizer on cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in a silt loam Typic Haplocambid soil (< 0.05 mg/kg diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA)-Zn). The study comprised of two years field experiments where first cotton crop received zinc sulphate (ZnSO₄∙H₂O) at five rates (0, 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5 kg Zn/ha) in a randomized complete block design with four replications. After harvest, each plot was divided into two sub-plots. To study the residual effect, one sub-plot of all plots did not receive Zn fertilizer for the subsequent crops; however, the other sub-plot received all Zn rates for 2005-06 wheat, 2006 cotton, and 2006-07 wheat. Fresh applied, residual as well as cumulative Zn application significantly (P ≤ 0.05) increased crops production for both experimental years. Residual effect of 5.0 kg Zn/ha optimized the 2006 cotton yield; however, wheat productivity was optimized with residual effect of 7.5 kg Zn/ha in 2005-06 and of 10.0 kg Zn/ha in 2006-07. Optimum yield of both crops was attained with a lesser fresh-applied and residual Zn rate than cumulative Zn rate. Total Zn uptake by wheat (134.9-289.6 g/ha) was much greater than by cotton (92.3-192.5 g/ha). It is concluded that one application of 7.5 kg Zn/ha proved adequate for optimizing two cycles of the cotton-wheat production system. Two-year repeated use of 5.0-7.5 kg Zn/ha did not depress crop yields.

Fraser fir (Abies fraseri) Christmas tree plantations in North Carolina are infested by root rot caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi. This disease kills almost 100% of Fraser fir material and leaves the soil permanently infested. Control crossings of Mediterranean fir hybrids Abies cilicica × Abies cephalonica with Abies fraseri were performed to ensure possibly resistant hybrid material of desired Christmas tree parameters. Pollen of various clones of A. fraseri was shipped to the Czech Republic by NCSU. Control pollinations were performed in April/May 2010 and 2011 in our hybridization seed orchards. Female strobili were isolated in the period of their highest receptibility. Cones were collected during September. Cones were dried and completely disintegrated. Basic parameters of cones and seeds were assessed for each seed lot. Seed samples of the individual seed lots were X-rayed for assessment of the final share of full seeds. In 2010, the most successful combination CZ2 × NC81 brought 7% of viable seeds. In 2011 the most successful combination was CZ2 × NC26 with 18% of viable seeds.