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Seeds of weeds buried by tillage may germinate at depths from which seedlings cannot establish. In barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli) we investigated how fatal germination was influenced by the depth and time of seed burial. The proportion of germinated seeds decreased with burial depth to 0-20% at ≥ 0.1 m depth which is fatal for seedling establishment. The percentage of fatal germination was greater for the seeds buried during the spring season than during autumn. Germination was influenced by seed pre-treatment, after ripening or stratification. Spring ploughing of non-dormant seeds below 0.1 m depth induces fatal germination, decreasing in this way seed bank of barnyardgrass.

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a serious cereal disease in the CzechRepublic. The most important pathogen associated with FBH is Fusarium graminearum, which can produce trichothecenes, mainly deoxynivalenol (DON) and its derivates. A set of 103 F. graminearum isolates were isolated from naturally infected wheat ears collected from 20 localities (25 ears from one locality) within the Czech Republic, in the year 2004. The ears were evaluated for DON content by ELISA. Maximum detected value was 30.7 mg/kg. A group of PCR assays targeting the segments of the Tri7, Tri13 and Tri3 genes were used to determine the chemotypes of F. graminearum isolates. All the isolates belonged to DON producing chemotype. Further discrimination revealed that almost all (99.03%) isolates belonged to 15-ADON chemotype, and only one (0.97%) isolate belonged to 3-ADON chemotype. The genetic variability of the isolates was assessed from their AFLP fingerprints. The populations were highly heterogeneous both within and between locations, and no clear evidence for the association between AFLP profile and geographic origin was found out.

The objective of the vegetation experiment established in 2008-2011 was to explore the effect of the time and dose of foliar molybdenum (Mo) application on the yield and quality of sunflower. Four treatments were established in the experiment: (1) control - not fertilised with Mo; (2) application of 125 g Mo/ha in the growing stage of 4 developed leaves (V-4); (3) application of 125 g Mo/ha at the beginning of elongation growth (R-1), and (4) split rate of Mo application of 62 g Mo/ha at stage V-4 (4 developed leaves) and 62 g Mo/ha at stage R-1 (terminal bud forms). Foliar application of molybdenum increased the biomass production of sunflower plants and its content in dry matter. A statistically significant effect of molybdenum foliar application on sunflower yields was found. Foliar application of Mo up to a dose of 125 g Mo/ha at the beginning of vegetation (stage V-4) and developmental stage R-1 increased yields of achenes. The relative increase in the oil content after foliar nutrition was not significant and ranged between 1.4% and 2.6%. Oil production increased due to increased yields and stabilised oil content. Foliar application of molybdenum had no effect on the content of oleic acid.

The main role of sperm is the delivery of the paternal genome into the oocyte during fertilisation. However, several lines of evidence have indicated that mammalian spermatozoa contribute more than just their DNA, namely, they also deliver a large range of RNA molecules. Microarray analysis has revealed a complex population of 3000 different kinds of messenger RNA that are delivered to oocytes by sperm and ejaculated spermatozoa are estimated to contain about 0.015 pg of total RNA. Some of the transcripts encode proteins crucial for early embryo development. Messenger RNAs from sperm also help to protect the paternal genes, which have an integral role soon after fertilisation. The molecular participation of the oocyte during fertilisation is well understood but the function of the sperm in this process remains unclear. During spermatogenesis the structure of the male haploid genome is permanently modified. Transition proteins (TNPs), protamines (PRMs) and histones (HILS-spermatid specific linker histone) play a unique role in spermatid chromatin compaction. In this review, the structure and role of sperm RNA as well as chromatin organisation during spermatogenesis are discussed.

In this study, the aim was to investigate the anatomy of the aortic arch arteries in mole-rats (Spalax leucodon). Six adult mole-rats were used for this purpose. Coloured latex was injected into the left ventriculus of the hearts of all animals. The materials were carefully dissected and the arterial patterns of arteries originating from the aortic arch were examined. The brachiocephalic trunk, the left common carotid and the left subclavian arteries were detached from the aortic arch. The brachiocephalic trunk separated into the right subclavian and common carotid arteries. The branches separating from the subclavian arteries were on the right, the common branch giving the profund cervical, the internal thoracic, and the costocervical trunk, and on the left the internal thoracic and the costocervical trunk were in the common root and the profund cervical artery was independent and on both sides after giving the common branch of the superficial servical and the external thoracic artery. This continued as the axillary artery which was then separated into the subscapular and the brachial arteries. Thus, the arteries originating from the aortic arch and the branches of these arteries were found to be different from other rodents and domestic mammals.

The paper deals with the analysis of price changes of roundwood (spruce, fir and beech sawlog, fuelwood) and energy wood in Slovakia, Czech Republic and Austria during the period of 2008-+September 2011. At the beginning of the article, the authors identify the major factors influencing timber price trends such as legislation regarding technical standards for the quality grading of round wood, global economic recession, incidental felling and political influence. Consequently, detailed analysis of timber price changes in selected European counties is provided by means of line graphs. The results of the analysis revealed that demand for wood and wood products began to decrease in mid-2008. The most critical situation was in 2009, primarily in the softwood market, when prices bottomed out. However, recent trends indicate a gradual rise in timber prices. In the future, a slight increase of timber prices is expected, however other factors (such as economic development, lobbyist pressure, incidental felling and many others) may influence prices, which makes it difficult to predict their trend.

A growing need for the evaluation of prospects and sustainability of forest resources calls for the availability of harmonized data on forest distribution. We described and evaluated nine datasets providing such information: Corine LandCover, four European forest maps and four tree species distribution maps. Apart from providing a condensed overview of these datasets, we focused on the match between selected forest maps and forest management plans (FMPs) of Slovakia, which can be thought of as highly accurate information on forest distribution. The degree of match between forest and species area, within 306 forest administrative districts of Slovakia, was used as an indicator of accuracy. In addition, the match between the total forest and species area in Slovakia, given by FMPs and by evaluated datasets, was addressed. We found a high degree of match for the datasets on forest distribution (R-square 0.77-0.93, depending on the dataset), as well as strong agreement in total forest area (± 5%). Both indicators are worse in the case of forest type evaluation (coniferous and broadleaved). Poor results were obtained for tree species maps, which under- or overestimated species areas by tens of per cent, although differences were highly variable among species. The obtained results are valid mainly for temperate forests.

To investigate the environmental advantages of using grass-clover binary mixtures over pure stands as winter cover crops, a serial of five field experiments (each designed as randomized complete blocks with four replicates) was carried out in eastern Slovenia. Trifolium incarnatum L. and Lolium multiflorum Lam. were sown in late summer as pure stands and binary mixtures. Pooled data calculated from all the experiments revealed that the soil mineral N in spring and accumulation of N by plants decreased with decreasing proportion of T. incarnatum in the binary mixtures, while the C:N ratio of cover crop organic matter increased. C accumulation was the highest when the seeding ratio of the binary mixture of T. incarnatum and L. multiflorum was 50:50. In the C and N environmentally sustainable management efficiency coefficients, three important traits of winter cover crops for environmental pro-tection were given equal importance (low soil mineral N content in spring, high C accumulation in plants, and high N accumulation in plants). The coefficient was higher for binary mixtures of T. incarnatum and L. multiflorum than for pure stands of these crops, proving the complex environmental advantages of binary mixtures over pure stands.

Influence of CULTAN system (controlled uptake long term ammonium nutrition) on the nitrogen uptake by spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) was observed at 5-year small-plot field experiments under conditions of the Czech Republic (central Europe). Nitrogen uptake by CULTAN-fertilized plants was more even during vegetation period probably due to delayed term of fertilizer application. Nitrogen concentration in the aboveground biomass at BBCH 51 and in straw had no effect on grain yield. Post-heading nitrogen uptake as well as contribution of nitrogen translocation to total nitrogen in grain did not differ among both nitrogen fertilization treatments. Increase in grain size of spring barley by the CULTAN system can be explained by tendency to lower number of ears per area rather than by prolonged nitrogen uptake from soil. Lower protein content in grain of CULTAN-fertilized spring barley can be caused by increase in grain retained on a 2.5 mm sieve and also decrease in total nitrogen concentration in above-ground biomass at BBCH 51. No significant effect of CULTAN treatment on nitrogen use efficiency and nitrogen uptake efficiency was recorded. Significantly higher nitrogen utilization efficiency at CULTAN treatment could be explained by lower grain protein content compared to conventional treatment.

A four-year field experiment was conducted in north-eastern Poland. The aim of the study was to determine the direct and residual effects of increasing doses of meat and bone meal (MBM) on the available phosphorus content of soil and the total phosphorus content in crops above ground biomass or grain. Experimental factor I was MBM dose (1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 t/ha/year, and 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0 t/ha/every second year), and experimental factor II was the year of the study (four consecutive years). The application of increasing MBM doses to slightly acidic soil insignificantly decreased its pH, but it did not change soil classification. The use of MBM as a fertilizer increased the levels of available phosphorus, compared to the treatments with mineral fertilization. The grain of winter triticale and winter wheat and the green matter of maize contained higher concentrations of phosphorus after the MBM application, in comparison to the plants receiving mineral fertilization. Phosphorus uptake by winter wheat and maize plants (dry matter basis) was higher in treatments with MBM (in particular applied every second year) than in treatments with NPK fertilization. Irrespective of the frequency of MBM application, phosphorus uptake by winter rapeseed was considerably lower, compared to the control plants.

Growth and survival rates (specific growth rate - SGR; survival rate - S) of Barbus barbus L. were recorded in captivity during three years from the larval period (final body weight - W = 0.2 ± 0.03 g; SGR = 13.6 ± 1.1%/day and cumulative survival - S = 76.0 ± 2.5%) to the first reproductive season (W = 62.55 ± 13.5 g; SGR = 0.89 ± 0.05%/day; S = 59.3 ± 1.5%). Final body size and SGR were compared between both sexes. Females reached the significantly higher growth rate (SGR = 0.84 ± 0.01%/day) compared to males (SGR = 0.77 ± 0.01%/day). Early puberty was observed in 17 and 32 months old males and females, respectively. Multi-stripping activity was found out in both sexes during the first reproductive season. In total, 20%, 25.8%, 30.3%, 14.6% and 9% of females were stripped once, twice and three, four and five times, respectively. But all males produced sperm during the entire reproductive season. The highest and the lowest egg production was recorded in the middle (April) and at the beginning (March) of the reproductive season (2155 ± 925 vs. 1279 ± 298 eggs per stripping). The highest and the lowest sperm production was observed at the beginning (March) and at the end (May) of the reproductive season (7.9 ± 0.08 × 10⁹ vs. 1.9 ± 0.06 × 10⁹ per stripping).

Gastric dilatation and volvulus syndrome is associated with changes in haemostatic profiles. The aims of this study were to compare selected haemostatic and fibrinolytic parameters between healthy dogs and dogs with gastric dilatation and volvulus syndrome, estimate the incidence of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), and determine the most sensitive test for detection of DIC in these patients. Blood was collected from 22 dogs with gastric dilatation and volvulus syndrome, and nine healthy control dogs. Platelet counts, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, fibrinogen concentrations and fibrin/fibrinogen degradation products were measured in all control dogs and patients with gastric dilatation and volvulus syndrome, before and after surgery. Significant differences between control dogs and patients were seen in activated partial thromboplastin time and fibrin/fibrinogen degradation products before surgery and all measured parameters after surgery. The incidence of DIC was 59%. The most sensitive tests for detection of DIC before surgery were those for activated partial thromboplastin time and fibrin/fibrinogen degradation products.

The foliar nutrient status was examined in a degraded Greek fir (Abies cephalonica Loud.) forest in Mount Parnitha near Athens, Greece. The examination lied in comparing the foliar concentrations of Ca, Mg, K, N, P, Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu with the critical values referring to conifers and the elemental percentages with regard to N of the forest with the corresponding percentages of a healthy Bulgarian fir (Abies borisii regis) stand, the closest relative of the Greek fir. It was found that the needles of the Greek fir had significantly lower concentrations from the N and P critical values. Significant differences were found for the Ca/N, Mg/N, P/N, Fe/N and Mn/N percentages. Significant correlations for the Greek fir were found between needle weight and foliar N as well as between needle weight and the percentages Ca/N and Fe/N. It is highly probable that N and P in the Greek fir are in short supply.

The Lactobacillus species by 16S Amplified Ribosomal DNA Restriction Analysis (16S-ARDRA) was identified. Lactobacilli are bacteria often found in foodstuffs of both animal and vegetable origins. On one hand, they play an important role in the food spoilage and, on the other hand, they are used as starter cultures in food fermentation processes. The species-specific identification by traditional biochemical methods is time consuming and not always fully effective. Therefore, more efficient techniques are searched for. We focused on rapid identification of Lactobacillus isolates from different habitats. Forty-nine collection strains and isolates belonging to the genus Lactobacillus were discriminated. ARDRA was carried out with two restriction endonucleases. For the comparison of similarity, the Jaccard coefficient and clustering by the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic averages (UPGMA) were used. The percentages of similarity between profiles varied from 22% to 100% (AluI) and from 27% to 100% (MspI). This method proved applicable to the differentiation of 10 species.

To investigate the effects of returning wheat straw to croplands on soil compaction and nutrient availability, this trial was designed: (1) planted crops without fertilization (NF); (2) natural land without human activities (CT); (3) applied mineral fertilizers in combination with 7500 kg/ha wheat straw (WS-NPK); (4) applied mineral fertilizers in combination with 3750 kg/ha wheat straw (1/2WS-NPK); and (5) applied mineral fertilizers alone (NPK). It is found that, compared with NPK, the soil bulk density in 1/2WS-NPK and WS-NPK both decreased by more than 10% in the 0 cm to 15 cm layer, and by 6.93% and 9.14% in the 15 cm to 20 cm, respectively. Furthermore, in contrast to NPK, the soil available nitrogen in the 0 cm to 25 cm layer in 1/2WS-NPK and WS-NPK were higher by 17.43% and 35.19%, and the soil available potassium were higher by 7.66% and 17.47%, respectively. For soil available phosphorus in the depth of 5 cm to 25 cm, it was higher by 18.51% in 1/2WS-NPK and by 56.97% in WS-NPK, respectively. Therefore, returning wheat straw to croplands effectively improves soil compaction and nutrients availability, and the improvement in soil nitrogen and phosphorus availability is closely related to the amount of wheat straw.

Soil samples were collected at both jointing and maturing stages of maize and wheat to compare the effects of 4-year no-tillage (NT) and conventional tillage (CT) on seasonal variations of microbial biomass carbon (C), metabolic quotient, and invertase activity in a sandy loam soil in North China. Soil invertase activity significantly increased (P < 0.05) from summer to spring of the next year and then significantly decreased (P < 0.05) from spring to summer. With a delay of about 3 months, soil microbial biomass C and basal respiration altered in a similar pattern, while microbial metabolic quotient changed on the contrary. Compared with CT, the NT practice significantly increased (P < 0.05) soil organic C content, and tended to result in higher soil microbial biomass C and invertase activity, as well as lower soil microbial metabolic quotient, especially at the jointing stage of maize. Our results indicated that NT might play an important role in the improvement of soil microbial efficiency, especially at the maize seedling season.

Claw horn disorders, infectious diseases of hooves and leg injuries cause lameness in dairy cows. However, such diseases as sole haemorrhages, sole ulcers or white line diseases, cause clinical lameness. Lameness reduces milk production, the fertility of cows and also causes earlier culling of cows, as well resultings in a deterioration of their welfare. In this review we focus on the impact of lameness on bovine behaviour. The time spent lying down is an important behaviour of dairy cows. As an increased locomotion score is associated with an increased percentage of cows lying down, also the position of cows within the milking parlour is associated with lameness. Lame cows are more likely to present toward the end of milking. Clinical lameness is a chronic stressor, reducing progesterone concentrations prior to oestrus, and resulting in reduced sexual behaviour; however, lame cows have the same potential period of oestrus when compared with non-lame cows. Hoof diseases, particularly those which are a source of pain, also reduce animal welfare. A high standard of cow welfare may be achieved by improving the lives of animals and the people who work with them. A lack of comfort while lying presents a significant risk for lameness. Improvements in comfort on more than 75% of farms (32 out of a total number of 53 farms) reduced the incidence of mastitis, while on 42 farms it reduced the prevalence of lameness. The keeping of cows on the straw bed of stalls does not only improve animal welfare, mainly through the greater comfort of the floor, but has also been showed to increase eating and ruminating behaviour. Cows also prefer straw to sand bedding and lay down longer on straw than on sand; however, cleanliness and hoof health have been shown to be better on sand. Apart from comfort, the main factors which promote improvements in bovine welfare and health, include good management of dairy farms, keeping cows in free stalls with accompanying regular exercise, and a long time spent at pasture. The prevalence of clinical lameness was demonstrated to be higher on farms using mattresses when compared with farms using deep-bedded stalls. No differences were found in behaviour among cows with different degrees of lameness housed in mattress stalls. Hence, measures of laying behaviour are not good indicators of lameness.

The maps of altitude, geology, vegetation cover and land use were prepared and classified as the main criteria to locate soil and water conservation programs. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to determine the relative priorities of these criteria by pairwise comparison. All the thematic maps were then integrated using the overlay process in Geographical Information System (GIS) and the final map of soil erosion risk was produced. Results indicated that vegetation cover was given the highest weight (0.494). The geology was assigned the second highest weight (0.313), as the main cause of initiation of the erosion of erodible lands. Land-use change has a local influence on soil erosion, so it was assigned the third weight (0.151). Altitude is a low-impact variable for predicting the water and soil conservation areas.

Bromus tectorum is a highly invasive annual grass. The fungal pathogen Pyrenophora semeniperda can kill a large fraction of B. tectorum seeds. Outcomes in this pathosystem are often determined by the speed of seed germination. In this paper we extend previous efforts to describe the pathosystem by characterising secondary dormancy acquisition of B. tectorum. In the laboratory approximately 80% of seeds incubated at -1.0 MPa became dormant. In the field, seeds were placed in the seed bank in late autumn, retrieved monthly and dormancy status determined. The field study confirmed the laboratory results; ungerminated seeds became increasingly dormant. Our data suggest that secondary dormancy is much more likely to occur at xeric sites.

Caciottina massaggiata di Amaseno, a typical dairy product of the Lazio Region prepared from buffalo milk, was analysed for moisture, fat, protein, pH, and acidity content at different storage (0, 3, 6, and 9 months after production). Cheeses were also evaluated for various sensory attributes (taste, flavour, texture, and overall acceptability) during storage. We evaluated the flavour profile and acceptability of Caciottina cheeses of varying maturity using a descriptive analysis. Descriptive sensory profiles of selected cheeses were determined using a trained panel (n = 12) and an established cheese flavour sensory language. In quantitative descriptive analysis a trained panel rated the cheeses for colour, odour, taste and texture. In the affective tests the panellists evaluated the samples for overall quality. The results proved that months of production had significant effects on the sensory quality of the cheeses.

Sharka disease caused by the infection with the Plum pox virus (PPV) in stone fruit trees is worldwide the most devastating for stone fruit production. Until now, good sources of resistance to PPV within the peach group have not been available. There are no commercial cultivars of peach that are resistant to PPV. Other Prunus species are known to show varying levels of resistance. Interspecific hybrids GF 677 (Prunus amygdalus × P. persica) and Cadaman (P. davidiana × P. persica) were revealed to be resistant to PPV. The resistance to a Dideron isolate of the descendants of Cresthaven × GF 677 and Cresthaven × Cadaman and their progenitors was evaluated after inoculation by chip-budding in a sealed screenhouse. Results demonstrate a certain level of resistance in both progenies of interspecific hybrids and indicate a potential for PPV resistance transfer to commercial peach cultivars but it will be necessary to perform backcrosses with peach cultivars of agricultural interest in order to return pomological and agronomic traits. For the definitive confirmation of resistance/susceptibility it will be necessary to wait until the adult stage of hybrids.

The aim was to compare the efficacy, selectivity to sunflower and dissipation of three chloracetamide herbicides (acetochlor, metolachlor and pethoxamid) in dependence on precipitation after application. A small plot field trial was carried out with sunflower in Central Bohemia in 2010 and 2011. The remaining concentration of active ingredient in the soil of all studied herbicides was lower in the year with a higher temperature and a low level of total natural precipitation at the beginning of the growing season. Higher leaching of metolachlor and pethoxamid was recorded in irrigated plots. No leaching was found in the case of acetochlor. The highest leaching was found for metolachlor (9.2-25.5% in soil layer 5-10 cm). The highest phytotoxicity was found for acetochlor (9.8%) > pethox-amid (4.6%) > metolachlor (1.8%). The mean phytotoxicity in the irrigated plots was 6.9%, compared with 3.9% in the non-irrigated plots. The efficacy of the tested herbicide was affected by wet conditions. The highest efficacy on Chenopodium album, Amaranthus retroflexus, Echinochloa crus-galli and Solanum physalifolium was recorded after application of acetochlor and irrigation.

The purpose of the studies was to determine the microorganisms communities in the soil under scorzonera cultivation with the cover crops using. The greatest total CFU of bacteria occurred in the soil from the experimental combination where oat ploughed over in spring or autumn was the cover crops. The smallest total CFU of bacteria was obtained after ploughing over the mulch of tansy phacelia. The use of oats and spring vetch had a positive effect on the population of bacteria from the genera of Bacillus and Pseudomonas. The smallest CFU of fungi was obtained from the soil where oat constituted the mulch. Alternaria alternata, Fusarium oxysporum, F. culmorum, Haematonectria haematococca and Thanatephorus cucumeris were most frequently isolated from the soil. The most isolates of the enumerated fungi were obtained from the soil cultivated in a conventional cultivation and after ploughing over the mulch of tansy phacelia plants. The most antagonistic bacteria and fungi occurred in the soil after ploughing over the mulch of oat, while the least in the conventionally cultivated soil.

In this study, 254 Escherichia coli isolates from faecal samples of veal calves were evaluated for antimicrobial susceptibility using the disk diffusion method. During the experimental period, six mass antibiotic treatments were administered to the animals (about one treatment per month). The active principles used were oxytetracycline, colistin, tylosin, doxycycline, chlortetracycline, and sulphonamides. An extremely high resistance prevalence (> 70%) towards penicillin, sulphonamide, tetracycline, ampicillin, and spyramicin was detected. Sixty E. coli isolates could be defined as multiresistant, showing resistance to at least 6 antimicrobial classes. Subsequently, we evaluated the inhibitory effect of a species-specific probiotic against multiresistant E. coli, showing its beneficial action with large inhibition halos for 76% of the isolates. This suggests the potentiality of the probiotic, putting in evidence a clear advantage of its use in veal calves nutrition, in particular during the first phases, when the animals are more susceptible to severe enteric infections by E. coli.

The results of a fifteen-year period of investigations conducted on Norway spruce in the upper plateau of the Jizerské hory Mts. were summarised. The objectives were to evaluate the growth performance of an experimental plantation under harsh environmental conditions and assess the effects of amendments as well as the influence of the forest site variability on growth performance and survival of young spruces. The following treatments were distinguished: (1) lower control, (2) limestone and (3) amphibolite treatments on a less exposed slope of the ridge and (4) upper control on a summit of the mountain ridge. Principle characteristics such as mortality rate, height, annual height increment, stem base diameter, crown diameter and nutritional status were summarized and evaluated. Significant differences between treatments were recorded in heights. The trees fertilized with amphibolite were significantly taller than the control ones in thirteen out of the fifteen evaluated years and the applied limestone improved heights in ten years out of the fifteen evaluated years. A positive effect of amphibolite treatment on stem base diameter was proved in three of the four assessed years and was persisting till 2007 (last measurement of this characteristic), the positive effect of limestone was lasting up to 2006. The considerable role of the site variability was apparent from a comparison between the upper and lower control although they were in a very close position to each other, growth increment of the spruces on the ridge was significantly lower. Temporarily lower N concentration was recorded in the fertilized treatments in comparison with their respective control. The concentration of P was low and decreased to the limit of deficiency in all treatments, P seems to be the most limiting macroelement in the area.

This study attempts to use the analytical hierarchy process to choose the most appropriate earthwork machine for slope classes of 30-50% and 50-70%. Required data were collected by pairwise comparison as questionnaires filled by experts of forest engineering. Results showed that cross-sections and grade line (Technical criteria), soil excavation and displacement (Environmental criteria), production rate and multi-application (Operational criteria), production cost (Economic criteria) with the respective weights of 0.345, 0.345, 0.136, 0.058, 0.058 and 0.058 were the most important criteria for choosing the earthwork machines in the slope class of 30-50%. These coefficients for the slope class of 50-70% were 0.329, 0.329, 0.174, 0.056, 0.056 and 0.056, respectively. Overall priority of bulldozer in slope classes of 30-50% and 50-70% was 0.51 and 0.48, respectively. Therefore, in slope class of 30-50% bulldozer and in slope class of 50-70% hydraulic excavator must be selected for earthwork operation.

Ninety eight isolates of Rhizoctonia spp. were obtained from roots of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) grown in Erzincan, Turkey during the period 2007-2008. The most prevalent multinucleate anastomosis groups (AG) were AG-4 (85.2%), followed by AG-2 type 1 (7.4%), AG-6 (5.0%), and AG-3 (2.5%). The population of binucleate Rhizoctonia spp. comprised AG-A (82.4%), AG-K (11.8%), and AG-G (5.9%). Rhizoctonia solani AG-3 and AG-6, as well as binucleate Rhizoctonia spp. AG-G and AG-K on pepper (C. annuum) were firstly determined in this study. During both in vitro and in vivo pathogenicity experiments differences in virulence level between R. solani and binucleate Rhizoctonia spp. isolates were observed. Isolates of R. solani AG-2 type 1 and AG-4 were the most virulent, binucleate Rhizoctonia spp. isolates of AG-A were less virulent, whereas binucleate Rhizoctonia spp. isolates of AG-G and AG-K were non-pathogenic.

In the past few years in Europe grass seed production declines. This tendency is especially pronounced in meadow fescue. Seed shedding and therefore yield losses are the problem in seed production. This can be reduced if seed of higher moisture contents is harvested. The impacts of drying temperatures of 70, 60, 50, 40 and 22°C on changes in dormancy and germination of seed harvested with moisture contents of 45, 35 and 25% were observed in the present study. The analysis was done immediately after seed drying, then three months later and eight months later. Seeds with the moisture content of 45% that were dried at 70°C were not dormant at all after harvest, but seeds were damaged, which resulted in reduced germination. Drying temperatures of 40°C and 50°C resulted in maximum germination of seed harvested with 45% moisture after three months. After eight months the best germination of all seeds was obtained at 22°C and 40°C. The seed ageing test confirmed faster deterioration of seeds harvested with higher moisture contents. Seed harvested with 25% moisture and dried at 22°C is the most suitable seed for longer storage.

Cutting down 20- to 30-years-old trees of blue spruce (Picea pungens Engelm.) (October, May) and cross-cutting them to sections of different volume (0.5-75 dm3) under conditions of half-shade × open area resulted in a potential food offer for cambiophages. Ips amitinus (Eichh.) and Pityogenes chalcographus (L.) reached the higher frequency of occurrence on sections placed in the open area than in half-shade and on stems felled in the autumn season than in the spring season. Dryocoetes autographus (Ratz.) was markedly profiled on sections in half-shade with the gradual desiccation of phloem. P. chalcographus preferring open areas occurred on branches being accompanied by Cryphalus abietis (Ratz.), which attacked branches located in half-shade. On stems of sections from both autumn and spring felling, one generation of I. amitinus developed, however, on autumn sections, the 2^nd generation developed unsuccessfully on the original nutritive material. P. chalcographus completed the development of one generation on stems and branches from autumn felling. On the spring material, the invasion was delayed and a part of wintering larvae did not complete their development. Logging residues of P. pungens were available for the development of I. amitinus and P. chalcographus during one growing season only.

Rhopalosiphum padi is a polyphagous species with a nearly worldwide distribution. Biological parameters of this aphid on six commonly grown wheat cultivars in the Fars province including Chamran, Darab2, Shiraz, Ghods, Marvdasht and Niknezhad were investigated at the two-leaf stage of wheat. The experiments were carried out at 24 ± 5°C, 65 ± 5% R.H. and a photoperiod of 14:10 h (L:D) in a greenhouse. The number of nymphs per female of R. padi was 62.05, 55.84, 49.89, 47.63, 42.76 and 40.65 (nymphs/female) on Niknezhad, Shiraz, Ghods, Marvdasht, Chamran, and Darab2, respectively. Also, the highest and the lowest r_m values of this aphid were obtained on Niknezhad (0.381 per day) and Darab2 (0.328 per day), respectively. In addition, other population growth indices were estimated. In general, a high level of antibiosis in Darab2 compared with the other tested cultivars may decrease the population density of R. padi on wheat and also cause a suppression of cereal viruses (e.g. BYDV) and reduce the pesticide application to wheat fields of Iran.