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The cultural landscape and rural areas are considered to be a key component of the European cultural heritage. The European Landscape Convention, which the Czech Republic signed in the autumn of 2002, was also formulated in this sense. Consequently, the reform of care of monuments cannot be left entirely to official workers, but is becoming an important subject from the standpoint of maintenance of the functional and demographic stability of rural areas. It is necessary to point out that the care for monuments in Central Europe is at a crucial point, that could be described as a crisis. The reasons are as follows. 1) Time extension of care for monuments as well as the spatial extension of care for monuments. 2) Care for monuments has somewhat neglected to explain and defend its significance - consequently, a great many private owners of cultural monuments are not fully aware of the ideas, on the basis of which limitations are placed on their rights to manage their property, for the good of the cultural heritage. 3) Aesthetic conclusions are increasingly important in deciding what is and what is not a cultural monument. However, this can readily be influenced by the influx of very attractive, but worthless "popular" architecture, currently being introduced by a great many development companies. 4) Care for monuments represents the execution of a particular activity rather than a fixed formulated intellectual system of canons. 5) Even under the best economic conditions, the state as such does not have the means to provide appropriate care for the cultural heritage in state ownership (including state land in the poorer areas) and is certainly not capable of creating a motivation system within its framework for searching for new ways of using this property without abusing it. 6) In general, it can be stated that condition of democratisation within the care for monuments certainly does not attain the level of participation in environmental protection. 7) Care for monuments, especially in Central Europe, tends to continue to emphasise simple conservation of monuments and is minimally concerned with reanimation of the monument fund. This is why the care for the cultural heritage must again formulate its purpose, especially in relation to the decrease in the importance of national states, globalisation and, simultaneously, regionalisation of the world.

The influence of different fertilizer forms and rates on nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium contents, nitrate accumulation and yield in red head chicory (Cichorium intybus var. foliosum L.) was investigated. Field fertilization trials were set up at two localities inNorthwest Croatia in 1999 and 2000. Trials were laid out according to the Latin square scheme in five fertilization treatments: manure 5 kg/m2, three rates of complex mineral fertilizer NPK (5:20:30) - 50, 100 and 150 g/m2, and an unfertilized control variant. The results of investigations indicate that there were no significant differences between treatments in the plant nitrogen and phosphorus contents. Significant fluctuations of the chicory potassium content (3.27-4.75% K) depending on the fertilization variant were recorded only in 1999 while in 2000 all values (4.13-5.12% K) were uniform. Plant nitrate levels were influenced by weather conditions more significantly than by the form and rates of fertilizers. All the recorded values are within the limits tolerated for leafy vegetables. Comparing the trial years, yields were generally higher in 1999 (1.58-4.95 kg/m2) than in 2000 (0.40-2.70 kg/m2). No significant differences in yield were recorded between the application of stable manure and the lowest mineral fertilizer rate.

The observations were conducted on chernozem soil in a sugar-beet production region in 1971-2002. Six variants of organic amendment were examined: l - straw harvest, 2 - straw harvest + green manuring, 3 - straw incorporation, 4 - straw incorporation + green manuring, 5 - straw burning, 6 - straw burning till 1977 + intercrop, incorporation of farmyard manure at 10 t/ha since 1978. The effect of organic amendment on winter wheat continuous cropping was statistically significant. On average of the whole period (32 years), the highest yields were produced in variants with straw burning (var. 5) - 6.04 t/ha and with green manuring (var. 2) - 6.03 t/ha, and lower yields in variants with straw incorporation into soil (var. 3) - 5.65 t/ha, (var. 4) - 5.67 t/ha. The smallest differences between variants were found in the first decade of the experiment. Over time (in the second and third decades), the differences increased and positive effects of green manuring and straw burning and adverse effects of straw incorporation into soil increased. The yield level of winter wheat continuous cropping was high under the given conditions. The yield for the whole period of the experiment averaged 5.85 t/ha, the yields 5.19, 6.54 and 5.76 t/ha were obtained in the first, second and third decade, respectively.

Following measurements of dead wood (20 to 40 years) at various developmental stages of the life cycle of selected virgin forests of the 1^st to 7^th altitudinal zone the relation of its course was derived. The dynamics and course of dead wood in the life cycle of virgin forests were best represented by a polynomial of the third degree. An analysis confirmed that virgin forests consisting of stable tree species with approximately the same physical age (Boky) showed small differences between maximal increase and decrease in necromass during the whole development cycle. Virgin forests at sites rich in nutrients consisting of several tree species with various physical age had high values of necromass during their whole development cycle. Spruce stands at the upper forest boundary also had a relatively high ratio of necromass at the advanced optimum stage.

Summarization of the potential of introskeletal erosion (ISE) was done on the basis of field surveys in the Šumava Mts., Krkonoše Mts. and Jeseníky Mts. areas. The results give a rough estimation of the ISE extent in mountain forests of the Czech Republic. They indicate that in the mountainous areas of the Czech Republic there are 46,535 ha of forest lands endangered by these processes, which represents 10.1% of mountain forests and 1.7% of the total forest area in the country. The worst situation is in the Krkonoše Mts., where the considerable ISE potential is on 30.5% of forest area (in the Jeseníky Mts. 16.6%, in the Novohradské hory Mts. 13.3%, in the Šumava Mts. 8.2%). Because these areas are relevant production and water protection areas, the ISE processes have to be studied carefully and forest lands have to be protected, also using special technologies for forest protection and restoration.

Inclusion of the countries in Central Europe (CECs) in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union raises a large number of issues, not the least in the context of the accession negotiations among the current EU member states and the newcomers. However, in the process of enlargement, negotiations will also be necessary with other countries. This is because both the EU and the accession candidates have commitments in the WTO and inclusion of the CECs in the CAP may affect the nature of these commitments, as well as the ability of the enlarged Union to honour them. The paper deals with the fundamental problems in connection with presented themes.

The paper analyses the pay system in a particular enterprise in the Czech Republic and proposes a change in this system. The establishment of two scales based on pay classes per month is proposed: one scale that allows for overlaps of pay classes but does not allow for overruns into other categories, and another scale that allows for no overlaps at all.

In the experiment conducted in the greenhouse, the different doses of UV-B radiation applied to the two species Avena fatua and Setaria viridis induced changes in leaf and plant morphology. It was a decrease of plant height, fresh mass of leaves, shoots and roots as well as leaf area. Besides, it caused the leaf curling in both of the species. The significant differences between Avena fatua and Setaria viridis in the studied traits were mainly due to the tillering ability of the species. The content of chlorophyll varied considerably. The average values of leaf greenness (SPAD units) for oats were about 43 while for green foxtail 32, respectively. U-VB did not reduce leaf weight ratio, shoot dry matter, shoot to root ratio and leaf area ratio.

The article deals with the comparison and evaluation of the development of economic indicators, such as the costs, yields, economic result and profitability in the Czech and Slovak Republics for the period of years 1997-2000. The economic indicators are evaluated and compared on the basis of sample survey results of the RIAFE Bratislava and RIAE (Research Institute of Agricultural Economics) Prague. The first part contains the evaluation and comparison of the costs, yields and the economic results for agricultural production and its branches recalculated per 1 ha of agricultural land (a. l.). The second part contains the evaluation and comparison of the production intensity indicators (per hectare yields, utility), costs per 1 ha, 100 feeding days and per unit, and agricultural production realization prices. Based on these indicators, cost profitability of the selected plant and animal products is quantified.

The main idea of the paper is to evaluate the state and development of financial structure of selected agricultural co-operatives in accounting periods from 1994 till 2001. Assets financial stability constitutes an ability of an enterprise to create and balance an accurate relation between assets and their financial sources. The results of the research work document a positive tendency in financial structure in favour of equity capital (Table 1). On the other hand, there have been problems with borrowed capital mainly with the liabilities from business relation. An increasing level of earnings can be assessed positively as well as the participation of new loans in the financial basis of enterprises (Table 3).

Change in the community of epigeal spiders and harvestmen (Araneae, Opiliones) was studied in an experimental apple orchard for six consecutive years. Five plots were surveyed by pitfall traps. Four of the plots were young (1-4 years); one plot was older (15-20 years). The abundance of epigeal arachnids increased with the age on the young plots, while it was constant on the older plot. There were significantly more arachnids on the young plots than on the older one. In turn, the diversity was significantly lower on the young than on the older plots. Lycosidae, Phalangiidae and Tetra-gnathidae dominated the young plots. The older plots were richer in Agelenidae, Clubionidae, Dysderidae, Gnaphosidae, Linyphiidae, Pisauridae and Salticidae. Principal species of the young and older plots were identified using multivariate analysis.

The objective of this study was an improvement on oat identification procedure for laboratory applications, and the comparison of albumin-globulin and avenin protein patterns in five hulled and naked oat cultivars: Abel (CZ) and Izák (CZ) - naked oats, Auron (CZ), Edmund (D) and Expander (D) - hulled oats. The last object of this study was the authenticity verification of standardly prepared meal samples with various proportions of admixture. It was confirmed that avenins, characterised under SDS-PAGE conditions, are reliable implements for the identification of oat cultivars. It was found that oat grain contains, on the basis of Osborne fractionation, another significant protein fraction - glutelins. The question of the protein fraction analysis that was used for the admixture identification stays still open. In sufficiently different cultivars, the certainty of the admixture detection in meal samples may be high. Nevertheless, in other cases (higher cultivar similarity) it will be necessary to use some other, more sensitive techniques.

This study showed that rooting is strongly affected by natural leaf drop occurring during cutting collection. Observations carried out during sampling showed that cultivars with more than 80% leaf drop had lower rooting percentages than cuttings from cultivars with leaf drop between 44 to 75%, and that generally, the peaks of leaf drop coincide very closely with low rooting. Besides, it was found that there is a relation between Fe and N content in the bark of cuttings and their rooting. The peaks of Fe content coincide with the peaks of rooting. In contrast, the peaks of N content coincide with the lowest percentage of rooting. Overall, there seems to be no clear-cut relation between rooting and contents of P, K, Ca, Mg, Mn and Zn.

The goal of the measurement of the tractor ZTS 164 45 equipped with digital electrohydraulical control EHR-D BOSCH during ploughing with ploughs KUHN (4 bottoms) and 5 PHX 35 (5 bottoms) was to obtain time dependent states of pressure in the hydraulic system of the three point hitch of tractor. From the point of view of comparison of obtained results testing conditions were determinated with respect to physical and mechanical properties of soil such as soil volume mass, soil humidity, penetration resistance and shear resistance of soil. Beyond these measurements also measurements of operation parameters as a ploughing depth, ploughing width, working speed and fuel consumption were accomplished. The measured results of physical and mechanical properties of soil show big content of loam elements and stones in the soil. Simultaneously the measured results of the operation parameters of the ploughing sets confirmed that the ploughs KUHN and 5 PHX 35 are suitable for tractor ZTS 164 45. Based on the measured results there is a possibility to infer following conclusions: Control system of the three point hitch offers a reliable function. Hydraulic circuit is equipped by an improper distributor which causes pressure peaks which are corres-ponding with safety valve adjustment. Hydraulic circuit has a low conductive resistance. Loading of tractor body is higher when using mounted plough than with semi mounted plough.

Biological and chemical (fertilising, liming) amelioration are among the principal tools used to restore degraded sites. These techniques were also used on the Ore Mts. plateau on plots prepared by bulldozing. We evaluated the impact of these amelioration techniques by measuring tree species primary production and humus form restoration. Begun in 1983-1985, this project studied growth reaction of forest stands by measuring height and diameter increment, for the following species (blue spruce Picea pungens Engelm., European larch Larix decidua Mill., lodgepole pine Pinus contorta Dougl., Eastern white pine Pinus strobus L., alder Alnus incana Moench., European beech Fagus sylvatica L.) during the period 1994-2000. The growth potential by species decreases in the following order: larch, alder, lodgepole pine, white pine, blue spruce. Beech was almost exterminated by red deer browsing and the harsh climate; pines suffered heavily from browsing and bark stripping. Holorganic horizons were measured and basic soil chemical and mechanical characteristics were determined - pH, soil adsorption complex characteristics (using Kappen's methodology), content of the humus and total nitrogen, exchangeable acidity and plant available macronutrients, granulometric composition of mineral soil horizons. Our results confirmed the relatively long-lasting effects of soil amendments, as well as the amelioration effects of alder, and the relatively inhibiting effects of larch and blue spruce.

Models evaluating static stability (resistance to breaking or uprooting of trees caused by wind, snow or ice) of forest stands in the seventh altitudinal vegetation zone were determined. The empirical material came from 180 research plots (High Tatra and Low Tatra Mountains) established within the research project Research on methods for mountain forest management based on sustainable Development. Static stability was characterized by the slenderness ratio that was calculated from the mean height and diameter of target trees. Then the particular forest stands were categorized with regard to slenderness ratio, mean diameter and absolute site class using either tables or graphic models. Particularly, four static stability classes were made up: 1 - very good, 2 - good, 3 - sufficient, and 4 - insufficient. Practical application of the models is shown for forest stands grown in the area of Vajsková and Lomnistá valleys.

In Hungary, after the political and economical transition period of the nineties, the transformation of agriculture, the privatisation and the partial compensation brought about fundamental change in the land ownership structure. Recently, the private ownership of land has become dominant. As a result of the land compensation and the restoration of individual shares of the co-operatives members, unfavourable farm structures were established in a great number of cases; and consequently the redistribution of land property has become indispensable. The revival of the market is hold up, on one hand, by the present legislation of land acquisition (by Hungarian legal entities and foreigners) and, on the other hand, by the repugnance of the land acquisition of foreigners by a great number of people. The political risks, the EU accession and the changes to be expected concerning the EU subsidy schemes might also affect the land market in the long-term.

Entomopathogenic and mycoparasitic fungi were characterised by RAPD technique, with special attention to evaluate the genetic stability of strains that are used as active ingredients in commercial biopesticides. Strain-specific fingerprints were constructed for Paecilomyces fumosoroseus - strain PFR 97 Apopka, Gliocladium virens - strain GL 21 and Verticillium lecanii - strain MYCOTAL. Genetic stability and homogeneity was confirmed among re-isolates that were obtained from commercial batches of bio-insecticide PFR 97TM 20%WDG and bio-fungicide SoilGardTM12G that had been produced in 1995-1999. RAPD analysis indicated the genetic identity of V. lecanii strains re-isolated from the two different bio-insecticides MYCOTAL^® and VERTALEC^®. The usefulness of RAPD technique was demonstrated when P. fumosoroseus strain PFR 97 Apopka was reliably identified after having passed through adults of the spruce bark beetle Ips typographus, and by analysis of the relationship between fungi of the genus Gliocladium.

The effect of chemical weed control with reduced herbicide rates (pre-em., pre-em. + post-em., post-em.) on weed population density and maize yield was compared in three tillage systems (mouldboard, chisel, disk harrowing) for lessive pseudogleyic soil in north-eastern Croatia(1997-1999). These main weeds were present in all tillage variants: Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) PB., Chenopodium album L., Ambrosia artemisiifolia L., Polygonum lapathifolium L., Equisetum arvense L. and Calystegia sepium (L.) R.Br. The density of all weeds was significantly affected by tillage and it ranged from 204 plants on untreated plots with mouldboard to 372 and 421 plants per m2 with chisel ploughing and disk harrowing, respectively. In comparison with standard tank-mixture of atrazine herbicide (metolachlor 50% & atrazine 20%) at the recommended rate, atrazine-free herbicide combinations (metolachlor + 50% prosulfuron & 30% primisulfuron-methyl; sulcotrione + bromoxynil; thifensulfuron-methyl + nicosulfuron) showed a similar total efficacy of weed control (95-96%). Band spraying with standard treatment at a half-recommended rate combined with mechanical weed control brought a satisfactory total weed reduction (83-87%). The weed control methods had no effects on maize yields that were significantly affected by year and tillage. Compared to the highest yield with mouldboard ploughing (10.2 t/ha), average percent yield depressions with chisel ploughing and disk harrowing were 10 and 22%, respectively.

Development of powdery mildew and leaf rust epidemics was examined on three winter wheat cultivars with different predispositions to powdery mildew in three-year experiments. The progress of powdery mildew and leaf rust on the same cultivar was conditioned by its dissimilar susceptibility to the respective disease. Fit temperature played an important role at the beginning of the particular disease and during its progress. Significant differences in the disease severity of powdery mildew and leaf rust were recorded on single leaves. Disease severity of leaf rust was higher on upper leaves while disease severity of powdery mildew was higher on lower leaves.

The phenophase course in a group of 20 apricot genotypes was evaluated in South Moravian conditions in Lednice, Czech Republic, from 1994 to 1999. The evaluated phases were as follows: "beginning of blossoming", "beginning of picking maturity" and "end of picking maturity". The aim was to evaluate the variability of these phenophases and their relationships. The amplitude of the phenophase "beginning of blossoming" did not exceed 9 days. The amplitude of phenophases between the different years was about three times higher than the average amplitude between the genotypes. The average amplitude of the factor "beginning of picking maturity" observed in all genotypes was 39 days, but a comparison between the years showed that the largest amplitude for a given genotype was only 16 days. No statistical correlation was found between the phenophases "beginning of blossoming" and "beginning of picking maturity" in any of the six observed years. The genotypes whose maturity occurs at the beginning or at the end of picking season showed higher year to year variability of the phenophase "beginning of picking maturity" than the genotypes maturing in the middle of the season. The rate of fruit development from blossoming to picking was considerably different depending on the apricot genotype. The number of days between the beginning of blossoming and the beginning of picking maturity was characteristic of each genotype. The variability of this interval for the six years was very low and the value of variation coefficients did not exceed 10%. This amplitude observed in the control variety Velkopavlovická LE-6/2 was on average 100 days. A very high statistically significant correlation (r = 0.996⁺⁺) was observed between the intervals from the "beginning of blossoming" to the "beginning of picking maturity" and to the "end of picking maturity".

The paper widely introduces European experience in wild cherry breeding because it is the first one from a prepared series of articles aimed at wild cherry breeding in the Czech Republic. Beginnings of wild cherry breeding program for the Czech forestry are described. Plus trees were certified, seed orchards, clone archives, progeny and clonal tests were established. Clones were tested for fl owering of grafts in reproductive plantations. Progenies and clones were tested for growth parameters in progeny and clonal tests. Progenies and clones in every breeding plantation were tested for damage by aphids.

The basic principle of the economic reform of state forests of the CzechRepublic after 1990 was to separate ma­nagement in forests from the implementation of production activities. A state enterprise Forests of the Czech Republic with its headquarters in Hradec Králové was charged to manage state forests. From the former 7 enterprises of state forests 78 joint-stock companies have been established that carry out silvicultural and logging activities in state forests and in forests of other owners under the conditions of competition environment and on the basis of contracts. The paper deals with the exact evaluation of partial and present results of the development of forestry economic reform, aimed at the study of the behaviour of transformed and privatised forest joint-stock companies.

Yellowing of Norway spruce is a relatively common problem in many regions of the Czech Republic. At some places, it is also connected with forest decline. This unfavourable phenomenon is initiated by several ecological as well as anthropogenic processes. One of the most important is the imbalance of forest stand nutrition. Particular reasons lead to nutrient deficiency, especially deficiency of magnesium. Solution to this undesirable trend is a profound ecological analysis and cause-oriented treatments. Besides decreasing air pollution impacts, fertilisation with deficient nutrients represents a successful treatment in the forest stand management in affected areas. In the area of interest, application of relatively small amounts of appropriate fertiliser (SILVAMIX Mg) led to considerable improvement in the defoliation dynamics and yellowing progress since the first year after application.

The article was written on the base of research results concerning economic development of several selected Czech agricultural companies. In dependence on the altitude, the sample was divided into two sub-samples: companies of production areas and companies of marginal areas. Various economic indicators were monitored in these two sub-samples, the most important one being the economic result before tax. Other monitored indicators are closely related to this one - e.g. the required profit ratio, structure of the economic result, tax impact on the economic result. Other monitored indicators were: the structure of the revenue, productivity of labour, labour technical equipment, capital efficiency and other. Time comparison (development during several recent years; comparison between production and marginal areas) and space comparison of these two sub-samples were carried out. In its conclusion, this article evaluates the history of the hitherto development.

The transition to the CAP and admission to the internal market triggered a shock wave in Austria which caused fundamental changes in the country's farming and food industries. Behavioural patterns stuck in traditional routines and petrified structures began to break up. The resulting thrust towards modernisation has been a major success of the EU integration. Eastern enlargement, about to be embarked on by the European Union, will have a greater impact on Austrian agriculture than the country's accession to the EU ever had. Farmers will have to brace for a loss of market shares and an additional pressure to adjust. The rural regions bordering the accession candidates will be particularly hit and thus require special attention in terms of economic policy measures. Agriculture and rural regions in Eastern Europe will profit from the EU-membership.

The effect of phenylurea with reported cytokinin-like activities on seed germination, seedling growth, activities of antioxidant enzymes, polyphenol, peroxidase, indoleacetic acid oxidase, and total phenolic compounds, flavonoids was investigated in stressed barley seedlings. The application of phenylurea decreases the activity of peroxidase, indoleacetic acid oxidase and increases the activity of polyphenol oxidase with decrease in total phenolic compounds and flavonoids and consequent increase in growth rate. Saline (NaCl) stress in barley seedlings causes an increase in total phenolic compounds, flavonoids and enhancement of peroxidase and indoleacetic acid oxidase activities and consequent decrease in growth rate. The adverse effect of salt stress on germination, antioxidant enzymes, phenolic compounds, flavonoids can partially be rectified by phenylurea.

The phosphorus (P) availability was tested on hydromorphic soils located in theSavavalley. 480 soil profiles covering the area of31 227 hawas analysed in our study. The plant available P was determined by the Ammonium-Lactate method. The P availability in the surface layer (0-30 cm) is very low (up to 5 mg P2O5/100 g of soil) in about 30% of the tested agricultural land (9 440 ha), next 32% (9 897 ha) is in the range of a low P availability (from 5.1 to 10 mg), while only 17% (5 445 ha) has a good or very good P availability (above 20 mg). Especially high frequency of low P availability was found in vertic gley, amphygley and hypogley soils (total8 680 haor 28% of tested agricultural land).