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The objective of this study was to determine the wildlife hosts of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) in the Czech Republic. A total of 8 796 wildlife animals were examined by culture of faecal or tissue samples during the years 2002-2007. MAP was isolated from 12 (0.5%) out of 2 296 red deer (Cervus elaphus), two (0.2%) out of 835 roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), 78 (5.7%) out of 1 381 fallow deer (Dama dama), 28 (3.2%)out of 866 mouflons (Ovis musimon), four (2.5%) out of 162 chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) and from one (0.1%) out of 805 wild boar (Sus scrofa). MAP was not cultured from 82 badgers (Meles meles), 55 martens (Martes foina), one pine marten (Martes martes), 25 brown hares (Lepus europaeus), five rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), nine European polecats (Mustela putorius), two steppe polecats (Mustela eversmannii), two American minks (Mustela vison), four raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) and four Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra). MAP was isolated from three (2.0%) out of 149 small terrestrial mammals: one (5.9%) out of 17 brown rats (Rattus norvegicus), one (1.7%) out of 59 common voles (Microtus arvalis) and one (2.6%) out of 39 lesser white-toothed shrews (Crocidura suaveolens). Culture examinations of 34 house mice (Mus musculus) and 2 113 pigeons (Columba livia f. domestica) were negative. All 123 in vitro growing MAP isolates from wild ruminants were of IS900 RFLP type B-C1. One mouflon infected with a MAP strain which did not grow on the tested media was after IS1311-PRA-PCR assessed as being infected with a "sheep" strain. The RFLP type of the MAP isolate from the wild boar was of the RFLP type A-C10. Although the detection of MAP in wildlife in the Czech Republic was not very high, their role as a potential risk factor for cattle should be considered.

The valuation of assets is a relatively challenging activity as well as a scientific discipline having an impact on the amount of the reported assets and economic result process. The report deals with the issue of valuation of the tangible fixed assets in the accounting entities compiling the financial statements pursuant to the Czech national legislation and in conformity with the requirements of the International Accounting Standards IAS/IFRS and US GAAP. The substantial differences in the definitions and valuation of the tangible fixed assets in these systems have been determined, indicating the impact on the economy of the accounting entity, both at the primary acquisition and as at the day of the closing of books. Attention has also been paid to the possibilities of recording the value decreases and to subsequent expenses. The analysis of legal regulations was completed with the analysis of the financial statements from selected economic entities. As per the international standards, the main difference consists in the possibility of component depreciation of tangible assets or, on the other hand, the possibility of group depreciation, in the differences in valuation in the event of acquisition paid for and of acquisition by one's own production and in the possibility to consider the costs of disposal of assets. The subsequent expenses are also construed in a different manner: as per the Czech regulation, they are construed as repairs and maintenance. The substantial difference in comparison with the Czech regulation consists in the possibility of re-valuation of assets upwards as well as the method of actual value determination.

The main attention of the submitted paper is devoted to the comparison of development of entrepreneurship in Slovak and Polish small and medium-sized he enterprise sector. The conditions for blooming entrepreneurship are created in the national economy. Especially the role of SMEs in the transition economy, both in Slovakia and Poland, has the impact on SMEs. The entrepreneurship of small and medium-sized enterprises is extended in the whole Slovakia. From the viewpoint of the regional structure, most enterprises are located in the Bratislavský region (30.4%), Košický region (11.8%), Žilinský region (10.1%) and Trenčianský region (10.1%). On the other hand, the least of enterprises were registered in the Nitrianský region (8.9%), Trnavský region (9.2%) and Banskobystrický region (9.6%). Small and medium entrepreneurship is diversed throughout Poland. The average small and medium entreprenership ratio is 44.5, while the highest is in the Mazowieckie region - 55.2% and the lowest in the Podkarpackie region - 30 %. The supporting system for private entrepreneurship in both countries, Slovakia and Poland, is very similar and the entrepreneurs are satisfied with its offer and help.

Altitudinal studies has become of interest to ecologists concentrated on functional alterations aiming to clarify the effects of limiting factors. Nutrient element release from forest floor (FF) decomposition is suppressed by those factors such as low temperature, shortened vegetation period concluding FF accumulation at high elevation fields. To draw out a response to the FF decomposition issue, FF layers as leaf + fermentation (L + F) and humus (H) were collected from 37 representative sample plots along an altitudinal gradient (from 1,400 m to 1,710 m) on Kaz (Balikesir-Turkey) mountain. Mass, pH, organic matter (OM) and total nitrogen (Nt) contents of FF were investigated to explain the relation between decomposition and altitudinal effects. The results revealed that total FF mass and (L + F), (H) sub-fraction masses through elevation show an insignificant relation with the altitude. No significant difference was found between the altitudinal groups in the OM content of L + F. Besides there are significant negative correlations between OM contents (%) of L + F and H layers and altitude with the coefficient values 0.342 (P< 0.05) and 0.597 (P < 0.01), respectively. The Nt content of L + F layer also increases through the elevation revealing a medium correlation with altitude (0.368; P < 0.05). The increasing Nt and decreasing OM contents show better decomposition rates at higher sites regardless of the altitude induced climatic changes. We assume that the forest floor accumulation under tree canopies provides a better decomposition relying on the microclimatic environment mediated by tree canopies, in spite of the altitude.

Colic was treated surgically in 576 horses (545 individuals). Twenty-seven horses were subjected to surgery twice and two horses three times during the period of this study. A total of 371 horses (64.4%) were discharged from the hospital, 205 animals (35.6%) died or were euthanised; 16 of them died during anaesthesia, 102 horses were subjected to euthanasia during surgery, 24 patients did not recover from anaesthesia after surgery completion, and 63 horses did not survive the postoperative period. Ileus of the small intestine was diagnosed in 267 cases (46.4%), affection of the large colon in 239 cases (41.5%), lesion of the small colon in 22 cases (3.8%), lesion of the caecum in 19 cases (3.3%), and affection of stomach and rectum in four and one cases, respectively. In 14 animals (2.4%), lesions were located at two different sites of the gastrointestinal tract. In four horses, the cause of colic was located outside the gastrointestinal tract. Three animals were affected by diffuse peritonitis. No gastrointestinal lesion could be identified during surgery in three horses with recurrent colic. The most common causes of small intestine ileus included incarceration in inguinal hernia (50 of 267 horses, 18.7%), hernia of the omental foramen (31 of 267 horses, 11.6%), anterior enteritis (19 of 267 horses, 7.1%), mesenterial volvulus (18 of 267 horses, 6.7%), and ileal impaction (18 of 267 horses, 6.7%). The most common caecal disorder was acute constipation/dysfunction (5 of 19 horses, 26.3%). Frequent causes of the large colon colic were torsion (63 of 239 horses, 26.4%), left dorsal displacement (36 of 239 horses, 15.1%), and right dorsal displacement (23 of 239 horses, 9.6%). The small colon was most often affected by focal obstruction/constipation (9 out of 22 horses, 40.9%). Surgical treatment of colic of the small intestine, caecum, large colon, and small colon was successful in 59.6%, 36.8%, 73.3%, and 63.6% of the cases, respectively.

The submitted work deals with the relation between the sum of active temperatures above 7°C and important phenological phases in peach tree cultivation. The aim of the paper is to provide information for growers, especially regarding anticipated harvest dates, which is important for marketing. Data has been compiled for the period 1998-2007 for the variety Catherine, grown in the locality of Velké Bílovice in the Czech Republic. A relationship between the sum of active temperatures above 7°C from the beginning of the year up to the start of blossoming has been identified, and a model determining the harvest date on the basis of the sum of active temperatures in the periods of 30 days and 60 days after blossoming has been tested.

The present paper is the first contribution from the biomass quantification series which is realized by Forestry and Game Management Research Institute in the Krušné hory Mts. (Northern Bohemia). This study is aimed at blue spruce substitute stands. Research was done within the blue spruce experiment Fláje II in the Krušné hory Mts. (800 m above sea level in the spruce forest vegetation zone, acidic category). Results showed that the aboveground biomass of the investigated substitute blue spruce stand without thinning amounted to approximately 56 thousand kg of dry matter per ha at the age of 22 years. Wood and bark of branches are the most important parts of the aboveground biomass (ca 40%). Needles and stem wood accounted for approximately 26 and 28% and stem bark only for 6%. At the age of 22 years, the investigated substitute blue spruce stand accumulated: N - 336 kg, P - 28 kg, K - 138 kg, Ca - 159 kg, Mg - 28 kg per hectare. Thinning with the consequent removal of aboveground biomass (54% of trees, 40% of basal area at the age of 16 years) represented a loss of ca 8.7 thousand kg/ha of total biomass, which contained 53 kg of N, 5 kg of P, 22 kg of K, 26 kg of Ca and 4 kg of Mg. The removal of biomass in areas previously degraded by acid deposition may result in the deficiency of Ca and Mg because of their low content in forest soil. On the other hand, thinning supported the faster growth of trees left after thinning and consequently faster biomass and nutrient accumulation.

The dynamics and forming of European agriculture are determined by many considerably heterogenous and complicated processes and trends which influence mutually and moreover they work in a different way in developed and developing countries. An attention will be paid to basic global trends, the role of the Common Agricultural Policy, the influence of agrarian markets, the promotion of multifunctional agriculture etc.

Abstract: The paper derives from the working and publication activities from research project "Chances of product diversification on behalf of improvement of competitive advantage in the small and middle-size farming business in the Czech Republic". This paper deals with the critical success factors for successful diversification at the small and middle-size farming business. For the purpose effective implementation of the diversification have been identified the principal influences of this issue. Besides of that, we have tried to measure a diversification's impact for an entrepreneurial profit in agricultural area. There is a definition of "diversification" as new farmer's activities for using profit opportunity. On the base of 50 units-exploration has been made a hypothesis validation of the most often impulse for doing diversification. That is an effort to utilize more effectively the product factors of farming business. Further, there was a validation of the effective and efficiency diversifications' characters.

The aim of the study was to assess terrestrial ecosystem development (mainly vegetation and soil characteristics) in the area of a sand mine cast (located in southern Poland) that has been either reclaimed or left for natural succession. A total of 20 sites in a chronosequence of 5, 17, 20 and 25 years were set up in two site categories: reclaimed and non-reclaimed sites. Selected properties of initial soils and features of vegetation were measured and they included carbon accumulation in soil; biomass and diversity of communities were also estimated. Next, based on carbon accumulation, the energy trapped in ecosystem components was estimated. Although the results of plant community investigation did not show the same distinct differences between site categories, the case study suggests that reclamation significantly accelerates ecosystem development. In comparison with spontaneous succession, the complete forest reclamation was found to increase the amount of carbon accumulation, thickness of humus horizon, and energy trapped in soil organic carbon and plant biomass in the developing ecosystem 2-3 times and nitrogen accumulation 5 times.

Two different models (WBS FLAB, WaSiM-ETH) were used in the project HochNatur (flood prevention and nature conservation in the Weißeritz catchment in the Eastern Ore Mts. - Erzgebirge) to determine risk areas with quick runoff processes and to simulate the discharge. It was done in different scales, in the mesoscale Weißeritz catchment as well as two selected subcatchments with different natural and urban conditions, the Weißbach subcatchment with a well-structured landscape, the Höckenbach subcatchment with a greater part of arable land. On the basis of selected scenarios, the effect of land use changes on the runoff generation processes of an area and on the hydrograph is described. Land use changes are able to reduce the portion of quick runoff components, the water erosion and the discharge. The effect occurs especially in smaller catchments and with short heavy rains (events with a frequency of occurrence of 5-50 years). Depending on the present situation the changes have to include areas of more than 25% of the catchments area to cause a significant effect. It became apparent that nature conservation and flood prevention agree well in their requirements with the land use. A rich structured landscape proved to be extraordinarily positive for both, flood prevention and nature conservation.

Two cases of botulism in horses are described in the article. In the first case two horses died, one survived and recovered after four weeks. Botulotoxin type B was detected using a mouse bioassay in the gastrointestinal content of both dead horses; Clostridium botulinum bacteria were cultivated from one of them. In the second case two horses were affected. One of them was euthanized because of persistent recumbency, the second one recovered after six weeks. Detection of botulotoxin in the serum of the dead horse using the mouse bioassay was not successful.

This scientific paper shows the results formulated in the author's research focused on strategic decision-making of the company management in a new entrepreneurial environment resulting from changes caused by integration processes, the development of information technologies and globalisation factors. The goal of this paper is to publish the changes in behaviour of the management of the selected entrepreneurial entities resulting from new factors of changes affecting the entrepreneurial environment. This is reflected in the process of strategic decision-making of entrepreneurial entities in the necessity to use new methods of decision-making of the company management as a reaction to factors of the external as well as the internal environment. Rapid changes in particular in the external environment require the company management to select new approaches and methods of decision-making and to have a well conceived algorithm enabling a flexible response to customer wishes using the findings of knowledge management.

: Nutrient digestibility and parameters of nutritive value for ruminants of two winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars were evaluated by means of an in vivo balance trial performed by the regression method on two groups of heifers with an increasing proportion of grain in DM (from 6 to 46%). Sulamit and Rapsodia, chosen on the basis of the in vitro test from a set of 25 cultivars (grown in 2002-2004) reached significant differences in DM fermentability in vitro (by 43.7-78.6 ml/g DM, P < 0.05). In vivo digestibility of crude protein, nitrogen-free extract, organic matter, parameters of N retention, energy concentrations (metabolisable energy, net energy for lactation and for fattening) and parameters in the PDI system (especially PDIE) increased along with the grain proportion in the diet. At the comparable proportion of grain in the ration the positive differences were significantly higher (P < 0.05) for Sulamit than Rapsodia.

Production of raw wood material and its regulation has a great ecological and economic importance in every country. The aim of the paper is to analyze the prospective production of raw wood with respect to the expected basic tree species composition and assortment structure on an example of long-term development of selected indicators of forest condition in Slovakia. For this analysis we used data on the area, growing stock and planned decennial timber felling in the forests of Slovakia in 1980, 1996 and 2003. The production potential of forests was evaluated on the basis of the annual perspective allowable cut by 2020, from which the prospective production of assortments was derived using the models of assortment yield tables of tree species. The results show that in the forests of Slovakia there is an about half proportion of coniferous and half proportion of broadleaved tree species, very good structure of growing stock as well as its trend in the last years. Production of raw wood assortments for industrial processing for the years 2010-2020 is limited by the volume 6.3-6.4 mil. m³. About one half of this volume comes from coniferous and the other half from broadleaved tree species. For coniferous tree species the proportion of spruce and fir is 87% and for broadleaved tree species the proportion of beech and oak is 80%. For coniferous tree species sawmill assortments have a decisive, almost 70% proportion. Regarding broadleaved tree species, pulpwood assortments with 47% proportion prevail, although with 11% the highest quality assortments for the production of veneer from beech and oak are also significant.

D-alanine (DAL) has been successfully used as a marker of bacterial nitrogen (N) in the small intestine of cows. This study compares DAL contents of intestinal bacteria in digesta of cows and pigs with respect to diet and sampling site. In isolated ileal bacteria of pigs a DAL/N ratio (41.72 ± 3.19 mg/g, n = 18) was found, which was not different from that in rumen bacteria (40.11 ± 1.95 mg/g, n = 18) but higher than in duodenal bacteria of cows (38.09 ± 2.09 mg/g, n = 18, P < 0.001). The DAL/N ratio in ileal bacteria of pigs was independent of the diet (P = 0.38) but it tended to be affected by the animal (P = 0.095). In bacterial preparations derived from cows, the DAL/N ratio depended on the diet (P = 0.04) and the site of sampling (P = 0.004). Our findings indicate that a general value for DAL/N ratio in pig or cow intestinal contents to calculate bacterial N should not be used.

The paper is focused on the quantitative analysis of the price transmission and on its use for the estimations of the direct price elasticity of the vertical-derived demand functions. The price transmissions were examined between the commodity markets for the food grain and the consumer markets for the bakery products and flour. The data (1995-2002) were taken over from the Czech Statistical Office (CSO), the Price Statistics (PS) and the Statistics of Family Budgets (SFB). The intensity of the inter-market price transmission was assessed by means of the coefficients of the price transmission elasticity (EPT). For enumerating of EPT, the regression linear models were developed. The explicit as well as the implicit time-definition in the models was tested. The explicit dynamic construction was carried out on the basis of the stationary process with the parabolic trend. After the determination of trend functions, the seasonal component in used time-series was thoroughly investigated by means of the harmonic analysis (G-tests of the individual extremes of the developed periodograms). The implicit dynamization of the linear models was solved on the basis of the first differences of appropriate commodity prices, respectively price levels on the consumer market. For the quantification of the price transmission elasticities, directly dynamized models there were only used only because the model unambiguously achieved better values of characteristics of the statistic verification (correlation index, F-test, T-test). These models also satisfied the economic assumptions in the sense of the vertical price transmissions between the observed market levels and the preservation of the law of diminishing demand. Based on the linear models of the price transmission with parabolic-trend stationarization, it was found out that within the observed period (1995-2002) EPT between commodity market with the food wheat and consumer market with the bakery products and flour reached the average level of +0.1602%. Within the same period, the value of EPT between commodity market with the rye and consumer market with the bakery products and flour reached the average level of +0.1067%. These coefficients were subsequently used together with coefficients of the own price elasticity of consumer demand for the bakery products and flour (ε) to the estimations of the own price elasticity of the commodity demand for food wheat and rye (e). In accordance with the construction of these estimations: e = ε × EPT, it was found out that the average level of the own price elasticity of the demand for food wheat (respectively rye) is about -0.0659% (respectively -0.0441%). Both observed secondary demand functions are therefore strongly inelastic with respect to the reaction on the direct price changes. The commodity demand for the rye seems to be more inelastic.

Economic values of 15 production and functional traits for Slovakian Pied cattle were calculated under different marketing strategies. The traits were as follows: birth weight of calves, daily gain of calves in fattening, mature weight of cows, weight of calves at 120, 210 (weaning weight) and 365 days (yearling weight) of age, dressing percentage, mean class for fleshiness and fat covering, conception rate of heifers and cows, losses of calves at calving and from 48 hours to weaning, lifetime of cows and mean class for calving performance. A purebred cow-calf pasture system producing its own female and male replacement was assumed for all strategies. The following marketing strategies for surplus weaned female and male calves were taken into account: (A) export of all surplus calves, (B) intensive fattening of all surplus calves, (C) rearing and selling of all surplus non-pregnant (1) or pregnant (2) breeding heifers and fattening or export of surplus male calves. All calculations were carried out with the computer program Ecoweight. The relative economic importance of traits was calculated multiplying the economic values by the genetic standard deviations of the traits. The lifetime of cows was the most important trait when applying export or fattening of all calves or when selling pregnant breeding heifers, whereas the yearling weight was even more important for the strategy with selling non-pregnant heifers. The second most important trait was weaning weight in strategy A, yearling weight in strategy B and lifetime of cows in marketing strategy C. Carcass conformation traits had the lowest economic importance in all calculations.

In 2001-2005, resistance to powdery mildew was studied in 227 Czech and Slovak breeding lines of spring barley included in the breeding station trials or official trials. Seventeen known resistances were identified (Al, Ar, At, HH, Kr, La, Ly, Mlo, N81, Ri, Ru, Sp, St, Tu, We, Mla21, and Mlp1). Unknown resistances were found in 11 breeding lines, in five of which resistance was effective against all used pathotypes of the pathogen. Besides the identified resistances, unknown resistances were detected in another three breeding lines. Sixty-five breeding lines (= 29%) exhibited heterogeneity in the examined trait, i.e. they are composed of components with different resistances to powdery mildew. Comparison of current results with the previous ones shows a considerable increase in the proportion of breeding lines carrying the resistance Mlo (72%), on the account of the resistances located at the Mla locus, particularly Ru. The examined set is characterised by a high proportion of breeding lines resistant to all used Czech pathotypes of the given pathogen (78%), however of low diversity in the resistance.

Verification of the possibilities of a droplet spectrum regulation due to the change of working pressure, as well as the change of the size of the discharge orifice of a nozzle, was undertaken in laboratory conditions by measurement of the size of a droplet spectrum of the applied liquid. Selected types of low drift nozzles - Albuz AVI 025, Lechler ID 120, Lechler IDK 120-05, Lechler IDN 120-025, TurboDrop 03, Hardi INJET 02, Hardi B JET 02, Hardi LD 02and a flat fan nozzle Hardi ISO F 02-110 - underwent the measurement. The measurement of droplet spectrum was carried out at the nozzle's working height of 500 mm, and at working pressures of 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5 and 0.7 MPa. A laser measure equipment was used to measure the droplet spectrum of liquid.

The aim of the paper is the evaluation of the present sale of the chosen organic products in the condition of the Czech Republic. The sale analysis is made according to the structure of plant and animal products with the help of both qualitative and quantitative evaluation parameters as for example the amount of production and their prices, sales conditions and the used distribution channels. The part of the paper is also analyses of present state of demand for chosen organic foodstuff and of the consumer's interest in organic foodstuff. The attention is paid mainly to the recognition of the consumer's interest in organic foodstuff, for the consumer's interest is the limit factor of the demand for organic products.

In ornamental gardening, Spiraea × vanhouttei is a frequently planted spirea species in the Czech Republic. In 2003, there arose a suspicion of possible occurrence of fire blight caused by Erwinia amylovora on spirea shrubs in Prague and its environs. This suspicion was disproved for a certainty. The absence of the fire blight pathogen in symptomatic spirea plants stimulates a further effort to tackle the problem of a cause of conspicuous fire blight-like symptoms or inflorescence blast occurring on some spirea shrubs. The subject of this paper is: (i) to describe symptoms, incidence and severity of inflorescence blast, bud and flower abnormalities occurring in Spiraea × vanhouttei shrubs; (ii) to find out differences in the occurrence of blasted inflorescences between Spiraea species and cultivars with the intention of verifying the hypothesis that the blast inflorescence and sterility of some spirea species are associated with hybrid species. Symptoms of inflorescence blast are every growing season. No seed is produced by blasted inflorescences. Besides inflorescence blast, aborted floral buds appeared sporadically on a small scale. Spirea species were split into four categories according to the incidence of blasted inflorescences. Out of 52 species evaluated, 10% showed no or scarce incidence, 52% medium incidence, 27% high incidence and 11% very high incidence. The scarce incidence of blasted inflorescences was connected with the high seed production. And vice versa, very high incidence of blighted inflorescences was closely connected with no or low seed production or with high incidence of sterility. Fifteen out of the evaluated spirea species are the result of hybridization. These hybrids occur in each of the four categories of spirea species distinguished by the incidence of blasted inflorescence. However, it is remarkable that the highest incidence of hybrid spireas occurs in the category with the highest incidence of blasted inflorescence (83.33%). In the remaining three categories of spirea species, the proportion of hybrids ranged from 18 to 21%. It might indicate some connection of spirea hybrids with sterility.

The freezing point (FP) was established in 48 bulk tank samples of raw and 48 samples of pasteurized goat milk that were collected in the course of lactation. Alongside, non-fat solids (NFS) content was monitored. Milk freezing point measurements were carried out using the thermistor cryoscope method in compliance with the standard CTS 570538 (1998). The mean freezing point of raw milk was found to be in an interval of -0.5513 ± 0.0046°C, variation ranged from -0.5466°C to -0.5567°C, with higher values in the spring months and a drop at the end of lactation. FP corresponded to the NFS content. The average freezing point of goat milk heat-treated on the farm to the temperature of 72°C over a period of 20 s was -0.5488 ± 0.0046°C, pasteurisation brought an average increase in FP by 0.0025°C.

Using a file of economic indicators of a sample of selected agricultural enterprises, their economic results have been evaluated according to their production and climatic conditions, production orientation and the system of management since 1996. The long-term tendencies of economic results and the influencing factors shall be defined according to this analysis. The authors aim to assess the influence of external conditions on management of agricultural enterprises and how the economic result can be influenced. Next, the authors aim to analyse the influence of the accession of the Czech Republic to the EU. In 2005 the agricultural enterprises suffered a decrease in their profit compared with 2004, followed by a decrease of the profit rate. The decrease in the number of labour force and at the same time the increase of labour productivity shows a long-term tendency. Subsidies in agriculture have also been increasing in the long-term perspective. There was the first significant increase in 2004. Subsidies are one of the most important factors influencing the economics of agricultural enterprises and the dependence of their earnings on subsidies is increasing.

Slow-Release Fertilizers (SRF) Silvamix Forte and Silvagen were tested in two-year experiments with container-grown woody plants (Pyracantha coccinea, Thuja occidentalis). Several fertilizing systems were compared: preplant application of SRF into substrate as the sole nutrient source for a two-year period, preplant application of SRF and soluble fertilizer (PG Mix), and preplant application of SRF and soluble fertilizer together with additional fertilizing by solution of nitrogen fertilizer during both growing periods. A system with controlled-release fertilizer (CRF) Osmocote 5-6 was chosen as a control variant; it was incorporated into substrate before planting in the first year and top-dressed in the second year. CRF Plantacote 6M (mixed into substrate before planting and top-dressed in the second year) and Osmocote 16-18 applied only before planting were tested, too. The experiments showed that SRF Silvamix Forte and Silvagen give results comparable with CFR provided that they were incorporated together with soluble ferti-lizer dose and plants were fertilized by solution of nitrogen fertilizer during both growing periods.

Damage caused by bark peeling and browsing by red deer to Picea abies was investigated in two localities in the Českomoravská vrchovina Highlands. 127 experimental plots of 50 × 50 m in size were monitored in stands aged from 15 to 93 years. In total, 44% of 16,700 inspected trees were damaged by bark peeling and browsing. The area of gaping wounds varied from 50 to 1,650 cm². Stem decay affected 68% of the damaged trees. Some properties of the decay were analysed from 200 sample trees felled on the plots. Bark peeling damage occurred when the trees were 4 to 48 years old. Decayed wood accounted for 22-70% (mean 42%) of the merchantable stem volume of sample trees. The mean rate of the vertical decay spread was 17.4 cm per year (ranging from 4-63 cm per year). Mean decay volume correlated positively and mean spreading rate correlated negatively with the time elapsed from the bark peeling damage occurrence.

Business, economic, and agricultural YES-or-NO decision making problems often require multiple, different and specific expertises. This is due to the nature of such problems in which decisions may be influenced by multiple different, relevant aspects, and accordingly multiple corresponding expertises are required. Fuzzy expert systems (FESs) are widely used to model expertises due to its capability to model real world values, which are not always exact, but frequently vague or uncertain. In this research, different expertises, relevant to the decision solution, are modeled using several corresponding FESs. Every FES produces a crisp numerical output expressing the degree of bias toward "Yes" or "No" decision. A unified scale is standardized for numerical outputs of all FESs. This scale ranges from 0 to 10, where the value 0 represents a complete bias "No" decision and the value 10 represents a complete bias to "Yes" decision. Intermediate values reflect the degree of bias either to "Yes" or "No" decision. These systems are then integrated to comprehensibly judge the binary decision problem, which requires all such expertises. Practically, the main reasons for independency among the multiple FESs can be related to maintainability, decision responsibility, analyzability, knowledge cohesion and modularity, context flexibility, sensitivity of aggregate knowledge, decision consistency, etc. The proposed mechanism for realizing integration is a hierarchical fuzzy system (HFS) based model, which allows the utilization of the existing If-then knowledge about how to combine/aggregate the outputs of FESs.

The present distribution of forests and the degree of their transformation by man are the results of natural factors and cultural development. The limit between forested areas and open spaces, as well as differences between intensively used forests and those showing small or no traces of human intervention, is determined by social needs and values, economic opportunities, and political regulations. Forests are currently perceived by the population as physical and social spaces profoundly influenced by timber use and forest management. Their social and political significance is in full evolution. The multiple demands on forests in a rapidly evolving economic, social, and political environment require maintaining a high level of forest management standards and a flexible adaptation of multiple-use forestry to the complex interactions between the private and public sectors.

The basic concept of malt barley production is to reach a dilution effect of nitrogen accumulated by grains at maturity. A three-year study was undertaken to establish time courses of nitrogen (N) and sulphur (S) in leaves as the prerequisite tool for total grain yield prognosis. Sulphur application at the lowest rate of 25 kg/ha significantly increased yields of grain in 2001 and 2003. The time course of N and S concentrations in leaves over the growing season showed declining trends for N and variable for S. At mid tillering (BBA-25) both N and S, but at BBA-31 only N concentrations significantly responded to S rates, and in turn affected patterns of N concentration in barley organs up to maturity. Sulphur concentrations and N:S ratios were useful tools to make reliable prognosis of total grain yield of barley at BBA-31 as indicated by the obtained regression equations. The threshold values for N and S in leaves in order to achieve the maximum total grain yield are 0.4% for S and 8.0 for the N:S ratio as presented by the graphical procedure.

This paper deals with problems of rural tourism development. The works is focused on researching the situation in the area of rural tourism in the Czech Republic, on understanding the attitudes of entrepreneurial sphere and rural population to this entrepreneurship and mainly on the determination of limiting factors that prevent this form of tourism from a more distinctive development. Rural tourism in the Czech Republic is still in the initiating stage of its development and it is not as developed as in some countries in West Europe. This goal has been reached with the help of primary questionnaire inquiry among business and agricultural subjects in rural areas in the individual regions and the detail results of this questionnaire inquiry are enclosed to the following paper. These identified factors were mainly insufficient financial means and at the same time insufficient state assistance connected with this. Insufficient awareness of this support as well as its inaccessibility for small business appears to be a difficulty, too. From the other obstacles, we can mention the current legislation system, bureaucracy, the state of communication and tourist infrastructure, fears of neighbours' intolerance and losing privacy and also unfamiliarity and little experience.