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Sorghum is an important crop, and starch and phenolic compounds are major and important components in the sorghum grain. However, the underlying critical genetic elements contributing to the rich portfolio of nutrients in sorghum grains are largely unknown. Transcriptomic methods were employed to characterize the expression patterns at five different grain developmental stages of Hongyingzi (an important brewing sorghum), and another two grain sorghums, Jinuoliang 1 and Hongliangfeng 1, for comparison. The uniquely expressed genes were identified at each developmental stage of Hongyingzi when compared with the other two sorghum cultivars. The co-regulated genes at different developmental stages and the regulatory network were determined; the determinant genes and single-nucleotide polymorphisms located at the promoters of these genes involved in starch and phenolic compounds biosynthetic pathways were also identified. These results will provide insights into the potential regulatory network and further contribute to the clarification of the key determinant genes involved in the biosyntheses of starch and phenolic compounds. Meanwhile, some new transcripts and genes were identified at five different developmental stages of grains of the three sorghum cultivars. Our work can provide impetus for further study of the genes responsible for the biosynthesis of starch and phenolic compounds in the sorghum grain, and pave a way for functional validation of a batch of potential genes and single-nucleotide polymorphisms proposed in current work.

The aim of this study is to present the seasonal variation of organic matter (OM), total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) in the bottom sediments of Marchica Lagoon, a post-restorated lagoon located in the Moroccan Mediterranean, and to estimate the potential role of the geochemistry and granulometry of bottom sediments in the retention of old eutrophication. The organic index of bottom sediment was found generally higher in old-eutrophic and enclosed areas. The surface sediments show variable levels of OM, TOC, TP, and TN; high in some cases (12.3%, 6.71%, 0.70%, and 0.30% respectively). These high levels were recorded in the central part of the lagoon and in areas subjected to high anthropogenic pressure, including wastewater discharges. Our results indicated that sediments are an excellent immobilizer of organic matter (C, N, and P), although, there was no correlation between sediment grain size and organic matter content. The absence of correlation might be explained by currentology and hydrodynamics, but also by the bathymetry of the lagoon. Therefore, sediments must be implicated in any lagoon restoration strategy and the site development plan.

One of the main issues addressed by phytology in recent years has been plant tolerance mechanisms for abiotic stress. No combined analysis has been made to identify the genes involved in drought stress tolerance. The meta-analysis of microarray data related to drought stress was analysed by the R software packages and showed 3 029 upregulated genes and 3 017 downregulated genes. The upregulated genes were mostly related to the drought tolerance protein, abiotic stress response, and the Cys2His2 Zinc Finger Transcription Factor (C2H2 zinc finger TF). The downregulated genes were mainly related to the late embryogenesis abundant protein, abiotic stress response, and the basic leucine zipper (bZIP) TF. The common gene ontology (GO) terms in the upregulated and downregulated genes were mainly related to the metabolic process, response to stimulus, cellular metabolic process, and photorespiration. The up and down meta-differential expressed genes (meta-DEGs) mainly belonged to the those following Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways including: the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, plant hormone signal transduction, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathway, and RNA degradation. Moreover, in the upregulated and downregulated genes, the TFs with a high percentage mainly belonged to the Teosinte branched1/Cincinnata/proliferating cell factor (TCP), basic helix loop-helix (bHLH) and bZIP. Next, the hub upregulated genes were mainly related to the thiamine biosynthesis protein thiC, 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase, ribose-5-phosphate isomerase precursor and heat shock protein. The hub downregulated genes were mainly associated with the elongation factor Ts, aldehyde dehydrogenase, and trigger factor. Finally, the data from the present meta-analysis were compared with previous studies on the qRT-PCR results and their up and down expressions were confirmed. Based on the findings of the current study, novel insights into the drought stress molecular response can be provided and various candidate genes can be introduced for barley drought stress tolerance breeding.

Plant-based indicators of water status, such as midday stem water potential (Ψ_stem) and leaf stomatal conductance (g_s), are used to optimise irrigation scheduling in horticultural crops because they integrate the effect of soil and climatic conditions and the internal physiological constraints. The use of these indicators relies on experimentally acquired thresholds that relate the value of the indicator to negative effects on yield. In five irrigation treatments, we monitored yield, fruit size and the courses of Ψ_stem and g_s throughout four consecutive growing seasons. We found that Ψ_stem was more sensitive to irrigation treatment than g_s. Both indicators increased with available soil water content (ASWC) and decreased with evaporative demands of the atmosphere (ET_C). On a seasonal basis, crop load had a stronger impact on g_s than Ψ_stem. In summary, our study explored the effect of environmental conditions and crop load on plant-based indicators of tree water status and can be useful for establishing thresholds for irrigation scheduling in apple tree orchards.

Agriculture 4.0 creates a challenge for agricultural and forest enterprises in the form of changes in the processes and strategies set up to now. The ability for flexibility, personal development, and further education will be critical in transforming agriculture and forestry organisations. The transition to Agriculture 4.0 will also affect the need for human resource management in terms of their need and competence structure. This work aims to identify a group of employees in the environment of the Slovak Republic’s agricultural and forest enterprises with the prerequisites to acquire additional work competencies and the interest to develop flexibly. The mentioned group of employees, understood as progressive, will be examined from the point of view of motivational preferences and the level of satisfaction with them. The presented outputs follow searching the sample unit of 2 193 employees in agriculture and forestry organisations. Based on inferential statistics, it was confirmed that the progressive group of employees is identifiable in terms of their education and, compared to other groups, has a significantly higher perception of the importance of motivation factors with the highest difference in the case of factors related to career aspiration and social needs.

In this study, a global agricultural trade network was constructed, and its topological characteristics from 1991 to 2021 were analysed. The influences of nine variables were empirically tested, including factor endowments and economic, geographical, and institutional factors. The research results show that the scale of trade networks is constantly expanding, and trade relations are becoming increasingly concentrated. Further, global agricultural trade patterns are gradually being reshaped. However, European economies and the United States still dominate the power of network control, with a clear ‘core-edge’ hierarchy. Among the factors influencing the global agricultural trade network, differences in arable land areas, agricultural product prices, geographical distances, and financial institutions have proven important. However, their influence varies. Compared to the differences in the endowments of other factors, the comparative advantage of agricultural trade in various nodes worldwide comes more from the arable land areas. The greater the difference in agricultural prices, the closer are the trade ties between nodes. Differences in geographical distance have proven conducive to establishing agricultural trade relations. Finally, the greater the difference in financial systems, the greater the likelihood that agricultural trade links will occur.

In long-term cultivation of apple trees, replantation disease may occur, caused by a set of biotic and abiotic factors, occurring in the soil, e.g. the accumulation of pathogenic and harmful microorganisms. Beneficial microorganisms can be of great importance in limiting orchard replant disease. In our study, the Urea fertilizer was enriched with Aspergillus niger and Purpureocillium lilacinum fungi, while the Polifoska 6 and Super Fos Dar 40 fertilizers with strains of the bacteria Bacillus spp., Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, and Paenibacillus polymyxa. The aim of the three-year study was to determine what effects the application of mineral fertilizers enriched with beneficial microorganisms, applied in 100% doses and in doses lower by 40% had on the microorganisms in the rhizosphere of apple trees. The number of bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas in the rhizosphere of apple trees was the highest in the combination with Urea 60% + fungi and Polifoska 60% + bacteria. These values were 2–3 times higher compared with the control. In the combination with Polifoska 60% + bacteria, the number of fluorescent Pseudomonas bacteria was five times higher compared to the control. The highest number of actinomycetes was observed in the third year of the study, in the combination with Polifoska 60% + bacteria. The use of this fertilizer increased the number of these bacteria more than five-fold compared with the control. The beneficial effect of Polifoska 60% + bacteria, Super Fos Dar 100% + bacteria, and Urea 60% + fungi on phosphate-solubilizing bacteria was observed in the third year of cultivation. The additional application of filamentous fungi together with Urea did not have a significant effect on this group of microorganisms. The obtained results show that in many cases the application of the selected fertilizers positively influenced the microorganisms inhabiting the apple-tree rhizosphere. Particularly noteworthy is Polifoska enriched with the selected bacteria, the use of which significantly increased the number of beneficial bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas.

Hyperspectral imaging technology has emerged as a prominent research area for quantitatively estimating soil nutrient content owing to its non-destructive, rapid, and convenient features. Our work collected the data from soil samples using the hyperspectrometer. Then, the data were processed. The competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) algorithm reduced the original 148 bands to 13, which accounted for 8.8% of the total bands. These selected bands possess a certain level of interpretability. Based on the modelling results, it can be concluded that the prediction model constructed by the least squares support vector machine (LSSVM) exhibited the highest accuracy. The coefficient determination, root mean square error, and ratio performance deviation were 0.8295, 2.95, and 2.42, respectively. These findings can provide theoretical support for the application of hyperspectral technology in detecting the content of the AHN in soil. Moreover, they can also serve as a reference for the rapid detection of other soil components.

Sustainable global wheat production requires wheat varieties, that are sufficiently resistant to the main wheat diseases. The economically important fungal pathogens worldwide include powdery mildew (PM), yellow rust (YR), leaf rust (LR) and blotch causing pathogens including Septoria nodorum blotch (SNB) and Septoria tritici blotch (STB). Here, we present the evaluation of winter wheat varieties of diverse origin against the prevalent local populations of PM, YR, LR, STB and SNB under natural infection conditions through image-based phenotyping in two consecutive years (2019 and 2020). We found several varieties to be resistant against multiple diseases. Following the association mapping, we obtained a total of 206 marker trait associations for all the parameters scored which were condensed to 79 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) (eight QTLs for PM, 25 QTLs for LR, 11 QTLs for YR, 19 QTLs for SNB and eight QTLs for STB) based on the linkage disequilibrium among the molecular markers. The known genes present at these QTLs are discussed in detail. The varieties resistant to multiple diseases, identified with the QTLs and molecular markers can be considered as elite raw material for future wheat breeding.

The draft Strategic plan of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the Czech Republic has provoked the displeasure of many entrepreneurs in agriculture due to the redistributive payments, to which 23% of the total volume of direct payments will be directed instead of the originally planned 10%. According to the creators of the Strategic plan, this should support the fairer distribution of payments, respecting the benefits arising from the scale of production of large companies. Critics of the plan claim that operating subsidies are already degressive and fear an adverse impact on medium-sized companies, which, given the structure of the companies in the Czech Republic, will affect a large part of agriculture. This article aims to identify the farm size for which direct payments will be reduced and the likely degree of the impact on the farm economy. Our results suggest that the new payment system will lead to a reduction in direct payments for farms larger than 313 ha and, from a farm size of 873 ha, direct payments will fall below 85% of the average, which may cover around 50% of the agricultural land in the Czech Republic.

A reassessment of factors related to milk production economics is needed because of continuing genetic improvements within the main dairy breeds and changes in farm management and the economic environment. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to evaluate the development of economic indicators between 2016 and 2020 on Czech dairy farms that kept either Czech Fleckvieh or Holstein breeds and that had different average milk yields. We used a questionnaire to obtain data from 66 dairy farms from different regions of the Czech Republic. The farms were divided into four groups according to breed and 2016 milk yield. Production costs increased during the period in all groups by 13% to 17% because of increasing milk yields, the associated higher feed consumption and increasing input prices. We observed a higher annual growth rate of costs per litre of milk on farms with above-average milk yields compared with the groups with below-average yields. The highest profitability before subsidies was achieved on farms with Holstein cows and above-average milk yields. Higher-income over feed costs were consistently observed in groups with higher milk yields. Because of low farm gate milk prices, profitability was significantly lower across all groups during 2016 than in other years.

The black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) serves as an alternative source of protein in poultry production. However, there is little available information on feeding live black soldier fly larvae (LBSFL) to hens. The present study filled this gap by testing the effect of dietary LBSFL on laying hen performance, feed economy, egg quality, and yolk fatty acid composition. In total, one hundred forty-four 25-week-old Charoen Pokphand Brown laying hens were assigned to four groups. Experimental birds were provided a basal diet supplemented with 0.0 (T1), 10.0 (T2), 20.0 (T3), or 30.0 (T4) g/kg LBSFL. Our results indicated that no effects on body weight gain, egg yield, egg weight, or egg mass (P > 0.05) were observed in any of the dietary LBSFL groups. The addition of 10.0 g/kg LBSFL decreased feed intake, feed conversion ratio, and feed cost (P < 0.05), contrary to two higher doses of LBSFL. Similarly, the egg quality parameters were not influenced (P > 0.05) by the dietary LBSFL except for the egg yolk colour which significantly decreased with increasing LBSFL levels. Furthermore, the values for lightness (L*), redness (a*), and yellowness (b*) of the egg yolk were different (P < 0.05) between the four treatments. Paler egg yolk was found in the 20.0 and 30.0 g/kg LBSFL groups compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Significantly lower deposition of C18:3n6 was found for 30.0 g/kg, whereas there was a significant decrease in deposition of C22:6n3 with all LBSFL groups (P < 0.05). C20:3n6 levels, on the other hand, increased significantly in the 20.0 g/kg LBSFL group (P < 0.05). Thus, feeding LBSFL has no potential to increase the proportion of anti-inflammatory n-3 fatty acids. From an economic point of view, it is advantageous to feed the hens a dose of 10 g/kg LBSFL.

The objective of this study was to investigate the diversity of 59 accessions of barley using inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR), conserved DNA-derived polymorphism (CDDP), and start codon targeted (SCoT) markers. A total of 391 amplified polymorphic bands were generated using 44 ISSR, 9 CDDP, and 12 SCoT primers that produced 255, 35, and 101 polymorphic bands, respectively. The average values of gene diversity were 0.77, 0.67, and 0.81 for ISSR, CDDP, and SCoT markers, respectively. The mean values of polymorphism information content for ISSR, CDDP and SCoT markers were 0.74, 0.63, and 0.80 respectively. The discrimination power of the three approaches for assessing allelic diversity in barley accessions ranked as follows: SCoT > ISSR > CDDP. The barley accessions were classified and clustered into two main groups. Molecular variance analysis revealed 15, 9, and 14% variability among populations with ISSR, CDDP, and SCoT markers, respectively. The Mantel test results revealed that the three molecular marker matrices had significant positive relationships. The SCoT markers might be useful tools for selecting appropriate parents for a breeding program.

In some cases, it is difficult to promote climax tree species in the forest stand composition. In the Czech Republic, silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) is a typical example. This study offers an evaluation of the use of two improving compounds for tree plantations in the initial stage of growth in Central Bohemia. In the experiment, we measured the initial growth performance of a young fir plantation treated with a brassinolide compound (concentration 1 : 100 and 1 : 200) and Bio-Algeen^® prior to planting and compared it with control treatment: we assessed height, root collar diameter, vitality and mortality rate during the period 2014–2019. Cumulative mortality rate of the plantation reached 25% at the end of the monitoring period, without any significant differences between variants. Height increment of the variant treated with Bio-Algeen^® was significantly (P < 0.05) lower than the growth of brassinolide-treated variants, all treated variants were comparable with the control variant. The plantation underwent a drought-stress period in 2014 and 2015, which resulted in worsened vitality and colour across variants. As a result of the simple economic analysis, the most expensive inputs are planting stock and labour, therefore the price and application of additional substances should not affect decision-making.

Amino acids have positive regulatory effects on the function of intestinal epithelial cells (IEC), but in the field of animal nutrition, research on the regulatory effects of amino acids on IEC is still in the initial stages. This study aims to explore the effects of Gly, Gly-Gly, and Gly-Leu on IEC proliferation and their possible mechanisms. Chicken small intestinal epithelial cells were separated using the tissue block method, and other miscellaneous cells were removed for digestion and passage culture. The IEC were cultured in the medium containing 20 nmol/l Gly, Gly-Gly and Gly-Leu for 24 h, and the expression of enterokinase and cytokeratin in cells, the growth curve and activity of IEC, cell cycle, differentially expressed genes, mRNA expression, and protein expression levels of p-mTOR and p-S6K1 in IEC were detected. Enterokinase and cytokeratin were expressed specifically in IEC. The results of growth curve and MTT revealed that the cell viability of IEC was significantly increased after treatment with Gly, Gly-Gly and Gly-Leu. The cell cycle results showed that compared with the control group, Gly, Gly-Gly and Gly-Leu intervention could increase the proportion of IEC in G1 phase, and the proportion in S phase of IEC was decreased. Transcriptome sequencing showed that compared with the control group, there were 54, 28 and 30 differential genes in Gly group, Gly-Gly group and Gly-Leu group, respectively. These genes were mainly enriched in nitric oxide synthesis and protein kinase B signalling, PI3K signal and cellular amino acid biosynthesis and transport signal pathways. RT-PCR results showed that the mRNA expression levels of PCYT2, SPP1, EMC6, GRIA2 and PKD2 were consistent with the sequencing results. Western blot results showed that compared with the control group, the protein expression of p-mTOR and p-S6K1 in Gly group, Gly-Gly group and Gly-Leu group was significantly increased. Gly-Leu can promote the protein synthesis in IEC by activating protein synthesis of mTOR signalling pathway in chicken IEC.

Long-term field experiments provide a valuable dataset for predicting changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in different agricultural systems. The RothC-26.3 model was used to simulate changes in SOC in the monoculture of spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and the Norfolk crop rotation during 1972–2100. The potential of the Gleyic Fluvisol Clayic to sequester organic carbon was investigated. The studied soil was heavily textured, with medium organic carbon content. Four management scenarios in the monoculture and six management scenarios in the Norfolk crop rotation were evaluated. Three different global climate models (MPI, MRI, CMSS) representing the uncertainty of future climate conditions were used. Results showed that carbon stocks were mainly influenced by plant residue inputs and exogenous organic materials application. The projection showed trends of carbon stocks decreasing in the case of monoculture management. Results also documented that management scenario D with straw incorporation and intercrops represented sustainability and carbon stock increase during all modelled climate scenarios. The SOC stock at the end of the century was approximately 66 t/ha. This represents a moderate sequestration of SOC of approximately 0.09 t/ha/year.

The exact determination of the rotation period is still a current and important essential issue of forestry. It attracts the attention of forest economists, managers and owners worldwide, not only of forest economists but also of forest managers. The rotation period is defined by physical, technical or financial parameters of forest management. Therefore, it is necessary to distinguish between the biological and the economic optimal rotation period. A fundamental challenge in forest management is the need for appropriate determination of the rotation period. The primary interest of our research was to compare the effective legislation for the determination of the rotation period in the Czech Republic and in the Slovak Republic. Scientific methods such as document analysis and questionnaire survey were applied. The results of the legislation analysis and other related documents were compared with the expert opinions of the relevant stakeholders. Those who affect the decision process related to the problem and those where are "affected" by the problem were involved in the study. Results show that respondents do not agree with the regulation of rotation period according to effective law. Moreover, they consider it as not usable as the conditions in forest ecosystems have changed recently, which is not considered in the legislation.

The aim of this study was to validate selected precision livestock farming (PLF) methods of nutrition and feeding management of high-yielding Holstein dairy cows. In a feeding trial with 36 dairy cows, the effect of replacing 0.1 kg of sodium bicarbonate in the control total mixed ration (TMR-C) with 1 kg of wheat straw in the experimental total mixed ration (TMR-S) on the physiological status of cows and the amount of milk produced (milk yield, MY) was investigated. Feed intake time (FT), as measured using tensometric feed troughs (TFT), was significantly longer with TMR-S (188 min) than with TMR-C (157 min). Differences between TMR-C and TMR-S were not significant for FT or rumination time (RT), as measured by a sensor in the collar (VSC). There was only a weak correlation between the two technologies (TFT vs. VSC) for FT (r = 0.27). Differences between TMR-C and TMR-S were not significant for values measured in rumen fluid (pH, acid and ammonia levels) nor for values measured by sensors in the milking parlour (MY, fat and protein percentage of milk). Milk analysis in the laboratory showed that the cows fed TMR-C had higher urea (26.6 vs. 22.7 mg/100 ml) and free fatty acid (0.87 vs. 0.33 mmol/100 g) levels in milk. Moderate correlations were between TMR intake and MY (r = 0.55); between MY and milk fat (r = –0.46); between milk fat and milk protein (r = 0.63); and between milk fat and milk protein measured by sensors and in the laboratory (r = 0.47 and r = 0.42, respectively). In view of the above results, further research and data validation for each technology are needed.

Due to a scarcity of freshwater resources, agriculture is dependent on the use of poor quality water for irrigation in arid and semi-arid regions. Hence, the effective use of poor quality water requires pioneering water management and nitrogen fertilizer practices for increasing yield and resource efficiency. This study aimed to investigate the effect of saline water levels, nitrogen fertilizer, and irrigation methods on eggplant yield, water productivity, NPK uptake, and nitrogen use efficiency. The experiment was conducted in 2019 and 2020 under drip (IM1) and surface flood irrigation (IM2). The treatments included three saline water levels i.e. canal water (SW1), ECiw=2.5 dS/m (SW2), and ECiw=5.0 dS/m (SW3) along with the three nitrogen levels of 75% (N1), 100% (N2), and 125% (N3) of the recommended dose of nitrogen. Application of saline water using IM1 reduced the ECe by 41.8% (SW2) and 34% (SW3) over IM2. The fruit yield, water productivity (WP), NPK uptake, and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) was increased by 22%, 127.6%, 39.8%, 16.6%, 11.8%, and 23.8% under IM1 over IM2, respectively. A high saline water level under IM2 can cause more reduction in fruit yield, NPK uptake, and water use. Applying saline water through IM1 improves fruit yield, WP, and NUE by 13-32.8%, 104.1-147.3%, and 10.5-35.2% as compared to IM2. We found that saline water and N applied by drip improved eggplant yield, water productivity, and NPK uptake. It is concluded that irrigation water and nitrogen fertilizer consumption are optimized when saline water is applied through drip irrigation.

Herbivorous pests and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) coexist on the same host plant, having an indirect effect on one another. We established an experiment in a randomised complete block design with four treatments and six replications to examine the impact of AMF on the population and the damage caused to plane trees by the leafhopper Zyginella pulchra. Manure, manure plus fertiliser, manure plus fertiliser plus AMF, and non-inoculated plants (control) were all of the treatments. The findings revealed that while the nutritional content and soluble carbohydrate content were significantly enhanced by all treatments, they largely reached their peak in the AMF-inoculated plants. When compared to control trees that were not inoculated, the concentrations of N, P, and Zn were boosted by 39%, 81%, and 425%, respectively. AMF inoculation increased the population of Z. pulchra nymphs and adults compared to the control. However, the plants with AMF inoculation eventually suffered greater leaf loss as a result of this rise in the pest population. The findings show that while AMF enhance nutrient absorption and are necessary to improve the nutritional state of the host trees, they also enhance the absorption of pests that are thought to be harmful to plane trees. However, AMF colonisation improved the potential attractiveness of Z. pulchra to plane trees.

Plantain is the most important crop for the Peruvian Amazonian population, developed in recent alluvial soils rich in nutrients, but fragile and susceptible to degradation. Therefore, the impact of permanent cultivation was evaluated, through modelling, on indicators of recent alluvial soil quality and production in plantations of Musa paradisiaca L. var. Harton, in the Aguaytia River valley, Peru. The treatments were areas with permanent plantain plantations of 2 (T0), 15 (T1), 4 (T2), and 5 (T3) years of management, evaluating soil physicochemical indicators and plantain production indicators. The results show significant differences for all yield and soil indicators evaluated, except for bulk density (Bd), clay fraction, soil organic matter (OM) and N. The modelling determined a significant positive impact on Bd and a significant negative impact on pH, P, pseudostem diameter and height, commercial fingers and bunch weight. In conclusion, the modelling shows trends of quality and yield reduction in 15 years of permanent management of plantain Var. Harton, and compromises the sustainability of the agroecosystem in the medium term.

The ecological significance of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in Europe, especially in areas devastated by bark beetles, has led to its consideration as a substitute for Norway spruce. This pioneering species boasts sun and drought tolerance, fast growth, and wood industry value. To gauge its potential, we examined two ecotypes across two test sites over two years, focusing on height and growth increment. Through statistical analysis employing R software and linear mixed models, we assessed heritability, genotype by environment interaction, and spatial correlations. Both ecotypes exhibited significant differences in height and increment, varying by year and site. Heritability was higher in the second year, with increment showing greater stability. Genetic correlations between sites were evident, suggesting stable increment ranking across locations. These findings underscore the role of ecotypic variation in Scots pine growth, advocating for its consideration in reforestation. Acknowledging such dynamics is vital for effective forest management and reforestation in Central Europe, promoting sustainability and informed decision-making. Further research will enhance this understanding of preserving and enhancing the region's tree populations.

The Algeria forest, particularly in the northeastern region, has undergone profound changes in recent years. The Oued Bouhamdane watershed has a great forest potential, which is threatened by several factors of natural and human origin, resulting in a decrease in forest cover. It requires adequate forest monitoring to support the sustainable forest management of this watershed, which is possible thanks to satellite imagery. The objective of this research is to study the spatiotemporal dynamics of the vegetation cover of the Oued Bouhamdane watershed between 2013 and 2022 using remote sensing data. This study is based on the use of Landsat 8 and 9 images for two dates in 2013 and 2022, and the calculation of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to identify changes in vegetation cover between 2013 and 2022. The calculation of NDVI and the realization of the vegetation change map showed a regression of the forest cover between 2013 and 2022 with a rate of –5.53% of the total of the study area with a general negative change of 28.62% of the study area. This regression is essentially linked to natural and anthropogenic factors. This work can be a valuable tool for sustainable management of the forest of this watershed; moreover, the method is also adaptable to other watersheds of the northeastern region of Algeria.

The determination of the saturated hydraulic conductivity Ks on a field scale presents a challenge in which several variables have to be considered. As there is no benchmark or reference method for the Ks determination, the suitability of each available method has to be evaluated. This study is aimed at the functional evaluation of three publicly available types of pedotransfer functions (PTFs) with different levels of utilised predictors. In total, ten PTF models were applied to the 56 data sets including the measured Ks value and the required predictors (% sand, silt and clay particles, dry bulk density, and organic matter/organic carbon content). A single agricultural field with a relatively homogenous particle size distribution was selected for the study to evaluate the ability of the PTF to reflect the variability of Ks. The correlation coefficient, coefficient of determination, mean error, and root mean square error were determined to evaluate the Ks prediction quality. The results showed a high variability in Ks within the field; the measured Ks values ranged between 10 and 1261 cm/day. Although the tested PTF models are based on a robust background of soil databases, they could not provide estimates with satisfactory accuracy unless local soil data were incorporated into the PTF development.

Tail biting in pigs represents a very serious problem in modern pig farming, particularly with the intensification of the industry. It is considered a multifactorial syndrome and can be caused by various factors, leading to significant economic losses through reduced weight gain and partial or total condemnation of slaughtered carcasses due to secondary bacterial infections. The aim of this article is to summarise the current knowledge regarding tail biting in pigs, with a primary focus on the use of slaughterhouses for evaluating tail lesions and monitoring their prevalence. The introduction addresses the factors influencing the incidence of tail biting in pig farms and prevention strategies. Subsequent sections cover topics such as tail docking, the negative effects of pig tail biting, the advantages and drawbacks of examining tail lesions in slaughterhouses, and the methodical procedure for evaluating such lesions. Additionally, the article discusses the relationship between tail lesions and meat inspection findings, as well as the prevalence of tail lesions in various European countries.

The effect of drought stress on carbon metabolism in the leaves and roots of bermudagrass was investigated. Plants established in PVC tubes suffered from three water treatments for 10 days. C138 and Tifway (drought-tolerant) were found to have lower relative electrical conductivity and higher water use efficiency than C32 (drought-sensitive) under moderate drought by increasing carotenoid and soluble sugar content and rapidly decreasing leaf starch content. The sucrose synthase activity of leaves and roots, acid invertase and neutral invertase activity of C32 roots substantially decreased under severe drought, resulting in a slow sucrose decomposition rate and significantly lower fructose and glucose contents than C138 and Tifway. The activities of four carbon metabolism enzymes and sucrose content in the leaves were greater than those in the roots, while the fructose and glucose contents were on the contrary, indicating that bermudagrass transported fructose and glucose obtained from sucrose decomposition from leaves to roots under drought to reduce roots damage. The path analysis indicated that leaves neutral invertase activity, and roots soluble sugar content might be the key parameter of carbon metabolism in bermudagrass under drought.

Centaurea cyanus is an annual weed mostly infesting winter cereals and rape. The aim of the study was to provide insights into the association between the seed germination characteristics and the herbicide sensitivity in C. cyanus in the presence of the genetic background control. Four populations of this species resistant to acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitors were tested. A germination study was conducted in a growth cabinet. Plants were sprayed at the 2- to 3-leaf stage with a field dose of florasulam (5 g/ha). There were four herbicide treatments dates, which included plants that germinated up to the seventh day, between eight and 12, 13 and 15, 16 and 20 days of the germination study. The germination dynamics of the four tested populations of C. cyanus resistant to florasulam was diversified. Three of them reached their maximum germination on the fourth day after sowing, however, the germination of the fourth population was spread over time with the highest number of germinated seeds found seven and twelve days after sowing. The germination time of the plants belonging to the resistant C. cyanus populations differentiated their reaction to florasulam. The conducted study indicated that the germination biology of ALS inhibitor-resistant populations of C. cyanus is diverse, which makes it difficult to introduce universal management strategies of this species into agricultural practice. Integration of control methods is recommended, including delaying the crop sowing date.

Emerging economies often establish commodity futures markets to discover price signals, manage price risks and improve market integration, but establishing a futures market may not be feasible for agricultural perishables. In this study, we evaluated the function of the world’s first fresh fruit futures contract for apples. Combining partial cointegration with state-space modelling, we derived time-varying price discovery metrics for the apple futures market. Our findings revealed a limited and time-varying dominance of price discovery by the futures market, while a substantial share of price discovery occurred in the spot market. Moreover, poor convergence of disaggregated spot prices to the futures price suggests that commercial traders in the apple supply chain tended to focus more on the spot market than on the futures market. Thus, emerging economies should be cautious about the new establishment of futures markets for agricultural perishables. Future research using more specific data on the spot market may provide a better insight on the limited function of the futures market.

Results of a vast research activity carried out worldwide in the last decades have demonstrated that endophytic fungi hold a fundamental role in improving plant fitness based on their aptitudes as growth promoters and/or defensive mutualists. These properties may have applicative perspectives in crop production, particularly for tree species such as hazelnut (Corylus avellana), which is mostly cropped extensively in semi-natural contexts of highland regions throughout the temperate zones. The available data on the occurrence, ecological roles, and applications in biotechnology of endophytic fungi associated with hazelnuts are revised in this paper in view to provide a reference supporting future investigations and projects aimed at exploiting the potential of this component of the plant microbiome.