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The developmental toxicity of two anaesthetics, 2-phenoxyethanol and clove oil, used in aquaculture was evaluated using the Frog Embryo Teratogenesis Assay: Xenopus (FETAX) and the results were compared to outcomes in fish. Xenopus laevis embryos were exposed to 50, 100, 300, 500, 700 and 1000 mg/l of 2-phenoxyethanol or 1, 5, 10, 20, 30 and 40 mg/l of clove oil. Values of 96 h LC50, 96 h EC50 (malformation) and teratogenic index (ratio of 96 h LC50 and 96 h EC50) were determined and the types and severities of the induced malformations and minimal concentration inhibiting the growth of embryos were estimated. Teratogenic index values for 2-phenoxy-ethanol and clove oil were estimated at 1.69 and 0.61 respectively. The most frequently observed malformations produced by 2-phenoxyethanol were axial flexure and oedema and for clove oil, axial flexure, gut malformation, microphthalmia and oedema. 2-phenoxyethanol was found to induce growth inhibition of frog embryos at concentrations above 300 mg/l and clove oil at concentrations above 20 mg/l. In summary, both 2-phenoxyethanol and clove oil affected the growth of Xenopus embryos, while only 2-phenoxyethanol represented a teratogenic risk.

Dogs with uncomplicated lower urinary tract infection (LUTI) are usually treated with appropriate antibiotics for 10-14 days. In humans, a single dose of ceftriaxone is employed in the treatment of uncomplicated LUTI. The purpose of the current study was to compare the efficacy of a single dose of ceftriaxone with multiple dose (14 days) enrofloxacin administration in dogs with uncomplicated LUTI. Forty-seven non-pregnant client-owned dogs with LUTI signs were enrolled in this prospective, controlled, randomised, blinded clinical trial. The inclusion criteria were the presence of at least one type of bacteria greater than or equal to 1000 CFU/ml in each urine sample. Dogs were assigned randomly to Group ENR (n = 23) enrofloxacin treatment (5 mg/kg, s.c., s.i.d., for 14 days) and Group CEF (n = 20) ceftriaxone treatment (25 mg/kg, i.v., once). The time needed for disappearance of clinical signs ranged from 4-9 days and 1-5 days for Group ENR and Group CEF, respectively. Clinical signs significantly improved earlier in Group CEF than in Group ENR (P < 0.0001). Urine culture with less than or equal to 1000 CFU/ml was achieved on Days 17-21 after the first day of treatment in all dogs. Although a single dose of ceftriaxone can be considered as an alternative treatment to alleviate the signs of uncomplicated LUTI in dogs, its status as drug of last resort is a limiting factor for its extensive use in clinical practice.

Air-drying of soil samples is a common practice for all-purpose soil testing. However, it may cause the cessation of microbial activity changing the biochemical attributes. For this reason, field-moist samples are commonly used in the assessment of the enzyme activity in soils. This practice may, therefore, discourage the use of enzymes in soil quality evaluations. This study evaluated the effects of air-drying on cellulase, arylsulfatase and acid phosphatase activities in soil; the hypothesis was that the activities of these enzymes determined in air-dried soil samples are similar to those obtained at field-moist samples. Soil samples were collected (0-10 cm) in a long-term experiment that received two rates (10 and 20 t/ha) of sewage sludge and mineral fertilizer and was cropped with maize. Collected soil samples were split into two groups. In the first one, the enzymes were determined at field-moist samples, while in the second one, the samples were air-dried before enzymatic analyses. Acid phosphatase was significantly affected by air-drying while the arylsulfatase activity hardly changed. The results showed that the enzymes determined in air-dried soil samples hold the capacity to identify different organic management and can, potentially, be used as soil quality indicators.

The paper deals with the issue of mapping the age composition of stand groups using hyperspectral imagery acquired by the AISA Eagle VNIR sensor in the Bílý Kříž locality in the Moravian-Silesian Beskids Mts. An object-oriented approach was employed through segmentation and subsequent classification by means of Nearest Neighbour (NN) algorithm in the environment of eCognition Developer 8 and artificial neural network (ANN) classification provided by ENVI 4.7 software. Because of the dominant occurrence of Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) monocultures in the studied locality the work focuses primarily on the distinguishability of two selected age classes of Norway spruce (10-20 years and 70-80 years). It studies possibilities of a more detailed age estimation of stand groups aged from 10 to 80 years based on the classification into the boundary classes, which shows similarity to dithering based on random algorithm. Comparison with the outline map of the Forest Management Plan shows a correlation (r² = 0.83) between the spectral characteristics of Norway spruce stands and their age composition.

Commercialisation of Biotech/GM (Biotech) crops started in 1995. Not only field crops, but also horticultural transgenic crops are under development and are beginning to be commercialised. Genetic engineering has the potential to revolutionise fruit tree breeding. The development of transgenic fruit cultivars is in progress. Over the past 20 years an international public sector research team has collaborated in the development of HoneySweet plum which is highly resistant to Plum pox virus (PPV) the most devastating disease of plums and other stone fruits. HoneySweet was deregulated in the USA in 2010. HoneySweet (aka C5) has been evaluated for eleven years (2002-2012) in a regulated field trial in the CzechRepublic for the resistance to PPV, Prune dwarf virus (PDV), and Apple chlorotic leaf spot virus (ACLSV), all of them being serious diseases of plum. Even under the high and permanent infection pressure produced through grafting, PPV has only been detected in HoneySweet trees in several leaves and fruits situated close to the point of inoculum grafting. The lack of infection spread in HoneySweet demonstrates its high level of PPV resistance. Co-infections of PPV with PDV and/or ACLSV had practically no influence on the quantity and quality of HoneySweet fruit which are large, sweet, and of a high eating quality. In many respects, they are superior to the fruits of the well-known cultivar Stanley. Many fruit growers and fruit tree nurseries in the CzechRepublic are supportive of the deregulation of HoneySweet plum to help improve the plum production and control the spread of PPV.

Late blight (LB) disease can cause potato yield losses in both Egypt and the world. Therefore, the structural analysis of resistance (R) genes responsible for LB resistance will help in understanding their functions. This work aimed to identify the variations between the dominant and recessive alleles of two genes, R3a and R8 at the nucleotide and amino acid levels in five potato genotypes. Two genes of R3a and R8 representing the broad-spectrum LB resistance were amplified by specific primers, which gave one amplicon of 194 and 220 bp of each gene, respectively. Two fragments were sequenced after purification using an ABI 3730xl System DNA Sequencer. The DNA sequence alignments of two genes, R3a and R8, were determined among five selected potato genotypes. The percentage of genetic similarity of the nucleotide sequences of the R3a and R8 genes ranged between (82-83%) and (86-87%), respectively, in comparison to the reference sequences in the nucleotide BLAST. We report on the existence of positional differences in the nucleotide sequences, and base-pair substitutions of two fragments, resulting in amino acid changes between the resistant and susceptible potato genotypes. On the other hand, the highest total number of base-pair substitutions was recorded as 16 in the recessive allele r8 of the varieties Bellini and Cara. However, the lowest number was recorded as four in the dominant allele R3a of the variety Cara. The dendrograms of the five potato genotypes were made up of phylogenetically different clusters, separate from all the other named potato accessions of the two genes. The results of this study will create a solid base for the further understanding of the mechanism of plant-pathogen interactions and supply a theoretical reference for durable resistance to late blight diseases in the potato.

Mongolian × Versicolor and common pheasants were investigated. Birds were kept in a confined, environmentally controlled facility without outdoor access and fed ad libitum commercial diets for slaughter pheasants. Body weight was determined at the end of 6, 10 and 13 weeks of rearing, and body weight and body measurements were determined in 16-week-old pheasants. At 16 weeks, 20 pheasants were taken from each genetic group for slaughter. After slaughter, pH₁₅ of muscles was determined and carcasses were dissected. Samples of breast and leg muscles were collected to determine water holding capacity, colour, and sensory properties of meat. Compared to common pheasants, Mongolian × Versicolor hybrids were characterized by similar body weight and body measurements except for length of trunk with neck in females. The carcasses of Mongolian × Versicolor pheasants of both sexes contained more breast muscles, leg muscles, skin with subcutaneous fat and abdominal fat. Differences in the values of these traits were not significant. Significant differences in the composition of carcasses from the groups under comparison were only found for the content of skin with subcutaneous fat and abdominal fat content in females, which were significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) in Mongolian × Versicolor females. The leg muscles had significantly higher pH₁₅ in Mongolian × Versicolor females and significantly lower (P ≤ 0.05) redness (a*) in males. Compared to the common pheasants, the breast muscles of Mongolian × Versicolor pheasants received lower scores for aroma and tenderness and higher scores for taste, whereas leg muscles had higher scores for intensity of aroma and taste, and lower scores for taste and tenderness.

Despite progress in studying the role of opioids in reward, the effect of opioid receptors on feeding behaviour in ad libitum fed meat-type chicken offered different diet types is still unclear. So in this study, 12 experiments (each included 4 groups) were designed to determine the role of μ, δ, and κ receptors with different diets on feeding responses in ad libitum fed neonatal chicken. In Experiment 1, group A chicken were intracerebroventricularly (ICV) injected with saline, groups B-D chicken were ICV injected with DAMGO (µ-opioid receptor agonist; 125, 250, and 500 pmol), then standard diet without fat was offered. In Experiment 2, group A chicken were ICV injected with saline, groups B-D chicken were ICV injected with DAMGO (125, 250, and 500 pmol) and diet with nutrient energy ratio 20% below standard was provided to the birds. Experiments 3-4 were similar to Experiment 1, except after injection, diets containing nutrient energy ratio 20% above standard and standard diet with fat were provided to the birds, respectively. In Experiment 5, chicken were ICV injected with saline, DPDPE (δ-opioid receptor agonist) at doses of 20, 40, and 80 nmol, and then received standard diet without fat. Experiments 6-8 were similar to Experiment 5 in which diet containing nutrient energy ratio by 20% lower than standard, diet containing nutrient energy ratio by 20% higher than standard, and diet containing fat were provided instead of standard diet without fat to the birds, respectively. In Experiment 9, birds received ICV injection of saline and U-50488H (κ-opioid receptor agonist; 10, 20, and 40 nmol) and were provided standard diet without fat. Experiments 10-12 were similar to Experiment 9 but after ICV injection, birds were fed diet containing by 20% lower nutrient energy ratio, diet containing by 20% higher nutrient energy ratio, and standard diet containing fat, respectively. Then the cumulative food intake was measured until 180 min post injection. According to the results, DAMGO decreased while DPDPE and U-50488H increased the food intake (P < 0.05). These findings suggest endogenous governing food preferences via δ- and κ-opioid receptor in ad libitum fed neonatal chicken.

The objective of the study was to assess the profitability of suckler cow herds located in different regions of the Czech Republic. Data on 2164 suckler cows were collected for 2013 from 20 beef farms using a questionnaire and the covered production, reproduction, and economic traits. Model calculations were used to determine the level of profitability with support payments either included (2.15%) or excluded (-45.5%). Break-even points defined as the points when the operation reaches zero profitability were estimated for the number of calves weaned and sold (81 calves/100 cows) and for the selling price of calves (54.6 CZK/kg). Fixed cost as a proportion of the total costs was reduced with the increasing herd size. Based on the results of a sensitivity analysis, the selling price for calves, the number of calves weaned the calving interval, and the amount of support payments were identified as the factors with the highest impact on the overall herd profitability.

The paper presents results from a study of sycamore maple development, health condition and growth in forest altitudinal vegetation zones (FAVZ) 6 and 7 occurring in pollution damage zones A and B in the air-polluted region of Krušné hory Mts. as compared with the trees of identical height in FAVZ 4 and 5 occurring in pollution damage zone D in the Bohemian-Moravian Upland. Sycamore maple develops a fully diversified root system. On spread mounds it creates only a superficial root system and its growth is retarded. The growth of sycamore maple is limited by the layer of humus horizons. If the layer thickness is over 20 cm, the sycamore roots would grow into mineral horizons.

The article deals with thermal and rheological properties of two selected biooils (PL 64S - sample No. 1, and PL 04N - sample No. 2). For thermal parameters measurements, Hot wire method was used, for detection of rheological parameters rheometer Anton Paar MCR 102 was used and the density was measured by densimeter DM 40. For both biooil samples, two series of thermophysical parameters measurements were made. In the first series thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity were measured at constant laboratory temperature. The second series was focused on identification of thermophysical parameters changes during temperature stabilisation. The parameters as dynamic viscosity, kinematic viscosity and density were measured in the temperature range (20-50°C). For samples with constant temperature basic statistical characteristics were calculated - standard deviation and probable error in %. For relations of thermal and rheological parameters to temperature nonlinear dependencies were obtained. The polynomial functions of the second degree were used for thermal parameters and exponential functions for rheological parameters.

The use of organic fertilizers in the organic paddy/rice field can increase methane (CH₄) production, which leads to environmental problems. In this study, we aimed to determine the CH₄ production potential (CH₄-PP) by a soil profile from samples using flood incubation. Soil properties (chemical, physical, and biological) were analyzed from soil samples of three different paddy farming systems (organic, semi-organic, and conventional), whilst soil from teak forest was used as the control. A significant relationship was determined between soil properties and CH₄-PP. The average amount of CH₄-PP in the organic rice field profile was the highest among all the samples (1.36 µg CH₄/kg soil/day). However, the CH₄ oxidation potential (CH₄-OP) is high as well, as this was a chance of mitigation options should focus on increasing the methanotrophic activity which might reduce CH₄ emissions to the atmosphere. The factor most influencing CH₄-PP is soil C-organic (C_org). C_org and CH₄-PP of the top soil of organic rice fields were 2.09% and 1.81 µg CH₄/kg soil/day, respectively. As a consequence, here the mitigation options require more efforts than in the other farming systems. Soil with various amounts of C_org reached a maximum point of CH₄-PP at various time after incubation (20, 15, and 10 days for the highest, medium, and the lowest amounts of C_org, respectively). A high amount of C_org provided enough C substrate for producing a higher amount of CH₄ and reaching its longer peak production than the low amount of C_org. These findings also provide guidance that mitigation option reduces CH₄ emissions from organic rice fields and leads to drainage every10-20 days before reaching the maximum CH₄-PP.

The results of evaluation of powdery mildew resistance in winter barley varieties in 285 Czech Official Trials conducted at 20 locations were analysed. Over the period, the number of varieties tested per year increased from four to seven in 1976-1985 to 53-61 in 2002-2005. To assess the resistance of varieties, only trials with sufficient disease severity were used. In 1976-2000, six varieties (1.7% of the varieties tested in the given years) ranked among resistant (average resistance of a variety in a year > 7.5) including NR-468 possessing the gene Mla13, KM-2099 with mlo and Marinka with the genes Mla7, MlaMu2. In 2001-2005, already 33 varieties (16.9%) ranked among resistant, of which Traminer possessing the genes Ml(St) and Ml(IM9 dominated. The proportion of susceptible varieties (average resistance ≤ 5.5) did not change in the two mentioned periods. Two-rowed varieties began to be tested as late as in 1990 (the first variety was Danilo), however, no difference was found in the resistance of two- and six-rowed varieties. Using an example of two pairs of varieties (Dura-Miraj and Marinka-Tiffany) with identical genes for specific resistance but with different resistance in the field, the efficiency of non-specific resistance is discussed. The resistance of domestic and foreign varieties was similar in 1994-2000; however, in 2001-2005 the difference was 0.75 point to disadvantage of domestic ones.

The aim of this study was to characterise the genera and species of Gram-positive aerobic and microaerophilic microorganisms isolated from pathological processes and lesions in horses. In the period 2009-2014, 449 clinical samples from horses were examined. Of these, 229 (51%) were collected from the respiratory tract, 121 (26.9%) from the skin, 40 (8.9%) from the gastrointestinal tract, 40 (8.9%) from the eyes, 8 (1.8%) from the urinary tract, 6 (1.3%) from the musculoskeletal system, 4 (0.9%) from the lymphatic system and 1 (0.2%) from milk. The isolates were presumptively identified phenotypically, and identification was confirmed by molecular phenotypic MALDI-TOF. The most frequently detected strains (n = 330) were Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., Corynebacterium spp. with prevalence rates of 37.2%, 23.4% and 7.6%, respectively. In addition, 24 other taxa were identified, including Enterococcus spp., Bacillus spp., Trueperella pyogenes, Aerococcus viridans, Dermatophilus congolensis, Lysinibacillus fusiformis, Nocardiopsis alba and Streptomyces spp. Most of these are described as opportunistic pathogens of animals, including horses. Antibiotic susceptibility was tested using the disc diffusion method. Florfenicol and amoxycillin with clavulanic acid were the most effective antibiotics. The susceptibility to florfenicol was 100% for tested strains of Bacillus spp., Lysinibacillus spp., Corynebacterium spp., Dermatophilus congolensis, Streptococcus spp., Enterococcus spp., Aerococcus spp., Nocardiopsis alba and Trueperella pyogenes. The susceptibilities of Staphylococcus aureus and other staphylococci to florfenicol were 96.2% and 98.5% in tested strains, respectively. Amoxycillin with clavulanic acid exhibited 100% effectiveness against Corynebacterium spp., Dermatophilus congolensis, Streptococcus spp., Aerococcus spp., Enterococcus spp., Streptomyces spp., Nocardiopsis alba and Trueperella pyogenes tested strains. The susceptibilities of Staphylococcus aureus, other staphylococci and Bacillus/Lysinibacillus spp. to amoxycillin with clavulanic acid were 89.8%, 98.8% and 20.0% of tested strains, respectively.

In association mapping, haplotype-based methods are generally regarded to provide higher power and increased precision than methods based on single markers. For haplotype-based association mapping most studies use a fixed haplotype effect in the model. However, an increase in haplotype length raises the number of parameters in the model, resulting in low accuracy of the estimates especially for the low-frequency haplotypes. Modeling of haplotype effects can be improved if they are assumed to be random effects, as only one parameter, i.e. haplotype variance, needs to be estimated compared to estimating the effects of all different haplotypes in a fixed haplotype model. Using simulated data, we investigated statistical models where haplotypes were fitted either as a fixed or random effect and we compared them for the power, precision, and type I error. We investigated five haplotype lengths of 2, 4, 6, 10 and 20. The simulated data resembled the Danish Holstein cattle pedigree representing a complex relationship structure and QTL effects of different sizes were simulated. We observed that the random haplotype models had high power and very low type I error rates (after the Bonferroni correction), while the fixed haplotype models had lower power and excessively high type I errors. Haplotype length of 4 to 6 gave the best results for random model in the present study. Though the present study was conducted on data structure more frequent in livestock, our findings on random vs. fixed haplotype effects in association mapping models are applicable to data from other species with a similar pedigree structure.

Currently, technological development is driven by the search for solutions to prevent climate change and environmental degradation, increase energy efficiency, and meet societal needs in relation to avoiding conflict while navigating the implementation of current and future needs. Many of the solutions come from the rapid development of the bioeconomy. The aim of this article is to determine the impact of bioeconomy variables on economic growth in 27 EU countries. The research goal of the paper is based on the estimation of dynamic panel models using the generalized method of moments (GMM). The following set of variables used in the dynamic panel model had a positive impact on economic growth in the EU-27 countries: greenhouse gases by sector: agriculture, circular material use rate, recycling rate of packaging waste by type of packaging - plastic packaging, recycling rate of packaging waste by type of packaging - wooden packaging. Three variables were shown to have a negative impact on economic growth, namely: recycling rate of municipal waste, recycling rate of e-waste, trade-in recyclable raw materials - exports extra-EU.

Field measurement of wind erosion is still a great challenge for researchers. In this study, field performance of a newly designed sediment trap BEST (Basaran and Erpul Sediment Trap) was evaluated for the first time and compared with the commonly used Modified Wilson and Cook (MWAC) traps. Experiments were carried out at the Karapinar Research Station of Konya Soil and Water Resources Institute over the 50 × 50 m tilled sandy loam plot. Three wind erosion events occurred during the experiments. A small amount of sediment was trapped by the MWAC traps only at 0.20 m in all three events, and there were not sufficient sediment measurements at the catch heights to obtain vertical mass flux profiles. On the other hand, BEST was able to catch sufficient amount of sediment at each trap height to calculate soil losses from the experimental fields. Besides, an analysis for particle size characteristics by electron microscopy imagery indicated that almost all of the sediment particles trapped by BEST at any height above 0.60 m were smaller than 100 mm. Hereby, during three erosive wind events a better performance of BEST than of MWAC at comparable catch heights was verified.

White lupin seeds have been used in human nutrition and treatment for several thousand years. Nowadays the use of white lupin seeds is limited by a small scale of their production. However, in the last 20 years quite new properties of white lupin have been discovered for the application in the production of different kinds of functional food. Unique traits of protein, fatty acids with a desirable ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 acids, and fibre as well as other specific components, for example oligosaccharides and antioxidants or non-starch carbohydrates, make white lupin an excellent component in many healthy diets. The effects of white lupin components concern the physiological condition of the human body, including diabetes, hypertension, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, lipid concentration, glycaemia, appetite, insulin resistance, and colorectal cancer. Seeds are used among others for the production of gluten-free flour, bacterial and fungal fermented products, noodle and pasta products, as substitutes of meat, egg protein and sausages, also are cooked, roasted and ground and mixed with cereal flour in the production of bread, crisps and pasta, crisps and dietary dishes.

Tsukamurella inchonensis (T. inchonensis) is an aerobic species of Actinomycetales which has immunomodulatory activities when used as a suspension of killed bacilli. Here, the effects of T. inchonensis on lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory responses in mouse peritoneal macrophages have been examined. Peritoneal macrophages were harvested by lavaging with ice cold phosphate-buffered saline. Macrophages acquired from mice treated with different doses of T. inchonensis for seven days were cultured with 20 U/ml interferon-γ and 10 µg/ml lipopolysaccharide for in vivo assays. Nitrite levels were measured by using the diazotization method based on the Griess reaction, an indirect technique to determine nitric oxide (NO) production. T. inchonensis inhibited lipopolysaccharide-stimulated NO production in mouse peritoneal macrophages from mice previously exposed to concentrations of 108 and 5 × 10⁷ CFU per flask. Also, T. inchonensis decreased lipopolysaccharide-induced production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α. Thus, it can be concluded that T. inchonensis is a powerful inhibitor of lipopolysaccharide-induced NO production in activated murine macrophages, and T. inchonensis may be useful as a novel agent for chemoprevention in inflammatory diseases.

In this study, the presence of Arcobacter spp. was investigated in the faeces of cattle, sheep, goats, dogs and cloacal swab samples of chickens using the 16S rDNA-RFLP method. The prevalence of Arcobacter in these species was found to be 13%, 12%, 16%, 4% and 33%, respectively. On the other hand, Arcobacter spp. could not be isolated from rabbit faeces. A total of 78 (13%) Arcobacter spp. isolates were obtained from the 500 faecal samples and 100 cloacal swab samples examined in this study. From these 78 Arcobacter isolates, 24 (30.8%), 20 (25.6%), 11 (14.1%), 8 (10.7%), 4 (5.1%), 3 (3.9%) and 2 (2.6%) were identified by 16S rDNA-RLFP as A. cryaerophilus, A. butz- leri, A. skirrowii, A. cloacae, A. cibarius, A. halophilus, and A. nitrofigilis, respectively. All A. cryaerophilus (n = 24) isolates were found to be resistant to cloxacillin; all A. butzleri (n = 20) and A. skirrowii isolates were found to be resistant to penicillin/novobiocin, cefoperazone, tetracycline and cloxacillin. It was determined in this study that clinically healthy cattle, sheep, goats, dogs and chickens are reservoirs of Arcobacter spp.

This study evaluated the occurrence of two corpora lutea (CL) and the pregnancy rate in cows treated with gonadorelin on days 5, 6 or 7 after insemination in relation to the day of treatment and the size of the largest follicle on the ovaries at the time of treatment. Cows bearing one CL on days 5 (n = 40), 6 (n = 48), and 7 (n = 47) after insemination with defined size of the largest follicle on the ovaries (small ≤ 9 mm, n = 34; medium 10-14 mm, n = 59; large 15-20 mm, n = 42) were included in the study. Gonadorelin was administered after examination (day 0) and ultrasonographic examination was repeated on days 14, 28, and around day 90. The occurrence of 2 CL vs 1 CL was higher in pregnant cows on day 14 as well as on day 28 (86 vs 14% and 82.5 vs 14%, n = 57). Pregnancy rates on day 28 and around day 90 were higher in cows bearing 2 CL (n = 57) vs cows bearing 1 CL (n = 54) (82.5 vs 18.5% and 79.0 vs 18.5%, P < 0.001). The occurrence of 2 CL on day 28 was higher in cows treated on day 5 compared to cows treated on day 6 or 7 after insemination (60.0 vs 33.3 or 36.2%, P < 0.05). No significant differences in the number of CL and pregnancy rate were found in relation to follicle size at the time of treatment. Our results showed the higher efficiency of accessory CL induction by gonadorelin administration in cows treated on day 5 vs those treated on day 6 or 7 post insemination, however efficiency of the treatment was not influenced by the size of the largest follicle on the ovaries.

In 2014, this research was conducted at the Research Institute of Horticulture in Skierniewice, Poland. It was based on different red raspberry seed treatments with sulfuric acid during the scarification process. The seeds were obtained from crosses among ten parental forms, producing 55 hybrid families. During scarification, the seeds were subjected to concentrated sulfuric acid for 20, 30 and 40 minutes. Assessment of the germinated seeds, performed 2.5 months after the sowing, revealed different effects of the seed origin/pedigree and the applied scarification treatments. The best seed germination was recorded for the hybrid families where 'Radziejowa' (56.5% of germinated seeds), 'Laszka' (63.9%) and 'Sokolica' (73.5%) were the maternal forms, and the poorest one - where 'Polana' (6.2% of germinated seeds), 'Glen Ample' (32.5%) and 'Canby' (33.1%) were used as the maternal cultivars. The highest germination, on average for all the hybrid families, was obtained for seeds treated with H₂SO₄ for 30 min (45.3% of germinated seeds), and the lowest when the seeds were treated with H₂SO₄ for 40 min (35.6%).

We examined the effects of three different soil conditions (orchard soil, cropland soil, unused soil) on the functional diversity of soil microbial communities. The results first showed that orchard and cropland land use significantly changed the distribution and diversity of soil microbes, particularly at surface soil layers. The richness index (S) and Shannon diversity index (H) of orchard soil microbes were significantly higher than the indices of the cropland and unused soil treatments in the 0-10 cm soil layer, while the S and H indices of cropland soil microbes were the highest in 10-20 cm soil layers. Additionally, the Simpson dominance index of cropland soil microbial communities was the highest across all soil layers. Next, we found that carbon source differences in soil layers under the three land use conditions can mainly be attributed to their carbohydrate and polymer composition, indicating that they are the primary cause of the functional differences in microbial communities under different land uses. In conclusion, orchard and cropland soil probably affected microbial distribution and functional diversity due to differences in vegetation cover, cultivation, and management measures.

After spruce, the Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris Linnaeus) is the second most important commercial coniferous tree species in the Czech Republic. However, we are finding out that awareness of the variability of properties, and possibilities to affect them, are noticeably small for this type of tree species in our conditions. The goal of this study is to primarily evaluate the importance of site conditions, silvicultural measures and other factors for the density of Scots pine wood in the Doksy locality in the Czech Republic. The Doksy locality is represented by three forest stands with different silvicultural history. Samples were taken from each stand, the basal and central parts of which were subsequently processed for test samples with dimensions of 20 × 20 × 30 mm. Wood density at 12% moisture content was ascertained in the test samples. The highest density value of 0.541 g.cm^-3 was reached in a stand that is regenerated using the shelterwood method with long regeneration period, and the lowest density value of 0.488 g.cm^-3 was recorded in a stand that was regenerated using the clear-cutting method. From a forestry perspective, it can be further stated that the wood density of Scots pine is also affected by the site conditions and position of samples in the trunk.

In this paper, free amino acids, fatty acids, and phenolic compounds in buckwheat of different hull colour were quantified by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detector (HPLC-UV), respectively. A total of 20 free amino acids, 8 fatty acids, and 6 phenolic compounds were detected in Tartary buckwheat flour and bran. The data on concentrations were subjected to common chemometric analyses, including principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), to gain better understanding of the differences between the tested samples. Results indicated that most of the free amino acids, fatty acids, and phenolic compounds were higher in bran than in flour, and there is no significant difference in respect to the hull colour. Our results may be helpful for quality control in Tartary buckwheat and its products in the future.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of sodium humate (HNa), applied to feed or drinking water as a partial substitution for pharmacological doses of ZnO, on clinical, biochemical and haematological indicators of health status, oxidative stress and the serum fatty acid (FA) profile in weaned piglets. Weaned piglets (32) were allocated into four groups: Control = basal diet containing 110 mg ZnO/kg; ZnO 2.5 = pharmacological dose of ZnO (2.5 g ZnO/kg); ZnO 1.7 + HNa (f) = 1.7 g ZnO and 20.0 g HNa/kg; ZnO 1.7 + HNa (w) = 1.7 g ZnO/kg and drinking water with 0.2% HNa. All ZnO treatments resulted in good performance and clinical health of piglets in contrast to Control, which contained three diarrhoeic piglets. Increased triacylglycerols in the ZnO 2.5 and ZnO 1.7 + HNa (w) groups in comparison with Control suggested increased energy metabolism after treatments. Neither total cholesterol, nor HDL and LDL were affected by treatments. Piglets treated with ZnO and HNa had (ZnO 1.7 + HNa (w)) or tended to have (ZnO 1.7 + HNa (f)) lower urea in serum. Significantly (in ZnO 2.5 and ZnO 1.7 + HNa (f)) or non-significantly (ZnO 1.7 + HNa (w)) higher haematocrit and haemoglobin levels were detected in the blood of treated piglets. Long-term ZnO 2.5 treatment significantly increased serum 8-iso-PGF_2α, the most reliable biomarker of oxidative stress. Partial substitution of ZnO by HNa positively affected the oxidative status of piglets as evidenced by significant (ZnO 1.7 + HNa (w)) or non-significant (ZnO 1.7 + HNa (f)) declines in serum 8-iso-PGF_2α. ZnO 2.5 treatment significantly decreased saturated (SFA), monounsaturated (MUFA) and n-3 polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) and increased PUFA n-6 and n-6/n-3 ratios in serum compared to Control. The synthesis of some physiologically significant long-chain PUFA (LC-PUFA), namely n-6 dihomo-γ-linolenic acid and n-3 eicosapentaenoic, docosapentaenoic was negatively affected by ZnO 2.5 treatment. Both ZnO 1.7 + HNa (f)/(w) treatments significantly increased the proportion of SFA and PUFA n-3 and decreased PUFA n-6 and n-6/n-3 ratios in comparison with ZnO 2.5 and the effect was more considerable in ZnO 1.7 + HNa (w). Most individual PUFA n-3 and n-6 as well as the n-6/n-3 ratio in both treatments were similar to Control. The results indicate that the partial substitution of ZnO by HNa can benefit performance and health of weaned piglets to a similar extent as a high pharmacological dose of ZnO, whereas it can decrease the oxidative stress induced by prolonged over-supplementation of ZnO. Additionally, such a treatment can eliminate the unfavourable effect of high ZnO doses on the n-6/n-3 ratio and the proportion of some physiologically significant LC-PUFA in serum. Generally, it can be concluded that the effects of feed and water HNa supplementation are similar, but are more pronounced when HNa is applied to drinking water.

Strategies to prevent postharvest losses include the use of genotypes that have a longer life. The objective of this study was to develop a screening test for the estimation of cut flower postharvest life and the response to exogenous ethylene of different carnation cultivars at an early stage of plant growth. Ethylene sensitivity and production in different cut flower cultivars was evaluated, and a similar response in the vegetative stage was studied. Also, the possible relationship between the morphological parameters of cuttings and flower postharvest life was studied. Ethylene production of cuttings may be a useful tool for estimating ethylene production of cut flowers. There is a strong relationship between cut flower vase life and the root length of cuttings, as well as cut flower ethylene sensitivity and the number of internodes the cuttings have. Applications of exogenous ethylene to cutting cultivars have an effect on the growth parameters of the cuttings, but the response to ethylene in cut flowers does not behave in the same way in the vegetative stage.

Crop trees are the main bearers of qualitative and value production of the stands. Although the number and production of the mentioned trees are affected by various factors, crown development by means of the thinning regime can be considered as very significant. The paper aims at the comparison of crop trees in homogeneous beech (Fagus sylvatica Linnaeus) stands, which were managed by three different management or thinning regimes for a long period (ca. 50 years): (i) heavy thinning from below (C grade according to the German forest research institutes released in 1902), (ii) Štefančík's free crown thinning, (iii) without interventions (control). Selection of crop trees was carried out at the beginning of research using the best stem quality, diameter and height dimension and regular spacing). In this paper only the last assessment of crop trees aged from 83 to 105 years including 23 subplots established across the Slovakian territory was analysed. The highest number of crop trees has been reached in forests where Štefančík's free crown thinning was applied. The proportion of these trees on subplots with the mentioned type of crown thinning was 61% out of the basal area at stand age of 100 years. A much lower proportion was found on subplots managed by thinning from below (32%) and on control ones (20%). Crown parameters (crown width, crown ratio, crown projection area, crown surface area and volume) showed the most appropriate values on subplots where Štefančík's free crown thinning was used. It was: 8.36 m (crown width), 0.50 (crown ratio), 56.84 m² (crown projection area), 289.56 m² (crown surface area), and 481.75 m³ (volume). Based on the results obtained after almost 50 years of systematic investigations, the mentioned thinning method was recommended for beech forests.

Growth traits belong to the most important economic traits in livestock. One of the genes involved in vertebrate growth and development is insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1). Therefore, in our study we hypothesised that within the sequence of rabbit IGF1 gene it is possible to identify a polymorphism that may influence growth, carcass or meat traits in rabbits. We identified 6 polymorphisms (g.89259430T>C; g.89259338C>G; g.89259328T>C; 89210029A>G; 89210349C>G and g.89194199C>T) within introns of the IGF1 gene. One polymorphism, g.89194199C>T, was analysed using polymerase chain reaction high-resolution melting (PCR-HRM). We performed the association analysis on 370 animals (males to females 1 : 1) of different breeds: New Zealand White × Flemish Giant crossbreds (NZW × FG), Termond White (TW) and Flemish Giant (FG). Results showed that for growth and slaughter traits in TW populations a significant association (P = 0.003) was found for slaughter weight (SW) when CT genotypes showed significantly higher values compared to CC genotypes (2 878.0 g ± 107.0 and 2 678.0 g ± 34.0, respectively). For TW rabbits we found a significant association (P = 0.009) for dissected bone weight in hind leg (HB) when CT genotypes (127.0 g ± 5.8) had significantly higher values compared to CC genotypes (112.0 g ± 2.4). For carcass traits and physical characteristics of meat we found for musculus longissimus lumborum in TW rabbits that the b* parameter value 45 min after slaughter was significantly higher (P = 0.001) for CT genotypes (1.88 ± 0.05) compared to CC genotypes (0.05 ± 0.02). We conclude that the use of identified SNP in breeding may be limited to some breeds.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the feasibility of contrast-enhanced computed tomography for organ morphology and perfusion in five captive terrapins. Native scans were performed and afterwards an iodinated non-ionic contrast media was manually administered through the jugular vein catheter. Post-contrast CT scans were taken 20 (T₂₀), 60 (T₆₀) and 180 (T₁₈₀) seconds after the contrast medium administration. Maximum contrast enhancement of the kidneys and the liver was detected at T₂₀ and T₆₀, respectively. The gall bladder content, the urinary bladder content and ovarian follicles were all without contrast enhancement in all five terrapins. Gall bladder wall thickness was 0.9 mm in all terrapins. Enhancement of the gall bladder wall in post-contrast studies was considered excellent, good or poor in two terrapins, two terrapins and one terrapin, respectively, with a mean score of 1.8 ± 0.84 over all contrast studies. Enhancement of the ureters in post-contrast studies was considered excellent in all terrapins in all contrast studies. Peak aortic enhancement was reached 20 seconds after contrast medium administration with the peak enhancement of 213.5 ± 41 HU in four terrapins and 560 HU in one terrapin. Peak hepatic vein enhancement after contrast medium administration was recorded 20 and 60 seconds in two and three terrapins, respectively. In conclusion, contrast-enhanced computed tomography proved to be a valuable method for clinical examination of the liver, gall bladder, kidneys, ureters, urinary bladder and ovarian follicles in red-eared terrapins.