Fulltext search in archive

In this study, the effects of Aloe vera gel and coconut oil on wound healing were investigated and compared in rats. Forty-two Wistar albino rats were used during the experiment, in which they were operated on under general anaesthesia to create two full-thickness open skin wounds (created with a 0.5 cm diameter punch biopsy apparatus) on both back sides of the median line. A total of 42 rats were divided into three groups of 14 animals each to receive the topical application of Aloe vera gel (AV group – n = 14), coconut oil (CO group – n = 14) and cold cream (CONT group – n = 14). The medical applications were performed twice a day in all the groups. The wound borders were marked on a transparent sheet every day. Afterwards, this sheet was transferred to the millimetre graph paper. On days 0, 7, and 14, the unhealed wound area was measured in all the groups. On days 7 and 14, seven rats in each group were euthanised. Then, skin samples including the intact skin were taken from the wound sites for histopathological and biochemical evaluations. The topical application of Aloe vera gel showed a significant increase in the healing process of the open wounds in terms of the clinical evaluation, histopathological and biochemical data averages when compared with the coconut oil and cold cream groups of rats (P < 0.05). The results obtained in the present study demonstrate that Aloe vera gel may provide a good alternative for the treatment of open wounds.

Bacterial leaf blight (BLB) disease of rice caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) is one of the significant constraints for rice production. A study was carried out to analyze the virulence, genetic diversity, and population structure of Xoo isolates collected from different rice ecosystems of Karnataka, India. The taxonomic identity of all 54 isolates was confirmed using a Xoo-specific PCR assay. The virulence assay on a set of twenty-eight near-isogenic differentials identified nine pathotype groups (KPthX-1 to KPthX-9). Among them, KPthX-6 was highly virulent, whereas KPthx-2 was less virulent. Differentials with four and five resistance (R) genes (Xa4+xa5+xa13+Xa21, Xa4+Xa7+xa13+Xa21, and Xa4+xa5+Xa7+xa13+Xa21) were effective against all the pathotypes. Further, genetic diversity was deduced using a universal marker set, JEL-1, and JEL-2, complementary to a conserved repetitive sequence IS1112. The amplicon size and numbers varied from 100 bp to 3 Kb and 1 to 25. Based on the amplicon counts, Jaccard’s co-efficient and phylogenetic analyses were carried out and categorized the 54 isolates into three clusters (I to III). Cluster-II contains the maximum number of isolates (27), followed by cluster-I (23 isolates) and cluster-III (one isolate). The structure analysis categorized the isolates into five subgroups, viz. SG1, SG2, SG3, SG4, and SG5 indicate the existence of five subpopulations. The present study has identified the genetic and virulence diversity of the Xoo population and reported the effective R gene/s for different rice ecosystems, which can be used in the breeding program for the eco-specific management of BLB of rice.

The escalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine had a detrimental effect on the global agricultural and food market and the price movements of essential commodities. In this study, we aim to investigate the effects of geopolitical risk on the prices of selected agricultural and food commodities using the linear and nonlinear ARDL (autoregressive distributed lag) model. Our results show evidence of the asymmetric impact of geopolitical risk on the prices of rapeseed, sugar, sunflower oil, and wheat. The findings also show no long-term link between geopolitical risk and corn, cotton, lumber, milk, oats, rough rice, and soybean prices.

The fungus Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst) is an important threat to wheat production because it can cause wheat stripe rust. The present study aimed to identify new stripe rust resistance genes and to provide a theoretical and practical basis for breeding wheat varieties with broad spectrum, stable, and durable resistance. Wheat leaves inoculated with wheat stripe rust fungus Chinese yellow rust 34 were collected at different time points for transcriptomic analysis based on the wheat stripe rust susceptible varieties AVOCET S (AVS) and AVSYr15NIL [near-isogenic line (NIL) derived from AVS]. The results showed that the number of upregulated genes in the two varieties was 294, 364, 398, and 604, and the number of downregulated genes was 520, 178, 570, and 345 on the 1^st, 3^rd, 5^th, and 7^th days post inoculation, respectively. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genomes enrichment analyses found enrichment of differentially expressed genes in the peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor signaling pathways, plant–pathogen interaction, and styrene acrylic acid biosynthesis that encoded protein kinases, signal transduction, transcription factors, and functional protein components. Differentially expressed genes were randomly selected for quantitative reverse transcription PCR analysis, and the change trend was the same as in the transcriptome data. The results of this study suggest that genes in AVSYr15NIL related to the stripe rust response could be valuable for understanding the mechanisms involved in stripe rust resistance.

This study investigated the effects of Lycium chinense Miller stem (LCM) and Origanum vulgare Linn (oregano) essential oil on growth, blood biochemistry, and caecal microorganisms in White Roman goose. A total of 96-day-old White Roman geese were randomly allocated to a control group and three treatment groups. The G 0.05 diet was enriched with 0.05% LCM extract, the G 0.5 diet was enriched with 0.5% LCM extract, and the O 0.05 diet was enriched with 0.05% oregano essential oil. Each treatment was allotted to three pens, with four males and four females per pen. Geese were fed for 83 days. Geese in group O 0.05 had greater body weight gain than those in groups G 0.05 and G 0.5 in the first 28 days (P < 0.05), whereas the geese in group O 0.05 also showed greater body weight gain than those in control and G 0.05 groups in total 83 days (P < 0.05). No significant differences in serum creatinine, glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, glutamic-pyruvic transaminase, cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, or high-density lipoprotein were observed. Serum glutathione peroxidase concentrations were significantly higher for geese in group G 0.5 (P < 0.05) than for the control group at 83 days of age. At 87days of age, one male and one female per pen were slaughtered, and the caecum contents were collected for gene sequencing by 16S ribosomes. No significant differences in microbial alpha diversity were observed. In conclusion, supplementation with 0.05% oregano essential oil increased body weight gain for 83 days. In addition, supplementation with 0.5% LCM extract increased glutathione peroxidase activity at 83 days of age (P < 0.05). In summary, our study showed that phytogenic feed additives improve growth and have antioxidant and immune properties in geese.

Oestrus detection is currently at the top of the factors limiting the success of artificial insemination in dairy herds. This limitation becomes more pronounced as milk production increases because of higher metabolic clearance rates of steroid hormones leading to low circulating oestradiol concentration near oestrus. The standard OvSynch has overcome this problem by enabling fixed-time artificial insemination, for it synchronises follicular wave emergence, luteolysis, and ovulation. However, it did not improve fertility compared to cycles with spontaneous ovulation, which motivated the development of “fertility programs”. These later are nothing but improved OvSynch protocol. This article explains what went wrong with the original OvSynch protocol, discusses the improvements made by “fertility programs”, and highlights the advantages and limits of the newly tested molecules.

This research investigated the effect of different storage temperatures on the compositional changes, physicochemical characteristics, and functional properties of hawthorn berries. Storage at 25 °C resulted in the gradual decrease of the moisture, hardness, sugar, titratable acid, and colour of hawthorn berries. These changes decreased with decreasing storage temperature, and the minimal changes happened at frozen storage (–18 °C). Similarly, the decreasing rate of ascorbic acid, extractable polyphenol (EPP), and flavonoids during storage also decreased with reducing storage temperature (25 °C > 4 °C > –18 °C). Hydrolysable polyphenol (HPP) was relatively stable during the hawthorn storage, and non-extractable proanthocyanidins (NEPA) increased with decreasing temperature. Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) of EPP and HPP decreased at 25 °C, while polyphenolic oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) activities decreased. Decreasing the storage temperature can improve the stability of the nutritional properties, antioxidant capacity, and enzyme activity of hawthorn. The specific storage temperature depends on the final processing conditions and the purposes of the hawthorn berries.

The challenges smallholders face in agricultural management between developed and developing countries differ and can also impact the smallholder's well-being. The purpose of this study is to identify factors that affect the well-being of smallholders. We conducted a systematic literature by applying the Preferred Reported Item for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) and extracted 30 articles from Scopus and Web of Science. These articles show three main factors that drive well-being: technology, optimal resource, and insurance, and two additional factors: market pricing and tax policy. Findings show that all the above factors will first impact economic well-being and, subsequently, social well-being. When COVID-19 struck, the smallholder's well-being was also affected in addition to the destabilised food chain. Travel restrictions have led to a labour shortage. The smallholders had to turn to e-commerce to sell their products. They also incurred losses and experienced difficulties in procuring agricultural intermediate inputs. The absence of agricultural insurance worsened the impact on the well-being of the smallholders. To safeguard the well-being of these smallholders, the study suggests that stakeholders should encourage local labour participation, increase investment in human capital, adopt e-commerce in marketing, offer agricultural insurance schemes against various disasters and continuously provide or increase subsidies to smallholders.

Under natural and well-managed conditions, the buffalo has good reproductive and productive indices. However, in vitro embryo production (IVEP) has been used commercially to maximise the number of elite animals. In this species, several factors (donor management, in vitro culture medium, semen, in vitro conditions, embryo transfer) still affect the IVEP results. In addition, the cost of this technique is very high for this purpose. Therefore, more studies, as well as adequate plans, are needed to achieve this objective efficiently. In this review, we discussed the current commercial status, influencing factors (in vivo and in vitro), and the progress and future challenges of IVEP in buffalo. A total of 81 references were used from 1979 to 2022. The relevant data or literature were searched using the following databases: Google, ResearchGate, Science Alert, Science Direct and PubMed, using the following keywords: buffalo oocytes/COCs, buffalo embryos, pregnancy and calving or live birth rate after embryo transfer. The best maturation, cleavage and blastocyst rates in the in vitro production of buffalo embryos were 95.8, 75.2 and 33.4%, respectively. The pregnancy and live birth rates ranged from 22.2% to 43.5% and from 15.3% to 36.5%, respectively, after the transfer of fresh embryos produced in vitro to the recipients. This review will help to contextualise IVEP in buffaloes, as well as create an adequate plan for implementing IVEP in buffaloes.

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.

Plants are permanently exposed to biotic and abiotic stress and have therefore developed intricate resistance mechanisms, consequently. These include the presence of microbial endophytes, which can promote plant growth and ensure better resilience against unfavourable conditions. These microorganisms colonising plant tissues can directly affect plant growth by producing phytohormones, antioxidants, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase activity, or indirectly by the production of siderophores and antifungal agents. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study devoted to assessing bacterial endophyte diversity and their plant growth-promoting properties in two utterly distinct vineyards in view of agricultural management (conventional, biodynamic) in the Czech Republic. With these different agricultural approaches, we hypothesised different numerical representations of bacterial endophytes acquired from vine shoots and leaves, which was not proved (P = 0.743, F = 0.129). A total of 470 distinct bacterial endophytes were isolated from the Vitis vinifera plants from the conventional and biodynamic vineyard and from which over 80% were identified by the matrix-assisted laser desorption-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). In both vineyards, the dominant bacterial genus was Bacillus, followed by Pantoea, Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus. Plant-promoting endophyte properties varied with respect to the season and type of vineyard. The ability to produce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and ACC deaminase was higher in the biodynamic vineyard, in comparison with antioxidant activity, which was found in a higher proportion in isolates from the conventional vineyard.

Poplar species such as aspen (Populus tremula L.) play a very important role in the forest formation process not only in Eastern European regions. Unfortunately, such aspen stands are often severely affected by fungal diseases, causing mainly core rot. In this study, the indirect effects of thinning on the phytosanitary condition of aspen by promotion of tree growth were investigated. Two thinning methods, manual (thinning from below) and mechanical thinning (schematic), were applied to young stands dominated by Eurasian aspen to study their effects on tree growth and health. All trees were measured at breast height and diameter frequency distribution was determined twice, i.e. three and 24 years after the beginning of the experiment. In addition, during the second measurement, tree-ring samples were obtained from individual trees to evaluate growth and wood decay damage. Neither manual nor mechanical thinning of aspen significantly increased its growth at the stand level, but positive effects on individual trees were observed in plots where mechanical thinning was applied. The thicker the trees, the less decayed they were. The analysis suggests that thinning in general should not be used to increase stand production, but the positive effects of mechanical thinning on individual aspens can be recommended to promote the growth of individual vigorous trees.

The choice of variety, sowing time and optimum nutrition are important management options to optimise the seed yield. Accordingly, an experiment comprising of 18 treatments was conducted during the winter 2017–2018 and 2018–2019 in a factorial randomized block design, replicated three times to assess the response of pea genotypes (DPP-SP-6, Him Palam Matar-1 and Pb-89) to the seeding time (26th October and 10th November) and nutrient levels (0, 100 and 125% of the recommended NPK). The individual treatment effects revealed that early sowing, application of 125% NPK and DPP-SP-6 were significantly superior for the seed yield and related traits. The interaction effects indicated a significant response of the 125% NPK on the early sown crop for the seed yield, harvest index and NPK uptake. Significantly highest soil available NPK were obtained at 125% NPK with a respective increase of 41.54, 5.90 and 30.82 kg/ha, respectively, over the initial status. Early sowing of DPP-SP-6 with an application of 125% NPK is a better preposition for enhancing the productivity of peas.

A traditional Czech bakery white bread product is commonly made with directly mixed dough with the addition of yeast. In order to be able to reduce the salt content of the final product without compromising its acceptability to consumers, the dough was prepared with the addition of pre-ferments and wheat sourdoughs. The aim was to deepen the flavour background of the product and thus have a positive effect on its sensory properties. Wheat sourdoughs were prepared and tested using starter cultures and matured under different conditions. The resulting products were tested both sensorially and by means of precise physical methods.

High-pressure processing (HPP) was used as a post-processing treatment for vegetable puree. Microbiological, physicochemical, nutritional, and sensory analyses of puree were investigated at room temperature. HPP (600 MPa, 5 min) was compared with thermal treatment (117 °C, 30 min) and fresh samples. Treatments did not change pH or total soluble solids. For both methods treated samples exhibited a lower microbial count (< 1.0 log CFU·g^–1) over storage, compared with fresh puree. During storage, other parameters, including total phenolic contents and antioxidants also demonstrated similar or better performance than controls (P < 0.05). Overall, HPP-treated puree received a higher sensory evaluation score. Thus, HPP can be used as an alternative processing technology to improve nutritional quality and microbial safety.

To explore the role of WRKY transcription factors (TFs) in the resistance process of Qingke (Hordeum vulgare L. var. nudum Hook. f.), leaves of the leaf stripe disease-resistant variety Kunlun 14 and the susceptible variety Z1141 were sequenced by transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq). A differentially expressed gene HvnWKRY1 was identified, and its disease-resistance function was preliminarily analysed. The result showed that the open reading frame (ORF) of the gene was 1 062 bp and encoded 354 amino acids. It contained the conserved WRKY domain (273–351) and belonged to the WRKY protein family. The phylogenetic tree results showed that HvWRKY1 was most closely related to Hordeum vulgare L. The WRKY family of Qingke, barley, maize and rice were divided into categories I, II, and III, among which HvWRKY1 was located in group III. Results of the quantitative real-time fluorescence PCR (qRT-PCR) showed that the expression of HvWRKY1 was significantly (P < 0.01) higher in leaf stripe infected leaves of Kunlun 14 than that of Z1141. In Arabidopsis thaliana transformed with HvWRKY1, resistance to Botrytis cinerea was enhanced. The RNA-seq analysis showed there were 824 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Data of the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment indicated, that a plant-pathogen interaction pathway was enriched. This study is expected to provide a theoretical basis for further studies of functioning of  the Qingke gene HvWRKY1 in resistance to the leaf stripe disease.

With a long tradition of brewing history, Chinese strong-flavour Baijiu (SFB) developed prosperously in the southwest, especially in Luzhou, and has existed for more than 300 years building craftwork and brewing techniques. As a product of the distillation of fermented grains, its production involves many microbial communities. During this time, microbial communities within production have burgeoned and evolved throughout the development history, enhancing unique texture and flavour. Meanwhile, environmental factors are critical constituents in the production, which provide the optimal conditions for processing procedures and various microorganisms, including externally controlled macro-environment and micro-environment of fermentation. By studying the correlation with environmental factors from macro and micro perspectives, we illustrated the bond with environmental symbiotic and holistic patterns of the intrinsic microbial community and fermentation characteristics. This review is essential to study and control the whole ecological conditions of the Baijiu fermentation process, aiming to gain insight into the dynamics of the microorganisms and ensure a traditional fermentation environment for quality control.

Quantification of soil health dynamics relative to grazing can inform both agriculture and conservation. We conducted an experiment near Lingle, Wyoming, USA, on a semi-arid northern mixed-grass prairie from 2017–2019. Three grazing density treatments (NG – not grazed; MRG – moderate rotationally grazed a herd of 4 Angus heifers, and UHD – ultra-high density rotationally grazed a herd of 33 Angus cow-calf pairs) were replicated four times in a randomised complete block design across twelve – 0.405 ha paddocks. Soil sampling was conducted prior to grazing in June 2017, one-week post grazing in July 2019, and six weeks post grazing in August 2019 and included a suite of forage, ground cover, soil chemical, soil physical, and soil microbiological measurements. Grazing treatment did result in lower vegetation structure but had no effect on any soil variables (P > 0.05). Conversely, the sampling interval was more influential for predicting fluctuations in chemical (15 variables significantly different within at least one treatment) or microbiological (13 variables significantly different within at least one treatment) variables than grazing treatment. The study was conducted in an intact native prairie with initial and final values indicating "Very Good" soil health, including the saturated : unsaturated fatty acid ratio, an indicator of stress.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) and clay, as indicators of soil fertility, are mainly used to determine the ability of soil to retain water and store the nutrients that are necessary for plant growth. However, the distribution of SOC and clay is influenced by topography and land-use. In the present study, the relationships between SOC, clay, altitude, and slope in the topsoil of two different districts in the Czech Republic including the Liberec (71 samples) and Domažlice (67 samples) districts were investigated. To analyse the relationships between slope and SOC, linear regression was used. Results showed that SOC content increased when slope, clay, or altitude increased; however, there were no significant correlations between SOC and clay in both districts. Clay increased with decreasing slope, but clay and altitude were not correlated well in both areas. Then, study areas were divided into three land-use types including arable land, forest, and complex system of agriculture, parcels, and forests. Consequently, the correlations between SOC and slope and clay and slope were generally improved, indicating the importance of land-use on SOC and clay content. Additionally, using multiple regression with several topographic factors can provide a better prediction of SOC and clay content in each land-use for both districts, indicating the complex effects of topography on SOC and clay.

A precise measurement of evapotranspiration (ET) and soil water storage (SWS) is necessary for crop management and understanding hydrological processes in agricultural catchments. In this study, we extracted the vegetative indices (VIs, including normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI), and enhanced vegetation index (EVI)) from satellite images of the Nučice catchment. We found a consistent seasonal pattern of VIs across the catchment with higher values and variation ranges during spring and summer and lower values and variation ranges during autumn and winter. Spatial variation of VIs also followed a seasonal trend, decreasing during crop growth and increasing after crop harvesting. Seasonal correlations were observed between monthly average ET and SWS with VIs throughout one crop season, which can be expressed mathematically as exponential functions. We propose that VIs can be used as a surrogate measure for ET and SWS in catchments with poor monitoring capabilities. Further studies are required to investigate the spatial distribution of ET and SWS throughout the watershed and their relationship with VIs. Furthermore, our research emphasises the importance of subsurface recharge in the water balance of the investigated fields. It suggests that subsurface flow may be influenced by potential gradients of the water table, driving its seasonal behaviour in response to bedrock morphology.

Glyoxal oxidase (GLOX, EC 1.2.3.15) is a class of hydrogen peroxide synthases involved in lignin degradation. Several GLOX genes of biotrophic and necrotrophic phytopathogenic fungi have been confirmed to contribute to fungal growth, development, and pathogenicity. However, the composition, sequence characteristics and functions of genes in the GLOX family of hemi-biotrophic phytopathogenic fungi remain poorly understood. This study identified a GLOX-encoding gene CsGLOX in the hemi-biotrophic phytopathogenic fungus Colletotrichum siamense by bioinformatics analysis and PCR cloning. The encoded protein contains a signal peptide and five cell wall stress-responsive component (WSC) domains at the N terminus, followed by a catalytic structural domain (AA5_1). CsGLOX-deficient mutants were constructed by homologous replacement, which significantly increased the formation of conidia and reduced the pathogenicity and the high-osmotic stress tolerance of the fungus. However, the deletions did not influence fungal filamentous growth. This study proposes that the CsGLOX gene is involved in pathogen conidial formation, pathogenicity, and osmotic stress response, which deepens our understanding of the pathogenic mechanism of hemi-biotrophic phytopathogenic fungus C. siamense.

Designing and constructing a road network is one of the most critical steps of the development process in managing natural resources. The current research is going to investigate the application of network connectivity indices to the analysis of road networks in the forested watershed. First, the road network suitability map (RNSM) was created to emphasize the technical and physiographic criteria and integrated management scenarios using a weighted linear combination (WLC) and analytic network process (ANP). Subsequently, three road network alternatives (RNA) were assigned based on the priorities in the RNSM. In order to try to determine the appropriate alternative, the network connectivity of the designed alternatives looked into the forest and non-forest land uses, as well as the whole study area, using the values of alpha (α), beta (β), gamma (γ), eta (η), network density (ND) and detour indices (DI) in the context of the graph theory. Results show that the road density of the RNA2 variant (11.56 m·ha^–1) is shorter than the other alternatives and the existing road network (ERN). In addition, dealing with the whole study area, we realized that the index values which are related to the number two reflect a better status than the other alternatives of alpha, beta, gamma, eta and detour index, in which they were identified to be 0.44, 1.34, 1.16, 0.45 and 0.83, respectively. RNA2 is chosen as the appropriate road network according to the network connectivity, technical and physiographical criteria, along with integrated management scenarios. Further control measures and field surveys are recommended to achieve more relevant results.

In 2021, measurements were done at two international provenance research trials for silver fir originating from the same series of experiments. The investigation was carried out in the location Vítkov and Úsov, where both trials were established. Biometric data (tree height, diameter at breast height) were measured and qualitative traits (stem shape, occurrence of stem forking, stem damage, bark pattern, and defoliation) were assessed during the early mature stage of the experiment. Overbark stem volume and per-hectare standing volume were also calculated. Sixty-five provenances of domestic and foreign origin were evaluated in both trials. Although the results do not indicate unequivocally the most suitable or most productive provenance in the trials, provenances of Czech origin including the ones originating from the surrounding natural forest areas perform consistently better than the average. The least productive provenances, on the other hand, were those from parts of Bulgaria, Austria, and especially Italy, which achieved the poorest results even in stem shape. In Czech conditions, therefore, Italian fir provenances have not proved so successful as they have in the United Kingdom.

Climate change threatens the possibility of ensuring sufficient and quality food for the population. The agricultural sector, considered to be one of the main contributors to the increase of CO₂-equivalents (CO₂-eq) in the atmosphere, faces one of the most difficult challenges for the sector: increasing production while reducing its impact on the environment. The improvement of adopted practices should be preceded by the quantification of generated emissions. This study aims to provide information on the analysis of the global warming potential (GWP) of tomatoes in Sicily, comparing organic and conventional cultivation methods. The methodology applied is the Life Cycle Assessment, which revealed a reduction in CO₂-eq for the organic method compared to the conventional one due to the use of organic fertilisers and crop protection products allowed by organic specifications. The possibility of reducing tomato GWP offers farmers the opportunity to act on the cultivation stage by making it more sustainable and at the same time to communicate the beneficial action, towards the environment, through the product label. The research also highlights that organic production, with the application of new production and pest management techniques, is comparable in terms of quantity produced per hectare to conventional production and with excellent fruit quality.

Mercury belongs among the highly hazardous substances present in the environment and represents a great health risk for many animals including predatory and piscivorous birds. The aim of this study was to assess the total mercury content in the main detoxifying organs (liver and kidney) and in the muscles of adult great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) caught at two localities (the Krogulna ponds and the Nysa Kłodzka River) in southern Poland. The aim was to compare the locality with the iron ore mining history (the Krogulna ponds) with a site without such load (the Nysa Kłodzka River). The total mercury content in the great cormorants decreases as follows: kidneys > liver > muscle in both monitored localities and significantly differs between the localities. The average mercury content varied from 0.58 ± 0.38 mg/kg (muscle) to 1.39 ± 1.42 mg/kg (kidney) in the cormorant from the Krogulna ponds and from 1.09 ± 0.40 mg/kg (muscle) to 3.12 ± 1.55 mg/kg (kidney) in the cormorant from the Nysa Kłodzka River. The accumulation of mercury does not correlate with the mining history as it was higher at the Nysa Kłodzka River, but it is probably influenced by the different fish stocks in these two localities (omnivorous fish in the Krogulna ponds versus predatory fish in the Nysa Kłodzka River).

This work aims to separate antimicrobial lipopeptides from fermentation by Aureobasidium pullulans PA-2, and verify its antimicrobial activity and the optimum condition of lipopeptide production. Using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis, the lipopeptides with antimicrobial activity was evaluated with the agar well diffusion test. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to determine optimum conditions for lipopeptides from A. pullulans PA-2. The lipopeptides with antimicrobial activity in the fermentation supernatant of the PA-2 strain was found to be the Aureobasidin A (AbA). In vitro antagonistic tests showed that the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of AbA against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli was 0.5 and 1.0 mg/mL, respectively. The optimal fermentation conditions were: inoculum size 6.8 % (v/v)(OD₆₀₀=0.25), rotation speed 216 rpm, culture temperature 26 ℃, liquid volume 125 mL and initial pH7. Under this condition, predicting yield of the antimicrobial lipopeptides by the model was 940 mg/L, observed yield 920 mg/L, which was 51 % more than that of before optimization (610 mg/L).

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of protease supplementation on the behaviour, slaughter performance, meat quality, and immune organ indices of broilers. A total of 240 one-day-old Arbor Acres broiler chickens were randomly allocated to four treatments, with six replicates per treatment and 10 broilers per replicate. Chickens were fed corn-soybean meal basal diets supplemented with 0, 4, 8, and 12 IU/g of protease. Compared with 0 IU/g of protease supplementation, 12 IU/g of protease increased the average and minimum time of feeding and drinking behaviour (P < 0.05); increased the average, maximum, and minimum time of preening behaviour (P < 0.05); and decreased feeding, walking, and stretching frequency (P < 0.05). pH_24h of breast and thigh muscles had improved (P < 0.05). The shear force of the breast muscle and the cooking loss of the thigh muscle had decreased (P < 0.05). Compared with 0 IU/g of protease, 4 IU/g of protease increased the average and minimum time of lying behaviour (P < 0.05) and decreased stretching, scratching, and aggressive frequency (P < 0.05). The shear force of the thigh muscle and spleen index had enhanced (P < 0.05). Protease can be used as an additive in a broiler diet for production.

Innate immunity is the organism’s first line of defence, and the receptors of immune cells play a key role. Interleukin 1 receptor-associated kinase 1 and 4 (IRAK1 and IRAK4) are necessary for signal transmission from Toll-like receptors, which are the most important receptors of immune cells. The main objective of this study was to investigate the gene polymorphisms of IRAK1 and IRAK4 in Czech Fleckvieh cattle (CF) and to compare their diversity with other cattle breeds as there is still little information about these genes. PacBio Technology of next-generation sequencing (NGS) was used to detect genetic variability in 164 CF bulls. The results revealed 17 single nucleotide variants (SNVs) in the IRAK1 gene and 12 SNVs and three deletions in the IRAK4 gene. Three methods were then used to determine allelic variability: Sanger sequencing, the primer extension method and Illumina DNA BeadChip microarray in cooperation with the Czech Moravian Breeder’s Corporation. Sanger sequencing enabled analysis of the population variability in single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs210710958 and rs48726521 of IRAK1 in 164 CF bulls. SNaPshot genotyping was employed to determine the allelic frequencies of SNP rs211379365 and a novel polymorphism in IRAK1, and rs380202447 in the IRAK4 gene. DNA microarray method, which was applied to 74 CF dairy cows, revealed the allelic frequency of IRAK1 rs110533802 including the frequency 0.07 of mutant allele T. Additional microarray data allowed the comparison of the allelic frequencies among the Czech and Hungarian populations of Holstein dairy cows and beef breed populations. The results show that the functionally significant diversity in the IRAK1 and IRAK4 genes in the studied CF population is rather limited. The higher frequency 0.4 of the T mutant allele of SNP rs110533802 of IRAK1 in Holstein cattle could be the consequence of breeding for milk performance.

We investigated the compatibility between adzuki bean and Bradyrhizobium USDA strains and the relation between the genetic diversity of indigenous adzuki bean-nodulating bradyrhizobia and their geographical distribution in Japan. Six Bradyrhizobium USDA strains were used in the inoculation test, and B. elkanii USDA 94 showed higher symbiotic efficiency than other strains. Two adzuki bean cultivars were used to isolate indigenous adzuki bean-nodulating bradyrhizobia. Their genetic diversity and community structure were analyzed by restriction fragment length polymorphisms of PCR amplicons to target the 16S-23S rRNA gene internal transcribed spacer region, using 11 USDA Bradyrhizobium strains as reference strains. Furthermore, we performed diversity analysis, non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis based on the Chao index, and polar ordination analysis to explain the relation between community structure and geographical distribution of the adzuki bean-nodulating bradyrhizobia. The major clusters were Bj123 in Hokkaido and Kyoto, Bd110 in Fukushima and Shimane A, Be76 in Shimane B and Fukuoka, Bj6 in Miyazaki, and Bj6 and BeOK in Okinawa. Japan's indigenous adzuki bean-nodulating bradyrhizobial community was strongly and significantly correlated with latitude, longitude, annual mean temperature, and electrical conductivity. This result suggests that the adzuki bean-nodulating bradyrhizobial community is influenced by multiple environmental factors.

A growing world population means greater pressure on earth’s resources. Currently, 30% of food is wasted, which poses a significant risk to both humans and the environment. One way to offset the growth in food waste (FW) is through the process of microbial bioconversion, whereby FW is transformed into a range of nutrient-dense biofertilisers. This approach not only promotes a highly desirable circular economy, but it can also reduce the use of inorganic fertilisers, which adversely impact the environment through increased greenhouse gases, changes in soil and water characteristics, and loss of biodiversity. The bioconversion of FW to biofertiliser relies on the processes of aerobic (composting) and anaerobic digestion. Recently, alternative decomposition techniques included growing specific beneficial microbes, such as effective microorganisms, to speed up the breakdown process. Microorganisms can act as biostimulants and biodecomposers, possessing nutrient-fixing abilities and providing protection from biotic and abiotic stresses, thus enhancing plant growth and overall health. The potential uses of FW are complex and diverse, but research is actively done to effectively utilise this resource for biofertiliser applications.