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The aim of this clinical retrospective study was to analyse the prevalence of Trichomonas gallinae in budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus). The role of T. gallinae in budgerigars as the cause of a typical clinical picture (young vomiting budgerigars) is clear; however, the frequency of latent and subclinical diseases in pet birds is unclear. Over the period of 20 years (2000-2019), 16 759 birds were examined, of which 5 256 (31.36%) belonged to the genus Melopsittacus (budgerigars). Within the 5 256 presented budgerigars, 2 547 (48.45%) were examined for trichomonads using a microscopic examination of a crop wash, and, of those, 978 birds (38.39%) were found to be positive for T. gallinae. Only 96 (9.8%) of the positive budgerigars showed typical signs of the disease, such as loss of appetite, vomiting, weight loss or anorexia. Unspecific clinical signs were seen in 312 (31.9%), while 570 birds (58.3%) did not show any clinical signs and had been presented for a routine check or other medical problems. Treatment using metronidazole (Anaerobex, Flagyl) was successful in 82-85% of these diseased birds. Trichomonads can be detected in over a third of budgerigars, even if less than 10% of the positive ones show clinical symptoms.

Prof. Ing. Karel Veverka, DrSc. was an important figure in Czech agricultural phytopathology at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries. His long, diverse experiences in the field of plant protection, combined with his excellent public speaking skills, led him to be recognized as one of the erudite experts of his time. His skillful presentations were widely appreciated at scientific conferences and seminars and at university lectures for students. All his scientific life, he kept contacts in the broader world of agricultural production, to which he was very close due to his personal experience. His expertise in chemical plant-protection products was unsurpassed. Beyond his own research and teaching activities, he always found time for the popularization of science. He published his achievements in both scientific journals and the popular-scientific press, being the author of numerous publications on plant protection, pesticides, the spread of fungal pathogens, diagnostics, and monitoring and epidemiology of phytopathogenic fungi.

This study aimed to isolate and characterise the pathogen associated with Alternaria leaf spot on broccoli and to evaluate the inhibitory effects of fungicides against it. We isolated and identified the fungal pathogen as Alternaria sp. using morphological and cultural methods. Based on the aligned sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and molecular phylogenetic analysis by the neighbour-joining method, the isolates (Ab1 and Ab2) were confirmed as Alternaria alternata. The conidia of the isolates were dark brown, cylindrical, obclavate to muriform. The conidiophores were olivaceous brown, septate, and branched. The conidial morphology of the isolates ranged from 52.4-92.4 × 10-20 μm with 2-6 transverse and 0-3 longitudinal septa. Both isolates yielded positive results in the pathogenicity test on broccoli leaves by developing brown and circular spots with concentric rings on the leaves surrounded by yellow halos. The culture studies revealed that the maximum growth of the pathogen was obtained at 30 °C and pH 6.0. Tilt 250 WC showed the highest potential in suppressing the mycelial growth of the A. alternata in vitro at a concentration as low as 50 µg/mL. The results from this study contributed to the positive identification of the pathogen and characterised A. alternata as a destructive pathogen of broccoli which may be successfully controlled by the fungicide Tilt.

The in vitro compatibility of the entomopathogenic fungus, Cladosporium cladosporioides BOU1, with the crude extract of three plants viz. Calotropis gigantea, Vitex negundo and Carissa macrocarpa at a concentration of 1% and 2% was investigated. The compatibility of the fungal isolate with the plant extracts was calculated using the biological index formula from the germination percentage, radial growth and spore production of BOU1. The compatibility of the plant extracts with the fungal isolate was also assessed based on the protease and lipase activities of the treated fungus. Both concentrations of plant extracts did not significantly inhibit the germination percentage, radial growth and spore production of BOU1 in a dose-depended manner. The average mean values of the biological index for the three plant extracts with two concentrations were more than 98%. The analyses of the data with the compatibility index formula suggest that irrespective of concentration, all three plant extracts were compatible with BOU1. When the plant extracts were added to the fungal isolate, the protease and lipase activities of the fungal isolate were not significantly inhibited compared to the untreated control. The reduction in all the variables of fungal growth and the enzymatic activity was less than 10% and 20%, respectively. From these findings, we can conclude that the fungal biocontrol agent C. cladosporioides BOU1 is compatible with the investigated plant extracts in terms of the fungal growth and enzymatic activities.

Aceh Province is known by the central production of not only Gayo coffee but also Robusta coffee. They are produced on the southwest coast and east coast for cocoa commodities. Meanwhile, there have been changes in lifestyles, especially in the millennial generation, including at Aceh Province. To reach the opportunity it is very urgent to realise a new product development based on beverages. Focuses of this research were to obtain a coffee-cocoa blend formulation that is suitable for consumers and economical to develop by agroindustry. The design of experiments was formulated for an Aceh Robusta coffee-cocoa mix with percentages of 20 : 80, 40 : 60, 60 : 40, and 80 : 20. The hedonic analysis was done to find out consumer preference by aroma, colour, flavour, and texture parameters. A feasibility study was calculated by R/C ratio (Revenue/Costs), BEP (break-even point; EUR) analysis. The result of the study shows that the Robusta coffee-cocoa formulation (RK4) was liked the most by panellists with flavour description as moderate bitter and strong cocoa aroma (RK3), meanwhile based on colour and texture aspect, the panellists prefered RK1 formulation. Whereas R/C ratio 1.19, BEP (EUR) 0.7 explain that the business deserves to be developed.

The aim of the study was to assess the current state of silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.) stands in Ukrainian Polissya, as well as to identify optimal composition resulting in productive and resilient mixed birch forests. It was found that in forests managed by the State Forest Resources Agency of Ukraine, birch stands grow on an area of 352 800 ha, covering 5.6% of the total area of forests in Ukraine. Within the study region of Ukrainian Polissya, birch stands cover 294 900 ha making 12.3% of the total forest area. Naturally originated birch stands were found to dominate in the study region, with 65.4% of vegetative stands and 25.2% of those grown from seeds. However, planted stands significantly prevail in terms of growing stock as compared to natural ones. In Ukrainian Polissya, silver birch trees grow as a part of mixed pine and birch forests on 632 400 ha. Our study found that mixed pine and birch stands with 80-90% of Scots pine and 20-10% of silver birch in the composition are the most productive.

The effects of water restriction on rectal temperature, respiratory rate and selected blood variables in intensively reared Lacaune ewes were evaluated. The tests were carried out over the course of 28 days in spring on 30 lactating sheep divided into three groups of 10 animals each, matched by lactation status and body weight and allocated into individual boxes. The animal groups were as follows: control group W100 with drinking water for the whole day (24 h/24 h), while the two experimental groups each received 80% (W80 group) and 60% (W60 group) of the water ration of the control group, respectively. The feed, in according with physiological and production needs of the animals, was administered in three daily meals (08:00, 14:00 and 20:00 h). Water intake was recorded three times per day (at 08:00, 14:00 and 20:00 h) and the daily feed intake at 08:00 h, while the rectal temperature, respiratory rate were measured and blood samplings were carried out on Day 0, Day 14 and Day 28. In water-restriction groups (W80 and W60) a lower (P < 0.01) feed intake of meadow hay, and a lower ingestion of alfalfa hay pellet in the W60 group compared to W100 group were observed. In addition, the water restriction regimen resulted in a significant decrease of respiratory rate (P < 0.05) and an increase in serum total protein, urea, creatinine, sodium, chlorine, reactive oxygen metabolites, cortisol, haemoglobin and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (P < 0.05), red blood cell counts, and haematocrit (P < 0.01). These results show the important role of water, as limiting factor for animal breeding in low-water availability environments. Where possible, the management of low-dairy breeds should be well adapted to support the productive performance.

Rice is one of the frontline cereals in the world and the major cultivated crop in Bangladesh. A total of eleven simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and thirteen sequence-tagged site (STS) markers were used to characterize twenty-four rice cultivars in Bangladesh. Twenty-four markers generated 60 alleles with 2.5 alleles per locus. The average polymorphism information content (PIC) value was 0.40, while the mean value of heterozygosity, gene diversity, and major allele frequency were recorded as 0.10, 0.48 and 0.62, respectively. However, the SSR markers showed more specificity and a higher discrimination power than the STS markers. The cluster analysis displayed four major clusters with a genetic similarity coefficient value of 0.73. The morphological analyses of the grain identified that Binadhan-20 and BRRI dhan34 had the longest and the shortest seed size, respectively, with a variable correlation between the seed length, width and length/width ratio. The phenol reaction test distinguished seven cultivars as japonica and seventeen cultivars as indica or an intermediate type. All these results regarding the phenotypic data and marker information will be useful for parental selection in modern rice breeding programmes.

Red kidney bean protein isolate was prepared and incorporated into wheat flour at levels of 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20% to prepare protein-enriched cookies which were then evaluated for various quality attributes. Nutritional evaluation of cookies showed that the supplementation of bean protein isolate increased the protein content of the cookies from 7.87% in T₁ (control or wheat flour cookies) to 16.92% in T₆ (cookies supplemented with 20% bean protein isolate), which indicated a 115% increase in protein content. The physical characteristics of cookies such as width, thickness and spread factors differed significantly. Sensory attributes of all the supplemented cookies were within the acceptable range but cookies supplemented with 20% level of protein isolate were less preferred due to slightly darker colour and harder texture. Conclusively, the red kidney bean protein isolate can be successfully utilised for the production of high-protein cookies. Such high-protein products can be advantageously utilised to cope with the problem of protein-energy malnutrition. Moreover, such nutritious products can also be used as emergency foods during natural disasters as well as during war times.

The aim of this study was to use high throughput sequencing of piglet faeces to investigate if the favourable effects of sodium humate (HNa) and zinc oxide (ZnO) in post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD) treatment are related to changes in the faecal microbiota. Twenty four piglets weaned at 28 days of age were divided into three groups with eight animals per pen: a control group without any treatment (Control), a group treated with 2500 mg ZnO (ZnO), and a group treated with 20 g sodium humate and 1700 mg ZnO (HNa + ZnO) per kg of diet. Piglets of all three groups were challenged with two enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains (ETEC/O149/F4/LT and ETEC/O147/F18/LT) on Day 4 post-weaning. As a result very intense and severe diarrhoea with high mortality developed in the ETEC-infected control group, while the ZnO and HNa + ZnO dietary treatments both protected piglets from clinical signs of diarrhoea, mortality and depression of growth performance. A higher relative abundance of Gammaproteobacteria represented mainly by genus Escherichia on Day 10 post-weaning in faeces of the ETEC-infected control group in comparison with ZnO and HNa + ZnO was detected. On Day 21, the highest relative increase of beneficial lactobacilli was observed in the HNa + ZnO group. Correlation analysis showed a positive correlation of the ETEC-infected control with the genera Turicibacter, Clostridium, Campylobacter, Dehalobacterium, Desulfuvibrio, Paludibacter and a negative correlation with the genera Prevotella, Blautia, Faecalibacterium, Lactobacillus, and Coprococcus. The opposite correlations with these genera were observed in the supplemented groups, especially in the HNa + ZnO group. The results indicate that dietary supplementation with HNa and ZnO affects the microbial composition of faeces while maintaining good health condition and growth performance of ETEC-infected weaned pigs.

Portulaca oleracea is a widespread herbaceous plant particularly rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), antioxidant compounds and characterised by a healthy omega-6/omega-3 ratio. The focus of this research was to evaluate the effects of Portulaca oleracea supplementation to the diet of laying hens on productive performance, egg physical traits, fatty acid composition and cholesterol content. Twenty-six 24-week-old Warren strain layers were randomly assigned to two different groups of 18 and eight birds, respectively: one group received a commercial diet (C) whereas the other group was given the same control diet supplemented with 20% of dried Portulaca oleracea (PO). Hens were fed for 21 days. Feed and water were provided ad libitum. The poor palatability of the PO diet compromised the optimisation of the productive performance, with a significant reduction of the oviposition efficiency (0.69 vs 0.88 for PO and C, respectively; P < 0.05) and egg physical traits. Considering the egg nutritional traits, dietary PO significantly decreased the yolk proportion of saturated fatty acid (43.0% vs 44.1%, P < 0.05), while it increased the content of PUFA (19.4% vs 17.8%, P < 0.001), and within the latter, both omega-6 and omega-3 proportion significantly increased in comparison with C group (16.4% vs 17.6%, P < 0.001 and 1.46% vs 1.80%, P < 0.001, for n-6 and n-3, respectively). This resulted in an improvement of the omega-6/omega-3 ratio (10.4 vs 11.3 for PO and C, respectively; P < 0.05). Egg yolk cholesterol content did not vary between dietary treatments. It could be concluded that the use of Portulaca oleracea for producing omega-3-enriched eggs is feasible once the problem of palatability has been overcome and the energy requirements of the hens have been covered.

Soil and water losses in purple soil area is becoming an increasingly severe problem, bringing enormous challenges to environmental protection in rural areas. In this study, simulated rainfall experiments were conducted to analyse the effects of rainfall and the slope conditions on the soil and water loss. Purple soil from a typical slope in the Beibei District of Chongqing was selected as the experimental soil. Twenty rainfall scenarios with varying rainfall intensities and slope conditions were created in the simulation. The results indicate that the runoff initiation time shortened with an increased rainfall intensity and slope gradient. There was a logarithmic relationship between the effect of the rainfall amount on both the runoff intensity and sediment yield intensity. Generally, both the runoff and sediment yield showed a positive linear relationship with the rainfall intensity under different slope gradient conditions. In terms of the same rainfall intensity, both the runoff intensity and sediment yield intensity increased with the slope. Furthermore, a critical slope gradient for the soil and water loss was found between 20° and 25°. This study aimed to provide a reference for soil and water conservation research in a purple soil area.

The series of phenolic acid (2-, 3-, 4-monohydroxy- and 2,4-, 2,5-dihydroxy) alkyl esters (methyl, ethyl, propyl, and butyl) were prepared, and their antimicrobial activities were determined. The antimicrobial activity against the tested microorganisms Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans and Aspergillus brasiliensis was investigated and expressed by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) in the range of 1.2-20 mM. The inhibitory activity of higher esters of phenolic acids was found to be higher than that of methyl esters and acids. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of tested compounds was compared with that of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid and its esters (parabens).

Many studies showed that afforestation increases carbon storage and it can have effects on physical, chemical and biological properties of soil. Afforestation can affect local and regional climate and these effects differ between tropical, temperate and boreal areas. Forests are also efficient in protecting soils against erosion and their flood mitigation functions or other benefits are described in different publications. In this study, the pattern of air temperatures (20 cm, 40 cm and 60 cm above the surface) was studied 10 years after the afforestation of agricultural land (warm, mild dry region of the Czech Republic) with a mixture of broadleaved tree species (Quercus robur L., Quercus rubra L. and Acer platanoides L.) or monospecific Pinus sylvestris L. stand. The aim of our study was to find out the pattern of air temperatures (20 cm, 40 cm and 60 cm above the surface) on two plots (one of the plots ‒ old beech trees, the other plot ‒ clearing) in a beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forest in a mildly warm, mildly wet region of the Czech Republic. The afforestation of agriculturally used land led to air temperature cooling and to a reduction of the amplitude of maximum and minimum temperatures. The average air temperature (from April 2021 to the beginning of November 2021) decreased by 0.7-1.1 °C on the afforested plots compared with the agriculturally used plot. In the beech forest, the average temperature decreased on the plot with clearing compared with the old beech trees (from the middle of September 2021 to the middle of November 2021). Our results confirm the benefits of afforestation to climate change mitigation; buffering of extreme temperatures is important for the human thermal comfort.

The global decline in crop production poses a significant threat to food security, particularly in the context of a growing human population. Among various environmental constraints on agriculture, biotic stress, particularly that caused by insect pests, remains a major reason for yield losses. Traditionally, synthetic pesticides have been used to manage insect infestations; however, their excessive and non-targeted application has raised serious concerns regarding environmental pollution, adverse health effects, and the accelerated development of pesticide-resistant pest populations. In this context, plant-derived biocactive compounds, particularly flavonoids, have emerged as promising bioinsecticides due to their potent insecticidal properties. Flavonoids, a diverse group of secondary metabolites found abundantly in plants, exhibit strong insecticidal activity by disrupting insect digestion, interfering with nutrient absorption, and inhibiting growth and metamorphosis. These bioactive compounds act through multiple mechanisms, reducing the likelihood of resistance development while offering an eco-friendly alternative to conventional chemical pesticides. Additionally, flavonoids contribute to integrated pest management strategies by enhancing plant defence responses and synergising with other bioinsecticides. Despite their potential, research on flavonoid-based insect control remains limited, particularly in terms of their formulation, stability, and large-scale applicability. Further studies are needed to investigate their interactions with insect physiology, optimise delivery methods, and assess their environmental impact. Advancing flavonoid-based bioinsecticides can contribute significantly to sustainable pest management in modern agriculture, reducing dependence on synthetic pesticides while preserving ecosystem balance. This review examines the potential role of flavonoids as biopesticides in pest management, highlighting the existing research gaps and prospects.

The research aims to analyze the farmers' preferences towards the chemical input use in the case of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) being removed after 2013. The analysis is based on a survey of European farmers carried out in 2009. The intended responses of farmers to the CAP liberalization are analyzed by the logit model regressions. Although for the majority of respondents there would be no change in their intentions if the CAP were suppressed, about 20% would intend to decrease the amount of chemicals. The effects of the CAP liberalization appear not to be univocal and strongly case-specific, as it substantially differs across the European regions, farm locations and socio-economic structures.

The land in the South Tasikmalaya Regency is dominated by dry land with a steep and hilly land contour. In addition, the area has a shallow soil solum, so it has a high potential for erosion and landslides. Therefore, it is necessary to innovate an integrated cultivation system that is economically feasible, but still maintains environmental sustainability. In this research, the aim is to formulate a model for the development of integrated plantation polyculture farming (IPPF) for the welfare of farmers. The method in this study uses a mixed method design. The location of the research carried out is in the Tasikmalaya Regency. The data used are the results of interviews and questionnaires to 250 IPPF farmers. The data used were obtained by multistage cluster random sampling. The sustainable IPPF development model was analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). This analysis is used to determine the various potential capital factors for agricultural development on the sustainable development of the IPPF and farmers’ welfare. The results of the study show that the potential development capital [natural resources (SDA) capital, economic capital, socio-cultural capital, physical capital, and multifunctional IPPF], jointly or partially affect the IPPF sustainability. Human resource capital has no effect on the sustainable IPPF development, while the sustainable IPPF development affects the farmers’ welfare levels, and the potential agricultural development capital and its multifunctionality affect the sustainable IPPF development and farmers’ welfare. The IPPF development model that improves the welfare of farmers is carried out through the development of specific local superior commodities, increasing the added value and cooperation, developing access to credit, regenerating farmers, sustainable assistance and infrastructure improvements. The results of this study are expected to be a reference for the government in improving IPPF sustainability to achieve the welfare of its farmers. Apart from that, the model that has been developed can make a contribution to science in the form of a comprehensive analysis of the factors that influence the sustainability of IPPF.

Anthocyanin pigmentation is an important morphological marker that is commonly used to identify rice varieties and for linkage analysis. The following study investigates the genetic factors involved in the purple stigma (Ps) and purple apiculus (Pa) traits of an important indica rice cross between Zhenshan 97 (purple stigma and purple apiculus) and Minghui 63 (grey stigma and colourless apiculus). A recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from this cross was used for quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping of the purple stigma and purple apiculus traits. As a result, one major QTL for the purple stigma trait, temporarily designated qPS-1-1, and one major QTL for the purple apiculus trait, temporarily designated qPA-1-1, were mapped to the short arm of chromosome 6 in the interval between the two markers Y4073L and *P. The LOD peaks of qPS-1-1 and qPA-1-1 were 44.0127 and 173.3585, respectively. In addition, qPS-1-1 and qPA-1-1 explained 66.7416% and 98.6441% of the total phenotypic variance, respectively. The Zhenshan 97 allele increased the purple stigma trait by approximately 8.0355% (for qPS-1-1) and 9.8863% (for qPA-1-1). Moreover, since qPS-1-1 and qPA-1-1 were strongly correlated, they were also located in the same vicinity of the C gene on the short arm of chromosome 6, which suggested that the two QTL might be the same. By comparing these and previous results, it was deduced that qPS-1-1 or qPA-1-1 was the C gene and was pleiotropic for both the colouration of the apiculus and the colouration of the stigma in rice.

Current research work was performed to evaluate the antioxidant, antidiabetic, thrombolytic, and cytotoxic potential of Bougainvillea glabra leaf extracts with different solvents. Extraction of leaves was carried out by maceration using solvents of various polarity such as n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, and methanol. The highest values of total phenolic and flavonoid contents were assessed in methanolic extract, such as 58.57% and 29.41%, respectively. Antioxidant potential was measured by DPPH free radical, showing 65.16% scavenging activity in methanolic extract. Similarly, the reducing power of methanolic extract was also measured. Hemolytic activity of B. glabra leaf extracts was evaluated, and maximum percentage lysis was found as 6.86% in chloroform extract. The thrombolytic activity of B. glabra leaf extracts was evaluated against human red blood cells, and the maximum percentage of clot lysis was 59.10% in chloroform extract. Maximum antidiabetic activity (16.20%) was observed in methanolic extract. Overall, the presented results reveal that bogan bail extract is capable of being employed in nutra-pharmaceutical industry.

Aggregate Stability Index (ASI) and particulate organic matter (POM) are strongly influenced by land use and management. This work illustrates the effects of plantations on ASI and POM-C and POM-N in northern Iran. Three plantations of P. deltoides (PD), T. distichum (TD), A. subcordata (AS), and a fourth site ‒ adjacent abandoned lands (BL, as control) were selected. Soil samples were taken within 16 quadrats of each plantation and BL from the two depths of 0-15 cm and 15-30 cm during the summer. Soil C was significantly higher under TD (2.10%) than under BL (2.02%) > PD (1.61%) > AS (1.30%). Soil N was found in ranked order of AS (8.99%) > TD (7.82%) > PD (5.30%) > BL (3.68%) (P < 0.019). The significantly higher ASI was found under TD (57.49) in comparison with PD (53.10), BL (51.23), and AS (36.57). The POM-C was as follows: TD (0.209%) > PD (0.141%) > AS (0.139%) > BL (0.075%) (P = 0.020). The highest POM-N was found under TD (0.035), followed by AS (0.0284%), PD (0.0288%), and BL (0.007%). The results indicate the positive effect of afforestation on soil ASI and POM-C and POM-N, especially in the surface layers of soil.

Adequate assessment of ecosystem services is important for the development of policies and management plans related to forestry activities and the environment. Carefully identified ecosystem values can determine which options policy makers should prioritize to provide the greatest benefit. There are numerous methods used by researchers to evaluate ecosystem services. The most widely applied methods are monetary valuation methods, they are often deemed to be the most pragmatic language when it comes to communication with political and business institutions. The main goal of this review is to analyse available literature using the methodology particular to the scoping review approach in order to identify and describe valuation methods that can be applied for monetary assessment of ecosystem services. As a result of the scoping review, over 20 monetary valuation techniques (including several less common methods such as willingness to sell and Delphi method) were derived from 16 literature sources. In the process of compiling the range of different methods, a few flaws and gaps in the communication of methods were observed such as lack of consistency in the names of different methods and mixing up concepts. In addition, a few areas for future research are suggested.

Fine root traits are plastic and responsive to increased nitrogen (N) deposition. However, with the restoring of the ecosystem after grain for green, little research has been reported about the response of root traits in a long-term restored ecosystem to increased N deposition. Therefore, a successive N addition experiment was conducted in a long-term restored grassland on the Loess Plateau to analyse the effects of different N addition levels (0, 2.5, 5, 10, 20 g N/m²/year) on root morphological traits, soil carbon (C) and N. Our results showed that root morphological traits (except for root diameter) firstly increased and then declined, with the maximum in the N level of 5 g/m²/year. N addition significantly increased soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N) and nitrate-nitrogen (NO₃^--N) with the increasing N addition level, especially in the soil surface layer. Specific root length and specific root area had remarkable negative correlations with NO₃^--N, while root diameter and root length density had positive correlations with soil availability N and soil microbial biomass carbon. This study indicated that plants could have the threshold response to adapt to the N addition and prefer to slowly grow rather than quickly invest and return in order to adapt to the environmental stress.

This study aims to identify the gully erosion typology and development using a geomorphological approach. Gully geomorphology features were executed using combined photogrammetric approaches: aerial photography (unmanned aerial vehicle, UAV) and terrestrial photo data (structure from motion, SfM). The UAV data are used to identify the gully orientation, while SfM derives the geomorphological features in the gully dimensions. Five canopy-free gully erosion points were selected for the UAV-SfM data acquisition. Typically, SfM data offer higher resolution (0.11–0.57 cm) than UAV data (0.61–2.08 cm). Modelling using SfM can provide an in-depth illustration of gully dimensions such as rill erosion, scars, and cracks. The findings demonstrate that the gully depth and width are larger on the middle slope. This phenomenon is influenced by the strength of the flow and the silt transported by the water, which reaches a peak on the middle slope. The lower slopes have a solid form since the power of the flow weakens as it transports the accumulated silt from the upper and middle slopes. The study’s findings can be relied on to guide communities in strengthening the gully body in the middle slope. Furthermore, the findings can be tested and adopted globally with comparable typologies.

We used two chloroplast gene regions (matK and rbcL) as a tool for the identification of 33 local conifer species. All 136 sequences, 101 newly generated (14 species for gene matK; 16 species for gene rbcL) and 35 retrieved from the GenBank, were used in the analysis. The highest genetic distance (matK region) was recorded between the species in Cupressaceae with an average of 5% (0.1-8.5), Podocarpaceae with an average of 6% (0-8.5), Taxaceae with an average of 5% (0.2-0.5) and Pinaceae with an average of 20.4% (0.8-54.1). The rbcL region showed a low genetic distance between the species in Cupressaceae 2% (0-3.3), Podocarpaceae 3% (0.6-3.4), Taxaceae 1% (0-2.1) and Pinaceae 1.2% (0-5.82). The phylogenetic analyses using the Maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) bootstrap values obtained at the branching nodes of each species ranged from 62 to 100% (Maximum likelihood bootstrap - MLBS and Bayesian posterior probabilities - BPP) for the matK gene; from 66 to 100% (MLBS) and 60 to 100% (BPP) for the rbcL region. The rbcL region was not identified between the species of Taxaceae and Cephalotaxaceae. The matK gene region was very clear in the different species among the families (Cupressaceae, Podocarpaceae, and Cephalotaxaceae) and unsuitable for identifying closely related species in Amentotaxus (Taxaceae) and Pinus (Pinaceae). The gene (matK) is a useful tool as a barcode in the identification of conifer species of Cupressaceae, Podocarpaceae, and Cephalotaxaceae in Vietnam.

The effect of crop sequences (CR - continuous winter rye; CropR - three-field crop rotation of winter rye-spring barley-bare fallow) and fertilisation systems (unfertilised control, mineral fertiliser (NPK), farmyard manure (FYM)) on crop yield, energy efficiency indicators and land demand were analysed in a long-term experiment under Pannonian climate conditions. Due to lower fuel consumption in the bare fallow, the total fuel consumption for CropR was 27% lower than in CR. It was for NPK and FYM fertilisation by 29% and 42% higher than in the control. Although the energy output was lower in CropR than CR, the energy use efficiency for grain production increased by 35% and for above-ground biomass production by 20%. Overall crop sequences, the NPK treatment had higher crop yields, energy outputs and net-energy output with a lower energy use efficiency than the unfertilised control. CropR increased the land demand just by 20% in comparison to CR, although one-third of the land was not used for crop production. The land demand could be decreased with fertilisation by 50% (NPK) or 48% (FYM). A bare fallow year in the crop rotation decreased the crop yield, energy input and increased the energy use efficiency and land demand.

This study investigated how remote sensing techniques can pinpoint pollution in surface water areas. Researchers focused on the municipalities of Boumerdes, Corso, and Tidjalabine in Algeria’s Boumerdes province. The team used geographic information systems (GIS) to analyse pollution levels and their spatial distribution. Specifically, they employed the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to identify areas teeming with biodiversity and healthy vegetation. Furthermore, the compactness index provided insights into the overall evolution of the drainage network. This data proved invaluable in identifying areas likely impacted by pollution. Our study is part of a scientific approach to detecting, monitoring, and intervening in water pollution. The core objective was to develop an alternate approach to protecting productive farmland and populated areas by mitigating pollution in these susceptible zones. The NDVI and compactness index, along with their associated database, hold significant promise for environmental preservation efforts. This spatial procedure effectively maps the spatial temporal distribution of pollutants, providing targeted management strategies. The method’s user-friendly nature makes it easily applicable in other African countries.

Light during incubation can influence embryonic and postembryonic development of chickens, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Previous studies have demonstrated that red and blue lights during incubation had opposite effects on the development of embryonic melatonin biosynthesis; red light results in the highest and blue light in the lowest amplitude of the daily rhythm. Therefore, in this study, we investigated if exposure to monochromatic red (632 nm) and blue (463 nm) light during incubation can differently influence growth, selected biochemical (glucose, cholesterol, triacylglycerols) and endocrine (corticosterone and thyroid hormones) traits and behavioural parameters during postembryonic development in broiler chickens. For analysis, we used 10 and 11 hatchlings incubated in red and blue light, respectively and 10 birds per each group (six males and four females) in 3-weeks-old broilers. During the rapid growth phase (days 18, 20 and 21 of age), higher body weight was recorded in broilers incubated under red compared to blue light, whereas endocrine and metabolic traits did not differ between the treatments. The improved growth rate was related to behavioural traits, mainly because chickens incubated in red light exhibited more passive (resting, standing, preening, dust bathing) and less active behaviours (walking, foraging, fighting, wing-flapping) than the blue-light incubated birds. The time spent for eating and drinking and the results of the tonic immobility test did not differ between both groups. Our results suggest that red and blue monochromatic light during incubation can differently program the postembryonic development of broilers, with possible consequences for their growth and welfare.

Land levelling is one of the most energy-demanding steps in soil preparation. There are many limiting factors for a specific land levelling operation, such as fertile topsoil conservation, limited allowed slope, specific cut to fill ratio, etc. These limitations make optimisation problems of land levelling even more complicated. In this research, three computational and evolutionary methods including ICA, PSO, GA along with MLS were utilised as optimisation methods to minimise the soil cut and fill volumes and to determine the preferred levelling plane. The results indicated that ICA had the most efficient solution for the energy optimisation in the land levelling among the other investigated methods by saving 29% (17 GJ) of the total energy consumption compared with MLS. This study deals with optimising the energy consumption during land levelling projects using new computer-based techniques and compares them to the MLS method as a benchmark. All in all, ICA, PSO, and GA performed much better than MLS by saving 29, 17, and 10% of the total energy consumption in their best model (number 1 models), respectively. Nonetheless, with these great capacities for saving energy in developing countries, unfortunately, the lack of education and excess subsidies on fossil fuels nullify these potentials.

In this study, the effects of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and humic acid (HA) chelate applied to soils contaminated with heavy metals on the development, antioxidant defence system, and phytoremediation of forage turnip (Brassica rapa L.) were investigated for the first. Three doses of EDTA (E1: 5 mmol/kg, E2: 10 mmol/kg, E3: 15 mmol/kg) and three doses of HA (HA1: 500 mg/kg, HA2: 1 000 mg/kg, HA3: 2 000 mg/kg) were applied to soils contaminated with heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Zn, and Cr) in the pot. According to experiment results, HA application as chelate to the polluted soil caused a significant increase in the growth of forage turnip. Phytoremediation values of the plant for Cd heavy metal were found to be BCFshoot, BCFroot > 1, and translocation factor > 1. This result proved that forage turnip has Cd accumulating properties. Also, HA application caused a decrease in H2O2 (46%) and malondialdehyde (6%) levels and antioxidative enzyme activity in polluted soil. It has been concluded that humic acid improves the oxidative stress conditions in the plant and is more effective in the development and growth of the plant than EDTA, so that it can be used effectively in phytoremediation studies.

The forest certification is a voluntary programme to ensure that the timber harvested from forests is processed in a sustainable manner by following specific standards. The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) was introduced in 1999 using the bottom-up approach, and it gives flexibility for a country to set up their own PEFC standard based on current practices in sustainable forest management (SFM), regulation, and governance. This practice has led to the development of various PEFC standards for each country; thus, the impact of PEFC certification differs from country to country. In accordance with that, this study aimed to evaluate the PEFC standard application in developed and developing countries, namely in Sweden and Malaysia. The study also analysed the impact of forest certification on governance and economic aspects within Asia Pacific and Europe. The outcome of this study indicates that the PEFC standards developed by these countries showed similarities; for example, both countries are focusing on social and environmental requirements. Meanwhile, the differences were shown in the criteria, terms used, and the focus area. The impact analysis exhibited that countries are facing similar issues, especially market access and premium prices. This study revealed that each country develops different standards based on current practices, forest diversification, and regulations.