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A two-year-old spayed female American shorthair cat presented with a rough, circular, exophytic mass on the genital area. The clinical findings and histopathological examination revealed that the mass contained neoplastic mast cells and, thus, was diagnosed as a mast cell tumour. The anatomical location of the mass was not easily accessible for surgical intervention. We administered a targeted therapy using oral imatinib mesylate for eight weeks to reduce the size of the lesion and to facilitate the successful surgical removal. The tumour mass eventually reduced by 21% and was surgically excised. This is possibly the first study to use imatinib mesylate as a tumour reduction neoadjuvant to therapeutically address a feline cutaneous mast cell tumour located in a surgically inaccessible part of the body.

A three-year pot experiment carried out in the vegetation hall in 2014-2016 included studying the enzymatic activity of soil, into which various amounts of copper: (100, 200 and 300 mg Cu/kg soil) and organic materials (cattle manure, chicken manure, post-mushroom substrate) were introduced, used separately, at a soil-introduction dose of 2 g C_org/kg. Copper and organic materials were used once, only in the first year of the study, before sowing test plant orchard grass. In soil collected after the last (fourth) swath of grass in each year of the study, the activity of urease, dehydrogenases, acid, and alkaline phosphatase was determined. Applications of copper to the soil, regardless of its dose, resulted in a decrease in urease, dehydrogenases and alkaline phosphatase and an increase in acid phosphatase activity. The inactivating effect of this metal on the activity of urease, dehydrogenases and alkaline phosphatase increased with the increase of its dose. Organic fertilisation generally increased the enzymatic activity of the analysed soil. In subsequent years of the study, urease and alkaline phosphatase activity decreased, while acid phosphatase activity increased. Dehydrogenase activity did not change significantly in subsequent years of the study.

The history of a site includes not only preserved historical buildings, but also areas with an assortment of plants, which have been preserved for many years. Rural settlements make up 80% of all the municipalities in the Czech Republic, with greenery covering 50-70% of their area. There are dominant trees and shrubs and an herb layer. The herb layer has high species diversity and species typical of the area, but at the same time, its long-term survival is in jeopardy. The continuity of rural settlements has been disturbed since the second half of the 20th century. Rural spaces often become uniform and impersonal, without links to the surrounding countryside, traditions, and history. This study included a total of 124 perennial families within three studied regions.

Based on data from 10 countries from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CBOT) wheat futures market for the period from 2000 to 2021, this study examines the impact of the financialisation of agricultural products on food security and its mechanism of action. We found that the higher the degree of financialisation of agricultural products, the stronger the negative effect on food security, which is more prominent after the financial crisis in 2008, and the effect on developing countries is more obvious than that on developed countries. The test results of the mediation effect model showed that the financialisation of agricultural products affects food security by increasing the volatility of futures prices. The test results of the moderating effect model showed that the rise of the US dollar index and loose monetary policy will exacerbate the impact of the financialisation of agricultural products on food security. Still, the increase of the self-sufficiency rate of food can effectively inhibit this impact. The study’s conclusions supported the government’s optimising macro policies and promoting food security.

In vitro meristem cultures have been used for the production of hop (Humulus lupulus L.) virus-free rootstocks worldwide, because multipropagation is considered to preserve the genetic stability of the produced plantlet. Nevertheless, in vitro tissue cultures can cause genetic and epigenetic changes. Therefore, we studied the genetic and epigenetic variability of Saaz Osvald's clones, Sládek and Premiant cultivars on the DNA methylation level by methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism (MSAP). In vitro propagated plants, acclimatised glasshouse rootstocks as well as derived mericlones and control plants under field conditions were used for the analyses. A total of 346 clearly and highly reproducible amplified products were detected in the MSAP analyses within the studied hop plants. We found 16 polymorphic products (4.6% of products) and 64 products with methylation changes (18.5% of products) in the analyses. The demethylation events were comparable to the de novo methylation events. Most demethylation changes were found in the in vitro plants, but only a few of them were found in the derived mericlones under field conditions. In contrast, the de novo methylation changes persisted in the acclimatised plants under glasshouse or field conditions. A hierarchical cluster analysis was used for the evaluation of the molecular genetic variability within the individual samples. The dendrogram showed that the individual samples of the same variety, more or less, clustered together. Because the methylation status varied during the virus-free rootstock production process, we suppose that de/methylation process is a natural tool of epigenetics and evolution in vegetatively propagated plants.

To investigate how clipping (CL) regulates the effects of nutrient addition, an experiment, including CL and nitrogen (N) addition, was conducted in an alpine meadow. Nitrogen treatment increased community coverage (48-113% higher than the control) and aboveground biomass (29-117% higher than the control), which was mainly attributed to grass growth. Both N and N + CL treatments showed a tendency to reducing species richness, while significant reduction only occurred in 2016 and 2017 in CL treatment. Clipping showed a tendency to decrease community cover (3-37% lower than the control) and aboveground biomass (2-34% lower than the control), while N + CL treatment had no effect, indicating that clipping can eliminate the simulated effects of N addition. Nitrogen addition significantly increased soil inorganic N (SIN, 528-1230% higher than the control), while SIN in N + CL was 25-48% lower than N treatment. The decrease in stimulated effects in N + CL was attributed to SIN decrease, which resulted from the aboveground biomass removal by clipping. Our results show that clipping can take away aboveground biomass and cause soil nutrients to decrease, which slows down the degraded grassland recovery. This suggests that grazing exclusion may eliminate the effect of nitrogen deposition on aboveground production in alpine grasslands.

A set of minimum descriptors allow for the rapid characterisation of germplasm facilitating the conservation and use of plant material. The objective of this work was to establish a list of minimum descriptors to facilitate the morphological characterisation of the ex situ pineapple collection in Cuba. Therefore, 48 pineapple accessions were characterised according to the morphoagronomic descriptors established by the International Board for Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR). The data were processed by Multivariate Analysis, where a Multiple Principal Components Analysis was used for the qualitative and quantitative traits. A list with 14 minimum descriptors was proposed. The leaf's colour, the thickness of the longest leaf, the distribution of the spines, the fruit shape, the fruit colour when ripe, the flesh colour, the weight of fruit flesh, eye form, the fruit height, the fruit diameter, the fruitlet shape, the core diameter, the total soluble solids of the fruit, and the crown weight/fruit weight ratio were selected as the minimum descriptors. Because most of the descriptors refer to the pineapple's genetic improvement or commercialisation aspects, it could be a useful tool for scientists and producers.

This retrospective case series describes the signalments, clinical signs, diagnostic test results, and postoperative complications obtained from the medical records of 10 client-owned dogs that underwent treatment for grade IV tracheal collapse using double-wire woven nitinol stents between October 2017 and September 2021. Respiratory signs resolved in all dogs immediately after tracheal stent placement. Mild to moderate stent fractures were identified in five dogs, of which two showed concurrent respiratory distress necessitating re-stenting after several months. Minor complications, such as stent migration, were absent. The double-wire woven nitinol stent optimised for the canine trachea showed favourable outcomes and minimal complications.

Because of generally small log piles, loading forwarders during thinning is time consuming. The Assortment Grapple, an innovative grapple with an extra pair of claws which facilitates the handling of two assortments during one loading crane cycle, has been designed to decrease forwarders' loading time consumption. A standardized experiment was performed in a virtual thinning stand using a machine simulator with the objectives to form guidelines for working with the Assortment Grapple and to analyse its development potential. Four experienced operators participated in the study. According to the results, the Assortment Grapple's accumulating function is beneficial only when there are no remaining trees between piles loaded during the same crane cycle. In such cases, none of participating operators lost time, and 3 of 4 operators saved time notably. The problem with the remaining trees is the extra time required to steer the crane tip around them. Therefore, a harvester should place those log piles that are later to be forwarded together in the same space with no remaining trees between the piles. Furthermore, we recommend that the Assortment Grapple's usability will be improved by adding an own rocker switch on the forwarder's controls to command the extra claws.

In 2016-2018 virulence of the Czech wheat leaf rust population was studied on Thatcher near-isogenic lines, carrying different Lr genes, and 130 leaf rust isolates. Virulence to Lr9 was found only sporadically. Virulence frequency to Lr2a, Lr2b, Lr2c and Lr28 was lower than in previous years. All tested isolates were avirulent to Lr19. Lr24 conditioned resistance to majority of isolates. Nineteen recently registered Czech cultivars were tested with six isolates of the pathogen and Lr genes were postulated. Presence of genes Lr1, Lr10, Lr19, Lr24, Lr26, Lr28, Lr34 and Lr37 was tested by molecular markers. Lr37 prevailed, followed by Lr genes 10, 24, 28, 1 and 26; genes Lr19 and Lr34 were not determined.

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of the partial or complete dietary replacement of crude protein (CP) from soybean meal (SBM) with CP from the meal of whole (trial 1) or dehulled (trial 2) white lupine (WL) seeds on the blood plasma biochemical indicators in broilers. Chickens of the control (C) group were fed diets containing the SBM as the main protein source in the feed. It results from the findings that the complete and also partial replacement of CP from the SBM by CP from the meal of whole WL seeds in diets led to a decrease in the plasma cholesterol and triacylglycerides (TAG) levels (P < 0.001). Concerning the dietary administration of dehulled WL seeds, only the complete replacement of CP resulted in a decrease in the plasma glucose and TAG levels in 35-day-old broilers (P < 0.05). In addition, when including the dehulled WL seeds into the diet, an increase in the plasma aspartate aminotransferase activity was found in both the E1 and E2 groups (P < 0.01). Based on the results found, it can be stated that the use of meal from whole WL seeds seems to be a promising protein feed component which has beneficial effects on the health of broilers.

Phosphorus (P) is essential for crop production. Adequate application P rate is critical for enhancing productivity and profitability of snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). The goal of this study was to optimize P application rate for commercial snap bean production in south Florida. Six trials were conducted on sandy soils and muck soils in Hendry County and Palm Beach County, Florida, USA. Before planting cv. Caprice snap bean, plots were fertilized with different P application rates in the form of triple superphosphate (0-45-0). An increase in P₂O₅ application rates up to 134 kg/ha P₂O₅ significantly increased the marketable bean yields. However, beyond that point, significant field gains did not occur with further increased application. At 134 kg/ha P₂O₅, bean appearance quality was the best compared to the other treatments. These results indicate that 134 kg/ha P₂O₅ produced best bean appearance quality and was the optimum rate for commercial production of snap bean in high-pH soils in south Florida.

The negative effects of the current agricultural practices include erosion, acidification, loss of soil organic matter (dehumification), loss of soil structure, soil contamination by risky elements, reduction of biological diversity and land use for non-agricultural purposes. All these effects are a huge risk to the further development of soil quality from an agronomic point of view and its resilience to projected climate change. Organic matter has a crucial role in it. Relatively significant correlations with the quality or the health of soil parameters and the soil organic matter or some fraction of the soil organic matter have been found. In particular, Ctot, Cox, humic and fulvic acids, the C/N ratio, and glomalin. Our work was focused on glomalin, a glycoprotein produced by the hyphae and spores of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), which we classify as Glomeromycota. Arbuscular mycorrhiza, and its molecular pathways, is not a well understood phenomenon. It appears that many proteins are involved in the arbuscular mycorrhiza from which glomalin is probably one of the most significant. This protein is also responsible for the unique chemical and physical properties of soils and has an ecological and economical relevance in this sense and it is a real product of the mycorrhiza. Glomalin is very resistant to destruction (recalcitrant) and difficult to dissolve in water. Its extraction requires specific conditions: high temperature (121°C) and a citrate buffer with a neutral or alkaline pH. Due to these properties, glomalin (or its fractions) are very stable compounds that protect the soil aggregate surface. In this review, the actual literature has been researched and the importance of glomalin is discussed.

A 10-year-old female Papillon and a 1-year-old male Golden Retriever were presented to the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology for a second opinion on an aortic valve stenosis (AS). The aortic flow rate was not as high as it should have been (the aortic flow velocity for case 1 and case 2 was 2.82 m/s and 3.96 m/s, respectively). However, the AS was suspected to be an exacerbating factor in the congestive heart failure, so that a balloon valvuloplasty was conducted. As a result, the congestion and clinical symptoms were much improved in both cases. In conclusion, in cases with an AS, in which afterload is a key factor for the exacerbation of the congestion, a balloon aortic valvuloplasty may reduce the afterload and consequently lead to an improvement in the congestion.

Ambrosia beetles are among the most damaging forest pests. They are frequently moved intercontinentally and are therefore subject to quarantines. The objective of the current research was to determine whether two commercially produced lures for Trypodendron species also attract central European ambrosia beetles. In 2018, Theysohn^® traps were deployed in an oak forest that also contained hornbeam and linden trees. Five pair of traps was baited with the standard synthetic pheromone lures, Trypowit^® or Lineatin Kombi^®. The 201 adults of ambrosia bark beetles that were trapped were identified to eight species, which represents almost the entire spectrum of oak ambrosia scolytids in the region. Trypodendron domesticum, Xyleborinus saxesenii, and Xyleborus monographus were the most abundant species and exhibited a slight preference for the lure with a higher content of alcohols (Lineatin Kombi^®). Both lures attracted T. lineatum because both contain lineatin. The number of beetles trapped was low probably because food sources (damaged or wilting oaks) were rare and because the forest was surrounded by agricultural land and therefore isolated from other oak forests.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of udder measurements for prediction of milk yield, milk components and somatic cell count in non-dairy Wallachian sheep. The study was performed on 38 ewes in the Beskids Mountains kept under extensive management on pasture. Milk production (MILK) as well as samples for milk component and somatic cell count determination were collected during two separate control days (42^nd day and 100^th day of lactation on average). Rear udder depth (RUD, cm), udder width (UW, cm), and teat length (TL, mm) were measured at each control day as well. Linear regressions of udder measurement characteristics showed a predictive character ability for MILK only. An increasing of 70 g MILK corresponded with a 1 cm increase of RUD (P < 0.01) or 1 cm increase of UW (P < 0.001). These positive linear relationships were supported by the positive partial correlation analysis between MILK and RUD (r = 0.503; P < 0.001) or MILK and UW (r = 0.627; P < 0.001). An increase of 1 mm TL was associated with a 10 g (P < 0.01) increase of MILK; however, correlations between these traits were not significant. Results of this study demonstrate an alternative way of MILK ability in non-dairy Wallachian sheep population in general. Correlation and regression analysis further estimated this expected potential in detail using udder measurement characteristics. Measurement of RUD and UW could serve as a tool for breeding and flock management in order to maintain and improve milk production; however, there was no obvious evidence for the prediction of milk composition characteristics and somatic cell count.

Agronomic zinc (Zn) biofortification of crops could help to alleviate dietary Zn deficiency, which is likely to affect more than one billion people worldwide. To evaluate the efficiency of agronomic Zn biofortification of broccoli, four application treatments were tested: no Zn application (control); soil application of 5 mg/kg ZnSO₄.7 H₂O (soil); two sprays (15 mL/pot each) of 0.25% (w/v) ZnSO₄.7 H₂O (foliar); and soil + foliar combination. Soil Zn application increased Zn-DTPA (diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid) concentration by 3.7-times but did not affect plant growth or plant Zn concentration. Foliar Zn application increased stem + leaves and floret Zn concentration by 78 and 23 mg Zn/kg, respectively, with good bioavailability based on phytic acid concentration. Boiling decreased mineral concentration by 19%, but increased bioavailability by decreasing the phytic acid concentration. The entire broccoli could constitute a good nutritional source for animals and humans. An intake of 100 g boiled florets treated with the foliar treatment will cover about 36% of recommended dietary intake (RDI) of Zn, together with 30% of Ca, 94% of K, 32% of Mg, 6% of Na, 55% of P, 60% of S, 10% of Cu, 22% of Fe, 43% of Mn, and 35% of Se RDIs.

Matching the planting density, fertilisation, and genotype is crucial to improve the maize yield. Here, two-year field trials, including 4 densities and 3 nitrogen (N) rates for 2 maize cultivars, were conducted to study the effects of planting density and N rate on maize growth, lodging, spike characters, and yield. Compared with 360 kg/ha, N application of 180 kg/ha decreased the plant, ear height, and stem circumference of WeiKe 702 (WK702), while increased the plant height and stem circumference, but decreased ear height of ZhongDan 909 (ZD909). Meanwhile, the N application of 180 kg/ha greatly reduced the lodging rates of maize under the high density. The maize yield increased and reached the maximum yield at 7.5 × 10⁴ plant/ha, and then decreased with increasing density. The N application of 180 kg/ha increased yield by 0.49, 0.73, 5.38, 7.81% from low to high planting densities, and reduced the bald tip length by 18.86%. WK702 was more sensitive to the planting density and N application, with greater variation of yield and spike traits than ZD909 under the densification. Therefore, the N application of 180 kg/ha and a density of 7.5 × 10⁴ plant/ha could improve maize growth and lodging, and therefore increase maize yield.

Land redistributive policies can be viewed as effective tools for reducing rural poverty mainly because agriculture continues to be a major source of rural livelihood and a contributor to rural economic growth. For the structural changes and economy-wide impacts, including behavioural changes of rural land distribution, to be assessed and captured through time, a South African Social Accounting Matrix can be used as a database to construct a dynamic computable general equilibrium simulation model to simulate the potential impact on household welfare in South Africa. This study seeks to assess how government redistributive policies may affect household welfare in short- and long-run, focusing on poverty and income distribution in South Africa by applying a dynamic computable general equilibrium microsimulation model. The results showed that rural land distribution increases poor household income through an increase in factor by an average of 0.828. However, for most macroeconomic variables, the impact is negative in the short-run with a gradual increase in the long-run. The results support the claim that rural land distribution coupled with agriculture investment and government support can be effective in improving household welfare.

According to the data of the Central Statistical Office, there has been an increase in forest cover in Poland from 27.8% to 29.6% over the last 25 years. This increase contributed to an increase in the possibility of wood obtaining and processing for energy purposes. The aim of the study was to analyse the efficiency of a chipping machine manufactured by the American Company Bandit Industries (Bandit 990XP chipper) based on the working day chronometer. The study was carried out in specific conditions related to the place of the chipper application because the machine was used to process the material obtained from standing trees in the framework of park maintenance. As it was shown during the analysed working day, the effective capacity W1 in the work cycle of the Bandit 990XP machine was 9.2 m³∙h^-1 chips. Specific working conditions made it impossible to organize the work smoothly. Ongoing obtaining of the material for chipping from standing trees resulted in low productivity during the exploitation time of the shift W08 on the level of 1.3 m³∙h^-1 chips.

The evolution of volatile organic compounds during the production process of Mozzarella di Gioia del Colle (traditional type) was investigated in comparison with citric mozzarella (industrial type). The total volatile concentration in the traditional curd was ten times higher than milk, versus only twice as much in the industrial type. In both technologies, the concentrations decreased from curd to mozzarella at the same rate, due to losses during the stretching phase. The higher microbial activity in the traditional product was responsible for a much more complex profile, characterised by 2- and 3-methylbutanal, acetoin, ethanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, acetic acid and ethyl-acetate. In contrast, the industrial mozzarella had a very simple profile, with the most important compounds being directly derived from the milk, the oxidation reactions, or the activity of the adventitious microflora such as acetone, hexanal, nonanal, and hexanoic acid. According to the discriminant analysis, Mozzarella di Gioia del Colle had a very different profile than the milk used, whereas the industrial mozzarella was more similar to the milk.

Application of composted pig manure (PM) is a traditional practice to improve soil fertility, whereas generally leads to some environmental questions. The effects of PM application on Cd, Cu and Zn accumulation in soil and maize were investigated based on a long-term field trial in Northeast China, including control (CK), PM_L, PM_M, and PM_H, receiving 0, 100, 250 and 500 kg total N/ha/year from 2002 to 2008 and 0, 10, 25 and 50 t fresh weight/ha/year from 2009 to 2018, respectively. Results showed that long-term soil application of PM increased maize grain yield, soil organic carbon (SOC) contents, coupled with significant accumulation and availability of Cd, Cu, and Zn in soil (0-15 cm). Compared with CK, the soil total Cd, Cu and Zn concentrations significantly increased by 105, 287 and 108% at high PM rate, respectively. Notably, the increments enhanced these heavy metals storage in maize roots rather than in grains. Moreover, the application of PM confirmed vertical transport of heavy metals in the tested soil, particularly for Cd and Cu in PM_H treatment. Overall, the repeated application of PM can cause the accumulation and leaching of Cd, Cu and Zn in soil.

The traditional management applied by the Native Community of Chambira (NCCh) is based on agroforestry plots with diverse species and areas with rotation of legumes, cassava and maize. The objective was to evaluate behaviour of the physicochemical indicators of soil quality with traditional crop management in the NCCh. A completely randomised design was applied, where the treatments were traditional mixed fruit management (MF), crop rotation (CR) and native forest (NF) as reference. Physical indicators of the surface layer did not show differences, the apparent density (AD) and the resistance to penetrability (RP) increased with depth; chemical indicators differed in the MF and CR had higher results compared to NF. The AD and RP had a significant negative correlation with soil organic carbon (SOC) and positive correlation between SOC, P, Ca, Mg, K available and cation exchange capacity. The MF and CR managements developed in the NCCh are techniques with great potential for soil conservation.

The contribution is focused on the food problem in the least developed countries, on the chosen areas where the overall situation is the most problematic. It deals with Burundi, belonging to the low income food deficit countries with one of the world's lowest rates of the gross domestic product per capita. The paper defines the food security situation in the global connection, representing a wide complex of economic, social, demographic, technologic and political aspects of production, distribution, shift and consumption of foodstuffs. The inter-related causes of food insecurity are mainly the long lasting civil wars, a limited access to land, environmental degradation, climatic shocks and the rapid population growth resulting from the high birth rates and the return of refugees. Subsistence crops and livestock products represent the main source of income for most households. The performance of these subsectors is very low, and generates chronic food deficits. Agriculture is thus the key sector in the predominantly rural economies and there is still a significant room for growth, diversification, increasing productivity and improving competitiveness.

Biomass nutrient loss and retention were studied at nutrient-poor forest site dominated by Scots pine where two methods of logging residues handling after clear-cutting were compared. The experiment was conducted on nutrient-poor pine-oak forest site on deep sandy-gravel unconsolidated sediments at the altitude of 255 m. There were three treatments established such as (i) control - no harvesting, (ii) whole-tree harvesting with ca. 10% of the slash retained unintentionally on site as processing residues and (iii) stem-only harvesting when small-diameter wood and slash were left on site. The third treatment was found to retain much larger amounts of nutrients in logging residues representing 16% of total above-ground dry mass which accounted for 58% of N, 32% of P, 56% of K, 22% of Ca and 28% of Mg left on site.

The aim of the study was to elaborate a universal calibration for the near infrared (NIR) spectrophotometer to determine the moisture of various kinds of vegetable seeds. The research was conducted on the seeds of 5 types of vegetables - carrot, parsley, lettuce, radish and beetroot. For the spectra correlation with moisture values, the method of partial least squares regression (PLS) was used. The resulting qualitative indicators of a calibration model (R = 0.9968, Q = 0.8904) confirmed an excellent fit of the obtained calibration to the experimental data. As a result of the study, the possibilities of creating a calibration model for NIR spectrophotometer for non-destructive moisture analysis of various kinds of vegetable seeds was confirmed.

The aim of the study was to assess soybean response to sowing material inoculation with HiStick® Soy preparation, containing Bradyrhizobium japonicum. Based on the obtained results, it was found that the inoculation significantly increased the number and dry weight of nodules on soybean roots compared to control. The bacterial preparation significantly increased the number of pods per plant. As a result, a significant increase in seed yield (0.58 t/ha) was obtained compared to control. HiStick® Soy increased total protein content in seeds. Protein and fat yield was higher after seed inoculation by 318 kg/ha and 101 kg/ha, respectively, compared to control.

Glomalin is one of the factors with an important role at forming and stabilising soil aggregates. Long-term stationary experiments were carried out to observe the influence of various fertilisation treatments on the content of glomalin in topsoil. The content of easily extractable glomalin (EEG) and total glomalin (TG) were determined. Moreover, glomalin was also determined by using the near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (G_NIRS). Both mineral and organic fertilisation significantly increased the content of glomalin compared to the unfertilised control. However, observed differences among individual fertilisation treatments were not significant. A significant correlation was determined between the content of EEG, TG, G_NIRS, and the content of humic substances as well as humic acids. Both methods used (EEG, TG) can equally reflect soil organic matter quality. A significant correlation was also recorded between the G_NIRS and extraction methods (EEG, TG).

The authors present results of long term monitoring of beech stems bark necrotic disease of maternal stand in Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Bulgaria. Overall, 10,863 beech trees were evaluated at 121 localities. The most trees (6679) were evaluated at 55 localities in Slovakia and 2684 trees at 50 localities in Bulgaria. In each country, we noted a wide interval of values of the beech stems necrotization index (I_SN) - e.g. in Bulgaria, from 0.22 to 1.50 and in Slovakia from 0.53 to 1.97. The average value I_SN in Slovakia (1.22) was out of all countries surpassed only by a value I_SN found out in Czech Republic (1.35). Overall, in Bulgaria, we registered more favourable state of beech bark necrotic disease than in Slovakia. As much as 80% of Bulgarian localities had values I_SN < 1.1 compared to only 49.1% of Slovakian localities. At the same time, 12.7% of Slovakian localities had values I_SN > 1.5, whilst there was no Bulgarian locality recorded in this interval. We consider Slovakia and Bulgaria the countries where the issue of the beech bark necrotic disease of tracheomycotic type is relatively well processed.

The objective of this work was to investigate, before and after chemical treatment, the interrelationships of the physiological quality tests in wheat grains. Following the chemical treatments with (i) carboxin thiram; (ii) carboxin thiram + thiamethoxam; (iii) carboxin thiram + thiamethoxam + bio-stimulant; (iv) pyraclostrobin + methyl thiophanate + fipronil, and (v) pyraclostrobin + methyl thiophanate + fipronil + bio-stimulant, subsequently the grains were assessed for their physiological potential. The physiological potential of the grains could be differentiated based on the electrical conductivity, seedling growth, and emergence in sand tests. In conclusion, the use of the active ingredients changed the correlation between laboratory tests with crop emergence in the sand as well as altered the relevance of the tests for sorting the treated grains into different physiological potential. But, the seedling growth tests and the electrical conductivity were, together, the parameters most relevant for explaining the data variability.