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In the long-term field trial on an arable dystric Stagnosols, winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grain yield, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and nitrate nitrogen (NO₃^--N) in lysimeter water were compared under treatments of 0, 100, 150, 200, 250 and 300 kg/ha of mineral nitrogen (N) during the growth years 1996/97, 1999/00, 2002/03 and 2005/06. Year properties significantly influenced N availability resulting in different responses of grain yield and NUE under variable treatments. Grain yield showed strong significant correlation with the rainfall accumulated from March to May (r = 0.77). In the case of a dry year 2003, winter wheat yield and NUE were adversely influenced by unfavourable climatic conditions. The optimal response of yield and NUE to increasing mineral N rates was found at the amount of 150-200 kg N/ha. Very strong significant correlation between the total amount of leached NO₃^--N and NUE was found for periods 1999/00 and 2005/06 where, in terms of increasing N levels, lower NUE conditioned higher NO₃^--N leaching (r = 0.91 and r = 0.94, respectively). According to the shallow depth of groundwater and installation of drainage systems, there is still a risk of freshwater contamination by nitrates if the N rates higher than 200 kg/ha were applied.

Six novel peach genotypes, designated BN-1, BN-3, BN-4, BN-7, BN-8 and BN-45, were assessed for usefulness as sources of seeds for production of generative rootstocks for peach cultivars. The genotypes BN-8 and BN-1 were the most intensely flowering, while the most abundantly and regularly fruiting genotype was BN-8, which also produced the smallest stones. The smallest fruits and the highest seed yields were produced by the genotypes BN-8 and BN-7. All of the genotypes under assessment produced seeds with higher germination capacities compared with the two control cultivars, Mandżurska and Siberian C, with the seeds of the genotypes BN-8, BN-4 and BN-3 exhibiting the most significantly elevated germination capacities. The most stones with two seeds were produced by the genotypes BN-45 and BN-3; however, produced a smaller fruit crop than did BN-8. Considering the characteristics assessed, the best as a seed source trees was genotype BN-8.

The analysis of soil compaction with chassis of a wide-span irrigation machine Valmont was determined. The sprinkler had 12 two-wheeled chassis (size of tyre 14.9'' × 24''). During the evaluation of soil compaction, we monitored the values of penetration resistance and soil moisture during the operation of the sprinkler. Considering the performance parameters of the pump, the sprinkler was only half of its length (300 m) in the technological operation. In this area, also field measurements were performed in 19 monitoring points spaced both in tracks and outside the chassis tracks. The analysis showed the impact of compression with sprinkler wheels. The correction of obtained results of penetration resistance was applied in connection with soil moisture (mass) values according to Act No. 220/2004 (Lhotský et al. 1985). The results of average resistance ranged from 1.2 to 3.26 MPa. The values of the max. resistance ranged from 2.3 to 5.35 MPa. The results indicated a shallow soil compaction; however, it is not devastating.

A pot experiment was conducted to study interactive effects of arbuscular mycorrhizae (AMs) and maize (Zea mays L.) straws on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) growth and organic carbon (C) storage in a sterilized sandy loam soil. The experiment included four treatments: control, inoculation with AM fungus Glomus caledonium (M), amendment with maize straw (S), and amendment with maize straw plus inoculation with G. caledonium (S + M). The inoculation of G. caledonium significantly (P < 0.05) increased wheat root biomass and root-to-straw ratio, but had no significant effects on shoot biomass, grain yield, and soil parameters. The amendment of maize straw significantly (P < 0.05) decreased soil pH, wheat root biomass, and root-to-straw ratio, and significantly (P < 0.05) increased soil invertase and alkaline phosphatase activities, but had no significant effects on shoot biomass, grain yield, soil organic C content, and urease activity. The combined application of G. caledonium and maize straw had no significant effects on root mycorrhizal colonization rate compared to the M treatment, while significantly (P < 0.05) increased wheat root biomass and significantly (P < 0.05) decreased soil pH compared to the S treatment, and also significantly (P < 0.05) increased grain yield, soil organic C content, and urease activity compared to the control. The Two-Way ANOVA also showed interactive effects of G. caledonium and maize straw on soil pH (P < 0.05) and wheat grain yield (P < 0.01), and the redundancy analysis result indicated the potential application of AM fungi in straw-returned fields.

In northwestern Algeria, the production of Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis Mill.) seedlings in four nurseries is hindered by the damping-off disease. Results obtained indicated that Fusarium spp. are commonly found on diseased seedlings, in most containers and bare-root nurseries. Twenty-one isolates of Fusarium, belonging to seven species, were previously isolated from diseased seedlings, and identified based on their morphological and molecular characteristics and their sequences had been deposited in NCBI-Genbank. These isolates were tested for their pathogenicity to local Aleppo pine seeds. The highest inhibition was observed with F. redolens and F. solani, with 75 and 69.3%, respectively. The root growth inhibition of the Aleppo pine seedlings was significantly different for each isolate. The influence of various isolates of Fusarium spp. on seed germination, shoot and root length and vigour index was significantly different. The disease incidence caused by F. redolens and F. solani was 91 and 90%, respectively.

The effects of refrigerated storage on the microstructure and physicochemical properties of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treated onion were evaluated. Onion was submitted to 100 MPa at 50°C or 400 MPa at 25°C for 5 min, and stored for 28 days at 4°C. Electron microscopy techniques and light microscopy were used for the microstructural study. Total soluble phenolics, soluble protein percentage, and shear force were also studied. HHP treatments affected the cell wall and membrane permeability, favouring the diffusion of soluble material to the apoplast. Storage at 4°C also caused important structural degradation in the HHP-treated samples, which was higher when 400 MPa at 25°C were applied and led to physico-chemical changes during the first week of storage. Interactions between phenolics and solubilised cell wall material or proteins could explain the decrease in soluble phenolics and proteins during storage.

This is the first report of Puccinia oxalidis causing leaf spot diseases on ornamental Oxalis triangularis subsp. papilionaceae cv. Atropurpurea in Moravia, Czech Republic. The macroscopic symptoms and microscopic features are described.

The aim of this study was to evaluate a new device for the ultrasound-guided transvaginal aspiration of follicular fluid for acid-base balance analysis (ABB set) in comparison with the original modified commercial OPU set. In the ABB set, an aspiration syringe was placed in the front part of the new tool's handle, next to the transducer, so as to enable direct collection of the sample into the syringe. To obtain a sufficient amount of testable fluid, reservoirs of urine (rubber balloons) were used for later aspiration under laboratory conditions in Experiment 1. Fifteen triads of samples (each triad with two punctures) were collected. While the first sample of each triad was taken using the ABB set (ABB sample), two samples were taken by one puncture using the original modified commercial OPU set: aerobic phase of sampling (AE sample) with air present in the tubing at the start of sampling and the subsequent anaerobic phase of sampling (AN sample). Values determined in the second sample from the triad (AE) varied from the values in both ABB and AN samples (pH 7.685 vs. 7.704 vs. 7.692, pCO₂ 11.13 vs. 10.3 vs. 10.85, pO₂ 6.87 vs. 8.67 vs. 7.02). In Experiment 2, ultrasound-guided transvaginal aspirations were carried out in 13 cows bearing ovarian cysts with diameters of at least 3 cm, using plastic aspiration syringes (Experiment 2P) and in 12 cows using glass aspiration syringes (Experiment 2G). The sequence of samples was the same as in Experiment 1. We found a significantly higher pH in AE in comparison to AN (7.357 vs. 7.348), lower pCO₂ (6.85) and higher O₂ (14.12) in samples of AE in comparison to samples of ABB and AN (pCO₂ 7.36, 7.30; O₂ 9.95, 10.63 respectively) in cystic fluid in Experiment 2P. We found a significantly higher pH (7.4), lower pCO₂ (5.98) and a higher pO₂ (12.35) in AE samples in comparison to ABB and AN samples of cystic fluid (pH 7.386, 7.385; pCO₂ 6.39, 6.35 and O₂ 10.56, 10.65, respectively) from Experiment 2G. We conclude that the acid-base balance assay was affected by air, present in the tubing during aerobic sampling in comparison to anaerobic and ABB set sampling. These pre-analytical changes can be prevented by the use of the ABB set because the results obtained with the ABB set were not different from that of the AN samples. We also confirmed pre-analytical changes in acid-base balance parameters in the cystic fluid after it had been stored in plastic aspiration syringes. Our new ABB set equipped with a glass aspiration syringe is suitable for sampling follicular fluid for both acid-base balance and gas analysis.

It is postulated that stabilized ammonium fertilizers improve fertilizer-N utilization by crops, leading thus to higher yields with the same fertilizer rate, especially on sandy soils. However, it must be taken into consideration that in clayey soil at least a part of the NH₄⁺ ions may be fixed by 2:1 clay minerals, thus delaying the effect of the N fertilizer. Because NH₄⁺ and K⁺ have similar size and valence properties and therefore compete for the same non-exchangeable sites of 2:1 clay minerals, we investigated the influence of time and K⁺ application rate on both fixation and release of NH₄⁺. Fixation of NH₄⁺ ions was higher when K⁺ was applied after NH₄⁺, while the influence of the K⁺ application rate was less pronounced. Mobilization of non-exchangeable NH₄⁺ was retarded when K⁺ was applied at the high rate after NH₄⁺. At the first harvest yield formation of ryegrass was neither influenced by the amount as well as the application time of K⁺, because plant available N was not growth limiting, while yield of the second harvest was significantly higher with the low K⁺ application rate after NH₄⁺. After the second harvest the blocking effect of K⁺ on the release of non-exchangeable NH₄⁺ was attenuated and the highest yields of the third cut were reached in the treatments with the high K⁺ application rate after NH₄⁺. Total dry matter yield was highest when K⁺ was applied at the low rate after NH₄⁺. Our results show that K⁺ governs fixation and release of non-exchangeable NH₄⁺, which should be taken into consideration when applying ammonium containing N fertilizers like ammonium sulfate, ammonium sulfate nitrate and ENTEC. Thus K⁺ can affect N availability when N is applied as NH₄⁺ in both the short and long term.

Results of all public consumer preference testing sessions included in this study were to be divided into 3 time periods. During the oldest period (1979-1990), with regard to overall qualities and appearance of fruits, the cv. Rubín was the most preferred. Next, it was followed by the cvs Fantazie, McIntosh, Gloster, and Melrose. In the subsequent period (1991-2001), the cv. Bohemia was in the first position in all respects including taste and fruit appearance. Following it in downward sequence were the cvs Rubín, King Jonagold, Jonagold, McIntosh and Melrose. In the latest period (2002-2013), again both in the total scoring and fruit appearance, Bohemia was the most preferred. It was followed in descending order by cvs Orion, Meteor, Jomured, HL 623 and Gold Bohemia. Considering fruit taste alone, however, the most preferred cultivar was Orion. According to the overall results of studies from thirty-three years, in which a total of 198 cultivars or genotypes were included, the most preferred was cv. Bohemia, followed by cvs Meteor, Rubín, HL 623, Andera, Gold Bohemia, King Jonagold and Jomured. Regarding fruit taste itself, the top cv. Bohemia was directly followed by cv. Gold Bohemia and by the selection HL 1834.

The article is aimed at verification of the effect of chaff length of fermented material and duration time of the contact of material with oxygen before dosing into the fermenter, on production and energy content of biogas. The results of the verification showed an effect of chaff length in the fermented material on production and energy content of the biogas at processing grass silage with high content of dry-matter and especially maize silage. When processing maize silage, optimal length of chaff in terms of production and energy content of biogas was 13 mm, with grass silage it was from 69 to 112 mm. Verification of the influence of time of grass silage and maize silage contact with air oxygen before dosing into the fermenter did not confirm our hypothesis. It was demonstrated that production and energy content of the biogas increase together with the length of duration of 7 days compared to fermentation of material after max. 3 h of contact with air oxygen.

The investigation of foliage biomass development including LAI and the growth of spruce and beech stands in the juvenile stage (age 1 to 21 years) represents a special complementary study to long-term research of water balance components on the experimental forest hydrology area Deštné Mountainside. The experiment is located in the Orlické hory Mts. at the altitude of 900 m on a clear-felled area. In 1982 the spruce plantation was established at 1.5 ´ 1.5 m spacing (4,600 plants/ha) and the beech plantation at 1.0 ´ 1.0 m (10,000 plants/ha). According to tending programs applicable to forest stands in the Czech Republic, two improvement fellings were carried out (1995 and 2001) in spruce and none in beech. In 2002, some 1,550 spruce trees/ha (mean height 10.1 m) and 7,440 beech trees/ha (mean height 4.8 m) were recorded. At the end of the first vegetation season in 1982, the dry matter (DM) of foliage in spruce and beech amounted to 35 and 70 kg/ha, respectively. Five years later (1987), these values increased to 770 and 360 kg/ha in spruce and beech, respectively. At a stand age of 21 years, foliage DM was determined to be 11,940 kg/ha for spruce and 3,050 kg/ha for beech. At the same time, the leaf-area index (LAI) was calculated to be 5.55 and 5.94 in spruce and beech, respectively. The method of foliage biomass quantification, based on the determination of foliage DM of mean sample trees and stand density, enabled to acquire complementary data usable in long-term research of the water regime of spruce and beech and simultaneously to provide information on the potential of biomass production and LAI value of both main commercial species in mountain forests of the Czech Republic.

Phytic acid has been considered to be an antinutrient due to its ability to bind minerals and proteins, either directly or indirectly, thus changing their solubility, functionality, absorption, and digestibility. In this study, the influence of the flour type (type 500, type 850, and whole meal flour) and three different breadmaking procedures (direct, indirect, and with sourdough addition) on phytic acid was investigated. The results showed that the flour type influenced the phytic acid content. The phytic acid contents of flour type 500, type 850, and whole meal flour was 0.4380, 0.5756, and 0.9460 g/100 g dm, respectively. The dough and bread prepared from flour with a higher phytic acid content also contained higher amount of phytic acid. During fermentation and baking, degradation of phytic acid occurred. Phytic acid was also influenced by pH. Samples of lower pH had a lower phytic acid content. Dough prepared from flour type 500 and type 850 with 10% addition of sourdough had especially low phytic acid contents, and the bread prepared from the respective dough contained no phytic acid at all.

The aim of this study is to identify a period of time over which smaller, less costly tree transplants can reach the height of larger tree transplants and thus offset their performance. The following Central European native tree species were used: Quercus robur L., Carpinus betulus L., Fraxinus excelsior L., Acer campestre L., Acer pseudoplatanus L., Tilia cordata Mill. and Prunus avium L. In the period after planting, the best growth was observed for small tree transplants. These transplants reached the height of the medium-sized tree transplants for all species except C. betulus. However, the large transplants of A. campestre, F. excelsior and P. avium were still significantly taller than the medium-sized transplants ten years after planting. In contrast, slow growth was observed for the large tree transplants of C. betulus and Q. robur. During the monitoring period, the height of the medium-sized transplants of C. betulus even exceeded the height of the large transplants of this species. These differences suggest that the differences in the establishment rates of individual species are reflected in the growth rates of their plantations during longer periods after planting.

Removal of dental calculus deposits is one of the basic parts of professional dental cleaning. Despite the popularity of power-driven scalers, several risks are associated with their use, mechanical damage of the enamel surface being one of the most important. The present study evaluated enamel damage caused by a sonic scaler in different work patterns to quantify the damage and allow a clear comparison. Seventy-five canine teeth were carefully extracted from twenty-three dogs. The scaler was used on a clean surface with several combinations of time (five to twenty seconds) and parts of the scaler (point vs. side of the tip). Subsequently, damaged surface topography was mapped using three-dimensional optical microscopy. The results revealed a high variance in defect depth which was influenced by both factors. Statistical assessment confirmed highly significant (P < 0.001) or at least significant (P < 0.05) differences in data acquired for each group. As expected, the shallowest defects were produced by the scaler side in the shortest experimental period (five seconds). Point use proved to be quite damaging, as it resulted in approximately four times higher median values than the side in the same timeframe. Therefore, it is crucial to follow all safety precautions when handling a power-driven scaler even during routine treatments. Use of the side of the tip and constant movement on the tooth surface are essential to reduce the risk of enamel damage.

Machines without satellite navigation in fields have a tendency to pass-to-pass errors, especially unwanted overlaps, resulting in waste of fuel and pesticides, longer working times and also environmental damage. This paper evaluates the accuracy of individual machinery passes in fields. Real pass-to-pass errors (omissions and overlaps) in a field were measured on different tractor-implement units with and without guidance system utilization and a comparison between observed guidance arrangements was made regarding final working accuracy and possible benefits from navigation utilization. Additionally, intensity of machinery passes, and repeated passes on soil, as a possible risk for soil compaction in fields, were monitored. The outcomes from our measurements revealed a statistically significant difference between the total area treated by machinery without any guidance system and machinery using precise guidance systems. Concerning the intensity of traffic in fields, it was found out that more than 86% of the total field area was run-over at least once during one cropping season when using conventional tillage practice. The usage of guidance systems can reduce machinery traffic in field to some extent as well and thus improve soil conditions.

N-fertilization type affected differently tomato growth. In the field experiment, hydroponic cultures were conducted using NO₃-N (5 mmol); mixture of KNO₃-N (3 mmol) and (NH₄)₂SO₄-N (2 mmol); NH₄⁺-N (5 mmol) or urea (5 mmol) as nitrogen source. Compared to nitrate, ammonium and urea had negative effects on morphology and dry matter production. Effects of the different nitrogen forms were investigated by measuring several photosynthesis parameters and chl a fluorescence. Two different significant types of reaction were found. When nitrogen was added as ammonium or urea, dry weight, chlorophyll tenor, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance and photosynthetic activity were inhibited. Supply of ammonium or urea, reduced the ratio (F_v/F_m), photochemical quenching and enhanced the non photochemical quenching. These data suggest that the adverse decrease in tomato growth under ammonium or urea supply may be related principally to inhibition of net photosynthesis activity. The high non photochemical quenching shown in tomato fed with ammonium or urea indicated that PS II was the inhibitory site of NH₄⁺-N which was directly uptaken by roots, or librated via urea hydrolysis cycle.

Despite some progresses in the political situation, the effects of the economic crisis and widespread food insecurity are expected to persist. Humanitarian assistance is now needed to support the needs of the most vulnerable. In the longer term, countries have the significant goal of consolidating peace and security and strengthening the overall governance, while at the same time, reconstructing and rehabilitating their economy.

In 1986 (1987) research plots were established in a forest stands on the south-western slope of Šerlich Mt., Orlické hory Mts. (Kristina Colloredo-Mansfeld - Forest Administration Opočno), at the altitude of 950 to 970 m, to study deposition, chemistry of precipitation and soil water and development of soil chemistry. The plots were established on a clear-cut area, in a young stand and a mature stand of spruce, in a mature beech stand, and in an advanced growth of spruce and European mountain ash. The content of solutes in creek water was studied at the same time. Since 1993 the concentration of substances in precipitation water intercepted in the summit part of Šerlich Mt. has been measured. Research on water chemistry in the stands terminated in 1997. Soil analyses were done in 1986 (1987), 1993 and 1999. The load of acid air pollutants in these forest ecosystems was high in the eighties. After 1991 the deposition of H⁺, S/SO₄^2-, N/NO₃^- + NH₄⁺, Mn, Zn, Al decreased. Similarly, an increase in pH was observed in soil water, and the concentrations of SO₄^2-, and N, Al compounds decreased. But in 1993 the concentrations of SO₄^2- and Al increased again under the spruce stand for several months. The concentrations of NO₃^-, Mn, Zn and Al in the stream water also gradually decreased in the nineties. On the contrary, the average values of S-ions increased compared to those of 1987 to 1991. Strongly acid soil reaction developed in deeper layers until 1993. In the second half of the nineties the pH/H₂O value somewhat increased again, however the reserve of K, Mg, Ca available cations in the mineral soil constantly decreased. The saturation of sorption complex by basic cations in the lower layer of rhizosphere did not reach even 10% in 1999. The forest ecosystems of Šerlich Mt. were also loaded by a high fall-out of Pb, and increased fall-out of Cu. The lack of balance of N-compound transformations and consumption in the soil and increased leaching of N in the form of nitrates contribute to soil acidification on the investigated plots.

We investigate the effects of consumption of MRPs from the glucose-lysine model system heated 15°C-90 min on protein digestibility and its utilisation in young (3-week) and adult (12-week) rats. Nitrogen faecal excretion significantly increased after MRP consumption, especially during the third week. Protein digestibility was lower in both age groups studied, but the utilisation was unaffected. Parallelly, the nitrogen retention and its net utilisation for the entire experimental period did not vary. In young rats the faecal nitrogen exceeded the amount of ingested nitrogen coming from MRPs, suggesting that digestibility of undamaged nitrogen was affected. The same action is suspected in adult animals, but the results were not quantitatively conclusive, and therefore the effect should be moderate in this period.

Seedlings of Trifolium pratense L. cultivars were mechanically inoculated with Czech isolates of Alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV), Clover yellow mosaic virus (ClYMV), Clover yellow vein virus (ClYVV), Red clover mottle virus (RCMV), White clover mosaic virus (WClMV), and a newly discovered member of the Cytorhabdovirus genus. WClMV infected 75.4% of clover seedlings; cv. Rezista was the most susceptible (93.3%), while cv. Fresko was the least susceptible (58.3%). RCMV infected 59.6% of plants; the most susceptible was cv. Tempus (77.6%), the least susceptible cv. Sprint (38.3%). While WClMV infected a higher number of seedlings, RCMV revealed more severe symptoms on affected plants. On the basis of ELISA and RT-PCR results, no cultivar was susceptible to mechanical inoculation with ClYMV and cytorhabdovirus. Moreover, cvs Fresko and Sprint were not susceptible to ClYVV and AMV, respectively.

A 6-week trial was conducted to investigate the effects of animal skin protein sources from swine and cattle on growth performance, body condition and blood characteristics in growing pigs. A total of 96 pigs (23.50 ± 0.61 kg) were randomly allotted into four dietary treatment groups as follows: (1) basal diet (BD); (2) basal diet with 1.5% hydrolysed render meal (HRM); (3) basal diet with 1.5% swine skin meal (SSM); (4) basal diet with 1.5% cattle hide meal (CHM). There were six replicate pens per treatment with four pigs per pen. The average daily gain (ADG) was improved in response to SSM treatment compared with other treatments (P < 0.05). Pigs fed with HRM, SSM and CHM diets showed increases in average daily feed intake (ADFI) and decreased gain-to-feed (G : F) ratios compared with pigs fed with BD (P < 0.05). There were no differences in dry matter (DM), nitrogen (N), and energy (E) digestibility among treatments. The backfat thickness and lean percentage of pigs was unaffected by the treatments. Similarly, there was no difference in blood characteristics among treatments. In conclusion, the supplementation of SSM in growing pig diets improved the growth rate and Feed Intake (FI), but its usage in swine diets is limited by the poor protein quality.

This study was aimed at assessing the histopathological and haematological effects of a widely used herbicide on rice paddy fields, i.e. butachlor, on rainbow trout. Fish were exposed to butachlor at a concentration of 0.39 mg/l, for a period of 10 days. Haematologically, fish showed a significant decrease in erythrocyte count, haemoglobin, white blood cells and lymphocytes and a significant increase in neutrophils compared to controls (P < 0.05). Histopathological observations of prepared sections of the treatment group also revealed pathological lesions of varying severity in studied organs, including liver (hyperaemia and haemorrhage, bile duct hyperplasia, dilated sinuses, interstitial oedema, monocellular necrosis, nuclear degeneration and hypertrophy in hepatocytes), gills (hyperplasia and hyperplasia of lamellar epithelium, fusion of lamellae, rod-like structures of secondary gill lamellae, cystic-like lesions) and kidneys (vacuolar degeneration of tubular epithelium, desquamation of epithelium and necrosis of tubular epithelium). It is concluded that butachlor caused changes in certain haematological parameters and histopathologically, exerted destructive effects on the gills, liver and kidneys of rainbow trout.

A comparative analysis of reproduction parameters and hatchability results of pheasants raised under two different housing systems (cages and aviaries) was performed. In the first system the pheasants were housed in 420 cages, 3780 from the total were females. In the second housing system, 3200 pheasant hens were placed in eight aviaries, where 50 cocks and 400 hens were kept in each. The following parameters were calculated: laying rate, the percentage of hatching, small and cracked eggs, hatchability from set and fertilized eggs, dead embryos up to day 8 of incubation and, finally, dead embryos after day 8 of incubation as well as unhatched, crippled, and weak chicks. The laying rate for the whole period of reproduction in pheasants kept in cages was significantly higher in comparison with aviaries (59.6 vs 27.2%). A higher (P ≤ 0.05) percentage of small and damaged eggs ( = 13.6) was recorded in aviaries. The percentage of dead embryos for eggs derived from aviaries, up to day 8 of incubation, was also significantly higher (-x = 4.7%). There were no significant differences between the housing systems with respect to the remaining features. The results of the investigation made it possible to conclude that pheasants kept in cages were characterized by a higher laying performance with fewer eggs unsuitable for incubation. A lower mortality of embryos during the incubation process was found in eggs derived from pheasants reared in cages. Although there were no significant differences between the analyzed housing systems in terms of hatchability, a higher laying rate for pheasants kept in cages implies that more chicks could be obtained from every female.

Row covers are usually used to protect plants from insects and cold temperatures, and to accelerate plant growth. But they could also serve as an erosion control strategy. For this reason, fleece (FC) and net covers (NC) in white cabbage (Brassica oleracea convar. capitata (L.) Alef. var. capitata L. f. alba) cultivation were tested in a two-year field experiment to determine effects on soil erosion, plant growth and plant diseases. Soil loss under FC was reduced on average by 76% and under NC by 48% compared to the non-covered control treatment (CO). Soil temperature did not differ significantly in either of the experimental years between the treatments and ranged from 17.2-18.2°C in 2012 and from 18.7-18.9°C in 2013. Soil moisture content, air temperature and relative humidity were always highest under FC, followed by NC and CO. Leaf area index was also highest under FC across all sampling dates. The fresh matter head yield under FC and NC was significantly higher (80 t/ha) compared to CO (66 t/ha) in 2012. An opposite result was detected in 2013, with the highest yield in CO (64 t/ha) and lowest under FC (53 t/ha). Overall, for moderate climate conditions, the row covers seem to be beneficial as a suitable erosion control strategy.

The contribution follows the development of Czech wine exports to Slovakia, depending on the development of the wine industry attractiveness in Slovakia. Wine export from the Czech Republic to Slovakia in the terms of volume and value of exports, both globally and in the division of export bulk and bottled wine, is confronted with the development of factors influencing the wine sector attractiveness in Slovakia. The Slovak wine market is a market in the phase of growth, the wine consumption per capita in 2011 reached 14.7 Lt.; the domestic production covered only 46% of the domestic consumption. The level of the industry concentration is high, the 6 largest companies produce more than 18.5 mill. Lt. of wine - 50% of the total domestic production. Wine legislation is comparable to the Czech legislation, the purchasing power of the customers shows a positive development, but the cheap table wine imports still represent more than 50% of the total domestic consumption. The opportunity for Czech exporters is the factor represented by the size and growth of the market and the legislation, too. The situation is rather more positive for the re-export of cheap wine from other countries than the direct export of Czech wine to Slovakia in case of other analyzed factors.

One of the ways of increasing the efficiency and safety of work is the implementation of navigation systems in agricultural practice. Satellite navigation as a means of reducing the unit costs and increasing the safety can have a significant economic impact on a company when properly used. The objective of measurement was to assess the accuracy of a satellite system AutoTrack working with a correction signal SF2. Its provider specifies an accuracy of ± 5 cm for this signal type. The accuracy of machine work was compared for two scenarios, i.e. with and without satellite navigation. Further, the navigation of machines focused predominantly on AgGPS EZ-Guide Plus and AutoTrac Universal. The FMEA method was used to determine the risk of probable failures that can occur on machines while working. This work describes the individual failures that can occur on navigation systems of machines and analyses their impact on operator's safety.

The roles of some cake ingredients - oil, a leavening agent, and inulin - in the structure and physicochemical properties of batter and cakes were studied in four different formulations. Oil played an important role in the batter stability, due to its contribution to increasing batter viscosity and occluding air during mixing. The addition of the leavening agent was crucial to the final height and sponginess of the cakes. When inulin was used as a fat replacer, the absence of oil caused a decrease in the stability of the batter, where larger air bubbles were occluded. Inulin dispersed uniformly in the batter could create a competition for water with the flour components: gluten was not properly hydrated and some starch granules were not fully incorporated into the matrix. Thus, the development of a continuous network was disrupted and the cake was shorter and softer; it contained interconnected air cells in the crumb, and was easily crumbled. The structure studies were decisive to understand the physicochemical properties.

2-(tert-Butyl)-5-methylbenzene-1,4-diol and 3-(tert-butyl)-5-methylbenzene-1,2-diol were synthesised by Friedel-Craft reaction of 2-methylbenzene-1,4-diol and 4-methylbenzene-1,2-diol, respectively, with tertiary butanol providing reasonable yields. The antioxidant activities of these two products, mother compounds and 2-(tert-butyl)benzene-1,4-diol were investigated and compared by means of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical and Rancim at test; 3-(tert-butyl)-5-methylbenzene-1,2-diol is the most potent antioxidant tested by using Rancimat test experiment. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging abilities of 2-methylbenzene-1,4-diol, 4-methylbenzene-1,2-diol and 2-(tert-butyl)benzene-1,4-diol are almost equal and more than twice as strong as 2-(tert-butyl)-5-methylbenzene-1,4-diol and 3-(tert-butyl)-5-methylbenzene-1,2-diol. The antioxidant activities of the five compounds evaluated by Rancimat test mainly depend on their steric synergist effects between the two phenolic hydroxyl groups in their molecules. The antioxidant activities of the five compounds mainly depend on how many 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radicals can be scavenged by one mole of them in 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl test. One mole of 2-methylbenzene-1,4-diol, 4-methylbenzene-1,2-diol and 2-(tert-butyl)benzene-1,4-diol can scavenge four moles of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radicals, but one mole of 2-(tert-butyl)-5-methylbenzene-1,4-diol or 3-(tert-butyl)-5-methylbenzene-1,2-diol can only scavenge two mole 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radicals because 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radicals are very bulky.