Všechny tituly 398 výsledků

The aim of this work was to investigate the ability of some mosses to grow under a “canopy” of larger life-forms of the other moss species, because at the moment this subject is poorly studied. On the northern slope of the Stradch Mountain (Yavoriv District, Lviv Region, Ukraine) in a 100-year old Pinus sylvestris planting it was identified two moss species, gametophytes of which grew under a moss “canopy”: rare and the near threatened Buxbaumia viridis, which is in the Ukrainian and European Red-list books and a common species of Ukrainian bryoflora Plagiomnium rostratum. On the investigated site B. viridis grew exclusively on the ground adjacent to tree roots, with its gametophytes under the canopy of moss Dicranella heteromalla. P. rostratum occured freely on the ground or hidden under the “canopy” of wefts of Pleurozium schreberi, Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus, Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus, Thuidium tamariscinum or tufts of Polytrichastrum longisetum. Without moss “canopy” P. rostratum occurred only on quite shaded ground. On well-illuminated sites P. rostratum occurred exclusively being fully hidden. This study brings new information about the ecology of B. viridis and P. rostratum: the ability of their gametophytes to grow on the ground under a “canopy” of other moss species.

The occurrence of Fluvisols is associated with the rivers, which means that their properties can be greatly influenced by the fluvial activity of the rivers. Therefore, the aim of this work were to (1.) find out whether the flow gradient along the river influenced the soil properties of Fluvisols (2.) evaluate the soil properties of Fluvisols. Soil samples were taken from Nitra River Catchment between villages Výčapy-Opatovce and Jelšovce near Nitra city. There were excavated five soil pits and soils were classified according to the World Reference Base for Soil Resources as follows: Profile 1 as Eutric Fluvisol (Loamic, Humic) (soil use: restored forest), Profile 2 as Eutric Fluvisol (Loamic, Humic) (soil use: arable soil), Profile 3 as Eutric Fluvisol (Loamic, Humic) (soil use: fallow soil), Profile 4 as Eutric Gleyic Fluvisol (Loamic, Humic) (soil use as: forest), Profile 5 as Eutric Fluvisol (Loamic, Humic) (soil use: raid forest). The investigated Fluvisols had different chemical and physical properties, but not as a consequence of the flow gradient along the river. Differences in chemistry and physical properties of Fluvisols developed along the Nitra River have been significantly affected mainly by its use, soil management practices and depth of the soil profile.

Congenital malformations occur in numerous pig breeding programs. Clinical symptoms, etiopathogenesis and candidate genes of the most critical congenital malformations in pigs were briefly overviewed in the study. Based on the recent literature, identifying and evaluating the genomic regions associated with defects, such as splay legs syndrome, hernias, cryptorchidism, atresia ani, kyphosis, intersexuality, and malignant melanoma, can enhance the selection response. As promising genes were published e.g. NREP, FBXO32, and HOMER1 for splay leg syndrome, SRC, OSM, COL family, and CGRP for hernias, GNRHR, GATA2, and RLF for cryptorchidism, and GLI2 for atresia ani. Potential candidate genes associated with defects were mainly detected in literature by the genome-wide association approach. Reviewing the studies and following the suggestions in some of papers it is indicated the necessity for molecular and more comprehensive evaluation in terms of the sample standardisation and accurate phenotyping of a broad spectrum of populations and breeds. Moreover, knowledge transmission among all livestock species and humans is recommended in literature to better understand malformation biology.

This article reviews the advantages and disadvantages of various alternatives to the surgical castration of piglets. Producers use castrations against boar taint which is present in the meat. Alternative methods could be immunocastration, production with entire male pigs or castration with anesthesia and/or analgesia. Production with entire male pigs means to feed pigs to lower carcasses, as the boar taint is very low at that time. But this method is not suitable for all especially If pigs need to be fattened up to 180-200 kg. Castration with anesthesia and analgesia reduces pain and is suitable for welfare but the cost of anesthesia and analgesia is high for some producers. The expense of immunocastration is also higher than for entire pigs but advantages of this method are higher meat percentage, better carcass quality, improved feed conversion ratio.

The modern lifestyle with high level of industrialization eventuates in the large quantity of environmental pollutants entering the atmosphere, soil and water. Hence, exposure of the organism to these elements occurs primarily through the ingestion of contaminated food and water or through inhalation of polluted air. Environmental contaminants such as heavy metals and other xenobiotics are able to interact with essential cellular components resulting in destabilization of the control machineries required for the normal cell behavior. The main focus of this review is thus to describe the current knowledge of the threat of the toxic environment to fundamental processes of living organisms. Although much has been investigated to date concerning the effect of environmental contamination on all aspects of the organism’s biological processes including metabolism, growth, or reproduction, still a lot remains elusive.

Yogurt is considered a functional food, either in terms of the content of specific nutrients or thanks to its probiotic and other health-promoting properties. The aim of the work was to assess changes in selected anthropometric parameters related to the risk of obesity after six weeks of consumption of full-fat yogurt made from sheep's milk, depending on the pre-intervention visceral fat area (under or over 100 cm2) in twenty female participants. Significant differences were found between the groups in all anthropometric parameters (P <0.05). The group of women with over-limit values ​​of VFA had higher values ​​of all parameters. However, pre-post intervention differences and changes within groups were non-significant (P >0.05). We found that the consumption of full-fat yogurt did not significantly affect the body composition of either consumer with optimal values ​​of visceral fat area or participants with above-limit values ​​of visceral adipose tissue. No worsening of the monitored parameters was confirmed in any of the groups. In this context, we can recommend the consumption of yogurt with a natural fat content and made from sheep's milk for moderate consumption to all types of consumers.

We evaluated the changes in growth rate, daily production of aboveground phytomass and lawn density of turfgrass after application of fertilizer on the basis of polysulfides (Sulka NKS+) in Nitra climatic conditions. The preparation was applied 2-times, 4-times and 6-times during the vegetation period in 2015 – 2017 and the effect was compared with a control without the use of Sulka NKS+. Stimulatory effect of Sulka NKS+ was showed in average daily gain of height and average daily gain of above-ground phytomass weight with the most visible expression in the 2nd and 3rd year of cultivation. For thickening lawn index was found out inhibitory effect of polysulfide fertilizer. The average values of first two characteristics have also increased with the increasing number of Sulka NKS+ applications.

The colostrum consumed by newborn ruminants immediately after birth plays a crucial role in ensuring their long and healthy lives. It is their first nutrition, supporting growth, development, and immunity against diseases. The study involved eight goat crossbreeds of Saanen × Makatia and Saanen × Alpine goats, raised in the Ghardaia region, known for its arid climate. Colostrum samples were collected during four days after kidding. Each sample was subjected to the evaluation of the microbiological quality and the key physicochemical properties, including fat and protein content, pH, titratable acidity, density, conductivity, appearance, and colour. The results showed a decrease in fat and protein content from day one to day four in both goat populations, although the differences in the four-day averages were not significant. Acidity and density also followed a decreasing trend, with the difference in four-day averages being significant in the Saanen × Makatia group. In terms of pH, variation over the four days was not significant. Conductivity values increased consistently in both populations. Microbiological analysis revealed the absence of sulphite-reducing Clostridium, Salmonella, and yeasts in all samples. The counts of Staphylococcus aureus, total aerobic mesophilic flora, and total and faecal coliforms remained within acceptable limits for raw milk, indicating that the colostrum was of satisfactory microbiological quality.

Busha cattle are indigenous breed in many Balkan countries. Because of the economic, cultural and scientific reasons it is very important to protect biological diversity of autochthonous breeds like Busha. In the past several decades, as a result of uncontrolled crossing of this cattle with some more productive breeds, the number of purebred Busha animals is permanently being reduced which imposes an urgent need for setting up in situ and ex situ conservation program for this breed. Since Busha is bred in many Balkan countries, the aim of this study was to define main productive, reproductive and exterior traits of Busha cattle in the following countries: Bosnia and Hercegovina, Croatia, Macedonia and Serbia. Also, number of animals and possibility of future production system was analysed. Analysed data indicate that highest milk production potential and lowest age at first mating has Serbian Busha (till 2000 kg in lactation, at 18 months). Regarding the exterior traits, smallest frame was observed in Bosnian and Macedonian Busha. The population decrease in the past several decades was determined in all analysed countries. The conservation programs in Croatia and Serbia resulted in certain increase of Busha population, but aiming successful preservation of the breed, economically effective production systems should be put in practice. The branding of Busha’s products could result in necessary added value. Taking into account similarity between all Busha breeds as well as population sizes, branding should be organized on regional level.

This study aimed to characterize the chemical composition and antifungal activity of Moroccan medicinal and aromatic plant Rosmarinus officinalis. The essential oil (EO) were isolated by hydrodistillation using a Clevenger type apparatus and their chemical composition was identified by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Monoterpenes were the major class of compounds with an abundance of 1,8-cineole (46.3%), camphene (13.4%) and α-pinene (9.5%), borneol (6,5%), camphor (4.8%) and terpinene-4- (3.6%). The antifungal activity of Rosmarinus officinalis against Fusarium oxysporum, F. culmorum, F. poae and Helmintosporium sativum pathogenic fungi revealed a significant inhibitory effect. The minimum inhibitory concentration as well as the fungicidal/fungistatic profile indicated that the essential oil of R. officinalis is very active allowing inhibition at the highest concentration and the fungal strains were therefore very sensitive. Obtained results suggested that R. Officinalis essential oil might be a potential treatment for biocontrol of plant diseases.

Agriphotovoltaics (APV) represents a promising option for combining food and electricity production. Furthermore, flowering strips can be additionally implemented along with APV to support farmland biodiversity and associated ecosystem services. However, these two concepts have never been investigated in one study. In this work, we investigated a combination of two types of sown strips (“Fodder strip” and “Nectareous strip” as defined in Czech legislation) and simulations of vertical APVs affect invertebrate and plant communities in strips and in winter wheat crop. Following a multitaxonomic approach, sampling was conducted in 2023 and 2024 using pitfall traps, pan traps, sweep netting and phytocoenological relevés. In most cases, the catches of the studied taxonomic groups were positively affected by the sown strips, nonetheless some of the more mobile groups were unaffected or negatively affected. The strip type affected aphid catch only, and the presence of APV simulation affected the abundance of aphids and sap beetles. The plant communities differed between modalities, but the effect of the simulation was rather weak. We also discuss the relevance of using simulations instead of real solar panels. Our study suggests that vertical APVs in combination with sown strips of flowering vegetation can be a viable option for sustainable agroecosystem management.

Somatic cell count (SCC) has been extensively used as indicator of udder health and milk quality. Recent developments in milk-testing technology have led to cell differentiation in milk in a high throughput manner. Information on the proportion of the different cell types in milk would represent a valuable asset for a more precise definition of udder health status. The aim of the present study was to apply receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis to define the most accurate thresholds of milk differential somatic cell count (DSCC), which represents the percentage of neutrophils plus lymphocytes in the total SCC. The dataset accounted for 117,482 test-day records of 60,009 Holstein Friesian, Brown Swiss and Simmental cows. Different thresholds were defined so that DSCC trends were analysed throughout the lactation, considering also the classification factors of breed and parity. Finally, cows were classified as healthy, susceptible, mastitic or chronic on the basis of their health status, which was defined combining the information of SCC (below or above 200,000 cells/mL) and DSCC (below or above the specific cut-off). Our findings offered new insights for a practical use of DSCC to screen for mastitis, in order to help farmers make decisions to reduce the use of antimicrobials in the herd.

The objective of this study was to compare the pure chicken breeds Oravka (OR; n = 50), Amrock (AM; n = 50) and their cross Oravka×Amrock (ORAM; n = 50) and Amrock×Oravka (AMOR; n = 50) for productive and carcass parameters. The birds were maintained on a deep litter system for a period of 20 weeks. We recorded that crossbred ORAM and AMOR chickens performed better than the average of parental genotypes for body weight and body weight gain in brooding and growing period. The poor (P<0.05) feed conversion was observed in AM chickens and better feed conversion was recorded in OR and both crossbred chickens. The crossbred chickens had lowest (P<0.05) mortality than pure bred AM chickens. The carcass parts, giblets and abdominal fat percentages had non-significant (P>0.05) difference among pure and crossbred chickens. The highest carcass yield was observed in ORAM (62.53%) followed by AMOR (62.48%), AM (62.41%) and OR (62.39%) chickens.

With the availability of dense SNP genotype data various types of estimation methods were developed to estimate relatedness of any two individuals, even in absence of traditional pedigrees. One of the most prominent method was the identity by descent (IBD), widely used in genetic diversity studies. IBD itself could be estimate using different approaches and software that might provide different results. The purpose of this study was to compare the estimates from two established software, probabilistic approach by Plink and a non-probabilistic approach based on haplotypes by refinedIBD. High density SNP genotypes from 98 Leonberger dogs were used to estimate IBD coefficients based on two data types: with one of the SNP markers in high linkage disequilibrium removed, as required by Plink, and SNP markers subjected only to standard quality control, as required by refinedIBD. The Pearson correlation coefficients from pairwise estimates were 0.97 when estimated with the same software and 0.84 between the two software and data types, as required by the respective user manuals. The numerical differences were clustered around zero (i.e. no to little difference) for half of the pairwise comparisons, and up to ±0.1 for the vast majority of cases. The most extreme differences were consistently estimated higher by Plink. Because of these differences a follow up investigation should be done, including pedigrees, as well as simulated data to provide a comprehensive analysis.

Pig carcass classification is based on instrumental prediction of lean meat content and application of the common SEUROP scale. Each member country uses an authorised apparatus with respective regression equation to predict the lean meat content. These equations may differ between countries since they are calculated on different populations. Differences in equations may lead to different predictions of lean meat content. In Slovakia, a significant portion of slaughtered fatteners come from abroad, especially from the Czech Republic and Hungary. Since the same apparatus is approved in neighbouring countries, our study was aimed on the Fat-O-Meater and the comparison of lean meat prediction using three equations from neighbouring countries. Overall, the Slovak equation overestimated the lean meat content by 2.1% compared to the equation from Czech Republic and 2.56% compared to the equation from Hungary. Higher differences were observed in the R, O, P classes and lower differences were observed in the S, E, U classes when individual classes were considered. Different predicted lean meat content led to different carcass distribution over the SEUROP classes. Most visible changes were in the S and E classes. These changes suggest that the inclusion of carcasses from different suppliers should be considered in the authorisation trial.

In this study we observed the effect of peroral and parenteral supplementation of Selenium (Se) and vitamin E (VTE) on the selected antioxidant parameters in blood and on the incidence of mastitis in ewes after the first lambing. Of the 350 sheep of Improved Walachian and Lacaune breeds, situated in eastern Slovakia under standard zootechnical and animal hygiene conditions, we selected thirty one-year-old ewes before their first lambing. The ewes were divided into three groups according to the method of supplementation of Se and VTE. The blood samples from vena jugularis were collected on day 30 before lambing (control sampling) and on days 3 and 30 after lambing. Ewes were checked for mastitis on days 10 and 30 after lambing. On the day of the control sampling the ewes from the B1 group were perorally supplemented with 0.3 mg Se/kg/DM in the form of Na2SeO3 and 50 IU/vitamin E/kg/DM, while ewes from the B2 group were injected subcutaneously Se with VTE at a dose of 6.6 mg/Se and 1,000 IU/VTE. Changes in the concentration of Se and VTE in the blood plasma of ewes were determined only in the perorally supplemented group (B1) on day 3 after lambing. At 30 days after lambing the the incidence of mastitis in this group was half as lower (10%) as in the control group (20%).

Mung bean (Vigna radiata L.) is the major source of protein and an important pulse crop in Afghanistan. Low soil fertility in Afghanistan is the main cause of the lower productivity of mung beans. The present investigation was carried out at the agriculture research farm of Kabul University to evaluate the effects of different organic and inorganic soil amendments on yield and yield components of mung beans. The study was conducted during two consecutive years – 2022 and 2023. With various organic and inorganic soil amendments such as farmyard manure, biochar, diammonium phosphate + urea, and urea alone, 120 kg nitrogen per hectare was applied into the soil. Different crop agronomic traits, including plant height, number of branches per plant, number of leaves per plant, number of pods per plant, grains per pod, and total grain yield, were studied in the experiment. The experiment was conducted in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD), and the data were analyzed with Statistical Tools for Agricultural Research (STAR 2.0.1) software. The results indicated that urea improved the mung bean's growth and yield components. The maximum plant height, number of branches per plant, number of leaves per plant, number of pods per plant, grains per pod, and total grain yield were recorded under the urea treatment. For increased productivity of mung beans, the farmers are recommended to apply a proper dose of urea fertilizer.

Effective pre-sowing design of crop agrocenoses involves the assessment of possible compensatory mechanisms of plants when changing the nutrition area against the background of corrective fertilization. In order to study such mechanisms and determine the influence of vegetative and reproductive architectonics of plants on the resulting indicators, a five-year cycle of research was conducted on oilseed radish (Raphanus sativus L. var. oleiformis Pers.). The studies used a full range of options for pre-sowing design of oilseed radish agrocenoses from maximum thickening (4 million germinating seeds ha-1 for ordinary row sowing sowing, individual plant nutrition area 25 cm2) to maximum thinning (0.5 million germinating seeds ha-1 for wide-row sowing, 200 cm2). To evaluate the effectiveness of the regulating fertilizer, four variants of it were used: N0P0K0, N30P30K30, N60P60K60, N90P90K90. Based on the use of morphological features of the stem, indicators of the structure of individual seed productivity, correlation and regression analysis, the optimal parameters of formation of oilseed radish agrocenosis were determined. It was based on its ability to intensive lateral productive branching of the stem with a decrease in the seeding rate (increase in the area of plant nutrition, change in the method of sowing), taking into account the growth-stimulating effect of mineral fertilizer.

The aim of this study was to determine the concentrations of 10 elements – essential calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), iron (Fe) and toxic arsenic (As), nickel (Ni), antimony (Sb), strontium (Sr) and lithium (Li) in samples of milk and milk products from two farms located in regions with different environmental loads. The samples were analyzed using the inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry method. In the case of sheep‘s milk, we recorded statistically significant differences in the concentration of Mg, Fe (P <0,01). In the case of the toxic elements As and Ni, we noted a slight exceedance of the highest permissible limits set by legislation. The estimation of the risk of consumption of monitored elements revealed that the share of intake of most elements through dairy products was below 1%. However, higher values from the preliminary tolerable daily intake (PTWI) were found in the case of As with values up to 15% and in the case of a share of the tolerable daily intake (TDI) for the monitored element Sr up to 35%. The results show that the monitored dairy products can be a good source of essential elements, but it is necessary to increase their consumption in the Slovak population. Despite the low values of toxic elements, further rigorous monitoring is needed, especially of As and Sr, which may pose a certain risk to the health of the Slovak population with long-term intake.

In the last years, consumers preferences are more likely to purchase processed-meat products instead of single meat cuts. To adapt to the new demand, beef industry needs to study consumers’ sensory perception of the newly developed products to ensure their acceptability. This study aimed to examine consumers’ perception on sensory characteristics of two commercial processed-meat products (hamburger and tartare) from three different types of meat (Holstein-Italian bull, Charolaise bull, and Charolaise heifer). Sensory consumer test was conducted on a non-trained panel of 64 participants for each product to assess color, texture, odor, tenderness, juiciness, salty taste, flavor and overall satisfaction using a 1 (very low) to 7 (very high) intensity scale. Sensory data of each product was analyzed through a linear mixed model including meat type and order of presentation as fixed effects, and participant and residual as random effects. Chemical composition was determined by standard methods in 9 samples of each product (3 samples/type of meat). For hamburgers, protein ranged from 15.9 to 17.0% and fat from 9.1 to 12.9%. For tartare, protein ranged from 20.1 to 20.3%, and for fat from 3.2 to 5.2%. For hamburger, participants perceived differences (P<0.05) in color, tenderness and juiciness between meat types, being the Charolaise bull the most appreciated (P<0.05). For tartare, panelists reported differences (P<0.05) in color, texture and tenderness, being the Charolaise heifer the most appreciated (P<0.05). Our results suggested that the type of meat used related to the fat content can modify consumers’ sensory perception of processed-meat products.