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1,2-propanediol (propanediol) represents an important glucoplastic substance for the nutritional requirements of highly productive cows, and its natural synthesis during silage fermentation is of great importance. The aim of this paper was to monitor the fermentation activity of two combinations of homo- and hetero-fermentative lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in two preparations (preparation 1: L. buchneri, L. rhamnosus, L. plantarum; preparation 2: L. buchneri, L. rhamnosus, L. diolivorans). Propanediol production was monitored in maize silages at the following levels: cutting technology, hybrid, vegetation development, type of silage fermentation and length of fermentation time. From the point of view of silage alternatives, preparation 1 fulfilled the declared properties and had a demonstrably positive influence on the production of propanediol in maize silages from whole plants (average content of 4.93 g.kg-1). Propanediol production in the silage alternative with preparation 2 (average content of 1.33 g.kg-1) was higher when compared to the negative control (average content of 0.11 g.kg-1). The production of propanediol decreased with increasing dry matter content, which is directly related to the advancing vegetative development of plants. The type of silage fermentation and vegetation development had a statistically demonstrable effect on the level of propanediol production in maize silages. A statistically significant difference at the hybrid level was only identified with one hybrid. No statistically significant differences were found at the level of cutting technology and length of fermentation time. The fermentation activity of the Lactobacillus buchneri strain used depended on its combination with other homofermentative and/or heterofermentative LAB strains.

The agricultural models put in place to meet food demand in the 1950s are now showing their limits. Strong impacts on the environment or animal welfare issues require a change in the agricultural model. Agroecology is a response to these ecological and societal crises. The theoretical definition of this agricultural model is explained in literature. However, it remains important to clarify what is an agroecological farm in the field: how does the farming system work? Which indicators are used? What are the worldviews of the farmers? For that, systemic approach can be useful. The aim of this article is to advance a fuller understanding of the management of agroecological systems in the field through a new systemic approach. A new definition of the systemic approach is proposed with three pillars (functioning system, decision-making system and thinking system) to allow a more detailed analysis of production systems by using a specific method, crossing biotechnical sciences, humanities and social sciences. Consideration of all three pillars can explain what an agroecological system is in practice, with identification of specific indicators and worldview.

Acta fytotechnica et zootechnica is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra (Slovakia) for the Faculty of Agrobiology and Food Resources. First published in 1957 as Proceedings of the University of Agriculture in Nitra, journal is an international reviewed publication for phytotechnics and zootechnics containing scientific papers, review articles, and short communications covering selected subjects of animal and plant sciences.

This study was designed to compare between the effects of subcutaneous injection of ivermectin at the left neck region versus behind the left elbow on the acute behavioural and biochemical responses of sheep, with the aim of selecting the most suitable injection strategy causing the least adverse effects on the animal health and welfare. Twenty-five sheep were assigned to 5 groups: one control group (C, without injection), and two groups injected with 0.9% NaCl either at neck (SN) or elbow (SE), and two groups injected with ivermectin (IVM) at a dose of 0.2 mg kg-1 BW either at neck (IN) or elbow (IE). Results reflected that head shaking and neck scratching showed significant increases in the IN group, while standing was significantly lower in the IE group compared to the C group. Pawing was significantly higher in both SE and IE groups compared to the C group. Plasma levels of cortisol, glucose and lactate were significantly increased in both IN and IE groups. There were no obvious changes in the levels of other stress markers among the different treated groups. In conclusions, the magnitude of acute stress reactivity was not significantly different between IVM injections behind the elbow and at the neck region.

Production requires highly adaptive varieties that have a high level of genetic protection of the crop from biotic and abiotic factors of the environment and can maximally realize the potential of the crop in combination with high-quality seeds. The article presents the results of studies on the assessment of soybean varieties by the adaptability of qualitative characteristics in different soil and climatic conditions in terms of the years of research according to the content and output of oil and protein, as well as the intensity of oil and protein formation in soybean seeds. The adaptability of soybean seed quality of the studied varieties was determined by the Eberhard and Russell method. According to the research results, the highest oil content in the seed was observed in the following varieties: Hoverla (22.2%), Artemida (21.1%), and Zolotysta (20.7%), and the highest protein content was recorded in Artemida (39.2%) and Zolotysta (39.3%). It should be noted that the indicated varieties are conservative (bi<1) by the response to changes in the hydrothermal regime, except for Hoverla, which is highly plastic (bi˃1) in terms of oil content in the seeds. These varieties have the highest indicators of agronomic stability (As) in terms of protein content in seeds: 99.2; 99.0%, as well as the sequence of distribution of varieties according to homeostaticity of the first (Nom1) and second (Nom2) types: Artemida – 131.4 and 109.5; Zolotysta - 99.2 and 62.0. The highest output of oil and protein from seeds was recorded in Hoverla – 0.48 and 0.805 t/ha, Artemida – 0.43 and 0.803 t/ha, which belong to highly plastic varieties by the response to the improvement of the agro-background of cultivation, the variance of stability (Si2) in which is as close to zero as possible. The combination of high yield of oil and protein became possible due to the high productivity of Hoverla, as for Artemida, these traits are at the level of above mean values. The highest intensity of oil and protein formation in seeds was observed in Hoverla– 4.25 and 7.12, Artemida – 3.8 and 7.06, Amethyst – 3.43 and 6.72 kg/ha per day, which belong to highly plastic varieties (bi˃1), and the stability variance (Si2) in which is as close to zero as possible.

The aim of this review, which has been compiled on the basis of the available existing literature, is to summarise the basic information regarding alimentary metabolic disorders in high-producing dairy cows. The disorders included in this review are among the most commonly occurring in herds. Specifically, ketosis, acidosis and milk fever. It is known worldwide that high producing dairy cows are more susceptible to ruminal dysfunction - alimentary metabolic disorders. Causes of alimentary metabolic disorders can be of different nature, such as unbalanced feed ration, stress, inadequate management and environmental factors, genetic factors and various infections or diseases of the animals. The most frequent cause of metabolic disorders is considered to be the feeding of an inadequate ration with an excess or deficiency of the required nutrients. Dairy cows must be fed a ration containing all nutrients in the correct proportions to maintain optimum metabolic function. The physical structure of the forage itself has a major influence on the health status of dairy cows and the development of dysfunctions, where not maintaining the correct technique (structure) has a negative impact on the overall rumen complex of the dairy cow.

The tree-of-heaven plant, due to the content of secondary metabolites with a variety of unique properties, is widely studied as a potential raw material for obtaining remedies for organic farming. Our work aimed to study the allelopathic effect of Ailanthus altissima extracts on tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) seeds. Dry plant materials of ailanthus (leaves and seeds) were extracted with distilled water and applied to tomato seeds at a concentration of 15, 10, and 5 mg.ml-1 of dry residue to investigate their impact on the energy of germination, total germination, length of radicles and hypocotyls. The result revealed that the ailanthus extracts from leaves, collected in June, and from seeds, collected from July, had a significant inhibitory effect on all studied parameters. The total germination rate of seeds was suppressed on average by 56.2–69.0% compared to the control, and by 44.2–57.0% compared to the chemical standard. The length of the tomato radicles decreased by 1.4–18.6 times compared to the control. The most significant decrease was observed in germination energy and hypocotyl length. All three ailanthus extracts tested in the concentration of 15 mg.ml-1 significantly inhibited germination energy and hypocotyl growth of tomato seeds. It was concluded that the leaves and immature seeds of Ailanthus altissima contain potential allelopathic substances that affect the energy of germination, and total germination rate, and inhibit the hypocotyl and radicle length of tomatoes. Therefore, aqueous extracts of ailanthus should be used to protect tomato fields from weeds only in the post-emergence period.

The allelopathic effects of 54 weed species were studied on oilseed radish (Raphanus sativus L. var. oleiformis Pers.) in Petri dish and soil bioassays. Weed extracts were prepared at concentrations of 0.25,0.5,1.0, 2.0, 4.0, 8.0 and 16.0% and assayed on seed germination and seedling growth. They showed a species-specific effect when tested in the range of concentrations of 1.0–4.0%. Seed germination was less inhibited in soil than in Petri dish assays. Indexes of allelopathic potential (AP) were separately calculated for germination (APG) and seedling growth (APRG for roots and APSG for shoots). They were in the range of 0.27–0.72 and 0.16–0.70, respectively. The weeds were classified according to their APSG and APRG indexes, and the percentage of appearance frequency (F) in oilseed radish fields, from more to less harmful, as: Amaranthus retroflexus > Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv > Setaria glauca L. > Chenopodium album L. > Brassica napus L. > Galinsoga parviflora Cavanilles > Sinapis alba L. > Tripleurospermum maritimum (L.) Koch > Raphanus sativus L. var. oleiformis Pers. > Polygonum lapathifolium (L.) Delarbre > Setaria viridis (L.) Palisot de Beauvois > Barbarea vulgaris Brown > Brassica campestris (L.) Janchen > Lactuca serriola L. > Thlaspi arvense L. > Senecio vernalis (Waldstein & Kitaibel) Alexander > Lepidium draba L.

Forty-two pigs, entire males, surgical castrates and gilts, was randomly selected for the experiment. After reaching the average live weight of 105 kg, pigs were slaughtered. Significant differences (P <0.05) in contents of water and crude fat in muscle between entire males and castrates (74.44 vs 73.93%, 2.52 vs 3.14%), resp. of cholesterol between entire males, gilts and castrates (0.31, 0.33 vs 0.41%) were found. Significantly higher contents (P <0.05) of almost the all amino acids in entire males and gilts compared to castrates were observed. In muscle, castrates had more eicosanoic fatty acid than entire males, and vaccenic than gilts whilst gilts and entire males had higher content of linolenic acid than castrates (P <0.05). In adipose tissue, entire males had lower content (P <0.05) of myristic, stearic, palmitic, and total saturated fatty acids than castrates or both castrates and gilts (1.39 vs 1.45%, 14.88 vs 16.90%, 25.41 vs 26.83 and 26.27%, 43.40 vs 46.70 and 45.53%). At the same time, they showed greater amounts of oleic (36.71 vs 34.95%), total monounsaturated (43.58 vs 41.35%), linoleic (10.29 vs 9.45 and 9.56%), linolenic (0.65 vs 0.59%), total polyunsaturated (12.06 vs 11.06%), n-6 (10.69 vs 9.83%) and n-3 (0.78 vs 0.71 and 0.72%) fatty acids than castrates or both castrates and gilts. Also, PUFA/SFA ratio was more desirable in entire males than those of castrates and/or gilts (0.28 vs 0.24 and 0.25). Based on these results, meat and adipose fat from entire males seems to be more beneficial from the human health point of view.

In biological sciences, western blotting technique is widely used to quantify the expression of proteins in a given sample. However, there is no unified method for quantifying the expression of proteins. As a consequence, quantitative analysis of expression of protein through western blotting often suffers from data inconsistency. At the same time, extraction of the poor sample size (n=3/5/7) turns such analysis non-Gaussian and less robust to statistical errors. In present study, we attempt a noble approach while analyzing an image from western blotting using Gaussian blur as filter and thereby generating data in order to perform meaningful statistical analysis. The differences among various blots that correspond to the expressed target proteins are tested viably using appropriate statistical tools. This procedure of quantifying western blotting is comprehensive, simple and can be applied to collect data in compliance with statistical norms. Furthermore, repeating western blotting on a set of particular proteins may improve the analysis part as well.

Here, the specific natural variability of iPBS (Inter Primer Binding Sites Polymorphism) fingerprints in thirteen varieties of Vitis vinifera, L. was performed. All of the analysed biological material was collected in the vineyard of Sabo vinery for describing of the existing genetic polymorphism. Young leaves from a total of thirteen grapevine varieties were obtained in the in the Small Carpathians wine region of Slovakia, Vrbové. Genetic length polymorphism was studied by iPBS markers. A dendrogram of genetic similarity of generated fingerprints was constucted by UPGMA (Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic mean) and the Jaccard coefficient of genetic similarity was used for the analyse of 13 Vitis vinifera, L varieties. The generated dendrogram is separated into three major clusters at the genetic dissimilarity of 0.58. Cluster 1 is composed of two red varieties – Alibernet and Cabernet Sauvignon. Cluster 2 was further subdivided into two sub-clusters, where the larger one include all white varieties - Pinot Blanc, Müller-Thurgau, Welschriesling, Irsai Oliver, Grüner Veltliner, Pálava, Weisser Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Feteasca Regala. The second subcluster is comprised from two red varieties – Blaufränkisch and Dornfelder. The analysis prooved the the iPBS technique is an effective retrotransposon based markers to evaluate the variability of the genome in the germplasm of Vitis vinifera L. cultivated varieties.

Between breeders, Chinchilla rabbit is very popular as it has standard body shape and high quality of typically coloured fur. The aim of this study was to analyse quality of Chinchilla rabbit fur. Coat samples were gathered at the National Animal Exhibition in Nitra. We collected samples from three different body areas – those being scapula, back and thigh. Altogether, we obtained 153 samples of different individual animals. We observed different parameters of the fur. Those were – thickness and length of coat, height and width of the undercolour, ticking and height of the guard hair. We found out that average thickness of coat in the examined population was 0.106 mm in the area of scapula; 0.104 mm in the thigh area and 0.113 mm from the back area. Length of the guard hair from area of scapula was 35.8 mm; 37.9 mm in the thigh area and 36.4 mm in the back area. Height of the undercolour was 26.9 mm in the back area, 26.4 mm in area of scapula and 27.6 mm in the area of thighs. Observed width of intermediate colour was 5.1 mm in thigh area; 4.3 mm in back area and 4.8 mm in scapula area. Measured height of terminal black line of hair was 4.7 mm in area of scapula; 5.3 mm in the back area and 5.3 mm in thigh area. The differences among the evaluated body areas were not significant.

Foot and claw diseases/disorders from 24 545 lactations of 10 340 Holstein cows were recorded on 7 farms in the Czech Republic from 1999 to 2018. There were defined a three groups of foot and claw disorders/diseases: diseases of skin (SD), which cover digital, interdigital dermatitis and interdigital phlegmon; then disorders of the claw horn (CH) including ulcers, white line disease, horn fissures, together with double sole and overall claw diseases (OCD) ingluding all the recorded disorders. The OCD ratio observed during 1th and 305th days of lactation was 52.56% of all evaluated lactations. The observed ratio of SD and CH were 28.61% and 27.15%, respectively. A foot and claw disorders were defined as 0/1 occurrence per lactation, for the purposes of analyses,. Genetic parameters were estimated using by linear animal models for evaluated traits. Models included the random additive genetic effect of animal (A), the permanent environmental effect of cow (PE), fixed effects of parity, farm, year and season of calving, and age at calving as discreet variables in classes. The estimated heritability were 13.84%, 12.64% and 9.83%, 8.73% and 9.97%, for OCD, CH, SD, ulcers (U) and for dermatitis digitalis and interdigitalis (DD), respectively. Genetic correlation was 17.66% between SD and CH, whereas traits SD and DD equal high genetic similarity (98.4%). Also correlation between CH and U traits was high (92.62%). The presented results indicate to possibility of selection against foot and claw disorders/diseases for Czech Holstein population. The work was supported by the project QJ1510144 and the institutional support MZE-RO0718 of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic.

This study was investigated the correlation between miR-29a and miR-34a expression in Iraqi Awassi ewes during different reproductive stages and their potential as biomarkers for assessing pregnancy health, birth type, sex as well as blood parameters. Blood samples were obtained from five Iraqi Awassi ewes (3.5–4.5 years with 45–50 kg body weight), pre-mating (0), 14, and 45 day post-mating (PM), along with 75 and 135 days of pregnancy. miRNAs (miR-29a and miR-34a) were detected by using RT-qPCR. The relative expression of miR-29a was significantly increased (P ≤0.05) within different day as 45 (16.25 ±5.194), 75 (14.32 ±4.09), and 135 (13.29 ±6.52) of pregnancy compared to 0 and 14 day respectively. Additionally, a higher relative expression of miR-34a (P ≤0.05) was observed on day 135 of pregnancy (2.3 ±1.05) when compared to the other reproductive periods. Both miR-29a and miR-34a showed no differences in terms of birth type and sex. Regression coefficient analysis identified a significant relationship between miR-29a expression and various metabolic and biochemical parameters, such as serum amino acids, fatty acids, and estrogen levels. The analysis indicated that miR-29a exhibited an inverse correlation with amino acids while demonstrating a direct correlation with fatty acids and estrogen. In conclusion, miR-29a and miR-34a could serve as valuable biomarkers for monitoring the health of pregnancy in Awassi ewes. This study provides new insights into the function of miRNA in reproductive physiology, paving the way for improved management of sheep reproduction.

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of training process on changes of quantitative and qualitative indicators of the movement mechanics of sport horses. A load controller was used to evaluate the motion mechanics. The training load was divided into three stages with different lengths, speeds and degrees of load. Tested animals were 14 horses of Slovak Warmblood breed. Our results have shown that gradual increase of load in the tested horses resulted in better spaciousness of movement, which was reflected in the elongation of the horse´s stride, regular movement and significant energy of the pelvic limbs (p<0.05). From our findings we can state that the effect of gender did not have significant effect on the number and length of steps in each degree of load. We have noticed a significant difference (p<0.05) in the „number of steps“ parameter between the age categories of horses in the age up to 7 years (3.460±619) and the category aged up to 14 years (3.383±572). Gradual increase of the training load led to the economization of the movement and the long-term training process sled to the adaptation of the organism to repeated load.

The Saris Giant Rabbit (Šo) is a hitherto unrecognized breed of rabbit. The aim of this study was to analyse the Saris Giant rabbit and hybrids with a German Giant Spot (NoS) (50 – 12.5 %) to selected parameters (reproduction, production) in small stud. All rabbits used for research were raised within a home environment. Number of live born kits in litter was 6.73±2.57 (NoS 50) – 7.38±2.41 (Šo). Number of weaned kits in litter was 6.18±2.55 (NoS 50) – 6.73±2.50 (Šo). Without statistically significant differences. Number of live born kits and weaned kits in litter was without statistically significant differences. The average daily gains up to the age of 240 days were Šo - 22.39 g, NoS 50 - 26.08 g, NoS 25 – 24.27 g, NoS 12.5 – 23.10 g. Carcass yield in Saris Giant rabbit breed were 54.69 ± 1.80 and 53.28 ± 2.24 – 54.91 ± 1.42 % in hybrids (Nos 25 – NoS 50). Without statistically significant differences.

In this case study, the urinary mineral profile of dairy cows was investigated. Determined urinary mineral concentrations were evaluated in relation to the production cycle (dry cows versus lactating cows) and were also compared to the physiological optimum. The study was carried out on twelve Holstein-Friesian dairy cows. Calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium and urea concentrations were determined in urine samples. The urine of dry cows showed demonstrably higher concentrations of Ca, P, Na and Mg compared to the urine of lactating cows. Compared to the physiological optimum, significantly lower urinary Na concentrations were determined in all cows. This indicates a significant deficiency of Na in the diet of both dry cows and lactating cows. Marked differences between the minimum and maximum concentrations of all minerals studied in the urine of dairy cows were determined. The mineral profile obtained from urine samples can be an important diagnostic method for detecting preclinical stages of metabolic disorders. At the same time, urine sample collection is stress-free for dairy cows.

Bacterial green wilt (BGW) disease, caused by Ralstonia solanacearum bacterium, is a devastating bacterial disease of tomatoes occurring in tropical zones, resulting in substantial yield losses in production fields. Biological control agents (BCAs), particularly plant endophytes such as bacteria, are becoming increasingly popular in microbial technology for cropping systems. In this study, we assessed the potential of endophytic bacteria from tomato plants to suppress the BGW caused by R. solanacearum in tomato plants. The research study revealed that out of the 9 endophytic strains isolated, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens TO3 demonstrated a strong antagonistic ability towards R. solanacearum, with the zone of inhibition approximately 16.58 ±0.19 mm. This strain also produced cell wall-degrading enzymes (amylase, protease, and cellulase), and indole acetic acid (IAA). In addition, the greenhouse experiments showed that applying strain TO3 before the infection of R. solanacearum led to a high protective effect against the BGW and a significant increase in plant height compared to the non-inoculated ones. In field conditions, inoculating tomato seedlings with strain TO3 resulted in a disease reduction of over 55% against the BGW compared to the nontreated control. Moreover, treatment with strain TO3 increased the yield of tomato fruits by up to 47.93% compared to nontreated control plants. These findings indicate the potential use of B. amyloliquefaciens TO3 in preventing the BGW disease caused by R. solanacearum on tomato plants.

The article is devoted to the differentiation of soybean cultivars by yield levels in different years according to the hydrothermal regime and a number of indices which characterize the samples’ resistance to drought. The research identifies genotypes with high and low levels of drought tolerance by various indices. The best soybean samples with high levels of drought tolerance have been distinguished according to the complex of indices, namely: Artemida, according to such indices as TOL, YRR, SSI, SSPI, YSI, ISR; Kniazhna – MP, YI, GMP, HMP, STI, DI, RDI, with the formation of a high yield; ♀ 284/88 x ♂ Vinnychanka, ♀ 4912/88 x ♂ Osoblyva – MP, TOL, YRR, SSI, SSPI, YI, YSI, HMP, GMP, STI, ISR, DI, RDI, with the formation of a high yield; Canatto – MP, YI, GMP, HMP, STI, DI, RDI, ATI, with the formation of a high yield; Kabott – MP, YI, GMP, HMP, STI, DI, RDI; Roksolana – MP, YI, GMP, HMP, STI, DI, RDI, ATI, with the formation of a high yield, under favorable and unfavorable conditions; Femida – TOL, YRR, SSI, SSPI, YSI, ISR; Vezha − TOL, YRR, SSI, SSPI, YSI, ISR; Kyivska 98 – MP, YI, GMP, HMP, STI, DI, RDI with the formation of a high yield, both under better and worse conditions; ♀ Zolotysta x ♂ WU 19 – MP, YI, GMP, HMP, STI, DI, RDI, with the formation of a high yield, as in the case with better conditions.

The aim of the experiment was to evaluate the impact of the year and different cultivation technologies on the yield and oil content of selected sunflower hybrids. The experiment was carried out in the years 2019 – 2020 in the fields of the Research Centre for Plant Biology and Ecology in Nitra – Dolná Malanta. Statistical analysis of experimental results confirmed the high significant influence of the year on selected quantitative and qualitative parameters of the sunflower. The year 2019 was statistically high significantly more effective for seed yield (increase by 0.37 t.ha-1). In 2020 was confirmed a statistically high significant higher oil content by 0.87%. The evaluation of the genetic potential of selected hybrids confirmed a statistically high significant effect on the yield and oil content of sunflower. Within the monitored years, the average seed yield was 3.47 t.ha-1and the average oil content was 46.22%. In the range of monitored hybrids, within the individual types of cultivation technology, the highest average seed yields and oil content were recorded for the Clearfield Plus technology. The best values were achieved by the SY Bacardi hybrid with a seed yield of 4.10 t.ha-1(+ 0.63 t.ha-1; rel. 18.29%) and with an oil content of 48.50% (+ 2.28%). The highest seed yield in conventional technology achieved SY Chronos hybrid 3.63 t.ha-1(+ 0.16 t.ha-1; rel. 4.69%) and the highest oil content achieved SY Duomo hybrid 47.34% (+ 1.13%). The highest yield in Express Sun technology recorded NX 92251 hybrid 3.56 t.ha-1(+ 0.10 t.ha-1; rel. 2.76%). And the highest oil content was by Suffix hybrid 45.91% (- 0.31%).