MendelNet, 2020 (vol. 27)

The effect of foliar application with humic substances was tested on the malting barley yield and grain quality of the Bojos variety using the Lignohumate MAX product from 2017 to 2019. Lignohumate MAX was applied twice together with two levels of nitrogen nutrition (N₁ – 75 kg/ha N, N₂ – 94 kg/ha N) during the growing season. The grain yield was increased with a positive effect on the quality after the application of humic substances. The proportion of malting usable grain, bulk density, starch content in the grain was increased but the content of nitrogen substances was decreased. The application of the N₁ nitrogen dose in combination with humic substances proved a higher effect in the year with extremely dry weather. The combination of the N₂ nitrogen dose and humic substances showed to be more effective in 2017 and 2019. The highest decrease in nitrogen content was detected in the variant 3 by up to 1.0% using a lower nitrogen dose in 2019. In 2017, the highest increase in starch content was repeatedly detected in the variant 3 using a lower level of nitrogen nutrition. The increase reached up to 2.0% in comparison with the control.

Six winter and one facultative wheat varieties were observed at two different localities Obora and drier Písky in Žabčice, South Moravia, during growing season 2019/2020. The effect of drought was observed on ear formation and yield components of chosen varieties. Drought affected the ear formation e.g. number of fertile spikelets per ear, number of fertile florets per ear, number of grains per ear and the yield components such as number of fertile tillers and thousand grain weight. All these traits were generally lower at the plants grown in drier location Písky. The most sensitive varieties to drought with the highest differences between yields of these two localities were Bohemia and Balitus, on the contrary, the least sensitive varieties were IS Conditor and Tybalt. Timing of drought stress led to the reduction of the yield components and the yield itself. The weather played a crucial role and in the year 2020, precipitation came during flowering time which was beneficial for later varieties. The recommendation to sow early varieties on dry locality is not always valid, especially in the conditions of Czech Republic where drought is unpredictable.

This study is focused on the evaluation of UAV multispectral imaging for the diagnosis
of nutritional status of winter wheat in precision agriculture. A field experiment was conducted in 2018 on two plots with the total area of 36 ha and 2019 at one plot with area 41.38 ha in ZD Kojcice (Pelhrimov, Czech Republic). During the vegetation period the field survey was carried out in stem elongation (BBCH 31) and heading (BBCH 51), both important vegetation stages for application of nitrogen fertilizers. The plant samples were taken on 56 and 53 sampling points distributed across the high – and low yielded zones and later analyzed for nitrogen content in plant tissues and total amount of above-ground biomass (fresh, dry). Simultaneously, unmanned aerial imaging was carried out by multispectral cameras Micasense RedEdge or Parrot Sequoia and the images were processed in photogrammetric software to create seamless ortho-mosaic in individual spectral bands (G, R, RE, NIR). A set of vegetation indices (NDVI, GNDVI, NDRE, NRERI, SAVI, MSAVI, EVI, EVI2, etc.) was calculated from these data and the mean value estimated by zonal statistics from 2m buffer zone around each sampling points. The statistical evaluation by correlation and regression analysis showed significant relationship between crop parameters and vegetation indices from UAV survey, thus it can be said that traditional field monitoring could be replaced by UAV survey even at a low number of calibration points. From the set of vegetation indices, NDVI showed better correlation values to estimate the amount of plant biomass, while the most sensitive vegetation index for estimation of nitrogen content in plants was NDRE index.

The aim of the paper was to determine the species composition of vegetation in a landfill, belonging to Zdounky-Nětčice. Monitoring took place in July 2020. Three sections with different types of waste were compared in the landfill: municipal waste, biodegradable waste and inert waste. The evaluation of vegetation was carried out using phytocenological images. Furthermore, the influence of the type of waste on the representation of invasive plant species was evaluated. A total of 73 plant species were found. There were 11 invasive species: Amaranthus powelli, Amaranthus retroflexus, Arrhenatherum elatius, Atriplex sagittata, Beta vulgaris, Conyza canadensis, Echinochloa crus-galli, Eragrostis minor, Helianthus tuberosus, Portulaca oleracea and Sisymbrium loeselii.

Drought and cold stress are main factors influencing germination of barley in spring. The aim of this work was to investigate whether higher content of polyphenols in seeds affects vigor and germination ability. For the purpose of this study ten varieties from different growing areas were selected while seed vigor was determined by two different methods. The first method was conventional germination method, where seeds were placed on filter paper in germinated trays whereas the second method was that barley kernels were placed in Petri dishes without filter paper under the same environmental conditions. Effect of drought and cold stress was simultaneously monitored. Drought stress was performed with addition of polyethylene glycol (PEG) solution with osmotic potential of -0.2 MPa and for the cold stress seeds were germinated at 10 °C. Evaluated parameters were root length and surface area performed with WinRhizo (Régent Instruments Inc., Quebec, Kanada) software while the content of total polyphenols in the grains was determined spectrophotometrically from the previously prepared extract.

Evaluation of cereal plant status and other biophysical parameters, such as nitrogen uptake (Nupt), nitrogen content and total amount of aboveground biomass, is important information for decision support in agronomy for correct treatment of crop management practices. This information could be provided in precision agriculture by remote sensing as an efficient method for the monitoring of crop within field heterogeneity. The aim of this study was to verify the use of satellite images for estimation of agronomic relevant crop parameters of winter wheat, such as nitrogen uptake, amount of above-ground biomass and nitrogen content. Input data were obtained from field trials with winter wheat realized in 2017–2020 at five locations (Otnice, Dolni Dubnany, Zdounky, Rasovice a Kardasova Recice) with total area of 528 ha. The field survey was carried out in sampling grid to estimate total amount of aboveground biomass, nitrogen concentration in plants and nitrogen uptake during vegetation stage BBCH 31–45. Besides the plant sampling, the values of vegetation indices from Sentinel-2 multispectral imagery were obtained to characterise spectral response of plants. The relationship between crop parameters and Sentinel satellite indices was evaluated using the Spearman correlation coefficient. The high correlation coefficient between Nupt and biomass showed a large influence of the amount of aboveground biomass on the consumption of nitrogen. The highest correlation coefficient of vegetation indices to the crop parameters at all localities was achieved by REIP index, which corresponds with the higher sensitivity of the red-edge bands to the chlorophyll content. The results vary among the localities, the highest values for all vegetation indices were reached for the locality Rasovice, on the contrary, the lowest for the locality Zdounky. The most consistent results for all localities were achieved for the vegetation indices NRERI, REIP and RENDVI, which thus appear to be the most universal indices for the diagnosis of plant nutritional status and its within field heterogeneity by satellite multispectral imaging.

This study deals with the influence of insecticide active ingredients on selected non-target organisms. Aphidophagous harlequin ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) was the tested species, a non-native species that occurs in large populations across the Czech Republic, even in agrocenosis. The objective was to find out if this useful insect was affected by plant protection products (PPP), as was the case with pests of agricultural crops, and whether the development of resistance against selected active ingredients (AI) of insecticides occurred here as well. During the 2020 vegetation season, individual harlequin ladybirds were collected at selected sites and subsequently tested in a laboratory for sensitivity to cypermethrin AI in different concentrations. The efficiency of this AI was evaluated, and from the values acquired, the percentage mortality at the registered dose was calculated. Results were further processed using the specialised POLO PLUS 2.0 software, which calculates values of lethal doses of LD50, LD90 and LD95. As the results show, the mortality increase was recorded due to the increasing dose of the tested AI. From the calculated mortality values and lethal dose, it was found that harlequin ladybird populations are sensitive to the affect of cypermethrin, and thus, the negative influence of this PPP on non-target organisms was verified.

Positive and negative findings on the impact of vermicomposts and earthworms on the quantity and quality of crops force researchers around the world to look for the causes of these different findings. In the present experiment were investigated: A) the effect of adding vermicompost to the soil and B) the influence of earthworms number (genus Eisenia fetida) in the soil substrate on the dynamics of changes in the weight of radish phytomass (Raphanus sativus) and on selected qualitative parameters of roots and leaves. The obtained results show that the tenth proportion of vermicompost from the total weight of soil substrate caused the statistically significant increase in yield of the radish roots and leaves, reducing the total polyphenols content in roots and increasing the total polyphenols content in the leaves. The addition of vermicompost to the soil also led to an increase in the content of N, S and nitrates in the roots and leaves of radish. Earthworms had a negative impact on the radish yield and a positive impact on qualitative parameters such as total polyphenols content, nitrate content and sulphur content.

In 2020 (May to August), we compared the efficiency of pheromone lures of different age from the Propher s.r.o. company on Grapholita funebrana. The monitoring took place at a co-operative farm in Starý Lískovec. In total, five green delta traps from the Propher company were used together with pheromone lures from 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. Grapholita funebrana was recorded in all traps, and 113 imagoes were caught in total. Most imagoes (43) flew to the 2020 pheromone.
On the contrary, fewest imagoes (3) flew to the 2014 pheromone. 394 individuals of non-target species were recorded in total. Most imagoes of non-target species, 140 in total, flew to the 2018 pheromone lure, and fewest (27) to the 2019 pheromone lure. Based on the monitoring, the influence of the age
of pheromone lures on their efficiency was proved.

Ongoing climate change brings not only long-term effects which are represented mainly by elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentration and gradual increase in mean temperature, but also by increasing the extremity of the weather, which means, for example, higher frequency, higher intensity and longer periods of drought. In this study, the effect of elevated CO₂ concentration in combination with nitrogen nutrition and drought was studied in two contrasting genotypes of winter wheat in terms of vegetation length. The results showed that drought in the period after heading generally had a greater effect on yield, while drought before the start of heading had a greater impact on gluten content in grain. The elevated CO₂ concentration partly alleviated the negative effect of the late drought. Conversely, under early drought, elevated CO₂ concentration led to a partial amplification of the drought effect on yield. Although a greater effect on gluten content was observed under the early drought, the combination of late drought and elevated CO₂ concentration showed a higher impact than under the combination with early drought. The application of nitrogen partly mitigated the negative effect of drought on gluten content in both droughts. The response of the varieties to the experimental factors are very similar, although it is evident that the late variety Tobak shows slightly higher sensitivity to early drought. It is clear from the results that the timing of drought determines not only the yield reduction and the impact on quality but also the interactions with other factors such as atmospheric CO₂ concentration, nitrogen nutrition or genotype.

Superabsorbent polymers (SAP) seem to be suitable for optimization soil moisture conditions due to their ability to repeatably bound and release water and solutions with dissolved nutrients. Application of SAP contributes to better water management in soil and can prevent nutrients losses caused by leaching or volatilization. In this work, we focused on determination of the effect of SAP saturated with nutrients on maize selected growth parameters of maize in drought conditions. The results showed that soil application of SAP and fertilizers (SAP + NP or NPK fertilizer) had positive impact on observed growth parameters. In well-watered conditions, the highest increase of chlorophyll content in leaves was found after application of SAP + NP fertilizer, the increase was about 9.2% in compare to variant with NP fertilizer in term 30 days after sowing (DAS). Root electric capacitance (REC), which describes size of root system, was higher about 8% after application of SAP + NP than after application of NP fertilizer in drought conditions (term 58 DAS). SAP in combination with fertilizers had positive effect on dry matter production in well-watered conditions, it was higher than variants with only NP or NPK fertilization in term 58 DAS.

The consequences of a changing climate are clearly causing changes in the entire climate system of the Earth. In Europe, this results in changes in precipitation conditions and the number of precipitation days during the year and a deepening of the dry season in the summer months. Climate change is also strongly influenced by fruit growing and the use of irrigation water, which may be scarce during this period. Therefore, there is an effort to save with it. During the experiment, five methods of irrigation were monitored in the orchard: IR + F-2.1 (irrigation with fertigation, drip flow 2.1 l/h), IR + F-1.6 (irrigation with fertigation, drip flow 1.6 l/h), IR + F-1 (irrigation with fertigation, drip flow 1 l/h), IR-2.1 (irrigation without fertigation, drip flow 2.1 l/h) and NON-IR (without irrigation and fertigation). The research points to the system of irrigation and fertigation at different irrigation doses and their influence on fruit yield and the length of annual increments in Gala apple. When it comes to Gala apple, the difference in fruit weight between IR + F-2.1 variants was statistically demonstrated; IR + F-1.6 and non-irrigated variant. The highest weight was measured for the IR + F-2.1 variant, namely 147 g, and the lowest for the NON-IR variant, 132 g. Differences in fruit weight during irrigation with and without fertigation were not statistically detectable. The largest fruit diameter was achieved with the IR + F-2.1 and IR + F-1.6 variants (67.5 mm) and the lowest with the NON-IR (64 mm). Differences in fruit diameter were not demonstrated between irrigated variants with and without fertigation. The demonstrably longest annual increments were found for the IR + F-2.1 (677.3 mm) and IR + F-1.6 (568.9 mm) variants and demonstrably the shortest for the NON-IR variant (436.0 mm).

The development of the hypopharyngeal glands (HG) of honeybees depends on nutrition, which influences also the total concentration haemolymph proteins (THP). The objective of this study was to compare the size of hypopharyngeal glands and the total haemolymph protein in the honeybee workers. Unaffected natural ontogenesis of HG development and THP content was measured in four colonies of different strength. Correlation between HG and THP without age or colony sorting was weak. The moderately positive correlation between HG and THP was found in freshly emerged workers. Strong dependence was confirmed between the mean values of HG and THP of all colonies together sorted according to age of workers.

The aim of the research was to determine the effects of organic (Saccharomyces cerevisiae CNCM I-3060) and inorganic (sodium selenite - Na₂SeO₃) selenium supplemented in layer diets and its effect on the bone weight, strength and biochemical blood parameters.  In both experimental groups (Organic and Inorganic, respectively) selenium was supplied with its natural content in the feed plus selenium was added that its total content was 0.31 mg/kg in both groups. In the bones were analysed parameters as width, length, strength and weight. Biochemical analysis of blood samples was performed, analysing ALT, AST, GGT, ALP, LD, CK, Tbili and Urea activities. The results show that there is no statically significant effect either from the organic form of selenium than inorganic form.

In this article we focused on the comparing the performance between the best dressage and showjumping horses in the world. We collected the database of the best 500 horses in showjumpig and also dressage which competed in Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) dressage and jumping shows. Data used in the research has been gathered from the official website of FEI. We focused on the specifics factors: age, sex, breed and auxiliary points (AAP) reached through the season. We processed the data in statistic program STATISTICA 2012. Then we tested statistically significant factors using Scheffe´s test. As a statistically high significant (p<0.001) factors were demonstrated factors such as breed. We found out, that according to auxiliary points the most successful sex are geldings in both of the disciplines. In showjumping they gained 708.6 AAP and in dressage 1347.9 AAP. The most successful breed in average values is Westphalian (914.3 AAP) in showjumping and statistically highly significant (p<0.001) Trakhennen (1555.9 AAP) in dressage. According to the age group the most successful is category of the horses 7–13 years old in showjumping and the oldest category of horses in dressage competition (1347.7 AAP). The most important breeders in showjumping in the year 2019 are Chacco Blue (22 descendants), Cassal Ask (13) and Diamand de Semilly (12). The most important breeders in dressage are Broere Jazz (14 descendants), Glocks Johnson Tn (14) and Sandro Hit (14).

The aim of the study was to determine the frequency of occurrence of Helicobacter pylori in raw cow’s milk originating from the Moravian region in the Czech Republic. A total of 68 bulk samples of raw cow’s milk were examined for the presence of H. pylori using the classical culture method and the Nested polymerase chain reaction (Nested-PCR). H. pylori was not isolated using the culture method in any of the examined samples. Using the Nested-PCR method, H. pylori DNA was detected in 31 (46%) samples. On the basis of the obtained results, the applied culture method appears to be unsuitable for monitoring the occurrence of H. pylori in raw cow’s milk. On the contrary, the Nested-PCR method showed a high sensitivity to the detection of H. pylori in the samples. This study showed that raw cow’s milk from the Moravian region can be a source of Helicobacter pylori bacteria.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of hemp herb in a diet for growing Californian rabbits. It was evaluated average weight gain, feed consumption and health condition of the fattened rabbits. The experiment took place on rabbits divided into two groups from age 60 to 151 days. The rabbits in control group (n=10) were fed a diet without hemp herb. The rabbits in experimental group (n=10) received a diet with the addition of 10% hemp herb. At the end of the experiment was not found statistically significant differences (P > 0.05) in live weight between control group and experimental group. Final average live weight of rabbits in experimental and control groups were 3.33 kg and 3.46 kg, respectively. No differences were found in feed intake, feed conversion ratio and mean weight gain, as well. In our experiment, no positive effect of dietary administered hemp herb on the rabbit health was found.

Monitoring of vital activities („Eating“, „Rumination“) of cattle is currently being increasingly used for dairy cows mainly due to reproductive and welfare indicators. In contrast, they are used sporadically for growing categories (fattening bulls). Therefore, these categories need to monitor vital activities and quantify their relationship not only to welfare but also to meat performance. The experiment was carried out on 11 bulls of the Czech Fleckvieh Simmental cattle. The monitoring of vital activities was carried out in 12 weeks (from 6 to 18 weeks) of average daily gain (ADG) of 1.554 kg. Subsequently was used data from the abattoir according to EU evaluation system SEUROP, specifically carcass conformation, and fatness. The parameter „Eating“ showed an average value of 276.5 minutes for U-grade, resp. 235.3 minutes for R-grade. As far as fatness is concerned, bulls classified in 2nd class reported 269.0 minutes, resp. 255.3 minutes in 3rd class. There were found correlation coefficients for carcass conformation r = 0.376, resp. for fatness r = 0.125. It was also found that the parameter „Eating“ correlates with the average daily gain r = 0.359. The „Rumination" parameter showed an average value of 520.8 minutes for the U-grade and just 484.3 minutes for the R-grade. Regarding carcass fattening, bulls classified in 2nd class ruminate on average 508.1 minutes, while in 3rd class 518.0 minutes on average. Correlation coefficients were generally at a lower level of conformation r = 0.28, resp. for fatness r = 0.08. The findings confirmed that there is a positive relationship between vital activities and meat performance at the period of the beginning of the fattening bulls.

This study examined the influence of fermented rapeseed meal on the performance of broiler chickens. Forty-eight 21-day old Ross 308 broilers were used in this experiment. The birds were placed in metabolic cages and randomly assigned to 4 experimental groups. Group I was a negative control and received no additive. Group II was a positive control and received 3% additive of unfermented rapeseed meal. Group III received a 3% additive of rapeseed meal fermented with the Bacillus subtilis 67 bacterial strain. Group IV received a 3% additive of rapeseed meal fermented with B. subtilis 87Y. The birds were weighed on 30, 37 and 44 days of age. On this basis, the live body weight of birds and daily gains were monitored. The feed intake was weighed daily – on this basis the feed conversion ratio was calculated. The obtained results did not show any statistically significant effect of the used additives on the performance of broiler chickens.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the Dark Ronald stallion line in the breeding of the Czech Warmblood. To evaluate the importance of the line, the offspring of stallions authorized to act as stud horses in the breeding of the Czech Warmblood were used. The values of the basic body measurements of their offspring (SHW, THW, ChC and CBC) were used to evaluate the quality of the stallions. A total of 6 breeding stallions were compared: two representatives of the Holsteiner horse (2765 CASSILIUS, 2666 PORTER), one Russian Holsteiner (2782 BALLAST), one Slovak Warmblood (794 CORSÁR), one Dutch Warmblood (2745 OSCAR) and one representative of the Zweibrücker breed (662 CARBIDO). The group for comparison consisted of 284 offspring of the Czech Warmblood breed from these sires. Evaluation by the GLM model detected statistically significant differences between the basic body measurements of the individual groups of offspring. The influence of the dams on the basic body measurements of offspring was taken into account by a graphical comparison of the massiveness and boniness indices. It was found that the stallion 2782 BALLAST significantly affects the massiveness of his offspring, but the dam has a greater influence on boniness than the sire. Furthermore, it was found that mares are statistically significantly more massive than stallions, but that they have a smaller cannon bone circumference. It was found that the progeny of 2666 PORTER is the most balanced, while in other stallions it is highly variable, and the greatest, statistically significant influence of the sire can be observed in the stallion 2782 BALLAST.

The study was designed to evaluate the effect of three terminal boars, originating from the Duroc breed, on reproductive parameters of sows and losses of piglets from birth to weaning and also to evaluate the effect of these boars on individual weight of piglets at the time of birth and weaning and on average daily gain from birth to weaning. Boars of the Duroc x Large White _{sire line} (D x LW_SL), Danish Duroc (DD) and Norwegian Duroc (ND) were included in the experiment. Evaluation of the effect of the selected boars on reproductive parameters in sows and losses of piglets showed no statistically significant differences. Observation of the effect of boars on birth weight of piglets revealed a statistically significant difference (P ≤ 0.05) between the piglets after the D x LW_SL boar (individual birth weight 1.47 kg) and the piglets after the DD boar (1.32 kg) and the ND boar (1.35 kg). Evaluation of individual weight at weaning showed statistically significant differences (P<0.05) between the piglets after the ND boar (7.96 kg) and after the DD boar (7.21 kg). The statistically highest (P<0.05) average daily gain was achieved by the piglets after the ND boar (235.96 g) on the contrary, the lowest was recorded in the piglets after the DD boar (210.02 g). Although Boars included in the experiment was coming from the same breed, differences were observable.

The winter loses of honeybee colonies have been increasing in recent decades. Successful overwintering depends on abundance of the long-living bees in the colony. This study verified whether the total haemolymph protein content in the pooled sample from workers (TP) could be a useful marker to determine the overall colony condition and predict winter survivability. Here we show that the values of TP in autumnal workers did not correlate with the winter survival of colonies. The average TP did not differ between the collapsed and survived colonies. In the early spring, the average TP among apiaries did not differ in spite of very different health conditions of individual apiaries. These results do not support the hypothesis that TP assayed in the pooled sample prepared from unknown-aged workers is a reliable marker for prediction of the overwintering ability or the overall condition of colonies.

The influence of different forms of selenium (organic and inorganic source) on blood glutathione peroxidase activity in laying hens Lohmann Brown-Classic was evaluated. The hens were divided into 3 equal groups (Control, Organic, Inorganic). The content of selenium in the Control group´s diet (0.08 mg/kg Se) was only with its natural content in the feed. The Organic group (0.27 mg/kg Se) was fed with an organic source of selenium (selenium-enriched Saccharomyces cerevisiae CNCM I-3060) and the Inorganic group (0.27 mg/kg Se) was fed with an inorganic source of selenium (sodium selenite – Na₂SeO₃). There were not found any statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) between the groups. Based on our trial an addition of selenium in different forms has no effect on glutathione peroxidase activity in whole blood of laying hens.

The influence of different feed particle size in laying hen´s diet on performance parameters were evaluated. Hens were divided into two different groups based on the structure of particles (coarse and fine). Geometric Mean Diameter (GMD) and Geometric Standard deviation (GSD) of particles size were calculated. The coarse group (GMD 1,339.92 µm; GSD 1,3362.19 µm) had a positive effect on eggshell quality (P < 0.05) in comparison with the fine group (GMD 572.03 µm; GSD 389.10 µm). There were found no statistically significant differences (P > 0.05) in body weight, egg production, laying intensity and feed conversion ratio between different feeding groups. The higher daily feed intake (P < 0.05) was noticed in laying hens fed coarse feed mixture. Based on our results seems hens rather consume diet with coarse particles. The coarse feed mixture also had a positive effect on the selected eggshell quality traits.

The oestrus cycle synchronization and artificial insemination are some of the most frequently used biotechnical methods of reproduction. They are used mainly to achieve easier breeding and shortening of the lambing period. An exact determination of the lambing period (according to the length of the pregnancy) is essential for the breeding process optimization, namely it allows a precise timing of the lambing period. The experiment monitors forty eight Zwartbles ewes, whose oestrus cycles were first synchronized with the use of hormonal intravaginal sponges Ovigest. The subsequent intracervical insemination was done using fresh, diluted and chilled semen from rams of the Zbyšek and Zachari lineages extracted into an artificial vagina. The pregnancy rates after insemination and after the subsequent breeding of the barren ewes in a harem were determined according to the pregnancy detection and the subsequent lambing times. The overall pregnancy length in the artificially inseminated animals was determined through marking the exact date and time of insemination and the lambing period of each animal. The pregnancy rate after insemination was 63.6% for ram Zbyšek and 23.1% for ram Zachari. The overall pregnancy rate after insemination was 41.7%, and after the subsequent natural breeding of the barren ewes in harems the overall pregnancy rate was 93.8%. The pregnancy periods generally ranged between 141 and 147 days and the lambing itself took place between the 144th and 146th day in 70% of the cases.

This study focuses on the degree of embryonic development determination after oviposition, based on the age of the parent stock of broiler chicken. In this experiment parent stock of the ROSS 308 hybrid from 23 to week age of was used. The hatching eggs were collected to determinated degree of embryonic development every 3 or 4 weeks from this age, until the parent stock reached the age of 45 weeks. In each monitored week of age of the parent flock, 60 hatching eggs were collected. Total of 480 hatching eggs were used in this experiment. After determining the degree of embryonic development over a period of time, the results show a statistically significant (P <0.05) increase at the stage of embryonic development with the older age of the parent flock.

The deteriorating health status of honeybee colonies is considered to be the result of the interaction among several stress factors, in particular pathogens, pesticides and malnutrition. Secondary metabolites from mushrooms were shown to have the potential to mitigate the impact of some of these stressors. However, possible side effects mushroom extracts must be evaluated. The aim of this experiment was to test the survival rate in worker bees fed by mycelial extract from Fomes fomentarius. 1% (v/v) extract was well ingested by honeybees and did not cause them any harm. There was no difference in the survival rates in the experimental and control groups. These results did not confirm the previously reported effect of mycelial extracts on the substantially increasing bee longevity. Potential variability of the mycelial extracts is discussed.

The main objective of this study was to monitor mortality of poultry red mites (Dermanyssus gallinae, PRM), caused by selected active substances of plant essential oils (eugenol, linalool, cinnamaldehyde, limonene, eucalyptol, menthol). The second objective was to define the lethal doses (LD₅₀; LD₉₀) of these active substances. The acaricidal activity of these active substances against poultry house-collected red mites was examined 24 hours after treatment using direct contact method – by glass vial bioassay. The tested concentrations of active substances of essential oils were from 1 to 0.0005 µL/cm². Active substances of essentials oils were dissolved in water and Tween 20. Only adult PRM were used for the tests. The average mortality in the negative control was 2.5%. All used active substances caused mortality of PRM. The highest estimated mortality was observed with eugenol (85%), the LD₅₀ was estimated to be 4.3 μg/cm² for this substance, followed by cinnamaldehyde (79%), the LD₅₀ of which was estimated to be 11.6 μg/cm² and menthol (74%), the LD₅₀ was estimated to be 17.8 μg/cm². Linalool, limonene and eucalyptol were generally less effective. The results of these performed experiments suggest that active substances like eugenol and cinnamaldehyde and menthol in merit further study as potential PRM control agents. Active substances of essential oils may be effective natural botanical pesticides against PRM.

The alternation of warm and dry periods results in slowing down of vegetation growth, drying of soils, which leads to high losses of plant production. Consequently, it is so difficult to ensure sufficient production of the required amount of forage. One of the many alternatives is to use plants tolerating dry and hot conditions, such as sorghum. This article is focused on the comparison of 8 varieties of forage sorghum, for which the basic nutritional parameters were determined and expressed in dry matter: crude protein, acid detergent fibre, neutral detergent fibre and digestibility of dry matter and organic matter by in vitro pepsin cellulase method. The mean content of crude protein reached 9.6 to 11.3% of dry matter. Acid detergent fibre shows range from 27.3 to 36.4%. The neutral detergent fibre concentrations were from 48.5 to 56.7%. Range of digestibility of dry matter reached 41.9 to 55.3%. Nutri Honey BMR variety had the highest digestibility of dry matter (55.3%). Nutri Honey BMR and Sweet Caroline varieties had the highest digestibility of the organic matter (50.0%) while Ruzrok variety proved to be the one with the lowest digestibility of organic matter with value 36.2%.

The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of organic and inorganic selenium supplementation in feed mixture for hens to eggs production and egg quality. The study was conducted on 84 Lohman Brown-Classic hens. They were kept on conventional deep litter system. The experimental period started from hens age 33 weeks and lasted to 41^st weeks of age. The hens were randomly divided into 3 groups. The Control group (n=28) was fed diets without the addition of selenium. The first experimental group (Organic; n=28) was fed with organic source of selenium. The second experimental group (Inorganic; n=28) was fed with inorganic source of selenium. The selenium was supplied with its natural content in the feed plus selenium was added that its total content was 0.31 mg/kg. No significant differences (P>0.05) were observed during the study between the evaluated groups in egg production and egg quality, but significant differences (p<0.05) were recorded in feed consumption between groups. The lowest feed consumption per group and day was found in Organic group.

The aim of present study was to evaluate the effect of different calcium content in feed mixture on eggs quality and blood biochemical parameters of laying hens. The hens (n= 12) were divided into two groups. The first group (L; n=6) was fed by feeding mixture with 2.1% content of calcium, and the second group (H; n=6) was fed by diet content 3.7% of calcium. There were found statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) in some eggs qualitative parameters between the groups. Higher values (P < 0.05) for the shell strength (40.90 N) and shell thickness (393.4 µm) were found in the second group (H). The content of serum Ca was affected by higher dietary Ca levels. Evaluated blood parameters alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, total protein and uric acid showed statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) after different adding levels of calcium in diet. Other monitored parameters (egg mass, feed consumption, feed conversion, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, creatine kinase, total bilirubin, glucose, cholesterol, triacylglycerides, albumin, urea, creatinine) were without statistically significant differences (P > 0.05) between groups.

The aim of experiment was a comparation between back fat thickness and other slaughter indicators. Pigs were fattened up on deep-bed pen or slatted floor pen. There were 499 slaughter pigs, 278 of those were fattened up on slatted floor pen and remaining 221 pigs were fattened up on deep-bed pen. Average back fat thickness for slatted floor pen was 14.14 mm and average value for deep-bed pen was 17.00 mm. Average carcass weight of pigs that were feeded on slatted floor pen was 112.22 kg, for pigs feeded on deep-bed pen the average carcass weight was 120.13 kg.

This study was conducted to elucidate the embryonic development, hatchability, and post-hatch growth performance of broiler chickens when eggs were incubated during first 36 hours at 2 different temperatures. Totally, 1200 hatching eggs produced by Ross 308 broiler breeders (55 weeks of age) had been stored for 4 days. The hatching eggs were divided into 2 groups. Control group (CG) was incubated first 36 hours at 38.22 °C (100.8 °F). Experimental group (EG) was incubated first 36 hours at 39.17 °C (102.5 °F). Although the hatchability of fertilized eggs was higher in CG, as with fertility, there was no significant difference between groups. Differences in mean embryonic mortality and late embryonic mortality were statistically significant (P<0.05). In CG the mean middle embryonic mortality was 1.76% and the mean late mortality 2.47%, while in EG the mean middle embryonic mortality was 0.71% and the mean late embryonic mortality 4.17%. However, during the whole experimental period, in EG the average weight was statistically significantly (P˂0.05) below the weight of CG, in uniformity, feed intake and feed conversion there was not statistically significant (P>0.05) difference. Temperature setting change in hatching machine at first 36 hours of incubation from standard 100.8 °F to 102.5 °F had negative impact on hatchability and post-hatch growth.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different particle sizes in layers diets on feed consumption, live weight and digestive viscosity. In the experiment, the effects of different particle sizes were investigated on two groups of laying hens of the Bovans Brown hybrid combination aged from 76 to 80 weeks. The first group (n = 8) was fed a finely ground mash (geometric mean diameter - GMD, 632 μm) and the second group (n = 8) was fed a coarsely ground mash (GMD, 1258 μm) with the same nutritional parameters. The particle sizes of the feed mixtures was analysed and compared with the particle sizes of unaccepted residues using a feed separator. During this experiment were not observed statistically significant differences (P>0.05) between both groups in live weight, feed intake and digestive viscosity.

Microplastics (MPs) are 20 µm to 5 mm large plastic particles that are a frequent contaminant of the aquatic environment. Knowledge of their impact on aquatic organisms are limited. In our assay, we targeted on polyethylene microparticles to assess their impact on the rainbow trout haematological and biochemical parameters. Four groups of fishes were used; the first was the control group, the second group was exposed to 0.5% MPs, the third group was exposed to 2% MPs, and the fourth group was exposed to 5% MPs for 6 week. Our study showed that polyethylene microparticles affect some haematological and biochemical parameters. Leukocytes (significant decline) and haematocrit level (significant increment) after exposure to microplastics compared to control group from haematological parameters were affected. Biochemical parameters (ALT, ammonia, lactate) showed significant decrease after exposure to microplastics compared to control group. This study revealed that MPs may have an important impact on the haematological and biochemical parameters which in turn may influence fish behaviour and endanger their health.

Contamination of aquatic environment results in negative effects on both human and aquatic biota. Diclofenac and ibuprofen are commonly used pharmacologically active substances, which are found in aquatic environment. Occurrence of their residues in the aquatic environment is caused by constantly increasing consumption, discharge in wastewater and its imperfect purification in wastewater treatment plants. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of diclofenac and ibuprofen residues on embryonic stages of zebrafish (Danio rerio). The study was performed according to the acute toxicity test on zebrafish embryos guideline no. 236. Six different concentrations of diclofenac and ibuprofen were tested. Lethal and various sublethal effects of diclofenac and ibuprofen were observed at concentrations ranging from 2 000 μg/l to 20 000 μg/l. The most frequently negative effect was observed on the cardiovascular system, where heart edema of embryos occurred. Moreover, the results suggest negative effects on hatching. For example in the end of the experiment at the highest tested concentration of ibuprofen was hatched only 37.14% embryos. Our study showed that the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) diclofenac and ibuprofen have a negative effect on the development of fish embryos.

Entomological research was launched in 2019 and 2020 in Cerová vrchovina Upland. The occurrence of Variimorda (Galeimorda) hladili Horák, 1985 (Mordellidae) in Slovakia is confirmed. The data for three very rare beetle species are presented: Zonitis flava Fabricius, 1775 (Meloidae), Odontosphindus grandis (Hampe, 1861) (Sphindidae), Cassida aurora Weise, 1907 (Chrysomelidae).

The article evaluates the importance of habitat classes as living space to Eurasian skylark (Alauda arvensis Linnaeus, 1758). From the faunistic database Czech Society for Ornithology (CSO) were gathered 21 110 records concerning the presence and abundance of Eurasian skylark from 2014 to 2019 in the Czech Republic. The data about the occurrences was paired to data containing the Corine land cover classes. The boosted regression trees (BRT) and the Generalized Estimating Equations method (GEE) were used for data analysis. The main result of this study showed that over the last 6 years, the abundance of the skylark has decreased slightly, and the species prefers an agricultural landscape and green areas (parks, lawns etc.) in an urbanized and post-industrial landscape.

The objective of the present study was to investigate the impact of active logging interventions on spiders in formerly coppiced oak-hornbeam forests in the Kukle National Nature Monument, which were conserved for overall 80 years without any active conservation management. Ten study plots were selected for the research, which were subsequently divided into five unmanaged plots (control) and five, where active conservation management took place in the last 2–3 years. The spiders were collected using pitfall traps during vegetation season of 2018. We used three pitfall traps per plot, placed five meters from each other across the diagonal of each research plot. A total of 5,445 adult spiders belonging to 17 families, 47 genera and 82 species were captured. Of the 82 species found, 72 were on the plots with active conservation management and 49 on the unmanaged plots. The species richness, conservation value and presence of rare and endangered species was significantly higher in areas under active conservation management. The results show that the forest opening and restoration of the management in the form of a transfer to the coppiced forest with standards had a positive effect on the overall diversity of the spiders in oak woodlands. However, the logging activities should not be applied by large scale clearings.

The biodiversity and density of pollinators systematically and drastically decreases. The intensification of agriculture, including a change in land use, increased chemistry and different farm management are considered to be the main causes. In the study differences in land use, biodiversity of apidofauna and chemical contamination of bees by pesticides was compared between the locations with different management. While the locality in conventional regime of agriculture was characterized by intensively farmed rapeseed field and main landscape matrix was formed by arable land, at the locality in organic regime of agriculture was observed flowering strips and major landscape matrix was formed by permanent grassland. At the locality in organic regime, a significantly higher richness and abundance of bees were observed in comparison with the locality in conventional regime.  In addition, the analyses of bees from the locality in conventional regime revealed the presence of residues of several pesticides. In contrast, at the locality in organic regime, analyses did not confirm presence of any residues.

The article evaluates the importance of agroecosystems (vineyards and orchards) for the occurrence of common starling in the South Moravian Region. The data used for the analysis contained 4101 data from the faunistic database Czech Society for Ornithology for the years 2012 to 2018. The data were evaluated by two statistical methods, namely Boosted Regression Trees (BRT) and Generalized Least Squares (GLS). The results showed that the agricultural landscape had the greatest positive effect on the occurrence of common starling. Especially large areas of vineyards and orchards were the most important types of land use for common starling occurrence.

The study aimed to describe the possibility of waste frying oil utilization through soap production. For the experiment’s purposes, palm oil was chosen as one of the most used ones. The frying of oil was performed in 5 different stages until total polar matter (TPM) reached 6.5, 10, 15, 20 and 24%. The gained oil samples served as raw material for the production of soaps. The soap samples produced from fresh/not fried palm oil represented control samples. Following chemical parameters of produced soaps were tested: pH, moisture content, total alkali content, total fat matter, and malondialdehyde (MDA). Beside MDA, all other tested physicochemical parameters were similar among two soap groups (produced from fried and fresh palm oil). The differences between soaps obtained from fresh and fried palm oil were the most observable within MDA evaluations. Soaps produced from fried palm oil had significantly (p < 0.05) the highest MDA value: 1.55 µg/g (obtained in the last stage of frying with 24% TPM). The hardness of the samples ranged from 2087 g to 2740 g; certain statistically significant (p < 0.05) differences within experimentally produced soap are observable, though a clear pattern was not found. Obtained results indicated that used/fried palm oil represents a reasonably valuable raw material for the soap production, since physicochemical analysis of soaps produced from fresh and fried palm oil did not exhibit a full distinction between these two products.

Erosion control effectiveness of agricultural crops is expressed by C factor in USLE or RUSLE equation. Several methods of its estimation were developed due to lack of data required in original methodology. Calculation respectively mapping of its spatio-temporal distribution became a big challenge in erosion risk modelling and land consolidation process in practice. Field measurements of time variable crops characteristics - effective fall height of rain drops, root mass in topsoil layer of 10 cm width and canopy cover, were performed in several localities of Czech Republic (CR). Growing phases were monitored by network of phenological stations. Using a network of rain gauge and phenological stations were created spatio-temporally distributed maps of erosion control effectiveness of winter wheat. For interpolations were used cokriging methods with meteorological data as covariates. Resulting erosion control effectiveness of winter wheat in evaluated variant reached 81.3–93.4% in compared with black fallow. For practical use were defined average C factor values for each climatic region used in the CR.

The aim of the research was to verify the share of soil particles in the surface runoff of water from the measuring area in the space of the vineyard inter-row during a different processing of the soil surface. The experiments were carried out in 2020 at an experimental site in cadastral region of Rakvice. Prior to the implementation of the experimental measurements, using the method of rainfall simulation, the soil surface in the inter-row of the experimental vineyard was treated with various types of cultivation tools. These were a ploughshare cultivator (var. I), a rotary cultivator (var. II), and a disc stubble cultivator (var. III). The working depth was 40 mm for the ploughshare cultivator, 120 mm for the rotary cultivator and 150 mm for the disc stubble cultivator. The control variant was the soil surface without a prior treatment (var. IV). For rainfall simulations, a rainfall simulator of the RIAE type was used, the simulations were performed using FullJet nozzles with wide square sprays, a working pressure of 1.0 bar and a selected intensity of 60 mm/h. The obtained results indicate that the highest values of surface washdown were found in var. IV, on the contrary, the lowest in var. III. The obtained results thus confirmed the influence of different methods of soil surface treatment on the washing of soil particles in vineyards.

Increasing the risk of wind erosion is a very topical issue in the context of climate change. Increasing the incidence of drought and higher temperatures in agriculture-intensive areas increase the risk of wind erosion. Permanent vegetation barriers are effective protection against wind erosion, especially during the period when the soil is not protected by vegetation cover of cultivated crops. The present article presents the creation of a nationwide database of existing vegetation barriers with subsequent use for the modelling of vegetation barrier protective zones and the assessment of the spatial arrangement of liner elements in the landscape. The baseline determining the extent of vegetation barrier identification was the Map of the risk to arable land from wind erosion according to the cadastre. Identification was done for categories 5, 4 and 3 of hazard. Vegetation barriers have been identified from available databases of the Forest management institute information on Czech, Forests of the Czech Republic and ZABAGED. A classification algorithm in the GIS environment has been developed to identify vegetation barriers to model their effect on the effects of wind erosion. Outputs of the classification algorithm were subsequently verified over the current ortho-map. The modelling of the influence of vegetation barriers on the effect of wind erosion represents the creation of protective zones that will be further used for updating the map of the potential vulnerability of the CR including the influence of soil-climatic factors.

The basic function of windbreaks is to protect the soil from wind erosion, but it also performs many other functions in the landscape. The importance of windbreaks is increasingly also related to the positive impact on its surroundings, especially in connection with the negative effects of drought. The paper focuses on the evaluation of the impact of a windbreak on its surroundings in terms of air and soil temperature. To evaluate the influence of the windbreak on the surrounding microclimate, a line element was selected in the village of Bulhary. Furthermore, the optical porosity was determined Optical porosity was set as the average for the whole period at 19%. It is a semi-permeable windbreak. The mentioned evaluation was performed to determine the spatial parameters of the windbreak in the context of field measurements. Continuous measurements of air temperature were performed at two meters height and soil temperature at 5 cm depth. The measurements were performed using automatic meteorological stations (time step 15 minutes) located in the windbreak (B 2) and outside the windbreak (B 1). The measurement took place on two dates, in May 2018 and in March 2019. The evaluation was performed for individual days of the month when the average temperature was determined for each day of the month. The last step of the evaluation was to determine the temperature differences for the location in the windbreak and outside the windbreak.

A locality situated in the protected landscape area in Pálava which suffered from a recent intentionally set fire was monitored during a period of 6 months. Pot experiment investigating possibility of soil amendment application to burnt soil was performed with Brassica juncea L. The long-term monitoring revealed that the burnt area got revegetated rapidly but with undesirable noxious plant species that endanger local flora biodiversity. Soil amendments used in the pot experiment were not found beneficial for above-ground biomass growth and the plant best prospered in the unamended burnt soil. On the other hand, diatomite and biochar demonstrated a potential of improving soil conditions and so enhanced the root growth. Root mass yield in these two treatments, with diatomite and biochar, were higher than in the unamended burnt soil. The research suggests keeping monitoring the natural recovery of the fire affected area to gain information about the locality ability to cope with the aggressive plant species and further, recommends to carry out chemical analysis of soil, biomass and roots which will complement findings about the fire effects on soil.

A hemiparasitic herbaceous plant species, Pedicularis palustris, has historically been abundant in most of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands. Populations of this wetland species decreased dramatically during the twentieth century, due to the gradual abandonment of the traditional use of the landscape. For this reason, Pedicularis palustris is now a critically endangered species within the Czech Republic, with the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands being one of the most important and last refuges of this species in Central Europe. A field survey of the current population size was carried out in 30 localities, where the species was known to be located over the last 20 years. The species was confirmed in only nine of them, whereas in the other locations, the species is probably lost due to the succession of vegetation, climate change or change in land use. The importance of well-performed management was found to be crucial for the survival of the remaining populations.

The current method of waste management most frequently used in the Czech Republic is a process called landfilling. This economically favourable and oldest method brings about a range of environmental impacts. One of them is the generation of leachates. Leachates used in these tests were collected once a month from the Bukov municipal solid waste landfill in the period from April to September 2018. The leachates were applied onto the reference soil for 28 days in the shares of 5%, 25% and 50%. For the tests, seeds of white mustard (Sinapis alba L.) were used. The developed plant above ground biomass was weighed after the end of the pot experiment. Its values in fresh state ranged from 0.77 g to 6.03 g. After drying up at a constant temperature of 22 °C for 7 days, amount of dry biomass was measured. The values ranged from 0.23 g to 0.49 g. The goal of this research was to define the effect of biochar addition worked into the soil which was irrigated with the leachate shares onto the resulting weight of dry above ground biomass of Sinapis alba L. The highest value (0.49 g) of dry biomass was recorded after the addition of biochar into the reference soil.

The study aimed to determine the tourist’s satisfaction with cultural tourism in the South Moravian Region. Based on the method of a questionnaire survey with participants in cultural tourism at the local level, data were obtained on the satisfaction of visitors with quality factors and the overall satisfaction with the visit to the site. The data obtained were statistically analyzed to determine if there was a correlation between the age and gender of respondents and their satisfaction. The results of the research show that the gender and age of the respondents do not have a significant effect on factors specific to cultural tourism, but it affects individual and basic factors. According to the results, it was possible to determine which factors have the potential to be developed in the studied area and thus support the number of visitors in the South Moravian Region in the future.

This research aimed to reconstruct historical land-use structure in the small former municipality of Jakubovice located in the Sudetenland (Czech Republic). Written historical property records (Stable Cadastre, Land Register, Uniform Land Registry and the present Cadastre of Real Estate) were used for reconstruction of historical land-use structure. The obtained land-use structure dates from between 1840 and 2020 and the identified land-use changes were put into historical context. The land-use structure development after the Velvet Revolution (1989) indicate to transition from intensive to extensive forms of agriculture. Arable land decreased (-46.12%) mainly at the expanse of permanent grassland (+168.88%) and other areas (+109.44%). The most significant changes to land-use structure occurred during the period of socialist collectivization of agriculture (1950s–1980s) and after the implementation of Complex Land Consolidation in 2010–2011.

The field trial aiming at the effect of the biochar application on soil organic matter, chemical properties of the soil and on the soil reaction was conducted at the area of the Research grassland station Vatín. The observed variants were as follows: 1) the control without biochar, 2) the biochar dose of 15 t/ha applied to the topsoil, 3) the biochar dose of 30 t/ha applied to the topsoil and 4) the  biochar dose of 45 t/ha applied to the topsoil. Biochar is the final product of the decomposition of organic materials under the conditions of heat and the limited access to oxygen. Biochar doses influence physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil. The experiment demonstrated that the biochar doses of 30 t/ha and 45 t/ha increased pH_H2O very significantly by more than 0.33. It was confirmed that almost the identical average pH_H2O values were at both crop rotations. After 6 months, the application of biochar resulted in a significant increase in pH_H2O. The biochar doses of 30 t/ha and 45 t/ha raised pH_KCl very significantly by more than 0.41. As far as the effect of the biochar application on organic matter is concerned, the research treatise signified that within the crop rotation L (Livestock production) as well as the crop rotation P (Plant production) the effect of the biochar doses did not manifest, the differences are inconclusive. The average values for the crop rotation P are almost identical for all the biochar variants. However, the average values are slightly higher in the variants with the biochar application within the crop rotation L.

 Sorption isotherms were measured by the Dynamic Dewpoint­­ Isotherm (DDI) method for samples of fermented meat products. A total of 600 values were recorded which were processed in the software MATLAB R2019b for six different sorption models (Halsey, Chin, Henderson, Oswin, Smith, and GAB) with statistical parameters: root-mean-square error (RMSE) and coefficient of determination (R²). Measured experimental data proved that the most suitable model for these types of fermented meat products is GAB model (the values of RMSE ≤ 0.0004 and R² ≥ 0.997 for desorption and RMSE ≤ 0.0032 and R² ≥ 0.884 for adsorption). Experimental data should help to better manage fermentation, drying, and smoking processes during production of fermented meat products.

The aim of this study was to determine the worts viscosity in beer, which affects the lautering process. The course of dynamic viscosity was observed during the mashing process in barley, wheat, and oat worts. Samples were taken in five different phases of mashing. The viscosity was measured at a coaxial cylinder sensor system with precision small samples adapter and standard spindle. The results were recorded in mPa·s. in the range of 4.9 mPa·s. up to 78.8 mPa·s. and then graphically evaluated. A sharp increase during mashing was visible in the proteolysis phase. Higher viscosity in the wort can slow down the lautering, therefore the obtained results can provide a powerful tool to facilitate the malting of different types of malt.

The aim of this work was to monitor changes in the rheological properties of liquid egg products depending on organic and inorganic selenium, which was added to the nutrition of laying hens. The viscosity was determined at 21 °C using a rotary viscometer with a coaxial cylinder sensor system and standard spindle at a shear strain rate of 0.279 1/s up to 93 1/s for yolk and from 0.279 1/s up to 186 1/s for albumen and liquid whole egg respectively. Experimental results were modelled using Newton viscosity model for yolk and Ostwald-de Waele model for albumen and liquid whole egg. The obtained flow curves indicate close Newtonian behaviour of liquid yolk and non-Newtonian behaviour (flow index n < 1) of liquid albumen and liquid whole eggs.

Three samples of commercially available dark chocolate with a minimum cocoa content of 50%, 78% and 99% were used to experimentally verify the temperature influence on the rheological behaviour of chocolate. The change in the shear stress with an increasing shear strain rate was measured using an RST rheometer with a cone-plate spindle arrangement at a shear strain rate from 0.01/s to 100/s at temperatures of 36 °C, 38 °C, 40 °C, 42 °C and 44 °C for a 1 minute load. To describe the flow curves at selected temperatures, a mathematical flow model according to Casson was used, which, according to the calculated coefficient of determination R², seemed to be the most suitable. The results show that with an increasing chocolate sample temperature, their viscosity decreased, with respect to the shear stress.

In recent years, sushi has become a very popular foodstuff in many countries, including the Czech Republic. As it is one of the ready-to-eat foods (foods that are not subject to further heat treatment before consumption), care must be taken to ensure the hygiene of their production and the quality of the raw materials. The aim of this study was to obtain and evaluate information on the microbiological load of sushi. A total of 90 Maki and Nigiri sushi samples were analyzed, as well as pickled ginger and wasabi paste, which were purchased at restaurants. All 90 samples were negative for the presence of pathogenic bacteria of interest. The highest numbers of spoilage microorganisms were recorded in Nigiri sushi (with a higher proportion of animal component). Salmon sushi showed higher contamination than shrimp sushi (P <0.001). High average numbers of lactic acid bacteria (6.68 log CFU/g) and a high total number of microorganisms (5.53 log CFU/g) were detected in the wasabi paste, indicating that this paste is not freshly and hygienically prepared and stored in restaurants. For other types of samples, the average numbers of the individual groups of microorganisms determined did not exceed 6 log CFU/g, and overall, the investigated samples can be assessed as microbiologically acceptable.

Olive oil flavouring is a traditional practice in the Mediterranean gastronomy.  The aim of this work is to compare the effects of various flavouring techniques on the oil colour. Rosemary was used in three flavouring methods: infusion by fresh herbs, infusion by dried herbs and the addition of essential oils into olive oil. Samples were stored for three months and colour was analysed. In particular, sensorial tests by trained panels were conducted. Colour was measured by a colorimeter using the CIELab colour space system. The obtained results evidenced that infusion by fresh rosemary had the biggest effect on the colour. Colour sensorial tests showed that flavouring by fresh herbs significantly changed colour and increased turbidity of the oil. Panellists perceived colour change from yellow to yellow-green colour and noticed a higher level of turbidity in this flavouring method. Sensorial tests also analysed the acceptance of turbidity; flavouring by essential oil had the highest score in this attribute noting that less turbid flavoured results were more acceptable. The change of colour was characterised by CIELab Colour Space and the change of colour was expressed by ΔE* value. The highest value was measured in fresh herb flavoured oils which correlates with sensorial analysis.

The rheological properties of chocolate were determined on three chocolate samples from the same commercial manufacturer, with a minimum cocoa solids content of 50%, 78% and 99%. The change in the shear stress at an increasing shear strain rate was determined from 0.01/s to 100/s at a sample temperature of 40 °C. The flow properties were measured using an RST rheometer (Brookfield, USA) with a cone-plate spindle arrangement (RCT-50-2) including a sample temperature duplicator. The measured values were modelled using suitable mathematical models, namely the Casson, Bingham, and Herschel-Bulkley flow models. The Casson and Herschel-Bulkley flow models seemed to be the most suitable, as evidenced by the value of the coefficient of determination R², which ranged from 0.9934–0.9994.

The effect of production technology, packaging method, temperature and storage regime was observed on the dynamics of textural changes in milk chocolate. Half of the products were retempered immediately after the production (at 23 °C for 24 hours). The individual samples were packed in foil or vacuum. The products were stored for six months in three temperature regimes (at -18 °C, 20 °C and above 25 °C). The hardness was detected every two months. The textural properties of the products were measured using a texturometer, using a rod-shaped probe. A conclusive positive effect of retemperation was found out on the hardness of milk chocolate due to more stable fat modification and minimal fat migration (P ≤ 0.05). Also, higher storage temperatures and storage regime proved a conclusive effect on higher hardness of the products (P ≤ 0.05).

The present work examined the impact of the homogenization (two- and one-stage) and various furcellaran levels (0.25; 0.50; 0.75 and 1.00% w/w) addition on the viscoelastic properties of the processed cheese sauce (PCS), whereas the measurement was carried out 24 hours after the PCS manufacture. The gradual increase of furcellaran concentration significantly affected the viscoelastic properties which was indicated by an increase in the storage modulus (G´) and loss modulus (G´´). Homogenization elevated the complex modulus (G^*) values of the PCS produced with relatively low-furcellaran content (0.25% w/w), indicating an increase in the stiffness of the samples. However, the PCS samples with greater furcellaran levels were less rigid with the application of homogenization and increasing homogenization degree.

Poultry bone residue is formed as a by-product during the processing of poultry meat into mechanically deboned poultry meat. This product is very rich in collagen, yet unfortunately it is not widely used in current food practice. The bone residue can be used for the production of gelatine and other collagen hydrolysates with different molecular weights and can thus find application in the food industry, medicine, pharmacy or cosmetics. The main aim of this work is to determine optimal conditions for the preparation of gelatine by proteolytic enzyme (Protamex) with emphasis on high extraction efficiency and high gel strength of gelatine. Gelatine extraction was preceded by separation of soluble proteins, albumins (water), globulins (0.2 mol/l NaCl solution) and glutelins (0.03 mol/l NaOH solution). Defatting was performed using the enzyme Lipolase and acetone. Collagen was treated with Protamex endoprotease and gelatine was extracted with hot water. The influence of the treatment time with the enzyme Protamex (72 to 216 hours) and its amount used (0.0% to 2.4%) on the extraction efficiency and gel strength was studied. Other experimental conditions were extraction temperature (90 °C and 98 °C) and extraction time (0.5 to 4 hours). The extraction efficiency of the examined samples ranged from 6.0% to 31.6% and the gel strength of gelatine ranged from 87 to 357 Bloom. Depending on the strength of the gel, the gelatine produced in this way can find application in the food industry, especially as a substance modifying texture and mechanical properties, but also, for example in the preparation of biodegradable packaging materials, or in medicine (collagen films), cosmetics or pharmacy.

With an increasing consumption of poultry meat, the proportion of poultry by-products that can account for up to 33% of the overall output has also been growing. Such by-products include legs, heads, bones, and skins, and may serve as an excellent raw material for preparation of collagen-based products, such as gelatines with a wide range of applications, particularly in the food industry. Gelatine is derived from collagen, an abundant protein in animal tissues. Traditionally, it is produced by pre-treatment and subsequent extraction of collagen-rich materials, such as pork or bovine skins in distilled water at elevated temperature. Technological conditions during the process of extraction can substantially influenced the structure of prepared gelatine and thus its quality as well as the efficiency of the whole process. In this study, series of experiments employing factorial design were performed in which chicken skin gelatines (CSG) were prepared at different extraction conditions (varying temperature and time), and the effect on the gel strength and viscosity of CSG as well as the yield of the extraction process were observed. The yield of CSG ranged between 14.1 and 19.8%; the highest yield was obtained when using a longer extraction time and the highest extraction temperature. The CSG gel strength was determined from 126 to 190 Bloom with the highest value achieved within the application of a shorter extraction time and the lowest extraction temperature. The viscosity of CSG solution was established in the range from 2.06 to 4.40 mPa.s and the highest value was identified within a longer extraction time and the highest extraction temperature. Prepared CSG show a great potential for various applications especially in the food industry.

The aim of this work was to monitor the sensory descriptors of boiled eggs from laying hens, which were given a basic feed mixture supplemented with organic and inorganic selenium. Sensory evaluation of eggs was performed at 41 weeks of laying, when 40 evaluators participated in the evaluation. A sensory questionnaire had ten descriptors were scored on unstructured 100 mm line scales and four descriptors related to defects or deviations were evaluated verbally. The questionnaires therefore contained these descriptors: shell peelability, albumen colour, yolk colour, albumen texture, yolk texture, albumen aroma, albumen aroma defects (yeast, sweet, sulfuric, buttery, rancid, or other), yolk aroma, yolk aroma defects (yeast, sweet, sulfuric, buttery, rancid, or other), albumen taste, albumen taste defects (yeast, sweet, sulfuric, buttery, astringent, metallic, rancid, or other), yolk taste, yolk taste defects (yeast, sweet, sulfuric, buttery, astringent, metallic, rancid, or other), overall impression. The peelability of the shell and the structure of the albumen are sensory parameters when we found a statistically significant difference. The other descriptors were without statistically significant differences. However, this result is considered positive, because in the case of a negative sensory manifestation, it can be taken up by humans in a bound form in the of hen's eggs.

The meat quality parameters measured in carcass production at slaughterhouses tend to be essential for the control of its overall quality. In this experiment, two different groups of poultry, commercial broilers Ross 308 (n=24) and Lohmann Brown-Classic hens (n=24) in 3 independent batches (A, B, C) were used for pH and electric conductivity (EC) measurement at different times (45 and 180 minutes) after slaughter. Experiment was based on monitoring the dependence and applicability of pH and electric conductivity methods. There was found statistical difference (P < 0.05) between pH values and electrical conductivity between broilers and hens after slaughter. Differences were confirmed in both two times of measuring (45 and 180 min), which allows the use of both of them, without the risk of delay in control process of poultry in slaughterhouse. There was no statistical difference (P > 0.05) between pH values and electrical conductivity between independent batches, this showed the independence of these markers on the selected external factor. The last hypothesis of the experiment, that there is no difference (P > 0.05) between the first and second measurement of pH and electrical conductivity between groups and batches, was confirmed. Averagely strong negative relationship was determined between pH and EC in times 45 and 180 minutes, only in broiler group (r = -0.61*, -0.74). Correlation increased in time, so using of a later measurement time (180 minutes) for pH or electrical conductivity is possible, and even more advantageous.

The aim of the study was to substantially increase PUFA n-3 content in bologna sausage based on meat of pigs fed a diet fortified with 8% fish oil. The control group of pigs was fed a standard feed ration without any added oils. The addition of oil into the feed ration did not cause increasing the fat level in bologna sausage. Fatty acid profile was affected significantly. The amount of these acids: C16:0, C18:0 and C18:2n-6 was significantly lower (p < 0.05) for the experimental group. On the other hand, the amount of following acids: C20:5n-3, C22:5n-3 and C22:6n-3 was higher (p < 0.05). Overall,
the content of SFA decreased and the PUFA n-6/PUFA n-3 ratio was significantly lower (p < 0.05).
The addition of fish oil into the diet did not affect the oxidative stability of the product (p > 0.05). Results of an instrumental and sensory analysis have shown a significant difference (p < 0.05) between both groups, when the experimental group was evaluated as harder and less juicy. Colour changes was recorded for redness (a*) parameter, the experimental group shown higher values (p < 0.05).
The addition of fish oil did not affect (p > 0.05) the flavour, nor the odour of the product.

The food industry generates a wide range of animal by-products including collagen-rich by-products from the poultry processing, such as chicken stomachs which may be hydrolytically treated by food endoprotease to obtain collagen hydrolyzate with the possible applications in the food and cosmetic industry. The skin aging process is an inevitable biological process influenced by both external and internal aspects. These factors perform a synergistic effect on the overall skin condition and can cause a number of skin changes, such as dryness and deep wrinkles. This study aims to test the effects of a gel formulation enriched with 1.0% hydrolyzate on the properties of the skin in the temple area in the first, fourth and eighth week of a regular twice daily application (morning and evening). Skin hydration, measured corneometrically, and transepidermal water loss from the skin, determined tewametrically, were monitored and subsequently evaluated. An increase of the skin hydration of 1.9% and 3.7% was established in the 4^th week in the right and left temple area, respectively, and 11.1% and 9.1% in the 8^th week. Compared to control (skin untreated with tested formulation), the skin hydration rose in total by 13.0% and 12.8% in the right and left temple area, respectively. Considering transepidermal water loss, the skin barrier properties improved as well. A decrease of 11.0% and 9.2% was recorded in the 4^th week in the right and left temple area, respectively, and 17.0% and 16.2% in the 8^th week. In total, compared to control, a reduction of transepidermal water loss was established to 28.0% and 25.4% in the right and left temple area, respectively. As the results show, the longer the formulation is applied, the better results are obtained. Since the formulation positively affects the skin condition and quality, the application in the cosmetic industry is very promising.

The main aim of this work is to define pressed fruits oils of varieties of apricot (Prunus armeniaca), peach (Prunus persica) and plum (Prunus domestica) cultivated in Czechia and Slovak Republic. Correct parameters definition of these oils may lead to a right use as a raw material for new, valuable, secondary, or final products. The second aim was to analyze oxidative stability of oils after three months of storage based on physicochemical properties. Obtained results clearly indicated that the cold pressed oils without refining may have higher levels of oxidation already in a very early stage of storage, only after three months. Despite that, these oils, after pressing and three months of storage, met legislative limits. A significant positive correlation between peroxide value, acid value, saponification value and three months of oil storage and negative correlation of iodine value was found. These findings may be useful for European oil producers.

Creating new ecosystems and supporting the occurrence of many plant species is the potential of reclaimed landfills. The paper aim is to analyze the species composition of the meadow (semi-natural habitat) and the reclaimed part of the landfill in 2010, 2011, and 2012. The area is located in Zdounky, belonging to the Kroměříž District in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. The evaluation of the species' coverage found at the selected habitats was carried out by Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA). During the observation, 67 plant species were found. In the species composition of the vegetation of the semi-natural habitat, there were local plant species that could be used for the landfill recultivation, such as Arrhenatherum elatius, Festuca rubra, and Lolium perenne. When restoring and reclaiming landfills, it is therefore essential to choose suitable plant species that are the basis of the ecosystem in the region.

The most important event in the plant life cycle is transition from seed to seedling. Germination is an irreversible process and therefore correct timing is required. Several dormancy mechanisms exist among plants. Physical dormancy can be observed in legumes. Recombinant inbred lines derived from crossing of cultivated and wild parents of chickpea serve as a good model to clarify seed dormancy loss during crop domestication and its genetic basis. Restriction analysis was carried out using the cleaving of amplified polymorphic sequences method. For 6 candidate loci located on intervals of chromosome 1 and 5 were determined possible primer combinations with products that showed variability over non-coding regions. Polymorphic restriction recognition sites were found and restriction mapping was done with parental genotypes. Testing of optimal conditions for restriction analysis and primer combinations for population mapping are still ongoing process. In addition, the presence of physical dormancy in seeds was observed during germination testing. Two parental genotypes and population of 51 inbred lines were evaluated over 7 days’ period. Final germination percentage ranged from 20–100% and divided population into dormant and non-dormant group.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as an important group of emerging environmental contaminants in irrigation water and soils can influence biochemical and physiological processes essential for growth and development in plants as non-target organisms. Plants are able to take up, transport, transform, and accumulate drugs in the roots. Root biomass in ten-day old pea plants was lowered by 6% already under 0.1 mg/l naproxen (NPX) due to lowered number of lateral roots. Stimulation of the total root length by 30% under 0.5 mg/l was followed by its decline by 80% at 10 mg/l NPX as compared to control. Accumulated drug (up to 10 µg/g dry weight at 10 mg/l) in roots increased the amounts of hydrogen peroxide (by 33%), and superoxide (by 62%), which was reflected in elevated lipid peroxidation (by 32%). Antioxidant capacity reached its maximum at 0.5 mg/l but decreased at 10 mg/l NPX by approx. 30%. NPX was proved to cause changes at both cellular and tissue levels in roots, which was also reflected in their morphology. Higher environmental loading by drugs thus can influence even the root function.

Honey bees are exposed to too many stress factors that can negatively influence their immune system. Bees of different age have different tasks in the hive and can be also influenced by diverse stress factors. Nurse bees are the very young bees (3–14 days old) and their function in the hive is mainly nursing and feeding the bee larvae. These bees live mainly inside the colony, where many microbial pathogens affecting the bee brood may occur.  The aim of this work was to explore the effect of honey bee diet stored in the hive to the immunity of nurse bees. Our study was focused on spore forming microbial pathogens Paenibacillus larvae and Ascosphaera apis, due to the ability of spores persist in bee storages. In this study, 10–day old bees were exposed in vitro to a different type of feed composed of sucrose supplemented either with pollen, P. larvae, A. apis or a combination of pollen and pathogen. The relative gene expression of antimicrobial peptides (apidaecin, abaecin, hymenoptaecin, defensin-1) was studied to detect changes in humoral immunity. Gene expression of major royal jelly proteins was also detected. These proteins are related to royal jelly which is produced by nurse bees and used as feed to young larvae. Thus, the impact of pathogens on the production of these main larvae nutrients was studied. This study confirmed the role of antimicrobial peptides as inducible factors of humoral immunity and confirmed the close connection of immunity to the nutritional status of honey bees.

The aim of study was to verify usability of the mitochondrial genes cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and cytochrome B (cyt B) by the DNA barcoding method. We have demonstrated that these COI and cyt B gene fragments are suitable for species identification and whether these genes are further useful in biodiversity studies. This is a completely methodical study, which presents proven laboratory procedures that can be used for sample processing using molecular genetic methods.

Both, greater wax moth (Galleria mellonella) and the causative agent of American Foulbrood (Paenibacillus larvae) cause considerable economic losses in beekeeping practice. Their life cycle is closely related to the honey bees, thus they can easily come into contact. The greater wax moth is exceptional for its ability to decompose beeswax. Therefore, it reduces also pathogen loads on old beeswax in nature. The aim of this study was to determine whether the greater wax moth is able to disrupt or destroy the very resistant spores of P. larvae in its digestive tract. In the laboratory experiment, the larvae of the greater wax moth were fed on wax foundation contaminated with P. larvae spores, either loosely or fixed in cages. After 2 days, their intestine was dissected and analysed by both, cultivation and molecular methods. The greatest amount of spores was found in the first parts of the intestine, fewer spores were found in the middle parts. No spores were detected in the back parts of the intestine. If the greater wax moth were able to destroy spores of the causative agent of American Foulbrood, there would be great potential for the development of a treatment that is still lacking. However, it is still not clear if the very efficient digestive tract of the greater wax moth is able to disrupt the spores or they are accumulated in the front part of the intestine.

The aim of this study was to evaluate sperm motility and viability during storage using different types of extenders. Extender is one of the most important factors affecting survivability of sperm in insemination doses. In our study we evaluated sperm motility and viability of Warmblood stallions at 24, 48 and 72 hour intervals. Motility was measured by SCA® Sperm Class Analyzer and viability was determined by fluorescence microscopy. For experiment we used skimmed milk-based extender, extender based on caseins with addition of cholesterol and extender based on purified fraction of milk micellar proteins. Highest values of all evaluated parameters were observed in insemination doses with extender based on purified milk proteins 62.85% of motile sperm, 33.65% of progressive motile sperm and 72.87% of viable sperm.

Due to the balanced activity of osteoclasts, the bone-reabsorbing cells, and osteoblasts, the bone-forming cells, bone remodeling is lifelong process, which can be influenced by number of factors. The key role in the control of osteoclastogenesis and osteoblastogenesis play signaling pathways. This work was primary focused on detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms in selected genes that are part of those signaling pathways that regulates skeletal development and homeostasis. The study of these genes is of great value for skeletal health and diseases in laying hens. The polymorphisms of five genes (WISP1, SOST, TNFSF11, TNFRSF11A and TNFRSF11B) was studied in order to survey their relationship with parameters of bones in hens of ISA Brown hybrids (bone breaking strength, length, width and bone mass). PCR and sequencing were used to determine the polymorphisms and each marker were tested in sixteen samples. No polymorphisms were found in selected gene regions in the experimental group of animals, which would show associations with the observed bone parameters of laying hens.

The study was designed to define the effects of bull sperm treatment and co-culture system on in vitro embryo development. The mature oocytes were fertilized by sperm treated with heparin in standard co-culture (Exp.1) or by sperm treated with heparin supplemented either with PHE mix (penicillamine, hypotaurine, and epinephrine) or caffeine both in standard co-culture and in drops (Exp.2). A variability in the blastocyst rate was observed among bulls after fertilization of oocytes with heparin treated-sperm in standard co-culture. The significantly higher percentages of cleaved oocytes and developed blastocysts were derived from sperm treated with heparin-PHE in comparison with those treated with heparin-caffeine in drops (84.6 and 43.3 vs. 67.6 and 24.8, respectively). The significantly higher percentages of cleaved oocytes and developed blastocysts were recovered from sperm treated with heparin-PHE in drops than from those treated with heparin-caffeine in standard co-culture (85.9 and 47.1 vs. 73.3 and 25.6, respectively). We concluded, that the efficiency of in vitro bovine embryo development depends on sperm capacitation treatment and oocyte-sperm co-culture system.

The process of gradual settlement of the dead body by necrophagous insects plays an important role in forensic practice, especially when determining the time of death. This work deals with the decomposition of dead body of vertebrates by forensically important representatives from the order of Coleoptera in the Czech Republic. Experimental objects for our purposes were domestic pig and chicken. The research was realized from November 2017 to March 2019. During the study samples of larvae and adults were collected from the dead bodies and subsequently identified molecular-genetic methods. For research purposes was necessary to isolate the genomic DNA, amplify the fragment of cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene by the PCR method and sequencing this fragment DNA. The BLAST and BOLD databases showed the same outputs and based on the results the individuals were classified into individual families of the Coleoptera order.

Morphological observation of bursa of Fabricius (BF) represent a valuable tool in evaluation of stress causative agents on poultry. The main goal of this study was to compare two methods for morphometry analysis of BF: standard hematoxylin/eosin (HE/EO) staining and immunofluorescence staining based on anti-basal cell cytokeratin antibody with DAPI background staining (CYT/DAPI). Chickens were divided into two groups (18 for HE/EO and 18 for CYT/DAPI). BF from 6 chickens from each group were taken in 7, 14 and 22 days of age. In every chicken, 40 randomly selected follicles were evaluated. In total, comparison of data from all days between groups didn´t show significant differences. However, age have a significant impact. In 14 days of age, size of the follicle and cortex were significantly higher in CYT/DAPI group (P<0.05). Additionally, in 22 days old chickens size of the medulla was significantly higher in HE/EO group. Cortex/medulla ratio at age 7 days was significantly higher in HE/EO (P<0.05), but in older chickens were significantly higher (P<0.05) in CYT/DAPI group. Immunofluorescence staining seems to be more exact method and should be used, if precise localization of cortico-medullary border is necessary. On the other hand, HE/EO staining is a better choice for quantitative analyses of higher number of samples.

The application use of progressive methods of additive technologies for the production of functional machine parts requires verification of the mechanical characteristics of the material used. The text presents the results of research into the mechanical characteristics of the AlSi10Mg material for components made by 3D printing, using the DMLS method, representing the sintering of layers of powder material by a laser beam. The aim of the research is to verify mechanical characteristics in tension and torsion to determine values of allowable stress for components stressed by combinations of these loads with the emphasize put on the printing topology. The goal of the research is to compare the printing topology for the specific stress and to achieve a basis for printing topology optimization of real complex shapes. The difference in mechanical properties compared to the same components produced by machining methods from rolled semi-finished products is assumed. The advantage of 3D printing is fast preparation of production, when to produce a part it is necessary to have a properly prepared 3D digital CAD model. At the same time, it is possible to assume the influence of the production topology on the mechanical properties, consisting in the orientation of printing layers with respect to loading force. The obtained results are used in simulation tools to support calculations during design and in addition to the shape and dimensional characteristics of the part determine the appropriate orientation of the product during 3D printing.

The scientific paper deals with the assessment of the properties of the ecological energy carrier used in the agricultural tractors transmission–hydraulic system. Evaluated fluid is MOL Farm NH Ultra hydraulic–transmission fluid, tested on laboratory test rig, which can simulate operating conditions. The main results of this work include the evaluation of selected chemical elements of the fluid and the evaluation of the samples taken by ICP spectrometry at specified intervals.

The main goal of this contribution is to substantiate dissimilarities in operational characteristics between a conventional EHR control and a newly developed EHR regulation of agricultural tractor’s three-point hitch. The dynamic time warping method (DTW) is used to solve this problem and for the representation of results, there are used plots with an alignment between time series points. The quantification of the dissimilarity between conventional EHR regulation control and the new one was measured by the total distance.

The main goal of the presented article is the design of a laboratory test hydraulic equipment used to test the properties of hydrostatic transducers and hydraulic fluids. The proposed device allows testing of hydraulic elements and hydraulic fluids by simulating operating factors in laboratory conditions. Thanks to the possibility of testing hydrostatic transducers and hydraulic fluids in laboratory conditions using the designed laboratory hydraulic equipment described in the present article, repeatability of measurements is assured, and testing time is shortened. Laboratory test hydraulic equipment allows simultaneous testing of parameters of hydrostatic converters and hydraulic fluids by simulating the operation of an agricultural machine in laboratory conditions. The functionality of the proposed laboratory hydraulic equipment was verified by verification measurement of the basic parameters of hydrostatic transducers. The flow of the hydrostatic transducer UD–25 R at the specified rotation speed was recorded during the verification measurement. The subject test of the proposed laboratory hydraulic equipment took place in the Laboratory of the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra at the Faculty of Engineering. Based on the data obtained during the measurements, it was verified that the proposed laboratory equipment is suitable for testing hydraulic components and also for testing the properties of fluids used in hydraulic equipment.

The design of a new experimental device for fire prevention is presented here together with data from the first experiment in real conditions. The experiment was held on a composting facility measuring the surface temperature of oil filtration clay together with environmental data (illuminance, relative air humidity, and ambient temperature). Surface temperature data were measured by MLX90640 IR temperature array (32 by 24 values) that gives the ability to use spatial information in measured data. Correlations between the surface temperature, the ambient temperature, and the illuminance are well visible from the results. The experiment showed it is possible to use this kind of sensor for temperature measurements and process the data afterward in the fire prevention cloud system.

Material cutting is a primary operation in most industries. Properly prepared semi-finished product is a prerequisite for easier production processes automation, such as machining on CNC machines, precision forging and others. The current production digitization and automation trend - Industry 4.0 directly requires the most accurate semi-finished products possible. The purpose of this article is to analyse the cutted materials microstructure and evaluate the effect of hardness and microstructure on the saw blade wear. The hardness of the samples will be measured by the Vickers method according to ČSN EN ISO 6507. The microhardness measurement will be performed using a  Hannemann microhardness tester according to ČSN EN ISO 6507-1. These methods make it possible to predict the saw blade life based on the material hardness and phase structures.

The article is focused on the testing of the impulsion excitation technique for determination of Young’s modulus of rectangular bar samples made from recycled waste materials. Usage of this type of substances, especially the mixture of PVC and glass, could lead to poor quality samples. Therefore, the determination of Young's modulus and also the logarithmic decrement could be tricky. For the testing of the possibility of measuring these parameters, the impulse excitation technique was used on such material. The in homogeneities occurred due to not fully filled PVC in the pores.

Butanol is a potential alternative fuel for compensating the running out of fossil based liquid fuels. Biobutanol is butanol produced from renewable sources by fermentation of simple sugars. It could by produced locally, in each region of usage. Hence a local production and no need of an international fuel transportation, this method could be more ecological, and it also could bring significant savings. Butanol can be easily mixed with petrol, at any percentage and used as a fuel. A dynamic viscosity of biobutanol and gasoline blends where investigated in this paper. Various temperature (from -10 °C up to 40 °C) and various ratios between biobutanol and gasoline (0, 5, 10, 85, 100 vol.%) were tested. In the experiment four various models for viscosity of fuels were tested and compared. It was found, the Vogel model has the best result, according to the coefficient of determination R².

Rising interest in the use of energy biomass is leading to the search for new renewable energy sources, which can also include compost. According to current knowledge, compost is primarily an organic fertilizer, but it can also be used as a solid biofuel with good energy potential. For the needs of experimental measurements focused on calorimetric calorific values, 3 variants of mature compost were used. Two variants consists from a mixture of horticultural waste in combination with 25 and 50% grape pomace content. Changes in the calorific value of compost were determined with reference to the particle size distribution and also with regard to the humidity, which was set in the laboratory at 0, 15, 30 and 45%. The desired humidity was achieved by adding the required amount of deionized water to the dried compost. The obtained results show that grape pomace, as an input raw material added to compost bins, together with moisture, can significantly affect the resulting calorific value of compost. In the case of dried variants of compost with a proportion of grape pomace, it was at the level of 9.08–11.06 MJ/kg. In the control variant at the level of 6.18 MJ/kg, with increasing humidity, the calorific value decreases significantly. The reason for the higher calorific value in compost with a content of grape pomace is the presence of grape seeds with a part of oily components, which remain undecomposed during the composting process.

The goal of this paper was to analyze a possibility of improving a tractive performance of an off-road car with new design of special driving wheels with spikes. Design of the special driving wheels uses the spikes segments placed in tire-tread pattern similar to snow chain. An inactive position of the spike segments allows transportation of a car on roads using standard tyres. An active position is designed for operation under terrain conditions. The article presents comparison of the active special driving wheels with the standard tyres without the special driving wheels. The experiments were realised on a mowed grass field at soil moisture of 24.8%. Comparing the active special driving wheels with standard tyres without the special driving wheels, the increase in drawbar pull reached value of 39.5% at wheel slip of 10%. The results showed improvement of drawbar properties of the off-road car under real terrain conditions.

In the post genomics era, metabolomics analyses provide a highly useful tool for analysing molecular mechanisms in plants. In contrast to transcriptomics or proteomics, small molecules are identical among diverse species, and a single metabolomics workflow can be easily adapted. Recently, a high-end orbitrap instrument has been introduced into the field of GC metabolomics, but the vendor-provided software does not meet the high-throughput standard. Here, we describe the novel workflow and demonstrate its efficiency in the analysis of Solanum tuberosum leaf metabolites.

Implant-related bone and tissue infections are one of the most serious post-operative complications. Bacteria adherent to the surface of the implants often form biofilm. This matrix is able to protect the bacteria against disinfection, antibiotic treatment, immune and inflammatory system of the host. Titanium is the most widely used material for the implant production. Modification of titanium can have a significant effect on bacterial adhesion by changing physical and chemical properties of the surface. The investigated samples were modified with a layer of titanium nanotubes by anodic oxidation. Nanotubes with a diameter of 30–120 nm were formed on the surface. Antimicrobial activity of the samples was examined by fluorescence microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the plate count method. The results show inhibition of bacterial colonisation up to 27%.

Nowadays, one of the major problems in the world is occurring antimicrobial resistance of bacteria. Nanoencapsulation offers great potential in overcoming of antibiotics resistance using natural compounds for delivery. PLGA nanoparticles with entrapped mupirocin and fish oil have promising potential for nanodelivery system. Mupirocin is effective in inhibition of major grampositive bacteria. Fish oil has anti-inflammatory and regenerating effects in the healing process of the skin due to the content of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Expectedly, no antimicrobial effect was observed by PLGA with encapsulated fish oil unlike PLGA with encapsulated mupirocin. Unfortunately, the antimicrobial activity of mupirocin alone was significant compared to encapsulated mupirocin. Despite the following results, PLGA nanoparticles should be further studied and their production improved for other purposes.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI MSI) is semi-quantitative, relatively fast method which is able to measure a wide range of compounds and detect their molecular weights. In recent years it was used for determination and localization of plenty of biomarkers. The aim of this experiment is comparison of different thicknesses of sections used for MALDI MSI using Zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a model sample and determine the most suitable thickness for imaging of whole fish in further researches regarding the effects of the different types of nanoparticles in aquatic environment. This knowledge could improve accuracy and efficiency of imaging of the selected biomarkers. Thicknesses 15 µm, 20 µm and 25 µm of sections were used in this optimization. Their comparison was based on chosen peaks with the highest intensities (m/z 616.441 Da and 1480.481 Da) in the two specific regions of tissue sections (organ and organ-free areas).

Ferritin is a protein able to disassemble and reassemble its structure composed of 24 subunits under specific pH conditions. Within this research work, the disassembly process of two recombinant human ferritins containing heavy (21 kDa, HsaH) and light subunits (19 kDa, HsaL) was monitored using native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and real-time record of ferritin size change. HsaH was proved to disassemble into smaller subunits at decreasing pH while both partial and complete disassembly occurred. On the contrary, only partially disassembling HsaL formed large aggregates, which hinders its potential application as a nanocarrier.

Protein levels in honeybee is a credible marker of a bee physiological status. Bradford’s method is suitable for quantification of the total protein in the haemolymph. Two types of diluents, different diluting ratios and impact of storage were compared. Average decrease of the total protein content after one week storage of samples was lower in samples diluted in the phosphate buffer pH 7 in comparison with ones diluted with MilliQ water. The haemolymph samples dissolved in the phosphate buffer showed significantly higher yield and lower variability of the total protein content compared to the variability obtained by dissolving the haemolymph in MilliQ water. These results indicate that 200× dilution in the phosphate buffer (pH = 7) seems to be optimized for determination of the total protein in the bee haemolymph.

In addition to new technologies and materials, global development and industrialization have left many hazardous substances, including heavy metals released into the environment and inclusion in the substance and food chain. The level of these persistent toxic metals, not only in water, affects individuals, populations and entire ecosystems and is concentrated at the top of the food pyramid, i.e. in humans, where they cause serious health disorders. The removal of heavy metal ions can be accomplished by many methods, such as chemical precipitation, ion exchange, and electrochemical removal. This study aimed to design a unique prototype of the device that combines existing knowledge about electrochemical methods and the nature of wastewater. Several heavy metal ions were tested (copper, nickel, lead, cadmium, zinc). Based on the test of separation of heavy metal ions, the action of an electric field and the measurement of key parameters, the correct functionality of the prototype device was confirmed. The model case was demonstrated on zinc ions. The concentration of zinc ions at the specified parameters of the device, halved after 4 hours of electrolysis. Other heavy metal ions showed similar trend. The device is therefore able to remove selected risk elements from wastewater.

The presence of pesticides has been proven in many groundwater bodies worldwide. However, information about their behaviour and fate in anoxic conditions is lacking. The aim of this paper is to study the behaviour of selected pesticides during the process of denitrification. Laboratory batch tests were performed with terbuthylazine, atrazine, and tebuconazole. Poplar wood shavings were used as a carbon source for denitrification. The effect of pesticides on the denitrification process was evaluated from their inhibition of the denitrification rate. Abiotic and biotic losses were measured with high-performance liquid chromatography. No toxic effect on denitrification was observed. Biotic loss was found with terbuthylazine and atrazine. The highest abiotic loss was observed with tebuconazole.

Herein, SPME−GC×GC−TOFMS method was used to optimize the parameters of the method and correct conditions for sample processing which will allow to develop a method for the identification of VOCs (mainly alcohol, ketones and hydrocarbons) sepsis biomarkers. The correct conditions for processing the samples (the incubation – heating/collection of samples, the selection of SPME fiber for sample collection and the addition of NaCl) were established. Moreover, in this work, the GC−MS (Pegasus 4D−C) method was used. Parameters of the chromatography and mass spectrometry methods GCxGC−TOFMS were tested and optimized (temperature of the secondary oven, modulator temperature, modulator period, cool time etc.). Altogether, about 5 methods with different settings were compared. Finally, the best combination of the optimized sample conditions and optimized method was developed. The heating and collection of the sample 30min/30min by the DVB/CAR/PDMS fiber in the addition of NaCl (200 mg/ml) were chosen. Moreover, one of the 5 optimized GCxGC−TOFMS method was selected. The optimized method will be used for analyses of monocyte from serum samples.

Small interfering RNA (siRNA) has become an important instrument for studying gene functions. These double strand RNA oligonucleotides are characterized by targeted mRNA degradation after introduction of specific sequence RNA. Efficiency of siRNA is the basis of gene silencing and gene therapy. In this case, we optimized siRNA transfection to achieve down regulation of gene expression. Then, we validated this optimization on specific sub isoform of metallothionein, MT-1X, into triple-negative breast carcinoma cell lines. In this project, we focused on achieving results with the best possible targeted gene suppression with high viability of cells and high transfection effectivity.

Wound healing remains one of the most common and economically demanding health problems in the world. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (present in fish oil) are valued for their anti-inflammatory property, which is significant in wound healing process. The main aim of this experiment was to develop organic nanoparticles (NPs) made from PLGA poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) with incorporated fish oil (FO). The PLGA NPs with entrapped fish oil PLGA(FO) NPs synthesized by emulsion evaporation measured 233.3 nm in diameter. Value of PDI was evaluated as 0.351 a.u indicating a polydisperse sample, and the particles were very negatively charged, with a zeta potential of -68.1 mV. Particles were spherical as confirmed by TEM. The initial loading capacity was 22.4 g of FO/mg powder. The entrapment efficiency (EE %) was 22.47 %. The ability of nanodelivered FO on wound healing will be evaluated next.

Metallothionein (MT) expression has been tied to drug resistance in cancer cells. The MT isoforms have also been investigated in connection to tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment – especially with sorafenib. Our work is focused on three different TKIs – vandetanib, lenvatinib and cabozantinib. Our aim was to investigate the effect of these TKIs on the expression of MT isoforms in breast cancer cell lines. We performed gene expression analysis of seven MT isoforms after TKI treatment. The analysis revealed that each TKI had a different impact on each cell line. Cabozantinib seemed to induce the biggest response of MT expression out of the three inhibitors, with fold change of MT1F and MT1G reaching 1.68 and 1.62, respectively, in MDA‑MB‑468 after 24h treatment. Lenvatinib, on the other hand, downregulated MT1X in the same cell line after 72h 0.48‑fold. Similarly to MDA-MB-468, cabozantinib treatment upregulated MT1E and MT1X in MDA-MB-231 after 72h treatment, with 1.68 and 1.87-fold difference, respectively.

Metallothioneins (MTs) are small cysteine-rich family of proteins which affect many fundamental cellular processes. MTs have been also intensively studied for their role in a carcinogenesis and also for their participation in a development of chemo-resistant phenotypes. The aim of this project was to investigate expression profiles of individual MT (sub)isoforms in two different types of liver tumour cell lines (Huh7, BCLC-3). These expression profiles, obtained by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), could subsequently be used to develop new biomarkers of hepatocellular carcinoma, which are still much needed. In our research, we found significant differences in the expression of three MT (sub)isoforms, namely MT1A with mean ∆Ct -0.93 in BCLC3 and -4.94 in Huh7, MT1B with mean ∆Ct -11.20 in BCLC3 and -7.47 in Huh7, and MT1H with mean ∆Ct -15.91 in BCLC3 and -9.85 in Huh7. From these two selected liver tumour cell lines, BCLC3 is more resistant to many different types of chemotherapeutics.

Bioorthogonal chemistry offers a wide range of reactions, which can be performed in the intracellular platform. Among the wide range of uses, bioorthogonal reactions can be employed for the controlled pro-drug activation in situ. Palladium compounds can be exploited as activation agents in the bioorthogonal reactions. However, their properties such as toxicity, poor cellular uptake and inactivation by biogenic thiols hinder their catalytic activity on the cellular level. In our study, we have prepared polymeric palladium-loaded poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA)-chitosan nanoparticles (NPs). The coating of these two polymers with chitosan has ensured cellular uptake and the gradual release of palladium compounds inside the cell. Their catalytic activity was demonstrated by the conversion of a fluorescent probe made of chemically modified 8-hydroxypyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid trisodium salt propargyl ether (HPTS-PE).

The level of histamine (HIS) in different food sources is critical as an indicator of food quality and safety. In this context, the proper monitoring of HIS in food is necessary. Electrochemical biosensors, with the possibility of fast, sensitive, and portable technology, represent a new promising approach for direct detection of HIS. Moreover, peptides as biorecognition elements are promising due to their unique properties such as good stability, specific and selective binding to various biomolecules. In this study, the fabrication and optimization of an electrochemical biosensor for direct detection of HIS based-on peptides as recognition elements, is presented. The specific HIS binding peptides (HBP) were immobilized via a sulphonamide bond on 1-amino-2-naphthol-4-sulfonic acid (ANSA), which was electrodeposited on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Furthermore, the optimization of the surface coverage with the peptide probe as well as the effect of the pH conditions for HIS binding was investigated. The measured concentrations were from 10 nM (10⁻⁸ M) to 1 mM (10⁻³ M) and LOD was calculated as 6.53 nM and LOQ as 21.75 mM.

The molecular imprinting technique is very popular due to the high selectivity, chemical stability, mechanical strength, and the formation of specific binding sites. In this work, we focus on the detection of cypermethrin using an innovative fluorescence method (UV-fingerprinting) after analyte elution from molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) in real pesticide sample with the trade name Bandit 40 WP. MIPs were prepared from dopamine. All steps (washing, binding kinetics, analyte elution, and fluorescence detection) necessary for isolation and quantification of cypermethrin were optimized. The results clearly showed that MIPs and UV-fingerprinting are a promising method for pesticides monitoring in real sample of Bandit 40 WP. The detection limit (LOD) of 780 ng/ml was calculated with the coefficient of determination R² = 0.99.

Infections caused by resistant strains of bacteria have reached a critical level calling for increasingly effective delivery system of drugs to prevent and treat these infections. PLGA nanoparticles (NP) with mupirocin encapsulated could be good for better and quicker wound healing process. The aim of the experiment is to develop PLGA NPs with entrapped mupirocin and determine basic characteristic of it. Mupirocin is effective antibiotic in the fight against mentioned infection. For synthesis of these NPs was used emulsion evaporation method. Characterization of prepared NPs consisted of measuring size (141.1 ± 9.3 nm), zeta potential (-21.9 ± 4.6 mV) and morphology by method TEM. Also, we did a release profile of mupirocin from NPs. Loading capacity was calculated as 2.34 µg and entrapped efficiency as 22.4%.

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) has wide applications in various fields including cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, textile and waste water treatment due to its many properties such as photocatalytic activity and stability. In the present study, the synthesis of TiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) was achieved by hydrolysis condensation method where a liquid phase of TiO₂ was obtained. TiO₂ NPs were characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), UV-Visible spectrometry, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ NPs was examined by monitoring the degradation of methylene blue dye in water when treated with TiO₂ NPs. TiO₂ NPs were found to be highly photocatalytic achieving 90% degradation ratio after 80 min. In this study antimicrobial activity test was carried out for TiO₂ NPs against selected Gram-positive/negative bacteria both in the presence or absence of UV exposure. TiO₂ NPs expressed a significant effect on microbial growth only on high concentrations exceeding 1 mg/ml.

Skin is the body’s largest organ served as a physical and chemical barrier against negative factors.  These stresses may accumulate in the body and results in skin carcinogenesis. Melanoma is one of the most aggressive forms of cancer. The search of suitable biomarkers for tumor growth is very important.  Metallothionein is the cysteine rich metalloprotein belong to the potential markers for tumor disease development. The spatial imaging of this protein in tumor tissues will lead to better understanding of the processes leading to carcinogenesis. Present project proposes to combine two
mass-spectrometric methods for the detection and quantification of essential metals together with metal binding proteins.

Biomimetic peptide ligands designed by using computational biology and in silico chemistry can bring crucial results related to their possible application in targeted anticancer therapy, more specifically in the field of active targeting of malignant neuroblastoma cell lines by modified apoferritin nanocarriers (EcLHFRT) with encapsulated cytotoxic drug. Using the high-performance throughput computing technology, unique peptides (CpTrkA, CpNGF, CpNT4) were designed and synthesized in this work. These peptides showed high affinity in silico to tropomyosin receptor kinases (TrkA, TrkB, TrkC), which are expressed on membranes of neuroblastoma cells. The main aim of this work was detailed characterization of prepared EcLHFRT nanocarriers through which we evaluated the size, stability and hemolytic properties of EcLHFRT with unmodified or modified surface insomuch as mentioned parameters are key for the further research in neuroblastoma nanomedicine. The prepared EcLHFRT nanocarriers possessed optimal size (<50 nm) and stability (ζ~ -20 mV) and in contrast to free cytotoxic drug, they did not cause any hemolysis.