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Genotype by environment interaction (GEI) is a complex problem that complicates the barley selection and breeding process. The knowledge of the relationship between cereal phenology and climatic data is important for understanding GEI and the physiological pathways responsible for the interaction effect. The grain yield of twenty winter barley genotypes in six environments was observed. Factors influencing the variability were analyzed using a linear mixed model. The partial least squares regression (PLSR) model was applied to determine the most relevant environmental variables in certain stages of development that explained GEI effects. Biplot with environmental variables explained 43.7% of the GEI. The barley was generally the most sensitive to the environmental conditions (relative humidity, maximum temperature and its variation, sun hours, and precipitation) during the anthesis and filling stage (May) which caused GEI. Temperature variables did not show significance only in the vegetative phase. Different genotypes responded differently to environmental factors. Genotypes NS-525, NS-589, and J-103 were highlighted as widely adaptable, and Zaječar was a suitable and reliable location for yield testing. The GEI information presented in this paper can be useful in traditional plant breeding and future breeding programs through molecular research of crop developmental genes and examination of physiological processes in two-row barley.

Camelina, a traditional oil-producing plant, has gained global interest due to the high-quality oil found in its seeds. It has numerous applications, including human dietary consumption, aviation biofuel, and biodiesel production. Seed quality testing is crucial for identifying suitable seed batches for market sale. Currently, vigor tests have been established for a limited selection of commercially cultivated plant species, including camelina. This study aims to assess seed vigor and contribute to the development and validation of methods/tests for reliable vigor assessment. The experiment used two camelina genotypes developed at the Institute of Field and Vegetables Crops in Novi Sad, Serbia. The findings revealed a noteworthy reduction in germination percentages for both genotypes across all the conducted tests, as compared to the conventional laboratory germination. Simultaneously, there was a notable increase in abnormal seedlings. However, no statistically significant differences in the values of growth parameters were observed among the applied tests. In summary, the reduced seed vigor values indicate potential issues with this trait, despite generally sound germination. Additionally, the preliminary findings and methodology developed for testing the camelina seed vigor highlighted the need for optimization when applying these tests to other species to ensure their reliability and applicability.

The results of the study of the influence of fertilization and calcification on the yield and yield components of winter triticale grown on low pH soil are presented in this paper. Five variants of fertilization were tested during three growing seasons. Trial treatments included different fertilization variants: V1-control, V2-N120, V3-N120P80K60, V4-N120P80K60 + 5 t ha- 1 of lime and V5-N120P80K60 + 5 t ha-1 of lime + 30 t ha-1 of manure. The results of the research showed that all yield components responded positively to the application of mineral nutrition by changing the production characteristics and grain quality. The variant with the combined application of NPK, lime and manure had the greatest positive effect on all tested parameters affecting triticale productivity. During the study, the highest yield of triticale 5.826 t ha-1 was obtained on the fertilization variant with the combined application of lime, manure and NPK fertilizers. The achieved increase in the grain yield of triticale was significant compared to the control and the NPK variant of fertilization. Highly significant positive dependencies were found between the grain yield with 1000-grain weight, and test weight and significant positive dependencies were found between 1000-grain weight and test weight. The research highlighted the impact of different fertilizer treatments on the yield and grain quality traits of winter triticale.

Summary This study aimed to assess the effects of different dietary levels of the protease enzyme and sex on skin, bone and muscle yields and percentages of breast, drumsticks and thighs as the most valuable carcass parts of broilers. A total of 300 one-day-old, mixed-sex broiler chickens (Cobb 500) were randomly divided into 3 dietary treatments with different levels of protease supplementation (group C: a standard diet without Ronozyme ProAct; group E-I: a diet with 200 mg/kg Ronozyme ProAct and a 4% crude protein reduction compared to the standard diet; and group E-II: a diet with 300mg/kg Ronozyme ProAct and a 6% crude protein reduction compared to the standard diet). All diets were maize- and soybean meal-based. Feed and water were provided ad libitum throughout the 49-day feeding trial. The results obtained indicate that the dietary treatments had no significant effect on skin, bone and muscle yields and percentages of the drumsticks, thighs and breast (P > 0.05), except for the breast muscle weight in the female chickens (especially between the E-I and E-II groups), and the drumstick bone percentage in the males between the C and E-2 groups (P < 0.05). In all three groups, the male chickens exhibited higher weights of skin, muscle and bone in breast, drumsticks and thighs than the female chickens, and the differences were not significant only in the skin weight of drumsticks and thighs (P > 0.05). The females had a higher yield of muscle tissue in breast and drumsticks, a higher percentage of skin in drumsticks and thighs, and a lower percentage of bone in drumsticks and thighs than the males (P < 0.05). Major differences resulted from the effect of broiler sex, whereas the dietary treatments containing 3 levels of protease supplementation had a very small effect on the yields and percentages of skin, bone and muscle in breast, drumsticks and thighs.

Nanopriming is a newly developed seed technology that improves seed germination, initial plant growth, and crop yield by enabling plants to withstand a variety of abiotic stresses. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of comprehensive metal-based (Co, Mn, Cu, Fe, Zn, Mo, and Se) nanopriming as compared to hydro- and non-primed seeds of three different pea cultivars in a germination test. Seed priming with nanoparticles (NPs) improved field pea quality via significant increase in germination energy (cv. E-244), final germination (cv. E-244, cv. Dukat), shoot length (cv. E-244, cv. Partner), root length (cv. E-244, cv. Dukat, cv. Partner), fresh shoot weight (cv. Partner), dry shoot weight (cv. Partner), seedling vigor index (cv. E-244, cv. Partner), and chlorophyll content (cv. Dukat, cv. Partner), as compared to both hydropriming and the control. Moreover, nanopriming led to significant improvements in shoot length, fresh shoot length, dry shoot length, seedling vigor index (cv. Dukat), and dry root weight (cv. E-244) as compared to the control only. In general, the highest effect on the examined parameters was achieved by nanopriming, indicating that this treatment may be utilized to raise field pea quality performance. To optimize the method, it is necessary to conduct extensive laboratory and field trials.

“Devil’s Town” is a natural park dominated by broadleaf deciduous trees, and made up of two rare natural phenomena in the world: earthen statues, as specific forms of relief, and two springs of highly acidic water with high mineralization. Devil’s Town is a “biodiversity star” with a unique ambient, flora, fauna, and microbiome. The research aimed to: investigate the concentration of chemical parameters in the soil of the natural park, identify nematodes that can survive in extreme conditions, explore feeding habits of nematodes, and infer phylogenetic relationships of nematodes based on 28S rRNA sequences. Soil samples were collected from two sites, designated Soil under vegetation and Saxon mine soil, from which nematodes were discovered. Phylogenetic analyses were performed with 28S rRNA gene primers, using Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference. The presence of minerals and heavy metals, combined with high acidity created extreme environmental conditions in which specific nematode species can survive. These circumstances favored fast-moving species with teeth and spears, such as mononchids and dorylaimids, enabling them to adopt predatory feeding behavior. In contrast, Acrobeloides, Prismatolaimus, Rhabditis spp. etc., are saprobionts adapted to specific chemical pollutants, and they tolerate high levels of Pb, Zn, Fe, Cu, Cd and As.

Abstract Background Blackcurrant is a rich source of polyphenols with proven physiological activity, that have lately been classified as emerging prebiotics, making its extracts suitable for application in functional food and bioactive cosmetics. However, these biomolecules are trapped in cell wall structures and nowadays, enzymatic hydrolysis is recognised as powerful tool for extraction efficiency improvement in an environmentally sound manner. This study aimed to optimize enzyme-assisted extraction to maximize yields of blackcurrant polyphenols. In addition, their prebiotic potential was tested by examining their influence on typical skin microbiota representatives as model microorganisms—beneficial coagulase-negative Staphylococcus epidermidis and two opportunistic pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus and Cutibacterium acnes. Results Among four examined commercial enzyme preparations, Viscozyme® L and Rohapect® MC, demonstrated the highest potential as extraction enhancers by increasing antioxidant activity, total polyphenol, and flavonoid contents. Furthermore, their synergetic effect enabled 95.3% increase in polyphenol concentration compared to conventional extraction with a maximum of 27.6 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g dry matter (DM) at a total enzyme concentration of 0.05 mL/g DM (Viscozyme® L to Rohapect® MC ratio 2:1) after 60 min. HPLC profiles of two samples showed differences in polyphenol composition indicating simultaneous extraction–biotransformation. At a concentration of 0.025 mg GAE/mL, PAS (prebiotic activity score) values were 0.096 and 0.172 for conventionally and enzymatically obtained extract, respectively. Moderate inhibitory effect of optimal extract concentration on Cutibacterium acnes was shown, as well. Hydrogel prepared with optimal extract concentration showed improved hydration effect, decreased irritability and increased dermatological compatibility comparing to basic formulation. Conclusions Overall results demonstrated that blackcurrant extract obtained under optimized conditions using enzymes possesses an emerging prebiotic potential for selective skin microbiota stimulation. Graphical Abstract