<abstract><title style='display:none'>Summary</title>Over the years, provision of extension and advisory services has been the main thrust of both the public and private extension services in Nigeria. Meanwhile, the lead farmer extension approach has been deployed for cost effectiveness, broader reach and sustainability. The utility value of this approach needs to be empirically established. This study therefore examined the extent to which the approach has achieved the intended objectives among randomly sampled maize farmers in Iseyin and Saki-West Local Government Areas (LGAs). Interview schedule and focus group discussion among farmer groups were used for the study. Lead farmer extension approach was cost and time effective vis-a-vis the number of farmers reached and the achieved outcome. Almost 70% of the lead farmers encountered late arrivals and impatience from group members during step-down training activities while all of them complained of insufficient funds for refreshment. About 65% of the farmers engaged in selective adoption of the training items owing to various reasons. There was also a significant difference between the knowledge level of the lead farmers and their respective group members while the group members’ assessment of their respective lead farmers’ performance was high. The study concluded that this extension approach was effective and could serve to complement the efforts of extension workers in the state.</abstract>

Lead Farmer Extension Approach and Sustainable Extension Service Delivery in Oyo State, Nigeria

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Summary</title>Being attractive for insects, non-genetically modified rapeseed is valuable for maintaining environmental biodiversity. Primarily, the rapeseed is an important industrial crop which is used for production of vegetable oil. Oil extraction from rapeseeds results in the generation of substantial amounts of rapeseed meal which is used either as a protein rich feed additive or as a source for preparation of protein containing ingredients for food industry. Both applications require frequent evaluation of protein content. Although Kjeldahl method is considered standard, it is not appropriate for routine evaluation of protein content in protein extracts. The aim of the study was to evaluate suitability of biuret and Bradford methods for protein quantification in rapeseed meal extracts. After consecutive triple extraction of proteins with water, 5% NaCl, 70% ethyl alcohol and 0.1 N NaOH, protein evaluation of each albumin, globulin, prolamin and glutelin extraction aliquot demonstrated overall lower protein content by Bradford method compared to biuret method. The most pronounced differences in protein content were observed with prolamin fraction where three fold higher protein concentrations in each extraction aliquot was observed when biuret method was applied for the evaluation. Comparative quantification of the total protein of each of the four fractions followed a similar trend of lower protein content evaluation by Bradford method. Overall results indicated biuret method as more suitable for protein quantification in rapeseed meal extracts which was confirmed by comparison with data obtained by Kjeldahl method.</abstract>

Biuret and Bradford Methods Suitability for Protein Quantification in Rapeseed Meal

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Summary</title>The photoselective, light-dispersive shade nets can be used as an alternative to protect crops from adverse environmental conditions such as; excessive solar radiation, heat and drought stress, wind and hail, birds, flying pests, thus improving crop’s production, yield and quality. The physiological parameters discussed in the review include: vegetable growth parameters (leaf area, leaf chlorophyll), tissue structure, fruit ripening, physiological disorders, pest and disease incidence, fruit quality parameters (soluble solids content and titratable acidity), bioactive compounds (antioxidant activity, ascorbic acid, carotenoid and flavonoid contents) and aroma volatile compounds at harvest. Also, it is evident in the reviewed literature that light quality influences the biosynthesis, accumulation and retention of vegetable phytochemicals, as well as the decay development during storage. These new strategies to modulate light quality should be conveyed to vegetable producing farmers, thus allowing them to preserve the freshness and post-harvest quality of vegetables for an extended period of time, and to meet the consumers demand for vegetables with high nutritional value all year round. Research on light manipulation in horticultural systems is necessary for a sustainable and market-oriented open field and greenhouse vegetable production in the future.</abstract>

Color Shade Nets Improve Vegetables Quality at Harvest and Maintain Quality During Storage

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Summary</title>Niobium, osmium, scandium, tungsten and vanadium are transition metals naturally occuring in the environment, particularly in the Earth’s crust. Anthropogenic activities, primarily industrial technologies, have precipitated significant alternations in the concentration and distribution of these metals. Such a dramatic change resulted, by all means, in the bigger potential of the environmental exposure, which poses a threat not only to humans but to all biological systems. Certain elements naturally occur in the animal and human plasma and tissues, but their concentrations are sometimes too low to be detected using the existing modern technologies. In small amounts, such elements are not harmful and some of them have even been suggested to have a beneficial role in the human or animal physiology. However, exposure to excessive antropogenically elevated levels can exert serious negative effects on the environment, agriculture and health. The findings summarized in this paper provide a review of the current knowledge about the implications of the transition metals considered on the health, accentuating the insufficiency and need for more relevant data.</abstract>

Influence of Transition Metals on Animal and Human Health: A Review

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Summary</title>Biodiversity refers to genetic, species and ecosystems varieties within an area. Two main characteristics that should be investigated when considering biodiversity are richness and evenness. Richness is related to the number of different species in the analyzed area, while evenness corresponds to the homogeneity of the abundance of species. For quantifying these features, many indices have been defined, and this paper offers an overview of the most commonly used biodiversity indices, such as Shannon, Simpson, Margalef and Berger-Parker. The paper explains the process of calculating these indices on the case study example of four forest communities and discusses the results obtained. The Jaccard index analysis is used to discover a similarity between the analyzed forest communities. Results from this part of the research are visualized by creating appropriate dendrograms for making the interpretation easier. Calculating and analyzing these indices is useful not only for forest ecosystems, but for the other types of ecosystems as well, including agro-ecosystems. Biodiversity indices can be obtained in thespecialized software, for instance in EstimateS (Statistical Estimation of Species Richness and Shared Species from Samples), or by programming in the statistical package R, as it was done in this research.</abstract>

Measuring Biodiversity in Forest Communities – A Role of Biodiversity Indices

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Summary</title>The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of two different types of microbial fertilizers, namely Micro-Vita I (containing several groups of Azotobacter, nitrifying microorganisms and phosphate-solubilizing microorganisms) and Micro-Vita II (containing Azotobacter, nitrifying microorganisms, phosphate-solubilizing microorganisms and iron), on the yield and quality of beetroot (Beta vulgaris ssp. esculenta, cv Kestrel). Beetroots grown in the field without using microbial fertilizers served as the experimental control. The experiments were conducted in a field located in the village of Jurumleri, near Skopje, characterized by a well-drained and sandy soil, in 2013. The purpose of the study is to determine how different microbial fertilizers influence the production and quality of beetroot. The yields obtained were significantly higher in the beetroot grown using Micro-Vita II (69.43 t ha−1) and Micro-Vita I (58.13 t·ha−1) fertilizers, compared to the control yield (54.8 t/ha). The beetroot grown under the Micro-Vita I regime indicated significantly higher contents of vitamin C (6.86%), cellulose (13.79%) and protein (18.18%) compared to the control crops. Furthermore, the beetroot grown under the Micro-Vita II regime indicated significantly higher contents of vitamin C (14.71%), cellulose (27.59%), protein (44.62%), minerals (6.25%) and Fe (100%) compared to the control crops. According to the results obtained, the application of microbiological fertilizers is recommended for beetroot (cv. Kestrel), with regard to the beetroot quality and bioactive compounds, and can be used in organic farming.</abstract>

Yield and Quality of Beetroot (<italic>Beta vulgaris</italic> ssp. <italic>esculenta</italic> L.
) as a Result of Microbial Fertilizers

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Summary</title>
Production of various traditional dairy products, particularly cheese, has a long history in Montenegro. White-brined cheeses are the most well-known. One of them is Kučki cheese, with distinct flavor and higher level of proteolysis. The aim of this research was to analyze the proteolysis process during ripening of Kučki cheese. The cheese is produced using traditional technology. FTIR Spectrophotometry was used to calculate the amount of total protein in cheese (IDF141C: 2000). The degree of proteolysis was determined by SDS PAGE (Laemmli, 1970). The cheese was examined for their water-soluble nitrogen (WSN) content using Kuchroo and Fox’s method from 1982, as well as their 5% phosphotungstic acid soluble nitrogen (PTAN) content using Stadhouser’s method from 1960. The results were expressed as percentages of WSN and PTAN of the total nitrogen matter (WSN/TN and PTAN/TN), as well as PTAN as a percentage of WSN (PTAN/WSN). All analyses were done on 10th, 20th and 30th day of cheese ripening. Four samples of cheese were analyzed for each ripening period. The content of proteins increased during the ripening period. The parameters that determine the process of proteolysis increased during the first 30 days of ripening. The WSN/TN ranged from 13.33 to 44.32%. Also, PTAN/WSN varied from 3.79 to 21.57%. The initial results show that uneven ripening conditions have a direct impact on how proteolytic changes develop throughout ripening. Due to the absence of established cheese-making procedures, Kučki cheese has a considerable degree of heterogeneity in their protein content and proteolysis parameters. However, it is not possible to strictly define the optimal values of the degree of ripening for Kučki cheese. In order to reach certain conclusions, it is necessary to carry out further studies focusing on analyzing a larger number of samples.
</abstract>

Proteolytic Changes During Ripening Of Kučki Cheese

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Summary</title>
The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of age of cows on variability in mastitis prevalence risk and its concomitant impacts on their successive daily milk yield by analyzing test-day records of dairy cows collected in the period 2005–2022. The results obtained indicate a correlation between the age and breed of cows enrolled in the study and mastitis prevalence risk alongside its concomitant impacts on their successive daily milk yield. The findings demonstrate a progressive increase in mastitis prevalence risk with the advancing age of cows, notably more pronounced in the Holstein breed than in the Simmental breed. The Simmental cows exhibited a lower increase in daily milk yield, experiencing a substantial decrease in overall yields (namely milk, fat, and protein) in contrast to the Holstein cows. The primiparous cows of both breeds displayed the highest total increase in daily milk yield. This study underscores the significance of monitoring dairy herd health as a pivotal component of successful dairy herd management. Moreover, the daily lactose content was found a valuable and cost-effective indicator for ensuring the economically and environmentally sustainable operations of dairy farms.
</abstract>

The Effect of Age of Cows on Variability in Mastitis Prevalence Risk and its Concomitant Impacts on the Successive Daily Milk Yield

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Summary</title>
The Lipizzan horse breed was established in the 16th century in Lipica and later spread throughout Central and Eastern Europe. In addition to six classical stallion lines, 17 classical mare family lines were established in the old Lipica stud. Additional 44 mare family lines, including local lines, were established in other Lipizzan studs. The founders of the classical Lipizzan mare family lines date back to the period between the 18th and 20th century and came from various breeds, including the Karst, Spanish, Italian, Kladruber and Arabian horses. The history of the Lipizzan mare family lines is well described and supported by the availability of 44 nucleotide sequences of the mtDNA control region. In this study, the mtDNA control region of 23 Serbian Lipizzans, representing the established Lippizan mare family lines, as well as the local mare family line Zora, have been sequenced. The objective of this study was to test whether the Zora mare family line could be distinguished from other Lipizzan mare family lines according to the mtDNA sequence. Sequences were aligned to the entire set of mtDNA control region sequences representing 44 Lipizzan mtDNA haplotypes. Based on the alignment, a median-joining network was constructed. The individuals in this study formed a cluster with the existing Lipizzan mare family lines. However, a total of ten individuals belonging to the local Zora mare family line formed a compact cluster close to the mtDNA haplotypes, representing the classical mare family lines Wera, Betalka, and Monteaura. Additional pedigree data are needed to clarify the origin of the mtDNA haplotype variant identified in this study.
</abstract>

Molecular Characterization of Mare Families in the Serbian Population of the Lipizzan Horse

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Summary</title>
Animals, like humans, act according to physiological patterns of behavior that change in response to various internal and external stimuli. Environmental pollutants represent “negative” stimuli and stressors. Air pollution is among pollution sources that pose the greatest threat to the environment and all living organisms. Exposure to pollutants causes behavioral changes in animals and disruption of organ functions and structures, which are often identical to those of humans working or living under the same conditions as animals (e.g., on a farm or in a city). Aside from a shorter life span and possible premature death, there are some diseases which commonly occur as a result of the exposure. Symptoms indicative of a disease or irritation, such as coughing, lameness, diarrhea, eye discharge and the like, cause the animal to make movements (actions) that are not part of their normal physiological routine and are considered behavioral changes. Behavioral changes are the earliest indicator that the animal is suffering from physical or mental disorders that can negatively affect its health and, in the case of livestock, production results. Various animal species serve as indicators of pollution, and domestic animals, including farm animals, can also serve this purpose. Behavioral changes resulting from exposure to various pollutants include disorientation, problems interacting with humans and other animals, reproductive problems, respiratory, digestive symptoms, etc. This review compiled data from a number of studies on changes in animal behavior after short or long exposure to various environmental pollutants. The focus was on the effects of air pollutants on animals, which are of particular importance to humans as they share living or working space with the animals or breed them for economic interest.
</abstract>

Influence of Environmental Pollution on Animal Behavior

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Summary</title>
This paper presents a deep neural network (DNN) approach designed to estimate the milk yield of Holstein-Friesian cattle. The DNN comprised stacked dense (fully connected) layers, each hidden layer followed by a dropout layer. Various configurations of the DNN were tested, incorporating 2 and 3 hidden layers containing 8 to 54 neurons. The experiment involved testing the DNN with different activation functions such as the sigmoid, tanh, and rectified linear unit (ReLU). The dropout rates ranging from 0 to 0.3 were employed, with the output layer using a linear activation function. The DNN models were trained using the Adam, SGD, and RMSprop optimizers, with the root mean square error serving as the loss metric. The training dataset comprised information from a unique database containing records of dairy cows in the Republic of Serbia, totaling 3,406 cows. The input parameters (a total of 27) for the DNN included breeding and milk yield data from the cow’s mother, as well as the father’s ID, whereas the output parameters (a total of 8) consisted of milk yield parameters (a total of 3) and breeding parameters of the cow (a total of 5). Training iterations were conducted using a batch size of 8 over 500, 1000, and 5000 epochs.
</abstract>

Application of Machine Learning in Estimating Milk Yield According to the Phenotypic and Pedigree Data of Holstein-Friesian Cattle in Serbia

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Summary</title>
This paper presents a physiological, hematological, and biochemical study of the impact of different rearing conditions on pheasant production outcomes and mortality rates in both the pheasant parent flock and pheasant chicks up to 6 weeks old. Pheasant breeding holds significance within hunting activities and meat production for the food market due to its high biological and nutritive value. Pheasant meat contains high-quality proteins, minerals, essential unsaturated fatty acids, and boasts a low-fat percentage. The quality of pheasant meat derived from natural habitats holds a higher biological value compared to that of pheasants raised on farms, featuring higher water, protein, and calcium contents, and a lower fat percentage. The dry mass of breast muscles from farm-reared birds contains more protein and less fat when compared to drumstick muscles. Notably, during the egg-laying period, alterations in hematological parameters linked to oxygen transport, decreased erythropoiesis, and increased values in white blood cell parameters were observed. Changes in blood biochemical parameters signify increased energy requirements in pheasant hens during egg laying, as well as heightened transportation of minerals, proteins, and cholesterol, which accumulate in the eggshell, albumen, and yolk. The elevated metabolic requirements in pheasant hens manifest significantly through increased levels of cholesterol, uric acid, lactates, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), calcium, and phosphorus. Simultaneously, there is a noteworthy decrease in plasma total proteins, albumins, glucose, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) concentrations. Several challenges persist throughout all production stages, leading to reduced egg yield, compromised egg quality and fertility, as well as increased mortality rates. These issues stem from factors such as high population density, an inappropriate male-to-female sex ratio, inadequate nutrition, and insufficient assessment of the biological quality of hatching eggs.
</abstract>

Physiological, Haematological And Production Characteristics Of Pheasants In Different Rearing Conditions

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Summary</title>The use of insects as “novel” and natural feed materials seems to be an attractive alternative protein source for poultry, pigs and fish since more than 80% of their chemical composition (dry weight basis) is crude protein and crude fat content. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine some chemical composition parameters of powdered mealworm larvae, as a potential animal feed as well as human novel food. It was found that the crude protein (55.83%) and crude fat (25.19%) content was predominant, as well as that the content of nitrogen-free extract was low. Coincided with the high protein content, the levels of the most important amino acids were found to be considerable, especially lysine (3.18%) and threonine (1.34%). Crude fibre content was 7.15%, while ash was 4.84%. The samples were found to be rich in most nutritive elements, especially phosphorus (1.06%) and potassium (1.12%) in terms of macroelements, and zinc (138.2 mg/kg) in terms of microelements. Based on our research and other experimental results, it can be concluded that meals from the insects originating from the order Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae (mealworms) may be successfully used as feed material in diets of livestock animals, especially poultry.</abstract>

Chemical Composition of Mealworm Larvae (<italic>Tenebrio molitor</italic>) Reared in Serbia

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Summary</title>The modern apple production involves the use of large amounts of pesticides that can be found in processed products such as apple juice. Harmful effects of pesticide residues on humans, especially children, are well known, hence the content of pesticide residues in fruit, vegetables and their juices should be controlled. This study presents an application of a new, relatively simple and reliable analytical method for qualitative and quantitative determination of three organophosphorus and one organonitrogen pesticide residues in apple juices. The analysis utilizes reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) followed by UV diode array detection. Prior to HPLC analysis, a solid-phase extraction (SPE) was used for analytes concentration and sample clean-up. Specificity, selectivity, linearity, precision, accuracy and limit of quantification (LOQ) were examined to assess the validity of the developed method. The method had satisfactory values of multiple correlation coefficients for calibration curves (R2 ≥ 0.95
). The precision was evaluated for the retention times and peak areas, and the estimated values for relative standard deviations (RSD) were 0.05 % - 0.18 % and 0.09 % - 0.62 %, respectively, which indicated an excellent precision of the proposed method. Under the established conditions, the recovery of analytes was 93.80 % - 119.41 %, with relative standard deviations below 0.56 %. This method was successfully applied for determination of some organophosphorus and organonitrogen pesticide residues in apple juices which were taken from Macedonian markets. The achieved values for LOQs were low enough compared to the MRLs of the investigated pesticides in apple according to the Regulation (EC) No 396/2005. Detectable residues of the examined pesticides were not found in the analyzed samples.</abstract>

Application of High Performance Liquid Chromatography to the Analysis of Pesticide Residues in Apple Juice

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Summary</title> This study tested the hypothesis that a third dimension of urban gardening, in the form of green terraces and balconies, is of immense importance to the public well-being, mitigating climate changes and contributing to a more pleasant life in highly urbanized zones. By means of a concise questionnaire, a total of 82 respondents of different age groups (20-70 years of age) were surveyed about their opinion on green terraces, balconies, and roofs, i.e. the plants and flowers they incorporate. The fieldwork and survey responses facilitated the design of ten different spaces in various conditions. The results obtained enabled the selection of plants which could be used in given conditions, depending on wind, insolation, shade, ground levels, precipitation, etc. A total of three different terraces (out of ten) and three different balconies (out of ten) were enrolled in the study. The research results indicate that ten minutes of gardening could reduce stress levels and restore the positive energy of residents. An increase in the overall plant diversity exerts positive aesthetic and ecological effects. Inner-city areas are often sparsely vegetated, devoid of plants, and densely built-up, thus terraces and balconies have the potential to be retrofitted with suitable greenery.</abstract>

Opportunities and Benefits of Green Balconies and Terraces in Urban Conditions

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Summary</title>
Chilli is a spicy crop which belongs to family Solanaceae. As a vegetable crop, it is considered as one of the major cultivated crops in the world seriously affected by the climatic changes, including elevation in temperature. Therefore, in this research various morpho-physiological characteristics of chilli were studied for heat tolerance under the influence of exogenous application of proline. This research was carried out in a growth room of the Institute of Horticultural Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan. Four chilli genotypes were evaluated under the applied conditions. Seeds were grown in plastic pots. Heat stress (40/32 ºC day and night temperature) was applied 30 days after the emergence. Foliar spray of proline (0, 5 and 10 mM) was applied during heat stress, and after 7 days of stress the plants were harvested. The results revealed that the inhibition of chilli growth by heat stress was successfully mediated by proline application. Morphological attributes such as the number of leaves per plant, root and shoot length, plant fresh and dry weight were reduced in response to heat stress, and physiological attributes such as photosynthetic rate, water use efficiency and chlorophyll contents were also reduced in response to heat stress, except transpiration rate and stomatal conductance, which increased under heat stress and showed recovery by proline application. Exogenous application of proline promoted tolerance against heat stress in chilli genotypes and enhanced growth. All the observed traits exhibited recovery in response to proline stimulus, indicating the role of proline in mitigating the consequences of heat stress. Recovery also depends on genetic capability of various cultivars.
</abstract>

Role of Proline in Mitigating the Deleterious Effects of Heat Stress in Chillies

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Summary</title>Quality of produce cannot be improved after harvest, only maintained. Postharvest handling depends on the specific conditions of production, season, method of handling, and distance to market. Under organic production, growers harvest and market their produce at or near the peak ripeness more commonly than in many conventional systems. Organic production often includes more specialty varieties whose shelf life and shipping traits are reduced or even inherently poor. Harvesting and handling techniques that minimize injury to the commodity, as well as increased care with field and packinghouse sanitation, (chlorine, ozone, calcium hypochlorite, sodium hypochlorite and chlorine dioxide, acetic acid, peroxyacetic acid, vinegar, ethyl alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, etc.) during postharvest processes are vital components of a postharvest management plan for organic products. Sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, and physical treatments such as heat treatments (as hot water treatment or dips, short hot water rinsing and brushing or hot air) can significantly lower the disease pressure on the harvested commodities. These sanitation practices are very easy to implement in the organic food production chain. They start in the field and continue during harvesting, sorting, packing, and transportation and continue even in the consumer’s home. All those treatments reduce rot development, provide quarantine security, and preserve fruit quality during cold storage and shelf life. In addition, the use chitosan, propolis, methyl jasmonate, essential oils, carnuba wax, biocontrol agents and modified atmosphere packaging can also reduce decay development during prolonged storage. All these treatments can be applied alone or in combination with each other in order to improve decay control after harvest and provide a healthy and safe product to the consumer. The aim of this chapter is to shed more light on the latest information on permitted treatments for organic products and on the possible mode-of-action of these treatments. This chapter summarizes technologies developed over the past five years that explore special physical treatments applied either directly, or in combination with other means to control rot development and insect infestation on fresh produce.</abstract>

Postharvest Practices for Organically Grown Products

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Contemporary Agriculture

The Serbian Journal of Agricultural Sciences

 Contemporary Agriculture is the Official Journal of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad (Serbia). The journal has been published on the regular basis since 1953. During...

 Contemporary Agriculture is the Official Journal of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad (Serbia). The journal has been published on...