Slovenian Grassland Society: Science, Profession and Practice

The Slovenian Grassland Society (SGS) was established in 1993. It has around 120 members. A half of members are active farmers, around 10% are scientists, the rest are employed in extension services or other agricultural enterprises (seed companies, administration bodies, etc.

Smrtna otrovanja u gradu Zagrebu

The paper deals with the results of analysis of fatal poisonings in the city of Zagreb from 1981 to 1990. The work is an extension of earlier analyses for the same area that were carried out from the foundation of the Department for Forensic Medicine and Criminology, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb in 1934 to 1967, and from 1968 to 1980. Comparative analysis of all data shows that despite the increasing rate of poisoning the number of cases of fatal poisoning has been steadily diminishing - from 11 cases per 100.000 population in the 1934-1967 period and eight cases between 1968 and 1980 to five cases in the latest period 1981-1990.Analizirani su smrtni slučajevi otrovanja na području grada Zagreba za razdoblje od 1981, do 1990. godine. Analiza je nastavak ranijih proučavanja smrtnih otrovanja na području grada, od osnutka Zavoda za sudsku medicinu i kriminalistiku Medicinskog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu 1934. godine do 1967. godine, te od 1968. do 1980. godine. Unatoč sve većem broju otrovanja analiza između ostaloga pokazuje stalni pad broja smrtno otrovanih, od 11 osoba na 100,000 stanovnika grada između 1934. i 1967. godine, na osam smrtno otrovanih u vremenu između 1968. i 1980. godine, na pet stanovnika na 100.000 stanovnika grada Zagreba u vremenu od 1981, do 1990, godine

Resting Behaviour of Broilers in Three Different Rearing Systems

The highest number of broilers is reared in the intensive fattening system on the floor with litter. Besides the intensive systems some sustainable rearing ways are also brought forward (ecological, biologic-dynamic, organic, etc.). The aim of this study was to establish the possible differences in resting behaviour of broilers in three rearing systems: intensive on the floor, free range, and organic system. The results showed great varieties between intensive and less intensive systems. In the intensive system on the floor animals rested statistically highly significantly more than in other two systems. However no differences in the behaviour of broilers in the stall were noticed, ifcompared to broilers in free range and those in the organic system. Comparison of the outdoor area showed that broilers rested statistically significantly more in the organic system. The reasons for different resting behaviour could be in leg weakness, body weight, group size, health problems, age, housing system, etc. Our research did not confirm our hypothesis that the older broilers rest more

Plant diversity greatly enhances weed suppression in intensively managed grasslands

Weed suppression was investigated in a field experiment across 31 international sites. The study included 15 plant communities at each site, based on two grasses and two legumes, each sown in monoculture and 11 four-species mixtures varying in the relative proportions of the four species. At each site, one grass and one legume species was selected as fast establishing and the other two species were selected for persistence. Average weed biomass in mixtures over the whole experiment was 52% less (95% confidence interval, 30 to 75%) than in the most suppressive monoculture (transgressive suppression). Transgressive suppression of weed biomass persisted over each year for each mixture. Weed biomass was consistently low and relatively similar across all mixtures and years. Average sown species biomass was greater in all mixtures than in any monoculture. The suppressive effect of sown forage species on weeds in mixtures was achieved without any herbicide use. At each site, weed biomass for almost every mixture was lower than the average across the four monocultures. The average proportion of weed biomass in mixtures was less than in the most suppressive monoculture in two thirds of sites. Mixtures outyielded monocultures, and mixture yield comprised far lower weed biomass

The Structure of the Big Magnetic Storms

The records of geomagnetic activity during Solar Cycles 22 and 23 (which occurred from 1986 to 2006) indicate several extremely intensive A-class geomagnetic storms. These were storms classified in the category of the Big Magnetic Storms. In a year of maximum solar activity during Solar Cycle 23, or more precisely, during a phase designated as a post-maximum phase in solar activity (PPM – Phase Post maximum), near the autumn equinox, on 29, October 2003, an extremely strong and intensive magnetic storm was recorded. In the first half of November 2004 (7, November 2004) an intensive magnetic storm was recorded (the Class Big Magnetic Storm). The level of geomagnetic field variations which were recorded for the selected Big Magnetic Storms, was ΔDst > 350 nT. For the Big Magnetic Storms the indicated three-hour interval indices geomagnetic activity was Kp = 9. This study presents the spectral composition of the Di – variations which were recorded during magnetic storms in October 2003 and November 2004

Protection against lightning at a geomagnetic observatory

The Sinji Vrh Geomagnetic Observatory was built on the brow of Gora, the mountain above Ajdovščina, which is a part of Trnovo plateau, and all over Europe one can hardly find an area which is more often struck by lightning than this southwestern part of Slovenia. When the humid air masses of a storm front hit the edge of Gora, they rise up more than 1000 m in a very short time, and this causes an additional electrical charge of stormy clouds. The reliability of operations performed in every section of the observatory could be increased by understanding the formation of lightning in a thunderstorm cloud and the application of already-proven methods of protection against a stroke of lightning and against its secondary effects. To reach this goal the following groups of experts have to cooperate: experts in the field of protection against lightning, constructors and manufacturers of equipment and observatory managers

Identifying the drivers of changes in the relative abundances of species in agroecosystems

Increasing species diversity often promotes ecosystem functions in grasslands, but sward diversity may be reduced over time through competitive interactions among species. We investigated the development of species’ relative abundances in intensively managed agricultural grassland mixtures over three years to identify the drivers of diversity change. A continental-scale field experiment was conducted at 31 sites using 11 different four-species mixtures each sown at two seed abundances. The four species consisted of two grasses and two legumes, of which one was fast establishing and the other temporally persistent. We modelled the dynamics of the four-species mixtures over the three-year period. The relative abundances shifted substantially over time; in particular, the relative abundance of legumes declined over time but stayed above 15% in year three at many sites. We found that species’ dynamics were primarily driven by differences in the relative growth rates of competing species and secondarily by density dependence and climate. Alongside this, positive diversity effects in yield were found in all years at many sites