Changes of plasma lipids in relation to the regular consumption of bilberries (Vaccinium myrtillus L.)

In this work we studied the impact of regular consumption of bilberries on the lipid profile and triglycerides in the blood plasma. The research involved 18 women (average age 49.7) and 7 men (average age 52.8), who consumed 150 g of bilberries three times a week for 6 weeks. Based on these results, we can conclude that the average total cholesterol levels of women decreased from 5.65 mmol.l-1 at the beginning of research to 5.11 mmol.l-1. At end of the study, the average total cholesterol was 5.47 mmol.l-1. Similar results were found in the LDL cholesterol - the level of cholesterol of the second blood collection dropped from 4.06 mmol.l-1 to 3.70 mmol.l-1 and at the end of  the study it increased again to 4.00 mmol.l-1. We observed a slight increase in HDL choleserol (by 0.07 mmol.l-1) and reduction of triglycerides (by 0.16 mmol.l-1). The total cholesterol monitored men due to the regular consumption of bilberries decreased by 0.36 mmol.l-1, LDL cholesterol by 0.31 mmol.l-1, HDL cholesterol by 0.49 mmol.l-1 and triglycerides by 0,49 mmol.l-1. The improvement of triglycerides and lipid profile in blood plasma of monitored subjects can by evaluated positively. The observed data confirm the biological activity of bilberries and the effectiveness of their use in prevention and comprehensive treatment of cardiovascular diseases

Úroda a ukazovatele kvality vybraných odrôd konopy siatej (Cannabis sativa L.) pestovaných v Srbsku

Interest in growing hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is constantly increasing. Different varieties of hemp grown in Serbia (Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Bački Petrovac) were evaluated by plant height, stem yield, fibre content, fibre yield and seed yield. Carmagnola variety reached the highest height, Fedora 17 the lowest. Stem yields, which averaged 13.23±2.93 t/ha, had a high correlation relationship with plant height. The highest and demonstrably most significant fibre content was found in the variety Bialobrzeskia (30.77±0.78%). The fibre yield averaged 3.3±0.64 t/ha. The highest seed fertility was shown by the Novosadska variety. A significant difference (P≤0.05) between 2017 and 2018 in seed production was 51.28 kg/ha. The results of the experiment indicate the importance of the genotype x environment interaction in hemp production.Záujem o pestovanie konopy siatej sa neustále zvyšuje. Rôzne odrody konopy pestované v Srbsku (Ústav poľných a zeleninových plodín, Bački Petrovac) boli hodnotené podľa výšky rastlín, úrody stonky, obsahu vlákna, úrodnosti vlákna a úrody semena. Najvyššiu výšku dosiahla odroda Carmagnola, najnižšiu Fedora 17. Úrody stonky, ktoré boli v priemere 13,23±2,93 t/ha, s výškou rastlín mali vysoký korelačný vzťah. Najvyšší a preukázateľne najvýznamnejší obsah vlákna bol zistený v odrode Bialobrzeskia (30,77±0,78%). Úroda vlákna bola v priemere 3,3±0,64 t/ha. Najvyššiu úrodnosť semena vykazovala odroda Novosadska. Štatisticky preukazný rozdiel P≤0,05 medzi rokmi 2017 a 2018 v produkcii osiva bol 51,28 kg/ha. Výsledky experimentu poukazujú na dôležitosť interakcie genotyp x prostredie pri produkcii konopy siatej

Možnosti hodnotenia úrodovej odozvy odrôd sladovníckeho jačmeňa na podmienky prostredia Slovenskej republiky

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is the third most important grain crop after wheat and maize in Europe, but the average annual increase in barley yield was 37 kg/ha during period of 1970-2020. The aim of the study was to evaluate the expression of yield potential of eight malt barley genotypes under agro-climatic conditions of the Danubian Hills region in southwestern Slovakia. The effect of season had a decisive share (62.7%) in the total variability of yields. The contrasting nature of the evaluated years is documented by the differences in yields of the set of evaluated varieties in an ascending order: 4.23 t/ha, 6.10 t/ha up to 8.17 t/ha during 2012-2013-2014.The effects of site and genotypes were evident, but with a relatively low contribution of 14.13% and 1.03% of site and genotypes, respectively, to the total variability in grain yield of barley, which indicate the relative consistency of the set of genotypes evaluated. The environmental index (EI) of yields confirmed the different environmental conditions manifested by the expression of yield potential ranging from 5.17 t/ha to 7.31 t/ha. The EI expression of yields for individual years and locations can be considered as an important indicator, indicating a better interpretation of the suitability of the locality for the cultivation of a given crop. The above conclusions reached from the experimental results support the need for more detailed data analysis of varieties to given agro-climatic conditions in order to select suitable genotypes for sustainable farming systems.Jačmeň (Hordeum vulgare L.) je po pšenici a kukurici treťou najdôležitejšou obilninou v Európe, ale priemerný ročný nárast úrody jačmeňa v období 1970-2020 bol 37 kg/ha. Cieľom práce bolo zhodnotiť expresiu úrodového potenciálu ôsmich genotypov sladovníckeho jačmeňa v agroklimatických podmienkach Podunajskej pahorkatiny na juhozápadnom Slovensku. Na celkovej variabilite úrod mal rozhodujúci podiel (62,7%) vplyv ročníka. Kontrastný charakter hodnotených rokov dokumentujú rozdiely v úrodách súboru odrôd vo vzostupnom poradí: 4,23 t/ha, 6,10 t/ha až po 8,17 t/ha v rokoch 2012-2013-2014. Vplyv stanovišťa a genotypov bol evidentný, ale s relatívne nízkym podielom stanovišťa (14,13%) a genotypov (1,03%) na celkovej variabilite úrody zrna jačmeňa, čo svedčí o relatívnej vyrovnanosti súboru hodnotených genotypov. Environmentálny index (EI) úrody potvrdil rozdielne podmienky prostredia prejavujúce sa expresiou úrodového potenciálu v rozmedzí od 5,17 t/ha do 7,31 t/ha. Vyjadrenie EI úrod pre jednotlivé roky a lokality možno považovať za dôležitý ukazovateľ, ktorý naznačuje lepšiu interpretáciu vhodnosti lokality na pestovanie danej plodiny. Uvedené závery dosiahnuté na základe výsledkov experimentov podporujú potrebu podrobnejšej analýzy údajov o odrodách do daných agroklimatických podmienok s cieľom výberu vhodných genotypov pre udržateľné systémy hospodárenia

ANALYSIS OF BIOLOGICALLY ACTIVE SUBSTANCES IN BILBERRY (VACCINIUM MYRTILLUS L.) IN SELECTED NATURAL LOCALITIES OF SLOVAK REPUBLIC

The aim of this study was to analyze the association between enteritis and pneumonia during first months of life and subsequent growth and milk production traits of these animals. A total of 1327 calves were followed in this study. Calves were divided into three groups: Group A) healthy calves; Group B) calves that suffered from the enteritis one or more times from the birth to 6 th month of age; and Group C) calves that suffered from birth to 6th month of age from the pneumonia. Subsequently all animals were observed at the following age stages: calves, heifers and cows. For all groups (age stages) the body weight and daily weight gain in calves (in the breeding period from birth to 6th month of age), the weight and daily weight gain weight in heifers (in the breeding period from 7 th to 25 th month of age) and production parameters of cows in the first lactation (milk in kg, fat in kg and protein in kg) was recorded. Calves in Groups B and C exhibited lower average daily gain (690.40 g, SD = 186.18, N.S. and 636.80 g, SD = 221.19, P < 0.05 respectively) than healthy calves (Group A, 703.91 g, SD = 223.48). Heifers in Group B exhibited increased the daily weight gain (830.01, SD = 73.57, N.S.) compared to healthy animals (Group A, 828.31, SD = 89.16). The general hypothesis regarding the negative effect of the enteritis (in breeding age animals that suffer from disease) on growth in the Simmental breed has not been confirmed. Heifers that had suffered with the pneumonia (Group C) showed significantly lower average daily gain (784.64, SD = 102.96, P < 0.05) than heifers in group A and B. In the evaluation of milk production in the first lactation, average production of 5800 kg per lactation (SD = 3.96) was recorded in Group A cows. Cows in Group B in the first lactation produced the 5977 kg of milk per lactation on average (SD = 4.31). Cows from Group C in first lactation produced lowest amount of milk during the first lactation period (5674 kg, SD = 3.87), but difference among A, B and C group was not significant

Yield potential of Milk thistle production in south western Slovakia

DOI: 10.15414/afz.2015.18.04.79–82Received 28. August 2015 ǀ Accepted 9. October 2015 ǀ Available online 7. December 2015Milk thistle is annual to biennial medicinal plant from the Asteraceae family. Polyfactorial field experiment was establishedand investigated during the vegetation period of the years 2012–2014. The trial was arranged in one independent block.Plant material variety Silyb was harvested in the ontogenetic stage the achenes ripening. Three evaluated factors were asfollows: crop residues – intercrop – fertilization. Milk thistle was integrated to four crop rotation design with following orderof crops: common pea – winter wheat – milk thistle – maize. Average yield of milk thistle achenes significantly differ in therange from 479.6 kg ha-1 in 2012 up to 602.5 kg ha-1 in 2013. The highest yield of milk thistle was measured 745.0 kg ha-1(2013 treatment: no crop residues, with intercrop, with fertilization). The impact of growing year on yield milk thistle achenesconfirmed the high variability of yields. On output of yield milk thistle achenes we were confirmed highly significant effectof year and fertilization, and inconclusive impact of sowing intercrop and ploughing crop residues. In all evaluated years,significantly 20% higher average yield for treatments with mineral fertilization was confirmed. Based on the three-yearresults, it is recommended to continue the research of the production parameters of milk thistle yields in following growingseasons with focus to better used of yield potential of milk thistle in Slovak conditions.Keywords: Silybum marianum L., yield, intercrop, fertilization, crop residuesReferencesANDRZEJEWSKA, J., SADOWSKA, K. and MIELCAREK, S. (2011) Effect of sowing date and rateon the yield and flavolignan content of the fruits of milk thistle (Silybum marianum L. Gaertn.) on light soil in a moderate climat. In Industiral Crops and Products, vol. 33, pp. 462-468. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2010.10.027ANDRZEJEWSKA, J. and SKINDER, Z. (2006) Yield and quality of raw material of milk thistle (Silybum marianum /L./ Gaertn.) grown in monoculture and in crop rotation. Part 1. Reaction of milk thistle to the sowing date. In Herba Pol., vol. 52, no. 4, pp. 11 - 17.BHATTYCHARYA, S. (2011) Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum L. Gaert.) Seeds in Health. In Nuts & Seeds in Health and Disease Prevention. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-375688-6.10090-8CWALINA-AMBROZIAK, B., et al. (2012) The effect of mineral fertilization on achenes yield and fungal cummunities isolated from the stems of milk thistle, Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn. In Acta Sci. Pol. Hortorum Cultus, vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 157–168. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/fhort-2013-0012GENEVA, M. et al. (2008) Improvement of milk thistle (Silybum marianum L.) seed yield and quality with foliar fertilization and growth effector MD 148/II. In Gen. Appl. Plant Physiology, vol. 34, no. 3–4, pp. 309–318.HABÁNOVÁ, M. and HABÁN, M. (2009) Milk thistle. Available from: http://www.liecive.herba.sk/index.php/rok-2009/36-4-2009/213-pestrec-mariansky.html. [Accessed: 2015-05-14]HABÁN, M., GRANČAI, D. and LUŠČÁKOVÁ, D. (2015) Interesting and less well-known herbal drugs in the Pharmacopoeia and Pharmaceutical Codex (7). In Liečivé rastliny, vol. 1, pp. 29–30.HABÁN, M., OTEPKA, P. and BOKOR, P. (2007) Production of Milk thistle (Silybum marianum L. Gaertn.) cultivated in sustainable crop rotation. In 1st International Scientific Conference on Medicinal, Aromatic and Spice Plants : Book of scientific papers and abstracts. Nitra: Slovenská poľnohospodárska univerzita, pp. 98–99.HABÁN, M. et al. (2009) production and quality of milk thistle (Silybum marianum /L./ Gaertn.) cultivated in cultural conditions of warm agri-climatic macroregion. In Hort. Sci. (Prague), vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 25–30.HABÁN, M. et al. (2010) Milk thistle (Silybum marianum L. Gaertn.) cultivated in polyfunctional crop rotation and its evaluation. In Research Journal of Agricultural Science, vol. 42, no. 1, pp. 111–117.HABÁN, M. and ŠUSTR, M. (2009) The evaluation of yield and quality drugs of milk thistle grown in ZEMEDAR, Limited Liability Company, Poprad – Stráže. In: Sborník příspěvků “15. Aktuální otázky pěstování léčivých, aromatických a kořeninových rostlin”, pp. 83–90.INDRÁK, P. and CHYTILOVÁ, D. (1992) The issue of determining siylbinu in the drug of milk thistle (Silybum marianum L. Gaertn.). In Zahradníctví, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 309–313.KARKANIS, A., BILALIS, D., EFTHIMIADOU, A. (2011) Cultivation of milk thistle (Silybum marianum L. Gaertn), a medicinal weed. In Industrial Crops and Products, vol. 34, pp. 825–830. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2011.03.027KUBÍNEK, J. (1987) Growing methods of milk thistle. Prague: The Ministry of Agriculture and Food. Czech Republic.MALEKZADEH, M., MIRMAZLOUM, S. I., ANGUORANI, H. R., MORTAZAVI, S. N., PANAHI, M. (2011) The physicochemical properties and oil constituents of milk thistle (Silybum marianum Gaertn. cv. Budakalászi) under drought stress. In Journal of Medicinal Plants Research, vol. 5, no. 8, pp. 1485–1488.SMATANA, J. and MACÁK, M. (2011) Analysis of cropping patterns of medicinal and spices plants growing on prime arable land. In Acta fytotechnica et zootechnica, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 37–40.SZCZUCIŃSKA, A. et al. (2006) Założenia technologiczne otrzymywania preparatów z bielma ostropestu plamistego do stowania jako dodatki przeciwutleniające. In Rosliny Oleiste - Oilseed Crops. vol. 27I, pp. 357–356.ŠPÁNIK, F., REPA, Š. and ŠIŠKA, B. (1996) Climate and phenological background of Nitra (1961–1990). Nitra: VES SPU (in Slovak).TOURNAS, V.H., RIVERA CALO, J. and SAPP, C. (2013) Fungal profiles in various milk thistle botanicals from US retail. In International Journal of Food Microbiology, vol. 164, issue 1, pp. 87-91. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2013.03.026TÝR, Š. and, VEREŠ, T. (2011) Weed infestation of Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn. canopies in the year 2008–2010. In Acta fytotechnica et zootechnica, Sp. Num., 14, pp.46–48.WIERZBOWSKA, J., BOWSZYS, T. and STERNIK, P. (2012) Effect of a nitrogen fertilization rate on the yield and yield structure of milk thistle (Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn. ). In Ecol Chem Eng A., vol. 19, no.3, pp. 295–300

Application of the RAPD and miRNA markers in the genotyping of Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn.

DOI: 10.15414/afz.2015.18.04.83–89Received 7. July2015 ǀ Accepted 30. September 2015 ǀ Available online 7. December 2015Two types of molecular markers based on randomly amplified DNA by RAPD-based assay and amplified microRNA bymiRNA-based assay were applied for the genotyping of five accessions of Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn. It was also verifiedthe effectiveness of the isolation of genomic DNA by three commercially available isolation kits and two similar complexmethods and their applicability for this medicinal herb. None of the commercial isolation kits provided the genomic DNAof sufficient quality and quantity. Applied originally designed CTAB method and modified CTAB method for purpose ofDNA isolation from medicinal plants allowed to isolate DNA of required quality and of sufficient yield. RAPD-based DNAfingerprints, allowed to distinguish the individual genotypes of Silybum marianum. MicroRNA-based markers showed thecross-genera transferability potential and displayed sufficient level of polymorphism. Both types of molecular markerscould be used as suitable tool for genotyping of milk thistle. However, because of the size of miRNA amplicons is theefficiency of miRNA-based markers PCR amplifications preferred and consequently less DNA quality-dependent which maybe advantageous in view of the content of undesirable secondary metabolites in medicinal plants.Keywords: molecular markers, RAPD, miRNA, Silybum marianumReferencesABENAVOLI, L. et al. (2010). Milk thistle in liver diseases: past, present, future. In Phytother Res, vol. 24, no.10, pp. 1423-1432.BARVKAR, V. T. et al. (2013). Genome-wide identification and characterization of microRNA genes and their targets in flax (Linum usitatissimum): Characterization of flax miRNA genes. In Planta, vol. 237, pp. 1149-1161.BEJ, S. and BASAK, J. (2014). MicroRNAs: The potential Biomarkers in Plant Stress Response. In Am J Plant Sci, vol. 5, pp. 748-759.ČERVENKA, M. et al. (1986). Slovak botanical nomenclature. Bratislava: Príroda.FU, D. et al. (2013). MicroRNA-based molecular markers: a novel PCR-based genotyping technique in Brassica species. In Plant Breeding , vol. 132, pp. 375-381.GALLA, G. et al. (2013). Computational identification of conserved microRNAs and their putative targets in the Hypericum perforatum L. flower transcriptome. In Plant Reprod, vol. 26, pp. 209-229.GURSANSCKY, N.R., SEARLE, I.R. and CARROLL, B.J. (2011). Mobile MicroRNAs Hit the Target. In Traffic, vol. 12, pp. 1475-1482.HABÁN, M. and VAVERKOVÁ, Š. (2014). Milk thistle (Silybum marianum L. Gaertn) – the most cultivated medicinal plant in Slovakia. In International conference on medicinal plants and their use in therapeutic practice. Lubovna Spa, May 14-16, 2014.HABÁN, M. et al. (2015). Production and quality of milk thistle (Silybum marianum L. gaertn.) cultivated during the vegetation periods 2012–2014 in a warm agri-climatic macroregion. In Scientific conferences Banat´s university of agricultural sciences and veterinary medicine. Timişoara: Banat University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine.HLAVAČKOVÁ, L. et al. (2015a). Linum usitatissimum L. genotyping by microRNA-based genetic markers. In Agrobiodiversity for improving nutrition, health and life quality. International conference. Nitra: Slovenská poľnohospodárska univerzita v Nitre, pp. 242-246. ISBN 978-80-552-1379-8 (in Slovak).HLAVAČKOVÁ, L. et al. (2015b.) Application of miRNA-based markers in flax genotypes characterisation. In International Cooperation for the Future Agricultural Researches. Debrecen: University of Debrecen. In pressKULCHESKI, F. R. et al. (2010). The use of microRNAs as reference genes for quantitative polymerase chain reaction in soybean. In Anal. Biochem., vol. 406, pp. 185-192.KUMAR, P. et al. (2009). Potential of molecular markers in plant biotechnology. In Plant Omics Journal, vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 141-162.MELNIKOVA, N. V. et al. (2014). Excess fertilizer responsive miRNAs revealed in Linum usitatissimum L. In Biochimie, vol. 109, pp. 36-41. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biochi.2014.11.017MOHAMMADI, S. A. et al. (2011). AFLP-based molecular characterization and population structure analysis of Silybum marianum L. In Plant Genetic Resources: Characterization and Utilization, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 445-453.MONDAL, T. K. and GANIE, S. A. (2014). Identification and characterization of salt responsive miRNA-SSR markers in rice (Oryza sative). In Gene, vol. 535, pp. 204-209.NEUTELINGS, G. et al. (2012). Identification and characterization of miRNAs and their potential targets in flax. In J Plant Physiol., vol. 169, pp. 1754-1766.PADMALATHA, K. and PRASAD, M. (2006). Optimization of DNA isolation and PCR protocol for RAPD analysis of selected medicinal and aromatic plants of conservation concern from Peninsular India. In African Journal of Biotechnology, vol. 5, pp. 230-234.RAFIEIAN-KOPAIE, M. and NASRI, H. (2012). Silymarin and diabetic nephropathy. In J Renal Inj Prev, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 3-5.RAINODE, F. (2005). Milk thistle. In American Family Physician, vol. 72, no. 7, pp. 1285-1288.ROGERS, S. and BENDICH, A.. (1994). Extraction of DNA from plant, fungal and algal tissues. In Plant Molecular Biology Manual, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 193-190.SHARAF, A. A. et al. (2010). Biochemical and genetic characterization of 12 Silybum marianum accessionscollected from Borg El-Arab, an Egyptian habitat. In Functional Plant Science and Biotechnology, vol. 5, Special Issue 1, pp. 22-29.SUCHER, N. J. and CARLES, M. C. (2008). Genome-based Approaches to the authentication of medicinal plants. In Planta Med, vol. 74, pp. 603-623.SUNKAR, R. (2010). MicroRNAs with macro-effects on plant stress responses. In Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology, vol. 21, pp. 805-811.WILLIAMS, J. G. et al. (1990). DNA polymorphisms amplified by arbitrary primers are useful as genetic markers. In Nucleic Acid Res, vol. 18, pp. 6531-6535.YADAV, C. B. Y. et al. (2014). Development of novel microRNA-based genetic markers in foxtail millet for genotyping applications in related grass species. In Mol Breeding, vol. 34, no. 4 , pp 2219-2224. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11032-014-0137-

MicroRNA (miRNA) in food resources and medicinal plant

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of 19 - 24 nucleotide long non-coding RNAs derived from hairpin precursors, regulating various biological, metabolic and developmental processes at the post-transcriptional level. Many of the known miRNAs are evolutionary conserved across diverse plant species and function in the regulatory control of fundamentally important biological processes. It is known that exogenous plant miRNAs specifically target approximately 30% of protein-coding genes in mammals. The research was focused to analyze the occurrence of selected families of miRNAs (miR156, miR168 and miR171) in less used species but nutritionally important plant food resources (flax and medlar) and medicinal plant (milk thistle). The analyses were done by two individual approaches, by (a) miRNA-based molecular markers - as a novel type of functional markers and (b) qualitative Real-Time PCR. The expression pattern of selected miRNAs was analyzed depending on various plant tissues and developmental stages. Results have confirmed the significance and reliability of novel type of markers based on miRNA molecules as well as the species-specific and tissues-specific expression patterns of plants miRNAs. Significant polymorphism profile of miR156b was detected in various flax tissues of genotypes varying in the content of alpha-linolenic acid. Conclusions indicate that the variable behavior of the miRNA molecules, depending on various factors, may reflect the variability of the gene expression regulation of the human genome.  The exploitation of the background of miRNA functioning within different species and plant tissues will help us to understand the molecular machinery as well as the regulatory mechanisms involved in the expression of miRNAs in plants and consequently in human genome

Effect of thermal pasteurization and high pressure processing on bioactive properties in strawberry juice

In the current food industry, companies often offer new and revolutionary processing methods that allow to improve food properties. A prominent technology is High Pressure Processing (HPP), a non-thermal technology that arises as an alternative to the traditional thermal pasteurization (TP). With HPP it is possible to obtain food and drinks similar to the raw food while improving important nutritive and functional properties. Since strawberries are very important fruit in the human diet, the aim of this study was to study the effect of HPP and TP on selected qualitative-quantitative parameters of strawberry juices (HPSJ - High Pressure Strawberry Juice/TPSJ - Thermal Pasteurized Strawberry Juice). It seems that strawberries can have a positive effect on human health due to their high content in beneficial nutrients. From monitored parameters, significant differences (p &lt;0.001) were found between juices in the following parameters: antioxidant activity, β-carotene and zeaxanthin content. Higher antioxidant activity (1547.60 ±4.89 mg AA.L-1 FM vs. 1424.72 ±10.66 mg AA.L-1 FM) and zeaxanthin (1.34 ±0.11 μg.mL-1 FM vs. 0.89 ±0.08 μg.mL-1 FM) was found in HPSJ, comparatively to TPSJ. The content of β-carotene was higher in TPSJ (156.28 ±2.13 μg.mL-1 FM) than in HPSJ (122.02 ±4.28 μg.mL-1 FM). Results related to the polyphenols content showed significantly higher values (p ˃0.01) in HPSJ, compared to TPSJ (1100.04 ±17.16 mg GAE.L-1 FM vs. 1002.66 ±17.16 mg GAE.L-1 FM). The difference in the content of lutein (TPSJ 8.84 ±0.57 μg.mL-1 FM; HPSJ 8.17 ±0.13 μg.mL-1 FM) was not significant (p ˃0.05)

Proceeding of conference &quot;Organic farming

Summary: Experimental works were realized in field trials at organic certified farm in western Slovakia (48°46` N; 17°38` E). Quantitative parameters of cultivated herbs were measured there: yield of air-dried part of plant as a vegetable drug and a qualitative parameter: the content of essential oil in dried drug of selected medicinal plant species: Peppermint (Mentha x piperita L.), Pot Marigold (Calendula officinalis L.), White Yarrow (Achillea millefolium L.), Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis L.) and Sage (Salvia officinalis L.). Influence of growing season (2003 -2005) on these parameters was investigated using statistical method. The quality of the air-dried drugs during the testing period met the requirements on organically cultivated medicinal plants. The drugs can be used for production of herbal teas certified by organic label as bio-products. Key words: organic farming, medicinal plants, herbs, cultivation, yields, essential oil Souhrn: Experimentálne práce boli vykonané v po ných podmienkach ekologicky certifikovaného prvovýrobcu na západnom Slovensku (48°46` SŠ; 17°38` VD). Zis ované boli nasledovné parametre pestovaných lie ivých rastlín: úroda vzduchosuchej drogy (kvantitatívny parameter) a obsah silice vo vzduchosuchej droge (kvalitatívny parameter). Merania sa uskuto nili pri nasledovných druhoch lie ivých rastlín: mäta pieporná (Mentha x piperita L.), nechtík lekársky (Calendula officinalis L.), rebrí ek oby ajný (Achillea millefolium L.), medovka lekárska (Melissa officinalis L.) a šalvia lekárska (Salvia officinalis L.). Bol zis ovaný vplyv pestovate skej sezóny (2003 -2005) na sledované parametre použitím štatistických metód. Kvalita vzduchosuchej drogy po as hodnoteného obdobia splnila požiadavky kladené na ekologickým spôsobom pestované lie ivé rastliny. Dopestovaná droga bola použitá na výrobu bylinných ajov certifikovaných ako ekologické výrobky (bioprodukty). Klí ová slova: ekologické po nohospodárstvo, lie ivé rastliny, pestovanie, úrody, silic

Yield potential of spring malting barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) varieties in the growing conditions of south-western Slovakia

The field experiment was set up as a block plot design with four replications on the experimental base of the Central Controlling and Testing Institute in Agriculture situated in south-western Slovakia during 2011-2012. Spring malting barley varieties were growing after sugar beet and spring barley forecrops. Besides the year condition, the forecrop value significantly influenced the variability of grain yield. Interaction of forecrop with year condition contributed significantly to the overall variability of yield and was higher than that of the interaction of variety and year. Due to the balanced set of genotypes, variability of yield influenced by varieties was relatively low in both very contrasting years. Two year average yield was in relatively narrow range of 6.05 t*ha-1- 6.66 t*ha-1. Due to the very dry condition in 2012, mainly during crucial period of yield formation, average yield of evaluated genotypes decreases by 43% with comparison to 2011. The phenotypic plasticity of evaluated genotypes was reflected in less favourable weather condition of 2012 in range of 0.97 t*ha-1 grain or 1.14 t*ha-1 grain in good growing conditions of the year 2011, respectively. Better forecrop value of spring barley with comparison to sugar beet was confirmed in both evaluated year. Significantly higher yield (7.10 t*ha-1) of grain was achieved after spring barley forecrop with comparison to 5.38 t*ha-1 of grain after sugar beet forecrop. For better interpretation of forecrop value it is proposed Environmental index for “forecrop gain” or “forecrop lost”, calculated separately as share of increasing or decreasing grain yield due to the forecrop for at least two agronomically different years