YIELD OF NITRATE ACCUMULATIONS IN SPINACH (SPINACIA OLRACEA L.), WITH DIFFERENT FERTILIZATION SYSTEMS

Spinach production is based on a conventional cultivation system. This form of cultivation, due to excessive use of mineral fertilizers, pesticides and other inputs in production, can lead to an unbalanced relation and disruption of natural processes in the soil. Due to this fact, various spinach fertilization systems are being examined in order to ensure health value and environmental protection. A two-factorial (locality and fertilization) one-year study was conducted by random block schedule in four replications. The study examined the influence of different localities (Krizevci in Croatia and Velika Kladusa in Bosnia and Herzegovina) and fertilization systems (mineral, reduced mineral and organic) on yields and nitrate concentrations, as well as the amount of vitamin C in the spinach variety Norvak. Analysis of variance indicates a high and statistically justified (P < 0.05) influence of localities and fertilization on height, spinach yield and nitrate concentration. Due to economic and environmental justification, a reduced mineral fertilization system should be applied in further practice, because the obtained yield and yield components do not differ statistically from those obtained using mineral fertilization, and benefits are multiple (better product quality and less environmental pollution).   Key words: mineral, organic fertilization, quality, reduced mineral, spinach, yiel

Antimicrobial activity of selected spice extracts on Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., and Listeria monocytogenes

The study determined antimicrobial activity using the Disc-diffusion method and extracts of three plants: garlic (Allium sativum L.), turmeric (Curcuma longa L.), and parsley (Petroselinum crispum L.) on Escherichia coli, Salmonella ssp. and Listeria monocytogenes. These pathogens have attracted the attention of numerous agencies and researchers, because of the negative impact on food and human health - and because of the impact of disease development on the economy. These studies are necessary and represent potential natural antimicrobial drugs, and due to the resistance of bacteria to known antibiotics, there is a constant increase in global consumer demand for natural ingredients. The tested plant extracts showed excellent antibacterial activity in all three replicates on Escherichia coli with an average inhibition zone of 21,86 mm and were characterized as ***S - sensitive for the mentioned bacterium.  With an average zone of inhibition of 19,052 mm, Curcuma longa showed the strongest effect on the tested bacterium Salmonella enteritidis, which tells us that this bacteria is very sensitive to the extract of the mentioned plant. The study identified zones of inhibition of very low values (˃ 8 mm) in all three tested extracts: Allium sativum L., Curcuma longa L. Petroselinum crispum L., and Listeria monocytogenes

Comparative exterior measures of pramenka sheep raised in three localities in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The aim of the research was to measure the basic external characteristics of Pramenka sheep (ridge height, from the ground to the highest ridge point, lower back height, from the ground to the highest lower back point, hull lenght, chest width, chest depth, chest circumference, hull circumference, shin circumference, body weight) with the aim of comparing the measured values in order to asses the impact of breeding areas on them. Domestic kind Pramenka (Kupres strain, Vlašić strain) were used in this research. There were 36 sheeps in the experimental group, and the same number in the control group. Experimets were performed on long-term  purebred herds of Pramenka on three private farms in the Una-Sana Canton, 2 municipilities of Cazin, 1 municipality of Bihać, as well as on one private farm in Central Bosnia (area of the municipality of Travnik), and one in the municipality of Kupres (Livno Canton). Based on the presented average values of the external properties of Pramenka sheep and their variations for all examined localities, we can conclude the following: that the sheep are longer in relation to their height and that the Pramenka is of medium physical development, that the differences in body measures in the examined areas are greatly influenced by the origin of certain breeds of Pramenka sheep (Kupres strain, Vlašić strain), as well as the quality of pastures and unequal access to food. By comparing our results with the results of other authors who examined the exterior of other strains of Pramenka (from region in Croatia: Rab, Lika, Pag, Istria) in our wider enviroment concluded that Vlašić Pramenka is the largest strain of Pramenka in this area

Buckwheat in the nutrition of cock laying as a factor of egg quality

The subject of this paper is the research of the influence of different ratios of buckwheat, in concentrated feed, on the qualitative values of laying hen eggs. The study was conducted in four groups of laying hens: one control and three experimental, which were formed with respect to different proportions of buckwheat in meals. Within the first group of laying hens, a concentrated feed mixture with 10% relative share of buckwheat was used, within the second group with 20% relative share of buckwheat and within the third group with 30% relative share of buckwheat, while in the control group standard concentrated food was used. Based on the conducted research, it can be concluded that buckwheat in the meal of laying hens has positive effects on quality, physical properties, sensory properties and frequency of carrying. It was shown that there are statistically significant differences in mean values ​​for the following variables: protein content in egg white, protein content in egg yolk (%), fat content in egg yolk (%), where the highest value was recorded in the third group of laying hens. Also, statistically significant differences were found in terms of shell weight (g), shell thickness (mm), yolk diameter (mm) and egg white pH. The highest average frequency of egg laying was found in the first group and the lowest average frequency of egg laying was in the control group. The general conclusion is that buckwheat can be used in poultry feed, because it has a much greater positive than negative effect on the production and quality characteristics of eggs for consumption

Total Number of Cattle in the Republic of Serbia after an Outbreak of Lumpy Skin Disease

Numerous studies conducted worldwide indicate a tendency towards a continuous decline in number of cattle. Appropriate measures should be taken to prevent the reduction of the number of cattle and to increase the concentration of animals per farm. In this regard, the objective of this study was to analyze the total number of cattle after an outbreak of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) in the Republic of Serbia. Due to the occurrence of this highly dangerous infectious disease in the Balkans and Eastern Europe, emergency and preventive vaccination was performed in infected and vulnerable areas in the Republic of Serbia. To prevent the spread of LSD, competent authorities banned public gatherings of cattle at fairs, exhibitions, livestock markets and purchase places, which resulted in economic losses for certain farmers. This disease is believed to have impacted the total number of cattle slaughtered and the number of deaths, as well as the import and export of live cattle, animal products and by-products of animal origin. The comparison between indices for the number of cattle shows a decline in the total number of cattle in the analyzed period across statistical territorial units. Results on the total number of cattle can be used, among other things, to create new and more complex questions arising from current and future farming problems

Defining breed standards and breeding goals for domestic donkey

Domestic donkey is a transboundary breed present in many Balkan countries. According to the Law on Animal Production, in many Balkan countries, for every breed of domestic animals it is necessary to create a separate breeding programme. Based on the results of a study evaluating the main morphological, reproductive and functional traits in 47 domestic donkeys in Macedonia during 2017 and 2018, current standards and breeding goals were defined for the next national breeding programme of this breed. According to the fact that the domestic donkey is a metapopulation and transboundary breed in almost all Balkan countries, it is a good recommendation to create a regional breeding programme with flexible standards and breeding goals for this relative of horses for all Balkan countries together

With food to health : proceedings of 11th International symposium

Proceedings contains 13 original scientific papers, 10 professional papers and 2 review papers which were presented at "10th International Scientific and Professional Conference WITH FOOD TO HEALTH", organised in following sections: Nutrition, Dietetics and diet therapy, Functional food and food supplemnents, Food safety, Food analysis, Production of safe food and food with added nutritional value

The effects of summer ambient temperature on total mortality in Serbia

In the context of recent climate change, temperature-attributable mortality has become an important public health threat worldwide. A large number of studies in Europe have identified a relationship between temperature and mortality, while only a limited number of scholars provided evidence for Serbia. In order to provide more evidence for better management of health resources at the regional and local level, this study aims to assess the impact of summer temperature on the population in Serbia, using daily average temperature (Ta) and mortality (CDR (crude death rate) per 100,000). The analysis was done for five areas (Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš, Loznica, and Vranje), covering the summer (June–August) period of 2001–2015. In order to quantify the Ta-related CDR, a generalized additive model (GAM) assuming a quasi-Poisson distribution with log as the link function was used. Five regression models were constructed, for each area, revealing a statistically significant positive relationship between Ta and CDR in four areas. The effect of Ta on CDR was defined as the relative risk (RR), which was obtained as the exponential regression coefficient of the models. RR indicates that a 1 °C increase in Ta at lag0 was associated with an increase in CDR of 1.7% for Belgrade, Novi Sad, and Niš and 2% for Loznica. The model for Vranje did not quantify a statistically significant increase in CDR due to Ta (RR=1.006, 95% CI 0.991–1.020). Similar results were confirmed for gender, with a slightly higher risk for women. Analysis across lag structure showed different exposure, but the highest effect of Ta mainly occurs over the short term and persists for 3 days

Fractal and Gray Level Cooccurrence Matrix Computational Analysis of Primary Osteosarcoma Magnetic Resonance Images Predicts the Chemotherapy Response

The prediction of induction chemotherapy response at the time of diagnosis may improve outcomes in osteosarcoma by allowing for personalized tailoring of therapy. The aim of this study was thus to investigate the predictive potential of the so far unexploited computational analysis of osteosarcoma magnetic resonance (MR) images. Fractal and gray level cooccurrence matrix (GLCM) algorithms were employed in retrospective analysis of MR images of primary osteosarcoma localized in distal femur prior to the OsteoSa induction chemotherapy. The predicted and actual chemotherapy response outcomes were then compared by means of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis and accuracy calculation. Dbin, Λ, and SCN were the standard fractal and GLCM features which significantly associated with the chemotherapy outcome, but only in one of the analyzed planes. Our newly developed normalized fractal dimension, called the space-filling ratio (SFR) exerted an independent and much better predictive value with the prediction significance accomplished in two of the three imaging planes, with accuracy of 82% and area under the ROC curve of 0.20 (95% confidence interval 0–0.41). In conclusion, SFR as the newly designed fractal coefficient provided superior predictive performance in comparison to standard image analysis features, presumably by compensating for the tumor size variation in MR images