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After technological processing of rapeseed significant amounts of useful and useless waste products stand out. The aim of the present study was to investigate the chemical composition, content of glucosinolates, microbiological safety, and presence of mycotoxins and heavy element contents of useful rapeseed by-products which are intended for animal nutrition. Feed components as well as complete mixtures for animal feed must be safe and in accordance with the requirements of the current national regulation. The investigated useful by-products contained significant amounts of proteins (21.80%) and fat (33.78%). As a part of the research, extrusion of the mixture containing rapeseed by-products and maize in the ratio of 50:50% was performed. The process of extrusion was carried out at 130 °C. Based on the obtained results it was noticed that the investigated extruded mixture is a convenient protein-energy supplement suitable for animal feed production with significantly reduced glucosinolate content (from 10.30 to 7.82 µmol/g). It was also observed that the extrusion of feed mixture led to the reduction of the number of microorganisms which ensures safe feedstuff for animal feed production.

The three-year study was conducted on a calcareous chernozem experimental plot of the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops. The experimental field trial was designed as corn - soybean - wheat crop rotation and performed in four replications. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of soybean seed inoculation with microbiological fertilizer, seed treatment with cobalt and molybdenum, as well as the effect of preceding maize crop fertilization with different dosages of nitrogen, on soybean yield and its protein and oil contents. This would allow defining optimal seed treatment that would enable production of high and stable yield of quality soybeans with the rationalization of the use of mineral nitrogen fertilizers. The application of the largest dose of 250 kg N ha-1 was responsible for significantly (by 12.11%) higher yields compared with the control. Grain yield was not affected by the application of cobalt and molybdenum. No significant yield increase was found when seed that was treated only with Nitragin. The contents of protein and oil were statistically very significantly different between the three experimental years because the investigated qualitative properties of grain are highly dependent on hydrothermal conditions. The protein content in the soybean increased very significantly following the increasing amounts of nitrogen. Very significant effect of seed treatment on protein and oil content was found. The two-field system of maize and wheat cultivation should be upgraded to the three-field system: maize - soybean - wheat. The use of cobalt and molybdenum in slightly alkaline and alkaline soils did not contribute to the increase of grain yield or protein content in the grain. However, it caused very significant increase in soybean oil content on slightly alkaline soils. The effect of the increase was 1.77%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of biological indicators provides economically justified, cumulative and rapid insight into pollution-related load in the air. Furthermore, lichens are specific pollutants and give accurate results without the use of an expensive technology. Although their distribution and abundance are known to be affected by high environmental sulphur SO2 (dioxide) concentrations, the results of this study show that such effects are possible without the impact of SO2. Nine lichen genera were examined over a period of six months at ten locations in Novi Sad (Serbia), chosen by significant differences in urbanisation. The relative abundance of lichen populations and environmental concentrations of SO2 and carbon monoxide (CO) were determined at each location, once a week during the six-month period. A total of 1040 air samples were analysed (780 CO analyses and 260 SO2 analyses). The SO2 concentrations were found to be far below the recommended exposure limits throughout the study. The spatial distribution and abundance of lichens were found to be inversely proportional to the CO concentration in the air. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herbs are common resources in, both pure products and traditional drug production. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of artemisinin in Artemisia absinthium L .and test the anticoccidian effects of plant extract in broilers. Anticoccidial effects of the plant extract were tested on chicken challenged with Eimeria tenella. The in vivo investigation was carried out on 150 heavy line broilers (Arbor acres) of both sexes. One hundred fifty, 21 day old chickens were divided into five groups consisting of 30 chicks each. At the age of 21 day, the chicken from first four groups (A to D) were infected with Eimeria tenella sporulated oocysts at a dose of 20.000 per chicken. The negative control consisted of group E chickens that were not infected or treated. The infected chickens were treated with absinthium extracts at the dosages of 1, 2 and 3 mg/kg per day. The results indicated that Artemisia absinthium extract can reduce the severity of coccidial infection induced by Eimeria tenella. The anticoccidial effects of A. absinthium extracts caused significant decrease in output number of oocysts per gram of faeces in chickens challenged with Eimeria tenella. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]