Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra is a public university in Nitra, Slovakia.
Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are essential macronutrients that support optimal plant growth and physiological function, and their deficiencies trigger substantial morpho-physiological and biochemical disturbances. Although stomatal movement is a key regulatory mechanism in plant stress responses, the specific impacts of N or P deficiency on stomatal movement, leaf thermoregulation, and associated stress metabolism remain insufficiently understood. This study investigated how N and P deficiencies influence stomatal closure or opening, and how these changes interact with leaf temperature, pigment degradation, oxidative stress, and proline and protein metabolism in rice. Rice seedlings were grown hydroponically under N- and P-deficient conditions. Both deficiencies significantly reduced shoot length, shoot and root fresh weight, and chlorophyll content, while increasing leaf temperature by 8.2
Beetle genetics is becoming increasingly important in research on agricultural ecosystems, not only from a basic biological perspective but also for practical applications in pest management, biodiversity, and agroecosystem sustainability. Our study analyzed the genetic variability of beetle populations (Harpalus rufipes and Silpha obscura) under two types of agricultural management systems—organic and conventional—using RAPD markers. Out of six tested markers (OPB 5, OPB 8, OPB 11, OPB 12, OPB 14, and OPB 18), three markers (OPB 11, OPB 14, and OPB 18) demonstrated clear genetic differentiation between beetle samples collected from organically and conventionally cultivated wheat. The results of DNA fingerprinting and t-SNE analysis confirmed the formation of two genetic clusters corresponding to the management type. Jaccard similarity coefficient values indicated moderate to strong genetic similarity within individual management systems, while similarity between systems was weaker. These findings suggest that agronomic practices influence the genetic structure of beetle populations, likely due to ecological and anthropogenic factors such as pesticide use and landscape modification. The study emphasizes the importance of molecular markers in assessing population-level responses to agroecosystem management and their contribution to sustainable agriculture.
Dairy cows are commonly affected by diseases which negatively impact the economic efficiency of farm profitability and often result in premature culling. This study evaluated the use of raw veterinary records for genetic analysis of health traits in Slovakia (mastitis, claw diseases, metritis and ketosis) using univariate animal models. The final dataset contained 16,703 lactation records for 8,237 Holstein cows. Available raw veterinary data from 2018 to 2023 included 6,930 cases of mastitis, 2,562 cases of claw diseases, 1,320 cases of metritis and 1,125 cases of ketosis. After applying data filtering procedures, the final veterinary dataset retained 2,570 mastitis, 1,001 claw disease, 839 metritis and 500 ketosis cases. For the analysis, diseases were binary coded (0 healthy/1 ill). In cows during first lactation, the occurrence of specific diseases was associated with a lower number of average lactations: 1.55 for ketosis, 1.94 for mastitis, 2.00 for metritis and 2.09 for claw diseases. Heritability estimates were low, from 0.003 +/- 0.003 (metritis, ketosis), 0.020 +/- 0.006 (mastitis), to 0.050 +/- 0.006 (claw diseases). Genetic correlations between diseases were both positive and negative, ranging from 0.674 +/- 0.0003 (mastitis and metritis) to 0.262 +/- 0.0032 (metritis and ketosis). Sire RBVs ranged from 99.77 (ketosis) to 139.03 (mastitis), with considerable overlap among sires across diseases. This study provides an estimation of genetic parameters of health traits in Slovak Holstein cattle for the first time and is a foundation for the implementation of health trait evaluations in this population. Integrating health traits into routine genetic evaluations is advisable to improve animal health, longevity and sustainability.
Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is the most prevalent micronutrient disorder worldwide, affecting nearly one quarter of the global population and disproportionately impacting women and children in low- and middle-income countries. Conventional interventions, such as supplementation and industrial fortification, have shown limited long-term success. Therefore, diet-based strategies using culturally accepted staple foods have gained increasing attention as complementary approaches to preventing IDA. The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), is a staple food widely consumed in Africa and Latin America and is recognized as an important dietary source of protein, fiber, and non-heme iron. However, iron bioavailability is restricted by phytates, polyphenols, and nutrient losses during cooking. Current evidence shows that biofortification and plant breeding strategies can help increase iron levels and lower compounds that interfere with iron absorption, while pilot intervention programs have reported improvements in both dietary iron intake and food security. Recent studies also highlight that reusing bean cooking water may help preserve micronutrients and reduce nutrient losses during processing. Overall, the literature indicates that combining biofortification, improved processing methods, nutrition education, and supportive public policies can strengthen the role of beans as a sustainable dietary approach for reducing the prevalence of IDA. This narrative review summarizes studies published between 2014 and 2025 on iron deficiency anemia, common beans, biofortification, iron bioavailability, and the reutilization of bean cooking water. Current evidence highlights common beans as a sustainable and nutritionally valuable food that can contribute to improving iron intake and supporting the prevention of IDA, particularly among vulnerable populations in low- and middle-income countries.
Food allergies represent a growing public health concern, and current diagnostic tools often fail to detect sensitizations to minor or less-studied allergens. Although herbs have been used for millennia in traditional medicine and nutrition, their allergenic potential remains insufficiently investigated. Evidence indicates that individuals allergic to birch pollen may experience cross-reactive allergic responses to certain herbs and spices due to shared allergenic proteins. This phenomenon, classified as pollen–plant food allergy syndrome, involves IgE cross-reactivity to homologues of PR-10 proteins, profilins, and nonspecific lipid-transfer proteins. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the presence of ypr-10 and profilin homologues in the genomes of 11 commonly used European herbs (Melissa officinalis, Mentha piperita, Tilia cordata, Urtica dioica, Rosa canina, Thymus serpyllum, Plantago lanceolata, Sambucus nigra, Hypericum perforatum, Agrimonia eupatoria, Tanacetum vulgare) belonging to various plant families. Two DNA marker-based methodologies, BBAP and PBAP, were applied to identify allergen homologues and assess genetic relatedness among species. All studied herbs were found to contain homologues of the investigated allergen families. Dendrograms based on Jaccard genetic distance indices revealed distinct clustering patterns. Using the PBAP method, two principal clusters were identified, one comprising primarily members of the order Lamiales (Mentha piperita, Thymus serpyllum, Melissa officinalis, Plantago lanceolata), with the exception of Agrimonia eupatoria (Rosales). The Jaccard index for this cluster ranged from 0.818 to 0.947. In contrast, dendrograms generated with the BBAP method did not align with taxonomic relationships, however the lowest genetic distance (0.545) was observed between M. officinalis and M. piperita. These findings demonstrate that DNA marker systems such as BBAP and PBAP provide cost-effective, rapid tools for screening allergen homologues in medicinal and culinary herbs. This approach may facilitate the identification of potential cross-reactive allergens and improve understanding of herb-related allergic sensitization mechanisms.
