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Welcome to the Open Repository of research and development results of the Mendel University in Brno. The repository serves to archive Open Access publications of university authors. Publications are automatically sent from the OBD system to the repository in the DSpace system.

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To upload articles and other publications to the repository, contact the Open Science Centre: repozitar@mendelu.cz. Before uploading publications, the record must be created in the OBD system.

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Recent Submissions

Effects of Different Forms of Milk Thistle Supplementation in Rabbit Diets on Stress-Induced Physiological Responses
(MDPI AG (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute-MDPI), 2025) Dočkalová, Hana; Baholet Bátik, Daria; Horký, Pavel; Balabánová, Marie; Bátik, Andrej; Ondráček, Jaroslav; Dokoupilová, Adéla
This study evaluated the effects of thermal and noise stress on rabbits (90 HYLA hybrids), focusing on physiological responses, production performance, and welfare. Three dietary treatments were compared: a control diet (C), a diet supplemented with milk thistle seed cake (SMT), and a diet containing fermented milk thistle seed cake (FMT). The aim was to assess whether these feed additives could mitigate the adverse effects of environmental stress. Health status was monitored through clinical observation and analysis of biochemical indicators, including enzymes, lipid and protein metabolism markers, and total antioxidant status. Thermal stress at the onset of fattening influenced average daily gain, feed intake, and carcass yield, while dietary intervention modulated these effects. The FMT group demonstrated the lowest feed intake and most efficient feed conversion during later growth stages, but had lower slaughter weight compared with the control. In contrast, rabbits fed the SMT diet achieved the highest slaughter weight and superior growth efficiency. These findings suggest that milk thistle, particularly in combination with probiotic fermentation, can enhance feed utilization, growth performance, and stress resilience in rabbits, contributing to more sustainable and welfare-oriented production systems.
Above- and below-ground phenology of four tree species in mixed forests and monospecific stands
(John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2025) Guo, Qiwen; Rewald, Boris; Sandén, Hans; Steinparzer, Matthias; Werner, Ramona; Godbold, Douglas Lawrence
The phenology of tree root growth is poorly understood especially for mixed forests. To attempt to fill this knowledge gap, we selected four co-occurring broadleaf trees species of the European forests (Quercus robur, Carpinus betulus, Tilia cordata and Acer platanoides). For these species growing in monocultures and mixtures, we monitored root growth, crown development and soil temperature over 2 years. Our investigation revealed three key findings: (1) Root phenology showed species-specific patterns in monocultures and mixtures, with mixed stands showing patterns which reflected the dominate species. Acer and Carpinus showed earlier growth peak than species Quercus and Tilia. Carpinus and Quercus maintained winter root growth at temperatures as low as 4.2oC, whereas Acer initiated growth in spring at higher temperatures (8.7-8.9oC). (2) Above-ground and below-ground phenological events showed clear asynchrony which was significantly amplified in mixed stands compared to monocultures, with the interval between full leaf expansion and peak root production being longer in mixtures (approximately 5 weeks) than in monocultures (2-3 weeks). Root growth initiation consistently preceded leaf emergence in both monocultures and mixtures, but peak production occurred after full crown development. (3) Species mixing seasonally modified the temperature-growth relationship, with positive correlations observed in winter and negative correlations in summer. Our findings demonstrate that the patterns of root growth modified in mixtures which cannot be predicted from the monocultures. These results highlight the importance of considering below-ground dynamics and species interactions when predicting forest ecosystem responses to climate change.
Comparative effects of synthetic and natural hydrogels enriched with fertilizer on poppy yield and soil health in drought-prone conditions
(Nature Publishing Group, 2025) Kriška, Tomáš; Antošovský, Jiří; Brtnický, Martin; Kučerík, Jiří; Holátko, Jiří; Jančář, Josef; Škarpa, Petr
The negative effects of agricultural drought are particularly pronounced in spring crops, which are generally less tolerant to dry periods. One such crop frequently affected by drought is poppy (Papaver somniferum L.). Hydrogels enriched with fertilizer represent a promising technology to enhance water availability for plants and improve nutrient uptake from applied fertilizers. The aim of this research was to compare the effects of standard fertilizer (NPKS), a natural-based (NHA) hydrogel, a synthetic hydrogel (SAP), and both hydrogels enriched with fertilizer (NHA-NPKS and SAP-NPKS) on culinary poppy yield, the agronomic efficiency of N fertilization (AEN) and soil microbial activity. Each treatment was applied in two dosages (I and II). Results from a three-year field experiment showed that the application of SAP-NPKS at the lower dose (I) significantly increased seed yield. The highest AEN was also observed in the SAP-NPKS I treatment. The highest seed yield overall was achieved with the higher dose of the natural-based hydrogel enriched with fertilizer (NHA-NPKS II). Furthermore, the use of NHA and NHA-NPKS significantly increased soil microbial activity. These findings suggest that fertilizer-enriched natural-based hydrogels are a promising approach for improving soil moisture retention and nutrient availability, particularly under drought conditions in poppy cultivation.
An Evaluation of Two Counting Methods to Establish Rodent Densities in Crop fields
(Česká akademie zemědělských věd, 2025) Heroldová, Marta; Jánová, Eva; Zejda, Jan; Šipoš, Jan; Suchomel, Josef
The common vole (Microtus arvalis) is the main pest in agricultural areas of Central Europe. It is particularly important to monitor its numbers during spring, and if high numbers are detected, some form of pest management should be considered. In the Czech Republic, the number of active burrows is monitored using the burrow index, BI, which allows estimation of the total number of rodents, saves time and is easy to use. We aimed to assess the relationship between the burrow index and the relative abundance of the rodent species examined by snap trapping in crop fields. Bayesian MCMC algorithms with a zero-inflation model were used for this analysis. The positive relationship between BI and vole abundance occurred in the total sample of all fields and in alfalfa, winter wheat and barley crop fields. A positive relationship between BI and the abundance of the wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus), the second most common pest in the area, was only confirmed in barley, and this relationship was negative in winter rape. The positive influence of the degree of weed cover on BI was confirmed in the total sample and in winter rape and alfalfa, but weed cover has a negative effect on BI in barley and winter wheat. In contrast, weed cover did not affect the relative abundance of both rodent species in any of the sampled crops. The presence of shrubs and forests around the fields reduced BI in the whole sample, especially in alfalfa. The relative abundance of the voles was not affected by the presence of shrubs and forests around the crop. Still, a positive influence was confirmed for the abundances of mice in the whole sample and alfalfa. BI can be a reliable indicator of vole abundance in crops with high densities, but it is not very accurate at low densities and in crop fields rarely used by voles, such as sunflower and maize.
Regional Development in Forestry from the Point of View of the Bioeconomy at the EU Member-State Level
(MDPI AG (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute-MDPI), 2025) Holušová, Kateřina; Šilhan, Zdeněk; Holuša, Otakar
This study investigates the integration of forestry into strategic planning across territorial levels in the context of the bioeconomy, using the Czech Republic as a case study of an EU member state. This is examined through a qualitative content analysis of regional and territorial local plans, to identify which topics are associated with forestry (n = 67). Using the example of a private forest owner, the specific implementation is then shown. To gather feedback on the assessed strategic documents, we compared economic results for state, municipal, and private forest owners. The research assumption is that the lower the territorial local level, the greater the importance local governments attach to forestry. The main featured topics are the water regime, sustainable forestry, biodiversity support, climate change, maintenance infrastructure, social functions, and economic competitiveness. The results show that the assumption that the lower the territorial planning level, the more forestry is featured in strategies was not confirmed. The relationship is rather the opposite. The presented economic results clearly demonstrate that financial contributions to forest management are a logical consequence of policies. These results correlated with those of the content analysis. The multi-level approach and use of economic data provide valuable empirical depth, and the main finding challenges common assumptions about policy emphasis at lower governance levels.