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  • Impacts of ethnoveterinary medicine integrated with livestock farm technologies on the performance and antimicrobial resistance of indigenous goats in South Africa –A review
    93-103
    Views:
    42

    Ethnoveterinary medicine and livestock farm technologies represent a junction of innovation and tradition with the aim to accomplish livestock systems that are resilient, productive, and sustainable to meet 21st century challenges, especially the antimicrobial resistance issue. This article aims to emphasise the impacts of integrating ethnoveterinary medicine with livestock farm technologies on the performance of indigenous goats in South Africa. With the growing concern over antimicrobial resistance in livestock, there is a pressing need for complementary approaches to the health of animals and their productivity. In this review, the aim evaluated whether an integrative approach could offer a sustainable alternative that benefits animal health and productivity while addressing the concerns of antimicrobial resistance. Comparative study designs across multiple indigenous goat farms were used to integrate specific medicinal plants in ethnoveterinary medicine with present-day livestock technologies that are used to monitor the effects on livestock performance indicators and antimicrobial resistance patterns. In the treated populations, the outcomes were indicative of substantial improvements in reproduction and growth rates, and alongside, there has been a notable decrease in the markers of antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, it is proposed that through these discoveries, the integration of these traditional and modern approaches not only improve the performance of indigenous goats but also contribute immensely to the mitigation of risks associated with antimicrobial resistance.

  • The correlation of foreign language proficiency, employment and regional competitiveness in the North Great Plain Region of Hungary
    74-82
    Views:
    61

    Employment is one of the basic factors when evaluating a region’s competitiveness. Boosting employment figures will also increase individual income. However, the creation of jobs alone will not solve the problems of unemployment, as labour force with skills matched to labour market demands should also be available. Continuous development of the labour force, adjusted to recent needs in the labour market, can contribute to a region’s competitiveness. Mismatches between education and labour market requirements would be too expensive, especially for backward regions like the North Great Plain Region of Hungary. Foreign language education should also be adapted to the changing economy when selecting target languages and language skills. A workforce equipped with contemporary and needed second language skills can be an element in making a region attractive for investors. Although current trends show signs of improvement, Hungary and especially the North Great Plain Region still does not have much to offer in this respect. The paper examines the reasons for the low level of second language acquisition among Hungarians and the population of the North Great Plain Region and explores the ways foreign language knowledge could promote economic development.

  • Potential use of bamboo in the phytoremediation in of heavy metals: A review
    91-97
    Views:
    287

    There are many literature sources focusing on the phytoremediation of woody plants, but there are only few dealing with the phytoremediation of bamboo plants. Phytoremediation technology has the advantages of little disturbance to the environment and low remediation cost. Bamboo mainly exists in tropical and subtropical regions. As an energy plant, bamboo has a fast growth cycle, large biomass, simple cultivation, high economic efficiency, and convenient harvesting, which highlights the advantages of bamboo in phytoremediation. In addition, bamboo plants have good tolerance and uptake ability to heavy metals and have high application potential and development value in uptaking heavy metal contaminated soil. However, due to climate, temperature and other reasons, bamboo cannot be widely planted in most countries. Research status of remediation of heavy metal contaminated soil by bamboo plants is summarized. The feasibility of its application in heavy metal contaminated soil is discussed in this paper. Aiming at the shortcomings of existing research, bamboo plants have a prospect in the field of plant phytoremediation for the future.

  • Drought cycle tracking in Hungary using Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI)
    97-101
    Views:
    313

     Drought is one of the natural hazard risks which badly affects both agricultural and socio-economic sectors. Hungary, which is located in Eastern Europe has been suffering from different drought cycles; therefore, the aim of this study is to analyse the rainfall data obtained from ten metrological stations (Békéscsaba, Budapest, Debrecen, Győr, Kékestető, Miskolc, Pápa, Pécs, Szeged, Siófok, Szolnok) between 1985 and 2016, by using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI).

    The results showed that 2011 was recorded as the worst drought cycle of the studied period, where the SPI ranged between -0.22 (extreme drought) in Siófok, and 0.15 (no drought) in Miskolc. In a similar vein, the study highlighted the year 2010 to be the best hydrological year, when the SPI reached 0.73 (mildly wet) on average. Interestingly, the Mann-Kendall trend test for the drought cycle showed no positive trends in the study area. Finally, more investigation should be conducted into the climate change spatial drought cycle in Europe.

  • Renewable energy development in Hungary
    73-77
    Views:
    106

    Due to the exhaustion of the fossile fuel reserves of the Earth, the increase of fossile fuel prices and the difficulties concerning stable fuel supply, the increase of electricity production from renewable energy sources has a special strategic importance. In this study, I am going to evaluate the circumstances of the production and use of renewable energy sources in Hungary and in the European Union. I present the Hungarian economic, energy policy-related and social circumstances which make it necessary to support renewable energy production. I am going to give an overview on the related EU strategies concerning the sector and the Hungarian development plan in this field. I pay particular attention to the examination of development opportunities and the R&D activities going on in this area in Hungary, as well as the efficiency of the means used to improve renewable energy use.

  • comparison of agricultural income in Hungary and the New Federal States of Germany
    15-24
    Views:
    86

    There are a lot of literatures that investigate the agricultural transition both in Hungary and former GDR. However there is no one, which examines and compares the income situation in the above mentioned countries. The aim of this article is to analyse that. The investigation is based on the data of Economic Accounts for Agriculture (EAA). The result shows that the agricultural income is much higher in the New Federal States of Germany if we take into account the subsidies, however without subsidies it would be higher in Hungary.

  • Study of animal welfare status and heat stress measures applied in dairy cow herds in Hungary
    79-82
    Views:
    102

    The following material focuses on dairy production and climate related issues in Hungary. All the data was gathered during PhD
    project: Study of animal welfare status in dairy cow herds in Hungary. Relations between animal welfare and climate changes expressed by
    increase in temperature are described. Extremely hot weather creates hard conditions for milking cows when animal welfare is highly
    compromised. From the preliminary results obtained one might formulate hypothesis that there are still areas on the farms where immediate
    actions should be taken to give a relief to cows in hot seasons. There was found significant number of farms with too many animals per one
    water trough, dirty water troughs, limited access to water troughs and hazardous surface for cows in critical places where many animals are
    gathered. Calves with not sufficient amount of water in hot days and other parts of the year were reported. Silage exposure to the sun and
    mouldy food in a silage clump was also found to be an important factor in monitoring impact of warm weather. Half of the farms letting
    animals to spend time on the pasture or paddock did not provide shade for animals. Low conception rate of first insemination was predicted
    to be influenced by heat stress, what is proved by lack of heat decreasing measures taken on the farms.

  • The effect of different shading net on the Quantum Efficiency of PS II in chilli pepper cultivar ‘Star Flame’
    21-23
    Views:
    361

    The study was undertaken to identify the effect of different shading net on the quantum efficiency of PS II on ‘Star Flame’ chilli pepper (Capsicum annuum) over a period of time cultivated under plastic house environment. ‘Star Flame’ pepper was grown under red shading net and samples without shading were used as control. Analysis of photosynthetic activity revealed a significant difference (p<0.05) between Fv/Fm values in control and red shading at the end of July (p = 0.031) after the first harvest. Chlorophyll fluorescence parameter Fv/Fm reflects the maximum quantum efficiency of photosystem II (PS II) used in the detection of early stress in plants.

     

  • Dieback of apricot plantations caused by 'Ca. Phytoplasma prunorum' in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county (Northern-Hungary)
    34-41
    Views:
    119

    Plant diseases caused by phytoplasmas have increasing importance in all over the world for fruit growers. Lately, phytoplasma diseases occur on many fruit varieties and responsible for serious losses both in quality and quantity of fruit production. In the long-run these diseases cause destruction of fruit trees. The apricot phytoplasma disease (Ca. Phytoplasma prunorum) was first reported in Europe in 1924 from France. In 1992 the disease has also been identified in Hungary. On the base of growers' signals serious damages of "Candidatus Phytoplasma prunorum" Seemüller and Schneider, 2004 (formerly: European stone fruit yellows phytoplasma) could be observed in different stone fruit plantations in the famous apricot-growing area nearby Gönc town, Northern-Hungary. Field examinations have been begun in 2009 in several stone fruit plantations in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County mainly in Gönc region which is one of the most important apricot growing regions in Hungary, named “Gönc Apricot Growing Area”. Our goals were to diagnose the occurrence of Ca. Phytoplasma prunorum on stone fruits (especially on apricot) in the North-Hungarian growing areas by visual diagnostics and confirm data by laboratory PCR-based examinations. All the 28 collected samples were tested in laboratory trials and at 13 samples from apricot, peach, sour cherry and wild plum were confirmed the presence of phytoplasma (ESFY). On the base of observations it seems evident that the notable losses caused by "Ca. Phytoplasma prunorum" is a new plant health problem to manage for fruit growers, especially apricot producers in Hungary. 

  • Lack of polymorphism of the agouti signaling protein (ASIP) gene among four different brown hare (Lepus europaeus Pallas 1778) populations
    81-85
    Views:
    140

    The brown hare (Lepus europaeus Pallas 1778) is a common palearctic and a popular game species therefore it has been an obvious subject for population genetic studies since the second part of the 20th century. Among the several mitochondrial DNA studies some have been carried out concerning nuclear genes as well. The agouti signaling protein gene (ASIP) is involved in regulating the synthesis of eumelanin and pheomelanin in melanocytes of mammals. Though many studies focused on it in relation with several mammalian species, minimal information is available on this topic concerning the brown hare.

    Here we present a short communication concerning the agouti signaling protein (ASIP) gene in four different country’s L. europaeus populations, namely Lithuania, Hungary, Serbia and Georgia. N=45 tissue samples have been investigated from overall 17 sampling sites of the different countries. There has not been found any polymorphism among the sequences. In an alignment with other Leporid species’ partial ASIP sequences downloaded from ENA we have found that based on a 178 base pairs long DNA sequence the haplotype of our samples contains three other Lepus species as well. This is concordant with the findings of a previous study focusing predominantly on the European rabbit (Orycto lagus cuniculus Linnaeus 1758) and the several mutations of its ASIP gene.

  • Examination of different fungicides against Macrophomina phaseolina in laboratory conditions
    65-69
    Views:
    144

    In Hungary, sunflower is the third most important arable crop, which has a lot of pathogenic fungi. One of these fungi is the Macrophomina phaseolina, which is a well-known fungus in all over the world, since this pathogen has more than 700 host plants. In Hungary, several host plants can be found as well. The M. phaseolina produces microsclerotia, which can survive in the soil and residues for almost 10 years. For now, there is no efficient treatment against this pathogen because of this fungus, since it is extremely resistant and cannot be destroyed easily. The only effective treatment against the fungus is genetic defence. In this study, three different fungicides were tested in vitro against the fungus. The Mirage (prochloraz) seemed to be the most effective fungicide as it completely arrested the hyphal growth. In contrast, the Amistar Xtra (azoxystrobin and ciprochonazol) has only a minor effect on the growth of M. phaseolina. Thirdly, the Retengo (pyrachlostrobin) arrested the hyhpal growth of the fungus with 71% at 100 ppm, in other words, the use of this fungicide seems promising. 

  • Examination of the sub-regions in the North Great Plain Region
    158-163
    Views:
    94

    Before Hungary joined the European Union – in order to gain access to the sources of Structural Funds and to create the expected regional information service – a build up of five-level territorial system was indispensable. Both in the EU and in Hungary, there are significant differences among regions. The aim of regional policy is to reduce differences regarding development and living standards, in order to guarantee a reasonable living standard and income for every region’s inhabitants in the EU.
    In Hungary, during the last decade, the effects of regional difference grew. While the advantage of the leading capital and its agglomeration and the eastern and western parts of Transdanubia was growing, meanwhile the most undeveloped areas' rates of development remained under the mean. The underdeveloped areas are in the northeastern part and in Southern Transdanubia. The developmental differences lead to such great social asymmetries, that these simply beg for remedying.
    In this study, I would like to present the sub-regions of the North Great Plain Region and uncover the possible reasons of the developmental differences.

  • The situation and role of higher education in the North Hungary region
    91-96
    Views:
    127

    Northern Hungary is one of the most disadvantageous regions of Hungary and the European Union; "keeping force" is extremely week. The regional spatial inequalities – despite the national and EU convergence program – have been increasing year by year. The social and economic situation of the region shows negative trends. Negative features of the migration processes are manifested in the candidates' choice for tertiary education has increased in the region in the past three years parallel with the proportion of those who are not on site, but primarily in the Central Hungarian region to continue their studies. An intensification of the negative trends is experienced in the economic processes both in jobs and the structure and performance of the local economy in respect of per capita income.

    The transition from the nineties has decisively influenced the social and economic processes and the status of tertiary education institutions and their constantly changing role in the region. The role of education has become a key point of their activities as financing of the sector encouraged the institutions to increase the number of students and training offer, while R&D as form of cooperation in the economic sphere overshaded. Nowadays and over the past decade the increasing demand to transform their educational profile has increased in accordance with the social and economic situation of the region, adjusted to the catch-up and development opportunities of the region.

  • Characterisation of basic water balance parameters of Debrecen
    35-40
    Views:
    200

    This work aims to develop a hydrological modelling tool to help managers make the right decisions for Debrecen, in the face of water scarcity and the increase in agricultural and domestic needs over time. The methodology was based on the creation of a climatic database, at monthly time steps, from 2016 to 2019, and cartographic (land use, digital elevation model, and hydrological network). As a next step, the watershed was delimitated into sub-basins to determine the shape and the physiographic characteristics of sub-watersheds. Finally, a hydrological study was prepared by calculating the time of concentration to build a database of water resources in the study area. This water resource will be used as an input parameter for urban farming.

  • Chromatometric comparison of Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) and Feral Pigeon (Columba livia domestica) feathers
    19-22
    Views:
    189

    Chromatometric examination of the plumage of birds is a poorly researched topic. We have approached this issue in primarily aspect of differences in plumage of species. Moulted feathers sample collection method has been increasingly used. Reliable identification of feathers becomes an increasingly important issue, hence need for an exact measurement-based methodology. Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) and Feral Pigeon (Columba livia domestica) primary, secondary and tail feathers were studied. Chromatometric parameters of feathers were measured in CIELAB color system and then statistical analysis (Independent samples t-test, Descriptive Statistics, Discriminant Analysis) was performed to compare the two species. Instrumental measurements has been confirmed the high similarity between colors of the two species, however species specific differences were also found. Lightless (L*) value were significantly characteristic of particular species, while the red/green (a*) and yellow/blue (b*) value had lower Predictive Power. We identified feathers and the variables which useable to separate the two species and determined the associated Confidence Intervals of these values. Our results may draw attention to a new potential direction for exact identification of the moulted feathers during sample collection.

  • Influences of water deficiency on the productivity of young plants at different sites
    371-378
    Views:
    128

    Water deficiency has become one of the most limiting factors of crop production in Hungary as the tendency in annual amounts of precipitation shows a decreasing tendency; therefore, it has become similar to those of Southern Europe. The most significant decrease in precipitation occurs typically during spring, approximately 20% of the data expressed in the averages of the last century. Studying the relationship between water deficiency as a stress factor and nutrient supply is important in order to improve the production efficiency of crops. Nowadays, this problem receives outstanding attention presented in numerous papers both in Hungary and globally, however, there are several questions yet to be answered. Our pot experiments were carried out under controlled greenhouse conditions in order to establish new data on these relationships. Experimental soils were typical for Western Transdanubia, taken from long-term field experiments representing four different site characteristics of the region. It was concluded from the results that drought periods during the early growth stages (i.e. 4–5 weeks after emergence) of plants may result in significant decreases in both dry matter production, nutrient concentrations, nutrient uptake and shoot:root ratios. Better nutrient supply, especially potassium, plays a significant role in reducing the negative effects of water deficiency.

  • Examination of Zn deficiency on some physiological parameters in case of maize and cucumber seedlings
    5-9
    Views:
    85

    Zinc (Zn) is an essential micronutrient needed not only for people, but also crops. Almost half of the world’s cereal crops are deficient in
    Zn, leading to poor crop yields. In fact, one-third (33%) of the world's population is at risk of Zn deficiency in rates, ranging from 4% to
    73% depending on the given country. Zn deficiency in agricultural soils is also a major global problem affecting both crop yield and quality.
    The Zn contents of soils in Hungary are medium or rather small. Generally, the rate of Zn deficiency is higher on sand, sandy loam or soil
    types of large organic matter contents. High pH and calcium carbonate contents are the main reasons for the low availability of Zn for
    plants (Karimian and Moafpouryan, 1999). It has been reported that the high-concentration application of phosphate fertilisers reduces Zn
    availability (Khosgoftarmanesh et al., 2006). Areas with Zn deficiency are particularly extensive in Békés, Fejér and Tolna County in
    Hungary, yet these areas feature topsoils of high organic matter contents. Usually, Zn is absorbed strongly in the upper part the soil, and it
    has been observed that the uptakeable Zn contents of soil are lower than 1.4 mg kg-1.
    Maize is one of the most important crops in Hungary, grown in the largest areas, and belongs to the most sensitive cultures to Zn
    deficiency. Zn deficiency can causes serious damage in yield (as large as 80 %), especially in case of maize. On the other hand, Zn
    deficiency can also cause serious reduction in the yields of dicots. One of the most important vegetables of canning industry is cucumber,
    which is grown all over the world.
    In this study, the effects of Zn deficiency have investigated on the growth of shoots and roots, relative and absolute chlorophyll contents,
    fresh and dry matter accumulation, total root and shoot lengths, the leaf number and leaf area of test plants in laboratory. Experimental
    plants used have been maize (Zea mays L. cv. Reseda sc.) and cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. cv. Delicatess). A monocot and dicot plant have
    chosen a to investigate the effects of Zn deficiency, because they have different nutrient uptake mechanism.
    It has been observed that the unfavourable effects of Zn deficiency have caused damage in some physiological parameters, and
    significantly reduced the growth, chlorophyll contents of monocots and dicots alike.

  • Optimal age of breeding gilts and its impact on lifetime performance
    15-20
    Views:
    511

    Age at first breeding and lifetime reproductive performance was analyzed on 17,558 F1 Landrace x Yorkshire gilts from 9 piglet producing herds of Midwest, United States entered in herds between 1st Jan 2014 and 31st July 2016. At the time of data collection Dec 2018, 15% of the sows were still active in the herds hence excluded from the analysis. Individual gilt data included date of birth, age in days at first mating, piglet total born by parity, lifetime piglet total born and reason for culling. Quality data checks were done before analysis to eliminate all outlier values together with sows that had no entry information for any listed category. The total database of the sows was classified into 6 classes according to age at the first mating in days 170-190(n=754), 191-211(n=4683), 212-232(n=7123), 233-253(n=3385), 254-274(n=1002) and 275-369 (n=611). Piglet total born obtained from each sow during the lifetime production was significantly (P < 0.05) greater for gilts bred between 233-253 days of age at first mating. Gilts that were bred at <233 days appeared to have a higher risk of removal by farrowing productivity as compared to the other groups. However, the results show that the risk of being culled due to health problems and conformation issues increases as the age at first mating is delayed. Overall reproductive failure appears to be the most economical culling reason across all age groups. There is a need to evaluate the best management decisions for gilt initiation in a herd to maximize her lifetime performance. The results indicate that gilts mated for the first time at the right age, 233–253 days, are more productive, both in lifetime total born and have a minimal risk of culling due to farrowing productivity.

  • Regionalism in the organisation of traffic in Hungary
    15-19
    Views:
    116

    In the member states of the European Union, especially in Germany and Austria, regionalism has a growing importance by the organising of public services. At the field of public transport services the regional organising methods will be realised through the establishment of public transport associations in interest of coordinating the local, suburban and regional public transport interests. In the period since the 90’s there are a not a lot of best practices regarding the regional organisation of public transport services in Hungary. The study goals to present the position of the local and regional interest in the public transport organisation in Hungary, and deals with the reason the lack of best practices also.

  • Developing vegetable and fruit marketability potentials in Hajdu-Bihar county in terms of Hungary’s EU accession
    60-69
    Views:
    83

    prearrangement, Hungary will be ready to join the EU by the 1st of January 2003. In the course of negotiations, the Government places special emphasis on agriculture, because Hungary is an agrarian country. Agricultural production is an important economic factor in Hungary: larger a factor in its economic structure than in those of the present EU member-states. In order to preserve competitiveness, Hungarian farmers and its
    processing industry require information on the EU's CAP and other market influences.
    In Hajdú-Bihar county the quality of agricultural products fall behind the standards of the European Union. There is no real solidarity among farmers, so they are left alone and are unable to meet higher, those standards, which were introduced by the structural changes of the market. Unfortunately, there is only one fruit and vegetable marketing organization (PO) in the county, although its necessity and effectiveness has been proved several times.
    Within the framework of Rural Development, agricultural marketing is vital, because together with the local FVM institutes, it can help the farmers by providing consultation, information, and by marketing their products. Since fruit and vegetable growing has a considerable history in Hajdú-Bihar county, marketing activities can be effective in assisting both the farmers and the processing industry in preparation for EU integration.

  • Environmental Indicators – Agri-Environmental Indicators
    248-255
    Views:
    77

    close relation. This means that policies related to the economy and the environment cannot be handled without each other. The United Nations Conference (Stockholm, 1972) was the first global conference to signal that environment concerns have increasingly become subject of mainstream socio-economic policies. The process started in the Seventies, laying emphasis on environment protection, plays an important role in the policy of international agencies. The use of environmental indicators is essential for monitoring the effects of environmental measures. The best way of evaluating sustainability if the results can be compared on a global level. International efforts are being made by the United Nations (UN), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Statistical Office of the European Commission (Eurostat) and other international agencies to develop a framework for environment statistics. This study deals with these frameworks, paying attention to agri-environment indicators. Hungary became a member of the UN in 1955, of the OECD in 1996, and will become a member of the European Union in 2004. The first summary in connection with environmental indicators of Hungary, taking the OECD Pressure – State – Response framework as a basis, was published in 1994. As a result, comparability of environmental indicators for Hungary with those used international are given.

  • Utilization of the field experiment results of University of Debrecen in the development of maize-based bio-ethanol production
    55-57
    Views:
    146

    Maize is currently the single raw material of bio-ethanol production in Hungary. The aim of our examinations is the observation of yield and
    nutritional characteristics of commercial maize hybrids in Hungary from the aspect of efficient bio-ethanol production. We set up a 
    randomized block field trial. We determined the starch content and starch yield (t ha-1) of the 51 maize hybrids involved in the field trial.
    In laboratory conditions, we examined the amylose and amylopectin ratio and the amount of resistant starch of the selected 20 maize hybrids.
    According to our results, there is a significant difference between the starch yield the amylose component of the starch content and resistant starch of the examined maize hybrids. Our studies reveal that maize as a raw material must be selected based on the cultivation objectives. If the objective is bio-ethanol production, detailed knowledge of starch content is necessary. There is a significant difference among commercial maize hybrids in Hungary in terms of characteristics determining the producible amount of bio-ethanol.

  • Interpretation of rurality and the situation of land use in Hungary
    79-85
    Views:
    189

    The summarizing data collection of our study has been carried out in the scope of the FP7-REGPOT-2010-1 ’UD_AGR_REPO’ project as a part of the cooperation with the University of Lincoln. The University of Lincoln is an important partner of the project, the knowledge transfer activities that have been carried jointly with them are multilateral. One of the most important cooperation areas is the analysis of rural areas, rurality itself, determination of breakout points, exploration of alternative income sources, diversification possibilities. Some part of the work of the University of Lincoln on the field of rural development is based on the assessment and documentation global similarities and differences of rural areas. Present study also contributes to that work, it has been prepared on the request of the University of Lincoln with the aim of providing insight into the special political and economic changes/processes that took place in Hungary, and through them into the structure and operation of the unique Hungarian rural areas.

    The study first positions the definition of rurality and rural areas into context on the basis of official EU and Hungarian legal classification. Then it covers the important agricultural nature of Hungary, which significantly determines the possibilities and properties of Hungarian rural areas. The further description of rural areas is completed by some historical summary, the introduction of ownership changes, detailed description of employment and income conditions and finally by the listing of breakout points of rural areas as a conclusion.

  • Upgrading breeding value estimation in beef cattle
    451-458
    Views:
    207

    This paper gives a summary of the possibility for applying genomic information for breeding value estimation in beef cattle breeding. This process is called genomic prediction and is now widely used in dairy cattle globally as well as in some beef and sheep populations. The advantage of genomic prediction is a more accurate estimate of the genetic merit of an individual at a young age thereby facilitating greater annual genetic gain, predominantly through shorter generation intervals. Genomic predictions are more advantageous for sex-linked (e.g., milk yield), low heritability (e.g., fertility) and difficult-to-measure (e.g., feed intake) traits. The larger the reference population, on average, the more accurate the genomic predictions; additionally, the closer genetically the reference population is to the candidate population, the greater the accuracy of genomic predictions. Research is continuing on strategies to generate accurate genomic predictions using a reference population consisting of multiple breeds (and crossbred). Retrospective analysis of real-life data where genomic predictions have been operation for several years clearly shows a benefit of this technology.

  • The future of apple growing in the Northern Great Plain region
    35-38
    Views:
    107

    We revealed and assessed those macroeconomic data which enabled us to identify the outstanding role of agriculture and within it that of fruit production. Based on this, it can be said that soil is the most important natural resource of Hungary. The appropriate combination of the additional resources required for production, labour and assets can provide a comparative advantage for the Northern Great Plain Region.
    The Northern Great Plain Region is one of the most underdeveloped regions in Hungary, so its development is a political objective. When analysing the economic sectors in the region, the important role of agriculture is obvious and it is also clear that the industry and the tertiary sector can only have an alternative income generating role in the future also. Therefore, it is important that the regional development funds of Hungary and the European Union are directly or indirectly aimed at improving agricultural development and competitiveness.