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Currently, there is an alarming increase in food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic in many countries throughout the world. This will be seen particularly in the countries of the Global South (developing countries). Many countries are trying to show efforts to keep agriculture, food industry and markets running, the supply chains and access to the markets and affordable food is still not secured. Disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are going to/or already have affected the poor and other marginalised groups, mainly those with less purchasing power. It is necessary to mitigate the pandemic's impacts across the food system, enhance the resilience of food systems and avoid any potential food shortages. Therefore, this paper provides an overview of past pandemics and tries to synthesise the main lessons learned from these while also outlining visions of post-COVID-19 agriculture and the effects on food security., Graphical abstract Image, graphical abstract

Biological control of root diseases of lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) has potential benefits for stand performance but this remains unsupported by evidence from practical field studies.In field experiments at three sites our objectives were to determine the effect of Pythium oligandrum, as spring, autumn and intensive regime treatments on (i) lucerne plant density and root traits development, and (ii) forage yield and forage traits. Lucerne stands were managed under two or three treatments: non-treated control and P. oligandrum applied at two intensities of application under four-cut utilization.Under relatively dry conditions (annual mean 10°C and500 mm precipitation) lucerne dry matter yield was significantly reduced by 6%, which could be related to mechanisms of inappropriate stimulation and disturbance of the balance between auxins and ethylene. Under annual precipitation of500 mm, positive impacts on stand height or fine root mass were observed for the autumn and intensive treatments where positive root response was visible only in alluvial soil. However, these changes did not result in higher yield and probably more applications per year will be needed for significant forage yield improvement. This study highlights the limits of field-scale biological control in which the potential of P. oligandrum for lucerne productivity improvement was realised only under a humid environment or deep alluvial soils, where higher root disease infestation may also be expected.

Effects of fertilization on grassland have been widely investigated in terms of botanical composition, forage yield and quality, and their agricultural and environmental consequences. However, there are no published studies of the contribution of fertilization to variability of forage quality involving systematic investigation of this effect. Therefore, our objectives were to: (i) evaluate the impact of long-term fertilization treatments on Arrhenatherion elatioris-type meadow vegetation, (ii) investigate effects of interaction among year, cut and fertilization on forage quality in association with forage yield and functional groups proportion with quantification of fertilization effect, and (iii) compare the predictive ability of visually estimated functional groups coverage (FGC) vs. weight proportion ratio of functional groups (FGW) for variability in forage quality in the first cut. Six mineral fertilization treatments (control, N0P40K100, and P40K100 in combination with 50, 100, 150 and 200 kg N ha−1) were evaluated over a three-year period (2014–2016) under a three-cut regime. Intensive NPK fertilization doubled forage yield and increased the grass proportion with a corresponding decrease of forbs and legumes. Grass proportion in harvested forage was positively correlated with fibre content in the first cut and with organic matter digestibility and net-energy for lactation in subsequent cuts. In all cuts there was a consistent correlation in ash and crude protein content with legumes and forbs. Fertilization had less influence on forage quality, compared with inter-year effects or seasonal variability. For each cut, fertilization contributed around 20% of the variability in forage quality, where half of its contribution was realized through increased yield and changes in proportion of functional groups. The explanation power of functional groups in the first cut was slightly higher for the FGC method than the FGW proportion method, which suggests both methods are at least as effective in relation to grassland nutritive value. In summary, if fertilization results in only small changes in grassland yield or botanical composition, its effect on forage quality is greatly reduced. Plant developmental stage or nutritive value of particular species are potential explanations for the rest of the variability.

The objective of this study was to evaluate in vitro and in vivo potential of a specific commercial blend of essential oil active compounds (BEO) to improve rumen fermentation and general dairy cow performance. First, the main active components of the BEO were identified and quantified. Then, the in vitro experiment was conducted using 24 h batch incubation of buffered rumen fluid. The BEO was added at 0, 20, 100, 200, 600, and 1000 mg/l of culture fluid, with substrate containing forage and concentrate at a ratio of 60:40 dry matter (DM) basis. The concentrations of 600 and 1000 mg/l decreased (P

It is a common practice to grow lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) in mixture with grass. The development of lucerne root morphology along with concomitant forage mixture growth, however, has been rarely studied in multi-year field experiments. Our objectives were: (i) to assess the effect of a grass component on lucerne root trait development, (ii) to evaluate changes in forage yield and aboveground traits in the lucerne monocultures and lucerne-grass mixtures and (iii) to investigate the relationships between root traits and lucerne yield, total forage yield, as well as forage aboveground traits, using multivariate methods. Treatments were a factorial combination of four lucerne varieties and three lucerne sowing ratios [100% (L100), 90% (L90) and 75% (L75)] with grass hybrid Festuca pratensis × Lolium multiflorum under a three-cut harvesting regime in a 4-year experiment. Lucerne yield, total forage yield and forage aboveground traits were evaluated at each cut. Each autumn, lucerne plants were evaluated for root morphology traits and scored for root disease. The negative impact of the presence of a grass component on lucerne root morphology development was observed only in combination with the higher lucerne sowing ratio (L90), with reduced intensity of root branching and increased depth of the first lateral root. In two post-seeding years out of three, total forage yield was 4–8 % higher for lucerne-grass mixture in comparison with monoculture. From all lucerne yield components in the mixture, stem density was the best predictor for lucerne yield. Lucerne root morphology explains about 10% of forage yield and aboveground traits variability where calculated root potential index, lucerne plant density and root dry matter mostly correlated with lucerne yield in the mixture. Root potential index was an effective indicator for monitoring root development and was even effective for comparing lucerne varieties in mixture. Understanding the relationships between root morphology development and lucerne stand performance in a mixture can help in optimization of sowing ratio and stand evaluation.

Biological control of root diseases of red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) could be effective but optimization of its application is needed to balance treatment efficacy with costs. Our objectives were to evaluate the effects of different Pythium oligandrum application treatments on root morphological development, plant root disease score and forage yield in a three-year field experiment. Red clover cv. Start was managed under a three-cut management in two harvest years with four treatments: (i) untreated control, (ii) multiple applications of P. oligandrum (intensive treatment), (iii) a single spring application, and (iv) a single autumn application. Plants from each plot were evaluated for root morphology traits and scored for root diseases in each autumn. Forage yield, compressed stand height and stem density were evaluated in each cut. All P. oligandrum treatments increased root dry matter and root potential index, but only the intensive treatment significantly improved forage yield (by 31%) in comparison with the control. This effect could be largely associated with plant growth stimulation resulting in increased stand height before cutting. Among single application treatments, autumn timing significantly reduced plant root disease score and showed higher stand height than spring application. One application later in the season seems likely to be effective for forage growth stimulation, but probably at least two applications are needed to produce maximum effect. Despite some drought stress during the first two years, this field study confirmed an effect of P. oligandrum on improved root development and a positive yield response, thus showing a high potential of this biological control treatment under field conditions.

Changes in lucerne ( Medicago sativa L.) root morphology concurrent with forage growth have been little studied in multi-year field experiments with lucerne stands though they could provide explanations for differences in performance among tested treatments. Our objectives were: (i) to compare lucerne root trait development under three- and four-cut managements over a 4-year period, and (ii) to investigate relationships among root traits, and between root traits and lucerne varieties, cutting frequencies, root sampling periods, lucerne dry matter yield and evidence of root disease incidence and plant density, using multivariate methods. Treatments were a factorial combination of 15 lucerne cultivars with managements of three and four cuts per year. Each spring and autumn, plants were evaluated for root morphology traits and scored for root disease. Root morphology traits were strongly modified by sampling period and plant density, which together explained over 40% of total variability. The development over time was positively associated with an increase in tap-root diameter (TD) and root mass accumulation, whereas root density determined changes in root branching traits. The four-cut management reduced TD and root branching in association with lower forage yield. Variety effect was significant but contributed only 2.8% of total variability. Root branching showed a positive correlation with forage yield through a large increase of TD for branch-rooted plants, but more intensive root branching was associated with a significantly higher disease score than in tap-rooted plants. For optimization of evaluation of root traits, we proposed a root potential index (RPI) integrating TD and plant density. This RPI showed a closer relation to yield than TD, plant density or root biomass alone, in the arable cultivation layer. Our results reveal that monitoring of root morphology is an effective tool to characterize the production potential of lucerne as a sown field crop, and may explain yield differences among the various experimental treatments. Understanding these relationships between root morphology and lucerne stand performance can help in breeding selection as well as effective lucerne stand evaluation.

Maize genotype selection represents a practical tool influencing forage yield and quality. The main objective was to investigate the contribution of genotype, site, and year to variability of maize yield and quality in the environment of Central Europe. Totally 63 maize genotypes at 11 sites over a 7-year period were evaluated for dry matter yield (DMY), dry matter content (DM), starch, cob, neutral detergent fibre (NDF), in situ digestibility of stover NDF (NDFD), and organic matter (OMD). The genotype showed the highest variability from all factors where stover NDFD varied from 261 to 529 g kg-1 and stover OMD from 376 to 609 g kg-1. In contrast to the whole-plant, variability of stover traits was more closely related to NDF than the DM content. Under standardized plant DM, all tested factors were significant and allowed interpretation of 70 and 60% of total variation of yield and quality for stover and whole plant, respectively. The average contributions of genotype, site, and year were 30, 7, and 5%, respectively. For variability in plant productivity and nutritive value, the importance of maize genotype selection was more than two times higher than the contribution of environment.

The aim of this study was to describe the relationships among lambs' birth weight, survivability traits, growth performance, and selected factors in Suffolk lambs kept under a specified extensive management system. Data were collected regarding 1012 Suffolk lambs born during a 3-year period (2012–2014) in one flock. Statistical analyses were conducted using the SAS and CANOCO program software. Birth weight was found to be an important factor influencing survivability and growth performance traits. Lambs with too low a birth weight ( 6.0 kg) compared to lambs with a birth weight of 4–5.9 kg. Generally, the highest results of growth performance traits were detected in groups of lambs with a birth weight of 5.0–5.9 and 6.0–9.0 kg. Therefore, the optimal birth weight of Suffolk lambs was in the range of 5.0 to 5.9 kg in the evaluated flock management system. Litter size was found to be the dominant factor influencing birth weight, survivability, and growth performance traits, such that singles tended to have the highest birth weight and growth performance traits, while higher survivability traits were found in twins. The results of multivariate relations also clearly indicated that the selection of lambs should be focused on twins with regard to the monitoring of mature ewes' live weight at mating, which helped to improve the lambs' survivability traits, in particular. The monitoring of ewes' mature live weight at mating should also serve as a tool for flock management to shorten the lambing period in the flock and to improve the birth weight and growth performance traits of lambs. The mature ewe body condition score at mating should be monitored to ensure that lambs are adequately meaty and fatty. This study confirmed the importance of keeping records of birth weight and suggested practical implications of some important factors when improving flock profitability.

This study concerned evaluating of body mass index (BMI) as a nutritional status characteristic and trying to detect its influence on milk or meat production in original Wallachian sheep. Multivariate analysis of these relationships was performed by principal component analysis. GLM procedure was used to determine linear regressions between BMI and nutritional status characteristic or ewe productivity traits. BMI had a positive association with all the body energy reserves characteristic. The strongest orientation was demonstrated between BMI and musculus longissimus lumborum et thoracis depth, when 1 point increase of BMI was associated with 1.27 mm (P 0.05). BMI also showed to have the higher influence on the milk (P 0.05) productivity traits than all the nutritional status attributes. BMI is a complex attribute including a body weight as well as body dimension. Its positive association with others nutritional status traits indicated its use as additional attribute. The relations of BMI with the productivity traits showed it as an interesting tool in flock management.

A study was carried out in Central Bohemia to understand the effect of row spacing and stand density on plant morphology, productivity and quality of silage maize in two row spacing treatments (0.70 m and 0.35 m) at two stand densities (92,000 plants/ha and 110,000 plants/ha). The results of the study showed that row spacing and stand density had no effect on plant height or weight; however, significantly higher ear ratio and dry matter content was found in narrow rows at 110,000 plants/ha. It was observed that plant morphology was affected more by the interaction between row spacing and stand density than by a single effect of tested factors. Significantly higher dry matter yield was recorded at higher stand density, but there was no row spacing × stand density interaction. Row spacing had no impact on the whole plant neutral detergent fiber (NDF) content, crude protein of stover and starch content of ear, while narrow rows resulted in almost significantly higher stover NDF content. Our results suggest that narrow rows could be advantageous for maize morphology and quality in cases where higher stand density is applied.

Fertilization management influences not only productivity but also the nutritive value of forage legumes. However, there have been few studies about these effects in long-term fertilization experiments. Our objectives were: (i) to compare the effects of mineral fertilization and organic manure on lucerne forage yield and leaf and stem nutritive value over a 2-year period following 60 years of different fertilization managements, and (ii) to investigate relationships among canopy structure traits and forage nutritive value in association with these fertilization treatments. The long-term fertilization experiment was established with four replications in the Czech Republic in 1955. Three levels of mineral N, P and K application (0:0:0, 39:24:109 and 91:31:146) were investigated, each with and without farmyard manure, resulting in six treatments. Lucerne stands were established in 2012 and 2013 in two strips. Forage yield was measured in two cuts in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Canopy structure traits and forage nutritive value (crude protein, ash, neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and NDF digestibility (NDFD) were analysed in the first cut in each year. Intensive mineral fertilization reduced lucerne nutritive value through a reduction in stem NDFD (-6%) and leaf weight ratio (-10 %) under higher forage productivity (+10 % of annual yield). Manure fertilization improved nutritive value of leaves and stems, with an associated increase in whole plant nutritive value as leaf proportion was maintained with increased yield (+8%). This positive response could be attributed to a soil environment effect: greater root development in soil that had received long-term manure fertilization probably reduced forage lignification and maintained leaf proportion in association with reduced drought stress. Long-term manure fertilization demonstrated potential for improvement of lucerne nutritive value despite the negative relationships between increased plant growth under higher nutrient supply and forage nutritive value.

Higher maize plant density represents a possible tool for biomass yield improvement but the effect on biogas production and quality has not been intensively investigated so far. The aim of the study was to compare two different plant densities (90 000 and 130 000 plants ha−1) and their effects on yield and biogas production. Experiments were carried out at two sites in Central Bohemia in 2014 and 2015. Specific biogas yield of maize ears and stover was evaluated in batch tests. In both years, there were significantly higher dry matter yield, volatile solids (VS) degradation, and methane content in biogas from ears in comparison with stover. Stover produced on average 90% of biogas per weight unit (625–719 L kg−1 VS) compared to ears (721–801 L kg−1 VS) depending on locality and year. During the batch tests, ears produced more biogas than stover with the exception of the period from the 4th to 11th day when specific biogas yield of stover was higher. Biogas hectare yield of ears (5039–8962 m3 ha−1) was 1.3–1.8 times higher than biogas hectare yield of stover (3943–4865 m3 ha−1). The influence of plant density on dry matter yield and biogas hectare yield was not significant, but higher plant density supported faster dynamics of specific biogas yield of ears in both years and higher volatile solids degradation of ears in 2014.

Effects of direct fertilization on lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) forage yield have been widely investigated; however there is a lack of published studies investigating the long-term effect of indirect application of mineral and organic fertilization. The main objective of the present research was therefore to investigate differences in forage yield un der different combinations of mineral (6 treatments) and organic (3 treatments) fertilization over the past 8 years of long-term experiment conducted since 1955 in Ruzyně. Long-term absence of fertilization provided average annual dry matter yield of 8.64 t/ha. Indirect application of single manure or slurry significantly increased yield to 9.68 and 9.37 t/ha, respectively. Absence of mineral fertilization provided yield of 9.23 t/ha across organic fertilization and an inconsistent effect of the increase of indirectly applied nitrogen (N) rate was observed. The highest yields over 10 t/ha were observed at treatments where combinations of organic fertilization with higher rates of N, phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) were applied. The trend for yield reduction was observed under increasing N rates within identical P and K fertilization. This research has shown that indirect effect of fertilization should be considered to gether with stand age when lucerne forage yield is evaluated.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of 11 active compounds of essential oils (ACEO) on rumen fermentation characteristics and methane production. Two trials were conducted. In trial 1, ACEO (eugenol, carvacrol, citral, limonene, 1,4-cineole, p-cymene, linalool, bornyl acetate, α-pinene, and β-pinene) at a dose of 1,000 μL/L were incubated for 24 h in diluted rumen fluid with a 70:30 forage:concentrate substrate (16.2% crude protein; 36.6% neutral detergent fiber). Three fistulated Holstein cows were used as donors of rumen fluid. The reduction in methane production was observed with nine ACEO (up to 86% reduction) compared with the control (p

Protein degradability in forage legumes is of global importance because utilization efficiency of forage has economic and environmental consequences. However, there are no published studies on the effect of legume stand structure on differences in crude protein (CP) fractions. The main objective of the present research was therefore to investigate differences in CP fractions in leaves and stems of lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) during the growing season. Stand traits were measured over 2 years, and forage was sampled at the early bud and early flower stages in the first, second and third cuts. Stems had significantly higher concentrations (in g kg−1 CP) of non-protein (fraction A: 430 g kg−1 CP) and indigestible nitrogen (fraction C: 92 g kg−1 CP) than leaves and had lower relative content of true protein (fraction B: 478 g kg−1 CP). In the total forage (stems and leaves combined), about 80% of the variation in CP fractions was explained by year, cut and maturity. Year was the most important factor, particularly for the B fractions. Cut was the second-most important factor; its main effect was that the relative abundance of fraction A declined from 394 g kg−1 CP in the first cut to 293 in g kg−1 CP the third cut. Maturity increased the amounts of indigestible fraction C and protein fractions B1 and B3. This was associated with the leaf weight ratio, which had an inverse relationship with maximal stem length and dry matter yield. Variation partitioning showed that 75% of CP fraction variability associated with cut, maturity and year could be explained by the evaluated stand traits. This research has highlighted the need to consider plant morphological traits when legume CP fractions are evaluated.

Root diseases of red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) contribute to reduced persistence and production of sown red clover stands; however, the potential of biological control of these diseases has not yet been investigated. Our objectives were to determine the effect of application of Pythium oligandrum and poly-beta-hydroxy butyric acid on (i) plant density and root morphology development, (ii) relationships between root branching and plant root disease score and (iii) forage yield and yield components of red clover in a three-year field experiment. Two red clover varieties (Start and Callisto) were established and managed under cutting (3 cuts per year) with four treatments: untreated control; spraying of poly-beta-hydroxy butyric acid (Albit); or application of P. oligandrum (Polyversum) at two intensities. Each autumn, plants were evaluated for root morphology traits and scored for root diseases. Forage dry matter yield, compressed stand height and stem density were evaluated in each cut. Effects on root discoloration were visible only in the last year of the experiment where significantly lower disease score was detected for both Polyversum treatments (4.58) compared with untreated control (4.94). In that year, Polyversum application at the higher intensity promoted increased tap-root diameter (+4%), root branching (+27%), stand height (+13%) and forage yield (+18%) in comparison with the control treatment. Improved forage yield was associated with plant growth stimulation more than from protection against Fusarium. Relationships among root traits and aboveground biomass highlight the need for evaluation of the effects of biological control of forage legumes considering root disease occurrence, together with root morphology traits and forage yield. This study demonstrated a potential of P. oligandrum for improving red clover yield, but optimization of application timing is necessary for determination of practical recommendations and economic efficiency.

A significant effect of year on maize nutritive value has been reported in many studies; however, the direct effect of year on both nutritive values and fermentation traits of maize silage has not been directly investigated. During a 7-year period (2006–2012), we investigated the following variables of 597 maize silages commercially produced in bunker silos on farms in the Czech Republic: dry-matter content (DM), crude protein (CP), starch, amylase-treated neutral detergent fibre (aNDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF) and net energy lactation (NEL), as well as fermentation traits such as pH, contents of lactic acid (LA), acetic acid (AA), butyric acid (BA) and the ratio between LA and volatile fatty acids. The effect of year and DM explained 16 and 30% of the variability in nutritive and fermentation traits respectively. Although a common silage DM content was used for each year, the climatic effect of year significantly changed almost all tested variables, but particularly aNDF, ADF, starch, AA and BA. The year contribution to trait variability effect was as much as two times higher for fermentation traits (12·6%) as for nutritive value (6·1%). Temperature–precipitation relationships associated with achieved maize yield were considered as factors explaining the year effect. Temperature and precipitation averaged over the full vegetation period had low relevance to nutritive and fermentation traits. This study reveals the importance of year-to-year variation in silage nutritive value and fermentation, which could be useful for understanding the contribution of year to these changes in both field experiments and national assessments.

BACKGROUND The consumption of venison from deer species has increased in recent years owing to presumably positive health effects. Therefore a comparison was made of the physical characteristics, chemical composition and sensory attributes of meat obtained from red deer, fallow deer and Aberdeen Angus and Holstein cattle raised under conditions typical for commercial farming practice and slaughtered at similar ages. RESULTS Venison had one-quarter the crude fat content, lower total collagen and a higher proportion of heat-soluble collagen. It was darker and less yellow than beef. Deer species provided meat with higher polyunsaturated/saturated fatty acid ratio and lower atherogenic index. In addition, the venison of red deer contained five times as much n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids as the beef. Steaks prepared from venison were scored higher than beef for flavour and aroma intensity; they were also tenderer and more easily chewable. CONCLUSION Compared with beef, venison from two widely farmed deer species was superior in nutrient composition, thus offering potential benefits for human consumption, and it received higher scores for most of the sensory attributes examined. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of used technology and environmental condition on lucerne dry matter yield in the regional conditions. During a three year period (2011–2013), the investigation was based on management survey in 27 farms in the Czech Republic. Climate conditions significantly influenced yield in some interaction with soil where only combination of dry climate and less fertile soil conditions reduced forage yield. The single soil effect was not significant for forage yield. Applied technology was influenced by both environment and farm characteristic (such as farm size and cow’s milk performance) which together significantly explained about 40% of variability of used technological properties. From all investigated technological properties, only cultivation of lucerne in mixture with grasses consistently increased forage yield therefore should be considered as important factor for modelling forage farm yield in the regional conditions.

Little is known about the long-term effects of mineral N, P and K application on the nutritional status of mown alluvial grasslands. We asked how long-term fertilizer application affected soil chemical properties, plant species composition, herbage production, nutrient concentrations in soils and plants and balance of nutrients. Six treatments (control, PK, N50PK, N100PK, N150PK and N200PK) were investigated at the Cernikovice Experiment (Czech Republic) established in 1966 on an Alopecurus pratensis meadow, using annual application rates of 50, 100, 150 and 200 kg N, 40 kg P and 100 kg K ha−1. Data were collected and analysed for 2007, 2008 and 2009. Although fertilizers had been applied over 45 years, differences in soil chemical properties between fertilization treatments were small. The legumes Lathyrus pratensis and Trifolium repens responded highly positively to PK application, and tall grasses, A. pratensis in particular, to NPK application. Herbage quality was high in terms of content of major nutrients, and its chemical properties varied considerably between treatments, cuts and years. Mean annual herbage yield ranged from 6·1 in the control to 9·7 t ha−1 in the N200PK treatment. Herbage production was N-limited in 2007 and 2009, but not in 2008. Seasonal N agronomical efficiency ranged from 4·2 to 22·9 kg of DM herbage per kg of applied N. The herbage N:P and N:K ratios did not reflect the actual response of herbage production to N application. A negative balance between N applied and N removed in harvested herbage was recorded in all treatments. We concluded that in highly productive alluvial grasslands, mineral-rich soils can respond weakly to N, P and K application, fertilizer application modifies plant species composition and herbage production is not N-limited in all years. Nutrient ratios must be interpreted with caution for the estimation of nutrient limitation.