The study investigated the effects of diet supplementation with 1% clove flower buds powder combined with either 0.2% lemon balm extract or 0.2% agrimony extract (each of the two pulverized extracts supplied through drinking water) on body weight of broilers, total feed intake, feed conversion ratio and the carcass yield, activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD, EC 1.15.1.1) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px, EC 1.11.1.9) in blood, concentration of sulfhydryl ()SH) groups, malondialdehyde (MDA), vitamin A and E, low-density lipoproteins in the blood plasma, serum cholesterol, total lipids, triglycerides and high-density lipoproteins in broiler chickens at 42 days of age. On the day of hatching, 120 male and female broilers of Cobb 500 were randomly divided into three groups. The control group (1st group) of broilers received a basal diet (BD) without any feed and water additive. Both experimental groups of chicks were fed BD enriched with clove (Syzygium aromaticum L.) powder at a dose of 10 g/kg DM for 42 days. Moreover, either lemon balm (Mellisa officinalis L.) extract or agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria L.) extract diluted with drinking water (2:1000) was given to broilers in the 2nd and 3rd group respectively. The results indicated that feeding the diets enriched with selected herbal supplements failed to affect the growth performance of broiler chickens at 42 days of age. In addition, this supplementation had no influence on the activities of SOD and GSH-Px, concentration of vitamin A and selected lipid metabolism indices. On the other hand, we observed beneficial effects on some indices of the antioxidant status (increased concentration of )SH groups and vitamin E, decreased concentration of MDA) in the blood of broilers in both experimental groups in comparison with the control group of chickens (p < 0.05). Furthermore, a slightly better antioxidant capacity was found in the blood of broilers supplied the combination of clove and lemon balm compared to clove and agrimony (vitamin E, 11.26 ± 0.73 vs. 9.73 ± 0.64 lmol/L, p < 0.05 respectively). It could be concluded that supplementation of the diet with clove flower buds

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This experimental study investigated the effect of feeding of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) and combination of hawthorn (Crataegus oxyacantha L.) and yarrow (Achillea millefolium L.) on growth performance of chicken, meat composition, fatty acid profile and oxidative stability. Ninety one-dayold commercial broiler chicks (ROSS 308) were divided into 3 groups, and fed 41 days, as follows: control (C) with standard diet without antioxidants supplementation; second group (L) with standard diet supplemented with ground lemon balm (2%) and third group (HY) with standard diet supplemented with ground hawthorn (1%) and yarrow (1%). Final body weight and total feed intake were not influenced by plant supplementation. However, feed conversion ratio was the lowest (P<0.05) at HY. Carcass yields were not affected (P>0.05) by plants supplementation, but the proportions of various carcass parts (breast and leg) were higher in L and HY groups. Feeding of plants had no effect on the chemical composition of thigh meat. However, in breast meat fed by HY diet higher content of dry matter and crude protein (P<0.05) was found. In breast (L) the proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids was decreased and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) proportion was increased compared with control group (P<0.05). In thigh HY the proportion of saturated fatty acids was increased and PUFA was decreased compared with control. Results of thiobarbituric value method showed that supplementation with lemon balm, and mainly combination of hawthorn and yarrow in the diet significantly influenced reduction of lipid oxidation processes in thigh during chilling storage (4°C, 11 days).

Eight native isolates of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschnikoff) Sorokin were obtained by monitoring soils cultivated in a conventional manner. These isolates were compared in three areas: (a) conidial germination, (b) radial growth and sporulation and (c) ability of conidia to infect Tenebrio molitor larvae. All bioassays were carried out at constant temperatures of 10, 15, and 20 °C. Conidia of individual isolates demonstrated differences in germination after a 24-h long incubation at all evaluated temperatures. At 20 °C, the germination ranged from 67 to 100 % and at 15 °C from 5.33 to 46.67 %. At 10 °C, no germination was observed after 24 h; nevertheless, it was 8.67-44.67 % after 48 h. In terms of radial growth, the culture diameters and the associated production of spores of all isolates increased with increasing temperature. At 10 °C, sporulation was observed in three isolates while all remaining cultures appeared sterile. Three weeks post-inoculation, conidia of all assessed isolates caused 100 % cumulative mortality of treated larvae of T. molitor at 15 and 20 °C with the exception of isolate 110108 that induced 81.33 % mortality at 15 °C. At 10 °C, larval cumulative mortality ranged from 6.67 to 85.33 % depending on the isolate. Isolates 110108 and 110111 showed significantly slower outset and a much lower rate of infection at all temperatures compared to other tested isolates of M. anisopliae. The bioassays were carried out with the purpose to sort and select indigenous isolates of M. anisopliae useful as biocontrol agents in their original habitat.

Aim of this study was to determine morphometric differences of fruits between selected sweet chestnuts (Castanea sativa Mill.). The 28 genotypes (referred as CS-01 to CS-28) were introduced by seeds from Czech Republic, Carpathians, Kyrgyzstan. Genotypes of sweet chestnut are grow more than 30 years in Forest-Steppe of Ukraine in the M.M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden of NAS of Ukraine. They are well adapted to the climatic and soil conditions. The fruits were collected at the period of their full maturity (September). The population differs in weight, shape, size and color of fruits. Their morphometric parameters were following: weight from 1.70 g (CS-26) to 18.60 g (CS-20), length from 8.07 mm (CS-28) to 33.39 mm (CS-11), width from 16.34 mm (CS-28) to 40.95 mm (CS-11), thickness from 9.02 mm (CS-26) to 28.70 mm (CS-11) and hilum length from 6.62 mm (CS-26) to 31.30 mm (CS-07), hilum width from 6.50 mm (CS-23) to 19.99 mm (CS-07). The shape index of the fruits was found in the range of 0.81 (CS-20) to 0.98 (CS-12). The shape index of the hilum was found in the range of 1.48 (CS-04) to 2.03 (CS-23). The outcome of the research point to the fact that the genepool Ukrainian sweet chestnut is a rich source of genetic diversity and might be used in selection for creation a new genotypes and cultivars.