Concerns have been escalating over the increase in heavy metal levels in the envi- ronment due to anthropogenic impacts. Toxic heavy metals (As, Cd, Hg and Pb) are especially dangerous, as they negatively affect organisms and cause outbreaks of diseases. The hare has been proven to be a good indicator of environmental heavy metal contamination. The liver and kidney are the tissues most commonly used in biomonitoring. Hares inhabiting a contaminated habitat have higher concentrations of heavy metals in these tissues than those from a referential habitat. As is mostly accumulated in the nails and hair, Cd in the kidney, Hg in the brain and kidney, and Pb in the brain and diaphragm. Cd and Hg concentrations in hare liver and kidney increased with animal age. In most countries, hare meat is safe for human consumption, while the consumption of entrails is not recommended.

The paper presents the results of a triennial research on the economic properties of two commercial (Désirée and Colomba) and two traditional potato varieties (Poli and Brinjak) in northwestern Croatia. Research was conducted during 2020, 2021, and 2022 at the Experimental Field of the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Zagreb in non-irrigated conditions. The significantly highest tuber yield (33.10 t ha-1) was achieved in 2020, when the most precipitation fell during the growing season (583.6 mm). In a triennial average, the Désirée (27.37 t/ ha-1) and Poli (26.17 t ha-1) varieties achieved the significantly highest tuber yield. The highest dry matter content was detected in the varieties Poli (23.37 %) and Brinjak (23.26 %), and the lowest one in the variety Colomba (17.39 %). In 2020, when the weather was more favorable for potatoes, whereas the fraction > 55 mm had the largest share of tubers, with the fraction amounting to 35–55 mm in unfavorable years of. Within the > 55 mm fraction, the Désirée variety had the largest share of tubers, while the Poli and Brinjak varieties had it within the 35–55 mm fraction. On average, the Poli variety had the largest share of tubers smaller than 35 mm, and the Colomba variety had the largest share of tubers larger than 55 mm. The highest number of tubers per plant was detected in the Poli variety, and the highest mass of tubers per plant in the Désirée variety, respectively. Although traditional potato varieties are in some respects inferior to the commercial ones, it is necessary to cure them from viruses and preserve them (on-farm) in order to maintain biodiversity and diversity in the gastronomic offer.

Paper’s objective was to provide a critical overview of the current state of wastewater generation in different processes around the world and their use in irrigation. As a follow-up, a brief overview of the classification of wastewater and its potential for end use is presented. Furthermore, a specific overview of irrigation using wastewater is presented, together with the relevant scientific papers in which the research on waste- water irrigation impacts on the plants, soil, humans, and the environment are studied. Finally, a special reference was given to the guidelines and policies proposed by the EU stakeholders regarding the integration of wastewater reuse into water planning and management in the context of circular economy, with special emphasis put on novel technologies.

Two-year experiments were conducted on two different types of soil during 2021 and 2022, respectively. The influence of microbiological preparations Mycor-FAZOS, Vitality-FAZOS, and Super Green-FAZOS on the yield and quality parameters of wheat the Mura variety (Agrigenetics) was investigated. The experiment was set up according to the split-block scheme in four repetitions on two types of soil, in 12 different variants on each of them. The area of the basic plot amounted 40 m2, while the calculated plot amounted to 24 m2. The elements of the research were as follows: A (soil type) – A1 – humogly, A2 – eutric brown soil; B (seed treatment) – B1 – control, B2 – seed treated with biopreparation; C (protection against diseases) – C1 – control, C2 – treatment with chemical fungicides, C3 – treatment with biopreparations. The research parameters were grain yield (t/ ha), protein content in grain (%), mass of 1,000 grains (g), hectoliter mass (kg), and plant height (cm). The highest average grain yield was obtained by the B2C3 variant, where the yield was 17.42% higher than the yield obtained by the B1C2 variant. In terms of protein content, the difference between the mentioned varieties was 4.24%, in the weight of 1,000 grains 6.36%, in hectoliter weight 6,35%, and 6,87% in plant height. We can conclude that a seed treatment with the Mycor-FAZOS biopreparation has improved root development, so the plants were healthier, taller, and more robust, but it has improved a uniform growth too, so the plants were darker than the untreated seed variants (scoring an increased photosynthesis index). The protection performed with the Vitality-FAZOS and Super Green-FAZOS biopreparations (i.e., the microorganisms that have an extremely fungicidal effect but also synthesize growth hormones) ensured that the wheat remained healthy while achieving a higher seed yield and obtaining a better quality of research parameters.

This study investigated the biochemical and hematological parameters (at the beginning, after 90 days, and at the end of the experiment) of the pure genotype Black Slavonian (BS) pigs and crossbreeds of Black Slavonian and Duroc (BSxD) pigs, fed the same diet and kept under the same extensive free-range conditions during 200 days of the experiment. In the study, BS and BSxD pigs showed differen- ces in blood protein levels, hinting at dietary disparities. Glucose and triglyceride levels differed between the two groups, affecting energy availability and fat depo- sition. BS pigs showed higher white blood cell counts, while BSxD pigs exhibited more rapid metabolic activity. Alkaline phosphatase activity declined over time, with variations between the groups. Phosphorus and magnesium concentrations decrea- sed with pig growth, reflecting changes in metabolic demands. Hemoglobin, hema- tocrit, and red blood cell counts varied between the groups. MCV and MCH values in BSxD pigs indicated rapid red blood cell production. Platelet counts fluctuated with age. This study offers insights into the influence of genetic characteristics and growth rates impact biochemical and hematological parameters of pigs kept under free-range conditions, aiding swine population management.

Soil fertility is pivotal for agricultural productivity, and iron (Fe) is a critical micro- nutrient essential for a successful crop development. This study investigates a potential of ensemble machine-learning methods in geospatial prediction of soil Fe in Croatia. Using a dataset of 686 soil samples, three individual machine-learning methods, including the extreme gradient boosting (XGB), support vector machine (SVM), and Cubist, as well as their ensemble, were evaluated for the soil Fe predi- ction. The ensemble method outperformed the individual models, exhibiting a higher prediction accuracy expressed by the coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.578), with a lower root-mean-square error (RMSE = 0.837) and the mean absolute error (MAE = 0.550). The soil clay content emerged as the most influential predictor, followed by the sand content, pH values, and select bioclimatic variables. This study’s results demonstrate the effectiveness of ensemble machine learning in an accurate predicti- on of soil Fe content and contribute to an informed decision-making in sustainable agricultural land-use planning and management. By including the complementary machine-learning methods into an ensemble with the representative environmental covariates, a geospatial prediction aids to a reliable comprehension of soil proper- ties and their spatial variability.

After returning from the market, bread is declared as old bread and as such was once sold at a certain price (0.013 €) and used as animal feed. Today, however, this is not allowed, but it is necessary to heat-treat this type of bread in some way. Namely, the Food Act (NN 18/2023) was passed in Croatia, which does not allow unhealthy animal feed, which includes unused old bread that is returned from the market. Based on the above, the aim of this paper is to thermally process white, corn and black bread by drying, pelleting, extruding, and getting a new component in animal nutrition. After that, store and determine whether there is an impact of heat treatment on the health of such bread. By monitoring the storage time of old bread types and technological processing on the sample temperature, it can be determined that the sample temperature was significantly influenced by the duration of storage. During the storage process, the moisture content in the samples of old bread varied significantly. The protein content differed significantly between the types of old bread, as well as the method of processing. Microbiological analysis of processed samples shows that all samples are healthy and can be used as feed.

In addition to the usual labor-intensive technological processes (i.e., feeding, milking, cleaning, and curing), an increasing importance in today’s milk production, is attached to the monitoring of animal behavior and the state of microclimate in a facility. While behavioral monitoring is performed on a smaller number of target animals on the smaller dairy farms, numerous modern electronic measuring devices are introduced for the sake of animal monitoring on the larger farms, such as the sensors and biosensors, pedometers, computers, 2D and 3D surveillance cameras, thermal cameras, microphones, laser detectors, and automatic scales, all grouped under the name of a PLF system (Precision Livestock Farming). This system works pursuant to the principle of monitoring and (individual or collective) data collection of select indicators, followed by a computerized algorithmic data processing, whereby the integration of a large number of data provides useful information leading to a decision-making proposal. According to the numerous study results, the PLF system pertaining to the dairy cows has a positive effect on the early detection of animal diseases or stress, which leads to a more rational use of production resources, resulting in a higher production efficiency and better animal welfare. Since a prcise-technology system does not only offer new opportunities but also represents certain dangers, however, it is recommended that future commercialization of precise-technology systems on dairy farms be entrusted to the opinions of professionals who will be able to objectively evaluate multiple benefits of these PLF systems, based on the results of a multidisciplinary research.

Za jačanje konkurentnosti ekološke poljoprivrede u Republici Hrvatskoj važno je prepoznati položaj, mogućnosti, uvjerenja i stavove ekoloških proizvođača. S tim ciljem provedeno je anketiranje 236 ekoloških proizvođača iz 5 hrvatskih regija prema spolu, dobi, stupnju obrazovanja i području s kojega dolaze. Ispitanicima je ponuđen širok spektar tvrdnja o čimbenicima koji mogu utjecati na konkurentnost hrvatske ekološke poljoprivrede. Za anketiranje je korišten upitnik s pitanjima zatvorenoga tipa, te su za analizu stavova proizvođača o ponuđenim tvrdnjama, uz deskriptivnu statistiku, korišteni Likertova skala s 5 stupnjeva i hi-kvadratni test (χ²). Rezultati istraživanja pokazali su kako proizvođači usmenu preporuku o kvaliteti svojih proizvoda smatraju ključnom za jačanje konkurentnosti, a nju slijede udruživanje ekoloških proizvođača, nastup na specijaliziranim sajmovima te zakonski i podzakonski okvir za ekološku proizvodnju.