The aim of the study was to assess the possible antioxidant and antiproliferative effects of various sweet potato extracts (Ipomoea batatas [L.] Lam) in terms of their suitability for food processing. Antioxidant activity of water infusions from the leaves of 5 sweet potato varieties (Carmen Rubin, Cananua, Georgia Jet, Satsumo Imo, White Triumph) obtained from field cultivation in Felin (51°13'N, 22°37'E) was determined. The field experiment was carried out using the randomized blocks method, in triplicate, in accordance with the principles of good agricultural practice. The leaves were collected at phase 68 according to the BBCH scale. After harvesting, the leaves were dried to constant weight. After drying, the leaves were saturated with water at 80 ° C and 100 ° C for 3, 6 and 9 minutes. The total content of phenolic compounds was determined by the method of Ghasemzadeh et al. Antioxidant activity of sweet potato leaf infusions was determined by DPPH radical spectrophotometry. The time to prepare the infusions significantly differentiated the TP content. Infusions evaluated after 3 minutes were the most favorable in this respect. The antioxidant activity of the tested infusions obtained from sweet potato leaves ranged from 33% to 59%, depending on the variety, and 34-43%, depending on the time the infusion was prepared. Leaf infusions prepared at 100°C had a higher antioxidant activity than infusions made at 80°C. The highest antioxidant activity was revealed by infusions from White Triumph cultivar leaves, lowest - from Cananua cultivar leaves.

The experimental studies were carried out in the most common cowsheds in Lithuania. The cowsheds involved in the research featured different insulation patterns and livestock keeping technologies where cows were kept tied or loose. The efficiency of ventilation system was measured in 7 cowsheds based on the variation in air temperature, air relative humidity (RH) and ammonia. The main problems of microclimate in Lithuanian cowsheds were found to be as follows: a high relative humidity resulting in water vapour condensation on the roof structures; the air temperature is regularly below the recommended minimum of -7 °C; the air temperature is regularly above the recommended maximum of 25 °C. Optimization of the microclimate in cowsheds concerned, it is recommended to adjust the ventilation intensity based on the difference of air temperatures within the barn and outdoors. During cold months of winter it is recommended to keep the air temperature in semi-insulated cowsheds by 8–11 °C higher than that outdoors, whereas in uninsulated box-type cowsheds with roof cement – higher by 5–7 °C, and in uninsulated box-type cowsheds with roof metal – higher by only 3–5 °C. During severely freezing periods of outdoor temperature, the air temperature was found not to drop below -7 °C only in insulated cowsheds. Whereas during extremely hot days when the outdoor temperature rises above 26–28 °C, the cowsheds of all types (those insulated and uninsulated) were found to be too hot for cows. Consequently, thermal insulation of a cowshed’s roof and adjustment of the ventilation intensity are not sufficient for solving the problems caused by heat stress in the cowsheds.

The development of an integrated safety and quality system at enterprises for the production of baby food includes measures  thataimed at analyzing risks and identifying critical control points throughout the process. The article presents studies on the identification and analysis of hazards and assessing the severity of the consequences of their manifestation. In order to integrate, the international standards ISO 9001 and ISO 22000 were selected, on the basis of which the quality system processes were identified, the resources and requirements for them were determined, as well as the parameters for monitoring these processes, the criteria for evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of the developed system were established. Within the framework of the integrated system, the main and interior processes were identified. The main processes include organization management processes, planning and implementation processes for safe and quality products, and processes for monitoring, analysis and improvement. Support processes include processes for managing the organization’s personnel, its infrastructure and production environment, as well as processes for managing documentation and records of the system.

Tree resistance to pathogens is related to the general viability of trees, their growth energy, and ability to synthesize and to mobilize secondary metabolites (SMs), usually phenolic compounds, in tissues. The total phenolic content (TPC) in Norway spruce needles was determined during two vegetation seasons in order to compare the chemical background and ability of different Norway spruce half-sib families to synthesize TPC in response to seed treatment with physical stressors: cold plasma for 1 and 2 min (CP1, CP2) and electromagnetic field for 2 min (EMF2). TPC in seedling needles significantly differed between affected and control groups, but differences were stronger exerted during the first year of vegetation. In the first vegetation season, the strongest positive effects on TPC synthesis were induced by EMF2 treatment in 463 and 577 half-sib families, by CP1 treatment − in 457 half-sib family and by CP2 treatment − in 541 half-sib family; in the second vegetation season strongest effects were detected in CP1 treated 457 half-sib family and in CP2 treated 548 and 477 half-sib families. The half-sib families of Picea abies with higher TPC induced by seed treatment with different physical stressors could be more resistant to pathogens and diseases. The variance component of family for TPC variated from 14±10 % till 17±11 %, and was significant. The interaction of genotype and environment on TPC was as high as 49 ± 20%.

The issues of the development of thematic villages are mostly investigated in Poland, Austria, Lithuania. Village development theming is usually defined as a strategy or model. It acts as a vehicle for village renewal, enabling even small villages to develop successfully in the age of globalization. An experiential marketing strategy guides village development towards sustainability and helps to ensure integration between village environmental, economic and social development dimensions. Thematic villages play a heuristic role, they "push" locals and customers out of established spaces, village storytelling schemes, and encourage the search for alternative life, behavior and business models. This research aim was achieved: to determine the characteristics of the village theming development: thematic space, integrated (complex) consumption, co-creation, recreation, interests (needs), experience. Thematic analysis, collation and other methods of scientific literature were applied. Representatives of the various stakeholders must be involved in the village development theming characteristics package planning, management and control processes. There is a two-way communication between the development of various thematic objects in economic, social and environmental terms and the creation of a thematic space which must serve not only the interests of the visitors but also the inhabitants.

To clarify the opinion of Latvian private forest owners on the use of EU funding in forest management, a survey of forest owners (Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies grant project No. Z7 funding) was conducted in November 2018 by the staff members of the Forest Advisory Service Centre (FASC) which is a branch of the Latvian Rural Advisory and Training Centre. A total of 153 forest owners have been included in the survey, of whom 107 (70%) forest owners have previously used EU funding support in forest management, and 46 forest owners (30%) who have not used this opportunity. The respondents included in the survey represent forest owners from all regions of Latvia. The survey included general questions describing the profile of the forest owner, such as the size of the owned forest area, for how long the forest has been the owner’s property, knowledge of forest management and the way of receiving information. Regarding the attracting of EU funding, the forest owner's view of the already used EU support and its type was clarified and the overall level of satisfaction, the necessary improvements, and the type of EU support needed for further forest management were identified. The study also includes the results of other similar surveys carried out by other institutions on forest owners’ opinions on EU support for forestry. The results of the survey conducted by FASC confirm that 76% of forest owners who have already used some measures of the EU's financial support at least once are ready to take advantage of the opportunity to apply for the support also in the future. The forest owners, who have not used EU financial support for forest management so far, continue to express sceptical opinions, and only 46% of such respondents would be willing to apply for further EU support funding. When comparing the priority support directions specified by forest owners, it can be concluded that the trends in the need for subsidies are fairly similar, 80% of owners who have previously used the financial EU support, point out that support for young stand and advanced growth thinning is still needed in the future. The same opinion has been expressed by 70% of forest owners who have not previously used the EU funding. In a series of studies, a general trend for priority of most desirable EU subsidies have been identified and it was revealed that 61% of forest owners want to receive support for young stand and advanced growth thinning. Half of this percentage of respondents have pointed out the need for EU subsidies for forest amelioration and road construction (32%), forest establishment (31%), forest regeneration (30%) and for compensations of the protection of natural values and for it management  (29%).

Innovation – it is a term that we use for decades, but true meaning of this term changes also for decades, according to dynamic environment we are living in. There is now beginning of the 4th industrial revolution and what has been said in World Economic forum, issues are not about technologies anymore, they are about society. Innovation and entrepreneurship in regions is one of essential tools, in added value creation in economics and in development in national level. It is very important to encourage creativity, new ways of thinking and continuous process of learning of individuals. There are some different approaches how to measure competitiveness of state economy and competitiveness in regional level. Statistical data shows situation from point of view in national level, Regional level and local community level have to be researched detailed, and every situation, which can make impact on level above, have to be taken into account. Research methods, used for these studies were analysis of scientific papers, strategic planning documents and guidelines of EU and Latvia and survey of inhabitants of local community what are their opinion about participation in the processes to make changes in development of region and local community. Main results were related with issue, that tenants of region at very low level evaluate impact of state as institution and management system in national level, better evaluation of local government institutions, but at the same time there is lack of desire to participate actively in processes of local community to encourage changes in regional level. Key words: innovation, regional development.

The scientific problem addressed by the article is the lack of the ways for identification and solution of the issues of financial autonomy in rural municipalities. The aim of the article is to identify the problem areas of financial autonomy in Lithuanian rural municipalities. The problem areas of financial autonomy in rural municipalities have been identified under the methods of scientific literature analysis, document analysis, and statistical data analysis, and comparative analysis. The problematics of definition of the phenomenon of financial autonomy of rural municipalities has been noticed; problem areas of expenditure, revenue, financial transfers and borrowing in the municipalities have been identified. The empirical study of the data on 50 Lithuanian rural municipalities reflecting their respective financial autonomy in the period 2014-2018 (municipality revenue structure, revenue per capita, the dynamics of the share of the personal income tax (PIT)) revealed that the major share of the revenues of rural municipalities is collected by means of the PIT. There are four donor municipalities in Lithuania – Vilnius city, Kaunas city, Klaipėda city and Neringa municipalities – with their PITs used to support rural municipalities. The central authorities of Lithuania apply inter-budgetary reallocation of funds in order to introduce the financial equalization measures to adjust for the unequal allocation of potential financial resources between the municipalities with the ultimate objective of eliminating the territorial, social and economic disparities between the municipalities. However, the revenue and expenditure remain unequalized between the municipalities.

The article is devoted to the problem of gender inequality on rural areas and argued the necessity of forming gender sensitive rural development policy. Based on existing theories of institutionalism, the authors characterized gender as a social institute, forming the structure of rural society. The importance of gender equality for progressive rural growth of rural areas, effective use of women’s human capital in development of rural communities is underlined. Methodological frameworks of research are formed on the basis of rural development, gender economy and institutional theories. Adopted methodological approach of United Nations Development Program to gender inequality index calculation is used for integrated evaluation the gender inequality in reproductive health, political empowerment, and economic activity on labor market in rural areas. Research results indicate permanent character of the gender inequality problem in rural society and it dependence from situation in rural economy system. Gender asymmetries in economic activity and educational attainment of rural population, it participation in political initiatives and decision-making, demographic processes caused the regional differentiation of gender inequality problem. Indicated gender problems are characterized as the challenges for growth of rural areas and should be taken into account in the process of forming rural development policy, transforming it from gender neutral to gender sensitive. Key points of such a policy are implementation of the gender mainstreaming concept in rural development policy; forming an inclusive model of rural economy development and social cohesion; diversification of rural labor market; stimulating transfer of knowledge and innovation.

Carbon sequestration is crucial to mitigate climate changes, therefore it is important to have accurate estimates of carbon pools in the forest. So far, data on carbon pools in old-growth forests are very scarce, therefore aim of the study was to assess the carbon pools in old-growth Scots pine stands on organic soil and carbon concentration in deadwood of different decay classes in Latvia. Carbon content in deadwood was test in samples, collected in 26 randomly selected over mature, unmanaged stands across Latvia (five samples per decay class and tree species). Carbon pools were assessed in 38 sample plots (size 500 m2) in five Scots pine stands on wet organic soil (Caricoso- phragmitosa forest type) at the age of 167 to 203 years. Mean carbon concentration in deadwood across all species and decay classes was 46.6±1.57%. For aspen it did not change with progressing decay was found, but increase was observed for Scots pine, Norway spruce and birch. For these species difference in concentration between first three (more fresh) and last two decay classes (mean 45.9±0.9% and 49.9±1.6%, respectively) was statistically significant. Old-growth Scots pine stands on peat soils had rather large amount of deadwood: 100.6 ± 74.7 m3ha-1. However, its share in total carbon storage (290.0 ± 57.9 t ha-1) was small and most of carbon (57%) was found in soil. Mean annual carbon storage in tree biomass and deadwood decreased with stand age; its absolute value was similar in over-mature and mature (101-120 years) stands.