Major diseases occurring on flax crops in Lithuania are caused by Fusarium spp., Colletotrichum lini Manns et Bolley, Polyspora lini Laff. et Peth., Septoria linicola (Speg.) Gar. They can spread through seed, especially when the seed material does not meet quality standards. Microscopic fungi of other species can be found on flaxseed as well. Chemical seed treatment is one of the ways to control disease agents. When treated seed is sown, the seed treaters affect the indigenous micro-biota of the soil. The trial was carried out at the Upyte Research Station of the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture in 1999. The tested seed treaters are registered for cereals in Lithuania. Our experimental results suggest that chemical treatment of flaxseeds is an efficient method to control seed-borne diseases. The microscopic fungi on seeds and roots of seedlings were analysed at the Institute of Botany. The data on the effect of seed treaters on the diversity of pathogenic fungi of flaxseed and seedlings, and the impact of treatment on the seedling infection are discussed in this paper.

The paper gives a brief overview and describes the main results of comparison research in grassland management of conventional and organic farms. The aim of this study was to assess yielding ability and biodiversity of leys depending on the nutritive status of soil. The investigation based on field experiments that were carried out in several regions of Estonia: Laeaene (West), Harju (North) and Voru (South-East) county in 2001. In the research on the productivity of grass-clover leys of the first harvest year was measured the DM yield and content, the botanical composition of the sward and the concentration of crude protein on grass. The soil pHKCL and content of organic matter were measured, also the content in soil of soluble plant nutrients P, K, Ca and Mg was estimated by AL- (ammonium acetate extraction) method. The soil profiles were described and soils were classified. The dominant soil types in farms of West-Estonia were Calcic Cambisols and in North-Estonian farms Calcic Gleysols, in South-East Haplic Podzols types prevailed.

The goal of the present research was to study formation of the productivity of perennial ryegrass at different rates of mineral fertiliser use. Field experiments were carried out on Sod-Podzolic soils during 1999-2001. The following mineral fertiliser rates were used: N and P205 each - 0, 30, 60, 90, 120 kg ha*[-1); K20 - 0, 40, 80, 120, 160 kg ha*[-1). The productivity of DM and seeds was dependent on genetic characteristics of the particular variety, on the rates of mineral fertiliser and as well as on the meteorological conditions prevailing in each investigation year. The average DM yield, depending on the particular variety, constituted 2.21-6.07 t ha*[-1), and the average seed yields were 255-672 and 133-400 kg ha*[-1) in 1st and 2nd years of stand uses, respectively.

Requirements concerning the welfare of production animals and the low profitability of beef cattle breeding have brought exercise yards and feedlots to Finnish farms. Depending on the use of the yard, there are different aspects that have to be taken into consideration. The structure of the yard, the surface material and the space allowance are important from the point of view of both animal welfare and environmental impact. Two exercise yards have been designed, constructed and monitored, together with two feedlot areas. Samples of runoff water, gravity water, subsoil and topsoil have been taken. Their nutrient concentrations and hygienic quality have been analysed. The behaviour of animals has been observed.

Flooding of Nemunas floodplain preserves the natural retention capacity of pollutants in water of the main canal as well as improves farming conditions on the inundated meadows of the valley. It was established that nitrogen concentration was decreasing by 20-50 % causing self - purification process on the flooded meadows. Nitrogen retention is mostly observed in the zones of stagnant water. It depends on the velocities of flood current. Heavy metals and nutrients are absorbed by tiny clay and silt particles deposited in the meadows. By the means of mathematical modelling it was established that about 37% of suspended sediments deposited in the flood plain. During the study period (1950-1991), the soils in the valley were covered by 50-60 t ha*[-1) of deposits and were naturally fertilised with 250 t of potassium, 950 t of phosphorus, 38.000 t of calcium and 147.000 t of organic matter saturated with nitrogen. In order to increase those quantities it would be efficient to increase the water discharge and bush cover in the Delta.

The aim of the experiment reported here was to evaluate the effects of an inoculant SIL-ALL**4x4 on the fermentation quality and chemical composition of silage made from meadow-fescue and meadow-foxtail. Inoculant SIL-ALL**4x4 provided the good quality of silage in all stages of maturity. Lactic acid fermentation of inoculated silage was very extensive, especially in the stages of ear formation of meadow-fescue. The results indicated that the use of inoculant improved fermentation and silage hygienic quality.

Experiments were performed to test the agronomic potential of kura clover in the seed mixtures with diminished seeding rates. During the seeding year a very slow establishment of kura clover (sown with perennial ryegrass) was observed: kura clover gave up to 7% of the total DM yield. The kura clover plants survived winter 2000/2001 well, but the distribution in the sward was not observed in the second year. The established grass sward density was rather high in the seeding year (around 10 000 tillers per square m) in 2000. In 2001, the white clover content increased to 80% of the DM yield but at the same time the grass sward density was decreased to 2900 tillers per square m. The kura clover plants are characterised by high proportion of leaves to stem and high nutritional characteristics with protein concentrations ranging between 19 and 23% as well as the neutral detergent fibre (NDF) concentrations between 24 and 38%. The experiments showed that the strains of Rhizobium bacteria required for kura clover do not naturally occur in Estonian soils and proper inoculation of kura clover seeds before planting is critical to get well-nodulated and persistent plants.

Estimating water quality of rivers, lakes and other water bodies, their contamination is being modelled according to the quantitative changes of pollution factors and their appearance conditions. Water contamination is being determined considering one or another value of contamination factors. The modelling of the impact of pollution factors on water quality becomes problematic when the values of the factors can be estimated only approximately or cannot be estimated at all. It is rather difficult to define qualitative estimation of water contamination factors in comparative terms (scanty impact, average impact, etc.) applying only quantitative mathematical methods. In this case the method of fuzzy logic may be of great help. Fuzzy logic enables us to formalise the comparisons of the ojects or phenomena under discussion as well as eliminates the contradictions between qualitative and quantitative methods. Those two methods supplement each other and can be easily applied together. The objective of the study was to estimate the possibilities of fuzzy logic application for the evaluation of stream water quality.

The rising development of sciences and technologies as well as social problems especially, high unemployment rate, make it indispensable to achieve an incessant innovation of higher education system including the field of electrical and electronics engineering. Some aspects of this goal are formulated in the report of the Ministry of Education and Science of Latvia "Flexible Learning Strategy in Latvian Higher Education" in 1999. The study was based on applying SWOT analysis, i.e. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats were identified. This paper reports the results of one of the first attempts to elaborate and implement an original student centred interactive learning tool for the students of higher and vocational schools in Latvia.

To study the organic matter digestibility of feeds 22 in vivo and in vitro digestion experiments were carried out by using DAISY II filter bags system in the Eerika Experimental Farm of the Estonian Agricultural University in 1997-2001. In the in vivo experiments 4 rams and special boxes were used. The in vitro experiments were carried out and the chemical composition of feeds was determined in the laboratory of the Department of Animal Nutrition in the Institute of Animal Science by methods generally recognized in the EU. The objective of the study was the comparison of organic matter digestibility of feeds measured by in vivo methods, by DAISY II filter bags method and of that calculated by acid detergent fibre or neutral detergent fibre.