Hyperadrenocorticism (excessive adrenal production of sex steroids related to adrenocortical adenomas and carcinomas) is a common disease in neutered male and female pet ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) and causes significant morbidity. Incidence of ferret adrenal disease in Latvia is high because the majority of them are gonadectomized. The most common clinical symptoms include symmetrical alopecia and recurrence of sexual behavior. Sex steroids used to diagnose disease are estradiol, androstenedione and 17α-OH progesterone. It is mentioned that androstenedione is the most sensitive during development of the disease. The aim of this study was to sum up, evaluate and compare clinical findings and blood hormone measurements in ferrets diagnosed with hyperadrenocorticism. Forty two ferrets (n = 20 female, n = 22 male) with various clinical symptoms related to hyperadrenocorticism were included in this research. Clinical examination based on clinical symptom protocol was performed and blood samples were taken in all cases. There is a high correlation between the age of neutering and onset of clinical signs in female ferrets. In both sexes, there is no correlation between clinical signs and levels of sex steroids. In male and female group, symmetrical alopecia, pruritus, scaling and fragility of skin and lethargy are the most common findings. During this research, a ranking system (from 1 to 4) for the severity of alopecia was developed. All ferrets had one or two elevated sex steroid levels. In our research, androstenedione was elevated in 25 cases out of 42. Clinical signs and sex steroid measurements are important in diagnosing hyperadrenocorticism in ferrets.

Japanese quince (Chaenomeles japonica) is cultivated as a fruit crop because its fruit possesses valuable properties. The total area of Japanese quince in Latvia is continuously increasing; therefore, fruit rot can become an important reason of yield loss. The aim of this study was to clarify the fruit rot incidence in Japanese quince plantations in Latvia and explore the influencing factors of rot development in the year 2017. The evaluation of fruit rot was carried out during the fruit development in eight places of different regions of Latvia where Japanese quince is grown commercially. Three plantations of different Japanese quince cultivars in Dobele and seven plantations where Japanese quince is grown from seedlings were observed. Fruit rot incidence among plantations had no significant differences. Statistically significant differences in fruit rot incidence depending on quince growth stage (p is less than 0.05) were found. Significant differences in fruit rot incidence were found between cultivars in Dobele.

Tan spot is an economically important disease of wheat in Latvia, but there is still insufficient information about its causal agent’s Pyrenophora tritici-repentis diversity in Latvia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the disease phenotype in the field and the possible presence of necrotrophic effectors Ptr ToxA, Ptr ToxB and Ptr ToxC in the P. tritici-repentis population in Latvia. Typical differential wheat lines ‘Glenlea’, ‘6B662’, ‘6B365’ and ‘Salamouni’ were evaluated under the field conditions in 2023 in the central part of Latvia. The highest tan spot severity was observed during the flowering stage with no significant difference between wheat genotypes. During the experiment, the typical disease phenotypes corresponding to all three known effectors were noted. Additionally, typical tan spot symptoms were determined on the resistant cultivar ‘Salamouni’, confirming the presence of new, currently uncharacterised effectors that are not compatible with the existing race model. Future studies should focus on searching for new effectors and further characterising known necrotrophic effectors, as knowledge about P. tritici-repentis and wheat interaction is still incomplete.