The objective of the study was to analyze measurements of the sires used in Latvian Warmblood (LWB) and Latvian Heavy Warmblood (LHWB) breeding programs in the period 2003 – 2017, two major horse populations in Latvia included in one studbook. The Latvian Warmblood has an open studbook for breeding sport horses, whereas the Latvian Heavy Warmblood is a partly closed studbook. Measuring information for all sires with at least one foal born (n=834) in the respective time period was retrieved from the Latvian horse database, with 673 stallions measured at least once. The data consisted of direct measurements – height at withers, chest circumference and cannon bone circumference – and two calculated indices – massivity index and boniness index. Average values of adult stallions were analyzed in four groups – LWB, LHWB, ‘other warmbloods’ and refining breeds, with LWB and ‘other warmbloods’ showing similar average values. Sires were divided by use in breeding into 3-year periods to observe a possible change in the breeding objective and stallion choice, however, no significant differences were found in LWB or LHWB. Average measurements of stallions used in the LWB breeding program (different breeds) were 168.6 ± 4.3 cm for height at withers, 194.4 ± 6.6 cm for chest circumference, 21.8 ± 1.0 cm for cannon bone circumference, massivity index 115.5 ± 3.1, boniness index 13.0 ± 0.5. Average measurements of stallions used in the LHWB breeding program (only LHWB stallions) were 167.6 ± 4.6 cm, 201.4 ± 7.3 cm, 23.7 ± 1.0 cm, respectively, and massivity index 120.0 ± 5.0, boniness index 14.1 ± 0.6. Significant differences between LWB and LHWB stallions were observed in all parameters, except height at withers, and between measurements at the age of 2, 3, 4 years and adult (5 and more years).

The development of rural territories in the European Union (EU) plays an essential role, and agricultural development can largely contribute to this process. To project agricultural trends, a number of models have been developed in the EU, while in Latvia the LASAM model was developed in 2016 to generate projections for agricultural sector development in Latvia until 2050. In 2017, LASAM was extended by a module for socio-economic assessment that allows projecting productivity for various types of farming. The research aim is to develop a model for productivity simulation for various specialisation types of farms in order to project their development in Latvia. To achieve the aim, two specific research tasks were set: 1) to develop a model for productivity simulation for various specialisation types of farms in Latvia; 2) to identify the key results of the simulation of productivity for various specialisation types of farms in Latvia. The research found that in the period 2005 – 2016 the value added of agriculture tended to slightly increase in Latvia, whereas an opposite trend was observed for the number of persons employed in agriculture, which tended to decrease in the period of analysis. Both trends determine the agricultural productivity trend as well. A projection of productivity measured as value added per AWU for various farming types in Latvia by means of the LASAM model has revealed that it is different, and the highest level of productivity in 2030 and 2050 is projected for granivores as well as field crop farms.

Social entrepreneurship plays an increasingly important role in tackling socio-economic problems. It has gained recognition in Latvia among politicians, academicians and social entrepreneurs; consequently, the number of social enterprises increased in the country, yet there is a lack of research studies on social enterprise models and their classification. Accordingly, the research aim is to examine the theoretical models of social enterprises in Latvia. In the scientific literature, there is no strict classification of social enterprises, but based on different criteria, it is possible to distinguish several types or models. In Latvia, there are relatively few social enterprises; for this reason, it is quite difficult to categorise them. However, social enterprises are divided by sector, field of activity, target group, scale of activity and other criteria. The research stresses the following key social entrepreneurship models: the Selfinitiative Model, the Government Participation Model, the Municipal Participation Model and the Company-initiated Development Model. These models are based on two key criteria – support intensity and taking the initiative in establishing and developing a social enterprise.

Current paper contains the research concerning the role and concentration of IT specialists in contemporary Latvia. It is based on theoretical findings about the location of creative class in certain areas that meet the requirements of technology, tolerance and talent. At the same time, the advantages of creative people staying in the area are undoubted. Creative class and, first of all, super-creative core of creative class bring economic and technological development into the area it is located at. The goal of the article is to examine areas of creative IT specialist concentration within Latvia. The statistics and dynamics of IT position increase were examined and trends found. In order to define the role of IT specialists in Latvia, the allocations of IT specialists across the country were analysed. Herfindahl-Hirschman Index of Information and communication industry employee concentration was calculated. It was found that IT specialists in Latvia are extremely concentrated. Riga planning region accumulates 91.51% of all IT specialists in Latvia.

Every day millions of new data records with spatial component are produced in the world, which provide valuable information to make decisions and solve business-related issues. However, a large part of this data is hardly analysed because of their different structures and schemas. The aim of the paper is to improve the integration, processing and analysis of unstructured spatial data. During the research, the author analysed geospatial data types and sources, explored NoSQL solutions for geospatial data processing and chose the open-source tools which are the most appropriate for the stated goals, as well as analysed the coverage of forest areas with protected zones using MongoDB database capabilities and visualized results in a map, using QGIS software. MongoDB is a useful tool for geospatial data analysis and has a large number of embedded topology analysis functions and has drivers for widespread programming languages like JavaScript, Python, PHP, Java, Scala, CNo., C, C + +, etc. QGIS has extensions that allow to make connections to databases, including a connection with MongoDB. Using these features, the developers can develop geographic information systems to analyse geospatial data – structured, semi-structured and unstructured. Generally MongoDB is used for real-time data analysis; however, complicated analysis of large data sets can take up to hours and even days, so it is still necessary to find the best solution to get results in an acceptable time for users. Using MongoDB together with Apache Hadoop – the framework to support big data applications – could be a possible solution for this problem.

Breeding work on Ribes species has been started at the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine in Kyiv since 1984 by Petro Sherenhovyj. The breeding programme has been focused on fruit quality, yield, resistance to diseases and pests, as well as on adaptive responses to environmental conditions. As a result of the long-term work, 18 new cultivars were included in the State Register of Plant Varieties of Ukraine in 1999– 2016. The aim of this paper is to describe these varieties: 10 blackcurrant (‘Dochka Vorskly’, ‘Hovtva’, ‘Pam`yati Leonida Mykhalevskoho’, ‘Universytetska’, ‘Aspirantska’, ‘Didorivska’, ‘Poltava 584’, ‘Petrivska’, ‘Yuvileina Sherenhovoho’, and ‘Leleka’), 5 redcurrant (‘Kyianochka’, ‘Poliana Holosiivska’, ‘Buzhanska’, ‘Malva’, and ‘Olha’), 1 whitecurrant (‘Lebidka’), and 2 gooseberry (‘Vasylko’, and ‘Tikych’). The varieties described give farmers and scientists the best knowledge about these cultivars with good level of commercial traits, suitable for dissemination in Ukraine.

Enhanced forest growth may respond to demand of woody resources and contribute to the climate change mitigation. Forest soil treatment with fertilizers, as well as drainage and thinning enhance forest growth. The analysis of needles is an established method in forest science to identify the nutrient status in the forest stand and need for forest soil enrichment with fertilizers. The aim of this research is to estimate the efficiency of forest soil enrichment with wood ash and ammonium nitrate in order to eliminate nutrient deficiency in forest stands. Forest soil was enriched with wood ash fertilizer or ammonium nitrate in 2016–2017. The current year needles were collected from fertilized and control plots, from three trees in each plot. The samples were collected in the period 2018–2019. Total nitrogen (g kgE−1), calcium (g kgE−1), magnesium (g kgE−1), and potassium (g kgE−1) were analysed in the collected samples. The chemical properties of collected needles were compared at the individual object level to estimate the impact of fertilizer on forest stand. A statistically significant increase in the concentrations of potassium and phosphorus was detected in some plots treated with wood ash and ammonium nitrate. In addition, a correlation analysis conducted between the variables of chemical properties of needles and soil showed few significant correlations between nutrient content in needles and in soil samples.

Dry seeds of peas (Pisum sativum L.) have long been used as a staple food and feed globally, and its nutritional, health and ecological benefits comply with growing demand for novel vegan foods intended for health and sustainability conscious individuals. The aim of this study was to review research findings and latest information on field pea usage as a functional ingredient in vegan foods. Monographic method was used to analyse field pea Pisum sativum L. usage as a diverse and multifunctional ingredient in vegan foods, covering latest available information on chemical composition of field pea and main food ingredients made from field pea, focusing on the varieties from which yellow split pea is produced; their impact on ready product’s nutrition, sensory properties and application in food industry. Major types of novel vegan foods containing field peas available on market were named. Pea protein, starch and fibre have demonstrated functional properties in different food systems, including – emulsification, oil-in-water system stabilisation, texture modification, binding, gelation, foaming, and solubility. It is functionally possible and nutritionally and ecologically desirable to develop novel vegan foods intended as animal product alternatives with acceptable sensory properties.

Smoked sprats (Sprattus sprattus balticus) from the Baltic Sea are one of the most popular processed fish products in Latvia. The amount of catching and demand is annually increasing. For producers, it is important to provide stable quality throughout the year, which sometimes is challenging due to many factors. Smoked fish quality depends not only on the seasonality, but also on the applied technologies. The aim of the current study was to review research findings about factors affecting the smoked fish quality. The databases of Science Direct, Web of Science, Wiley Online Journals and Google Scholar were searched. The first parameter that affects quality of fish till processing is raw material, its catching place and season, as well as whether it is fresh or frozen fish, that includes not only microbiological parameters, but also physical and chemical changes in fish depending on the storage conditions. The second parameter is the applied pre-treatment methods (using salt, acids) before processing, which can improve fish texture and make better result for smoked fish. The third parameter is the used technology for the fish processing, heat treatment methods use of wood chips or liquid smoke, or adjustment of smoking conditions. These all together make a lot of sensorial and textural changes in the final product. If any of these parameters is changed during processing, they can affect the smoked fish quality. Therefore, to ensure constant quality of smoked fish, in-depth knowledge of parameters is extremely important.