Remote and automatic monitoring of two Apis Cerana bee colonies was conducted in Indonesia to demonstrate precision beekeeping approach in that region. Successful implementation of the precision beekeeping system includes development of the bee colony monitoring hardware and software for data collection, analysis and visualisation. This paper focuses on development and installation of such systems at the private apiary in Indonesia. For bee colony monitoring at the apiary a developed monitoring unit was used, which is based on ESP microchip, and for the data storage SAMS data warehouse was used. The monitoring results showed that the choice of the location of the temperature sensor is important, as the temperature at the hive sides changes synchronously with the outside temperature. Also, feedback from the beekeeper is collected to further improve the system and monitoring process. This research is conducted within the SAMS – Smart Apiculture Management Services project, which is funded by the European Union within the H2020-ICT-39-2016-2017 call and with close collaboration with the local private beekeeper. To find out more, visit the project website https://sams-project.eu/.

Production economics forms a very important part of an enormous range of economic theory. Agricultural production is no exception. When evaluating the competitiveness of the multifunctional agriculture, it is necessary to use the measure of efficiency instead of productivity. The conception of the efficiency is explained and the methods for measurement are provided. The authors discuss the methods of Stochastic Frontier Approach (SFA), Free Disposal Hull (FDH) and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) that are particularly useful for multi-criterial evaluation of multifunctional processes. Those methods assign an efficiency score to each Decision Making Unit (DMU) based on how well it transforms a given set of inputs into outputs. Most studies have only focused on application of DEA method for assessment of the efficiency of agriculture farms. There is still a need on applications for sectors. This paper provides an examination of the applicability of DEA method to agriculture sectors efficiency measurement. By applying mathematical models, which are based on the DEA, the efficiency of agriculture in each EU country was evaluated.

Nitrogen management strategy in plant growth period based on chlorophyll content evaluation in plant can improve nitrogen usage efficiency and reduce environmental contamination. This study is aimed to determine the impact of different nitrogen and sulphur fertilizers rates on dynamics of chlorophyll content in winter wheat during vegetative growth and to determine the relationship between nitrogen and chlorophyll content and grain yield of winter wheat. Field trial involving a winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) variety ‘Kranich’ was conducted at the LUA Research and Study Farm Vecauce during a three-year period (2012-2015). The treatments were 0, 85, 153, 175+S21, 175 (in 2015), 187 N kg haE−1 and different nitrogen norms according to chlorophyll meter Yara N-tester (Konica Minolta Ltd.) data: 180, 150, 205 N kg haE−1 depending on the year. The results of the trial show that the maximum chlorophyll content in different plant parts was observed at the end of flowering stage. The chlorophyll content depended on the level of mineral fertilisation. The highest chlorophyll content in leaves, stems and ears was obtained by using additional sulphur in two trial years. Usage of chlorophyll meter Yara N-tester obtained the highest chlorophyll content in all analysed plant parts in one trial year. Chlorophyll content was significantly dependant on plant growth stage in stems in all trial years, in leaves in two trial years, and in ears in one year. Nitrogen fertilization significantly affected chlorophyll content in leaves and stems in one trial year. Close positive correlation was observed between grain yield and wheat plant chlorophyll content and average nitrogen concentration at the end of flowering stage in all three trial years.

Faba beans (Vicia faba L.) are an excellent protein source and should be more present in human diet, but due to their long cooking time, they are rarely used. So, in order to increase the accessibility of faba beans (Vicia faba L.), experiments were carried out to obtain new food products. Extrusion-cooking was chosen as the potential thermal cooking process and two different products were obtained. One was made exclusively from faba bean (Vicia faba L.) flour, while the second one was produced with a 50% addition of wheat flour to bean flour. Protein content, size, volume mass, pH and starch content for obtained products were analysed in order to characterise the products, as well as to see the differences from non-extruded faba beans (Vicia faba L.) and obtained samples. The experiments were carried out using faba beans (Vicia faba L.) obtained at Ltd. “Pure Horticultural Research Centre”. They were milled at Ltd. “Grauda spēks” and extruded with a twin screw extruder at Ltd. “Milzu”. The experiments showed that the extrusion process had decreased the protein content by 9%, but the starch content had risen by 13% with the addition of wheat flour. But, for sample, without added wheat flour differences were not significant. No significant size differences were observed in the obtained samples and pH values had no significant differences between extruded samples.

The aim of the research was to find out an appropriate method of treatment of retention of fetal membranes (RFM) in cows for conditions of Latvia. Three protocols for the treatment of retained fetal membranes in dairy cows were evaluated in a field trial. Cows that retained the fetal membranes for more than 24 hours were assigned to three treatment groups. Group 1 – control group; group 2 – cows with RFM, which were removed manually, and cows were intrauterine treated with antibiotics; group 3 – cows with RFM, which were not removed, and cows were intrauterine treated with antibiotics, and group 4 – cows with RFM, which were not removed, and cows were not treated. In animals with a decreased feed consumption or milk production, body temperature above 39.5 °C, systemic therapy was applied with ceftiofur hydrochloride or procaine benzilpenicillin. In order to establish subclinical endometritis, all cows were histologically examined on the 42nd day postpartum (PP). Subclinical mastitis was diagnosed both in cows with RFM and control group cows. Results indicated that better reproductive results were in cows of group 2 and group 4. Actually, results indicated that treatment of RFM without intrauterine manipulation and parenteral treatment could be as effective as conventional treatment including RFM detachment and local antibiotic treatment.

The objective of this study is to investigate the stability of total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity after high temperature and short time (HTST) extrusion cooking of a wheat and rice-based crispbreads with addition of apple, carrot and pumpkin by-products obtained after juice extraction and dried. Raw materials for crispbread production were wheat flour, rice flour, wheat bran (72%, 24% and 4% respectively) with addition of microwave–vacuum dried by-product powder in different amount (5%, 10%, 15%, 20%). Extrusion process was performed by using a laboratory singlescrew extruder GÖTTFERT 1 screw Extrusiometer L series (Germany). Total phenolic content (TPC) was determined using the Folin Ciocalteu method. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by free radical 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) antioxidant scavenging activity using a modified colorimetric method. Comparing different raw formulations, it was observed that the TPC of the apple by-product flour was significantly higher (p is less than 0.05) than in carrot and pumpkin flour. TPC in cereal-based crispbread was 36.06±1.15 before extrusion and 13.90±1.01 mg GAEgE-1 DW (milligram Gallic acid equivalent per 100 g of dry weight (mg GAE 100 gE−1 DW) after extrusion. Addition of apple BPF increased TPC in crispbreads to 106.25±2.08, carrot BPF 84.73±3.45 and pumpkin BPF to 108.82±1.04 mg GAEgE−1 DW. Antioxidant activity of control sample was 1.07±0.01mg TE (Trolox equivalents) gE−1 DW but in samples with addition of 20% apple by-products, it reached 3.77±0.02 TE gE−1 DW for samples with 20% carrot by-products reached 2.52±0.03TE gE−1 DW and for samples with 20% pumpkin by-products reached 3.77±0.02 TE gE−1 DW.

Legume seed inoculation prior to sowing is a well-known practice in agriculture. Nitrogen fixation, due to the symbiotic relationship between legumes and rhizobia, improves the productivity of legumes. Rhizobia strain specificity can be observed very often, leading to differences in the total protein content. In this study two faba bean cultivars (‘Karmazyn’ and ‘Bartek’) and five pea cultivars (‘Retrija’, ‘Zaiga’, ‘Lāsma’, ‘Vitra’ and ‘Bartek’) were tested using various rhizobia strains. In addition, strain effectivity was observed in four different soil types. Overall, the protein content increase was observed after seed inoculation with Rhizobium sp. Rhizobia strain and plant cultivar interaction specification was observed. Plant cultivar appeared to have a decisive role in the formation of protein content when inoculated with Rhizobium sp. From these pilot experiments, it can be concluded that, when choosing Rhizobium sp. strains for legume inoculation, soil type also should be considered. Rhizobia has the potential to be used as a commercial preparation intended for increasing legume protein content, alongside with increased legume yield; however, different rhizobia strains should be mixed together to achieve the optimal result.

In the article “Professor Tinbergen’s Method” (Keynes J. M. Professor Tinbergen’s Method. − The Economic Journal. 1939. Vol. 49. No. 195) John Maynard Keynes expressed critical notes concerning insufficient scientific level of the Jan Tinbergen’s results obtained with the help of econometric methods. The conclusion of present research is that the critical appraisal of econometric applying given by John Maynard Keynes in 1939 can be completely assigned to many published in Latvia research in economics and business done by inductive statistics because scientists carelessly apply the linear regression model in absence of the knowledge a priori required by proper theorems and algorithms. Moreover, many times there is no sense even to speak about stochastic experiment because the most important condition − ceteris paribus does not fulfil, namely, economic environment is not homogeneous enough. As the result, the causal inferences derived from Regression Report are not scientifically justified. The second conclusion is that the objective criticism in econometrics applications area in order to keep the satisfactory level of scientific correctness and scientific ethics in Latvia has to be established. We also assert that the applications of inductive econometrics in agriculture are much more justified due to possibility to repeat the stochastic experiments many times in constant circumstances like in physics and mechanics. The meta-target of present article is to remind the protests of John Maynard Keynes to the careless utilization of econometric theorems and to raise a wide discussion about the problems of correctness in applying inductive statistics in economics and agriculture in Latvia.

X Baltic-Nordic Agrometrics conference “Mathematics and Statistics Society for Sustainable Development” was held from 15 to 17 September at the Latvian University of Agriculture (LLU) in the framework of the Nordplus Higher Education 2016 project NPHE-2016/10342 “Raising awareness about the role of math skills in building specialists’ competence for the sustainable development of society”. Agrometrics is mathematics and statistics in agricultural science and studies. The aim of the X Baltic-Nordic Agrometrics conference was to exchange ideas, find out new solutions or highlight topical problems on the mathematics, statistics, informatics and physics education tendencies, practical application and research in the context of sustainable development.

Since 2014, there have been admission tests in mathematics for applicants to the Estonian University of Life Sciences for Geodesy, Land Management and Real Estate Planning; Civil Engineering; Hydraulic Engineering and Water Pollution Control; Engineering and Technetronics curricula. According to admission criteria, the test must be taken by students who have not passed the specific mathematics course state exam or when the score was less than 20 points. The admission test may also be taken by those who wish to improve their state exam score. In 2016, there were 126 such applicants of whom 63 took the test. In 2015, the numbers were 129 and 89 and in 2014 150 and 47 accordingly. The test was scored on scale of 100. The arithmetic average of the score was 30.6 points in 2016, 29.03 in 2015 and 18.84 in 2014. The test was considered to be passed with 1 point in 2014 and 20 points in 2015 and 2016. We analyzed test results and gave examples of problems which were solved exceptionally well or not at all.