The article is a follow-up and an extension to previously published papers by HolzerŻelażewska & Holzer (1997) and Holzer-Żelażewska & Tymicki (2009). Fristly, we have added new cohorts to the cohort analysis based on the individual data from births registration for the years 2009–2015. Secondly, we have extended the scope of the study by taking into account the context of postponement and recuperation to analyses of cohort fertility of Polish women.

The approach applied to the fertility postponement and recuperation on the cohort data refers to the method which was originally proposed by Frejka (2011) and Lesthaeghe (2001) and further developed by Sobotka et al. (Sobotka et al., 2011). This method allows for calculation of fertility postponement and recuperation measures with respect to a benchmark cohort chosen as the one that first experiences an onset of the increase in the mean age of motherhood at first birth.

The results show the remarkable changes in the fertility patterns in Poland. The main driving forces behind the change in fertility patterns in Poland are related to the postponement of first births along with a relatively good recuperation. The magnitude of recuperation for Polish cohorts dropped significantly for second births and was almost non-existent for third and higher births. Therefore, the pattern of fertility in Poland observed till 2015 could be characterized by postponement and recuperation of first births along with a significant decrease in second births with perpetual postponement of third and higher births.

Previous studies identified large differences between countries in the extent to which childbearing intentions are realised. Failure to realise an intention to become a parent was found to be particularly common in the post-socialist countries. In this paper we examine whether similarly low rates of realisation of fertility intentions can be found in Poland. We use two waves of the Polish Generations and Gender Survey (GGS-PL), conducted in 2010/2011 and 2014/2015. We first describe fertility intentions of Polish women and men as declared at the survey’s first wave. Next, we examine whether the short-term childbearing intentions expressed at wave 1 were followed by an actual birth by the second round of the data collection. For the respondents who did not get a child between waves 1 and 2, we analyse the stability of their fertility plans. We find that approximately 35% of the respondents who at wave 1 intended to have a child in the next three years actually had one by wave 2. Both realisation and stability of fertility intentions varied markedly by gender and parity.

The aim of the present study was to investigate blood parameters and subsequent fertility in cows with or without increased postpartum polymorphonuclear neutrophil activity. The study was conducted with 15 Brown Swiss cows between 1-3 lactations. Polymorphonuclear neutrophil activities were assessed at 10±4 days before and after parturition. The cows which maintained their phagocytic and oxidative burst activites compared to the prepartum period were classified as control (CON), and cows which increased phagocytic and oxidative burst activites were defined as increased cellular immune response (ICIR) cows. Energy, protein metabolism markers, hepatic enzymes, blood mineral levels and body condition scores were measured at -10±4, 3±2, 10±4 days relative to parturition. Pregnancy rates, the number of inseminations, and calving to pregnancy intervals were evaluated. The mean non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) and beta -hydroxybutyric acid (BHB) concentrations were lower in ICIR cows. Mean serum calcium (Ca) concentrations were in subclinical hypocalcemia level at day 3±2, 10±4 days postpartum in CON cows. Postpartum immune cell functions and NEFA, BHB concentrations were negatively cor- related. The calving to pregnancy interval were longer in the control cows. However, total preg- nancy rates and the number of insemination in both groups were similar. In conclusion, postpar- tum polymorphonuclear neutrophil activity is affected by periparturient metabolic status. Postpartum energy metabolites negatively affected the postpartum cellular immune response. The increased postpartum polymorphonuclear neutrophil activity at early postpartum period is positively related with subsequent fertility in dairy cows.

Being more sensitive to economic fluctuations, childbearing postponement increased during the second demographic transition and was accompanied by a moderate decline in the number of children per woman and the progressive rise of mother’s age at first birth. Under the hypothesis that recessions have a marked influence on population dynamics, the present study investigates spatial changes in mother’s age at birth in Greece with the aim to assess the differential impact of economic crisis along the urban-rural gradient. The percent composition of births by mother's age class – considered a gross indicator of fertility under a changing socioeconomic context – was studied at 4 spatial scales (the whole country, administrative regions, prefectures and metropolitan areas or specific economic districts) over an economic cycle from expansion to recession (1980–2016). While stimulating childbearing postponement observed since the early 1980s, empirical results of this study indicate that the 2007 recession was quite neutral on fertility trends in Greece, consolidating the traditional divide between urban and rural areas.

This study analyses and compares the fertility behaviour and childbearing plans of Polish migrant fam-ilies in Ireland and those of their counterparts – families in Poland. The study has a comparative and explanatory character and applies both quantitative and qualitative methods. The analysis is based on the author’s own data collected from an online survey of Polish family units in Ireland in 2014 and compared with secondary data on families in Poland retrieved from the 2011 Gender and Generation Survey (GGS). My research reveals fertility postponement and fewer families with children among mi-grant families; nonetheless, migrant parents have more children than their counterparts in Poland. The results highlight the significance of socio-economic and institutional contexts. The study also reveals a dichotomisation of fertility strategies within the migrant population, with distinct differences in the number of children, transition age to parenthood, and further fertility intentions between migrants who became parents in Poland and those who did so after the move. The results also provide insights into the childbearing motivations and fertility patterns of recent Polish migrants and contribute to the dis-cussion of migrants’ fertility in general.

The article presents the research into hygienizing process of chicken manure using calcium peroxide (CaO₂) as an environmentally friendly biological deactivation agent. The influence of the addition of CaO₂ to chicken manure on the bioavailability of phosphorus was also analyzed. The process of biological deactivation using CaO₂, CaO and Ca(OH)₂ agents was analyzed applying the disk diffusion method. To optimize the effect of the hygienizing parameters, (CaO₂ concentration, pH, temperature and time) on the reduction of Enterobacteriaceae count the Taguchi method was applied. The content of bioavailable phosphorus was measured with the Egner-Riehm method and determined with spectrophotometry. The reduction in bacterial count followed an increase in the concentration of CaO₂ in a sample. The optimal experimental conditions (CaO₂=10.5 wt.%, pH=9.5, T=40°C, t=180 h) enabled a significant decrease in the Enterobacteriaceae count, from 10⁷ cfu/g to 10² cfu/g. Analysis of the samples with Egner-Riehm method showed that the phosphorus content decreased with the addition of biocide CaO₂: from 26.6 mg/l (for 3.5 wt.%) to 3.5 mg/l (for 10.5 wt.%). These values were slightly higher than the content of phosphorus deactivated with Ca(OH)₂ i.e., from 11.25 mg/l (for 3.5 wt.%) to 4.49 mg/l (for 10.5 wt.%). The application of CaO₂ for hygienizing chicken manure enables effective reduction of Enterobacteriaceae count to an acceptable level (below 1000 cfu/g). In comparison with the traditional techniques of hygienization, the application of CaO₂ has a positive effect on the recovery of bioavailable phosphorus.

There is an increased interest in using automatic milking systems (AMS) to indirectly assess the welfare of dairy cows, but knowledge on analyzing the association between lameness, milk yield characteristics, and reproductive performance in cows is still insufficient. The main aims of this study were to evaluate the influence of lameness on several AMS variables and reproduc- tive performance indicators during the early stage of lactation and estrus in Lithuanian Black and White dairy cows, as well as to assess the associations between lameness, productivity and repro- ductive efficiency. A total of 418 milking cows (50.3±1.2 d postpartum) without any apparent reproductive disorder were monitored for hoof health status. Cows were assigned to two groups on the basis of visual locomotion scoring: “non-lame“cows (group 1; 74.20%) and cows presen- ting “lameness“ (lame cows) (group 2; 25.80%).

Productive and milking performances of dairy cows were recorded from 50 to 100 days in milk (DIM) and 1 day after the first estrus. The lameness was predominantly localized on the hind feet (79.60%) and less frequently - on the front feet (20.40%; p<0.001). Furthermore, the lameness had a tendency to decrease milk production (4.24%; p<0.05) and increase the diffe- rence in milk yield between rear and front quarters of the udder (1.20%; p<0.05). The frequency of milking (5.19%) was lower in lame cows (p<0.05). The lame cows during estrus showed a more pronounced decrement in milk yield and milking frequency (p<0.05), and also higher milk progesterone concentration values (1.55-1.76 time’s; p<0.001), and an increasing number of inseminations (11.69%; p<0.05) were observed. The results highlighted that analysis of data from AMS programs can be a successful tool for reducing risk factors related to the effective management of reproductive performance and hoof health of dairy cows.

The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of cystic ovarian follicles (COFs) occurring after puerperium on fertility and the effect of their treatment with progesterone releasing device on reproductive performance in dairy cows. The study was carried out in 3 herds of Polish Holstein-Friesian cows under herd health program. COFs were diagnosed by ultrasound above 60 days p.p. They were defined as follicular structures with a diameter > 2.5 cm in the absence of a corpus luteum at two repeated examinations at the 14-days interval. On the day of COF diagnosis blood samples were collected to measure progesterone (P4) concentration. On the basis of the wall thickness measurement and progesterone concentration at the first examination, the COFs were differentiated into follicular and luteal cysts. The experimental group consisted of 23 animals with COF. The cows were treated with PRID Delta (Ceva Animal Health, Poland), containing 1.55 g of progesterone, for 7 days. The cows without oestrus signs within 14 days after treatment were re-examinated. If COF persisted, the cows were treated again with PRID Delta. The treatment was repeated maximum three times. Fifteen cows with ovarian cysts were left untreated and served as a control group. The cows with COF were matched to healthy cows without COF. The cows with COF had worse fertility performances compared to cows without COF. There were significant (p<0.05) differences in conception rates, number of services per conception and days open between these groups. Compared with non-treated cows with COF, in cows with COF treated with PRID Delta conceptions rates and number of services per conception were similar, but the days open were significantly (p<0.05) lower in cows treated than in non-treated (183.3 days vs. 277.6 days). There were no differences in reproductive performances between the follicular and luteal cysts in treated and non-treated cows. In conclusion, the results of our study confirm the negative impact of COF after puerperium on fertility in dairy cows. Furthermore the results indicate the usefulness of PRID Delta for the treatment of COF occurring after the puerperium regardless of cysts type.

The current survey was carried out to evaluate the effect of different nitrogen levels (0, 2.1, 3.0, 3.9 g ∙ pot–1 nitrogen as urea 46%) on tomato fruit worm Helicoverpa armigera on six common tomato cultivars (e.g., Kingston, Riogrand, Earlyurbana, Redston, Superstrain-B and Primoearly) under laboratory conditions [25 ± 1°C, 60 ± 5% RH, 16 : 8 (L : D) h]. The mortality, developmental period of immature stages as well as the longevity and fecundity of adult stages were recorded. Data were analyzed based on the age-stage, two-sex lifetable theory. The longest (24.21 ± 0.59 days) larval developmental period was recorded in Earlyurbana variety with zero nitrogen level and the shortest (15.44 ± 0.36 days) in Superstrain-B variety with the highest nitrogen level. Consequently, the net reproductive rate (R0) ranged from 35.7 ± 7.06 to 62.16 ± 18.9 offspring/female/individual in Redston variety with zero nitrogen level and in Superstrain-B variety with the highest nitrogen level, respectively. The lowest and highest values of the intrinsic rate (r) and finite rate of increase (l) were estimated for Redston variety with zero level of nitrogen (0.0712 ± 0.0065 and 1.0732 ± 0.0069 day–1) and Superstrain-B variety with the highest nitrogen fertilizer (0.1507 ± 0.0057 and 1.1629 ± 0.0066 day–1), respectively. The results demonstrated that nitrogen fertilizer influenced nearly all the life parameters of the pest which depended on the cultivars. Finally, it could be concluded that Kingston and Superstrain-B were suitable and Earlyurbana and Redston were unsuitable host plant cultivars for H. armigera.

The role of the tea commodity in the economy of Indonesia is quite strategic. Various types of microorganisms in nature have been known to increase the benefit of the root function, suppress disease, and accelerate plant growth. This study aimed to determine the potential of indigenous bacteria (Azoto II-1, Acinetobacter sp., bacteria Endo-5, bacteria Endo-65 and Endo-76) on the growth of tea plants and their potential in increasing resistance to blister blight disease. The test of microbes’ potential effect on growth and blister blight was conducted in Gambung, West Java in an experimental field using a randomized block design (RBD) with six treatments and each treatment was replicated four times. The composition of the treatments was: A) Endo-5; B) Endo-65; C) Endo-76; D) Azoto II-1; E) Acinetobacter sp.; and F) control (without microbes). Bacterial suspension was applied directly to the soil at a dose of 2 l · ha−1. The bacterial suspension was applied six times at 1 week intervals. The results of field observations indicated that the intensity of blister blight decreased in all treatments but did not significantly differ from the control. Meanwhile, the results of Acinetobacter sp. treatment in tea shoots was 17.26% higher than the control.