The study reported here aimed to determine whether correlations can be found between the intestinal segment-related microbiota composition and the different growing intensities of broiler chickens. The bacterial community structures of three intestinal segments (jejunum chymus—JC, jejunum mucosa—JM, caecum chymus—CC) from broiler chickens with low body weight (LBW) and high body weight (HBW) were investigated. Similar to the previous results in most cases, significant differences were found in the bacteriota diversity and composition between the different sampling places. However, fewer body weight (BW)-related differences were detected. In the JM of the HBW birds, the Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratio (B/F) was also higher. At the genus level significant differences were observed between the BW groups in the relative abundance of Enterococcus, mainly in the JC; Bacteroides and Ruminococcaceae UCG-010, mainly in the JM; and Ruminococcaceae UCG-013, Negativibacillus, and Alistipes in the CC. These genera and others (e.g., Parabacteroides and Fournierella in the JM; Butyricoccus, Ruminiclostridium-9, and Bilophila in the CC) showed a close correlation with BW. The co-occurrence interaction results in the JC revealed a correlation between the genera of Actinobacteria (mainly with Corynebacterium) and Firmicutes Bacilli classes with different patterns in the two BW groups. In the JM of LBW birds, two co-occurring communities were found that were not identifiable in HBW chickens and their members belonged to the families of Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae. In the frame of the co-occurrence evaluation between the jejunal content and mucosa, the two genera (Trichococcus and Oligella) in the JC were found to have a significant positive correlation with other genera of the JM only in LBW chickens.

In this research, the effects of early post-hatch inoculation of a competitive exclusion product (Br) and the continuous feeding of a synbiotic supplement (Sy) containing probiotic bacteria, yeast, and inulin on the production traits and composition of ileal chymus (IC), ileal mucosa (IM), and caecal chymus (CC) microbiota of broiler chickens were evaluated. The dietary treatments had no significant effects on the pattern of intestinal microbiota or production traits. The digestive tract bacteriota composition was affected mostly by the sampling place and age of birds. The dominant family of IC was Lactobacillaceae, without change with the age. The abundance of the two other major families, Enterococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae decreased with the age of birds. In the IM, Clostridiaceae was the main family in the first three weeks. Its ratio decreased later and Lactobacillaceae became the dominant family. In the CC, Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae were the main families with decreasing tendency in the age. In IC, Br treatment decreased the abundance of genus Lactobacillus, and both Br and Sy increased the ratio of Enterococcus at day 7. In all gut segments, a negative correlation was found between the IBD antibody titer levels and the ratio of genus Leuconostoc in the first three weeks, and a positive correlation was found in the case of Bifidobacterium, Rombutsia, and Turicibacter between day 21 and 40.

Barley and oats can be alternatives of corn and wheat in poultry nutrition and used at higher inclusion rates. Both cereals contain hulls, a structural fiber source, that can be beneficial for the gizzard function of birds. They also contain high amounts of β-glucans, of which about 60–70% is water soluble. Soluble β-glucans increase gut viscosity, impair digestion, and modify gut microbiota. The aim of this trial was to evaluate the effects of feeding oats and barley at high inclusion rates and with exogenous glucanase on some relevant gut parameters and the microbiota composition of jejunum content (JC), jejunum mucosa (JM), and cecal content (CC). A total of 360 male, Ross 308 broiler chickens were allocated randomly into three treatment groups of 5 replicate pens with 24 chickens. Beside a corn and soybean meal-based control diet (C), a barley (B)- and oat (O)-based treatment was used. In all feeding phases, barley was fed at 40, while oats at 20% inclusion rate. At day 40, 10 birds per treatment were slaughtered and gut viscosity, the cecal short chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentration, and the microbiota composition of the different gut parts determined. In spite of the glucanase enzyme addition, the barley-based diet significantly increased the viscosity of the ileal content and this was also the diversity of the bacteriota in the small intestine. On the other hand, this treatment decreased the microbial diversity in the ceca and resulted in lower SCFA contents. Barley increased the abundance of the phyla Bacteroidetes and decreased that of Firmicutes and some of them genera in the JC and CC. Oats had only a slight effect on the measured parameters. The results highlight the importance of also taking into account the soluble fiber fractions of the feedstuffs in diet formulation and to adapt the exogenous enzyme supplementation of to the actual soluble fiber contents.

This trial was carried out to find out the effects of the parent flock and hatching time of broiler chickens on the production traits and bacteriota development of animals. Two sets of 730 hatching eggs were collected from two different parent flocks with ages of 25 and 50 weeks. In the hatchery, both groups were divided into two subgroups: those hatched during the first 10 and the subsequent 10 h of the hatching window. A feeding trial was carried out afterwards, using the four treatments in six replicate floor pens and feeding commercial starter, grower, and finisher diets that contained all the nutrients according to the breeder’s recommendations. The day-old chickens of the older parent flock and those hatched later were heavier, and this advantage remained until the end of the production period. The different ages and origins of the parent flocks failed to modify the microbiological parameters of the chicken’s ceca; however, the hatching time significantly influenced the different bacteriota diversity indices: the late-hatched chickens showed higher Bacteroidetes and lower Firmicutes and Actinobacteria abundances at day 11. These treatments resulted in differences in the main families, Ruminococcaceae, Lactobacillaceae, and Bacteroidaceae. These differences could not be found at day 39.

The five-year mean yield of five Hungarian wheat production counties was 5.59 t ha⁻¹ with a 7.02% average coefficient of variation. There was a regional effect on yield when progressing from south to north with a 1–2 °C higher mean winter air temperature, meaning that the T_a in southern counties increased the five-season mean yield by 15.9% (p = 0.002) compared to the yield of northern counties. Logistic regression models developed to assess the FHB risk driven by a few meteorological variables (T_a; RH) provided proper predictive performance. The results in the regression model were validated against the measured infection rates (P%) provided by the NÉBIH 30 days before and after heading. The FHB pressure was comparatively higher in Zala County, probably due to its special topological and growing conditions, irrespective of the season. Across all areas studied, two of the five identified counties (Pest and Somogy) provided the best classification for FHB infection. In the remaining three counties, the seasonal mean prediction accuracy (differences) exceeded 10% in only 6 out of 30 model outputs. The modeled five-season P% values averaged 70.4% and 93.2% of the measured infection rates for models 1 and 2, respectively. The coincidence of wet and warm weather around the time of wheat flowering enhanced the risk of FHB.

Hedgerow systems are capable of modulating the environmental impacts of cultivated species, thus supporting them by providing beneficial ecosystem services. This study focuses on assessing the impact of insect damage caused by potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata), cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera), fungal infections by (Phytophthora infestans), and wildlife damage from rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) on three tomato genotypes, ‘Szentlőrinckáta’, ‘ACE55′, and ‘Roma’ produced in a hedgerow system. Plants were grown in random block design on both sides of a hedgerow at the Soroksár experimental field of the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences in 2022. The plots were situated at five distances (3 m, 6 m, 9 m, 12 m, and 15 m) from the hedgerow on both windy and protected sides. The results indicate that variety selection has a significant effect on fruit production; ‘ACE55′ yielded less amounts of healthy unripe and ripened fruits compared to ‘Roma’ and ‘Szentlőrinckáta’. Tomato variety, side, and distance significantly influenced insect damage and overall yield in tomato plants. Fungal damage was not significantly affected by variety, side, and distance. Potato beetle damage was more prevalent on the protected side; ‘ACE55‘ had significantly fewer damaged fruits compared to other genotypes. Wild animal damage was significantly affected by distance from the hedgerow. Insect damage was higher on the protected side and lower on the windy side of the hedgerow, depending on insects and survey date. Despite higher insect damage, the protected side generally promoted healthy red and green fruit production, particularly for ‘Roma’ and ‘Szentlőrinckáta’.