A large proportion of the world’s nitrogen needs is derived from symbiotic nitrogen fixation (SNF), which contributes substantially to agricultural sustainability. The partnership between legumes and rhizobia result in the formation of specialised structures called root nodules. Within these nodules SNF is supported by the sucrose transported from the leaves to the nodules for respiration. The end products of SNF in soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) root nodules, namely ureides, are transported to the upper parts of the plant to supply nitrogen. Symbiotic nitrogen fixation provides a vital advantage for the production of soybean compared with most grain crops in that soybean fixes the nitrogen required for its growth and for the production of the high-protein content in seed and oil. The process of SNF is dramatically affected by drought, salt, cold and heavy metal stresses. Since SNF is such an important yield-determining factor, a lack in understanding these complexes inevitably delays progress towards the genetic improvement of soybean genotypes and also complicates decisions with regard to the suitability of certain genotypes for the various soybean producing areas in South Africa. The largest soybean producing areas in South Africa are situated at high altitudes, with minimum daily temperatures which can be critically low and impeding the production of soybean. Soybean is chilling sensitive, with growth, development and yield being affected negatively at temperatures below 15°C. Dark chilling (low night temperature) stress has proved to be one of the most important restraints to soybean production in South Africa. Among the symptoms documented in dark chilling sensitive soybean genotypes are reduced growth rates, loss of photosynthetic capacity and pigment content, as well as premature leaf senescence and severely inhibited SNF. Existing knowledge about stress-induced nodule senescence is based on fragmented information in the literature obtained in numerous, and often diverse, legume species. The precise nature and sequence of events participating in nodule senescence has not yet been fully explained. The main objectives of this investigation were to characterise the natural senescence process in soybean nodules under optimal growth conditions and to characterise the alteration of the key processes of SNF in a chilling sensitive soybean genotype during dark chilling. Moreover, to establish whether recovery in nodule functionality following a long term dark chilling period occured, or whether nodule senescence was triggered, and if sensitive biochemical markers of premature nodule senescence could be identified. A known chilling sensitive soybean genotype, PAN809, was grown under controlled growth conditions in a glasshouse. To determine the baseline and change over time for key parameters involved in SNF, a study was conducted under optimal growing conditions over a period of 6 weeks commencing 4 weeks after sowing. The cluster of crown nodules were monitored weekly and analysis included nitrogenase activity, ureide content, respiration rate, leghemoglobin content, sucrose synthase (SS) activity and sucrose content. Further investigations focused on induced dark chilling effects on nodule function to determine the alterations in key parameters of SNF. Plants were subjected to dark chilling (6˚C) for 12 consecutive nights and kept at normal day temperatures (26˚C). The induced dark chilling was either only shoot (SC) exposure or whole plant chilling (WPC). These treatments were selected since, in some areas in South Africa cold nights result not only in shoot chilling (SC) but also in low soil temperatures causing direct chilling of both roots and shoots. To determine if premature nodule senescence was triggered, the recovery following 12 consecutive nights of chilling treatment was monitored for another 4 weeks. It was established that the phase of optimum nitrogenase activity under optimal growing conditions occurred during 4 to 6 weeks after sowing where after a gradual decline commenced. This decline was associated with a decline in nitrogenase protein content and an increase in ureide content. The stability of SS activity and nodule respiration showed that carbon-dependent metabolic processes were stable for a longer period than previously mentioned parameters. The negative correlation that was observed between nitrogenase activity and nodule ureide content pointed towards the possible presence of a feedback inhibition trigger on nitrogenase activity. A direct effect of dark chilling on nitrogenase activity and nodule respiration rate led to a decline in nodule ureide content that occurred without any limitations on the carbon flux of the nodules (i.e. stable sucrose synthase activity and nodule sucrose content). The effect on SC plants was much less evident but did indicate that currently unknown shoot-derived factors could be involved in the minor inhibition of SNF. It was concluded that the repressed rates of respiration might have led to increased O2 concentrations in the nodule, thereby inhibiting the nitrogenase protein and so the production of ureides. It was found that long term chilling severely disrupted nitrogenase activity and ureide synthesis in nodules. Full recovery in all treatments occurred after 2 weeks of suspension of dark chilling, however, this only occurred when control nodules already commenced senescence. This points toward reversible activation of the nitrogenase protein with no evidence in support of premature nodule senescence. An increase in intercellular air space area was induced by long term dark chilling in nodules, specifically by the direct chilling of nodules (WPC treatment). The delayed diminishment of intercellular air space area back to control levels following dark chilling may be an important factor involved in the recovery of nitrogenase activity because enlarged air spaces would have favoured gaseous diffusion, and hence deactivation of nitrogenase, in an elevated O2 environment (due to supressed nodule respiration rates). These findings revealed that dark chilling did not close the diffusion barrier, as in the case of drought and other stress factors, but instead opened it due to an increase in air space areas in all regions of the nodule. In conclusion, this study established that dark chilling did not initiate premature nodule senescence and that SNF demonstrated resilience, with full recovery possible following even an extended dark chilling period involving low soil temperatures. / Thesis(PhD (Botany))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

The purpose of the study is to investigate optimal asset allocation as a means of minimising the investment risk, drawdown risk and longevity risk associated with an investment linked living annuity. The three risk elements were tested for various categories of retirees investing the full retirement savings amount in a living annuity. At first the paper examines the South African public's current pre-retirement savings habits, propensity to save and knowledge on the financial industry. The literature concludes that very few people are saving adequately for retirement, thus leaving a gap between required retirement savings capital and accumulated retirement savings capital. As a consequence, retirees have to take on more risk, usually in the form of equity exposure, (only available in an investment linked living annuity) or delaying retirement, to try and breach the gap. Secondly the paper examines the constructs in developing an optimal asset allocation. An analysis of the constructs includes risk versus return relationships for retirees, various unit trust sectors and portfolios within the South African financial market, the investment horizon also stated as the life expectancy of a retiree and withdrawal strategies applied by investors or retirees. The practical data and theory from the literature study formed the basis of the empirical study where different retirement savings balances were tested at various drawdown rates and asset allocations in an investment linked living annuity. The study concluded that retirees have to consider, among other factors, the required standard of living (stated as a net replacement ratio), the need to withdraw one third of the retirement capital and life expectancy before investing in an investment linked living annuity. These factors will have the biggest influence on the risks associated with an investment linked living annuity. Furthermore, the study concluded that an optimal asset allocation would be able to support a retiree during the post-retirement phase. A well diversified portfolio with a minimum of 50% allocation towards equity and property assets seems to be optimal. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

The purpose of the study is to investigate optimal asset allocation as a means of minimising the investment risk, drawdown risk and longevity risk associated with an investment linked living annuity. The three risk elements were tested for various categories of retirees investing the full retirement savings amount in a living annuity. At first the paper examines the South African public's current pre-retirement savings habits, propensity to save and knowledge on the financial industry. The literature concludes that very few people are saving adequately for retirement, thus leaving a gap between required retirement savings capital and accumulated retirement savings capital. As a consequence, retirees have to take on more risk, usually in the form of equity exposure, (only available in an investment linked living annuity) or delaying retirement, to try and breach the gap. Secondly the paper examines the constructs in developing an optimal asset allocation. An analysis of the constructs includes risk versus return relationships for retirees, various unit trust sectors and portfolios within the South African financial market, the investment horizon also stated as the life expectancy of a retiree and withdrawal strategies applied by investors or retirees. The practical data and theory from the literature study formed the basis of the empirical study where different retirement savings balances were tested at various drawdown rates and asset allocations in an investment linked living annuity. The study concluded that retirees have to consider, among other factors, the required standard of living (stated as a net replacement ratio), the need to withdraw one third of the retirement capital and life expectancy before investing in an investment linked living annuity. These factors will have the biggest influence on the risks associated with an investment linked living annuity. Furthermore, the study concluded that an optimal asset allocation would be able to support a retiree during the post-retirement phase. A well diversified portfolio with a minimum of 50% allocation towards equity and property assets seems to be optimal. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are promising mediators of anti-tumour immune responses. Unfortunately, a major hindrance to the development of highly effective DC vaccines is their short lifespan. Tumour antigen presentation may also not be optimal. We hypothesize that the introduction of exogenous survival factors (SFs) would prolong DC longevity and that modulation of TAA glycosylation will improve antigen presentation. To this end, we have constructed bicistronic lentivectors (LVs) encoding the xeno Tumour-Associated-Antigen (TAA), rHER-2/neu, and one of five candidate SFs. We demonstrated that our LVs can effectively protect transduced DCs from apoptosis when subjected to apoptosis-inducing conditions. TAA glycosylation has been proposed to obstruct the processing and presentation of peptides on MHC molecules. To address this second issue, we have engineered a LV that encodes a partially deglycosylated rHER-2/neu. Overall, we have generated the tools to alter intrinsic DC properties, which we believe will be integral to improving DC vaccine efficacy.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are promising mediators of anti-tumour immune responses. Unfortunately, a major hindrance to the development of highly effective DC vaccines is their short lifespan. Tumour antigen presentation may also not be optimal. We hypothesize that the introduction of exogenous survival factors (SFs) would prolong DC longevity and that modulation of TAA glycosylation will improve antigen presentation. To this end, we have constructed bicistronic lentivectors (LVs) encoding the xeno Tumour-Associated-Antigen (TAA), rHER-2/neu, and one of five candidate SFs. We demonstrated that our LVs can effectively protect transduced DCs from apoptosis when subjected to apoptosis-inducing conditions. TAA glycosylation has been proposed to obstruct the processing and presentation of peptides on MHC molecules. To address this second issue, we have engineered a LV that encodes a partially deglycosylated rHER-2/neu. Overall, we have generated the tools to alter intrinsic DC properties, which we believe will be integral to improving DC vaccine efficacy.

Telomeres form protective caps at the ends of linear chromosomes. They consist of repetitive DNA nucleotides and associated proteins of the shelterin complex. In vitro telomeres become shorter during cell division and when a critical shortness is reached they trigger a DNA damage response that leads to replicative senescence or apoptosis. Telomere shortening is a recognised hallmark of cellular ageing and seems to be also associated with organismal ageing. Telomere length (TL) and the rate of shortening vary across individuals and several studies have found that short telomeres and fast telomere depletion are associated with poor survival and early onset of age related diseases. However, longitudinal studies are needed to better understand the relationship of TL and TL dynamics with longevity measures. Relevant studies on livestock species are largely missing from the literature. In the dairy industry, farmers are forced to cull a considerable percentage of their heifers and cows at a young age due to fertility problems or diseases. As a consequence many replacement heifers have to be reared to maintain a specific herd size. This results in increased costs, consumption of resources, and damage to the environment. Breeding for an improved productive lifespan is difficult because longevity measures are recorded at the end of life and are known to have a low heritability. Therefore, the expected genetic improvement is generally slow, but could be considerably accelerated if an early life heritable biomarker was identified that is predictive of productive lifespan and could be used for animal selection. The question is if TL could be used as such a biomarker. The objectives of this thesis were to 1) develop robust methods to measure average relative leukocyte TL (RLTL) in cattle, 2) examine RLTL dynamics with age at a population as well as at an individual level, 3) estimate genetic parameters and 4) assess the association of RLTL and RLTL dynamics with productive lifespan. A quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) based assay developed for human studies was adapted to cattle and delivered robust results (repeatability > 80%, coefficient of variation=0.05). Different DNA extraction methods were tested for their effect on RLTL measurements and it was demonstrated that fast silica based DNA extraction methods are suitable for telomere projects which can improve the sample throughput and enable large-scale projects. Subsequently, RLTL in 1328 whole blood samples of 308 Holstein Friesian dairy cows and additionally in 284 whole blood samples of 38 female calves was measured. Repeatability and random regression models were used for the statistical analysis of telomere data. RLTL decreased considerably within the first year of life, but remained relatively stable afterwards at population level. Animals varied significantly in their amount and direction of telomere change. The genetic correlation between consecutive measurements in the same individual weakened with increasing sample interval from r=1 to r=0.69 which indicates that TL in the beginning of life might be under a different genetic control than TL later in life. For the first time in a livestock species we calculated heritability estimates for RLTL which were high (0.32-0.38) and remained constant over life. Long telomeres at birth were not predictive of better productive lifespan. However, animals with long RLTL at the ages of one and five years had a survival advantage. Also, animals that showed less average RLTL attrition over their lives remained in production for longer. TL dynamics differed among individuals and a considerable subset of individuals demonstrated telomere lengthening between consecutive measurements. On average, telomeres tend to shorten early in life and then remain relatively constant. While TL is a heritable trait throughout lifetime, telomere change is not heritable. Short TL at specific ages and telomere attrition over life were associated with poorer productive lifespan.

La présente thèse est consacrée à l’étude de l’influence de la pensée sur la santé, à l’analyse du lien entre l’état psychique, la santé physique et la longévité. La diversité des actions psychogéniques, l’instabilité des conditions sociales, et en particulier la situation économique actuelle, les relations au sein du collectif, les problèmes quotidiens rencontrés au sein de la famille exercent une influence négative sur l’état d’esprit, sur l’état de santé général, l’état du psychisme.Les multiples recherches ont montré que la pensée est une forme universelle d’énergie, qui exerce une influence positive aussi bien que destructive. Nous avons cherché à vérifier l’hypothèse qui consiste dans le fait que l’état de la santé est principalement influencé par la bonne organisation de la pensée. L'objectif de notre travail est de déterminer comment mettre sa pensée au service de la santé, d’élaborer des moyens de contrôler son fonctionnement psychique et d’utiliser pour ce faire, correctement et rationnellement, sa mémoire et son expérience, de proposer des dispositifs et des entrainements qui mettent en mesure de lutter contre le stress, la peur et la dépression. En somme, l’ambition est ici de créer un modèle susceptible de rendre compte des tenants et aboutissants de la santé au travail, résultat qui présuppose d’une part la détermination des facteurs pronostiques qui influent sur la formation de la santé professionnelle, et d’autre part l’élaboration des fondements théoriques de la correction des processus de réflexion. 227 personnes ont participé à notre recherche. Nous avons observé nos sujets durant 5 ans. L’examen a eu lieu annuellement. Nous avons étudié la naissance et la formation des pensées et les particularités de leur influence sur la santé. Nous avons planifié les expériences et sélectionné les méthodes suivants : Sur la relation envers la santé, Buts et valeurs de la vie, Test d’Eizenck, Test Lucher, Test Leray, Locus contrôle, qui nous ont permis de mieux étudier la personnalité des sujets. L’analyse des résultats nous a permis de découvrir le lien entre le niveau d’anxiété et les troubles de sommeil, les sauts d’humeurs, les symptômes somatiques, les troubles intestinaux, apparition de la peur, et la hausse de la pression artérielle. Selon les résultats obtenus avant et après les expériences nous sommes arrivés à la conclusion que les orientations sociales de base influencent les pensées sur la santé et la longévité professionnelle. La valeur scientifique et pratique de ce travail consiste dans le fait que c’est pour la première fois que la psychocorrection et la psychoréhabilitation ont été utilisées dans la création des pensées sur la santé pour des employés concrets. / The present thesis is devoted to the study of the influence of thought on health, to the analysis of the link between psychic state, physical health and longevity. The variety of psychogenic actions, the instability of social conditions, and in particular the current economic situation, relations within the group, everyday problems encountered inside the family exert a negative influence on the state of mind, the state of general health, the state of the psyche. Many studies have shown that thought is a form of universal energy, which exerts positive as well as negative influence. We have sought to verify the hypothesis that the state of health of an individual is mainly influenced by the type of organization of his or her thinking. The objective of our work is to determine how we can make thought serve health and to design ways to control the psychic functioning of thought. For this purpose, we seek to find how we can use, correctly and rationally, our memory and experience, and we propose approaches and exercises enabling us to combat stress, fear and depression. In a word, our ambition is to create a model allowing us to understand the different factors in health at the workplace. This presupposes on the one hand the identification of prognostic factors impacting health at the workplace, and on the other hand the elaboration of theoretical foundations to improve the thought process. 227 persons participated in our study. We observed our subjects for five years. They were examined annually. We studied the birth and formation of thoughts and the specific ways that they influenced health. We planned experiments and selected the following methods: On the Relation to Health, Aims and Values of Life, the Eizenck Personality Test, the Lucher Test, the Leray Test, and Locus Control. These methods enabled us to study the personality of the subjects more effectively. The analysis of the results enabled us to discover the link between the level of anxiety and sleep disorders, sudden mood swings, somatic symptoms, intestinal disorders, sudden fear, and rise in blood pressure. On the basis of the results obtained before and after the experiments we reached the conclusion that basic social factors influence thoughts about health and job longevity. The scientific and practical value of this work is that this is the first time that psychocorrection and psychorehabilitation have been used to create thoughts about health for specific employees.

Submitted by Socorro Pontes (socorrop@ufersa.edu.br) on 2017-05-17T14:35:19Z No. of bitstreams: 1 RicardoGS_DISSERT.pdf: 2582733 bytes, checksum: 9322a3be8fc778e7a586cc0ca1200d81 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-17T14:35:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 RicardoGS_DISSERT.pdf: 2582733 bytes, checksum: 9322a3be8fc778e7a586cc0ca1200d81 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-02-27 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The queen bee (Apis mellifera L.) is of critical importance in the development of a colony, but its production, life cycle and performance over lifespan can be affected by environmental factors, so that the characteristics of these vary depending on soil and weather conditions of the local that they inhabit. However, it is assumed that appropriate management methods can mitigate the negative effects caused by adverse environmental conditions. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the influence of different conditions (bee colonies installed in sun and shade) in the production process of Africanized queens Apis mellifera, as well as in the performance and longevity of these queens in semiarid environment. 20 hives of Langstroth model were used in the experimental conditions cited. For the production of queens, were used 10 orphaned colonies (5 in the sun and 5 in the shade), and were evaluated the percentage of accepted larvae, the ontogenetic development and the emergency success rate of queens created in both conditions. To evaluate the longevity, sister queens of the same age were introduced in hives Langstroth installed with about 30.000 workers directly under the sun and in the shade, with 5 hives in each experimental condition. The monitored queens had the development of their colonies recorded in loco every 15 days, making estimates through mapping of the occupied area with eggs, brood, pollen and honey in the combs, until the queens died. Data were statistically analyzed by comparing the means by T-Student test at 5% probability. The results showed that the percentage of accepted larvae in colonies in the shade (68.82 ± 17.03%) was significantly greater than the percentage of accepted larvae in colonies in the sun (52.13 ± 16.29%). The weight gain of the queens was also higher when they were developed in shaded area, and the differences were detected from the ninth day of ontogenetic development, when individuals were at the end of the larval stage. After this phase, the weight of the individuals in both groups began to drop (until emergence of cell cups), but the queens of the shadow emerged on average 31 mg heavier than the queens of colonies installed in the sun. However, the emergence rate of the queens maintained in the sun (86.48%) and shadow (92.07%) was not statistically significant at 5% level. Some queens remain reproductively active and no significant difference was shown between partial results of the longevity, however, a longer life in the queens of hives under shade conditions (215 ± 29.4 days) was observed compared with queens of hives exposed to the sun (183 ± 46.2 days). As far as three queens (2 in the shade and 1 in the sun) of both groups are still alive the difference between the groups can be increased. However, due the harsh conditions of the semiarid Caatinga (light, temperatures, drought and poor food conditions) the queen’s longevity was seriously affected and new studies should be done for better conclusion. The development of the colonies was also positively influenced by shading condition, and the brood area was the main favored variable. It is concluded that the installation of hives in shaded area softens the harsh conditions of the Semiarid Caatinga, providing better performance of the colonies and queens, as well as greater efficiency in the scientific creation process of the Apis mellifera queens / A abelha rainha (Apis mellifera L.) tem importância crucial no desenvolvimento de uma colônia, porém sua produção, ciclo de vida e desempenho podem ser afetados pelos fatores ambientais, de modo que suas características variam dependendo das condições edafoclimáticas dos locais onde habitam. No entanto, supõe-se que métodos de manejo adequados podem amenizar os efeitos negativos causados por condições ambientais adversas. Diante disso, este trabalho propôs avaliar a influência de diferentes condições ambientais no semiárido nordestino (colônias de abelhas instaladas no sol e na sombra) no processo de produção de rainhas africanizadas de Apis mellifera, bem como no desempenho e longevidade destas rainhas nesse ambiente. Ao todo foram utilizadas 20 colmeias modelo Langstroth nas condições experimentais citadas. Para a produção de rainhas, foram utilizadas 10 colônias órfãs (5 no sol e 5 na sombra) e foram avaliados o percentual de aceitação de larvas, o desenvolvimento ontogenético e a taxa de sucesso das transferências de larvas (emergência) nestas duas condições. Para avaliação da longevidade, rainhas irmãs e com a mesma idade foram introduzidas em colmeias constituídas de um ninho modelo Langstroth contendo colônias de aproximadamente 30.000 abelhas, instaladas diretamente sob o sol e na sombra, sendo 5 colmeias em cada condição experimental. As rainhas em acompanhamento também tiveram o desenvolvimento de suas colônias registrado por meio de revisões in loco a cada 15 dias, realizando estimativas através de mapeamento da área ocupada nos quadros com postura, cria, pólen e mel, isso até as rainhas morrerem. Os dados obtidos foram analisados estatisticamente mediante a comparação das médias pelo Teste T-Student ao nível de 5% de probabilidade. Os resultados mostraram que a aceitação de larvas em colmeias na sombra (68,82 ± 17,03%) foi significativamente maior do que a aceitação em colmeias no sol (52,13 ± 16,29%). O ganho de peso das rainhas também foi melhor quando estas se desenvolveram em área sombreada, sendo que a diferença estatística foi detectada a partir do 9º dia do desenvolvimento ontogenético, quando os indivíduos estavam no final do estágio larval. Após esta fase o peso dos indivíduos de ambos os grupos começou a cair (até a emergência das rainhas), mas as rainhas da sombra emergiram em média, 31 mg mais pesadas do que rainhas oriundas de colmeias no sol. Contudo, a taxa de emergência na estufa de rainhas criadas no sol (86,48%) e na sombra (92,07%), não diferiu significativamente. Algumas rainhas ainda permaneceram reprodutivamente ativas após o tempo de coleta de dados e os resultados parciais até então sobre a longevidade mostraram média superior nas rainhas da sombra, porém, não apresentaram diferença estatística. Foi observado vida útil das rainhas de 215 ± 29 dias em colmeias sob condições de sombreamento e 183 ± 46,2 dias das rainhas em colmeias expostas ao sol, podendo essa diferença ser aumentada, uma vez que ainda sobrevivem duas rainhas mantidas na sombra e uma no sol. Consideramos que a amostragem nesse estudo de longevidade sofreu muita interferência das condições inóspitas do semiárido (altas temperaturas, falta de chuvas e escassez de alimento), devendo ser obtidos novos dados para uma conclusão mais precisa. O desenvolvimento das colônias também foi influenciado positivamente pela condição de sombreamento, sendo que a área de cria foi a principal variável favorecida. Conclui-se que a instalação de colmeias sob área sombreada ameniza as condições hostis do Semiárido da Caatinga, proporcionando melhor desempenho das colônias e rainhas, além de maior eficiência no processo de criação racional das rainhas de abelhas africanizadas de Apis mellifera / 2017-05-17

The aim of this study was to evaluate of selected factors on milking yeild and longevity of Czech Fleckvieh cattle. There were monitored the indicators of the amount of milk for the first lactation in kg, the lifetime performance in kg, the age at the first calving, the functional longevity in days, the lenght of the service period, the lenght of the meantime days, the live weight in kg, the elimination of the causes from the breed. 273 culled cows were included. The relationship between some of the observed factors were signifiant such as the amount of milk yeild on the first lactation and the lifetime performance. In the opposite, there was no signifiant relationship between the age at the first calving and the functional longevity. The milk performance at first calving has been increasing with the age.

The aim of this thesi is the evaluation of selected impacts of elimination and longevity of Holstein and Czech spotted dairy cows on the Ing. Bohuslav Vacka´s farm in Vrchotovy Janovice according to the reason of this elimination, the age at the first calving, milk production of the first milk lactation, lifetime milk lactation and the number of milk lactation during the lifetime. I also evaluated functional longevity (from the first calving to retirement) and the longevity of life (from the birth to retirement) of retired dairy cows and the relationship between age at the first calving, milk production of the first lactation and lifetime milk production. In monitoring were included 359 pieces of cows eliminated during five years, from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2014. From these, 217 pieces of Holstein cows and 142 pieces of Czech spotted cows. Both breeds were stalled in the same barn with the same nutrition. At the monitored group were eliminated altogether 31.22% of dairy cows. Holstein cows were excluded very often from other medical reasons (28.57%) and the Czech spotted cows for fertility disorders (45.77%). Higher milk productivity and higher average number of lactations for the life reached eliminated Holstein cows in comparison with the Czech spotted cows. Longer lifetime longevity reached Holstein cows (63 months) than Czech spotted cows (53.6 months) and among them was found highly significant difference at a significance level of p 0,001. Higher longevity and lifetime milk production in kg of milk reached Holstein cows calved in 25 to 26 months and Czech spotted cows calved within 27 to 28 months. The relationship between age at the first calving and lifetime milk production at Holstein (r = 0.018) and Czech spotted cows (r = 0.0434) proved to be an insignificant dependence and the relationship between milk production at the first lactation and lifetime milk production at Holstein (r = 0.3317) and Czech spotted cows (r = 0.4436) proved to be as a highly significant correlation (p 0.001).