rss_2.0Sciendo RSS Feed for Agriculture (Pol'nohospodárstvo)https://sciendo.com/journal/AGRIhttps://www.sciendo.comhttps://sciendo-parsed.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/647085b971e4585e08a9f1f0/cover-image.jpghttps://sciendo.com/journal/AGRI140216https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2024-0005<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Microgreens are tiny plants with a pair of cotyledon leaves, a short stem, and roots. These are considered as sustainable superfoods that are easy to grow and rich in bioactive compounds. Among functional foods, microgreens are particularly noteworthy because they have enticing health-promoting properties due to their rich biochemical profiles which contribute to antioxidant activities. In this study, three varieties of microgreens, <italic>Beta vulgaris</italic>, <italic>Raphanus sativus</italic> and <italic>Brassica juncea</italic>, were studied to estimate phytochemicals such as total chlorophyll, carotenoids, flavonoids, and phenols. Additionally, the antioxidant potentials of methanolic extracts of these microgreens were determined by various assays such as 2, 2-diphenyl, 1-picrylhydrazyl and H₂O₂ scavenging assay, total antioxidant capacity and reducing power assay. Moreover, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic fingerprinting was conducted to determine the functional groups associated with bioactive phytochemicals present in all microgreens. Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopic studies were also conducted to explore the morphological and elemental profiling of each microgreen. The results revealed that the studied microgreens have rich phytochemical compositions and great antioxidant potential. Furthermore, the functional groups of bioactive compounds identified in each were extensively associated with antioxidant activities. Therefore, micro-greens can be recommended as promising superfoods that can be incorporated into the mainstream diet to improve human health.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2024-00052024-12-22T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2024-0006<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Potato is one of the main agricultural commodities and has high economic value. Yield is a trait that becomes a benchmark for user (industry and farmers) in selecting and developing varieties. The selection of superior newly potato somaclones using combined analysis and sustainability index (SI) is still underreported. This study aimed to identify the effect of genotype by environment (growing season) interactions (GEIs), as well as to select superior potato somaclones. The research was conducted in three years (2020 ‒ 2022) in Lembang, West Java, Indonesia. There were 38 somaclones tested in the field, consisting of 37 gamma ray-derived somaclones and one control genotype. The somaclones originated from commercial varieties Agria, Granola, Repita, and Vega. The field trial used a randomized block design that was repeated three times in each year. GEIs were calculated based on a combined ANOVA. Yield stability was assessed using the combined analysis (parametric and non-parametric), genotype plus genotype by environment interaction (GGE) biplot, and sustainability index (SI). Potato somaclones (G), seasons (E) and GEIs were found to have highly significant influence on yield (<italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.01). According to the combined ANOVA, the GEIs impact accounted for 37.38% of the yield’s total sum of squares. Combining parametric and non-parametric measurements, seven somaclones, P3, P4, P5, P6, P8, P9, and P26, were selected. GGE biplot selected five stable somaclones, namely P3, P4, P22, P23, and P26, while SI selected eight high-yielding and stable somaclones, namely P3, P4, P5, P8, P13, P16, P26, and P32. Based on various stability measurements, three genotypes have been identified as the superior somaclones, namely P3, P4 and P26. This analysis can assist in selecting activities to determine superior somaclones.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2024-00062024-12-22T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2024-0008<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The aim of the research was to determine the effect of 10 years of growing the perennial energy grasses giant silvergrass (GS) and tall wheatgrass (TW) on the content of main soil nutrients, under differentiated nutrition intensity. The following nutrition treatments were monitored: intensive 120 kg/ha N per year (T1), semi-intensive 60 kg/ha N per year (T2), and untreated control (T3), whereby on both treatments T1 and T2 a dose of 30 kg/ha P and 30 kg/ha K was applied before the establishment of crop stands. The small-plot experiment was conducted in soil-climatic conditions of the East Slovak Lowland on heavy Fluvic gleysol in 2013. Over the monitored 10-year period, the cumulative dry matter yield was 266.6; 212.9; 163.2 t/ha at GS, in the order of T1-T2-T3, and 120.5; 96.6; 70.2 t/ha at TW, respectively. The change status (final state of autumn 2022 vs. initial of autumn 2012) of soil main chemical parameters (total nitrogen, and available phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and calcium content; exchange soil reaction; organic carbon and humus content; and carbon/nitrogen ratio were followed) was crop specific in general, as strongly influenced by the nutrition intensity and by crop cumulative yield as well. Total nitrogen content in soil was changed as follows: +216; +167; +207 kg/ha at GS, and +306; +230; +90 kg/ha at TW, in the order of T1-T2-T3, while soil organic carbon content: +2.036; +1.883; +1.631 t/ha at GS, and +2.743; +2.104; +1.105 t/ha at TW, respectively. The change status of further parameters was positive/negative in ratio of 17/19, thus 29/19 in total.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2024-00082024-12-22T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2024-0007<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The general water quality has a direct influence on the ability to sustain life on the Earth. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of different natural adsorbents, namely phosphate rock, clay mineral (bentonite), peat moss, and soil in wastewater treatment. The laboratory experiment included columns experiment conducted as two factorial experiments. The first factor was water quality, which involved six types of water: river, untreated sewage water, sewage water treated with phosphate rock, sewage water treated with bentonite, sewage water treated with peat moss, and sewage water treated with soil. The second factor included two types of soil (two different soil textures), the first was clay loamy soil and the second was loamy soil. The treatments were randomly distributed following a randomized complete block design with three replications. The field study was represented by a pots experiment that included two types of soil textures, namely clay loamy and loamy soil. Heavy metals such as zinc, manganese, and iron were analysed in the water output from the columns to be used in the cultivation experiment as irrigation water. Overall the treatment combinations and the obtained results showed a significant reduction in the considered heavy metals. In this context, phosphate rock led to a decrease in zinc, manganese, and iron to 60.33, 54.00 and 55.30 mg/kg compared to untreated water which gave 63.33, 62.23 and 78.8 mg/kg. From an economic perspective, phosphate rock, was the most significant among the adsorbents under study, due to its availability and sustainability.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2024-00072024-12-22T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2024-0002<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Analysis of the photosynthetic activity and the antioxidant capacity was carried out on the perennial forage grasses: English ryegrass (<italic>Lolium perenne</italic> L.), Tetramis cultivar, tall fescue (<italic>Festuca arundinacea</italic> Schreb.) Albena cultivar, meadow fescue (<italic>Festuca pratensis</italic> Huds.) selected population, red fescue (<italic>Festuca rubra</italic> L.) ecotype Ravnogor and smooth brome (<italic>Bromus inermis</italic> Leyss.) Nika cultivar. The analysis was performed during the summer and autumn periods of growth and development. As a basic physiological process, photosynthesis is tightly related to the plant tolerance to different stressors. In addition, tolerance to the secondary exerted oxidative stress directly depends on the antioxidant content. The analysis of the antioxidant capacity was performed by the methods of ferric and molybdate reduction. Photosynthetic activity and the amount of photoprotection were determined by chlorophyll fluorescence methods. The results show about a twofold higher increase in photosynthetic activity of the light phase in <italic>F. arundinacea</italic>, <italic>F. pratensis</italic> and <italic>B. inermis</italic> in summer, which increased with about 20% in <italic>L. perenne, F. arundinacea</italic>, 25% in <italic>F. rubra</italic> and decreased with about 15% in <italic>B. inermis</italic> in autumn. However, the levels of photoinhibition were comparatively low, indicating an absence of stress in practice. The antioxidant capacity was five times higher in the smooth brome from the Nika cultivar, as compared with the other grasses. The tall fescue from the Albena cultivar had the highest photosynthetic activity, uninhibited during the measurements under the high, as well as the low temperatures.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2024-00022024-12-08T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2024-0001<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Spring alfalfa sowing was grown under non-irrigated conditions in the Experimental field of the Institute of Forage Crops, Pleven, Bulgaria. From 2018 to 2021, forage harvesting was performed at the flowering stage in four regrowth periods during the growing season. Sweeping with an entomological net was used. Canonical relationship analysis revealed that the population density of Thysanoptera phytophagous and predator species was positively related to the temperature while humidity and rainfall negatively affected the thrips numbers. Thirteen species from three families, as well as eight genera of Thysanoptera, were identified. The family Thripidae was the most diverse, with a participation rate of 53.17%, represented by five genera and ten species. The Aeolothripidae family had a participation rate of 44.0% with two species. Harmful species comprised 55.16% of the Thysanoptera species, while useful species accounted for 44.0%. The dominant species, <italic>Thrips tabaci</italic> Lindeman, 1889, made up 37.38% of the population, followed by the subdominant species <italic>T. atratus</italic> Haliday (1836) at 9.66%. The dominant species <italic>Aeolothrips intermedius</italic> Bagnall, 1934, accounted for 43.81% of the population density and mostly represented predatory thrips. Throughout the alfalfa growing season, <italic>T. tabaci</italic> was present, with the highest density observed during the second regrowth from late May to late June. The peak density occurred in the first ten days of June, during the button and early flowering stages. The population dynamics of <italic>A. intermedius</italic> corresponded with those of <italic>T. tabaci,</italic> indicating its significant role as a biological agent in alfalfa.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2024-00012024-12-08T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2024-0004<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Rice (<italic>Oryza sativa</italic> L.), the traditional food for the Bangladeshi population, serves as a significant disclosure pathway of cadmium for humans. A few studies have explored cadmium levels in different rice varieties in Bangladesh. The study examined the impacts of cadmium pollution on growth, and productivity and evaluated the varietal resistance. Cadmium was added to the soil at 15 mg/kg. A pot experiment involving nine T-aman rice varieties was conducted at 0 (control) and 15 mg Cd/kg soil. Cadmium toxicity led to reduced quantity and quality of rice production. Cadmium pollution enhanced the grain cadmium levels while depleting the amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and sulphur. Local varieties and BRRI dhan72 exhibited the lowest grain cadmium concentration when grown with 0 mg/kg cadmium in the soil, while BRRI dhan52 (2.94 mg/kg) showed the highest with 15 mg/kg cadmium in the soil. The average daily intake of cadmium from rice grain was higher with 15 mg/kg cadmium addition. All rice varieties showed high HQ (Hazard Quotient) and ILCR (Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risk) values under 15 mg/kg cadmium in soil. The HQ and ILCR values ranged from 2.39 to 16.09, and 0.36 × 10⁻⁴ to 2.41 × 10⁻⁴, respectively, for a Bangladeshi adult due to the application of 15 mg/kg cadmium. The highest HQ (16.09) and ILCR (2.41×10⁻⁴) values were obtained for BRRI dhan52 at 15 mg/kg cadmium for adults. The susceptibility of the varieties due to 15 mg/kg cadmium may be ranked as BRRI dhan52&gt;Binadhan-23&gt;BRRI dhan79&gt;Binadhan-12&gt;BRRI dhan62&gt;BRRI dhan71&gt;Zeeramala&gt;BRRI dhan72&gt;Local HYV.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2024-00042024-12-08T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2024-0003<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>In this study, the biological control effects of the <italic>Pseudomonas fluorescens</italic> strain CHA0 were compared to those of silicon (Si), used as a chemical control agent, against <italic>Meloidogyne javanica</italic>, the causative agent of root-knot disease in tomato plants. Indicators such as the number of <italic>M. javanica</italic> galls, eggs, egg masses, and the enzymatic activities of peroxidase (POX) and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) were analysed. Results showed a significant reduction in the numbers of galls, eggs, and egg masses produced by <italic>M. javanica</italic> on tomato plants treated with <italic>P. fluorescens</italic> CHA0 (applied as a soil additive) as well as with Si (applied as a root and foliar treatment). The enzymatic activities peaked on the fifth day post-inoculation with <italic>M. javanica</italic> and then gradually declined. The greatest increase in enzymatic activities was observed in the combined treatment with <italic>M. javanica</italic>, <italic>P. fluorescens</italic> CHA0, and Si (the N+B+SiO2 treatment). The use of <italic>P. fluorescens</italic> CHA0 and Si enhanced the defence-related enzyme activity in tomato plants against <italic>M. javanica</italic>. However, high concentrations of Si were shown to inhibit the growth of <italic>P. fluorescens</italic> CHA0.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2024-00032024-12-08T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2023-0014<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Usage of the potential of beneficial soil microorganisms is one of the most promising areas for crop production enhancement. Of special interest are innovative multifunctional complex bioformulations based on associations of bacteria with phytoprotective and growth-stimulating properties. The study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the new complex microbial preparation Ecophosphoryn. It was created based on associative growth-stimulating phosphate-mobilizing and nitrogen-fixing bacteria <italic>Bacillus</italic>, <italic>Azotobacter</italic> and <italic>Agrobacterium</italic> genera. Ecophosphoryn was used to treat the seeds of corn (<italic>Zea mays</italic> L.), white-headed cabbage (<italic>Brassica oleracea</italic> var. <italic>capitata</italic> L.), spray tomato (<italic>Solanum lycopersicum</italic> L.) and cabbage (<italic>Brassica oleracea</italic> var. <italic>capitata</italic> L.) during the growing season in laboratory, vegetation and field research. The protective effect of Ecophosphoryn against аlternaria of tomatoes averaged 76%. Against fusarium wilt of white cabbage on an artificial infectious background, the effectiveness of Ecophosphoryn was at the level of 78 ‒ 83%, and against alternaria head blight in the field on a natural infectious background – at the level of 45 ‒ 53%. The damage of corn by powdery mildew during the growing season decreased by 33%. The obtained results proved that various methods of using bioformulation contributed to increasing the resistance of plants against phytopathogenic micromycetes. The yield of white cabbage grew by 12%, tomatoes – by 14.9%, and corn ‒ by 26.6%. In most cases, the protective effect of the biological preparation and crop yields were not less effective than those of chemicals. In all field experiments, the use of Ecophosphoryn resulted in an increase in healthy fruit harvest compared to the control. The obtained data expand knowledge about the capabilities of biological formulations for ecologically oriented phytosanitary optimization of agrocenoses.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2023-00142024-07-10T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2023-0016<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p><italic>Stevia rebaudiana</italic> is a high-value crop because of its metabolites, such as steviol glycosides. However, it only produces a few seeds, resulting in low productivity. Therefore, an appropriate propagation method is required to enhance its productivity. This study aimed to assess stevia’s morphological and physiological characteristics upon treatment with three doses of Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) [mg/L] through stem-cutting propagation. The cuttings were treated with IAA at 0, 20, 40 and 60 mg/L by dipping them in the IAA solution for 1 minute, then planting in growth media (garden soil, organic compost and coco peat with a ratio of 2:1:1) and keeping them in the greenhouse. The survival percentage, root length and number, plant height, leaf number, total chlorophylls, and stomata length and number were assessed in the 3^rd week. The application of 40 mg/L IAA resulted in a significant improvement in all parameters. However, IAA treatment also causes stomata abnormalities. This result suggested that stem cutting and IAA treatment significantly contribute to stevia propagation.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2023-00162024-07-10T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2023-0013<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Plant breeders have to employ strategies and techniques to produce new improved wheat cultivars to increase productivity to meet the needs of the growing population. Therefore, they have to develop a new cultivar for adaptation to a new environment and new management practices. One of the most important criteria plant breeders should focus on is the exploitation of genotype × environment interaction (GEI). Thus, this study aimed to assess the variability of 24 wheat genotypes growing in different seasons by using the R software “Metan Package”. Moreover, the study estimates the stability parameters and finally highlights the winning genotypes across seasons. Field experiments were conducted across three consecutive seasons specifically 2019/2020, 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 and at different locations. The assessment was done on traits such as plant height [cm], flag leaf area [cm²], chlorophyll index [SPAD], spike number [spike/m²], fertility ratio [%], grain number [grain/spike], grain weight [g], and yield [kg/ha]. Results indicated different performances of wheat genotypes in certain environments as well as across the three environments included in this study. Winner genotypes such as G-20, G-10, G-30, G-4, and IRAQ were selected according to their stability and high grain yield potential. It can be concluded that the use of the Multi-Environment Trail Analysis-METAN package is powerful for detecting promising wheat genotypes with high and stable yields across different environments and under various climate change conditions. Furthermore, it can be recommended that wheat performance needs to be assessed across very wide geographical locations.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2023-00132024-07-10T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2023-0015<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The menace of low soil nitrogen poses a significant challenge to maize production in sub-Saharan Africa, necessitating the development of high-yielding hybrids with increased nitrogen (N) tolerance. Two hundred and forty (240) maize hybrids were evaluated across eight environments at Zaria and Mokwa in Nigeria during the 2020 and 2021 growing seasons, encompassing both low- and optimum-N conditions. The primary objective of the study was to identify high-yielding, stable, and low-N-tolerant hybrids for potential adoption in Nigeria. The study results underscored the significant impact of nitrogen availability on various agronomic traits, causing a substantial 53% reduction in grain yield. Significant genetic variation was observed among hybrids for most measured traits. SMLW146 × IITA1878, SMLW147 × SAM50M and SMLW147 × IITA1878 were the highest-yielding hybrids across the test environments with a yield advantage of 48.2%, 46.6% and 43.1%, respectively over the best check. GGE biplot analysis identified Mokwa Low-N 2021 (MLN21) and Mokwa optimum-N 2021 (MOP21) as discriminating and representative environments for selecting superior hybrids. SMLW147 × SAM50M emerged as the most stable low-N tolerant hybrid with the highest yield performance. Conversely, hybrid SMLW147 × IITA1878 produced a high yield across environments but was unstable. The study concludes by recommending SMLW147 × SAM50M for cultivation across both low- and optimum-N conditions, while SMLW147 × IITA1878 is specifically recommended for cultivation in optimum-N environments. Anthesis-silking interval, plant aspect, ear aspect, and ear height were identified as the most suitable secondary traits for selecting hybrids for high grain yield under low-N conditions.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2023-00152024-07-10T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2023-0012<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The production of antioxidant flavonoids is an important aspect of plant defence mechanisms under stress conditions. The hypothesis of increased antioxidant flavonol quercetin and isoflavone content in soybean leaves subjected to UV-B irradiation and copper toxicity was proposed, and their accumulation was investigated using HPLC analysis. However, the accumulation of antioxidant quercetin was not induced by either UV-B irradiation or copper treatment. UV-B irradiation strongly induced isoflavone aglycones, mainly genistein, daidzein, formononetin, and to a lesser extent, biochanin A. Isoflavone glycosides, genistin and daidzin were also induced. Copper treatment, whether applied to leaves or root media, resulted in the accumulation of genistin and its malonylated form, whereas aglycones were only slightly affected. The higher accumulation of genistein over daidzein after copper treatment could be related to the higher chelating ability of genistein and its glycosides. Soybean isoflavones, which possess antioxidant and chelating properties, rather than flavonols, play a crucial role in the plant‘s defence mechanisms against both UV-B irradiation and copper toxicity.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2023-00122024-03-08T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2023-0011<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Soil organic matter (SOM) represents one of the largest and most important reservoirs of organic carbon in terrestrial eco-systems. The quality of SOM (e.g., content of soil organic carbon, humic substances, humic acids, fulvic acids, and HA/FA ratio) is a key factor in determining soil fertility and productivity. The loss of SOM is currently considered a detrimental form of soil degradation. The study aims to evaluate the effect of mineral fertilising (NPK), farmyard manure, cattle slurry, and digestate applications in intensively used permanent grassland. The long-term field experiments were carried out at the locality Jevíčko, region of Boskovice Furrow Malá Haná (the Czech Republic). The effect of amending soil with different organic and mineral fertilisers was studied. Qualitative parameters of SOM, soil reaction, and the content of available nutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg) were followed. Results showed that the control (no organic input) and the NPK variants had the lowest SOM quality. Higher SOM quality was after the farmyard manure, Slurry, and Digetsate applications. The highest acidity (indicated by the lowest values of pH/KCl) was determined in the control, NPK, Slurry, and D variants. The most favourable soil reaction and available nutrient content were after the farmyard manure application. Humic substances spectral absorption in the UV-VIS and infrared spectral ranges showed that the highest absorbance and amount of aliphatic hydrophobic components were observed after the application of farmyard manure. The multi-criteria statistical evaluation, including principal component analysis and factor analysis, confirmed that amending soil with farmyard manure and slurry resulted in an increase in humic substances content and improved SOM quality.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2023-00112024-03-08T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2023-0009<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Improperly used farming systems and agrotechnical practices with ongoing climate change can contribute to the reduction of the level of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks not only in intensively cultivated arable soils but also in grasslands. One of the ways to track changes in the SOC stock is the use of mathematical models. The RothC model was validated at the locality Suchý vrch, which hosts long-term experiments on grassland. The soil type is sandy-loam textured Cambisol. Validation was done for the period 1993 – 2009 on grassland with various applications of mineral and organic fertilisers. Results of validation show that the RothC model appropriately predicts the development of grassland SOCs and can be used in forecasting SOC stock in the future. Five different management scenarios, with carbon input 2.3 to 6.4 t/ha and three climate scenarios (RCP 2.6, RCP 4.5, RCP 8.5) of the MPI climate model were used to track the changes of SOC stock on grassland in the period 2009 – 2100. Modelling results of SOC development show, that in the future, a relatively low-temperature increase (RCP 2.6) and a relatively high carbon input into the soil (6.4 t/ha) can ensure moderate carbon sequestration. However, between the low-carbon management scenarios (2.3 and 4.1 t/ha), SOC stocks are continuously decreasing in the RCP 2.6 climate scenario. At a significantly higher temperature (climate scenario RCP 8.5), that is expected in future, it will not be possible to maintain the current level of SOC stock not even at a high carbon input (6.4 t/ha).</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2023-00092024-03-08T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2023-0010<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>This study is focused on the evaluation of the efficacy of conventional fungicides against Cercospora leaf spot (CLS) on sugar beet. The results showed that the best protection against CLS was achieved by treatment with kresoxim-methyl + epoxiconazole (T1) and tetraconazole (T2). The second highest fungicide efficacy was detected after treatment with (kresoxim-methyl + epoxiconazole -T1) + difenoconazole -T2, followed by (azoxystrobin + cyproconazole) + difenoconazole, (prochloraz + propiconazole) + tetraconazole, <italic>Urtica dioica</italic> plant extracts + <italic>Salix</italic> spp. plant extracts, (trifloxystrobin + cyproconazole) + tetraconazole, and picoxystrobin + tetraconazole. The positive effect of fungicide protection on yield and sugar content was higher in the year with a higher occurrence of CLS. Good CLS management could increase the root yield by up to 19.34%, and sugar yield by up to 23.83% in comparison to the untreated check. The highest sugar yield was achieved in the treatment by (prochloraz + propiconazole) + tetraconazole, followed by (kresoxim-methyl + epoxiconazole) + difenoconazole, (azoxystrobin + cyproconazole) + difenoconazole, (trifloxystrobin + cyproconazole) + tetraconazole, picoxystrobin + tetraconazole, and <italic>Urtica dioica</italic> plant extracts + <italic>Salix</italic> spp. plant extracts. The results showed a strong relationship of root yield and sugar yield on fungicide treatment during the vegetation. The occurrence of fungicide resistance in <italic>Cercospora beticola</italic> population has an important impact on efficacy of applied fungicides in field conditions. The highest economic effectiveness coefficient was achieved at treatment by (prochloraz + propiconazole) + tetraconazole.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2023-00102024-03-08T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2023-0006<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Quality protein maize (QPM) commercialization can combat the food and nutritional insecurity that is common in some developing nations of the world. Evaluation of QPM hybrids under varying rainfed environments provide valuable evidence for the selection of the most productive genotypes for the target environment. The present study was conducted at three locations to assess the agronomic performance and the grain yield stability of 11 QPM and 2 commercial hybrids (checks) over two years. There were significant (<italic>p</italic> ≥ 0.01) differences among the environments in the expression of all measured traits while genotype as well as genotype × environment interaction also differed significantly for all the traits except for husk cover and Anthesis-silking interval. The tested QPM hybrids outperformed the local and reference checks by 17.28% and 29.47% respectively. The biplot explained 85.3% of the total variation in yield, with 65.4% attributed to principal component 1 and 19.9% to principal component 2. Three vertex hybrids, EWQH-25, EWQH-21 and Local Check, were identified as the most responsive in the environments within which they fall. Hybrid EWQH-21 produced the highest yield across all environments but was unstable. Therefore, hybrids EWQH-22, EWQH-9, and EWQH-13, with similar yield values and more stable performances were recognized as ideal across environments. Lapai 2017 (E2) proves to be both representative and discriminative, making it the ideal test environment for selecting hybrids with broad adaptability. The study concludes that EWQH-9, EWQH-13, and EWQH-22 be recommended for cultivation across the environments while EWQH-21 be recommended for the specific area of adaptation.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2023-00062023-11-30T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2023-0007<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The application of superabsorbent polymer (SAP) for seed coating of agricultural crops is an innovative and promising method to effectively reduce plant stress during dry periods and thereby contribute to sustainable agriculture. However, due to the lack of experiments using SAP in field conditions in Central Europe, we focused on determining the effect of synthetic SAP, which was used for coating maize seeds, on the germination and emergence of these plants as well as on determining its impact on the genetic diversity of microbial communities in the maize rhizosphere for two consecutive years. The results showed that the growth parameters of coleoptiles and root systems of germinating maize plants at the very early development stage were biased in favour of SAP-coated seeds, and some values were statistically higher in the second year of evaluation. Similar observations were recorded in the assessment of maize emergence parameters. Also, these values were better when using SAP-coated seeds compared to the untreated controls. Plant height, dry weight, leaf tip number, and the Soil Plant Analysis Development (SPAD ) value were statistically higher in the second year of evaluation. The rhizosphere bacterial and fungal genetic diversity results did not confirm statistically significant differences between the SAP-coated and control maize seeds. They concern both alpha diversity indices and the results from multivariate statistical methods. Principal coordinate analysis results with cluster analysis show that the main factor influencing the microbial diversity in the maize rhizosphere was the collection date, especially the year of sampling than t he use of SAP-coated seeds.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2023-00072023-11-30T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2023-0005<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The objective of this paper is to document the occurrence of pests recorded in a large-scale pilot field experiment, where a unique set of newly-introduced herbaceous energy crops was tested under conditions of eastern Slovakia. The set consisted of <italic>Elymus elongatus, Secale cereanum, Silphium perfoliatum, Galega orientalis, Sida hermaphrodita, Panicum virgatum, Amaranthus</italic> spp., <italic>Panicum miliaceum, Sorghum sudanense,</italic> and <italic>Sorghum bicolor.</italic> A total of 14 cultivars were tested on 4 sites during 4 crop years (2016 – 2020). At least 17 species of pests were recorded in total, as some of the species may represent the identity of the couple or several relative ones, which was rare only as usually a fower common species. The occurred pests list consists of <italic>Anisoplia lata</italic> Erichson, <italic>Agriotes lineatus</italic> L., <italic>Capreolus capreolus</italic> L., <italic>Deroceras agreste</italic> L., <italic>Oulema gallaeciana</italic> Heyden, <italic>Lepisma saccharinum</italic> L., <italic>Lepus europaeus</italic> Pallas, <italic>Meloe proscarabaeus</italic> L., <italic>Metcalfa pruinosa</italic> Say, <italic>Microtus arvalis</italic> Pallas, <italic>Philaenus spumarius</italic> L., <italic>Psylliodes chrysocephala</italic> L., <italic>Rhopalosiphum padi</italic> L., stemborers as any insect larva or arthropod boring into plant stem, <italic>Sus scrofa</italic> L., <italic>Aleyrodes proletella</italic> L., <italic>Tettigonia viridissima</italic> L., and <italic>Trialeurodes vaporariorum</italic> Westwood. Overall, the occurrence of pests was regular and scattered, and damages caused by them were negligible usually, but a total destruction of the crop stand even cultivar-specific was recorded too. Most of the meaningful pests are primarily field hunting animals and only secondarily commonly occurring insect species, which for further observations are desirable in order to capture the tendency of important pests’ overpopulation, confirming respectively. Although even rare finding of the single caterpillar of <italic>Xylena exsoleta exsoleta</italic> L. was recorded in a buffer zone, within the experiment no newly introduced pest species was recorded.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2023-00052023-11-30T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2023-0008<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The results of seasonal variation of total polyphenols (TPC), flavonoids (TFC) and phenolic acid (TPAC) accumulation and antioxidant activity of <italic>Artemisia balchanorum</italic> Krasch. × <italic>Artemisia taurica</italic> Willd. genotypes from the Kherson Oblast of Ukraine represented in this study. The total polyphenol content was identified by the Folin-Ciocalteu method and ranged from 20.51 to 132.52 mg GAE/g (gallic acid equivalent). The flavonoid content conducted with aluminum chloride reagent ranged from 8.16 to 70.77 mg QE/g (quercetin equivalent) and phenolic acid content determined with Arnova reagent ranged from 6.26 to 38.67 mg CAE/g (caffeic acid equivalent) depending on genotype and stage of growth. The antioxidant activity of investigated genotypes determined by the DPPH (2.2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) method (FRSA) varied from 4.68 to 10.38 mg TE/g (Trolox equivalent), molybdenum-reducing power of extracts detected by the phosphomolybdenum method (MRP) and was from 41.43 to 209.93 mg TE/g depending on genotype. The total polyphenol content, flavonoids and antioxidant activity by the phosphomolybdenum method increased from spring vegetation to flowering. The accumulation of phenolic acids and antioxidant activity by the DPPH method was uneven and depended on genotype and stage of growth. It was found a weak correlation between FRSA and TPC (<italic>r</italic> = 0.189), TFC (<italic>r</italic> = 0.211), and TPAC (<italic>r</italic> = 0.111) for genotypes. A strong correlation was found between MRP and TPC (<italic>r</italic> = 0.703), and TFC (<italic>r</italic> = 0.657). A moderate correlation was detected between MRP and TPAC (<italic>r</italic> = 0.481) for genotypes. The obtained data can be used for further breeding work to get genotypes with high antioxidant activity.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/agri-2023-00082023-11-30T00:00:00.000+00:00en-us-1