rss_2.0Sciendo RSS Feed for Acta Horticulturae et Regiotecturaehttps://sciendo.com/journal/AHRhttps://www.sciendo.comhttps://sciendo-parsed.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/64708a2371e4585e08a9f7c2/cover-image.jpghttps://sciendo.com/journal/AHR140216https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-0018<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The food sector has become interested in grape pomace for its numerous health benefits and high concentration of bioactive chemicals. In this study, the antibacterial properties of grape pomace obtained from by-products of white and blue grapes were investigated. The aim of our study was antimicrobial activity of grape pomace extracts from blue varieties (Alibernet, Dornfelder, Cabernet Sauvignon), and white varieties (Blaufränkisch, Sauvignon Blanc, Welschriesling, Weisser Riesling, Irsai Oliver, Pinot Blanc, Palava, Müller-Thurgau, Grűner Veltliner, and Feteasca Regala). The antimicrobial activity of grape pomace extracts was evaluated against nine microorganisms Gram-positive, Gram-negative bacteria and yeasts with disc diffusion method. The best antimicrobial activity of blue grape pomace extract was found against <italic>Bacillus subtilis</italic>. White varieties Sauvignon Blanc, Welschriesling, Weisser Riesling, Irsai Oliver, Pinot Blanc pomace extracts were the most effective ones against <italic>B. subtilis</italic> and Müller-Thurgau grape pomace extract was the most effective one against <italic>C. koseri</italic> and Grűner Veltliner and Feteasca Regala against <italic>B. subtilis</italic>. The most sensitive bacteria were <italic>B. subtilis</italic>.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-00182024-10-30T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-0020<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Among the genera in this family, <italic>Styrax</italic> is unique in that it yields benzoin resin, a resinous substance. Usually, when sharp items lacerate the bark, this resin is secreted. Because of its fragrant qualities, it has been used for centuries in cosmetics and fragrances all over the world. Additionally, <italic>Styrax</italic> species have long been employed in herbal remedies for a variety of ailments. The antibacterial characteristics of <italic>Styrax tonkinensis</italic> essential oil (STEO) were the focus of this study. The antimicrobial activity was compared to bacteria, both Gram-positive (G⁺) and Gram-negative (G^-), using inhibition zones in agar media, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) bioassays and in vapour phase on fruits and vegetables model. The findings showed that STEO was very successful in inhibiting bacteria that were G⁺ (<italic>Bacillus sutbtilis</italic> subsp. Spizizenii CCM 1999, <italic>Bacillus thuringiensis</italic> CCM 19, and Priestia (<italic>Bacillus</italic>) <italic>megaterium</italic> CCM 2007) as well as G- (<italic>Citrobacter koseri</italic> CCM 2535, <italic>Enterobacter aerogenes</italic> CCM 2531, <italic>Escherichia coli</italic> CCM 3954). The range of maximal inhibition zones and MIC values was determined to be 4.67 to 8.33 mm and 3.49 to 7.71 mg.mL^-1, respectively. Furthermore, <italic>B. thiriangensis</italic>, <italic>P. megaterium</italic>, and <italic>E. coli</italic> were all susceptible to the antimicrobial effects of the (STEO) on the fruit and vegetable model. According to research findings, STEO is a valuable source of organic chemicals that have the potential to be innovative antibacterial agents against microbes.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-00202024-10-30T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-0017<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The genetic variability in 13 selected genotypes of <italic>Vaccinium corymbosum</italic> using re-trotransposon-based iPBS markers system was characterized in this study. The four selected iPBS primers amplified 232 fragments, average 58 fragments per primer, approximately 53.16% of which were polymorphic. The polymorphism information content of iPBS marker was 0.238. The hierarchical cluster using unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean analysis divided selected genotypes into two main groups and several subgroups. The values of the Jaccard coefficient of genetic relatedness were between 0.036–0.243. The similarity between two sample sets was 3.6%–24.3%. This study confirmed inter-PBS amplification technique as a reproducible and trustable marker system, but has proved to be an effective DNA fingerprinting technology to generate polymorphism in <italic>Vaccinium corymbosum</italic>.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-00172024-10-30T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-0011<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The objective of this research was to analyse soil and garden compost as a  remediation medium at the  foothill´s locality of the Tribeč Mountains, Southwestern Slovakia, to determine the pH/KCl, Pb, NO₃⁻-N, NH₄⁺-N contents in soil and soil affected by compost (the ratio 1 : 1), to evaluate the statistical significance of pH/KCl in relation to Pb and inorganic forms of nitrogen, and to find whether garden compost affects the  monitored parameters. The  analyses were carried out using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry, and Colorimetric and Potentiometric methods. Ascertained values of exchange reactions in soil ranged from 5.74 to 6.83 and exchange reactions in soil affected by garden compost ranged from 6.78 to 7.98. According to the calculated indices of dependencies, the development of pH/KCl values can be evaluated as moderately dynamic. The obtained results were evaluated statistically using the SAS 9.4 software method by the Spearman‘s correlation coefficient. The results in the observed three-year period showed that NO₃⁻-N contents in soil had reached 14.73 mg.kg⁻¹, NH₄⁺-N 9.50 mg.kg⁻¹, N_in 23.05 mg.kg⁻¹, Pb 67.38 mg.kg⁻¹, soil affecting by remediation medium – garden compost (the ratio 1 : 1) showed that NO₃⁻-N contents had reached 23.93 mg.kg⁻¹, NH₄⁺-N 26.42 mg.kg⁻¹, N_in 42.63 mg.kg⁻¹, Pb 64.71 mg.kg⁻¹ dry matter. Statistical dependence was high (<italic>P</italic> &lt;0.01), which was demonstrated for soil pH : soil + compost Pb, soil + compost pH : soil + compost Pb. The garden compost influenced pH/KCl, reduced Pb levels, and increased the proportion of inorganic forms of nitrogen in soil.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-00112024-10-30T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-0013<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Apple (<italic>Malus domestica</italic> Borkh.) is the most important fruit in the EU. The total yield is more than 11 million tons.year^-1, 15% of which is that of the early apple varieties. Several papers have already been published on the efficacy of crown and fruit thinning in the 20th century. Nowadays, hybrid varieties and intensive crown types are used in modernized systems. Our research was carried out in a Hungarian orchard during two cultivation periods. We studied two early apple varieties (Idaho, Gala Must) to determine how fruit thinning affected the quantity and quality of fruits. We found that the effectiveness of non-thinned technology is similar or slightly better compared to fruit thinning, after the second harvest. The average yield of Idaho apples per tree per harvest was 35.9 vs. 24.8 kg, while that of Gala Must was 50.8 vs. 59.2 kg (with thinning vs. without thinning). To assess quality, we measured water-soluble sugars, NO₃^-, NO₂ and vitamin C content. Immediately, after the harvest, a surprisingly high vitamin C content was found in the fruits (4.4 mg.100 g^-1 on average), which, however, decomposed after 3 months of storage. We also determined the pathway of the decomposition of vitamin C.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-00132024-10-30T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-0015<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Food grains were severely damaged by stored goods insects. The red flour beetle <italic>Tribolium castaneum</italic>, the cigarette beetle <italic>Lasioderma serricorne</italic> and the rice weevil <italic>Sitophilus orysae</italic> are some of the most destructive pests which attack raw cereals throughout the world. In stored grain mill, fumigation with synthetic fumigants was the most economical tool for managing stored pests. Nevertheless, the application of chemical pesticides caused adverse effects on humans and environment. Chloroform, acetone, methanol and water extracts and essential oil of <italic>Haplophyllum tuberculatum</italic> aerial parts were tested for their fumigant and repellent effect against adults of the three stored products pests (<italic>T. castaneum</italic>, <italic>L. serricorne</italic> and <italic>S. oryzae</italic>). GC/MS analysis of the essential oil resulted in determination of 19 compounds. The major constituents were β-phellandrene (16.17%), <italic>trans</italic>-<italic>p</italic>-menth-2-ene-1-ol, (13.22%) and <italic>cis-p</italic>-menth-2-ene-1-ol (8.29%). Thus, it seemed that the essential oil had the highest fumigant activity against <italic>L. serricorne</italic> after 12 h of exposure compared to the two other insects with a LC50 equal to 38.59 µ.l^-1 air. The best repellency was observed for the chloroform and methanol extracts against <italic>T. castaneum</italic>. The respective repellent doses RD₅₀ values were = 0.03 and 0.04 mg.ml^-1 after 24 h of exposure. However, after 24 h of exposure acetone extract seems to be more repellent with respective repellent dose values of = 0.14 mg.ml^-1 (RD50) against <italic>L. serricorne. H. tuberculatum</italic> essential oil and extract proved to be effective in control pest infestations in grains and dry food products.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-00152024-10-30T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-0016<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>A unique species of pine, <italic>Cedrus deodara</italic> is known for its wood oil. Its traditional therapeutic use is mainly antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. The aim of this study was to investigate the antibacterial properties of <italic>Cedrus deodara</italic> essential oil (CDEO) obtained from the crushed wood. The antimicrobial activity of CDEO was evaluated against Gram-negative (G^-) bacteria which included <italic>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</italic> CCM 1595, <italic>Salmonella enterica</italic> subs. <italic>enterica</italic> CCM 3807 and Gram-positive (G+) bacteria <italic>Yersinia enterocolitica</italic> CCM 5671. <italic>Listeria monocytogenes</italic> CCM 4699, <italic>Staphylococcus aureus</italic> subs. <italic>aureus</italic> CCM 2461 and <italic>Streptococcus consellatus</italic> CCM 4043 <italic>in vitro</italic> and <italic>in situ</italic>. The best antimicrobial activity for the disc diffusion method ranged from 4.67 to 9.67 mm and the minimum inhibitory concentration ranged from 1.48 to 5.44 mg.mL^-1. The most effective antimicrobial effect was found against <italic>S. aureus</italic> and <italic>L. monocytogenes</italic>. The vapour phase used showed the best antimicrobial effect against <italic>P. aeruginosa</italic> in the kiwifruit model and <italic>L. monocytogenes</italic> in the banana model at a lower CDEO concentration of 62.5 µg.L^-1 and against <italic>P. aeruginosa</italic> in the potato model and <italic>Y. enterocolitica</italic> in the cucumber model at a higher CDEO concentration of 500 µg.L-1. CDEO showed good antimicrobial activity against bacteria on vegetable and fruit model and may be a new preservative for storage of vegetables and fruits.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-00162024-10-30T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-0014<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Rapid and uniform seed germination and seedling emergence have been associated with grain yield under diverse environmental conditions. Twenty-one (21) mung bean accessions were evaluated at Ile-Ife and Kishi out-stations of the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR &amp; T), Nigeria, to identify the emergence parameter(s) that could be selected for improvement of mung bean for yield. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) in three replications. Data were collected on emergence and yield parameters and analysed using the Statistical Analysis Software (SAS). Mean, heritability, and correlation coefficient were estimated. Path coefficient analysis was used to partition correlations into direct and indirect effects using seed yield as the dependent variable. Heritability estimate was moderate to high for most of the traits. Accessions 3, 6, 14 and 15 with high pod and seed yield had also high values of coefficient of velocity of emergence (CVE) and emergence percentage (E%). All emergence parameters except emergence energy had significant correlation with yield traits. CVE and Emergence Index (EI) had strong positive correlation with number of seeds.pod^-1 and pod yield. When only the emergence parameters were considered, CVE had highest direct effect (0.74) on seed yield followed by E% (-0.73) and EI (0.70). Total indirect effects of EI and CVE accounted for only 6.06% and 11.9% of the total correlation, respectively. It therefore suggests that EI and CVE are emergence parameters that could be selected for at early stage in improvement of mung bean for yield.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-00142024-10-30T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-0012<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>In the last years, the research on the sweet wormwood (<italic>Artemisia annua</italic> L.) has increasingly become the focus of oncology science. The bioactive ingredient of the plant is artemisinin, which has been proven to be effective in the treatment of malaria. At the same time, Hungarian and international research groups are also investigating the plant, with the research aimed at the treatment of malignant cancer. In Europe, the therapeutic use of medicinal plants against tumours is realized in relatively few countries, in contrast, phytotherapy research in Asia reports results with a significant therapeutic effect. The aim of our work was to investigate the antioxidant effect of <italic>Artemisia annua</italic>. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and Oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) laboratory assays proved that the parts of the herb show a significant antioxidant effect, while the seed and the extracted bioactive ingredient artemisinin have no antioxidant capacity at all. On the other hand, aqueous extracts made from leafy shoots showed promising antioxidant capacity values DPPH 10.48 ±0.46. Due to its bitter taste index 1548, it can be used in premixed feed e.g. for piglets.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-00122024-10-30T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-0019<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Plant pathogenic fungi are a major cause of plant diseases, contributing significantly to the global decline in food production. Their proliferation results in substantial crop losses, fruit and vegetable deterioration, reduced food accessibility, and billions of dollars in economic losses annually. While synthetic chemical fungicides are commonly used to combat fungal diseases, their environmental impact is concerning. Marine algae provide a sustainable alternative, offering diverse compounds with industrial applications and presenting an eco-friendly solution. <italic>Taphrina deformans</italic> is responsible for peach leaf curl, a widespread disease in peach trees that can severely impact crop productivity and tree lifespan. Seaweeds and algae, encountering various biological interactions and extreme abiotic conditions, have evolved defense mechanisms, including the production of biologically active substances. In our study, we investigated the efficacy of water extracts from six algae (<italic>Nannochloropsis</italic> sp., <italic>Tetraselmis chuii</italic>, <italic>Chaetoceros muelleri</italic>, <italic>Thalassiosira weissflogii</italic>, <italic>Tisochrysis lutea</italic>, <italic>Chlorella vulgaris</italic>), four seaweeds (<italic>Palmaria palmata</italic>, <italic>Chondrus crispus</italic>, <italic>Ascophyllum nodosum</italic>), and one cyanobacterium (<italic>Arthrospira platensis</italic>) at two different concentrations (1% and 3%) in suppressing the outbreak of peach leaf curl disease <italic>in vivo</italic> on peach trees. The spray was applied twice in spring just before budbreak. Algae and seaweed extracts showed significant suppression of peach leaf curl outbreaks on peach trees compared to controls. Following the application of water extract of <italic>Chlorella vulgaris</italic> at both concentrations, the lowest incidences of symptomatic disease expression were observed (1.00 ±0.00% and 0.25 ±0.50%). Algae and seaweed extracts demonstrate potential in controlling leaf curl disease in peach trees.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-00192024-10-30T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-0009<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>In the degraded peri-urban areas, there are several traces of the agrarian landscape heritage: they are not relicts of the past but a resource for managing water, providing fauna and flora biodiversity, and mitigate climate change in the urban environment. A pilot experience of recovering the Milan medieval water meadows has been done in the last two years: the aim was to provide a new job to fragile people, while restoring an ancient landscape. The tangible permanencies have been recovered by unemployed people at the same time as the traditional art of managing water has been taught by ancient watermen. A course has been organized to transfer the knowledge. Several schools have been involved in the practical recovery of artifacts: students enjoyed to care an “ordinary” heritage in their neighbourhood, as a resource for a sustainable way of living, and a good quality landscape. The high social and cultural value provided increased Municipality’s attention to consider a joint management with the social cooperative of this productive landscape and to include didactical visit to water meadow in each student curricula.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-00092024-04-23T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-0005<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Green areas are an important part of the urban landscape. Trees produce oxygen, provide shade, maintain soil moisture, and reduce the amounts of toxic gases and dust in the air. Due to the changing climate, species characteristic of other climatic zones, e.g. <italic>Catalpa bignonioides</italic>, are planted in urban parks in Poland, mainly due to the attractive appearance of the leaves and flowers. The aim of the study was to assess the content of Mn, Cu, and Zn in flowers and leaves of <italic>C. bignonioides</italic> in the urban park and to determine the value of bioconcentration coefficients (BCF) of these metals. The obtained results indicate that the flowers and leaves of <italic>C. bignonioides</italic> accumulate lesser amounts of manganese, copper, and zinc. It is a consequence of the limited bioavailability of these components in soils, due to too high pH values resulting from alkalinization of urban soils. The values of bioconcentration coefficients (BCF &lt;1) confirm the low accumulation of Mn, Cu, and Zn in both leaves and flowers of <italic>C. bignonioides</italic>, due to the limited mobility of manganese, copper, and zinc compounds in the soils of the urban park and the low impact of falling dusts, which are the carriers of the analyzed components.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-00052024-04-23T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-0006<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Disappearance of lakes is one of the most dangerous processes affecting the entire natural environment, including soil. This phenomenon is considered natural, resulting from climate change, however in recent decades, a significant acceleration of this process has been observed due to the direct impact of human activity. In areas directly adjacent to lakes, organic soils usually predominate. Unfortunately, wetlands are increasingly being drained and used for agricultural purposes. Under such circumstances, changes in the physical and chemical properties of these soils are often irreversible, causing their degradation. As an effect of increased mineralization, a number of typical modifications occur in soils, such as carbon loss, increased degree of peat decomposition, and changes in soil structure. Long-term dehydration has led to muck formation. Additionally, lowering of lake water uncovers previously flooded areas and increases the intensity of soil-forming processes. However, the presence of the Subaquatic qualifier in the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) suggests that sediments in shallow water bodies no more than 200 cm deep can also be classified as soils. The progressive disappearance of lakes observed all over the world is therefore a process affecting not only the reduction of water bodies, but also changes in the properties and typology of soils and vegetation cover.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-00062024-04-23T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-0007<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Clear-cutting induces biogeochemical, ecological, and hydrological changes in the soil environment, especially in the conditions of climate change effect. This type of management affects soil carbon sequestration. In this paper, we generalize the effect of clear-cutting in mountainous mixed coniferous forests on the direction of organic matter transformation and the properties of humic substances. Soil samples of dystric Cambisols were taken two and ten years after clear-cutting (CC). Soil profiles located at the same elevation under forest cover without any harvesting were used as references. The contents of total organic carbon, total nitrogen, qualitative and quantitative characteristics of humic substances, as well as the mineralogical composition and the clay-associated C fraction, were analysed. Under mountainous conditions, clear-cutting in the mixed coniferous forest enhanced organic matter decomposition and decreased the low-molecular weight humic fraction. It also caused the accumulation of more stable humic acids, particularly in the upper soil horizons, and resulted in accumulation of humic substances with higher contents of C and O and lower H content in the first years after CC. Clear-cutting in the first two years reduced the aliphacity of humic acids in the topsoil. Ten years after harvesting, a significant increase in aliphacity in the Oa horizon confirmed organic matter recovery. Mixed coniferous forests are more resistant to biotic and abiotic disturbances, which is particularly important in the face of violent weather phenomena related to climate change. Thus, forest management plans should consider the conversion of spruce monocultures to mixed coniferous forests.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-00072024-04-23T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-0004<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays a significant role in climate change. Its content can be modified by soil management practices, however, the effect of mineral fertilization on SOC is not clear. For this reason, a long-term effect of gradually increasing rates of NPK fertilizers on changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) in bulk soil and in water-stable aggregates (WSA) in soils with sandy loam and loamy sand texture at two experimental sites (Skierniewice, Poland, and Dražovce, Slovakia) was quantified. In both sites, soil samples were collected from the following treatments: NF – no fertilization, NPK1 and NPK2 – 1^st level and 2^nd level of NPK fertilization, respectively. The results showed that 100-year long application of NPK1 increased total carbon (TC) and SOC content by 24%, while NPK2 decreased it by 5% compared to NF at the Skierniewice site. The content of water-stable macroaggregates (WSAma) increased because of NPK application. In NPK1, the content of WSAma was higher and the content of water-stable microaggregates (WSAmi) was lower than in NPK2 or NF. However, as a result of NPK application, the content of agronomically favorable WSAma in size fraction 0.5–3 mm was reduced by 8 and 24% in NPK1 and NPK2, respectively, compared to NF. Overall, SOC in WSAma was lower than in bulk soil. The SOC in WSAma in NF, NPK1 and NPK2 treatments was 6.51, 7.77 and 5.89 g.kg⁻¹, respectively. Similar tendency of SOC in WSAma 0.5–3 mm was observed (NF: 6.12 g.kg⁻¹, NPK1: 7.35 g.kg⁻¹, and NPK2: 6.88 g.kg⁻¹). The SOC in WSAmi in NF, NPK1 and NPK2 was 8.33, 7.39 and 7.24 g.kg⁻¹, respectively. At Dražovce site, TC content decreased significantly due to the graded rates of NPK, not because of SOC mineralization but as a result of carbonate dissolution for a period of 14 years. The carbonate content decreased from 20 g.kg⁻¹ in NF to 6.5 g.kg-1 in NPK1 and 3.0 g.kg-1 in NPK2, while SOC did not change significantly: (NF: 23.8 g.kg⁻¹, NPK1: 25.9 g.kg⁻¹, and NPK2: 23.4 g.kg⁻¹). In NPK1, the WSAma content was reduced significantly when compared to NPK2 and NF treatments. No significant difference was observed between NF and NPK2. On the contrary, the content of WSAma 0.5–3 mm significantly increased when compared to NF and NPK1. No difference was observed between NF and NPK1. Lower SOC content was found in WSA than in the bulk soil. Overall, higher SOC content was observed in WSAma when compared with WSAmi. The application of NPK1 and NPK2 increased SOC in WSAma as well as in WSAma 0.5–3 mm. The effect was more significant in NPK1 than NPK2 treatments when compared to NF.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-00042024-04-23T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-0002<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Evapotranspiration affects uncertain changes in volumetric soil moisture content (θ) of earth surface, which is considerably controlled by temporal variability of weather parameters like rainfall and ambient temperature. Accurate measurement of temporal variation and spatial distribution of θ in a particular land is very challenging. Numerical modelling with any suitable computer code might be useful in such cases. Thus, Hydrus 2D modelling of θ variation in the soil at Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) in Bhubaneswar is undertaken as main objective of present study to investigate soil moisture dynamics in top surface layer. For the study, the θ in OUAT land was measured daily by 5 TM water content sensor for the duration of two years spanning from January 2021 to December 2022. Meteorological data for these 2 years are collected from a nearby weather station at OUAT and used for calculating evapotranspiration (ET) based on five different well known ET models. Soil hydraulic parameters of OUAT land were also evaluated by laboratory investigation. The evapotranspiration so calculated along with precipitation and materials properties were then assigned as the inputs in Hydrus 2D simulations. The simulated results are found to be in good agreement with field observations. It is proven by Pearson’s coefficient of determination (R2) and Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) which are found to be 0.83 and 0.84 respectively. The soil moisture simulation was the most accurate only when measured soil parameters along with atmospheric boundary involving Penman-Monteith (PM) ET model were considered as model inputs.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-00022024-04-23T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-0008<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Global environmental issues shift crop production to the new conditions. This increases all kinds of biotic and abiotic stresses, beside others also plant diseases. Such changes are also in Kazakhstan where potato production is dramatically increasing, and crop is growing in regions with continental climate. Problems with potato virus type Y (PVY) need cultivars with better resistance. Introduction of silencing small interfering RNA (siRNA) is new technology. <italic>In vitro</italic> experiment was done on potato (<italic>Solanium tuberosum</italic> L.) local cultivar Izolda. Results show significant effect of siRNA in decreasing mortality and occurrence of PVY symptoms and allow expansion of potato cultivation to continental climate conditions, where are faced with new virus problems.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-00082024-04-23T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-0010<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The global agriculture industry is facing never before faced issues in the form of soil degradation, water scarcity, rising greenhouse gas emissions, and climate change. Among the possible remedies, applying biochar to the soil has drawn interest as a viable strategy. Although a great deal of literature has been written about the benefits and drawbacks of applying biochar initially, there is still a significant amount of research on the effects of using biochar repeatedly. This study seeks to address this gap by examining the varied effects of both the initial application (at rates of 0 t.ha⁻¹, 10 t.ha⁻¹, and 20 t.ha⁻¹) and the reapplication of biochar (at rates of 0, 10, and 20 t.ha⁻¹), especially when combined with different levels of nitrogen fertilizer (0, 108, and 162 kg.ha⁻¹). The investigation focuses on soil properties and CO₂ emissions from Haplic Luvisol in the temperate climate zone (Slovakia). The results showed that biochar generally improved soil properties, such as soil pH (KCl) (<italic>p</italic> &lt;0.05), shifting it from acidic towards moderately acidic, and generally led to a decrease in ammonium (NH₄⁺) and nitrate (NO₃^-) content. The second level of fertilization, combined with different biochar treatments, yielded the most efficient results in physical properties such as soil temperature, bulk density (BD), and soil water content (SWC) compared to control treatments without biochar. Biochar application contributed to the reduction of both average daily CO₂ emissions and cumulative CO₂ emissions during the study period (April – October) in 2022 compared to the control without biochar application.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-00102024-04-23T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-0003<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The principle of sustainable fertilisation in modern agriculture, which ensures that the soil is maintained in a fertile state requires the search for alternatives to manure fertilisation for products based on humic substances to increase the organic matter content of soils.The advantage of leonardite over conventional natural and organic fertilisers is mainly due to its high content of organic matter and humic substances (humic and fulvic acids). Leonardite, due to the presence of humic acids in it, can be suitable for soil amendment and yield of barley. In the conducted studies, the yield increase after adding Rosahumus fertilizer to the soil at a rate of 6 kg.ha⁻¹ + NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potasssium) was found to be 11% compared to the control (NPK).There were no changes in the C_org. content of the soil as a result of the application of Rosahumus fertilizer with NPK. The fertilizer only slightly modified the fractional composition of humus. In the future, we should expect an increase in the use of leonardite-derived humic substances in fertilizers and soil conditioners to stabilize soil organic matter.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-00032024-04-23T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-0001<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The DNDC (DeNitrification-DeComposition) model (version 9.5) was applied to predict the differences in transpiration and photosynthesis rates of perennial grasses (red clover and timothy), and autotrophic respiration of a sandy Spodosol. The input parameters for two growing seasons (from 1^st of May to 31st of August in 2010 and 2015) contrasting in meteorological conditions were used in the modeling experiment. In 2010, the mean air temperature of the period was 14.1 ±3.3 °C and the total precipitation – 0.1796 m, while in 2015 the mean air temperature was 16.8 ±5.5 °C and the total precipitation – 0.538 m. These meteorological parameters were unfavorable for plants in 2010 and favorable in 2015. The results have shown that the DNDC model adequately predicted the weather-induced differences in total and mean transpiration rates of perennial grasses: 0.12204 m. and 0.00099 ±0.00040 m.day⁻¹, respectively, under favorable meteorological conditions of 2015 and 0.05969 m. and 0.00049 ±0.00035 m.day⁻¹, respectively, under unfavorable meteorological conditions of 2010. Dynamics of daily transpiration rates of plants was significantly (<italic>r</italic> = 0.34 <italic>p</italic> &lt;0.001) correlated with soil water content only under unfavorable meteorological conditions. Mean values of simulated photosynthesis rates were equal to 84.4 ±27.9 kg.C.ha⁻¹.day⁻¹ in 2015 and 52.3 ±23.4 kg.C.ha-1.day⁻¹ in 2010. There were significant differences (<italic>p</italic> &lt;0.001) in the mean values of photosynthesis rates between the two weather scenarios. The results of one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) have shown that the rates of autotrophic respiration were significantly (<italic>p</italic> &lt;0.001) higher under favorable (8.14 ±2.25 kg.C.ha⁻¹.day⁻¹) than under unfavorable (5.17 ±2.19 kg.C.ha⁻¹.day⁻¹) meteorological conditions.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ahr-2024-00012024-04-23T00:00:00.000+00:00en-us-1