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The paper presents the relts of a study aimed at assessing N2O-N emissions from arable and forest soils under the climate conditions of Central Poland. Measurements were conducted during the 2012 growing season. N2O-N emissions from the soil were measured in situ by infrared spectroscopy using a portable Alpha FTIR spectrometer (Bruker). The measured N2O-N fluxes showed a high variability over the study period, with fluxes from the arable soil treated with fertilizer (0.08–21.60, median 5.31, mean 7.08 μg N2O-N m−2 h-1) tending to exceed those from the forest soil (0.00–18.78, median 3.35, mean 4.54 μg N2O-N m−2 h-1). N2O-N fluxes from the arable soil were correlated stronger with the atmospheric temperature and soil moisture than with the soil NO3--N content. The N2O-N fluxes from the forest soil were positively correlated with atmospheric temperature only. The relationship between the N2O-N emission from the arable soil and soil NH4+-N content was marked by negative correlation. Based on the measured N2O-N flux and its relationship with environmental factors (especially the negative correlation between N2O-N flux and NH4+-N content) it can be hypothesized that denitrification is an important source of N2O-N in arable soils of Central Poland, even when the soil water-filled pore space (WFPS) during the growing season is below 40%. However, in such soil moisture conditions the N2O-N fluxes from the arable soils are relatively low. The very low soil NO3--N content throughout almost the entire growing season suggests that nitrification may be the main process producing N2O-N in the forest soil characterized a low soil pH. The study results indicate that conservation and sustainable management of forests constitute an effective way to mitigate the N2O-N emissions from the soil. Given the non-zero emission from the forest soils, we postulate a review of the algorithms employed for the approximation of the regional N2O-N emissions to properly reflect the impact of afforestation on the regional N2O-N emission.

The aim of the research was to determine whether, and to what extent, a surface fire of forest areas determines changes in physical and chemical properties of the soil. The test material consisted of soil samples taken from soil profiles exposed in a burnt-out area and in an area unaffected by fire. The samples were analyzed for total organic carbon and total nitrogen contents, and also selected indicators of soil acidification. As a result of the tests, it was found that there was a decrease in the levels of organic carbon (by over 75%) and nitrogen (by 50%). A negative effect of the changes was the narrowing of the C/N ratio, a positive one – an increase in soil pH (from 3.14 to 4.67), and a several-times reduction in hydrolytic and exchangeable acidity.

Selenium (Se) is a micronutrient that is insufficiently present in the human diet. Increasing its content in food through appropriately matched agricultural practices may contribute to reducing Se deficit in humans. The study covered the effect of grain, soil, as well as grain and soil fertilization with selenium combined with foliar application at different stages of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) development. The fertilization involved the application of sodium selenate. Fertilization with selenium had no significant effect on the grain yield. Grain application, soil application, and grain and soil application combined with foliar application at particular development stages of the plant significantly contributed to an increase in selenium content in grain. The study showed that the accumulation of selenium in spring wheat depends on the type of fertilization and term of its application. The best method of introducing selenium into the plant is grain and soil fertilization combined with foliar application at the stage of tillering and stem elongation (G + S + F1-2) for which the highest selenium content was obtained (0.696 mg·kg−1 Se). The applied biofortification methods contributed to the increase in selenium in the grain of spring wheat.

Carbon dioxide is an important greenhouse gas, which is released through human activities such as deforestation, burning fossil fuels, agriculture, and degradation of soil. The type of soil tillage systems has a very important impact on soil CO 2 emissions. Usually higher soil CO 2 emission have been observed under conventional tillage compared to reduced tillage. Maize is one of the main cereals grown around the world that reacts positively on conservation tillage. We hypothesized that reduced tillage with sub-soil fertilizer application could increase maize yield and reduce carbon emissions compared to conventional plowing. Therefore we studied CO 2 emissions from soil under a conventional and innovative, environmentally safe, low-cost maize production system dedicated both to reduce time and resources and to manage the field sustainably with a lower CO 2 footprint. We observed that the magnitude of grain yield depended on soil and climate conditions but not on the cultivation system. The CO 2 emission level depended on the year of the study and the soil tillage method and was subject to considerable changes during the growing season. The use of reduced soil tillage significantly limited emissions of the analyzed gas into the atmosphere. Depending on the year of the study, CO 2 emissions in the reduced tillage system were 7 to 35% lower than those in the conventional system. The extent of the reduction in CO 2 emissions achieved under reduced tillage is very large relative to conventional tillage, which is probably due to the relatively low organic matter content of the both investigated soils in the conventional tillage. We could show that on sandy soils with a low organic matter content reduction in tillage is a factor significantly diminishing CO 2 emissions.

The aim of the study was to determine the levels of selected trace elements in soils and in the common dandelion depending on the distance from a traffic route. The study was conducted in Warsaw near one of the main roads in the suburb of Ursynów. Samples for testing were taken from the 0–25 cm layer at sites located directly alongside the roadway and at a distance of 30, 60 and 300 m from its edge. The amounts of Pb, Ni, Cu, Zn and Cd in the soils were determined by the AAS method, after extraction in HCl at a concentration of 1 mol·dm−3, and in the aboveground parts and roots of dandelion plants after wet mineralization in a mixture of HNO3 and HClO4 by the AAS method. On the basis of the results obtained, it was shown that the concentrations of the tested metals, both in the soils and in the biomass of the test plant, were highest directly at the edge of the roadway and decreased significantly with the distance away from the road. This correlation indicates a significant impact of road transport on heavy metal levels in the environment bordering a traffic route. It was also shown that dandelion plants accumulate higher amounts of heavy metals in the aboveground parts than in the roots, and the heavy metal contents in the dandelion biomass were found to be significantly positively correlated with the amounts of these elements in the soils.

In the EU and world-wide, agriculture is in transition. Whilst we just converted conventional farming imprinted by the post-war food demand and heavy agrochemical usage into integrated and sustainable farming with optimized production, we now have to focus on even smarter agricultural management. Enhanced nutrient efficiency and resistance to pests/pathogens combined with a greener footprint will be crucial for future sustainable farming and its wider environment. Future land use must embrace efficient production and utilization of biomass for improved economic, environmental, and social outcomes, as subsumed under the EU Green Deal, including also sites that have so far been considered as marginal and excluded from production. Another frontier is to supply high-quality food and feed to increase the nutrient density of staple crops. In diets of over two-thirds of the world's population, more than one micronutrient (Fe, Zn, I or Se) is lacking. To improve nutritious values of crops, it will be necessary to combine integrated, systems-based approaches of land management with sustainable redevelopment of agriculture, including central ecosystem services, on so far neglected sites: neglected grassland, set aside land, and marginal lands, paying attention to their connectivity with natural areas. Here we need new integrative approaches which allow the application of different instruments to provide us not only with biomass of sufficient quality and quantity in a site specific manner, but also to improve soil ecological services, e.g. soil C sequestration, water quality, habitat and soil resistance to erosion, while keeping fertilization as low as possible. Such instruments may include the application of different forms of high carbon amendments, the application of macro- and microelements to improve crop performance and quality as well as a targeted manipulation of the soil microbiome. Under certain caveats, the potential of such sites can be unlocked by innovative production systems, ready for the sustainable production of crops enriched in micronutrients and providing services within a circular economy.

The study was based on soil samples taken after the long-term fertilizer experiment (1974–2014) where different doses of nitrogen and potassium were applied. The experiment was located at the Research Station of the UTP University of Science and Technology in Bydgoszcz (Poland). The long-term application of nitrogen and potassium fertilizers leads to changes in the concentration of mercury, soil acidification, reduction in total organic carbon, total nitrogen as well as affluence of available nutrients (P, K, Mg) and increased mobility of copper and zinc. The significant positive correlation between total mercury content in the soil and the content of N-NO3, Zn, N-NH4 and the hydrolytic acidity value were stated.

The rapid increase of the world population constantly demands more food production fromagricultural soils. This causes conflicts, since at the same time strong interest arises on novel bio-based products from agriculture, and newperspectives for rural landscapes with their valuable ecosystemservices. Agriculture is in transition to fulfill these demands. In many countries, conventional farming, influenced by post-war food requirements, has largely been transformed into integrated and sustainable farming. However, since it is estimated that agricultural production systems will have to produce food for a global population that might amount to 9.1 billion by 2050 and over 10 billion by the end of the century, we will require an even smarter use of the available land, including fallow and derelict sites. One of the biggest challenges is to reverse non-sustainable management and land degradation. Innovative technologies and principles have to be applied to characterize marginal lands, explore options for remediation and re-establish productivity. With view to the heterogeneity of agricultural lands, it is more than logical to apply specific crop management and production practices according to soil conditions. Cross-fertilizing with conservation agriculture, such a novel approach will provide (1) increased resource use efficiency by producing more with less (ensuring food security), (2) improved product quality, (3) ameliorated nutritional status in food and feed products, (4) increased sustainability, (5) product traceability and (6) minimized negative environmental impacts notably on biodiversity and ecological functions. A sustainable strategy for future agriculture should concentrate on production of food and fodder, before utilizing bulk fractions for emerging bio-based products and convert residual stage products to compost, biochar and bioenergy. The present position paper discusses recent developments to indicate how to unlock the potentials of marginal land. The authors are partners in the FACCE-SURPLUS project INTENSE and gratefully acknowledge financial support by the FACCE-JPI Programme SFS-05-2015: Strategies for crop productivity, stability and quality, grant number 652515.

The effects of mineral and organic fertilization on the contents of Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, B and Mo in soil and in the soil solution as well as on availability of these elements for crops were investigated in the long-term field trial. The highest contents of Zn, Fe, Mn and Cu in soil and soil solution were observed in the treatment with the lowest pH (NPK). In this same combination the content of B and Mo was the lowest. The concentration of Zn, B and Fe in the soil solution significantly increased under farmyard manure application. Liming significantly decreased contents extractable by 1 mol/L HCl forms of Mn and Zn and significantly increase the content of Mo in the soil. Regardless of fertilization applied, microelement concentrations in the soil solution are sufficient for fulfilling nutritional needs of plants cultivated during the trial.

The determination of a range of boron concentration in the soil solution, evaluation of the effect of physicochemical soil properties on boron concentration in the soil solution as well verification whether boron quantity in the soil solution is sufficient for nutritional needs of selected plants cultivated in Poland were comprised. Av erage boron concentration in the soil solution of Poland’s cultivated soils ranges from 0.59 to 5.07 µmol/L and is differentiated by physico-chemical properties of soil. Taking into account decreasing effects of soil properties on the increase of boron concentration in the soil solution, the soil properties can be arranged as follows: organic C > soil abundance in available boron > soil texture > soil pH. The minimum boron quantity observed in the soil solu tion of Poland’s cultivated soils was not sufficient to fulfil nutritional needs of the plants. The maximum boron quantity observed secured nutritional needs of cereals and potatoes but not those of rape plants and sugar beets. Based on the study it can be concluded that the measurement of the concentration of boron in the soil solution can be used in the diagnosis of deficiency of this element for crops.

The aim of the study was to determine plant needs with regard to sulphur fertilization based on the assessments of sulphur in the soil profile carried out in the early spring. The study was founded on the continuous fertilization ex periment established in 1985 at the Experimental Station of the Faculty of Agriculture and Biology, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, which is located in Skierniewice. Soil samples were collected in the years 2009–2011 in the early spring (February/March) at low soil temperatures. The samples were taken at three soil depths: 0–30, 30–60, 60–90 cm. The content of sulfate sulphur was assessed in fresh soil samples after extraction in 0.01 mol/L CaCl 2 . The plants cultivated during the study were spring barley and yellow lupine. The amount of sulphur in soil profile was too small and not sufficient to fulfill yellow lupine nutritional needs, thus could be a limiting factor for successful yield production. Regardless the fertilizer treatment, the amount of sulfate sulphur found in 0–60 cm soil layer fully covered nutritional needs of spring barley.