Search

The issue of optimizing plant fertilization is important in quality systems, such as Integrated Plant Production, GLOBAL G.A.P., or SAI. Effective implementation of these systems depends on the use of a plant nutrition technology based on plants’ nutrient demand. In developing countries, low efficiency production technologies are used very frequently, and a significant level of anthropogenic pressure is therefore observable. The objective of this research was to assess grapevine fertilization efficiency according to particular nitrogen fertilization strategies. Within the scope of the research, a two-factor field experiment was conducted in a commercial vineyard located in Gissar Valley, the Republic of Tajikistan, in 2018. The experiment was established on sandy soils and involved the following factors: the overall quantity of mineral nitrogen used, and the number of fertilizer application cycles (one or three). The designed systems were assessed on the basis of commercial yield, productivity ratio, agronomic efficiency ratio, removal efficiency ratio, and physiological efficiency ratio. The findings obtained from the field experiment indicate that the plant yield was the highest, at 24.85 Mg ha-1, in the conventionally fertilized object, with the nitrogen dosage of 250 kg N ha-1. Similar yield was obtained when the amount of nitrogen was divided into 3 doses. In this variant, the values of ratios representing fertilization efficiency, such as the agronomic efficiency ratio, removal ratio and productivity ratio, were the most beneficial as well. No significant variations were determined in respect of the physiological efficiency ratio value, which may be an indication that no factors occurred in any of the variants which would distort the plants’ growth and development. Optimizing fertilization is an important aspect that defines the quality and safety of products of agricultural origin, especially in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to its suitable temperature conditions and the hot and dry climate combined with access to water courses and bodies, Sughd Region is a place that is naturally suited to the production of vines. Rational management of fertilizers is one of the key elements of production that makes it possible to obtain an optimal yield of high quality while considering the impact of fertilization on the environment. The aim of the research was to assess differentiation in the fertilization of vines with phosphorus and potassium with reference to the quality and quantity of the yield obtained, and aspects related to fertilization efficiency under the conditions of Sughd Region of the Republic of Tajikistan. The study was conducted in Sughd Region in Tajikistan, from 2015 to 2017. The experiment comprised two factors. The first factor was fertilization, with five fertilized objects. The second factor consisted of grapevine varieties. During the experiment, the size of yield, the phosphorus and potassium content, as well as the content of sugars and total acidity in the fruits were determined. The Recovery Efficiency, Agronomic Efficiency coefficients and Relative Agronomic Effectiveness were determined for the analysed doses and combinations of fertilizers. Regarding the volumes of the yield, the fertilization variant delivering 200 kg N, 87.2 kg P and 166 kg K ha-1 was found to be the most efficient. The research results showed that an increase in the dose of phosphorus by 100% without any parallel increase in the dose of potassium did not cause any significant growth in harvest yield. An increase in the doses of phosphorus and potassium had a significant effect on growth in yield, though also indicated a significantly lower use efficiency for the component applied. The applied fertilizer doses were not found to have caused any differentiation in the sugar content in grapes or in their acidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic farming is a management system which to an essential extent protects the natural environment, for example by preventing soil erosion. The objective of the research was to determine the effect of organic and conventional cultivation of cereals on the volume of soil losses and on the amount of plant nutrients washed away from the stands where the cereals were sown. A two-factor field experiment was carried out over a period from 2013 to 2016 at the Mountain Experimental Station situated in Czyrna near Krynica Górska (Poland). Experimental plots were set up on Eutri-Gleyic Cambisols, developed from eluvium of flysch rocks. The first factor included two farming systems: organic and conventional. The second factor involved three spring crops grown in pure stands: spring barley, spring triticale, and oats as well as three mixtures of cereals: spring barley + oats, spring barley + spring triticale, spring triticale + oats. The experimental plots were 22 m x 2 m in size. The soil losses were measured with the use of Słupik catchers. Based on the experiment results, it was found that on the stands with cereals grown using the conventional system, the losses of the following components were, on average, higher, i.e. the N-NO3 losses: 55.8% higher, the N-NH4 losses: 72.2% higher, and the P and K losses: 60.0% and 48.3% higher, respectively. As regards the soil loss, no statistically significant differences were found between the two farming systems. The cultivation of spring barley and mixture of spring barley + oats turned out to be the best at protecting the soil. Oats grown in pure stands were the least soil protective. The Leaf Area Index (LAI) applied to characterize the canopy of the organically grown cereals was 14% smaller than that of the cereals grown in the conventional system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large spore mushrooms and trees are frequently used in bioindication, the reasons being their widespread occurrence and substantial capacity to accumulate trace elements. The aim of the research was to compare the bioaccumulation coefficients of As, Ba, Al, and Cr in Lactarius salmonicolor L., and in Abies alba M. needles, collected in the Przedbabiogórskie Mountain Range. In 2015, samples of soil, mushrooms and Abies alba needles were collected from 17 sites. All the collected samples were dried and homogenized. Laboratory samples of the mushrooms and needles were subjected to dry mineralization in an open system. The soil samples were mineralized in aqua regia. Concentration of elements in the solutions was determined by atomic emission spectrometry. Based on the results, bioaccumulation factors of individual elements were calculated. The bioaccumulation factors were calculated by dividing the concentration of a given element in the dry matter of mushrooms and needles used in the research by the content of the same element in the soil. In addition, the correlation coefficient between the content of the above elements in the soil, mushrooms and needles was computed. The content of the elements in forest soils was low, typical for unpolluted areas. Concentrations of the elements in Lactarius salmonicolor L. and in Abies alba M. needles were in the following decreasing order: As>Cr>Ba>Al. The values of bioaccumulation factors of the elements in needles can be arranged from the lowest as follows: Al>Cr>As>Ba, whereas in the mushrooms the order was Al>Ba>Cr>As. No statistically significant relationship between the organic carbon content in the soil and the level of accumulation of the elements in the fungal fruiting bodies and fir needles was observed. The content of elements in the soil had the largest effect on the amount of these elements accumulated in Abies alba needles and in biomass of Lactarius salmonicolor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2007-2010, a three-factor field experiment was conducted at the Experimental Station in Mydlniki near Kraków. The objective was to determine the impact of a tillage system and plant cover on soil losses of magnesium and calcium by water erosion depending on a slope gradient. The first factor in the experiment was a slope gradient (9% and 16%), the second one consisted of a tillage system (plough system and direct sowing system) and the third one comprised plant cover (horse beans, spring wheat, and winter rapeseed). The experimental plots were 22 m x 2 m in size. Modified Słupik bag catchers were placed at the bottom borderline of each plot for the purpose of catching the material washed down. The ICP-OES method was applied to determine the content of calcium and magnesium. Calcium and magnesium losses were calculated based on the content of these elements in the soil washed down and in the runoff water. Analysis of Variance (Anova) was performed to analyze the results statistically. The significance of mean differences among the objects was tested with the use of multiple comparisons procedures and a Tukey's range test at α = 0.05 level of significance. The studies showed that losses of Ca ranged from 3.11 to 9.20 kg year-1 ha-1 and losses of Mg varied from 0.97 to 2.12 kg year-1 ha-1. The losses of Ca were about 25% higher from the plots situated on the slopes with the 16% gradient than on the slopes with the 9% gradient; the difference in the losses of Mg from the plots on both slopes was similar and equalled about 26%. Compared to the conventional plough system, direct sowing (the ploughless system) reduced the losses of Ca and Mg by 36% and 20%, respectively. Of all the plants analyzed, the value of winter rapeseed as a soil protection agent was the highest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]