Search

PLB 060001 Bagno Bubnów is situated within the boundaries of the Polesie National Park, Poland, representing one of the most significant wetland areas in Europe. It is home to protected phytocenoses and associated flora, including Ostericum palustre (ANKPA), a species covered by the Habitats Directive, the Bern Convention, and strict species protection in Poland. ANKPA is a species of Community importance, requiring the designation of an area within the Natura 2000 network. In Poland, it is classified as a vulnerable species. The current global trend of its population remains uncertain. The IUCN emphasises that there is insufficient data to determine its status. This paper presents geobotanical findings from Bagno Bubnów (2021–2022). Based on these findings, the conditions of ANKPA’s occurrence were determined. These include the physicochemical properties of soils and the syntaxonomic structure of phytocoenoses it inhabits. In the study area, ANKPA grew mainly in phytocoenoses of the Molinion alliance. The analysis indicates that ANKPA exhibits a broad ecological spectrum with respect to numerous habitat parameters. ANKPA was most frequently observed in eutrophic habitats. These habitats had an average organic matter content of 14.73% and an average organic carbon content of 6.7%. The pH of these habitats was neutral, averaging 7.14. They were also saturated with basic cations, with calcium being predominant (average saturation 95.8%). Findings demonstrate that PLB 060001 Bagno Bubnów is a significant location for the conservation of ANKPA. Furthermore, the environmental conditions at this site are conducive to the survival of this species.

Floristic diversity in agricultural landscapes results primarily from the diversity of semi-natural grasslands. Due to economical reasons, farmers are interested in agricultural intensification, while semi-natural grasslands are associated with low productivity. Therefore, 10 semi-natural grassland plant communities that are widespread across Central Europe and have different habitat requirements were studied: 4 from the Phragmitetea class, 4 from Molinio-Arrhenatheretea, and 2 from Festuco-Brometea. The study answers the following: (1) What is their floristic diversity and utilization value? (2) Is there a significant relationship between the diversity of vascular plant species and the utilization value of the examined communities? (3) If yes, what is the character of this relationship? The highest floristic diversity was shown by the Festuco-Brometea communities: Adonido-Brachypodietum pinnati and com. Brachypodium pinnatum. The average utilization value of the analyzed semi-natural plant communities was poor or very poor, but it varied within the plant communities, and the percentage of the relevés of at least a good utilization value was high for some communities. For most of the analyzed communities, the linear and statistically significant relation of H’ index with utilization value score (UVS) was observed. H’ index was positively related with UVS for Phragmitetum australis, Caricetum gracilis, Caricetum ripariae, and Deschampsietum caespitosae. H’ index was negatively related with UVS for Phalaridetum arundinaceae, Alopecuretum pratensis, Lolio-Cynosuretum, and Adonido-Brachypodietum pinnati. The study showed that the relationship between floristic diversity and utilization value depends on the type of plant community.

The majority of European fen grasslands are seminatural and require appropriate management to maintain their high natural value. The research area was located in the middle basin of the Biebrza River Valley, where fen grasslands vegetation was i) grazed by Konik horses, ii) mowed once every 2–4 years, or iii) abandoned for 16 years. The question was as follows: How do different land use types affect the floristic composition and restoration of abandoned fen grasslands? In the examined sites we measured floristic composition and soil physicochemical parameters. The observed changes in the floristic composition resulting from the introduction of the new type of land use were significant and they occurred in a relatively short period of time. With the cessation of mowing for 16 years, the intermittently wet Molinia meadows were replaced by trees and shrubs of alder woodlands (Alnetea glutinosae class), and the plant species diversity significantly decreased. The mowing of the Molinion meadows once every 2–4 years proved to be sufficient to prevent the encroachment of trees, but it was not enough to stop the expansion of Molinia caerulea. In the site grazed with Konik horses for 13 years, the primary fen grassland vegetation (Scheuchzerio-Caricetea nigrae) was replaced by species of low, trampled swards and intermittently wet meadows (Molinio-Arrhenatheretea class). The soils under all of the sites differing in the land use type were classified as Eutric Rheic Hemic Histosols. They were typical peatland soils, slightly acidic to neutral. The results of the soil analyses indicate the high natural states of the studied areas and that their extensive use only slightly affected their physicochemical properties. Greater soil bulk density was noticed under the pasture than under the abandoned and mowed sites, but the extensive grazing of Konik horses caused only a slight increase in volumetric density to 0.19 g cm−3. Our results show that on both the mowed and the grazed sites, the content of soil organic matter and soil organic carbon was higher than that on the abandoned site. In the mowed part as well as in the grazed part, long-lasting monitoring of the effects of the management strategies used on vegetation and soil properties is still needed.

Carex buxbaumii is rare sedge of moist to wet meadows, marshes and fens. The population trends and detailed habitat requirements of this species remain unknown. In Poland, C. buxbaumii belongs to EN category of IUCN, while is even more endangered in other European countries. The knowledge on this species is limited, but probably it needs active protection for its maintenance. It is also known that plants respond morphologically to changes in the site conditions which may help to determine the ways of effective method of their conservation. Therefore, we examined the frequency and morphology of Carex buxbaumii growing in a sward of fen-grasslands i) abandoned for 15 years, ii) mowed, or iii) grazed by Konik horses. The description of the occurrence and of the morphological reaction to the differentiation in land–use type of C. buxbaumii is presented against the background of changes in vegetation cover that occurred in 2010–2016 in the examined fen-grassland.There was stated that C. buxbaumii grew on peat soils, of high content of organic matter and Ca+2. The type of land-use significantly differentiated both the frequency and morphology of C. buxbaumii. In the mowed site C. buxbaumii grew as an element of the Molinion vegetation and appeared there with 100% frequency. The individuals growing in the mowed site had the longest shoots, the longest inflorescence brackets, and the longest terminal spikes. In the site grazed by Koniks, C. buxbaumii was a component of Scheuchzerio–Caricetea nigrae vegetation, while its frequency of C. buxbaumii was 87%. The shoots there were the shortest, and in general, the morphology was the most differentiated. In the abandoned site C. buxbaumii abundance amounted 46%, and the individuals were smaller than those under the mowing regime but larger than those grazed by Koniks. In that site, the previous vegetation with high proportion of the Molinion and Phragmitetea species was replaced by Alnetea glutionosae vegetation, represented mainly by trees and shrubs. We have shown that the best conditions for the development of the C. buxbaumii population in the examined fen-grasslands are created under an extensive mowing regime. Keywords: Wet grassland management, Nature conservation, Endangered species, Fen-grassland restoration, Polish Konik horses

Summary Berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) is an important forage crop in Pakistan and many ecotypes are grown across the country. Its yield is however frequently affected by insufficient irrigation due to unavailability of water. In the present study, twenty Pakistani ecotypes of berseem clover have been evaluated in lysimeters under full irrigation and water restriction conditions. In the full irrigation treatment soil humidity was maintained at field capacity, while in the water restriction treatment water was only supplied after severe wilting and to maintain humidity in the deep profile of the soil. Assessed traits included forage yield, calculated as the sum of the biomass harvested at 70 and 110 DA days after emergence, and morpho-physiological traits. Significant effects of water restriction were noted on yield, leaf gas exchange parameters, canopy temperature and osmotic adjustment. Most morpho-physiological traits had higher broad sense heritability than forage yield, both under full irrigation and water restriction conditions. Water restriction increased genetic and phenotypic variability and heritability of most traits under study. Under these conditions forage yield was positively associated to leaf temperature and recovery rate index and, under full irrigation, to net photosynthetic rate, canopy depression temperature and leaf area. The possible use of these traits as indirect selection criteria in berseem clover breeding programs is discussed. Some ecotypes with favorable traits such as high forage yield potential, good adaptation to water restriction and aptitude to multiple harvesting have also been identified.