Marta Wyzińska

Basic substances are natural products that can be used in agriculture without meeting the full registration requirements for plant protection products. These substance include plant extracts (e.g. garlic or nettle, horsetail or willow bark), natural oils (e.g. onion, sunflower), food processing by-products (e.g. wine vinegar or whey) and minerals and chemical compounds found in the environment (e.g. baking soda, talc, and sodium chloride). In plant protection, their role is primarily to support the natural defense mechanisms of crops. The main objective of the study was to analyze the market for basic substances and their potential applications in organic agriculture. This review examines the role of basic substances in the overall crop protection market and the factors shaping the development of this market segment. It also presents examples of basic substances from different groups, their mechanisms of action, and applications. It explains why organic farming is an area where the use of basic substances is most effective. It also presents examples of research results regarding the use of these substances in agriculture. The review shows that basic substances are a safe, cheap and EU-compliant plant protection tool, but now their use is limited to niche areas, such as organic farming, and the future of this market sector depends on marketing and information activities.

Agronomic practices can modify cereal grain chemical composition and processing performance. Long-term evidence linking agricultural management with functionality-related quality remains limited, especially in terms of combined tillage x crop residue management strategy. We evaluated the effects of long-term tillage simplifications and straw management on productivity and processing-relevant traits of winter wheat and spring barley in a split-plot field experiment (Lithuania). Straw was either removed (S0) or chopped and retained (S1), and six tillage systems were compared (conventional ploughing (CP), shallow ploughing (SP), shallow cultivation (SOW), stubble over winter, no-till with cover crops (NTC), and no-till without cover crops (NT)). The yield and starch content of winter wheat and spring barley groats increased with the addition of straw and the application of SOW, NTC, and NT systems. The hectolitre mass of winter wheat and spring barley grains increased with the addition and removal of straw using SP technology. The protein content and wet gluten content of winter wheat and spring barley grains decreased, while the starch content increased, with the addition and removal of straw using SC technology. In wheat, protein content showed weak separation among treatments, while wet gluten and Zeleny sedimentation displayed mostly directional trends (wet gluten–sedimentation correlation: r = 0.844 under S0 and r = 0.984 under S1). In terms of the tillage systems, it can be stated that in most cases, SP and NT increased grain yield and improved quality indicators, while SC and NTC technologies showed opposite results. Soil-function assessment (CEI, 10–25 cm) indicated substantially higher integrated soil functioning under conservation agriculture (e.g., SOW/NTC/NT: 5.28–5.70) than under conventional systems (CP: 3.23). The results support framing sustainable soil management for cereal functionality as a system package: residue retention enables the productivity benefits of reduced-tillage systems while maintaining key quality proxies.

Rye (Secale cereale L.), a cereal with valuable agronomic and nutritional benefits, contributes to sustainable agriculture, especially in areas where more demanding crops cannot be cultivated due to the poor agronomic value of soil. This review explores rye grain quality optimization strategies through production techniques. The quality and yield of grain are under the significant impact of agronomic factors, such as variety selection, crop rotation, soil tillage, fertilization, sowing practices, chemical protection, and harvest timing. It is also under the strong influence of the chosen farm’s management strategy, like organic or conventional farming system. This review emphasizes its diverse potential utilization routes, and the importance of bioactive compounds, dietary fibers, phenolic acids, phytoestrogens, and benzoxazinoids that enhance its value as a functional food. Cereal grain with quality issues cannot be used as food for humans, however, it can still be utilized alternatively as a renewable biofuel. This review showed rye grain to have a potential to contribute to sustainable agriculture and at the same time build farms’ resilience through possible alternative utilization strategies. It can serve as both a food source and a sustainable biofuel, offering a dual-purpose solution within the circular bioeconomy.

Agricultural production diversity is becoming a key to solve challenges of modern agriculture - including those related to climate change. The main cereals cultivated in Europe are wheat, rye and barley. One of the new cereals introduced recently into producte is Tritordeum - a hybrid of durum wheat and a wild form of barley. It is adapted for cultivation conditions of warm and dry climate of Mediterranean. However, recent shifts in climate make it an interesting alternative also for temperate climates.It is also a response to increasing consumer demands for food of good nutritional value. A pilot study (pot experiment) on Tritordeum yield potential un-der 3 increasing nitrogen fertilization rates (N1, N2 and N3) have been established in 2020 in eastern Poland. Tritordeum v. Bulel and Tritordeum v. Aucan performance have been compared with Triticum durum and Triticum aestivum performance for two sowing dates – autumn and spring. The results demonstrated that the yield level of Tritordeum v. Bulel was comparable to durum wheat yields. Yields of Triticum aestivum were higher (only by 8% for autumn sowing and approximately 43% for spring sowing). Moreover, Tritordeum v. Bulel had lower yield level than Tritordeum v. Aucan (by approximately 1-8%). All tested species showed good performance un-der medium (N2) or even low (N1) nitrogen fertilization rate. The other traits tested (number of ears, productive tillering, thousand grains weight) placed Tritordeum (in particular Tritordeum v. Bulel) closer to Triticum durum than to Triticum aestivum. Triticum aestivum had higher results in terms of particularly tillering rate and number of spikes per pot than other 3 tested species. Tritordeum has shown that it can be a promising species for cultivation under Polish conditions as its yielding potential can reach yielding potential of Triticum durum. Further field studies on performance of this crop are needed.

The research has been undertaken to determine whether it is worthwhile to do a post-tillage on stubble before applying strip-till or whether tillage operations such as tillage and stubble ploughing should be performed. Therefore, ploughed tillage + strip tillage (PT), stubble discing + strip tillage (SD) and strip tillage (ST) operations were evaluated on three genetically distant winter wheat cultivars, including Formacja, Metronom and Desamo. A three-year field experiment was conducted from 2018 to 2021 at the Agricultural Experimental Station Kepa-Osiny in Pulawy, Poland. The experiment design was a split-block design with four repetitions of every treatment. The results showed that the cultivars differed in dry matter growth. However, no differences were found between the cultivar and post-harvest tillage method in terms of dry matter, plant height, and flag leaf area. Grain yield per ear was the main factor of yield variation across the cultivar and tillage systems. The extent of tillage only in the case of previously performed ploughing had an effect on the thousand grain weight. On the other hand, the omission of post-harvest tillage (ST) had a positive effect on the sedimentation index value. In terms of wheat grain yield, plough tillage (PT) proved to be the most advantageous, while reducing the intensity of tillage caused a systematic decrease in yield by 6% in the SD treatment and 9% in the ST treatment, respectively. Other quality parameters (gluten quantity, gluten index, falling number) did not depend on the applied tillage range. The response of cultivars to the applied cultivation methods was generally similar. Due to the beneficial effect of reducing the scope of cultivation on the environment, a small reduction in yield and no negative impact on the quality characteristics of grain, it is recommended to use strip-till cultivation without prior post-harvest cultivation. The results provide new insights into the growth of different winter wheat cultivars and the postharvest tillage applied, and they can be used in the future to validate existing wheat growth models.

For economic, environmental, and climatic reasons, soil cultivation methods without the use of a plough have became increasingly popular in recent decades. As research has shown, their impact on the growth and yield of crops is not always positive, especially when direct sowing is used. Recently,...

Cultivar, habitat conditions and agrotechnology have an influence on the yield and chemical composition of rye grain. The main anti-nutritional substances present in rye grain include alkylresorcinols, water-soluble pentosans and trypsin inhibitors. The aim of this study was to determine the variability in yield and the concentration of anti-nutritional compounds in the grain of selected winter rye cultivars in relation to nitrogen fertilisation levels and weather conditions. Field studies were conducted at the Experimental Station of IUNG-PIB in Osiny (Poland) in two growing seasons (2018/2019 and 2019/2020). The experiment was located on pseudo-polylic soil using the randomised sub-block method in three replications. The first factor of the experiment was the level of nitrogen fertilisation (0, 70 and 140 kg N∙ha−1) and the second was the population (Dańkowskie Skand, Piastowskie) and hybrid (KWS Vinetto, SU Performer) winter rye cultivars. The study showed that the yield of winter rye depended on the genotype and the level of nitrogen fertilisation. The hybrid cultivars yield ed 17.9% higher in relation to the population cultivars. The content of anti-nutritional compounds in rye grain depended significantly on genotype, level of nitrogen fertilisation and weather conditions. The reason for the higher synthesis of anti-nutrients in rye grain was the stressful weather conditions occurring in the 2019/2020 season. Nitrogen fertilisation influenced the content of alkylresorcinols, water-soluble pentosans and trypsin inhibitor activity in grain. The interaction of cultivar and fertilisation was also found to shape the content of the aforementioned anti-nutrients.

The agricultural application of biocarbons (biochar) derived from different biomass sources in the process of pyrolysis is a promising solution for crop productivity and quality, soil health improvement, and carbon sequestration. In a three-year study, the effects of low doses of biochar (1 t∙ha⁻¹ and 3 t∙ha⁻¹) of different origins on winter wheat grain quantity and quality were tested. Six different biochar types were used: biochar derived from wheat husk (WHB), (2) extracted medical plant biomass biochar (MPB), (3) wood chip biochar (WCB), (4) wood sawdust biochar (SB), (5) biochar made from straw of rye (RSB), and (6) meat and bone biochar (MBMB). Higher doses of biocarbon had a positive effect only on wet gluten content. The use of different types of biochar showed a significant impact on grain parameters; however, the results were different in different years of this study. Among the tested biochars, SB (Saw Dust biochar) showed rather good results for most of the parameters tested (the highest grain yield in 2018, the highest weight of 1000 g in 2019, the lowest wet gluten content and gluten index in 2020, the lowest falling number in 2019, and the highest Zellenys index in 2019). MBMB biochar was one of the highest yielders in 2018, had the highest wet gluten content in 2018, and the highest gluten index in 2019 and 2020; the lowest Zelleny’s sedimentation index in 2019; and one of the lowest in 2020. Those made SB and MBMB the most promising biochars tested in this study.

The purpose of this study was to determine the variability in yield of strip-tilled winter wheat in relation to the extent of post-harvest tillage and variety. The first factor were tillage methods: plow - medium deep plowing + strip tillage combined with wheat sowing (UO); simplified - mulched stubble with a disc unit + strip tillage combined with wheat sowing (UU); zero tillage - strip tillage of mulched stubble combined with wheat sowing (UZ). The second factor were 3 cultivars: Formacja, Metronom, and Desamo. The experiment was established using the split-block method in 4 replications. Cultivars significantly differentiated grain yields. The highest yield was obtained from the Formacja cultivar, and the lowest from Desamo. The range of tillage treatments preceding strip-till sowing of wheat had a significant effect on its yield. Significantly higher yields were obtained when this tillage method was applied after plowing beforehand. Celem przeprowadzonych badań było określenie zmienności plonowania pszenicy ozimej uprawianej pasowo w zależności od zakresu uprawy pożniwnej oraz odmiany. Pierwszym czynnikiem był sposób uprawy roli: płużny – orka siewna średnio głęboka + uprawa pasowa połączona z siewem pszenicy (UO); uproszczony – zruszenie ścierni agregatem talerzowym + uprawa pasowa połączona z siewem pszenicy (UU); zerowy – uprawa pasowa zmulczowanej ścierni połączona z siewem pszenicy (UZ). Drugim czynnikiem były 3 odmiany: Formacja, Metronom i Desamo. Doświadczenie założono metodą split-block w 4 powtórzeniach. Odmiany istotnie różnicowały plony ziarna. Najwyższy plon uzyskano z odmiany Formacja, a najniższy z Desamo. Zakres zabiegów uprawowych poprzedzających siew pszenicy metodą strip-till miał istotny wpływ na jej plonowanie. Istotnie wyższy plon uzyskano w przypadku stosowania tej metody uprawy po wykonanej wcześniej orce.

Celem przeprowadzonych badań było określenie wpływu uprawy pasowej na jakość ziarna wybranych odmian pszenicy ozimej w zależności od zakresu uprawy roli stosowanej w okresie pożniwnym. Czynnikiem pierwszym był sposób uprawy roli: płużny – orka siewna średnio głęboka + uprawa pasowa połączona z siewem pszenicy (UO); uproszczony – zruszenie ścierni agregatem talerzowym + uprawa pasowa połączona z siewem pszenicy (UU); zerowy – uprawa pasowa zmulczowanej ścierni połączona z siewem pszenicy (UZ). Czynnikiem drugim były 3 odmiany pszenicy ozimej: Formacja, Metronom i Desamo. Doświadczenie założono metodą split-block, w 4 powtórzeniach. Reakcja odmian na stosowane metody uprawy roli była na ogół podobna – różnice istotne stwierdzono tylko w przypadku liczby opadania. Zakres zabiegów uprawowych poprzedzających siew pszenicy metodą strip-till nie miał istotnego wpływ na badane cechy jakościowe poza masą tysiąca ziaren oraz wskaźnikiem sedymentacji. Istotnie większą wartość MTZ uzyskano w przypadku zastosowania metody strip-till po orce. Natomiast istotnie większą wartość wskaźnika sedymentacji – po zastosowaniu metody strip-till bez uprzedniej uprawy pożniwnej.