Zsolt Giczi

The study aimed to examine the nutritional composition, antioxidant properties, and mineral content of four wild-grown edible mushroom species: Laetiporus sulphureus , Auricularia auricula-judae , Pleurotus ostreatus , and Macrolepiota procera . Proximate analysis revealed high moisture content in fresh samples and significant variability in protein, fat, carbohydrate, and fiber content, largely influenced by environmental conditions, substrate composition, and developmental stage. All species exhibited low fat (0.30–3.43%) content and moderate to high protein (9.66–51.97%) levels, confirming their suitability as low-calorie, nutrient-dense foods. Carbohydrates constituted a significant part of dry matter (17.53–75.41%), and mushrooms also contribute to dietary fiber intake (4.05–13.20%). The calculated energy values ranged between 322.05 and 373.65 kcal per 100 g dry weight, with notable contributions to daily energy requirements depending on age and gender. The mushrooms demonstrated considerable antioxidant potential, with measurable total antioxidant content (TAC) and total polyphenol content (TPC), although values varied depending on extraction methods and species. Mineral analysis showed that all samples were rich in essential macroelements, particularly potassium and phosphorus, while sodium levels remained low. Among microelements, iron, zinc, and copper were present in significant amounts, with particularly high accumulation observed in M. procera . The results indicate that these wild mushrooms can serve as valuable functional foods due to their favorable nutritional profile, antioxidant activity, and contribution to recommended daily mineral intake. However, the accumulation of certain elements highlights the importance of controlled consumption, especially in vulnerable individuals and children.

Understanding the nutritional composition of foods is essential for healthy choices and sustainable consumption. Although frozen fish are often perceived as nutritionally inferior to fresh fish, research has not determined whether freezing actually reduces their nutrient content or overall quality. To characterize the nutrient, fatty acid, and mineral profiles of commonly consumed frozen freshwater species, we analyzed samples from four species. Results demonstrated that commercially available frozen products had nutrient levels comparable to those reported in the literature for unfrozen fish. Among the species, carp showed the highest protein (83.01 ± 0.5%), followed by silver carp (71.97 ± 1.6 %), whereas African catfish (22.75 ± 0.1 %) and grass carp (20.28 ± 0.1 %) had the highest fat. Notably, carp skin protein (75.30 ± 0.3 %) exceeded fillet, and trout skin fat (38.45 ± 0.1 %) surpassed its fillet. Grass carp recorded the highest SFA (42.50 ± 0.1 %), PUFA (41.63 ± 0.1 %), and UFA (86.64 ± 0.1 %; ratio 0.98). Carp fillet had the highest MUFA (58.70 ± 0.3 %), while trout fillet showed elevated n-6 (28.31 ± 0.0 %) and n-3 (12.35 ± 0.0 %). Mineral profiles varied: carp was richest in Fe, Zn, Cu, Mg, Na; silver carp in Mn, Ca, P; trout in K. Taken together, frozen freshwater fish remain excellent sources of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids and micro- and macroelements, matching fresh fish quality.

We conducted experiments on winter wheat grown in copper-deficient soil, where soil tests revealed a more pronounced deficiency in the deeper layers. As climate change reduces precipitation, plants increasingly rely on nutrients from these deeper layers. A copper–sucrose complex—previously unused in agriculture—was applied as a foliar spray during the tillering and flowering stages. Across the three-year average, significant increases were observed starting from the 1 kg ha⁻¹ copper dose in yield, from 0.3 kg ha⁻¹ in crude protein content, and from 0.5 kg ha⁻¹ in wet gluten content compared to the untreated control. For all three parameters, the highest values were achieved with the 2 kg ha⁻¹ dose. Yield increased by 1.03 t ha⁻¹, crude protein by 0.9%, and wet gluten by 2.3% relative to the control. In 2019, high humidity and favorable temperatures during flowering led to fungal infections in control plots, with DON toxin concentrations exceeding the regulatory safety threshold. Following copper–sucrose complex application, DON levels dropped below this threshold, demonstrating a measurable protective effect.

This study aimed to examine the differences between the micro- and macro-element content of the seed of eight different grape varieties, namely ‘Italian Riesling’, ‘Cabernet Franc’, ‘Pinot Noir’, ‘Sauvignon Blanc’, ‘Királyleányka’, ‘Rhine Riesling’, ‘Merlot’, ‘Kékfrankos’. On the basis of the results, there were significant differences between the calcium (Ca), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), phosphorus (P), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu) and boron (B) content of grape seed varieties. In the case of macroelements, the largest amount of K (Italian Riesling 4239 mg/kg to Cabernet Franc 8646 mg/kg), followed by Ca (Pinot Noir 5435 mg/kg to Királyleányka 7369 mg/kg), P (Sauvignon Blanc 2566 mg/kg to Királyleányka 3470 mg/kg) and finally Mg (Cabernet Franc 1097 mg/kg to Királyleányka 1466 mg/kg) was contained in the seeds of the cultivars studied. Of the microelements, Fe was present in the largest amount (Sauvignon Blanc 23.7 mg/kg to Merlot 59.5 mg/kg) considering the grape varieties. The amounts of the other microelements tested were as follows: Mn from 13.1 mg/kg (Pinot Noir) to 31.3 mg/kg (Királyleányka), Cu from 9.38 mg/kg (Italian Riesling) to 19.1 mg/kg (Cabernet Franc), Zn from 10.9 mg/kg (Kékfrankos) to 16.2 mg/kg (Királyleányka) and B from 9.46 mg/kg (Italian Riesling) to 9.46 mg/kg (Rhine Riesling). Based on the results, the type of grape affects the micro- and macro-elements content of the seed, and the daily consumption of 100g of grape seed meal can significantly contribute to the daily intake of trace elements.

More exact information on soil nutrient management is crucial due to environmental protection, nature conservation, decreasing sources for mining, general precaution, etc. Soil magnesium (Mg) analytical methods of potassium chloride (KCl), Mehlich 3 (M3), water (WA) and cobalt hexamine (CoHex) extractions are compared with an elemental analysis and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis. The ratio of the available to the total Mg content was calculated and compared on the whole dataset. The results showed that the linear regressions between all the pairs of Mg content measurement methods were significant. The linear relationship between the KCl and CoHex methods has the highest determination coefficient (R² = 0.96), followed by WA–M3 (R² = 0.68), M3–CoHex (R² = 0.66) and M3–KCl (R² = 0.60). The M3 solution demonstrated a greater capacity for extracting Mg from the soil. The second part is the analysis of the influence of CaCO₃, pH, soil texture and clay content on the measurable magnesium content of soils. It was established that the extraction methods, the soil and the classification method of the soil properties affect the evaluation. These results may help through the nutrient replenishment and the melioration of soils. These results can help the examination of mineral nutrients, especially the Mg uptake.

Phacelia tanacetifolia, an excellent cover, green manure and honey crop is now widely cultivated throughout the world. One of its principal European seed production regions is north-western Hungary, where the recent withdrawal of a potent herbicide, linuron, created a new challenge for many growers. The goal of this study is to identify the main factors determining weed species composition in the phacelia fields of the region and to assess the efficiency of tine harrow and clopyralid herbicide in reducing weed abundance and biomass. We carried out a series of weed surveys across the study region following a two-level design: (i) we estimated the cover of all weed species in 205 fields (broad-scale survey, BS); and (ii) in 22 of these fields, we provided more precise biomass measurements (counting the individuals and measuring the dry weights of all weed species) in microplots samples (fine-scale survey; FS). To characterize the fields, 34 background variables were also collected for all of the studied fields. In both investigations, Chenopodium album was by far the most abundant weed. Within the BS, using a minimal adequate model containing 11 terms with significant net effects, 20.93% of the total variation in weed species data could be explained. The variation in species composition was determined by environmental factors (soil pH, clay and K; precipitation and temperature), non-chemical management variables (crop cover, preceding crop, irrigation and tillage system) and herbicides (linuron and clopyralid). Variation partitioning demonstrated the dominance of environmental and cultural components in shaping the weed species composition. Although the effect of mechanical treatments was most likely masked in the BS by the soil properties, our FS suggests that tine harrow could efficiently decrease the total number and biomass of weeds and can be a useful tool in the phacelia management of the future.

Understanding the roles of natural drivers in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of arable fields is crucial for adequate agricultural management. This study investigated the combined effect of two tillage treatments (NT - no-tillage; CT - tillage with mouldboard ploughing) and environmental (air pressure, air temperature) and soil factors (total organic carbon, gravimetric water content and soil penetration resistance) on soil carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in maize in 2020 and 2021. The soil tubes required for the laboratory measurement were derived from three different altitudes of the two differently cultivated fields from Fejér county, Hungary. The typical soil type was Chernozem in both fields. At the time of soil sampling, soil penetration resistance was measured with a 06.15SA Penetrologger in 10 repetitions. To preserve the moisture content of the soil columns during the investigation, moisture replenishment was performed equal to the degree of weekly theoretical evapotranspiration. Emissions measurements of soil columns were performed by close chamber technique for five weeks from sampling, 15 times, in 3 repetitions in laboratory conditions. The data were evaluated by two-way ANOVA, followed by the Tukey HSD multiple comparison test and two-tailed Student’s T-test at a significance level of p<0.05. The combined effect of environmental factors on soil carbon dioxide emissions was investigated using stepwise multiple linear regression. It has been proved that the observed difference between soil penetration resistance and soil carbon dioxide emissions was significant between CT and NT cultivation at different stages of the growing season. The analysis of the interaction of the experimental factors revealed that the combined effect of soil penetration resistance, total organic carbon and moisture content in tillage system (adjusted R2=0.92 at a significance level of p=0.05) in 2020, while the combined effect of moisture content and air temperature in the no-tillage system (adjusted R2=0.79 at a significance level of p=0.085) has the most significant effect on soil CO2 emissions in 2020. In 2021, the air temperature for the tillage system (adjusted R2=0.74 at a significance level of p=0.05) and the combined effect of air temperature and pressure for no-tillage systems (adjusted R2=0.69 at a significance level of p=0.1) played an important role in soil CO2 emissions. These observations highlight that different soil and environmental factors of different tillage significantly impact the soil carbon dioxide emissions in different years.