Nóra Szigeti

To support farmers with practice-relevant research results, registered varieties of winter wheat have been tested in organic farming systems to identify varieties suited to the specific needs of Hungarian organic agriculture. In addition to supporting farmers' decision, the results of the post-registration variety trials can contribute to the development of the organic sector by providing rankings of varieties suitable for different agro-ecological conditions. The research was carried out over three years (2021–2023) at seven locations in different pedoclimatic regions of Hungary. Grain yield and nutrient values were collected, and a mixed effects model was used to evaluate the yield, grain protein and gluten contents of the varieties across different locations. Yield stability calculations were carried out with linear regression. Yield, grain protein and gluten contents, as well as yield stability varied considerably between varieties, locations and years. The yield of the best performing varieties reached 11.6 t ha⁻ ¹ but remained below 2 t ha⁻ ¹ in heavily drought prone years and locations. Quality characteristics were generally negatively correlated with yield. Grain protein content varied from 7.8% to 16% and grain gluten content from 7.8% to 35.1%. High yields were accompanied by lower stability in some cases. Domestic (Hungarian) varieties and an Austrian organically bred variety were found to be most suitable for organic winter wheat production under different environmental conditions of Hungary. These findings highlight the importance of specific variety development of wheat targeted either to the management system (organic) and/or to the country(region)-specific pedoclimatic conditions.

The present paper gives a detailed and illustrated redescription ofEntomobrya nigriventrisStach, 1929, and the description of a new species collected from open sand steppe habitat in Hungary. Based on the colour pattern,E. arenariaWinkler, Flórián & Dányi,sp. nov.is close toE. violaceolineataStach, 1963 but differs from it by the morphology of the labral papillae and the dorsal macrochaetotaxy of the head, Th II, and Abd II–IV. The new species is also characterised by dark ventral body colouration in adult specimens. In this regard, an overview of EuropeanEntomobryaspecies in which the dark ventral side may occur is also provided.

Conservation tillage (CT) is a ploughless tillage with a reduced number of operations, and its positive effect on soil functions and health is widely known. Multivariate analyses are required to choose indicators that adequately characterize the changes in soil health. However, there is little research on the comprehensive analysis of the full spectrum of soil physical, chemical and biological properties. Therefore, we examined 21 soil parameters in a long‐term CT experiment conducted in Hungary. Four pairs of similarly sized CT and conventional ploughing tillage (PT) plots were set up in 2003 on Luvisols. The soil samples were collected after 17 years. The total organic carbon (TOC) increased significantly in the 0–15 cm layer at CT sites compared to those in PT, indicating a total increase of 5.22 t ha ⁻¹ TOC stock. In addition, the increasing biological activity and improved soil structure were the most important processes at the CT sites. Furthermore, more complex humic substances with higher molecular weights are characteristic of water‐extractable organic matter (WEOM) as a result of CT. The potentially available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were also measured with a relatively high response ratio. Slowly changing parameters, such as cation exchange capacity and base saturation, are important soil physical and chemical parameters, but are not good indicators of the impact of tillage practices. Based on principal component analysis, we suggest the use of water‐extractable organic C, amino‐nitrogen, water‐stable aggregates, available P and K and photometric analysis of WEOM to identify the soil improving processes.

Organic soy production, particularly for feedstuff in organic animal husbandry, is needed in Hungary and the EU regions. Soybean producing crop area in Hungary has increased in the last years, however, the agroecological potential would allow for a larger soybean production area. This study presents the soybean market in Hungary, and the role of soybeans in protein supply in food and feed, summarising the critical elements of organic soybean production from variety selection to marketing. During the field research, the effects of the agronomical environment on yield potential factors were examined. We aimed to determine how different row spacing and tillage systems affect organic soybean yields of different varieties, with particular attention to the dry region, and determine the specific methods and varieties of soybean that favour these areas. We found that the tillage (plough/grubber), the spacing (wide/narrow), and the variety effects were all significant on morphological variables. The most remarkable difference was seen in plant height and the number of pods per plant, while the number of nodes was also highly impacted by tillage treatment and variety. The nutrition variables were significantly different, mainly as an effect of tillage and spacing interaction with significantly different plant responses of varieties.

The sowing area and yield of crops are primarily determined by climatic suitability and modified by terrain conditions. This study presents the actual sowing area of 10 major crops in Europe and reveals the spatial pattern of available soil phosphorus (P) concentrations between and within the sowing areas of the crops, based on the Land Use/Land Cover Area Frame Survey (LUCAS) database. A great variance in cropping pattern over Europe was observed, especially for crops with a broad climatic tolerance. Results show significant differences between soil phosphorus concentrations under different agricultural crops, indicating the differences in management intensities of major crops. A strong relationship between high yields and P‐fertilizer use was found, as indicated by soil P concentration. In the context of environmental zones, P‐concentration values were higher in northern zones, medium in the zones in central Europe, and lower in the Mediterranean zones. The more suitable the climate is for growing crops, the more it pays to apply P fertilizers. Consequently, soil P‐concentration is a good indicator of crop cultivation intensity, land productivity, P‐fertilizer use, and the total P demand of plants. Among the most commonly cultivated crops, maize seems to be the most dependent crop for the level of P‐concentration of soil or the P inputs. For more sustainable P use in Europe, further research is needed to calculate how the P‐requirements of yields compare to the P‐fertilizer use in the case of different crop types.

Intensive agricultural technologies lead to a simplification of landscape and a decrease in biodiversity. Besides economic benefits, alley cropping might increase species richness, improving pollination in agriculture. In this research, a traditional apricot plantation combined with crop fields was studied in Burgenland, focused on herbaceous diversity and species composition, which have a crucial role in promoting pollination. The vegetation of the grassy strips under the tree rows was compared to control grass and tree plantation habitats. The results show that the loose canopy layer of the fruit trees promotes the appearance of several herbaceous species, which results in a more diverse understory layer compared to the control tree plantation. However, the intensity of the management significantly impacts the species richness and composition of the understory vegetation.

Establishing shelterbelts for field protection is one of the rediscovered agroforestry practices in Europe and Hungary. Several studies have focused on the effects of these plantations on agricultural production. Prior scholarship reveals that shelterbelts enhance the diversity of bird and insect communities but generally fail to consider herbaceous cover. Our study aimed to describe the herbaceous vegetation in shelterbelts of different origins, tree species composition, and land management. We investigated surveys in four agricultural landscapes of North West Hungary, where the intensity of the landscape transformation is different. The diversity and species composition of the herbaceous vegetation were analyzed, including plant sociology and forest affinity. Our results highlight the importance of landscape history in herbaceous flora. Shelterbelts planted on cultivated without an immediate connection to former woody vegetation soil are not appropriate for the appearance of forest-related herbaceous species, regardless of tree species composition or the extent of the shelterbelt. On the contrary, the remnants of former woody vegetation are refuges for those herbaceous species that are very slow at colonizing new plantations. These findings expose that protecting existing woody areas is an essential task of agricultural land management.