Soil salinity is a major threat to the continuity of sustainable agriculture and the provision of food as well as the deterioration of the structure of the soil. In this context, determining, reducing, and managing soil salinity is very important for the process of creating sustainable modern agriculture. The process of determining soil salinity is generally carried out in the laboratory environment and devices used in land plots. Remote sensing is one of the important methods used for precise estimation and mapping of salinity. By using remote sensing technology, soil salinity maps for large areas can be obtained with low cost and low effort. This study aims to compare remote sensing soil electrical conductivity from PlanetScope and ground measured data in wheat and beet fields in the farming areas of Alpu, Turkey. For that reason, electrical conductivity was measured at several points in wheat and beet fields using in-situ measurements and compared with various soil salinity indices from Planetscope imagery acquired on the same day. Linear regression analysis was carried out to correlate the electrical conductivity data with their corresponding soil salinity spectral index values. The results show a high correlation (R² = 0.84) between soil salinity in wheat fields and some of the used indices. This study strengthens the idea that by using remote sensing technology, soil salinity maps can be obtained fast and accurately for large areas.

The number of herbicide-resistant blackgrass populations (Alopecurus myosuroides Huds.) in winter cereal crops is increasing in Europe, leading to serious restrictions in cereal production. Moreover, resistant biotypes are often characterized by better fitness than sensitive ones. This study aimed to evaluate the reaction of potentially ACCase resistant biotypes of A. myosuroides to different doses of fenoxaprop-P-ethyl and pinoksaden. Seeds of seven populations of blackgrass collected in 2017 from winter wheat fields in north-eastern Poland were sown to pots filled with potting mixture. After germination, the number of plants was reduced to 5 per pot (3 pots for one herbicide dose). Both herbicides were applied at the 2-3 leaves stage at six doses from 0 to 8x label dose (LD). The 1 LD was equal to 1.2 L·ha^-1 for fenoxaprop-P-ethyl and 0.9 L·ha^-1 for pinoxaden, using a laboratory pot sprayer fitted with a boom with one nozzle calibrated to deliver 200 L·ha^-1 at a spraying pressure of 200 kPa. Three weeks after treatment, the fresh weight of shoots was recorded. Tested populations of blackgrass showed different reactions to applied herbicides. In fenoxaprop-P-ethyl treatment, the reduction of the biomass of treated plants was observed only for population number 1 compared to the non-treated control. Biomass of the remaining treated populations (2-7) was increased, especially for doses 0,5 LD – 4 LD. Pinkosaden treatment resulted in biomass accumulation decrease in 3 populations. In four biotypes (2-5), increased biomass accumulation was observed after treatment compared to the non-treated control. The results indicate that examined biotypes can induce mechanisms reducing the negative impact of applied herbicides; for some of them, the stimulatory effect was noted.

Dionaea muscipula J. Ellis is a South and North Carolina carnivorous endemic plant with medicinal properties. Its natural habitat is characterized by low availability of nutrients and poor plant cover, resulting in Venus flytrap exposure to various stress factors, especially UV-A radiation.

To evaluate response of Dionaea muscipula photosynthetic apparatus to increased level of UV-A radiation, plants cultivated in controlled conditions (30-40 % air humidity, temperature 23 ± 1 °C, light intensity 290 μmol m^–2 s^–1, 16 h light/8 h dark) (Control) were treated additionally with 50 μmols m^–2 s^–1 UV-A radiation for 24 h (Treated). Measurements of gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence and photosynthetic pigment content were conducted immediately after the exposure, both in Control and Treated plants. Additionally, the same parameters were evaluated in next 24 hours (Recovery).

UV-A treatment (Treated) did not change chlorophyll a + b content and chlorophyll a/b ratio. Furthermore, increased level of electron carriers (Area, Sm) and increased efficiency of electron transport between Q_A and PSI (ΦR₀, δR₀, ρR₀) was observed. Further, PSI and electron acceptors demonstrated increased ability to oxidize reduced plastoquinone pool (V_I decrease). As a consequence the rate of net photosynthesis increased significantly.

After 24h from the exposure (Recovery) the chlorophyll a + b content declined, but the ratio of chlorophyll a/b did not alter, what indicate decrease in the size of photosynthetic antennas and the number of active PSII centres. Additionally, inactivation of reaction centres (F₀ decrease, V_J and V_I increase) and decrease in amount of electron carriers, especially PQ poll (Sm) was observed. Moreover, decrease of electron flux and efficiency of electron transport between Q_A and PSI occurred (decrease of: ΦE₀, ψE₀, ET₀/RC, ET₀/CS₀, ΦR₀, ρR₀). Results may indicate the decrease of PSII photochemical efficiency. Simultaneously, PSI reactions remained unchanged and the rate of net photosynthesis increased significantly. This can be connected with activation of alternative pathways of electron transport. Activation of these pathways leads to limitation of NADPH synthesis and increase in ATP synthesis, what enable the plant effective acclimatization to stress conditions.

Biological models of plant growth and growth simulations have been one of the most rapidly growing scientific fields in the last 20 years. Botanists and computer scientists have worked to create in silico alternatives of plants and natural elements resulting in models used in a variety of scientific areas. For example, in botany virtual plants and their biological models are used to evaluate physiological parameters. Having a 3D geometric model as output helps researchers to visually validate biological processes such as the interaction of plants with changing ambient light, position relative to other plants, or changing temperature. Virtual plants are also used in ecology to visualize information of non-visible processes, making scientists aware of processes such as plant development in reaction to disease or stress and plant growth after pruning. The work presented here has the goal to create a synthetic tree in a real-time 3d environment that grows according to mathematical biological rules. In particular, the tree model is able to react to changes in the external virtual environment, such as a change in direction and amount of light. In order to obtain 3D structure from dynamic system models based on biological processes, a link has been created between a system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) and the real-time 3D rendering engine Unity. The link works in both directions: the ODEs system calculates the growth of the meristem in length at each set time-step (e.g. one day) which will be the input for the 3D engine to create the structure; the input parameter for the ODEs system is calculated in the 3D environment and can be the amount of light, temperature or other species-specific growth parameters. In the present work, the system grows the synthetic tree until a given concentration of inhibitor is reached, after which the tree enters a seasonal growth stop and then starts growing again after the inhibitor concentration reaches a minimum. Upon resumption of growth, the synthetic tree will generate one or more branches depending on the species-specific parameters set. The branching angle, like the calculated elongation of the meristem, is a function of the calculated amount of light, simulating phototropism. The amount of light is calculated using a custom shader in unity. The proposed approach is capable of integrating time process-based mathematical models of biological systems in 3D engines. The modularity of the system allows the independence of the 3D rendering from the biological mathematical part allowing, if necessary, the change, optimization, or improvement of the mathematical model underlying the simulation. This can provide several advantages in the field such as seeing at a glance if a certain model is related to reality, modeling future trends of plantations for productive purposes, evaluate possible interventions and display the results in a clear way for end-users. Further studies are underway in this direction to improve both biological modeling and 3D engine rendering.

Biomass production for the replacement of fossil fuels is one of the pillars of the EU strategy for use of renewable energy sources. In Europe, the most commonly used crop for biomass, especially for biogas production is maize which growing area expand the last few years very much. Maize growing in a sustainable way is difficult because of many factors limiting the cultivation of this crop. The cultivation of perennial plants and perennial grasses could be a good alternative for sustainable farming and for the replacement of annual plants in crop rotation.

The aim of the paper was to assess the effect of plantation establishing methods and various harvest dates on biomass production from perennial novel crops Sida hermaphrodita L. Rusby (Sida) and Silphium perfoliatum L. (Silphium) grown on marginal soil in north-western Poland.

The field experiment was conducted at the Agricultural Experimental Station of the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin in the years 2016-2020 on the light rust-brown sandy soil of a poor rye complex. The experiment was two-factorial: factor A — Virginia mallow (Sida hermaphrodita L. Rusby) and cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum L.) and factor B — a method of establishing a plantation using seeds (seed) and seedlings (planting). Moreover, the additional factor of the number of harvests in a season was introduced: one or two. The experiment was set-up at the turn of May 2016 in a split-plot design in four replications.

Research have shown that ozone is a potentially viable tool in many areas of the food industry. It is a strong disinfectant. However, it has been observed that relatively little information has been provided on the potential of ozone to reduce the number of microorganisms in the birch sap. Thus, the research investigated the effectiveness of ozone in the reduction of microorganisms in the sap of Silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) and at the same time the influence of ozone on the quality parameters of the sap. For this purpose, fresh sap was ozonated at different intervals: 5min (O₃ – 0.087±0.009 mg L^–1), 10min, 15min, 20min, 25min and 30min (O₃ – 0.99±0.09 mg L^–1). In parallel, the effect of ozone on birch sap parameters was studied immediately after ozonation and during storage after 7 days (2ºC temperature) and after 5 days (20ºC temperature). In all cases, the parameters of fresh birch sap (control) are compared with the parameters of ozonated sap. The total number of bacteria, the number of lactic acid bacteria, and the number of yeasts and molds were chosen for the determination of the microbiological contamination of the sap. The influence of ozone on sap color, titratable and active pH acidity, Brix value, monosaccharides, sucrose, total sugars and ascorbic acid content was also evaluated. The results of the microbiological analysis showed that the microbial reduction of the sap after ozone exposure ranged from 2.46 to 6.48 log. The most effective effect of ozone was by ozonating the sap for 25 and 30 min. Ozone affected the sap color purity and tone values, although visually this difference was not visible. The results of other sap quality parameters show that ozonation had no statistically significant effect.

Increasing control of localized air pollution caused by ammonia is identified, including limiting the maximum emissions from animal sites, since approximately 35-40% of ammonia evaporates from barns, while in the case of cattle, ammonia emissions account for as much as 46-50% of the total emissions. By the main priority to save nitrogen losses, in view of the reason for the formation and propagation of ammonia gas — the bacterial and enzymatic degradation of organic components in excrement — it is important to determine the influence of 100% of the natural composition of biotreatments on the emission of ammonia from organic waste and to find the optimal method. For the evaluation of the efficacy of biodegradable compounds, experimental researches were carried out to determine the changes in agrochemical composition and NH₃ gas emissions, depending on the storage duration and ventilation intensity. Experimental investigations were carried out on fresh organic livestock waste — a liquid manure with a biodegradable compound — and measurement of the gaseous propagation was obtained via a laser gas analyser using a spectroscopic method with dynamic chamber, specially reconstructed in a wind tunnel. Significant differences in the distribution of ammonia gas in the wind tunnel from the biodegradable compound and control dung periods were determined in the studies: one week and 4-5 weeks. The evaluation of the experimental results is generalized such that the impact of the manure on the biodegradable compound may reduce the ammonia emissions by an average of up to 32%. The maximum effect of the biodegradable compound on gaseous propagation was recorded on average for 28-35 days, and then the effect of biotreatment decreased and disappeared at, on average, 49-56 days. By the saving nitrogen loses priority, manure biotreatment will reduce ammonia emissions, nitrogen losses from manure and inorganic N fertilizers by approximately 5%, also could reduce approximately 5911.1 thousand tonnes nitrogen fertilizer in the world and reduce approximately 5.5 Eur / ha. The biodegradation impact assessment confirmed that increased evaporation of ammonia from manure affects the impact of biotreatment on suppressing gas evaporation.

Different environmental analyses show that agricultural activities are one of the many local and global emissions sources (Notarnicola et al., 2017; Robertson et al., 2000). The agricultural sector is facing increasing public expectations regarding global environmental impact (Houshyar et al., 2017; Chen et al., 2010; Williams et al., 2011). Agriculture, forestry and other land use (24% of global greenhouse gas emissions): greenhouse gas emissions from this sector mostly come from agriculture (cultivation of crops and livestock) and deforestation. This estimate does not include the CO2 that ecosystems remove from the atmosphere by sequestering carbon in biomass, dead organic matter, and soils, which offset approximately 20% of the emissions from this sector. Crop production – one of the most important, expensive and fuel–consuming processes in agriculture. Thus, the use of strategically mixed compositions replaces the properties of soil and reduces fuel consumption during soil tillage and environmental pollution. The application of an innovative method in crop production can reduce the GWP (kg CO2 eq) (Fig. 3) and contribute to the implementation, renewal and development of EU environmental and climate policies and legislations, which would create added value for Europe. There are many specialized researches on the influence of different bio-impact on the various parameters in agriculture. Different bio-impact effects various properties and the composition of soil, plant residues, harvests, and technological processes, total Global warming potencial (GWP ) as well as the interactions between different parts of the soil, working machine tools, energy consumption and environmental pollution with harmful gases. To summarise wide coverage investigations of various aspects of different bio-impact parameters the main objective – to identify the best-case bio-impact scenario by accounting for many criteria in several aspects. Experimental research shows that different bio-effects of agricultural practices can be oriented towards a reduction in fuel consumption, followed by reductions in CO2 emissions from machinery and changes in soil properties, dynamics of composition, yield and other parameters. A multicriteria assessment of the essential parameters would give farmers new opportunities for reducing fuel consumption and increasing agricultural production, thereby reducing the negative environmental impact of soil cultivation processes, increasing yields and improving soil. Of all the properties investigated, from a practical point of view, the selection of the most important of all the essential links, such as reducing energy and expenditure, reducing environmental pollution, improving soil, and increasing yields and productivity, is reasonable. The evaluation of the bio-impact effects in agriculture by accounting many criteria in several aspects was the main objective of the multicriteria assessment

Sweet cherries are seasonal fruits, considered one of the most popular spring-summer fruits in temperate regions of Europe due to their attractive appearance, taste, colour and sweetness, having a high economic importance.

In the North of Portugal, Resende region is the main responsible by the total cherry production due to their excellent edaphoclimatic conditions. So, potassium (K) and magnesium (Mg) nutrients were applied at foliar level in sweet cherry trees (Cv. Burlat) in an orchard located in Resende region, at high and low doses (50 g/hL^-1 and 100 g/hL^-1 of K; 125 g/hL^-1 and 250 g/hL^-1 of Mg) and control treatment (100 g/hL^-1 of K and 250 g/hL^-1 of Mg), with the aim to increase cherry quality by crop nutrition. Using fruits harvested on May 2020, at their commercial ripening stage, this study intended to analyse parameters related to fruit quality as biometric parameters, total soluble solids (TSS), pH, titratable acidity (TA) and maturity index (TSS/TA) as well as chromatic parameters. The anthocyanins content was also determined by pH differential method.

In general, control treatment presented fruits with higher weight and size, while fruits treated with potassium at high dose had lower values. Regarding to TSS, pH, TA and TSS/TA, the values were similar among all treatments. However, TSS was lower and TA was higher in cherries treated with potassium at high dose, which means that this treatment provoked a delay in fruit maturation (the maturity index was lower). The opposite occurred in cherries treated with a lower dose of potassium (higher TSS and lower TA means higher TSS/TA, therefore anticipate fruit harvest). Concerning to chromatic parameters, higher values were obtained in cherries treated with high dose of potassium, which means lighter cherries, while lower values were found in treatment with low dose of magnesium and, consequently, indicate darker and redder cherries. These results can also be correlated with anthocyanins content, once cherries treated with high dose of potassium presented the lowest anthocyanin content and cherries treated with low dose of magnesium had the highest anthocyanin content.

Because the productivity of agricultural plants is directly related with their photosynthetic activity, modern integrated approaches of physiological and biochemical studies require a proper insight into the function of the photosynthetic apparatus. Leaf photosynthetic pigments are key variables in characterizing the photosynthetic response. Being one of the most widely cultivated cereal crops and a staple food source, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was targeted in this research. The aim of the work was to study the changes in the photosynthetic apparatus of three wheat genotypes, by monitoring the content of photosynthetic pigments in key stages during the vegetation period. In field experiments carried out at the Research & Development Station for Agriculture Turda, Romania, three wheat varieties (Andrada, Codru and Ciprian) were monitored for the contents of total carotenoids, chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b. Leaf samples were analyzed in days 7, 14, 21, 28, 35 and 42 from booting; from these, pigments’ extraction was accomplished using acetone, being followed by vacuum filtration and spectrophotometric assessment (using aT80+ UV/VIS spectrophotometer – PG Instruments Ltd), the absorbance of extracts being measured at 470 nm, 646 nm and 663 nm. Dry weight was determined by oven drying, at 105⁰C. The comparative analysis of the assimilatory pigments’ content in wheat leaves revealed different dynamic patterns for the three varieties, with the following ranges of variations: 1.55-1670.4 mg chlorophyll a/ 100 g DW, 0.65-1103.2 mg chlorophyll b/ 100 g DW and 4.72 -278.4 g/ 100 g total carotenoids/ 100 g DW. During the vegetation period, chlorophylls a and b showed a continuous accumulation until day 28 for Andrada variety/ day 35 for Codru and Ciprian varieties; all three varieties reached the maximum carotenoid content after 28 days from booting. The content of the studied pigments decreased up to the end of the vegetation period as a result of senescence, the fastest degradation being recorded in Ciprian variety; this one proved to have also the highest amounts of chlorophyll b and total carotenoids.