Impact of Soil Chemical Properties on the Growth Promotion Ability of Trichoderma ghanense, T. tomentosum and Their Complex on Rye in Different Land-Use Systems.

Microbial-based biostimulants that increase plant performance and ensure sustainable restoration of degraded soils are of great importance. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the growth promotion ability of indigenous Trichoderma ghanense, T. tomentosum and their complex on early rye seedlings in sustained grassland and arable soil. The impact of soil chemical properties on the ability of selected Trichoderma strains and their complex to promote plant growth was determined by the evaluation of the rye (Secale cereale L.) early seedling growth-measuring the length of shoots and roots as well as their dry weight. Trichoderma species were tested for their ability to produce extracellular degradative enzymes on solid media. Furthermore, the soil properties and CM-cellulase activity of soil were estimated. The indigenous Trichoderma strains possess the capacity to produce enzymes such as peroxidase, laccase, tyrosinase, and endoglucanase. The results indicated a significant (p < 0.05) increase in plant growth and the improvement of some soil chemical properties (total N, mobile humic and fulvic acids, exchangeable K2O, soil CM-cellulase activity) in inoculated soils when compared to the control. The growth of the roots of rye seedlings in sustained grassland was enhanced when T. tomentosum was applied (p = 0.005). There was an increase in total weight and shoot weight of rye seedlings when T. ghanense was used in the arable soil (p = 0.014 and p = 0.024). The expected beneficial effect of Trichoderma spp. complex on rye growth promotion was not observed in any tested soil. The results could find application in the development of new and efficient biostimulants, since not only do physiological characteristics of fungi play an important role but also the quality of the soil has an impact.

Polyphenols, Antioxidant Activity and Volatile Compounds in Fermented Leaves of Medicinal Plant Rosebay Willowherb (Chamerion angustifolium (L.) Holub).

At present, the consumption of medical plants and functional foods is growing in the whole world. Rosebay willowherb (Chamerionangustifolium (L.) Holub) is an important medicinal plant that has various pharmacological effects (antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and others), can improve the state of health and well-being, and reduce the risk of various diseases. The aim of this work was to investigate volatile compounds, polyphenols, and antioxidant activity in rosebay willowherb leaves fermented for 24 and 48 h in solid state fermentation under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for polyphenols and the spectrophotometric method for antioxidant activity determinations were used. To recognize and identify the leaves' fragrances, electronic nose (Alpha M.O.S) measurement technology was used. The results showed that the highest amounts of total polyphenols in dried matter were after 48 h aerobic solid state fermentation (SSF). Antioxidant activity was higher under 48 h SSF compared to the control. The most abundant flavoring compound groups were esters, terpenes, and aldehydes. In unfermented leaves, (z)-3-hexen-1-ol, acetate, hexyl acetate, and trans-hex-2-enyl acetate prevailed, characterized by fragrances of greenery, flowers, and fruits. The undesired esters group compounds, ethyl butyrate and butyl acetate, with pungent odor, were detected after 48 h anaerobic SSF.

The potential of digestate as a biofertilizer in eroded soils of Lithuania.

The objective of this work was to determine the potential of using of solid and liquid digestate, as biofertilizer and soil amendment, and to address adverse unfertile soil erosion problems after analysing areas of potential use. We found a high concentration of organic carbon in a solid fraction of the digestate, which indicates a significant potential for returning carbon to the soil. The influence of digestate fertilization on soil fertility as a function of the amount of available phosphorus (P2O5) and potassium (K2O) in the 0-40 cm layer was found to be very important. The soil fertility category was changed from "high" (200-300 mg kg-1) to "very high" (>300 mg kg-1) according P2O5, using only 170 kg ha-1 of nitrogen in solid and liquid digestate rate. Fertilization with all phases and rates of digestate tend to increase the amount of K2O. The solid digestate fertilization using the 170 kg ha-1 N rate showed a significant increase (5 times) of mineral nitrogen content in the 0-40 cm soil layer. The advantage of solid digestate as a soil improver has been highlighted because it has a positive effect on soil fertility, quality, sustainability and durability. The amount of mobile humic acids (MHA) in eroded loamy Retisol increased 1.6 times in soil 0-40 cm layer with a fertilization rate of 170 kg ha-1 and 1.5 times - of 85 kg ha-1 of solid digestate compared to the untreated. Similar trends of MHA but in lower amount were identified when liquid digestate was applied.

Effects of organic and conventional production systems and cultivars on the technological properties of winter wheat.

BACKGROUND: The current study aimed to estimate the effects of organic and conventional production systems and four winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) bread cultivars on the technological properties of grain, flour, dough and bread, to increase current knowledge regarding the interactions of the technological properties of winter wheat and assess the cultivars for their suitability for organic production systems. RESULTS: All the technological properties winter wheat which were investigated were significantly affected by the agricultural production system and cultivars, and some of them, mostly grain quality parameters, by the harvest year. Grain from organic winter wheat had significantly lower protein and gluten contents, lower sedimentation and flour water absorption values, shorter dough stability time and lower loaf volume, but higher values of starch content and stronger gluten, compared with grain from the conventional wheat. For both production systems significant positive correlations of protein content with gluten content, sedimentation value, dough stability time, loaf volume, farinograph water absorption, and negative with starch content, gluten index were determined. CONCLUSIONS: Statistically significant differences between agricultural production systems were found. The cultivars Ada and Alma had better technological properties that make them more suitable for the organic production system, compared to Sirvinta 1 and Zentos.

Long-term influence of tillage and fertilization on net carbon dioxide exchange rate on two soils with different textures.

The importance of agricultural practices to greenhouse gas mitigation is examined worldwide. However, there is no consensus on soil organic carbon (SOC) content and CO emissions as affected by soil management practices and their relationships with soil texture. No-till (NT) agriculture often results in soil C gain, though, not always. Soil net CO exchange rate (NCER) and environmental factors (SOC, soil temperature [T], and water content [W]), as affected by soil type (loam and sandy loam), tillage (conventional, reduced, and NT), and fertilization, were quantified in long-term field experiments in Lithuania. Soil tillage and fertilization affected total CO flux (heterotrophic and autotrophic) through effect on soil SOC sequestration, water, and temperature regime. After 11 yr of different tillage and fertilization management, SOC content was 23% more in loam than in sandy loam. Long-term NT contributed to 7 to 27% more SOC sequestration on loam and to 29 to 33% more on sandy loam compared with reduced tillage (RT) or conventional tillage (CT). Soil water content in loam was 7% more than in sandy loam. Soil gravimetric water content, averaged across measurement dates and fertilization treatments, was significantly less in NT than CT and RT in both soils. Soil organic carbon content and water storage capacity of the loam and sandy loam soils exerted different influences on NCER. The NCER from the sandy loam soil was 13% greater than that from the loam. In addition, NCER was 4 to 9% less with NT than with CT and RT systems on both loam and sandy loam soils. Application of mineral NPK fertilizers promoted significantly greater NCER from loam but suppressed NCER by 15% from sandy loam.

Use of a multichannel photometer (Multiskan MS) for determination of humic materials in soil after their dichromate oxidation.

Methodology for the determination of humus and humic materials content in soil after dichromate oxidation using a multichannel automatic photometer (Multiskan MS) has been developed. The study presented here demonstrates the benefits of using this methodology for the rapid, reliable and accurate determination of humus and humic materials content in various soils. The method is characterised by good data repeatability and low labour and reagent inputs. Photometric estimation is assessed in various respects, and determination procedures are presented. We have compared the data obtained by the titrimetric method and the photometric method with the photometer Multiskan MS. The methods are well correlated. The regression equations and determination coefficients relating to the data obtained by different methods have been calculated. The best statistics of a comparison between the titrimetric ( y) and photometric ( x) methods of humus determination were obtained with a series of standards prepared from the soil samples of known humus content: R(2)=0.99; y=1.05 x-0.37; BIAS=0.24% of humus; SED=0.27% of humus.