Phytophthora infestans is a pathogen threatening potato and tomato tillages. Environmentally safe biological methods are searched for the prevention against this pathogen. Many biocontrolling agents occur in plants or on their surfaces. Our studies were aimed at searching for effective antagonists against P. infestans among the isolates of endophyte and epiphyte bacteria. 37 endophyte and 26 epiphyte bacterial strains isolated from Equisetum arvense, Elymus repens and Chenopodium album L. were studied. The bacterial strains were screened for their antagonistic activity against Phytophthora infestans. The inhibitory effect of the bacteria was estimated based on the calculation of the per cent of relative growth. All tested isolates showed antagonistic properties against P. infestans. The strongest activity was observed for the B. subtilis strain. Plant species and the tested parts of the plants had an important influence on the antagonistic activity of bacterial strains isolated from these plants. The endophyte growth rate inhibition of P. infestans was higher than for the epiphyte strains and was over 40% for most isolates. Bacterial biocontrolling agents should be searched among endophytes of the studied plants and not among bacteria colonizing their phyllosphere.

The European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis Hbn.) is one of the most dangerous pests of sweet corn in Poland. As indicated in the guidelines for integrated pest management (IPM), harmful organisms on plants should at first be controlled by non-chemical methods and, if these are ineffective, the use of chemical methods is allowed. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of biopesticides containing spinosad and Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki to reduce the population and harmfulness of O. nubilalis caterpillars. The study was carried out in 2013–2015 in southeastern Poland, on ‘Candle’ sweet corn. Corn plants were sprayed either once or twice in July, when O. nubilalis larvae hatched on a mass scale. The pest was controlled with Spintor 240 SC (spinosad A + spinosad D) at doses of 0.2 and 0.4 l∙ha^-1, Dipel WG (B. thuringiensis var. kurstaki) at doses of 1.0 and 2.0 kg∙ha^-1, Karate Zeon 050 CS (lambda-cyhalothrin) at a dose of 0.2 l∙ha^-1, and Proteus 110 OD (thiacloprid + deltamethrin) at a dose of 0.5 l∙ha^-1. All products reduced the number and harmfulness of larvae, especially on cobs which are a commercial crop. The best effects were achieved after two treatments with biopesticides at higher doses. This reduced nearly by half the number of cobs damaged by the pest. Spinosad was more effective than B. thuringiensis. The effectiveness of biopesticides depended on weather conditions. Chemical pest control was found most effective.

Biostimulants are compounds of diverse formulations, that improve quantity and quality of yield. Their positive effect on plants is more evident in stressful conditions. Biostimulants increase a plant’s tolerance to stresses and enable the repair of damage caused by unfavourable conditions. In this study the effect of Asahi SL on Arabidopsis thaliana L. grown in the presence of cadmium (Cd²⁺) was evaluated.Cd²⁺ negatively affected examined parameters and processes, leading to disturbances in plant growth and performance. A. thaliana treated with Asahi SL were higher and advanced in development. Biomass accumulation was stimulated by Asahi SL due to a higher efficiency of the photosynthetic apparatus, manifested by higher: (i) leaf area, (ii) chlorophyll content and (iii) intensity of photosynthesis. Despite higher intensity of transpiration and lower stomatal resistance, the relative water content was unchanged in Asahi SL – treated plants due to the stimulation of root development. Therefore, it can be concluded that Asahi SL protects plants against Cd²⁺ stress.

Mechanical harvesting of plum fruit cuts drastically costs of production. ‘Elena’ plum trees were planted, at a high density (4 × 1.0 m and 4 × 1.5 m) and trained to a horizontal canopy. The trees, trellised on wires 1 m above the ground, created a continuous, open-texture, fruit-bearing horizontal surface, 2 × 200 m long. Plum trees planted at the distance 4 × 1.5 m and 4 × 2.0 m trained to the standard leader tree served as the control. In the fifth to seventh year from planting (2012–2014), plums from the horizontal canopy were harvested with a tractor-driven, canopy-contact harvester. Fruits from the standard leader trees, having a height of 2.8 m, were harvested with a self-propelled canopy-contact straddle harvester. The mean volume of a horizontally trained tree was 3.6 m³, compared with 7.4 m³ of a standard leader tree. The efficiency of mechanical fruit harvesting of control trees was 40 times higher than of hand picking. The efficiency of fruit harvesting of horizontal canopy trees was 25 times higher than of hand harvesting. The effectiveness of fruit collecting of standard leader trees was 86–94% against horizontal canopies 72–80%. Plums harvested with the small tractor-driven harvester were of good quality. After grading, 80% of them were suitable for the fresh market. Plums harvested with the large straddle harvester were of medium quality. After grading only 50% of them were suitable as dessert fruits.

The objective of the study was to determine the yield and chemical composition of the fruits of four tomato cultivars‘Growdena F₁’, ‘Torero F₁’, ‘Listell F₁’ and ‘Mamirio F₁’ grown in coir fibre inoculated with mycorrhizal fungi of the genus Glomus. The mycorrhizal inoculum was applied directly to the coir fibre, at 20 g per m². The content of dry matter, total sugars, reducing sugars, L-ascorbic acid and organic acids (expressed as malic acid) in tomato fruit was determined. The total and marketable yields of tomato fruits were influenced by the cultivar the highest yields were abtained from plants of ‘Torrero F₁’ cv. and lowest yields produceal plants of‘Mamirio F₁’ cv. Tomato plants that received the mycorrhizal inoculum, except cv. ‘Torero F₁’, produced higher yields than control plants. The fruit of cv. ‘Mamirio F₁’ had the highest content of dry matter, total sugars, reducing sugars and L-ascorbic acid, nitrates and the lewest weight of fruit.

Rice blast disease, caused by Pyricularia grisea, is an important rice disease in Iran and throughout the world. Out of 150 infected samples collected from paddy fields of Guilan province, 57 fungal isolates were isolated for which PDA and W.A media were used. Morphological characteristics were used for identification of these fungi. It was found out that the isolated fungi were belonged to Pyricularia grisea, Ulocladium alternariae, Ulocladium cf. alternariae, Ulocladium cf. consortiale, Ulocladium sp., Curvularia pallescens, Preussia sp., Epicoccum sp. and Trichoderma harzianum. According to pathogenicity tests, all isolates of P. grisea were proved to be pathogenic on rice and fungal isolates belonging to other fungal genera which did not cause disease on rice were selected for biological control studies and to do so, were used different methods. Results showed that eight isolates of T. harzianum, U. cf. consortiale, Ulocladium sp., Epicoccum sp., Preussia sp., C. pallescens, U. alternariae and U. cf. alternariae, had the highest inhibitory effect in mycelial growth of P. grisea, respectively. In hyperparasitism test, hyphae of T. harzianum did not coil around the mycelium of P. grisea. In these experiments, T. harzianum and U. cf. consortiale isolates had the highest inhibitory effect on growth rate of P. grisea and was known as the most effective isolates. Based on results, volatile metabolites method was best method in control of P. grisea in vitro.

Trees of the genus Citrus can bloom all year round and are an abundant source of nectar for honey bees. Nectar production largely depends on nectary structure. The aim of this study was to investigate the structure of nectariferous tissues in hermaphrodite and functionally male flowers of the so-called Skierniewice lemon (Citrus limon cv. ‘Ponderosa’), which enjoys great popularity in Europe, using light microscopy as well as scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The nectary glands in both types of flowers differed in shape and size, but their structure and the pathways of nectar transport were similar. The intrastaminal nectary in the lemon flowers is composed of a massive ring-like located below the base of the ovary. Nectar is secreted through few modified stomata and probably through the microchannels in the cuticle. Numerous branches of vascular bundles, with phloem elements, penetrate the nectariferous tissue and reach the sub epidermal layers. The high content of endoplasmic reticulum, vesicles and Golgi bodies in the nectary cells indicates that the nectar is transferred by granulocrine secretion. The intercellular transport of nectar occurs using two ways: the symplast and apoplast pathway. The different regions of the nectary function asynchronously.

The article discusses the possibility of the use of algal products, obtained by different methods – extraction (traditional solvent extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, extraction assisted by microwave) and homogenization, in the cultivation of plants. Algal extracts were discussed for their use as potential plant growth biostimulants and the homogenates as formulations for seed treatment. The work is focused on the possibility of using primarily macroalgae from the Baltic Sea basin (in many seaside resorts constitute a waste due to eutrophication) as raw material for the extraction/homogenization. Examples of the research (laboratory – germination tests and field trials) on the impact of algal preparations on the plant growth were presented. Literature data indicate that the algae based products increase the content of micro-, macroelements, chlorophyll in the cultivated plants, as well as their length and weight. Therefore, in the future, they may complement the range of products available on the market.

The paper shows the first study on the effect of nanoparticles against fungal pathogens of caraway. The fertilizers containing nanoparticles of copper, silver, and chitosan: Viflo® copper, Viflo Chitosol® Silver® Viflo Cal S and isolates KLM 1806 and KLM 1813 of Septoria carvi were used to the study. The percent of growth inhibition, development of S. carvi colonies and ability of Viflo® Cal to control plants against infection by S. carvi was adopted as the criterion of evaluation of the nanoformulations. The field experiment evaluated the effect of Viflo® Cal S to plant health in terms of the occurrence of S. carvi and Erysiphe heraclei, colonization of plant tissues by S. carvi and the yield of schizocarps. In vitro it has been shown that the tested formulations with nanoparticles limited the growth and development of the S. carvi and Viflo Cal® S at the concentration of 1 g·cm^-3 was the inhibitor of mycelial growth. In climatic chamber Viflo Cal® S protect caraway’s seedlings against the infection by S. carvi. In vivo Viflo Cal S® significantly limited the severity of septoriosis and powdery mildew, which contributed to increase the size and quality of the caraway crop.

This study was conducted in Konya region where 60% of the carrot production of Turkey is realized. Eight different-colored carrot varieties were used in the study and their sensory and chemical quality characteristics were determined. It was determined that the orange-colored root varieties were preferred more than those with other colored root varieties in terms of outer and inner color, juiciness, taste and bitterness. A correlation between some sensory and chemical quality characteristics was determined. The most phenolic matter content was determined in Purple carrot (163.52 mg 10^-2 g^-1 GAE) and Bolero (orange) (155.90 mg 10^-2 g^-1 GAE) varieties. The most antioxidant activity (45.91% inhibition), dry matter content (16.77%), total sugar content (8.27 g 10^-2 g^-1) and β carotene (183.01 µg g^-1) content were determined in the Maestro (orange) variety. It was determined that the orange colored was preferred more than the other colored varieties in terms of sensory features.

The effect of eggplant rootstock on yield and quality characteristics of tomato fruit have been studied in a three subsequent cropping years at the Faculty of Agriculture in Novi Sad, Serbia. Tomato cultivar ‘Jeremy’ was used as scion and as an ungrafted control, and as rootstock eggplant cultivar ‘Madona’ and Lycopersicon esculentum ssp. subspontaneum var. cerasiformae. In the case of Lycopersicon esculentum ssp. subspontaneum var. cerasiformae as a rootstock high percentage (82%) of successful grafting was observed, while survival rate of treatment ‘Jeremy’ as a scion and eggplant ‘Madona’ as a rootstock was only 68%. A negative effect of grafting on the eggplant rootstock was observed regarding fruit yield per plant, number of fruits per plant and total yield. These parameters were significantly higher in the ungrafted treatments and in the treatment Lycopersicon esculentum ssp. subspontaneum var. cerasiformae as a rootstock. Organic acid and lycopene content was significantly higher when the eggplant ‘Madona’ was used as a rootstock. Total sugar and vitamin C content was highest in the treatment Lycopersicon esculentum ssp. subspontaneum var. cerasiformae as a rootstock.

In recent years, it has been reported the increasing harmfulness of Dia- porthe/Phomopsis spp. in the orchards and nurseries worldwide. They cause nonspecific symptoms which in combination with the morphological similarity of the cultures and difficult sporulation creates problems with their correct identification using classical methods. This implies the need to integrate advanced molecular techniques to identify the strain on the species level. The aim of this research was to determine the identity and genetically characterize forty isolates of Diaporthe/Phomopsis obtained in 2010–2012 from the shoots of selected fruit trees grown in the south-eastern Poland. Using the RAPD-PCR technique the genetic similarity within studied population has been demonstrated irrespectively of the origin and type of the host plant from which the isolates derived. Based on the comparative analysis of the non-coding sequence of the ITS regions (ITS1, 5.8S rDNA, ITS2) with the sequences available in NCBI database the studied Diaporthe isolates were identified as Diaporthe eres species complex not described previously on fruit trees under Polish conditions.

Nitric oxide (NO) and sodium nitro prusside (SNP) are striking molecules and play important roles in animals and plants. SNP serves as nitric oxide donor in both group. NO can act free radical and impaires important biomolecules functions beside this it has beneficial effect recovery from salinity, drought etc. NO and SNP are beneficial and protectant molecules in cope with stressfull conditions. In plants these molecules are very important, and regulate many physiological events. In the present study, endogen abscisic acid (ABA), indole acetic acid (IAA), gibberellic acid (GA₃) and NO levels were investigated in NaCl, SNP and plant growth regulators treated sunflower plant (Helianthus annuus L.) leaves and roots. The content of NO was higher in GA₃ + SNP treated plant leaves at 72 h. The highest IAA level was determined in IAA + SNP treated plant roots at 72 h. In NaCl + ABA treated plant leaves ABA was higher at 72 and GA₃ levels were equal or less than the control group. Our results showed that coadministration of SNP and plant growth regulators cope with salinity stress via elevated internal hormone and NO level versus salinity.

Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis L.) is an aromatic and medicinal perennial herb native to Southern Europe and temperate regions of Asia. The study aimed to determine the effect of different plant parts harvested at different flowering stages: pre-flowering, full-flowering and post-flowering, in some agronomical characteristics, essential oil yield and components of hyssop plant in semi-arid climatic conditions of South Eastern Anatolia, Diyarbakir, Turkey. The results showed that both flowering stages and plant parts had important effects on fresh, dry herbage, dry leaf yield of hyssop, as well as essential oil content. It was concluded that under semi-arid climatic conditions, hyssop plant could be grown successfully in conformity to the limits of ISO standards and harvest from top parts of the plants at full flowering stage could be preferred for maximum dry leaf yield and essential oil contents.

The investigations were carried out for three years with 8 strawberry cultivars grown in plastic tunnel. The plants were inoculated with the mixture of Colletotrichum acutatum isolates obtained from diseased plants of strawberry. All tested cultivars were susceptible to C. acutatum but in the different degree. The results showed that cv. ‘Camarosa’ was the most susceptible because of the highest disease index and the lowest yield of healthy fruit, while cv. ‘Senga Sengana’ was the most resistant. The results are important both for the producers and the breeders.

Maturity at harvest is very important attribute to tomatoes quality. This research showed that fully ripen tomato fruits had the highest amount of lycopene and β-carotene respectively 46.68 and 6.22 g kg^-1. Therefore, it was determined correlation between amount of carotenoids and tomato ripening stages. Tomato fruit flesh lost it’s firmness through ripening period from 82.54 till 15.24 N cm^-2. Fruit ripeness stage at harvest determines tomatoes biochemical composition and quality. Carotenoids (β-carotene, lycopene) syntheses during fruit ripening were the results of tomato colour and nutrition value changes, which results to correlation between colour indexes and tomato fruit quality attributes such as: hue angle (h°) and lycopene, colour index a* and lycopene, flesh firmness and hue angle (h°), skin firmness and chroma (C).

New lighting technologies that significantly reduce the energy consumption are in the centre of interest of greenhouse crop producers. In this study, the effect of several LED lights with various spectral composition and high pressure sodium lamp (HPS), as supplemental to solar radiation, on growth and yielding of lamb’s lettuce ‘Nordhollandse’ was tested (in two autumn cultivations). At harvest time, the highest leaf length and area, fresh weight of rosettes and soluble sugars content were obtained under LED lamps that emitted 90% red and 10% blue light. The spectral composition of each kind of LED lamp increased the ascorbic acid content compared to HPS (70% red + 30% blue LED light to the highest extent). Using of LEDs with red and blue diodes reduced the consumption of electricity for V. locusta lighting about 36% to 55% in comparison to HPS. The highest total costs of lamb’s lettuce cultivation was shown under white LEDs.

Artichoke is valued as a vegetable and medicinal plant. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of irrigation and leaf harvest date of artichoke grown in south-eastern Poland on total yield and marketable fresh leaf yield, its structure and the content of biologically active substances: total phenolic acids, flavonoids and tannins. Irrigation contributed to an increase in fresh leaf yield, percentage of marketable yield in total yield, as well as the increase in tannin content, decrease in total phenolic acid content, and no effect on the change in total flavonoid content. The plant material harvested in September was characterized by a higher content of phenolic acids and a lower content of flavonoids compared to the raw material obtained in October.

The winter chill is essential for most fruit crops. Fruit trees require a certain number of chill hours, also called chill units, each winter to produce fruits in the next summer. Insufficient chilling accumulation during winter period usually results in blooming disorders and decreases the fruit yield of deciduous fruit trees. Dormancy can be broken by using chemicals, such as Dormex. In recent years Dormex has been forbidden in some countries, including Turkey since it was found to be carcinogenic to human beings. This situation raised a necessity to find alternative chemicals to Dormex to be used in subtropical climate regions. For this purpose, six years old trees of ‘Modi’ apple scions (Malus sylvestris, Mill) grafted on Malling-Merton M9 rootstocks were sprayed with 6% Erger (total nitrogen, 15.0%; ureic nitrogen, 6.1%; nitric nitrogen, 5.8%; ammoniacal, 3.1%; water soluble calcium oxide, 4.7%), hydrogen cyanamide 4% (Dormex) and potassium nitrate 8% (KNO₃ ) for breaking dormancy of the buds during 2011–2013. Calculating the chilling hours below 7°C and chill unit (CU) values during the experimental winter periods, 497 to 828 h and 357 to 467 CU of chilling durations were obtained under subtropical conditions of Adana (36°56 12'04''N. 35° 33'53.46''E ). Modi broke endodormancy of the buds on 20 February 2012 with the accumulation of 375 CU and 550 h. The effects of dormancy breaking agents on bud break, fruit set and fruit quality were investigated. Erger markedly advanced bud-break and increased the final fruit set, quality and yield in comparison with the other treatments and control.

Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) is one of the important summer vegetable crops of the Solanaceae family due to its high content of carbohydrates, protein and minerals i.e. N, P, K and Fe as well as vitamin C. The performance of Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) to foliar spray with potassium (0, 1, 2 and 3 g·l^-1) and liquorice extract (0, 2, 4 and 6 g·l^-1) were investigated in summer 2013 and 2014 seasons at Ras Sudr research station farm, South Sinai governorate on a salinity soil under drip irrigation system. The effects of the experimental factors on plant growth parameters (height, leaf number, branch number, fresh and dry weight), leaf chlorophyll content, leaf minerals (N, P and K), yield parameters such as, fruit number/plant, fruit weight, total yield per feddan (0.42 ha) were evaluated. The results proved that the foliar application with potassium and liquorice extract produce a significant increase in all parameters under study compared to the control. The foliar application of 2 g·l^-1 potassium plus 6 g·l^-1 liquorice extract gave the highest values of vegetative growth, mineral values of the leaves, yield and its components.

One of the oldest medicinal plants in the world is thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.). On the biological value of this plant is affected by biotic and abiotic conditions, which include fertilizers and soil type. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of organic fertilization and the type of substrate on the biological value of the thyme herb. Plants were grown in a greenhouse in a different type substrates: peat and peat + sand, using varying amounts of manure 10, 20, 30 g·dm^-3 of substrate. In the obtaining raw material was determined the content of essential oil, dry matter, L-ascorbic acid, total nitrogen and proteins. There was a significant increase in the N-total and protein contents in thyme herb after application of increasing doses of examined manure independently of the test substrate. Applied natural fertilization and type of substrate did not affect significantly the content of essential oil in Thymus vulgaris L. herb. The highest content of L-ascorbic acid and dry matter was obtained for thyme after application of the lowest dose of manure, regardless of the substrate used.

During the years 2012 to 2014 some research connected with highbush blueberry was taken. It described phenotypic and genotypic variability of 19 cultivars of highbush blueberries grown in the Lublin region. The cultivars included in the study were: ‘Bluecrop’, ‘Bluejay’, ‘Blueray’, ‘Bonifacy’, ‘Bonus’, ‘Brigitta Blue’, ‘Chandler’, ‘Chanticleer’, ‘Croatan’, ‘Darrow’, ‘Duke’, ‘Earliblue’, ‘Herbert’, ‘Jersey’, ‘Northland’, ‘Nelson’, ‘Patriot’, ‘Toro’ and ‘Spartan’. The flowering of highbush blueberry can be observed from the end of April to the beginning of June. Meanwhile, ripening depended on cultivar, starting from June 29^th and finishing by September 7^th. The strongest vegetative growth was characteristic of ‘Bluecrop’ cultivar on the oldest plantation – Niemce, whereas on the Spiczyn 1 – ‘Darrow’ cultivar, and ‘Patriot’ proved to be the best yielding cultivar on the youngest plantation. In the study, berries of the ‘Chandler’ cultivar were the largest, and berries of the ‘Northland’ cultivar were considered to be the smallest. To evaluate the tested cultivars at the DNA level RAPD markers were used. The set of 9 analysing primers generated a total of 91 fragments of which 81 (89%) were polymorphic. The average genetic similarity determined on the basis of the similarity matrix of RAPD markers was 0.41. Application of the UPGMA method for grouping varieties showed the highest distinction of cultivars: ‘Croatan’, ‘Chanticleer’, ‘Herbert’ and ‘Brigitta Blue’, in relation to the others. Among the tested cultivars genetic variation was detected since genetic similarity ranged from 0.22 to 0.60. Nevertheless the same cultivars grown in different locations demonstrated genetic identity.

The objective of our studies was to develop effective, chemical methods of protecting narrow-leaved lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) against Phytophthora citrophthora with regard to their application. Under the laboratory conditions, activity of the tested agents was assessed on the basis of growth of P. citrophthora on a medium containing fungicides and the size of necrosis on the inoculated lavender shoots. In greenhouse tests growth of plants in the infested medium was evaluated. Laboratory research conducted indicated the highest effectiveness in limitation of P. citrophthora growth of Acrobat MZ 69 WG and Infinito 687,5 SC. In greenhouse tests, an evaluation of growth of lavender sprayed with Luna Senasation 500 SC and Python Consento 450 SC, carried out 3 weeks of cultivation, showed a significantly higher number of shoots in comparison with plants growing in the infested as well as non – infested control. All tested chemicals caused faster growth of the lavender. Change of the application method, i.e., foliar application of these products, substantially improved the growth results.

Blooming biology and pollen production of the following species: Pulsatilla zimmermannii Soó, P. halleri (All.) Willd., and P. vulgaris Mill. grown in UMCS Botanical Garden in Lublin, Poland (51°16'N, 22°30'E) was studied. The species attract insect visitors with large (size 6–8 cm in diameter), colourful, campanulate, actinomorphic flowers. The androecium is multistaminate (min–max: 142–282 anthers per flower), spirally arranged. Minute droplets of nectar were noted at the base of androecium and on staminodes. The anthers dehisced subsequently and pollen of a single flower was available to insects for 5–11 (7) days. On average, P. zimmermannii was found to produce the highest amount of pollen (9.16 g per 1 m²), which was 2 times more pollen than P. vulgaris (4.22 g per 1 m²), while P. halleri produced 7.63 g per 1 m². Pollen grains of the Pulsatilla species are medium in size (P axis ranged 29.8–38.4 μm, and E axis ranged 32.3–39.6 μm) and are oblate-spheroid in shape (P/E index ranged between 0.90 and 0.95). If planted together, the species will provide pollen from first days of April until end of the month, i.e. during the period when seasonal activity of Apoidea insects begins. Pulsatilla species might contribute to lists of garden plants that attract insect visitors with abundant pollen reward and minute nectar.