Fungi colonizing the soil and roots of tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill.) plants treated with biological control agents

Tomato plants, cv. Rumba Ożarowska, grown in the greenhouse of the University of Warmia and Mazury, were protected in the form of alternate spraying (twice) and watering (twice) with 5% aqueous extracts of the following plant species: Aloe vulgaris Lam., Achillea millefolium L., Mentha piperita L., Polygonum aviculare L., Equisetum arvense L., Juglans regia L. and Urtica dioica L. Plants not treated with the extracts served as control. After fruit harvest, samples of roots and soil were collected. The roots were disinfected and next placed on PDA medium. Soil-colonizing fungi were cultured on Martin medium. Fungi were identified microscopically after incubation. Pathogenic fungal species, Colletotrichum coccodes, Fusarium equiseti, F. oxysporum and F. poae, accounted for over 60% of all isolates obtained from the roots of tomato plants. The soil fungal community was dominated by yeast-like fungi (75.4%), whereas pathogenic fungi were present in low numbers. The applied 5% aqueous plant extracts effectively reduced the abundance of fungi, including pathogenic species, colonizing tomato plants and soil. The extract from P. aviculare showed the highest efficacy, while the extract from J. regia was least effective. Fungi showing antagonistic activity against pathogens (Paecilomyces roseum and species of the genus Trichoderma) were isolated in greatest abundance from the soil and the roots of tomato plants treated with A. millefolium, M. piperita and U. dioica extracts

Protein and sugar content of tubers in potato plants treated with biostimulants

The use of biostimulants and cultivar selection play an important role in modern potato farming because they influence tuber yield and quality. The nutritional value and processing suitability of potato tubers are affected by their content of total protein, reducing sugars and sucrose. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of biostimulants on the content of total protein, glucose, fructose and sucrose in potato tubers (skin, flesh and whole tubers with skin), at harvest and after 5 months of storage. The experimental materials included tubers of five edible potato cultivars: Irga, Satina, Valfi, Blaue St. Galler and HB Red. During the growing season, potato plants were treated with the following biostimulants: Asahi SL, Bio-Algeen S-90, Kelpak SL and Trifender WP. Control plants were not treated with biostimulants. The total protein content of tubers was determined by the Kjeldahl method. Simple sugars and sucrose were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. At harvest, total protein concentration was significantly higher in purple- and red-fleshed cultivars than in cream- and yellow-fleshed cultivars. An analysis of tuber parts revealed that flesh had the highest protein content. The total protein content of tubers increased during storage. Biostimulants had no significant effect on total protein concentration in tubers at harvest or after storage. The content of simple sugars and sucrose was higher in the skin, flesh and whole tubers of purple- and red-fleshed cultivars, than in cream- and yellow-fleshed cultivars. Potato tubers with colored flesh accumulated the highest amounts of total sugars. Biostimulants, in particular Bio-Algeen S-90 and Kelpak SL, contributed to the accumulation of monosaccharides and the disaccharide in potato tubers, and, in consequence, total sugars. Their concentrations in potato tubers increased during storage

The Effect of Nitrogen Fertilization on Yield and Macronutrient Concentrations in Three Cultivars of Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.)

In many countries, Jerusalem artichoke (JA) is a source of biomass for renewable energy production and alternative biofuel feedstock, and it is used for feed and food production. The species also has medicinal properties, and it is used in soil reclamation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of N fertilization on the yield and macronutrient concentrations in JA tubers. The effect of N fertilization (control plot, unfertilized, 80 and 120 kg ha−1) on aerial biomass yield, tuber yield, and the mineral composition of tubers in three JA cultivars (“cv.”) (Rubik, Albik, and Gute Gelbe) was investigated in a field experiment. Tuber yield (40.99 Mg ha−1) and aerial biomass yield (62.76 Mg ha−1) were highest in cv. Gute Gelbe fertilized with 120 kg N ha−1 in the warm and moderately wet growing season of 2018. Agronomic N-use efficiency (AE) was highest in cv. Gute Gelbe. In the treatment supplied with 80 kg N ha−1, the fresh matter yield (FMY) of tubers was determined at 66.4 kg kg−1 N, whereas in the treatment fertilized with 120 kg N ha−1, the FMY of tubers reached 101.8 kg kg−1 N. The evaluated JA cultivars differed in their responses to an increase in the N fertilizer (marginal efficiency—ME) rate from 80 to 120 kg ha−1. The strongest response was observed in cv. Gute Gelbe, where the tuber yield increased by 172.6 kg kg−1 N. The tubers of cv. Gute Gelbe were characterized by significantly higher concentrations of N, K, Mg, and S compared with the other cultivars. The concentrations of macronutrients in the tubers (without Mg) were higher in spring. Nitrogen fertilization did not cause differences in the concentrations of P, K, Ca, Mg, and S, but it increased the N concentration in tubers

Mycotoxin Level in Winter Wheat Grain as Impacted by Nitrogen and Manganese Fertilisation

A field experiment with winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivation was conducted at the Research and Education Centre in Tomaszkowo, Poland (53°72′ N; 20°42′ E) in the years 2013–2016. Fertilisation with nitrogen at 150 and 200 kg ha−1 and foliar application of manganese at 0.5 and 1.5 kg ha−1 were the research factors. Wheat infestation by Fusarium spp. was determined by the habitat conditions during crop growth. Neither nitrogen nor manganese fertilisation affected the presence of Fusarium spp. symptoms on wheat ears, but the infestation intensity decreased with increasing nitrogen and manganese content in the grain. Only the level of deoxynivalenol (DON) was correlated with Fusarium spp. infestation. Increasing the nitrogen fertilisation rate from 150 kg ha−1 to 200 kg ha−1 resulted in higher grain contamination with toxins. Supplementation of nitrogen fertilisation with manganese reduced the number of mycotoxins in wheat grain. The grain yield was mainly affected by the varied weather conditions during the wheat-growing periods. Neither nitrogen nor manganese fertilisation differentiated the wheat grain yield. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of the weather conditions and nitrogen and manganese fertilisation on the grain yield, occurrence of Fusarium head blight and mycotoxin level in winter wheat grain

Djelovanje tretmana gnojivom na intenzitet fuzarijske paleži klasa i sintezu mikotoksina u zimskoj raži

The fungi of the genus Fusarium cause Fusarium head blight (FHB), a devastating disease that reduces grain yield and quality. They also produce mycotoxins which may pose a serious threat to human and animal health. This study investigated the effects of NPK fertilisation, foliar application of Cu, Zn, and Mn, applied separately and in combination, and of the Nano-Gro® organic growth stimulator on the occurrence of FHB in cultivar Dańkowskie Diament rye based on the mycological analysis of kernels and on the concentrations of Fusarium mycotoxins in grain. The severity of FHB caused by seven species of the genus Fusarium was influenced by weather conditions in the analysed growing seasons. The applied fertilisation and the Nano-Gro® organic growth stimulator exerted varied effects on FHB development and the biosynthesis of Fusarium mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol, nivalenol, zearalenone and fumonisins) in grain. The greatest reduction in deoxynivalenol and nivalenol concentrations was noted in 2013, and the levels of moniliformin were lower in treated samples than in absolute control (untreated) samples in both years of the study. The severity of FHB positively correlated with the concentrations of zearalenone, deoxynivalenol, nivalenol, and moniliformin in the grain samples. Greater accumulation of ergosterol was noted in the rye grain harvested in 2013 than in 2012, and fertiliser treatment led to higher ergosterol concentrations than did control treatment.Gljivice iz roda Fusarium uzrokuju fuzarijsku palež klasa, bolest žitarica koja uništava urod i kakvoću zrna. Osim toga, ove gljivice proizvode mikotoksine koji mogu ozbiljno ugroziti zdravlje ljudi i životinja. Istražili smo djelovanje NPK gnojiva, organskoga stimulatora rasta Nano-Gro® te lisne primjene Cu, Zn i Mn, zasebno ili u kombinaciji, na učestalost fuzarijske paleži klasa u zimskoj raži (kultivar Dańkowskie Diament) na temelju mikološke analize zrnja i koncentracije fuzarijskih mikotoksina u njima. Na intenzitet bolesti zrnja koju uzrokuje sedam vrsta Fusarium gljivica ponajviše su utjecale vremenske prilike u analiziranim razdobljima. Primijenjena gnojiva i organski stimulator rasta Nano-Gro® iskazali su različite učinke na razvoj fuzarijske paleži klasa i biosintezu fuzarijskih mikotoksina (deoksinivalenola, nivalenola, zearalenona i fumonizina) u zrnju. U 2013. najveći je pad zabilježen u razinama deoksinivalenola i nivalenola, dok su razine moniliformina bile niže u tretiranim nego u netretiranim uzorcima (apsolutna kontrola) u obje godine istraživanja. Intenzitet fuzarijske paleži klasa korelirao je s koncentracijama zearalenona, deoksinivalenola, nivalenola i moniliformina u uzorcima zrnja. Do izrazitijeg nakupljanja ergosterola došlo je u raži iz žetve 2013. u odnosu na 2012. godinu, a tretman gnojivom dodatno je povisio razine ergosterola u odnosu na kontrolu

Effect of Fertilization on Phenolics of Rapeseeds and Their Antioxidant Potential

Three varieties of rapeseed (Castilla, California, and Nelson F1) were cultivated using medium–intensive (control), intensive, and economical (spare) technologies with different nitrogen and sulfur fertilization techniques. The antioxidant potential of rapeseeds was investigated using ABTS, FRAP, and DPPH assays. The content of total phenolic compounds was determined using the Folin–Ciocalteu phenol reagent. The profile of phenolic compounds was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Diversifying fertilization in various ways influenced the content of phenolic compounds in extracts of rapeseed. In extracts from the Nelson F1 rapeseeds, intensive cultivation resulted in a lower content of phenolic compounds compared to the control group. Economic fertilization reduced the content of phenolic compounds in seeds from the California variety. HPLC chromatograms of the extracts were characterized by the presence of five (California and Castilla) and six (Nelson F1) main phenolic compounds. Two compounds were identified as sinapine and sinapic acid; others were classified as derivatives of sinapic acid. The effect of fertilization on the antioxidant activity of the seeds and their extracts varied depending on the plant variety and antioxidant assay. For the Castilla and California varieties, no differences were found in the results of the ABTS assay. The antiradical activity against ABTS•+ of extracts from the Nelson F1 intensive and spare cultivated seeds was higher than that of extracts from control seeds. The FRAP values of extracts/seeds from the Castilla variety cultivated using different methods did not differ significantly. The results of the DPPH assay were not affected by fertilization in the case of extracts from the California and Castilla varieties. However, the extracts from spare cultivated seeds of Nelson F1 exhibited stronger antiradical activity against DPPH•. These findings highlight the complex relationship between fertilization practices, phenolic compound accumulation, and antioxidant activity in rapeseed. Integrating varietal traits and cultivation practices is crucial for optimizing the nutritional benefits of rapeseed