Environmental management of cellulose production waste and municipal sewage sludge appears to be substantiated due to various physicochemical properties of these wastes. The aim of the conducted research was to determine the effect of cellulose production waste and sewage sludge on yielding and heavy metal uptake by a plant mixture. The research was conducted under field experiment conditions, determining the fertilizer value of these wastes in the environmental aspect. The research was carried out in the years 2013–2016. Species composition of the plant mixture was adjusted to habitat conditions. It was established that, as compared with the cellulose production waste, the municipal sewage sludge used in the experiment had a higher content of macroelements. The content of heavy metals in the studied waste did not exceed the limits that condition their use in agriculture and reclamation. Applying only the cellulose production waste did not significantly decrease the yield of the plants. Municipal sewage sludge showed the highest yield-forming effect. Mixing the above-mentioned wastes and their application to soil had a significant effect on the increase in the plant mixture yield. The waste applied to soil also increased the content of Cr, Cd, Pb, Cu, and Zn in the plant mix. The level of heavy metal content in the plant mix did not exclude this biomass from being used for fodder or reclamation purposes. The cellulose production waste and municipal sewage sludge increased the heavy metal uptake by the plant mixture. The plant biomass extracted heavy metals from the sewage sludge more intensively than from the cellulose production waste. Among the analyzed heavy metals, the highest phytoremediation was recorded for Ni (30%), followed by Cd (20%), Cr (15%), Pb (10%), and the lowest for Cu (9%) and Zn (8%). Application of the cellulose production waste and sewage sludge to soil also increased the content of the studied heavy metals in soil. However, it did not cause deterioration of soil quality standards. Heterogeneity in the chemical composition of the wastes confirms that each batch intended to be used for environmental management should be subjected to chemical control.

Municipal sewage sludge contains many valuable nutrients which can be used in the cultivation of energy crops. Application of large doses of sewage sludge can be a cause of environmental pollution, especially with nutrients. The multiflora rose and the Virginia fanpetals are plants with high...

The study analyzes the influence of plant growth promoters and biological control agents on the chemical composition and antioxidant activity (AA) in the sprouts of buckwheat. The AA of cv. Kora sprouts was higher than cv. Panda, with 110.0 µM Fe²⁺/g (FRAP—Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power), 52.94 µM TRX (Trolox)/g (DPPH—1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl), 182.7 µM AAE (Ascorbic Acid Equivalent)/g (Photochemiluminescence—PCL—ACW—Water-Soluble Antioxidant Capacity) and 1.250 µM TRX/g (PCL—ACL—Lipid-Soluble Antioxidant Capacity). The highest AA was found in the sprouts grown from seeds soaked in Ecklonia maxima extract and Pythium oligandrum (121.31 µM Fe²⁺/g (FRAP), 56.33 µM TRX/g (DPPH), 195.6 µM AAE/g (PCL—ACW) and 1.568 µM TRX/g (PCL—ACL). These values show that the antioxidant potential of buckwheat sprouts is essentially due to the predominant hydrophilic fraction of antioxidants. The AA of the sprouts was strongly correlated with total polyphenol content.

This study investigated the influence of biological control agents and plant growth promoters on the chemical composition of the cultivars Panda and Kora buckwheat sprouts. Before sowing, seeds were soaked in solutions containing Bacillus subtilis bacteria, Pythium oligandrum oospores, Ecklonia maxima algae extract, and/or nitrophenols. The sprouts of the Panda displayed higher levels of protein, fat, and dietary fiber fractions than the Kora. Measurable effects of biological control agents (BCAs) and plant growth promoters (PGPs) on the chemical composition of sprouts were also confirmed. Soaking the seeds in a solution containing P. oligandrum oospores resulted in a decrease in the level of crude ash in sprouts, while the addition of nitrophenols increased the level of both crude ash and protein. We also found statistically significant effects of interactions between the cultivar and BCA and/or PGP for each of the examined components.

Microbial soil additives and plant biostimulants contain substances and microorganisms that can enhance stress tolerance in plants and increase the yield and quality of the crop. The interest in such inputs for sustainable and agroecological farming systems has led to the development of a range of products. The aim of the study was to determine the effects of some microbial soil additives (MSADs), plant growth promoters (PGPs) and biological control agents (BCAs) on photosynthetic efficiency, canopy vegetation indices and yield of common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench), an under-utilised nutraceutical crop. The study showed that soaking the seeds in the BCAs Pythium oligandrum and Bacillus subtilis, on their own, had significant effects on the yield of the buckwheat. Increases in chlorophyll a fluorescence indices were observed in plants grown from seeds soaked in a solution containing P. oligandrum (ET₀/RC) and also in soil treated with the MSAD UG Max (ABS/RC, TR₀/RC). Treatment with either of the two MSADs also increased the normalised differential vegetation index (NDVI). Soaking the seeds in PGPs combined with BCAs affected only the chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters, whereas the combined treatment of spraying the plants with PGPs and treating the soil with MSADs affected not only the chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters (F_V/F_M, ET₀/RC, DI₀/RC), but also indicated a tendency for a decrease in the leaf area index (LAI) (p = 0.058) and the NDVI (p = 0.186). The correlations between grain yield, chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters and vegetation indices of the canopy were discussed.