Urban wasteland is of special interest to city planners. However, to integrate such areas into city space management with consideration of nature conservation aspects, a sound assessment of their ecological potential is necessary. The aim of this paper was to analyze whether carabid beetle assemblages of the wastelands are affected by soil parameters, particularly trace element contamination. Therefore, we studied the carabid fauna in relation to selected soil parameters on 56 sampling plots situated in 24 wastelands located in the city of Warsaw (Poland). The results have confirmed our assumptions that the number of species, as well as the number of individual carabid beetles, are negatively affected by an increasing amount of pollutants in the soil. Particularly, the trace elements Pb, Cu, and Cd showed a significantly negative impact. The results are of value when it comes to the use of urban wastelands in the context of sustainable city development. Future use of urban wastelands will be faced with trade-offs between the use for public interests (e.g., housing space) and ecological interests. Phytoremediation and entomoremediation may be included in decontamination measures. The results of studies, such as the one conducted by us, may help to select the respective wastelands for certain purposes.

The consumer acceptability of the fruit is very important aspect of distribution. Consumers expect high-quality fruit with high pro-health values. The intention of the research was to assess the quality of hardy kiwi fruit changes during storage in order to provide consumers with high-quality fruit and nutraceutical content. A particular challenge was to assess the storage capacity of the new Polish variety ‘Bingo’^PBR. This is a protected Plant Breeder’s Right (PBR) cultivar in accordance with the Union Internationale pour la Protection des Obtentions Vegetates (UPOV). The storage quality of the fruit of the ‘Bingo’ cultivar was assessed in contrast to the fruit of the ‘Ananasnaya’ cultivar, the basic minikiwi cultivar. The experiment assessed the effect of the fruit ripeness phase during harvest (°Brix −7.7 and 9.0) and the effect of the storage conditions, i.e., normal atmosphere cold store (0.1% CO₂: 21% O₂) versus controlled atmosphere (1.5% CO₂: 1.5% O₂). In the fruit evaluation, the focus was concentrated on changes in the basic color of the peel, firmness, soluble solids content, acidity, as well as the main health-promoting attributes, i.e., antioxidant activity, vitamin C content and total polyphenols. In the experiment, it was found the fruits of ‘Ananasnaya’ variety were almost 40% harder than the fruits of ‘Bingo’^PBR variety. The CA technology (1.5% CO₂: 1.5% O₂) allows for the acceptable firmness of the fruit for up to 56 days of storage. The earlier harvest with an extract content of 7.0–7.5°Brix also promotes higher fruit firmness. Fruits stored in a normal atmosphere cold store ripen faster and are fully ripe after 28 days. ‘Bingo’^PBR variety is characterized by fruits with a higher ascorbic acid content than the fruits of ‘Ananasnaya’ variety. The vitamin C content in fruits increases up to 28 days, regardless of the conditions in which they are stored. The content of polyphenols does not change significantly during storage, which reflects the higher stability of these compounds in fruits.

The dietary properties of minikiwi make them, along with other fruits and vegetables, suitable as the basis for many slimming and pro-health diets. Prolonging the availability of minikiwi can be provided by different storage technologies. This experiment focused on evaluating the effect of various O₂ and CO₂ concentrations, i.e., low-oxygen atmosphere (DCA, 0.4% CO₂:0.4% O₂; ULO, 1.5% CO₂:1.5% O₂) or high-CO₂ (CA, 5% CO₂:1.5% O₂) storage, in order to provide the consumer with fruits with comparable high nutritional values. Evaluation gave the basic characteristics of the fruits that characterize their health-promoting properties, i.e., total polyphenols (TPC), phenolic acids and flavonols, antioxidant activity (AA), monosaccharides, and acid content. The atmosphere with a higher CO₂ content of 5% (CA) effectively influenced the high value of ascorbic acid even after 12 weeks of storage. DCA technology contributed to a significant inhibition of phenol loss but not as effectively as CA technology. In contrast, glucose and fructose contents were found to be significantly higher after storage in ULO or DCA, while sucrose content was more stable in fruit stored in CA or DCA. CA technology conditions stabilized the citric acid content of minikiwi, while DCA technology was less effective in inhibiting acid loss. The nutritional value of the fruit after storage in CA or DCA was not significantly reduced, which will allow the supply of fresh minikiwi fruit to be extended and provide a valuable component of the human diet.

Hardy kiwifruit fits into consumer expectations, especially in terms of taste and nutritional value. The main reason for the loss of quality is that the fruit softens too quickly, but storage at low temperatures (0–1 °C) is not effective enough in maintaining high fruit quality. Two cultivars were evaluated for storage quality, i.e., ‘Geneva’ and ‘Ananasnaya’. Minikiwi were harvested at two stages of maturity. The fruit were treated with 1-methylcyclopropene at a concentration of 0.65 µL/L and then stored under common cold storage, ULO, and CA conditions. Fruit evaluation was carried out for 12 weeks, and firmness, soluble solids content, and titratable acidity were evaluated. Post-harvest treatments, as well as the conditions under which the fruit is stored, determine its quality after storage. The application of 1-MCP decisively inhibits the softening of mini kiwi even under normal atmospheric conditions.

The dietary properties of apples make them, along with the other fruits and vegetables, the basis of many slimming or pro-health diets. Availability of apples throughout the year is ensured by various storage technologies, including the use of ripening inhibitors. This experiment focused on the assessment of the effect of various variants of inhibition of apple ripening processes, i.e., 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), ultra-low-oxygen storage (ULO) or modified atmosphere (MAP), in order to provide the consumer with apples with comparable high nutritional values. An important aim of the experiment was to determine the effect of the above-mentioned factors on changes in the content of polyphenols and antioxidant capacity in conditions of apple distribution at high temperatures, i.e., above 25 °C. The experiment consisted of several stages of fruit distribution: (I)—treatment of 1-MCP apples immediately after harvest, (II)—storage in ULO, (III)—simulated long-distance transport under normal atmosphere cold storage (NA) and Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP), (IV)—simulated rotation (15 days) under high-temperature conditions of 25 °C. Evaluation gave the basic characteristics of the fruits that characterize their health-promoting properties, i.e., total polyphenols (TPC), phenolic acids and flavonols, and antioxidant activity (AA). All indicators were assessed separately for apple peel and flesh. The experiment showed that the content of antioxidants in apple peel is from 230 to 370% higher than in the flesh, depending on the group of ingredients assessed. The peel of fruit treated with 1-MCP was distinguished by a higher content of phenolic acids and flavonols than the untreated fruit, especially after 20 weeks of stored in ULO. The effect of 1-MCP on AA in the peel of the fruit was moderate; however, apples untreated with 1-MCP were more likely to lose AA, especially when transported under normal cold storage conditions. The content of assessed compounds in the apple flesh was more stable than in the peel. The content of TPC and phenolic acids in apple flesh either decreased or remained almost unchanged after 15 days of shelf life. An increase in AA was observed in fruit flesh not stored in ULO, especially in apples treated with 1-MCP. After 10 and 20 weeks of storage in ULO, AA was not determined by experimental factors. The use of 1-MCP and the transport of apples in MAP can reduce the loss of phenolics after long-distance transport and distribution.

Water management in agriculture and horticulture has a strong ecological importance related to the necessity of optimizing the use of water resources. To achieve sustainable water use, it is necessary to optimize the time, frequency and the methods of water application. In this study, we hypothesized that the right moment for watering may be established on the grounds of the observation of the physiological state of the plant (if the plant is still in turgor) and the biomass of plant and the substrate. The proper irrigation scheduling, that is, just before the plant loses turgor, which appears at ca. 73% of LRWC in dahlias, determined with the use of the proposed measurement and computing system, makes it possible to save ca. 30% of irrigation water, in comparison to standard watering. Controlled watering also affected plant growth parameters, such as the content of chlorophyll a and b and carotenoid, as well as total and reducing sugar content (ca. 7%, 9% and 23% more than in plants watered in a standard way, respectively). Plants watered in a controlled way were 12% more compact when compared with the ones watered in a standard way. The results clearly proved that the computing system connected to scales made it possible to save water used for irrigation without a negative impact on the parameters of plant growth.