The level of cereal yields and the quality of these yields depend, to a large extent, on a crop management system, the genetic potential of a given cultivar, but also on factors that may cause damage to plants or a reduction in yield. Such factors include fungal diseases of cereals, which may cause a reduction in yield by 15–20%, and in extreme cases even by 60%. The main factors determining the occurrence of these pathogens are the weather conditions during the growing season of plants, crop rotation, the previous crop, the soil tillage system, and nitrogen fertilisation. Fungal diseases of cereals limit plant growth and development, as well as reduce grain yield and quality. This paper reviews the literature on fungal diseases of cereals.

A purpose of the research was to develop a method for the preparation of novel organo-mineral fertilizers with the use of brown coal and biochars as organic additives. Brown coal was blended simultaneously together with inorganic materials used for the process of urea superphosphate production in a laboratory scale using a pan granulator and in larger scale using a rapid mixer granulator. Biochars were used for the coating purposes of the urea superphosphate granules on a laboratory scale using a pan granulator. Moreover, the aim was to measure and evaluate the physico-chemical properties of organic materials and the obtained organo-mineral fertilizer products and to study the effects of these products on the selected yield components of spring wheat such as grain yield per plant, spike number per plant, and plant height, in pot trials. Results showed that brown coal and biochars can be used as raw materials for production of fertilizer products. Brown coal contained about 50% of total humic acids while biochar contained nearly 6% of total humic-like substances. Brown coal based compound fertilizer granules produced in the large scale were characterized by particle hardness from 15.80 to 23.3 N while those produced in the laboratory scale were classified as “soft” (particle hardness below 2.3 N). The application of brown coal based fertilizers and two studied biochar coated fertilizers had a positive impact on the grain yield per plant of spring wheat.

The main anti-nutritive substances present in rye grains include alkylresorcinols, water-soluble pentosans, and trypsin inhibitors. The content of these compounds in the grains can be influenced by genetic factors, habitat conditions and the crop management technology used in cultivation. The aim of the study was to determine the variability of the concentration of anti-nutritive compounds in rye grains depending on the variety, weather conditions and production technology. The field research was conducted at the IUNG-PIB Experimental Station in Osiny (Poland) in three growing seasons 2010/2011, 2011/2012 and 2012/2013. The experiment was located on lessive soil, on plots of 45 m² in three replications. The first factor was the type of production technology (integrated and intensive), while the second was a variety of winter rye. Two hybrid varieties (Brasetto, Visello) and two population varieties (Dańkowskie Diament, Kier) were included. The research showed that the content of anti-nutritive compounds in rye grains depended significantly on the genotype and weather conditions. Stress conditions during the rye growing season in 2011 and 2013 were the cause of higher synthesis of alkylresorcinols, soluble pentosans and trypsin inhibitors in rye grains. The content of alkylresorcinols and water-soluble pentosans also depended significantly on the intensity of the production technology. The higher content of these compounds was found in rye grains from intensive technology. The production technology had no significant impact on the activity of trypsin inhibitors.

For economic, environmental, and climatic reasons, soil cultivation methods without the use of a plough have became increasingly popular in recent decades. As research has shown, their impact on the growth and yield of crops is not always positive, especially when direct sowing is used. Recently,...

Cultivar, habitat conditions and agrotechnology have an influence on the yield and chemical composition of rye grain. The main anti-nutritional substances present in rye grain include alkylresorcinols, water-soluble pentosans and trypsin inhibitors. The aim of this study was to determine the variability in yield and the concentration of anti-nutritional compounds in the grain of selected winter rye cultivars in relation to nitrogen fertilisation levels and weather conditions. Field studies were conducted at the Experimental Station of IUNG-PIB in Osiny (Poland) in two growing seasons (2018/2019 and 2019/2020). The experiment was located on pseudo-polylic soil using the randomised sub-block method in three replications. The first factor of the experiment was the level of nitrogen fertilisation (0, 70 and 140 kg N∙ha−1) and the second was the population (Dańkowskie Skand, Piastowskie) and hybrid (KWS Vinetto, SU Performer) winter rye cultivars. The study showed that the yield of winter rye depended on the genotype and the level of nitrogen fertilisation. The hybrid cultivars yield ed 17.9% higher in relation to the population cultivars. The content of anti-nutritional compounds in rye grain depended significantly on genotype, level of nitrogen fertilisation and weather conditions. The reason for the higher synthesis of anti-nutrients in rye grain was the stressful weather conditions occurring in the 2019/2020 season. Nitrogen fertilisation influenced the content of alkylresorcinols, water-soluble pentosans and trypsin inhibitor activity in grain. The interaction of cultivar and fertilisation was also found to shape the content of the aforementioned anti-nutrients.