The determination of the effects of cadmium and mercury on the growth, biomass productivity and phytoremediation potential of Miscanthus × giganteus (MxG) grown on contaminated soil was the main aim of this paper. The use of bioenergy plants as an innovative strategy in phytotechnology gives additional benefits, including mitigation and adaptation to climate change, and soil remediation without affecting soil fertility. An experiment was set up as a randomized complete block design with the treatments varied in concentrations of Cd (0, 10 and 100 mg kg⁻¹ soil) and Hg (0, 2 and 20 mg kg⁻¹ soil) added to the soil. Three vegetative years were studied. Yield values ranged from 6.3–15.5 t_DM ha⁻¹, cadmium concentration in plants varied from 45–6758 µg kg⁻¹ and Hg varied from 8.7–108.9 µg kg⁻¹. Values between treatments and years were significantly different. MxG can accumulate and remove very modest amount (up to 293.8 µg Cd and 4.7 µg Hg) per pot per year in aboveground biomass. Based on this data it can be concluded that MxG, as a valuable energy crop, is a potential candidate for the phytostabilization and biomass production on soils contaminated with Cd and Hg moderately.

The study was conducted on 18 locations and 11 dominant soil types in the Republic of Croatia including their evolution-genetic horizons. In total, 51 soil samp...

Nonsustainable agricultural practices often lead to soil carbon loss and increased soil carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions into the atmosphere. A research study was conducted on arable fields in central lowland Croatia to measure soil respiration, its seasonal variability, and its response to agricultural practices. Soil C-CO₂ emissions were measured with the in situ static chamber method during corn (Zea mays L.) and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) growing seasons (2012 and 2013, n = 288) in a field experiment with six different tillage treatments. During corn and winter wheat growing season, average monthly soil C-CO₂ emissions ranged, respectively, from 6.2–33.6 and 22.1–36.2 kg ha⁻¹ day⁻¹, and were decreasing, respectively, from summer > spring > autumn and summer > autumn > spring. The same tillage treatments except for black fallow differed significantly between studied years (crops) regarding soil CO₂ emissions. Significant differences in soil C-CO₂ emissions between different tillage treatments with crop presence were recorded during corn but not during winter wheat growing season. In these studied agroecological conditions, optimal tillage treatment regarding emitted C-CO₂ is plowing to 25 cm along the slope, but it should be noted that CO₂ emissions involve a complex interaction of several factors; thus, focusing on one factor, i.e., tillage, may result in a lack of consistency across studies.