Herbicide resistance in weeds, including corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas L.), is an increasing problem compromising global crop production. The aims of this study were to evaluate the susceptibility of P. rhoeas populations in Poland to acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitors and elucidate their mechanisms of resistance. Between 2017 and 2020, 157 seed samples were collected nationwide and a dose-response study with various ALS-inhibiting herbicides was performed in glasshouses. This revealed 14 resistant populations with R/S ranges of 2.3–1450.2, 9.5–398.5 and 2–2.5 for tribenuron, iodosulfuron and florasulam, respectively. Eight of them were cross-resistant to both tribenuron and iodosulfuron, three and one populations were singly resistant to tribenuron and iodosulfuron, respectively, and one population had reduced susceptibility to florasulam only. In one population, cross-resistance to tribenuron, iodosulfuron and florasulam was identified. The ED₅₀ of many populations susceptible to ALS inhibitors was close to half the recommended dose of the herbicides tested. In seven out of eight resistant P. rhoeas populations analysed, target-site resistance was identified. Six amino acid replacements were found (Ala197, Arg197, His197, Leu197, Ser197 and Thr197). In one population resistant to ALS inhibitors, no mutations in the ALS gene were detected. An efficient anti-resistance strategy is needed to reduce the development of herbicide resistance in P. rhoeas in Poland.

The aim of our study was to evaluate the influence of reclamation activities in a tailing pond, consisting in the application of mineral (rock aggregate) and organic substances (crop willow chips, swarf) and reclamation plants such as various species of grass and their mixtures with water-absorbing geocomposites, on the selected physical and biological parameters of the sediment. The experiment was started on Konrad tailing pond in Iwiny village in Poland. The pond had been filled with post-flotation sludge from copper ore mining until 1971. Since then, no activities have been conducted there. The mine tailings with absorbent (geocomposite) were characterised by higher moisture content. Intensified CO₂ emissions were also noted, along with a noticeable reduction in the compactness of sediment in comparison to the values obtained for mine tailings without geocomposites. Various types of additives that were mixed with tailings in order to improve its disadvantageous physical and biological properties had a noticeable influence on mine tailings. The best results were obtained after using crop willow chips, which contributed to improved moisture conditions, reduced compactness, and increased amounts of emitted CO₂. Individual species of reclamation plants or their mixtures had a relatively slight influence on the analysed properties of the post-flotation sediment. Significant differences were noted only for moisture content of the tails, which was highest after the introduction of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.).

The aim of the conducted observations was to examine the effect of fertiliser produced based on plant digestate and resulting from the process of anaerobic fermentation of a substrate with sorghum (20%), beet (60%), rye (10%) and grass (10%) on the growth and yield of sorghum and corn. A strict, single-factor pot experiment was carried out in 2017–2018 in the Swojec Agricultural Experimental Unit at the University of Life Sciences in Wrocław. Fertilisation with digestate was the tested factor, with a focus on its influence on selected energy plants. Sucrosorgo sorghum and Atletico maize were analysed. During the research, the pots were placed in a vegetation hall. The research proved that the use of digestate-based fertiliser improves the productivity of both sorghum and maize, but only with an additional dose of basic macronutrients. The optimal variant is a fertiliser dose of 20 g enriched with 1.0 NPK. Increasing the dose to 30 g and 1.5 NPK generally did not result in a significant increase in plant height or in fresh and dry weights.

Treatment of plants with mineral-organic concentrates has developed intensively in recent years. Fertilizers containing, among others, humus, L-amino acids, vitamins, chelates and metal complexes, macro-, micro- and meso-elements, organic matter and humic acids from the top organic layer of leonardite coal have a positive effect on plant growth and quality and seed yield. An experiment was conducted between 2019 and 2022 at the University of Agriculture in Kraków, in which the impact of mineral-organic concentrate on the seed yield and quality of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) 2N Bokser (Hodowla Roślin Grunwald Ltd. Grupa IHAR, Grunwa, Poland) was determined. As part of the experiment, plants were sprayed with a mineral-organic product in three different doses: 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 L·ha⁻¹. The following parameters were examined: the number of generative shoots, the length of the flag leaf, seed yield, germination capacity and the weight of one thousand seeds. It turned out that the application of the concentrate with 3 L·ha⁻¹ and 2 L·ha⁻¹ led to a significant increase in the number of generative shoots and in seed yield, compared to control. In addition, seed germination capacity of fertilized plants was higher, with the greatest increase after the application of 3 L·ha⁻¹. Moreover, the average weight of one thousand seeds was significantly higher in fertilized plants, compared to the control, and the largest increase was recorded in response to the highest dose. The results indicated a positive effect of the organic-mineral concentrate on perennial ryegrass development parameters and seed quality.

Agroecosystems are perpetually subjected to environmental factors. Driven by a shifting global climate, soil moisture deficits represent an increasingly frequent threat to crop productivity. In farming, however, these abiotic stressors seldom occur in isolation, as fields are invariably compounded by biotic weed pressure. Consequently, investigating plant responses to such combinatorial, multi-faceted stress is paramount to evaluating the realistic efficacy of modern agrotechnical interventions. A 2-year, three-factor pot experiment was conducted at the Research and Education Station in Swojczyce, belonging to the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences. The aim of the study was to examine the response of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L., cv. Agil) to drought stress during the period when cereal plants were at the 51–65 BBCH developmental stages. Additionally, in some pots with winter wheat, Apera spica-venti (L.) Beauv. was sown as a weed to evaluate the effects of biotic stress. To observe the mitigation of stressors, three different types of biostimulants were used—a silicon-based preparation and two seaweed-based preparations derived from Ecklonia maxima (Osbeck) Papenfuss and Ascophyllum nodosum (L.) Le Jolis, respectively, representing structural, morphological, and biochemical defense strategies. Drought stress significantly and negatively affected the length of the wheat main stem, lateral tillers, and lateral spikes, as well as the weight of the main wheat spike. The simultaneous occurrence of drought stress and A. spica-venti competition resulted in the greatest cumulative reduction in main spike weight. Furthermore, drought stress was associated with an increase in nitrogen/protein content and potassium content in wheat straw. The presence of A. spica-venti significantly reduced both the weight of the main wheat spike and the number of non-productive tillers. The limited effectiveness of biostimulants may be associated with the severity and timing of stress exposure during reproductive development.

The study evaluated the effect of intercropping Paulownia (Paulownia spp.) with spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L., cv. KWS Thalis) on selected components of agroecosystem biodiversity under Polish conditions. A field experiment established in 2019 compared an alley cropping system with barley monoculture during the 2025 growing season. Weed infestation, soil microbial communities, mesofauna abundance, and crop yield were assessed. Weed abundance was lower in the intercropping system than in monoculture, reaching 5.6 vs. 15.6 plants m⁻² at BBCH 21 and 21 and 22.8 vs. 35.6 plants m⁻² at BBCH 75. Bacterial alpha diversity was significantly higher under intercropping conditions, with Shannon index values ranging from 5.12 to 5.25, compared with 4.98–5.09 in monoculture. Fungal diversity showed moderate differences between systems, whereas the abundance of Collembola and Acari was influenced mainly by seasonal variation rather than by cultivation system. No significant reduction in barley yield was observed under intercropping conditions. The results suggest that Paulownia-based alley cropping may reduce weed pressure and support selected soil biological properties without negatively affecting crop productivity. However, the observed responses varied depending on the analyzed parameter and sampling period, indicating the preliminary and context-dependent character of the results. Further long-term studies are required to better understand the ecological mechanisms operating in such agroforestry systems.