Green agro waste can be turned into compost, which can then be used as an organic fertilizer, thus reducing the environmental impact of food and feed production. This research is focused on finding a feasible on-farm composting treatment of plant biomass to produce high-quality compost. Three different composting treatments were prepared and followed (with different additives at the start—biochar (BC) and effective microorganisms (EM), no additive (CON); covering and not covering the pile; different start particles size). Samples were analysed for nutrient concentrations, phytotoxicity and bacterial and fungal presence after seven months of composting. In 100 g of dry matter, the average compost contained 2.7 g, 0.38 g and 1.08 g of N, P and K, respectively. All investigated treatments contained more than 2% of total nitrogen in dry mass, so they could be used as a fertilizer. The highest nutrient content was observed in compost of small particle size (˂5 cm) and added biochar (11 kg/t fresh biomass). However, this compost had the least bacteria and fungi due to very high temperatures in the thermophilic phase of this pile. According to the radish germination index, the prepared composts have no phytotoxic properties and are stable and ready to use in plant production. Taking the cress germination test into consideration, they provided a nutrient-rich and biostimulative soil amendment. All three final composts were stable in terms of respiration rate, growth and germination tests. Results have shown that hop biomass after harvest has great potential for composting.

Technology that would result in a high-quality product with minimal environmental impact throughout the on-site composting process of hop biomass after harvest has not yet been developed. It is crucial to introduce composting practices that do not result in a detrimental leachate impact. Three different composting procedures that vary in terms of initial biomass particle size, additives, and pile covering were investigated. Each pile was built from 15 t of fresh hop biomass after harvest (leaves and stems), leachate was collected during the composting season (September to the end of April), and biomass was sampled and analyzed to identify good practices as well as gaps that need to be filled. Leachate quantity differed significantly in terms of the composting procedure and time stamps. There was a strong linear correlation between the amount of precipitation and leachate quantity (0.86), NH₄ leached amount (0.87), and total N leached amount (0.92), but not the total P amount. The composting procedure had a significant impact on the quantity of the NH₄ leached amount. The majority of the NH₄ was lost in the second month of composting. The maturation phase was the most critical for NO₃ loss since it had the highest amount of leached NO₃ and the greatest variances among the composting protocols. Considering leachate it is recommended that a membrane is used at all times during the maturation phase as well as during any heavy precipitation expected in the thermophilic phase. Whether the cover is also needed for the entire duration of the thermophilic phase (due to emission) is a matter of further research.

Ogorčice so organizmi, ki jih zaradi njihove številčnosti, raznolikosti in prilagodljivosti najdemo praktično povsod. Medtem ko je večina ogorčic koristnih, pa poznamo tudi take, ki s svojim parazitiranjem povzročajo škodo. Med škodljive ogorčice uvrščamo tudi rastlinsko-parazitsko vrsto Xiphinema index. Najdemo jo lahko v bližini korenin žlahtne vinske trte (Vitis vinifera L.), saj je prav ta njena glavna gostiteljica. Ogorčica ni tako problematična z vidika neposrednega napada korenin, ampak vinski trti predstavlja grožnjo zaradi prenosa in vnosa virusa pahljačavosti listov vinske trte (GFLV) iz rodu Nepovirus. Virus namreč na vinski trti povzroči bolezen kužne izrojenosti vinske trte, kar vodi v ekonomsko nekonkurenčnost vinogradov. Okužba lahko privede tudi do več kot 80 % izpada pridelka. V izogib nenadzorovanemu širjenju ogorčic in posledično okužbam v vinogradih je pomembna preventiva, saj poleg prenosa s sadilnim materialom, pomembnega prenašalca predstavljata tudi kmetijska mehanizacija in fizični prenos z orodjem. Ker se je kemično zatiranje ogorčice X. index zaradi njene trdoživosti in razporeditve v tleh izkazalo za neučinkovito, je potrebno v prihodnje stremeti k alternativnim in predvsem učinkovitejšim pristopom. Poleg vmesnih posevkov so preverjali delovanje pripravkov na podlagi nekaterih bakterij in gliv, ki predstavljajo velik potencial za nadaljnja raziskovanja.

This study evaluated different approaches for detecting grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV) in its nematode vector, Xiphinema index , using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Four sample preparation strategies were compared, each based on a distinct approach and tested under identical conditions. Two approaches involved RNA extraction prior to RT-PCR: column-based RNA extraction (using the RNeasy Plant Mini Kit) and magnetic bead-based RNA extraction (using the MagMAX RNA Isolation Kit). The other two methods were tested without RNA extraction prior to RT-PCR: direct RT-PCR and brief heat treatment. Samples containing one, two or five nematodes from three different vineyards were analysed to assess the effect of sample size on the efficiency of GFLV detection in X. index . Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed the presence of GFLV-like particles in the anterior region of individual adult females of X. index , supporting the molecular detection results. Among the tested methods, column-based RNA extraction using the RNeasy Plant Mini Kit showed the highest detection probability and most consistent performance under the conditions evaluated, including samples containing one or two adult females of X. index . Detection success increased with higher nematode numbers, with a more pronounced effect observed for methods without prior RNA extraction. These results demonstrate that both sample preparation strategy and nematode number influence GFLV detection efficiency in vector populations and highlight the importance of optimised sample preparation and sampling strategies for reliable GFLV detection, with potential applications in vineyard monitoring, replanting and phytosanitary management.