Africa, specifically Nigeria, has witnessed a dramatic increase in population over the last century, prompting efforts to ensure sustainable food production and quality. Concerns for soil sustainability and food security have led to the exploration of cost-effective methods, such as biochar, to enhance soil quality. Researchers in Nigeria and Africa as a whole have investigated biochar’s potential to improve soil fertility and crop performance across various agroecological zones. This paper aims to review recent biochar research priorities on soil fertility and crop performance with an emphasis on various sole biochar applications and combinations with fertilizers to determine the research gaps that need to be developed more in biochar research in Nigeria. From the papers reviewed, sole biochar applications and biochar + macronutrients and biochar + manure combinations were studied more dominantly, while biochar + micronutrients research projects were scanty despite their low content in the semi-arid soils of Nigeria. The studies were spread across the country with the majority taking place in derived savanna and humid forest, while Sudan savanna and Sahel savanna received less research attention despite being characterized by a low-fertile soil and vast area of land. Research involving BC in the context of Sahel savanna (SLS) and Sudan savanna (SS) soils is strongly encouraged in Nigeria. This research should encompass a wide range of investigations, including sole BC applications and combinations of BC with macronutrients, micronutrients, and manure, as well as exploring its potential as a slow-release fertilizer. Incorporating exclusive biochar in substantial amounts appears economically unfeasible within the context of local biochar production. However, it can be utilized in the synthesis of slow-release fertilizers, requiring smaller quantities and potentially offering cost-effectiveness. This approach enhances soil condition and crop productivity. Challenges are faced due to less commercial production as a result of inadequate power and structural facilities. Exploring the modification of local biochar for slow-release fertilizers through future research offers potential profitability.

As part of the PADAPT project, the authors compiled the invasion biological database of the alien vascular flora of Hungary, which contains the nativeness, residence time, introduc- tion mode and invasion status of 878 alien or cryptogenic taxa. In the absence of adequate evidence, the classification of some species was only possible into uncertain, transitional cat- egories. The definitions of most categories are compatible with several international termi- nologies, but are primarily based on Central European traditions. Of the 560 taxa that have already been naturalised in Hungary, 85 are invasive, and 22 of them are transformer alien vascular plants. Only 5 of these transformers are included in the European list of Invasive Alien Species of Union concern (Ailanthus altissima, Asclepias syriaca, Elodea nuttallii, Heracleum mantegazzianum and H. sosnowskyi), which require uniform preventive interventions and treatments throughout the continent, while the rest of transformers in Hungary (e.g., Robinia pseudoacacia, Fallopia × bohemica and Solidago gigantea) draw attention to the unique, local and/ or regional invasion biological situation of the Pannonian Basin and Central Europe.

We present PADAPT 1.0, the Pannonian Database of Plant Traits which relies on regional data sources and integrates existing data and new measurements on a wide range of traits and attributes of the plant species of the Pannonian Biogeographical Region and makes it freely accessible at www.padapt.eu . The current version covers the species of the region occurring in Hungary (cc. 90% of the region’s flora) and consists of 126,337 records on 2745 taxa. There are 53 plant attributes in PADAPT 1.0 organised in six major groups: (i) Habitus and strategy, (ii) Reproduction, (iii) Kariology, (iv) Distribution and conservation, (v) Ecological indicator values, and (vi) Leaf traits. By including species of the eastern part of Europe not covered by other databases, PADAPT can facilitate studying the flora and vegetation of the eastern part of the continent. Data collection will continue in the future and the PADAPT team welcomes researchers interested in contributing with data. The main task before an updated version of the database is to include species of the Pannonian region not covered by the current version. In conclusion, although data coverage is far from complete, PADAPT meets the longstanding need for a regional database of the Pannonian flora.

A szabadföldi kisparcellás nehézfém terhelési tartamkísérlet beállítására 1994 őszén a Károly Róbert Főiskola Tass-pusztai Tangazdaságában (ma Magyar Agrár- és Élettudományi Egyetem, Károly Róbert Campus) került sor csernozjom barna erdőtajon. A növényi cink- és rézfelvétel vizsgálata 1996, 2001, 2002 években történt, ekkor a növények és a talaj Cu- és Zn-tartalma is meghatározásra került. A vizsgált években a jelzőnövény a kukorica (Zea mays L.), az őszi árpa (Hordeum vulgare L.), a fehér mustár (Sinapis alba L.) és a lucerna (Medicago sativa L.) volt. A növények Cu és Zn felvételét a talaj-növény transzfer koefficiensek meghatározásával értékeltük. A vizsgált nehézfémek talaj-növény transzfer koefficiensének ismeretében lehetőség van annak vizsgálatára is, hogy az „oldható” (NH4-acetát+EDTA) elemtartalom mennyiben felel meg a tényleges növényi elemfelvételnek. Ehhez meghatároztuk az egyes nehézfémek megoszlási arányának értékeit a talaj „oldható” és „összes” (cc.HNO3+cc.H2O2) elemtartalmának hányadosaként. A talaj-növény transzfer koefficiensek értékei alapján a cink mobilisabbnak mutatkozott a réznél. A cink megoszlási aránya a transzfer koefficiens értékének átlagosan 1/5-e volt. Ez azt mutatja, hogy cinkből a talajnak vannak olyan, a növények számára felvehető tartalékai, amelyek Lakanen-Erviö (1971) módszerérel nem mutathatók ki. A réz esetén a megoszlási arány és a talaj-növény transzfer koefficiens értéke nem mutatott jelentős eltérést.

In this article the available information on the effects of host plant’s nitrogen fertilisation on the preference/performance of the sap-sucking insects (Hemiptera) and on host plants tolerance is reviewed. There is a very strong general tendency that nitrogen fertilisation increases the preference/performance of the sap sucking insects. Important exceptions are known, when the excessive nitrogen fertilisation decreases the preference/performance of the hemipteran herbivores. Host plant tolerance usually improves with nitrogen fertilisation: exceptions are known when the herbivore is very efficient in exploiting the host plants nitrogen content. Relationship is affected by the host plants and herbivore’s genotype and by the type and the mode of application of the fertiliser. Direct underlining causes are complex and still not entirely known. Nitrogen fertilisation can affect the herbivore through changing the concentrations and ratios of the available nutrients in the plants and/or changing the concentrations of the host plant’s defensive chemicals.

The aggregation behaviour and the senescence inducing effect on its host plants (Glyceria spp.) of the European chinch bug (Ischnodemus sabuleti) is documented in several Hungarian high- density populations. The hypothesis of intraspecific facilitation through host plant quality improvement is formulated and discussed in detail. We suggest that drought stressed host plants improve the performance of I. sabuleti and facilitate the local population outbreaks. We suggest that the optimal host plant drought stress level is higher for senescence feeding herbivores than for the flush feeding herbivores.