The ongoing climate change with increasingly frequent, prolonged drought during the vegetation period is a significant factor affecting production of field crops, including durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.). One of the approaches to effectively protect plants from drought stress is the foliar application of bioactive substances and selection of appropriate genetic material for specific location conditions. In this study, the impacts of brown seaweed based and humic substance-based biostimulants were researched. The positive impact of bioactive substances on grain yield has been reported in many studies. However, the impact on quality components is questionable and not well investigated. In this study, a highly significant (α < 0.01) positive impact of bioactive substances on grain yield was confirmed. The highest grain yield was observed on the fertilized variant with humic substances (4.03 t ha⁻¹). When compared to control, there was a high statistically significant difference. The biofertilization impact on quality components was weakly positive in most cases, although without statistical significance (α > 0.05). The study included evaluating the interactions biofertilization–weather conditions (BW) and biofertilization–variety (BV). According to the ANOVA results, a highly significant impact in BW on grain yield was found, and in BV, a highly significant impact on protein content, falling number, and gluten content (α < 0.01) and significant impact on grain yield and vitreousness were found (α < 0.05). Correlation analysis among the monitored parameters was performed. The results that we obtained from the multi-annual field research may contribute to sustainable arable farming in areas with a lack of rainfall during vegetation. By foliar application of bioactive substances, we achieved a significant increase in the yield of durum wheat while maintaining or increasing the quality parameters of the grain.

Courgette is considered as a low-calorie vegetable with health-promoting properties. However, scientific publications focused on the profile and content of bioactive compounds in courgette, as well as the potential fruit quality modulating factors, are rare. Due to the high adaptability of courgette to weather and agronomic conditions, it is produced on a global scale. The aim of this study was to analyse the impact of organic versus conventional agronomic practices on the concentration of selected antioxidants in courgette fruits. Fruits of two courgette varieties (Astra Polka and Nimba) produced in an organic and conventional system were tested by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to determine the content of polyphenols (flavonoids and phenolic acids), carotenoids, chlorophylls, and vitamin C. Organic courgette fruits were characterised by their significantly higher content of phenolic acids and flavonoids when compared to the conventionally grown fruit. The organic cultivation might be a good method to increase concentration of bioactive compounds with antioxidant properties in courgette fruits. Nevertheless, the identified trends should be further confirmed, with attention paid to other courgette varieties, as well as to the potential interactions between the plant genotype, agronomic system and the location-specific growing conditions.

Organic agriculture is considered one of the elements of sustainable food production and consumption, mainly due to its limited impact on the natural environment. At the same time, the quality features of organically produced foods, especially sensory attributes and health promoting values, are important factors determining consumers’ interest, and therefore play a key role in the organic sector’s development. The aim of this study was to investigate the sensory characteristics and concentrations of sugars and selected health-promoting bioactive compounds of organic courgette compared to conventionally grown courgette. In addition, untargeted metabolomic analysis of the courgette fruits was performed. The results of this study did not show a significant effect of the horticultural system (organic vs. conventional) on the concentrations of vitamin C, carotenoids, and chlorophylls in the courgette fruits. However, the fruits from the organic systems were significantly richer in sugars when compared to the conventionally cultivated ones (p = 0.038). Moreover, the organic fruits fertilized with manure contained significantly higher amounts of polyphenols, including gallic acid (p = 0.016), chlorogenic acid (p = 0.012), ferulic acid (p = 0.019), and quercetin-3-O-rutinoside (p = 0.020) compared to the conventional fruits. The untargeted analysis detected features significantly differentiating courgette fruits depending on the cultivar and horticultural system. Some significant differences in sensory values were also identified between fruits representing the two cultivars and coming from the horticultural systems compared in the study. Conventional courgettes were characterized by the most intensive peel color and aquosity, but at the same time were the least hard and firm compared to the fruits from the two organic systems. There was also a trend towards higher overall quality of the organically grown fruits. The presented study shows that the organic and conventional courgette fruits differ in a number of quality features which can influence consumers’ health and purchasing choices.

In this study, we focus on the mitigation of the negative impact of drought using the application of superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) to seed. One way to monitor drought and quantify its impact on crops in field conditions is the nondestructive measurement of physiological processes of the crops using spectral indexes LAI and PRI during vegetation. Therefore, during 2018 and 2019, the increase in biomass and intensity of photosynthetic activity was monitored, and the effect of the SAPs application on the yield parameters of the sugar beet was evaluated in the trial conditions (control, SAPs) at the end of the vegetation period. Through statistical analysis, the significant impact (α ≤ 0.01) of SAPs application on the values of spectral indexes LAI and PRI as well as root and white sugar yields was found. Although the sugar content difference between SAPs and control conditions was not statistically significant, SAPs had a positive influence on the value of this parameter. It was found through periodic monitoring of spectral indexes during the growing period that the crop in the SAPs condition showed higher values of PRI at the beginning of vegetation, which was caused by the accumulation of moisture in the vicinity of the seed and subsequent faster growth of roots and photosynthetic apparatus. Moreover, the values of LAI were significantly higher (α ≤ 0.01) in the SAPs condition throughout the vegetation period. In the interaction evaluation, we confirmed that in both years the values of LAI were higher in the condition with SAPs compared with the control. In contrast, the PRI values were significantly different across conditions. The interaction of conditions with variety showed that the variety Brian obtained higher values of LAI and PRI in the SAPs condition. The correlation analysis found a positive correlation between spectral indexes LAI:PRI (r = 0.6184**), and between LAI:RY (r = 0.6715**), LAI:WSY (r = 0.5760**), and PRI:RY (r = 0.5038*), which confirms the close relationship between physiological processes in the plant and the size of its yield.

Sugar beet is a critical crop for global sugar production, and optimizing its growth and yield requires a thorough understanding of the effects of agronomic practices such as sowing date and nitrogen fertilization. This study was conducted in the WULS-SGGW Experimental Field in Miedniewice, Poland, during two growing seasons. The aim of the research was to determine the impact of sowing dates and nitrogen fertilization on the morphometric features and photosynthetic performance of the Lubelska sugar beet variety grown in Luvisols soil. The experiments were arranged as split-plot designs (SPDs) with four replications. The factors of the experiment were the sowing date (optimal and delayed by two weeks) and nitrogen fertilization at doses of 0, 60, and 120 kg N·ha⁻¹. The photosynthetic activity of sugar beet plants was measured four times during the growing season using chlorophyll fluorescence (ChlF) parameters. Morphometric features were determined by collecting sugar beet plants after each chlorophyll fluorescence measurement. The obtained results demonstrate the significant effect of nitrogen doses on the morphometric parameters of aboveground biomass. Increasing nitrogen doses also differentiated chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, such as F_V/F₀, F_V/F_M, PI_ABS, ET₀/CS₀, and ET₀/CS_M. A two-week delay in sowing affected both the fluorescence parameters and morphometric features of sugar beet, highlighting the interaction between agronomic practices and plant physiology.