Background: Curcuminoids, the bioactive compounds found in turmeric, exhibit potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective properties. This study aims to enhance the extraction of curcuminoids from turmeric using environmentally friendly solvents supercritical CO₂ (scCO₂) combined with natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs) in one process, and to evaluate the resulting biological activity. Methods: A Box–Behnken statistical design was applied to optimize scCO₂ extraction conditions—pressure, CO₂ volume, and temperature—to maximize curcuminoid yield. Next, the menthol and lactic acid NADESs were selected, and these two solvents were combined into a single turmeric extraction process. The biological activity of the resulting extract was evaluated using antioxidant assays (ferric reducing antioxidant power and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and enzyme inhibition assays (acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, and tyrosinase). Toxicity assessments were conducted on the aquatic invertebrates Daphnia pulex, Artemia sp., and Chironomus aprilinus. Results: The most effective extraction was achieved using a menthol–lactic acid NADES as a cosolvent, integrated at a 1:20 ratio of plant material to NADESs while in combination with scCO₂. The optimized scCO₂–NADES extraction resulted in a high curcuminoid yield (33.35 mg/g), outperforming scCO₂ extraction (234.3 μg/g), NADESs ultrasound-assisted extraction (30.50 mg/g), and alcohol-based solvents (22.95–26.42 mg/g). In biological assays, the extract demonstrated significant antioxidant activity and effective inhibition of enzymes (acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, and tyrosinase). Toxicity studies showed a concentration-dependent response, with EC₅₀ for Chironomus aprilinus at the level of 0.098 μL/mL and Daphnia pulex exhibiting high sensitivity to the extract. Conclusions: This study highlights the potential of combining NADESs and scCO₂ extraction in one process, demonstrating the effectiveness of scCO₂–NADES extraction in maximizing curcuminoid yield and enhancing bioactivity.

The variability of the mean annual air temperature and precipitation totals in three periods: 1848–2010, 1951–2010 and 1981–2010 was investigated in the large Warta River basin, being the area with lowest rainfall in Poland. For the purposes of research, nine meteorological stations with the longest measurement series were selected. Air temperature increase in this river basin was similar than in neighbouring countries. In the last 30 years this trend kept increasing. The precipitation in the whole studied period was slightly increasing in the northern part of the Warta River basin, but decreasing in the southern part. The mean annual precipitation totals in the catchment area did not change visible. In the period 1981–2010, the precipitation totals show a small increase in the winter and spring and a decrease in summer. A negative influence of this climate change was not visible in the Warta River discharge. The main objectives of this study were the collection long-term records of air temperature and precipitation in the Warta River basin, and the statistical analysis of climate variability.

In the Powidzki Landscape Park, there are 150 peatlands of a total area of 1,250.2 ha. On its edge, brown coal strip mines are in operation, causing deep land drainage that resulted in a drastic (up to 5 m) lowering of the water table in lakes and accelerated peatland disappearance. To determine the extent of the process, a comparison was made of the types of surface soil layers and their ash content in 20 peatlands determined in 1957–1965 and in 2017. They are located in the farmland lying the closest to the strip mine, Jóźwin IIB, and in woodland lying further away. The results were compared with those for a peatland in Skulsk, which was not affected by the negative impact of the strip mine. Fen peat, occurring there about 55 years ago has largely turned into grainy moorsh. In the 20–50 cm layer, an ash content has grown almost twofold, while in part of the peatlands organic soils have changed into mineral and organic-mineral ones. The greatest changes have occurred in the farmland. In all Park peatlands, grasslands have contracted threefold, while the area of forests and woodlands has grown fivefold. Today, about 10% of the peatland area is taken up by arable land of which there was none before.

Field trials were conducted at the Field Experimental Station in Winna Góra. Weed control after maize sowing increased the grain yield by 15.7% compared to that after herbicide application at the BBCH 14/15 stage. Higher effectiveness of silicon application in maize cultivation can be achieved on plantations free from primary or secondary weed infestation. The application of a 50% NPK dose increased the grain yield by 8.6%, while a 100% dose improved it by 13.9% compared to that of the control object (without mineral fertilization). Furthermore, it was observed that the effectiveness of the silicon increased with higher total precipitation during the maize growing season, as evidenced by the results from 2022. In that year, the difference between the control (without silicon application) and the treatment with silicon applied at the BBCH 15/16 stage was more than 33%. The average mass losses from the green tea bags ranged from 54.9% to 71.9% in the variant of the sowing experiment carried out after spraying with the herbicide and from 69.4% to 72.4% in the variant with herbicide spraying at the BBCH14 stage. The rooibos tea’s mass losses were lower, as expected, and ranged from 18.6% to 36.4% in the first variant and from 30.8% to 38.6% in the second variant. The mass losses of the green tea and rooibos tea were the highest in the variant with herbicide spraying at the BBCH14 stage and the lowest in the variant of the sowing experiment carried out after herbicide spraying. The stabilization factor (S) ranged from 193 × 10⁻³ to 254 × 10⁻³ in sowing after herbicide spraying and from 188 × 10⁻³ to 226 × 10⁻³ in the variant with herbicide spraying at the BBCH14 stage. The k (decomposition constant) ranged from 7.8 × 10−3 to 11.5 × 10⁻³ in the first variant and from 7.2 × 10⁻³ to 13.4 × 10⁻³ in the variant with herbicide spraying at BBCH14.

This paper presents the key principles of the new Polish methodology for hydromorphological river surveys which is consistent with the provisions of the Water Framework Directive. This method proposes to investigate only the main watercourse of the water body. The assessment is based on cartographic maps, satellite images and the existing databases. Field surveys are limited to selected stretches of the water body. The classification of the river's ecological status and ecological potential is based on a hierarchical system comprising four elements: hydrological regime, river continuity, channel morphology and floodplain. They are evaluated in view of features characterized by selected attributes. The method is the same for natural and heavily modified water bodies, while a simplified methodology is used to investigate artificial water bodies. It does not account for differences in abiotic type, landscape or size of the catchment area. The results are presented in abridged and field protocols. The attributes are evaluated on a five-point grading scale or through a descriptive approach which supports the calculation of ecological quality ratios for quality elements, hierarchical system elements and the water body. The usefulness of the proposed method has been tested on 11 pilot water bodies. The presented approach enables to perform hydromorphological surveys of Polish rivers by 2015, as required under the Water Framework Directive.