The response of radish seedlings (Raphanus sativus L. subvar. radicula Pers.), as non-target plant, to various doses of glyphosate applied to root zone was studied in the experiment. The glyphosate was used at concentrations 0.1, 0.5 and 2.0 mM, and the study was conducted on seedlings grown in hydroponic cultures in controlled light and temperature conditions. In the experiment, roots of seedlings were exposed to glyphosate for 4, 7 or 14 days. In order to evaluate the effect of glyphosate, length and biomass of the seedling organs, as well as contents of anthocyanins in hypocotyls and cotyledons have been measured. Glyphosate applied to root zone had considerably higher impact on the growth of the primary root than shoot of radish seedlings. Short-term exposure to glyphosate led to the stimulation of growth and biomass organs of the radish seedling, but such treatment had no effect on the contents of anthocyanins in the cotyledons and hypocotyl. However, after longer exposure to glyphosate a decrease of anthocyanins content in the hypocotyl and its increase in the cotyledons was noted.

The research material consisted of tulip plants of ‘Leen van der Mark’ cv. The effect of two preparations was evaluated: Sunspray 850 EC and Sunspray Ultra-Fine, in which the active substance is refined paraffin-based mineral oil. Preparations were applied at three concentrations: 1, 1.5, and 2%. Research plots were sprayed three times every 7 days. The first treatment was performed at the turn of the second and third decade of April. Starting from the beginning of May, observations of plant colonization by aphids were conducted every 14 days. The observations were terminated at the end of June. It was found that spraying using mineral oils Sunspray 850 EC and Sunspray Ultra-Fine of tulip ‘Leen van der Mark’ significantly affect the degree of virus infection and infection due to disease-causing pathogens in relation to the untreated plants. Plants sprayed with mineral oil at the lowest concentration (1%) were in better health condition and were less attractive to aphids. Increasing the concentration of oil and the number of treatments intensified the phytotoxic reaction of tulips manifested as chlorosis with varying intensity. They were not, however, apparent effect on plant growth and development. The chlorophyll content (expressed as greenness index) in the tulip leaves treated with mineral oil was lower as compared to untreated leaves, when plants were sprayed three times using Sunspray Ultra-Fine oil at a concentration of 2%.

Seed infection with Alternaria spp. is an important source of severe carrot diseases. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of carrot seed treatments with acetic acid, grapefruit extract and volatile compounds of fir (Abies alba Mill.) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) essential oils on their germination, vigour and health. Seeds of two samples were soaked for 30 min in 0.5, 1 and 2% acetic acid, 0.5 and 1% Biosept Active (33% of grapefruit extract), or treated for 72 h or 96 h with volatile compounds of fir and thyme oils individually (10 µl), and jointly (5+5 µl). Controls were untreated seeds and seeds soaked in distilled water. Acetic acid effectively controlled A. alternata and A. radicina in both samples, and did not affect adversely seed germination, however, at the highest concentration deteriorated seed vigour. Biosept Active was less effective, however at 1% concentration decreased seeds infestation with A. alternata in sample I, and at concentrations of 0.5 and 1% reduced percentages of seeds infested with A. alternata and A. radicina in sample II. Essential oils treatments in some cases favoured growth of A. dauci and A. radicina.

Lemon verbena is cultivated mainly due to the lemon-like aroma emitted from its leaves that are utilized for most purposes. The chemical composition of the essential oil of lemon verbena was analyzed by GC/MS in July at pre flowering, in September at full flowering and in end of October at post flowering period. The in vitro antimicrobial activity of the essential oil, extracted from Lippia citriodora was tested against laboratory control strains belonging to the American Type Culture Collection (Maryland, USA) four Gram (+) and Gram (-) bacteria using the disc diffusion test. Antioxidant activity of the sample was determined by 1,1-diphenil-2- -picrly-hydrazil (DPPH) assay. Well-known antioxidant compounds such as ascorbic acid and --tocopherol were used as standard. Results showed, among different harvest periods high fresh and dry herbage and dry leaf yields per plant were obtained from full flowering stage. Harvest periods were found to have a significant effect on the content of essential oil and the highest amounts of limonene, neral and geranial and measured as 31.15, 11.92 and 15.53%, respectively at full flowering stage. In all samples, the main constituents were limonene, neral and geranial constituting 46.03%–58.59% of the total essential oil yield depend on development stages. Lemon verbena essential oil was found to have antibacterial activity especially against Gram (+) microorganisms. In DPPH system, the moderate radical scavenging activity was exhibited. Therefore, L. citriodora has potential to be used as a natural antioxidant and antimicrobial agent in food processing.

To tolerate harsh climatic conditions, olive tree Chetoui has developed some anatomic, physiologic and biochemical mechanisms. The aim of this study was to determine the indicators of stress in leaves, stems and roots growing under various climatic conditions. To protect against stress conditions this cultivar increased cuticle thickness, protective structures and building parenchyma tissues of leaves, woods and roots from the North to the South. The volatile compounds, extracted from northern and southern Chetoui leaves and roots, were analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. Great changes in volatiles were illustrated in the studied organs, by enrichment in phenolics and fatty acids for leaves and in hydrocarbons for roots of southern Chetoui. Also, a reduction in terpenes, alcohols and carbonylic compounds was noted in both southern samples. Moreover, minerals of all organs of Chetoui, varied in content and allocation, but their levels are the highest in leaves. The changes in volatiles might be affected by changes in the mineral elements uptake or accumulation under environment stress. A significant correlation was noted between phenolic compounds and sodium, nitrogen, and calcium contents. However, terpenoids was highly correlated with phosphorus content for all organs and studied areas. The detection of new volatiles, anatomical and mineral changes seem to be efficient indicators of adaptation of Chetoui to environment stress conditions.

‘Žutica’ is the most widespread olive variety of Montenegro, accounting for as much as 98% of olive trees in the southern part of Montenegrin coastal area – Bar subarea. The primary purpose of variety ‘Žutica’ is olive oil production due to its small fruits and high oil content, although it is also much appreciated as a table olive, prepared in local ways as green and black. As ‘Žutica’ is an old olive variety there are some phenotypic differences recorded in the fruit properties. Here we evaluated 22 accessions from the area of Bar and Ulcinj, where this variety is very widespread (almost mono-varietal), for 34 parameters of the fruit and endocarp. Significant differences in fruit properties were observed in the accessions. Average fruit size in nine accessions was above 3.5 g and in two accessions more than 4.0 g. Number of fruits per kg ranged from 224 to 330. Cluster analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to group the accessions and evaluate the morphological variability. The accessions clustered into two groups, with two off group accessions of the highest fruit weight. The results showed differences among individuals, especially for large fruit accessions that should be investigated further.

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of different package types and ozone treatments on post-harvest quality of figs. Three different package types (classical-type, modified atmosphere –MAP, consumer-type) and different ozone treatments (0, 5, 10 and 15 minutes) were used in experiments. Purple figs grown in Tekkeköy town of Samsun province were used as the experimental material of the study. Fruits harvested at optimum harvest period were subjected to pre-cooling for a day and then stored in a cold storage at 4°C temperature and 85–90% relative humidity. At the beginning of cold storage and each week of storage, fruits removed from the storage were subjected to weight loss, water soluble dry matter content, titratable acidity, wrinkle, leakage, mold spots, peeling and degustation analyses. Current findings revealed that MAP and 10 or 15-minute ozone treatments had positive impacts on weight loss prevention in figs. While there were not significant differences in other characteristics of treatments, 10 and 15-minute ozone treatments retarded mold spots and leakage in consumer and modified packages.

Plant communities which form orchard edges are a vital element of ecological infrastructure enriching these agrocenoses. The research was conducted in an orchard environment made up of apple orchards and their edges in the form of agricultural cultivations, tree clumps and a road lined with trees and shrubberies. The study aim was to determine the impact of the orchard edge plant diversity onto the number and abundance of Ichneumonidae subfamilies in the orchards. The study showed that orchard environments made up of an apple orchard and edge plants of various species create better living conditions for Ichneumonidae parasitoids than the environment of an orchard and neighbouring agricultural cultivations. The diversity of orchard edge plants positively influences the abundance of the Ichneumonidae subfamilies rather than the number of subfamilies in the orchard. In the orchard habitat the following dominant subfamilies were found: Campopleginae, Cryptinae, Orthocentrinae and Pimplinae. These entomophages may control the abundance of pests infesting orchards.

Silybum marianum L. (Milk thistle) extracts are the main source of silymarin that is a mixture of various flavonolignan (silybin (silibinin), silydianin and silychristin). Silymarin of milk thistle has a hepatoprotective activity for liver cirrhosis and chronic inflammatory. Silybum marianum regeneration from hypocotyl explants and evaluation of their callogenesis, growth and total flavolignan (silymarin) upon copper sulphate (as abiotic elicitor) elicitation was targeted. Copper sulphate (CuSO₄) was applied in concentrations of 0, 3, 5, 7 and 9 µM to elicit the silymarin production in cultures. The elicitation periods used in this study were 2, 4, 7, 14 and 28 days. Half-strength MS medium recorded better results relative to full-strength MS one and seed incubation in the darkness at room temperature resulted in rapid germination and reached to the gar lid after 10 days. Callus fresh and dry weights as well as growth index were gradually increased with increasing the copper sulphate concentration till 5 µM while decreased thereafter at any elicitation period. With the increase of the elicitation period, the increase of the previous parameters was observed. Flavonolignan (silymarin) was positively correlated with CuSO₄ levels since all levels of copper sulphate significantly enhanced its content in relative to the control. Additionally, more silymarin was accumulated after 4 or 7 days and the accumulation significantly decreased when the elicitation period reached 14 days more. The highest silymarin (flavolignan) content (11.79 and 11.67 mg g^–1 DW) was obtained when 5 or 7 µM copper sulphate levels were combined with 4 days elicitation period, being about five-fold of the control.

The effect on cell viability and content of PhC of three grapes varieties – Moravian Muscat, Blue Burgundy and Lemberger is presented. The effect of polyphenols from wine and grapes was studied for many times, but the effect of pomace, the by-product of wine production, was neglected. Thus study is devoted to compare the effect of berries and pomace on cell viability in context of their utilization as source of bioactive compounds. Effect on viability of human keratinocytes (HaCaT) was investigated in vitro using following concentrations of PhC in cultivation medium: 25, 50, 75 and 100 µg.ml^–1. The results show that the content of PhC in berries and pomace was similar and the cell viability decreased with increasing concentrations of PhC, in most cases. The impact on cell viability also depends on individual variety of grapes.

In this study, we present investigations of morphological changes in the inflorescence of bolting Allium sativum L., which forms umbel-like inflorescences with small, inconspicuous flowers, bulbils, and leaf-like membranous bracts. Particular attention was focused on the architecture of a single flower, and the full sequence of developmental events and the differentiation of flower elements and inflorescence were traced. During the several-year long investigations of the garlic species, we observed that all inflorescence elements emerged chaotically, taking a completely random place in the inflorescence receptacle and it was impossible to identify the sequence of formation of the individual inflorescence elements. The absence of regular phyllotaxis and the specific sequence of formation of inflorescence elements are characteristic for inflorescence reversion. Since domesticated garlic has lost the capacity for sexual reproduction, it has probably evolved alternative reproduction modes in its developmental strategy, which is reflected by the formation of numerous bulbils (vegetative buds, topsets) in the inflorescence. This is one of the forms of reproductive strategy of the species, which through domestication progresses from sexual to asexual reproduction.

In Poland, the genus Rubus comprises 95 species. Given the commercial production of the fruits as well as their medicinal properties and apicultural and ornamental importance, raspberries are commonly cultivated plants of great economic value. Rubi idaei folium exhibits a wide spectrum of pharmacological activities. The aim of the present study was to determine the content of some bioactive compounds and compare the antioxidant activity in R. ideaus leaves. The highest and lowest content of chlorophyll was found in the ‘Laszka’ and ‘Glen Ample’ varieties, respectively. The content of total fat, carbohydrate, and total protein was 2.1%, 6.2%, and 20%, respectively. Saturated fatty acids were dominated by palmitic, arachidonic, tetracosanoic, and stearic acids. Omega 3, omega 6, and omega 9 acids were mainly represented by α-linolenic acid, linolenic acid, and oleic acid, respectively. The highest antioxidant activity was determined in the leaves of the ‘Radziejowa’ variety, and the lowest level was found for the ‘Glen Ample’ variety. The high antioxidant activity and the content of bioactive compounds indicate that raspberry leaves can be used as drinkable infusions or extracts applied as additives to some food products.

Bipolaris sorokiniana is a dangerous pathogen of plants from Poaceae family. A secondary metabolite with carcinogenic properties produced by this fungus is sterigmatocystin. A field experiment with inoculation of the grain of 9 spring barley genotypes with B. sorokiniana No. 36 was carried out in the years 2012–2014 in the Zamość region. Field observations revealed leaf spot caused by B. sorokiniana in all studied genotypes. In 2012, values of the leaf infection index varied from 21.88 (Oberek) to 48.12 (Hajduczek), in 2013 from 25.31 (Skald, Oberek) to 50.00 (STH 7910) and in 2014 from 21.88 (Oberek) to 50.00 (Hajduczek). In the experimental combination with B. sorokiniana, colonies of this fungus in the years 2012–2014 accounted for: 81.22%, 93.11% and 71.78%, respectively, and in control combination: 40.06%, 32.26% and 33.72%, respectively. The chemical analysis of grain of 9 barley genotypes obtained from plants in an experimental combination with B. sorokiniana in 2014, revealed the presence of sterigmatocystin in the genotypes: Hajduczek, Kormoran, Stratus and STH 7910. The sterigmatocystin concentration ranged from 5.39 ng·g^–1 (STH 7910) to 67.05 ng·g^–1 (Hajduczek). A statistically significant correlation was found between the value of the leaf infection index and the concentration of sterigmatocystin in the grain.

Safe production of leafy vegetables is more important than other horticultural crops due to their significant contribution in health promotion of consumers. In present study, the growth and nutritional quality of sweet basil plants (Ocimum basilicum L.) were evaluated under some organic compared to chemical NPK fertilizing treatments. A non cultivated soil was used in the experiment, and treatments were arranged in completely randomized design with four replications. Manure in 20 and 40% of pot volume, vermicompost in 20 and 40% of pot volume, biophosphate, NPK fertilizer and a no fertilizing control were applied to plants. The results showed that plant growth and biochemical characteristics were differently affected by organic and chemical fertilization treatments. Vermicompost particularly in 20% of pot volume resulted in highest growth and quality parameters, while the lowest values recorded in 40% manure treatment. The leaf content of ascorbic acid, essential oil, protein and minerals (P, K, Mn, Cu) were highest in 20% vermicompost, whereas leaf content of Mg, Fe and Zn was highest in 40% vermicompost treatment. Leaf nitrate content was significantly reduced in all organic treatments than NPK fertilization. Biophosphate also improved the yield and quality traits compared to unfertilized plants, while manure in both quantities reduced most of the traits (leaf vitamin C, oil yield and protein content) except the content of phenols. This indicates that processing as vermicompost can be a better way of manure application for basil production.

Globe artichoke (Cynara cardunculus L. var. scolymus (L.) Fiori) is an edible herbaceous perennial plant that plays an important economic role in Mediterranean agriculture. In recent years, extensive research, which aimed to characterize the phenolic profile of the most important globe artichoke cultivars in Italy, has been conducted. However, very little information is available on the phenolic composition of cultivars traditionally grown in Spain. In this work, six cultivars (‘Opal’, ‘Symphony’, ‘Concerto’, ‘Madrigal’, ‘Blanca de Tudela’ and ‘A-106’) cultured in Spain were characterized according to their phenolic content. The phenolic profile differed between cultivars, and also between flower parts. The major phenolic compound in all the different cultivars was chlorogenic acid. Of the six studied cultivars, ‘Madrigal’ had the highest phenolic content.

An oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq.) P. Kumm) is a cultivated species of mushrooms characterizing with unique culinary and medicinal properties. Its’ nutritional value comes from proteins, carbohydrates, fatty acids, vitamins and mineral nutrients present in their fruitbodies. Because of a high content of fiber (mainly chitin) and low content of fat, they are a valuable element of an atherosclerosis diet. The fruitbodies of oyster mushrooms are an important source of biologically active substances, specific polysaccharides and polyphenols, which influence a human immune system, so that it fights against cancer cells. ß-D-glucans have an advantageous effect on digestive system, lower blood cholesterol and triglycerides level, decrease the risk of ischaemic heart disease. Active substances present in the mushrooms have antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory properties. Numerous scientific studies prove high efficiency of the therapy with the use of preparations and extracts from Pleurotus ostreatus mycelia, both in prophylaxis and cure of civilization diseases, atherosclerosis and cancer.