Estimation of nitrogen leaching load from agricultural fields in the Puck Commune with an interactive calculator.

Background: Nutrient leaching from agricultural fields is one of the main causes of pollution and eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. The quantity of nitrogen (N) leached from a particular field can be very different from the amount of N leached from other fields in a given region or even within a single farm. Therefore, it is necessary to estimate the quantity of N leached for each field separately.

The impact of pesticides used at the agricultural land of the Puck commune on the environment of the Puck Bay.

Background: The Puck commune is one of the largest agricultural regions in the Pomeranian Voivodship that due to the pollution of the coastal zone negatively affects the functioning of the Puck Bay, including health of its inhabitants, and causes decrease in tourism as well as in overall economic value of the region. The objective of the undertaken study was to assess the extent of risk to the environment posed by the pesticides used in agricultural production in the coastal area of the Puck commune.

Methods: The study focused on organochlorine insecticides (DDT and its metabolites: α, β, ϒ, δ-HCH, aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, isodrine), glyphosate and its metabolite AMPA, and 309 active substances used as pesticides.

Risk of phosphorus losses in surface runoff from agricultural land in the Baltic Commune of Puck in the light of assessment performed on the basis of DPS indicator.

Background: In order to counteract the eutrophication of waterways and reservoirs, a basic risk assessment of phosphorus (P) losses in the surface runoff from agricultural land should be included in water management plans. A new method has been developed to assess the risk of P losses by estimating the degree of P saturation (DPS) based on the P concentration of the water extract water-soluble P.

Methods: The risk of P losses in surface runoff from agricultural land in the Puck Commune on the Baltic Sea Coast was assessed with the DPS method.

Nutrient loss from three small-size watersheds in the southern Baltic Sea in relation to agricultural practices and policy.

Agriculture is the major contributor of waterborne nutrient fluxes into the Baltic Sea, one of the world's most eutrophication-sensitive areas. Poland, as a large, densely populated state ohf the Baltic Region, with dominating agricultural land use, largely contributes to riverborne loads of N and P. The aim of our study was to examine the input of nutrients from three small first-order agricultural watersheds (Bladzikowski Stream, Gizdepka river and Mrzezino canal) in the Pomerania region, into the Bay of Puck, inner part of the Gulf of Gdansk.

Nitrate leaching losses from two Baltic Sea catchments under scenarios of changes in land use, land management and climate.

Pollution with excess nutrients deteriorate the water quality of the Baltic Sea. The effect of combined land use and climate scenarios on nitrate leaching and nitrogen (N) loads to surface waters from two Baltic Sea catchments (Norsminde in Denmark and Kocinka in Poland) was explored using different models; the NLES and Daisy models for nitrate leaching, and MIKE SHE or MODFLOW/MT3DMS for N transport. Three Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP1, SSP2 and SSP5) defined change in land use and agricultural activities.

Trends in designing microbial silage quality by biotechnological methods using lactic acid bacteria inoculants: a minireview.

Ensiling is one of the best known method to preserve fodder. The forage before ensiling intended for silages usually contains a low number of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), so it is necessary to apply starter cultures of selected strains. Traditionally, LAB starter cultures were applied to lower the pH by producing lactic acid and to inhibit the growth of undesirable epiphytic microorganisms by competing for nutrients.

Genome-Wide Associations of Chlorophyll Fluorescence OJIP Transient Parameters Connected With Soil Drought Response in Barley.

One hundred and nine accessions of spring barley seedlings were phenotyped under soil drought conditions. Chlorophyll fluorescence induction (OJIP) parameters, leaf water content, relative turgidity, net assimilation rate ( ), and water use efficiency (WUE) of plants were measured. All the tested lines were genotyped by means of DArT sequencing (DArTseq) technology.

Impact of agricultural farms on the environment of the Puck Commune: Integrated agriculture calculator-CalcGosPuck.

Background: Leaching of nutrients from agricultural areas is the main cause of water pollution and eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. A variety of remedial actions to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus losses from agricultural holdings and cultivated fields have been taken in the past. However, knowledge about the risk of nutrient leaching has not yet reached many farmers operating in the water catchment area of the Baltic Sea.

Spectroscopy approach to methanol detection in waste fat methyl esters.

Second-generation biodiesel manufactured from waste cooking oils (WCO) and inedible animal fats (AF) are one of the alternatives to the first generation (1G) vegetable oil-based biodiesel. In this study, a quality control method is proposed to evaluate methanol content in waste fat methyl esters and is based on near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) combined with multivariate analysis. More specifically, calibration models are constructed using partial least squares regression (PLS) for the prediction of methanol content in rapeseed oil methyl ester (ROME), waste cooking oil methyl ester (WCOME), chicken fat methyl ester (CFME) and pork fat methyl ester (PFME) by Vis-NIR spectrometer.

How Kentucky bluegrass tolerate stress caused by sodium chloride used for road de-icing?

Salts used in road de-icing during winter season inhibit the growth and development of lawn grass species. The mechanism of plant tolerance/sensitivity to such treatments is still not clear. Moreover, there is a lack of fast and non-invasive tool to detect the effect of these salts on plants growth.

Monitoring of meteorological and hydrological droughts in the Vistula basin (Poland).

The article presents the course of meteorological droughts in Vistula subcatchments in years 1981-2010 and their influence on the occurrence of hydrological droughts. Using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) as an indicator of meteorological drought on the one hand and the Standardized Water-level Index (SWI) and Standardized Runoff Index (SRI) as indicators of hydrological drought on the other, the mutual relationships between precipitation conditions and hydrological conditions were evaluated, as well as the relationships between the two drought types. Studies were conducted for three cumulative periods of these indices, of 12, 24, and 48 months.

Functional Diversity of Nectary Structure and Nectar Composition in the Genus (Liliaceae).

is a genus consisting of 130 to 140 species of bulbous plants, native to temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Generally viewed as an insect pollinated genus with the exception of two North American species, and , which are described as hummingbird-pollinated and the Asian species, , described as passerine-pollinated. These pollinator shifts are possibly the result of adaptive changes to the structure and morphology of the nectary, as well as a change in the nectar concentration and composition.

Electromagnetic field pretreatment of Sinapis alba seeds improved cadmium phytoextraction.

It was hypothesized that electromagnetic field (EMF) pretreatment of white mustard (Sinapis alba L.) seeds could increase the accumulation of non-essential, pollutant heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd) in shoots. Seeds of white mustard were treated with either 60 or 120 mT of alternating EMF (50 Hz) for 1 minute and then grown in a Petri dish in the presence of Cd, in comparison to the control (seeds grown without EMF pretreatment).

Application of a diffusion model to measure ion leakage of resurrection plant leaves undergoing desiccation.

Haberlea rhodopensis is a chlorophyll-retaining resurrection plant, which can survive desiccation to air dry state under both low light and sunny environments. Maintaining the integrity of the membrane during dehydration of resurrection plants is extremely important. In the present study, the diffusion model was improved and used for a first time to evaluate the changes in ion leakage through different cellular compartments upon desiccation of H.

Chlorophyll fluorescence as a tool for nutrient status identification in rapeseed plants.

In natural conditions, plants growth and development depends on environmental conditions, including the availability of micro- and macroelements in the soil. Nutrient status should thus be examined not by establishing the effects of single nutrient deficiencies on the physiological state of the plant but by combinations of them. Differences in the nutrient content significantly affect the photochemical process of photosynthesis therefore playing a crucial role in plants growth and development.

Assessment of the technological reliability of a hybrid constructed wetland for wastewater treatment in a mountain eco-tourist farm in Poland.

The aim of the present study was to assess the technological reliability of a domestic hybrid wastewater treatment installation consisting of a classic three-chambered (volume 6 m) septic tank, a vertical flow trickling bed filled with granules of a calcinated clay material (KERAMZYT), a special wetland bed constructed on a slope, and a permeable pond used as a receiver. The test treatment plant was located at a mountain eco-tourist farm on the periphery of the spa municipality of Krynica-Zdrój, Poland. The plant's operational reliability in reducing the concentration of organic matter, measured as biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD), was 100% when modelled by both the Weibull and the lognormal distributions.

Challenges and priorities for modelling livestock health and pathogens in the context of climate change.

Climate change has the potential to impair livestock health, with consequences for animal welfare, productivity, greenhouse gas emissions, and human livelihoods and health. Modelling has an important role in assessing the impacts of climate change on livestock systems and the efficacy of potential adaptation strategies, to support decision making for more efficient, resilient and sustainable production. However, a coherent set of challenges and research priorities for modelling livestock health and pathogens under climate change has not previously been available.

Key challenges and priorities for modelling European grasslands under climate change.

Grassland-based ruminant production systems are integral to sustainable food production in Europe, converting plant materials indigestible to humans into nutritious food, while providing a range of environmental and cultural benefits. Climate change poses significant challenges for such systems, their productivity and the wider benefits they supply. In this context, grassland models have an important role in predicting and understanding the impacts of climate change on grassland systems, and assessing the efficacy of potential adaptation and mitigation strategies.

Determining the area of influence of depression cone in the vicinity of lignite mine by means of triangle method and LANDSAT TM/ETM+ satellite images.

Problems with lowering of water table are common all over the world. Intensive pumping of water from aquifers for consumption, irrigation, industrial or mining purposes often causes groundwater depletion and results in the formation of cone of depression. This can severely decrease water pressure, even over vast areas, and can create severe problems such as degradation of agriculture or natural environment sometimes depriving people and animals of water supply.

Seasonal changes in Sphagnum peatland testate amoeba communities along a hydrological gradient.

Testate amoebae are an abundant and functionally important group of protists in peatlands, but little is known about the seasonal patterns of their communities. We investigated the relationships between testate amoeba diversity and community structure and water table depth and light conditions (shading vs. insolation) in a Sphagnum peatland in Northern Poland (Linje mire) in spring and summer 2010.