Search

In this paper, an original analysis of the direct payment rate shaping mechanism - in terms of the process and from the perspective of game theory - has been carried out. The factors determining the direct payments rates were identified. The results of measuring the impact of these factors on payments rates fluctuations were presented. The territorial scope of the study is Poland. The time range covers the years 2016-2020. The objective scope of the analysis includes four direct support instruments. It was found that the rates of sectoral area payments vary to a greater extent than the rates of general payments due to fluctuations in the area approved for a payment. The findings of this study can be used to develop a method for predicting payments rates based on the analysis of the fundamental factors. The prediction of payments rates could be used to support decision-making processes in agricultural policy. Therefore, the research results involving the decomposition of payments rates are of significant practical value in addition to their cognitive significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this paper was to examine the causative link between Working Capital Management (WCM) and Return On Assets (ROA) in milk processing companies. Days Sales of Inventory (DSI), Days Sales Outstanding (DSO), Days Payable Outstanding (DPO) and the Cash Conversion Cycle (CCC) were used as WCM metrics. The study was based on micro-data for Polish dairy companies from 2008-2017, retrieved from the Emerging Markets Information Service (EMIS) database. Based on panel regression models, it was demonstrated that extending the DSI and CCC had an adverse effect on ROA, whereas extending the DSO and DPO had a beneficial impact on ROA in dairy companies. Such relationships were mostly characteristic of SMEs which form the largest group of businesses in Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to outline the relationship between income and assets when taking into account selected models of farms' functioning. The following farm models are examined: traditional, industrial, sustainable, and organic. Panel models were used that were based on the results of individual unpublished data for farms in Poland that undertook agricultural accounting according to the Farm Accounting Data Network (FADN) principles from 2004 to 2019. It was found that industrial farms had the clearest income-assets relationship, while traditional farms had the least clear relationship. The value of land, as a component of assets, was found to weaken the income-assets relationship. In consequence, the value of assets increased faster than income. Thus, the farmers are becoming wealthier in terms of the value of their assets, but this is not reflected in their income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most studies of agroforestry system biodiversity focus on assessing visible, aboveground biodiversity, largely ignoring soil biodiversity. To fill this gap, a preliminary assessment of soil biodiversity in an agroforestry system was undertaken based on changes in soil enzyme activity. The study was conducted in the village of Maziarnia, Lubelskie Voivodeship, Poland, Europe. Arable fields with spring wheat, mid-field trees and perennial mixed forest were selected for the study. Soil material for physicochemical analyses (pHH2O, pHKCl, sorption properties, total carbon and total nitrogen) and biochemical analyses (activity of acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, urease and dehydrogenases) was collected in the spring and autumn of 2022. The present study showed that the biochemical properties of the soils of the selected study sites varied depending on the type of ecosystem determining habitat conditions. Each ecosystem that makes up the agroforestry system studied is characterised by a distinctive microbiome composition and its own level of enzymatic activity. The obtained results support the thesis that agroforestry systems significantly increase the functional diversity and overall biodiversity of agricultural landscapes. However, a full, objective characterisation of the processes taking place in agroforestry systems requires long-term monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in the retail prices of pasteurised milk, purchase prices, and the price relationship between retail prices for pasteurised milk and other food products are analysed for Poland during the period from 2004-2018. In addition, the paper presents factors affecting changes in milk prices in Poland and characterises the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) on the milk market. The adoption of a long period of analysis allows for the study of periods of both high and low variability. The data analysis uses various methods including the Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) test and the Autoregressive-Moving-Average Model (ARMA). The milk market showed significant response because it was one of the few that was strongly administered by the European Union. These policies led to a significant increase in milk prices in the analysed period. The average price of pasteurised food milk increased by 63% in 2003-2015, and the purchase farm price of milk increased by 91.74%. The situation changed when the production limits were eliminated after 2015. In the initial period after quotas ended, the price of milk decreased and then increased. Similar changes were observed in other EU countries. Even short-term fluctuations associated with economic crises did not significantly affect the milk market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the spatial differentiation of particulates emission resulting from agricultural production in Poland. Some indicators of emission have been verified and adjusted to the Polish conditions. The paper estimates PM2.5 (particulate matter, aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 µm) and PM10 (particulate matter, aerodynamic diameter less than 10 µm) emission resulting from agricultural production and agricultural soil. The findings of the research conducted by the Institute of Ecology of Industrial Areas in Katowice in cooperation with the Institute for Chemical Processing of Coal in Zabrze were the main source of those alterations. Data concerning particular sources of emission also come from the information provided by the Central Statistical Office in Warsaw, the Bank of Local Data 2017. The estimation of PM2.5 and PM10 emission was conducted based on the structure of sources of emission resulting from agriculture contained in "EMEP/EEA Emission Inventory Guidebook" in accordance with the Tier 2 method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With development of the market economy, the views concerning the importance of ethical norms in business activity are developing. Ethical orientation in economics, has been popularized for several decades by e.g. French centre "Economie et Humanisme" 1, established by a renowned Dominican, L.J. Lebret. Tourism, including rural tourism, represents an economic activity which has its specific ethical dimension. The goals of this paper are to characterize the basic values that are voluntarily accepted and used in tourism in rural areas in Poland and to identify the ethical norms that guarantee the realization of these values. The authors adopted the basic values-goals that should be recommended in rural tourism. They also formulated specific professional and ethical norms that support realization of the values, which include: humanity and standards for realizing the principle of humanity; the cultural and material conditions of living in rural areas; economic activity, including tourist activity that improves rural living conditions; innovative attitudes towards modernization and improving the quality of rural tourist services; and values that support the development of sustainable tourism in rural areas. The theoretical investigations concerning axiological problems were supplemented with the results obtained from a national-level empirical survey that was conducted in rural areas in Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study’s main objective is to determine the predisposition and challenges of agriculture to provide environmental public goods to society in areas particularly facing natural or other specific constraints (ANCs) established within their current delimitation in Poland. Its organisational features, economic situation, and the degree of interest in measures specifically serving the protection of the natural environment under the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) EU were indicated. Statistically significant factors determined farmers’ willingness to participate in these measures. It turned out that farms from ANCs communes with particularly difficult conditions significantly contribute to the total production potential of agriculture in Poland. However, compared to farms with better natural conditions, they are characterised by a lower income per 1 ha of utilised agriculture area (UAA) and a higher share of subsidies, including those for participation in environmental measures, which were implemented to a greater extent. Based on the logistic regression model, it was found that in ANCs communes with particularly difficult conditions, the most important factor of farmers’ greater willingness to implement environmental measures was their higher level of education. On the other hand, this inclination was negatively affected by the higher income adjusted for operating subsidies per 1 ha of UAA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Colorado potato beetle (CPB) and the western corn rootworm (WCR) are among the world's most expansive insect pests. The aim of the study was to assess, for the first time in Poland, the levels of susceptibility to deltamethrin and tau-fluvalinate in the WCR and to determine the current status of susceptibility to those active substances in the CPB. In addition, the role of oxidative metabolism in the detoxification of pyrethroids was determined using piperonyl butoxide (PBO). The study found pyrethroid resistance in the CPB populations. The WCR populations exhibited "high susceptibility", "susceptibility", "low resistance" and "medium resistance" to the pyrethroids tested. Experiments using PBO showed that oxidative enzymes are involved in the deltamethrin detoxification mechanism in the CPB, although the effectiveness of this mechanism in Poland is decreasing. PBO was found to be highly toxic to the WCR populations. The findings from this study should be taken into account when developing a strategy to prevent the development of resistance in the pest species. The results for the toxicity of PBO to Polish WCR populations demonstrated that the enzymes inhibited by PBO are involved in important metabolic processes, which should be considered when developing innovative control methods for this pest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mercury belongs among the highly hazardous substances present in the environment and represents a great health risk for many animals including predatory and piscivorous birds. The aim of this study was to assess the total mercury content in the main detoxifying organs (liver and kidney) and in the muscles of adult great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) caught at two localities (the Krogulna ponds and the Nysa Kłodzka River) in southern Poland. The aim was to compare the locality with the iron ore mining history (the Krogulna ponds) with a site without such load (the Nysa Kłodzka River). The total mercury content in the great cormorants decreases as follows: kidneys > liver > muscle in both monitored localities and significantly differs between the localities. The average mercury content varied from 0.58 ± 0.38 mg/kg (muscle) to 1.39 ± 1.42 mg/kg (kidney) in the cormorant from the Krogulna ponds and from 1.09 ± 0.40 mg/kg (muscle) to 3.12 ± 1.55 mg/kg (kidney) in the cormorant from the Nysa Kłodzka River. The accumulation of mercury does not correlate with the mining history as it was higher at the Nysa Kłodzka River, but it is probably influenced by the different fish stocks in these two localities (omnivorous fish in the Krogulna ponds versus predatory fish in the Nysa Kłodzka River). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding buying behaviour for sustainable products is important for food producers and distributors. This study aims to examine the effect of knowledge of the product, interest in sustainability, and characteristics of consumers on the frequency of buying sustainably produced butter using the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) model. In this study, two different types of butter were used, one produced by a well-known brand and the other by a less--known dairy. Data were collected through a structured online survey of 825 respondents from Poland. The research found that knowledge about the product and the sustainability-related product attributes does not positively influence the frequency of purchasing sustainable butter. The results indicate that consumers living in smaller towns, having higher incomes and smaller households, are more frequent buyers of sustainably produced butter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competitiveness is one of the key concepts in economic sciences, andit is defined as the ability of businesses to compete in the market. The aim of this study was to assess the competitiveness of dairy products in Poland. The competitiveness was evaluated in a macroeconomic approach by analysing the exports, imports, and the trade balance. The results were processed and presented with the use of tabular, graphic, and descriptive methods. After Poland joined the European Union (EU) in 2004, one of the key goals was to improve the quality, storage, and applicability of dairy products, and to promote trade in milk and dairy products. The Polish dairy industry reported a positive balance in the foreign trade of milk and dairy products, which contributed to positive values in the competitiveness indicators of dairy products. The values of the export specialisation index (SI), export revealed comparative advantage (XRCA), relative import penetration index (MRCA), foreign trade coverage ratio (CRK), and the Grubel-Lloyd intra-industry trade index (IITk) were positive, which attests to the competitiveness of Polish dairy products. We proved that the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on the competitiveness of dairy enterprises in Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we determined the phosphorus (P) concentration in precipitation, and calculated the annual P deposition rate at three study sites located in northern Poland. We observed that the mean annual volume-weighted concentration of mineral phosphorus (Pmin) in wet deposition varies from site to site. The estimated annual wet deposition rate of Pmin in the study region amounted from 0.1 to 0.39 kg/ha. The concentration and deposition rate of Pmin in the southern part of the study region was significantly lower than that in the northern and central part. We detected that the Pmin deposition was strongly positively correlated with the fraction of arable land in the study site vicinity, and also positively correlated with the mineral P fertilizer consumption in the area. The mean annual volume-weighted concentration of Pmin in wet deposition varied from 0.015 mg/l in the area of the lowest arable land percentage and the lowest mineral fertilizer consumption, to 0.046 mg/l in the area where the arable lands comprise 84% of agricultural land, and mineral P fertilizer consumption exceeded 33 kg/ha. In the P soil surface balance the atmospheric wet deposition represents 2.1-5.6% of annual total inputs of total P. The level of atmospheric P input varies widely by catchment and is related to land use (fertilizing, intensity and type of crop production). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to changes in the climate and the existence of a wide range of Asparagus officinalis L. cultivars, it is necessary to identify their suitability for cultivation in Poland and investigate their susceptibility to infection by the most common pathogens. The identification of the species composition of fungi of the Fusarium genus found in green spears of edible A. officinalis cultivars and the factors contributing to their occurrence will enable the effective protec)tion of these crops. The study was conducted on seven A. officinalis cultivars bred in different countries, which were dioecious cultivars with male and female specimens: ‘Ariane’ (Germany), ‘Cipres’ (France), ‘Eposs’ (Germany), as well as cultivars with male specimens only: ‘Andreas’ (France), ‘Gynlim’, ‘Grolim’ (Netherlands), and ‘Hannibal’ (Germany). The analysis of the composition of the fungi isolated from the green A. officinalis spears showed that most of the isolates belonged to the Fusarium genus (F. culmorum Wm.G. Sm., F. equiseti (Corda) Sacc., F. oxysporum Schltdl., F. proliferatum (Matsush.) Nirenberg ex Gerlach & Nirenberg, F. solani (Mart.) Sacc., and F. fujikuroi Nirenberg). Other fungal species (Alternaria, Botrytis, Cladosporium, Penicillium, and Stemphylium) were rarely isolated. The majority of the Fusarium genus isolates came from the spears of the ‘Ariane’ and ‘Eposs’ cultivars showing disease symptoms and from the spears of the ‘Grolim’ cultivar without showing disease symptoms. The fungi of the Fusarium genus colonised both the spears with and without disease symptoms, but there were always more isolates on the ones with disease symptoms. Fungi of the Fusarium genus occurred more often in the epidermis than in the parenchyma. F. oxysporum was the dominant fungus in the A. officinalis spears under analysis. The number of fungi isolates of the Fusarium genus collected from the green A. officinalis spears tended to increase at the consecutive harvest dates, which means that the spears harvested at the latest date (late June) were the most heavily colonised by fungi. All of the fungi isolates of the Fusarium genus collected from the spears exhibited pathogenicity against A. officinalis plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cooperative movement in Poland has a long but difficult history, which has caused farmers to have an aversion to cooperatives. Nonetheless, in the early 1990s, the first farmers' cooperative marketing organizations, which were called agricultural producer groups, appeared in the market. These groups are bottom-up, voluntary organizations the primary purpose of which is to jointly sell their members' output. In this paper, it is investigated why the new forms of governance, namely cooperative arrangements, were chosen, and we evaluate the implications of these choices on the market success of these groups. Empirical data were collected from 62 producer groups in one Polish province. We found that the groups were typically functioning as associations, unions, and limited liability companies. The factors that had an impact on the choices made were the number of members and the specific investment per member. Additionally, if the initial investment level was low, not only set-up and operational costs but also tax considerations played a role in the decision. Therefore, we argue that the new bottom-up cooperatives, which are theoretically suitable when the start-up capital is high or the number of members is large, will gradually be recognized and accepted in the market despite the fact that these cooperatives have a "bad reputation" caused by the socialist legacy. The new cooperative development trend confirms this argument. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viniculture in colder countries requires the use of rootstocks adapted to the climatic and soil conditions, which influence the essential characteristics of the vine yield in terms of the physiological and morphological features. The current study was carried out in 2015--2018 in southern Poland to examine the impact of the '5BB', '125AA', '101-14M', 'SO4' and 'Börner' rootstocks on the growth, yield and fruit quality of three grape varieties: 'Seyval Blanc', 'Johanniter' and 'Solaris'. The following biometric parameters were compared: the increment in the trunk cross-sectional area, number of inflorescences on the vine, total yield, mean weight of a cluster and chemical parameters, such as the total soluble solid (TSS) content and grape titratable acidity (TA). The cluster weight of the individual varieties was also assessed in eight categories by weight (0-700 g). The results showed that 'Solaris' and 'Johanniter' grafted onto 'Börner' and 'Seyval Blanc' onto '5BB' had significantly increased trunk diameters. For the 'Solaris' cultivar, the 'Börner' rootstock increased the TSS volume by 8.2%. In the 'Seyval Blanc' cultivar, '125AA' and 'Börner' reduced the TSS content and increased the content of TA in the berries. In the 'Johanniter' cultivar, the 'Börner' rootstock led to an increase in the TSS content with a concomitant increase in the TA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The apple ermine moth (Yponomeuta malinellus Zeller) is an economically important pest of apple trees and apple orchards. It is also a pest of ornamental trees and shrubs in urban habitats. The aim of our study was to determine the degree of parasitisation of the apple ermine moth pupae collected from the common hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna Jacquin) in the allotment gardens in Poznań, Poland, by parasitoids from the Ichneumonidae family, to determine parasitoid species and the dates when they start flying. Judged from the parasitisation of pupae, the parasitoids reduced the apple ermine moth population by 9.1% over the period 2014-2016. The apple ermine moth pupae were parasitised by the following six parasitoid species: Gelis areator (Panzer), Herpestomus brunnicornis (Gravenhorst), Itoplectis alternans (Gravenhorst), I. maculator (Fabricius), I. tunetana (Schmiedeknecht), and Pimpla turionushtana (Linnaeus). The most effective entomophages H. brunnicornis and I. tunetana reduced the apple ermine moth population by 3.2% and 2.7%, respectively. Our results suggest that the apple ermine population in urban allotment gardens exposed to heavy anthropogenic pressure can be reduced by parasitoids of the Ichneumonidae family. The degree of parasitisation of the moth in this particular urban habitat may be comparable to the degree of its parasitisation in orchards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the agri-food export dynamics in the New Member States and the Old Member States of the European Union during the enlargement process. The analysis relies on two different approaches based on the similarity and the sophistication indices of exported goods using a disaggregation at 95 items. The analysis shows that different and somehow divergent paths are in place. On the one side, the Czech Republic and Poland are involved in a quality catching up process and increase their competitiveness. On the other side, Bulgaria and Romania seem to be still trapped in the low-quality segment of the agri-food market with a decreasing competitiveness performance in the richest segment of the European market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV) is a serious and widespread pathogen in the wheat-producing areas in the USA while, in Europe, it has been considered a minor threat to cereal crops. In the past, WSMV was detected in wheat, triticale and maize plants in Poland by DAS-ELISA. Here, we present the biological and molecular characterisation of WSMV-Sze and WSMV-Sosn isolates collected from western and southern Poland and report their transmissibility by the widespread wheat curl mite (WCM) lineage MT-8. The performed bioassays revealed that the analysed WSMV isolates infect wheat, barley, triticale, rye, oat and maize, but they differ in the symptoms induced on the infected plants. Moreover, they infect Bromus hordeaceus Linnaeus, which is increasingly recognised as a virus reservoir. The full-length genome sequence of both isolates was obtained and compared with the others described to date. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that the Polish isolates are clustered with the earlier described type B isolates of WSMV from Europe and Iran. The recombination analysis revealed the presence of recombinant variants in WSMV population and indicated that the WSMV-Sosn might originated from the intra-species recombination of the WSMV-Sze and WSMV-Cz isolates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of 29 520 animals, from 164 batches of pigs belonging to an identical number of herds, were involved in the study. The considered population of pigs were limited to the region of north-eastern Poland involving six voivodeships. From each herd, samples of blood were collected to evaluate the antibody titres to Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, Aujeszky's disease virus and swine influenza virus. At an abattoir, the lung lesions of each batch were scored and the enzootic pneumonia-like lesion average value was calculated. Lesions, indicative of enzootic pneumonia, were found in 57.8% of the lungs. For all lungs, the enzootic pneumonia-like lesion average value was 1.74, ranging from 0.42 to 3.56 among the 164 batches. In the examined pig population, 57.8% were considered suffering from swine respiratory disease, the majority of the affected pigs came from the Podlaskie (21.7%) and Greater Poland (17.25%) voivodeships. In the most affected voivodeships, 88.37% and 85.16% of the farms were considered as disease-susceptible for Greater Poland and Podlaskie, respectively. The findings indicate that, in pigs in north-eastern Poland, the major pathogens causing pneumonia-like lesions are Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (68.9%) and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (44%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decade, the pig sector in Slovakia has been changing continuously, especially in regard to the proportion of pigs coming from foreign breeding programs. These changes lead to changes in carcass characteristics and to a change in the distribution of carcasses within the classes of the Union scale for the classification of pig carcasses. Therefore, this study was undertaken to analyse the actual state of pig carcass classification in the Slovak Republic and to investigate the needs of updating the equations for the classification methods and possible steps to improve the quality of pork produced within the country. Results showed that an increased number of pig carcasses originated from Danish breeding program, and also from the Czech Republic and Poland. When compared to carcasses in 2009, these changes resulted in lower backfat thickness and higher muscle thickness of the longissimus dorsi muscle and thus higher lean meat content of carcasses. This results in a higher number of carcasses classified in the S and E classes. Slight differences between two instrumental classification methods were calculated. The study showed the need for updating the equations for classification methods, and also suggested possible further steps in order to improve the quality of pork. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to examine the contents of nitrates and nitrites in raw beef coming from cattle of the Polish Holstein-Friesian breed, black-and-white type, originating from different parts of Poland. The research material comprised semitendinosus and longissimus thoracis muscles obtained from 176 heads of cattle. The content of nitrites in the examined muscles ranged from 0.6 to 13.3 mg kg-1 in rump muscles and from 0.8 to 13.7 mg kg-1 in muscles of the back. The most samples were characterised by the presence of nitrites in the range from 1 to 5 mg kg-1, and the least samples from 11 to 14 mg kg-1. The contents of nitrates were significantly higher, ranging from 10.2 to 73.5 mg kg-1 in the semitendinosus muscle and from 10.4 to 74.3 mg kg-1 in the thoracis longissimus muscle. Such and higher level of contamination may be the cause of meat discolouration after heat treatment despite the absence of curing ingredients. It is necessary to continuously monitor the concentration of nitrates in raw materials, water and feed to ensure the complete safety of food of animal origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Milk and dairy products help meet the nutritional needs of the population. The main goal of this research was to analyse price volatility of milk and dairy products in Poland after accession to the European Union (EU). Price is the main economic influencer. We used 161 monthly observations from 01. 2007 to 05. 2020 to analyse the price changes. To measure the volatility, we have used Augmented Dickey-Fuller test (ADF test), Autoregressive-Moving-Average model (ARMA model), and Granger test. Our research confirmed high volatility of milk and dairy products prices. The ARMA model confirmed that the dairy product prices are stationary. Milk, butter and Gouda cheese are also useful for forecasting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subcutaneous dirofilariasis is a disease in animals caused by invasions of nematodes, most often of the following species: Dirofilaria repens, D. tenuis, and D. striata transmitted by mosquitoes. Until recently, D. repens was endemic to the Mediterranean countries in Europe, but, in recent years, it has also been increasingly reported in Central and Eastern Europe. Cytological preparations collected by a fine-needle aspiration biopsy from nodular lesions located in the subcutis and skin of dogs were used to diagnose suspected proliferative lesions of a cancerous or inflammatory nature. The microscopic examination of the delivered cytological preparations revealed erythrocytes (very numerous), neutrophils and eosinophils (quite numerous), macrophages (single), and whole and/or damaged fragments of microfilariae of Dirofilaria sp. in various numbers. It should be noted that the described infection of Dirofilaria repens in Poland and other countries of this latitude will be an increasingly common pathology in dogs. Due to the mosquitoes transmitting the microfilariae, it is a zoonosis that is an increasingly frequent and a more serious threat to humans. In the differential diagnosis of various types of skin and subcutis lesions of unknown aetiology, dirofilariasis should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the effect of planting density and row spacing on the growth, development and yield of soybean, cv. Merlin, under very diversified thermal and humidity conditions in the north-central part of Poland. The field experiment was performed in 2016-2019. Three planting densities were applied (70, 90 and 110 seeds per 1 m2) with two row spacing (16 and 32 cm), in 4 replications. Under good humidity and thermal conditions in 2016 and 2017, the yield of seeds and protein in soybean was 3.3 times higher than if exposed to extreme drought and accompanying high air temperatures in 2018 and 2019. The highly diversified thermal and humidity conditions also contributed to a significant decrease in the effect of the factors applied on the structural yield components, leaf area index and dry matter of nodules. As a result, no need of increasing soybean density was observed; along with row spacing, it should be chosen according to the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study reports on research results obtained in the years 2014-2015 on two sugar beet production plantations in Central Poland. The purpose of any production is to obtain homogeneous canopy with the plants of demanded morphological and qualitative traits. The aim of the research was the assessment of the range and scale of plant variability in sugar beet canopy and impact of investigated plant and canopy traits (number of days from sowing to emergence, development stage of plants in the juvenile period, the plant living area, the location centrality index) to the final root mass at harvest time. Variability of investigated plant and canopy traits was evaluated using the variation coefficient, while the impact of these traits on the final root mass was assessed using the analysis of multiple linear regression. The obtained results show that sugar beet canopy reveals large, within-field variability in the investigated traits. The established relationship between final root mass during harvest and the canopy traits indicates that to obtain a large final root mass of individual plants during harvest, the most important is fast and even plant emergence, as well as the rapid development of plants in the juvenile period. At both production plantations, the impact of the living area of individual plants on the final mass of their roots was significant. However, no significant effect of the location centrality index on plant living area and the final root mass was found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current ecological trends for production of forage for livestock indicate a need for small usage of fertilisers while increasing productivity. The study aimed to assess yield and interactions of selected Lolium and Festulolium species grown in mixtures with Trifolium repens and fertilised with NS, regarding mutual interactions based on available indicators. A two-year field study (2016-2017) was carried out in southern Poland and the research objects were designed on degraded chernozems. The highest yield was observed for mixtures: L. multiflorum + T. repens and L. × boucheanum + T. repens sown in the proportion 50 : 50, fertilised with N50S15. The mean dry matter yield was higher in the 1st year of the study, in all variants of fertilisation and types of mixtures. The land equivalent ratio differed for species in individual objects, for individual cuts and study years, and was most often higher than 1.0, which points to a positive interference between species in mixtures. Also, the competitive ratio index was often higher than 1.0, which means that grass species were more competitive than white clover. However, in the second year of study T. repens was dominant in multiple objects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2016-2018, in north-western Poland, field studies were carried out on the coexistence of various taxonomic groups, such as soil nematodes and fungi, including beneficial species that comprise the environment's natural resistance to pests in agrocenoses. The research aimed to find a connection between select biotic and abiotic factors in the chosen crops which could have practical applications in plant protection. Entomopathogenic nematodes Steinernema feltiae Filipiev, 1934 and entomopathogenic fungi Cordyceps fumosorosea and Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschn.) Sorokin were found to be present in all studied agrocenoses; however, they showed clear preferences for some types of crops or soil. The research shows that the effectiveness of the biological methods of plant protection depends on the selection of the right biopreparations, which strengthen the local populations of the beneficial organisms present in specific agriculture areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although entomophagy as a diet has been known since the dawn of humanity, it is still considered a novelty to the European market and consumers. This study was performed to evaluate the acceptance of a trend promoted by the FAO diet regarding selected young Polish consumers and it presents the results of a survey conducted among them. The primary goal of this study was to assess the acceptance of new edible insect products with mealworms Tenebrio molitor L. and house crickets Acheta domesticus L. These products were prepared in the form of four different types of bars; one without insects, one with whole mealworms, one with ground mealworms and one with ground crickets. According to consumers, the worst bars were the ones which contained the whole mealworms. Additionally, the main problems with accepting this product were caused by the colour of the ground crickets and visible whole pieces of the insects in the edible bars. The study proved that the acceptance of insect bars as food depends on the tastiness and smell. The acceptance of bars also depends on variants. The basic bar had the highest acceptance rate, while the bar with whole mealworms had the lowest one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this study is to verify the causative link between inventory performance and profitability of food companies. This was done using the panel data methodology at the level of Polish food industry sub-sectors. The study takes account of the inventory mix, which includes the stocks of raw and other materials, work-in-progress, finished products and commodities. As shown by the analysis, the 2005-2017 period witnessed a decline in the share of inventories in total assets and in current assets. That trend was accompanied by an improvement in inventory management efficiency. The study also found that the days sales of inventory for total stocks clearly tends to become shorter due to a reduction in the days in inventory ratio for materials and finished products. Based on panel regression models, this study demonstrated that an improvement in inventory management efficiency is positively correlated with financial performance, measured as the return on operating assets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this experiment was to compare selected types and varieties of tomatoes ('Beef-red', 'Beef-orange', 'Olmeca', 'Malinowy', 'Cherry-red', 'Cherry-mini malina', 'Cherry-orange', 'Papryczkowy') by examining their chemical composition and identifying the selected physical properties. The research material consisted of tomato fruit purchased on the regional market (Warmia and Mazury voivodeship, Poland) from one producer. An analysis of colour and texture measurement was performed. Moreover, the total dry matter content, total extract, total acidity, pH value, pectin content, total carotenoids and phenolic compounds, as well as DPPH scavenging activity were determined. The analyses showed that the investigated tomatoes were varied in terms of physical properties and chemical composition. Small- -fruited tomatoes were characterized by lower hardness and firmness compared to medium and large tomatoes. Besides they contained significantly more total polyphenols and carotenoids (except for 'Cherry-mini malina'), therefore they have been recognized as an attractive source of health-promoting ingredients for the consumer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A reliable tuber yield prognosis requires a complex statistical analysis of potato nutritional status in the fully developed 4th leaf at the onset of tuberisation. This hypothesis was validated in the series of field experiments conducted in 2006-2008 in Poland. The experimental design was composed of two nitrogen (N) rates (60, 120 kg/ha), two N fertilisers (Urea and Agrotain), two rates of sulfur (0, 50 kg/ha). The marketable tuber yield of cv. Zeus ranged from 31.3 to 59.3 t/ha in 2008 and 2006, respectively. Despite annual variability, the potato presented a good nutritional status. In 2008, the contents of N, Mg, Cu and Zn were about 33% lower as compared to 2006. The stepwise and path analyses indicated N, Mg and Cu as the key yield-limiting nutrients. The diagnosis and recommendation integrated system (DRIS) showed that a slight imbalance of N and Mg did not disturb tuber yield, provided a positive balance of K was maintained. The Mg index, as a result of the DRIS procedure, emerged as the best single predictor of potato yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the data of the Central Statistical Office, there has been an increase in forest cover in Poland from 27.8% to 29.6% over the last 25 years. This increase contributed to an increase in the possibility of wood obtaining and processing for energy purposes. The aim of the study was to analyse the efficiency of a chipping machine manufactured by the American Company Bandit Industries (Bandit 990XP chipper) based on the working day chronometer. The study was carried out in specific conditions related to the place of the chipper application because the machine was used to process the material obtained from standing trees in the framework of park maintenance. As it was shown during the analysed working day, the effective capacity W1 in the work cycle of the Bandit 990XP machine was 9.2 m³·h-1 chips. Specific working conditions made it impossible to organize the work smoothly. Ongoing obtaining of the material for chipping from standing trees resulted in low productivity during the exploitation time of the shift W08 on the level of 1.3 m³·h-1 chips. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presented paper covers the preliminary studies on microwave inactivation of honey enzymes described as diastase number (DN). All the investigations were done on commercially available honey from Polish local market. Microwave processes were compared to the conventional ones. In the case of conventional conditions, the constant rate of diastase enzyme inactivation was estimated using the first order kinetics. In the case of microwave heated samples, it was impossible to establish the rate constant; however, the investigation proved the suitability of such kind of processing for short-term thermal treatment of honey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fallow deer (Dama dama) are the most common breeding species among farmed cervids in Poland. Monitoring the animals' health, nutritional status, and welfare are highly important aspects in their breeding. Haematological variables are important indicators for comparing the physiological status of the animals and for monitoring the changes in the organism related to the adaptation to the breeding conditions. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the day's length and the total protein content in the diet for the farmed fallow deer on the selected haematological variables. The study demonstrated a significant decline in the mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and an increase of the mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) (P < 0.05) in all the animals after the winter period. However, the animal group exposed to prolonged daylight exhibited a significant increase in the platelet distribution width (PDW) and platelet large cell ratio (P-LCR) (P < 0.05). In turn, the group receiving a lower amount of protein in the diet was characterised by a significant reduction in the platelet count (PLT) (P < 0.05). Thus, the length of daylight and the protein content of the diet for fallow deer exert a significant impact on several haematological characteristics, which may serve as indicators of an animal's nutritional status and welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study covered 6 sites located in the Vistula glaciation area in north-western Poland, where the Holocene calcareous (gyttja) deposits occur. Three types of such calcareous deposits were isolated: marly (groundwater calcretes) (CaCO3 > 80%, loss of ignition < 20%, non-carbonate fractions < 20%), calcareous gyttja (CaCO3 50-80%, loss of ignition < 40%, non-carbonate fractions < 40%), and clay calcareous gyttja (CaCO3 20-50%, loss of ignition < 30%, non-carbonate fractions < 60%). The content of major and trace elements was determined in different horizons. Several parameters of Holocene calcareous deposits were determined, namely carbonate status, total organic carbon, non-carbonate mineral fractions and several major and minor components. Close correlations between CaCO3 and Ca, Mg contents, between non-carbonate fraction and K, Zn and Cu contents, as well as between ignition loss and Zn and Cu contents were observed in the sediments. The sediments exhibit vertical variability which relates to the genesis of sediments and soils. The highest content of macroelements was recorded in the uppermost layers for Ca, Mg, Na, and Mn and for microelements (trace elements) in bottom layers for S, P, K, Fe, Zn, Cu, Pb, and Ni. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agribusiness is the biggest production sector in the European Union taking into account both the value of turnover and the creation of added value as well as employment size. In this context, the food industry deserves a special distinction. In the publication, the analyses of the food industry competitiveness in Poland are presented. For analysing and assessing competitiveness of the Polish food industry, the following factors were used: the orientation of export (OE), covering of import by export (TC), the import penetration (MP) and the revealed comparative advantages according to the Balassa (RCA) and Lafay (LFI). The study also presents the findings of empirical research on an innovative character of the food industry in Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main aim of the study was to analyse changes in the work profitability in the agricultural sector in the Czech Republic and Poland in the post-accession period. The study used the Economic Accounts for Agriculture, which enabled the analysis of the economic situation in agriculture according to the uniform standards. The study was based on a system of work profitability indexes and factor analysis. The research proved that during the post-accession period (2004-2014), in the average work profitability in agriculture increased in the real terms by 6.69% per annum in the Czech Republic and by 5.66% per annum in Poland. As results from the factor analysis, favourable changes in the work profitability in the agricultural sector in the Czech Republic were chiefly caused by an increase in subsidies, a higher productivity and depreciation costs. On the other hand, the increased productivity and subsidies were the main causes of favourable changes in the work profitability in the agricultural sector in Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Th e article investigates the role of natural conditions in the development of the qualified form of rural tourism, which the authors define as qualified agritourism. Th e research hypothesis assumes that rural space, which is characterized by high natural conditions, complemented in sporting infrastructure, can support the development of qualified agritourism. Th e empirical survey examines the relationship between the sightseeing and natural conditions and the conditions for physical recreation occurring on agritourism farms in Poland. Further, the fi ndings suggest that, in the opinion of the hosts and guests of agritourism farms, undertaking of physical recreational activity and its intensity are influenced by the favourable sightseeing and natural conditions, the number of off ered forms of physical recreation and the availability of sports equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was aimed at investigating the resistance to antimicrobial agents and to assess the predominant molecular mechanisms of fluoroquinolone resistance in faecal E. coli strains isolated from chickens farmed in central Poland. Bacterial strains were isolated from faecal samples of chickens reared on four conventional and one organic farm. The disk-diffusion method was applied to assess antimicrobial resistance and the prevalence of particular resistance mechanisms to fluoroquinolones was determined using specific polymerase chain reactions and sequencing of the gyrA and parC genes. Rep-PCR was used to determine the intra-specific variation of E. coli strains. The greatest resistance was observed for ß-lactams (e.g. from 25 to 100% of strains resistant to amoxicillin/ clavulanate) and the smallest - for cephalotin (0 to 18.75% resistant strains). Three out of four conventional farms were characterised by very high resistance rates, particularly to enrofloxacin (from 87 to 93.3% of resistant isolates). The majority of multidrug-resistant strains were also isolated from these farms. The presence of plasmidmediated quinolone resistance genes (qnrB and qnrS) was detected very frequently, even in strains that exhibited phenotypic susceptibility to fluoroquinolones. With respect to point mutations in quinolone resistance determining regions, Ser-83 substitution was observed in numerous strains. Some of the fluoroquinolone-resistant strains appeared to possess both qnr genes coupled with point mutations, which indicates that a high level of resistance can be affected by multiple factors. Nevertheless, excessive use of antimicrobial agents in food-producing animals decreases the susceptibility of commensal strains, even those that never had contact with antibiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Vistula is the longest river in Poland. It stretches from the Silesian Beskids to the Gulf of Gdańsk. Water from the Vistula is the source of drinking water for many cities and is used in industry, and therefore its quality and microbiological purity is an important issue. The quality of water in the Vistula depends, among others, on the quality of water in its basin. The aim of this study is to assess microbiological hazard to the Vistula waters from its tributaries in the vicinity of Kraków. The analyses were carried out on 10 tributaries of the Vistula: Prądnik, Dłubnia, Drwina Długa, Drwinka, Raba, Uszewka, Szreniawa, Uszwica, Kisielina, and Dunajec. The examinations were carried out in four series, from May 2012 to March 2013. The numbers of coliforms, faecal coliforms, Enterococcusfaecalis, and sulphate reducing Clostridium were determined using the membrane filtration method, while the serial dilutions method was used to determine the numbers of mesophilic and psychrophilic bacteria, Staphylococcus and Salmonella. There was a large variation in the number of microorganisms in the examined watercourses, however in most cases the water could be classified as clean, whereas waters of the Vistula in the vicinity of Kraków are microbiologically contaminated. Thus, the examined watercourses do not pose a serious threat to the quality of the Vistula. Among the analyzed tributaries, the waters of the Prądnik were characterized by the worst sanitary condition, while the best microbiological quality was observed in the Dunajec. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was conducted to investigate the presence of Campylobacter spp. in meat sold to consumers at a retail market in Poland. Antimicrobial resistance and the presence of putative virulence genes of the isolates were also examined. A total of 558 meat samples, including beef (n = 105), pork (n = 85), and poultry (n = 368) were collected over an almost three year study period. It was found that 321 samples, all of them originating from poultry, were contaminated with Campylobacter spp. Most of the obtained isolates were classified as C. coli (189 strains, 58.9%), whereas C. jejuni was identiied in 132 (41.1%) samples. All Campylobacter strains were susceptible to gentamicin and all but one C. coli isolate to erythromycin. On the other hand, the highest level of resistance among Campylo-bacter tested was to ciproloxacin (91% for C. jejuni and 86.1% for C. coli) and nalidixic acid (89.3% for C. jejuni and 85% for C. coli). Furthermore, resistance to two or more classes of antibiotics was found in the majority (60.9%) of Campylobacter spp. and among them one C. coli strain showed resistance to four different classes of antimicrobials. Identification of virulence genes in the isolated Campylobacter showed that all of them had the flaA and cadF genes. The iam marker was found more often in C. coli strains (88.8%) compared to C. jejuni isolates (53.8%). On the other hand, the virB11 gene was identified only in 4.2% of C. coli and in 6.1% of C. jejuni strains, respectively. Furthermore, the prevalence of the cdtA, cdtB, and cdtC genes among C. jejuni strains was 97.7%, 93.2%, 96.2%, respectively, and was significantly higher than for C. coli regarding the cdtC (66.7%) gene. he obtained results showed that the presence of Campylobacter in retail meat may represent a threat to public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Powdery mildew of grasses and cereals (Blumeria graminis) is a fungal plant disease which is caused by species of fungi from the Erysiphaceae order. B. graminis is a biotrophic parasite, biologically diverse parasite with a high degree of specialization in certain host species and with numerous physiological breeds adapted to different varieties of a particular host species. In Poland, powdery mildew of cereals and grasses is recorded every year, and its greatest intensity is in south-eastern and south-western regions. The degree of infestation by B. graminis varies every year. This means that the disease occurs every year, in greater or lesser severity. Therefore, it requires monitoring (harmfulness thresholds) and chemical control practically in every vegetation season. Nowadays, an important role is played by immunological breeding. In breeding programs, resistance genes from wild crop forms, primitive and indigenous varieties are an effective tool. The introduction of effective resistance genes into cultivated varieties is a common procedure used in breeding program. The aim of this study was to describe the fungal disease of plants from the group of powdery mildews caused by B. graminis as an overview. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rose tortrix moth [Archips rosana (Linnaeus)] is a dominant species among leafroller moths in Poland's apple orchards. The study found high levels of parasitisation of the tortrix (15.5-40.1%), with the average level of parasitisation of 24.6%, by parasitoids of the families Ichneumonidae, Chalcididae and Tachinidae. The most effective were the Ichneumonidae, which decreased the tortrix abundance by 17.2%. The rose tortrix moth was parasitised by 7 Ichneumonidae species, namely: Trichomma enecator (Rossi), Phaeogenes semivulpinu (Gravenhorsts), Exochus mitratus (Gravenhorsts), Apechthis quadridentata (Thomson), Apechthis rufata (Gmelin in Linnaeus), Itoplectis maculator (Fabricius) and Pimpla turionellae (Linnaeus). The tortrix abundance was mainly reduced by I. maculator, which parasitised 5.1-32.2% of the pupae (15% on average). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antioxidant properties of cool-climate Regent wines from Podkarpacie region, Poland were investigated. Total polyphenols, total flavonoids, total monomeric anthocyanins, trans-resveratrol concentration, radical scavenging ability using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) and total antioxidant capacity with TEAC and FRAP methods were measured. The average contents of the compounds determined for Regent wines were comparable to the respective data available in literature found for warm-climate wines. Correspondence Analysis of the data revealed the relation of total polyphenols content and antioxidant capacity and radical scavenging ability of studied wines, and in lesser extent correlation with total flavonoids content. The total monomeric anthocyanins content and resveratrol concentration were poorly related to the total polyphenols content and antioxidant capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the article is determining the level of knowledge and financial skills of rural dwellers on an example of one of the European Union member states (Poland), as the factors which play a crucial role in the process of limiting the phenomenon of financial exclusion. The main source of data used for the analysis was the information gathered through the author's own studies conducted on a group of 1000 randomly chosen people. Statistical analysis of the researched material comprised the summary statistical measurements, the non-parametric X² test and the cluster analysis (k-means clustering). As results from the conducted analysis, the inhabitants of rural areas in Poland are characterized by the average level of knowledge and financial skills. The level of financial competences represented by rural dwellers is conditioned both by the economic and non-economic factors. Three groups of citizens were distinguished on the basis of the conducted investigations. The group which requires special educational measures comprises of women, elderly and less educated persons, households with lower incomes, families of annuitants and old-age pensioners, but also persons using financial tools in a lower degree, not using banking services or living in the areas with a worse access to the banking infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]