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Poland is a major producer of various fruits, including strawberries. As growing consumer awareness of food quality, health, and wellbeing is increasing, farmers are receiving a new market opportunity for organic products of good quality. The integration of microbial solutions into agricultural practices can foster the transition of agricultural farms towards more resilient and sustainable production of quality food. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of novel microbial biopreparations (microbial fertilizing products) containing Bacillus sp., humic acids, and other organic compounds on the economic viability of three strawberry cultivars ('Honeoye', 'Vibrant', and 'Rumba') under organic farming conditions. This study was conducted in 2021 as a field experiment. Irrigated and non-irrigated strawberries were treated with five microbial fertilizing products (K2–K6). The single plot area was 16 m2, with a total of 144 plots. The adopted planting density of strawberries was 30,052 per hectare. K3 treatment was found to be the most universal microbial treatment in terms of positive impact on yields, with significant yield increase on both the non-irrigated (yield increase of 3.76 t·ha−1) and irrigated experiments (yield increase of 5.78 t·ha−1). The K4 treatment on the non-irrigated strawberries resulted in a yield increase of 4.96 t·ha−1, which at the same time had no effect on the yield of the irrigated experiment. On average, application of the K2–K6 combinations on the non-irrigated strawberries resulted in a yield increase from 13.4% (K2) to 33.5% (K4). The irrigated strawberries showed a yield increase from 3.9% (K4—non-significant yield increase) to as much as 36.1% (K3). The highest direct surplus for the non-irrigated strawberries was recorded for the K4 treatment (38,603 PLN·ha−1) and for K3 for the irrigated experiment (42,945 PLN·ha−1). The direct surplus for 'Rumba' and 'Vibrant' was higher than for 'Honeoye' on both the irrigated (22% and 53%, respectively) and non-irrigated (19% and 18%, respectively) experiments. The average profitability index for all tested non-irrigated and irrigated varieties improved when treated with microbial fertilizer products, with profitability indexes of 143.3–168.8% on the non-irrigated plantation and 129.2–169.7% on the irrigated plantation. The tested microbial fertilizing products proved to be valuable products to improve the productivity and economic effectiveness of organic strawberry production. At the same time, their use needs to be adapted to local plantation conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the next few years, the demand for organic crops, including barley, will grow. Barley is one of the world's most important crops cultivated for food and feed. With the forecasted increase in cropped area, there is a need for stable, well-adapted and high-yielding varieties. The aim of this study was to assess the yield stability of ten varieties tested in the Polish organic post-registration trials in the years 2020–2022. For this purpose, we fitted a linear mixed model on plot data. Additionally, for each variety, we calculated the probability of the yield falling to a certain threshold. It is shown that the Bente variety was the highest-yielding among the tested varieties. The Pilote variety was the most stable in terms of Shukla's stability variance. Furthermore, for the three highest-yielding varieties, the lowest values of the simultaneous selection index and the probability of falling below a certain threshold were obtained. We can, therefore, conclude that the highest-yielding varieties should be promoted for cultivation. Moreover, new varieties suitable for organic farming can be bred from the highest-yielding and most stable varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spelt Triticum aestivum L. subsp. spelta (cv. Wirtas), einkorn Triticum monococcum L. (cv. Samopsza) and emmer Triticum dicoccum Schrank (Schuebl) (cv. Płaskurka biała and Płaskurka ciemna) spring wheat cultivars were analyzed and compared to common wheat Triticum aestivum L. subsp. aestivum (cv. Harenda, Kandela, Mandaryna, Serenada, Goplana, Kamelia, Nimfa, Rusałka, Struna, Zadra) cultivated in an organic production system. Moreover, the performance of four common wheat cultivars (cv. Harenda, Kandela, Mandaryna, Serenada) grown in organic, conventional and integrated production systems were compared. The UHPLC-DAD-MS and TLC-DPPH• analyses of specific substances (phenolic acids and alkylresorcinols) were evaluated to ascertain the potential of spring wheat cultivars for promoting human health and suitability for cultivation in an organic production system. The highest yield was observed for the T. aestivum L. subsp. aestivum (modern hull-less) cv. Nimfa (4.45 t/ha), which also demonstrated the lowest resistance to Fusarium spp. infection. Among the contemporary hull-less cultivars, cv. Mandaryna and cv. Harenda exhibited the highest resistance to this pathogen (2.4% and 3.7% of grains infected by Fusarium, respectively), while simultaneously displaying the highest organic phenolic acid content (900.92 and 984.55 µg/g of the grain) and the highest antioxidant potential. It is noteworthy that the cereal hulls of T. monococcum L. (old hulled) (cv. Samopsza) exhibited a markedly elevated content of phenolic acids (approximately 4000 µg/g of the grain). This may have contributed to the reduced incidence of Fusarium infection (9.3% of grains infected) observed in the grains of this cultivar. Furthermore, the hulls proved to be a rich source of phenolics with high antioxidant activity, which is beneficial for human and animal health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing consumer awareness of the importance of food quality on their health is the main driving force for increasing the market for sustainable agricultural products. This makes sustainable, environmentally friendly production methods into non-chemical plant protection products against pathogens, including microbial biopreparations, increasingly important among farmers. Strawberry fruits (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) are often negatively affected by fungal pathogens. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of five combinations of newly developed microbial biopreparations (from K2 to K6) on fungal pathogens and the yield of three strawberry cultivars. The research was conducted on a certified organic strawberry plantation in Poland in 2020–2021. In the first year of the study, no statistically significant positive impact of tested treatments on strawberry yields have been found. At the same time, yields of 'Honeoye' treated with K4 combination showed a tendency (with no statistical significance) to have higher yields than the control object by about 33%. In the second year of the study, yields of 'Honeoye' and 'Rumba' treated with K4 combination (containing Bacillus sp. Sp116AC*, Bacillus sp. Sp115AD, Bacillus sp. AF75BC and Bacillus subtilis AF75AB2, humic acids, yeast culture effluent, micronized dolomite, and mustard and rapeseed oil) significantly increased by 79% and 49%, respectively. Fruit infestation by fungal pathogens was reduced under some microbial treatments; however, the effect varied between years, cultivars, and tested biopreparations. The K2 combination showed a tendency (with no statistical significance) to limit B. cinerea infestation rate by 23% in 2020 and 21% in 2021, C. acutatum by 16% in 2021, and P. cactorum infestation rate by 30% in 2021. Tested microbial biopreparations showed a positive impact on the yield of strawberries and (to some extent) on disease infestation, with an impact on pathogen infestation strongly dependent on the year, variety, and biopreparation tested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of flour is influenced by various factors including genotype, environmental and agronomic conditions, post-harvest grain storage, and milling technology. Currently, the EU focuses on reducing mineral fertilization and promoting less intensive agrotechnology (organic and integrated farming). This research aimed to assess the baking value of flour obtained from four spring wheat cultivars cultivated in three farming systems: organic (ORG), integrated (INT), and conventional (CONV). The wheat grains were sourced from a three-year field experiment (2019–2021) conducted at IUNG-PIB in Pulawy, Poland. Results indicate that the CONV generally yielded more favourable qualitative parameters for the flour, including significantly higher protein content, wet gluten, falling number, and farinographic characteristics such as dough development, stability time, and quality number. Nevertheless, most flours from the ORG system met the quality requirements for the baking industry, showing adequate protein content, wet gluten, and falling number. However, flours from the INT system stood out due to significantly higher water absorption, resulting in increased dough and bread yield. Additionally, bread baked from these flours exhibited a significantly higher bread volume. In sensory evaluation, bread from CONV flours received the highest scores, although the differences in the overall acceptability were not significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]