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In recent years, a significant increase in weed infestation of agricultural crops with Artemisia vulgaris has been observed in the south-western region of Poland. The ease of migration of this expansive species results from the fact that it does not face competition from segetal weeds and therefore poses a great threat to the ecological balance. During the period 2008-2011, a floristic study was carried out using the Braun-Blanquet method in an abandoned field adjacent to a maize monoculture grown under two tillage systems: plough and ploughless tillage. These observations allowed an evaluation of the actual risk of spread of Artemisia vulgaris depending on tillage system. The vicinity of the abandoned field had a significant effect on the penetration of Artemisia vulgaris into maize crops. Higher numbers of individuals of this species were found under ploughless tillage compared to plough tillage, regardless of the distance from the field edge, and its increased competitive effects on Viola arvensis L. and Veronica persica L. could be observed. The lowest grain yield was obtained under ploughless tillage where the strong competitive effects of Artemisia vulgaris were observed even in the plot most distant from the abandoned field adjacent to the maize crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction of modern and durable bituminous pavements requires high quality bituminous binder, aggregates and additives. The main objective of this paper was to analyse and compare viscoelastic properties of unmodified and polymer modified bitumens produced in Poland, Europe, in order to assess their quality. In this paper there are presented results of bituminous binder European classification tests (penetration, softening point and Fraass breaking point) as well as rheological test results conducted over a wide range of temperatures. In addition, image analysis of the microstructure of selected polymer modified bitumens is also presented. Based on the analysis it was concluded that although bituminous binders complies with European specification requirements, they are significantly different in terms of their rheological properties. It was found that regardless of binder producer, bituminous binder within the same hardness group exhibit different low and high temperature properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]