Microorganisms and Biostimulants Impact on the Antioxidant Activity of Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) Sprouts.

The study analyzes the influence of plant growth promoters and biological control agents on the chemical composition and antioxidant activity (AA) in the sprouts of buckwheat. The AA of cv. Kora sprouts was higher than cv. Panda, with 110.0 µM Fe2+/g (FRAP-Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power), 52.94 µM TRX (Trolox)/g (DPPH-1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl), 182.7 µM AAE (Ascorbic Acid Equivalent)/g (Photochemiluminescence-PCL-ACW-Water-Soluble Antioxidant Capacity) and 1.250 µM TRX/g (PCL-ACL-Lipid-Soluble Antioxidant Capacity). The highest AA was found in the sprouts grown from seeds soaked in Ecklonia maxima extract and Pythium oligandrum (121.31 µM Fe2+/g (FRAP), 56.33 µM TRX/g (DPPH), 195.6 µM AAE/g (PCL-ACW) and 1.568 µM TRX/g (PCL-ACL). These values show that the antioxidant potential of buckwheat sprouts is essentially due to the predominant hydrophilic fraction of antioxidants. The AA of the sprouts was strongly correlated with total polyphenol content.

The effect of cellulose production waste and municipal sewage sludge on biomass and heavy metal uptake by a plant mixture.

Environmental management of cellulose production waste and municipal sewage sludge appears to be substantiated due to various physicochemical properties of these wastes. The aim of the conducted research was to determine the effect of cellulose production waste and sewage sludge on yielding and heavy metal uptake by a plant mixture. The research was conducted under field experiment conditions, determining the fertilizer value of these wastes in the environmental aspect. The research was carried out in the years 2013-2016. Species composition of the plant mixture was adjusted to habitat conditions. It was established that, as compared with the cellulose production waste, the municipal sewage sludge used in the experiment had a higher content of macroelements. The content of heavy metals in the studied waste did not exceed the limits that condition their use in agriculture and reclamation. Applying only the cellulose production waste did not significantly decrease the yield of the plants. Municipal sewage sludge showed the highest yield-forming effect. Mixing the above-mentioned wastes and their application to soil had a significant effect on the increase in the plant mixture yield. The waste applied to soil also increased the content of Cr, Cd, Pb, Cu, and Zn in the plant mix. The level of heavy metal content in the plant mix did not exclude this biomass from being used for fodder or reclamation purposes. The cellulose production waste and municipal sewage sludge increased the heavy metal uptake by the plant mixture. The plant biomass extracted heavy metals from the sewage sludge more intensively than from the cellulose production waste. Among the analyzed heavy metals, the highest phytoremediation was recorded for Ni (30%), followed by Cd (20%), Cr (15%), Pb (10%), and the lowest for Cu (9%) and Zn (8%). Application of the cellulose production waste and sewage sludge to soil also increased the content of the studied heavy metals in soil. However, it did not cause deterioration of soil quality standards. Heterogeneity in the chemical composition of the wastes confirms that each batch intended to be used for environmental management should be subjected to chemical control.

Fungistatic activity of composts with the addition of polymers obtained from thermoplastic corn starch and polyethylene - An innovative cleaner production alternative.

Compost extracts with the addition of polymers obtained from thermoplastic corn starch and polyethylene are novel organic amendments, which can be typically applied to suppress soil-borne diseases. Considering the diversity of biologically active substances, including those growth-promoting and stabilizing various pathogens contained in extracts, composts have a large potential to successfully replace the massively used pesticides. The effect of various concentrations of water compost extracts with the addition of polymers obtained from thermoplastic corn starch and polyethylene on the linear growth, biomass, and sporulation of the following polyphagous fungi was assessed under in situ and in vitro conditions: Fusarium culmorum (W.G. Smith), Fusarium graminearum Schwabe, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary, Rhizoctonia solani Kühn, Alternaria alternata (Fr.) Keissler. The studies revealed that the fungistatic activity was determined by the kind and concentration of compost extract added to the medium, as well as by the fungus kind. The analyzed compost extracts blocked the linear growth of the tested fungi on average by 22%, biomass increment by 51%, and sporulation by 57%. F. culmorum and S. sclerotiorum proved to be the most sensitive to the tested compost extracts. It was found that the extract from compost with the addition of polymer with the highest share of polyethylene blocked the sporulation of F. culmorum by 87% and F. graminearum by 92%. In turn, composts with the addition of polymers with the highest share of a biocomponent weakened the fungistatic activity of composts. The authors demonstrated that the addition of microbiological inoculum to one of the composts enhanced the fungistatic activity with respect to S. sclerotiorum, F. graminearum, and F. culmorum. The obtained results can be used to better understand the growth-promoting and suppression effects of compost extracts with polymer addition, help to enhance crop production, and constitute a paradigm shift towards the development of the next generation of compost with applications in a range of new fields.