A. Zaniewicz-Bajkowska

The effect of plant mulches on the nutritive value of red cabbage and onion.

The Effect of Plant Mulches on the Nutritive Value of Red Cabbage and Onion The effect of three methods of soil mulching: autumn or spring ploughing and leaving mulch as a cover crop on the soil surface without incorporation till the end of cabbage growth on the contents of selected nutrients in red cabbage and onion was investigated. The following plants were used as intercropped mulches: phacelia, vetch, serradella and oat. Mulching effects were compared to a non-mulched control as well as a farmyard manure application at the rate of 40 t·ha-1. Nutrient content in both vegetable species depended on weather conditions and varied in study years. Accumulation of dry matter in cabbage was favoured by phacelia and oat mulches, irrespective of the date of ploughing. Non-incorporated oat and autumn-incorporated phacelia increased dry matter content in onion. An increase in the protein content in cabbage was observed when following serradella and vetch mulches. The protein content in onion cultivated in the second year following mulching did not change significantly as a result of the influence of examined factors. Among an the mulches taken into study, serradella and oat increased the content of vitamin C in cabbage. Similarly, autumn- or spring-incorporated oat mulch and non-incorporated serradella mulch increased the content of vitamin C in onion. Wpuływ Mulczów Roślinnych na Wartość Odżywczą Kapusty Czerwonej i Cebuli Badano wpływ trzech sposobów mulczowania gleby — przyoranie mulczu jesienią, wiosną lub pozostawienie jako okrywy bez przyorania do końca wegetacji roślin na zawartość wybranych składników odżywczych w kapuście czerwonej i cebuli. Jako mulcz stosowano: facelię, wykę jarą, seradelę i owies uprawiane w międzyplonie. Efekty stosowania mulczu porównano z kontrolą bez mulczowania oraz z nawożeniem obornikiem w dawce 40 t·ha-1. Zawartość badanych składników odżywczych w kapuście czerwonej i cebuli zależała od przebiegu warunków pogodowych i była zróżnicowana w latach prowadzenia badań. Gromadzeniu suchej masy w kapuście sprzyjało mulczowanie gleby facelią I owsem, niezależnie od terminu ich przyorania. Mulcz z owsa pozostawiony bez przyorania i facelii przyorany jesienią wpływały na wyższa zawartość suchej masy w cebuli. Wzrost zawartości białka w kapuście stwierdzono po mulczowaniu seradelą i wyką. Zawartość białka w cebuli uprawianej w drugim roku po mulczowaniu nie ulegała istotnym zmianom pod wpływem badanych czynników. Spośród badanych rodzajów mulczu seradela i owies wpływały na wzrost zawartości witaminy C w kapuście. Mulcz z owsa przyorany jesienią lub wiosną oraz z seradeli pozostawiony bez przyorania wpływały na wzrost witaminy C w cebuli.

The secondary effect of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) catch crop in sweet corn (Zea mays L. var. saccharata) cultivation

Abstract A field experiment was carried out in central-eastern Poland (52°06’N, 22°55’E) to investigate the effect of a sunflower catch crop used as green manure sown on three different dates (21st July, 4th and 18th August) on sweet corn yield and growth. The ‘Challenger F1’ and ‘Sweet Wonder F1’ corn cultivars were cultivated in the first year following organic fertilization. Sunflower was plowed in the third week of October. The effect of the catch crop’s green manure was compared to farmyard manure applied at a dose of 40 t ha-1 as well as a control without organic manuring. The biomass quantity and the amount of macroelements absorbed with the sunflower catch crop sown on the 21st of July was similar to the quantity absorbed with farmyard manure applied at a rate of 40 t ha-1. The quantity of organic mass and macroelements absorbed with the sunflower sown on the 4th of August was smaller by 20%, and by 50% for the 18th of August set, compared with the corn treated with farmyard manure. The effects of farmyard manure and sunflower catch crop sown on the 21st of July on the yield were similar. The marketable yield of cobs of corn plants cultivated following farmyard manure treatment and catch crop sown on the 21st of July amounted to 12.6 and 12.4 t ha-1, respectively. An application of sunflower sown as a green manure on the 2nd and 3rd date prior to corn cultivation decreased marketable cob yields by 8% and 25% as compared to the farmyard manure. The corn cobs cultivated following the sunflower sown on the 21st of July and treated with farmyard manure had the greatest mass. The corn cobs cultivated with farmyard manure were characterized by the highest biological productivity (72.1%); similar was the cob production of corn cultivated with catch crops sown on the 21st of July and the 4th of August. The ‘Challenger F1’ and ‘Sweet Wonder F1’ yields were similar. ‘Challenger F1’ produced cobs with higher mass whereas ‘Sweet Wonder F1’ produced cobs characterized by greater biological productivity.

Effect of foliar feeding on yield and fruit quality of three melon (Cucumis melo L.) cultivars.

Abstract The effect of foliar feeding with two fluid multicomponent fertilizers was investigated: Florovit and Ekolist Warzywa + Urea on the yield and quality of three medium-fruit-size melon cultivars (‘Charentais F1’, ‘Melba’, ‘Fiesta’). Weather conditions in the consecutive years of the study had a significant influence on the yield level and quality of fruit. A higher yield of better quality was achieved in the years 2005 and 2007. That period was characterised by relatively high air temperature and low rainfall towards the end of the growing period of melon. The fertilizers applied in the experiment significantly influenced melon yielding. The plants fertilized with Ekolist Warzywa + Urea provided a higher marketable yield of melon fruit than the plants fertilized with Florovit. When applied, this fertilizer also caused an increase in flesh thickness and fruit flavour as compared with Florovit feeding. Foliar feeding with both studied patterns increased the average fruit weight and number of marketable fruit as compared to the non-fertilized treatment. Among the studied cultivars, ‘Fiesta’ gave the highest marketable yield and the best quality fruit.