The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of mineral and biological fertilizers on the botanical composition, structural fibre characteristics, and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) of forage biomass from two mountain grassland communities: an Agrostis capillaris-Festuca fallax meadow and a Nardus stricta pasture. Mineral fertilization consisted of calcium ammonium nitrate combined with phosphorus, whereas the biological treatments included Panamin Agro and the sapropel-derived products Blago, Blago 3 and Blago 5. Botanical composition was expressed as the proportion of grasses, legumes and forbs in total fresh biomass. Mineral fertilization increased the proportion of grasses in both grassland types, with the strongest response observed in the meadow, where the highest N-P-Ca treatment increased grass proportion from 60.0% to 79.1%. Biological fertilizers generally increased legume participation and reduced the proportion of forbs, particularly under Blago treatments and the lowest Panamin Agro rate. Fertilization also modified several forage-quality parameters. In both grassland types, the combined Blago 5 + Blago treatment resulted in the lowest NDF, ADF and cellulose concentrations and the highest numerical IVDMD values. Compared with the corresponding controls, IVDMD increased by 19.6% in the meadow and 22.9% in the pasture. The results demonstrate that fertilization effects depended on grassland type, fertilizer product and application rate. Mineral fertilization primarily promoted grass development, whereas selected biological fertilizer treatments, particularly the combined Blago 5 + Blago application, produced a broader response involving greater legume participation, reduced forb contribution, and improved measured forage-quality characteristics.
The increasing demand for medicinal and aromatic plants (MAP) requires sustainable cultivation practices to improve both productivity and product quality. Their essential oils and secondary metabolites are used for flavoring and treating various ailments in humans and animals. However, information on the effects of humic substances and seaweed extracts on organically grown Thymus vulgaris cultivar 'Winter' under semi-arid conditions in the northeastern Morocco remains limited. Therefore, this study evaluated the effect of two commercial biostimulants based on seaweed extracts (SE) and humic substances (HS) on vegetative growth and biochemical traits, biomass yield, and essential oil content of Thymus vulgaris L. under open-field organic cultivation. The results showed that HS at 200 mg L⁻¹ and SE at 2 g L⁻¹ significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced most vegetative traits, yield, photosynthetic pigments, soluble sugars, and soluble protein content, compared with the control. The greatest improvements under HS200 and SE2 were observed in plant height (39% and 21%), root length (66% and 53%), biomass yield (30% and 33%), and total content of chlorophylls (153% and 46%), carotenoids (11% and 24%), glucose (280% and 230%), sucrose (360% and 250%), and soluble protein (34% and 45%). In addition, SE at 2 g L⁻¹ enhanced essential oil content by 75%. These findings demonstrate that humic substances and seaweed extracts, particularly at 200 mg L⁻¹ and 2 g L⁻¹, respectively, can improve biomass production and selected biochemical traits of Thymus vulgaris L. under the experimental conditions of this study.
Optimizing nutrient management is critical for improving chickpea growth, yield, and seed quality under semi-arid conditions. This study evaluated the effects of organic manure (0 and 20 t ha-1) combined with foliar applications of control, salicylic acid (1.0 mM), ascorbic acid (1.0 mM), vitamin B 2 (1.0 mM), nano-silicon (20 mM), and micronutrients (Mn, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Mo, B at 1000 ppm) on chickpea performance in a factorial layout based on a randomized block design with three replicates. Vegetative growth, reproductive traits, and seed biochemical composition were assessed, encompassing plant height, canopy width, root length, pods per plant, seed yield, protein content, crude oil content, fatty acids, minerals, starch, flavonoids, and dietary fiber. Multivariate graphical analyses, particularly treatment × trait biplots, were used to assess trait correlations, treatment performance, and discriminative ability. The model accounted for 69% of the variation, revealing positive correlations both among nitrogen and protein content, starch, oleic acid, and flavonoid content, and among plant height, seed yield, linolenic acid, and root length. Treatments combining organic manure with salicylic acid, vitamin B 2, ascorbic acid, or micronutrients outperformed nano-silicon and control. Application of organic manure plus salicylic acid exhibited a broadly favorable performance for most traits, including yield components and biochemical quality, whereas application of organic manure plus micronutrients provided high seed yield with low variability, highlighting its stability. Traits such as plant height, seed yield, primary root length, and linolenic acid showed the highest discriminative and typical potential for treatment evaluation. These findings demonstrate that integrating organic manure with foliar-applied vitamins, growth regulators, or micronutrients improves chickpea growth, productivity, and seed quality. The study provides a framework for selecting nutrient management strategies that optimize both yield and biochemical traits, supporting sustainable and high-quality chickpea production in semi-arid environments.
This study investigated the reproductive performance of seven tomato genotypes grown under open-field conditions during the 2024 season at the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Novi Sad, Serbia. The experimental material consisted of four indeterminate genotypes (Novosadski jabučar, Pegaz, Dunavski rubin, and breeding line V14) and three determinate genotypes (Alparac, Bačka, and Knjaz) selected from the Institute's breeding collection. Plants were established in a randomized block design with five replications, using 30 plants per variant. Reproductive traits: flower number, fruit number, fruit-set percentage, average fruit weight and average fruit yield per truss, were recorded across the first four flowering trusses. Fruit number and fruit set declined consistently toward higher trusses across all genotypes, indicating physiological limitations associated with assimilate allocation. Truss position accounted for the majority of variation in fruit number (82.2 %) and fruit set (87.0 %), whereas genotype was the primary determinant of average fruit weight (82.7 %). Significant genotype × truss interactions were observed for all traits, highlighting differential genotypic responses along the plant axis. The results demonstrate that fruit quantity is strongly influenced by intra-plant positional and environmental factors, whereas fruit size is largely under genetic control. These findings emphasize the importance of integrating truss-level physiological considerations with genotypic selection in tomato breeding programs. The study provides practical guidance for selecting genotypes with stable reproductive performance and improved yield potential under variable field conditions.
Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an important legume crop with high nutritional value and is widely cultivated across diverse ecological zones. This study aimed to evaluate the genetic diversity based on morphological markers of 16 common bean accessions collected from the Priobia steppe, Siberia. The field experiment was conducted using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications during the 2023 and 2024 growing seasons at the National Agrarian University of Novosibirsk. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) among genotypes for most studied traits. A dendrogram based on genetic similarity coefficients ranging from 0.22 to 0.78 classified the genotypes into four distinct genetic groups, indicating high genetic diversity among the collected common bean accessions. Correlation analyses showed positive associations between seed yield and days to flowering (r g = 0.34 and r p = 0.34), number of pods per plant (r g = 0.64 and r p = 0.75) as well as hundred seed weight (r g = 0.62 and r p = 0.7), suggesting that selecting genotypes with higher mean values for these traits could enhance common bean yield. The findings provide a scientific basis for breeding programs and contribute to the conservation and effective utilization of common bean genetic resources within the Siberian agroecosystem.
