This paper aimed at providing popping characteristics of different red and white sorghum genotypes according to different moisture content at traditional methods of popping using high temperature for a short time (HTST). To increasing grain moisture level, seven sorghum genotypes - mutant and hybrid lines (M1(6282), 16113, 16121, 1641, 1643, 1651, 1673) were soaked to 0, 60, 120 and 180 min in distilled water. The popping rate and expansion ratio were recorded. The results showed that conventional method of popping is a good main to produce pops sorghum after increasing moisture of grains. Moistening of grains from 13-16 % increased 5.3-10.2% popping rate of all sorghum genotypes. The mutant line M1(6282) with red coloration of pericarp had the highest popping rate and expansion ratio at 16% moisture i.e. 85% and 3.88 %, respectively. There was correlation between diameter of grains and parameters expansion ratio (from 0.604 to 0.724), popping rate (from 0.815 to 0.878) and moisture grains (from 0.815 to 0.878).

The current paper reviews the available literary data as well as original unpublished data on the distribution and the species' richness of the vertebrate fauna (Pisces, Amphibia, Reptilia and Mammalia)

The idea and practice of separate waste collection is widespread in Europe as an effective way of building public awareness of environmental responsibility. The study covers activities on the most current environmental topics: sustainable development, municipal waste, recycling, composting. The project provides opportunities for cooperation and interaction between students in a team organisation of cognitive activity, the implementation of active student learning, and constructivist design of training, which will increase the practical orientation of the acquired knowledge and competences. The project aims at developing an innovative curriculum, curriculum content, methodological model, and didactic materials for the education of high school students and to increase their environmental competence in sustainable waste management at school and in their households. As a result of the training activities following Kolb's cycle, the participants in the study have changed their behaviour with the tendency to reduce the wastes amount and the use of disposable packages.

Urban areas are facing a range of environmental challenges including air, water and soil pollution as a result of industrial, domestic and traffic emissions. In addition, global climate change is likely to aggravate certain urban problems and disturb the urban ecology by increasing the frequency and severity of extreme weather events. In the context of urbanization growth and the consequent impact on the environment, there is a growing interest in maintaining urban soil quality and functions as they are the medium for green infrastructure development. Furthermore, urban soils are becoming one of the key factors in the delivery of many ecosystem services such as carbon storage, climate regulation, water flow regulation, etc. On the other hand, urban soils are well-known to be a major sink of air pollutants due to the wet and dry atmospheric deposition and recirculation. Soil has the ability to degrade some chemical contaminants but when the levels are high, urban soils could hold on large amounts and pose a risk to human health. A cost-effective technological solution is to use the ability of some plant species to metabolize, accumulate and detoxify heavy metals or other harmful organic or inorganic compounds from the soil layer. The establishment of urban lawns (grass covered surfaces) is a helpful, environmentally friendly, economically sustainable and cost-effective approach to remove contaminants from polluted soils (terrains), which also has some aesthetic benefits. In this paper, an overview of the benefits and limitations of urban lawn construction is presented. The focus is on the perspectives for sustainable management of urban lawns, especially as buffer green patches in the road network surroundings, that can represent strategies to provide ecological and social multifunctionality of urban soils, and thus, increasing their ecosystem services capacity. Specifically, the paper highlights (i) the possibilities for phytoremediation of urban soils, (ii) potential of some perennial grasses and (iii) key issues that should be considered in the planning and design of urban lawns.

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