The current study hypothesizes that false flax (Camelina sativa L.), as a high-value biofuel feedstock, could be grown under humid conditions of western Lithuania and that nitrogen fertilisation could influence its seed yield and oil content. The following objectives were pursued: 1) to determine the optimum nitrogen fertiliser rate for winter (N 0 , N 50 , N 100 , N 150 ) and summer (N 0 , N 30 , N 60 , N 90 , N 120 ) types of false flax, 2) to estimate false flax seed oil content, its composition and feasibility to use it for the production of biodiesel fuel. The experiments were conducted in 2008-2011 at the Vėžaičiai Branch of the Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry. It was revealed that the highest (1.28 t ha -1 , in 2010) and (1.29 t ha -1 , in 2011) as well as cost-efficient summer false flax seed yield was produced having fertilised with 90 kg ha -1 of nitrogen. Significantly highest (1.2 t ha -1 , in 2011 and 1.6 t ha -1 , in 2010) winter false flax seed yield was obtained having fertilised with N 100 . In our study, the seed oil content of summer false flax amounted to 40.3% and that of winter false flax was lower -37.0%. Nitrogen fertilisation (N 150 and N 120 ) increased protein content in winter false flax seed from 22.98% to 26.97% and in summer false flax seed from 20.53% to 23.23% and did not reduce seed oil content. Methyl esters of false flax oil have a high iodine value and an especially high content of polyunsaturated linolenic acid: it reached 38.2% in winter false flax oil and 34.3% in summer false flax oil. Therefore false flax methyl esters can be used as fuel for diesel engines only in mixtures containing 40-50% of methyl esters of animal origin (used frying oil or pork lard). The most effective antioxidant Ionol BF200 (optimal dosage -500 ppm) as well as the most effective depressants Wintron XC-30 (optimal dosage -1500 ppm) and Infineum R-442 (optimal dosage -1200 ppm) were selected for improvement of oxidation stability and cold flow properties of esters.

A field experiment was carried out at Vėžaičiai Branch of Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry during the period 2008-2011. The study was aimed to determine the effects of various soil tillage methods: deep ploughing (20-25 cm), shallow ploughing (10-12 cm), shallow ploughless tillage (8-10 cm) and soil fertility improvement measures (plant residues, plant residues + straw, green manure 1 st cut + straw, green manure 2 nd cut + straw, farmyard manure 40 t ha -1 + straw) on the soil weed seed bank and weed incidence in a cereal-grass crop rotation. The soil of the experimental site is Dystric-Epihypogleyic Albeluvisol (ABg-p-w-dy) with a texture of sandy loam. In all experimental years, primary soil tillage had a significant influence on weed incidence in the crops of the rotation and on soil weed seed bank. The greatest amount of weeds, both in numbers and dry mass, in the crops of winter triticale and spring rape was determined in the shallow ploughless tillage treatment, in the crops of spring barley in the shallow ploughing treatment, and in the sward of red clover in deep and shallow ploughing treatments. All soil fertility improvement measures and their interaction with soil tillage methods did not have any substantial influence on the weed incidence in the rotation crops. The soil weed seed bank was 1.5 and 2.2 times greater in the shallow ploughing and shallow ploughless tillage treatments, compared with the conventional tillage treatment (deep ploughing). The influence of soil tillage methods manifested itself not only directly, but also through its interaction with soil fertility improvement measures. Regardless of the chosen soil fertility improvement measure, in all the treatments of shallow ploughless tillage, the soil weed seed bank was significantly greater, compared with the conventional soil tillage treatments. In the shallow ploughing and shallow ploughless tillage treatments there were found 25.5% and 41.5% more weed seed species in the soil, compared with the conventional tillage treatment. The seeds of Chenopodium album L., Persicaria lapathifolia L., Fallopia convolvulus L. and Viola arvensis Murray were found in all tillage treatments. The distribution of F. convolvulus L., P. lapathifolia L. seeds was significantly influenced by soil tillage only, that of V. arvensis Murray by soil tillage and its interaction with soil fertility improvement measures, and that of Ch. album L. by soil fertility improvement measures only.

Oil products continue to be used as a principal source of energy. Wide-scale production, transport, global use and disposal of petroleum have made them major contaminants in prevalence and quantity in the environment. In accidental spills, actions are taken to remove or remediate or recover the contaminants immediately, especially if they occur in environmentally sensitive areas, for example, in coastal zones. Traditional methods to cope with oil spills are confined to physical containment. Biological methods can have an advantage over the physical-chemical treatment regimes in removing spills in situ as they offer biodegradation of oil fractions by the micro-organisms. Recently, biological methods have been known to play a significant role in bioremediation of oil-polluted coastal areas. Such systems are likely to be of significance in the effective management of sensitive coastal ecosystems chronically subjected to oil spillage. For this reason the aim of this paper is to present an impact of Mn, Cu, Co and Mo quantities on oil biodegradation effectiveness in coastal soil and to determine the relationship between metal concentrations and degradation of two oil products (black oil and diesel fuel). Soil was collected in the Baltic Sea coastal zone oil products degradation area (Klaipeda, Lithuania). The experiment consisted of two parts: study on the influence of micro-elements on the oil product biodegradation process; and analysis of the influence of metal concentration on the number of HDMs. The analysis performed and results obtained address the following areas: impact of metal on a population of hydrocarbon degrading micro-organisms, impact of metals on residual concentrations of oil products, influence of metals on the growth of micro-organisms, inter-relation of metal concentrations with degradation rates. Statistical analysis was made using ;Statgraphics plus' software. The influence of metals on the growth of micro-organisms, the biodegradation process rate and the oil product concentrations were evaluated with analysis of variance. The impact has been investigated separately and synergetically.

Lithuania is located in the humid zone, where mean annual precipitation exceeds mean evapotranspiration and soil acidification is an ongoing natural process encouraged by anthropogenic activities. Traditionally, the process may be controlled by different intensity liming. The chapter summarizes the data on long-term liming and fertilization experiments made in Western Lithuania. The object of the investigation is the naturally acid soil, Bathygleyic Dystric Glossic Retisol (texture: moraine loam with clay-sized particles content of 12-14%), and the same soil exposed for more than half a century to different liming and fertilization intensity. Our systematic analysis shows that it is impossible to reach appropriate moraine loam soil conditions for organic matter decomposition, carbon sequestration, soil aggregation, nitrogen fixation, nutrient accumulation, and plant growth by using intensive liming only. It is necessary to coordinate proper liming and organic fertilizing. The soil acidity was neutralized (pH KCl 5.9 ± 0.1) and mobile aluminum abolished in the topsoil and subsoil to a 60 cm depth; moreover, the highest amount of soil organic carbon (1.91%), water stable aggregates (59%), intense nitrogen fixation, and highest grain yield was established in the periodically limed (with 1.0 rate CaCO 3 every 7 years) soil with 60 t ha −1 farmyard manure (FYM) application.

The current study is aimed to determine how sewage