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Silybum marianum (milk thistle) is currently utilised as a medicinal plant which provides raw material for the production of silymarin. Silymarin is composed of a group of flavonolignans that are well known and studied for their medicinal properties. However, the biomass yield potential and the chemical composition of its biomass suggest opportunities for much broader utilisation of S. marianum. This paper reviews the available literature about S. marianum biomass productivity and composition and about properties of products and byproducts of silymarin extraction. Alternative uses of whole plant biomass include fodder, bioenergy production and phytoremediation. Byproducts of silymarin extraction such as oil and flour have possible applications in food, feed and cosmetics. Moreover, the review explores potential alternative applications of silymarin. We conclude that a pivotal issue for further utilisation of S. marianum is the development of improved cultivars suited for the different possible utilisations.

The fungal pathogen Fusarium circinatum is the causal agent of Pine Pitch Canker (PPC), a disease which seriously affects different species of pine in forests and nurseries worldwide. In Europe, the fungus affects pines in northern Spain and Portugal, and it has also been detected in France and Italy. Here, we report the findings of the first trial investigating the susceptibility of Polish provenances of Scots pine, Pinus sylvestris L., to infection by F. circinatum. In a greenhouse experiment, 16 Polish provenances of Scots pine were artificially inoculated with F. circinatum and with six other Fusarium species known to infect pine seedlings in nurseries. All pines proved highly susceptible to PPC and displayed different levels of susceptibility to the other Fusarium spp. tested. The findings obtained indicate the potentially strong threat of establishment of an invasive pathogen such as F. circinatum following unintentional introduction into Poland.

Summary Fresh berries are a rich source of antioxidants. The choice of a method for preserving these fruits determines, among other things, keeping their antioxidant capacity. The aim of this study was to estimate the contents of monomeric anthocyanins and vitamin C and to assess the antioxidant capacity of the fruit of black chokeberry, black elder, common bilberry, thornless blackberry and raspberry depending on the method of preservation in the process of freezing, lyophilisation and air‐drying. In fruits frozen at −18 °C as compared with the fresh fruits, losses of anthocyanins and vitamin C of 10% and 14%, respectively, were found. During lyophilisation and air‐drying, losses of anthocyanins as compared with fresh fruits accounted for 82% and 94%, respectively, of vitamin C 84% and 89%. Regardless of the preservation method, chokeberry was characterised by the richest resource of anthocyanins and the highest antioxidant capacity, followed by black elder.