Soybean can accumulate considerable amounts of cadmium depending on soil conditions. As low cadmium concentration of soybean is of great interest in soy food production, a major quantitative trait locus described earlier for controlling cadmium accumulation in the seed was utilized to classify early maturity genotypes with respect to cadmium uptake and to verify their cadmium accumulation level. Marker-selected soybean genotypes were then tested for cadmium accumulation in a pot experiment with three cadmium levels and at three field locations in Austria. Out of 48 soybean genotypes, 19 exhibited the microsatellite marker allele associated with low cadmium accumulation. In the pot experiment, seed cadmium concentration was below 0.15 mg kg -1 in low cadmium accumulating genotypes while it reached over 0.30 mg kg -1 in genotypes carrying the high cadmium allele. In field experiments, cadmium concentration was in the range between 0.03 and 0.16 mg kg -1 , and both the cadmium accumulation locus as well as the experimental locations had a significant influence on seed cadmium. Marker-assisted selection of soybean genotypes for low cadmium accumulation could thus contribute to improved food safety which is particularly important for environments with unknown cadmium status of soil.

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In a one-year vegetation pot experiment, we compared the effect of digestate from a biogas station and mineral fertilisers on yield and quality parameters of kohlrabi, variety Segura F1. Four treatments were used in the trial: 1) untreated control, 2) urea, 3) digestate, 4) urea, triple super phosphate, KCl, MgSO4. The N dose was the same in treatments 2–4, 1.5 g N/pot. In treatment 4 the P, K and Mg doses corresponded to those supplied in the digestate treatment (3). The weight of single kohlrabi bulbs in the unfertilised control was significantly lower (36.2%) than in the urea treatment (100%) and the other fertilised treatments. After application of digestate (treatment 3) and mineral fertilisers (treatment 4), the weight of single bulbs significantly increased by 36.2 and 33.6%, respectively, compared with the urea treatment (2). The content of ascorbic acid did not differ between the fertilised treatments (282–301 mg/kg), but was significantly lower than in the unfertilised control (334 mg/kg). There were significant differences between all fertilised treatments (2, 3, 4) in bulb nitrate content (745, 187, 462 mg NO3−/kg fresh matter, respectively). After digestate application the content decreased significantly, to 187 mg NO3−/kg fresh matter. The soil Nmin content after harvest varied between 4.19–5.79 mg/kg in all fertilised treatments and the N-NH4+ form prevailed over N-NO3− only in the digestate treatment (3.45/2.34 mg/kg). We recommend the use of digestate to kohlrabi as it results in comparable or better yield and qualitative parameters of kohlrabi compared with mineral fertilizers.

In two-year small-plot field experiments in Žabčice u Brna we explored the effect of nitrogen fertilisation with urea and urea with urease inhibitor (Urea + UI) on the content of macronutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg) in tubers and tops of potatoes of the variety Karin. The experiment involved 7 treatments. Nitrogen rates in treatments 1–7 were the following: 1) 90 kg N/ha – Urea; 2) 72 kg N/ha – Urea; 3) 54 kg N/ha – Urea; 4) 90 kg N/ha – Urea + UI; 5) 72 kg N/ha – Urea + UI; 6) 54 kg N/ha – Urea + UI; 7) unfertilised control. Each treatment was repeated 4 times.Both fertilisers (Urea, Urea + UI) were reflected irregularly in the contents of N, P, K, Ca, Mg in the potato biomass and were based on the weather of the year, rate of fertiliser and analysed plant organ (tuber, top). In both years the contents of N, K, Ca and Mg were higher in the tops. The P content was balanced both in the tops and tubers. Some changes in the chemical composition were observed particularly in the case of nitrogen. In 2010 the nitrogen content was higher in tubers (1.44–1.65% N) after the application of both of the higher rates of urea + UI than after the application of urea alone (1.30–1.34% N). In 2011 the N content in tops decreased to 2.97–3.26% N when the highest rate of N was applied in both fertilisers, as against the other treatments (3.60–4.09% N). The contents of the other elements (P, K, Ca, Mg) were not significantly affected by the kind fertiliser and way of fertilising or the differences among treatments were minimal. In general we can conclude that after the application of both types of fertilisers the contents of the observed elements did not change fundamentally in the tops or tubers.

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