The goal of organic farming with respect to plant production is to create high-quality products while minimizing human impacts. The aim of this paper was to assess soil properties in selected organic farms in terms of the achievement of general and specific objectives of organic farming. Fifty five (55) organic farms were selected for the research; twenty five (25) of those farms additionally had conventional animal production with cattle breeding. Soil samples were collected from each farm and, the following parameters, deciding about the suitability for agriculture were determined: pH, content of organic carbon, available phosphorus and potassium, mineral nitrogen, and Total nitrogen content. The content of available phosphorus and mineral nitrogen was very low or low in most of the studied soils, which can lead to disturbance of homeostasis of agroecosystems. Potassium content in these soils was high. The properties of the studied soils indicate a high risk of chemical and biological degradation. Without implementing actions that control the pH and increase the content of nitrogen and phosphorus elements, the degradation will increase. Soil properties in the group of farms with animal production were more beneficial from the point of view of crop production, compared with farms that do not breed animals.

Soil organic matter plays a key role in determining soil physical and chemical properties, porosity, availability of nutrients and cation exchange capacity (Bellanger et al., 2004; Lal, 1999). The basic sources of organic carbon include decomposing dead plant and animal matter in the soil, root exudate from plants and, importantly, fertilizers, including manure (Mahmoodabadi & Heydarpour, 2014). Losses are in turn associated with the mineralization of organic carbon and its transformation into carbon dioxide gas (CO 2). According to Van Oost et al. (2007), 26% of organic carbon transported during erosion-related processes escapes from the soil into the atmosphere. Another very important element related to the extraction of carbon and the degradation of soil is the process of water erosion. The transport of organic carbon with eroded materials poses a serious problem, particularly for arable land, which becomes more susceptible to runoff and soil losses after being subjected to intensive cultivation. In addition, the loss of organic carbon in dissolved or particulate forms may have severe consequences not only on the soils from which it is exported but also on the water

Proper management of plant nutrients has a fundamental effect on the amount and quality of crop yields and on maintaining soil fertility. Under organic production conditions, with limited fertilization, deficiency of some elements in soil may occur, which translates into a change in the chemism of cultivated plants. The aim of this paper was to assess the quality of a sward from selected organic farms in the context of using it for feed purposes. 55 organic farms were selected for the research; 25 of those farms additionally had conventional animal production. Sward samples of mixed grasses and small-seed legumes were collected from each farm. Content of elements that are the most determinant on the suitability for feed (N, P, K, Na, Ca, Na) was determined in the plant material. The results of the conducted research indicate that sward from grasses and small-seed legumes from the studied organic farms had too low content of macroelements and of most microelements, and the biggest problem was too low content of phosphorus, potassium and calcium. The animal production farms were found to have a higher content of phosphorus, calcium and potassium in sward as compared to farms without animals. Feeding cattle only with roughage obtained from the studied lands could pose a risk to the health of the animals and their productive abilities owing to the unfavorable chemical composition.

Cultivation of spring cereal mixtures (SCMs) is one of the ways to increase the yield of crops in mountainous areas of Poland. There are only a few current long-term studies on this topic. Our study aimed at analyzing yield and competitiveness as well as the economic indicators of spring cereals in pure or mixed sowings in integrated or organic crop rotations over nine years. A field experiment including pure sowings of oats, spring barley, or spring triticale and their two-component SCMs, each in two systems, organic and integrated crop rotation, was carried out in the Mountainous Experimental Station in Czyrna, Poland, in the years 2011–2019. On average, cereals in the pure sowings and mixtures yielded 18% lower in the organic rotations compared with the integrated ones. However, SCMs yielded higher than the pure sowings, and displayed a higher leaf area index and land equivalent ratio. The average gross margin without subsidies was almost two times higher in the organic crop rotations than in the integrated ones, which was influenced mainly by the cultivation of barley in pure sowing. Summing up, the cultivation of SCMs in the mountainous areas of southern Poland is advised because of both productive and economic factors.

Natural products have always enjoyed great popularity among consumers. Wild tea is an interesting alternative to tea from intensive plantations. The term “wild tea” is applied to many different varieties of tea, the most desirable and valued of which are native or indigenous tea plants. Special pro-health properties of wild tea are attributed to the natural conditions in which it grows. However, there are no complex studies that describe quality and health indicators of wild tea. The aim of this research was to evaluate the quality of wild and cultivated green tea from different regions of China: Wuzhishan, Baisha, Kunlushan, and Pu’Er. The assessment was carried out by verifying the concentration of selected chemical components in tea and relating it to the health risks they may pose, as well as to the nutritional requirements of adults. Wild tea was characterized by higher micronutrient concentration. The analyzed teas can constitute a valuable source of Mn in the diet. A higher concentration of nitrates and oxalates in cultivated tea can be associated with fertilizer use. The analyzed cultivated tea was a better source of antioxidants with a higher concentration of caffeine. There were no indications of health risks for wild or cultivated teas.