Monitoring the biological quality of soils often include nematodes as bioindicators. The aim of this study was determined the influence of liming, P and Zn effect on nematode community structure as an indicator of soil ecosystem health in hot pepper. Pot experiment with hot pepper was conducted in randomized block design as follows: control, P, Zn, P + Zn, lime, P + lime, Zn + lime and P + Zn + lime (25 mg/kg P, 1 mg/kg Zn and lime as 2.22 g/kg CaCO3). The highest number of nematodes genera was with phosphorus application (17.25). The most common genera were Rhabditis and Tylenchus. Above all indices, only the Structure index (SI) shown significance (P &lt; 0.01) in reflecting soil disturbance. The highest significant correlation was found between Maturity index 2–5 and Structure index <br />(r =  0.946***), Maturity index and Plant parasitic nematode and Maturity index ratio (r = –0.919***) and between Ecological and Channel index (r = –0.815***).

Plasma-activated water (PAW) is a novel and promising technique in the agricultural field that has the potential to improve vegetable growth and yield. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of plasma-activated water seeds treatment and growth conditions on pepper plant growth parameters and fruit quality. A factorial design of three factors (C = cultivar, GC = growth condition, and PAW = plasma activated water treatment seeds) was established, with two variants for each one: Cultivar 1 (C1) and Cultivar 2 (C2); greenhouse (G) and open field (F); PAW seeds treatment (PAW) and seeds without treatment with PAW (C). Four replicates with fifty seeds were taken for each variety. Growth and fruit quality parameters were measured in the three month period during 2021 and 2022, respectively. The significant influence of cultivar, growing condition, and PAW on fruit quality and pepper plant growth parameters were determined. The lowest values of measured parameters were obtained in the open field without PAW treatment. Pepper growth in a greenhouse from PAW-treated seeds had a higher canopy height (17.85%), weight (10.57%), number of leaves (10.5%), nodes (18.94%), and buds (37.83%). Moreover, dry matter content was higher (33.73%) as well as fruit quality: fruit weight (50.19%), diameter (24.3%), length (20.88%), and pericarp weight (49.49%). Results indicate that PAW treatment of peppers seeds can lead to production and yield improvement under different climates and growing conditions.

The aim of this work was to determine if PAW (Plasma Activated Water) seed treatment and growing conditions could have positive effects on lettuce seedlings and growth. The paper presents the results of a pot experiment on lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) cultivation in greenhouse and field conditions after seed treatment with PAW. The experiment was conducted in two consecutive seasons in 2021 and 2022 and the following growth parameters were measured: head mass, rosette height, rosette width, number of leaves, root mass and root length. As a result of the study, it was found that lettuces grown in the greenhouse from PAW treated seeds had higher results in the first measurement for both cultivars (mass 32.26%, diameter 19.01%, number of leaves 13.49% and height 24.01%), while there were no statistically significant effects on the root system. The lowest results were obtained in untreated and field-grown plants. In addition, plant dry matter was measured and it was found that plants grown from PAW treated seeds had a higher percentage of dry matter (11.51% in 2021, and 11.58% in 2022). It was also found that cultivation in greenhouse resulted in a better quality of plants than the cultivation in the open field.

Rijeke su integralni dio tla, nastale u turbulentnim vremenima oblikovanja Zemlje, i mijenjale su se tijekom njezine povijesti. Raznolikost rijeka ne odražavaju samo različiti tipovi tla kroz koje one protječu nego ta raznolikost ovisi i o promjeni godišnjih doba i razlika između vlažnih i suhih godina. Drava je srednjoeuropska rijeka i jedna od najvažnijih pritoka Dunava. U prirodnim uvjetima pronos sedimenta u Dravi je uravnotežen, što znači da se na određenom području odnesena količina sedimenta nadomjesti istom količinom s uzvodnih dijelova sliva. Na svom toku kroz Hrvatsku Drava je tri puta pregrađena na dijelu toka uzvodno od ušća Mure, dok je prije ulaska u Hrvatsku čak dvadeset puta pregrađena. Izgradnjom hidroakumulacijskih jezera u sklopu hidroeneregetskih objekata mijenja se prirodni režim protoka, javljaju se značajne hidrološke i morfološke promjene na mjestu pregrada, kao i na dijelu toka uzvodno i nizvodno od pregrada. Izgradnja brana na rijekama smanjuje broj vrsta biljnoga i životinjskoga svijeta mijenjajući lokalne stanišne uvjete. Izgradnjom hidroelektrana dolazi i do kanaliziranja pojedinih dijelova vodotoka, gdje se mijenjaju erozijsko-sedimentacijski procesi u samom koritu. Rijeka koja je u prirodnom stanju sa svim svojim elementima najbolja je obrana od sezonskih poplava. Izgradnjom hidroenergetskih objekata mijenja se hidrološki režim, odnosno uvelike osciliraju vrijednosti protoka na pojedinim dijelovima rijeke Drave, što ima utjecaja na poplavne nizine nizvodno te na biljne vrste karakteristične za tu vrstu staništa. Glavnina biljnih vrsta koje su prilagođene poplavnim stanišnim uvjetima izgradnjom akumulacije izgubile bi većinu tla koje je pogodno za naseljavanje.

The total antioxidant activity of three apple cultivars conventionally farmed (Jonagold, Golden Delicious and Idared) and two cultivars organically farmed (Jonagold and Golden Delicious) were investigated by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The spin label used for experiments was TEMPO radical (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl) with a well-defined EPR spectrum consisting of three equidistant peaks. The results obtained indicated difference in the total antioxidant activity of apples grown in two different ways, conventional and organic, as well as between different cultivars grown in the same way. The Golden Delicious cultivar is richer in antioxidants than the Jonagold and Idared, regardless of the method of farming. The difference between them is higher in conventionally grown apples than in organically farmed apples. Experimental data was fitted with non-linear curve fit for exponential decay of the first order based on the Levenberg-Marquardt method. The high values of the R 2 parameters for all data indicated correctness in the proposition of exponential decay of the first order as a model describing the dynamic properties of spin labels which diminish in the presence of fresh apple juice.K Ke ey y w wo or rd ds s: : Antioxidant, apple, conventional farming, electron paramagnetic resonance, organic farming.