Weed Management Practices to Improve Establishment of Selected Lignocellulosic Crops

Specialized Metabolites Produced by Phytotopatogen Fungi to Control Weeds and Parasite Plants

Weeds such as parasite plants are one of the most serious pests that farmers are forced to combat since the development of agriculture using different methods including mechanic and agronomy strategies. These pests have generated significant losses of agrarian and herding production, constituting a serious impediment for agricultural activities in reforestation practices and in important infrastructures. All these serious problems have induced the expansive and massive use of synthetic herbicides, which represents one of the main cause of environmental pollution, as well as serious risks for human and animal health. An alternative environmental friendly control method could be the use of bioherbicides based on suitably bioformulated natural products, of which the main ones are fungal phytotoxins. This review covers the literature from 1980 to the present (2022) and concerns fungal phytotoxins with potential herbicidal activity in order to obtain their efficacy as bioherbicides for practical application in agriculture. Furthermore, some bioherbicides based on microbial toxic metabolites are commercially available, and their application in field, mode of action and future perspectives are also discussed.

Introduced and registered switchgrass varieties (Panicum virgatum L.) as a source material for breeding for biomass productivity

Purpose. On the basis of multi-year research on the complex of economically valuable characteristics, the best switchgrass varieties (Panicum virgatum L.) ‘Patfinder’, ‘Carthage’, ‘Blackwell’, ‘Morozko’, ‘Liadovske’ and ‘Zoriane’ were singled out as a source material for breeding for productivity. Methods. The research was conducted during 2017–2021 on the basis of the Poltava State Agrarian University. The soils of the experimental site of the “Energy Crops” collection are typical chernozems with a humus content of 3.4%. Plots were planted with randomized placement of options in four-fold repetition according to the methods of experimental work in agronomy. Also, approved scientific-practical and methodical recommendations for growing energy crops were applied. To confirm the significant difference between the studied varieties, dispersion analysis using Excel and Statistica programs was used. Results. Switchgrass varieties were grouped according to the duration of the growing season into: early- (up to 160 days), medium- (161–171 days) and late ripening (more than 170 days). The complex resistance of switchgrass varieties to drought, frost and plant lodging: ‘Cave-in-Rock’, ‘Zoriane’, ‘Morozko’ and ‘Liadovske’ was revealed. It was determined that economically valuable characteristics depend to a greater extent on varietal characteristics than on growing conditions. The yield of ground vegetative mass based on dry residue for the studied varie­ties varied from 12.1 to 15.6 t/ha. Сonclusions. The varieties ‘Cave-in-Rock’, ‘Zoriane’, ‘Morozko’, ‘Liadovske’ were the most adaptable to growing conditions. The switchgrass varieties ‘Kanlow’ and ‘Cave-in-rock’ provided the highest plant stand and switchgrass variety ‘Dacotah’ provided the lowest plant stand. Varieties ‘Pathfinder’, ‘Blackwell’, ‘Shelter’, ‘Carthage’ and ‘Zoriane’ were singled out according to the number of stems and productivity. The latter, together with the Ukrainian variety ‘Zoriane’, are recommended to be used as starting material for crop selection based on biomass productivity.

Nettle, a Long-Known Fiber Plant with New Perspectives

The stinging nettle Urticadioica L. is a perennial crop with low fertilizer and pesticide requirements, well adapted to a wide range of environmental conditions. It has been successfully grown in most European climatic zones while also promoting local flora and fauna diversity. The cultivation of nettle could help meet the strong increase in demand for raw materials based on plant fibers as a substitute for artificial fibers in sectors as diverse as the textile and automotive industries. In the present review, we present a historical perspective of selection, harvest, and fiber processing features where the state of the art of nettle varietal selection is detailed. A synthesis of the general knowledge about its biology, adaptability, and genetics constituents, highlighting gaps in our current knowledge on interactions with other organisms, is provided. We further addressed cultivation and processing features, putting a special emphasis on harvesting systems and fiber extraction processes to improve fiber yield and quality. Various uses in industrial processes and notably for the restoration of marginal lands and avenues of future research on this high-value multi-use plant for the global fiber market are described.