The concentration of hydrocarbons in the yield of dry matter in ryegrass depended upon the sludge dose. The highest concentrations of hydrocarbons in ryegrass were found in a control object. In objects fertilized with waste activated sludge the highest concentration of hydrocarbons was found in ryegrass with 20% ofwaste activated sludge. After a two-year experiment, the highest concentration of hydrocarbons was found in the control object. In soil materials fertilized with waste activated sludge the concentration of hydrocarbons grew along with the sludge dose.

The concentration of hydrocarbons in the yield of dry matter in ryegrass depended upon the sludge dose. The highest concentrations of hydrocarbons in ryegrass were found in a control object. In objects fertilized with waste activated sludge the highest concentration of hydrocarbons was found in ryegrass with 20% ofwaste activated sludge. After a two-year experiment, the highest concentration of hydrocarbons was found in the control object. In soil materials fertilized with waste activated sludge the concentration of hydrocarbons grew along with the sludge dose.

The major aim of the study was to identify the relationships of photosynthetic pigments with elemental contents of plants exposed to various ambient air conditions. Lolium multiflorum L. plants were exposed at five sites varying in environmental characteristics, including potential air pollution levels. The effect of air pollution by trace elements on plants was examined. Selected trace elements (Pb, Cd, As, Ni, Cr), some macro-elements as well as chlorophyll content were measured after each of four series. The graphical visualization revealed groups of sites with similar response of elements and chlorophyll contents. Sites located outside the city were grouped into one, and two urban sites were grouped into another. The trace element contents were relatively low and, excluding Ni and As, did not reach toxic levels in dry mass of leaves. However, some relations could be noted, which indicates the sensitivity of the photosynthetic process even at low levels of trace elements in ambient air. Chlorophyll b was found to be more sensitive to most of the analyzed trace elements than chlorophyll a. The results revealed chlorophylls, K and Na as indicators of plant stress caused by trace elements present in ambient air, even at relatively low levels.

In greenhouse experiments the susceptibility of meadow fescue, perennial ryegrass and Italian ryegrass to Fusarium avenaceum, F. cu/mor um and F. grami num infection was studied. Various responses to Fusarium spp. infection were observed among the tested grass species and their cult i vars. Meadow fescue was the most susceptible to all the Fusarium isolates used. F. avenaceum isolates also strongly reduced perennial ryegrass emergence. In the experiments with Italian ryegrass the number of seedlings having survived the artificial infection of seeds with Fusarium spp. was significantly larger for Atos, Gran, Mitos and Polus cultivars than for Kroto, Lotos and Tur. All of the studied grasses were more susceptible to the strongly pathogenic F. avenaceum isolates than to F. culmorum and F. graminum isolates, having moderate pathogenicity.

In years 1998-2000 the pot experiment was carried out. The aim of this investigation was to determine the influence of brown coal, waste activated sludge, their mixtures and farmyard manure on the content of Cr and Ni in soil material and in the dry mass of Lolium multiflorum Krato variety. The pots were filled with loamy sand as soil material, brown coal which had low energetic value from Sieniawa and Konin mines. waste activated sludges were taken from mechanical-biological sewage purification plants located at Siedlce, Luków and Drosed (poultry processing plant) and mixed farmyard manure. In each year of experiment four cuts were harvested. The total content of Cr and Ni in soil materials and in dry mass of grass after dry combustion of samples was determinate by !CP-AES method on spectrometer Optima 3200 RL manufactured by Perkins-Elmer. The highest content of Cr and Ni was determinate in soil materials from objects fertilized with waste activated sludge from Siedlce. The average content of Cr in dry mass of grass reached 5.15 mg/kg and Ni 3.05 mg/kg.

Currently more and more research is being done on integrated weed management to reduce or avoid herbicide use. Some growers are already using isotherapic dilutions to control weeds in organic farming. Isotherapy is different from homeopathy because it uses diluted and potentized (succussed) solutions of alcoholic macerate of the very pest causing health troubles. We set up a germination experiment to test if isotherapic dilutions of leaf macerate of annual ryegrass affect the dynamics of its seed germination in Petri dishes. Our results were diverse, from no effect to 10% more growing degree days necessary to reach 50% germination. It is doubtful that so low an effect will contribute to integrated weed management unless the slightly delayed germination triggers secondary effects at other life stages. This is in accordance with the scientific literature on that topic: two-fifths of the reports showed no effect, two-fifths resulted in positive responses and one-fifth had diverse responses for the criteria tested.

The aim of the study was the determination the effect of foliar application of growth regulator containing Ti (Tytanit®), on Lolium multiflorum morphometry, photosynthetic activity, chlorophyll content and chemical composition of dry matter. A pot experiment was carried out in a plant breeding room of Siedlce University, Poland, in 2019. The experimental units were as follows: I) control – plants sprayed with distilled water; II) plants sprayed with 0.02% Tytanit concentration; III) plants sprayed with 0.04% Tytanit concentration; IV) plants sprayed with 0.06% Tytanit concentration. The following parameters were determined: the shoots number, the number and the length of leaf blades, the length of roots, the dry weight of roots, the dry weight of plants per pot and the content of chlorophyll a and b in leaf blades. In addition, maximum and actual efficiency of the leaf photosystem, photochemical and non- photochemical quenching coefficients and the content of total protein, crude fibre, monosaccharides, crude fat, crude ash, Ca, Mg, P, K and the ratio of K/(Ca + Mg), and Ca/P in the dry matter of plants were determined. Used in controlled conditions, the regulator contributed to the growth of most morphological characteristics, improved photosynthetic activity, increased the concentration of chlorophyll a and b, and