The incidence of fusarium foot-rot occurrence on the winter wheat cultivars Roma and Sakwa was examined in the years 2001–2003. Strict plot experiments were set up by the method of random sub-blocks in Tomaszkowo near Olsztyn. Fungicides were applied on the growing plants during the periods of shooting and heading. The control plots were sprayed with water. The sanitary state of leaf sheaths was evaluated at heading phase (GS 55). The symptoms of fusarium foot-rot were examined at the phase of milky maturity (GS 75) and waxy maturity of grain (GS 87). The study aimed at assessing the average index of infection of the winter wheat stem base caused by the species of Fusarium genus, assessing the vulnerability of the Roma and Sakwa cultivars to these fungi and determining the effectiveness of pesticides in control of fusarium foot-rot. Fusarium foot-rot (Fusarium spp.) of winter wheat dominated on the winter wheat stem base. Most of the examined stems were severely infected. The Roma cultivar was more susceptible to infection by Fusarium fungi than the Sakwa cultivar. The effectiveness of fungicides in controlling fusarium foot-rot on the winter wheat was satisfactory, but largely depended on the cultivar and weather conditions. Mirage 450EC and Sportak Alpha 380EC fungicides were the most effective. The species F. culmorum and F. avenaceum dominated in the fungal populations colonizing the stem base of winter wheat with visible symptoms typical of fusarium foot-rot.

The objective of the study was to determine the effect of leaf wetness period and air temperature on development of disease symptoms caused by Puccinia recondita on winter wheat. The experiments were carried out in growth chamber at the Institute of Plant Protection in Poznań. Seedlings of a susceptible winter wheat cultivar Mikon, were artificially inoculated with urediniospores of P. recondita and incubated in temperature of 15 and 20°C. The period of duration of leaf wetness varied from 2 to 14 hours. Disease symptoms on seedlings at 20°C appeared 7 days after inoculation. Reduction of temperature to 15°C resulted in the elongation of latency period to 8 days. The relationship between leaf wetness period and disease symptoms severity was also observed. The gratest number of urediniospores in both tested temperatures were observed on plants exposed to 14 hours of leaf wetness. In temperature of 20°C 4 hours of wetness duration was enough to guarantee infection and the appearance of P. recondita pustules, whereas in 15°C at least 10 hours of wet period was needed to cause disease symptoms development. The experimental results were used to produce two equations describing relation between leaf wetness and symptoms development in tested temperatures.

Redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus L). is a broadleaf weed in autumn crop fields in Russia. Four field experiments were performed in Stalskiy region, southern Russia in two growing seasons, 2016 and 2017, to investigate the effects of postemergence applications of applied alone or in tank mixtures in winter wheat cultivars Tanya and Bagrat. Redroot pigweed control was greatest with tribenuron and all herbicide treatments containing tribenuron. The lowest redroot pigweed control was with aminopyralid/florasulam (study 1) and triasulfuron (study 2), respectively, whereas redroot pigweed had intermediate responses to the other examined herbicides. Tribenuron plus fluroxypyr sprayed on wheat cultivar ‘Tanya’, and tribenuron plus triasulfuron on wheat cultivar ‘Bagrat’ resulted in increased wheat grain yields. Overall, tribenuron and herbicides containing tribenuron provided the most efficient redroot pigweed control compared with the other herbicides and consistently maintained optimal winter wheat yields. Tribenuron could ameliorate redroot resistance to herbicides in wheat fields in southern Russia.

Gene postulation is one of the fastest and most cost-effective methods for identifying seedling leaf rust resistance genes in wheat cultivars. Many researchers use this approach to identify Lr genes in wheat cultivars. The purpose of our research was to identify seedling leaf rust resistance genes in 20 wheat cultivars from different breeding centers of Russia, Ukraine and Germany. Forty-two near isogenic Thatcher lines and 10 Puccinia triticina isolates were used for gene postulation. When assessing the infection types to cultivars and lines, a scale was used, according to Oelke and Kolmer. In 20 wheat cultivars 19 Lr genes were postulated: 2c, 3, 10, 3bg, 3ka, 14a, 17, 18, 23, 25, 26, 30, 33, 40, 44, 50, B, Exch, Kanred. The most common for cultivars was the Lr10 gene. In five cultivars, showing high field resistance, most postulated seedling genes (Lr2c, Lr3, Lr10, Lr14а, Lr26, Lr33) were not effective in the adult stage. It is possible that resistance of such cultivars is associated with APR genes, the postulation of which requires an expansion in the number and spectrum of P. triticina isolate virulence. Most of the studied cultivars (60%) have recently been entered into the register (2015–2019) and in the field show a stable or moderately susceptible response to P. triticina infection, despite the fact that the Lr genes postulated in them were not effective in the adult stage. The data obtained indicated a variety of genotypes of the studied cultivars, as well as the tendency of breeders to use the effect of pyramiding ineffective genes, which can prolong the resistance of the cultivar. Annual monitoring of varieties is necessary in each region, especially when reacting with a medium susceptible type (MS), which may indicate the initial stage of resistance loss.

The experiment was conducted in the years 2001–2003 at the Experimental Station in Złotniki. The aim of the performed investigations was to evaluate economic effectiveness of different fungicidal protection programs in winter wheat. Winter wheat of cv. Sakwa was cultivated using the following two variants of seed treatment: 1) Raxil 060 FS at the dose of 60 ml/100 kg grain, 2) Raxil 060 FS + Latitude 125 FS at the doses of 60 and 200 ml/100 kg, and five variants of fungicidal foliar protection: 1) Vista 228 SE, 2) Sportak Alpha 380 EC, 3) Sportak Alpha 380 EC + Vista 228 SE, 4) Sportak Alpha 380 EC + Vista 228 SE + Juwel 250 SC, 5) control – without protection. The use of the above plant protection products contributed to the increase of winter wheat grain yield from 0.60 t/ha to 2.07 t/ha. This increase of yield covered costs of performed chemical control. The economic analysis showed that most effective variant of winter wheat chemical protection was seed treatment with Latitude 125 FS with additional two foliar treatments with the following fungicides: Sportak Alpha 380 EC and Vista 228 SE. Irrespective of the applied seed dressing, additional application of Juwel 250 SC at the stage of early milk maturity turned out to be economically not justified.

The incidence of winter wheat stem base diseases: Fusarium foot rot (Fusarium spp.), eyespot (Ramulispora herpotrichoides), sharp eyespot (Rhizoctonia spp.) and take-all (Gaeumannomyces graminis) in the years 1999–2003 was assessed in this study. Previous crops were barley and oilseed rape. Eyespot occurred on the greatest percentage of plants throughout the whole period of the study. In 2000–2003 a deficiency of rainfall was observed, especially at the time of increased water requirements of plants.

The investigations were carried out in 1996–2005 on the fields of Agricultural Experimental Station Department of SGGW Chylice in Mazowieckie voivodeship. The occurrence of diseases was assessed in 1996–2000 on winter wheat cv. Kobra, and in 2001–2005 on cv. Mikon. Weather conditions in ten-year experimental period were differentiated and had a distinct influence on plant infection by pathogens, as well as on the level of winter wheat yielding. In the first part of experimental period (1996–2000) the weather was characterized by higher temperatures compared to long-term average and higher amount of rainfall, with the exception of the year 2000 when the summer drought occurred. The highest for that period grain yield (54.70 dt/ha) was obtained in 1998. This was related to the lowest total infection of leaf surface area (22.76%) and a relatively low index of infection of stem base by Tapesia yallundae. In that year mass of 1 000 grain was also the highest. The lowest grain yield (40.80 dt/ha) was recorded in 2000 due to summer drought. In 1997 characterized by a high level of infection by T. yallundae (eyespot) obtained grain yield was also relatively low. In the second part of the experiment conducted on cv. Mikon (2001–2005) the lowest grain yield was recorded in 2001 (28.85 dt/ha) when per cent of leaf area infection of 2 upper leaves by Puccinia recondita (brown rust) was very high (44.79%), and the highest yield was obtained in 2003 (57.27 dt/ha). This was due to a moderate level of total leaf infection (30.21%) with fungal pathogens and favourable weather conditions for wheat development. In that year mass of 1 000 grain was also the highest. The occurrence of stem base infection by Fusarium spp. was maintained in the years 1996–2005 on differentiated level and it was lower in earlier years compared to the later period. The infection of ears by Leptosphaeria nodorum and Fusarium spp. was usually not high and its influence on the amount of grain yield not clearly evident. Chemical control of diseases influenced grain yield increase which was the highest in 2001 when winter wheat leaves were heavily infected by Puccinia recondita. The yield increase on fungicide treated plots was in that year 53.15%. It was evident that brown rust may pose a serious threat to winter wheat in the years of its high occurrence.

The resistance of winter wheat varieties to Puccinia recondite f. sp. tritici was investigated at the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture during 2001–2003. Effectiveness of resistance genes was investigated at seedling, tillering and adult plant stages. Virulence tests done during the 2000–2003 period showed that the majority of Lr genes used in European wheat were not sufficiently efficient. However, testing of cultivars at the first leaf stage revealed that the Lr37 gene in combination with the other genes was very effective. The experimental cultivars were sown in 2 times: in autumn and spring, without vernalization. The main task of spring-sown nursery was to improve the effectiveness of the experiment and investigate the effect of different Lr genes of non-vernalized plants at tillering growth stage. The Lr37 gene was found to be the most effective at both adult plant stage and tillering growth stage. Disease severity and plant resistance type at tillering stage were stable in all experimental years, which is important for the breeding program. The investigations revealed that the correlations between resistance at seedling and the other two stages were up to r = 0.81 (significant at p = 0.01**). The correlations between leaf rust severity and varietal resistance type at tillering were very high (r = 0.86–0.91**) in the same year. The correlation of leaf rust severity at adult plant stage was strong (r = 0.78**) between 2001 and 2002, but too low for reliable selection of resistant cultivars in the other years. Spring-sown nursery was complementary to collect resistance data in the years unfavourable for leaf rust development.

Biological efficacy of herbicides: propoxycarbazone-sodium (Attribut 70 WG) and sulfosulfuron (Apyros 75 WG) applied with adjuvants was estimated in the field, greenhouse and laboratory experiments. An addition of adjuvants to herbicides Attribut 70 WG and Apyros 75 WG had a positive influence on physical characteristics of tank mixture, herbicidal effect, and the increase of winter wheat grain yield. Ammonium nitrate used as an adjuvant showed the weakest effect. The lowest grain yield was obtained after using the preparations Attribut 70 WG and Apyros 75 WG without adjuvant. Th eoil adjuvants, Adbios 85 SL, A ero 030 SL, Atpolan 80 EC and Olbras 88 EC influenced in a similar manner the activity of tested herbicides. Obtained herbicidal effect, the amount of yield and elements of yield structure were differentiated after joint application of herbicides with adjuvants. The herbicides protected plantations of winter wheat against couch grass (Agropyron repens) during the whole vegetative season. However the herbicide Attribut 70 WG was more effective in controlling regrowth of couch grass after harvest, as compared to Apyros 75 WG. On the other hand, Apyros 75 WG controlled somewhat better broadleaf weeds. Also differences in carryover effect occurred. On the sites after propoxycarbazone–sodium application winter oilseed rape, spring oilseed rape and sugar beet should not be cultivated. On the sites after cereals that were protected against weeds with sulfosulfuron only cultivation of winter oilseed rape should not be recommended, however spring oilseed rape and sugar beet can be grown

The effects of gamma irradiation on the vernalization requirements, growth and development of winter wheat grown in a rainout shelter were studied during two successive growing seasons. Dry grains of winter wheat cv. Kobra were irradiated with 300 Gy radiation from a cobalt 60 gamma irradiator. Treated and control grains were pregerminated and subjected to vernalization for 0, 42 or 54 days. Morphological parameters of the plants developing from irradiated seeds (M1 generation) and the plants grown from the seeds produced by the irradiated plants (M2 generation) were measured in order to track the studied effects over two generations. Irradiation of dry grains slowed the growth and development of the plants regardless of the temperature treatment. The measured yield structure elements appeared to be lower for irradiated plants, but no clear effect of radiation on vernalization requirements was noted

The aim of performed research was to evaluate weed seedbank in soil under the influence of four different winter wheat tillage systems. Winter wheat was grown in the following cultivation systems: A – monoculture with direct drilling into white clover mulch; B – monoculture with direct drilling into wheat stubble; C – monoculture with conventional tillage; D – crop rotation with conventional tillage. It was shown that pre-sowing wheat tillage had a more considerable effect on weed species and weed seedbank in soil than type of crop rotation. The least seedbank was observed when plough system was replaced by direct drilling. In the soil layer of 0–20 cm, under wheat no-plough tillage, 20.3% less weed diaspores wasfound compared to monoculture with plough tillage and by 40.1% lessthan in crop rotation. The plough tillage increased amount of weed diaspores in the whole plough layer, while direct drilling increased it only in 0–1 cm of soil layer. After direct drilling of wheat into stubble (B) the number of weed diaspores in 1 dcm³ of soil in 0–1 cm layer was over twofold higher than in direct sowing in mulch (A), and threefold higher than in crop rotation (D) and almost six times higher than in wheat monoculture with conventional tillage (C). Dominating weed species in the soil over the types of wheat cultivation systems were: Chenopodium album L., Amaranthus retroflexus L., Apera spica-venti L., Lamium purpureum L., and Viola arvensis Murr.

The experiments were carried out in 2001–2004. The aim of the research was to establish such chlorsulfuron dose that would be effective for Apera spica-venti control and would not be phytotoxic for winter wheat. Besides, it was performed to identify resistance of A. spica-venti biotypes appearing in the experimental fields to chlorsulfuron. The field experiments were conducted in winter wheat that were notably of A. spica-venti weedy. The fields belonged to a private farm at Karczyce and Gałów. The cereals had grown there for a long time and winter wheat monoculture together with repeated chlorsulfuron application was used. The experiments were conducted using randomized blocks method with 3 reapplications. Chlorsulfuron (Glean 75 WG) was applied at rates ranging from 1 to 4.5 times higher than the recommend field dose (15–67.5 g a.s./ha). The degree of sensitivity of A. spica-venti to chlorsulfuron was established by biological tests in greenhouse conditions. The herbicide was applied at four – leaf stage of development at rates ranging from 1 to 32 times higher than the recommend field dose (11.25–360 g a.s./ha). Poor chlorsulfuron efficacy to control of A. spica-venti or its lack might testify for resistance of this species to the herbicide. Chlorsulfuron as an active ingredient was very selective for winter wheat. An application of 67.5 g/ha of the herbicide was not harmful to growth and yielding of winter wheat. Unfortunately, even this dose of the herbicide was ineffective in control of A. spica-venti. In fields with a long-term monoculture of winter wheat together with the use of chlorsulfuron, resistance of A. spica-venti biotypes to this active ingredient was ascertained. Studies in greenhouse conditions proved that the biotypes were not damaged even when the dose was exceeded 32 times. The above confirmed the resistance of these biotypes to chlorsulfuron.

The object of the studies conducted in the years 2000–2002 on a field of 3 years’ monoculture of soybean was rhizosphere soil of soybean cultivated after tansy phacelia, winter wheat, white mustard, rye, agrimony and soybean as previous crops. The purpose of the studies was to determine the effect of cultivating the above listed previous crop plants on the formation of microorganism communities in the rhizosphere soil of soybean. The lowest total number of fungal colonies was found in the rhizosphere soil of soybean cultivated after rye and winter wheat (21.09 × 10³ and 22.58 × 10³ c. f. u., respectively), while the highest number was found in soil after soybean (36.95 × 10³ c. f. u.). The highest total number of bacteria was found in 1 g of dr yweight of the rhizosphere soil of so ybean cultivated after agrimony, and the lowest after soybean (5.80 × 10⁶ and 4.09 × 10⁶ c. f. u., respectively). The largest proportion of pathogenic fungi was characteristic of the rhizosphere soil of soybean cultivated after soybean, and the smallest – of the rhizosphere soil of soybean after agrimony as a previous crop. The dominating species among pathogenic fungi in all experimental objects was Fusarium oxysporum. The rhizosphere soil of soybean cultivated after soybean was the poorest in saprophytic fungi (35.2% of all isolations). On the other hand, the highest number of saprophytes, including antagonistic ones, was found in the rhizosphere soil of soybean after agrimony and winter wheat.

Trinexapac-ethyl is one of the newest growth regulators used in agriculture and horticulture. As a most growth retardants it acts by inhibiting gibberellin (GA) biosynthesis. A field study was conducted to determine the effects of trinexapac-ethyl on growth of winter wheat. Trinexapac ethyl was used alone (75 g a.i./ha and 125 g a.i./ha) and in the mixture with chlorocholine chloride (50 g a.i./ha + 675 g a.i./ha) at the 2nd node stage. Trinexapac-ethyl and its mixture with CCC activity was weather dependent. Their influence on the crop was strictly related to the temperature and rainfall during an individual year of trials. Plant growth regulators much more influenced winter wheat plants in abundant rainfall and higher temperature conditions. Lodging was not observed during the experiment.

The influence of adjuvants on the efficacy of the plant growth regulators: chlormequat chloride (CCC) and prohexadione-calcium was investigated in winter wheat in 2002 and 2003. Field trials were carried out in the Agricultural Experimental Farm in Winna Góra. The plant growth regulators were applied alone at normal rate and at a r educed rate with and without adjuvants. Two adjuvants were used: Adpros 85 SL, a methylated rapeseed oil and Break-Thru S-240, an organosilicone surfactant. Crop height, lodging, yield and quality of the harvested crop were assessed. Physicochemical properties of spray solution were measured. Adjuvants improved the biological activity of both, CCC and prohexadione-calcium, especially when reduced doses were applied. Efficacy of the plant growth regulators used at normal rate without adjuvant and at reduced rates with adjuvants was similar. Break-Thru S-240 increased the efficacy of CCC and prohexadione-calcium more compared to Adpros 85 SL measured in terms of reduction of plant heigh.

Research performed in the years 1999–2002 was carried out in Great Poland region on varieties of winter wheat Elena and Tercja. Experiments included three programmes of wheat cultivation: 1 – Conventional winter wheat protection based on recommendations for commercial fields; 2 – Integrated pest management programme where the control of diseases and insect pests was carried out on the background of thresholds of harmfulness/noxiousness, and weather forecasts; 3 – Untreated, without protection against diseases and pests. Two levels of nitrogen fertilization were applied in the experiments (120 kg N/ha and 170 kg N/ha) and the newest plant protection products were used for controlling fungal pathogens and noxious insects. The occurrence of diseases and insect pests, as well as beneficial entomofauna was determined in relation to each experimental variant, and occurring changes were analysed. Effectiveness of disease and pest control were calculated. Grain yield and its quality were determined and economical profitability for both conventional and integrated programmes calculated. It was shown that a high profitability can be obtained through the application of integrated pest management, as a result of correct choice and application of plant protection products, as well as proper choice of wheat cultivars and appropriate nitrogen fertilization.