The aim of this research was to study the physiological and biochemical responses of pelargonium growing in saline substrate. Salt stress caused an increase of sodium and chlorine, and decrease potassium ions concentrations in pelargonium leaves depending on their level in peat substrate. About 4-16-fold increase of sodium, 4-6fold increase of chlorine were found in leaves of plants growing in substrate treated with the lowest (452 mg dm-3) and highest (2992 mg dm-3) NaCl doses, respectively. The concentration of potassium ions decreased by 20 to 27 % in leaves of plants growing in substrate supplemented with NaCl doses from 1976 to 2992 mg dm-3 , respectively. However, lower doses of sodium chloride did not affect the content of potassium ions in pelargonium leaves. The increasing salinity of substrate after the addition of 960-2992 mg NaCl dm-3 caused the reduction of plant fresh matter in the range of 25-65 %, plant height 10-37 %, and leaf area 15-55 %. There were no changes in relative water content (RWC) and no signs of damage in the form of necrotic spots for any of the used salt concentrations. The content of chlorophyll pigments decreased proportionally to salt concentration, but the content of carotenoids did not change. Maximum photochemical activity of PSII (F v /F m) was reduced only in plants growing at the highest dose of NaCl. Proline and anthocyanin levels increased in response to elevated NaCl concentration. At the highest dose of NaCl proline level increased by 30 % while the content of anthocyanins increased about 2.5-fold in relation to the control. It can be assumed that proline and anthocyanins accumulated in pelargonium leaves may be responsible for the amelioration of the adverse effects of salt stress. The results revealed that the investigated pelargonium 'Survivor Dark Red' is somewhat tolerant to salinity and it can be cultivated in substrate and soil polluted with NaCl at the level lower than 1976 mg dm-3 .

Light quality is thought to affect the growth and development of plants. We examined how light influences the growth and content of some chemical compounds in dill (Anethum graveolens L.). The plants were grown under different light quality. The share of orange and green light in the spectrum was constant and amounted to 10% for either colour. In the first combination (A, 70/10), there was 70% of red light and 10% of blue light. Other combinations had the following proportions: B 60/20, C 50/30, D 40/40 and E 30/50 of red and blue light. The PPFD was about 155 μmol m-2 s-1. Blue light inhibited the elongation growth as well as leaf area. It had positive influence on the accumulation of dry mass, glucose and fructose in the herb. In the combinations with higher percentage of red light the plants were characterised by higher content of essential oils, macronutrients and zinc. To sum up, we can say that the proportion of red and blue light has significant influence on the morphological qualities, chemical composition and dynamics of photosynthesis in these plants. On the other hand, the selection of spectral composition of LEDs will depend on the result we want to achieve.

Eff ect of the end-of-day and the end-of-night red and blue light in dill growth was investigated. Ambrozja dill (Anethum graveolens L.) cvs were grown in vegetation chambers in completely controlled conditions exposed to white diode light. Red and blue light was employed for 30 min before the initiation or after the end of the lighting period. Th e values of plant fresh mass, area and height parameters were the highest for plants treated with red light at the end of night. Th e application of red light at the end of day exerted a similar eff ect on plants as the exposure of plants to blue light at the end of night. Plants treated with blue light at the end of the lighting period were characterised by the poorest growth rate. Plants additionally lighted with blue light were found to have both distinctly smaller mass as well as area in comparison with plants exposed to red light. Both methods are useful to control the plants growth depending on the phase of plant development and growers' requirements.

The study involved the application of a top dressing of a multicomponent Peters Professional fertiliser at concentration of 100 and 200 mg/l in the amount of 100 ml/plant, once every 7 days regardless of the fact whether the rhizomes had been mycorrhized before or not. Mycorrhization caused an increase in the quality of flowers, as expressed by peduncle length and their yield in Zantedeschia albomaculata cv. Albomaculata at both levels of top dressing, which shows that it is possible to reduce the top dressing dosage to a concentration of 100 mg/l. Mycorrhization had a favourable effect on the accumulation of nitrogen and manganese in the leaves of the calla lily. In mycorrhized plants the mean nitrogen content in 12 leaves ranged between 5.35 and 5.55% d.w. Mycorrhized plants accumulated more manganese in19 their leaves irrespective of the level of top dressing.

Microgreens are becoming increasingly popular both as horticultural crops and as vegetables consumed by humans. They are classified as foods of high nutritional value. Twenty-eight microgreens crops were grown in a growth chamber under fully controlled conditions in order to determine how different light treatments affected their growth rate. The plants were grown under three light sources emitting red/blue ratios of about 6.7, 0.6, and 1.6 units (Red light, Blue light, and R + B light, respectively). Apart from that, the spectrum contained 10% yellow and orange light and 10% green light. The fresh weight of the plants ranged from 8 (perilla) to 1052 mg (nasturtium), whereas the length ranged for the same plants from 2.0 to 26.2 cm. The nasturtium was particularly strongly distinguished from the other species by the high values of its biometric parameters. The fresh mass of most of the other microgreens ranged from 20 to 100 mg, whereas their height ranged from 5 to 8 cm. Red light caused a significant increase in the fresh and dry weights of more than half of the species. The light spectrum had a lesser influence on the length of the plants. The research results showed considerable differences in the dynamics of growth of commonly cultivated microgreens.