The aim of the study was to determine the agricultural usefulness of the ashes obtained following the combustion of wood of fourteen tree species (pear tree, apple tree, aspen, ash, alder, birch, poplar, hornbeam, pine, common walnut, oak, hazel, bird cherry and spruce) in home fireplaces. The following physical properties of the ashes were determined: colour, solubility, porosity, absorbability, compression strength, degree of fineness, moisture content and spreadability. In the ashes obtained from the combustion of wood in a fireplace furnace, the following parameters were determined: pH H2O , pH KCl (1 mole dm -3 KCl), pH CaCl2 (0.01 mole dm -3 CaCl 2 ) and total alkalinity in terms of the suitability of ashes as a liming agent. The contents of C tot. and N tot. were determined with a CHNS/O elemental analyser by Perkin-Elmer and the contents of other elements (macronutrients and heavy metals) were specified using the method of atomic emission spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma ICP-AES. Wood ashes are a source of macronutrients for plants. Their contents can be presented in the following series of decreasing values: Ca > C > K > Mg > P > S > N. Out of 1 t of wood ash, approx. 160 kg C, 6 kg N, 20 kg P, 98 kg K, 302 kg Ca, 39 kg Mg and 18 kg S can be introduced into the soil. The content of heavy metals in the analysed ashes was low, and exceeded the acceptable standards for their content in waste materials intended for liming soils. The analysed ashes exhibit good physical and chemical properties. They can be suitable for use in agriculture as a liming agent to be applied on medium and heavy soils.

Abstract:The object of this study was to compare the results obtained with four methods of determination of cation exchange capacity (CEC) and sum of exchangeable cations (Ca, Mg, K) in soils. One of these methods is Kappen's method and the others methods are based on different extracting reagents: sodium acetate (pH = 8.2), barium chloride and hexaamminecobalt(III) chloride. Values measured with barium ions and hexaamminecobalt(III) ions as index cations are very comparable and these two methods can be considered as equivalent. Kappen's method gives overestimated results, especially for acid soils reach in organic matter and very calcareous soils. Sodium acetate, buffering the pH of the extracting solution, causes increase of numbers of negatively charged sites and particularly those bonded to organic matter and for this reason values obtained with this method are overestimated. Nevertheless, it is possible to correct this error for a given soil sample by regression equation considering pH of soil, clay and organic carbon content.

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A b s t r a c t. The study addresses the problem of assessment of the chemical properties of compost produced on the basis of organic fraction of municipal waste, including the quantity and quality of organic matter. Six composts originating from central-eastern Poland were included in the research. The following analyses were performed: pH; salinity; content of C, N, P, K and heavy metals, fractional composition of organic matter (after decalcification, bitumens, fulvic acids, humic acids and post-extraction residue) and properties of humic acids (elemental composition and spectrophotometric properties). The analysed composts were characterised by a similar chemical nature. They were considered to be chemically and biologically silised. They were characterised by a significant potential for soil enrichment in soil humus and biogenic elements. The content of heavy metals in the tested composts did not constitute a barrier to their use as a fertiliser. The contribution of carbon of humic substances (separated by 0.1 M NaOH) ranged from 23.3 to 31.2%. Among humic substances the most humic acids prevailed, with the ratio of humic to fulvic carbon from 2.07 to 3.03. The elemental composition of humic acids of the tested composts was similar to those occurring in humus horizons of intensively used arable soils. Spectrophotometric parameters indicated a low degree of their humification.K e y w o r d s: compost, humic substances, humic acids

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Na i S w grzybach pochodzących z upraw celowych-pieczarce białej i brązowej (Agaricus bisporus) oraz boczniaku ostrygowatym (Pleurotus ostreatus). Grzyby zakupiono w sklepach lokalnych sieci handlowych w Siedlcach. Zawartość azotu ogółem oznaczono metodą analizy elementarnej na analizatorze CHN z detektorem przewodności cieplnej (JDC), natomiast pozostałych pierwiastków metodą spektrometrii emisyjnej z plazmą indukcyjnie wzbudzoną, po wcześniejszej mineralizacji na "sucho" w piecu muflowym w temperaturze 450°C i rozpuszczeniu popiołu w 10% roztworze HCl. Badania wykazały istotne zróżnicowanie zawartości składników mineralnych w analizowanych gatunkach grzybów. Najwięcej N, P, K, Ca, Na i S zawierały owocniki pieczarki brązowej a Mg boczniaka ostrygowatego. Najmniej N, P, K, Ca, Na i S oznaczono w owocnikach boczniaka ostrygowatego a Mg w pieczarce białej.

Zawartość mikroelementów i metali ciężkich w roślinach oraz żywności pochodzenia roślinnego i zwierzęcego jest zagadnieniem bardzo istotnym. W ostatnich latach szczególną uwagę zwraca się na tzw. żywność funkcjonalną, do której wg Solomona i in. [1999] zalicza się grzyby. Zgodnie z definicją Unii Europejskiej "grzyby są produktami, wykazującymi udokumentowany

Copper is an element necessary for the proper growth and development of plants, but when taken in excess amounts, it can be toxic. Its availability for plant can be reduced by using organic fertilizers or soil liming. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of increasing doses of copper (100, 200, and 300 mg Cu·kg−1 of soil) application in combination with various organic amendments (cattle manure, chicken manure, and spent mushroom substrate) on the yield of cocksfoot and its content and uptake of this metal, and to determine its coefficient of bioaccumulation and tolerance indices. The toxic effect of copper manifested by significant decrease in the yield of the test plant was after the application of 300 mg·kg−1 of soil. Increasing doses of copper application increased its content and uptake by the test plant, while observing the decreasing bioaccumulation factor. All the soil amendments reduced the toxic effect of copper on cocksfoot. The most effective organic amendment in terms of yield and protective effects against high levels of copper was cattle manure, in the case of which the Org/Cu and Cu/Org tolerance indices were highest.