The chlorophyll levels and growth of oat (Avena sativaL. ‘Elgin’) seedlings were drastically reduced after foliar application of diclofop-methyl {methyl 2-[4-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)phenoxy] propanoate}. The leaves were chlorotic and necrotic with the newly emerging leaves being most affected. Plants treated with 2,4-D [(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)acetic acid] were similar to the controls. When 2,4-D was applied to intact plants in combination with diclofop-methyl the toxicity symptoms produced by diclofop-methyl were reduced. Diclofop-methyl disrupted membrane integrity and inhibited chlorophyll formation in excised leaf segments. Addition of 2,4-D with diclofop-methyl did not change the effects produced by diclofop-methyl alone in excised leaf segments.

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Modern agriculture depends on the production of very few crop species, which provide lower nutritive value for consumers. The present work summarizes the results of a three-year experiment on hulled wheat varieties as potential candidates for food system diversification. The organic field cultivation tests with 10 emmer and five einkorn landraces and varieties were conducted on~10m 2 plots on sandy soil, and from 2017, under on-farm conditions in eastern Hungary. Most accessions adapted well to the marginal conditions, with some landraces even yielding higher than registered varieties-over 3 t per ha on average over three years. Compared to emmer, einkorn had higher maximum grain yields, but its yield performance varied more than that of emmer. Grain protein and the total phenolic content were high in both species. Compared to emmer, einkorn seeds exhibited a 3.8 times higher content of bound flavonoids and had 3.4 times higher antioxidant activity. Four einkorn accessions were resistant to leaf spot, as well as yellow and leaf rusts. Fusarium infected both species similarly. Our findings indicate that not only registered varieties of ancient wheat species but also their landraces can provide sustainable alternatives both for organic farmers and also for the diversification of agriculture.

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The basis of the combined cross-polarization-magic-angle spinning (c.p.-m.a.s.) experiment, which yields high-resolution n.m.r. spectra of solid materials, is described and the general applicability of the technique, including its quantitative reliability, discussed. Solid-state n.m.r. is in many ways complementary to X-ray diffraction, as shown by its application to amorphous systems in which diffraction methods cannot be used (for example resins, coals, glasses and surface-immobilized catalysts) and also by its application to crystalline materials where X-ray structural data are available but where, for various reasons, a fuller description of the structure may be obtained by n.m.r. Examples include zeolites and chemically exchanging solid systems. The technique also provides a bridge between the solid-state structures of conformationally mobile and charged species as determined by diffraction techniques and the structures of these species in solution. Quantitative reliability of the c.p.-m.a.s. technique has been evaluated for phenolic resins and coals.

Although input use in organic agriculture is strictly regulated, and significantly less contentious inputs are applied in organic than in conventional farming systems, copper, mineral oil, external nutrient input, anthelmintics, antibiotics and vitamins are still commonly used among organic farmers in the EU, partly due to the scarce availability of alternative products and the difficulty of implementing preventive strategies. Moreover, besides the direction set by the European Commission’s organic regulation, only a handful of policy instruments exist at national levels to reduce the use of these contentious inputs. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the results of the RELACS EU-funded project about the current use of copper, mineral oils, external nutrient inputs, anthelmintics, antibiotics and vitamins in organic farming in the EU. The paper is based on six internal reports developed in RELACS which relied on international surveys, in-depth interviews, multiple case study methods, database-based calculations, secondary data sources, plus a survey independent from the reports to map existing policy instruments and voluntary initiatives in the EU aiming to reduce the use of the six input categories. As a result, the paper gives a comprehensive overview of the current consumption of the six contentious inputs within the organic sector, highlighting potential alternative strategies in the pipeline, available preventive measures and the willingness of farmers towards adopting these solutions. It also informs about specific policy instruments already in force, as well as about ongoing voluntary initiatives to reduce contentious inputs. Due to the current dependence of organic farming systems on the six categories of contentious inputs, any sudden phase-out or ban on their usage would do more harm than good to the organic sector. Therefore, gradual, data-driven reduction measures are needed, which require significant further investments in targeted research, and in policy support measures, with the active involvement of agricultural stakeholders.

Landraces are generally neglected by industrialized agriculture, regardless of their potential to provide valuable genetic material for breeding and to diversifying the available assortment for producers and markets. They may also excel in certain plant protection issues with possible resistance or tolerance to plant pathogens. This is the first report on the disease susceptibility traits of Hungarian on certain indeterminate and determinate tomato gene bank accessions under on-farm organic conditions. For this, a three-year on-farm experiment was conducted in two management systems, open-field and protected. Yield and disease symptoms data obtained from ten tomato landraces were compared to commercial varieties. The incidence and severity of three important diseases (caused by late blight ‘Phytophthora infestans’, early blight ‘Alternaria solani’ and Septoria leafspot ‘Septoria lycopersici’), as well as yield, were recorded and assessed. According to these results, there were no significant difference between landraces and control varieties (San Marzano, Kecskeméti 549) regarding the studied parameters, and year was a determinant factor in the occurrence and severity of the infection of the studied diseases. In 2016, rainy, humid weather induced a severe late blight infection, causing serious damage to the open field, while the weather in 2015 and 2017 was favorable for tomato production and our measurements. There were some differences within and between landraces in terms of susceptibility. The investigation revealed that certain accessions can be highly recommended, e.g., the indeterminate ‘Fadd’ (RCAT030275) and ‘Mátrafüred’ (RCAT057656) had suitably high yields with significantly lower susceptibility to late blight, and the determinate ‘Szentlőrinckáta’ (RCAT078726) with high yield as well as tolerance to early blight is also recommendable, but it is sensitive to late blight under an adverse environment. This study suggests that landraces are competitive with the studied commercial varieties under organic production systems. Considering yield and the prevention of the major diseases of tomato, the studied tomato gene bank accessions are recommended for organic field and protected management systems.

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