The level of cereal yields and the quality of these yields depend, to a large extent, on a crop management system, the genetic potential of a given cultivar, but also on factors that may cause damage to plants or a reduction in yield. Such factors include fungal diseases of cereals, which may cause a reduction in yield by 15–20%, and in extreme cases even by 60%. The main factors determining the occurrence of these pathogens are the weather conditions during the growing season of plants, crop rotation, the previous crop, the soil tillage system, and nitrogen fertilisation. Fungal diseases of cereals limit plant growth and development, as well as reduce grain yield and quality. This paper reviews the literature on fungal diseases of cereals.

The main anti-nutritive substances present in rye grains include alkylresorcinols, water-soluble pentosans, and trypsin inhibitors. The content of these compounds in the grains can be influenced by genetic factors, habitat conditions and the crop management technology used in cultivation. The aim of the study was to determine the variability of the concentration of anti-nutritive compounds in rye grains depending on the variety, weather conditions and production technology. The field research was conducted at the IUNG-PIB Experimental Station in Osiny (Poland) in three growing seasons 2010/2011, 2011/2012 and 2012/2013. The experiment was located on lessive soil, on plots of 45 m2 in three replications. The first factor was the type of production technology (integrated and intensive), while the second was a variety of winter rye. Two hybrid varieties (Brasetto, Visello) and two population varieties (Dańkowskie Diament, Kier) were included. The research showed that the content of anti-nutritive compounds in rye grains depended significantly on the genotype and weather conditions. Stress conditions during the rye growing season in 2011 and 2013 were the cause of higher synthesis of alkylresorcinols, soluble pentosans and trypsin inhibitors in rye grains. The content of alkylresorcinols and water-soluble pentosans also depended significantly on the intensity of the production technology. The higher content of these compounds was found in rye grains from intensive technology. The production technology had no significant impact on the activity of trypsin inhibitors.

A purpose of the research was to develop a method for the preparation of novel organo-mineral fertilizers with the use of brown coal and biochars as organic additives. Brown coal was blended simultaneously together with inorganic materials used for the process of urea superphosphate production in a laboratory scale using a pan granulator and in larger scale using a rapid mixer granulator. Biochars were used for the coating purposes of the urea superphosphate granules on a laboratory scale using a pan granulator. Moreover, the aim was to measure and evaluate the physico-chemical properties of organic materials and the obtained organo-mineral fertilizer products and to study the effects of these products on the selected yield components of spring wheat such as grain yield per plant, spike number per plant, and plant height, in pot trials. Results showed that brown coal and biochars can be used as raw materials for production of fertilizer products. Brown coal contained about 50% of total humic acids while biochar contained nearly 6% of total humic-like substances. Brown coal based compound fertilizer granules produced in the large scale were characterized by particle hardness from 15.80 to 23.3 N while those produced in the laboratory scale were classified as "soft" (particle hardness below 2.3 N). The application of brown coal based fertilizers and two studied biochar coated fertilizers had a positive impact on the grain yield per plant of spring wheat.

Superabsorbents are hydrophilic polymers that can absorb large amounts of water. These studies show that the use of superabsorbent may significantly reduce the negative effects of drought stress on plants. However, their use in the field cultivation has so far been minimal. The price of hydrogels has recently decreased significantly. This was the reason for starting research described in this work, in which the experimental plant was the winter wheat cultivar 'Lucullus'-the cereal which is the most intensively cultivated in Poland. The field experiment was conducted in the years of 2014-2016, in the Agricultural Experimental Station (AES) in Osiny, Poland, in 4 repetitions. TerrahydrogelAqua was evaluated in the following doses: 1) control without hydrogel, 2) 10, 3) 20 and 4) 30 kg•ha-1. Before harvesting, the plant samples were taken to determine the yield structure elements. After harvesting, grain yield at 15% moisture content was determined. The influence of hydrogel on winter wheat grain yield varied in individual years. On average, the yield of wheat grain from the treatment with a dose of 30 kg•ha-1 of hydrogel was significantly higher than from the control treatment or the treatment with a dose of 10 kg•ha-1 of hydrogel. The mean values of yield structure features, i. e. ear grain yield and weight of thousand grain were the highest at the dose of 30 kg•ha-1 of hydrogel. The effect of hydrogel on the average number of plants and ears per unit area and on the number of grains per ear was not found.

The present research was carried out to investigate the effects of different fertilizer treatments on grain yield and yield components of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) 'Harenda' cultivar. The five treatments were as follows: control (standard NPK fertilization), standard NPK fertilization plus liquid NPK (10-11-11) fertilizer, standard NPK fertilization plus liquid NPK (10-11-11) fertilizer with microelements, standard NPK fertilization plus calcium micronized suspension fertilizer, and standard NPK fertilization plus Cu, Mn, Zn, Ca micronized suspension fertilizers. The field trials were conducted in 2017 at the Experimental Site of Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation-State Research Institute in Puławy, Poland. Applications of calcium micronized suspension foliar fertilizer and a mixture of Cu, Mn, Zn, Ca micronized suspension fertilizers significantly increased grain yield of spring wheat, respectively by 44.5% and 38.6% in comparison with control (standard NPK fertilization). These fertilizer treatments also enhanced yield components of spring wheat. Moreover, micronized suspension fertilizers (Ca and the mixture of Cu, Mn, Zn, Ca) had a significant effect on ear number and thousand grain weight of spring wheat compared to control and NPK fertilizers. Liquid NPK and micronutrient-enriched NPK fertilizers had a significant effect on thousand grain weight compared to control.