Iodine uptake and translocation was studied in cabbage and tomato cultivated on different soil types (sand, sandy silt, silt) by applying irrigation water containing iodine at concentrations of 0.1 and 0.5 mg/L. Iodine treatment at the concentrations applied did not significantly influence the photosynthetic efficiency and chlorophyll concentration of cabbage and tomato leaves. The growth of cabbage leaves cultivated on sand and sandy silt soil with iodine treatment was slightly stimulated, while, on silt soil, it remained unchanged; for tomato plant parts, independent of the soil-type, the dry mass values remained constant. It can be concluded that iodine treatment had no negative effect on the physiological characteristic of cabbage and tomato plants. Applying 0.5 mg/L in the irrigation water, the highest biofortification with iodine was achieved in plants cultivated in sandy soil and the iodine concentration calculated in the dry matter amounted to 10 and 3.6 mg/kg in the leaves and fruits of cabbage and tomato, respectively. Considering the iodine and moisture content of cabbage leaves and tomato fruits, the consumption of 100 g of fresh vegetable would cover about 80% and 15% of the recommended iodine intake, respectively. The presence of iodine resulted in a reduction in Fe and P concentrations in tomato fruits independent of the soil-type; however, the concentration of Mg, Cu, Mn, Zn, and B remained practically unchanged. However, for cabbage, no similar trend for Fe and P was observed.

The spatial response of epiphytic diatom communities to environmental stress was studied in a moderately saline wetland area located in the plain of Danube-Tisza Interfluve, Hungary. The area is characterised by World War II bomb crater ponds and can be regarded as an excellent ecological model system where the dispersion of species is slightly limited by distance. To study the effect of environmental variables on the communities, canonical correspondence analysis was applied. Salinity, pH, total suspended solids, total phosphorous and depth proved to be significant environmental drivers in this analysis. The ecological status of the ponds was assessed with Ziemann’s halobity index, as the trophity-depending metric cannot be applied to these habitats (due to the naturally high phosphorus content). Ponds in “good” ecological status significantly differed from those appertaining to water quality category of “not-good” ecological status considering characteristic of natural astatic soda pans (e.g. salinity, pH, ammonium, total phosphorous concentration, nitrogen:phosphorous ratio and turbidity). The differences between epiphytic diatom communities inhabiting the ponds were detected using non-parametric multidimensional scaling. The samples formed three groups according to the types of ponds (“transparent”, “transitional” and “turbid”) based on the width of the macrophyte belt around them. Indicator species related to the ecological status of the ponds and diatom communities contributing to the separation of groups of ponds were identified. One of the indicator species differed from species already described. Light and scanning electron microscopy features and phylogenetic analyses based on three genes (18S and 28S rRNA genes, rbcL) proved that it was a new species of Nitzschia genus, closely related to Nitzschia frustulum and Nitzschia inconspicua. Therefore, description of a new species, Nitzschia reskoi Ács, Duleba, C.E.Wetzel & Ector is proposed. We concluded that the increasing abundance of Nitzschia reskoi was a signal of the degradation of the intermittent saline wetlands.

Accumulation of iodine by potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) and carrot (Daucus carota L. var. sativus) plants cultivated on different soils (sand, sandy silt, and silt) using irrigation water containing iodine at concentrations of 0.1 and 0.5 mg/L was investigated. In the edible organs of potato and carrot control plants grown on sand, sandy silt, and silt soils, the iodine concentrations were 0.15, 0.17, and 0.20 mg/kg (potato) and 0.012, 0.012, and 0.013 mg/kg (carrot); after the treatment by applying 0.5 mg/L iodine dosage, the iodine concentrations were 0.21, 0.19, 0.27 mg/kg (potato) and 3.5, 3.7, 3.0 mg/kg (carrot), respectively. Although the iodine treatment had no significant effect on the biomass production of these plants, in potato tubers, it resulted in higher Fe and lower Mg and P concentrations, whereas no similar trend was observable in carrot roots. The accumulation of Mn, Cu, Zn, and B in the edible part of both plants was not influenced by the iodine treatment. The soil properties did not have a significant impact on biomass production under the same environmental conditions. The concentration and the distribution of iodine in both plants were slightly modified by the growing medium; however, the photosynthetic efficiency and the chlorophyll content index of potato plants cultivated in silt soil increased significantly. Potato plant was not suitable for biofortification with iodine, while considering the iodine concentration and the moisture content of carrot roots, it can be calculated that consuming 100 g fresh carrot would cover about 38% of the daily iodine intake requirement for an average adult person.

The Indice de Polluo-Sensibilité Spécifique (IPS) is one of the most frequently used diatom index. Beside this, according to some studies in streams and small rivers the diatom ecological guilds might be effective tools for ecological quality assessment in the future, but the usability of them is not always clear. Our main goal was to compare the robustness of the IPS index and diatom ecological guilds in a large river. For this i) a temporary study was carried out to investigate if there were some differences between how the nutrient content affected the IPS values and guilds proportions in the Danube River; ii) spatial studies were conducted to investigate the effects of the different water depths (different light intensity and current velocity) on biological metrics (IPS and guilds, as well); iii) we studied whether the IPS index or guild proportions were influenced more by the substrate type.As for the results of the temporal study only the motile and planktic guilds had significant connections with phosphate-phosphorus concentration. However, the high profile and the low profile taxa showed correlations neither with nutrient concentration nor water discharge. Nevertheless, the higher abundances the low profile guild reached the lesser values of the IPS index were. In spatial studies the guild abundances (especially the motile taxa) altered in different water depths. This could be caused by 2 different microhabitats characterised by disparate current velocity, and by different types of bed material along the cross-section. Contrary to guilds, there were no relevant differences in IPS values along the cross-sections. We experienced similarities in the study on shells and in spatial study: there were significant differences between guild abundances on different shell surfaces, but not so in the IPS. On the whole the IPS is robust enough to be a suitable index for the ecological water quality assessment and diatom ecological guilds could not be used instead of the diatom index (IPS) in large rivers. However, the trait based methods could be useful supplements of the ecological status assessment.

Iodine uptake and translocation of uptake and lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and green bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were investigated in a calcareous sandy soil-plant system. Green bean and lettuce plants were cultivated in calcareous candy soil applying irrigation water with the iodide concentration of 0.10, 0.25 and 0.50 mg/L. The growth of these plants was stimulated at the iodine concentration of 0.10 and 0.25 mg/L and hampered at 0.50 mg/L. In the edible parts of green bean and lettuce plants irrigated with 0.25 mg/L iodide containing water, the iodine concentration amounted to 0.6 and 5.2 mg/kg DW, respectively. In lettuce the uptake and translocation of micro and macro nutrients were also stimulated (20-260%) by iodide treatment, however, in green bean fruits this phenomenon was negligible. Considering the iodine (5.2 mg/kg DW) and water concentrations (81%) of the fresh lettuce leaves, the consumption of 100 g fresh vegetable covers about 66% of the recommended dietary allowance (150 μg), The green bean plants, due to their low iodine translocation from the roots to the fruits are not suitable for biofortification with iodine.