Medicinal plants are being used worldwide for centuries for their beneficial properties. Some of the most popular medicinal plants belong to the Melissa genus, and different health beneficial effects have already been identified for this genus. Among these species, in particular, the Melissa officinalis L. has been reported as having many biological activities, such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, antitumour, antiviral, antiallergic, anti-inflammatory, and also flatulence inhibiting effects. The beneficial properties of the Melissa officinalis, also known as “lemon balm herb”, can be related to the bioactive compounds such as terpenoids, alcohols, rosmarinic acid, and phenolic antioxidants which are present in the plant. In this updated review, the botanical, geographical, nutritional, phytochemical, and traditional medical aspects of M. officinalis have been considered as well as in vitro and in vivo and clinically proven therapeutic properties have been reviewed with a special focus on health-promoting effects and possible perspective nutraceutical applications. To evidence the relevance of this plant in the research and completely assess the context, a literature quantitative research analysis has been performed indicating the great interest towards this plant for its beneficial properties.
Studies were based on a field experiment performed in Parczew, in 2009-2011. The field trials were located on podzolic soil. The experimental factors were plant production systems (integrated and ecological) and four potato cultivars. Potato tubers were sown at a spacing of 70 x 35 cm. The integrated system included phosphatic and potassium fertilization equivalent to the uptake of the following quantities of nutrients: 110 kg N, 60 kg P, 70 kg K ha-1. Compost supplied in a dose of 35 t ha-1 was used only once in a crop rotation, under potato. The chemical plant protection treatments were applied according to the thresholds of damage caused by agrophages. No fertilization or pesticides were introduced in the ecological system, except for an application of a preparation against potato beetle. Two-year-old compost was used under potato in a dose of 35 t ha-1. Weed control in the organic system consisted of harrowing with a weeder until plant emergence, triple hilling and single hand hoeing prior to the last hilling. Potato tubers were harvested at full maturity. Samples of potato tubers for chemical analyses were taken from plots during the harvest. The content of some macro-and microelements in the dry matter of potato tubers was determined by the AAS method. The organic farming system has contributed to a higher accumulation of iron in tubers but the content of zinc was lower in comparison with the integrated system. The two farming systems did not have a significant effect on the content of sodium, copper or manganese in potato tubers. Genetic traits of the analyzed cultivars had the strongest influence on the content of elements in potato tubers. Tubers from the cultivar Irga had the highest content of sodium and copper. The concentration of zinc was the highest in tubers of cv. Satina, iron-in tubers of cv. Bryza and manganese-in tubers of cv. Jelly. The response of potato cultivars to the production systems has proved to be diverse.
The effect of potato cultivar and mechanical or herbicide treatments on weed densities and biomass was determined in a research study on a field, conducted from 2007 to 2009 at the Institute of Plant Breeding and Acclimatization. Included in the study were two cultivars and different weed control treatments, including a mechanical method and metribuzin combined with various herbicides and application timings. Chemical methods of controlling weeds were more effective than mechanical methods to reduce weed densities and biomass. The combination of metribuzin with rimsulfuron + SN oil, applied before potato emergence (PRE), was more effective than the other metribuzin combinations. The weed infestation of potato cv. “Irga” was greater than that of cultivar “Fianna” due to differences in the type of growth.
The aim of the work is to develop innovative technology for potato cultivation aimed at potato food processing with the use of effective microorganisms (EMs), limiting the chemicalization of agriculture. The basis for the research was a field experiment established by the randomized subblock method, in three repetitions, where two factors were examined: cultivation technologies (3) and potato varieties (14). The influence of experimental factors on the quality of French fries (FF) and potato chips (PC) was investigated. The water content was assessed by the drying method, and the fat content by the Soxhlet method. The sensory assessment was performed by a team of 10 panelists in accordance with EN ISO methodology. In the production of both FF and PC, cultivation technologies using EMs contributed to a significant reduction in the absorption of fats and a significant reduction in the disadvantages of FF, the so-called “dark ends”, and the sensory characteristics of these products have not deteriorated. Potato obtained from cultivation in the EM system is a better raw material for the production of FF and PC than potato from plantations without the use of effective microorganisms. The beneficial effects of these preparations depended on the exposure time to EMs and the potato variety.
The experiment was conducted between 2015–2017 in the Research Station for Cultivar Testing in Uhnin (51°34′ N, 23°02′ E), in Luvisols developed from sandy loam soils. Soil samples for the tests of enzymatic activity were collected after the crop was harvested. The measurements included: the content of dehydrogenases, phosphatases, urease and protease, as well as total organic carbon, total nitrogen and mineral nitrogen in soil, based on standard methods. The research results point to changes in the enzymatic activity of light soil under the influence of varied nitrogen fertilization. In objects fertilized with this ingredient, the activity of the analysed enzymes was significantly higher than in the control soil, except for combinations fertilised with 150 kg ha−1 N characterised by the highest accumulation of N-NO3− in soil. The activity of dehydrogenases, phosphatases and urease changed as the nitrogen dose increased. The polynomial regression analysis enabled a better understanding of those dependences. In the case of dehydrogenases, phosphatases and urease, a third-degree curvilinear relation of enzymatic activity to nitrogen fertilisation was observed (a fourth-degree relation was found, with a coefficient R2 in those equations amounting to =0.958, 0.977, 0.979, respectively) and in the case of protease activity, a fourth-degree relation, with coefficient R2 = 0.989. However, soil acidity did not have a significant influence on either the enzymatic activity or physico-chemical characteristics of soil under the cultivation of sweet potatoes. The C:N ratio turned out to be significantly negatively related to the content of the enzymes dehydrogenase (Adh), phosphatase (AF), urease (AU) and protease (AP) as well as the content of total nitrogen, especially its ammonium form (N-NH4). The obtained results indicate the usefulness of research on enzymatic activity as an indicator of soil reaction to nitrogen fertilization and will enable maintenance of the optimal biological balance of cultivated soils.
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