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The current increase in energy demand, along with the deepening climate crisis, has led to the need for alternative energy sources. One of these is the cultivation of energy crops. In turn, issues related to the deepening problem of soil salinization are an important aspect of environmental protection on a global scale. New species and innovative solutions are sought to support the effective cultivation of energy crops, including in saline areas. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effect of the foliar application of an aqueous quercetin solution applied in different doses (1%, 3% and 5%) on the physiological properties of Virginia Mallow plants subjected to salt stress conditions. The experiment was carried out as a pot experiment. The results obtained were related to two types of plants treated as a control sample. In one case, they were grown with the addition of quercetin alone, without salt stress. The other group was grown without quercetin and without salt. Quercetin is a phenolic compound that plays an important physiological and biochemical role in plants. Salinity caused a significant decrease in physiological indices in Virginia Mallow leaves. Foliar application of an aqueous quercetin solution mitigated the negative impact of salt on plants, the most stimulating effect being demonstrated at a dose of 5.0%. Full article

The long-term performance of perennial energy crops and their elimination is important for long-term planning and use of agricultural land. In this study, the elimination of a six-year-old Sida hermaphrodita (hereafter referred to as Sida) stock for agricultural reclamation was investigated over three years. Crop rotation using maize, winter wheat, and sugar beet, a catch crop, as well as mechanical–chemical treatments were employed according to agricultural practices. After soil grubbing at the beginning of the experiment and prior to further treatments, on half of the former Sida planting area, visible Sida roots were manually removed in addition to determining their potential effect on total resprouting. Prior to each crop harvest, resprouted Sida plants were counted. At harvest, by the end of the first year, 476 versus 390 resprouted Sida plants were found in the investigated areas of 315 m² each, where preceding manual root removal either took place or not, respectively. This accounted for 76% and 62% of the initial Sida planted. In the second year, the overall number of resprouted Sida declined significantly, accounting for 15 and 11 plants (i.e., 2.4% and 1.8% of initially planted), and in the third year, only two and four residual plants (i.e., 0.3% and 0.6%) were found, representing an almost 100% Sida elimination rate. We conclude that additional root removal did not result in a significant difference in Sida regrowth compared to the mechanical–chemical treatments only. No impediments to harvesting and no loss of yield in any crops were observed due to resprouted Sida in the existing field crops. No Sida plants were found outside the initial field, indicating a low dispersion potential and invasiveness. The results show that successful recultivation of an established Sida stock is possible through common agricultural practices and that resprouting Sida plants did not negatively affect the subsequent crops. Full article