Agnieszka Synowiec

University of Agriculture in Krakow | UR

The Green Revolution helped increase agricultural production to fulfill the food demand of the increasing global population in the present century. However, the indiscriminate use of synthetic gray chemicals during the Green Revolution badly impacted humans and other non-target organisms, leading to health hazards and resistance development among p...

The study aims to assess the effectiveness of microwave treatment (MWT) at a frequency of 2.45 GHz and a power of 800 W to control Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica Houtt.) using a self-propelled device that was built in the in-house facility. The MWT was applied in the field population of knotweed in July 2022. First, plants were mechanically...

The recruitment life stage, including germination and early seedling establishment, is the most vulnerable life stage of plants and has cascading effects on plant performance at later life stages. However, surprisingly little is known on the eco-evolutionary processes that determine the success of biological invasions at this life stage. We perform...

El proyecto europeo AGROSUS identificará herramientas y estrategias agroecológicas para prevenir y manejar la aparición de malas hierbas en los cultivos económicamente más relevantes de las once regiones biogeográficas de Europa (Continental-Mediterránea-Atlántica-Macaronésica-Panónica-Anatolia-Ártica-Mar Negro-Boreal-Alpina-Estépica), al tiempo qu...

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Sosnowski hogweed is an invasive weed in eastern-middle Europe that is dangerous to human health and the environment. The efficacy of its control using chemical and mechanical methods is limited. Electromagnetic radiation (microwaves) could be an environmentally friendly alternative for controlling this species. This study aims to: (1) Determine th...

As a result of intensive herbicide protection of crops against silky bentgrass (Apera spica-venti (L.) P. Beauv), numerous herbicide-resistant biotypes have been selected, mainly from the group of acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitors. We analyzed the development of herbicide-sensitive and herbicide-resistant biotypes of bentgrass and winter wheat...

A proper formulation is crucial to improve the herbicidal effects of essential oils and their selectivity. In this study, we investigated the physicochemical properties of bio-based nanoemulsions (CNs) containing several concentrations of caraway (Carum carvi) essential oil stabilized with Eco Tween 80, as a surfactant, maintaining 1:1 proportions....

Seed germination is a critical stage in the life cycle of plants, especially annual weeds. This research hypothesizes that the herbicide resistance trait affects the germination pattern of an annual winter weed – common windgrass (Apera spica-venti (L.) P. Beauv). The experiment aimed to analyze the germination rates of herbicide-sensitive and herb...

Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica Houtt.) is Poland's invasive weed, for which there is no efficient control method. The rhizomes of this species are rich in resveratrol. In this work, we evaluated (1) the effectiveness of electromagnetic microwaves (MV) in destroying Japanese knotweed using an original device, HOGWEED (MV of 2450 MHz), (2) th...

Weed management in agriculture is hampered by inefficient intensive methods, such as monoculture, deep plowing, and herbicides, leading to health and environmental problems. Furthermore, the prevalence of herbicide-resistant weed ecotypes in the Mediterranean, particularly in France (with over 61 ecotypes), Spain (41), and Italy (37), is a major co...

Invasive Japanese knotweed is one of Poland’s most aggressive and difficult-to-control species. New methods of control are of utmost importance. This study aimed to analyze young knotweed offshoots’ regeneration and physiological condition after treatment of their rhizomes with microwaves of high frequency. The fresh rhizomes were microwaved in the...

Keywords development of herbicide resistance molecular background of herbicide resistance biology and physiology of herbicide-resistant weeds competition between resistant and susceptible weeds and crops management of herbicide-resistant weed

Phytotoxic potential of carvone and limonene in different proportions

Winter oilseed rape (WOR, Brassica napus L.) yield is closely related to seed mass; therefore, from the cultivation perspective, studies on the relationship between seed mass and environmental and biological traits may have a certain reference significance. Based on the regression tree model (CART), this work aimed to assess the environmental and p...

A field demonstration and pot experiments were implemented to assess the effect of paraquat, oxadiazon, and oxyfluorfen herbicides in controlling selected populations of fleabane Conyza bonariensis (L.), grown in the central valley of Jordan. Conyza mature seeds were collected from six investigated sites (five from Jordan valley named P1, P2, P3, P...

Citation: Chmiel, M.; Drzymała, G.; Bocianowski, J.; Komnenić, A.; Baran, A.; Synowiec, A. Maltodextrin-Coated Peppermint and Caraway Essential Oils Effects on Soil Microbiota. Plants 2022, 11, 3343. https://doi.10.3390/plants11233343 Essential oils exhibit strong antimicrobial effects that can serve as a substitute for synthetic pesticides. Howev...

Barnyard grass [Echinochloa crus‐galli (L.) Beauv] is a competitive C4 weed species that is widely distributed throughout the world. Although it originated in warm climatic conditions, currently, it is found in Europe as far north as Norway. This study aimed to compare the phenological development of plants from different climatic conditions in var...

Competitive ability of cereals against segetal weeds depends among other things, on soil properties and the weather. Concerning cornflower (Centaurea cyanus L.), this issue is poorly recognized, as there are no reports on the impact of environmental conditions on the competitiveness of wheat against susceptible and resistant biotypes. Our study aim...

Bioherbicides are naturally originated products posing alternatives to synthetic herbicides for weed control. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of pelargonic acid and microencapsulated caraway essential oil on barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P.Beauv.) and johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers.). Two separate po...

There is an urgent need to develop new compensatory and human-safe methods for controlling invasive Heracleum species. This research aimed to determine the effectiveness of H. sosnowskyi control under microwave radiation and biochemical changes in tissues and sap after irradiation. In field experiments in southern Poland, the plants were cut and ir...

Bio-based nanoemulsions are part of green pest management for sustainable agriculture. This study assessed the physicochemical properties and the herbicidal activities of the peppermint essential oil nanoemulsions (PNs) in concentrations 1.0-10% stabilized by Eco-Polysorbate 80 on germinating seeds and young plants of maize and barnyard grass. Base...

Blackgrass ( Alopecurus myosuroides Huds.), one of the most aggressive grass weeds in Europe, is also a strong competitor of crops. This study aimed to assess the impact of environmental conditions on the competition between (1) ACC-ase and ALS herbicide-resistant (BR) and herbicide-susceptible (BS) blackgrass biotypes, (2) BR and winter wheat cv ....

The present study aimed to assess the allelopathic potential of four cereals: winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), triticale (×Triticosecale Wittm.), spelt wheat (Triticum spelta L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) through a completely randomized (CR) design. e allelopathic effects of water extracts of different parts of the cereal plants (stem, l...

The variability in the emergence process of different populations was confirmed for two Echinochloa crus-galli populations, one from Italy (IT) and the second from Norway (NO). Seeds were sown in 12 localities over Europe and the Middle East and the emergence patterns of IT and NO were compared with those of several local populations at each locati...

Echinochloa crus‐galli (L.) P. Beauv. is one of the most important weeds. It is distributed worldwide and has adapted to diverse habitats and climatic conditions. This study aimed to compare the emergence patterns of two populations of E. crus‐galli from different environments at 11 locations across Europe and the Middle East. Seeds of the two popu...

Blackgrass (Alopecurus myosuroides Huds.), one of the most aggressive grass-weeds in Europe, is also a strong competitor of crops. This study aimed to assess the impact of environmental conditions on the competition between 1) herbicide-resistant (BR) and susceptible (BS) blackgrass biotypes 2) the BR and winter wheat cv. Arkadia (W), and 3) the BS...

Production of allelopathic substances is a factor determining the ecological success of invasive plants-Canadian goldenrod (S. canadensis L.) and giant goldenrod (S. gigantea Aiton). This research aimed at evaluating the autoallelopathic effect of aqueous extracts (AEs) prepared from various parts of Canadian goldenrod and giant goldenrod against v...

Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus L.), one of the main weeds found among winter crops in Poland, has developed herbicide resistance (HR) to acetolactate synthase (ALS) herbicides, a finding first reported in 2006, and in recent years, farmers have been complaining about inadequate chemical control of this weed. This study aimed to characterise the curre...

Caraway (Carum carvi L.) essential oil is a candidate for botanical herbicides. A hypothesis was formulated that the sand-applied maltodextrin-coated caraway oil (MCEO) does not affect the growth of maize (Zea mays L.). In the pot experiment, pre-emergence application of five doses of MCEO was tested on four maize cultivars up to the three-leaf gro...

The spread of invasive plants is one of the most significant causes of biodiversity loss in natural, semi-natural, and anthropogenic habitats in Poland. This two-year study aimed to assess the rate of self-renewal of Canadian goldenrod (Solidago canadensis L.) and giant goldenrod (S. gigantea Aiton), and the possibility of achieving full generative...

Essential oils are a rich source of compounds for botanical pesticides. This study aimed to characterize the chemical composition of essential oil from parsley seeds and its phytotoxicity against germination and initial growth of wheat and mustard. The main compounds of the oil were α-pinene, β-pinene, and apiol. In a Petri dish experiment, the oil...

Hyssop essential oil is a rich source of biologically active compounds. This study aimed to characterize the chemical composition of essential oil from the hyssop herb and its phytotoxicity against germination and initial growth of wheat and mustard. The main compounds of the oil were isopinocamphone and pinocamphone. In a Petri dish experiment, th...

Caraway oil is a promising botanical herbicide. In this study the phytotoxic potential of caraway oil, carvone and d-limonene on germination and seedlings growth of spring wheat, wild oat and chamomile, was tested. As a result, an inhibiting effect of caraway oil and carvone on all the tested species was found. Contrary, d-limonene displayed a sele...

Environmental factors, including weather and soil conditions, can affect the competitive effects of weeds on crops. This work aimed at a comparison of the competitive abilities of winter wheat toward bentgrass (Apera spica-venti (L.) P. Beauv) with single herbicide resistance, multiple herbicide resistance, or a susceptible biotype in different env...

Mixed cropping, also known as inter-cropping, polyculture, or co-cultivation, is a type of plant production system that involves planting two or more species (or cultivars) simultaneously in the same field in a variable order (row or rowless) [...]

The research aimed to compare the yields and yield components of mixtures of oats with common vetch grown for seeds in organic and conventional farming systems. Moreover, the selection of oat cultivars for the mixture and its performance in a crop rotation experiment in different growing years was analyzed. Additionally, the leaf area index (LAI) a...

The yield and quality of crop mixtures depend on natural and agrotechnical factors and their relationships. This research aimed to analyze the grain yield, its components and total protein content of the organically grown oat–vetch mixture on two different soils and depending on the oat cultivar. The three-year field experiment with two crop rotati...

Microencapsulated peppermint (Mentha × piperita L.) essential oil (MPEO) is a prospective botanical herbicide. A hypothesis was formulated that the type of growth substrate (vermiculite, silty clay loam or sandy loam soil) and the cultivar affect the phytotoxic potential of MPEO on maize (Zea mays L.). The pot experiments assessed the effect of var...

Corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas L.) and cornflower (Centaurea cyanus L.) are two overwintering weed species found in crop fields in Europe. They are characterised by a similar life cycle, similar competitive efforts, and a spectrum of herbicides recommended for their control. This review summarises the biology and herbicide resistance phenomena of corn...

Cultivation of spring cereal mixtures (SCMs) is one of the ways to increase the yield of crops in mountainous areas of Poland. There are only a few current long-term studies on this topic. Our study aimed at analyzing yield and competitiveness as well as the economic indicators of spring cereals in pure or mixed sowings in integrated or organic cro...

Microencapsulated peppermint (Mentha x piperita L.) essential oil (MPEO) is a prospective botanical herbicide. A hypothesis was formulated, that the type of growth medium (vermiculite or silty clay loam soil substrate) affects the phytotoxic potential of MPEO. A pot experiment in a randomized design assessed the effect of five doses of MPEO in a ra...

The essential oil (EO) of caraway (Carum carvi L.) is a confirmed source of herbicidal compounds. Therefore, the object of this study was to determine the effect of soil-applied maltodextrin (MD) microcapsules containing approximately 12% caraway EO on weed infestation in maize (Zea mays) stands, the yield of maize and the number of colonies of soi...

This review article discusses the active constituents and potential of two menthol mint oils, Mentha piperita (MPEO) and Mentha arvensis (MAEO), as natural sources for botanical pesticides. The biological activities of these menthol mint oils, which can be useful in agriculture, have been broadly researched, especially toward phytotoxic microorgani...

Seed-meals of allelopathic crops may serve as an effective and environmentally friendly alternative for weed control. In this experiment, two series of a pot and one-year of micro-plot field research were conducted in southern Poland, to determine the phytotoxic impact of different seed-meals on indigenous weeds and maize (Zea mays L.) establishmen...

Multiflora rose can be used for energy biomass production, as it has low agrotechnical requirements, and can therefore be grown on low-quality agricultural lands. Laser is one of the methods of biostimulation of plant cuttings. The aim of this study was to determine the yield and calorific value of multiflora rose irradiated with laser beams and to...

In three seasons 2010-2013, field experiments with two hybrid cultivars of winter oilseed rape were conducted in three localities in Southern Poland, with the aim of assessing changes in the harvest index, as compared to the agricultural harvest index of winter oilseed rape, defined as the harvest index decreased by the stubble height in relation t...

This study is aimed to determine the effect of spring soil application of caraway (Carum carvi L.) essential oil (EO) with silicon dioxide (SD) carrier on weed infestation, the yield of maize (Zea mays L.), and microbiological soil activity. A two-year field experiment was set up in southern Poland on the brown soil. The results showed that SD-EO...

Silky bentgrass (Apera spica-venti (L.) P.Beauv.) is one of the most troublesome grass-weeds in Poland. There are also several herbicide-resistant biotypes of this weed in the country. The timing of emergence as well as the development of different populations of silky bentgrass is crucial for their competitive abilities and their response to the h...

Celem badań było określenie wpływu różnych dawek mączki z okwiatów i nasion barszczu Sosnowskiego na kiełkowanie i początkowy wzrost kukurydzy (Zea mays ssp. indurata Sturt .), chwast-nicy jednostronnej (Echinochloa crus-galli (L .) P .Beauv .) i szarłatu szorstkiego (Amaranthus retroflexus L .). Doświadczenie założono w tunelu foliowym w Krakowie-...

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of microencapsulated essential oils (EO) of peppermint (Mentha × piperita L.) and caraway (Carum carvi L.) on the initial growth and metabolism of maize (Zea mays L.). Four concentrations EO of caraway and peppermint, i.e. 3, 30, 300 and 3000 mg·L-1 , were used. The influence of EO on the energy of...

This is an abstract of a poster presented during the Congress of Allelopathy

The aim of the carried out research was to estimate the effect of foliar application of citric and acetic acid solutions on damages of aboveground parts, growth inhibition and biomass reduction of invasive Canadian goldenrod (Solidago canadensis L.)

In this study, we tested whether the addition of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) of edible oils would influence the herbicidal effect of the essential oils (EO) of fiber hemp and peppermint (Mentha×piperita L.) against common lambsquarters, barnyardgrass, and corn. The herbicidal properties of a 2.5% concentration of each EO in water mixtures with...

Cereal straw is an important biomass source in Europe. This work assessed: 1) the morphological and energetic characteristics of culms of spring and winter cereals, 2) the energy deposited in the different aboveground parts of cereals, 3) losses of energy due to different cutting heights. The straw of winter and spring cereals was collected from ar...

This work aimed to assess the phytotoxic potential of 12 essential oils (EOs) collected from plants growing in natural or cultivated stands in a temperate climate, i.e., Achillea millefolium, Acorus calamus, Carum carvi, Chamomilla recutita, Foeniculum vulgare, Lavandula angustifolia, Melissa officinalis, Mentha × piperita, Salvia officinalis, Soli...

The aim of the present study was to assess the degree of colonization of maize fields by the greater or hedge bindweed, Calystegia sepium L. in the vicinity of Krakow, and to investigate the habitat preferences of this weed. On the basis of field trips, carried out in 88 fields of maize, we found that C. sepium had colonized approximately 30% of th...

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of soil-maltodextrin (MDX) and MDX microencapsulated essential oils (EOs, 12%) of peppermint (Mentha × piperita L.), caraway (Carum carvi L.) or calamus (Acorus calamus L.) at various doses (0.75, 1.5 and 3 g/pot), on the initial growth of maize (Zea mays L.), barnyard grass [Echinochloa crus-galli (...

Heracleum sosnowskyi is one of the three so-called tall or giant hogweeds currently invading Asia, Europe and North America. These plants are dangerous invasive weeds, causing severe skin injuries in humans and animals. In the present study, based on four field experiments, we assessed seedling emergence in the field and evaluated methods for the l...

Solidago gigantea Ait. (goldenrod) belongs to the most expansive environmental weeds, and it is the most dangerous plant-invader of American origin in Europe. The species easily propagates vegetatively, but it also produces large amounts of wind-disseminated achenes that contribute to the colonization of new areas. A sound knowledge of the germinat...

The weed-controlling effect of microcapsules, containing caraway essential oil, was visible mostly during a short time after their application. In general, weeds were more susceptible to MDX microcapsules. MDX carrier alone also displayed a weed-controlling effect.

The study aimed to determine the effect of aqueous extracts of medicinal plants (Matricaria chamomilla, Hypericum perforatum, Achillea millefolium, and Urtica dioica) containing allelopathic compounds on seed germination in lambsquarters (Chenopodium album) and herbicide-resistant windgrass (Apera spica-venti). A Petri-dish experiment was carried o...

Essential oils have herbicidal effects, which can potentially be improved by the addition of adjuvants. The present study evaluated (1) the stability and other physicochemical properties of peppermint and caraway oils in oil-in-water emulsions and mixtures with commercially available adjuvants and (2) the phytotoxic effects of the foliar applicatio...