Department of Functional Crop Agrotechnology

Department Head: dr Katarzyna Wielgusz

 The Department of Functional Crop Agrotechnology at the Institute of Natural Fibres and Medicinal Plants - National Research Institute (IWNiRZ-PIB) in Poznań conducts numerous research, scientific and development activities to fulfil the tasks commissioned under a targeted grant from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. It also carries out multiple research projects.

The main tasks of the department are to:

1. Improve cultivation technologies for fibre, energy and oilseed crops, together with methods for protecting plants against biotic (pests) and abiotic (drought) habitat stresses.
2. Conduct research on the specifics of fibre crop and medicinal plant cultivation in organic and conventional systems.
3. Develop comprehensive recommendations concerning the protection of fibre crops and medicinal plants against diseases, pests and weeds.
4. Test the usefulness of plant protection agents.
5. Assess the technological value of fibre, oilseed and medicinal plant yields.
6. Develop non-food crop cultivation technologies for biologically degraded land.
7. Investigate the feasibility of cultivating new fibre, energy, oilseed and medicinal crops in Poland.
8. Develop and supervise research activity at IWNiRZ-PIB’s experimental facilities.
9. Initiate and conduct research projects and collaborate with other entities on such projects.
10. Provide training for agrotechnical services and fibre crop growers.
11. Update, publish and disseminate scientific accomplishments, technological progress and global, domestic and the department’s own achievements related to fibre crops.
12. Cooperate with textile and phytopharmaceutical facilities and Agricultural Advisory Centres with regard to agrotechnology, seed production and implementations and cooperation with other research departments at the Institute.
13. Carry out commercial activities involving the preparation of competency analyses and opinions.

EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH UNIT IN PĘTKOWO

The Department of Functional Crop Agrotechnology includes an Experimental Research Unit located on the premises of the Experimental Department in Pętkowo (near Środa Wielkopolska). The facility has a plant house for strictly controlled pot experiments and farmland for plot experiments - both strictly controlled and more typical field trials. The Research Unit owns agricultural equipment which allows for conducting experiments in the fields of agrotechnology, fertilization, protection and harvesting of fibre crops and medicinal plants. The facility also features a working laboratory and a warehouse.

LABORATORY OF PHYTOPATHOLOGY

The Research Unit has a laboratory allowing for the isolation, culture and identification of plant fungal pathogens and soil pathogens.

CERTIFIED ORGANIC FIELD

The facility has a 2 h certified organic field in Plewiska, here organic farming research is carried out.

Accomplishments

AGROTECH project implementation - Increasing the quality of fibre hemp seed by robotisation

Implementation period: 2021-2023

Funding for the Institute (Department): PLN 670 000

Consortium: Poznań University of Technology, Inwebit sp. z o.o., Institute of Natural Fibres and Medicinal Plants - National Research Institute

The objective of the project is to develop an international product innovation, i.e. an intelligent agricultural robot to increase the quality of fibre hemp seed. The solution will consist of a mobile robot equipped with a specialized arm and a set of cameras. The software uses dedicated neural networks to analyse images to detect a male plant and then precisely control the arm to neutralize the individual detected. The solution also includes a special preparation for the elimination of male plants without the need to uproot, remove and incinerate them. The project completion date is 31 December, 2023.

Completed project: Research for organic farming, funded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development:

Organic field crops - research on optimising the selection of cultivars in organic farming recommended for commercial field production, with special focus on adverse climate and soil conditions particularly related to water shortage. Identification of good practices on protecting these crops against pests, especially against drought.

Implementation period: 1.01.2022 – 30.11.2023

Funding: PLN 170 000

The aim of the research was to assess the impact of water scarcity on Polish cultivars of oilseed flax grown under field conditions. A major objective of the project was to identify those oilseed flax cultivars that displayed the highest resistance to adverse climate and soil conditions caused by periodic water shortages and to the occurrence of pests. The research aimed towards developing standards and recommendations essential for organic oilseed flax cultivation. The results obtained were used to develop an organic oilseed flax cultivation manual considering water shortage.

Development of a liquid IWN-11 biostimulator enhancing the resistance of crops to stress conditions

Authors:

dr hab. Krzysztof Heller prof. IWNiRZ, dr Małgorzata Byczyńska (Institute of Natural Fibres and Medicinal Plants, Poznań).
prof. dr hab. Zenon Woźnica (Poznań University of Life Sciences)

IWN-11 is a liquid biostimulator enhancing the resistance of crops to abiotic (e.g. drought) and biotic (diseases) stresses. IWN-11 had a beneficial effect on the growth and yields of cereals, sugar beet, spring oilseed rape and fibre flax. Its active ingredient is acetylsalicylic acid (ASA). To date, the effectiveness of ASA in agriculture was unsatisfactory due to its poor solubility in water. The solution consists in developing an innovative IWN-11 formulation based on water-soluble ASA. Apart from the fully water-soluble ASA, the IWN-11 biostimulator contains a surfactant which ensures effective ASA penetration into the plant (Photograph 1). IWN-11 was developed by the Institute of Natural Fibres and Medicinal Plants, Poznań and Poznań University of Life Sciences.

Development of a seed dressing for the dressing of crop seeds, its manufacturing method and application of hemp essential oil in the production of seed dressing

The invention is a seed dressing for the dressing of crop seeds, its manufacturing method and application of hemp essential oil in the production of organic seed dressing. Specifically, the invention comprises a seed dressing for the dressing of crop seeds, which is based on natural substances. Both the active ingredient (hemp essential oil) and the emulsifier (flaxseed oil) lead to non-chemical mixing with water, allowing to avoid the use of chemical surfactants and emulsifiers.