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Analysis of Physiological Status in Response to Water Deficit of Spelt (Triticum aestivum ssp. spelta) Cultivars in Reference to Common Wheat (Triticum aestivum ssp. vulgare)
Climate change, including decreasing rainfall, makes cultivating cereals more difficult. Drought stress reduces plant growth and most all yields. On the other hand, consumers’ interest in ancient wheat varieties, including spelt, is growing. The aim of this work is to compare the response to drought stress between spelt (Triticum aestivum ssp. spelta) and common wheat (Triticum aestivum ssp. vulgare). Six cultivars of spelt from different European countries and common wheat ‘Bogatka’ as a reference were chosen for research. The photosynthesis process, chlorophyll fluorescence, relative water content, and the content of free proline and anthocyanins in well-watered and drought-stressed plants were measured. It was shown that the spelt cultivars ‘Franckenkorn’ and ‘Badengold’ were much more resistant to water deficit than other cultivars and even common wheat. A slight reduction of CO2 assimilation (by 27%) and no reduction of transpiration rate, with simultaneous intensive proline (eighteen times fold increase) and anthocyanins accumulation (increase by 222%) along with a slight increase in lipid peroxidation level (1.9%) revealed in ‘Franckenkorn’ prove that this cultivar can cope with drought and can be effectively cultivated in areas with limited water abundance.
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Financial Situation of Rural and Urban Households in Poland
The COVID-19 pandemic not only caused a global health crisis but also had a huge impact on household finances. This research aimed to examine the financial situation of rural and urban households in Poland between 2018 and 2022 from a multidimensional perspective. In a unidimensional approach, the financial situation of households was analyzed separately for their income, expenditures, savings rate, and shares of fixed expenses. In a multidimensional approach, the analysis used a synthetic index constructed for all these variables combined, employing the TOPSIS method and drawing on microdata from the Polish Central Statistical Office that totaled approximately 150,000 households. It was found that despite the pandemic outbreak, which led to major changes in the labor market, government-introduced organizational and legal measures protected the income of Polish households from decline. Indeed, income was increasing up until 2021, with a modest fall in 2022, which was less severe in rural households (by about 2%) than in urban ones (by 6%). A more immediate response to the outbreak was observed in consumer spending, which fell sharply, while the food share in consumption increased at similar levels in rural and urban areas. Regression analysis showed that compared to 2019, the pandemic worsened the financial situation of Polish households, but only in 2020 and 2022 were these changes statistically significant. In 2021, the financial situation improved slightly, but the change was not statistically significant. Before the pandemic, the synthetic assessment of the financial situation in rural areas was lower than in urban ones, and the pandemic period did not reduce these differences, showing no convergence between poorer rural areas and richer urban ones. Diagnosing and monitoring the household financial situation are crucial steps for achieving the social dimension goals of sustainable development. Research on the pandemic’s effects on household finances provides valuable information that can help develop effective strategies to counter future crises while supporting the social dimension of the sustainable development strategy.
Effect of Synthetic and Biological Plant Growth Stimulants and Soil Amendments on the Development of Maize in Various Soil Moisture Conditions
Currently, methods are being sought to reduce the effects of drought. The conducted research tested the effect of potassium polyacrylate, β-cyclocitral, and Rhizophagus irregularis on the development of maize (Zea mays L.). The first of the substances mentioned was mixed with the soil; the others were used as seed dressings. The effect of substances and microorganisms on the height and weight of plants, chlorophyll fluorescence and the gas exchange between the soil and the atmosphere was tested in greenhouse conditions. Plant development was tested at optimal soil moisture levels and in drought conditions. Field experiment determined the effect of the abovementioned preparations on the height of maize, the level of grain yield and seed parameters. The hydrothermal index was calculated for the entire vegetative season of plants. All preparations used had a positive effect on the development of test plants. Significant improvement was found for many parameters compared to the control combination plants, including maize weight and grain yield. This was confirmed for various soil moisture conditions. An increase in grain yield was noted by 0.6–1.3 t ha−1 compared to the control. The tested substances and microorganisms may, therefore, be a good solution for protecting plants against the effects of drought.
Consumer expenditure of rural households in Poland
The main target of the research was to diagnose the level and structure of consumption expenditures of rural households in Poland in 2015-2021. Among consumption expenditures, special attention was paid to fixed expenditures, i.e. on food and non-alcoholic beverages, as well as on housing and energy carriers. Expenditures of rural households were compared to expenditures of urban households and analyzed against the background of all households in Poland. The data source was individual, unidentifiable data from the “Household Budget Survey” conducted by the Central Statistical Office in 2015-2021. It was noticed that in the years 2015-2021, relatively large disproportions in the level of consumption expenditure between rural and urban households were observed. In 2015, consumption expenditures per capita in households living in rural areas accounted for less than 3/4 of expenditures of households living in urban areas. However, in the analyzed period, the increase in the level of this occurrence was more than twice as high for rural households, which proves a pronounced convergence process. The greatest burden on rural household budgets was expenditure on food and non-alcoholic beverages, which in rural households amounted to about 30%, and in 2020, i.e. the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, it exceeded 32%. It was noticed that the structure of consumption expenditures between rural and urban households were very similar in 2015 and 2021.
Consumption of Ready-Made Meals – Will Young Households Change Dietary Trends? Evidence from Poland
Succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor seed treatments positively affect the physiological condition of maize under drought stress
Improvements in agricultural production are needed, as the growing human population demands more resources and exerts stronger effects on climate. Water scarcity is one of the main factors limiting the yield of maize in many regions of the world. One possible method to mitigate the negative effects of drought is seed mortars; its use improves plant development from the early stages onwards. In this study, we tested 12 various seed treatments with and without succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors (SDHI; sedaxane) on maize “SY Fanatic.” Physiological parameters of germinating seeds, of young maize seedlings under drought, and of seedlings recuperated from drought were assessed and compared across 12 seed treatments and with non-stressed plants. The seed treatments varied greatly in their influence on the germination and the physiological state of seedlings under drought and after regeneration. Seeds under treatments No. 6, 11, and 12 showed the highest germination energy (97.3%). The use of SDHI-containing seed treatments significantly improved the development of the maize root system. The longest roots, ~13 cm in length, were recorded for treatments No. 6 and 12, both containing sedaxane. These treatments also boosted the functioning of plants growing under optimal soil moisture conditions and under drought stress, influencing the photosynthesis process, increasing the absorption of CO2, and improving the parameters of chlorophyll fluorescence in relation to non-treated controls. Our data indicated that using substances from the SDHI group can possibly reduce the drought-related stress reactions in maize, helping this important crop to face the progressing climate change.
Quality of housing conditions in rural areas in Poland at voivodeship level
he aim of the research was to conduct a multidimensional assessment of the quality of housing conditions in rural households of different voivodeships (provinces) in comparison to households in Poland overall. The research involved separate evaluations of the quality of internal and external housing conditions. Internal housing conditions pertained to the dwellings themselves and included the standards of their use and the presence of sanitary and technical installations. External housing conditions characterized the housing environment, including nuisances related to noise, crime, and deficiencies in technical and service infrastructure. The overall assessment of the quality of housing conditions encompassed both internal and external indicators. These assessments were based on the values of synthetic indicators determined using the TOPSIS method. The analyses were conducted using individual non-identifiable data from the Household Budget Survey carried out by the Central Statistical Office in 2021. For half of the voivodeships, the quality of internal housing conditions in rural households was assessed as average, while in the dzkie Voivodeship, it was assessed as low. A very high rating was obtained for seven voivodeships: lskie, Opolskie, Podkarpackie, Maopolskie, Lubuskie, Wielkopolskie, and Pomorskie. On the other hand, the quality of external conditions was assessed as high only in the Maopolskie and Podkarpackie Voivodeships, while in the dzkie Voivodeship, it was also assessed as low.
Housing conditions of households of farmers in 2005-2020
The aim of the study was to evaluate the housing conditions of farmers’ households against the background of all households in Poland and their changes after Poland’s accession to the European Union. The assessment was based on one-dimensional objective indicators of the standard of housing use, equipment with technical and sanitary facilities and basic consumer goods, as well as a multidimensional synthetic assessment using the TOPSIS method. Individual unidentifiable data from the Household Budget Survey of the Central Statistical Office from 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2020 served as a data source. It turned out that, at the beginning of the study period, the housing situation of farmer households was favourable only in terms of such indicators of the standard of housing used as housing area per person and burden on household budgets from the cost of housing maintenance and energy sources. On the other hand, the saturation with selected durable goods and the equipment of dwellings with technical and sanitary facilities was relatively low. This contributed to the low synthetic rating of housing conditions in 2005. However, during 2005-2020, a rapid improvement in the scores of these indicators was observed the fastest among all socioeconomic groups. These dynamic changes resulted in a high score for the housing conditions of agricultural households in 2020.
Income inequality of rural households in Poland - analysis by source of income
Rural households live on income much lower than the national average and experience income inequality much higher than the general population. This excess inequality is primarily due to the internal heterogeneity caused by the different nature of household income sources. The purpose of the study was then to assess the level of rural household income inequality and to decompose the inequality index by the main sources of income. The chosen inequality index was Theil-T. The research drew on unidentifiable microdata from the Household Budget Survey conducted by the CSO in 2019-2021.The study found that rural household inequality was slightly higher than that of all Polish households over the analyzed period. Among the various income-source groups, the highest inequality affected farmer households. This group also contributed most to the overall level of inequality in rural areas (44% in 2019 and over 46% in 2021). The pandemic saw an increase in inequality for all identified groups of rural households (the largest – for farmer households) and a decrease in between-group inequality.