Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) grain is the main raw material in brewing industry, because beer taste and production process depend on barley grain qualitative indices. One of the barley grain’s qualitative indices is grain sprouting activity. There have been numerous researches that showed the effects of selenium (Se) on hull-less barley sprouting activity and positive influence on biologically active substances and high vitamins concentration in grain (Dūma et al., 2002), but hull-less barley is not widely used. The aim of this study was to explore the influence of different selenium concentrations on the barley grains sprouting activity and content of total phenols. Barley with grain viability of 92% have been soaked in diverse solutions (Se concentration 0.5 mg LE-1 – 10 mg LE-1) for 12 hours, then the grain sprouted at the temperature of +18±2 °C for 5 days and dried in the oven for 48 hours at a temperature of +50 °C. After sprouting, the sprouting activity of the grain was determined, but total phenols amount was determined after grain desiccation. The obtained results showed that the increase in selenium concentration in a solution increased barley grain sprouting activity from 16.3% (0.5 mg LE-1) to 27.9% (10 mg LE-1), but the amount of total phenols decreased.

Agricultural farms in modern production system are specialized; therefore, animal-origin organic fertilizers are not available for many of them. Researches on the use of organic products in agriculture to restrict the use of pesticides and mineral fertilizers have been performed for a long time. Nowadays different organic preparations that are acquired as a result of complex processes are produced, ensuring ready-to-use biologically active substances in them and also activating their properties. One of the purposes of the research was to evaluate the impact of extracts from organic products on the potato (Solanum tuberosum) yield and tuber quality in the conventional cultivation system. A field experiment using cultivars ‘Borodyansky Rozovij’ (early maturity) and ‘Lenora’ (mid-early maturity) was arranged in the State Stende Cereals Breeding Institute in 2011 and 2012. Peat elixir and vermicompost extract obtained at different temperatures: + 45 °C and + 95 °C, as well as a mixture of these extracts were used for treatment of tubers and plants. The research included 24 treatments in total, including control (without treatment) and a standard potato cultivation technology. Tubers were treated immediately before planting, but plants were treated three times during the vegetation period. Average two-year research results showed that the use of organic product extracts significantly (p is less than 0.05) affected the tuber yield in different treatments for both cultivars ‘Borodyansky Rozovij’ and ‘Lenora’. The content of nitrates in tubers, using extracts, did not exceed the allowable level (160 mg kgE-1) in any of treatments.

Major diseases occurring on flax crops in Lithuania are caused by Fusarium spp., Colletotrichum lini Manns et Bolley, Polyspora lini Laff. et Peth., Septoria linicola (Speg.) Gar. They can spread through seed, especially when the seed material does not meet quality standards. Microscopic fungi of other species can be found on flaxseed as well. Chemical seed treatment is one of the ways to control disease agents. When treated seed is sown, the seed treaters affect the indigenous micro-biota of the soil. The trial was carried out at the Upyte Research Station of the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture in 1999. The tested seed treaters are registered for cereals in Lithuania. Our experimental results suggest that chemical treatment of flaxseeds is an efficient method to control seed-borne diseases. The microscopic fungi on seeds and roots of seedlings were analysed at the Institute of Botany. The data on the effect of seed treaters on the diversity of pathogenic fungi of flaxseed and seedlings, and the impact of treatment on the seedling infection are discussed in this paper.