The scientific workshop “Harvest Festival “Vecauce – 2021”. Harvest in extreme conditionsˮ took place remotely on November 4, 2021. The eight oral presentations (ecosystems, Research Study Farm “Vecauceˮ, soil resources, plum cultivation, self-produced feed for pigs, drug plant cultivation, evaluation of bioeconomy strategy in Latvia and photos on field and laboratory experimentation show) were presented at the workshop and also 29th stand reports. The collection of the seminar includes articles on the results of scientific research on spring barley varieties, soil diagnostics within the SYStem workshop in Slovenia, lactobionic acid in pig feed, tomato diseases observed in central part of Latvia in 2021, preliminary results in an intensive type plum orchard in Vecauce, assessment of soil resources in the context of EU agricultural and environmental strategy, assessment of local spring wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) breeding line, terminology – gyttja or sapropel, essential oil content and composition from aerial parts of wild and cultivated Glechoma hederacea L., inclusion of lactobionic acid in the diet of dairy cows, the losses of the content of essential oil for oregano (Origanum vulgare L.), development of winter wheat tan spot depending on fungicide treatment scheme, humates chemical composition and uniqueness, and influence of soil tillage on soil agrophysical properties within a decade.

In 2021, from July 4th until July 10th, four students from Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies participated in a soil research within the SYStem workshop projects. The purpose of the project was to educate students about World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) and the making of and updating the “Share Your Soils” application. During this time the students attended lectures and did a field research. This year the project was carried out in Slovenia. Students from eight countries were divided into four groups, and each group made and diagnosed a soil profile for three days. The obtained information on soil profiles was added to the SYStem mobile-application.

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) is a widely grown vegetable in the entire world and Latvia as well. Tomato fruits are characterized by a good nutritional profile and can be consumed fresh or processed. One of the biggest threats of tomato growers is the diseases that significantly reduce the amount of yield. Tomato can be infected by pathogens of different genera – Pythium, Rhizoctonia, Fusarium, Phytophthora, Septoria, Alternaria, Oidium, Leveillula, Colletotrichum, Verticillium, and Botrytis. No research on tomato diseases has been carried out in Latvia. The present research aimed to diagnose tomato diseases and identify their causal agents. The study was carried out on 6 farms in the central part of Latvia in 2021. The dominant diseases were different leaf spots caused by the genera Alternaria, Botrytis, and Cladosporium. Diseases of tomato fruits were caused by Alternaria spp. and Botrytis spp. The research should be continued, as many questions remain unclear.

Over the last decade, the sapropel as a mineral deposit has been increasingly mentioned in connection with various fields of economic activities. However, the term “gyttja” often appears alongside in the literature. What is similar and different between these terms? To find out this, the aim of the research is to understand the correctness and origin of the use of the terms “sapropel” and “gyttja” by analysing the scientific literature. As a result, a question whether sapropel and gyttja are synonymous arises. No unambiguous answer was found, as in Latvia the difference between the terms “sapropel” and “gyttja” is determined not by the meaning of the word, but by its application: the term “sapropel” is associated with the economic usage as a mineral resource, but the term “gyttja” is used in the academic language.

Wheat tan spot caused by Pyrenophora tritici-repentis is the most widespread winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) leaf disease in Latvia. The application of fungicides is the most common control measure. In general, one to three applications are used. The aim of the present research was to clarify the efficacy of different fungicide treatment schemes to control tan spot. Research was conducted at the Research and Study farm “Pēterlauki” (Latvia) of the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies in 2018–2020. Four fungicide treatment schemes and an untreated control variant were used. The disease’s impact during the vegetation period was estimated by calculating the area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC). Intensity of fungicide treatment was analysed by treatment frequency index. The severity of tan spot differed significantly during all vegetation seasons. The development of tan spot was influenced significantly by fungicide application schemes (p is less than 0.001), but the efficacy was different.

Today, the positive effects of humic substances on soil microbiological activity, soil structure, plant water retention, nutrient uptake, resistance to abiotic stress, etc. are widely described. As a result, the impact of humates (HM) on yield growth and product quality has been described in numerous scientific publications. The aim of the study, using the scientific literature, is to find out the properties of HM that determine their versatile use. The chemical composition of HM, mechanism of action and possibilities of use are identified in the work. The topicality of the research was determined by the current challenges of agricultural science – to find sustainable, environmentally friendly solutions in food production without reducing crop and soil productivity. The main conclusion of the study is the understanding that it is important to find the link between the chemical composition of HM and their widely described uniqueness. In addition, it is important to identify the local potential of HM thus contributing to the development of sustainable agriculture in Latvia.

The aim of the study was to evaluate grain yield components and their role in yield formation for spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) varieties in the meteorological conditions of 2021 in the Northwest of Latvia. The number of plants per square m, the tillering coefficient, the harvest index, the root to shoot length ratio at growth stage 21, the grain weight, and the number of grains per square m were determined. There was a significant difference between the barley varieties in terms of all the analysed traits. The varieties ‘Jumara’ and ‘Quench’ provided the best results for grain weight per square m showing significantly (p is less than 0.01) higher values for the number of plants and grains per square m simultaneously.

The aim of the research was to determine the feeding efficiency of lactobionic acid on the pigs’ growth and pork quality. In order to achieve the goal, the following tasks were performed: the growth of pigs was controlled, the feed was prepared, the yield and quality of pork was determined. The study was organized on a production farm. Two groups (control and trial) were completed, each with 26 pigs. The animals were selected in groups based on pig´s pedigree, live weight, age and sex. The control group pigs received wet compound feed, but for the trial group lactobionic acid was included in the wet compound feed: from 7% at the beginning up to 15% at the end of the experiment. Other feedstuffs were the same. The results showed that inclusion of lactobionic acid in the diet did not increase significantly the growth rate of pigs. The pork quality indices were without significant differences, but the slaughter outcome and back fat thickness was a little higher in the trial group.

The aim of the study is to evaluate plum growing in different regions of Latvia with innovate crown pruning system (Heka espalier). This paper covers the first results obtained in the Research and Study farm “Vecauce” of LLU where the trial was established in spring 2018. Control cultivars ‘Jubileum’ and ‘Victoria’ were compared with cultivars ‘Ance’, ‘Adelyn’, ‘Sonora’, ‘Laine’ (bred in Latvia), and German cultivar ‘Tegera’. P. cerasifera rootstock was used. Only 1% of trees perished during the first four growing years. All the other trees were without cold damages. In the first years, ‘Sonora’, ‘Jubileum’ and ‘Viktoria’ had significantly stronger trees. The first year of plums’ harvest was 2021. Cultivar ‘Victoria’ had the highest yield. By choosing the right growing place and planting time, healthy growth of trees is ensured even in less favourable growing years.

Modern agriculture is facing many ambitious goals set up by European Union, international negotiations, as well as National Development Strategy. Climate Neutral Economy, Green Deal, Global Soil Partnership, etc. are some of initiatives focusing on smart, balanced and watchful use of soil resources. The adaption to climate change, reduction of greenhouse gasses emissions, and maintenance of soil quality require specific knowledge and detailed information about the soil resources. Therefore, a 3-year project (2021–2023) has been started, which is led by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Latvia in cooperation with the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research. The main activities of the Project are three. The first activity is the development of modern, country-specific soil information database for agricultural land. It includes synergy of all possible existing soil information and new survey data into the unified data set developed according to international standards and applicable for all modern data users and technologies. The second activity is the establishment of National soil carbon monitoring system (200 polygons), where changes in soil organic matter stocks affected by natural factors and human activity will be studied. The third activity is the improvement of some parameters related to the soil conditions and used by the National Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission calculation system to better fit the local conditions. The Project is financed by the Norwegian Financial Mechanism’s pre-defined project “Enhancement of sustainable land soil resource management in agriculture” (E2SOILAGRI).