Organization structure

Departament of Grasses, Legumes and Energy Plants

Grzegorz Żurek, D.Sc., Assoc. Prof. IHAR-PIB

phone: +48 22 733 45 71

e-mail: g.zurek@ihar.edu.pl

Forage Grasses and Legumes Laboratory
Elzbieta Czembor, Ph. D.

phone: +48 22 733 45 74,+48 22 733 45 69

+48 664 963 575
e.mail: e.czembor@ihar.edu.pl

Zbigniew Bodzon, Dr
e.mail: z.bodzon@ihar.edu.pl

Objectives:

Forage grasses

• Studies on grass diseases – incidence and implications for forage grasses quality and their seed production
• Development of initial breeding materials - resistant to major diseases and high agronomic quality
• Evaluation of the most important forage grasses species recommended for traditional and ecological management system
• Evaluation of the low profitable grasses species recommended for green areas and grasslands under different management systems

Legumes

• Evaluation of inheritance and variability of characters, utilization of new, unique genetical resources and heterosis effects for improvement of the utility characters of herbage legumes

Maize

• Epidemiolgy of Fusarium spp. on maize
• Looking for sources of resistance for ear rot and stalk rot of maize

Fig. 1, 2. Forage grasses / Fig. 3, 4. Fusarium on maize

Top inflorescence of alfalfa	Panicle inflorescence of alfalfa	Long inflorescence of alfalfa

Laboratory of Non-fodder Grasses and Energy Plants

Grzegorz Żurek, D.Sc., Assoc. Prof. IHAR-PIB
phone: +48 +48 22 733 45 71

e-mail: g.zurek@ihar.edu.pl

Danuta Martyniak, Ph.D.,
phone: (+48 22 7334572

e-mail: d.martyniak@ihar.edu.pl

Kamil Prokopiuk, M.Sc.
Phone: (+48 22 7334573

e-mail: k.prokopiuk@ihar.edu.pl

Objectives:

• evaluation of functional traits and variability of turf grasses
• improvement of breeding methodology for turf quality and seed yield potential
• studies on improving of seed production of different grass species
• response of grasses to abiotic stresses (shade, drought, heavy metals) and development of evaluation methods for stress resistance
• creating backgrounds for low-profitable grass species seed production
• evaluation of different energy crops with special emphasis on agronomy and suitability for cultivation on low-quality areas

Species of interest: Lolium perenne, Lolium multiflorum, Festuca arundinacea, Festuca rubra, Festuca ovina, Festuca pratensis, Poa sp., Deschampsia cespitosa, Koeleria macrantha, Beckmania eruciformis, Puccinellia distans, Agropyron elongatum, Bromus sp., Phalaris arundinacea, Miscanthus x giganteus, Spartina pectinata, Panicum virgatum, Andropogon gerardii

The main research programs:

- Turf characters: installation, general aesthetic aspect, soot density, colour, slow re-grow, leaf fineness, winter greenness, over-wintering, common diseases.
- Tolerance to shade.
- Evaluation of cultivars variability.
- Seed production, relation between plant characters. - Species: Lolium perenne, Festuca rubra, Poa pratensis, Deschampsia caespitosa, Poa supina, Festuca arundinacea.

Field lawn trials at Radzików.	Experimental design with plexiglas light filters (artificial shade).

Selected publications:

- Prończuk S. 1993. Evaluation system for turfgrasses . Biul. IHAR. 186: 127-132.
- Prończuk S., Żurek G., Żyłka D., Prończuk M. 2001. Performance of tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia caespitose L.) in turf mixtures under different system of maintenance. Zesz. Prob. Post. Nauk Rol. 474: 113-121.
- Prończuk S., Prończuk M., Żyłka D., Żebrowski J. 2001. Response of turfgrasses to shade conditions. Zesz. Prob. Post. Nauk Rol. 474: 91-101.
- Prończuk S., Prończuk M. 2003. Variability of turf characters of Poa pratensis L. cultivars under medium intensive turf maintenance. Biul. IHAR. 225: 265-276.
- Prończuk S., Przydatek T., Ramenda S. 2003. Standard seed mixtures for turf. Hod. Rośl. Nas. 4: 37-40.