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Peat is one of the most important natural resources in Latvia. Peat extraction in Latvia occurs mainly from raised bogs (high bogs) and represents an important economic sector, mainly focused on horticulture. Of the total affected area, which exceeds 50 thousand hectares, approximately 18 thousand hectares are no longer actively exploited and require management, renaturalization or recultivation. Since the main tool for preventing rapid degradation of cutover peat soils is vegetation restoration, one of the scenar...

Cloudberry is a perspective berry crop for extracted peat bog recultivation in Latvia. The study aimed to assess the effect of different fertiliser doses on cloudberry variety Nyby vitality. In 2023, cloudberries were propagated and in September planted outside into outdoor flower beds (24 pots in each bed) with milled raw peat. The beds were separated into four treatments with different doses of complex fertiliser 12-8-16 with micronutrients: control C, N12, N24, and N36 (respectively, 0, 12, 24, and 36 kg ha-1 o...

The cultivation of American cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton) with organic fertilizers is becoming more common in the world. With 180 ha of producing plantings and 376 tonnes of yearly production, Latvia is one of the largest cranberry producers in the world. The lack of knowledge on fertilization management can be an obstacle to a successful transition to organic farming. The objective of this study was to test the effect of organic fertilizer of animal origin on cranberry mineral nutrition status, plant ...

The Eastern pasqueflower (Pulsatilla patens (L.) Mill.) is considered as an endangered species in all European countries where it is found, including Latvia. An important factor for the survival of P. patens - a species with low competitiveness is not only the conditions suitable for germination and further growth, but also the indicators of seed viability. This is particularly important as there is no persistent soil seed bank for this species. Only limited data is available on the factors affecting seed viabilit...

The industrial cultivation of American cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton) in Latvia was started during last 20 years with total plantings of more than 125 ha today. As a native wetland plant, commonly cranberries grows on poor, acid soils and are characterized as nutrients low requiring crop, however, balanced plant nutrition is vitally important to realize the full potential of cranberries as crop, to ensure adequate growth and yield production. Previous results obtained by authors from different cranberry p...

Soilless hydroponic cultivation of cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.) has expanded rapidly during the last few decades. One of the key factors in achieving high productivity in industrial greenhouses is the choice of growing medium. Rockwool has become dominant, especially in Europe. However, in addition to energy consumption during production, landfilling of rockwool as a non-biodegradable material is expensive and poses an environmental risk. Therefore, there is increasing use of organic substrates in the soilless c...

In Latvia, the pygmy water lily Nymphaea tetragona Georgii was first reported 70 years ago in Lake Dunezers by Emilija Ozolina (1951). As no herbarium was collected, this finding was challenged. In 2017, during surveys of Saxifraga hirculus in the transitional mire Jaunciems in the Ances bog and forest reserve, N. tetragona was identified (based on morphological characteristics), found in shallow, elongated cavities with a solid base as an accompanying species. However, its presence in Latvia has not yet been abso...

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is among the main bulbous vegetable known worldwide for both economic and health value. The research was conducted in the framework of the project on the modernization of winter garlic cultivation to ensure guaranteed yield in the organic production system. The new technology is designed to prevent the effects of unfavourable soil and climatic conditions on the rooting and wintering ability of garlic ? factors that significantly affect the garlic production in Latvia. Field studies were ...

The first establishment of commercial highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) plantings in Latvia were at the end of the 1990th on a few hectares. Since then, a remarkable growth has noticed and today the total cultivated area reaches 280 hectares. An increasing market demand for fresh and processed berries provides a future upward trend in the development of blueberry crop in Latvia. In general, blueberry is a highly specialized crop that has definite soil agrochemical and climatic requirements. There are tw...