Cereal crops are a broad group of crops in the Poaceae family. Cereal fruits are characterised by their high starch content. The most popular cereal crops in the world are maize, rice, wheat, barley, sorghum, millet, oats, rye and triticale.

Common maize is part of the cereal group. It is a species of annual plant in the Poaceae family. It is one of the oldest plants cultivated by man. It is characterised by its high productivity and feed value, and much of its production is used for livestock feed.

It is cultivated in many countries around the world. It occurs as spring oilseed rape (annual) and winter oilseed rape (biennial plant). Winter oilseed rape is an important part of the crop rotation as it leaves a large amount of organic matter and potassium-rich crop residues. Such sites are suitable for cereal cultivation. The seeds yield edible rapeseed oil, which is the basis for the production of many cooking fats.

It is a root crop that is the world’s second raw material for sugar production. Sugar beet is mainly grown in temperate climate zones, and adequate sunlight during the summer and proper irrigation are necessary to achieve a high sugar content. The root and leaves are also used as animal feed.

A plant belonging to the Solanaceae family. It is the fourth largest crop in the world. Potato is particularly sensitive to soil water deficiency and is strongly dependent on climatic conditions during the growing season. Droughts and high temperatures reduce yields, and too much water promotes infestation of the plantation with potato blight.

It is a family of plants belonging to the Fabaceae order of great utilitarian importance. This includes forage crops such as clover or alfalfa and food crops such as beans, peas, lentils and soya beans.

The common onion is a temperate climate plant with an optimum germination temperature of 20°C. It is characterised by a shallow root system, which contributes to increased sensitivity to water shortages. In onion cultivation, special care must be taken to ensure that nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are provided in the soil.

Carrots belong to the genus of plants in the celery family. Increased yields are favoured by sowing carrots on light, permeable, well-drained, sandy loam soils. Carrots have relatively low water requirements and good pre-crops are cereals, maize, leek, cabbage or cauliflower.

Parsley belongs to the celery family and is a plant of temperate climates. It has low soil and thermal requirements. An important threat to production is the susceptibility of roots to forking. Root quality and yield depends to a large extent on adherence to the crop rotation. Re-cultivation on the same site is recommended after a break of at least three years.

It is a genus of herbaceous plants in the cabbage family. It has health properties due to its vitamin C and fibre content. It requires good, fertile, humous and moist soil. Cultivation on light, sandy, excessively heavy and cold soils is not recommended. Large fluctuations in temperature have a significant impact on the quality of the cabbage crop.

Broccoli is an asparagus cabbage which is a variety of vegetable cabbage. Acidified, light soils with low retention properties are unsuitable for broccoli cultivation. The plant requires cool weather and adequate sunlight. It is drought-sensitive, so proper irrigation of broccoli during dry periods is important.

This is a variety of vegetable cabbage. The best sites for cultivation are adequately sunny locations. The plant requires soils rich in humus and minerals, especially calcium. Cauliflower has the greatest climate and soil requirements of the brassica vegetables. Suitable pre-crops for cauliflower are potatoes, spinach, leek, cucumber, tomatoes or peas.

A species of annual plant in the Asteraceae family. Lettuce has no particular soil requirements, but the right temperature is important for proper growth and development of the plant. Lettuce grows best in loamy-sandy soils that warm up quickly in spring. It is one of the most popular vegetables grown as a catch crop.

Vegetable spinach is a species of plant in the Amaranthaceae family. It contains vitamins, protein, cellulose and mineral salts. The short growing season allows spinach to be sown as a forecrop or aftercrop. It can also be grown as an intercrop with beans, peas, strawberries or maize, among others.

It belongs to the brassicas and is among them the least demanding plant in terms of growing conditions. It tolerates virtually most soil types and prefers cooler climates. It is drought tolerant, but irrigation of the crop is recommended to ensure a large leaf mass. Kale should not be planted in a field after other brassicas.

It is a plant of the cucurbit family (Cucurbitaceae). The cucumber has high heat requirements, especially during the germination period, and is sensitive to water shortages. It also requires the right soil conditions – the right structure, rich in organic matter and humus. Avoid replanting cucumbers on the same site for another 3 years.

Plants belonging to the Solanaceae family. Requires frequent watering and growth in full sun. It has high nutrient and soil requirements – it grows best on fertile, humous soils. It can be grown after brassicas, but should not be grown after tomatoes.

It is a plant with high heat requirements and medium water requirements. The tomato is sensitive to cold, and frosts are particularly dangerous for it. It does not have high soil requirements, but it is worth ensuring that the soil is sufficiently rich in calcium. It is grown directly in the ground and, in temperate climates, also in tunnels, which provides the plant with the right temperature.

Apple trees are one of the most important fruit trees grown in the world. They are second only to citrus crops. They grow in temperate climates and include dozens of species, and there are several thousand varieties in cultivation that are the result of breeding and cross-breeding of earlier varieties.

The most frequently cultivated species is the common peach, which comes in many varieties. It has high heat requirements and requires a sunny position and protection in winter from frost, to which the flower buds often succumb in early spring. Peach cultivation requires a number of preventive treatments due to its susceptibility to diseases such as leaf curl, scab and brown rot of stone trees.

It requires a sunny, warm and wind-sheltered position and proper care ensures a good yield. The greatest threat to apricots in Central European climates is the high sensitivity of the flower buds to frost, especially in early spring. Around 30 varieties are grown in Europe, and these include some that fruit as early as July and late varieties that fruit as late as the third decade of August.

The most popular varieties in cultivation are the domestic and Japanese plum varieties. They have fruits that vary in shape – oblong or globular and in colour – from pink to purple. Up to 2,000 varieties are now grown worldwide, although the importance in orcharding is around 100. The house plum is a tree with a short trunk and a branching crown, and it flowers in spring – usually before the leaves appear.

The cherry tree is one of the most popular fruit trees. It is a strong-growing species and therefore requires high doses of nutrients – it feels best on sites with rich, fertile and deep soil. Any nutrient deficiency has a negative impact on growth and yield. It should be sheltered from cold winds due to the risk of freezing in winter.

The cherry has few soil requirements and the temperate climate is favourable for its cultivation. It has a high tolerance to low temperatures and is not very sensitive to drought, which means that it does not cause too many problems in cultivation. The cherry tree flowers from early April to May and the fruit ripens from July to September.

A fruit-bearing shrub found both in the wild and in cultivation, in many varieties. Raspberries prefer well-sunned and heated sites, fertile, slightly acidic soils, rich in nutrients. They reproduce through the root system, which means that young seedlings emerge directly from the ground – however, due to their shallow rooting, they require care to ensure adequate hydration. They bear fruit on annual and biennial shoots.

Currant bushes provide the berries – white, red and black currants are grown. The plant has few soil requirements, with the exception of blackcurrant, which prefers more fertile soils. The shrubs are best grown in soil with a slightly acidic or neutral pH, in a sunny, warm position sheltered from strong winds.

It is a thorny shrub in the Grossulariaceae family reaching a height of 0.5-1.5 m, depending on the variety. The plant is primarily grown in Europe and has more than a thousand varieties. Gooseberry berries can be green, yellow or red in colour. It requires a sheltered, sunny position for proper development. It has no particular soil requirements – slightly acidic soils work well for cultivation.

Depending on the species and variety with fruits having different shapes, sizes, flavours and colours – from light green through pink, red to black. There are currently about 5,000 varieties, of which about 250 are commercially grown.

It is widely cultivated in temperate climates for its tasty fruit. It is one of the most popular crops. Strawberry does not have any particular soil requirements, but higher yields are obtained from a position with humus-rich soil with a slightly acid reaction. It performs well as a follow-up crop to carrots, beans or brassicas.

A fruiting shrub with blue berries grown commercially in North America, mainly in the USA and Canada. Poland is one of the largest producers in Europe. The blueberry has very high soil requirements – it requires very acidic, humus soil and should be planted on sunny and wind-sheltered sites.

Production of crops under cover is possible using greenhouses, foil tunnels or in hothouses. By using this type of cultivation, it is possible to become less dependent on outdoor conditions and to shorten the overall production cycle, while increasing yields compared to ground cultivation. However, this type of production requires higher investment and greater professionalisation of production.

The most striking bulbous plants flower from spring to autumn, and the right selection can provide a full range of colour in the garden almost throughout the season. In their cultivation, providing a suitable site for planting bulbs plays a major role. Most ornamental bulbous plants prefer well-sunned positions. These plants prefer fertile, permeable soil.

Growing in greenhouses or plastic tunnels very often proves to be a necessity due to the requirements of the plants themselves. Due to the difficult climatic conditions, not all species are suitable for growing directly in the ground. Growing under cover offers better opportunities to maintain stable conditions – temperature, humidity and, at the same time, sufficient light.

Cattle are raised all over the world. Favourable conditions for cattle raising are the presence of extensive grasslands. There are two main performance types in breeding – dairy cattle and meat-type cattle. Livestock farms have many responsibilities in relation to breeding, the main ones being the need to maintain the health and welfare of the animals, control diseases and provide adequate feed.

Pig farming is one of the main types of livestock production in the world. However, this type of farming requires a number of conditions necessary to maintain adequate pig growth and animal immunity. These include, first and foremost, proper indoor conditions, including adequate ventilation and effective removal of harmful gases that accumulate indoors – carbon dioxide, ammonia and hydrogen sulphide.

The most common birds classified as breeding poultry are broilers, laying hens, turkeys, geese and ducks. In poultry farming, ensuring animal welfare is of increasing importance. The birds should be provided with the right conditions, which means dry, well-insulated enclosures and the right humidity. An important part of welfare is the reduction of unpleasant odours in livestock housing, storerooms or paddocks.

Bees play a key role in many ecosystems and are important pollinators of flowering plants. Pollination of crops increases yields and improves the quality of the products obtained. Bee keeping also forms the basis of beekeeping, the main purpose of which is to produce different types of honey – nectar, honeydew or nectar-honeydew.

The domestic goat is one of the oldest domesticated species and is mainly bred for the milk and dairy products obtained from their milk. Goats are low-maintenance animals and adapt quickly to environmental conditions. They are raised on both small and high-production farms. If production is used to meet the farmer’s own needs they are often kept with other animal species.

They are among the first animals domesticated by humans. Due to the insulating nature of wool, they require little shelter and are able to use natural shelters in their environment. An important nutrient for sheep is fresh water, which they need in abundance. Sheep are grazed from May until the first snows occur and do not need to be fed during this time.

This is a broad group of wild and farmed animals including primarily mink, ferrets, polecat–ferret hybrids, foxes, chinchillas, rabbits and nutria. Probiotics can be used as a feed additive for all species and age groups and have the effect of lowering the pH of the intestinal contents, which hinders the growth of enterobacteria and stimulates intestinal peristalsis.

Horses are herd animals, which in breeding practice translates into the operation of stud farms – specialised centres for the breeding and reproduction of these animals. The draught role of the horse has been replaced over time by breeding for recreational and sporting purposes. The use of probiotics in horse breeding helps to improve the digestibility of feed, its taste and smell, and reduces the occurrence of unfavourable microorganisms in the digestive tract.

Cats are the most popular pets in the world and require a proper, complete diet. A cat’s nutrition is crucial to its health. The probiotics can be used periodically in all breeds and age groups of cats as an additive to feed or drinking water. Their action has a beneficial effect on stabilising the beneficial bacterial microflora of the digestive tract, increasing general immunity and reducing vitamin and macro- and micronutrient deficiencies.

Dogs are characterised by a wide variety of breeds, both in terms of physique and character or disposition. They require a well-balanced diet rich in nutrients. The probiotics can be used periodically in all breeds and age groups of dogs as an additive to feed or drinking water. Their beneficial effect lies in lowering the pH of the intestinal contents through the production of acidic metabolites, which include the dextrorotatory lactic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid and formic acid.

Pigeons are bred for sport and ornamental purposes. Their diet must contain wholesome ingredients rich in all essential vitamins and minerals. The probiotics can be used periodically in all breeds and age groups as an additive to feed or drinking water.

The complex composition of the ensiling preparation directs the fermentation processes in the ensiled material and ensures a rapid reduction in the pH of the raw material. This has the effect of inhibiting the growth of undesirable butyric acid bacteria, moulds and yeasts and increasing the aerobic stability of the silage.