Plant parasites of the genera Longidorus Micoletzky, 1922 and Paralongidorus Siddiqi, Hooper and Khan, 1963 comprise a group of plant root ectoparasites, some of which are known as pests of economic importance. Their importance is further augmented by the fact that several species are known to be vectors of nepoviruses. To date 16 species from the genus Longidorus and two from Paralongidorus have been recorded in Poland. Despite their economic importance in agriculture currently there is no regional key for species identification. This paper presents such a key. The key has many illustrations and is based mainly on traits which are easily observable even by less experienced users. Thus, it should provide a useful tool for both scientists and specialists working in the field of plant protection, soil ecology and zoology as well as for teaching purposes.

The article presents the results of monitoring the aftereffect of the use of excessive zonal doses of mineral fertilisers on soil contamination with heavy metals (HM). With traditional soybean cultivation technology, the level of soil contamination when applying excessive doses (N ₆₀P ₁₈₀K ₉₀) of fertilisers is quite high and indicates violations of the ecological balance of the agroecosystem. By the nature of the accumulation of heavy metals in meadow-chestnut soil, depending on the application of the studied doses (P ₆₀K ₃₀, N ₃₀P ₆₀K ₃₀, N ₆₀P ₁₈₀K ₉₀) of fertiliser, the content of HM (Pb, Zn, Cd) increases. The greatest contamination of the soil with Cu was revealed, the content of which increases to 3.2 mg∙kg ^–1 of soil, which is higher than the threshold of the maximum permissible concentration (MPC) – 3.0 mg∙kg–1. According to the level of contamination of the soil with copper, it belongs to the highly dangerous classes. In a comparative assessment of the level of soil contamination with HM, optimal norms of mineral fertilisers have been established, namely, against the background of effective resource-saving technology for growing soybeans. The application of fertilisers at a dose of P ₆₀K ₃₀ and N ₃₀P ₆₀K ₃₀ does not significantly affect the level of soil contamination with HM, optimises the ecological state and nutrient regime of the soil, preserves and restores soil fertility indicators, and increases soybean productivity. This resource-saving technology provides a safe environment for soybean cultivation and a significant increase of 34.5–38.6% in crop productivity (0.53–0.76 Mg∙ha ^–1) and yield (2.57 Mg∙ha ^–1).