Search

Urban areas are characterised by land use change processes. Urban and peri-urban soils degradation increase at the different land uses, and the characteristic of each land use affecting soil carbon stock and, consequently, the role of soil as a CO2 sink. The aim of this work was to assess the effect of land use and soil management practices in urban and peri-urban soils in Vilnius (Lithuania). Studied properties were: Sand, Clay, Silt, Stoniness, bulk density (BD), pH, electrical conductivity (EC) and soil organic carbon stocks (SOCS). Ten samples were collected at depths 0-10 cm in 8 different land uses and soil management practices in the urban and peri-urban areas of Vilnius. Forests – Quercus robur, Acer plantanoides, Pinus sylvestris and Picea abies, grasslands – semi-natural grasslands (SNG) and managed semi-natural-grasslands (MSNG), both dominated by Taraxacum officinale, artificial grasslands (AG), and urban. SOC (t/ha) resulted significantly higher in Pinus sylvestris and Art. Grass than in Quercus robur, Acer plantanoides, and urban land uses. Urban land use recorded lower values of SOC (t/ha) than the other land uses except for Acer plantanoides. Land uses with high human intervention decline soil quality and affect the role of soil as a climate regulator.

Copyright of Agronomy Journal / Agronomski Glasnik (0002-1954) is the property of Croatian Society of Agronomists and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Glasnik Zastite Bilja is the property of Zadruzna Stampa D.D. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Agronomy Journal / Agronomski Glasnik (0002-1954) is the property of Croatian Society of Agronomists and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The aim of the study was to determine the impact of dead organic mulches (unprocessed sheep wool - SW and ecological wool - EW), black polyethylene film (PE) and unmulched soil (WM) on the moisture regime of Hortisol and the yield of lettuce cv.´Melina´.The research was carried out at an trial field at the Faculty of Agriculture in Zagreb from April to June 2017. The experiment was set out according to a randomized block design with three replications. Soil samples were taken decadally from depths of 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm, in 3 replications, and the soil moisture content was determined by gravimetric method. The current moisture content in the soil was significantly influenced by: days after transplatation lettuce to open field (DAT) and mulch (M). The significantly low values of soil moisture were determined at 46 DAT, and high at 5 DAT. Considering the mulch, the soil moisture in both layers as follows: PE> SW> EW> WM. Diameter of the lettuce rosette was not significantly affected by the mulch type. Lettuce rosette, grown on SW (20.7 cm) was significantly higher compared to PE (18.4 cm), EW (18.0 cm) and WM (17.8 cm). The highest marketable yield of lettuce was achieved when wool mulch was applied (6.58 kg/m2 on EW, ie 6.56 kg/m2 on SW), and the lowest under PE (4.60 kg/m2). Woolen mulches have proved to be a good alternative to the previous application of PE mulches.

A stationary field experiment of a reduced soil tillage was implemented at a Hypogley (Hypogleyic soils A–Gso–Gr soil horizon sequence) soil type of Eastern Croatia during three seasons and set up as a split-plot randomized block design in four repetitions. The tillage systems (TS) were as follows: 1) conventional tillage, i.e., plowing at 30 cm (CT), 2) disking up 10-12 cm (DT), 3) soil loosening up to 35 cm (LT), 4) no-tillage (NT). The experiment was designed to compare the penetration resistance (PR), soil moisture (SM), and bulk density (BD) at different TSs and soil depths. A cone penetrometer was used to measure the PR with 10 prods per TS, accompanied with a measurement of SM with a soil auger on every 10 cm, with four samples up to a 40-cm depth. The BD was determined by metal cylinders on every 10 cm up to a 30-cm depth, being weighed and dried thereafter to obtain an absolutely dry sample, and then calculated using absolutely a dry soil sample mass (m_s) and the soil volume (V). The PR and SM were significantly influenced by the TS and soil depth. The CT had the significantly lowest PR at all depths, while the DT has manifested a significantly higher PR at a soil depth amounting to 10 to 20 cm. The PR on NT were significantly diverse from the CT at all soil depths. The BD varied significantly concerning the TS and the soil depth. Subsequent to the three years, the CT had a significantly smaller BD at a depth amounting from 0 to 10 cm, and a significantly higher BD at 20- to 30-cm depth, compared to reduce the TS.

The variations in ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) assemblages across the three types of farmland habitats, arable land, meadows and woody vegetation were studied in relation to vegetation cover structure, intensity of agrotechnical interventions and selected soil properties. Material was pitfall trapped in 2010 and 2011 on twelve sites of the agricultural landscape in the Prešov town and its near vicinity, Eastern Slovakia. A total of 14,763 ground beetle individuals were entrapped. Material collection resulted into 92 Carabidae species, with the following six species dominating: Poecilus cupreus, Pterostichus melanarius, Pseudoophonus rufipes, Brachinus crepitans, Anchomenus dorsalis and Poecilus versicolor. Studied habitats differed significantly in the number of entrapped individuals, activity abundance as well as representation of the carabids according to their habitat preferences and ability to fly. However, no significant distinction was observed in the diversity, evenness neither dominance. The most significant environmental variables affecting Carabidae assemblages species variability were soil moisture and herb layer 0-20 cm. Another best variables selected by the forward selection were intensity of agrotechnical interventions, humus content and shrub vegetation. The other from selected soil properties seem to have just secondary meaning for the adult carabids. Environmental variables have the strongest effect on the habitat specialists, whereas ground beetles without special requirements to the habitat quality seem to be affected by the studied environmental variables just little.

Copyright of Glasnik Zastite Bilja is the property of Zadruzna Stampa D.D. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Central European Agriculture is the property of Journal of Central European Agriculture and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The aim of our study was to investigate the temperature effects of a transit gas pipeline on soil and harvested crop over the years 2004 2006. The study area was located in the village Velk Cetn (Nitra District, South-Western Slovakia) soil type is Mollic Fluvisols calcaric. The temperature of the transported gas increased the soil temperature in the range of 1.1 to 1.75 C (average ) above the gas lines. It also reduced soil moisture by 0.07 2.67 weight per cent (average). The wheat yields above the gas pipelines decreased by 3.63 % in 2004 and by 9.53 % in 2006. Yield of barley also decreased by 13.88 % in 2005.

Soil physical properties were investigated in two types of growing systems - integrated no-till system and conventional system with ploughing, in 1999 2005 on chernozem in maize growing region. Bulk density decreased and total porosity increased during 7 years in both growing systems. In integrated system the improvement of soil physical properties could be explained by remaining of plant residues on soil surface. In conventional system the plant residues were incorporated into soil by ploughing. This led to the higher proportion of organic matter in soil. Soil cultivated conventionally had significantly higher value of reduced bulk density, significantly lower porosity and significantly higher values of soil moisture compared to soil in integrated no-till system. Maximum capillary water capacity was not significantly influenced by soil cultivation. Values of investigated soil physical properties in both systems were not markedly different from the typical values of cultivated chernozem.

The tillage systems differently affect the soil fertility and the maize yield. Irrigation is prominent cropping practice for yield increasing irrespective to fact that rain-fed is still the most broadly applied cultivation practice in the world. The aim of this study was to investigate effects of different tillage systems (conventional, reduced and no-till) and fertiliser levels on changes of the soil N content during three vegetative stages (sprouting, anthesis and harvesting), as well as maize grain yield under rain-fed and irrigation conditions in 2005-2008. The rain-fed cropping only in no-till cropping induced increase of soil moisture during anthesis. The highest N amount in soil in dry season (2008) was kept under conventional tillage in rain-fed cropping. As well, the highest grain yield was observed with conventional tillage practice. Irrigation diminished differences between cropping years and fertilization regimes.

Copyright of Journal of Central European Agriculture is the property of Journal of Central European Agriculture and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Central European Agriculture is the property of Journal of Central European Agriculture and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The effects of summer weather conditions upon the dynamics of soil moisture were studied on the experimental field of the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops in Bački Petrovac. The analysis included precipitations and mean daily air temperatures in 2012 and 2013 and their effect upon moisture content in marigold, basil and mint rhizosphere. It was performed in both conventionally and organic grown plants. Extremely warm and dry summer 2012 with three heat waves induced extended period of drought causing permanent wilting in both conventionally and organic grown plants in the second decade of July and in August. Summer 2013 was very warm and dry with two heat waves while at the same time plants experienced drought later due to a favourable soil moisture at the beginning of vegetation. Soil water content induced permanent wilting not until the middle of August. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Technical Journal / Tehnički Glasnik is the property of Polytechnic of Varazdin and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Different modes of hydrogel application were tested on yield and yield components in production of early cabbage on chernozem soil at Rimski Šančevi. Also, its effect on soil chemical properties, soil water-physical features and soil microbiological activity were observed. There were four variants in this trial: control - without hydrogel, gel - swelled hydrogel incorporated into planting holes, dust - dry hydrogel dust incorporated into planting holes, dust - dry hydrogel dust scattered on soil surface in bands and incorporated. As for the observed features (whole plant weight, head diameter and cabbage yield) statistically significant differences were found between gel and other variants. The highest yield was with gel (55.85 t ha-1) and lowest with bands (39.78 t ha-1). Cabbage yield in gel variant is higher than in control by 18.98%. Yield was insignificantly decreased (1.02%) in dust variant incorporated into planting holes as compared to control. Application of hydrogel did not significantly impact soil properties nor distribution of tested groups of microorganisms and activity of dehydrogenase enzymes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A two-year experiment on calcareous chernozem was carried out to determine the how irrigation and different pre-irrigation soil moisture affect vine yield formation dynamics and biological yield components. The trial had four replicates and was set up according to a block design adapted for sprinkler irrigation conditions. It included treatments with pre-irrigation moisture levels of 60%, 70% and 80% of field water capacity (FC) and a nonirrigated control treatment. On average, irrigation brings about highly significant increases (12.5-78.90%) in biological potato yield relative to natural moisture conditions. In the present study, a significant correlation was observed between biological yield and market yield in both study years. Depending on pre-irrigation moisture, the weight of potato vine increased with increasing number of days since planting,on average, peaked between the 105th and 110th day, and then began to decrease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]