scholarly journals The impact of agricultural land afforestation on soil water content in Central Bohemia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Vopravil ◽  
Pavel Formánek ◽  
Darina Heřmanovská ◽  
Tomáš Khel ◽  
Karel Jacko
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Pinus Sylvestris ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Water Content ◽  
Scots Pine ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Volumetric Water Content ◽  
Wood Products ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
The Impact

In the Czech Republic, the afforestation of agricultural land has been supported by providing subsidies from the government and the European Union. Afforestation of less-productive agricultural land provides many benefits including carbon sequestration, soil erosion control, biodiversity, water retention, cooling, social benefits, decreasing noise and light pollution, increasing air quality, wind speed reduction, oxygen production, wood production and non-wood products. In some aspects, it is possible to produce wood of the same quality on former agricultural land compared to permanent forest land. In this study, we attempted to find out the course of temperatures and volumetric water content as well as some other physical soil properties (at depths of 20, 40 and 60 cm) 9 years after the afforestation of agricultural land (warm, mild dry region of the Czech Republic) with a mixture of broadleaved tree species (Quercus robur L., Quercus rubra L. and Acer platanoides L.) or monospecific Pinus sylvestris L. stand; the study was performed in the period from April to the beginning of November 2020. Concerning the studied physical soil properties, the value of bulk density was higher (and total porosity lower) at a depth of 20 cm in Pinus sylvestris L. compared with agricultural land or the mixture of broadleaves; the water stability of soil aggregates was higher after the afforestation with the mixture of broadleaves. The temperature was lower in the soil of afforested plots (at all studied depths) compared to the agriculturally used land. Differences in rainfall interception, transpiration, soil<br />(and forest floor) properties and other factors could influence the obtained values of water content in the soil of the studied plots. The average volumetric water contents were the highest in the plots with Scots pine (depth of 20 cm) and broadleaves (depth of 40 cm), and on the control plot (depth of 60 cm). The volumetric water content at a soil depth of 20 cm was not significantly (P &gt; 0.05) different when the plot with Scots pine and agriculturally used land were compared. In all other cases and depths, the differences between plots were significant (P &lt; 0.05).

Visible marking of wader nests to avoid damage by farmers does not increase nest predation

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 293-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
VÁCLAV ZÁMEČNÍK ◽  
VOJTĚCH KUBELKA ◽  
MIROSLAV ŠÁLEK
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Nest Predation ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Positive Experience ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Nest Protection ◽  
Vanellus Vanellus ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Ground Nesting

SummaryOnly a few studies have assessed the predation risk on artificially marked nests, or have examined ways of marking nests to avoid destruction by machinery. Until now, however, neither type of study has directly addressed this apparent trade-off experimentally. The impact of marking the nests of Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus with thin 2 m-long conspicuous bamboo poles with the top end highlighted with reflective red or orange spray has been tested for three years in two breeding areas of waders in the Czech Republic. A total of 52 pairs of nests on agricultural land, with each pair consisting of one marked nest and one unmarked reference counterpart nest, were monitored for 2004 nest-days until hatching, agricultural operations or failure. The results proved that marking itself does not result in increased nest predation. The nests found in the early incubation stage were under higher threat of depredation, irrespective of the presence of marking. Our results show that it is possible to find a finely-tuned trade-off in nest marking of ground-nesting birds between risk of damage by agricultural machinery and risk of increased nest predation. Our positive experience with Northern Lapwing, and episodically with three other wader species in the Czech Republic, suggests that this direct nest protection could be used effectively for a wider variety of ground-nesting birds.

scholarly journals Early-arriving saproxylic beetles developing in Scots pine stumps: effects of felling type and date

2012 ◽  
Vol 58 (No. 11) ◽  
pp. 503-512 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Foit
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Czech Republic ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Pinus Sylvestris ◽  
Scots Pine ◽  
Saproxylic Beetles ◽  
The Other ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Species Richness And Diversity

A total of 320 Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) low stumps were analysed within two stands (one stand was thinned, and the other stand was subjected to clear-cut final felling) in the Drahansk&aacute; Highlands in the Czech Republic. Each stand was divided into four parts, and the felling of each part was performed on different dates during 2006 (February, May, August and November). The fauna of early-arriving saproxylic beetles inhabiting the stumps was investigated by peeling the bark in two vegetation periods after the felling. A total of 17 species of beetles were found. The felling type and date affected the species composition of the recorded assemblages, with the felling date being considerably more important than the type. The species richness and diversity did not differ significantly between the felling types, but significant differences were found among the felling dates. Several associations of particular species with certain felling types or dates were also found.

scholarly journals Agricultural Land Evaluation Considering the Czech Less Favoured Areas Delineation

2017 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 1195-1204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jakub Kučera ◽  
Tomáš Hlavsa
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
European Commission ◽  
Evaluation System ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Land Evaluation ◽  
The Other ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Point Evaluation ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
The Impact

This paper analyses the impact of the common European criteria on the Less Favoured Areas (LFA) delineation in the Czech Republic (CR) and compares it with currently used point evaluation system. Further, it compares the advantages and disadvantages of both delineation systems from various points of view and concerning the needs of common agricultural policies. In the Czech Republic, a system of point evaluation of the agricultural land productivity based on the Evaluated soil-ecological units (ESEU) is used for delineation of the other than mountain LFA since 2001. Within the programme period 2014–2020, the European Commission proposes to delineate the other than mountain LFA using a single set of criteria, common for all the member states. Some criteria of the natural handicap proposed by the European Commission (EC) can be derived directly from the ESEU five-cipher code and from the soil maps. The comparison clearly shows that the current Czech system of point evaluation of the productivity of agricultural land can express better the influence of worse soil and climatic conditions on the limitations of the agricultural use of the land than the system proposed by the EC. Additionally, the ESEU point evaluation can express also the effect of simultaneous influence of more factors, which may thus increase or decrease the final ESEU point values. Conversely, it is necessary to remark that the land quality evaluation based on ESEU is rather complicated and not easily understandable for the wide public. Also, it cannot be applied in all the EU countries.

Creation of detailed soil properties maps of the Czech Republic based on national legacy data and digital soil mapping

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Minařík ◽  
Daniel Žížala ◽  
Anna Juřicová
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Prediction Models ◽  
External Validation ◽  
Soil Mapping ◽  
Digital Soil Mapping ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Legacy Data

&lt;p&gt;Legacy soil data arising from traditional soil surveys are an important resource for digital soil mapping. In the Czech Republic, a large-scale (1:10 000) mapping of agricultural land was completed in 1970 after a decade of field investigation mapping. It represents a worldwide unique database of soil samples by its national extent and detail. This study aimed to create a detailed map of soil properties (organic carbon, ph, texture, soil unit) by using state-of-the-art digital soil mapping (DSM) methods. For this purpose we chose four geomorphologically different areas (2440 km&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; in total). A selected ensemble machine learning techniques based on bagging, boosting and stacking with random hyperparameters tuning were used to model each soil property. In addition to soil sample data, a DEM and its derivatives were used as common covariate layers. The models were evaluated using both internal repeated cross-validation and external validation. The best model was used for prediction of soil properties. The accuracy of prediction models is comparable with other studies. The resulting maps were also compared with the available original soil maps of the Czech Republic. The new maps reveal more spatial detail and natural variability of soil properties resulting from the use of DEM. This combination of high detailed legacy data with DSM results in the production of more spatially detailed and accurate maps, which may be particularly beneficial in supporting the decision-making of stakeholders.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The research has been supported by the project no. QK1820389 &quot; Production of actual detailed maps of soil properties in the Czech Republic based on database of Large-scale Mapping of Agricultural Soils in Czechoslovakia and application of digital soil mapping&quot; funding by Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Which quality indicators reflect the most sensitive changes in the soil properties of the surface horizons affected by the erosion processes?

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (No. 2) ◽  
pp. 116-124
Author(s):  
Petra Bíla ◽  
Bořivoj Šarapatka ◽  
Ondřej Horňák ◽  
Jaroslava Novotná ◽  
Martin Brtnický
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Physical Chemical

Soil erosion, especially water erosion, is one of the most widespread types of soil degradation, not only worldwide, but also within the Czech Republic, where it endangers more than a half of the agricultural land. In addition to farming, the landscape structure has a significant impact on soil erosion in the conditions under study, where, especially in the post-war period, the collectivisation of large-scale arable land was accompanied by the abolition of the associated landscape elements. The agricultural production area of South Moravia is one of the most endangered areas in the Czech Republic, therefore, it was selected for our research, whose main objective was to verify the sensitivity of the selected physical, chemical and biochemical characteristics to identify the changes in the soil properties in the erosion processes at the identified erosion areas. The testing was carried out within a period of 5 years in 60 locations with Chernozems with cultivated corn. To assess the quality of the soil properties, indicators of soil quality from the physical, chemical and biological – biochemical groups were selected. The results of the analyses and the subsequent statistical evaluation showed that the chemical characteristics, especially those related to the quantity and quality of the organic matter, were the most sensitive to the changes in the soil properties. From the biochemical indicators, some enzymes, particularly dehydrogenase and acid phosphatase, reacted sensitively. The physical characteristics were not significantly affected by the erosion processes.

scholarly journals Influence of site conditions and silvicultural practice on the wood density of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) – a case study from the Doksy locality, Czech Republic

2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (No. 10) ◽  
pp. 457-462
Author(s):  
Schönfelder Ondřej ◽  
Zeidler Aleš ◽  
Borůvka Vlastimil ◽  
Bílek Lukáš
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Pinus Sylvestris ◽  
Wood Density ◽  
Scots Pine ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Site Conditions ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Clear Cutting ◽  
Regeneration Period ◽  
Coniferous Tree Species

After spruce, the Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris Linnaeus) is the second most important commercial coniferous tree species in the Czech Republic. However, we are finding out that awareness of the variability of properties, and possibilities to affect them, are noticeably small for this type of tree species in our conditions. The goal of this study is to primarily evaluate the importance of site conditions, silvicultural measures and other factors for the density of Scots pine wood in the Doksy locality in the Czech Republic. The Doksy locality is represented by three forest stands with different silvicultural history. Samples were taken from each stand, the basal and central parts of which were subsequently processed for test samples with dimensions of 20 × 20 × 30 mm. Wood density at 12% moisture content was ascertained in the test samples. The highest density value of 0.541 g·cm<sup>–3</sup> was reached in a stand that is regenerated using the shelterwood method with long regeneration period, and the lowest density value of 0.488 g·cm<sup>–3</sup> was recorded in a stand that was regenerated using the clear-cutting method. From a forestry perspective, it can be further stated that the wood density of Scots pine is also affected by the site conditions and position of samples in the trunk.

scholarly journals Assessing Habitat Vulnerability and Loss of Naturalness: Applying the GLOBIO3 Model in the Czech Republic

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5355
Author(s):  
Vilém Pechanec ◽  
Ondřej Cudlín ◽  
Miloš Zapletal ◽  
Jan Purkyt ◽  
Lenka Štěrbová ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Czech Republic ◽  
Habitat Quality ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
New Equation ◽  
The Impact

Global and regional biodiversity loss is caused by several drivers including urban development, land use intensification, overexploitation of natural resources, environmental pollution, and climate change. The main aim of our study was to adapt the GLOBIO3 model to the conditions of the Czech Republic (CR) to assess loss of naturalness and biodiversity vulnerability at the habitat level on a detailed scale across the entire CR. An additional aim was to assess the main drivers affecting the biodiversity of habitat types. The GLOBIO3 model was adapted to CZ-GLOBIO by adapting global to local scales and using habitat quality and naturalness data instead of species occurrence data. The total mean species abundance (MSA) index of habitat quality, calculated from the spatial overlay of the four MSA indicators by our new equation, reached the value 0.62. The total value of MSA for natural and near-natural habitats was found to be affected mainly by infrastructure development and fragmentation. Simultaneously, intensity of land use change and atmospheric nitrogen deposition contributed primarily to the low total value of MSA for distant natural habitats. The CZ-GLOBIO model can be an important tool in political decision making to reduce the impact of the main drivers on habitat biodiversity in the CR.

scholarly journals The Impact of Climate Change on the Sugar Content of Grapes and the Sustainability of their Production in the Czech Republic

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 222
Author(s):  
Miroslava Navrátilová ◽  
Markéta Beranová ◽  
Lucie Severová ◽  
Karel Šrédl ◽  
Roman Svoboda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Czech Republic ◽  
Sugar Content ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Vegetation Period ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Impact Of Climate Change ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Growing Region

The aim of the presented article is to evaluate the impact of climate change on the sugar content of grapes in the Czech Republic during the period 2000–2019 through selected indicators on the basis of available secondary sources. Attention is focused on the developments in both the main wine-growing regions of Moravia and Bohemia. In the field of viticulture and wine-growing, the sugar content of grapes, as a basic parameter for the classification of wines, plays an important role. In the Czech Republic, the average sugar content of grapes has had a constantly growing trend. This trend is evident both in the wine-growing region of Bohemia and in the wine-growing region of Moravia. The impact of climate change, especially the gradual increase of average temperatures in the growing season, cannot be overlooked. It greatly affects, among other things, the sugar content of grapes. Calculations according to the Huglin Index and the Winkler Index were used to determine the relationship between climate and sugar content. These indexes summarize the course of temperatures during the entire vegetation period into a single numerical value. The results show that both indexes describe the effect of air temperature on sugar content in both wine regions of the Czech Republic in a statistically significant way. The Huglin Index shows a higher correlation rate. The Winkler Index proved to be less suitable for both areas. Alternatively, the Winkler Index calculated for a shorter growing season was tested, which showed a higher degree of correlation with sugar content, approaching the significance of the Huglin Index.

Vegetation Effects on Soil Properties in the Monteagle Sandy Loam Series: Implications for Land‐use Change

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison Neil
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Coniferous Forest ◽  
The Impact

Soil properties are strongly influenced by the composition of the surrounding vegetation. We investigated soil properties of three ecosystems; a coniferous forest, a deciduous forest and an agricultural grassland, to determine the impact of land use change on soil properties. Disturbances such as deforestation followed by cultivation can severely alter soil properties, including losses of soil carbon. We collected nine 40 cm cores from three ecosystem types on the Roebuck Farm, north of Perth Village, Ontario, Canada. Dominant species in each ecosystem included hemlock and white pine in the coniferous forest; sugar maple, birch and beech in the deciduous forest; grasses, legumes and herbs in the grassland. Soil pH varied little between the three ecosystems and over depth. Soils under grassland vegetation had the highest bulk density, especially near the surface. The forest sites showed higher cation exchange capacity and soil moisture than the grassland; these differences largely resulted from higher organic matter levels in the surface forest soils. Vertical distribution of organic matter varied greatly amongst the three ecosystems. In the forest, more of the organic matter was located near the surface, while in the grassland organic matter concentrations varied little with depth. The results suggest that changes in land cover and land use alters litter inputs and nutrient cycling rates, modifying soil physical and chemical properties. Our results further suggest that conversion of forest into agricultural land in this area can lead to a decline in soil carbon storage.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document