Soil and Water Research, 2025 (vol. 20), issue 4
INDEX OF VOLUME 20Index
Editorial Department
Soil & Water Res., 2025, 20(4):I-II 
Alternative solution for determining the irrigation water quantity: ETGaugeOriginal Paper
Ismail Tas, Fatih Cem Kuzucu
Soil & Water Res., 2025, 20(4):219-233 | DOI: 10.17221/25/2025-SWR
Measuring the reference evapotranspiration (ET0) is difficult and costly. Some regions can have variable microclimates and these can often be quite far from climate stations. Therefore, it is optimal to use local measurements rather than a regionally calculated ET0. In this respect, one piece of equipment that provides cheap and reliable measurement results is ETGauge equipment. In this study, ET0 values measured with ETGauge equipment were compared with daily and monthly ET0 values calculated by five different commonly used empirical methods (ThornthwaiteAdj, Blaney-Criddle,...
Rainfall induced changes in soil moisture: A comparative study of conventional and strip tillageOriginal Paper
Vojtěch Štros, David Kincl, David Kabelka, Jan Vopravil
Soil & Water Res., 2025, 20(4):234-242 | DOI: 10.17221/56/2025-SWR
Strip tillage is a very popular form of conservation tillage that is used in places with a higher risk of soil erosion. It is commonly accepted that strip tillage reduces the effects of water erosion; however, the exact way this effect is produced is very hard to quantify. This study focuses on the way strip tillage influences soil moisture and the way it changes with different intensities of rainfall, in comparison with conventional tillage. This study was conducted near Petrovice, Středočeský kraj, Czechia, over the course of four years (2021–2024). The conditions of all four test sites were comparable, both in terms of slope and soil type...
Possibilities of agricultural soils evaluation in the Czech RepublicOriginal Paper
Věra Ürge, Pavel Formánek, Jan Vopravil
Soil & Water Res., 2025, 20(4):243-252 | DOI: 10.17221/66/2025-SWR
In this study, the evaluation of soil quality was realised using the Analytic Hierarchy Process, and the obtained values were integrated with Evaluated Soil Ecological Units (BPEJs). Different maps of the Czech Republic were elaborated with BPEJs classified into five soil protection classes based on the obtained model values (with or without the values for production potential), the ratio of 80% (production potential values) to 20% (model values) or 60% (production potential values) to 40% (model values) and 40% (production potential values) to 60% (model values). The evaluation of BPEJs based on the mentioned criteria showed differences in their classification...
Determination of soil loss on agricultural land based on field measurements in the Czech RepublicOriginal Paper
Jiří Kapička, Věra Kolbabová, Miroslav Bauer, Tomáš Dostál, Petr Kavka, Josef Krása, Alla Achasova
Soil & Water Res., 2025, 20(4):253-264 | DOI: 10.17221/22/2025-SWR
The current erosion protection set up in the Czech Republic (CZ) is based on the long-term soil loss due to water erosion using the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE). The range of recommended values of tolerable soil loss by water varies among different authors and approaches, depending on the specific area and its parameters. It is, therefore, important to ask the following questions. What is the real range of soil loss by water erosion in CZ. To determine the range of soil loss, a model extrapolation was carried out. The model extrapolation was based on the results from two main experimental measurements. Both from the evaluated volume soil loss...
The role of ground heat flux in estimating evapotranspiration by the Penman-Monteith method on mountain meadowOriginal Paper
Michal Dohnal, Jana Votrubová, Rebeka Mazúchová, Miroslav Tesař
Soil & Water Res., 2025, 20(4):265-273 | DOI: 10.17221/24/2025-SWR
Ground heat flux (G) is often an overlooked component of the surface energy balance, and its accurate determination remains challenging. In the present study, the accuracy of various G estimation methods is examined using long-term measurements from the Central European mountain meadow. The impact of different G approximation on calculated evapotranspiration by the Penman-Monteith method (ET) is analysed. Soil heat flux measurements and surface temperature data were used to determine G, while net radiation was used to approximate G. Neglecting G led to an overestimation of ET in the daily timestep....
Economic evaluation of conservation grassland as a measure to control soil erosion in the Czech RepublicOriginal Paper
Ivo Horák, Marek Litzman, Petr Marada, Lubor Lacina, Miroslav Dumbrovský, Jan Vavřina, Michal Pochop
Soil & Water Res., 2025, 20(4):274-284 | DOI: 10.17221/33/2025-SWR
Conservation grassland significantly reduces soil erosion risk in agricultural landscapes, as shown by a nationwide analysis of over 1.9 million Farmer’s blocks (DPBs) records from the Czech Republic (2016–2022). A logit regression model revealed that grassland establishment lowers the likelihood of erosion events by about 64%, with erosion risk strongly influenced by altitude, land use, and management practices. Spatial mapping and soil suitability classification identified nearly 240 00 hectares – mainly along 33 000 concentrated runoff pathways – as suitable for targeted grassland conversion. Despite its soil-protective function,...