Soil and Water Research, 2007 (vol. 2), issue 2
Altitude and forest type effects on soils in the Jizera Mountains regionOriginal Paper
Lenka Pavlů, Luboš Borůvka, Antonín Nikodem, Marcela Rohošková, Vít Penížek
Soil & Water Res., 2007, 2(2):35-44 | DOI: 10.17221/2114-SWR 
This paper is focused on the Jizera Mountains as a region strongly influenced by man in the past. The structure of the natural forest was changed. Species monocultures with similar tree ages were planted. High acidificants concentrations in atmosphere led to the decline of these monoculture forests in the top parts of the mountains and the high acidificants deposition damaged the soils in the whole region. The goals of this study are to describe the distribution of the soil properties in altitude transects, where temperature, precipitation, and vegetation gradients are recorded, and to compare the soil properties in spruce and beech forests. The soil...
Molecular size distribution and hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties of humic acids isolated from forest soilOriginal Paper
Bozena Debska, Malgorzata Drag, Magdalena Banach-Szott
Soil & Water Res., 2007, 2(2):45-53 | DOI: 10.17221/2113-SWR
The aim of the present paper was to determine hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties and the degree of polydispersity of humic acids depending on their degree of maturity and the properties of the plant material participating in the process of humification. The study involved humic acids isolated from samples taken from organic and mineral horizons of forest soils. The samples were taken under the tree stands of: pine with an admixture of hardbeam, European beech, elm, fir, spruce, and thuja. It was demonstrated that the properties of humic acids of the organic horizon and mineral horizons are determined by the kind of plant litter, mainly by the tree...
The effect of the soil compaction on the contents of alfalfa root reserve nutrients in relation to the stand density and the amount of root biomassOriginal Paper
Josef Hakl, Jaromír Šantrůček, Daniela Kocourková, Pavel Fuksa
Soil & Water Res., 2007, 2(2):54-58 | DOI: 10.17221/2117-SWR
The reserve root nutrients influence the overwintering, regrowth, yield, and persistence of alfalfa plants. The total amount of the root reserves is considered more important than their concentration. One of the factors which can affect the reserve content can be the soil compaction. The aim of this study is to clarify the effect of the soil compaction on the reserve root nutrients in relation to the stand density and the amount of the root biomass. In this experiment, the stand density ranged from 28 to 112 plants per m2. The average soil bulk density in the uncompacted and compacted variants was found to be 1.38 and 1.52 g/cm3,...
The impact of vegetation on hydraulic conductivity of sandy soilOriginal Paper
Ľubomír Lichner, Tomáš Orfánus, Katarína Nováková, Miloslav Šír, Miroslav Tesař
Soil & Water Res., 2007, 2(2):59-66 | DOI: 10.17221/2115-SWR
The objective of this study was to assess the impact of vegetation on the hydraulic conductivity of sandy soil at the locality Mláky II at Sekule (southwest Slovakia). The measurements were taken on the surface of a meadow (Meadow site), a 30-year old Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) forest (Forest site) and a glade (Glade site). In the glade, the measurements were also taken in the depth of 50 cm (Pure sand) to reduce the influence of vegetation on the soil properties. It was found that the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity kr(-2 cm) as reduced due to the soil water repellency increased in the same order: Forest soil <...
Acid phosphomonoesterase activity in floodplain forest soilsOriginal Paper
Klement Rejšek
Soil & Water Res., 2007, 2(2):67-75 | DOI: 10.17221/2116-SWR
The 4-nitrophenyl phosphate method for acid phosphomonoesterase (EC 3.1.3.2; acid orthophosphoric monoester phosphohydrolase) determination was slightly modified to increase the sensitivity and the stability of the 4-nitrophenol coloured complex in samples rich in humic substances and easily soluble organic compounds. Based on an approach used for mycorrhizal roots, the new analytical protocol was tested on samples taken from a single forest site with a large variation in soil types. Distinctive properties of forest soils and the accuracy/repeatability of the optimised technique were considered in the selection of the most appropriate analytical steps....